Chapter 248: Return to Camp Nou, Lin Quan and Messi's First Showdown!
"Poor Arsenal, bloodied again!"
"How many times have they been thrashed this season? True Gunners are used to it!"
"Alas, every March they fall apart. In January, they're title contenders; in February, things start going wrong; in March, they collapse; in April, they're in dire straits; in May, they miraculously secure fourth place..."
"That's why they're called the 'Fourth Place Maniacs'!"
As soon as the term "Fourth Place Maniacs" was mentioned, the internet was filled with a cheerful atmosphere!
Many netizens thought of amusing things: "Without a doubt, let's hear some Arsenal jokes!"
"I advise you not to mess around, be a 'gunner,' be neither here nor there, be audacious!"
"God is first, I am second, the third, who knows, but the fourth belongs to Arsenal - Mourinho!"
"Our greatest fear comes from Arsenal, the fighters for fourth place - Winston Churchill!"
"If there's only one team loyal to fourth place, it's Arsenal - Van Persie!"
"Only a team that hasn't won a trophy in ten years deserves to be fourth! - MacArthur!"
"Arsenal that doesn't want to fight for fourth isn't a good gunner - Napoleon!"
"Whether you fight or not, we're all fourth, no more no less. - Tsangyang Gyatso!"
"Haha, sooner or later you guys will be laughed to death by us!"
Lin Quan, who came across these while idling, laughed when he saw them.
There are plenty of jokes about football, and Arsenal dominates them.
Based on his feelings playing against Arsenal, Lin Quan felt that Arsenal's collapse in the second half of the season wasn't hard to understand.
The team's thin squad couldn't handle multiple fronts, the players were too young, and their mental fluctuations were too great, among other objective reasons.
But he thought there was another important reason: this Arsenal team lacked guts.
Wenger's team, like his personality, was elegant and magnificent but fragile like exquisite porcelain, shattering at the slightest touch.
This season, Arsenal had a very low win rate in clashes against strong teams: 6-2 away defeat by Manchester City, 5-1 away defeat by Liverpool, and 6-0 away defeat by Chelsea.
All these big score massacres happened in one season, which already spoke volumes.
If you add the 1-0 away loss to Manchester United, this season Arsenal hadn't won a single game against these top-ranking teams away from home.
In fact, it was almost the same at home.
This season, Arsenal only beat Liverpool at home, and against Chelsea and Manchester United, they were both forced to a draw.
In the next game, they would face Manchester City. If Manchester City went all out, Arsenal, who had just suffered a bloody defeat, would probably be unable to compete with them at all.
But Arsenal was lucky because Manchester City planned to field a substitute lineup in the next game. Their main players would go to Barcelona two days early to prepare for the match against Barcelona two days later.
After learning this news, Wenger breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Arsenal miraculously secured fourth place every season, no one knew how long this good luck would last.
Currently, Everton and Tottenham, behind them in the standings, were chasing closely.
Everton was only 6 points behind them, and Tottenham was only 7 points behind. If Arsenal lost two more games, they would probably be caught up.
If Manchester City went all out in this game, and if Arsenal lost, their lead would immediately shrink to 3 or 4 points.
With only six rounds left in the league, this difference would be just one game.
Moreover, after playing against Manchester City, Arsenal would face Everton in the next game.
Given their poor away record, Wenger wasn't sure if he could lead the team to victory against the Toffees.
If they lost two games in a row, Everton's record would surpass theirs, and Arsenal would fall to fifth place.
However, just when everyone, especially Arsenal fans, thought this game was a sure thing, fate played a joke on them.
Jovetic and Nasri scored in the second and fifth minutes of the match, banging in two goals in quick succession, leaving Arsenal dumbfounded.
Is this Manchester City's substitute lineup? The Gunners' fans at the Emirates Stadium were all stunned. The plot was too different from what they had imagined.
They had hoped to see a thrilling victory at home, but Manchester City's two goals instantly sobered them up.
It's Manchester City we're facing! They're the leaders of the Premier League. Even their substitute lineup is stronger than the starting lineup of many mid-table teams in the Premier League!
Seeing the bright red score on the scoreboard, they felt like they were at Stamford Bridge.
The last time they faced Chelsea, they were defeated like this!
Is tragedy going to repeat itself this time? The camera shifted to the sideline, where Wenger seemed to be feeling a bit hot, struggling to take off his coat, but the zipper just wouldn't come down.
Alas, the professor is getting old!
Seeing this scene, Arsenal fans couldn't help but feel disheartened.
The score remained 2-0 until the end of the first half.
With key players like Wilshere and Walcott absent due to injury, Arsenal's attack became a major problem.
In the first half, they had more shots, but couldn't convert them into goals.
In the second half, Wenger made some adjustments to the team's attack, increasing the involvement of midfielders in the attack.
This adjustment paid off in the 53rd minute when Arsenal's old player, Flamini, who returned to the Gunners on a free transfer last summer, stepped up. He seized the opportunity of a misplaced pass from a Manchester City player, intercepted the ball, and scored with a long-range shot, helping the team pull one back.
After scoring, Flamini was very proactive. Instead of celebrating, he immediately rushed back to the center circle with the ball, wanting to continue the attack as quickly as possible.
Seeing this, Arsenal fans stood up one after another, applauding him.
Flamini is not the type of player with extraordinary talent. He doesn't have great natural ability or strong physical qualities.
He relies on diligent attitude and stubborn determination, rooted in defense, doing all the dirty work in midfield.
He doesn't score many goals in a season, and this was his first goal since returning to Arsenal.
But this goal was as precious as gold! Flamini's goal ignited Arsenal's morale and sounded the horn for their counterattack.
In the next 40 minutes, Arsenal launched a fierce attack on Manchester City's goal.
After all, the players Manchester City fielded were substitutes, and their strength was indeed inferior to Arsenal's.
After being pushed onto the back foot, they couldn't form effective counterattacks to threaten Arsenal's defense, leading to an increasingly passive situation.
In the 85th minute, after nearly 30 minutes of relentless attacking, Arsenal finally equalized with a goal from substitute Chamberlain.
In the last game at Stamford Bridge, Chamberlain's handball in the penalty area made him the culprit of the team.
But in this game, he stepped up and helped the team secure a hard-fought draw at home against Manchester City.
Getting one point wasn't ideal for the Gunners, but considering they started the game behind, this result was acceptable.
However, in another game, Everton beat Fulham 3-1, narrowing the gap between them and Arsenal to 4 points.
Now, the situation for Arsenal has become even more difficult! ...
In Barcelona, the main players of Manchester City, upon hearing that their substitutes almost defeated Arsenal away, were all very surprised.
"Is that true? Is Arsenal really that weak?"
"Yes, Jovetic and Nasri scored two goals in the opening minutes, almost pushing Arsenal into a desperate situation. Unfortunately, the team's tactics became a bit conservative later, and they couldn't effectively counterattack. In the end, they were regretfully held to a draw by Arsenal!"
"Heh, getting one point isn't bad at all. We all thought we were going to lose, so getting one point is a pleasant surprise!"
"Yeah, there's another good news. Chelsea lost 0-1 away to Crystal Palace!"
With this news, the morale of the Manchester City players, who were about to step onto the Camp Nou, soared instantly.
"Doesn't that mean our lead has increased to 9 points?"
"Yes, that's a three-game advantage!"
"Hehe, I remember we still have a postponed game to play. If we include that, we're now 12 points ahead of Chelsea!"
With a 12-point lead, and the advantage of several dozen goal difference, couldn't they win the title four rounds early?
Seeing his teammates enthusiastically discussing the Premier League title race, Lin Quan quietly put down his phone without mentioning that Liverpool had risen to second place in the standings.
After Chelsea's loss, Mourinho's team only had theoretical hopes of winning the title.
But after crushing Tottenham 4-0 at home, Liverpool surpassed Chelsea and moved up to second place.
Currently, they have 71 points, 7 points behind Manchester City.
This gap is not small, but there is still a direct showdown between Manchester City and Liverpool, and it's at Liverpool's home ground.
Liverpool's home record this season is terrifying. In 16 home games at Anfield, they have only lost one and drawn one, winning the remaining 14 games. Many of them were victories by three or even more goals.
When it comes to the best home record this season, Liverpool can definitely compete with Manchester City.
Facing such a home dragon, Manchester City really didn't have an absolute assurance of victory.
The match between Manchester City and Liverpool will take place on April 12th, the day after the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals!
Liverpool doesn't need to worry about the Champions League distraction. After finishing the league game, they have 7 days to rest and recuperate, but Manchester City doesn't.
From April 10th to April 13th, Manchester City has three very important matches: first, the second leg of the UEFA Champions League knockout against Barcelona, then the match against Liverpool, and after playing against Liverpool, they immediately go to a neutral ground to play against Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-finals.
The downside of multi-line combat lies precisely here: as the season progresses, there are more games and shorter intervals between them.
It is precisely because of this that teams capable of achieving the feat of winning three championships in multi-line combat are so remarkable!
Given Manchester City's schedule, Lin Quan didn't feel it was time to be happy yet.
However, with the big battle approaching, he didn't want to dampen his teammates' spirits at this moment.
Manchester City needs to face Barcelona at Camp Nou with the highest morale! ...
After arriving in Barcelona, Manchester City used the training base of the local team, Espanyol, for preparation.
The Espanyol training base, called Dani Jarque Sports City, is located in Sant Adrià de Besòs, northeast of Barcelona, covering an area of about 60,000 square meters.
Compared to Barcelona's training base, Espanyol's base is much smaller, about only one-seventh the size of their neighbors'.
However, though small, it's well-equipped.
It has everything they need and can fully meet Manchester City's daily training needs.
As a team with not much presence in Barcelona, Espanyol doesn't attract much attention, especially with most of the spotlight taken by their city rivals, Barcelona.
But after Manchester City's arrival, the previously deserted training base saw an influx of fans and journalists.
Among them were local Barcelona media as well as Barça fans who came to gather intelligence.
Clearly, the entire Barcelona was paying special attention to the visiting Manchester City.
After falling in the semifinals for two consecutive seasons, Barcelona has attached much more importance to the Champions League this season.
They hope to reach the Champions League final again, lift the trophy once more, and create new glory.
To achieve this goal, they must first eliminate Manchester City, otherwise, they might not even make it to the semifinals.
However, Barcelona is confident in defeating Manchester City.
This era's Barcelona is not the one that suffered a drastic decline, aging players, core players being sold off, and faced reconstruction.
That Barcelona couldn't even make it out of the Champions League group stage, while this Barcelona has reached the Champions League semifinals for six consecutive seasons and won three Champions League trophies in eight years.
They are one of the most successful clubs in Europe, and you might even say they are THE most successful one!
Although they suffered a heavy defeat by Bayern Munich last season, their strength was questioned to some extent.
But the tiger's power remains, and this tiger of Barcelona hasn't fallen yet.
So, Barcelona's confidence is not surprising.
Facing the mighty Barcelona, Manchester City is a bit nervous.
To relax the players' minds, Pellegrini didn't arrange too complicated tactical training.
Instead, he arranged some light training subjects and targeted set-piece training.
This puzzled journalists and fans who came to gather intelligence: Does Manchester City plan to defeat Barcelona with these tactics?
Or do they know they can't beat Barcelona, so they've surrendered early?
The news reached Barcelona coach Martino's ears, and he suspected that Manchester City was releasing a smokescreen.
If he were Manchester City, it would be impossible to have no preparation if they wanted to defeat mighty Barcelona.
So, the more they acted like this, the more likely they were to be covering up, hiding their true intentions.
Thinking of this, Martino didn't dare to be careless either.
He and his coaching staff discussed seriously the tactics Manchester City might adopt, and then came up with some targeted countermeasures.
Finally, Martino made a concluding statement:
"Manchester City's strength is not as weak as the outside world thinks, so we absolutely cannot take it lightly!"
Martino hoped to take advantage of the home field and settle the battle in the first leg.
This way, they could focus on the league and deal with the competition from Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona had just won a 4-3 away victory over Real Madrid and temporarily opened up the points gap between them and Real Madrid.
Currently, in the standings, Barcelona is only one point behind Atletico Madrid.
This gap is very small, but the smaller it is, the less Barcelona can afford to make mistakes.
Otherwise, in the final round of the league when they face Atletico Madrid at home, Barcelona will be in a very unfavorable position.
At the pre-match press conference, the coaches of both teams were very polite.
They complimented each other, with Pellegrini praising Barcelona as a great team, and Martino stating that Manchester City is a respectable opponent.
Both of them looked at each other, understanding the implied meaning in each other's words: Old man, get ready to fight with all your might! ...
April 2nd, evening, Camp Nou.
The Camp Nou stadium, which can accommodate 100,000 people, was packed to capacity. The crazy Barcelona fans were already creating a terrifying atmosphere even before the match began, putting pressure on the visiting Manchester City fans who numbered only five thousand.
Compared to the overwhelming number of Barcelona fans, the five thousand Manchester City fans seemed like a small boat on the sea, surrounded by the raging waves, with the danger of capsizing at any moment.
With a gulp, a Manchester City fan couldn't help but swallow nervously.
Despite the thousands of security personnel separating them from the Barcelona fans, the fierce expressions, roaring gestures, and incessantly waving fists of the opposition still made them feel uneasy.
If a fight really broke out, the more than ninety thousand Barcelona fans would surely overwhelm them in an instant.
However, soon the attention of the Barcelona fans shifted from the Manchester City fans to the field.
Both sets of players were already standing in the player tunnel, ready to enter the field.
Standing in the tunnel of Camp Nou, they could feel the roaring cheers from outside, like waves crashing against a shore.
Lin Quan had a strange feeling!
He grew up in Barcelona and joined the Barcelona youth academy at the age of 6, so the Camp Nou stadium wasn't unfamiliar to him.
But this was his first time appearing at Camp Nou as an opponent.
What awaited him?
A sky full of jeers?
Or the fans' insults and taunts?
As he pondered over these thoughts, Lin Quan felt someone tapping his shoulder.
Turning around, he found it was Barcelona's captain, Xavi.
"Lin, how about exchanging jerseys after the game?" Xavi said to Lin Quan with a smile. Lin Quan had a good relationship with many players in the Barcelona team.
So, there were probably quite a few people waiting to exchange jerseys with him. If he didn't act early, he might miss this opportunity later.
"No problem, Captain!" Lin Quan nodded happily and agreed to Xavi's request.
"Hehe, welcome back to Camp Nou. Let's give it our all in this game and strive to deliver a fantastic match for everyone!" "Yeah, I will!" Lin Quan clenched his fist and nodded firmly.
Xavi didn't say anything else and returned to the Barcelona team, chatting and laughing with Iniesta behind him.
Seeing Lin Quan looking over, Messi winked at him, greeting him with his eyes.
His teammates behind him, such as Fabregas, Pique, Busquets, Pedro, and other national team teammates, also nodded in acknowledgment to Lin Quan.
Although they played for different clubs and were opponents on the field.
But in private, they were all friends, and since their positions didn't overlap, there wasn't any competition between them.
Of course, not everyone's attitude towards Lin Quan was so friendly. Several Brazilian players in the Barcelona team, such as Neymar and Alves, looked at Lin Quan with hostility.
Especially Neymar, from the burning flames of revenge in his eyes, one could feel how much he hoped to avenge last year's defeat in the Copa America!
Lin Quan shrugged indifferently, ignoring Neymar's gaze. Neymar's strength was good, but if he treated him as an opponent, it would be a bit disrespectful.
Just as he was about to withdraw his gaze, Lin Quan felt a substantial gaze cast upon him.
Following the line of sight, he unsurprisingly saw Barcelona's top star - Lionel Messi.
The noisy voices in the player tunnel dissipated the moment the two locked eyes, and both sets of players noticed the anomaly between the two.
This match was not only a showdown between Manchester City and Barcelona but also a collision between Lin Quan and Messi, the two superstars.
It was the first time the two had encountered each other in an official match, and both had been looking forward to this showdown for a long time.
Messi, let me test whether you still have a bit of your peak strength now!
Messi's heart was also full of fighting spirit: Lin, let me see if you're qualified to sit on par with me!
Lin Quan smiled and nodded in agreement, and Messi also nodded. The hostility between the two dissipated instantly.
At this moment, the main referee began to lead the players of both sides onto the field.
The Champions League quarter-final match between Manchester City and Barcelona is about to begin!
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