章節 169: The Father-Son Battle with Guardiola (Part 1)
Pellegrini wasn't a pushover. He naturally saw the problems in his team's defense.
So, during a dead ball, he called Zabaleta over and gave him some instructions.
Manchester City's defensive formation changed a bit. The defenders moved the defensive line forward slightly, making it harder for the opposition to exploit the space behind them during counterattacks.
This adjustment quickly took effect.
When AC Milan tried the same strategy again, El Shaarawy either couldn't get the ball or was knocked over by a defender as soon as he did. If the pass was too strong, Manchester City's defenders could set an offside trap, so even if he got the ball, he would be offside.
Moreover, Manchester City increased the intensity of their pressing in the front field, making it hard for the opposing midfielders to pass accurately.
With this combination, AC Milan's wing attacks, which had just shown some promise, quickly fizzled out.
At halftime, Manchester City returned to the locker room with a three-goal lead.
Although they had conceded two goals, their lead was still large, so the players looked relaxed.
Inside the Manchester City locker room, there were clear divisions:
Joe Hart, Wright, Richards, and other local players gathered together.
Kompany, Yaya Touré, Clichy, and other veteran non-local players formed a group.
Zabaleta, Agüero, Demichelis, Fernando, and Fernandinho, the South American players, were in another group.
Lin, Silva, Navas, and Negredo, the Spanish players, formed yet another group.
One team had four different cliques.
Lin had never seen anything like it!
At Werder Bremen, most of the players were German locals. The few foreign players were from Austria and Eastern Europe, so the team composition was relatively homogeneous.
But in a top team in one of the five major leagues, things were completely different.
The player composition in these leagues was very complex, with players from Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, and football powerhouses across Europe.
The only relatively rare sight might be Chinese players abroad.
Due to the declining level of Chinese football and the increasing appeal of lucrative domestic leagues, the once-thriving trend of Chinese players going abroad had waned in recent years. It was becoming increasingly rare to see Chinese players in the five major leagues or across Europe.
Lin chatted and laughed with David Silva while observing the other cliques with the corner of his eye.
"The local players are the most numerous, but their overall strength isn't high. However, because of the FA's policies, the club has to keep them!"
David Silva didn't think much of English players. Apart from a few, he considered the rest to be freeloaders. They benefited from the FA's homegrown player rules but didn't have the strength to represent the team. Most of the season, they sat on the bench and sometimes didn't even make the matchday squad.
"The veterans like Kompany and Yaya Touré are strong. Kompany is currently the team captain. He is steady and, because of his captaincy, looks at the bigger picture."
The implication was that Kompany was approachable and easy to deal with.
"What about Touré?"
Lin was curious about Silva's assessment of Yaya Touré. Honestly, after watching him in training, Lin acknowledged Touré's abilities. However, Guardiola preferred to promote a newcomer over using him, which must have had a reason.
So, what flaw did Yaya Touré have that made Guardiola choose Busquets over him?
"Touré is very strong, but his best position is as an attacking midfielder, not a defensive midfielder!"
"Huh? I thought his defensive abilities were strong, with great coverage. Isn't that suitable for a defensive midfielder?"
Lin was surprised by Silva's evaluation. Yaya Touré reminded him of his national team teammate, Martínez. Both were strong, fit, with great coverage and could play both offensively and defensively. But Silva's evaluation seemed low.
"Touré has good footwork but isn't great at making key passes. He's good at pushing forward and his attacking ability is better than some forwards. The problem is, he's playing as a defensive midfielder. If he pushes forward and the opponents counterattack, our defense is in trouble."
Lin remembered their first conceded goal. AC Milan had capitalized on Touré's forward run to score from his defensive side.
So, Touré had the qualities of a defensive midfielder but the heart of a forward?
"The issue is, we don't lack attacking power upfront. When he pushes up, he doesn't help much and becomes a weak point for counterattacks."
Silva spread his hands.
Lin nodded. A good player should understand his strengths and find his position.
Touré had the skills, but could he find his position and understand what he needed to do to help the team?
As Lin pondered this, Agüero approached him to express his gratitude.
"Lin, welcome to the team. You're an incredible player. Most importantly, you play a lot like Leo (Messi)!"
Agüero and Messi were good friends. Finding a teammate who played like Messi and could assist him felt like playing alongside Messi again. Agüero liked this feeling.
His attitude towards Lin had taken a complete 180-degree turn. From worrying Lin would take his spot, he now eagerly anticipated playing with him in official matches.
"Thanks, Agüero. Your shots were great too. Let's push for a hat-trick in the second half!"
With Agüero warming up to him, Lin naturally reciprocated. If he could gain influence through Agüero, it would help him control the locker room better.
Halftime ended quickly, and the second half began with both sides switching ends.
Manchester City made some substitutions: Navas replaced Kolarov and Fernandinho replaced Milner.
Fernandinho was a defensive midfielder. His introduction aimed to fill the defensive gaps left by Touré's forward runs.
Once the game resumed, Manchester City launched wave after wave of attacks on AC Milan's defense.
However, Allegri seemed to have adjusted his team's defense at halftime, pulling back the flanks and allowing Manchester City's wingers to cross but tightly defending the center, preventing short passes.
This strategy worked well. Manchester City's attacks looked dangerous but failed to convert into goals.
Meanwhile, AC Milan had a few dangerous counterattacks using their speedy wingers.
But Manchester City's defenders were alert, and Fernandinho's active defense neutralized the threats.
By the 75th minute, the score remained 5-2.
Both coaches continued to make substitutions.
Pellegrini replaced Agüero with Negredo, the high-priced forward signed in the summer.
Agüero looked a bit frustrated at being subbed off. Lin had passed to him several times in the second half, but the defense was too tight. He couldn't get a good shot or shoot accurately. Though he felt embarrassed, Lin didn't blame him and continued passing when there were opportunities.
Just as Agüero thought he found a way to break through, he was substituted. A hat-trick was now out of reach.
Negredo was a Spanish player, so Lin and Silva naturally took care of him. They started passing to him and creating chances.
Negredo was different from Agüero. At 186 cm, he had a strong presence in the box. Lin changed tactics to high crosses for Negredo to head.
Initially, this didn't work. Despite Negredo's good heading ability, AC Milan's defenders were strong and didn't allow easy headers.
However, when the other big guy, Yaya Touré, entered the box and teamed up with Negredo to disrupt the defense, Manchester City found an opening.
In the 87th minute, Silva crossed from the wing. Touré shook off his marker and headed the ball, scoring again.
This goal showed Lin Touré's excellent attacking ability. He truly had the heart of a forward.
In the end, Manchester City, with goals from Lin and others, beat AC Milan 6-2 and advanced to the final.
Winning big against a Serie A giant in their first match of the new season made everyone at Manchester City very happy. Lin's outstanding performance especially excited the traveling Manchester City fans. They had thought Lin would take time to integrate but were surprised at how quickly he fit in!
Seeing Lin orchestrate the front line so well, it was hard to believe this was his first official match with the team. People would sooner believe he had been playing with them for years! How else could they explain his seamless cooperation with his teammates? Scoring one goal and providing four assists in his first match?
Despite being a warm-up match, it attracted a lot of attention. After the match, German, British, and Spanish media extensively covered it.
German media focused on Lin, believing he had made great progress this season. Losing such an excellent player was a huge loss for the Bundesliga.
Spanish media focused on Lin and Guardiola, hyping their first official match against each other.
"A young genius player and a world-class coach, who are also father and son. Such a matchup is extremely rare in football, making us eagerly anticipate the result."
Spanish media even conducted polls on social media, asking fans to choose who to support.
"Lin is strong, but football is a team sport. Compared to Bayern, Manchester City lacks strength. I bet on Guardiola's Bayern winning!"
"With Bayern Munich's lineup and configuration, how can they lose?"
"Bayern is still a top favorite for the Champions League this season. Manchester City, even with Lin, is still far from competing for the title!"
"Guardiola's coaching ability is well-known, and Bayern's squad is luxurious. They just won the Champions League, so their momentum is certainly overwhelming Manchester City. Plus, they're playing at home, so it's almost impossible for Manchester City to win!"
"Though Bayern is strong,
Guardiola hasn't been in charge for long. It's hard to say how much control he has. In contrast, Manchester City's strength in this match is impressive, especially Lin, who continued his great form from the Confederations Cup. So, I bet on Manchester City winning!"
"Hehe, I've heard that Bayern's big-name players have strong personalities. Even Guardiola can't control the locker room. So, his arrival might weaken Bayern instead of strengthening them. But Lin's arrival at Manchester City has had an immediate strengthening effect, so I also support Lin!"
On the internet, most fans still supported Bayern. Based on both paper strength and team momentum, Bayern had the upper hand.
Manchester City, on the other hand, lacked significant achievements. Though they just beat AC Milan, this Milan team wasn't a top side. Their lack of historical achievements made it hard for people to believe they could beat the mighty Bayern Munich.
The fans supporting Manchester City did so mostly because of Lin's presence.
To confirm this, two hours later, Bayern effortlessly defeated São Paulo 3-0, also advancing to the final.
Thus, the Audi Cup championship would be decided between Manchester City and Bayern.
However, Bayern's dominant performance made people respect them. They not only led in all stats but also controlled the game, giving São Paulo no chance.
Moreover, the match showcased the changes Guardiola brought to Bayern. He combined Heynckes' experience with his own style, allowing Bayern to play both an aggressive and a skillful game with intricate passing.
After this match, predictions for the final changed completely. Less than 10% of fans believed Manchester City would win.
"Honestly, I don't see how Manchester City can win. This Bayern is too strong!"
"As a Manchester City fan, I hope our team doesn't suffer a heavy defeat!"
"Let's hope we don't lose by more than three goals!"
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