Chapter 579 Lin Quan VS Modric
"Captain, I'm sorry, I was a little anxious just now and wasted your wonderful pass!"
Mbappe apologized to Lin Quan somewhat embarrassedly. He was very nervous because the ball didn't go in just now.
After all, your teammates worked hard to create opportunities for you, but you wasted them. Then your teammates may not pass the ball to you next time.
Especially when he is still a rookie, a failure is likely to make his teammates distrust him and then pass the ball to more trustworthy veteran players.
"Well, I was a little anxious. When the opponent's goalkeeper attacks, you don't have to be so anxious. You can think about how to deal with it more reasonably."
Mbappe has great talent, but his skills have indeed not been fully developed.
This requires more training. Fortunately, there are many experienced old players in the team. If he is more proactive, he can ask these old players for advice.
I believe that everyone will not be stingy with their experience and skills and will patiently give him guidance.
For example, if Mbappe asks him for advice, Lin Quan will be happy to share his experience.
"Brother Lin, if it was you who was facing the goalkeeper just now, what would you do?"
Mbappe has a high EQ. When he heard Lin Quan's words, he immediately asked Lin Quan for advice.
"I can dribble the ball sideways. The goalkeeper's center of gravity is lowered, and his lateral movement ability is definitely not as good as yours. After you create space, you can just shoot casually, and it will be difficult for the opponent to save the ball."
After hearing what Lin Quan said, Mbappe nodded heavily and decided to try it when he had the chance to see how it worked.
However, the goalkeeper can use his hands in the penalty area. Once the opponent approaches him, it is not easy to dribble the ball in front of the goalkeeper. It is important to control the distance and rhythm reasonably, so this is not as simple as Lin Quan said.
Manchester City used Mbappe as a variable to create an unexpected threat, but on the Real Madrid side, Bale, who also possesses strong explosive power and is known for his speed, was not convinced.
In the 28th minute, taking advantage of the opponent's full-back's assist and the lack of opportunity to return to defense, Kroos saw the defensive gap on the left side of Manchester City and immediately sent a long pass to the wing.
Bale started suddenly as if he had been equipped with nitrogen acceleration, and then ran all the way along the sidelines. The fast Manchester City wing defenders couldn't catch up at all.
But unfortunately, Bale was blocked by Van Dijk when he cut inside and missed the chance to shoot. He could only pass the ball to the middle. Benzema rushed over and completed a powerful shot before Stones could block it.
But Manchester City goalkeeper Navas accurately judged Benzema's intention and made a wonderful sideways save to save the ball.
Benzema scratched his head, feeling that he was a little impatient just now. If he had adjusted the ball slightly, observed the goalkeeper's position or sought more angles, the effect might have been better.
But in that situation, he was very worried that the opponent's defender would block him and cause him to lose the chance to shoot, so he had to shoot quickly.
C Ronaldo on the side spread his hands speechlessly. He was only half a beat behind Benzema and there was actually space around him. If Bale passed the ball to him, C Ronaldo felt he had at least a 50% chance of scoring the goal.
But this guy didn't pass it to him, which made him speechless.
The threat created by Real Madrid's attack was also considerable. Bale posed a great threat on the wing. He and Mbappe can be said to be players of the same type, with fast speed and strong explosive power. They can pass and shoot after breaking through, and are difficult to defend.
However, the real threat lies not in the front line, but in the opponent's midfield.
If it weren't for Kroos' broad vision and high football IQ to keenly capture Manchester City's gaps on the wing, there would not have been this threatening attack.
The arrival of Kroos solved the problem of Real Madrid lacking a commander who could control the tempo of the game and provide assists in the midfield and backcourt since the departure of Xabi Alonso.
His overall view and long pass ability have been proven when he was at Manchester City.
Guardiola did not underestimate him and even arranged someone to restrict him in this game.
But at present, the effect does not seem to be very good. Kroos retreats very deep and does not easily cross the center line unless the team presses forward in a big way.
At other times, he stayed behind Casemiro and let the other side protect him, so that he was always in a safe area where he could handle the ball calmly.
Speaking of which, this move was tailor-made for Kroos by Guardiola when he was in Manchester City, but unexpectedly it was learned by Zidane.
The reason why Real Madrid's attack was so threatening in this game was not only because the BBC combination on the front line was extremely strong and difficult to defend, but also because of their two midfield cores.
Kroos directed the team in the middle, and although he seldom pressed forward, his long passes could still create opportunities for his teammates, making Real Madrid's attack more difficult to defend.
As for Modric, this guy is responsible for moving forward, equivalent to an offensive midfielder.
But unlike De Bruyne of Manchester City, Modric has very comprehensive abilities.
He is proficient in dribbling, organization, advancement, shooting and other essential abilities of a midfielder, but in addition to these, he also has some abilities that ordinary midfielders do not possess - super running ability, large range of activities, excellent defensive interception ability and abundant physical strength.
He is like a hexagonal warrior, very comprehensive. Although each of his abilities is not the best, he has no weaknesses, which is exaggerated in itself.
Guardiola can see many shadows of midfielders in Modric, but in the entire football world, there is currently no second player similar to Modric.
Modric can always be seen when Real Madrid is attacking, because his ability to pass threatening balls is among the best in the Real Madrid team.
When Real Madrid was defending, Modric could also be seen because of his large range of movement, strong physical confrontation and interception abilities, and his position was closer to Manchester City's attack starting point.
It can be said that because of Modric's presence, many of Manchester City's possible attacks were resolved by his on-the-spot counter-attacks in the initial stages.
Why did Manchester City start trying to attack from the flanks?
If they don't bypass the middle, their offensive efficiency will be very poor, and they may even be counterattacked by the opponent.
But if this tactic of attacking the wing is used too much and the opponent is prepared, it may not be so effective in the second half.
The problem Guardiola is worried about is actually what Zidane is thinking about.
Real Madrid's midfield is very strong, is the opponent's midfield weak?
In this game, Guardiola played with Gundogan instead of Fernandinho.
But just one Kante made Real Madrid's attacks fail many times!
In the past three years, Kante has won three consecutive Premier League and Champions League titles with the team. He has played against many strong teams on the court. He has earned his reputation as the world's best defensive midfielder through one tough battle after another.
How strong is Kante's defense? There is a saying among fans: There is no obstacle in the world that cannot be overcome, only Kante! When Zidane saw Kante, his mind was full of the image of his former teammate Makelele.
Moreover, Manchester City's midfield not only has Kante, but also Gundogan, Lin Quan and David Silva will also participate in the defense in the middle.
If Real Madrid players are not decisive in passing the ball, they will easily fall into the opponent's encirclement and lose the ball.
The game was very intense in the midfield. Both sides made big moves, people kept falling to the ground, the game was intermittent, and was stopped from time to time. To be honest, the viewing experience was not good.
In order to control the tempo of the game and prevent the situation from getting out of control, the referee showed five yellow cards to both teams after just over 30 minutes of the first half.
Real Madrid's midfielders Kroos and Modric both received cards, and full-back Carvajal also received a yellow card.
On the Manchester City side, Gundogan and Aguero also received a yellow card. The midfielders of both teams received three yellow cards, which shows how intense the fight was.
But after Lin Quan returned to midfield, Manchester City began to gain advantage in the midfield little by little.
Modric can defend De Bruyne, but it is difficult for him to limit Lin Quan.
Because Lin Quan's ball protection and dribbling abilities are much better than De Bruyne's, and Lin Quan has a habit of passing those players who are aggressive in stealing the ball.
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Modric didn't pay attention at first and was still using the same method he used on De Bruyne to deal with Lin Quan. However, after being cleanly passed by Lin Quan several times, he immediately learned his lesson.
To defend Lin Quan, you have to use a tangle approach and not get too close. You have to limit his dribbling space and cut off his passing routes instead of snatching the ball away from his feet.
Of course, if teammates come to help defend and double-team Lin Quan, then he can give it a try.
But Manchester City did a good job of supporting the ball. Gundogan and David Silva always appeared in the right position, allowing Lin Quan to pass the ball safely without being easily intercepted.
Moreover, these two players also have strong passing ability. Once Real Madrid fails to keep up with them in time, they may send a fatal pass and hand the ball to Aguero or Mbappe.
This made Real Madrid's defense very difficult. They could not limit Lin Quan one-on-one, but if two or even three people were sent to double-team Lin Quan, his teammates would have space to move, which would also give Manchester City opportunities.
But it is not possible not to restrict Lin Quan, because this guy is not a midfielder in the traditional sense, he is essentially a forward.
If you let him dribble the ball forward smoothly, once he enters his shooting range, the goal will be in danger, and it is even likely to be scored! Real Madrid, who had just seen Lin Quan fight five people alone and defeat the entire defense of Juventus in the Champions League semi-finals, did not dare to relax their defense against Lin Quan.
But in this case, Real Madrid's situation becomes very passive.
In the second half of the first half, Manchester City's possession rate began to slowly increase.
The number of successful steals by the opponent decreased, and correspondingly, the number of Real Madrid's counterattacks also decreased, and the war was gradually pushed to Real Madrid's half.
Seeing the situation gradually falling into the opponent's control, Real Madrid fans in the stands began to get anxious.
This cannot go on. The opponent has more and more opportunities to organize attacks, and Real Madrid's defense is being tested more and more frequently. There were even dangerous situations in front of the goal several times.
If they continue to be so passive, they might lose the ball.
The situation on the field was indeed developing in a direction favorable to Manchester City, but there was not much time left in the first half.
In the 43rd minute, Manchester City launched the most threatening attack.
Lin Quan and David Silva's wall cooperation broke through Real Madrid's defense on the left. After Lin Quan dribbled the ball inside, he faked a shot and passed the ball directly through Ramos' crotch and sent the ball to Aguero's feet.
Aguero adjusted slightly and shot into the far corner. The goalkeeper had already raised his hands in surrender, but the ball hit the post and bounced out, and was kicked out of the sideline by Carvajal with a big foot.
Aguero, who missed the ball, fell to his knees on the grass, feeling extremely guilty and like an unforgivable sinner.
What a great opportunity, but I missed it! In the stands, Real Madrid fans breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the ball being blocked by the post. Many of them felt wet all over. At that moment, they broke out in a cold sweat. Only then did they relax a little, feeling like they had survived a disaster.
It was too dangerous, really too dangerous! If their luck was a little worse, they would have fallen behind.
If Manchester City had really scored this goal, it would have been a huge blow to Real Madrid's morale.
From leading to being equalized by the opponent and then being overtaken by the opponent, what a huge blow would this be to the players on the field?
Not only were Real Madrid fans scared out of their wits, but even Zidane on the sidelines was so nervous that he could hardly breathe, and even his hands, which he tried to remain calm in his trouser pockets, were shaking slightly.
He was very dissatisfied with this defense. Casemiro, if you couldn't defend him, why didn't you foul?
Don't you know how much danger it would cause to the defense if the opponent passed through that position? And Marcelo, if your defensive ability was half as strong as your offensive ability, I wouldn't have been beaten into a sieve by the opponent! Really, none of them are easy to deal with! Zidane was not satisfied with Real Madrid's defense line.
But Real Madrid's defense is actually not bad. Even a strong Juventus defense can't stop Manchester City's attack, right?
When the opponent's attack ability exceeds your defensive ability, you will not be able to stop the opponent's attack.
After taking a look at the game time, Zidane breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, the first half was almost over, otherwise, if Manchester City continued to play like this for ten minutes, he felt that Real Madrid would definitely lose the ball.
No, I have to think carefully about how to play in the second half.
Real Madrid played well at the beginning of the first half. If they had continued to play at that pace, Real Madrid would have had a great chance.
But if Real Madrid continues to play at the same pace as in the second half of the first half, then their chances of winning will be slim.
Therefore, we still need to make some efforts in the midfield.
The opponent's number ten must be restricted!
(End of this chapter)