Chapter 592: The Admiration for King
Compared to previous years, this new season has been much less hectic for Manchester City.
After last season ended trophy-less, they didn't have to worry about matches like the Community Shield or the UEFA Super Cup.
So, after returning to Europe from North America, Pep Guardiola took the team to Spain for a series of friendly matches.
During their game against Villarreal, the performance of a 21-year-old midfielder named Rodri caught Guardiola's attention.
Although Rodri lacked experience and appeared a bit raw, his playing style reminded Guardiola of Barcelona's Sergio Busquets.
Rodri's positioning was excellent, and his vision of the game was remarkable. He could anticipate the opponent's attacking intentions well, track the most dangerous players, and disrupt and limit the opposition's attacks through the middle.
His height also gave him an advantage in aerial duels, and he rarely lost when challenging for headers.
Not only that, but Rodri also had decent passing abilities. He could transition the ball safely to his teammates through short passes and sometimes even initiate dangerous attacks.
These are all qualities that Guardiola deeply admires.
It was clear that Rodri's primary role on the pitch was defensive, but he wasn't just a typical defensive player—he was more like a versatile warrior.
Of course, Rodri wasn't without flaws.
At the moment, despite his height, his physical strength wasn't as developed as one might expect. His ability to handle physical challenges wasn't as strong.
For example, in his duels with Gündoğan and De Bruyne, he didn't gain much of an advantage.
And when facing a player like Lin Quan, who combined speed, technique, and agility, his defending was woeful—he was easily bypassed.
Of course, this might be because Lin Quan is simply too good, and Rodri lacks the experience to deal with such players.
But in Manchester City, there's only one Lin Quan, and against other players, Rodri held his own quite well, putting in a solid performance overall.
With that in mind, Guardiola noted Rodri's name and added him to his scouting list.
If Rodri could continue to develop and meet Guardiola's expectations, there was a good chance Pep would bring him to Manchester City.
Spanish players generally have excellent technical skills, which makes them the kind of player Guardiola prefers.
Plus, communication wouldn't be an issue, and he would likely integrate into the team quickly under the protection of the team's leader and the coach.
Once he joined the team, it wouldn't take long for him to become a key player.
The result of this friendly match was a 2-0 win for Manchester City, comfortably defeating the "Yellow Submarine."
Manchester City's second friendly match was against RCD Espanyol, often considered a junior partner to Real Madrid.
Espanyol is based in Barcelona, making them natural rivals to Barcelona, and they've long aligned themselves with Real Madrid as part of the "Madrid camp."
Espanyol's strength wasn't particularly impressive, though they could occasionally give Barcelona some trouble.
They were a suitable opponent for testing Manchester City's attacking prowess for the new season!
In this match, Guardiola pushed Leroy Sané up front to partner with Sergio Agüero, changing City's formation to a 3-1-4-2.
Looking at this formation, it was clear City intended to press forward aggressively.
Indeed, Espanyol found themselves pinned in their own half, unable to escape.
Manchester City's powerful midfield and attack continuously applied pressure, keeping Espanyol's goal under constant threat.
City launched attack after attack—crosses from the wings, through-balls from the center, quick shots in the box, headers, long-range shots from outside the box, personal skill-based breakthroughs, and intricate passing combinations involving two to three players.
The variety of Manchester City's attacks overwhelmed Espanyol, leaving them with no answers.
By halftime, the score was already 3-0 in City's favor.
Given that this was just a friendly match, Guardiola didn't want to embarrass Espanyol too much on their home turf.
So, in the second half, City made substitutions and played more conservatively, but even then, the substitutes managed to score two more goals.
Near the end of the second half, Espanyol's Chinese player Wu Lei scored a one-on-one goal, helping the home team regain a little pride.
Though Espanyol lost, their coach didn't look pleased. However, the players themselves didn't seem to mind too much.
Some of the younger players even went up to Manchester City's stars, asking for pictures, autographs, and jersey swaps.
They couldn't pass up such a great opportunity to meet their idols!
Wu Lei, after scoring his goal, was also in high spirits. He approached Lin Quan, hoping to swap jerseys.
"Brother Lin, I'm your idol—oops, I mean you're my idol!"
Wu Lei was so excited that he misspoke, but it was clear that he genuinely admired Lin Quan.
Lin Quan felt a bit embarrassed. After all, Wu Lei was five years older than him, yet calling him "brother" seemed so natural...
Since both players shared similar positions on the field, they had a lot in common to talk about.
Like Lin Quan, Wu Lei could also play multiple positions, though he wasn't as versatile. Wu Lei couldn't play in midfield like Lin Quan.
So, it wasn't surprising that Wu Lei saw Lin Quan as a role model. He loved watching Manchester City's games and tried to learn from Lin Quan's offensive techniques, incorporating them into his own game.
Of course, Wu Lei was limited by his own talent and physical attributes, so he couldn't use many of Lin Quan's techniques.
But he still managed to learn a few things that helped him improve his game considerably.
After all, Lin Quan wasn't one to show off with flashy tricks—he focused on simple, practical moves.
If you could master them, they could genuinely elevate your game.
Karim Benzema certainly understood this well.
Lately, Benzema had been working hard to get back into the French national team, putting in strong performances across various competitions to impress coach Didier Deschamps and win back the French fans who had criticized him.
But despite his efforts, Benzema hadn't been called up for important matches like France's game against the Netherlands, making it likely he would miss the World Cup next year.
As for Wu Lei, since joining Espanyol, he had gone from a substitute to securing a regular spot in the starting lineup as the team's undisputed left winger.
He certainly had the ability to start, as evidenced by his performance last season—Wu Lei played 29 games for Espanyol, scoring 9 goals and providing 6 assists, an impressive display.
Rumor had it that some major clubs were starting to take notice of Wu Lei.
Although his skills might not yet meet their standards, the massive market of 1.4 billion people backing him was extremely appealing.
However, Wu Lei knew his limits. Moving to a big club would likely mean being a substitute with limited playing time, which wouldn't help him improve and might even hinder his development.
So, Wu Lei wasn't swayed by outside temptations. He remained patient and focused on continuing to improve at Espanyol.
This season, he felt he was in great form and was confident he could score in double digits. If he managed that, he might even challenge Tottenham's Son Heung-min for the title of Asia's best player.
After chatting with Wu Lei for a while and hearing about his plans, Lin Quan fully supported his decision.
It was great that Wu Lei had a clear understanding of his abilities and limits.
Lin Quan had a friend who had failed to see his limits, and as a result, had changed clubs three times in the past two years.
The two players took a photo together and exchanged jerseys.
If they had more time, they might have even gone out to grab a meal.
Although Wu Lei played in Barcelona, Lin Quan, being a local, knew the city much better and could point him to all the best places to eat!
...
Meanwhile, the transfer market continued to produce big news, but the new Premier League season had already kicked off.
Compared to the Bundesliga, La Liga, and Serie A, the Premier League started a week earlier, drawing in many fans eager to catch the season opener.
The Premier League's ability to market and promote itself commercially was truly top-notch.
This year's season opener featured a clash between Arsenal, under new management, and Leicester City, who had also brought in a new coach.
Both teams played an open, attacking game, with Arsenal scoring the first goal within just two minutes.
But before they could celebrate, Leicester quickly equalized.
The two sides traded goals throughout the first half, which ended 2-2.
Early in the second half, Jamie Vardy scored his second goal, giving Leicester a 3-2 lead and putting Arsenal's new coach, Unai Emery, at risk of losing his first home game in charge.
But in the crucial moments, two of Arsenal's veterans—Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud—stepped up.
They scored back-to-back goals in the 83rd and 85th minutes, completing a dramatic 4-3 comeback victory for Arsenal.
Though it was a nerve-wracking game, the result was satisfying for Arsenal's fans.
After Arsène Wenger's 20-plus years in charge, there had been uncertainty surrounding the club's direction.
This opening win gave the fans something to celebrate, at least for a week.
After the season opener, other matches followed.
Liverpool, who had strengthened their squad in the summer in hopes of making a comeback, suffered a setback in their first game.
In an away match against Watford, they conceded a late equalizer in stoppage time, missing out on a season-opening win.
Chelsea, the reigning champions, had an even worse start. At home, they received two red cards and lost 2-3 to Burnley, marking the first major upset of the season.
The Premier League title race was shaping up to be more intense than ever. With 38 games in a season, every match was crucial, especially the home games.
Chelsea's loss not only cost them points but also put them at a disadvantage in the race to defend their title.
In contrast, Manchester City and Tottenham had more stable starts, both securing 2-0 victories in their away matches and picking up opening-day wins.
Meanwhile, Manchester United, who had made the biggest moves in the transfer market, thrashed West Ham United 4-0 at home, not only winning their opener but also taking the top spot in the league.
Manchester United's strong start had everyone talking.
After winning 4-0 in their first game, they followed it up with another 4-0 win in their second game away from home, silencing any doubters.
A two-game, eight-goal start to the season was unprecedented in Manchester United's history.
Liverpool finally secured their first win in their second game, while Chelsea lost a key match against Liverpool 2-1.
Arsenal, meanwhile, lost 0-1 away to Stoke City, leaving their fans confused once again.
The biggest upset of the third round came from Manchester City.
In their home match against Everton, Guardiola experimented with a 3-1-4-2 formation.
Unfortunately, right-wing-back Kyle Walker was sent off early, derailing City's tactics.
Adding to City's woes, Wayne Rooney, back at Everton, scored in the first half.
Faced with a stubborn defensive performance from Everton, Manchester City, down a man, fought hard to equalize in the second half.
But a win and a draw in their opening two games saw City drop out of the top four in the league standings.
Meanwhile, Manchester United fans were ecstatic, celebrating their two-game winning streak while mocking City's seemingly sluggish start, a continuation of last season's disappointing form.
It looked like the skies over Manchester were changing once again!
In the third round, Manchester City bounced back with a 2-0 away win, disappointing those waiting to see them stumble.
But Manchester United maintained their explosive form, beating Leicester City 2-0 at Old Trafford for their third straight win.
With three consecutive wins, United firmly held onto the top spot in the league. Remarkably, they had yet to concede a goal, highlighting the effectiveness of José Mourinho's defensive tactics.
So far, United had the best defense in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Guardiola's decision to play with a three-man defense wasn't particularly novel, as City had used it before.
But the single defensive midfielder setup was perhaps a bit too risky.
Everyone agreed that N'Golo Kanté was incredibly talented, but the amount of space left on both sides of the midfield was too large for one player to cover, no matter how good he was.
Solving this issue became a key focus for Manchester City.
Offensively, there was little to worry about. City's forwards had performed well so far, but the main concern remained in midfield and defense.
Whenever opponents broke through City's midfield, the backline came under significant pressure.
As a result, the key to City's defense lay not in the backline itself but in the pressing from the forwards and midfielders.
These six players had to apply immediate pressure on the opposition, disrupting their passing and progression, preventing them from breaking through City's midfield.
The goalkeeper also needed to play a bigger role, covering a large area and being quick to come off his line. (End of chapter)
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