Yaya Toure finished Thursday’s training and returned ho with a heart full of mixed emotions.
He kept replaying fragnts of Wednesday night’s match against Borussia Monchengladbach in his mind.
Especially Tang Long’s outstanding performance in the defensive midfield position.
Toure was puzzled beyond words!
Why was this young player, who had just turned 19, able to deliver such an excellent performance in his first appearance as a defensive midfielder?
Tang Long’s very first touch, a curved pass that assisted Agüero, was sothing Toure couldn’t pull off in a year;
Not to ntion the attack right before halfti, where he bypassed three midfielders and scored!
A five-year-younger Toure once possessed such unstoppable long-distance dashing abilities, but now at 32, he had lost this capability.
"Daddy, daddy, co play with us!"
Toure’s four children ca running, two sons and two daughters.
Toure imdiately forced a smile and played with the kids.
As a father, he tried his best not to bring work-related worries into family and life.
As an Ivorian from Africa, Toure was a role model in self-discipline for many other players when it ca to family life.
He had never been involved in scandals with won and seldom visited bars or nightclubs, places prone to causing trouble.
Due to his religious beliefs, he never touched alcohol and certainly didn’t smoke.
This is precisely why, at 32, he still managed to hold a place in Manchester City’s midfield.
But with Tang Long’s arrival, who could play multiple positions in the front field, he posed a real threat to Toure!
Especially since Toure was already in the contract year, and his renewal wasn’t going smoothly.
Just on his way ho, his agent spoke to him over the phone, saying that Manchester City was internally discussing his request for a two-year contract extension, but no clear response had been given yet.
"If they haven’t provided a written contract by November this year, Toure, I’m sorry, I’ll have to start looking for another club for you!"
November?
That’s only a month and a half away.
Looking at his four children happily playing around him, Toure’s heart imdiately tightened, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.
A sense of responsibility as a father bound him, leaving him unable to move.
Not to ntion that after leaving Manchester City, he wasn’t sure if he could find a job with the sa salary elsewhere, to maintain the sa quality of life;
If he had to leave this city, or even leave the United Kingdom to play abroad, the issue of the kids’ schooling would be a real headache!
After all, they were doing well at their local school in Manchester, had made many new friends, and often invited them over to play.
If they had to suddenly leave here, who knows how heartbroken the children would be.
Toure found himself in a similar situation as Ranocchia once was.
Having married early and started a family, leaving a city lightly to play for another team sotis wasn’t just a choice based on personal career developnt.
Children, wives, and the entire family were also an important part of their career planning.
At this mont, Toure’s phone rang.
"Pay up, pay up, the debt collector is here for money~"
Hearing this ringtone, Toure collapsed onto the sofa, covering his face with his hands.
This was a ringtone he had specially set for the mayor of his hotown in Côte d’Ivoire.
Because every ti this hotown official contacted Toure, it was invariably for one purpose: to ask him for money~
So said it was to build a road, so said it was to build a reservoir, others said it was to build a hydroelectric station.
More outrageously, once the mayor called and said that the civil servants couldn’t be paid, with thousands of people waiting to eat, asking Toure for so financial support!
"My God, I’m not only supporting my entire family of over 200 relatives, but now I also have to support you over 1,000 officials? What’s your governnt doing? Just leeching off ?"
For a mont, Toure really wanted to block all these people’s calls, and just live freely with his wife and kids in the United Kingdom!
But due to various reasons that were hard to explain, this thought could only remain a thought.
Who made him born in Africa, born in Côte d’Ivoire.
After dinner, Toure left the children with his wife and retreated alone into the study, turning on the computer to ticulously study Tang Long’s performance in the last match.
If Tang Long consistently played as a forward or attacking midfielder, Toure wouldn’t worry.
But now that he perford well in the defensive midfield position, Toure didn’t know if Pellegrini would permanently fix him there, so better plan ahead.
Toure had to seriously study his competitor.
He opened the full 90-minute match video and watched carefully, slowing down every clip involving Tang Long for analysis.
The more Toure watched, the more shocked he beca; the more he watched, the more his heart raced!
Through the video review, he noted many unique aspects of Tang Long he hadn’t noticed during the match.
First was the sense of anticipating space.
Toure noticed that Tang Long’s anticipation of space was very precise, and his movents always allowed him to occupy advantageous positions first.
For example, in the 12th minute of the first half, when Toure had the ball, two of the opponents’ midfield powerhouses imdiately ca to pressurize him.
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