With maxed-out heading ability from the start, I became the king of Arsenal.

The day after playing Manchester City, Stoke City had a day off in the morning. When Sun Yu woke up, he came across another amazing article in Sports Weekly.

The Sports Weekly's understanding of football theory lags behind that of advanced football teams worldwide, even more so than the Chinese national team's understanding of world-class teams.

At least the Chinese national football players are determined to be able to compete on equal footing with star-studded teams like Germany and France in the warm-up matches.

Even the best footballers are no match for kung fu football, but once the theory goes astray, all the subsequent popularization and explanation work is like spraying air freshener in a dry toilet, applying transparent tape to a wound, or using correction fluid on a tattoo.

Even so, Sun Yu loved reading articles in Sports Weekly, as only this media outlet could give him a sufficient sense of absurdity.

With the 15th round of the Premier League already over, Sports Weekly has published another in-depth tactical discussion on Stoke City's victory over Liverpool.

The main title is "Britannia's Textbook of Ball Control".

The title alone is attractive enough, because thanks to Sun Yu, most readers who follow football news know that Britannia Stadium is Stoke City's home ground.

The title raises a question: did Stoke City teach Liverpool a lesson, or did Liverpool teach Stoke City a lesson?

Since each fan has different focuses, and the match was played more than ten days ago, their memories of the game may already be hazy.

The article then gave a subtitle: "Stoke City beats 'Liverpool,' overturning conventional wisdom."

If this were a decade or two ago, Sun Yu would have bought a newspaper without hesitation just by seeing this headline.

"In the 13th round of the Premier League, a match at Britannia Stadium was a highly tactically valuable one."

"Stoke City, traditionally known for its aerial bombardment, physical battles, and long balls, broke away from the established patterns of traditional English football, using a delicate and steady ball control style to break the deadlock and defeat Premier League giants Liverpool 2-0 with goals from Sun Yu and Jones."

The article then uses tactical style and case studies to describe how rough Stoke City was last season, before suddenly shifting its tone:

"The tactical course of the game was completely different from what everyone expected. Stoke City, playing at home, did not blindly launch high balls, but instead played steadily, connecting the midfield with ground passes and dismantling Liverpool's midfield pressing through multiple runs."

"They are still crossing the ball, but the core of the game has changed dramatically. Possession football does not prohibit crossing the ball, but rather, it adapts to the situation and adopts the most effective attacking methods based on possession of the ball."

"Sun Yu's opening goal, in particular, is a typical example of passing, controlling the ball, stretching the defense, combining play on the wings and in the middle, and finishing with precision."

"After Lucas was sent off, Stoke City used their possession-based tactics to their fullest extent, while Liverpool, who had previously maintained a loose passing game, completely lost control of the ball."

"True possession-based football is never about ineffective passing; it's about mastering the rhythm, wearing down the opponent, and creating openings—it's a top-tier tactical weapon."

"In Stoke City, Sun Yu still thrives, proving that he is fully capable of playing to his strengths in a possession-based system."

It's true that cultured people have a more pleasant way of speaking.

After reading this article, Sun Yu doubted that he had actually played in that match.

Sun Yu was also convinced. They were the ones who said he couldn't adapt to the passing and control system, they were the ones who said he could play a functional role in the passing and control system, and they were the ones who said he could perfectly adapt to the passing and control system.

What's even more impressive is that they not only say they're suited to a possession-based system, but also that Stoke City plays possession-based football.

The article also categorizes Liverpool as a possession-based team with refined tactics.

Why did Liverpool lose?

Because they only kicked out the form, without grasping the core.

It's as if we can learn passing and control in an instant.

This article put Sun Yu in a good mood after he woke up; reading the nonsense from domestic media had become his source of joy.

Meanwhile, English media outlets are making fun of Balotelli, and another strange story has been revealed about the Golden Boy favorite.

The Guardian reports that Balotelli now lives only 500 meters from the training ground, but he still drives his Ferrari between his apartment and the training ground every day.

As for his sudden stop and turn during the fast counterattack, a lip-reading expert interpreted his thoughts as meaning he wanted to fight Sun Yu one-on-one.

A one-on-one duel!?

What an ignorant idea!

With the voting results about to be announced, the English media has compiled a collection of articles specifically designed to discredit Balotelli.

Although Balotelli has won the treble, the English media is more powerful and they can exert more influence in the voting.

Media outlets across Europe believe that this year's Golden Boy award will be the most competitive since its inception.

But these things have little to do with Sun Yu; he only reads the news for entertainment.

With the match against Manchester City over, Stoke City will face off in the League Cup quarterfinals on the first day of December.

12 month 1 day.

Britannia Stadium.

Stoke City welcomed a Manchester United squad that had been rotated out of action.

At the pre-match press conference, Ferguson appeared very confident: "I have great confidence in every player, and none of them are mediocre."

"We will not give up any game, but we need enough playing time for our first-team players."

"Our goal is simple: to advance to the next round."

Ferguson's decision to openly rotate his squad is tantamount to giving away half the team, so Pulis can't be too certain.

The Stoke City manager said: "Our opponents have a squad that can compete for the Champions League. We can't have too many unrealistic ideas; we can only fight with all our might."

Manchester United did indeed field a 3-5-2 formation, with Kuzczak in goal and Evans, Smalling, and O'Shea in defense.

The midfield consists of Obertan, Anderson, Fletcher, Giggs, and Bebe.

The two forwards are Irving and Hernandez.

Putting aside everything else, this lineup should have no problem occupying a mid-table position in the Premier League.

Apart from Bebe and Owen, the other players would be starters for mid-table Premier League teams.

Before the kickoff, Sun Yu glanced at the defense penetration score:

【积分：648/1000，等级lv1，升级经验9/10】

After playing against Manchester City, Sun Yu gained another valuable experience.

With the "emotional value" that Mancini and Balotelli have been giving me bit by bit over the past few days, upgrading today shouldn't be a problem.

Logically speaking, upgrading should bring some benefits, and he is looking forward to it.

Although Manchester United fielded a rotated lineup, Sun Yu remained highly motivated.

These days, winning against Manchester United is never easy, no matter the circumstances.

After the match started, Manchester United, fielding a rotated lineup, still maintained possession dominance.

Giggs and Fletcher orchestrated the team's offense effectively, Anderson's technical skills were quite good, and Obertan's breakthroughs made Collins very uncomfortable.

As for Beibei on the left wing, he was truly a shockwave.

In the twelfth minute, Giggs delivered a through ball from midfield.

Hernandez took a first-time shot at the near corner, but Begovic barely managed to poke the ball out of bounds with his fingertips.

Manchester United's two strikers kept darting around Stoke City's penalty area, constantly creating threats.

Stoke City didn't get their first shot on goal until the 15th minute, when Pennant put the ball into the penalty area.

Sun Yu kept retreating, using his body to advance nearly two meters.

[Evans's defensive penetration value +40]

Sun Yu shoved the opponent aside, turned around and unleashed a powerful shot.

The football was saved by the goalkeeper and went out of bounds.

[Evans's defensive penetration value +40]

Ok?

Is Evans' mental fortitude really that bad?

Or perhaps he's afraid of himself?

Seeing the other party's strong emotional response, Sun Yu knew what was going on.