Football: Starting from being abandoned by Barcelona

The Premier League schedule is always so tight and busy.

For Li Lei and his Manchester City teammates, the away trip that just ended was undoubtedly a huge challenge.

From Southampton to Stoke, they sweated all the way, fought hard all the way, and wrote a glorious chapter belonging to Manchester City with victory and sweat.

When the bus took them back to Manchester, everyone's face was filled with the joy of victory.

The victory in the League Cup and the three points in Stoke City's away game will become milestones in their journey and become their motivation to move forward.

But Guardiola understands that behind the victory are the great efforts and costs paid by the players.

High-intensity games and frequent running around are all consuming their physical strength and energy.

As an excellent manager, he must always pay attention to the physical condition of the players and must be responsible for their health.

So, taking advantage of this rare rest time, Guardiola arranged a comprehensive physical examination for the whole team.

From cardiopulmonary function to musculoskeletal and blood indicators, every detail must be taken into account.

This is the most basic care for the players and the cornerstone to ensure the long-term development of the team.

Two days later, the results of the physical examination came out.

At Manchester City's training base, Guardiola held the physical examination report in his hand, and the expression on his face seemed quite satisfied.

In general, the team's physical condition is good, and no obvious injuries have been found.

This is undoubtedly good news.

After all, being able to stay healthy under such a high-intensity schedule is a victory in itself.

However, several players seem to have some signs of fatigue in their muscle condition, which is a dangerous signal of muscle strain and an issue they must pay great attention to.

"Pep, how are the results of the physical examination?" asked Domenech Torrent, the assistant coach on the side.

Guardiola pondered for a moment, then said: "Overall, it's not bad."

"But there are several players whose muscles are not in good condition and show signs of fatigue. This is a high-risk factor for muscle strain, and we must be extra careful."

Domenech nodded and expressed his understanding. For professional players, muscle strain often means a long period of rest and recovery.

This is a situation that no team wants to see.

"I will let the medical team focus on monitoring and intervening on these players," Guardiola continued.

"At the same time, we must also adjust the training plan appropriately, reduce high-intensity training, and increase restorative training content."

"Only by allowing the players to get enough rest and recovery can they play their best in the game."

The health of the players is always the first priority. Only by ensuring this can we talk about tactics and victory.

On December 12, the sky in Manchester was still gloomy.

But for Li Lei and his Manchester City teammates, the mood was particularly bright.

After a few days of rest, their physical strength has been fully restored and their mental state has reached its peak.

Today, they will face the challenge of the 16th round of the league at their home stadium, Etihad Stadium.

The opponent is Swansea City from Wales.

Speaking of Swansea, the team's performance this season is really unsatisfactory.

In the first 15 rounds of the league, they only achieved 3 wins, 5 draws and 7 losses, and their points have always been hovering near the relegation zone.

In contrast, Manchester City's report card is much more impressive.

They are currently at the top of the standings and are marching towards the championship.

Perhaps seeing the disparity in strength between the two sides, Guardiola seemed to despise this opponent before the game.

In the starting list, we did not see big-name stars such as Li Lei, De Bruyne, and Aguero.

They were all placed on the bench by Guardiola.

"Pep wants to train young players," said assistant coach Domenech Torrent.

"But I think this is also a good opportunity."

"Let those young people who don't play much in normal times get training in the game, which will be of great help to their growth."

Guardiola nodded in agreement. The construction of a team can never only focus on the present.

We must look to the future and create opportunities and platforms for the growth of young players. Opponents like Swansea are a good stage for training.

The game kicked off with a whistle from the referee.

In the first half, Manchester City's players were extremely active.

Although there were no offensive cores like De Bruyne and Aguero, their offensive,Still unstoppable.

The young Bony continued to create threats in the frontcourt; Navas and Sterling continued to break through on both sides, bringing huge pressure to Swansea's defense.

In the midfield, Toure and Fernandinho firmly controlled the rhythm of the game.

Their passes were always so accurate; their steals were always so decisive.

Under their control, Swansea could hardly organize a decent attack.

This situation lasted until the 20th minute.

At this moment, a wonderful cooperation took place on Manchester City's offensive end.

Navas got the ball on the right, he quickly dribbled forward, and then made a precise cross on the penalty area line! Bony grabbed the ball and scored!

1:0! Manchester City got a dream start!

"So beautiful!" Guardiola waved his fist excitedly on the sidelines.

On the bench, Li Lei and De Bruyne also gave their teammates the most sincere applause.

On the bench, Li Lei and De Bruyne were chatting easily, talking about the performance of their teammates on the field.

"Kevin, how do you think our young players played today?" Li Lei asked, his eyes full of concern for the younger generation.

De Bruyne nodded and said: "They performed very well, especially in the early part of the first half."

"Look at Bony's goal, the cooperation was very beautiful, and this is also a tactic we practiced repeatedly in training."

"Navas's cross was also in place. In general, they showed great potential."

Li Lei agreed: "Yes, Bony has made great progress recently. His awareness of grabbing points and heading ability have improved significantly."

"If he can maintain this state, I believe he will become a powerful weapon in our offensive line."