Chapter 369: Wenger: Not Signing Lin Quan Is My Lifelong Regret!
Headlines:
"Who Can Stop Manchester City?" "Guardiola Is Slaughtering the Entire Premier League!" "15 Goals in Two Games: The Terrifying Power of Lin Quan + Guardiola!"
After these two matches, the entire Premier League was shaken. With Guardiola's transformation of the team, Manchester City consecutively demolished their opponents with high scores, showcasing an unstoppable force. This left all Premier League teams, especially those set to face Manchester City, trembling with fear.
Other top clubs were even more worried. Guardiola had only just started his work at Manchester City, and the results were already this impressive. Once he fully imprints his vision on the team, how will other Premier League giants compete?
Every tactic has weaknesses, and Guardiola's full-back midfield tactic surely has its own. Finding these weak points is crucial for other teams to avoid being helpless when facing them in the future.
On February 22nd, the 26th round of the Premier League kicked off. Before this match, many top Premier League clubs, and even some from other leagues, sent scouts to observe Manchester City's game against Newcastle, hoping to identify any weaknesses.
Arsenal's manager Arsène Wenger, after leading his team to a victory over Crystal Palace, hurried to the Etihad Stadium to watch Manchester City face Newcastle. However, Manchester City continued their ferocious momentum, crushing Newcastle 5-0, avenging their League Cup elimination.
After watching this match, Wenger's face was ashen. He feared his team might not make it past the last 16 in the Champions League. Wenger wasn't alone; many teams worried about how to defend against Manchester City if they drew them in the knockout stages.
Manchester City's rampage attracted attention across Europe. Beyond the British media, outlets from Spain, Italy, France, and Germany also began reporting on Manchester City's series of victories. Manchester City had scored 20 goals in their last three matches, averaging 6.6 goals per game, leading all of Europe in offensive efficiency. With the team's main players returning from injury, their attacking power was expected to increase further.
Media across various countries used words like "shocking" and "terrifying" to describe Manchester City. The Spanish newspaper AS stated: "Just as he pioneered tiki-taka at Barcelona, Guardiola's new tactics at Manchester City are set to bring a new revolution to football."
"If teams cannot find a way to limit them, no one will be able to stop this rampant Manchester City!"
"Perhaps, when facing Manchester City at home, it will become necessary to park the bus."
AS's report caused panic in the football world, especially since even Real Madrid considered using defensive tactics against Manchester City. How were other teams supposed to cope?
However, some held different views. With their powerful MSN trio, Barcelona, who were dominating in La Liga and the Champions League, declared that if they faced Manchester City in the knockout stages, they would use their strong offense to avenge last year's defeat.
Real Madrid, with their BBC trio, were equally formidable in attack. This season, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Manchester City were undoubtedly the top offensive teams in Europe. Coincidentally, these three teams all had superstar players. Teams with such superstars were gradually distancing themselves from those without.
On February 26th, the Champions League knockout stages began. Manchester City faced Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in an all-English tie. Manchester City's recent winning streak, coupled with Guardiola's innovative tactics, had garnered European-wide attention. This match attracted a large number of journalists.
Given that Manchester City's recent victories were against relatively weaker teams, there was skepticism about their tactics' effectiveness against top clubs. If Manchester City could continue their dominance against Arsenal, it would prove that their tactics worked against strong teams too, causing more anxiety among the top clubs.
Before the match, Wenger publicly stated that he had found a way to limit Manchester City. This gave Arsenal fans some relief and heightened anticipation for the game.
At the start, Wenger's team attacked Manchester City's right flank, seemingly targeting what they perceived as a weakness. This approach initially seemed effective, as Manchester City's attacking threat wasn't as prominent in the first 20 minutes. However, in the 28th minute, Kroos broke the deadlock with a long-range shot, changing the game's dynamic entirely.
Before halftime, Lin Quan scored a direct free-kick to extend the lead to 2-0. Early in the second half, Agüero's goal made it 3-0, effectively putting the game to bed. Arsenal's experience showed that Manchester City's tactics were equally potent against top teams.
On the sidelines, Wenger frowned deeply, pondering a solution. While the flanking attacks worked somewhat, they couldn't fully contain Manchester City's offense. What was Manchester City's real weakness?
Unable to find an answer, Wenger watched his players lose their composure. After Agüero's third goal, Coquelin and Bellerín committed fouls out of frustration, earning yellow cards. Their aggressive fouls seemed more like venting anger than following a tactical plan.
To prevent injuries to key players, Guardiola substituted several, including Lin Quan, after the third goal. Since Guardiola's arrival, Lin Quan rarely played full matches unless necessary. Guardiola usually substituted him after he scored or when the team had a comfortable lead.
Guardiola believed there was no need to keep key players on the field when the outcome was decided. He regretted not protecting Messi better at Barcelona, which led to Messi's series of injuries. Although Messi's injuries increased after Guardiola left Barcelona, he still felt guilty.
If it weren't for Lin Quan's emergence, Messi would likely be Guardiola's favorite player. Now, this affection was directed at Lin Quan. Guardiola wanted to compensate Lin Quan for all the regrets he had with Messi.
As he hugged Lin Quan during the substitution, Guardiola thought, "He must be deeply moved by my efforts to protect him!"
However, Lin Quan felt otherwise. Every time he wanted to boost his stats, Guardiola would sub him off. "Doesn't he want me to enjoy the game?"
Moreover, Lin Quan worried that such favoritism might make other players jealous. He began to understand how Haaland felt when he was substituted after scoring five goals in the Champions League.
Being pampered by Guardiola wasn't all good!
After Lin Quan was substituted, Manchester City's attacking threat decreased significantly. Without Lin Quan, Arsenal's players breathed a collective sigh of relief. They couldn't defend against Lin Quan, but they could handle the other Manchester City players. Once they patched up their defensive gaps, Arsenal's performance improved, and their attack showed more promise.
In the 92nd minute of injury time, substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain pulled one back for Arsenal, changing the score to 3-1 and salvaging a bit of pride for the Gunners.
When the final whistle blew, Arsenal had suffered a 3-1 home defeat to the powerful Manchester City. This scoreline almost sealed their fate, as their prospects in the return leg at the Etihad Stadium looked bleak.
During the post-match handshake, Wenger praised Guardiola and his team: "Your team played exceptionally well. Congratulations on your victory!"
Guardiola, who held great respect for Wenger, responded warmly. He believed that Wenger's arrival had changed the Premier League, injecting it with the spirit of technical football. Had the Premier League remained the simple, rough-and-tumble league of long-ball tactics, he would never have joined.
"Thank you for your kind words. Your team and players were also excellent. I wish you success in your upcoming matches!"
Wenger forced a smile. The success Guardiola referred to was merely securing a top-four league finish—a task Wenger had become quite adept at over the years. Though Southampton's surprising rise this year added some difficulty, Liverpool's struggles gave Arsenal more breathing room. With the tough matches behind them, the rest of the schedule seemed manageable for Arsenal. As long as the team avoided mistakes, securing a top-four finish shouldn't be too difficult.
However, securing a top-four finish year after year, only to be eliminated in the first round of the Champions League, began to feel meaningless. Wenger longed for his team to win a championship, whether in the league or the Champions League.
"I really envy you, being able to coach such an outstanding player as Lin."
Wenger made no secret of his admiration for Lin Quan. His greatest regret was not acting sooner to sign Lin Quan two summers ago. Given his reputation for nurturing young talent, he might have had a chance to bring Lin Quan to the Emirates Stadium. But the opportunity slipped away. By the time Lin Quan's value skyrocketed, Arsenal no longer had the financial power to sign him.
Guardiola sensed Wenger's regret and disappointment and was momentarily at a loss for how to respond. He felt a pang of guilt towards Wenger. When he was at Barcelona, he had taken Fabregas from Wenger, who was well-known for his affection for the player. Fabregas's transfer to Barcelona was a significant betrayal to Wenger and Arsenal.
After Fabregas joined Arsenal, Wenger even sold the club captain, Patrick Vieira, to make room for him. Wenger treated Fabregas like his own son, making the betrayal all the more painful.
In this round of the Champions League, the three remaining Premier League teams recorded one win, one draw, and one loss. Mourinho's Chelsea drew 1-1 with Paris Saint-Germain in Paris. Securing an away goal was a positive outcome for Chelsea. As long as they avoided losing or conceding multiple away goals in the return leg, they stood a good chance of reaching the quarter-finals.
Elsewhere, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich all secured victories. Bayern's 7-0 demolition of Shakhtar Donetsk showcased the terrifying firepower of Heynckes' team. This victory electrified Bayern fans and the entire German football community.
Bayern's supporters felt a sense of restoration. This was the Bayern they remembered—strong, dominating, and true to their traditions, rather than trying to play possession-based football. The sentiment was that, if they hadn't deviated from their path, Bayern might not have been eliminated last year, and Germany might not have lost in the final.
The resounding victory injected confidence back into Bayern. While the football world was abuzz with Manchester City's invincibility, Bayern's thrashing of Shakhtar shifted the spotlight. They reminded everyone that Bayern Munich were still formidable contenders.
In a post-match interview, Heynckes openly declared Bayern's ambition: "The Champions League title? Why not? My players and I are aiming for it!" His return aimed to rectify the chaos left by Guardiola's tenure. Winning the Champions League again would be the ultimate proof that Guardiola's reforms at Bayern were misguided.
When Heynckes' comments reached Guardiola, he remained unfazed: "Congratulations to Bayern on their victory. I sincerely wish them success in the Champions League."
Since joining Manchester City and coaching Lin Quan, Guardiola had become indifferent to external criticism. He felt no need to prove anything. Now, he only wanted to enjoy football.
(End of Chapter)