Chapter 374: The Spear and Shield, Lin Quan vs. Kanté
Although Manchester City did not win the match in the end, Guardiola still praised Kanté extensively during the post-match press conference. "Kanté's performance was absolutely astonishing. I had high expectations, but I must say, he exceeded them!" It was rare for the journalists to see Guardiola praise a player so highly, and they were also impressed by Kanté's performance, leading to a flurry of questions.
"Coach Guardiola, as I understand, Kanté came from an amateur club and had only played in lower leagues before spending half a season in Ligue 1. How did you and Manchester City discover him?" This question piqued immense curiosity as Kanté's resume was unremarkable, having only played for a newly promoted team that was at the bottom of the league standings.
"Ha, I'm as curious about that as you are!" Guardiola replied, leaving the reporters puzzled. It was he who had recruited Kanté, yet he seemed unsure how he had spotted him—was this some kind of joke?
"It wasn't me who discovered Kanté; it was Lin!" Guardiola could have taken credit for spotting such a gem, but he chose to be honest with the journalists. "Furthermore, players like Kimmich and Rüdiger were also brought to the team based on Lin Quan's recommendations." After being brought to Manchester City, Kimmich was loaned out to Leicester City due to a lack of available positions within the team. Though just 20 years old and unarguably a young talent, his performance quickly won the hearts of Leicester City fans. There were even rumors that Leicester wanted to buy him outright from Manchester City.
This was all seen as evidence of Guardiola's keen eye for talent. Unexpectedly, it turned out that it was Lin Quan, not Guardiola, who had been instrumental in bringing Kimmich to the club. Could it be that Lin Quan had a better eye for talent than Guardiola? "Perhaps because he consistently faces off against the defenses of major clubs, he understands a defender's capabilities quite well," Guardiola mused, unsure himself how Lin Quan could discern the potential and talent in these players. Oddly enough, the journalists accepted this explanation. They probably felt that for someone like Lin Quan, who regularly assesses opposing defenses, there must be some standard for judging whether a defender is competent.
Due to the draw between Manchester City and Manchester United, and Chelsea's 1:0 away win against Queens Park Rangers, the gap between the two teams widened to three points again. This relief was palpable among the Chelsea camp; when the gap had been just one point, it felt like a huge weight was on their shoulders. Now, with a three-point lead, they had a little room for error.
With 32 rounds of the Premier League played and only six remaining, a three-point lead was a significant advantage for the leaders. However, Chelsea's players couldn't help but worry after glancing at their schedule for the last six rounds. Manchester City had already played all their matches against the BIG4, whereas Chelsea still had to face three top teams. In round 33, they would host Manchester United; in round 34, they would face Arsenal away; and in round 36, they would welcome Liverpool at home. Three of their last four matches were against strong opponents—a daunting schedule for Chelsea. Any loss or draw in these matches could erase their current lead.
Thus, the suspense over who would win the Premier League title remained significant and was likely to continue until the final round.
While Chelsea was busy calculating points and strategizing on how to clinch the championship, the Manchester City squad had already departed from London's Heathrow Airport to Turin, ready to face the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. The situation for Manchester City was not optimistic. The Champions League knockout match was too soon after the intense derby, with only three days in between. The physical toll from the derby, combined with the fatigue from travel, left the players' condition far from ideal.
Although Juventus was no longer considered a top-tier powerhouse, they were still the reigning Serie A champions, having won the title three years in a row. They were formidable opponents, only slightly less so than the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Playing at home, Juventus was expected to attack aggressively. If Manchester City couldn't withstand this, a significant defeat could make it nearly impossible to recover in the second leg, even at their home ground.
Given the players' physical condition and the situation, Guardiola planned a conservative strategy. He decided to bench Kroos and start Kanté, who had excelled in the Manchester derby. Trusting in those who have proven themselves, Guardiola had no doubts about starting Kanté. At 24 years old, Kanté had the physical capacity and sufficient experience, although he lacked experience in top-tier matches like the Champions League. To address this, Guardiola personally took Kanté aside during training to share his own experiences playing as a defensive midfielder, reassuring and encouraging him to build confidence and avoid nerves that could affect his performance.
Kanté was somewhat bewildered; he didn't really feel the pressure of big matches, just a strong excitement and gratitude towards Guardiola. The coach's approachability surprised him; he had expected a world-renowned coach like Guardiola to be more aloof. Inspired by Guardiola's support, Kanté was determined to repay his faith, even giving his all in team training matches. His aggressive style left Manchester City's main players questioning their skills, especially Aguero, whose dribbling was usually dominant but faltered against Kanté.
"Come on, mate, stop targeting me all the time. If you're so tough, go steal the ball from Lin!" an exasperated Aguero finally blurted out, directing Kanté to challenge Lin Quan. The other teammates, sensing an entertaining showdown, egged Kanté on to go head-to-head with Lin. Van Dijk, who had joined the team just six months before Kanté, seemed to want to say something but ultimately chose not to interrupt the enthusiastic scene and did not stop Kanté from taking up the challenge.
Kanté is particularly gullible. Seeing that Lin Quan is five years younger than him, he couldn't help but be a bit complacent. After successfully completing several interceptions, his confidence soared, and he readily accepted Aguero's dare to go and challenge Lin Quan one-on-one.
Lin Quan knew Kanté's capabilities and remembered the saying: "There's no hurdle too high, except for Kanté." There were rumors that only Kanté could mark Messi one-on-one. This piqued Lin Quan's interest, and he decided to test it out himself to see if the rumors held any truth.
Lin Quan called for the ball, and De Bruyne passed it to him. Kanté quickly closed in to defend tightly. Lin Quan dribbled laterally; Kanté's speed was impressive, effectively cutting off any space Lin Quan had.
"Wow, this kid's lateral movement is so fast!" "Lin's space to break through is completely blocked. Can this kid really guard Lin Quan?" The teammates watching were amazed, and their respect for Kanté's abilities grew. It seemed his performance in the Manchester derby wasn't just a one-off; he genuinely had the skill.
Seeing Kanté catch up, Lin Quan suddenly dipped his shoulder in a feint, tricking Kanté to shift his weight forward before swiftly turning around, leaving Kanté behind.
"Such quick movement! Such a convincing feint!" Kanté was taken by surprise and didn't manage to keep up. Despite this, he didn't give up. A few minutes later, as Lin Quan was driving forward with the ball, Kanté once again stepped up to challenge him.
Lin Quan intentionally kicked the ball a bit farther, took advantage of the moment Kanté stepped forward, and performed a slick move to get past him, leaving Kanté two body lengths behind in a more definitive bypass than before.
This time, Kanté realized just how formidable his opponent was. Worthy of wearing the number 10 jersey, Lin Quan's skills with the ball were leagues ahead of his, despite being younger.
Kanté felt he learned a lot from this encounter and was not disheartened but became more determined. A few minutes later, during a quick counterattack from their defense, Kanté found another chance to face Lin Quan one-on-one.
Kanté sprinted to defend, matching Lin Quan's pace from the side. However, Lin Quan simply changed direction with a shoulder drop, easily shaking him off and using another approaching substitute player to block Kanté, making it impossible for Kanté to even commit a foul.
This defeat finally made Kanté feel a sense of failure. He felt intellectually outmaneuvered; his opponent's decisions were so sound and smart, while his own defense seemed clumsy.
From the sidelines, Guardiola, who had been watching the duel with interest, shook his head after seeing Kanté's defense. "Kanté still lacks a bit of match experience. When facing someone like Lin Quan, who has high dribbling frequency and strong ball-handling skills, it's crucial not to commit too quickly. Just hold your position. Don't try to take the ball away from his feet; block him and wait for a teammate to help trap him. After all," Guardiola thought, "there probably isn't anyone who can single-handedly defend against peak Messi or Lin Quan."
Despite his feelings of defeat, Kanté wasn't completely discouraged. If he couldn't stop his opponent in open play, perhaps he could in static defense?
When the substitute team forced David Silva on the wing and made it difficult for him to control the ball, Silva saw Lin Quan approaching and passed the ball to him. At that moment, Kanté charged towards him. As Lin Quan stood by the sideline, this presented a perfect opportunity for an interception.
Kanté focused intently, bending his knees slightly and positioning his body to intercept and pursue effectively. Seeing Kanté's movement, Lin Quan tapped the football with his left foot as if to kick it forward, then suddenly pulled the ball back with his right foot. Kanté was briefly deceived, lunged to intercept, and missed both the ball and Lin Quan, who deftly jumped over the attempted tackle.
This defensive failure made Kanté realize he couldn't defend against this man one-on-one. "I lost!" Kanté said, dejected.
Lin Quan stopped the ball and looked at him. "Your interception and tackling are strong, but what's stronger are your teammates. If you can coordinate well with them, even I wouldn't be able to get past you so easily."
Stronger with teammates? Kanté pondered this insight. Although he failed in the one-on-one, his ability was not underestimated but rather affirmed even more. It's normal not to be able to guard Lin Quan; stopping him would be abnormal! His defense might have failed, but from his exchanges with Lin Quan, it was evident he was genuinely skilled. The recognition from his teammates helped Kanté integrate even faster into Manchester City.
Happy with the high salary, appreciative coach, talented and amiable teammates, Kanté loved being there. Even if other teams tried to recruit him, he wouldn't want to leave.
…Manchester City's early arrival drew cautious attention from Juventus fans. Many fans and Italian journalists flocked to the Juventus training center to gather intelligence. The Old Lady had not made significant progress in the Champions League for a long time, and they deeply desired the championship. However, wary of the formidable Manchester City, they were restless without preemptively gathering some information.
However, they were bound to be disappointed, as Guardiola had not arranged any special training. The daily sessions were simple and not very intense. The tactics Guardiola had used in the Premier League were not evident in the training sessions, making it hard for the Italians to discern his real intentions. The more elusive his plans seemed, the more anxious Juventus became, suspecting Manchester City had prepared some secret weapon. After all, a coach like Guardiola, known for his innovative approaches, wouldn't stick to the basics without bringing something new to the table.
After enduring two days of uncertainty, the quarter-final match of the Champions League finally kicked off! (End of Chapter)