The next day, Sunderland Training Base.
The players on the training ground were sweating profusely, while Zhao Zhao, with a whistle in his mouth, constantly shouted instructions at them.
"McNair, don't wait for the ball in place! You need to run into open space! Have you forgotten what I told you before?"
"Larsson, don't come to the left side this time, remember the 20-zone principle! This way there will be more than three people here!"
"Borini, why is your shot so weak? My grandma kicks with more power than you!"
"O'Shea, you're the captain, why are you so soft today… Uh, you come off and rest for a bit, Kone, you replace him."
Zhao Zhao suddenly remembered that O'Shea had taken him to a nightclub last night, so it seemed normal for him to be a bit weak-legged.
This was the advantage of being a coach.
If a player didn't rest well the night before, their training and game performance the next day might be compromised, but a coach wouldn't be affected much.
Mainly, Zhao Zhao was also quite gifted in this regard; even after growing with Karen Gillan last night and this morning, his spirits were still excellent, even better!
As for Karen Gillan, she also left the apartment after Zhao Zhao went to work.
She was an actress, and recently she was filming 'Jumanji', so she often had to go to various locations for shooting.
In fact, she was about to leave for Hawaii today; last night she just took some time to relax at a nightclub.
Therefore, although Karen Gillan had a very good impression of Zhao Zhao, she could only leave her phone number and arrange to meet again when they had time!
-----------------
Zhao Zhao let O'Shea rest for a while, but he was still very strict with the other players.
And the players also diligently trained under his supervision, ensuring that every point he requested was perfectly executed.
Now that a glimmer of hope had appeared for Sunderland's relegation battle, and they had achieved an epic derby victory, everyone at Sunderland was naturally full of drive!
Time also slipped away unknowingly, and today's training quickly ended.
Standing by the field, watching the staff pack up various equipment from the training ground, Zhao Zhao's face was a little furrowed with worry.
Assistant coach Breswell immediately noticed this and leaned over: "Boss, are you thinking about the match against Manchester City?"
Zhao Zhao nodded.
Breswell said, "Do you think they are difficult to deal with? I think they're alright, similar to Manchester United. We even defeated Manchester United away, are we still afraid of them?"
Zhao Zhao smiled: "That's not it. But Guardiola's teams are always very difficult to deal with. I need to think about it more. You go ahead with your work."
Breswell scratched his head, agreed, and left.
If someone had told you ten years ago that "Manchester United and Manchester City are on the same level," you would have laughed your head off.
Because at that time, Manchester United, led by Ferguson, dominated the Premier League and also won the Champions League, creating a Manchester United dynasty;
And Manchester City was just a lower-mid-table team in the Premier League!
However, if someone tells you "Manchester United and Manchester City are on the same level" in 2024, it is still a joke.
At this point, the strong and weak sides had reversed…
Manchester City had by then won the Premier League five times in six years, and also won the Champions League, achieving a treble.
As for Manchester United, they hadn't won the Premier League in over a decade, and often even struggled to qualify for the Champions League.
They changed N coaches, but it was no use, instead becoming a source of amusement for many fans and a trending topic.
There's a poem that summarizes Manchester United's coaching situation over the years:
David Moyes, a millennia-old injustice; Louis van Gaal, snow in June.
All players are moles, Mourinho; Erik ten Hag, a continuation of past grievances!
…
However, at this current point in time, the situation was different again.
Guardiola had only just joined Manchester City this season, and he still needed time to establish his system.
Therefore, Manchester City was far from having the future dominance in the Premier League, and was even still struggling for a Champions League spot.
Currently, in the Premier League, after 32 rounds, Conte's Chelsea was in first place with 78 points.
And in second place was Pochettino's Tottenham with 71 points.
Then came Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Manchester United, with very small point differences between them: 63 points, 62 points, 60 points, and 59 points respectively.
In other words, the gap between Manchester City and Manchester United was just one game, which was why Breswell would consider them teams of the same level.
But for Zhao Zhao, this match against Manchester City was a formidable test.
The reason was simple: the coaching courses he had learned in the system were basically all from Guardiola.
This was tantamount to a master-apprentice battle!
And if both sides played with similar styles, then the individual abilities of the players would play the most important role.
But what was the level of Sunderland, and what was the level of Manchester City?
Although their squad was indeed not as complete as it would be in the future, they had Aguero upfront, De Bruyne in midfield, Kompany in defense…
The two were definitely not on the same level!
This made it very difficult to play.
This was somewhat like the Japan national team; they learned from Brazil and excelled at ball control.
When they faced strong European teams like Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, or even Spain, they could hold their own, and even win.
But every time the Japan team met the Brazil team, they were always beaten without any fight.
Historically, the Japan team had played against the Brazil team 13 times, with a record of 2 draws and 11 losses…
And their recent encounters have also been large scores like 4:1, 4:0, 3:0.
This was because the two sides had similar styles of play, but Brazil's individual abilities were comprehensively stronger than Japan's, leading to such a situation.
It was precisely for this reason that in international football, weaker teams often had to adopt different strategies and tactics when playing against stronger teams to disrupt their rhythm, in order to have a chance to win or draw.
In fact, Sunderland had only lost 1-2 to Manchester City in their first home match.
At that time, Sunderland defended very well, and after both strikers Aguero and Defoe scored to make the score 1-1, they lost the game at the last moment due to an own goal from McNair.
But now, Zhao Zhao really didn't have much else in his Arsenal!
His defensive tactics might work against teams like Middlesbrough, but playing Manchester City? It felt a bit lacking.
This also made him less confident than before.
"Why not simulate a match first? Maybe there's a chance. If not, I can see where the problems are and then make corrections."
Zhao Zhao felt uncertain and could only rely on the simulator system.
After winning the last round, he still had 7 simulation points, so he wasn't that strapped for cash.
[The match begins, both teams line up in a 4-3-3 formation and go on the attack.]
[Manchester City quickly takes control of the match. They take the lead in the 10th minute, De Bruyne takes a corner, Stones scores with a header, Manchester City leads 1-0.]
[Subsequently, Manchester City continues to pressure Sunderland's defense, with Sterling and Gabriel Jesus's quick breakthroughs overwhelming Sunderland's backline.]
[In the 30th minute, Manchester City extends their lead. David Silva receives a pass at the edge of the box, cleverly distributes the ball to Sterling on the left, who crosses to Gabriel Jesus, and the Brazil striker easily taps it in, Manchester City leads 2-0.]
[In the second half, Manchester City continues to maintain their offensive. In the 55th minute, De Bruyne's long-range shot from outside the box is saved by Sunderland goalkeeper Pickford, but Fernandinho follows up and scores, Manchester City leads 3-0.]
[You attempt to change the game with substitutions, but facing Manchester City's strong midfield control and quick counter-attacks, Sunderland struggles to create dangerous attacking opportunities.]
[Guardiola brings on Aguero, who in the 85th minute receives a pass from De Bruyne and easily taps it in, setting the final score at 4-0.]
[Ultimately, Manchester City defeats Sunderland 4-0 at home.]
[Match simulation ended, current simulation points: 6.]
Zhao Zhao looked at the screen display and said only one word:
"Damn."