Chapter 341: Rumblings at Bayern, Guardiola Faces Tension!

Chapter 341: Rumblings at Bayern, Guardiola Faces Tension!

"Goal!!"

"Lampard scores a lethal cannonball against his former team, plunging Chelsea into the abyss!"

"At the 81st minute, Lampard scores with a stunning world-class shot, marking the third goal of the match. Manchester City takes the lead again, 2-1!"

The stadium erupts in joy as Manchester City fans go wild after Lampard's goal. This goal not only greatly increases Manchester City's chances of clinching three points but also delivers a heart-wrenching blow to Chelsea.

Indeed, Chelsea fans feel a deep ache as they watch Lampard, a legendary figure who contributed immensely to their team, score. It's especially painful because if any other Manchester City player had scored, they could have easily cursed them out. But Lampard's significant contributions to Chelsea make it hard for fans to express anger towards him.

Yet, Lampard's goal is devastatingly critical. With the match crossing the 80-minute mark, Chelsea only needed one more goal to possibly secure three points. Now, they need to score twice in the remaining time—a daunting task against a solid Manchester City defense.

As the match progresses, instead of the optimistic cheers anticipating a major win and leading the league, Chelsea fans can no longer muster a smile.

Post-goal, Lampard chooses not to celebrate and solemnly returns to his half. Both Chelsea fans and Lampard himself are heavy-hearted. He never wanted to be Chelsea's adversary, but his loan back to the Premier League seemed to seal this fate.

On the sidelines, Mourinho is silent, hands on hips, stunned that a former Chelsea player delivered such a crucial blow. Pelligrini is equally surprised. He fielded Lampard primarily for his experience to stabilize the game, not expecting such a pivotal goal.

Lampard's goal significantly boosts Manchester City's morale, enhancing their performance as the game progresses. Conversely, Chelsea players become increasingly impatient, desperate to equalize.

In the 83rd minute, Chelsea launches an attack. Schurrle's long shot is confidently saved by Navas. Navas quickly throws the ball to the flank where De Bruyne, dodging a defender, sends a precise through pass.

The pass splits Chelsea's defense, reaching Lin Quan. Chelsea's defenders, panic-stricken, frantically chase him. However, despair sets in as Lin Quan's dribbling at full speed surpasses their pace without the ball—and he's accelerating!

"Lin receives De Bruyne's pass!"

"Chelsea's defenders haven't given up—they're chasing him down, but the gap is widening, not closing!"

"Lin is speeding up even more!"

Courtois, realizing the danger, rushes out of goal as staying would be a sure defeat. Although advancing is logical, it's hardly effective.

As Courtois advances, Lin Quan enters the penalty area. He feints a shot, which Courtois initially doesn't fall for. However, Lin Quan pauses and fakes again, tricking Courtois this time.

Courtois dives towards where he anticipates the shot, only to find the ball hasn't been kicked.

It's too late. Before he hits the ground, Courtois hears the crushing sound of the ball hitting the net.

By the 84th minute, Lin Quan scores again, extending Manchester City's lead to 3-1!

Having a numerical advantage doesn't always equate to an actual advantage—not against Manchester City.

Lin Quan's goal sends fans around the globe into a frenzy, decisively killing off the game and securing a win for Manchester City.

With less than ten minutes remaining, how could Chelsea possibly score two goals?

In just three minutes, Chelsea's near-certain victory slips away, leaving their fans in utter dismay.

Slow-motion replays focus on Lin Quan, intensifying Chelsea fans' sense of dread: After over 80 minutes, while other players are drained, Lin Quan still possesses remarkable energy.

Is he even human?

In Messi's prime, only injuries and stamina could contain him. For Chelsea fans, it seems neither applies to Lin Quan.

How are they supposed to compete?

On the field, Chelsea players seem lost, unsure whether to attack or defend. They should be launching an all-out assault but seem to lack the belief they can win at Manchester City's home ground.

Without spirit, victory is unattainable. Instead, Manchester City, despite being a man down, continues to attack as if they were the ones trailing.

Ultimately, the match ends with Manchester City crushing Chelsea 3-1, topping the leaderboard after this crucial matchup. With this win, Manchester City remains undefeated with 15 points. Despite the loss, Chelsea still holds second place.

The gap between the two is small, and Chelsea still has a chance to catch up.

Meanwhile, Manchester United suffers a shocking 5-3 defeat at Leicester City. With only one win in five games, United's poor start raises questions about the manager's future, despite high hopes following significant transfers.

However, the response was only disappointment! Louis van Gaal's Manchester United was far removed from the team that fans had come to know. The spirit of the Red Devils, a legacy from the Ferguson era, was nowhere to be found in this team; instead, it seemed to have migrated to their neighbors, Manchester City.

On September 24, in the Bundesliga. Guardiola's Bayern Munich, playing at home, swept away their visitors Paderborn with a score of 4-0, clinching a victory in a top-of-the-table clash. This win propelled Bayern Munich to the top of the Bundesliga, leading by one point.

During the post-match press conference, an elated Guardiola not only answered a series of questions about Bayern but also, uncharacteristically, initiated a discussion about Manchester City and Lin Quan. "Lin? He is an incredible player, arguably one of the best in today's football world!" Guardiola clarified, "And I say this not because he's my son. Anyone who has played football and seen him on the field would understand why I say this. Him compared to Messi? Well, their styles are similar, but I've only coached Messi, not Lin, so it's hard to give an objective assessment."

A German journalist quickly raised a question: "Do you look forward to working with Lin Quan at the same club?" Guardiola responded without hesitation, "Of course, I look forward to it!" Given Lin Quan's statement that he would not leave Manchester City, the general interpretation of Guardiola's words was that he subtly indicated he wouldn't renew his contract with Bayern and was likely to move to the Premier League to reunite with Lin Quan.

This news, once reaching the ears of Bayern's top brass, caused significant discontent. Guardiola's season had not been very successful; Bayern's league position had even fallen behind a newly-promoted team at one point. Moreover, his tactical changes had displeased many veteran players. German football tends to be insular. Guardiola's methods were initially supported by Bayern's top management because they wanted to incorporate Spanish football expertise. However, the failure at the World Cup showed them this approach was flawed, leading to considerable introspection within German football circles. Many believed that they should not blindly imitate Spanish tiki-taka, as the German players' style was significantly different.

Blind imitation was deemed harmful—they needed to develop a tactical system that played to German strengths. With Bayern being nearly synonymous with the German national team, changes in the national team's strategy would naturally reflect on Bayern. Influenced by these factors, Bayern's management gradually lost patience with Guardiola's approach. Dissatisfaction from previous transfer dealings also soured relations, leaving Guardiola uninterested in renewing his contract. In fact, Bayern was not planning to offer him a new contract and was even considering terminating his current one early, especially with the European Championship approaching, signaling a need for quick reform in German football.

This interpretation by outsiders seemed not entirely baseless—Guardiola was indeed likely to move to the Premier League next year, and there was also a possibility he could return to Barcelona. However, given Barcelona's excellent performance this season, leading the league over Madrid's teams, and with Suarez soon to return from suspension, their results were expected to improve further. This environment reduced the calls for Guardiola's return, as many Barcelona fans felt the strength lay within the club itself, not just with Guardiola. After all, since leaving Barcelona, he hadn't fully proven his managerial mettle, and Barcelona's current performance was not disastrously poor.

After defeating Chelsea, Pellegrini gave his players a two-day break. Following the rest, they traveled to face the 10th-ranked Hull City. The game went smoothly, with Manchester City cleanly defeating their opponents 3-0. Lin Quan played only the first half, helping his team score one goal before being substituted by Pellegrini due to the substantial lead, saving him for the mid-week Champions League match.

Meanwhile, Manchester United finally won their latest match, with Rooney and van Persie both scoring. However, Rooney received a yellow card in the second half for losing his temper, which made United play defensively and nearly allowed the opposition to equalize. This victory moved United up three places in the rankings, just two points shy of the Champions League spots. If they could maintain this momentum, securing a spot in next season's European competitions seemed likely, although winning the league appeared challenging since they were ten points behind leaders Manchester City.

On the other hand, Chelsea seemed unaffected by their loss to Manchester City, returning home to decisively beat Aston Villa 3-0, continuing to closely follow Manchester City with a three-point gap.

On October 1, the second round of the Champions League group stage commenced. Manchester City flew to Germany to face their next opponent, Bayer Leverkusen. Leverkusen, not particularly strong, had lost 0-1 to Monaco in their first group match. Facing the defending champions Manchester City was daunting; a loss in this match would leave them at the bottom of their group, severely dimming their prospects for advancement. With no other option, they prepared to give their all against Manchester City at home.