Chapter 375: Pirlo's Retirement and France's Hidden Gem
On April 15th, at the Juventus Stadium, the Champions League quarter-final match between Juventus and Manchester City was about to take place. During the pre-match entrance, some familiar faces from Juventus came over to greet Lin Quan.
Veteran goalkeeper Buffon said, "Lin, how about we grab a meal after the game? The winner treats, deal?"
Lin Quan shrugged, "If you want me to treat you, just say so. No need to beat around the bush!"
"Haha, that might not be necessary. This is the Juventus Stadium; you can't beat us here!" Buffon originally wanted to boast about shutting out Lin Quan but decided against it as he wasn't confident in keeping a clean sheet against him.
After Buffon, Pirlo also came over to chat with Lin Quan for a bit. This was likely his last season in the top European leagues. At nearly 36 years old, Pirlo was expected to leave Europe after this season. Therefore, this match might be his last encounter with Lin Quan.
"Us old guys, if we go abroad to cash in, where do you think is the best place to go?" Pirlo asked. Several clubs from East Asia had extended lucrative offers to him, including from the Chinese Super League and Japan's J-League. He thought Lin Quan, being of Chinese descent, might have some insights about East Asia.
"If you're looking to cash in abroad, the MLS's New York City FC is a good choice!" Lin Quan sincerely advised Pirlo to avoid East Asia. The Chinese Super League had low standards and often delayed wages, while the Japanese J-League had many rigged matches that could tarnish his reputation. In contrast, the MLS was a much safer bet.
"New York City FC, the team Villa joined?" Pirlo asked thoughtfully, recalling the headlines last summer when World Cup champion forward Villa left Europe to join New York City FC.
"Yes, that's the one!" Lin Quan confirmed.
"Are they reliable?" Pirlo asked, wary of facing the same wage disputes that plagued players like Drogba, which would waste time and money.
"Don't worry, they're very reliable!" Lin Quan assured him. New York City FC, like Manchester City, was part of the City Football Group, and the two clubs had a close working relationship. Joining New York City could even lead to a loan spell at Manchester City, just like Lampard.
After leaving the top European leagues for the MLS, Lampard managed to continue playing in the Premier League through a loan arrangement. This allowed him to earn a high salary from New York City FC while still living in the UK. For Manchester City, they only had to cover a portion of the wages, making it a financially savvy move.
As City Football Group's football empire grew, such operations would become more frequent. If the Abu Dhabi United Group wished, they could make Manchester City's financial reports look very favorable.
Pirlo nodded, planning to discuss it further with Lin Quan after the match. Just as Pirlo left, Juventus forward Morata came over sneakily, putting his arm around Lin Quan's shoulder.
"Hey, boss, just a heads-up. Our vice-captain said he's going to freeze you in this game and won't let you score any goals!"
Vice-captain? Was he referring to Chiellini? Lin Quan glanced over and saw Chiellini glaring at him with hostility. Chiellini was a world-class defender, very strong in defense. Lin Quan wouldn't underestimate him and nodded to Morata in acknowledgment.
Apart from Chiellini, another player harboring hostility towards Lin Quan was Juventus's number 10, Tevez. Tevez had transferred from Manchester City to Juventus, and Lin Quan's arrival at City had indirectly led to Tevez's departure. In Tevez's eyes, Lin Quan had taken his spot, filling him with resentment.
As the match began, Tevez displayed exceptional energy, tirelessly pressing Manchester City's players. It was clear he wanted to prove his worth and show City's management how wrong they were.
However, without Juventus's overall formation pushing up, Tevez's efforts were in vain. One player trying to take the ball from Manchester City's possession-oriented play was unrealistic. City's players, noticing Tevez's aggressive pressing, simply passed back to their defenders. The defenders spread out wide, luring Tevez to press, then passed to a supporting teammate, turning Tevez's pressing into a futile game of cat and mouse.
Initially, Juventus fans applauded Tevez's effort, but when they saw him being toyed with, they couldn't laugh anymore.
"What is Tevez doing? The teammates aren't following up; he's pressing alone, which is meaningless!" "Why aren't Morata and the others pressing? Don't let Tevez do all this pointless work alone!"
Opinions among Juventus fans diverged. Some believed the entire team should press high like Tevez, while others feared City's counterattacking prowess and thought it too risky. Morata symbolically joined Tevez's press a few times but stopped once he realized it was futile.
"This idiot can press all he wants. I don't want to be their plaything!" Morata thought. As a Spanish international, Morata knew how tough it was to win the ball from Guardiola's possession-based football, so he didn't want to waste his energy.
The game started with a slow pace, neither side committing many players to attack. Manchester City tried a few offensives but couldn't threaten Juventus's goal. Juventus's counterattacks were similarly ineffective, struggling to get past City's pressing.
Juventus coach Allegri was patient, not pushing his players to increase the tempo and attack from the start. He knew the opponent was strong, and conceding at home would be devastating. Instead, he aimed to control the game's pace, probe for City's weaknesses, and strike with a decisive blow once found.
Allegri, a top-notch tactician, had only just begun reshaping Juventus this season. Under former coach Conte, Juventus played a 3-5-2 formation, while Allegri preferred a 4-3-1-2.
When Allegri first took over, he didn't immediately overhaul the team's tactics. Instead, he continued with Juventus's 3-5-2 formation. The advantage of this approach was that it kept Juventus's performance stable, avoiding any dramatic ups and downs that could affect the club's and fans' trust in him.
However, sticking with the same tactics indefinitely wasn't viable either. While 3-5-2 was somewhat effective in the league, it had been proven insufficient in the Champions League. Therefore, midway through the season, especially in the latter stages of the Champions League group stage, Allegri began transitioning the team to his preferred 4-3-1-2 formation.
For instance, in this match, he pushed Vidal further up as a defensive midfielder, leveraging the stamina and mobility of players like Vidal, Pogba, and Marchisio. This strengthened the midfield's interception and coverage, addressing the defensive weaknesses on the flanks that were present in the 3-5-2 formation.
Additionally, with players protecting Pirlo from all sides, his age, physicality, and reduced running capacity were no longer significant issues. Despite being 36 years old, Pirlo's technical skills had only improved with age. Juventus still needed him for his vision, game sense, and precise passing to deliver crucial balls from the back.
Although Juventus hadn't dominated the game so far, Allegri wasn't worried. Juventus hadn't yet fully unleashed their strength. When they did attack, Manchester City would feel their power.
On the other side, Guardiola wasn't in a hurry either. Winning this match would be great, but he could also accept a draw. Even a narrow defeat, as long as they scored an away goal, would be tolerable. It was Juventus who should be anxious since they were playing at home. Missing the chance to win at home would make it much harder to beat Manchester City away.
Thus, in the first half, neither side made significant tactical adjustments, and the game remained balanced. From the statistics, Manchester City had the upper hand. In the first half, Manchester City completed 358 passes compared to Juventus's 220. City had 58% possession to Juventus's 40%.
However, the disparity was much greater in shot attempts. Manchester City had seven shots, with three on target, while Juventus managed only two shots, none on target. Clearly, Juventus's attacks weren't threatening.
The primary reason for this was Manchester City's dominant number of interceptions. In the first half, City made 11 interceptions compared to Juventus's six. Of those 11, Kanté alone contributed seven, more than Juventus's entire team.
"Who is that number 13 on the opposing team? He's intercepting everything!" "If it weren't for him intercepting Pogba several times, we would have been able to launch some attacks." "It's not just Pogba; this guy covers a lot of ground. He even intercepted Pirlo twice despite all the protection!" "Who is he? I've never heard of him before."
Juventus fans were deeply impressed by Manchester City's number 13. If it weren't for his repeated interceptions, Juventus would have had more shots. But they were puzzled because they knew very little about him.
"He's a player Manchester City brought in during the winter break from a relegation-threatened Ligue 1 team. He appeared in the Manchester Derby recently. According to British media, this guy is a master of interceptions, practically a king of interceptions!"
Fans who regularly followed the Premier League quickly provided accurate information about Kanté, but this information was met with skepticism.
"Can a player from a relegation Ligue 1 team really be that good?" "If he's so good, why isn't he on the French national team?"
Unnoticed by many, France's national team coach Didier Deschamps was also at Juventus Stadium, watching the match intently. It was clear that Deschamps was there to scout players for the 2016 European Championship.
Next year's Euro would be held in France, and as the host, France didn't need to play in the qualifiers and could directly enter the finals. This gave them plenty of time to prepare without the pressure of results.
Lately, Deschamps had been selecting talented young players, using friendly matches to see if any of them had potential. After two consecutive World Cup failures, the French team needed a rebuild, and talented young players would be their future.
Among the new generation, Pogba and Griezmann stood out. Pogba had excellent physical attributes, fine ball control, and both offensive and defensive abilities, making him a candidate for the team's midfield core. Griezmann, with his outstanding offensive capabilities, was set to be France's attacking linchpin.
Deschamps closely monitored Pogba's condition, especially after Pogba's injury in the Champions League round of 16, which had worried him. He came in person to assess Pogba's recovery and performance.
However, after watching the first half, Deschamps's attention shifted from Pogba to another French player. Observing Kanté's performance, Deschamps was thrilled.
"We have such a defensive genius in France? We've struck gold!"
(End of Chapter)