What is an attacking defensive midfielder?

The 30-man shortlist for the 2016 Ballon d'Or has been announced, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi leading the pack, and Hao Ren making his second career nomination.

When this news appeared on the front page of major sports media outlets, Chinese fans were excited once again.

Although many people don't think it's surprising that Hao Ren was shortlisted for the Golden Globe Award.

After all, his performance for Leipzig last season was crazy enough.

After being loaned to Manchester City this season, he has consistently delivered high-level performances in the Premier League, Champions League, and national team.

But when it actually happens, the feeling is completely different.

[Selected for the second time! Guys, it's really the second time!]

[The greatest Asian player of all time, is that undisputed? Is he even in the top ten?]

It's hard to say. The Ballon d'Or is based on honors. This year, Ronaldo has the European Championship and the Champions League, and Messi has the Copa America. Hao Ren didn't have the Champions League knockout stage in the first half of the year, so it's hard to say.

[Let's be ruthless, guys. I'm confident I can take out a loan and have Hao Ren win the Ballon d'Or in 2020. That's how confident I am.]

However, the Golden Globe Awards' popularity didn't last long.

It's not that this thing isn't important.

Rather, Manchester City's upcoming schedule is a bit too much.

Having just drawn 2-2 with Barcelona at the Etihad Stadium, they will play again at Camp Nou in two weeks.

In this match at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City proved that they are capable of competing with Barcelona.

But the next game won't be so simple.

The match will be played at Camp Nou, Barcelona's home stadium!

The Barcelona at Camp Nou and the Barcelona away from home are not even in the same league!

Moreover, neither Messi nor Suarez are people who can easily accept a draw.

They must be feeling frustrated after failing to win the last game.

Manchester City, on the other hand, has no reason to relax.

Hao Ren looked at the Champions League group stage standings in the training base locker room, remained silent for a few seconds, and then opened his task panel.

[Mission Objective: Achieve 3 goals or 4 assists in this season's Champions League group stage, plus at least one Man of the Match award]

【当前进度：进球（2/3）/助攻（1/4），mvp次数（1/1）】

One goal more.

Numerically speaking, one goal is obviously simpler.

But Hao Ren knew very well that when you actually play in a match at the level of Barcelona, ​​nothing is simple.

Mascherano, Busquets, Rakitic, and Messi's dropping back and pressing all cut off his forward runs.

The next match will be at Camp Nou, and the opponent will only be better prepared.

In other words, if he wants to accomplish his goal in the fourth round of the Champions League, he must be in better form.

Hao Ren lowered his head, tightened his shoelaces, and gritted his teeth.

To be honest, he really wanted to beat Barcelona.

It's not just about the mission rewards.

Mr. Goodman is an extremely ambitious person; he wants to beat Messi in a head-to-head match, as it would be a testament to his own abilities!

……

October 23, the 9th round of the English Premier League.

Manchester City host Southampton.

Because they had just played a high-intensity Champions League match against Barcelona a few days earlier, Guardiola made some changes to the starting lineup.

However, Hao Ren was still included in the competition roster.

Unfortunately, Manchester City's schedule has been too packed lately, and the team needs to secure points.

Southampton are not a weak team.

However, Manchester City played very smoothly in this match, and did not encounter any significant obstacles in either half.

In the 27th minute, De Bruyne crossed from the right wing, and Aguero pounced on the ball in the penalty area to score.

In the 63rd minute, Hao Ren intercepted the ball in midfield and passed it to the advancing Nolito, who then crossed it into the penalty area, where substitute Sterling slotted it home.

2: 0!

Manchester City easily defeated Southampton.

Because there was no pressure during the match, Guardiola substituted Hao Ren off the field around the 70th minute to conserve his energy for the rest of the game.

……

Manchester City beat Southampton 2-0; Manchester derby to follow in the EFL Cup three days later

Barcelona, ​​Manchester United, Barcelona again: Guardiola faces his toughest schedule since taking charge of Manchester City.

Mourinho is waiting for Guardiola! Goodman will play his first Manchester derby.

Manchester City fans were initially numb upon seeing the schedule.

Champions League match against Barcelona.

Premier League match against Southampton.

EFL Cup match against Manchester United.

They will face Barcelona again in the Champions League.

Facing Barcelona, ​​Manchester United, and Barcelona again in two weeks – this kind of schedule is suffocating.

[I'm speechless. They just played Barcelona, ​​then Manchester United, and then they have to go to Camp Nou. Who can handle that?]

Let's forget about the EFL Cup. He can come on as a substitute and play some minutes. Losing to Manchester United wouldn't be unacceptable.

Losing to Manchester United is unacceptable! Other matches can be postponed, but the Manchester derby cannot!

The problem is, Camp Nou is more important. We can't mess around in the Champions League group stage, and the EFL Cup isn't as important as the Champions League. Losing is fine, winning against Barcelona is the most important thing!

[Guagua, please don't let him go! We can't lose to Manchester United!]

The fans were making a huge fuss.

Some people feel that it's just the EFL Cup, and there's no need to go all out for it.

The reason is simple: Manchester City's real goals this season are the Premier League and the Champions League.

To put it bluntly, the EFL Cup is a competition with a lower level of prestige.

What's more, the next match is against Manchester United.

The intensity of the Manchester derby is unlikely to be low.

Mourinho's team is unlikely to let Manchester City win the game easily.

What if a key player gets injured and we have to go to Camp Nou next month?

Of course, some fans are unwilling to accept giving up the EFL Cup.

These fans have a strong competitive spirit and don't want their team to give up on any competition, even if the team has a perfectly reasonable reason.

……

Manchester City training ground.

Coaches' meeting room.

Guardiola sat in his chair, looking at the schedule in front of him with a deep frown.

Arteta stood to the side, holding a training report in his hand.

"It will take some time for our players to fully recover."

Arteta said, "It would be quite risky for us to use this starting lineup against both Manchester United and Barcelona."

Guardiola remained silent.

He certainly knew the risks were considerable.

Arteta continued, "We can consider rotating more key players in the EFL Cup."

"Having Goodman as a substitute is also a good option."

"If the situation in the game requires it, then let him play."

Arteta shrugged. Based on his analysis over the past few days, this should be the best way to solve the current problem.

Guardiola leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

Arteta's suggestion is reasonable.

The EFL Cup is indeed not Manchester City's most important competition.

Protecting key players is indeed a rational choice.

The problem is, Manchester City's EFL Cup opponent is Manchester United.

This is the Manchester derby!

Guardiola remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he raised his head.

"How much did we pay for the rental?"

Arteta paused for a moment.

"What?"

Goodman.

Guardiola looked at him: "How much did we pay to loan Goodman?"

Arteta realized what was happening.

"2000 million euros."

"right."

Guardiola nodded.

"2000 million euros."

He repeated the number again.

"It's just a rental."

"It's not a buyout."

"It's just a one-season loan."

At this point, Guardiola suddenly smiled.

That smile was a mix of helplessness and ruthlessness.

"Mikel, now that we've spent 2000 million euros to loan Goodman, we have no reason to back down in any match."

"Fans are calling me a victim of injustice online. Do you think I am a victim of injustice?"

Arteta remained silent for a moment.

"No, I'm not some kind of innocent victim! It's not like that!"

Guardiola stood up and walked to the tactics board.

"Manchester United must play!"

"Barcelona will play too."

"We cannot bow down in the earlier matches just because we are worried about the later matches."

"If a team wants to become a truly great team, it must learn to win in difficult schedules. That's what I'm going to teach you today!"

Arteta looked at Guardiola.

"So, you're planning to start Hao Ren against Manchester United?"

"He may not play the full game, but we need to be prepared to let him play."

"And it wasn't just him."

"We need to evaluate De Bruyne, Aguero, and Fernandinho."

"You can rotate players in the EFL Cup, but you can't surrender."

"Especially since this is the Manchester derby, we need to win this game. You know, if we can win the Manchester derby, the chances of creating a miracle at the Nou Camp in the next game will be much greater."

"We need to maintain a winning mentality; this is very important, sometimes even more important than the performance of the starting players!"

Arteta did not say anything more.

Judging from Guardiola's statements, the Spaniards have made their decision.

At this point, whatever Arteta says is useless; Guardiola won't listen to his advice.

……

Once the direction was set, Guardiola began to re-examine how Hao Ren would be used.

The biggest change Hao Ren has brought to Manchester City over this period is toughness.

Defensive coverage, physical confrontations, interceptions... and the most visually striking and beloved aspect for Manchester City fans: their forward runs.

Hao Ren has very distinctive characteristics and a unique playing style.

But after the match against Barcelona, ​​Guardiola became increasingly aware of one thing.

Hao Ren's offensive capabilities have not yet been fully developed.

The Chinese midfielders' runs from deep are very threatening.

It's not just his runs forward, but also his long-range shots and headers in the penalty area...

"I think..."

Guardiola took a deep breath and suddenly said.

"Goodman needs more systematic offensive training."

"Especially in a system like Manchester City's."

Guardiola shook the mouse, waking up the computer screen that had been turned off, and pulled up the recording of the Manchester City vs. Barcelona match.

The equalizer in the 52nd minute.

Sterling breaks through on the right wing.

An inverted triangle.

Hao Ren arrived.

Mascherano and Busquets blocked the attack simultaneously.

Hao Ren didn't shoot, but instead passed the ball across to De Bruyne.

De Bruyne scores.

Guardiola paused the video and began analyzing the screen.

"Goodman made the right choice."

"But if his shooting preparation was a little more realistic, Mascherano would have been sucked in even deeper."

"If his first touch had been a little further into the penalty area, Busquets would have had to track back."

"That would give De Bruyne more space to shoot."

Arteta looked at the screen and nodded slightly.

"You want to optimize his offensive details."

"Yes."

Guardiola said, "His defense is strong enough."

"Now we need to make him more consistent on offense."

"It's not just occasional goals."

"Instead, it's about making him a stable attacking point in our offensive system."

Arteta smiled.

"Jurgen might be very nervous if he knew you were modifying Goodman like this."

Guardiola smiled too.

"He should be nervous."

"Whether he's nervous or not is none of my business. I'm Manchester City's manager, and I don't need to care about his feelings."

After saying this, Guardiola paused for a moment.

Then he added a sentence.

"Of course, it would be even better if we could buy out Goodman."

Arteta did not respond.

This topic is too realistic.

A player of Hao Ren's caliber will certainly not be cheap to buy out. Even if the Middle Eastern consortium behind Manchester City is willing to pay, Liverpool may not be willing to let him go.

It's definitely too early to consider buying it out now.

But one thing is certain!

Guardiola wants to include Hao Ren in a bigger plan.

It's not simply about using him as a defensive barrier.

Instead, he was made one of Manchester City's true attacking focal points in midfield!

……

Training on the second day.

The astute Hao Ren quickly noticed that his training regimen had changed.

Guardiola himself stood at the edge of the training field, holding a tactics board in his hand.

"You were positioned too far back just now. When Raheem came down the right flank, you can't just stand at the edge of the penalty area waiting for the ball."

"You need to push forward first, so that the center-back thinks you're going to attack the penalty area."

"This way, Kevin behind you or Rasheed on the flank will have space! You need to consider your teammates when you're pushing forward."

Hao Ren nodded, listening attentively.

These things are completely different from the training in Leipzig.

In Leipzig, Rangnick placed more emphasis on speed, pressure, and vertical impact.

When an opportunity arises, seize it. When space opens up, run.

But Guardiola is different.

He wants to plan out exactly where you run, when you stop, and at what angle you stop.

Hao Ren initially found it troublesome.

But after practicing a few times, he gradually discovered that these details did indeed have some effect.

He doesn't necessarily need to rely on physical strength to get through every time.

Sometimes, simply moving a step ahead can disrupt a defender's positioning.

You can only truly appreciate the beauty of this feeling by experiencing it firsthand.

After training, Hao Ren sat on the sidelines drinking water and seriously thinking about today's training content.

"Rahim".

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Sterling sat down next to Hao Ren.

"Have you noticed I did a lot more offensive drills today? More than Kevin... Is my offense just too weak?"

Hao Ren frowned, carefully analyzing Guardiola's meaning.

"It's just practice, don't overthink it, Goode!"

Sterling burst into laughter.

"And it's okay if your attack is weak. You're a defensive midfielder, so leave the shooting to strikers like me!"

"……Um."

Hao Ren thought Sterling's words made a lot of sense, so he didn't dwell on the issue.

……

One day before the League Cup Round of 16.

There was a noticeable increase in the number of media outside Manchester City's training ground.

The Manchester derby never lacks attention, even if it's just an EFL Cup match.

With Guardiola vs. Mourinho, Manchester City vs. Manchester United, and this being Hao Ren's first time participating in the Manchester derby... this match has a lot of advantages, making it almost impossible for it not to be exciting.

Meanwhile, at Manchester City's training ground, manager Pep Guardiola was giving the players a pep talk.

"Gentlemen."

Guardiola looked at everyone.

"Tomorrow we're going to Old Trafford to play Manchester United."

"And then, it's Barcelona!"

"I know this is difficult, a huge challenge."

"But no one will hand us victory just because we're having a tough time. This is a professional league; every win has to be earned!"

……