Chapter 255: Ancelotti's Spy Mission: Real Madrid's Attention!
When Manchester City started another counterattack, Lin Quan was like an untamed horse, charging towards Barcelona's penalty area.
Messi felt a bit helpless. This guy, why are you everywhere?
You are seen in the attack, in the defense, and you even blocked my free kick. Are you my nemesis?
He felt confident after his shot, but instead of being saved by Joe Hart, it was blocked by Lin Quan.
This made Messi feel extremely frustrated. The opponent's attacking ability was no less than his, but his defensive contribution was much greater.
The most crucial part was that Lin Quan seemed to have better stamina. He could run back and forth between the front and back without tiring, something Messi envied.
If he had such stamina, he wouldn't often have to walk on the field.
Barcelona's defense tightened significantly, successfully stopping Manchester City's counterattack this time.
Although they managed to block the counterattack, it made Martino increasingly worried.
He felt that Manchester City's seemingly old-fashioned tactics were hitting Barcelona's weak spots.
Barcelona's tiki-taka football emphasized pressure and control, requiring a large number of players to be involved in the attack.
Sometimes their defensive line would even push past the midfield, with the goalkeeper moving away from the goal to act as a last-line defender and an additional outlet.
With the defensive line pushed so high, there was a huge space behind.
If the opponent bypassed the midfield and kicked the ball directly into Barcelona's backfield, the defensive line would have no time to get into position.
In the last match, Manchester City used quick, direct passing and extreme counterattacking speed to defeat Barcelona.
This time, they pushed this tactic to the extreme: the ball should arrive before the players.
During these counterattacks, Manchester City's passes seemed random, not aimed at finding the players but just kicking the ball forward as a defensive clearance.
The key point was that such clearances could serve to both clear the ball and threaten Barcelona's goal, making it very frustrating.
The success rate of long ball tactics is usually low, as it's easy to be offside and the passing accuracy decreases with distance. Defenders also have time to get into position.
Receiving a long pass is difficult, especially under defensive pressure, and it's easy to be intercepted or disrupted.
That's why long ball tactics have gradually fallen out of favor.
However, these issues didn't seem to apply to Manchester City.
In passing and receiving, Manchester City aimed for the space behind Barcelona's defenders, making their forwards compete with Barcelona's defenders in speed.
Even if the pass wasn't accurate, it didn't matter.
If the pass was from Kroos or De Bruyne, there would be no problem.
With Lin Quan's ball control, he could easily receive a long pass.
If needed, Negredo could assist and set up the ball for him.
Most of Manchester City's players were stars with far superior passing abilities compared to mid- and lower-tier teams.
Their long passes were much more accurate.
With Kroos or De Bruyne making the pass, the success rate increased, making the counterattack more threatening.
Even if the long ball tactic failed, it wasn't a problem.
Barcelona's possession was far higher than Manchester City's, meaning they controlled the ball most of the time.
As long as City's defense was solid, it didn't matter if Barcelona intercepted a long pass in their half.
It was better than losing the ball in their own half under high pressure.
Manchester City's tactic was like Barcelona's tiki-taka, appearing offensive but actually defensive. If it succeeded, it became a deadly threat.
This tactic was excellent but taxing on the forwards.
Pellegrini prepared two wingers and a striker on the bench. In the second half, when the front players were tired, he would substitute them.
He wanted to see how many defenders Barcelona had to keep up with him.
From the start, Manchester City used this method to counter Barcelona.
Although they hadn't scored yet, it made Barcelona increasingly frustrated.
Their defenders had to constantly chase City's wingers for the ball.
Before halftime, Barcelona's defenders were exhausted.
The worst part was that their defense was forced back, reducing their support for the attack, weakening their pressing and control.
Damn it!
Martino cursed internally.
He realized Manchester City's long ball tactic was a decoy.
The goal wasn't to attack but to exhaust Barcelona's stamina and disrupt their offense.
We can't fall into their rhythm!
Martino quickly called Alves over to relay his instructions to the players.
Barcelona's tactics changed, becoming more patient in their passing and refusing to give City any counterattacking opportunities.
You can't play long balls without the ball, can you?
By increasing their possession, Barcelona aimed to prevent City's counterattacks from the source.
This decision quickly took effect. As Barcelona's passing became more cautious, City's possession decreased, and their counterattacking opportunities diminished.
However, while Barcelona's possession increased, their other stats, like shots, entries into the final third, and set pieces, declined.
Seeing this, Pellegrini returned to his seat, satisfied.
He knew he had gained the upper hand against his South American counterpart, Martino.
All of Martino's adjustments fell into City's traps. The threat of Barcelona's tiki-taka came not from their high possession but from the pressure it exerted.
Passing in the backline a thousand times wasn't as threatening as one forward pass.
Possession stats were just numbers, meaningless without pressure. High possession was often just negative play.
If Barcelona played like this, Manchester City was happy. They were leading anyway.
Even a 0-0 home draw was acceptable to Pellegrini, as it would still mean City advancing.
However, Pellegrini thought Martino wouldn't be that foolish. He should soon realize this and adjust.
Martino hadn't noticed yet. Seeing City's counterattacks diminish, he felt relieved.
But he didn't notice that to avoid conceding, Barcelona's players were passing backward more, reducing forward passes.
Xavi was the first to notice.
Under City's pressing, he often chose safer backward passes.
Passing backward was always safer than forward.
In the last four passes, three were backward and one was forward.
This reduced City's threat and increased their pressing.
The situation was reversing, and Barcelona's players were getting nervous.
Seeing City's forwards lurking near the midfield, they knew a mistake would lead to another annoying long ball counterattack.
We can't continue like this!
Realizing the rhythm was off, Xavi didn't pass back when he next received the ball. Instead, he turned and avoided City's press.
Yaya Touré was surprised. Xavi had often passed back under his pressure, so he assumed he would do so again.
Unexpectedly, Xavi outsmarted him with a quick turn.
Yaya Touré knew Xavi's skill well, having been teammates before.
Xavi must not get past!
Without even thinking, Yaya Touré prepared to foul him.
Xavi seemed to anticipate this, and just before Yaya could bring him down, he passed the ball forward to Messi!
Go, Messi! As if hearing Xavi's thoughts, Messi seized this rare opportunity created by his teammate.
Receiving the ball, Messi quickly dodged Kroos's interception, accelerated past Lescott, and before Demichelis and Zabaleta could trap him, he slipped between them.
Joe Hart felt a chill. Messi's dribbling was unbelievable. Including Kroos, Messi had bypassed four players.
Is this Messi's true power? Can I save this shot? Hart urgently adjusted his stance, keeping his eyes fixed on Messi, ready to save.
However, as Messi shot, Hart already knew he was beaten.
The ball wasn't in his reach. He could only hope Messi missed.
Unfortunately, Hart's hope went unanswered. The ball hit the far post and bar's junction and bounced into the net.
It was a perfect shot into the corner. Even if Hart had been in the right position, he couldn't have saved it.
"Messi! Messi! Lionel Messi! He has stepped up and pulled Barça back from the brink!"
"Barça now leads Manchester City 1-0, tying the aggregate at 4-4, but they still need more goals due to the away goals rule!"
Spanish commentators went wild seeing Messi's goal. They finally scored. If they hadn't, Barça would be eliminated!
"There's still time in the first half for Barça to extend their lead!"
In contrast, the English commentators were disheartened.
Martin Tyler sighed, "Messi's handling of the ball was beautiful. His dribbling is truly mesmerizing."
Andy Gray nodded, saying:
"Even as opponents, we must admit that watching Messi perform like this is a privilege."
As a former player, Gray knew how hard it was to break through multiple defenders and score in such tight spaces. At least, he couldn't have done it!
Messi's goal would likely be the best goal of this Champions League round.
"City needs to be cautious. They can't let Messi get the ball so easily. If they can't contain him, Barça's second goal is only a matter of time."
Martin Tyler warned Manchester City. In the other match, Manchester United was already 0-2 down against Bayern. If City lost, the Premier League's last hope would be gone.
Messi was thrilled after scoring. Running towards the Barça fans, he kissed his badge passionately.
Messi had been under immense pressure in the past two games, and this goal was a release for him.
In the stands, over 5,000 traveling Barça fans were equally ecstatic.
Both on and off the pitch, Barça's players and coaches were excited.
Messi's goal tied the aggregate and gave Barça hope.
But it wasn't enough. They still trailed in away goals and needed one more goal to set a record of seven consecutive Champions League semifinals!
Martino believed Messi's goal validated his adjustments.
Indeed, as long as they contained City's counterattacks, victory was Barça's.
Seeing Messi's goal, Pellegrini shook his head.
This is the impact of a superstar. Their brilliance can change the game.
He couldn't blame his players for this goal. They tried their best.
Fortunately, City still had the away goals advantage. As long as they didn't concede another, they would progress.
They needed to stick to the first-half tactics. As long as it wasn't 0-2 at halftime, it was acceptable.
Pellegrini's key strategy was for the second half! And City had their own superstars too!
Pellegrini glanced at Lin Quan.
With Lin Quan, he felt secure. Even if they were temporarily behind.
City's players felt the same. Seeing Lin Quan on the pitch kept them calm, despite Barça's goal.
Messi's goal was impressive, but they'd seen Lin Quan score even more amazing goals.
Lin Quan had even scored a match-winning goal against Chelsea.
After Messi's goal, Barça pushed hard to extend their lead.
City's defense was resilient and focused. Despite being under pressure, they didn't give Barça any clear chances.
The 1-0 score remained until halftime.
City's players calmly returned to their dressing room, and Barça's players, smiling and chatting, returned to theirs.
Judging by their expressions, both teams seemed satisfied with the current result? In the stands, a chubby middle-aged man chewed gum while observing both teams.
After a while, he turned to his assistant and said:
"Paul, City is stronger than we thought."
Real Madrid's assistant coach Paul Clement nodded: "You're right, Carlo. Their win at Barça shows they are stronger than predicted."
Ancelotti shook his head: "I mean their mentality."
"Did you notice? Despite trailing, City's players aren't anxious. They don't look like a team in their first quarterfinals but one with mature experience."
"Beating such a team is very difficult!"
"After our match against PSG, we need to prepare seriously. If we face them, we could be in trouble!"
As this season's top Champions League contender, Ancelotti and Real Madrid aimed for the trophy.
They had thoroughly studied all potential opponents.
Barça and Atlético were league opponents, so they knew them well.
Bayern was a top European team, familiar to Real Madrid.
But they knew little about City, a Champions League newcomer.
That's why Ancelotti personally came to watch this match at Etihad Stadium.
Despite their match against PSG the next day, Ancelotti viewed PSG as easy prey.
If they reached the semifinals, they'd face real threats.
Ancelotti saw City as a top-tier threat, on par with Bayern and Barça.
"But Barça is leading now. City must overcome them first!"
Clement didn't rate City as highly as Ancelotti. He thought City was just average.
A team playing long-ball tactics in the knockout stage couldn't be very strong.
Ancelotti looked at his assistant, who planned to leave and start his own team this summer.
Now Ancelotti felt Clement should stay another year.
Otherwise, releasing him would harm other teams.
"Barça's lead is temporary. City hasn't used their real tactics. The real battle is in the second half!"
Ancelotti's eyes fell on City's number ten, his tone firm.
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