Chi Meiya
Chapter 145 He Is the Best Player in the Premier League!
Throughout Old Trafford, even Manchester City fans weren't celebrating much.
Guardiola sat on the bench, took a sip of water, and quickly stood up.
Substitution! It had to be a substitution!
If he didn't make a substitution, Zhao Gang might not make it out of Old Trafford.
In the seventy-seventh minute of the match, Manchester City, leading by three goals, continued to attack Manchester United instead of shrinking back to defend.
Finally, during a defensive press, Gundogan successfully intercepted the ball, passed it to Silva, and Silva's long pass over the top found Zhao Gang.
In Manchester United's backfield, only De Gea and Smaling remained.
Smaling couldn't stop the excited Zhao Gang at all, and even tumbling on the ground couldn't stop Zhao Gang's successful breakthrough.
Facing De Gea, another powerful shot.
6-2!
At Old Trafford, under the gaze of Beckham, Ferguson, Neville, and Scholes, the mercenary showed no mercy.
He thanked the Manchester United youth academy before the game, but on the field, he showed no leniency.
Even with a three-goal lead, even with almost eighty minutes played, he still didn't hesitate, and his shot made Ferguson's heart tremble.
Manchester City's players gathered together, barely celebrating.
There was no need at this point.
This time, Zhao Gang didn't even look at Neville.
The previous goals proved that Neville's words were nonsense, which was enough.
Enough to slap him in the face.
Now, Zhao Gang's lack of response to Neville would make Neville even more uncomfortable.
The message was, we no longer care about what you, an old-timer, say.
"Guardiola directly substituted Zhao Gang and Aguero. Although Manchester City's players didn't give up attacking after taking a 5-2 lead, it was clear that they had relaxed a lot compared to before.
Only Zhao Gang and Aguero were the most focused. Now, Guardiola has substituted the two most active players, signaling that it's time to wrap things up."
"Zhao Gang had a perfect birthday, with four goals and one assist! Last time at Old Trafford, Zhao Gang performed perfectly, but although they advanced in the Europa League, they didn't beat Manchester United.
This time, Zhao Gang not only delivered a perfect performance but also led Manchester City to thrash Manchester United!
This match is destined to be a painful memory for Manchester United.
Once again, at Old Trafford, they were defeated 6-2 by Manchester City."
No one expected such a tragic result in this highly anticipated city derby.
Manchester United was like an amateur team, completely dominated by Manchester City.
Old Trafford, which had been filled with passionate singing several times, eventually became a graveyard.
After the match, Mourinho, who was interviewed, of course wouldn't admit defeat; he never admitted defeat in his life.
He was always improving himself, proving himself.
"Today was indeed very difficult. My players are no worse than anyone else. Ibrahimovic, Rooney, De Gea... they are all full of fighting spirit. The result of the match doesn't reflect everything.
Manchester City is very strong. They have many attacking options, and every position is top-notch. Guardiola can buy anyone he wants.
They have also been working together for more than one season.
Even Real Madrid and Barcelona wouldn't perform better than us against the current Manchester City.
I'm looking forward to the next match at the Etihad."
Manchester City is strong because Guardiola can buy anyone, and Manchester City's management strongly supports him.
Manchester United's players are no worse than others, but they still lack teamwork.
We need more time, and next time at the Etihad, we will prove ourselves.
"What do you think of Zhao's performance?"
Now, even though it's only been four matches, Zhao Gang has become an indispensable topic for the media.
The media hoped to get a different assessment from the Special One.
It seemed that after three matches, he had gained everyone's approval, media, and fans alike.
Everyone was saying that he was strong and would become even stronger in the future.
Mourinho, the Special One, almost never praised his opponents' players.
When he was at Real Madrid, he didn't even praise Messi once.
Now, he was at Manchester United, having just experienced a crushing defeat, and the perpetrator was Zhao Gang.
Given Mourinho's personality, it was hard to imagine him saying anything nice.
Mourinho's answer was bound to be very controversial!
"I have seen many excellent young people, and I have also coached many world-class stars...
You ask me about his performance, and I can tell you clearly that he is currently the best player in the Premier League."
The reporter opened his mouth, unable to believe that Mourinho would say such a thing.
Immediately, the reporter realized that Mourinho's answer had to be made more controversial, so he immediately added,
"Are you saying that Manchester United doesn't have a better player than him, Martial, Rashford..."
"I mean the Premier League doesn't have a better player than him! It's not that Manchester United doesn't have a better player than him, nor that the Premier League doesn't have a better young player, it's that the Premier League doesn't have a better player than him!
He has created eighteen goals in four matches! You tell me, you tell me, who, who else in the Premier League is stronger than him??" Mourinho stared at the reporter, "Are you not understanding what I'm saying?"
"The Premier League's defenders and coaches haven't found a way to limit him yet. From this point of view, Guardiola is indeed stronger than all the Premier League coaches. Right now, only Guardiola can limit Zhao's goals and assists!
You like to hear me say this kind of thing. Yes, I said it. Guardiola, in this regard, is destined to be more experienced than all the Premier League coaches, stronger than all the Premier League coaches."
...
As Mourinho expected, immediately, the media gave this headline.
"Mourinho admits that Guardiola is the best coach in the Premier League!!"
Fans who understood Mourinho knew that this could never have been said by Mourinho.
This headline instantly became a traffic harvester, and countless people couldn't help but join in the fun to see if the media was shameless or the Special One had gone crazy.
Sure enough, the media was shameless...
Many media outlets reported on this one-sided match.
"Manchester City Wins 6-2 Against Manchester United!" No clickbait was needed; it would attract many people who hadn't watched the game. Manchester United's crushing defeat was enough to attract attention in the football world.
"The Victory of Money Football!"
"Manchester United Needs a New Core!" Whether it's Rooney or Ibrahimovic, neither of them are as strong as they used to be. The struggling Manchester United needs to change and needs a new leader.
"Eighteen Goals in Four Matches, Only Guardiola Can Limit Zhao!"
"Is the Premier League's Defense Really Inferior to the Championship?"
"Bloodied Manchester United, Who Can Stop the Dragon Country Teenager?"
"Manchester United Suffers First Defeat, Is Manchester City Really Unstoppable?"
...
The English media was analyzing Zhao Gang, reporting on Zhao Gang.
The Dragon Country media also gave a lot of traffic and headlines to Zhao Gang.
A player playing abroad could receive such frenzied promotion from the media. A player like this, constantly breaking records in the Premier League and becoming the core of Manchester City's attack, was naturally the darling of all media.
And Zhao Gang's several celebrations directly topped the trending searches.
Especially the photo of him, facing Neville and many Manchester United fans, pointing to the number on the back of his jersey with an almost expressionless face.
No need for a word, no need for any extra gestures.
The red sea in the stands became the background for this touch of black.
Those tens of thousands of Manchester United fans were bewildered, confused, and lamenting.
Number eighteen.
Zhao Gang.
No matter which team's jersey he wore, whether it was Norwich or Manchester City.
He was Manchester United's eternal nightmare.
Norwich fans had already pieced together this scene with the scene of Zhao Gang revealing his jersey at Old Trafford before.
Manchester United would visit Carrow Road to challenge the promoted Norwich in the next match.
They would hang up this huge picture so that the Manchester United players would tremble at the sight of it, as if they were seeing Satan.
That painful memory would make them lost in Carrow Road.