Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 562: De Bruyne's Return, the Power of Manchester City's Twin Stars

Guardiola's adjustments showed some results. In the 10th round of the Premier League, Manchester City secured a 4-0 away victory over West Bromwich Albion.

Thanks to the goal difference advantage, they temporarily regained the top spot from Arsenal.

However, City's lead was very slim, as there were now two teams tied with them on points—Arsenal and Liverpool.

Riding the momentum from the big win, Manchester City beat Barcelona 4-1 at home in their Champions League group stage match, avenging their loss from the previous round.

In this game, Lin Quan scored a hat trick, and Agüero also contributed with a goal.

Gündoğan was outstanding as well, delivering two crucial assists. His performance was second only to Lin Quan, making him the second-highest-rated player in the City squad.

Even the experts had to admit that Gündoğan was quickly integrating into the Manchester City team, and his performances were improving steadily.

However, just when the public thought that Manchester City had regained their form with these two big wins in the league and Champions League, they were shocked once again three days later. At home, City drew 1-1 with Middlesbrough, who scored a last-minute equalizer.

It was a frustrating match. City took an early lead but failed to extend their advantage throughout the game.

Seeing that the opposition had lost their fighting spirit, Guardiola subbed out Lin Quan, who had played almost every game, to give him some rest during the second half.

However, during injury time, the opponent took advantage of a set-piece opportunity and scored the equalizer, nullifying City's almost full-match lead.

After this match, Guardiola faced a lot of criticism from the media.

Many experts believed that Guardiola should not have taken Lin Quan off so early.

Without the likes of De Bruyne and David Silva, both excellent passers, Lin Quan was not only the team's top scorer but also its primary playmaker in attack.

Once he was subbed off, the remaining players struggled to get any support from their teammates, making it impossible to threaten the opponent's goal, giving Middlesbrough the opportunity to counter-attack.

The criticism wasn't without merit. Under the current circumstances, Lin Quan's importance to the team had greatly increased.

He was playing the roles of several players, having to step up as the attacking spearhead to break down the opposition's defense when his teammates couldn't.

At the same time, he had to act as the playmaker, delivering the ball to his teammates and supporting their efforts.

More importantly, since Kroos left the team, Lin Quan was the only one left at City capable of controlling the tempo of the game.

So, he also had to take on the role of on-field commander, constantly analyzing both teams' dynamics and timing their attacks and defenses appropriately.

It's already difficult enough to excel at one role, let alone three, so the pressure on Lin Quan was immense.

This is exactly why Guardiola subbed him off in the second half—to give him some much-needed rest.

After all, no one can be expected to play a full match under such heavy physical and mental demands.

Guardiola's decision wasn't necessarily wrong; it was just unlucky that the opponent scored after the substitution.

Had City secured the win, the post-match opinions would have been completely different.

After being held to a draw at home, City's ranking dropped to third.

In contrast, Liverpool, who were in blistering form, thrashed their opponents 6-1 and climbed to the top of the Premier League table with 26 points.

Behind them was Chelsea, who had quietly worked their way back into contention after a temporary slump. Chelsea now had 25 points, one more than City, placing them ahead.

Arsenal, meanwhile, were held to a 1-1 draw by Tottenham in the North London derby. They had been at the top of the table for just one round before slipping back to fourth place, a position they were quite familiar with.

...

After this round of the league, Lin Quan and his teammates packed their bags and headed off to join their respective national teams.

The World Cup qualifiers were heating up, and as the matches progressed, the fight for qualification was becoming fiercer.

On November 13, Spain hosted North Macedonia and cruised to a 4-0 victory.

Since the opposition wasn't very strong, Lin Quan didn't play in this match.

Del Bosque had planned to bring him on if the team struggled, but to his surprise, the opponent handed Spain a gift early on with an own goal, allowing them to take the lead.

With the score in their favor, Spain's younger players gained confidence and put on a fluid, enjoyable performance.

The likes of Víctor, Monreal, and Aduriz—players who seldom got chances to play—scored valuable goals for their international careers.

This round of FIFA international fixtures only included one official match, but the national team camp lasted for two weeks. After defeating North Macedonia, Spain also scheduled a friendly match with England.

Oddly enough, England, who are infamous for underperforming in major tournaments, tend to do well in friendlies.

The last time these two teams met, England had even managed to beat Spain, ending their unbeaten streak.

Once again, in this match, England put in a commendable performance.

Despite having much lower possession and fewer completed passes than Spain, they capitalized on their physical strength and height, playing a direct, aerial style of football. They kept sending high balls into the box, trying to win headers and knock the ball down to players waiting at the far post to shoot.

If they didn't win the header, they would fall back to defend and try again when the opportunity arose.

England's physical advantage was quite apparent. Having been hardened by the Premier League, their players were much stronger than Spain's when it came to physical battles.

As a result, this seemingly simple tactic was very effective, and England even managed to go 2-0 up in the first half.

The English fans in the stands were overjoyed, clapping their hands red with excitement. They couldn't believe how well their team was doing, thinking, "If only England could always play like this, maybe they wouldn't struggle to get out of the World Cup group stage."

During the Brazil World Cup, England had been drawn into the same group as Italy.

Before the tournament, many believed Group D would be a fierce battle between these two teams. But in the end, two South American teams advanced, while both England and Italy were eliminated, leaving early.

With a big lead and control of the game, England seemed to have this match wrapped up. But then, their old habits resurfaced.

Once ahead, they didn't know how to maintain their advantage!

Del Bosque made eight substitutions in one go. His new lineup couldn't match England physically, right? Then he simply swapped out a fresh set of players to keep wearing them down.

This tactic worked. The English players, after having played half a match, began to tire. Their physical edge was no longer as overwhelming, especially against Spain's fresh-legged substitutes.

Seeing the situation, England's coach made changes too, bringing on five new players of his own.

But the same trick doesn't always work equally well in different hands.

The new English substitutes, though physically strong, were not as technically or tactically adept as the starting players, so their impact was far less.

Spain began to seize control of the game.

In the 89th and 92nd minutes, Spain scored twice, with Morata and Isco each netting a goal, bringing the match to a 2-2 draw.

This result was acceptable for both sides.

The English regained some confidence from the match, laying a foundation for future progress.

For Spain, the game served as a valuable test for many young players while also giving them more experience in dealing with physically imposing teams.

Upon returning to the club, Lin Quan received good news: Kevin De Bruyne, who had been injured during the match against Barcelona at Camp Nou, had recovered and rejoined the team for training.

If his condition improved well, he might even feature in the next league match.

Of course, a starting spot was out of the question. No matter how short-staffed City was, Guardiola wouldn't risk starting a player who had just returned from injury.

The next day, Lin Quan indeed saw De Bruyne on the training ground.

He looked in good shape, without any signs of the psychological effects that can sometimes linger after an injury.

De Bruyne's return lightened the mood within the squad considerably.

Manchester City had struggled quite a bit in his absence, particularly in the attacking midfield role.

Everyone was now fully aware of De Bruyne's importance. His return meant City's weakest link would be strengthened, and the invincible Manchester City would soon be back.

Two days later, in the 12th round of the Premier League, Guardiola included De Bruyne in the 18-man squad.

Seeing De Bruyne's name on the squad list, the traveling City fans were ecstatic. Even though he hadn't yet played, they were already chanting his name loudly.

"Haha, looks like I'm pretty popular with the fans!" De Bruyne said, grinning. Normally, it was Lin Quan who got this kind of treatment, but after his injury, it seemed the fans' love had shifted toward him.

"If you enjoy it, you can get injured a few more times!" Lin Quan teased him.

"Cough, cough, no thanks! Being stuck in bed, unable to move, was awful!"

Being bedridden, feeling useless, and, well, not being able to do much even when it came to "other activities" wasn't something De Bruyne wanted to experience again.

...

Whether it was because the team was finding their form again or because De Bruyne's presence boosted morale from the bench, Manchester City played well in this match. Early in the first half, they scored a goal, with Lin Quan assisting Son Heung-min.

At the end of the first half, City extended their lead, with Lin Quan scoring from a free kick.

Watching his teammates dominate on the field, De Bruyne became restless on the bench.

These guys were playing so well, with such a big lead—was there even going to be a chance for him to come on in the second half?

Based on what De Bruyne knew of Guardiola, if the second half continued like this, he likely wouldn't get any game time, and his return would be delayed to the next match.

Sure enough, during halftime in the locker room, Guardiola didn't mention anything about De Bruyne coming on in the second half.

In fact, when it started raining during the second half, Guardiola even had someone bring De Bruyne a down jacket to make sure he didn't catch a cold!

De Bruyne felt both flattered and a bit overwhelmed by the special treatment.

However, just at that moment, the game on the pitch shifted.

Taking advantage of a Manchester City error due to the rain, the opposing team successfully launched a counterattack and pulled one back.

Guardiola frowned. Were they going to be equalized again?

He glanced at De Bruyne, hesitated for a moment, and finally sent him to warm up.

This meant he was going to play!

Delighted, De Bruyne quickly shed his jacket and began warming up enthusiastically on the sidelines.

The fans, seeing De Bruyne warming up, lost interest in the match and instead focused all their attention on him, eagerly waiting for his moment to enter the game.

Five minutes later, after finishing his warm-up, De Bruyne was subbed on.

He didn't disappoint, taking only eight minutes to deliver a penetrating pass to Lin Quan, who made a sharp cut, changed direction, accelerated past the defender, entered the penalty box, and scored again.

The two combined with flawless precision and perfect understanding, just like they had so many times at Werder Bremen and Manchester City.

It was a connection only De Bruyne could make, and a run and finish only Lin Quan could execute.

The duo, known as the "Twin Stars" since their time at Werder Bremen, continued to prove themselves as one of the best attacking partnerships of this era—arguably the very best.

Lin Quan's goal sealed the victory, ensuring City wouldn't be overturned.

In the end, thanks to Lin Quan's brace, Manchester City triumphed 3-1 away at Crystal Palace, securing a valuable victory.

With this win, City moved up to second place in the league.

Liverpool, meanwhile, had been held to a surprising draw by Southampton, causing them to slip down to third place.

At the top of the table was a team no one had expected—Chelsea.

With a 1-0 away win, Chelsea secured their sixth consecutive victory.

If they could keep up this winning streak, no one would be able to snatch the Premier League title from them.

After years of quiet, Chelsea seemed to have a real shot at claiming the league crown once more!

(End of Chapter)

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