The All-Around Center Forward

Manchester City's tactical room was also undergoing tactical arrangements.

Yaya Touré looked at the tactical board, listening intently.

Since joining Manchester City, his overall form had been continuously improving.

He was performing exceptionally well at Manchester City now.

Last season, they nearly won the League Championship; although they ultimately fell short by one point, they could still try again this season.

Perhaps it was because they didn't win the championship that their cohesion was stronger this season, and their desire for the championship was even greater.

Yaya Touré was now known as the strongest B2B player.

The so-called 'B2B' is an abbreviation for BOX-TO-BOX, meaning 'penalty box to penalty box'.

This term in football specifically refers to midfielders who have a large range of activity, strong running ability, and excel in both offense and defense.

These players can cover from their own penalty box to the opponent's penalty box during a game, performing multiple tactical tasks, including but not limited to defensive interceptions and offensive organization.

In other words, they are all-around midfielders!

However, even Yaya Touré didn't dare to be careless in the slightest.

Mainly because Suker was too difficult to deal with!

He was an all-around midfielder, and Suker was also an all-around forward!

Moreover, in terms of offensive threat, Suker was even more difficult to counter.

Suker's headers, positioning, shooting skills, and dribbling were all top-notch; having such a player in the front line made his threat level evident.

Yaya Touré had played against Suker during his time at Barcelona, and he knew very well that Suker's beast-like impact was only higher, not lower, than his own.

"We need to cut off the passing channels between Suker and his teammates," Mancini continued to explain the tactics.

He had experienced Suker's prowess during his time coaching Inter Milan, but he had found a way to limit Suker back then, so he planned to use the same trick again.

"This won't stop Suker!" Yaya Touré suddenly blurted out.

Mancini frowned slightly.

Yaya Touré: "I'm not questioning your tactics, but Suker's growth and progress are incomparable to his Serie A days. When I played for Barcelona, we also tried to cut off passing channels, but Real Madrid still countered our tactics!"

Aguero: "Man-to-man marking. One person must sacrifice and play as a marking midfielder. Even if Suker doesn't have the ball, he must be followed. Only then can his impact efficiency be reduced."

Even so, he didn't dare to say that Suker would be completely limited, only that Suker's efficiency could be reduced.

"Is it that exaggerated?" Balotelli said dismissively.

David Silva: "It's even more exaggerated than that! Haven't you played against him? Can't you feel it?"

"I forgot!" Balotelli said, picking his nose.

David Silva shook his head; he had forgotten that this guy wasn't bright.

Vincent Kompany: "Then let's go physical, using the way we're best at."

"If his body were weak, he wouldn't be an all-around player." Yaya Touré sighed, "We can only foul!"

Aguero also nodded and said, "If you feel threatened, foul immediately. Only then can he be stopped."

Balotelli laughed dismissively, "You make him sound like a big monster!"

Yaya Touré: "In a way, you're right!"

Balotelli shrugged, then turned to Maicon: "Why aren't you speaking?"

Maicon looked at him coldly, remaining silent.

The others all grinned; this idiot, why provoke him?

Speaking of Maicon, two people are unavoidable: Suker and Bale.

Both of them had exploited him!

And Suker was the kind who repeatedly exploited him!

Currently, videos of Maicon being outrun by Suker and Bale are still popular on YouTube.

It could be said that these two people literally dragged him down from being the world's best full-back, and his market value was cut to mere scraps.

Now, in one match, both of his nemeses were present, naturally making him jealous.

Just thinking about having to defend Suker in the next match made him want to vomit.

Manchester City's tactics were settled; no matter how strong Real Madrid was, they needed to fight hard.

Fortunately, the current Real Madrid was unstable due to internal strife.

At the same time, this was their home, so they naturally needed to aim for victory.

The following evening, at the Manchester City Stadium.

The football atmosphere in England was extremely rich; approaching the stadium, one could already feel a hot sensation, and the faint scent of wheat beer wafted in the air.

Of course, besides these, there were also many football hooligans booing them and yelling about wanting to "take them down."

Suker rested his chin, looking out the bus window at the tasteless English football hooligans. English football was indeed passionate, but these hooligans also caused quite a few jokes.

Soon, the bus swept past the crowd and arrived at the stadium entrance.

"Gentlemen, it's time to get off!"

Mourinho said, and was the first to step off the bus.

As Mourinho appeared, the surrounding area was filled with cheers from Real Madrid's traveling fans, and when the players appeared, the cheers grew even louder.

"Go, Suker! Win the match!"

"We believe in you!"

"Bring us another Champions League!"

"Go, Suker!"

Listening to the surrounding cheers, Suker smiled and gave a thumbs-up, then winked at the fans before entering the venue.

Staff were already waiting, leading them to the locker room.

The Real Madrid players were also familiar with the routine, beginning to change into their gear and putting on their training jerseys before stepping onto the field for warm-ups.

In Manchester, the most influential stadium was still Old Trafford.

This was Suker's first time at the Manchester City Stadium; its overall scale wasn't particularly large, but it was a standard professional football stadium.

The fan attendance was very high, or rather, there was no low attendance in the Big Five Leagues.

The market for these mainstream Leagues had always been booming!

After the warm-up session, both sets of players returned to the locker room for final preparations.

The starting players changed into their match jerseys, ready to go out.

Ramos wore the captain's armband, making a long-awaited return to the starting lineup.

Ramos's relationship with Mourinho was quite awkward now.

They had buried the hatchet, but the trust they once had was gone.

After all, Mourinho was ruthlessly suppressing Spanish local players, so it would be abnormal if there was still trust.

In the player tunnel, both teams gathered. At the Referee's signal, the players entered the field.

The starting lineups were as follows:

Manchester City (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Joe Hart.

Defenders: Maicon, Vincent Kompany, Matija Nastasić, Clichy.

Midfielders: David Silva, Javi García, Yaya Touré, Barry, Nasri.

Forward: Carlos Tevez.

Real Madrid (4-3-3):

Goalkeeper: Adán.

Defenders: Srna, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo.

Midfielders: Casemiro, Kroos, Kaka.

Forwards: Bale, Benzema, Suker.

With both lineups set, the match was ready to begin at any moment.

Ramos's return to the starting lineup delighted Real Madrid fans and commentator González.

"Ramos's return from injury will stabilize Real Madrid's defense significantly. This is very good news."

In the news released by Mourinho, Ramos was suspended due to injury. He wasn't foolish enough to tell everyone that Ramos was being kept on the bench by him.

Of course, many people knew that Mourinho was suppressing Ramos and other Spanish local players, but González could only comment in a public manner.

As the match was about to begin, González took a deep breath and launched into his formulaic opening remarks.

"This is the second round of the 2012/2013 Champions League Group D, Manchester City's home against Real Madrid!"

"This is also the second match in Group D. In the previous match, Real Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund at home, while Manchester City drew with Ajax away. Real Madrid leads Group D with 3 points, and the result of this match will directly impact the entire group's standings."

As González's commentary continued, on the field, Manchester City, in their sky-blue jerseys, kicked off first.

Real Madrid wore their black away jerseys for this match.

Beep!

The whistle blew, and the match began.

Bang!

Amidst cheers, Manchester City kicked off, making steady passes.

Mancini was Manchester City's Head Coach, and he had brought his own style to the team.

Inspiration, technique, speed, and control!

This was Mancini's style!

They wouldn't constantly control the ball like a possession-based team, nor would they play a passive game like a defensive counter-attacking team.

Not crude, not careless!

Cautious enough, but also possessing the decisiveness for a decisive blow!

As an Italy Head Coach, Mancini perfectly blended the styles of Italy and England, showcasing them in a unique way.

Suker ran forward, his eyes fixed on the changes in the field.

The most active player was Yaya Touré.

Yaya Touré had a wide range of activity, not limited to a certain area; this is what B2B means, expanding his range of activity and using his ability to break the deadlock.

However, Real Madrid was not to be trifled with; they wouldn't let Yaya Touré pass easily.

Bang!

Manchester City was still a bit nervous and suffered a tackle during a pass!

The ball changed possession, and Kaka immediately passed the intercepted ball back to Kroos for safer possession.

Seeing that they had lost the ball, Manchester City did not rush to press but held their positions, waiting for Real Madrid's attack.

Kaka received the ball again and immediately passed it forward to Kroos.

Kroos received the ball and looked up to observe, but it was this opportunity that Yaya Touré seized.

Yaya Touré suddenly burst out from the side and behind, and a fierce physical confrontation was too much for Kroos, who had intended to turn his body to separate Yaya Touré from the ball.

But this guy, relying on his long legs, stepped on the ball and pulled it back sharply.

"Oh~~~ Yaya Touré!!"

The English commentator shouted excitedly.

Yaya Touré completed the steal, then smoothly get past Casemiro, and immediately passed the ball to Nasri on the side.

Nasri intended to cut inside from the byline.

But Srna's close pressing was incredibly fierce; he seized the opportunity and poked the ball out of bounds, salvaging this defensive problem.

Yet, even so, it was a fact that Manchester City almost launched a brilliant counterattack.

Especially Yaya Touré, who seemed to be starting to exert himself.

"This is Yaya Touré; with his massive coverage, he can tackle and dribble. He has excellent physical qualities but isn't cumbersome, just like how he got past Casemiro after completing the tackle!"

Yaya Touré's brilliant performance at the start indeed boosted Manchester City's morale significantly.

The fans were also jubilant.

Mancini on the sidelines also nodded slightly, but he did not continue to relax. Real Madrid's tactic was defensive counterattack, so a passive playing style was natural.

However, the test for Manchester City still remained.

That was whether Manchester City could withstand Real Madrid's counterattack.

If they couldn't, Suker would become an unsolvable problem for Manchester City.

Suker retreated all the way, with Javi García always following him.

This guy barely had possession in this match, not even having his own position; he was just constantly following Suker.

This was the so-called man-marking midfielder, who, to restrict Suker, abandoned everything else, only to compress Suker's activity space.

But Suker was already accustomed to this; after all, there were times when two people marked him, which was even more excessive.

This was still good.

As for Yaya Touré's performance, it was pretty much as they expected; he was a truly troublesome guy.

As a midfielder, Yaya Touré was gradually reaching his peak.

In the 13/14 season, he produced terrifying statistics of 20 goals and 9 assists.

It can be said that these statistics, if placed on any midfielder, would be daunting.

Midfielders are different from forwards, and their responsibilities are also different.

And in the midfield position, ten goals in a season is already considered an excellent performance.

Not to mention 20 goals.

Moreover, Yaya Touré was playing in the Premier League now, which was considered absolute technical assistance.

Of course, when it came to technique, Real Madrid was not convinced!

But there was nothing they could do even if they weren't convinced!

After all, their Head Coach, Mourinho, wouldn't let them play with so-called techniques.

Suker was still waiting for an opportunity. Manchester City was pressing very high, hoping to break the deadlock first with the current situation.

In contrast, Real Madrid, despite being in passive defense, was calm and steadily building their defensive line.

All positions were in a relatively balanced state.

"So hard to break through!"

Yaya Touré frowned.

Real Madrid set up a chain defense.

This was a defensive tactic Italy excelled at, but Mourinho, who had studied in Italy, naturally learned this and integrated it into his tactical system.

Under waves of chain defense, if the first defensive chain was broken, there would still be a second.

It was a continuous retreat and layering, until the opponent ran out of steam.

Italy's chain defense was still very strong; don't look at how Suker was always accurate back then, but Suker was already super-standard and couldn't be used as a benchmark.

Suker could use his powerful individual ability to cut through chain defense, and Yaya Touré could actually do it too, but he needed some time.

Bang!

Meeting the ball, Ramos suddenly jumped up and cleared it with a header.

The ball landed at Casemiro's feet.

"Pass it here!"

Bale pointed in front of him.

But Casemiro didn't look at Bale; instead, he looked at the far end of the diagonal.

Although Bale was also a trustworthy teammate, shouldn't he look for Suker at this moment?

Their eyes met, and Suker immediately made a move.

Casemiro immediately struck the ball hard with his instep; the ball stayed close to the ground, like a sharp sword, diagonally traversing the field, accurately rushing towards Suker.

"He can still do this?"

Suker was a little surprised.

He had always considered Casemiro a rough defensive player, but how rough could a player from Brazil be in terms of technique!

However, the ball speed was too fast, and he clearly hadn't controlled the power well, making the first touch a bit troublesome.

But Suker was fully capable of controlling this ball.

Due to the excessive ball speed, Suker couldn't combine stopping and dribbling.

He could only stand firm on both feet, and as the ball approached, he slightly jumped backward, raising his instep. At the moment the ball hit his instep, there was a subtle buffering and backward movement, using his entire body's retreat and ankle tremors to complete the ball control.

The ball stopped perfectly about half a meter in front of Suker.

Javi García looked at the ball, instinctively wanting to tackle.

"Don't stick out your leg!"

Maicon roared.

But it was still a step too late.

As Javi García stretched out his leg, Suker planted his left foot and gently flicked his right foot.

The ball went through Javi García's legs, while Suker stepped on the sideline, turned sideways, and completed the breakthrough.

"Suker! A brilliant first touch and dribble!"

After getting past García, Suker charged directly towards Maicon.

Maicon immediately closed in, taking a stance about two meters from Suker.

His entire body was slightly lowered, standing sideways, blocking the inside line.

At the same time, Maicon extended his hand, feinting a push towards Suker.

As soon as Suker made a change of direction, he would immediately use his arm to block him and squeeze in with his body.

"Maicon is still very experienced, but..."

Suker's mouth curved slightly.

"I hope you still have your old speed!"

Bang!

Suker took a deep dribble, then his entire body exploded, intending to directly beat him with speed along the outside line.

Seeing this scene, González couldn't help but get excited.

This was like a classic replay!

In the 2007/2008 season, Suker, who was still playing for AC Milan, had exploded Maicon just like this!

"Damn it!!"

Maicon immediately chased back, but when he turned, he could only see Suker's back.

His speed simply couldn't keep up!

After being successively humiliated by Suker and Bale with speed, Maicon's form plummeted.

He was no longer at his peak.

But he still gritted his teeth and chased fiercely.

Even if he couldn't block, he had to prevent Suker from cutting inside.

Suker also didn't take unnecessary risks; instead, he swept the ball sharply along the byline towards the six-yard box.

Benzema, Vincent Kompany, Matija Nastasić, and Goalkeeper Joe Hart all rushed towards the ball, creating instant chaos.

But they were all a step too slow; the ball passed through the six-yard box and flew out of bounds.

And none of them could touch the ball!

The danger was averted, but the Manchester City players were still shaken.

Suker's breakthrough along the wing this time gave them a headache.

They couldn't stop him!

They simply couldn't stop him!

If they couldn't stop him, Suker would continue to sweep passes or crosses towards the six-yard box like this.

These weren't the most terrifying things.

They also had to guard against Suker's cut-ins, after all, compared to passing, Suker's shooting was his most threatening weapon.