Chapter 367: He Plays So Smart!

Chapter 367: He Plays So Smart!

"Goal!!! A lightning-fast goal from Lin Quan!" "Just seven minutes into the game, Lin Quan has given Manchester City the lead with a long-range shot. Chelsea is in danger now." "Lin Quan truly is Chelsea's nemesis. Every time he plays against them, he scores, and each goal is crucial!" "Haha, I bet Chelsea fans hate him. Whenever their team is about to win, Lin Quan steps up and shatters their dreams."

In the CCTV studio, two commentators chuckled as they spoke. Due to Lin Quan's presence, they naturally leaned towards Manchester City during their commentary. In fact, many Chinese fans had started to support Manchester City, especially after Guardiola joined the team. Watching City play allowed them to witness Lin Quan's extraordinary performances and Guardiola's brilliant tactics, something rarely seen in domestic leagues.

Plus, the timing of the Chinese Super League (CSL) matches didn't conflict with the Premier League, so fans could enjoy both leagues. Despite years of efforts to promote the Premier League in China, the results in the last year and a half, since Lin Quan joined City, surpassed all previous efforts.

Unfortunately, Lin Quan didn't have Chinese nationality; otherwise, his popularity would have been even higher.

"That shot from Lin was ridiculous! It looked like it was going over the bar, but it went in!" "Yeah, just a tiny bit higher, and Chelsea wouldn't be trailing now." "I once saw Lin practice hitting the crossbar from 30 meters out and hit the same spot multiple times. I've never seen such accuracy in any other player." "Maybe Messi could do it too. I saw him on a TV show where his accuracy was frightening!" "But the distance wasn't as far as 30 meters. That show wouldn't have had enough space." "Anyway, Lin's shooting accuracy is outstanding. Goalkeepers can't afford to let their guard down against him." "Speaking of goalkeepers, how did Courtois manage to bench Cech? I feel bad for Cech!" "Yeah, Cech is still in great form. Mourinho should give him more playing time!" "If it doesn't work out at Chelsea, he could move to another team. Arsenal needs a good goalkeeper. This season, Ospina and Szczęsny haven't been great, especially Szczęsny, with a save rate below 70%."

Seeing Chelsea waste a top goalkeeper like Cech, Arsenal fans could only feel envious. Cech had played just four Premier League matches this season, keeping three clean sheets with a 90% save rate. He would be a perfect fit for Arsenal. Given the rivalry between Chelsea and Arsenal, Cech might be hesitant to switch. But if Chelsea continued to bench him, even the most loyal player might consider leaving. If Lampard could move to City, why not Cech to Arsenal?

The match continued, and Chelsea, now trailing, attacked fiercely like an enraged lion. In the 11th minute, Oscar's shot narrowly missed. Two minutes later, Willian crossed from the wing, and Diego Costa's shot was tipped over the bar by Navas. Chelsea's attacking momentum peaked, but Van Dijk, who had been pushed by Costa, was furious and wanted to confront him.

Costa played dirty, often using sneaky moves to disrupt defenders. Last time at Etihad Stadium, his antics angered City, leading to their 3-1 victory. Even in the recent Liverpool match, Costa's dirty play nearly got him banned by the FA. One would think he'd learn, but here he was, repeating his old tricks.

Chelsea won a corner, and Willian's cross aimed for the towering figures in the box. Captain Terry's header just missed the bar, wasting a chance to equalize. On the sidelines, Mourinho clapped, pleased with his team's performance. They were playing well and seemed destined to equalize.

However, things didn't go as planned. Realizing Chelsea's attacking threat, Guardiola signaled City to control the game's pace. They used the width of the pitch, passing patiently and only attacking when sure of a chance. This frustrated Chelsea, who, when pressing high, saw City pass back to their defenders. Chelsea's forwards, outnumbered, were toyed with by City's defenders.

Seeing Diego Costa helplessly chasing the ball, City's defenders felt avenged and wanted to keep him running in circles. As City wasted time with their possession, Chelsea fans booed loudly. They hated this style of play, worrying the clock would run out before they could equalize.

Mourinho glanced at Guardiola. This style was different from his Barcelona days. Back then, Guardiola and his Barcelona played less pragmatically. Guardiola met Mourinho's gaze calmly. The possession play wasn't his tactic; it was Lin Quan's decision, controlling the game's tempo without Kroos.

"This kid plays so smart," thought Guardiola. Continuing this way would frustrate Chelsea's players. As time passed and Chelsea grew desperate, City maintained their formation, unperturbed by Chelsea's advances.

On the surface, Chelsea seemed dominant, pressing City into their half. But City's low defensive block, with its numerical advantage, effectively nullified Chelsea's attacks. Chelsea's offense seemed potent but lacked real threat. Instead, City's counterattacks exposed Chelsea's defensive gaps as they pushed forward.

In the 24th minute, Ivanović made a passing error, and Fernandinho intercepted the ball. Fernandinho quickly passed the ball to Lin Quan, who, after assessing the field, sent a through ball to Agüero. This pass penetrated Chelsea's defense, but unfortunately, Agüero, who had just recovered from an injury, was not in top form. Courtois made a timely charge and blocked Agüero's shot at the edge of the penalty area.

This counter-attack by Manchester City frightened Chelsea, and for the next few minutes, they didn't dare to push forward as aggressively. But when they didn't press high, Manchester City reverted to their back-passing game, drawing more boos from the Chelsea fans, who were getting increasingly frustrated with City's "shameless" tactics.

Mourinho's expression turned serious. He called Matić over, gave him some instructions, and then signaled his players to press forward boldly. With their coach's backing, Chelsea's players grew more confident. Mourinho's eyes were sharp and focused on City's half.

The benefit of City's defensive contraction was that it created a lot of space for counter-attacks, but the downside was that they were defending very close to their own goal. If Chelsea managed to intercept the ball, they could immediately threaten City's goal. So it became a contest of whether Chelsea could seize the opportunity to overpower City or if City could hold out and rely on counter-attacks to bring down the Blues.

In this tense standoff, both sides had numerous attacking opportunities. In the 29th minute, Ramires intercepted De Bruyne's pass, and Oscar's long-range shot was saved by Navas. In the 32nd minute, City's long pass from the back was misjudged by Terry, allowing Agüero to break free. However, after a long run, Agüero's low shot missed the goal, and Lin Quan, who had positioned himself for a follow-up, couldn't help but sigh at the wasted chance. If it had been him taking the shot, it would almost certainly have been a goal.

"Sorry, Lin, my mistake!" Agüero apologized after realizing that Lin Quan had been in a perfect position for a pass. Recognizing his own impatience and lack of awareness, Agüero apologized to Lin Quan, who responded graciously, "It's okay, you just recovered from an injury. No need to blame yourself too much." The ball was already missed, and there was no point in blaming his teammate who had already acknowledged his mistake.

This counter-attack by City was even more threatening than the previous one, and it came very close to scoring. Chelsea fans were on edge, feeling Mourinho's tactics were too risky. Chelsea was known for their defensive counter-attacks, not this pressing offensive style.

But Mourinho remained unfazed, unaffected by the near-miss. He signaled his players to keep pressing forward. Chelsea's players, seeing their coach's directive, continued to press City, despite their nerves. Both teams were playing in unfamiliar styles: Chelsea with pressing offense and City with defensive counter-attacks. If the team names were hidden, fans might mistake City for Chelsea and vice versa.

Playing unfamiliar tactics inevitably led to mistakes. In the 41st minute, Ivanović's long pass found Hazard. The Belgian, who had been quiet all half, finally shone, dribbling past defenders into the box and passing to Diego Costa, who scored to make it 1-1.

Chelsea had equalized, bringing the match back to even. Mourinho celebrated wildly on the sidelines. Although it was just an equalizer, it meant a lot to him. In football, his most respected rival was Guardiola. They had similar achievements, and each encounter between them was highly anticipated.

Mourinho could accept losing to others, but not to Guardiola, especially not at home. Guardiola, on the other hand, remained calm. Despite the poor timing of conceding the goal, there was still another half to play. A 1-1 draw wasn't the end of the world for City.

He ignored Mourinho's exaggerated celebration. The more attention he gave, the more smug Mourinho would become. Guardiola was more concerned about the tactics for the second half. The goal they conceded showed that continuing like this was risky. Chelsea's offense had improved significantly, especially with the addition of Diego Costa, who solved their scoring woes.

With talented players like Hazard and Oscar, letting Chelsea dominate was dangerous. City needed to revert to their familiar tactics. But using possession football against Mourinho's team had been ineffective in Guardiola's final season at Barcelona. So, should he use that strategy?

Guardiola had an idea, but it was untested and risky. He decided to see how the second half unfolded before committing to it. If necessary, he would unveil this trump card at the last moment for a decisive move.