On the evening of February 16, Old Trafford, Manchester, England.

Tonight is here for the 25th round of the Premier League, with Manchester United hosting Manchester City.

That is, the Manchester derby!

In recent years, with the rise of Manchester City in the Blue Moon, the Manchester derby has become a global phenomenon.

The games and rivalries between them are often the biggest dramas of the Premier League, such as the famous 9320 Miracle in 2011-2012, when Manchester City came back from behind to win the title in the last second, while Manchester United on the other side could only be stunned.

A year later, in the 2012-2013 season, Manchester United beat Manchester City to win the title, allowing Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson to retire with honor.

The star-studded presence of these two teams has also made this old industrial city the centre of European football culture.

However, this year's situation is a bit special because after Alex Ferguson's departure, United have been a bit of a slump.

After 25 rounds of Premier League matches, the top three are Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City, with 56, 55 and 54 points respectively, that is, a one-point difference, and they also form the first group to compete for the title.

And what about Manchester United?

They are seventh on 41 points, ahead of Liverpool on 50 points, Tottenham Hotspur on 47 points and Everton on 45 points.

In other words, they are even struggling to qualify for the Europa League.

At this time, the much-anticipated Manchester derby was ushered in, and Manchester United wanted to take this opportunity to bring down Manchester City to turn into a serf and sing, while Manchester City wanted to continue to crush this sworn rival in order to continue to maintain the competitiveness for the title.

Both sides are sabre-rattling!

……

Dzeko, Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Kolarov, Fernandinho, Yaya Toure, Jesús Navas, Milner......

In the visitors' dressing room, Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini was standing in front of his players, his eyes sweeping over each of their faces.

The veteran coach, who has a civil engineering certificate and is known as the "Chilean Engineer", is also in his first season in charge of Manchester City this year.

He knows there's a lot of pressure to coach at Manchester City.

His predecessor, Italian Roberto Mancini, won City's first top-flight title in 44 years in 2012.

But he was removed because he lost the league title and FA Cup the following season.

Of course, Manchester City's poor performance in the Champions League was also a big reason for Mancini's dismissal.

But in short, in the current Manchester City, without outstanding results, it will definitely not be long.

Now, Manuel Pellegrini suspects that if he fails to win the Manchester derby, he will be out of class.

Because tonight's game is about whether Manchester City can continue to compete for the title, and it is also the most important game for Manchester City fans!

Perhaps it is precisely because Manchester City has not posed any threat to Manchester United for a long time before, so in the hearts of Manchester United fans, Manchester City's hatred value is probably ranked third after Liverpool and Arsenal.

Maybe Leeds United will be a little further ahead?

Ferguson said City were just "noisy neighbours" as proof of that.

But it's a different story for Manchester City fans.

Manchester United will always be their number one rival, their most hated opponent!

So, is the sky red or blue in Manchester?

Time is moving forward by a few years or even more than ten or twenty years, and there should be no suspense in this answer.

But now?

It's hard to say.

Therefore, Pellegrini is confident that he will take these disciples in front of him to conquer Old Trafford and bring victory to Manchester City fans!

"Manchester United isn't scary at all now, and Old Trafford isn't the devil's home of the past." Pei Gong is making the final mobilization.

"You're all the best players in the world, better than the guys next door. Whether it's in the Premier League or the Champions League, whether it's the World Cup or whatever, many of you have had great success. ”

"Successful players are never afraid of any challenge! So today, we must beat Manchester United at Old Trafford and win this Manchester derby! ”

"We're going to win the Premier League this season! Not only that, but we also want to win the Champions League this season! ”

"Four days after today's game, we will have our first opponent in the knockout round of the Champions League, Hamburg."

"I believe that at the moment our German opponents are looking at us and trying to find our flaws."

"Let's put in the best of our best! Let them be afraid! ”

"Let's beat David Moyes' Manchester United first, then Pan Yi's Hamburg, and go all out!"

……

"Ahh

In the stands, Pan Yi suddenly sneezed.

"Damn, who's secretly scolding me?" Pan Yi touched his nose.

After playing against Braunschweig that afternoon, Pan Yi and Nagelsmann rushed to Manchester overnight to watch the Manchester derby.

It's a great opportunity to see your opponents up close!

Due to the importance of this game, Manchester City will certainly give it their all, not to see a big brawl of rotations, and also to see Pellegrini's latest tactical ideas.

And Manchester United has also entered the round of 16 of the Champions League, which is actually a potential future opponent, and it will not be a loss if you take a look at it.

Inzaghi and Pintus and others stayed in Germany to lead the team first, and then came to the UK to meet Pan Yi and Pan Yi after resting with the players.

"Didn't you say before that someone misses you when you sneeze?" Nagelsmann looked at Pan Yi suspiciously, "Why did it become scolding you again?" ”

"Uh...... It's something to be inducted. Pan Yi casually explained, "If a beautiful woman is thinking about me, I can naturally sense it." But just now, I obviously felt that a stinky man was scolding me! ”

"......" Nagelsmann was speechless.

Anyway, the words are all said by Pan Yi, and the right to interpret will always be in Pan Yi's mouth, and Nagelsmann has long been used to it.

"Look, they're in!" Pan Yi pointed to the court, and gently took the topic away by the way.

Nagelsmann looked up, and sure enough.

Below the stands, red Manchester United players and blue Manchester City players were leading the referee into the turf at Old Trafford.

Manchester United, who played at home today, put on a 433 attack formation, obviously trying to eat their city rivals in one bite.

Up front, Welbeck was on the left, Juan Mata was on the right and Wayne Rooney was in the middle.

Midfielder Michael Carrick was behind in the middle, with Marouane Fellaini and Cleverley splitting the flanks.

In a left-to-right line at the back are Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand, Jones and R. da Silva.

Goalkeeper David De Gea.

Manuel Pellegrini, on the other hand, is in the 4411 formation that he has used regularly this season.

The lone arrow in front is Dzeko, and Aguero kicks a shadow striker behind him.

The midfield four will be David Silva, Fernandinho, Yaya Toure and Jesús Navas.

The back line is Klich, Demicheris, Kompany, Zabaleta.

Goalkeeper Joe Hart.

"I've made you study Pei Gong's Manchester City game before, do you have any experience?" Pan Yi asked Nagelsmann.

Now Pan Yi attaches great importance to the training of his coaches, so he will test them when he has the opportunity.

With Nagelsmann's understanding and learning attitude, coupled with the attention of a famous coach like Pan Yi, his growth rate is rapid.

Pan Yi feels that now Nagelsmann's ability must be qualified to be the head coach of a team in the top five leagues, it depends on whether he is willing to go out and work alone.

And if Nagelsmann really flies solo, Pan Yi will not feel anything uncomfortable, but will be happy for him.

Cultivating players is training, and cultivating coaches is also training.

At that time, the famous coaches of various teams are their own apprentices, and Pan Yi can also have a peach and plum all over the world, isn't it beautiful?

If nothing else, it's easy to buy and sell players.

You look at the premium goods that Guardiola sold to Arteta in the summer of 2022, tsk...... That's what you can send Arsenal to the top!

Oh, it seems to be the other way around. It was given to the apprentice by the master.

But it's the same, if Arteta develops one day, he will repay Guardiola too, won't he?

'Manuel Pellegrini's philosophy of football is very different from that of many of the top managers of modern times.

Nagelsmann didn't know that Pan Yi was thinking so much on the sidelines, he received the teacher's question and began to answer it seriously:

"His tactics have two important starting points, one is to keep the ball and create scoring opportunities; Second, in order to achieve ball control, the offensive players choose positions flexibly and freely. ”

'In the game, this Manchester City team is not obsessed with high possession, they advocate to move forward and play more directly.

'They always produce a higher expected number of goals against a possession-obsessed opponent like this, even though they don't have as much possession as they do.

'In other words, they're willing to sacrifice some of the ball to create more threat, and their attacking approach is unpredictable.

'The structure of their formation and their attacking runs shows how City are implementing these principles in practice. For example, their initial position is 4411, but when attacking, they tend to advance the wingers on both wings and become a 4231......"

Nagelsmann said, and Pan Yi nodded on the side.

His analysis is basically correct, and it is also very consistent with the relevant part of Pan Yi's system tutorial about Pellegrini.

Pellegrini is different from a "proud son of the sky" like Guardiola, he is equivalent to working all the way up from the bottom.

Pei Gong's playing career was silent, and after retiring and turning to coaching, he also slowly grew.

After several years in domestic and South American football, he coached Argentine powerhouse River Plate and began to attract the attention of European football.

In 2004, "The Engineer" became the head coach of Villarreal and became one of the few South American coaches to enter Europe.

After the Yellow Submarine won the second place in the league and the quarterfinals of the Champions League, Pei Gong was poached by Real Madrid.

But in the second phase of the Galaxy Battleship, which he built with a lot of money, he was empty, and finally left Malaga.

And then he succeeded again.

In 2011/12, Málaga finished fourth in La Liga, qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history, and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League the following season.

So, after Manchester City fired Italian coach Roberto Mancini, Pellegrini officially entered the vision of Manchester City's top management and successfully entered the Etihad Stadium.

In the process of climbing for many years, he also summed up his own set of tactical systems, or tactical ideas.

Although every time he takes over a team, he is targeted and makes specific adjustments according to the current situation of the team, but there are traces to follow.

Here in Peigong, the formation is less important. The important thing is that the overall organization is well-organized and orderly, and he also wants the team to play a smooth attack with a variety of means.

As a result, positional roles change more frequently in his squad, with only centre-backs and full-backs at the back comparatively rare.

Of course, this does not mean that the defenders under Pei Gong have fewer responsibilities.

City's full-backs make the most of the width of the pitch and play a particularly important role in organising in central midfield and pushing forward.

In midfield, the two full-backs also play a high post, occupying the touchline and providing width.

With wing-backs in this position, midfielders and forwards have more freedom to choose their positions in the middle, which also makes City more efficient when pushing forward.

"Today, Manchester United played a high press, and as soon as they came up, they grabbed it fiercely." Nagelsmann abruptly stopped his tactical analysis of Pegong and pointed to the field.

Pan Yi also saw that after the opening, Manchester United's three arrows pounced directly on Manchester City's defense, trying to take advantage of the fact that everyone's body was not hot at the beginning to force the opponent to make mistakes.

But Pan Yi also shook his head quickly and said, "Pellegrini seems to have his own way of defusing the high-level pressing. Did you see it, the two full-backs, Klich and Zabaleta, were pulling the opposition's pressing formation, making it difficult for them to close all the passing lanes. ”

Nagelsmann was thoughtful: "yes. And at this time, the advantages of their player selection flexibility and freedom and greater mobility are also reflected. The two midfielders in the middle, Yaya Toure and Fernandinho, are closely linked, occupying space between the two lines, and as long as one of them receives the ball, the other can provide the line, which is indeed not easy to block. ”

Pan Yi nodded in agreement with Nagelsmann's words: "Because the wing-backs on both sides are stretched out very widely, the middle of Manchester City is extremely important. They not only have to make sure that the two in the back are closely connected and not isolated when organizing the attack; Even more just in case, once the ball is lost, the duo can ensure the numerical advantage in the middle. ”

Nagelsmann pondered: "Except for the full-backs and midfielders, the rest of the players ......"

Pan Yi says:

'Whether it's David Silva on the left or Navas on the right, they're always going to be inside in the middle and close to Fernandinho. In addition, shadow striker Sergio Aguero will also retreat deeper to pick up Yaya Toure. ”

'In Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City system, Sergio Aguero and the two wing-backs are flexible and free, rather than limited by the initial position on paper.

"At any point in the playmaking phase, Aguero, David Silva or Keylor Navas can drop back to pick up the foot. The first benefit of this approach is that it disrupts the opponent's oppressive formation. ”

"It's worth noting, how will striker team-mate Dzeko react when they drop back? He usually stays high and keeps in close contact with his teammates behind him. This is a clear division of labor to avoid too many players dropping back, which can often lead to the opposing defender being drawn towards the ball carrier. ”

"In such a situation, if City's ball goes forward, Aguero, David Silva or Keylor Navas can get a quick pass to the dangerous area in the middle, which happens to be the area where City have the numerical advantage, and it can create a direct chance......

At this time, Nagelsmann suddenly shouted: "Really! You see! ”

On the pitch, City crossed the halfway line with David Silva and then handed it to Sergio Aguero, who dropped back to get the ball.

Aguero received the ball and immediately turned around to deliver a dangerous through ball that hit the back of the opposition back line.

Manchester City center forward Dzeko dodged the opponent's defense with a clever run, half-turned and volleyed, and the ball went straight into the dead corner!

Less than five minutes into the game, Manchester City were leading on the road!

The originally noisy Old Trafford stadium suddenly fell silent like a speaker that had been turned off.

"Awesome, awesome." Nagelsmann shook his head for a while, nodded for a while, and didn't know if he was playing sharply in Kwa Man City's attack, or Kwa Panyi's analysis was really in place.

"It's amazing." Pan Yi also followed, but the praise was something else, "Dzeko, the center forward, is still quite powerful, tall and not bulky, and he is also very smart in football, which is quite difficult to defend." ”

"There's a feeling of an enhanced version of Mitrovic." Nagelsmann laughed, "It's just that he's a little taller than Mitrovic, but a little lighter than him." I don't know why Manchester United didn't play Vidic today, I feel like Jones can't guard him. ”

"I heard it's a little bit hurt." Pan Yi said, "But to be honest, I think even if our team sends someone to defend against Zheke, it may not be able to prevent it." ”

"Oh?" Nagelsmann was slightly surprised, "But he doesn't score many goals, is he more difficult to defend than Messi?" ”

'He's not the type of player you score goals. Pan Yi answered questions, "You also said just now, he is a strengthened version of Mitrovic, and now he is at the peak of his career, and his fulcrum role in the team is still very prominent." Besides, when the team needs him to score, he steps up. Didn't you just get into one? ”

Nagelsmann thought for a moment and nodded in acknowledgement, "Indeed. This kind of more well-rounded player is indeed more difficult to defend against because there are fewer weaknesses. So what do we do? ”

Pan Yi said: "It's very simple, it is to make him have less contact with his teammates, so that Peigong's rotation system does not run smoothly." Let's watch the game first, and then you think about it. ”

The game on the field continues.

Nagelsmann has also gradually seen that Manchester City's attack is indeed very dependent on their front four, namely Dzeko, Aguero and David Silva and Navas.

On paper, these players have at least three different positions as centre-forward, shadow striker and wing-back, but today they rotate around and play different roles in the same game.

The linkage of the front four, as well as the rotation and passing coordination, is the key factor in Manchester City's smooth attack.

Sergio Aguero and David Silva will drop back deeply, but at the same time, they will also be frequently interspersed behind the opposition back line.

In the 25th minute, Sergio Aguero moved to the left and played a one-two with David Silva on the edge of the box, while Keylor Navas and Dzeko were tasked with flanking the box.

The outflanking also resulted in a shot on goal, with David Silva playing the ball in front of the six-yard box, but Keylor Navas, who was on track, went high.

Minutes later, Sergio Aguero dropped back to meet the ball and David Silva burst into the box but fired from a poor angle and was picked up by De Gea.

Although neither scored, Nagelsmann also understood the attacking approach of this Manchester City team.

Although it may seem like a "run-and-run stream", there are a number of guiding principles that make it seamless and effective.

First, the players are close to each other. This means that the two wing-forwards, or wingers, rarely stay on the wings.

As long as Manchester City advances the ball, the forwards basically occupy the middle, close to each other, so that they can cooperate in a small area and get past the opponent's defence.

Second, passing and running, every player in the front court is good at tearing apart the opponent's defense.

Third, intersperse behind the back line and push forward. Not only are Manchester City good on the ball, but they are also unique among Premier League teams with their excellent ability to intersperse forward and pass the ball behind them.

In the 42nd minute, Aguero received the ball in the low post and advanced with the ball, and Dzeko on the front line saw the opportunity to immediately intersperse behind the opposing defender's line.

This time it was Sergio Aguero who didn't hesitate to deliver a precise pass, Dzeko took the ball and shot again, and another beautiful combination of goals appeared!

The first half was not over yet, and Manchester City had a two-goal lead on the road!

"So you understand?" Pan Yi asked suddenly.

"Probably understood." Nagelsmann replied, "It seems that Dzeko scored two goals, but the key to both goals is actually Aguero. He connects the two wingers and the centre-forward, and if you can stifle his play, it will be tantamount to stifling City's attack. ”

Pan Yi nodded slightly: "What you said is very right, but it is not entirely true. Ah Kun is very strong, just because of his all-round ability. But City's attack is not entirely on him. When the front four don't play well, their midfielders, especially Yaya Toure, will step up, so we have to target their midfield......

In the second half, David Moyes gave the United players an increased focus on the wandering style of play of City's front-court personnel, which also had some effect, and the Reds were given some attacking chances.

But City's defence is also tough.

They used proactive man-to-man high pressing in an attempt to keep the opposition from possession.

And if the pressure on the opposition's double centre-back results in a numerical disadvantage for the midfielder, one of City's centre-backs, usually Demichelis, will step up to support the midfielder to carry out the necessary pressing.

That's what Pellegrini expects from his players: to press in unison and disciplined.

Manchester City winger Keylor Navas, for example, has to not only mark his own target, but also block the opposition's forward pass.

The City players carried out the manager's intentions and moved in unison, so they could often drive the United players back and limit possession.

Even away from home against Manchester United, City continued to maintain an aggressive defensive strategy for most of the time, leaving the Reds at a loss for what to do.

However, City are different from other teams that press high: they prefer to win back possession in central midfield, rather than just forcing long balls.

So, despite City's possession, they still rank highly in the Premier League for tackles and tackles.

Manchester City defended United's attack and played sharply on their counter-attacks.

As if to verify Pan Yi's claim, in the 80th minute, Yaya Toure dribbled directly to the front of the Manchester United penalty area in a counterattack, and once again penetrated the door guarded by De Gea with a powerful shot.

0：3！

In the end, Manchester United ended the derby with a heavy defeat at Old Trafford.

Although the city of Manchester is not on the seaside, it seems that the whole city is sea blue tonight......

(End of chapter)