Chapter 594: Haaland's First Premier League Goal, PUA Master Guardiola!
This season, the Premier League's viewership, number of overseas broadcasting platforms, and audience numbers have all significantly increased compared to last season. The reason is simple: this season's Premier League is just too exciting!
With the rise of Tottenham, the Premier League has formed a "BIG 6" group consisting of Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Arsenal. Compared to leagues like the Bundesliga, which is dominated by one team, or La Liga, controlled by the two giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, and the Serie A and Ligue 1 with a stark gap between strong and weak teams, the Premier League is the most fiercely competitive.
The more intense the competition, the more exciting each match is. And because there are so many powerful clubs, almost every round of the Premier League features high-profile, top-tier matchups. For fans, this is a huge draw. After all, aside from hardcore fans, most people don't really care about matches between lesser-known teams whose names they can barely remember.
Most fans get into the Premier League by supporting a specific team. As they watch that team's matches, they gradually become more familiar with the whole league. Once they've watched enough matches and learned more, they form the habit of watching even games that don't involve their favorite team, and before they know it, they've become die-hard Premier League fans.
Compared to other leagues, the Premier League has six top teams, each with a different style. This gives fans a lot of choices and makes it easy for them to find a team that suits their taste. And as Premier League teams continue to perform well in European competitions, the entire league and these top clubs become even more famous, attracting new fans and creating a positive cycle.
If, in the past few years, La Liga was undoubtedly the world's number one league, then starting in 2017, that title now belongs to the Premier League.
As the Premier League's flag-bearer in international competitions, Manchester City has gained countless followers worldwide, especially after winning three titles in four years. While the club's history isn't as deep as Manchester United or Liverpool's, and even Arsenal and Chelsea outshine them in that regard, City's global fanbase has now surpassed that of Arsenal and Chelsea and is closing in on, if not surpassing, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Among younger fans, Manchester City is even more popular, with some even calling City the "first team of young fans," much like Barcelona was in its heyday.
Although City's performance, both domestically and internationally, has been stellar, Pep Guardiola isn't one to rest on his laurels. After their win against Chelsea in the seventh round of the Premier League, he surprisingly lost his temper.
The players were bewildered—after all, the team had just secured their fourth consecutive victory, defeating the defending champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and avenging their earlier loss at Etihad Stadium. Why was the coach acting as if they'd lost?
Guardiola's frustration stemmed from City's defensive performance. Chelsea's defense was strong, and City's offense struggled at times, forcing them to push forward aggressively and launch all-out attacks. Chelsea, seizing this opportunity, repeatedly attempted counterattacks and created several dangerous chances.
Had it not been for key Chelsea players like Morata, Azpilicueta, and Hazard missing some critical opportunities, City might have lost the game.
These defensive issues hadn't been exposed in previous matches because the opposition was weaker. But after this clash with Chelsea, Guardiola realized that City's defense wasn't yet at the level he expected.
To solve this, Guardiola made adjustments to several forward positions and further emphasized high pressing, insisting that his players execute it without fail. The 3-1-4-2 formation was already heavily offensive, and if the forwards didn't press effectively, then once the first line of defense was breached, the back four would be in serious trouble.
Since N'Golo Kanté's offensive abilities aren't his strong suit, Guardiola had him stay back and focus solely on defense, freeing him from offensive duties. This allowed Kanté to cover both flanks, ensuring that even if the forwards didn't make it back in time, the sides wouldn't be easily exposed. As a result, City's overall defensive strength improved.
Whether it was the players turning their anger into motivation after Guardiola's outburst or the tactical adjustments genuinely enhancing the team's strength, in the eighth round, back at home, City once again delivered a jaw-dropping performance—crushing Stoke City 7-1!
Stoke City's only goal came from an unfortunate own goal by Kyle Walker. Everyone who watched this match noticed that City's defense had visibly improved. While the changes in the backline weren't immediately apparent because of Stoke's weaker lineup, City's forwards were relentless, pressing Stoke's players with the intensity of wild dogs, causing numerous errors.
Stoke, already struggling, was overwhelmed by this intense pressure, and they repeatedly handed City chances to launch quick counterattacks. In the first half, between the 17th and 27th minutes, City scored three goals in just ten minutes, two of which came from winning the ball back high up the pitch.
In the second half, City went on another scoring spree, netting three more goals between the 55th and 62nd minutes, once again overwhelming Stoke.
It seemed that whenever City applied pressure, they scored—not just once, but in rapid succession, giving their opponents no time to recover. What could Stoke City do against such an onslaught? They were utterly hopeless.
In the 80th minute, Erling Haaland, who had come on as a substitute, scored his first-ever Premier League goal for Manchester City. Although it was just a "cherry on top" goal that didn't affect the outcome, Haaland and the City fans celebrated wildly. Haaland excitedly ripped off his shirt and celebrated like a madman.
City fans in the stands were all smiles, applauding and cheering him on. Many of them had seen Haaland, Phil Foden, and Jadon Sancho play in youth matches since admission to those games was free. Even fans who hadn't watched them had heard about them through word of mouth.
Seeing these young talents make it into the first team and establish themselves was heartwarming and exciting for the fans. These were homegrown talents, nurtured in City's youth academy, and the fans eagerly anticipated their growth and future success in the first team.
Given City's frequent dominance in matches this season, Guardiola often gave these young players chances to play. Many players, including Haaland and Foden, had already made appearances. Haaland had played four times and finally scored his first Premier League goal, a reason for celebration.
Compared to Haaland, Foden had also made appearances but struggled to adapt to the pressure of being tightly marked by opponents. His performances hadn't met expectations, leading Guardiola to temporarily bench him. Guardiola planned to work on Foden's mental toughness, knowing that in his position, success would depend more on his brain than his physical strength.
In this area, Foden needed to learn from Lin Quan and David Silva.
…
With so many young players in the squad, Guardiola placed significant importance on the Carabao Cup this season—not for the trophy itself, but to give the youngsters much-needed experience.
In the first round of the Carabao Cup, City was drawn against another Premier League team—West Bromwich Albion. Guardiola fielded a mixed lineup of a few first-team regulars and many substitutes. Just in case, he had key players like De Bruyne, Lin Quan, and Agüero on the bench, ready to come on if the situation took a turn for the worse.
But in the end, the three didn't need to make an appearance. City didn't start the match particularly well. Seeing that City had fielded many substitutes, West Brom played very aggressively and nearly dominated them early on. However, with solid defensive performances from Rüdiger and Kimmich, City didn't allow many clear chances.
In midfield, Fernandinho was the standout player, excelling in both defense and attack. Led by their veteran players, the substitutes regained their composure and began to launch attacks of their own.
In the 33rd minute, City launched a counter-attack, with Leroy Sané breaking the deadlock with a solo run, giving City a 1-0 lead.
With the lead, the young players relaxed and played with more confidence, even showing glimpses of the first team's style.
But just when City's players let their guard down, Kieran Gibbs, who had transferred from Arsenal that summer, delivered a brilliant pass that sliced through City's defense, allowing West Brom to equalize.
This sudden blow seemed to stun City's youngsters, throwing them into disarray, and West Brom seized the opportunity to regain control of the game.
Guardiola, watching from the sidelines, shook his head in frustration. These young players still lacked experience.
Just as he was considering bringing on his star players, Sané stepped up again, scoring his second goal and restoring City's lead.
While Sané was gradually losing out to Mbappé in the battle for a starting spot, there was no denying his ability—at least in cup games like these, he was unstoppable.
If Sané left City for a mid-table team, he'd undoubtedly be their star player!
But Sané didn't seem eager to leave City, unless a particular German club came calling. Otherwise, he preferred staying at City, where he found the atmosphere comfortable, with little internal strife. Moreover, regularly competing with top players had significantly improved his skills.
At just 21 years old, Sané wasn't in a rush to make a name for himself. For now, mastering his craft was the top priority.
It seemed Guardiola wanted to challenge his team even more. After Sané scored his second goal, he subbed him off. West Brom, having almost resigned to defeat, suddenly saw a glimmer of hope.
Why had City taken off their best player? Did they think so little of West Brom?
Perhaps out of hope, or perhaps angered by City's decision, West Brom launched another wave of attacks, forcing City back onto the defensive.
Whenever the team was in trouble, someone always stepped up. With Sané off the field, it was Bernardo Silva's turn. In the 87th minute, he assisted Haaland, who scored another goal, sealing the victory.
West Brom was left in despair, feeling utterly outmatched.
Although City had fielded their substitutes, that lineup was still more powerful than West Brom's starting eleven. How were they supposed to compete?
Just look at who was on City's bench:
Goalkeeper: NavasDefense: Rüdiger, Danilo, Kimmich, DelphMidfield: Bernardo Silva, Fernandinho, FodenForwards: Sané, Haaland, Gabriel Jesus
It was an overwhelming lineup, worth more than 300 million euros!
Winning wasn't the issue—losing would have been embarrassing!
Despite winning, Guardiola wasn't satisfied with the performance. After the game, during the review, he spent hours going over the match with the players, constantly saying, "If Lin Quan were here, he would've done this," leaving the players feeling completely demoralized.
But his tactics seemed to work. In the second round of the Carabao Cup, City's substitutes performed significantly better than in the first.
In the second-round match against Wolves, City won 3-0 with goals from Gabriel Jesus, Haaland, and Kimmich, securing a spot in the quarter-finals.
In the next round, they might face some tougher competition.
Among the other seven teams in the quarter-finals, there were several top-tier clubs, including Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal. If City drew one of these teams and Guardiola stuck to using his substitutes, there was a high chance they might lose, especially if the opponents fielded their full-strength squads.
But Guardiola remained firm. He didn't care who the opposition was. To him, the Carabao Cup had nothing to do with the first-team players. If City won, the credit would go to the substitutes. If they lost, it would be on them as well. Even if City made it to the final, Guardiola planned to stick with his substitute lineup.
This commitment left the substitutes feeling both excited and anxious.
On the one hand, they were happy their places were secure, and they didn't have to worry about being replaced.
On the other hand, if they somehow reached the final, would they really be able to hold their own against a top team's full-strength lineup? (End of chapter)
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