Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 573: This Is Manchester City's Invincible Twin Stars!

In Manchester City's locker room during halftime, Guardiola wasted no time explaining Juventus' tactics from the first half. He focused on their defensive positioning, strategies, and individual player habits.

"Did you see that?"

Guardiola tapped on the tactics board and raised his voice slightly:

"Juventus uses a 3-4-2-1 formation, but when defending, it transforms into a 5-2-3.

Their three lines maintain tight spacing, leaving no room for passes between them. Pjanić and Marchisio form the pivots, making it difficult for our players around them to receive the ball without being immediately double-teamed."

As the players recalled the first half, they began to understand why it felt so frustrating to play. Juventus had clearly devised this defensive strategy specifically to counter Manchester City.

Everyone knows that City excels at possession football, but for possession to be effective, you need to make forward passes, breaking through the opponent's lines and getting the ball to dangerous areas.

If you can't break through and are forced to pass sideways or backward, then possession football becomes meaningless.

That's exactly what happened in the first half. Although City dominated possession, their forward pass success rate was low, which prevented them from creating enough threats.

Scoring goals involves a bit of luck, but the more attacking opportunities you create, the more likely you are to score.

Conversely, if you don't create enough threats, scoring becomes much harder unless you get very lucky.

"Usually, one way to deal with a team that defends so tightly is to drop deep to receive the ball. But Juventus was prepared for that too!"

Guardiola pointed out examples where De Bruyne and Gündoğan tried to drop deeper to receive the ball but failed.

"Their forwards, especially Higuaín and Mandzukic, immediately abandon their original positions and press our players, making it hard for them to control the ball. This forces us to pass quickly, disrupting our ability to organize patiently."

"In these situations, we often end up passing to the wings, but that's when their wing-backs step up to press us, forming a line with the central midfielders and forwards, trapping our players on the flanks. We lost possession several times this way in the first half."

Guardiola illustrated on the tactics board how Juventus' lines remained tight but adaptable. Their 5-2-3 formation could shift into a 4-3-3 or even a 3-4-3, depending on the situation.

Their players' positioning wasn't fixed, constantly adjusting based on the flow of the game, but their solid defensive structure remained unchanged.

Guardiola had to admit, Juventus' coach Allegri had devised a brilliant strategy, and his tactical ability was top-tier—perhaps even superior to Guardiola's own.

To be fair, Juventus' players weren't as talented as City's, but under Allegri's guidance, they played better football.

Still, no tactic is without weaknesses.

Juventus' defensive secret lay in concentrating players in specific areas, locking down space and turning those areas into fortresses.

To break through, City needed to move the ball quickly, pulling Juventus players out of position and reducing their numbers in key areas to weaken their defense.

What's more, Juventus' system required flawless execution from the players. Fortunately, one of their key players was out of position, and this could be City's opportunity to turn the game around.

Guardiola gathered Lin Quan, De Bruyne, and Gündoğan, and told them:

"In the second half, avoid direct forward passes unless the opportunity is perfect. Otherwise, we'll lose possession and give them chances to counterattack!"

Everyone nodded. Juventus' first goal in the first half had come from exactly such a situation.

Having learned their lesson, they were determined not to make the same mistake.

Based on Guardiola's instructions, the three players understood that Juventus had deliberately set traps in midfield to make City's playmakers lose the ball.

"In the second half, we need to focus more on the wings, using the full width of the pitch. Don't cross the ball high; keep it on the ground and move quickly—both with and without the ball. Once we stretch their formation, their defensive efficiency will drop!"

"Lin, you need to take the ball more and challenge Alves. He's getting older, and his stamina can't match yours. If you wear him out, half of Juventus' attacking power will disappear!"

Guardiola had identified Juventus' two wing-backs as their most crucial positions.

While Mandzukic and Higuaín had scored the goals, most of their chances had been created by the wing-backs—especially Dani Alves on the right.

If City could neutralize Alves, their defense would face much less pressure.

The 15-minute break quickly passed, and the players, fully understanding their roles, marched back onto the field, full of determination.

As City's players walked out, they bumped into Juventus' players, who were also heading out of the locker room.

Juventus seemed relaxed, with players chatting and laughing, confident in their lead and believing they could finish off City.

After all, they were ahead and had home-field advantage, so their confidence wasn't surprising.

The second half began with no substitutions from either side.

Despite leading, Allegri didn't relax for a moment, keeping his eyes glued to the pitch, knowing how dangerous Guardiola's teams could be. He was aware that past encounters with City had not gone well for Juventus, so he remained on high alert.

Allegri soon noticed a change in City's approach.

Lin Quan was dropping deeper to receive the ball, even with Juventus players closing in on him. Instead of passing immediately, Lin held the ball and started moving toward the wing, as if he was running straight into Juventus' trap.

Allegri frowned. In his experience, Lin was a highly intelligent player, not one to make reckless decisions. So, why was he doing this?

The answer soon became clear.

As Lin moved wide, De Bruyne was also dropping back.

At first, he was moving slowly, but once Pjanić followed him, De Bruyne suddenly accelerated as if he was ready to receive the ball.

Pjanić rushed to close him down, leaving little space for De Bruyne to operate.

But Lin didn't pass to De Bruyne; instead, he played a quick one-two with David Silva on the wing, seemingly intent on breaking through from the left side.

"Is this a decoy?" Allegri frowned, noticing that several City players were on the move, making it hard to figure out their true intention.

Still, since Lin had the ball, and he posed the bigger threat, Juventus stuck to their plan, with the wing-back and forward pressing Lin from both sides, setting up a trap.

At the same time, Juventus' center-back moved over to cover the space left by the advancing wing-back.

Juventus' defense operated like a well-oiled machine, adjusting perfectly to the situation.

As Alves closed in, Lin pushed the ball inside, looking for the gap left by Pjanić as he followed De Bruyne.

Marchisio hurried over to close the space, preventing Lin from cutting inside for a shot.

With Marchisio's movement, Juventus' entire defensive line shifted to the right.

Pjanić, now between Lin and De Bruyne, believed De Bruyne was out of the play and didn't need to follow him anymore. He joined the effort to pressure Lin.

From a camera angle above the field, it looked like Lin had fallen into Juventus' trap.

Surrounded by Juventus players, with all his passing lanes cut off, it seemed inevitable he would lose the ball.

The scene reminded many viewers of a famous moment from the 2012 European Championship when Iniesta was surrounded by five Italian defenders and lost the ball.

Even if Lin Quan was a stronger player than Iniesta, it was hard to imagine him escaping such a tight spot.

Just like everyone watching, Lin himself believed there was no space left to continue dribbling.

So, he made a quick decision and passed the ball—not to anyone Juventus expected, but to De Bruyne!

Pjanić, convinced that he had blocked the passing lane, had relaxed his marking on De Bruyne and joined the pressure on Lin.

But what he didn't know was that as soon as he made that decision, De Bruyne had already started sprinting forward.

Higuaín, who had been marking Gündoğan, quickly abandoned him to try and catch up with De Bruyne.

When De Bruyne started his run, Lin couldn't even see him, but it was as if the two had some kind of telepathic connection. Lin passed the ball to an empty space, confident De Bruyne would be there to receive it.

And De Bruyne, trusting Lin completely, sprinted into the space where he knew the ball would arrive.

Seeing Lin's pass, the Juventus defenders pressing him were confused. They couldn't see what was happening behind them.

But from the stands, where fans had a full view, Juventus supporters began to scream in panic.

"Stop him!"

"Stop number 17!"

...

The Juventus players couldn't hear the fans' shouts or sense the danger.

With limited vision on the field, few players noticed De Bruyne's run.

Marchisio, the most likely player to stop him, had shifted too far to the right and was no longer in position to intercept.

In front of the anxious Juventus fans, Lin's pass found De Bruyne's feet.

Without any verbal or even eye contact, the two players had executed a flawless combination, showcasing their unmatched chemistry.

This is Manchester City's invincible duo, the world's strongest attacking partnership!

Higuaín rushed to close down De Bruyne but was a step too late.

Before even receiving the ball, De Bruyne had already scanned the field and decided how to play it.

He didn't hold onto the ball; instead, with one touch, he sent a pass wide to the left.

City's full-back, Zabaleta, had already made a run into the space left open by Juventus' shifting defense, charging down the left flank.

"It worked!"

Guardiola clapped his hands excitedly, his face lighting up with joy.

To break through Juventus' defense, City needed quick, wide attacks to stretch their formation.

Sergio Agüero darted into the box, drawing most of Juventus' defensive attention.

Rather than crossing, Zabaleta cut inside, signaling his intent to shoot.

Sandro rushed over, leaving Zabaleta with little time.

Chiellini was marking Agüero, while Buffon focused on Zabaleta.

Zabaleta lifted his foot to shoot but—surprisingly—he passed!

It was a familiar cross from Zabaleta, but the angle was slightly off.

Out of nowhere, a sky-blue figure sprinted in from behind, chesting the ball down before smashing it into the net.

The score was now 1-1, and the aggregate score was 4-3. City had taken control of the tie.

Buffon reacted to the shot purely out of instinct, but it wasn't enough to stop it.

Watching Lin Quan sprint off to celebrate, Buffon sighed and shook his head. Why does this guy always get the better of me?

Alves felt responsible. Lin had been his mark, and he failed to stop him from breaking through. This goal was largely on him.

Alves was filled with frustration. He was getting old.

At 34, he could no longer match the explosiveness or stamina of a 21-year-old like Lin.

Watching Lin suddenly burst into action, Alves could only follow with his eyes; his body simply couldn't keep up.

Sighing, Alves began to seriously consider what his agent had suggested: leaving Europe's top leagues and returning to Brazil to finish his career.

(End of Chapter)

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