Chapter 428: Guardiola's Plan: Make Lin Quan a Teacher!
Sharing Group D with Juventus, Manchester City also faces Sevilla, whom they recently played against in the UEFA Super Cup, and Borussia Mönchengladbach from the Bundesliga. Thus, Group D becomes this year's "Group of Death," the only group where all four teams are from Europe's top five leagues.
This group draw is unfavorable for all four teams, as teams from the top five leagues are generally stronger. All the teams in the Champions League are high-ranking in their leagues, and even those in the third or fourth pots can upset the giants. Several top teams have suffered surprise losses to these clubs.
Compared to Manchester City's draw, Manchester United got extremely lucky. Their group includes PSV Eindhoven, CSKA Moscow, and Wolfsburg, none of which are from the top five leagues. As long as United doesn't mess up, topping the group seems almost certain.
Chelsea also had a favorable draw, facing Porto, Dynamo Kyiv, and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Despite Chelsea's inconsistent form this season, their inherent strength should help them secure the top spot in the group.
Arsenal, however, faces the familiar challenge of Bayern Munich in the group stage, continuing their trend of tough draws against giants. Bayern's formidable attack will be a stern test for Wenger's side, although they should still progress given their other group opponents are Olympiacos and Dinamo Zagreb, both weaker teams.
Overall, this season's group stage draw has been relatively favorable for many top clubs. Under UEFA's policy, the number of teams from non-top-five leagues has increased. Last year, half of the 32 teams in the group stage were from non-top-five leagues; this year, it's 15 out of 32. UEFA's trend of supporting smaller leagues while challenging the dominance of top clubs is clear.
While these teams often win their leagues, their strength usually pales compared to the top leagues, making them easy opponents in the Champions League. The upside is that top clubs are less likely to be eliminated early, but it also means the group stage's excitement and quality are diminished, reducing fan interest and impacting viewership.
In response, some top clubs are discussing creating a European Super League, a competition exclusively featuring elite clubs, independent of UEFA. This idea is controversial and likely to face strong opposition from UEFA, as losing top clubs would severely damage the Champions League's value and UEFA's revenue.
The conflict between top clubs and UEFA over policies and revenue distribution is intensifying, with clubs increasingly frustrated by skyrocketing transfer fees and wages, impacting their financial health. This tug-of-war is set to continue.
The Champions League matches will begin in mid-September. Until then, Manchester City's focus remains on the Premier League. On August 29, City returned home to face newly-promoted Watford, who surprisingly were unbeaten with three draws in their first three games. However, City's firepower ended Watford's streak decisively. Aguero scored twice in 20 minutes in the first half, and Lin Quan added another in the second half, making it 3-0. Guardiola then brought on substitutes, including Kimmich, Rudiger, and Son Heung-min.
Son's good form continued as he scored again after a long solo run, impressing Guardiola. The coach noted Son's improved dribbling and breakthrough ability, likely due to training with Lin Quan. This sparked an idea for Guardiola: could other players like David Silva, De Bruyne, and Kante also benefit from training with Lin Quan?
One of the key differences between Guardiola's Manchester City and his legendary Barcelona team was the lack of an Iniesta-like player. Lin Quan could replace Messi and was even more versatile, and Kroos could fill Xavi's role as the midfield orchestrator. But who could replace Iniesta? De Bruyne lacked Iniesta's ball-carrying and dribbling skills, and while he occasionally showcased brilliant moments, he wasn't quite on Iniesta's level.
Barcelona's dominance wasn't just because of Messi but also the strength of his supporting cast. In contrast, while City had strong players, Lin Quan was on another level, creating a gap that worried Guardiola. He feared opponents would target Lin Quan, much like they did with Messi at Barcelona. If Lin Quan was neutralized, City's attack could falter. At Barcelona, Iniesta could share the burden, keeping the attack fluid even if Messi was tightly marked. But at City, who could step up if Lin Quan was shut down?
What seemed an unsolvable problem now had a potential solution.
The fourth round of the Premier League was a nightmare for most top clubs, except for Manchester City. Liverpool, led by Klopp, suffered their first defeat of the season, losing 3-0 to West Ham at Anfield. Chelsea, with their new coach, couldn't hold their ground at Stamford Bridge, losing 2-1 to Crystal Palace. Arsenal, playing away, lost to Newcastle despite their opponents being down to ten men, thanks to an own goal. As for Mourinho's Manchester United, they scored first but ended up losing 2-1 away to Swansea, ending their unbeaten run.
Thus, after this round, Manchester City remained the only undefeated top team, extending their lead over the others by three points. The simultaneous defeats of other top clubs left Fleet Street in a state of despair. The Daily Mail even ran a sensational headline: "Premier League Title Race Over After Four Rounds."
"Based on this round's performance, I see no hope for any team to beat Manchester City. I have a premonition that not only will City win the title, but they will do so by a huge margin, possibly breaking the Premier League points record!" the article read.
Son Heung-min's consistent performance over three games earned him the recognition of Manchester City fans. Even his teammates' attitudes toward him improved, with more players greeting him and passing the ball to him in training. Just when he was starting to feel proud, Guardiola called him over with a serious expression: "Son, come with me."
Son Heung-min's heart sank, wondering if he had done something wrong to displease the coach. However, upon arriving at the training ground and seeing other players like Lin Quan, De Bruyne, Kroos, and Kante, he felt relieved.
"Son, show us the drills you practiced with Lin Quan," Guardiola instructed.
Son Heung-min, confused but compliant, started the drill. In these drills, he was usually outmatched by Lin Quan, who easily got past him due to Son's lack of defensive skills.
"Did you all see how Lin gets past his opponents?" Guardiola asked the group. Kante, a top defender, explained Lin's techniques, noting that while it seemed straightforward, stopping Lin one-on-one was incredibly difficult.
Despite Kante's thorough analysis, Guardiola wanted him to practice directly against Lin. Kante hesitated, knowing from past experience how difficult it was to defend against Lin. He remembered how training duels with Lin had almost shattered his confidence. But with Guardiola's insistence, he reluctantly agreed.
As expected, Kante was thoroughly beaten by Lin, leaving the others in awe. Son Heung-min was particularly struck, realizing Lin's exceptional dribbling skills were on a different level, comparable to Messi at his peak.
Guardiola, satisfied with the demonstration, gathered everyone's attention. "As you can see, Lin is exceptionally good at dribbling and getting past opponents. Would you like to learn from him and improve your own skills?"
The players were astonished. Could they really learn to dribble like Lin? Guardiola clarified: "I mean, learning Lin's techniques to improve your dribbling, not necessarily reaching his level. Lin's talent is unique, but his methods can help you become better."
The players, including Son, were eager to learn. Guardiola's plan was clear: he wanted Lin Quan to help elevate the skills of the entire team, making Manchester City even more formidable.