Chapter 278: Ronaldo and Mourinho: The Key to Victory Lies in Lin Quan!
"Dad, why hasn't my brother scored yet?"
Maria, not a professional football fan, was getting impatient after seeing her brother Lin Quan fail to score in the first half-hour of the match.
"In a final, scoring isn't easy!"
Guardiola reached out to pat his daughter's head as he used to, but Maria, now 14 and going through her rebellious phase, pushed his hand away in annoyance.
Feeling awkward, Guardiola patted his younger daughter Valentina's head instead.
Five-year-old Valentina was delighted to receive her father's affection, still at an age where she adored her dad.
"Yes, sister, you need to be patient. Atletico's defense is very strong. Even Real Madrid and Barcelona struggle to score against them!"
Eleven-year-old Marius, a die-hard football fan influenced by his father and brother, often watched La Liga matches on TV, even while living in Germany.
Having grown up in Barcelona, he was a big Barça fan. Seeing his team lose the championship at home made him sad and left a deep impression on him regarding Atletico's strong defense.
To Marius, his brother was similar to Messi. If Atletico used the same tactics against his brother as they did against Messi, it would be tough for his brother to perform well.
"Okay then!"
Maria yawned and took a photo of the match, uploading it to her Instagram.
Opening her Instagram account, Maria was shocked to see thousands of comments and over 500,000 likes on a photo she posted with Lin Quan.
She had never experienced such attention before.
Reading through the comments, Maria was puzzled:
"Tell Lin Quan to save his energy and push hard in the second half when Atletico's stamina is low!"
"Tell Pellegrini to use a 4-3-3 formation against Atletico. City needs a sharp attack to break through Atletico's defense!"
"Don't listen to the previous comment! I suggest a 3-5-2 formation, with three central defenders and five midfielders, switching to 5-3-2 in defense to leave no space for Atletico!"
"What kind of suggestions are these? City has never played with three central defenders. Trying something new in a final is risky!"
"Exactly, I suggest a modified 4-3-3, switching to 3-4-3 in defense to double up on the wings and counter Atletico's attacks from the flanks. Then revert to 4-3-3 in attack to free up De Bruyne and Lin Quan, making use of the full width of the pitch."
"Good idea, this formation offers more protection in defense and widens in attack, which could frustrate Atletico!"
It seemed fans were using her page to give tactical advice for Manchester City's match against Atletico.
Maria: "???"
She didn't understand any of it but was thrilled to see her follower count had increased by over 200,000 in just a few days thanks to a photo with Lin Quan.
…
In a box at the Estádio da Luz, Mendes sat with his star clients, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mourinho, watching the match.
Since Mourinho left Real Madrid for Chelsea, his relationship with Ronaldo had cooled.
Mourinho felt Ronaldo didn't support him enough in the locker room, while Ronaldo thought Mourinho's tactics hindered his performance and didn't like his constant demands, especially those he found unreasonable, like defensive duties.
As their common agent, Mendes tried to ease the tension between his most important clients.
He knew Ronaldo's pride, so he started a tactical discussion with Mourinho.
"José, do you think Simeone's defensive strategy at Atletico will become mainstream in football?"
As a master of defensive counter-attacks, Mourinho had always succeeded with such tactics. Mendes wondered if Mourinho could learn anything valuable from Simeone's high pressing at Atletico.
"High pressing is indeed a current trend. Atletico's success shows that even without a star-studded lineup, a well-executed strategy and team unity can topple giants!"
Ronaldo's expression soured, feeling Mourinho's words indirectly criticized him. His face darkened at the mention of team unity, recalling the locker room issues when he left Real Madrid.
Sensing Ronaldo's discomfort, Mendes quickly asked:
"If high pressing is so effective, can top teams use it too?"
Atletico's players were mostly average, with only a few meeting top-tier standards. Yet they outperformed the best teams due to their tactics.
If such tactics worked so well, wouldn't they be even more effective with a team of star players?
"In theory, yes. But in practice, it's challenging. Star players are harder to manage. High pressing demands more running and defensive effort, which many star players might find unreasonable."
Mourinho was weary of managing top-team locker rooms, even struggling with control at Chelsea despite having many loyal players.
Simeone's success at Atletico wasn't just about tactics but also his authority within the club. He built and led the team to this level, commanding absolute respect.
At Atletico, his word was law. Players didn't just follow his orders; they gave their all to execute his strategies.
Such authority was rare among top-team coaches, where too much power was seen as hard to manage.
Mendes, no stranger to football's intricacies, nodded in understanding at Mourinho's explanation.
Turning to Ronaldo, who had been silent, he asked:
"Cristiano, having played against both Atletico and City, which team do you think is stronger?"
Cristiano Ronaldo thought for a moment and then said, "I think Manchester City is stronger!"
Mendes didn't ask for a reason but instead followed up by asking Mourinho, "José, what do you think?"
Mourinho's answer was the same as Ronaldo's; he also believed Manchester City was stronger.
"So, since you both think Manchester City is stronger, does that mean Manchester City will win the championship?"
"Not necessarily!"
"It's hard to say!"
Ronaldo and Mourinho spoke almost simultaneously and then paused for a moment.
Mendes laughed, "It seems you both have the same view, but I still want to ask, why do you both favor Manchester City but think they might not win?"
Ronaldo snorted, "Because football is round!"
Mourinho thought Ronaldo had taken his line, so he put it another way, "In a single match final, anything can happen. A stronger team doesn't always win. Manchester City may look stronger on paper, but that's limited. If Atlético can restrict their tactics, they might not be able to play to their full potential."
"As the world's best player and top coach, I trust your judgment. So, can you tell me who will decide the outcome of this match?"
Unlike the previous questions, Mendes already had an answer in mind for this one.
Ronaldo looked at Mourinho, and for the first time, their eyes met.
"City's number ten!"
"Lin!"
Both gave the same answer once again.
...
On the field, Lin tried to dribble past a defender on the wing.
This attempt wasn't a complete failure, but it wasn't a success either. He got past the opposing full-back but had the ball tackled out of bounds by the covering defender, Godín.
This center-back had such a wide defensive range, even covering the wings.
Lin glanced at Atlético's defense and noticed that after Godín moved up to intercept, the other full-back, Juan, moved centrally to form a new defensive line with Miranda, ensuring the goal was safe.
Atlético's marking was too tight in the front court, and Zabaleta, responsible for the throw-in, couldn't find a good option and had to throw the ball back to a teammate in their half to start the attack again.
This was a snapshot of many of Manchester City's attacking attempts in the first half. They weren't lacking in effort, but their attacks seemed to hit a wall and bounced back.
With Atlético's players still full of energy, breaking through their defense without a swift and efficient counterattack was very difficult.
In such a situation, set-pieces became the real threat.
In the 37th minute of the first half, Atlético defender Miranda fouled Agüero near the left side of the penalty area, giving City a not-so-ideal free kick.
The spot was about 35 meters from the goal, not too far for a direct shot, but the angle made it likely to be saved.
After all, Atlético's goalkeeper, Courtois, was no novice.
"You or me?" De Bruyne and Lin discussed quietly in front of the ball.
"Do you think Courtois can save a direct shot?"
Lin pointed to where he intended to aim and asked De Bruyne.
De Bruyne, being Courtois's national teammate, understood his habits better.
"Hard to say, he probably can. His saves are very stretched out. Unless it's a corner shot, there's a high chance he'll save it."
"Then you do it, let's go with a tactical free kick!"
Lin abandoned the idea of a direct shot due to the tight angle, making it hard to score unless the goalkeeper made a mistake.
Lin whispered something to De Bruyne, pointing to specific areas in and around the penalty box.
Nearby Atlético players could only catch snippets about a tactical free kick and not shooting directly.
Even if they heard the whole conversation, they probably wouldn't understand because Lin and De Bruyne were speaking in German, with only some parts in English.
"Okay!" De Bruyne, puzzled by Lin's cunning ideas, agreed to cooperate fully.
So, Lin moved away from the ball and positioned himself just outside the penalty area, level with Atlético's wall.
Villa, Lin's national teammate, looked at him suspiciously, not knowing what he was up to.
Many Atlético players thought the same, suspecting a tactical free kick due to Lin's perfect position.
With most Atlético players forming a wall and marking other City players in the box, Lin found himself unmarked just outside the area.
If someone could pass the ball to his feet for a comfortable shot, it would be more threatening than a direct free kick.
Villa instinctively moved towards Lin to prevent him from getting an easy shot.
Seeing this, even Courtois had his attention divided.
Then De Bruyne struck the free kick.
Surprisingly, it wasn't aimed at Lin but directly at the goal!
End of Chapter.