Football: My AI System Provides Max-Level Predictions-Chapter 674 - 468: Returned from the Champions League for 2 days of rest, then hurried to London to deal with Arsenal!
Bang!
As the ball hit the ground, the effect was indeed a few points better than what Chiwo had previously figured out.
Encouraged, Chiwo was very happy, and kicked twenty long passes in a row, each kick better than the last.
On the last kick, except for the strength of the spin being slightly weak, the landing point and height appeared to have some semblance of White Whale Counterattack.
Although retired for over two years, Chiwo felt a growth in his skills, which made him excited. After discussing with Tang Long, he continued with ten more kicks.
However, the quality of these ten kicks did not improve, and due to a decline in stamina, even the last few kicks failed without producing the spin.
Tang Long thought: "Chiwo has reached his technical bottleneck within a short period. To continue improving, he must practice long term, but he probably doesn’t need to keep practicing this White Whale Counterattack. Nonetheless, achieving the basic form in just a few dozen kicks shows visible talent."
Chiwo, hands on his hips, fell into deep thought.
Tang Long handed him a bottle of water, Chiwo waved it away and then smiled, snapping his fingers at Tang Long.
"Got it, watch my next kick."
Bang!
Chiwo suddenly kicked with energy.
To Tang Long’s surprise, the originally declining stamina and kicks were surpassed in quality once more. The spin was excellent, instantly back to the level of his best previous kick.
He hurriedly asked Chiwo for the secret.
Chiwo smiled: "Breath, if you exhale forcefully from your abdomen the moment you strike the ball, your body’s core muscles are instantly activated, aiding in explosive power."
"I figured this out myself," Chiwo said proudly, "Seems like I can still be your teacher, haha!"
Tang Long’s confusion turned to joy. After a few kicks, he found it indeed true.
Previously, whether in passing or shooting, although aware of needing tension, the use of tension through exhaling was a first; it immediately felt like his football skills improved again by three points under Chiwo’s guidance, feeling deeply grateful to his mentor.
"Alright, let’s head home, kid," Chiwo patted Tang Long’s back. "Today’s practice benefited both of us. If I were ten years younger, I’d certainly discuss skills with you daily, but time has left me behind, even with major improvement, I can never return to the professional field."
Chiwo suddenly felt sentimental, nodded to Tang Long, and left the pitch.
However, despite such discussion, Tang Long, while frank with Chiwo, ultimately didn’t mention the most critical point.
The splendid White Whale Counterattack requires precise anticipation of the situation on the field!
When Tang Long passed the ball, he had already calculated Agüero’s running path and the goalkeeper’s advance position;
Only then could the ball bounce back to Agüero’s feet at the most suitable time and place.
It’s not just about technique, but also mastery of the game rhythm.
Tang Long didn’t intentionally withhold from Chiwo, rather this anticipation stems from the mind, not from physical skill, and fundamentally can’t be clearly explained in words, so it wasn’t necessary to mention.
...
Returning home, Chiwo felt exhilarating for the enhancement of his football skills and ended up eating several extra bowls.
He even forgot to reply to Icardi’s message, addressing his request.
Until he was awakened from his nap by the message from De Bruyne, he drowsily replied with a few words, summarizing Tang Long’s White Whale Counterattack secret.
However, in Chiwo’s view, considering Icardi’s skill level, let alone current players, even Chiwo himself, despite being retired for two years, has far superior control over passing technique.
An advanced technical maneuver by Tang Long, explaining to Icardi, would likely be of little use.
Hence, his response was brief, not taken seriously.
On the other side, De Bruyne staring at Chiwo’s sparse reply, initially puzzled, then fell into deep contemplation...
...
Back to the Premier League.
The standings after four rounds of the Premier League are as follows.
Manchester City achieved a 4-game winning streak, securing 12 points, standing at the top.
City’s long-standing rivals, Manchester United, had 3 wins and 1 loss.
However, United couldn’t reach second place.
This season, Chelsea has appeared as a dark horse, once again finding their championship form from two seasons ago, starting with a 4-game winning streak like Manchester City!
Under Conte’s leadership, the Blue Army showed exceptional form, just beating their London rival Arsenal 2-0 at home in the last round.
Such a start gave Conte immense confidence!
He increasingly believed that his action of removing the photo of the legendary Chelsea manager Mourinho from the players’ tunnel on his first day in Chelsea was a great decision, even though it initially sparked controversy, Conte still thought it was the right move!
He privately told his Italian friends:
"Mourinho’s tactics are outdated, ever since he left Chelsea, he hasn’t found work in the Premier League. My players don’t need to reminisce about this former manager, the current Chelsea must bear my mark, Conte."
Conte believes that to lead Chelsea to resurgence and reclaim the Premier League crown, the biggest competitor this season is not Manchester United but Manchester City led by Guardiola.
Coming into the Premier League with ambition, Conte wants to see how formidable this globally renowned master of pass-and-control really is.
As a proud Italian, he firmly believes Italy is the true home of football in Europe, Italian coaches have always been the best in the world, far superior to coaches from other countries.
However, for now, Conte hasn’t had the chance to face Manchester City, which will have to wait.
In the 5th round of the Premier League, Chelsea’s opponent is Leicester City.
Conte feels confident in this match, his focus remains mostly on the title rivals, Manchester City.
Manchester City’s opponent is Arsenal, who Chelsea just defeated!
In Conte’s view, although Arsenal’s strength might not match Manchester City, given Manchester City played a Champions League match just two and a half days ago, they will surely rotate some players. Facing Arsenal away, they might drop points.
Conte even got hold of the Arsenal manager Wenger’s contact number and sent him a supportive text.
"Professor Wenger, sorry for beating you last round, but facing Manchester City in the 5th round, I believe Arsenal under your leadership will rebound, good luck!"
...
Wenger, upon seeing the message, turned green with anger!
"Who gave my phone number to this Italian brat," Wenger said, looking annoyed, showing Conte’s text message to the staff. "I still don’t know this kid’s intentions. Anyway, whether it’s loss or win, Chelsea wants your help, right?"
Actually, Wenger was very focused on the match against Manchester City without Conte’s "encouragement and urging."
When the new season schedule first came out, Wenger inwardly cursed the Premier League: "What kind of schedule did you give me? Just finished playing Chelsea, now it’s Manchester City, two strong opponents in a row. Is this how you plan it? If the team doesn’t play well, the pressure on me will be enormous."
Sure enough, after being thrashed 0-2 at home by Chelsea, the pressure on Wenger came crashing down on him like a tide, making it hard for him to breathe.
Media universally believed that with a record of 1 win, 1 draw, and 2 losses at the start of the season, Arsenal had been completely stripped from the title race.
And at this rate, competing for a top-four finish by the season’s end remains a huge question mark.
Some Arsenal fans straightforwardly expressed their dissatisfaction with Wenger.
"Why does Arsenal have to compete for fourth place every year? This absolutely has something to do with Wenger!"
"Professor Wenger is an Arsenal legend, but it’s time for him to be dismissed."
"Even couples have a seven-year itch. Wenger has been coaching for 20 years. Ferguson has retired, Wenger, maybe you should take a break too!"
"Our Arsenal needs fresh blood, and I’m not talking about players, but coaches!"
"Our Arsenal’s passing and control may look good, but it’s not winning games. Better to switch to a more pragmatic coach who emphasizes counter-attacks."
"It’s really a pity; at the beginning of the season, management should have brought Conte in instead of watching him go to Chelsea with open eyes!"
Faced with such pressure, what else can Wenger do besides endure?
The team’s performance is terrible; it’s an undeniable fact.
But for so many years, who knows the hardships I’ve had to endure behind the scenes?
For the sake of a new stadium, the team has been burdened with how many years of debt, leaving no money for the transfer market to buy stars;
Without stars, how can the team’s squad strength be improved?
Rely on youth training alone to develop it?
I’m only a coach; I’m not a god who can turn stones into gold!
However, even if no buns are steamed, Wenger doesn’t want to see his coached Arsenal suffer two consecutive Premier League defeats.
Furthermore, deep down, he really doesn’t want to lose to Manchester City.
Last season, because of a physical altercation with Pellegrini, Wenger has made an enemy of this team.
Although Pellegrini has left Manchester City this season and gone to Manchester United, another Guardiola has arrived.
There’s naturally no personal animosity between Wenger and Guardiola.
But when Guardiola came to the Premier League, the media all over England hailed him as the great master of the world’s best passing and control tactics, which made Wenger feel rather uncomfortable.
"Have these media ever seen the real world? They forget who was the first to launch beautiful football in the Premier League!"
Wenger’s Arsenal has been pushed to the edge of the cliff.
Now, not just for the team’s performance but also for his own reputation, Wenger must go all out!
...
"Welcome everyone to the live broadcast by LeSports of the 2016-2017 season, Premier League’s 5th round, Arsenal’s home game against Manchester City."
"I’m commentator Zhan Jun, and joining me for commentary today is the well-acquainted Coach Zhang Zhang Lu."
"Hehe, hello everyone."
"Seriously, Manchester City, already with four consecutive wins, is in high spirits, but they’ve made lots of rotations for this match. Even Tang Long is on the bench. Could they be underestimating the opponent a bit?"
Guardiola indeed made quite a few rotations in this match.
The main reason is that the schedule is simply too packed.
Two and a half days ago, they had just finished their match against Monchengladbach. Now they’re making a long journey from Manchester to London to face Arsenal.
Even if Manchester City players are built like iron, they can’t withstand this kind of stress.
Therefore, Guardiola must employ rotation tactics; otherwise, even if these key players don’t get injured, their energy will be prematurely depleted in the first half of the season, leading to a collapse in the second half. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
Coach Zhang analyzed, saying: "I don’t think so; it’s mainly for physical reasons that Guardiola has to rotate."
"Manchester City’s strength is considerable, but it’s still an away game at Arsenal, far from underestimating the opponent."
Starting lineup for this match.
Home team Arsenal: 4231
Welbeck
Sanchez/Cazorla/Walcott
Zaka/Corkland
Monreal/Koscielny/Musta/Fibere Lin
Ospina
Away team Manchester City: 433
Sterling/Bonazzoli/Sane
Silva/Ranocchia/Jing Dong’an
Kolarov/Stones/Otamendi/Sabaleta
Bravo
...
"The referee blows the whistle!"
"The match has begun!"
