Chapter 224: The first team in the group advances! Napoli is eliminated with 12 points!

Seeing Lin Quan score the second goal, Guardiola scratched his head.

In this game, he did not actually restrict Lin Quan in a targeted manner. He actually arranged for Kroos and Thiago to play for the purpose of attacking, and the effect was achieved.

However, the consequence of not arranging someone to guard Lin Quan also emerged, that is, he could not be defended!

Gotze's performance on the offensive end was actually pretty good, at least Guardiola was satisfied.

Although he behaved very badly in front of Lin Quan, giving people the feeling that they were not on the same level.

However, Guardiola did not ask him to defend Lin Quan alone. If Gotze really has this ability, Guardiola will definitely use him as the absolute main force or even the absolute core of the team.

Obviously, Gotze doesn't have this ability.

"Let's change people!"

Guardiola said to his assistant coach.

"Who to change?"

Grande glanced at the bench, wondering who Guardiola wanted to replace.

"Let Martinez come on, replace Gotze, Muller's position retreats, and Mandzukic is the lone striker!"

When they heard Guardiola's substitution decision, several assistant coaches were stunned.

Has the head coach given up on the fight for first place in the group? "It's very blue. We need to score 2 goals to get first place in the group. Now there are only 20 minutes left. It's basically impossible."

Guardiola knew what these people were thinking, so he explained: "However, replacing Gotze may not necessarily weaken our offensive strength!"

Everyone was skeptical about his words.

Gotze is an offensive player and Martinez is a defensive player.

Replacing Gotze obviously weakened Bayern's offensive ability, which is obvious to anyone with a discerning eye, but why did Guardiola say the opposite? In the 67th minute, Bayern made the first personnel adjustment, and Guardiola replaced Gotze with Martinez.

Seeing himself being substituted, Gotze felt relieved. Finally, he didn't have to endure the torture of his opponents on the court anymore.

At the same time, he also felt a sense of frustration in his heart. He had undoubtedly lost the match against Lin Quan, and it was a big defeat.

After Martinez came on the pitch, Bayern's midfield defensive strength immediately improved.

When Lin Quan dribbled the ball to attack again, as expected, Martinez appeared in front of him.

"Lin, be gentle and save some face for me!"

Martinez said to Lin Quan with a smile that he didn't want to be like Boateng and leave a "famous scene" at the Allianz Arena.

"Brother, I was about to walk around you when I saw you, but you came over to guard me, and you actually told me to be gentle!"

Lin Quan looked at the other person speechlessly. Everyone knows that you, Hama, have strong defense. Only a fool would want to meet you.

"Haha, really? Coach Guardiola assigned me to mark you. It's my duty. I can't do anything about it!"

Hammar's defensive intensity is completely incomparable to Gotze's. Under his defense, Lin Quan's breakthrough efficiency is greatly reduced.

It’s not that it’s impossible to break through, but it’s difficult to get past him cleanly like we did against Gotze.

With Hama's running and chasing abilities, if he doesn't pass completely, it's the same as not passing at all, and he will catch up immediately.

In addition, when Hammar came on the field, Bayern implemented a defensive strategy of compressing space, using him as support and multiple other players moving closer to him, forming a cage to trap Lin Quan.

This trick was used when Heynckes was the coach, and it made Lin Quan very disgusted at that time.

After Guardiola came to Bayern, he listened to Grande's advice, retained this tactic, and further improved it.

This greatly increases the power of this move!

Soon after Martinez came on the pitch, Bayern's defense gradually stabilized and the defenders on the back line finally didn't have to worry anymore.

Influenced by this, they dared to invest more manpower in the attack, and the two full-backs frequently broke through the midfield.

For a time, Bayern made significant improvements on both offense and defense, gradually suppressing Manchester City.

"It's strange. Guardiola obviously replaced the defensive players, but why do I feel that Bayern's offensive ability has become stronger?"

“I feel the same way!”

“Although I don’t understand it, this proves that Guardiola’s substitutions are indeed effective!”

"Haha, it's actually not that difficult to understand. Bayern's wing attacking ability is very strong, but Lin Quan's threat was too great before, so Bayern's defenders, especially the full-backs, didn't dare to assist boldly. Without the assists from the full-backs, Bayern's attacking ability naturally declined.

After Martinez came on, Bayern solved the defensive problems in the midfield and backcourt, and the full-backs were able to re-engage in the offense!"

Pellegrini also noticed this and when he saw Lin Quan being closely guarded by the opponent in the middle, he immediately changed his strategy and made substitutions.

In the 72nd minute, Manchester City replaced Navas with Negredo and let Lin Quan move to the right winger position.

In this way, Lin Quan faced off against Ribery.

Ribery is the main initiator of Bayern's attack during this period. He poses too much threat on the wing. If he cannot be suppressed, Manchester City's goal will probably be breached soon.

Seeing Lin Quan appearing opposite him, Ribery narrowed his eyes.

Ribery and Lin Quan have played against each other many times, and he is very clear about the opponent's strength.

Both of them are players who are better at attacking than defending and are very good at breaking through.

Therefore, neither of them can defend against the other, and it is easy for them to explode.

Is Manchester City trying to trade him with me? Ribery couldn't help but have such a thought in his mind.

However, Ribery soon discovered that Lin Quan was not staring at him, but at his teammate, Bayern's full-back Alaba! Alaba thought to himself, who did I offend? This guy rushed towards him as soon as he got the ball.

The key is that he cannot be defended one-on-one, and if you call on your teammates to help defend, he will dribble the ball to the bottom line and then pass it.

Aguero is relatively short and heading is not his strong point.

But the newly-come substitute Negredo is different. He is 186cm tall and has excellent jumping ability. He is very threatening when competing for headers in the penalty area.

Bayern cannot allow the opponent to cross the ball so recklessly. If the opponent really scores a header, they will be finished.

As a result, Alaba was completely held back, and all his energy was wasted on defending Lin Quan, and he had no chance of crossing half the court to provide assists.

Without the assist from the full-back, Ribery's threat was greatly reduced.

Bayern's attack on the left suddenly went silent!

Guardiola frowned. Pellegrini's adjustment was quite interesting.

But if this is the only trick, it is not enough to win the game, far from enough! "Shaqiri, warm up!"

Bayern quickly made personnel adjustments, replacing Mandzukic with Shaqiri.

Unlike Mandzukic, a stationary center forward, Shaqiri is very fast and can play as both a winger and a forward.

The full-back can’t provide assists?

It doesn't matter, I'll let the striker assist Ribery in the midfield.

Guardiola's adjustment was not a brilliant one, but the game has already reached more than 70 minutes.

The physical fitness of both sides declined seriously, and the defensive players on Manchester City's side could not keep up with Shaqiri's speed.

This resulted in Shaqiri creating several threats soon after he came on the pitch, and even caused Manchester City's midfielder Fernandinho and defender Zabaleta to receive yellow cards.

This can't go on!

Pellegrini gritted his teeth and made another substitution.

He replaced Aguero with Rodwell.

Rodwell plays as a defensive midfielder, and after he came on the pitch Manchester City changed to a three-defensive midfielder formation.

The sweeping and intercepting ability of the three defensive midfielders is indeed much stronger than that of the two defensive midfielders. After Rodwell came on the court, Bayern's offensive began to be curbed.

The reason why it is difficult to defend against assists from the full-backs is that they come from the back without being marked. Before they get the ball, the defending side is unlikely to arrange someone to specifically mark and restrict them, which gives them the opportunity to assist.

However, if the person passing the ball is placed in the frontcourt, he is bound to be intercepted and restricted by the defensive forwards, midfielders and even defenders.

Pellegrini's substitution was highly targeted and successfully restricted Guardiola's adjustments.

Guardiola was a little surprised that the opponent adjusted so quickly.

He remembered that the last time he played against Manchester City, Pellegrini was not only conservative in tactics but also slow in making substitutions.

I didn't expect to progress so quickly.

He looked back at his own bench, where also sat forward Pizarro, goalkeeper Stark, full-backs Rafinha and Contento, and center back Van Buyten.

Among these people, Pizarro and Van Buyten are both 35 years old and have long passed their prime.

Rafinha is in his prime, but he is no better than Lahm and Alaba.

As for Contento, he is just a role player with mediocre ability and no chance to show his abilities.

No one is available! Guardiola sighed. Bayern had too many injuries and the team's lineup was greatly affected.

Fortunately, the winter break is coming soon, and the Bundesliga winter break lasts 35 days.

After two more league games, they can rest for more than a month. Hopefully, the team's injuries will be better by then! The two teams responded to each other's moves, and the score of 2:2 lasted until the final whistle.

When the referee blew the whistle to end the game, the Manchester City bench, the coaching staff and the substitutes went crazy! We did it! We actually tied the opponent at Bayern's home ground! This draw is of great significance to Manchester City. This is their first time to reach the Champions League knockout stage, and it is also the first time they have won the group.

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After Pellegrini excitedly hugged several assistant coaches, he remembered that he had not yet shaken hands with the coach of the home team.

So he quickly straightened his clothes and walked towards the aisle.

Guardiola was already waiting for him there: "Congratulations on your successful promotion!"

"Thank you, I wish you a good draw!"

Bayern advanced as the second in the group, which means they will face the leaders of each group in the next game.

If they were to draw a team like Real Madrid or Barcelona, ​​even a strong team like Bayern would likely be eliminated.

On the contrary, Manchester City came in as the group leader and the next draw was with the second place in each group.

The second team in the group is obviously weaker than the first team. Compared with Bayern, it is much easier for them to advance.

That's why Pellegrini wished the opponent a good draw. However, with Bayern's strength, as long as they don't meet Real Madrid and Barcelona, ​​I think there will be no big problem.

After the game, Muller took the initiative to find Lin Quan and exchange jerseys with him.

Lin Quan has no ill feelings towards Thomas Muller. This guy plays hard on the court and trains hard off the court.

Moreover, he is able to realize his own shortcomings and work hard to improve them, making himself stronger and stronger.

What’s even more commendable is that this guy, like Reus, is also a one-man-one-city player.

He even did it more extreme than Reus, after all, he had never played for any other team.

If Bayern's top management were any good, Muller would most likely retire at the Allianz Arena.

"Come on, try to draw Real Madrid and beat them!"

After exchanging jerseys, Lin Quan patted Muller on the shoulder and said to him.

Muller said with a bitter face: "Real Madrid is so strong, we can't beat Real Madrid!"

"Don't be discouraged, Dortmund can do it, and so can you!"

"Then let Dortmund draw Real Madrid. Once they eliminate Real Madrid, we will eliminate them too!"

Mueller’s calculations can be heard across the Atlantic Ocean!

…

The last match of the Champions League group stage attracted a lot of attention, except for the match between Manchester City and Bayern in Group D.

The focus of this round of matches is the two games in Group F, the death group.

Napoli, who are at a disadvantage in both goal difference and points, will face the challenge of Arsenal at home in this round.

At the same time, Dortmund traveled to face Marseille, who had lost all five games.

These two games started at the same time. Except for Marseille, which was extremely bad, the other three teams were paying attention to the situation of the other game almost every minute.

In the 4th minute of the game, Dortmund, playing away, scored the first goal and temporarily led Marseille 1:0.

When this news came out, the Napoli fans at the San Paolo Stadium were gloomy.

If the game ends with this score, Dortmund will advance and Napoli will be eliminated.

However, 10 minutes later, news came from Marseille that they had equalized the score.

This made the fans of Napoli breathe a sigh of relief, and they quickly and loudly reminded the players on the field that as long as they won the game, they would be able to advance!

However, bad news came again from another game: Marseille striker Payet received two yellow cards in two minutes, two yellow cards turned into one red card, and he was directly sent off.

When this news came out, the Napoli fans, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, began to worry again.

Fortunately, Marseille, who was one man down, began to defend with all their strength and did not give Dortmund any more chances to score goals.

This means Naples still has a chance!

As long as they can win they can advance!

However, facing Arsenal's defense, Napoli could not find a way to score.

After playing for more than 70 minutes, the score was still 0:0. Finally, in the 73rd minute, the little smoker Higuain seized the opportunity and scored the first goal for Napoli.

After this goal was scored, the Napoli fans at the San Paolo Stadium went completely crazy.

If the game ends with this score, they will replace Dortmund and advance to the knockout stage together with Arsenal.

As the saying goes, good things come in pairs. Not long after Napoli scored a goal, Arsenal midfielder Arteta was sent off after receiving two yellow cards.

This makes the Neapolitans more confident that they will advance to the knockout stage!

However, fate always likes to play tricks on people. After holding on for more than 70 minutes, Marseille, who was one man down, finally couldn't hold on.

In the 87th minute of the game, Dortmund scored another goal, changing the score to 2:1!

This goal was almost a decisive goal. With only 3 minutes left in regular time and less than 6 minutes including injury time, it was impossible for Marseille, who were one man down and had no hope of qualifying, to attack desperately.

This also means that Dortmund has basically qualified! And Dortmund's qualification means that Naples will be eliminated.

Unless they can score three goals against Arsenal and eliminate their opponents by goal difference.

When the news came, the Napoli players went crazy.

They attacked Arsenal's goal like crazy, hoping to score more goals in the final minutes.

Their efforts paid off. In the 90th minute of the game, Callejon scored another goal and Napoli led Arsenal 2:0.

The referee gave 4 minutes of injury time. As long as they could score another goal in these last few minutes, they would qualify.

Facing the crazy Napoli, Arsenal also went crazy.

Before the start of the game, their qualifying situation was the best, but now it is in jeopardy.

Arsenal cannot accept the fate of being eliminated. It is not yet the second half of the season, and it is not yet the season for Arsenal's habitual collapse.

Napoli wants to enter the knockout stage, and so does Arsenal!

In the last 4 minutes, the game between the two teams became extremely intense and even tragic.

With the united defense of the players, Arsenal withstood the opponent's crazy attack and maintained the score of 0:2 until the end of the game.

In the end, Napoli defeated Arsenal 2-0, with 4 wins in 6 games and 12 points, but was eliminated because of two fewer goals in goal difference.

They are also the team with the highest points ever eliminated in the Champions League, creating history in the Champions League.

In the neighboring Group G, Zenit St. Petersburg lost 1:4 to Austria Vienna away and only got 6 points, but successfully advanced to the knockout stage, which also created a record in the history of the Champions League.

Sometimes fate plays tricks on people, and this is true for both Napoli and Zenit fans.

(End of this chapter)