"Zhao, your pass was fantastic!" Aguero couldn't help but exclaim, impressed not only by the pass but also by the clean and swift dribbling.

Even though it was just a practice match and Fernandinho might not have been taking it too seriously, it wasn't every day that someone could pull off a clean ball-past-the-man dribble like that.

The pass was perfect, with the ideal angle and power.

If he had received that ball, he could have scored with one kick.

Aguero was already getting excited.

"Thanks," Zhao Gang replied, turning to participate in the defense.

Sterling's positioning was truly top-notch. In Norwich, Ospina wouldn't have been able to run into that space at all.

Even if Hilo could have anticipated it, he probably would have been blocked by the defenders.

Although the pass went through, the opportunity was fleeting. If Sterling hadn't been fast enough, it very likely would have been intercepted.

The difference in teammates was huge.

No wonder Hilo himself said that he wouldn't be able to start on a top team; he could only be a surprise substitute weapon.

However, with Hilo's personality, he would never be a substitute, not even for Cristiano Ronaldo.

Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.

After winning the Europa League, Zhao Gang not only received thirty system points but also unlocked the "Path to the Ball King." In official matches, he would receive 1 system point for each goal and 2 system points for each assist.

From a revenue perspective, assists were better.

And while Manchester City's frontline was often criticized, that was only in comparison to other elite clubs.

Compared to Norwich, it was a world apart.

Zhao Gang could foresee that his system points would accumulate faster and faster in the future.

System points could even be exchanged for Golden Routes, the so-called guaranteed goals, clearing a path so that when the route appeared, a goal was certain.

Zhao Gang was now full of anticipation and confidence for the future.

The match continued, and soon, Team A also organized a very sharp attack.

David Silva's level was definitely top-tier, and with Fernandinho's passing and Aguero's ability, Team B's midfield defensive weaknesses were instantly exposed.

De Bruyne wasn't good at defending, and Zhao Gang had the willingness but not the ability.

He had almost no good way to deal with the opponent's dribbling and breakthroughs. In Norwich, he could only provide assistance and interference; he couldn't do one-on-one defense at all.

Especially not in a place like Manchester City.

Everyone had the ability to pass the ball.

Large gaps appeared behind Zhao Gang. Whether it was David Silva, Fernandinho, or even Stones, a center-back, they could easily take on Zhao Gang one-on-one.

Zhao Gang was practically a sieve!

The distance between the defenders and him was too far, and Team B didn't have a defensive midfielder, so Team B's defense was practically riddled with holes.

Team A could easily break through the midfield and directly face the center-backs.

Assistant coach Arteta frowned at Zhao Gang's awkward defense and muttered, "His defense is amateurish; he's easily shaken off... For someone who can easily break through Fernandinho, he shouldn't be like this!"

With such offensive ability, he naturally had to understand defense well. How could his defense be so bad?

"Fundamentals. He knows how he *should* defend, but there's a huge difference between knowing and doing. Before he entered Manchester United's youth training camp, his fundamentals in Dragon Country were a mess.

I heard from Falk that he's a very hardworking player. He should have developed some decent defense during his year in the English Championship.

But because Norwich's matches were so dense last season, and they needed him to fully utilize his offensive advantages, Falk didn't arrange for anyone to specifically train him in defense…

Now that he's here, I'll not only bring out his offensive talent, but I'll also make him a top defender!

We don't have a defensive midfielder, so we'll cultivate one!

Think about it, a defensive midfielder who can get the ball in the backfield and, without needing to transition through the midfield, can directly find the frontline pushing into the opponent's territory... how terrifying would that be?"

"But… that's not really in line with your football philosophy!"

"My football philosophy is to be ahead of everyone. Everyone will try to learn my tactics and target my tactics."

Sure enough, as Guardiola had thought, Team B's offense was lively and able to suppress Team A, but Team B's defense was too weak and was constantly ambushed, quickly falling behind 0-2.

Guardiola waved his hand and had De Bruyne and Fernandinho switch teams.

He had Fernandinho stand behind Zhao Gang to act as protection.

Fernandinho's defensive coverage was large enough to prevent gaps from appearing behind Zhao Gang, and he also had the ability to pass the ball, so he could instantly find Zhao Gang after getting the ball.

"His breakthrough ability is stronger than De Bruyne's. I heard that not long ago, he couldn't even break through at all…" Arteta watched Zhao Gang take the ball, extremely confident and not at all intimidated. Facing Manchester City's midfield, he didn't look like a rookie at all.

"That's why he's worth the price. I believe that with our team training him, he'll quickly learn how to defend."

Guardiola watched Zhao Gang running on the field. He had a defensive awareness; he could see the opponent's offensive loopholes and provide cover and assistance.

His defensive technique was just too poor.

With Fernandinho covering for Zhao Gang, Zhao Gang's offensive talent was directly unleashed.

Fernandinho said, "I'll defend, go! Just like when you passed me, beat them to a pulp!"

Fernandinho stole the ball and passed it to Zhao Gang.

David Silva immediately blocked Zhao Gang's path.

Before, he might have directly tackled him, but after seeing Zhao Gang's moves against Fernandinho, David Silva knew that tackling would either result in a foul or getting passed.

If no one was covering, he would definitely not fall for it.

The level this kid was showing, even if he wasn't worth seventy million, he had to be worth forty or fifty million.

As Zhao Gang dribbled, he shifted his center of gravity, trying to break through from the left. Silva maintained a certain distance from Zhao Gang, and when he saw Zhao Gang shift his weight, he quickly followed, moving to the right. It was difficult for Zhao Gang to break through.

Zhao Gang instantly pushed the ball with the inside of his left foot, shifting his entire center of gravity to the right. Silva followed.

Zhao Gang's left foot seemed to be glued to the ball. In a short time, he switched to the outside of his left foot and pushed again, breaking through to the left again.

Silva's eyes widened. That kind of ball control…

He had underestimated Zhao Gang.

If the first attempt didn't shake him off, he would just try again!

That kind of grasp of the ball's position made it difficult for anyone to truly mark him.

With Zhao Gang's advance, after breaking past Silva, the center-back Stones had already come to cover.

The individual abilities of these Manchester City players were of course strong enough, and their defensive awareness was also very strong.

However, just as Stones stood his ground, Zhao Gang, with a combination of dribbling and passing, nutmegged him and directly passed the ball into the penalty area.

Stones quickly turned around. Sterling, who was entangled with the defender, was incredibly fast. From Zhao Gang's breakthrough to Stones' cover, he immediately saw the gap behind Stones!

He didn't care whether Zhao Gang saw it or not; he just ran there. Any slower, and he would likely be intercepted by Otamendi, who was covering!

Sure enough…

Sterling's eyes lit up. Although it was their first time working together, their understanding was high!

That was the awareness and vision of top players, the ability to see gaps!

The two of them were on the same wavelength. When Otamendi came over to cover, it was already too late.

Sterling raised his foot and kicked it directly into the upper right corner of the goal.

The angle and power were extremely high!

Sterling's face broke into a wide smile.

This guy, that vision, that awareness, and that breakthrough ability.

He was simply the daddy that all forwards dreamed of!

Aguero pouted, watching in disbelief.

From taking the ball in midfield to breaking through Silva's defense, attracting Stones' cover, and then, before the defense could settle, nutmegging him and finding the open space.

This guy's offensive talent was definitely no weaker than De Bruyne's!

Moreover, De Bruyne excelled at passes that seemed to open the heavens, while this guy could also complete breakthroughs himself and had De Bruyne's passing technique and vision.

Before, among the Manchester City players, maybe except for Aguero, the rest were somewhat doubtful, or even unwelcoming, towards Zhao Gang.

After all, he was just an English Championship player, so his ability should be average.

But these few moves, the slight display of his abilities, greatly changed his teammates' perception of him.

No wonder Guardiola valued him.

There was indeed a gap between his own vision and the coach's!

Amazing!

That pass not only required vision and technique but also the ability to read the defense!

After breaking through, he had already roughly guessed Stones' movements and realized where the open space was.

He was responsible for passing it; as for his teammates?

If they didn't see the open space, then they were just garbage.

Obviously, with Manchester City's personnel, they would definitely be able to see the opportunity!

Sterling was happy, and Aguero was even happier.

When the match came, it would be him, Aguero, standing where Sterling was!

When that time came, wouldn't he be sweeping through the Premier League?

Would the European Golden Shoe be able to escape?

In the following practice match, with Fernandinho's help, the gaps behind Zhao Gang became smaller, but Team B's offense wasn't affected much.

Even without De Bruyne, they could still play like quicksilver flowing across the field.

Sterling completely opened up, running like crazy, as if no matter how he ran, that guy could pass the ball to him.

Guardiola nodded frequently. Zhao Gang needed to constantly push forward to show his offensive talent.

His defense was indeed just for show.

In that case, he needed a very capable defensive midfielder behind him.

Looking at it that way, another transfer that was still being negotiated was simply a match made in heaven.

Buy Ilkay Gündoğan.

Everyone said that Gündoğan wasn't good at defending, but his teamwork ability, covering and assisting, combined with Fernandinho standing behind Zhao Gang, could completely unleash Zhao Gang.

Zhao Gang's current defense level was too poor and needed to grow.

Guardiola nodded. A single practice match was enough for him to see too many things.

He had originally thought that Zhao Gang would need some time to adapt to the rhythm of the Premier League midfield, but now it seemed that he didn't.

His ability to read the game allowed him to see through the opponent's defense, and the timing of his passes was perfect.

Leading a team to win the Europa League wasn't just luck.

And in the following practice match, Zhao Gang's performance truly won over his teammates.

He not only had scalpel-like through balls but could also accurately pass long balls to find teammates and launch counterattacks.

At his age, that technique and understanding of the midfield were like a combination of two Spanish midfield masters.

Throughout the entire practice match, Aguero wanted to try being teammates with Zhao Gang, but he didn't dare to bring it up.

After all, that was Guardiola's arrangement.

He could only wait for the real match. He should be able to play together in the International Champions Cup, right?