Chapter 2147 - 553: Artificial What
Huang Kaiwen ran ahead with Bosingwa trailing on the right. Huang Kaiwen used the inside of his right foot to push the ball leftward, but due to pain, he couldn’t fully follow through. The ball, however, was kicked by Bosingwa and conveniently rolled to Huang Kaiwen’s right side.
Up ahead, Terry was completely caught off guard. He never expected Huang Kaiwen to make a dribbling error.
Damn!
He had imagined a thousand ways Huang Kaiwen could get past him, but not this scenario.
At this point, Huang Kaiwen pushed the ball into the penalty area with his foot, and the shocked Terry couldn’t keep up.
Mereiles, who had run back into the penalty area, caught up with Huang Kaiwen. Huang Kaiwen’s right foot skimmed the ball as he continuously shifted his weight, but the pain distorted his movements, making him look as clumsy as an aircraft carrier.
Despite this, his pendulum-like dribbling was even more deceptive, and Mereiles was unable to get a foot on the ball.
Huang Kaiwen shifted the ball with the outside of his right foot, and as Mereiles tried to grab Huang Kaiwen’s arm, Huang Kaiwen passed the ball directly to Hummels’ feet.
Hummels turned and cleared the ball away with a kick.
Bruche blew the whistle for halftime.
Van Persie rushed directly to Huang Kaiwen’s side, worriedly asking, "Kevin, are you injured?"
Torres and Huntelaar, arriving a step late, simultaneously rolled their eyes.
In their hearts, they cursed him for being an ass-kisser.
Huang Kaiwen waved with a smile and said, "I should be fine."
Having been hit momentarily made him unsure.
But judging by the feeling when running, it seemed to be a minor injury.
It’s much better now.
Van Persie bent over to support Huang Kaiwen towards the sidelines, still occasionally scolding the players blocking the way, which gave Guardiola a jolt.
Lacking his usual poise, he rushed onto the pitch, grabbing Huang Kaiwen’s shoulders and asked, "Kevin, is your injury serious?"
"I’m not injured."
Huang Kaiwen said with a wry smile, "I just haven’t recovered from being kicked earlier. Robin is overreacting."
Van Persie looked slightly embarrassed towards Guardiola.
Guardiola nodded at him, saying, "It’s alright, you did well; better safe than sorry."
Guardiola held onto Huang Kaiwen as they walked towards the player tunnel, not waiting for the others.
Huntelaar asked in English, "Is van Persie always like this?"
Torres replied irritably, "Last time he literally bowed down to Kevin during a celebration, do you still think he has any pride?"
Pfftt,
Huntelaar couldn’t help but chuckle.
If Torres hadn’t mentioned it, he would have forgotten all about it.
Going back, he thought of ordering a few T-shirts with images of van Persie bowing from Raven E-Commerce to give out to everyone when joining the National Team at the end of the season.
...
Back in the dressing room.
Huang Kaiwen took off his shoes and then removed his socks.
Aside from a streak of blood and a slightly swollen ankle, there wasn’t much else.
Yet Guardiola was still uneasy. He urged, "You should come off, Kevin."
"Let me play a bit longer, coach."
Huang Kaiwen said.
He’s one of the players who knows Chelsea best; if he comes off prematurely today, even if Hazard gets on the field, Milan will have a tough time playing.
Aside from him, only Messi could change the situation on the team.
Guardiola’s tactics were off, and with many players injured, today’s match was indeed difficult to play.
"Alright then."
Guardiola nodded.
When the Milan Players returned to the dressing room.
Guardiola immediately erupted, shouting, "Bullshit, what I saw today was complete bullshit; I thought I set up a 451 but we ended up playing like a 433. Apart from Kevin, no one on the front line showed any performance."
"But the midfield didn’t give us enough support."
Van Persie instinctively said.
"Shut up, let me finish!"
Guardiola interrupted van Persie, saying, "I don’t care what excuses you have; before you came to Milan, you all claimed to play in the 10, 7, and 9 positions. If there’s no midfield support, step up and fill that role; it’s not an excuse for poor performance."
Guardiola was referencing Wenger’s past praise of van Persie, saying he can excel at striker, attacking midfielder, and wing positions.
Van Persie sat there, fuming silently.
Guardiola’s tone softened a bit, as he said, "Many players are recovering from injuries; I don’t wish them to play while hurt. Fine, think carefully about how to play."
Guardiola then left the dressing room.
The atmosphere inside was somewhat oppressive.
Huang Kaiwen was treating his ankle with a spray.
Buffon stood up at this point, walked to the center of the dressing room, and said, "The coach is right; we have to show some performance. Our opponents are focused on marking Kevin, so the other pathways must create threats. It’s up to the 11 players on the field, not just one person. Expecting everything from Kevin is a big mistake; we are playing with a great player, and it’s necessary to ensure he has a great career, be his great partner, and try to lessen Kevin’s burden. Let Kevin’s career last longer without risking injury saving the team constantly."
"Exactly, get your act together, dammit!"
Gattuso shouted.
If Buffon complained about Guardiola,
he probably wouldn’t have spoken up.
But Buffon was right; Huang Kaiwen’s awkward dribbling movements before halftime worried Gattuso.
Ibrahimovic stood up and with a rather showy spin-kick knocked the tactic board away, loudly stating, "If you can’t score, get off early and give the position to someone who can."
"Fuck, just wait and see."
Van Persie said unhappily.
Torres also stood by van Persie’s side.