Football: My AI System Provides Max-Level Predictions

At this moment, there was a gap on Toure's right side.

Two defenders hadn't come close yet, and after he got the ball, he didn't start moving. Tang Long had already begun to converge towards the center.

After getting the ball, Toure started dribbling towards the right gap to break away from his opponents;

With his tall stature and long strides, he covered the distance to the gap in just a couple of steps, attracting the two defenders.

At this moment, the center was empty!

With years of experience, Toure instinctively looked to the center and saw Tang Long.

With a flick of his right foot, the ball landed at Tang Long's position.

This seemingly casual pass and move between the two not only bypassed the two defenders but also allowed the ball to advance forward.

Toure thought, "When I was playing, all I thought about was getting to the open space first, observing after reaching the back. But reviewing it now, Tang Long was already moving there before I even started dribbling. It seems he had forecasted that position as a potential receiving gap."

Before joining Manchester City, Toure had already made a name for himself at Barcelona, being a main center-back for the Dream Three Barça.

He was well-acquainted with the artistry of space division that Guardiola emphasized in training and matches.

But seeing Tang Long's movement this time truly surprised him!

At that moment, he suddenly thought of his Barça midfield teammate Busquets!

"Tang Long's grasp and anticipation of space is almost identical to Busquets, predicting at least three steps ahead based on the situation."

With this thought, Toure became increasingly curious.

Busquets was a top-class defensive midfielder produced by the authentic La Masia youth system, the crucial link between Barça's midfield and backfield;

Whereas Tang Long came from a football desert—China. How could he be as formidable as Busquets in spatial prediction?

With curiosity, Toure continued to watch Tang Long's video.

He noticed that Tang Long not only had exceptional talent in spatial prediction but was also highly adept at knowing when to apply pressure as a defensive midfielder!

In the 32nd minute of the first half, after Kolarov got the ball on the left, he had a one-on-one duel with the opposition's midfielder on the wing.

Kolarov's physique was not an issue, but his dribbling was somewhat rough.

His aggressive push on the wing was immediately met with opposition, resulting in a dispossession.

All the other City players hesitated for a moment, except for Tang Long, who started first, followed by Sterling rushing back from the front.

Before the opposing player could turn, the two of them closed in immediately, and Tang Long poked the ball out of bounds, completing a successful high pressing defense!

"Yeah, I remember that play," Toure murmured, "at that time I was on the right midfield side, unable to get over, so I stepped back to begin defending. Tang Long was on the left side, and once Kolarov lost the ball, he didn't retreat but immediately called Sterling to press together."

"He did very well; immediate pressing is the essence of the possession game. Passing without pressing is fake possession." Toure couldn't help but commend Tang Long in his mind.

The first half saw both teams playing with high spirits, but by the second half, Monchengladbach's morale began to wane.

Even though Tang Long was substituted around the 60th minute, Toure discovered through the video recap that within the short 15 minutes of the second half, Tang Long maintained his focus and continued to perform exceptionally in control areas!

Using a god's-eye view while watching the video, Toure at the computer could see Tang Long's positioning and passing on the field more clearly than during the match.

Although the opponents had already given up resistance, Tang Long's midfield movement didn't decrease, frequently weaving between the center-backs, defensive midfielders, and the wing-backs' passing routes.

Especially whenever the center-back Ranocchia got the ball, Tang Long would always appear on the most logical passing route.

Through repeated proactive triangular positioning, City firmly kept the ball under control in the midfield and backfield.

Even with a newly introduced young opponent eager to prove himself and disrupt things single-handedly, their passing game dissipated his efforts completely.

"He and Ranocchia are a perfect match; one a passing center-back, the other a controlling defensive midfielder. With these two on the field, City's control in the backfield has indeed improved by a tier from last season."

Toure touched his bald head and remarked with a tinge of envy, "Why can't Kompany and I achieve this effect?"

It was already 11 PM. After finishing the match review, Toure found himself unable to calm down.

He felt that, despite being 13 years older and an elder sibling in some football techniques, he might not even match this young player!

How did he do it?

He's still so young. Logically, skills like spatial prediction and pressure choices should be honed through long-term match experience!

But Tang Long has only played a handful of matches, so why is he so adept, like a 30-year-old player?

The more Toure pondered late at night, the more uneasy he became, his mind restless like ants on a hot pan, unable to sleep.

He glanced over at his wife, who had fallen asleep early after completing her work.

Quietly getting out of bed, Toure changed out of his pajamas and put on a tracksuit, heading to the villa's basement.