Football: My AI System Provides Max-Level Predictions-Chapter 701 - 493 Gracie’s Cupping Therapy for Stress Relief! Go All Out, Manchester City and Chelsea Battle for the Top Spot!
Barça had no choice but to swallow this bitter defeat at home.
After equalizing, they saw hope for a victory.
And the probability was very high!
Because in the ongoing high pressure during the second half, Kolarov was sent off for losing focus, leaving Barça 11 against 10. From any angle, they were certain to win this match.
Manchester City was like a candle in the wind, ready to be snuffed out by them at any moment.
But Tang Long’s last moment charge, dribbling past five players, turned that flickering candle into a raging fire, engulfing the entire Camp Nou!
Several Manchester City players, like Sane, Gundogan, and Ranocchia, wanted to exchange jerseys with Messi. But before they could speak, Messi directly approached Tang Long, taking off his number 10 jersey.
"Tang, can I trade jerseys with you?" Messi asked with a polite smile.
"Of course, Leo," Tang Long replied.
The two conversed shirtless.
Messi was very interested in Tang Long’s last move against Alba, saying he rarely saw a player fake twice to the same side.
They chatted briefly about their experiences with dribbling.
The photographers wouldn’t miss such a great opportunity; they surrounded them, snapping away.
"Your stamina is truly amazing," Messi finally remarked in admiration, "It’s already 90 minutes in, and you can still sprint from the backfield to the front!"
With Messi’s reminder, Tang Long suddenly felt a tightness in his calf!
His muscles were contracting, a sign of extreme fatigue.
He tried to change his stance, but once he stepped forward, his right calf twitched sharply—he had a cramp!
Tang Long indeed had a tough game. As a starting player, he had to both defend and act as the team’s only long-range runner in attacks.
After a final high-speed, anaerobic sprint spanning dozens of meters, Tang Long’s stamina was completely depleted.
But in front of Messi, Tang Long certainly couldn’t just sit down and let him help pull his leg.
He thought, can’t lose his cool, and forcibly held down his trembling knee, saying:
"It’s nothing, just regular practice. I often do this in the latter half of the match."
Upon hearing Tang Long’s nonchalant response, a hint of admiration appeared in Messi’s eyes, marveling at the vitality of youth.
"I have to go," Tang Long thought he should quickly head back to the locker room and lie down, stretch his legs, "See you at Itihad for the next match!"
After speaking, he turned and left, but after a few steps, Messi called him from behind.
"Wait a second, Tang," Messi said, "I’m curious—if I remember correctly, this is your first time at Camp Nou, playing in front of 90,000 people, but you didn’t seem nervous at all. How did you manage that?"
Tang Long waved his hand, thinking even if he was nervous, he couldn’t let it show, so he said without looking back:
"Wembley in London also has 90,000 people. I’ve played there twice; the number of people isn’t an issue."
Messi was a bit stunned by what he heard.
In fact, for the 29-year-old Messi, the number of fans is naturally not a problem. More fans only ignite a stronger desire for victory in his heart.
But the young Chinese man before him had just turned 20!
Messi couldn’t help but think back to his own days at 20. Even though he didn’t say it aloud back then, every time he appeared at Camp Nou and saw the massive sea of fans, he would always feel nervous.
From this point of view, at least in terms of mentality, Messi felt that Tang Long’s maturity far surpassed his own at the same age.
"A tough opponent, hope we won’t face Manchester City in the knockout stage."
Messi watched Tang Long’s steady steps, feeling a bit restless...
Tang Long clutched Messi’s jersey in his hand, trying his best to maintain balance as he headed towards the players’ tunnel, grimacing from the pain in his calf.
But he noticed that as he passed by, all the Barça players were staring at him intently;
He had no choice but to endure the pain and put on a nonchalant smile.
It wasn’t about showing off, Tang Long was simply using this relaxed expression to put pressure on the Barça players, knowing there was still another leg at Itihad.
After enduring the pain and entering the visitors’ locker room, Tang Long collapsed to the floor, hissing in pain, yelling for his buddy Bonazzoli to come press his leg.
However, a pair of soft hands reached over instead.
Gracie placed Tang Long’s leg against her waist and pressed down to relieve his cramp.
She said with a playful smile, "I followed you all the way. You’re quite impressive, I thought you were fine, turns out you were just pretending."
"Just lie down."
"No need for you to move!"
"If you don’t behave, you’re done for."
...
Inside Manchester City’s therapy room.
Tang Long lay anxiously on the massage chair, turning his head to see Gracie half-sitting on it, holding a cupping glass in mid-air, ready to press it onto his back.
"Are you sure about this? Maybe we should skip it today," Tang Long cautiously asked.
"No way. I specifically returned after further studies at Manchester University to learn this cupping therapy from Chinese medicine, and the first test subject has to be you. You’re Chinese, you must have experience, check if my technique is right."
Gracie gently stroked Tang Long’s back with her small hands before pressing down the cupping glass.
The small glass bottle with a gently burning blue flame extinguished upon contact with Tang Long’s back.
Under the vacuum effect, the covered skin began to protrude exaggeratively, and Tang Long felt a tingling pull on his muscles, letting out a soft moan.
Bonazzoli, watching from the side, was so frightened he waved his hands repeatedly, saying he wouldn’t do it, then slipped out the door.
Once upon a time, cupping therapy seemed like torture to Europeans. Chinese medicine shops in European Chinatowns didn’t even dare to openly offer it to customers.
No one knows when cupping therapy started gaining attention in the circles of European professional players.
Real Madrid player Benzema was the first to try it. He posted a picture of his back covered in cups on his social media, hailing it as the best recovery method ever, prompting more players to try it out of curiosity.
After trying it, they found it quite effective!
It promotes blood circulation, dredges meridians, boosts spirit, expels dampness, and alleviates players’ fatigue, restoring their energy and vitality.
But the medical staff at European professional teams were all trained in Western medicine; how would they know how to do this?
A few bold players had no choice but to visit Chinese medicine shops.
Gracie noticed this trend, and it happened that her alma mater, the University of Manchester, was recently engaged in a technical exchange with a Chinese hospital, which included cupping therapy, this ancient Eastern therapy technique. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
Gracie voluntarily signed up for a month-long training and had just returned after completion.
Tang Long wasn’t afraid of cupping itself, but just worried about Gracie’s skill level, fearing she might accidentally injure him;
But seeing Gracie’s skilled hands, all his concerns vanished.
As Gracie was performing cupping, a sound of footsteps was heard from outside.
Wow!
The entire first team, over twenty players, surged into the small therapy room, crowding it like a packed train carriage.
Everyone surrounded Tang Long, curious yet fearful.
None of these Manchester City players had tried cupping before, and Bonazzoli had called everyone over to watch.
Agüero was notably surprised, leaning in to watch Gracie press the burning cup onto Tang Long’s back, marveling at what he saw.
"It’s like a Molotov cocktail! I usually use it to blast enemies lying in the grass!"
After cupping, Tang Long’s back was covered with red marks.
The room buzzed with chatter.
Agüero added, "Tang, next round against Chelsea, if you score, make sure not to take off your shirt during the celebration, don’t scare the kids!"
Laughter erupted in the locker room, and Gracie chuckled along.
