Roberto Mancini is a great team builder.

Let him build a stable team foundation from scratch, and give him two or three seasons of time, he will not spend a lot of money, but the team building effect will not be bad.

He can lead the team to the top four of the league steadily, have the Champions League to play, and with some luck, he can also win the league title during this period.

But if he wants to make a result in Europe in a short period of time, then he can't help it.

The lack of stiffness on the field and the lag in adjustment made Mancini's results in the cup game very mediocre.

At least that's how he is now.

After Manchester City were scored first by Real Madrid, he did not choose to stabilize the team first and direct the Manchester City players to regroup.

Whether it is attacking or defending, there is a clear tactical command at this time, and the Manchester City players will not be too flustered.

It's a pity that Mancini didn't do anything.

Yes, he calmed the minds of the City players and signaled that they would still have to keep their heads up.

And then, there was no then!

Mancini stood on the sidelines with his hands folded.

Jose Mourinho would have probably guessed Mancini's thoughts.

Mancini should not think there is anything wrong with his tactics.

There is an element of luck in this conceded goal, and Real Madrid may not have such an effect if they counterattack.

Therefore, he believes that the current Manchester City only need to maintain the previous attacking ideas, and there is a good chance of equalising in the first half.

So he chose to continue to trust his players and his own tactics.

That's true, the manager has to show some courage to continue to trust his tactics in some of the moments when he is behind.

But Mourinho completely disagrees with Mancini's approach.

If it were him, he would continue to believe in his tactics and make timely adjustments to his "posture".

Yes, it's "posture", even if it's just for show, it's better than doing nothing.

To put it bluntly, as a head coach, whether you have measures in your mind to deal with changes in the situation, and whether you have the bottom in your heart, that's one thing.

It's another thing to give your players more confidence and convince them that you have a way to turn things around.

Football is not a sport that simply competes for strength and tactics, and many times the players on the field have to fight for mentality and tenacity!

Mourinho is undoubtedly a top master in this regard.

Even there were times when he thought in his heart that it would be difficult to win the game.

But he will still try to make tactical adjustments on the sidelines, telling his players:

Which side we play on, we have to put more of our limited defensive energy into which area.

In this way, at least there will always be hope in the hearts of the Real Madrid players.

They will have a psychological backer, knowing that their head coach still has a way, and they are still trying to find a way!

So Mancini's "trust" is actually throwing tactical problems at Manchester City's players.

Continue to play the previous set?

But having conceded the goal, will it really work if you keep playing?

Wouldn't it be better to focus on defense/offense first?

The ideas are not unified, the players in front want to seize the time to attack a few more times, and the players in the back are afraid that Real Madrid will counterattack like this again, and they are unwilling to press it again.

The Manchester City players in midfield were even worse.

They are to blame for not getting the offensive ball in front, and they have no sense of defensive security in the back, so they have to keep asking them to return to defend and intercept.

This pull, not to mention continuing to maintain the previous offensive rhythm, Manchester City's performance on the field highlights a "split".

And Real Madrid's counterattack is more resolute than the other.

Mourinho was also a little confused, and he even thought that Mancini was setting some tactical trap.

"Could it be that Mancho has thought of a deeper tactical aspect, which is to take advantage of the counterattack on our side to return to the defense, and then break the ball to hit our counterattack?"

Mourinho thinks from Mancini's point of view, and a seemingly feasible plan really appears in his mind.

But before he could signal Leon not to cut forward too often, in the 33rd minute of the first half, Real Madrid played another counterattack after breaking the ball.

Leon has already taken Matuidi to push forward decisively!

After attracting Yaya Toure's mark on the ball, Leon distributed the ball to Matuidi, who ran in front of him on the right.

Matuidi then distributed the ball to the inserted Carvajal, Callejone ran to take Kolarov, and Carvajal sent a cross to the ground!

Cristiano Ronaldo once again took advantage of Morata's cover to catch up, and Kompany grabbed a shot in front of Manchester City's penalty area!

The ball clung to the turf and pierced Joe Hart's wicket and the Manchester City gate behind him!

Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored a brace, celebrated with a smile on his face and a kneel at the Etihad Stadium.

A familiar feeling came over him, and even in the face of the boos and middle fingers of the Manchester City fans, Ronaldo still smiled very happily.

More than 4,000 Real Madrid fans at the Etihad celebrated happily again!

Mourinho's eyes widened, and his first reaction was not excitement and joy, but doubt.

Without a full follow-up, or even a special person to protect Kompany's body, Real Madrid broke the Manchester City goal again???

What about playing?!

It wasn't until this moment that Mourinho really reacted.

Emotional Mancini is not thinking too much about him, but he doesn't think about anything at all!

"Hey, I'm a little confused about who needs the three points more, or is the formation we put out today enough to hold them down in the middle of the Manchester City midfield?"

Mourinho couldn't help but complain, and Karanka also covered his mouth and smiled.

If you really want to talk about the strength of the squad, Manchester City has a normal set of main starters, and it will still have the upper hand with Real Madrid's rotation lineup.

But I can't resist Mancini's going to work today.

As far as Mancini's starting formation is concerned, the front midfielder is Silva, and the two midfielders at the back are Yaya Toure and Nasri.

Yes, the defensive Barry and Garcia didn't start either of them today.

The midfield combination was simply betting on attack and control, and defensive interceptions were almost non-existent.

Isn't that encouraging Real Madrid to fight them back?

It's okay, losing 0-2 at half-time, Mancini can't sit still at all.

Maybe he still feels particularly aggrieved and angry in his heart.

Because he traded his trust for worse and worse results.

But looking at the expressions and atmosphere of the players on the field, Mancini also endured it and did not do anything wrong.

As soon as the whistle blew at the end of the first half, Mancini beckoned his disciples to hurry back to the players' tunnel.

There were sporadic cries of dissatisfaction at the scene.

That's Manchester City fans venting their emotional frustration.

It doesn't matter if Real Madrid lost the main force before, this time at its own home, playing a Real Madrid that rotates most of the main players, and TM is a battle of life and death!

As a result, they simply lost two goals in the first half, and no matter how hardcore Manchester City fans are, they really can't bear it!

Ahead of this season's Champions League fixtures, Manchester City were ambitious and fearless even if they were placed in the Group of Death.

Even if they can't beat Real Madrid, the Manchester City fans at that time are confident that they can at least draw with Dortmund and beat Ajax.

As a result, in just two months, Manchester City only got two draws and two losses, and this time it was about to lose again.

It's disgusting, this record is really disgusting fans!

If this game is lost, then Manchester City will basically miss out on the knockout stage of this season's Champions League.

On the other side, if Borussia Dortmund draws with Ajax again, then Manchester City does have a theoretical chance of qualifying.

But will Dortmund drop the chain and pull the crotch like them?

Manchester City fans can only find the prospects of qualification bleak.

However, the Manchester City players who played again in the second half still looked to have somewhat regained their morale.

Mancini, who didn't dare to regain his life, removed McConn and replaced him with Barry.

The formation has also changed from three-five-two to four-four-two.

Silva and Nasrire pulled along, pairing Yaya Toure with a defensive midfielder who wipes his ass.

In this way, Manchester City's performance is finally normal.

Anyway, the offense and defense are more balanced, even if they continue to press the attack on all fronts, there is at least one Barry in the midfield.

Real Madrid's counterattack momentum slowed down, and in the 60th minute of the second half, seeing that there were no good opportunities for quick counter-attacks, Mourinho simply replaced Ronaldo off the pitch.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored two goals today, had no opinion, and when he left the field, he hugged and laughed with Mu Shuai on the sidelines.

Jesus, who came on as a substitute for Cristiano Ronaldo, appeared to be very positive, and he was not afraid of Zabaleta, the first defensive gate on the right side of the Premier League, and dared to make moves.

Seeing this, Leon simply squatted at the back to stare at Silva and Aguero, and handed over all the ball to Matuidi and Jesse to deal with.

Real Madrid entered a squatting mode that was more inclined to stabilize the score, occasionally playing counter-attacks.

As soon as Leon and Essien covered and swept the defensive third, Manchester City could only play more on the wings.

Fortunately, Dzeko was in good form today, and in the face of the still immature Varane, he had the upper hand in terms of confrontation.

So when Manchester City finally abandoned their redundant attacking routines and began to play the ball frequently on the wings, Dzeko's dominance in the aerial duel gave Manchester City fans hope once again.

It's a pity that at this point, there are only about 20 minutes left in the second half.

Dzeko's header in the 76th minute gave Sergio Aguero a great chance to shoot from the back of the net.

Aguero did not live up to the opportunity that Dzeko spelled out this time, and with a spiritual stab, he directly broke through the gate guarded by Cassie!

But Manchester City spelled out this great opportunity all over the field.

After Albiol replaced Callejon, Dzeko fell silent again, and Manchester City lost the initiative in attack.

When the game was over, looking at the desperate score of 1-2, many Manchester City players stood on the pitch silently with a somewhat numb look.

The rotation players on Real Madrid's side naturally laughed and high-fived each other in celebration!

That's quite an achievement for them, having won at home to the reigning Premier League champions, and to say that they are not happy and proud would be a lie.

After the game, in the face of an interview request from a reporter from a domestic acquaintance, Li Ang readily agreed.

And after talking about the feeling of winning over Manchester City, Leon also made a humorous joke.

"I think it doesn't matter if we're happy or not, Dortmund should be happy to thank us."

There was a burst of laughter at the scene, but Li Ang secretly added the next sentence in his heart.

"Ajax has to give Manchester City a knock in the next round~"

(End of chapter)