Rijkaard stood on the sidelines, somewhat speechless as he watched Li Shiguang grinning and celebrating wildly with the players, shaking his head inwardly.
This is so painful!
Before the match, Rijkaard repeatedly emphasized to the players in the locker room that they must put enough pressure on the opponent in the midfield and attacking third after the start of the game and try to score first. This would give the opponent the greatest threat both psychologically and tactically!
Barcelona's greatest strength lies in possession-based football and sudden changes of pace. If they score first, the opponent will inevitably attack. At that point, Barcelona can use repeated passing in midfield to make Leeds United's players increasingly anxious. Once the opponent is anxious, they will definitely find an opportunity to extend their lead through sudden changes of pace!
However, it seems that the situation is developing in a way that is contrary to expectations.
Leeds United have secured a valuable away goal. In the Champions League series, sometimes just one or two away goals can determine the fate of a team!
So now, it's Barcelona who urgently need to attack...
At the very top of Camp Nou, apart from one or two journalists from England, most of the people in the media and commentary sections remained silent. After listlessly announcing that Torres had scored the goal, the home commentator began to reassure the audience: "Regardless, the situation is indeed unfavorable for Barcelona, but Rijkaard's tactical plan must have taken into account the possibility of the opponent scoring first! It's still early, less than a minute into the game, and we have a full 89 minutes to equalize, or even take the lead!"
What the commentator said also reflects the thoughts of most Barcelona fans watching the match.
They've recovered from their initial shock. Right, there's still so much time left in the game, and we're only down by one goal. There's no reason for the great Barcelona to lose to Leeds United at Camp Nou!
And indeed, after Saviola and Messi restarted the game, Barcelona began to truly showcase their formidable attacking prowess.
Li Shiguang, watching from the sidelines, also noticed something: Barcelona's players seemed to be much more aggressive in their pressing than before Leeds United scored. Moreover, judging from the looks in their eyes, they seemed to feel a bit... ashamed that they had conceded the first goal while playing at home?
Li Shiguang was right. The Barcelona players did feel a bit humiliated to be scored against their opponents using their most effective method and with just two or three passes. For them, this was undoubtedly a blatant provocation!
This left the players feeling resentful.
In any case, they must respond to Leeds United's provocation with more goals. This is their home ground, not a place where these Englishmen can run wild!
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But Leeds United and Lee Time are not weak teams.
While the players were still celebrating on the sidelines, Li Shiguang, who had calmed down first, loudly reminded them that they must pay attention to defense after the game restarts and try to tighten their defense as much as possible.
Everyone was very obedient. When Barcelona had possession, all the Leeds United players except Torres would drop back into their own half to participate in defense. With Modric and Cannavaro's movement, the distance between the three lines was also well controlled.
Barcelona struggled to find a way to suddenly change tactics and create opportunities for their forwards to deliver threatening passes. More often than not, Xavi and Deco could only pass the ball left and right, trying to use the width of the pitch to stretch Leeds United's defense before delivering a decisive blow.
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However, Leeds United's defensive approach was not without its drawbacks. This kind of retreat was tantamount to handing over possession of the ball, and the ball was controlled by Barcelona for most of the time.
In addition, there is another issue: Barcelona has started to play the high-pressing tactic, and as the originator of this tactic, they seem to play it even more skillfully than Leeds United!
As soon as Leeds United gained possession, they would immediately start pressing high up the pitch! Saviola, Ronaldinho, and Messi were like three mad dogs chasing after Leeds United's defense, forcing Leeds United to rely on long passes to get the ball across the halfway line most of the time.
Li Shiguang was also constantly learning from the short passing combinations and frequent runs of the Barcelona players.
Although he has a complete understanding of tiki-taka tactics, it is not something that can be accomplished overnight to fully convey this understanding to his players.
It took more than a decade for Barcelona to develop into what it is today, starting from when Cruyff took over the managerial position.
Precise passing and good teamwork are the keys to this tactic!
What's most impressive about the football style of Barcelona and the Spanish national team is that in attack, they can constantly stretch the opponent's defense by using one-touch passing and frequent running. And once they enter a defensive state, they can immediately restrict the opponent's passing lanes and counter-press by making runs!
It was under these circumstances that the match reached the 31st minute.
Schmeichel launched a long ball into the goal.
Marquez got into position first in the aerial duel with Torres and naturally headed the ball to Xavi, who was in the center circle to receive it.
After receiving the ball, Xavi looked up and observed the field. Finding no good passing options, he didn't rush to pass the ball but instead slowly dribbled it towards Leeds United's half.
Seeing that Xavi didn't seem to intend to pass the ball, and given that Li Shiguang had specifically reminded him to keep a close eye on Xavi, Alonso immediately moved closer, intending to steal the ball from Xavi's feet.
But just as Alonso made his move, Xavi, who was dribbling forward, suddenly stopped, then stepped on the ball, pulled and flicked it, seemingly dodging the onrushing Alonso with ease. Then he suddenly accelerated, dribbling the ball towards Leeds United's penalty area!
With Deco still nearby to watch out for, his good partner Modric didn't rush up to intercept the ball immediately. With no other option, Cannavaro, who was slowly retreating, had to take off and turn towards Xavi. If Xavi got the ball within 30 meters of the Leeds United goal, the threat would be too great!
But this is Xavi, the midfield maestro, after all; his passes are always the most lethal!
When Li Shiguang saw Cannavaro rushing forward, he already sensed danger.
Just as expected!
Xavi simply flicked the ball under his right foot, and people saw it slowly glide over the head of Cannavaro, who was running towards him.
Meanwhile, the passionate shouts of the commentators echoed throughout the Camp Nou stadium.
"Ronaldinho! He's charging in from the left!"
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