In Manchester City's dressing room, at half-time, Pep Guardiola seized the time to explain Juventus' tactical play in the first half to the players, especially the position when defending, defensive strategies and players' personal habits.

"See?"

Guardiola tapped on the tactical board and raised his voice slightly:

"Juventus have a 3421 formation, but when defending they change to 523.

Juventus' three lines are always reasonably spaced apart, with no space to catch the ball between them, with Pjanic and Marchisio forming the fulcrum on the pitch and keeping our players around them in a state of constant containment. ”

Combined with Guardiola's explanation, the players recalled the situation in the first half, and couldn't help but feel a little more aware in their hearts, no wonder the first half was so awkward.

This defensive strategy of the opposition is obviously developed specifically for Manchester City.

As we all know, Manchester City are good at playing passing, but in order to create a killing opportunity, they must pass forward, tear the opponent's mouth with the pass, and send the ball to the feet of key players in the danger zone to be successful.

If you can't penetrate the opponent's formation all the time, and you can only be forced to pass back and forth on the periphery or pass back, then this kind of passing control is meaningless.

That was the case in the first half, when City were still leading in possession but didn't have a high success rate in passing forwards, so they couldn't create enough threats.

Scoring goals depends on luck, but if you create more threats, the expectation of scoring will also increase.

On the other hand, if you don't have enough of the number of dangerous attacks, it will be difficult to score unless you are lucky.

"Normally, against an opponent with a very tight defensive formation, it would be a good deal to drop back and receive the ball, but unfortunately, Juventus are prepared for this!"

Pep Guardiola found an example of De Bruyne and Gundogan's failed drop-back catches in the first half, and analysed:

"The opposing strikers, especially Higuain and Mandzukic, when they see our players retreating to receive the ball, they will immediately get out of their original positions and quickly follow out, not allowing our players to take the ball easily, forcing the ball carrier to pass quickly, and not giving us the opportunity to organize patiently."

'In this case, the ball is usually distributed on the wing, and the opposing wing-back will come forward at this time, stand in a line with the two midfielders, and cooperate with the strikers to cover our ball carrier on the wing, and we suffered a few losses in this place in the first half, conceding the ball several times.

Under Pep Guardiola's fiddling, on the tactical board, Juventus's three lines have been kept very tight, and they are not static, and the formation structure of 523 may become 433, or it may become 343.

The position of the opposing players is not fixed and changes depending on the situation on the pitch and the position of their teammates, but what remains constant is Juventus' steely defence.

To be honest, Guardiola has a bit of admiration for Juventus coach Allegri.

This guy's tactical abilities are absolutely top-notch, even better than himself.

To be fair, Juventus's players are not as good as Manchester City's, but under Allegri's tutelage, Juventus has played better content on the field than Manchester City.

However, no matter how good the tactics are, there will be his loopholes and weaknesses.

Juventus's defensive secret is to concentrate a large number of players in local areas, sealing and controlling the space in this part of the area, forming a safe fortress area.

To break this, you need to actively mobilize the opponent and reduce the number of opponents in the area where your own ball carrier is located, thereby weakening the opponent's ability to defend and intercept.

And this set of Juventus tactics has high requirements for the tactical execution of players, and it just so happens that there is a Juventus player on the field who appears in a position that he is not familiar with.

This may be Manchester City's breaking point in the second half.

Thinking of this, Guardiola approached Lin Quan, De Bruyne and Gundogan and said to the three of them:

"In the second half, the pass should be avoided as much as possible, unless the opportunity is very good, otherwise it is easy to lose the ball and give the opponent a chance to counterattack!"

Everyone nodded, Juventus's goal in the first half came about like this!

They learn from their experience and will not make the same mistakes again.

According to the coach, all three know that Juventus deliberately set a trap for Manchester City's midfield, turning the space in which our playmakers are located into a trap.

"In the second half, we have to play more on the wings, make full use of the space on the pitch, don't get high balls, go from the ground, be fast, catch the ball, run fast, once Juventus' formation is pulled away by us, their defensive efficiency will drop!"

"Lin, catch the ball more in the second half, compete with Alves, he is old, his physical strength should not consume you, as long as he is consumed, Juventus's offensive firepower will be extinguished by half!"

Pep Guardiola is keenly aware of the two most critical positions on the field of Juventus - the two wingbacks on the left and right!

Although from the last game to this one, it looks like the best performance should be Juventus' forward line.

But almost all three goals from Mandzukic and Higuain came from assists from the wing-backs on either side.

Especially Alves on the right!

If that could be snuffed out, there would be much less pressure on City's defence.

Fifteen minutes passed in a flash, and the players understood their responsibilities and left the dressing room one by one in high spirits.

When the Manchester City players entered the stadium, they happened to meet the Juventus players who also came out of the dressing room.

The morale of the other party is also very high, and they all talk and laugh, and their expressions look quite relaxed.

It's no surprise that they feel relaxed, given that Juventus now have the upper hand.

And they are leading at home, and they really believe they can beat Manchester City.

The second half of the game started quickly and there were no personnel changes for either side.

Although the team was in the lead, Allegri did not dare to relax at all, and kept his eyes on the pitch, always on the lookout for possible changes.

No way, Guardiola's fame is too great, and his past record is too unfavorable for the old woman, so he really doesn't dare to take it lightly.

And under Allegri's observation, he really noticed some changes in Manchester City.

After the start of the second half, Lin Quan's receiving position was deeper, even if the people on the Juventus side had followed, he still chose to forcibly receive the ball, and after receiving the ball, he was not in a hurry to pass the ball, but on the contrary, he ran to the side with the Juventus players who were marking him, looking as if he was going to throw himself into the net.

Seeing this, Allegri frowned.

In his impression, Lin Quan is not a person who does not use brains to play football, on the contrary, this player has always been known for his extremely high ball quotient.

So, what exactly is he doing this for?

The answer was soon revealed.

Before Lin Quan dribbled the ball to the side, on Manchester City's side, De Bruyne was also quietly retreating.

He was at first walking backwards, but when he saw Pjanic follow, he suddenly accelerated, giving the impression that he was ready to catch the ball.

Pjanic didn't dare to slack off, immediately picked up speed, stuck to De Bruyne, and did not give De Bruyne time to handle the ball.

However, Lin Quan's ball was not passed to De Bruyne, but continued to be brought to the side, and collided with David Silva on the side, as if he wanted to force the situation from the left side.

"Striking the West?"

Allegri frowned, feeling that the Manchester City players in more than one position on the field were moving, and for a while he was a little confused about City's true intentions.

But considering that the ball holder is Lin Quan, and the threat he brings to Juventus is obviously greater, so Juventus continued the previous tactics, the wingback advanced from the fullback position, and the forward Dybala in front also began to press Lin Quan, who held the ball, and was about to form a situation of front and back.

At the same time, Juventus' full-backs moved to the flanks to fill the gaps on the wings after the wing-backs stepped forward.

Juventus' defence turned methodically like a tight instrument.

Lin Quan saw Alves rushing up and flicked inward, as if looking for the vacancy after Pjanic followed De Bruyne away.

Seeing this, Marchisio had to quickly lean over, so as not to find space for Lin Quan to cut inside and shoot.

As soon as Marchisio moved, Juventus' entire defensive line began to move to the right as a whole.

Pjanic was originally following De Bruyne, but at this time Lin Quan had already dribbled the ball to his original position, and he was stuck between Lin Quan and De Bruyne, and the latter was basically impossible to receive Lin Quan's pass.

So he didn't continue to follow De Bruyne, but recovered some of it and added it to Lin Quan's bag.

The camera above the pitch captured the positions of the players on both sides, and Lin Quan was like a panicked tiger and crashed into the trap prepared for him by the hunters.

He is surrounded by opposing players in front of him, and the forward route has been cut off by the opponent, and the ball is about to be lost!

Seeing Lin besieged, many people thought of the famous scene of Euro 2012, where Iniesta was surrounded by five Italian players.

On that occasion, Andres Iniesta's ball was conceded.

Even if Lin Quan's personal strength is stronger than Iniesta, it is impossible to bring the ball out in the bag of so many people.

Not only did they think so, but Lin Quan also thought so.

This ball will definitely be lost if it is carried for another second, and there is really no room to continue to carry it.

So, he chose to pass the ball, and he passed it to someone that the Juventus people would never expect - Kevin De Bruyne!

Pjanic thought to himself that he was stuck between Lin Quan and De Bruyne, and the opponent would never be able to bypass him and pass the ball, so he relaxed his marking of De Bruyne and participated in the bag against Lin Quan instead.

But what he didn't know was that De Bruyne reacted quickly as he made that choice, and he accelerated towards the Juventus half along the diagonal line.

Higuain was originally staring at Gundogan, but seeing that the situation was not good, he quickly abandoned Gundogan and followed De Bruyne.

When De Bruyne started, Lin Quan couldn't find his figure in his field of vision, but the two seemed to be telepathic, and Lin Quan passed the ball to a position where there was no one.

And De Bruyne also ran resolutely to a place where he thought the ball would come!

Seeing Lin Quan's actions, the Juventus players around him were puzzled, after all, they didn't open God's perspective and didn't know what was happening where they didn't see.

But in the stands, Juventus fans who opened the full picture vision have begun to exclaim.

"Stop him!"

"Stop the other party's 17th!"

……

Juventus fans are in a hurry, but their anxiety cannot be known by the players on the pitch.

The players have limited visibility on the pitch and not many can see De Bruyne's position.

And Marchisio, who is most likely to intercept him, because he has just moved closer to the right, is no longer in front of De Bruyne at this time, and it is difficult to post it in the first place.

So, under the watchful eyes of Juventus fans, Lin Quan's ball passed to De Bruyne's feet.

The two had no communication at all, or even eye contact, and played a wonderful cooperation completely by virtue of their tacit understanding!

This is Manchester City's invincible twin star partner, the strongest attacking combination in the world!

Higuain had already rushed over for the first time, but he was still a step too slow.

De Bruyne had already seen the position of his team-mate before receiving the ball and had figured out what to do with it.

He kept the ball and slid it straight and moved it to the wing.

Manchester City's full-back Zabaleta had already accelerated to the side, taking advantage of the opposition formation to press to the right and the left side empty, striding the ball towards Juventus' half.

"It's done!"

Guardiola slapped his face excitedly, looking a little excited.

To deal with this kind of defense of the opponent, it is necessary to attack with a wide range and rapid transfer.

Sergio Aguero burst into the box and much of his defensive energy was drawn to him, and instead of dribbling down the ball, Zabaleta made the bold choice to cut inside, apparently intending to shoot himself.

Sandro had already rushed over, not far from him, and there wasn't much time left for Zabaleta.

Seeing Chiellini defend against Sergio Aguero, Buffon quickly judged the situation and focused on Zabaleta.

This guy shouldn't dare to bring it anymore, he's going to shoot!

Zabaleta kicks up and shoots...... It was passed on!

It was Zabaleta's familiar cross, just a little bit out of place.

On his pass, a sky-blue figure rushed in from behind, a beautiful chest stopped the ball, and before the ball could hit the ground, he swept the ball into the net with a thigh sweep.

The score became 1:1 and the aggregate score became 3:4, and Manchester City regained the initiative in their own hands.

Buffon actually made a save when Lin Quan was shooting.

But this is only an almost instinctive reaction, and naturally it has no real effect.

Seeing Lin Quan, who was rushing to celebrate, Buffon sighed and shook his head, why does he suffer at the hands of this guy every time?

Alves blamed himself very much, Lin Quan was his target, he didn't look at the opponent, let the opponent rush out from behind to find this opportunity, and he was mainly responsible for this ball.

Alves' heart is full of bitterness, he is old!

has become a 34-year-old man, facing a 21-year-old young man, the explosiveness and endurance of the body can't keep up.

Seeing that the other party suddenly accelerated and rushed out, he could only look defensively, and his body couldn't keep up at all.

Alas, it seems that it is not possible to accept the old age.

At this moment, Alves began to think seriously about the advice that his agent had told him before, leaving the top five leagues and returning to Brazil to play.

(End of chapter)