Chapter 326: Oh my god, Guardiola is at it again!

Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

Amid the harsh noise, the two teams finished their pre-match warm-up and walked through the player tunnel back to the locker room.

"I won't go into too much detail on tactics, I'll just focus on the midfield and backcourt."

"Because N'Golo can't play, our two flanks will be under great pressure. Manchester City will definitely target this area and use their individual strength to try to break through."

Mourinho pointed to the tactical board and said in a steady and calm voice: "So, the key to winning the game lies in defense. We can't play offensive football against Manchester City like we did before. We will only lose the game if we do that."

"Today's main theme is defensive counterattack!"

Mourinho looked at Chu Feng and said, "Chu, everyone including you must return to defense and try to block Manchester City's early attack. At least drag the game to the second half. That's when we can exert our strength."

"I understand." Chu Feng nodded.

Fortunately, the Champions League final was played at night and he didn't have to face the scorching sun.

You shouldn't worry about physical fitness issues.

"Before the Champions League final last season, I told you a lot about honor, faith and so on. I won't say more today."

"Because we have been through so much along the way. At first I really thought we would fall to Liverpool, but in the end -"

Mourinho shook his head and interrupted himself, "So I believe that your desire to win must be stronger than anyone else. Next, prove it with your actions!"

Chu Feng looked at Mourinho's slightly upturned mouth and couldn't help but smile happily.

Although the boss didn't give a chicken blood injection, the effect was no less than that of a chicken blood injection.

After all, even he, who had an older soul, couldn't help but feel his blood boiling, and the rest of his teammates would only be more excited.

He tied his shoelaces, stood up and stomped his feet, saying, "No matter what the result of the game is, don't leave yourself with regrets!"

"come on!"

The loud sound echoed in the locker room.

McArthur, De Gea, Maguire and others stood up and stretched out their right hands to fold them.

"come on!!!--"

There was determination in everyone's eyes, and they shouted hysterically.

As Mourinho said.

There is only one step left to the finish line, and no one will choose to retreat here.

Even if I have to crawl, I will crawl to the end!

This is what the Manchester United players think.

Meanwhile, in the Manchester City dressing room.

Guardiola walked out of the locker room and closed the door.

Kompany didn't know what was said.

But more than ten minutes later, Manchester City players walked out of the locker room with red eyes.

Player tunnel.

The atmosphere between the two teams was pretty good, not too tense.

But everyone knows that when the whistle blows, they are the biggest enemy.

There is only one champion, and everyone wants it.

That depends on your skills and fighting spirit, because it has always been like this on the football field.

Suddenly, the UEFA Champions League theme song sounded.

The Wanda Metropolitano Stadium was surrounded by brilliant fireworks, and the lonely night sky of Madrid was also lit up at this moment.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

"Welcome to the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League final!"

“.”

The host stood in the center of the stage.

After a brief introduction, the opening ceremony of the Champions League began.

There aren't many tricks this year.

Believer

The explosive sound of the Imagine Dragons band rang out, spreading to every corner of the stadium, raising the atmosphere to the extreme.

But the most shocking thing is the stands on all four sides.

Red smoke was billowing, a giant Tifo was unfolded, and flags were flying in the wind. The fanatical Manchester United fans seemed to be treating the stadium as Old Trafford.

After all, Manchester United has participated in many Champions League finals.

"Manchester United!!!——"

"Manchester United!!!——"

Accompanied by the deafening drumbeats, Manchester United fans shouted slogans, and it seemed that even the stadium was shaking.

And the song of Imagine Dragons also came to an end.

This is Radioactive.

"I raise the battle flag, put on my armor, and I think a revolution is about to begin!"

"We paint ourselves red to represent danger and get involved!"

“I’m getting used to it, and I’m ready!”

“.”

"I feel the power in my body, it's enough to transform my body into a new one!"

"Welcome to the new era!"

Chu Feng felt something was wrong the more he listened, and whispered to Matic, "Is this lyric hinting that we will start a new era?"

Matic: “.”

You are really good at association.

But it seems that there is nothing wrong with it. Isn’t it obvious who is red between Manchester City and Manchester United?

soon.

Led by the referee team, everyone walked out of the player tunnel.

Wow!!! The stadium instantly boiled like boiling water.

When passing by the Big Ear Cup, Chu Feng reached out and touched it, and Maguire was almost scared to death.

But he knew there was a terrible curse in football - whoever touched the trophy before the game would lose.

"Then did you know that I touched it last season too?"

Chu Feng asked back with a smile.

Maguire: “That’s fine!”

He turned around and looked around excitedly, just like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden.

The Champions League final! How many players have never played in their lives, but he was able to stand on the highest stage of football at the beginning of his career.

“Genius is just the threshold to meet me.”

Maguire learned a saying from somewhere and sighed with pretending to be deeply moved.

"I give you 8.5 points for this sentence, because I am really speechless 1.5 points."

Chu Feng complained.

Soon, the two teams stood in a row.

The camera passed in front of the players one by one, and the one that stayed longest was Chu Feng. After all, he was considered a superstar in both teams.

Last season's Champions League final is regarded as a classic by many fans.

Hat tricks, consecutive equalizers, penalty shootouts. The appearance of any one of these elements would make people's blood boil, let alone having all of them.

Even the movie "Goal" can't compare to it.

At this stage, the most famous young star in the world is Chu Feng.

Even the newly crowned World Cup champion Mbappe can't compare to him.

Who makes Ligue 1 not as popular as the Premier League?

After shaking hands, exchanging team flags, selecting halftime and other procedures, the Manchester United players came to the side of the field and took a group photo.

The live commentary booth at this time.

Neville and his old partners including Carragher, Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu gathered together to comment on this football feast.

"Good evening, audience friends!"

"Now we are broadcasting the 2018-19 Champions League final live for you!"

"Manchester United vs Manchester City!"

"This is the fifth matchup between the two Manchester clubs this season!"

"Without further ado, let me introduce the starting lineups of the two teams. The team wearing red jerseys is Manchester United. Mourinho has deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation. The goalkeeper is:"

"Because Kante, the defensive general in the backcourt, cannot play, Mourinho chose a balanced 4231 formation, so this game is not expected to be very exciting."

"But there has never been a famous final since ancient times."

Zhan Jun thought about it and felt something was wrong, so he changed the subject and continued to explain: "Let's take a look at Manchester City's starting lineup, um——"

"I've heard that Guardiola likes to make things happen during crucial matches, and today I finally saw it again."

"Manchester City's 3-2-2-3 formation, goalkeeper:."

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

"In May 2011, Barcelona defeated Manchester United at Wembley. Ferguson's hands were shaking in the coaching booth, which was enough to reflect how strong Barcelona was at that time."

"However, Guardiola never won the Champions League again in the next eight years. Apart from bad luck, constant 'stuffing' may be the most important reason why Guardiola was repeatedly eliminated."

"Let me give you a few examples."

"In the 2011-12 season, Barcelona reached the semi-finals. After losing 0-1 to Chelsea in the first leg, Guardiola decided to use a 3-3-1-3 formation in the second leg. This tactic was effective for a time, and Barcelona led 2-0, but then Ramires and Torres scored a goal each on the counterattack, and Barcelona was eliminated."

"In the 2013-14 season, Guardiola led Bayern to four titles, but was eliminated by Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals. After losing 0-1 in the first leg, Guardiola decided to use a 424 formation in the second leg, but the opponent scored three goals in the first 34 minutes."

"In the 2014-15 season, Bayern advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League, and their opponent was Barcelona. In the first leg away game, Guardiola changed to a 352 formation, with Lewandowski and Muller forming a double striker. As a result, Messi scored two goals in four minutes, and Neymar scored another goal at the last moment. Bayern lost the first leg 0-3. After changing back to a four-back formation in the second leg, Bayern won 3-2, but was still eliminated."

“.”

Fortunately, Zhan Jun prepared the information before the game, otherwise he would not be able to finish it in one breath.

"Then let's talk about today's 3-2-2-3 formation. I can understand the focus on Manchester United's midfield, but the arrangement of the rest of the players is also appropriate."

"But what does it mean to let Stones play as a defensive midfielder? Is Guardiola going to continue to innovate and come up with a 'waist defender'?"

Zhan Jun said it casually, but he didn't know that he hit the mark.

Maybe all the fans don’t understand now, but Chu Feng knows what Guardiola means.

Waist guard swingman.

He originally thought that this "waist defender" tactic would appear in the next season. After all, Manchester City's personnel configuration and Stones' ability are both insufficient at this stage.

But it is probably because Manchester United put too much pressure on Guardiola.

The future father-in-law is still strong!

Chu Feng was deeply moved.

But can this tactic really be effective? Chu Feng did not hold high expectations, because it had not been verified and adjusted through practice.

There aren't many problems with training alone.

When it comes to football, stability is everything.

Guardiola must understand this truth because he once coached the Dream Three Barcelona and used a very high ball possession rate to maintain stability.

But that's just the way he is.

Call him arrogant or self-doubting, it doesn't matter.

"If you defend against a double striker with four defenders, then in midfield you have six players and the opponent has eight.

You can't win a midfield battle like this. So you need to push a defender forward."

Guardiola muttered to himself.

This is a sentence Cruyff once said, and it is also the source of inspiration for his tactics.

The world of football also emphasizes - survival of the fittest.

There is no point in staying in the same place forever.

At least Guardiola doesn't like this, even if it can win the championship.

“The most beautiful thing about football is not championships and victories, but the geometric aesthetics composed of twenty-two points.”

Guardiola looked up at the sky in a daze.

When the camera was focused on him, Zhan Jun couldn't help but sigh: "Paranoid football explorer, respectable perfectionist. It is because of such people that football can develop rapidly and continue to improve."

Beep!!! With the referee's whistle, the game begins!

Manchester City have the ball.

Aguero passed the ball back to Gundogan, and Manchester City began to slowly penetrate forward.

"Don't step back!"

Chu Feng shouted and rushed forward first.

Manchester City adopted a 3223 formation, definitely wanting to occupy the midfield and then slowly erode the space.

If Manchester City really achieves its goal, they will inevitably concede a goal.

What's more, Manchester City has four players in the midfield and Manchester United has five players in the midfield, so they have the advantage in numbers.

Why can’t we win?

But the reality is cruel, they just can't win.

Manchester City's forwards took turns retreating, supporting their teammates while looking for opportunities to break forward.

Small, fast and smart.

This characteristic of Manchester City players has put great pressure on Manchester United.

Everyone started to miss Kante.

After all, there is a saying: The biggest flaw in Kanter is the gap between his teeth.

9th minute of the first half.

After Manchester City established an advantage in the midfield, they suddenly changed the tempo and accelerated.

The ball was transferred to the left by Gundogan.

Sane probably drank too much chicken blood and forced a breakthrough at the risk of injury.

In the end, he really stumbled through it.

Wan Bissaka blocked the inside line upon seeing this.

However, Sane had already sent a cross.

The football flew at a distance of half a person's height and went straight to Aguero in front of the penalty area.

A Kun also wanted to imitate Van Persie, squatting on the spot to head the ball, and he did get a little bit of it.

But the ball was blocked by David Luiz in front of the goal.

The Brazilian drove directly to the center circle.

Chu Feng quickly moved to the landing point, looked back and was almost startled.

Laporte, Otamendi and Stones formed a bowl shape to surround him.

Unless he learns to use the Hand of God like Maradona, he will definitely not be able to grab the football.

This is exactly the case.

Otamendi headed the ball back into Manchester United's half, and the game situation returned to the same as at the beginning.

When Manchester City was attacking, Stones was in the front.

Forming a position similar to that of a defensive midfielder.

The famous football coaches who were watching the game also discovered the clues of this tactic at this moment.

Manchester City's passing and control became much smoother.

In fact, its essence is to strengthen control.

When Manchester City's frontcourt teammates were all marked, Stones became a temporary organizer and began to advance forward with frequent short passes.

He has always thought he knows a good deal about football.

But since becoming a player under Guardiola, he feels that his understanding and cognition of football have been overturned.

“When your team has the ball, you need to decide your position according to the situation. Once you find the most suitable position, you will find that all problems will become simpler.”

Guardiola said this to Stones a month ago.

Through serious study during this period and his previous experience as a midfielder, Stones gradually understood the meaning of "waist defender".

(End of this chapter)