Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

Amid the celebrations, Li Ang affectionately patted Trippier on the head — he really liked this new teammate who ”played football with his brain”!

In this goal sequence, he and Kroos had executed the final, crucial pass and shot.

But if credit was to be assigned, Trippier’s clever inside cut and advance deserved at least 30% of the praise!

Maybe Trippier wasn’t as dominant as Bertrand in one-on-one dribbling or bursting down the wing, but his decision-making was far smarter.

He could fulfill the typical duties of an overlapping fullback — and at critical moments, he had the awareness to cut inside and carry the ball centrally, easing the tactical burden on Li Ang and Kroos.

Such a balanced, game-intelligent player was a dream to have as a teammate.

Li Ang didn’t hide his admiration at all.

Meanwhile, Mourinho, after celebrating passionately, glanced toward Bertrand, who was cheering from the bench with the other rotation players.

To be honest, both Mourinho and Chelsea’s coaching staff genuinely liked Bertrand.

Though he occasionally made mistakes on the pitch, he had formed a formidable left-wing partnership with Hazard during Chelsea’s rise.

And even if Bertrand’s defensive performance was sometimes unstable, he was obedient — he did whatever the coaches instructed.

Mourinho had been frustrated with Bertrand recently, but thinking again about his strengths softened his heart.

He decided that Bertrand would still get plenty of chances to regain form.

Azpilicueta was outstanding defensively on the left, but his attacking chemistry with Hazard couldn’t match Bertrand’s.

Chelsea hadn’t finalized their starting fullbacks yet.

If anything, the only nailed-on starter was Azpilicueta —

because the Spaniard could play both sides and was Mourinho’s most trusted defender.

Otherwise, Trippier and Bertrand were still being rotated and evaluated.

Trippier just had a slight edge at the moment.

If Bertrand kept his spirit up, regaining a starting spot was still entirely possible.

Thinking this through, Mourinho’s gaze toward Bertrand softened.

But he didn’t plan to discuss lineup adjustments now.

He would have a private, encouraging conversation with Bertrand later.

For now, Mourinho refocused on the match.

Guardiola’s and City’s obsession with attacking football had cost them a goal.

This was Guardiola’s stubbornness — but for Mourinho, it was a crucial warning.

When Chelsea’s players returned to their half after celebrating, Mourinho made a gesture toward Li Ang —

a clear signal to strengthen the defense.

Li Ang nodded calmly — he had already decided the same.

They were playing away at the Etihad.

City’s attack, fueled by their home crowd, would be even more ferocious than usual.

Sure, Chelsea could trade blows with City — they had the firepower for it.

But head-on dueling against a full-force City wasn’t smart.

Better to prioritize defense and pick counterattacking opportunities.

Chelsea could absolutely accept a draw here.

Victory would be nice — but avoiding defeat was the real priority.

The league was a marathon, not a single sprint.

Keeping pressure on City mattered more than risking everything in one match.

After the restart, Chelsea’s deep, disciplined defending clearly frustrated Guardiola.

But City had no choice.

They couldn’t afford to slow down at home,

not when they were trying to exorcise the lingering psychological trauma of consistently losing to Chelsea.

If Guardiola ordered a tactical retreat now,

his players would start doubting the entire coaching strategy.

Thus, City’s coaching staff had no real options:

They had to press on and reinforce confidence.

Still, Guardiola could tweak his attacking plan:

Agüero dropped deeper to link play.

Sterling stopped hugging the touchline and began cutting inside,

freeing up Kolarov to overlap aggressively on the left.

City needed more patience and better positioning —

and fortunately, their starting eleven was filled with experienced veterans, aside from Sterling.

Thus, Guardiola’s adjustments were swiftly executed on the pitch.

City pressed hard, but their attacks became more methodical —

shifting Chelsea’s defense laterally, trying to pull them apart.

Normally, even top teams would start cracking under such relentless pressure within 15 minutes.

But Chelsea’s backline held firm.

Their defensive shifts were tight and organized.

Even when one player lost position momentarily, nearby teammates would immediately adjust and cover.

This stability came partly from Mourinho’s superb defensive coaching.

But it also owed everything to Li Ang’s relentless defensive coverage!

If City’s attack focused on the wings,

Li Ang would leave it alone.

But the moment they tried to break through the center,

they had to get past him first.

It was exactly the same as when Mourinho’s Madrid had faced peak Barcelona:

deny Guardiola’s teams any central superiority!

If City could somehow beat them from the flanks —

Chelsea would accept it.

But the reality was brutal:

packing the middle with tough, aggressive players was still the best way to nullify technical sides.

After all, playing intricate central football required space —

and Chelsea refused to give them any!

Breaking rhythm, wrecking fluidity —

Chelsea’s ”ugly football” was ruthlessly effective.

They didn’t care if neutral fans found it boring.

They only cared about winning.

In the final moments of the first half, Li Ang and Matić completely transformed into masters of disruption, constantly fouling with small, clever movements that frustrated Manchester City’s attackers to no end!

Yet, if City’s players wanted to appeal to the referee, they had little ground —

Li Ang and Matić’s actions weren’t blatant enough for bookings, merely enough to continually break City’s rhythm and infuriate their fans.

This street-smart style of play had the home crowd’s blood pressure spiking.

After the brief halftime break, as soon as Li Ang jogged out from the tunnel to start the second half,

he was greeted by a thunderous, overwhelming wave of ”friendly greetings” from City’s fans.

But Li Ang just smiled.

By now, he was completely unfazed by such a hostile atmosphere.

After the kickoff, Li Ang continued leading his teammates to sit deep and consolidate the defense.

Under the tsunami of boos and mockery at the Etihad Stadium,

Chelsea’s players remained unmoved — they ran and pressed even harder.

City’s attackers didn’t back down either.

The physical confrontations became fiercer, and the powder keg atmosphere on the pitch grew thicker.

The referee, understandably nervous, couldn’t forget Li Ang’s ”glorious” red card for retaliation earlier in the season.

Thus, Li Ang soon realized that the referee was watching him extra closely —

which made him chuckle bitterly.

Yes, he had been sent off before for standing up for his teammates.

But it wasn’t like he was a habitual thug —

as long as no one provoked him, he wasn’t looking to pick up red cards!

Still, he hadn’t realized just how ”important” he had become to the FA’s image now.

He was the Premier League’s new ”Ballon d’Or” face,

and the FA didn’t want any blemishes on his reputation.

Every match, referees were discreetly reminded to keep an eye on him!

Fortunately, today Li Ang kept his cool —

he avoided any major clashes with City’s players.

The referee gradually relaxed, though he still maintained strict control of the match.

Soon, yellow cards started flying.

For Chelsea: Matić and Salah picked up bookings.

For City: Agüero and Fernandinho.

Agüero, as always, struggled to control his temper.

He wasn’t carded for excessive tackles —

but for incessantly complaining about the officiating and eventually cursing directly at the referee.

Guardiola, watching helplessly from the sideline, could only cover his face in frustration.

At least Otamendi was injured today —

otherwise, he didn’t know what chaos another fiery Argentine might have caused in such a combustible match.

Despite all the interruptions and fouls, time kept ticking away mercilessly.

At the 70th minute, Mourinho wisely substituted Matić,

who had just been sternly warned by the referee for another tactical foul.

Van Ginkel came on, and Li Ang and Kroos both dropped deeper into defensive midfield roles.

In the 76th minute, Kroos pulled down Sterling during a breakaway —

another tactical foul — and was shown a yellow card.

But City’s players weren’t satisfied with the officiating anymore.

They surrounded the referee, demanding harsher punishment for Chelsea’s repeated fouls!

Li Ang, seeing the situation escalating, was only too happy to make it worse.

He inserted himself between the protesting City players,

and when Agüero shoved him violently —

Li Ang theatrically fell to the ground!

Agüero, instead of backing off, leaned over to grab Li Ang’s shirt.

The referee had seen enough!

He blew his whistle sharply, signaling players to separate.

Then, under the tense gaze of tens of thousands of City fans,

he called Agüero over and — without hesitation — showed him a second yellow card!

Two yellows — one red!

Agüero was sent off!

Guardiola stood there, hands on hips —

and for a moment, he even chuckled bitterly.

He was furious at the strict refereeing —

but even angrier at Agüero’s stupidity.

Pushing someone? Fine.

But right in front of the referee?

And after the referee had just been trying to protect his authority?

What a brainless move!

Guardiola didn’t even bother complaining to the fourth official.

Agüero, still protesting, had no choice but to trudge off furiously.

The Etihad erupted in a cacophony of angry boos.

Meanwhile, the man who had baited Agüero into self-destruction —

Li Ang — was covering his mouth and grinning as he spoke with his teammates.

Regret?

Guilt?

Not even a little!

Li Ang was thrilled!

Because now Chelsea would comfortably ”capture” Manchester City at the Etihad without shedding a drop of blood.

If Agüero wanted to self-destruct, that was hardly Li Ang’s fault!

Mourinho, seeing Agüero sent off, was delighted.

He quickly made his final tactical adjustments —

throwing on extra defenders to protect the lead.

When the final whistle blew, Chelsea’s players, ignoring the deafening boos, embraced each other in ecstatic celebration!

Of course, Li Ang was once again the center of attention.

Sky Sports reporters rushed over for interviews.

When asked if he had deliberately provoked Agüero,

Li Ang shook his head with an innocent smile:

”I was just unhappy with their collective harassment of the referee.

As for Agüero? He must take responsibility for his own impulsive actions.

I didn’t do anything to provoke him!

You all saw the live broadcast —

he pushed me, I didn’t retaliate.

In fact, I endured it for the sake of keeping the match flowing!”

The reporters couldn’t help but silently marvel at Li Ang’s thick skin.

Another reporter tried to trip him up:

”What do you think about the booing you received from Manchester City fans throughout the match?”

Li Ang grinned:

”They’re free to do whatever they like —

I don’t mind at all.

But if I can give a piece of advice to City fans, it would be this:

I know you’re in a rush today...

but you really shouldn’t rush.”

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