Chapter 463 Guardiola's weakness, the battle for the top spot begins!
The stalemate between Liverpool and Leicester City was completely changed in the 65th minute of the second half because of Benteke's goal.
This was the first goal of the game and the goal that put Leicester City into a desperate situation.
"Benteke scored a crucial goal, this goal is worth a thousand gold!"
Although Benteke wasted many opportunities created for him by his teammates in this game, he finally seized one of the opportunities and turned it into a goal.
This goal was crucial, not only for Liverpool and Leicester City, but also for Manchester City on the other side.
"Leicester City is in a very dangerous situation. If they lose this game, they will probably be more than ten points behind Manchester City by the end of the first half!"
The commentators began to worry about Leicester City. If they lost this game, they would fall behind Manchester City by 9 points.
If they lose the next top battle with Manchester City, the points gap between the two sides will widen to 12 points.
Leicester City are already twelve points behind at the halfway point. As long as Manchester City does not experience a sustained collapse in the second half of the season, there is no way they will be able to catch up.
So for Leicester City, their hopes of winning the championship may be completely shattered because of this game.
Ranieri seems to be a nice guy with no temper, but nice guys can also get angry sometimes.
Seeing that the team was lagging behind in the score, he decisively made substitutions, allowing the team to speed up the offensive tempo, abandon some of the defensive forces, and invest more manpower in offense.
Let the players fight like crazy in the frontcourt and play the last 30 minutes of the game with an attitude of risking their lives against Liverpool.
Now that they are already behind, there is nothing to worry about. Either Liverpool will beat Leicester City into a sieve in one go, or Leicester City will catch up and equalize the score or even overtake.
Although Leicester City is a grassroots team, they are naturally very strong as they have become the biggest dark horse this season.
When such a team shows a life-and-death attitude, even the veteran giants Liverpool can hardly withstand it.
In the final moments of the game, Liverpool fell into a very passive situation.
Firstly, Klopp's tactics emphasized running and pressing, which caused the players to consume too much physical energy, resulting in a physical bottleneck in the second half.
Secondly, it was because Leicester City was so angry that they put more pressure on them, making Liverpool's players feel a little breathless.
However, Liverpool is an established giant after all, and this is Anfield!
They showed great resilience. Even when the situation was extremely unfavorable and they encountered a crazy siege from their opponents, they still gritted their teeth and persevered, resolving the opponent's offensive time and time again.
In the final moments of the game, Liverpool players suffered from cramps but did not choose to lie on the grass to delay time.
The home Red Army fans sang the famous "You'll Never Walk Alone" in unison to cheer for the home team. With the cheers of tens of thousands of fans, Liverpool held on until the last moment.
When the referee blew the whistle to end the game, almost all of the Liverpool players on the field fell to the ground.
This game really exhausted them. It was not easy to win! The Leicester City players put their hands on their hips, with disappointment written all over their faces.
Losing in such a crucial game is a big blow to the team's morale, especially at this crucial moment when they are about to challenge the league leader.
On the sidelines, Klopp took the initiative to walk towards Ranieri, shook hands with him and exchanged a few words.
"Your team performed very well, and I hope you can win the game the day after tomorrow."
Leicester City will challenge Manchester City at home on December 28. As a pursuer, Liverpool naturally hopes that Manchester City can be stopped.
In this case, they theoretically still have hope of winning the championship. Of course, it is only a theoretical hope. After all, the gap between them and Manchester City is too big.
Ranieri forced a smile: "Thank you for your blessing, and congratulations on winning today's game, you deserve this victory."
If it weren't for the tragic consumption in this game, he would still have a chance of getting three points against Manchester City at home.
However, after such a brutal war of attrition, and ultimately a defeat, the team not only consumed their physical strength, but also suffered a blow to their morale. It can be said that they lost both the wife and the army.
Given Leicester City's current state, Ranieri is not very confident even if they return to their home ground for the next game.
Chances of winning?
I'm afraid 30% is too much! ...
"Leicester City lost to Liverpool, the biggest dark horse of the season may be eclipsed!"
"The Tinker's magic has worn off? Leicester City is in a tough spot!"
"Manchester City wins big at home, Manchester City expands its lead again!"
After this round of games, the media's focus was mainly on Manchester City and Leicester City.
This season, the traditional giants collectively failed to perform well, and in the end, the winners were a newcomer and a dark horse.
This was an outcome no one expected before the game.
Although public opinion is more friendly towards Leicester City, the majority of people support them to win the championship.
However, objective facts will not change because of subjective consciousness. Leicester City's hard power is weaker than Manchester City, and its current state is not as good as Manchester City.
This led to a wailing from the outside world before the start of this top battle, with everyone thinking that Leicester City was bound to lose.
Not only did the public opinion think so, even Leicester City head coach Ranieri said in an interview that they could not defeat Manchester City.
"Manchester City is a great team. Guardiola is one of the most talented coaches in football. Under his guidance, this Manchester City team looks invincible."
Ranieri is telling the truth, and sincerity is always a killer move.
Therefore, many Manchester City fans started opening champagne before the game even started.
"Haha, Ranieri is a coward!"
"How can I not be scared? What level are they? What level are we Manchester City? How can I win if you sue me?"
"You're already scared before the game even starts. The result of this game must be self-evident!"
"In view of the poor performance of other traditional giants this season, I declare that the champion of the 2015-2016 Premier League season is Manchester City!"
…
Not only ordinary fans have this kind of arrogant mentality of underestimating the opponent, but this atmosphere also exists within the Manchester City team.
Some players have even been discussing whether the team will take a New Year's Day holiday or organize some activities after winning this game.
Similar activities were held several times last year, and the team's big boss was also very generous and often held raffles. If you are lucky, you can win generous gifts in the raffle.
Guardiola is very wary of this atmosphere of underestimation within the team, and he is not dazzled by the hype from the outside world.
Ranieri's words are certainly true, but they may also be a psychological tactic.
The purpose is self-evident, which is to confuse Manchester City and make them relax their vigilance.
In the football world, opening champagne in advance is a very immoral behavior. If it goes wrong, it will definitely be hit by a boomerang, and then you will be nailed to the pillar of shame and laughed at by the world.
AC Milan’s previous experience is right before our eyes and we must learn from it.
So Guardiola didn't say a word. After noticing the team's tendency to underestimate the opponent, he immediately called the players together and started to give them a lecture.
"Do you think we will win the next game?"
He glanced among the players, and after hearing his question, some of them shook their heads in denial.
Some players did not express their opinions, seemingly admitting that they had such thoughts.
Guardiola took a look and found that most of the players with this mentality were young players. The older players were experienced and knew that every team in the Premier League was difficult to play against, so fewer of them underestimated their opponents.
"If you think so, then I can give you a day off early and you don't have to go to the next game."
Hearing the news that Guardiola announced the 'holiday', some players couldn't help but want to celebrate loudly.
However, seeing Guardiola's serious expression, they didn't dare to speak and just stood there obediently, waiting to be scolded.
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"I'm telling the truth, because if we let you play in this state, we will definitely lose the next game!"
Guardiola's words were powerful and the players were stunned and looked at Guardiola one after another.
Some people felt confused, some felt indignant, some were lost in thought, and some looked calm, as if they were just watching a show.
"If you think you can win a game that hasn't even started yet without playing, just relying on external hype and the comparison of the two sides' strength on paper.
Then we don’t have to play any of the following games, we can just give you the trophy in advance!”
Guardiola looked everyone straight in the eye, causing those proud and complacent players to lower their heads in shame.
As players, they certainly know that the ball is round and anything is possible on the field.
"When I was playing football, someone told me one thing: Don't celebrate a victory before the game is over!"
"Now let me tell you another truth: Don't underestimate any opponent!"
After Guardiola finished speaking, he began to announce the starting lineup for tomorrow's game in advance.
He really didn't use any of the players who had underestimated the opponent before, and didn't even let them into the bench.
Guardiola’s personality is actually not very good. He is a rather paranoid person, has a strong desire for control, and likes to PUA players.
He prefers to keep everything under his control, both for the game and for the players.
Guardiola is ruthless when it comes to cleaning out people he doesn't like or doesn't use well.
Therefore, these players who were excluded from the roster were all nervous, fearing that they would violate Guardiola's taboo and be sold by Manchester City during the transfer period.
So, after the training, they found Lin Quan, hoping that Lin Quan could come forward to help.
"Brother Lin, could you please ask the coach to help us?"
Lin Quan smiled and said, "In fact, you just need to apologize to him proactively, or just keep a low profile for a few days and pray that we win the game against Leicester City, and then he will calm down.
But don't make the same mistake again next time. The coach takes the players' attitude towards the game very seriously. If you don't have the ability, you can practice slowly. If your mentality is not good, then there is no hope! "
In fact, it is not surprising why Guardiola was so angry. Lin Quan knew some of the reasons.
When he was at Barcelona, under the leadership of Guardiola, Barcelona relied on the tikitaka tactics to become an invincible cosmic team that surpassed the Galacticos.
However, after winning various honors, some players within the team gradually lost their desire for championships and honors, and lacked motivation and desire to win on the court.
This means that although Barcelona still has the foundation to win the championship, it is unable to achieve results on all fronts.
Guardiola's resignation from Barcelona was certainly due to his bad relationship with club president Rosell, but disappointment and dissatisfaction with the team's current situation was also an important reason.
For a perfectionist like him, the players should maintain high morale and perform at their best in every game. Even when they are ahead in the score or the outcome is completely in doubt, they should strictly follow his tactics and take every game seriously.
This requirement may not seem high, but it is actually difficult to achieve. After all, humans are not machines and will always make mistakes.
If he really demands this of every player, it would actually be a bit inhumane.
When he was at Bayern, Guardiola caused dissatisfaction among some players because of this kind of paranoia.
Now this problem has just spread to Manchester City!
However, there are no troublemakers in the Manchester City team, and the young players are relatively obedient. In addition, due to his reputation as a world-famous coach, many people dare not openly go against him, so no problems have arisen for the time being.
But if this problem is not solved, problems will arise sooner or later.
He is considering whether to find time to talk to Guardiola, both as a player and as a son.
But now, no matter what Lin Quan thinks in his heart, he will unconditionally support Guardiola.
After all, the big battle is imminent, and he cannot do anything that will undermine the coach's authority.
After seeing Lin Quan's instructions, these players all went to Guardiola to admit their mistakes.
Guardiola forgave them, but still insisted on excluding them from the next game's roster.
As for when they will be given another chance to play in the future, it depends on their attitude in their daily training.
…
On December 28, the final battle of the first half of the Premier League kicked off.
As the focus of this round of games, the match between Manchester City and Leicester City was scheduled to be the last game.
This also makes this game the last game of the top five leagues in 2015.
In order to avoid affecting the ratings, all other matches of this round of the league had ended before this top battle began.
This has made the game unprecedentedly popular and attracting attention, with hundreds of TV stations broadcasting the game and the number of viewers likely to exceed 1 billion.
Especially in the UK, the streets of Leicester City were deserted, the King Power Stadium was already packed, and even the aisles were crowded with people.
Countless fans are ready and waiting for the game to begin!
(End of this chapter)