Chapter 335 Messi can do it!
It is easy for Juventus to hide, but it is difficult to press forward again.
When the home team contracted their defense, Barcelona had already successfully taken control of the midfield. Deco and Xavi, as well as Ronaldinho and Iniesta, plus the back line, had gradually adjusted the rhythm of passing and controlling the ball to a consistent pace and coordinated their pace.
As a result, when Juventus was equalized, they suddenly found that they couldn't play it safe even if they wanted to.
Especially when facing Barcelona's waves of organizational penetration, Juventus dared not be careless anymore and could only shrink their defense.
It has to be said that when the Zebras retreated, their defense was still quite solid.
As soon as the game reached a stalemate, it went straight into the second half.
Capello made a substitution in the 60th minute, replacing Piero with Sarayeta.
The Zebra captain's performance tonight was not ideal and he did not get any good chances, so Capello replaced him with Sarajevo.
This further stimulated the emotions of Barcelona players.
Two years ago at Camp Nou, in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, after a 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Alpi Stadium, the second leg also ended in a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou. Lippi then replaced Sarayeta and the two sides entered overtime.
In the 114th minute, during a quick counterattack by Juventus, Sarayeta received a cross from his teammate on the right and shot the ball into the goal of Barcelona, helping Juventus beat Barcelona 2-1 away from home.
It can be said that it was Zalayeta’s substitute appearance that led to Barcelona’s elimination two years ago.
Now, with the passage of time, Capello once again substituted Sarayeta.
Is this a coincidence? Obviously not!
…
Barcelona was well prepared for Sarayeta's substitution and immediately adjusted the team's defense.
Most importantly, the midfield still firmly controls the ball and rhythm.
This is Barcelona's advantage.
But when the time entered the 70th minute, Barcelona had to make substitutions.
Deco was also injured and started the game with an injury. Rijkaard clearly felt on the sidelines that Deco's running ability had declined a lot after 60 minutes.
Substitution is inevitable, but who should be replaced?
There is really no one who can be replaced on Barcelona's bench now. The only capable player is Larsson, and the others are young players from the youth team, such as Messi, Riera, Navarro and Rodri, etc.
Rijkaard couldn't help but think of what Su Dong had said before, that Messi was not suitable for starting because of his thin body, but was suitable to be a surprise weapon in the second half, so he asked Ten Cate for his opinion.
"Iniesta did perform well. He covered a large area and was very active in both attack and defense. He also handled several passes and breakthroughs very well and had good awareness." Ten Cate spoke highly of the young player.
Everyone can see that Iniesta is a very good player, but if Su Dong hadn't recommended him, Rijkaard would probably have used Larsson because the latter is a bigger name and more mature.
Judging from the performance on the field, Iniesta played very well.
He can move forward and participate in the attack, and cooperate with Deco and Xavi. For example, once again, when Xavi moved forward, he took the initiative to retreat to the midfield to defend. This awareness is very rare.
The live TV broadcast certainly couldn't capture Iniesta's retreat to defend, so the fans couldn't see this scene either, but as a coach, he could not ignore Iniesta's action.
This proves that Su Dong's vision is still very accurate.
"Let him partner with Xavi and let Messi play on the right side," Ten Cate suggested.
Rijkaard nodded and immediately called Messi.
Messi, with long hair, leaned in front of the home team's coaching bench, listening to Rijkaard and Ten Cate's analysis and requirements for him. In fact, it was very simple, there was only one.
Do your best to cooperate with Su Dong and create opportunities for him! Messi nodded heavily. He would definitely do so without the coach's instructions.
…
In the 71st minute, Messi replaced Deco.
Iniesta returned to midfield and partnered with Xavi, while Messi moved up to play as right winger.
"Barcelona's number 30, the 17-year-old from Argentina, Leo Messi."
"It had never happened before in the Champions League. There were a lot of injuries in the Barcelona team this time. Rijkaard brought him to Turin and substituted him in the second half."
“I wonder if this young player can perform to the satisfaction of Rijkaard?”
"We saw Messi ran over to high-five and hug Su Dong. As far as we know, he and Su Dong have a very good relationship."
"These two young players are not very old. Su Dong is just 20 years old, and Messi is only 17 years old. Together with Iniesta, who is also 20 years old, Barcelona's next offensive combination is very young."
…
Juventus' defense remained impenetrable and did not loosen up because of Barcelona's substitutions.
Barcelona controlled the situation on the field and the ball, but could only create shots through long shots.
Xavi, Ronaldinho and Su Dong all took long shots, but none of them could get into the penalty area.
This also created a rather awkward stalemate.
But after equalizing the score, Barcelona was not in a hurry. After all, a 1-1 away result was acceptable for Barcelona.
The two sides continued to be in a stalemate and consume each other's energy.
In the 78th minute of the game, Xavi was dribbling the ball slowly in the midfield when he suddenly saw the opportunity and sent a long-distance pass that accurately reached the middle between Zambrotta and Cannavaro.
Messi realized it, quickly chased after it, and tried to stop the ball behind Zambrotta.
Unfortunately, he was too slow and his legs were too short, so he failed to stop the ball and fell into the penalty area instead.
There was a cry of surprise from the Alpi Stadium.
"If the person who stopped the ball was Su Dong, then Juventus would be in danger."
"Capello is now focusing his defensive attention on Sudon and Ronaldinho. Messi still relies more on Zambrotta to guard him, so he still has to be careful."
"This 17-year-old young player made a good run just now."
…
Su Dong walked over and picked Messi up from the ground.
"Are you okay?"
Messi shook his head. "What a shame, I was a little slow to react."
The young Argentine player was also breathing heavily.
Su Dong understood, "Don't keep going into the penalty area, go outside, you will have more opportunities."
After Messi came on as a substitute, whether he was connecting with the midfield or supporting Su Dong, since he is a left-footed player, he tended to move to the middle more often, trying to shorten the distance between himself and Su Dong.
Judging from his usual performance, as long as he gets the ball and as long as the opponent does not foul, he will find a way to pass the ball to Su Dong's feet.
But Juventus is not a pushover either. Capello's team can defend like a rock, so how can they be dealt with so easily? "Then I'll go to the wing. You pay attention. I'll adapt to the situation."
Su Dong laughed, reached out his hand, grabbed Messi's already wet head hard, and nodded encouragingly.
Su Dong knows this kid's strength better than anyone else.
If he really gets the ball, he will definitely be able to pass it.
…
After 80 minutes, neither side had any intention of making substitutions.
Barcelona's situation is not difficult to understand, Rijkaard has no one to replace.
As long as Su Dong is not injured or sick, Larsson can only sit on the bench and guard the water dispenser.
As for other young players, who can be replaced?
Juventus did not even make any substitutions, which shows that Capello is not very opposed to a 1-1 result.
Or it should be said that he did not want to be greedy for attacking, which would lead to mistakes in the defense, and he even restricted Zambrotta's forward runs.
But the problem is, just because he doesn't want to, doesn't mean other players don't want to either.
In a counterattack after a midfield interception, Blasi dribbled forward to support his teammates and quickly passed the ball to Ibrahimovic. The Swedish center stopped the ball and shot directly, but the shot hit Puyol and bounced out.
Marcos grabbed the ball and quickly passed it to Belletti.
Belletti took two steps forward along the right and passed the ball to Iniesta.
After Iniesta got the ball on the center line, he turned and rushed forward with the ball.
Barcelona's offensive players in the frontcourt are also advancing quickly.
Iniesta saw that Messi did not move towards the middle but ran to the outside, so he immediately sent a straight pass.
Iniesta sent the ball straight behind Juventus' defense, near the right side of the penalty area.
Messi sprinted forward at the fastest speed, but Zambrotta was also fast and blocked the inside.
The young Argentine player got the ball first, but as soon as he stopped, Zambrotta arrived.
The ball stopped on the edge of the penalty area, and Messi stopped abruptly and chose to go back.
At the same time, Su Dong deliberately slowed down and only reached the top of the arc at this time. Ronaldinho was further back at the far point, in order to widen the level of attack.
When Messi stopped suddenly and walked back, Su Dong called him, reminding him that Emerson had run over.
Sure enough, as soon as Messi took a step, the Brazilian midfielder rushed to him.
Fortunately, thanks to Su Dong's reminder, Messi decisively made a fake move, tricking Emerson into thinking he was going to pass the ball, and suddenly dribbled the ball directly to the baseline. This move not only fooled Emerson, but also surprised Zambrotta.
At this time, Su Dong had already come to the penalty spot, and Cannavaro and Thuram were holding him tightly.
Su Dong was watching Messi's every move. When he saw Messi dribbling the ball to the baseline and leaving Zambrotta behind, he knew that Messi was going to pass the ball and immediately rushed forward.
He knew that Messi would definitely be able to pass the ball!
After Messi shook off Zambrotta, he dribbled the ball towards the baseline.
As a left-footed player, Messi is not very good at using his right foot, but Zambrotta and Emerson really forced him into a corner and he could only choose to cross the ball from the bottom.
How to pass? Messi has no choice but to pass the ball high with his right foot.
His footwork was not well controlled, and his strength was not very accurate. He could only try his best to pass the ball and let it land in front of the goal. The rest depended on Su Dong himself! He believed that Su Dong would be able to suppress Cannavaro and Thuram and jump to grab the ball.
The two of them usually practiced and played indoor football together all day long, and he knew how quickly Su Dong could predict the path of the ball.
Others can't do it, but Su Dong can!
(End of this chapter)
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