Chapter 276: Before the Final Battle
On May 22, three days before the final match, the entire Manchester City team set off from Manchester to Lisbon to prepare for the last and most important match of the season.
Upon arriving at the hotel, Lin Quan encountered some unexpected guests—his siblings, Maria, Marius, and Valentina.
"Brother!!" Maria exclaimed as she rushed over to give Lin Quan a warm hug, taking a selfie with him using her phone.
Following Maria's lead, Marius and Valentina also ran over, clinging to Lin Quan.
"Maria, Marius, how did you guys get here?" Lin Quan asked as he picked up the youngest, Valentina, playfully touching her forehead with his and tickling her, making her giggle.
"Dad said he wanted to watch the match, and Mom suggested we all come to support you. We all agreed!" Maria proudly uploaded the selfie to her social media, boasting about her superstar brother.
"Are they here too? I didn't see them," Lin Quan said, looking down the hallway for his parents.
"They're checking in at the front desk. We're staying at the same hotel!" Maria explained. They had chosen this hotel specifically to be close to Lin Quan.
"Great, show me your room!" Lin Quan said. Manchester City had reserved the middle two floors of the hotel, so Guardiola's room wouldn't be on these floors. To avoid disturbing his teammates, Lin Quan decided to visit his family.
When he arrived, his parents, Guardiola and Sella, had just finished checking in and were moving their luggage into their room. With a few days left before the match, the family's luggage was quite substantial.
After greeting his parents and setting Valentina down, Lin Quan helped move the luggage. Once inside, Sella took over the unpacking to ensure everything was properly arranged, shooing Lin Quan and his father out of the room.
Guardiola and Lin Quan sat outside, chatting.
"Do you feel confident about the final?" Guardiola asked. His team had been eliminated by Atletico Madrid, so he had in-depth knowledge about them.
"It's fifty-fifty. Atletico's defense is the best in the top five leagues. They even kept you guys scoreless. Claiming we're sure to win would be a lie," Lin Quan replied. The clash between Manchester City and Atletico was seen as an offense-versus-defense showdown. City's attack was the best in the league, while Atletico's defense had brought them to the final.
"Atletico's defense is quite unique. I've learned a lot from it," Guardiola said, admiring Simeone's defensive system. Unlike typical defensive strategies, Atletico's high-press defense was exceptionally disruptive, as Bayern had experienced.
Atletico's players used relentless running, aggressive pressing, and rough fouling to break Bayern's rhythm, making it hard for them to hold the ball or execute Guardiola's desired passing game.
In the final, Atletico would likely employ the same tactics against City. Having just played against Barcelona, they had ample experience in countering players like Lin Quan.
Guardiola believed that Lin Quan might struggle to perform as dominantly as in previous matches due to Atletico's defense.
After listening to Guardiola's analysis, Lin Quan understood the challenges Atletico's defense posed. He recalled how Real Madrid barely won against Atletico in their previous final. Despite losing Diego Costa early, Atletico scored first and defended fiercely. It took a last-minute header from Ramos to save Real Madrid, who then scored three more in extra time to win 4-1, as Atletico's players were exhausted.
Simeone's high-press system demanded relentless running to create local numerical superiority and intercept the ball for counterattacks. But maintaining this for 90 minutes was extremely taxing, making extra time a significant disadvantage for Atletico.
Lin Quan knew this weakness but wasn't sure if City could withstand Atletico's pressure for the full 90 minutes, as City wasn't known for strong defense.
"I suggest you play without a traditional striker and pull your forwards back to reinforce the midfield. Atletico will likely battle you in the midfield," Guardiola advised.
"Without midfield support, you won't get the ball up front and will be completely locked down by their defenders."
Lin Quan pondered Guardiola's words. Guardiola was very familiar with the false nine formation, but Bayern lacked a player like Messi. Thus, his tactical reforms at Bayern had mixed results. They dominated domestically but struggled in the Champions League.
Although they beat Manchester United and Chelsea, being swept by Atletico Madrid, a team not considered a superpower, was hard for many Bayern fans to accept. Just a year ago, Bayern was an unbeatable force in the Champions League, and now they couldn't even score against Atletico?
Blame fell on Guardiola. After all, he inherited a championship team.
"If you play a false nine, you need fast, breakthrough-capable wingers who also defend well. Utilize the width of the pitch..." Guardiola clearly put effort into analyzing tactics against Atletico. However, these tactics hadn't been tested in real matches, so their effectiveness was uncertain.
Before they could finish talking, Sella came out of the room and interrupted Guardiola, "Enough! You're not City's coach. Stop distracting Lin; he needs rest!"
Embarrassed, Guardiola stopped. He was used to discussing tactics whenever he had the chance.
"Lin, you should get some rest. We'll explore Lisbon and won't disturb you. After the match, we can head back to Spain together!" Sella said. Since Lin went to play in England, it had been a while since the family was together. This was a rare opportunity to reunite before Lin joined the Spanish national team training for the World Cup.
"Okay, I'll visit you when I have time!" Lin said. He had been out for a while and needed to get back to avoid worrying the team.
Before leaving, Lin asked, "By the way, did you get tickets for the final?"
"Yes! We got seats close to the pitch!" Marius proudly handed his ticket to his brother. Lin saw the ticket cost 650 euros each, meaning the family spent over 3,000 euros on tickets. If they bought from scalpers, the price could be double. But Guardiola wasn't short on money, so Lin didn't worry.
Before the final, Pellegrini was troubled by the starting lineup. From his research, Atletico would likely battle City in the midfield. To control the midfield, he might need to bench either De Bruyne or Kroos, as having both would weaken City's defense.
Kroos was crucial for controlling the game's tempo, while De Bruyne's ability to create chances was unmatched. Removing either would significantly impact the team.
Pellegrini considered using Fernandinho as a defensive midfielder to cover for Kroos and support De Bruyne, but he hesitated due to the lack of synergy among them. He ultimately decided to bench Kroos for Fernandinho.
Meanwhile, Simeone was also troubled by his starting striker. Diego Costa, his top striker, was injured in the league's final stages and had to leave early in the last game against Barcelona. With only a week since the injury, Costa's recovery was uncertain. However, Atletico needed him for the final.
Despite the risks, Simeone decided to start Diego Costa, trusting his claim of recovery.
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