Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 572: The Rise of Juventus

This Premier League season has truly been a tale of mixed emotions for many teams.

Chelsea returned to the top, Tottenham missed out on the title, Manchester United's resurgence failed, and Liverpool made it back to the Champions League...

But the biggest storyline of the final matchday was the battle between Arsenal and Liverpool for the fourth-place spot.

Going into the final round, Arsenal was two points behind Liverpool and four goals behind on goal difference.

This meant that for Arsenal to secure fourth place, they not only had to win their game but also hope that Liverpool lost.

Both games kicked off at the same time, and Arsenal fought hard, even after being reduced to 10 men less than 20 minutes into the match. The Gunners continued to attack relentlessly.

After a tough battle, Arsenal defeated Everton 3-1 at home, securing the crucial three points they needed to keep their hopes alive.

But their hopes were quickly dashed when the score from the other game came through.

Liverpool, playing at home, comfortably beat Middlesbrough 3-0, ending Arsenal's last chance of finishing in the top four.

After the match, many Arsenal fans refused to leave the stadium, singing their club's anthem over and over, standing in solidarity with their team.

Arsène Wenger slowly walked onto the pitch to console the heartbroken players.

Arsenal's performance this season had actually been quite impressive. They finished with 74 points, which in previous years would have been enough to secure a Champions League spot.

But this year, luck was not on their side, and they failed to continue their tradition of making it to the Champions League.

Wenger wanted to apologize, feeling like his poor leadership had dragged the team down. This is why he chose to step down at the end of the season.

He hoped that after his departure, the club's board would find the right successor to take Arsenal forward.

...

With the league season coming to an end, Manchester City could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

At last, they were free from the burden of competing on multiple fronts!

This season's third-place finish in the league was their lowest in four years. For a club that had grown accustomed to winning titles, this felt a bit shameful.

But winning the Premier League was only going to get harder in the coming years, with competition intensifying across the board.

For a club like City, which fights on multiple fronts each season, the challenge is even greater.

This season, City's fluctuating form, largely due to player changes, had impacted both their league and Champions League campaigns.

They lost the league title and didn't finish top of their Champions League group.

Thankfully, things went relatively smoothly after that. They easily beat Monaco in the round of 16.

In the quarter-finals, they swept Dortmund in both legs!

Though they didn't draw their preferred opponent in the semi-finals, they did get Juventus, a team that wasn't the hardest but also wasn't easy.

All in all, compared to the other big teams in the semi-finals, City had a relatively smooth path.

Real Madrid, despite being heavily favored, almost got knocked out at home by a 10-man Bayern Munich, losing 2-1 in the second leg.

Fortunately for Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo's two goals in extra time saw them through to the semi-finals.

As for Atlético Madrid, despite being expected to shut out Leicester City, they almost got knocked out at the King Power Stadium.

Though Atlético still advanced, their struggle against a team like Leicester, who only finished 12th in the Premier League, did little to raise expectations for them.

For Real Madrid, drawing Atlético in the semi-finals was seen as a stroke of luck by most observers, with many predicting that Madrid were on their way to the final.

Given Real Madrid's improved squad and Manchester City's slight decline, many saw this year as Madrid's best chance at winning the Champions League.

On May 3rd, the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals began.

Real Madrid, playing at home, demolished Atlético Madrid 3-0, thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick.

Just as expected, Atlético posed little threat to Madrid, and this scoreline all but sealed Atlético's fate, with Madrid virtually assured of a place in the final.

Compared to the one-sided matchup in the top half of the draw, the battle in the bottom half, between Manchester City and Juventus, was much more intense than expected.

Though City won the first leg at home, the 3-2 scoreline wasn't ideal.

With only a one-goal lead and having conceded two away goals, City were in a precarious position.

In those days, away goals were still a crucial tiebreaker, and in many ways, this scoreline could be seen as a victory for Juventus.

Juventus was quite satisfied with the result. Despite losing on the scoreboard, they had only managed 33% possession and just five shots the entire match.

But luck, or perhaps Gonzalo Higuaín's sharp form, worked in their favor.

Higuaín scored twice from his three shots on goal, showing incredible efficiency!

Both assists came from Juventus' veteran right-back Dani Alves.

Despite his age, Alves had left Barcelona and proven he was still one of the best right-backs on the planet.

For City, on the other hand, the result was far from satisfying.

After the game, Guardiola, unusually frustrated, lashed out at several players who had underperformed.

It wasn't hard to understand his anger. City had already lost the Premier League title, and if they failed in the Champions League too, they would end the season with nothing.

The 3-2 scoreline was dangerous. Although City had a one-goal lead, the two away goals for Juventus were like a thorn in their side, making them uneasy.

All Juventus needed back in Turin was a simple 1-0 win to send City packing.

And given how clinical Juventus had been in front of goal in the first leg, scoring at home would be no problem for them.

So, things were looking very tricky for City.

Having failed to make the most of their home advantage, they now had to go all out in the second leg away from home—a notoriously tough place to play—and brace themselves for the worst.

...

On May 8th, the entire Manchester City squad arrived in Turin three days ahead of the second leg against Juventus.

Juventus fans gave them an extremely "warm" welcome.

As soon as City's location was confirmed, a large crowd gathered outside their hotel, doing everything they could to make noise—banging drums, setting off fireworks, anything to disrupt City's rest.

Even though City had expected this and made preparations, their pre-game routines were still inevitably affected.

As a result, the City squad seemed slightly low-spirited.

In contrast, Juventus was full of confidence.

It had been 15 years since Juventus last reached a Champions League final, and 21 years since they last lifted the trophy.

The entire Juventus team was eager to return to the final and once again hold the coveted trophy high.

They knew achieving this goal would be incredibly difficult.

But they had already overcome many obstacles, and now they were just two steps away from glory!

Two wins were all they needed for Juventus to realize their dream.

But those two wins would be the hardest of the entire year.

To achieve their dream, they would have to beat Manchester City and then Real Madrid!

Was it difficult?

Absolutely. There weren't many teams in world football that could confidently say they could beat both City and Madrid.

Winning against one might be possible with a bit of luck, but defeating two of the world's top clubs in succession was not something luck alone could accomplish.

Juventus would need to be at their very best and play to their full potential if they wanted to succeed.

On May 10th, 2017, at 19:45, the game kicked off at Juventus Stadium.

The match began amidst a deafening roar from both sets of fans.

From the start, the game was a fierce battle, with both teams going at it full throttle.

"Whoever controls the midfield, controls the game" is a well-known saying in football, and both sides fought tooth and nail for control of the middle of the park.

The battle in midfield was intense, and by the 10th minute, the game had already seen its first casualty.

In a collision with a City midfielder, Sami Khedira went down injured. After a check by the medical team, it was confirmed he couldn't continue, and he had to be substituted.

Khedira's injury was a huge blow to Juventus.

The tough, hardworking German was a key player in Juventus' midfield.

While not a defensive juggernaut, Khedira was crucial for his high work rate and willingness to put his body on the line. His presence gave the team confidence, helping the other players perform better.

That's why he had become so important at both Real Madrid and Juventus.

With Khedira off the field, Juventus' midfield strength was significantly weakened.

Without Khedira's cover, players like Pjanić and Alves found it much harder to play their usual game, and even Dybala had to spend more time helping out defensively.

Though Juventus' midfield was struggling, their attack sprang to life.

Mario Mandzukic, who had left Bayern Munich years ago, still hadn't forgiven Guardiola.

Every time Mandzukic faced Guardiola or one of his teams, he played like a man possessed.

He wanted to prove himself and show the world that it wasn't him who wasn't good enough—it was Guardiola who had failed to recognize his talent.

In previous meetings between City and Juventus, Mandzukic had often come up short, largely due to the difference in quality between the two sides.

But today, in Juventus' home stadium, he was up against possibly the weakest Manchester City team of the last three years, while Juventus had steadily improved over time.

The gap in strength between the two teams was now the smallest it had been in years.

So, this match was Mandzukic's golden opportunity!

And he didn't disappoint. In the 33rd minute, Mandzukic seized the moment and scored with a powerful header, breaking the deadlock and making it 1-0!

This goal was crucial because it leveled the aggregate score.

Thanks to their two away goals from the first leg, Juventus now had the advantage.

If City couldn't score, Juventus would march on to the final!

"Juventus is really something, huh? It looks like last game's score wasn't a fluke!"

"No doubt about it. Even if their stats looked bad, getting two away goals at the Etihad proves their quality!"

"Could it really be a Juventus vs. Real Madrid final this season?"

"Don't jump to conclusions just yet. The game isn't over, and you've got to have some faith in City. Even if not City, trust in Lin, the King!"

"Exactly, exactly. Even Real Madrid almost got knocked out at the last second. Never underestimate these top teams—anything can happen until the final whistle."

Online, fans of both teams were passionately debating the outcome. Many were curious if there would be another upset in this season's Champions League.

This year's tournament had already seen its fair share of shockers.

For example, Barcelona, who had beaten City to finish top of their group, were widely considered to be the favorites for the title.

But they were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Paris Saint-Germain.

After that 4-0 win at home over Barça, many tipped PSG to go all the way.

But what happened?

They were swept aside by Juventus, the tie showing a clear gap in quality between the two teams.

Football is full of surprises, and even the most expensive, star-studded teams can falter.

And no team in the Champions League semi-finals is a pushover.

Even if the two sides seem mismatched, the gap between them isn't huge.

Though Juventus had taken the lead and the match seemed to be going their way, that didn't mean they were guaranteed victory.

With Khedira off the field, Juventus' midfield weaknesses were becoming more and more apparent, and Manchester City was starting to take control.

Whoever controls the midfield controls the game, and as City's dominance grew, their attacks became more and more dangerous.

By the end of the first half, Juventus was struggling.

City created several chances in a short period, leaving Juventus' defense scrambling to keep up.

If it weren't for the exceptional performance of their young goalkeeper, Buffon, the score would have been leveled already.

But Juventus' luck wasn't going to last forever!

(End of Chapter)

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