ALL NOVEL
Chapter 794: Overreliance?
The news of Real Madrid's elimination instantly set the entire internet ablaze, with the intensity of discussion not lesser than when they won ten consecutive titles.
Countless spectators were delighted to see a new dynasty rise while enjoying the spectacle of a once-mighty team's downfall. Only the fans of the Galacticos secretly nursed their wounds, consoling themselves with memories of past glories.
They were forgiving enough of the club, even chanting slogans like "It's okay even if we don't win for five years, let's rebuild with all our might."
Of course, the media and influencers looking to stir up trouble wouldn't easily let go of this opportunity. For a while, all the headlines around the world were about Real Madrid, and social media platforms were flooded with popular comments.
Naturally, the most talked-about topic was the team's changes. In the past season, the overall composition of the Galacticos had not changed much, except for the change in leadership from Wang Feng to Cristiano Ronaldo.
As a result, they went from being the kings of victory to having an empty season, a dramatic contrast that was hard to ignore.
Furthermore, with Manchester City making significant progress in all competitions, the situation seemed irrepressible.
As one of the parties involved, Wang Feng refused to accept any interviews unrelated to his club and declined to make any comments, hoping to quell the controversy as quickly as possible.
In his view, this result was inevitable. Most of the players in Real Madrid's squad had already won championships. It was normal for some complacency and laxity to occur without his infectious drive and motivation.
Cristiano Ronaldo's personal charm was also remarkable, but he was still new to the team, with limited influence. There would inevitably be conflicts and adjustments between the old and the new.
However, the Chinese superstar believed that given a few years, the Portuguese star would surely lead the team to glory again. It remained to be seen if the fans and the club's management could wait that long.
It's worth mentioning that Barcelona was riding high, not only leading the La Liga standings far ahead of Real Madrid but also successfully making it to the Champions League semi-finals.
However, their joy was short-lived because their next opponent was none other than their old group stage rivals, Manchester City.
Catalan media clamored for "revenge" and "defeating Wang Feng," but deep down, they were more anxious than anyone else.
The team's head coach, Enrique, and the players treated the upcoming challenge as a serious threat, immediately launching targeted drills.
The other peak showdown in the semi-finals was between Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid, with La Liga still dominating.
On April 20th, the FA Cup semi-finals were held at Wembley Stadium, with Manchester City facing Arsenal.
Guardiola chose to rest several key players who had just battled Juventus for the entire game, relying on the team's deep bench depth to sustain them for a while.
He planned to bring on surprise substitutes at the right moment to secure victory.
However, the situation gradually spiraled out of control. In the 11th minute, Bellerin assisted Sanchez to open the scoring, and just six minutes later, Giroud scored another goal with a header in the penalty area.
Manchester City managed to score through Sterling in the 31st minute, but it was disallowed for offside.
Seeing the situation becoming increasingly dire, the Spanish coach had to make his first substitution in the 35th minute, sending the Chinese superstar onto the field.
The effect was immediate. With him pulling the strings in the midfield, the Gunners dared not push forward aggressively, allowing the Sky Blues to launch several good counterattacks.
In the 49th minute of the second half, Fernandinho sent a direct pass, Wang Feng received the ball, dribbled past Gabriel, turned to shake off the defense, and then shot into the near corner to help the team equalize.
Ten minutes later, Silva lofted a ball into the penalty area at a forty-five-degree angle, Wang Feng nodded it back, and Sterling followed up with a volley that hit the crossbar and bounced back into play.
Kroos reacted quickly, leaping into the air in the penalty area to head the rebound into the net, easily beating Cech's fingertips.
As everyone gathered to celebrate, Wang Feng grabbed Sterling's head and rubbed it vigorously, saying, "How did you kick so accurately? Right on target, hitting the crossbar."
The English forward just chuckled, satisfied as long as the team could score. Now Sterling was becoming more and more confident, and his shooting accuracy was also improving in an orderly manner.
In the 78th minute, Manchester City launched a swift counterattack. Wang Feng received the ball in the frontcourt, dribbled past Bellerin into the penalty area, fell to the ground and shot before being brought down by Monreal, sending the ball into Arsenal's net.
A brace!
In the end, Manchester City overturned Arsenal 3-2 and proudly advanced to the FA Cup final! They would compete with Chelsea for the final trophy.
"Manchester City is overly reliant on Wang Feng, just like Real Madrid was back then!" After the match, many news media outlets made such remarks.
Given the current sorry state of the Galacticos, many people shared this sentiment, even starting to worry if the Sky Blues would suffer the same fate in the future.
To this, Guardiola sneered, "We just went through a tough Champions League battle, and the players are generally in poor physical condition. Even losing to a rested Arsenal at this time is normal."
"But Wang Feng is useful and effective. With his outstanding performance, he conquered the opponents and helped the team advance. What's the problem with relying on him to win?"
"As for Real Madrid, has the glory they once achieved with the Chinese superstar disappeared? I think if the club, the coach, and the fans were given another ten thousand chances, they would still unhesitatingly shout, 'Give that damn ball to Wang Feng!'"
Guardiola paused for a moment before continuing, "These days, there has been a lot of fuss about the Galacticos and Wang. I just want to say that in competitive sports, there's always uncertainty about victory and defeat."
"Wang almost made everyone temporarily forget about this, but it's his unique extraordinary ability, not that this uncertainty doesn't exist anymore. It's always been there, and any outcome is not surprising."
"So there's no need to worry about the elusive future. Right now, we are the strongest, and striving to win everything in front of us is the key!"
The Spanish coach's words struck a chord, prompting strong resonance. Without Wang Feng, could Manchester City currently contend on all fronts? Without Wang Feng, could the Galacticos have won ten consecutive league and Champions League titles?
As for the collapse of the Galacticos' performance after he left, that was entirely normal. The opponents who defeated them, Barcelona and Bayern, were not pushovers.
Back to the league, in the 34th round of the Premier League, Manchester City hosted West Bromwich Albion at the Etihad Stadium.
In the game, Wang Feng continued his scorching form, scoring a hat-trick in the first half alone.
In the second half, he scored another goal with a direct free kick, completing a quadruple and achieving a fantastic performance of four goals.
De Bruyne and Aguero also scored in this match, and the away team only managed to pull one back late in the game, with the final score locked at 6-1.
On April 30th, in the 35th round of the Premier League, the Sky Blues challenged Middlesbrough away.
The Chinese superstar continued his hot streak in the first half, scoring three goals with headers and kicks, helping the team secure victory quickly.
Soon, the main players were substituted to prepare for the upcoming Champions League semi-finals, and the score remained unchanged.
Wang Feng's terrifying record of seven goals in two rounds brought his total league goals to 40, leaving only two goals to equal Cristiano Ronaldo's record for the most goals in a single Premier League season.
So far, Manchester City, with 28 wins, 5 draws, and 2 losses, had 89 points, leading the league table, while Chelsea, with 26 wins, 3 draws, and 6 losses, was in second place with 81 points.
With only three rounds of the league remaining, as long as the Sky Blues won their next game, they would clinch the Premier League title for the 16-17 season!