Chapter 196: The tactical mind is very dirty!
"That Ribery goal was incredible! Joe Hart reacted very quickly, but couldn't prevent the goal."
"Ribery has improved a lot in the last few seasons. With him and Robben, Bayern's wing attack is unstoppable."
"Yes, everyone says Ribery could win the Ballon d'Or this year, and with performances like this, he deserves it."
On the edge of the field, Guardiola celebrated excitedly seeing Ribery score so quickly. This goal was crucial: with Bayern ahead, Manchester City's counterattack became ineffective. If they changed their tactics, Bayern's advantage would only increase.
As expected, Manchester City adjusted their strategy after falling behind. They increased pressure up front, expanding the players' range of movement.
This was just what Bayern wanted.
In the 15th minute, Ribery received a pass from Kroos. After a slight cut to create space, he shot, trying to replicate his first goal. But this time, Joe Hart caught the ball.
Although he sometimes has bad luck with strange goals, Joe Hart is a very competent goalkeeper, which is why he is Manchester City's starter. He wasn't going to stumble twice on the same stone.
During this time, Bayern was very aggressive. Ribery, Robben, Kroos, Muller, and even defender Alaba attempted several shots.
From the 7th minute to the 32nd minute, when Joe Hart stopped a shot from Alaba from a tight angle, Bayern had made seven shots, three of them on target, keeping Manchester City under constant pressure.
Fortunately, Joe Hart was in great shape, keeping his goal safe.
Although Manchester City seemed to be in trouble, they hadn't allowed the opponent to widen their lead. However, continuing to defend like this was unsustainable. They needed a solution.
Pellegrini, from the bench, frowned, thinking about how to counter Bayern's tactics. Guardiola's strategy at Bayern was different from his time at Barcelona, as Bayern didn't have a player like Messi.
Guardiola had chosen to exploit the wings, where Ribery and Robben created a lot of pressure with their dribbles and shots. This forced Manchester City's defenders to focus on defending, leaving the forwards isolated.
Pellegrini looked towards Bayern's bench. Guardiola's strategy put great pressure on him. If he didn't find a solution, the game would be difficult for Manchester City.
Taking advantage of a pause in the game, Pellegrini called Lin Quan.
"Lin, we need to change our tactics," he said.
Lin Quan nodded, waiting for further instructions.
"Do you see Bayern's left-back?" Pellegrini pointed to Alaba, who was moving near the midfield line.
"In these thirty minutes, Bayern has attacked six times from the left, with Alaba involved in each one. We need to stop his advances and cut off the connection with their wingers. Otherwise, we won't be able to contain their attack."
Lin Quan nodded, understanding the plan.
"I know what to do," he replied.
Back on the field, Lin Quan communicated the instructions to his teammates. Everyone nodded, trusting the coach's tactical adjustment.
Guardiola watched Manchester City's adjustment with curiosity. How were they going to change their strategy?
The answer came quickly: Lin Quan and Navas swapped positions, bringing Lin Quan to the wing.
"This looks like Werder Bremen's tactic from last season," Grande commented from Bayern's bench.
At Werder Bremen, Lin Quan mainly played as a right winger. In Manchester City, his freedom of movement had increased; he was no longer limited to a fixed position. However, today he seemed determined to stay on the right wing.
Lin Quan began to advance down the wing, and Ribery, with a good sense of defense, approached to intercept him. The two had faced each other several times last season, without being able to outdo each other.
This time was no different: Ribery was quickly outpaced by Lin Quan.
Bayern was very attentive to Lin Quan's movements. Guardiola had emphasized that he was Manchester City's most dangerous player, so defensive pressure on him had to be increased.
Barely had Ribery been overtaken when Kroos intervened, committing a foul to stop Lin Quan.
Alaba was still far from Lin Quan. If Lin Quan managed to gain speed, it would be difficult to stop him. If he also beat Alaba, he would have a clear chance to shoot.
Unable to cleanly take the ball away, Kroos opted for the foul, receiving a yellow card for accumulating previous infractions.
On the bench, Guardiola felt conflicted. As a coach, he had to applaud Kroos' decision. But as a father, seeing Lin Quan being brought down worried him.
Fortunately, Lin Quan quickly got up, showing no signs of injury.
Bayern didn't protest the yellow card and regrouped to defend. Manchester City didn't have a chance to take the free kick quickly.
Lin Quan signaled to his teammates to get into the box. The ball was sent into the box, but Bayern cleared the first attempt. However, the ball fell back to Manchester City's feet.
Clichy, the defender, took the ball and shot from distance. Neuer punched it away. Yaya Toure controlled the rebound and volleyed, but the ball bounced off a defender.
Most of Bayern's players were in the box, leaving possession to Manchester City.
Navas regained the ball and, faced with immediate pressure from Bayern players, quickly passed it to Aguero. Aguero, in turn, passed the ball to the right as he himself moved towards the box.
The right wing was initially clear, but Lin Quan, after taking the free kick, quickly moved to occupy that position. Due to Manchester City's two consecutive shots, Bayern's defense was somewhat disorganized.
When Lin Quan received the ball, all of Bayern's defenders' attention was on him.
"Watch out for the forward!" Martinez shouted, running towards Lin Quan. But before reaching him, he saw Lin Quan about to pass the ball and alerted his teammates.
However, it was already too late. Lin Quan found a gap in Bayern's defense and passed the ball through Martinez's legs, directly to Aguero in the box.
Aguero, having just created a small space, received the ball perfectly. He internally praised Lin Quan's pass, and then, shielding the ball from the defender, quickly shot.
I was less than seven meters from the goal, a distance too short for Neuer to react in time.
In the 35th minute of the first half, Manchester City equalized. The goal was scored by Aguero, with an assist from Lin Quan.
This goal came at the perfect moment, revitalizing the team's spirit. Manchester City fans in the stadium erupted in cheers.
"Well done, Kun!"
"That's how it's done!"
"Super forward, Aguero!"
"Lin's pass was spectacular!"
"What a masterful pass!"
So far, they had been under constant pressure from Bayern, creating a very tense atmosphere. But with this goal, Manchester City fans felt relieved, dissipating the previous tension.
They began to alternately sing songs dedicated to Aguero and Lin Quan, praising their brilliant performances. Since David Silva's injury, the connection between Lin Quan and Aguero had improved noticeably. Manchester City fans were filled with expectations: how powerful would the trio be when Silva returned?
On the sideline, Pellegrini celebrated enthusiastically with his assistants seeing his team had equalized. Guardiola, on the other hand, ran his hand through his head, feeling more unlucky than disheartened. If his team had won a single rebound earlier, they wouldn't have conceded the goal.
Bayern's defense was generally solid, but after so many consecutive shots, several players had lost their positions, creating gaps that Manchester City, with a player like Lin Quan, wouldn't miss.
After Manchester City's celebration, the match resumed. Driven by the goal, Manchester City managed to free themselves from Bayern's pressure, initiating a small period of offensive dominance. However, Bayern's defense was firm, and Manchester City's attacks did not materialize.
Aguero even received a yellow card for a challenge from behind on Rafinha, in his eagerness to regain the ball. Although this didn't affect the forward much.
The first half ended with both teams tied at one goal. In the second half, neither team made changes during the break.
Driven by the momentum of the end of the first half, Manchester City started the second half with a fierce attack against Bayern. In the 47th minute, Manchester City won a corner kick.
Lin Quan positioned himself in the corner area but then moved away, giving the impression that another teammate would take the kick. Navas, understanding the signal, slowly headed towards the corner area.
With Lin Quan moving away, Bayern players thought the free kick was taking too long, suspecting no unusual tactics.
However, in an unexpected twist, Lin Quan suddenly returned and, catching Bayern players off guard, rolled the ball low into the box. A blue figure emerged among the crowd, shooting the ball into Bayern's net.
Aguero! Double score! Manchester City leads 2-1 against Bayern!
"Foul!"
"That goal doesn't count!" protested Bayern players, claiming they weren't ready for the kick. But the referee validated the goal.
Whoever took the free kick was Manchester City's decision. It didn't matter that Lin Quan pointed to Navas; they weren't obliged to wait for him to take the kick.
Bayern players had let their guard down, and they couldn't blame anyone else.
The referee glanced at Lin Quan: how could someone so young have such cunning ideas?
Had he learned these tactics from a certain bald coach on the sideline?
The minds of strategists are very cunning!
Guardiola, from the sideline, felt completely innocent: I didn't teach him that tactic! It wouldn't even have occurred to me.
(Chapter finished)
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