Chapter 465: Zidane's Tactical Solutions to Manchester City's Tactics
Kasper Schmeichel's individual brilliance couldn't reverse the overall downward trend of the game. Shortly after the start, Manchester City had already taken control and started suppressing Leicester City. Despite Leicester City's players putting in their best efforts to turn the tide, Manchester City's tactical setup by Guardiola put them under significant pressure.
Guardiola's use of a back three and a defensive midfielder made it difficult for Leicester's front-line pressing to threaten City's ball carriers. Manchester City could comfortably organize attacks repeatedly, dominating the midfield due to their numerical advantage. This allowed them to push the ball forward and exploit the flanks continuously, launching attacks from the wings.
This strategy made it very challenging for Leicester City. On the left, with David Silva injured, Navas or Son Heung-min filled in. Though both had weaker passing and dribbling abilities compared to Silva, they acted as explosive runners, either crossing from the baseline or cutting inside to shoot. However, on the right side, Manchester City had the world's best winger, Lin Quan, who had many options once the ball was at his feet. Consequently, Leicester heavily focused on defending against Lin Quan, concentrating their defensive resources on his side.
This defensive shift left the other side more open. Kroos, acting as City's playmaker, noticed this and quickly transferred the ball to the open left flank, creating opportunities for Son Heung-min. Sensing the play, Son Heung-min initially dropped back, lulling the defenders into complacency, then suddenly accelerated towards Leicester's half.
Caught off guard, Leicester's full-back couldn't catch up, giving Son Heung-min a clear run at goal.
"Manchester City with a clear chance!" "Opportunity! Son Heung-min shoots!" "Kasper Schmeichel saves it again! Wait, the attack isn't over, De Bruyne gets the ball, and Leicester's defenders are all rushing towards him!" "De Bruyne passes it! Who's he passing to? It's Lin Quan!! Goal! The score is 0-1. Leicester City made a critical defensive error, leaving Lin Quan unmarked. This is a huge mistake!"
The commentators were baffled by Leicester's poor defending. Lin Quan's goal was far too easy. De Bruyne attracted multiple defenders, yet managed to pass the ball to Lin Quan, who just had to tap it in. For a top striker like Lin Quan, this was a straightforward finish he wouldn't miss even once in a hundred tries.
After scoring, Lin Quan gave De Bruyne a thumbs-up: "Great pass, Kevin!" At least three Leicester players had rushed at De Bruyne, but he didn't lose the ball and accurately passed to Lin Quan. His composure and skill under pressure showcased his value as a true playmaker.
De Bruyne stood proudly, chest out: "Of course, who do you think passed the ball?" He was pleased with himself. He hadn't even seen Lin Quan; he just knew there was space and trusted that a teammate would be there. His intuition proved correct, and Lin Quan was indeed in position.
On the sidelines, Guardiola clenched his fists in excitement. Lin Quan's shot wasn't the highlight; it was De Bruyne's pass that caught his eye. De Bruyne continually impressed him with his passing choices and execution. With him on the field, it felt like there was no pass he couldn't make, always surprising and delightful.
Guardiola thought, with top strikers around, De Bruyne's assist numbers would be off the charts. Fortunately, Manchester City had such strikers. Guardiola had a premonition that De Bruyne's stats would explode this year. This made him happy but also worried. The more famous De Bruyne became, the more big clubs would come knocking.
Starting last year, every transfer window brought a flood of offers for City's players—Kroos, Agüero, and even Lin Quan were sought after. Rejecting these offers was a headache. Now, with De Bruyne's rising fame, his workload would increase.
Rejecting offers was easy, but managing player desires was tricky. If a player insisted on leaving, it was hard to keep them. Key players were crucial in Guardiola's system, and losing them would weaken City. With the transfer window opening after this match, Guardiola anticipated many inquiries about De Bruyne.
Meanwhile, Kasper Schmeichel, diving to save Lin Quan's shot, realized he was too late. The ball was already in the net by the time he reacted, leaving him frustrated despite his earlier saves. His father, watching from the stands, sighed. A goalkeeper's job is unforgiving; one mistake can overshadow a hundred great saves.
Before City's goal, Leicester was already in a tough spot. The goal boosted City's morale while dealing a heavy blow to Leicester's.
As Leicester City weakened and Manchester City grew stronger, the game was becoming increasingly unfavorable for Leicester. Watching this unfold, Schmeichel began to worry about his son. In the following match, Kasper Schmeichel would undoubtedly face even more severe challenges. Could he withstand them? His biggest fear was that Manchester City would score an overwhelming number of goals, which could shatter a goalkeeper's confidence and plunge him into self-doubt.
On the sidelines, Ranieri was also aware of the difficult situation his team faced. However, he found it challenging to counter Manchester City's relentless offense. Manchester City's midfield and wing play were incredibly strong. With Leicester's capabilities, they could only focus their efforts on one area and couldn't manage both flanks simultaneously. The individual abilities of Leicester's players were not as strong as their opponents, so they had to rely on having more players in certain areas to limit Manchester City. This, however, left other areas vulnerable, increasing the threat of Manchester City's attacks. If they spread their forces evenly, they would be weak everywhere and unable to defend effectively.
What could they do? How could they counter Manchester City's tactics?
"Interesting, Guardiola's tactics are even stronger than I expected! Manchester City's dominance in the Premier League seems greater than we imagined!" Real Madrid's coach, Zidane, said with a smile to his assistant as they watched the game from the stands at the King Power Stadium. With La Liga on its winter break, Zidane had some free time and decided to watch this high-profile Premier League match. Though it wasn't certain that Real Madrid would face Manchester City in the Champions League knockout stages, they couldn't be too cautious. If they did meet without proper preparation, they might suffer greatly. Two years ago, Real Madrid had fallen to Manchester City, missing a golden opportunity to win the championship. The thought of this still frustrated the Real Madrid camp, and they were determined not to repeat past mistakes.
"If we give up pressing their backline and instead cut off the connections between Manchester City's wings and their backfield, would that be better?" the assistant coach suggested.
Zidane shook his head. "No, the key to Manchester City's play is their defensive midfielder. If we don't press their defenders, their connection with the midfield will remain tight, and they'll still manage to get the ball to the wings."
In modern football, there's a trend of the playmaker's position moving further back on the field. From the classic number 10 to defensive midfielders and now deep-lying playmakers, the role has evolved. Classic number 10s have disappeared because the closer a player is to the front, the more intense the defense they face. Under such pressure, it's hard to organize attacks effectively. To allow the playmaker more space and time to handle the ball, their position moved further back to the defensive midfield. Here, they only face pressing from the opponent's forwards, fewer in number and less aggressive, allowing them to operate more freely.
However, the trend of high pressing in modern football means that even deep-lying playmakers face significant pressure. To alleviate this, some teams have introduced positions like "half-back" or "mid-back," less conventional but harder to press effectively, easing the pressure on the playmaker.
Zidane didn't favor Leicester's chances because they hadn't managed to threaten Kroos significantly. This allowed Kroos to orchestrate the game comfortably, using his vision and understanding to distribute the ball to areas where Leicester's defense was weak. Each successful pass from Kroos created a potential scoring opportunity for Manchester City. Over time, this would make it impossible for Leicester to come back, and they might fall further behind.
"What should we do then?" the assistant coach asked, feeling stumped. If Real Madrid were to face Manchester City in the Champions League and Guardiola employed such tactics, how should they respond?
Zidane pondered for a moment and came up with two possible solutions. He wasn't sure if they would work but thought they were worth trying. "Winning comes down to two things: attack and defense. The main threat in Manchester City's tactics is from the wings. Therefore, the defensive side can deploy a five-man defense to completely shut down the opponent's wing play. Alternatively, we could use a strategy of attacking from both wings. Given that Manchester City uses only three defenders, their flanks are their weak points. By launching strong attacks on the wings, we can counter their strategy."
The best defense is a good offense. By focusing their attacks on the wings, they could suppress Manchester City's wing play and disrupt Guardiola's tactical setup. However, these were just theoretical ideas. Zidane knew he needed to test them out to see if they would work.
Ranieri soon made his decision. Noticing Manchester City's dynamic wing play, he instructed his team to tighten their formation and strengthen their wing defense. When Manchester City's attacks reached the 30-meter area, he had Leicester's number four, "Drinkwater," drop back to join the defense, creating a five-man backline. This widened the defensive line to intercept Manchester City's wing attacks, whether they aimed to cross from the baseline or cut inside.
Real Madrid's assistant coach was amazed by Ranieri's choice and couldn't help but glance at Zidane. His prediction was spot on. Zidane's expertise was evident, and it was clear why Florentino Perez had such high regard for him. The question now was whether Zidane could lead Real Madrid back to the pinnacle and secure their coveted tenth Champions League trophy.
Zidane, oblivious to his assistant's thoughts, focused intently on the match after seeing Ranieri's conservative decision. If a five-man defense could effectively limit Manchester City, their dominance in the Premier League might be seriously challenged.
(End of Chapter)
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