On February 20, it was still Manchester, but the Etihad Stadium.

In a key battle in the round of 16 of the Champions League, Premier League upstart Manchester City encountered the Champions League upstart Hamburg.

The match drew 55,000 fans into the Etihad and was packed to capacity.

'Man City are in good form, so I still think they're going to win comfortably at home to Hamburg.'

In the Sky Sports press booth, Gary Neville said, but his face was not very good-looking.

Carragher, who was sitting next to him, quipped: "Do you think Manchester City are in good shape because of their performance in the Manchester derby?" I said, is there such a possibility, is it because Manchester United is so bad this season? ”

"Shut up!" Neville rolled his eyes, "At least both of Manchester teams are in the last 16 of the Champions League. What about Liverpool? Can you help me get a ticket to their Champions League this season? ”

Neville and Carragher played for Manchester United and Liverpool respectively as players, and they were a-for-tat on the pitch.

After retiring, they have become a pair of living treasures who love and kill each other, and the bickering in the TV station can be regarded as a repertoire that fans like to see.

Therefore, Carragher was not angry, and he smiled: "You can be arrogant, but you should not be arrogant for too long." Next season, it's going to be me who says that. ”

Carragher certainly had the confidence to say this.

In this season's Premier League, Liverpool is still in contention for the title, and the Champions League place looks like a great chance.

Manchester United, on the other hand, is already a huge points gap from the top of the table, not to mention the title and the top four, and even Europa League qualification is not in hand.

"Let's watch today's game first." Neville digressed the subject, intentionally or unintentionally, "Judging from the Manchester derby, Manuel Pellegrini's transformation of this Manchester City team has been very successful, their attacking combination is very flexible, and I doubt that Hamburg will be able to adapt to this style of play. ”

Carragher said: "But we've also seen Hamburg's game, and Pan Yi's team is the same, and I feel like it's just as good as the changes up front. So I don't agree with you. ”

Neville argued: "I'm still the same as before. The reason why Hamburg can play such a fluid combination is because they don't have to deal with the tough defense of the Premier League teams. You also watched the Manchester derby a few days ago, is that kind of offensive and defensive conversion speed comparable to the likes of Braunschweig? ”

“…… You should at least compare Leverkusen or Borussia Dortmund, right? Carragher was a little speechless.

"That's the same. They're just some teams that focus on offense and don't defend anymore. Neville waved his hand, "This Manchester City, when it turns from attack to defense, will take a very aggressive counterattack to prevent the opponent from counterattacking, so that it is difficult for Hamburg to have the opportunity to combine an effective attack." ”

Carragher took a different view: "But it also means that Manchester City's midfielders need to move in front of the arc of the opposition penalty area when they are in possession, and there is no guarantee that the structure of each attack can provide adequate protection. In this way, there is a lot of space between the forward line and the back line, which could be exploited by Hamburg's group of extremely fast forwards. ”

'I'm skeptical that players who are used to the rhythm of the Bundesliga will find such a vacancy. Neville snorted, "It's useless to talk too much, let's see how Manchester City give Hamburg the strength of the Premier League!" ”

……

In the away team's locker room, Pan Yi was giving the players a final reminder.

Judging from the previous Manchester City starting list, Pellegrini should still use the 4411 formation when he won the Manchester derby easily, but with a change at the back.

He replaced Klich with a more attacking left wing-back, Kolarov.

It also shows Pellegrini's attitude towards this game, which is to win Hamburg at home to take advantage of the promotion.

"Manchester City will definitely attack in the opening game, we must be mentally prepared and we can't mess up no matter what."

'Their attackers up front are going to be a lot of cross-positioning, but we have a zone defence where you only keep an eye on the players who come into your zone and you can't run around with them and the formation is scattered.

'Also, they'll have more through balls and of course crosses from the wings, so we need to be very careful and not leave too much space.

Pan Yi also named Van Dijk, Rudiger and Casemiro: "In addition to keeping an eye on their centre-forward Dzeko, you also have to focus on Aguero. Especially when he's in the middle of the penalty area, and if he retreats deep, be cautious to keep up and avoid being diverted from the mountain! ”

It's Etihad, after all, it's Manchester City's home stadium, and they're in great shape and in high spirits.

If you have a fierce hedge with the blue moon at the beginning, it is actually a bit unwise.

Of course, Hamburg had a physical advantage due to the rotation, but that was not reflected in the opening stages.

Therefore, Pan Yi's opening will seek to be safe, avoid Manchester City's attack, and then find a way to counterattack.

"No matter how fierce they start with, let's not panic. And no matter what happens, what accident happens, even if they score first, don't rush, don't mess up. ”

'They don't have a winter break in the Premier League, they have more Carabao Cup, they have played more than four or five games than us in that time. Just a few days ago, their main players played a tight Manchester derby and there were definitely fitness issues. ”

"And their players are generally older than us, so they can't run without us! As long as we hold our ground, the next opportunity is ours! Our match with Manchester City will come in the second half! ”

"This is Hamburg's first Champions League knockout game in many years, and it's the first Champions League knockout game of many of you in your career, and it's actually the first game since I became manager!"

"The first time, it's always difficult, and sometimes you may not find the direction to exert yourself and the entrance to move forward."

"But I also ask you to believe that as long as you relax and play at your level, I will definitely lead you to a good result from the Etihad!"

"And then, as I promised you, we're going to make it to the quarterfinals, the semi-finals, and the final! The Stadium of Light is waiting for us! ”

After listening, the players were enthusiastic and agreed in unison!

……

With the cheers of more than 50,000 fans at the Etihad Stadium, the referee officially blew the whistle for the start of the game.

Sure enough, as Pan Yi expected, Manchester City pressed on the attack as soon as it started.

In addition to the front four still actively running and attacking, City's two wing-backs are also pressing hard.

Kolarov on the left, in particular, has been linking up with David Silva to attack Hamburg's flanks.

The Serbian left-back is 1.87m tall, but Kolarov is not bad at agility, he is known for his wide range and agility.

And when up front, he often threatens Hamburg's goal with his trademark powerful shot from the left flank.

When Kolarov assists up, Fernandinho or Yaya Toure behind him will fill in the void in time, so he has no worries.

This style of play is actually very modern football, and it is also somewhat similar to Pan Yi's hamburger.

The main idea is to create a numerical advantage in local areas through the active running of players and interspersed with fills.

And City's players executed very well.

So after the opening, with the cheers of the home fans, Manchester City really forced Hamburg a little embarrassed.

Hamburg's backfield combination had some difficulty, and it was not always as fluid when it came to delivering shells forward or to the flanks.

So the Hamburg players followed Pan Yi's instructions before the game, not rushing to attack, but narrowed the defense line a little back, and the encounter line was also retracted, so as to better deal with Manchester City's stormy attack.

In this way, Manchester City pressed a little more.

Even Fernandinho and Yaya Toure began to press forward and press more aggressively against the Hamburg defence.

They also created a few shots on goal.

In the 5th minute, Kolarov crossed from the left, and Dzeko in the middle shook his header, but it went over the crossbar.

In the eighth minute, Jesus Navas broke down the right and crossed, Aguero grabbed the spot and fired a right-footed shot, but the ball hit the side-netting.

In the 12th minute, City launched another attack on the left flank.

After a one-two with David Silva, Kolarov cut forward at high speed to get the ball and sprint to the bottom line and cross.

Carvajal defended well and stopped this attempt.

And Kolarov didn't have to cross a lot, he glanced at the middle, then shook the angle and flicked the ball through.

By this time, Dzeko, who was in the middle, had retreated to the top of the penalty area, a move that also allowed him to avoid Van Dijk's defence, giving Kolarov a passing line.

The ball also went to Dzeko's feet.

He stopped the ball, adjusted it a little, and bent his bow and was ready to shoot!

At this time, Rudiger, who came to make up for the defense, saw that the situation was not good, and directly made a flying tackle, ready to block Dzeko's shot angle.

But instead of shooting, Dzeko made a false shot, ready to switch the ball to the other foot to shoot.

Rudiger's foot couldn't contain it, and he shoveled directly into Dzeko's supporting foot, knocking him to the ground.

"Beep! ——”

The referee's whistle blew as soon as it sounded, then signalled for a free-kick and gave Rudiger a yellow card.

"Line up the human wall! Line up the human wall! Pan Yi on the sidelines frowned, stood up and shouted.

This Dzeko is really difficult to deal with, even if he has already told Van Dijk and Rudiger a thousand times, he still took advantage of it.

And the position of this free kick is also very good, which makes Pan Yi have a little bad premonition.

By this time, David Silva and Kolarov were already standing in front of the ball.

The two discussed a few words, and then both stepped back.

David Silva assisted, but ran straight past without touching the ball.

Kolarov ran again, this time he raised his foot and shot!

The ball made a beautiful arc around Hamburg's wall and into the Hamburg goal from the near corner.

Faced with such a high-quality free-kick, Hamburg goalkeeper Kylor Navas had no choice but to make any moves.

“GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL！！！！！！！！ Man City scored!! ”

After Kolarov scored, he turned and ran in excitement, and all the Manchester City players ran after him to celebrate.

Kolarov, the "golden left foot", in addition to his strong assist ability and a long-range shot, his free kick skills are also famous all over the world.

When he was in Serie A Lazio, he was even hailed as Mihajlovic's successor!

At this time, the Hamburg players were all stunned and looked depressed.

It's only been about ten minutes before conceding a goal, and it's not a good game.

"Remember what I told you in the locker room!!" Pan Yi on the sidelines yelled.

Of course he wasn't happy when Hamburg conceded the goal, but he knew he couldn't show that emotion right now.

Once the manager is impatient, the players are not going to get better.

"Cheer me up! Steady, kick well! It's still a long time! ”

"Who is going to be depressed again, be careful and wait until I kick him in the ass with my boots!"

"Look at what you see, it's you! You kid give me a head up! ”

After a loud shout, the players came to their senses.

The main reason is that Pan Yi's status in the Hamburg locker room is really high, and everyone also trusts him 100% unconditionally.

He is the backbone of the Hamburg team!

Under Pan Yi's reminder, the Hamburg players also regained their spirits and threw themselves into the game!

……

In the stands of the chairman of the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City president Hosni Mubarak, football director Begiristain and CEO Soriano were all watching the game.

When Kolarov scored a beautiful free-kick against Hamburg, they jumped up and cheered and hugged one by one, just like ordinary fans.

"Beautiful!"

"Beautiful!"

"Great!"

There's certainly a reason for their excitement.

Since the Abu Dhabi Group took over Manchester City in 2008, winning the FA Cup in 2011 and the Premier League in 2012, they have shifted their focus to the Champions League.

Winning the Champions League is the ultimate pursuit of Mansour, the boss behind Manchester City!

It can even be said that the main reason for the dismissal of former Manchester City coach Mancini was not the loss of the Premier League title or the FA Cup final, but the humiliating exit from the bottom of the Champions League group stage with 3 draws and 3 defeats.

The recruitment of Chilean engineer Manuel Pellegrini to take over the position of Manchester City was also based on his excellent performance in the Champions League when he was in La Liga.

'It seems that Manuel Pellegrini was the right choice to be the manager. "He has a very versatile style of play and he is able to build the right tactics around the characteristics of the players he has. ”

Director Begiristain also nodded: "Yes, I think he is one of the best managers in world football today. ”

"It's good that we didn't choose Pan Yi." Mubarak laughed, "He's still too young. ”

When Mancini left class, Manchester City's top management really seriously considered Pan Yi.

At that time, Pan Yi had just led Hamburg to a runner-up finish in the Bundesliga, and his treble achievements during his time as an assistant coach in Milan did not go unnoticed.

However, after a long discussion, the senior management still believes that Pan Yi's achievements after independent coaching still do not guarantee that he can be qualified for the position of Manchester City manager.

First of all, Pan Yi has only been the head coach for one year, and sometimes it is normal for a new coach to make some achievements in the early days of coaching, but the difficult thing is to consistently produce results.

This kind of example is also very common in world football, and it feels like a kind of "novice luck".

For example, Roberto Di Matteo took over the reins of Chelsea and won a Champions League, but then disappeared.

And sometimes, it is some coaches who lead small teams to do well, but once they reach a strong team, they don't work immediately.

When you think he's really not good, he goes back to the small team and immediately does it again!

This is the common name "will not drive an aircraft carrier".

There are even more such people, like Emery, Moyes...... It's all true.

And for Manchester City and Sheikh Mansour, they want to build a dynasty.

Not only a dynasty that can rule the Premier League, but also a dynasty that can dominate the Champions League!

Therefore, a stable, strong, and senior head coach who can "drive an aircraft carrier" is a must.

And now it seems that Pellegrini is the one they are looking for!

As for Pan Yi......

Let's watch for a few more years and see if he can really prove himself!

……

The game resumes.

Although Manchester City led by one goal, they still kept organising attacks.

This is actually one of Pellegrini's more distinctive characteristics.

When a team is ahead but not much, many teams will take some way to avoid risk.

The strong ones will use "ball defense" and use possession as an alternative to defense;

The weaker ones will fall back to the low post and organize a solid defensive structure.

However, Pellegrini often doesn't do both.

Instead, he will keep the team in a more direct attacking style and hope to score a second and third goal in the transition to extend the advantage.

In addition, no matter what time period he is in or what opponent he faces, he will insist on aggressive high pressing.

This is actually one of the reasons why Manchester City's top management chose Manuel Pellegrini as the manager.

More goals and better games are also important factors in attracting fans to the stadium.

As a "new giant", Manchester City has a big gap with those "old money" fans around the world.

For example, compared to their neighbor Manchester United, it is not at all a grade.

But as long as Manchester City sticks to the attacking style of play and can still win, it will slowly close this part of the gap, so that Manchester City can truly become a world-class giant team with loyal fans all over the world!

However, at the competitive level, Pellegrini's approach is also risky.

It is that once you can't score more goals, under strong pressure will lead to a decline in physical fitness, the space between the two lines will be exposed, and you will lose control of the rhythm of the game.

Including if you encounter some opponents with a more direct style of play, such as losing to the underdog Sunderland this season, the opponent will defuse Manchester City's pressing through long passes, and then crush Manchester City to death.

Pellegrini knows this as well.

So although Manchester City have taken the lead, the Chilean engineer is still a little uneasy in his heart.

After all, Hamburg now seems to have stabilized their position after a hint of panic and conceded goals after the opening kick-off.

Especially after Pan Yi stood up and yelled for a while, the faces of the Hamburg players did not show any anxiety and panic, but they were patiently building a defensive line to withstand Manchester City's attack, and they were not in a hurry to push the ball to the front.

It's been 15 minutes and Hamburg hasn't even had a shot on goal!

But they are still defending aggressively without hurrying.

This did come as a bit of a surprise to Pellegrini.

Of course, he had studied the Hamburg game before, and he also knew that Pan Yi's team was mostly young, and they often launched onslaught in the opening stages, which was simply a copy of Manchester City.

But today it's a bit unusual, and even falling behind is like no one.

"They're really calm." Sitting next to Pellegrini was assistant coach Brian Kidd, who looked at the head coach, "Does Pan Yi want to withstand our onslaught first, and then launch a counterattack in the second half?" ”

"When we're about the same amount of energy?" Pellegrini asked.

Kidd nodded: "With the current style of play of the team, in the second half, we will have a big fitness problem. And at that time, they may have a chance to fight back. ”

Pellegrini also nodded silently.

Why didn't he know about it?

They had just played a Manchester derby a few days earlier that was about the title and honours, and the usual high schedule of Premier League teams was exhausting many players.

Although Hamburg on the other side is also fighting on the third line, it can only be a drop in the bucket compared to Manchester City, which is fighting on the fourth line, has no Christmas holidays, and has more games.

Not to mention that in the previous league Hamburg was a full rotation of players, now the main players in the starting line are all well-rested.

The average age of Hamburg is also a lot lower than that of Manchester City!

But Pellegrini also knows they can't slow down.

Hamburg are also good at controlling the tempo of the game and then hitting lethal attacks.

If City slow down, Hamburg can get up and down and push City into an unfamiliar pace.

Therefore, what Pellegrini can do is to let the players attack desperately and win more goals when they are still in good physical condition!

In this way, it can relieve the pressure of being counterattacked after the fall of the game, and secondly, it can also hit the confidence of the opponent and make the Hamburg players lose their fighting spirit, which will further reduce the pressure on Manchester City in the future.

In fact, Manchester City are now halfway there, having already scored.

But not enough.

It seems that this goal did not hit the confidence of the Hamburg players now.

Pan Yi also made Hamburg retreat in a timely manner, and the encouragement of the players was also in place, which hindered Manchester City's attack.

"Go on the offensive." Manuel Pellegrini stood up and walked to the command area, "If you can score one more goal, the situation will be much better." ”

If you can take a 2-0 lead, it will not only win this game, but also play a crucial role in such a two-legged knockout round.

If you don't win as many games as you can at home, it's even harder on the road.

So, under the command of the Chilean engineer, Manchester City continued to attack wave after wave of attacks towards the Hamburg penalty area!

(End of chapter)