Chapter 453: The Psychological Mark Left by Lin Quan on Opponents

Chapter 453: The Psychological Mark Left by Lin Quan on Opponents

Actually, Manchester City had already been executing a high-pressing strategy. When they play a possession game, their formation inevitably pushes forward. In this situation, if they don't strengthen their pressing in the front, losing possession and allowing the opponent to counter-attack quickly would put Manchester City in a very difficult position.

The reason Allegri felt that Guardiola had copied Liverpool's strategy was mainly because Manchester City was playing with a group of substitutes. While Manchester City is a top European team with an incredibly strong starting lineup, the substitutes' abilities are significantly lower than the main players. Playing a possession game effectively with substitutes is very challenging. So, in this match, Manchester City didn't adopt a possession strategy but rather used a conventional approach. They even chose to sit back and play on the counter when Juventus pressed hard.

However, Mandzukic's goal made Guardiola realize that the defensive capabilities of these substitutes were much weaker than the main players. Simply defending would be a slow death. It was better to go all out and fight. After all, his specialty has always been offense. Only by fully unleashing the offensive potential of these substitutes could they possibly create a miracle. Even if they ended up losing badly to Juventus, it wouldn't matter. Manchester City had already secured their spot in the next round, so there was no pressure on their performance.

Manchester City was playing without fear of losing, unlike Juventus, who had heavy performance pressure. If they lost this match, their chances of advancing would be very slim. The Juventus players were nervous, wanting to win but afraid to lose. In such critical matches, the more psychological pressure they felt, the worse their performance tended to be on the field.

In the 35th minute of the first half, Manchester City successfully intercepted the ball in the front and Son Heung-min took the ball down the wing, delivering a crucial cross. Iheanacho's header was saved by Buffon, and Sagna's follow-up shot hit a defender's leg. The Juventus penalty area turned into chaos. In the melee, someone poked the ball into the net, and it seemed to be Manchester City's substitute, Nasri, who confirmed the goal and celebrated with his hands pointed to the sky.

Soon, the big screen replayed the goal. Fernandinho intercepted the ball, dodged Marchisio, and passed it to Son Heung-min. Son sprinted down the wing and crossed it. Iheanacho positioned himself well but his header was too straight and not powerful enough, easily handled by Buffon. However, the rebound went in favor of Manchester City. Despite Chiellini and Barzagli's best efforts to block Sagna's shot, the ball still ended up at Nasri's feet. Nasri, being short, couldn't reach the ball well and with Alex Sandro sliding in, he had no time to think. He just threw himself at the ball and poked it with his toe, incredibly finding the net amidst a crowded penalty area.

Just like that, Manchester City leveled the score through a chaotic play.

The Juventus fans were stunned. Had their hard-earned lead just vanished like that? On the sidelines, Manchester City's substitutes, including Lin Quan, looked at each other in disbelief.

"Wasn't Juventus supposed to have a strong defense? How did they expose so many defensive issues in that last attack?"

Both Sagna and Nasri's follow-up shots were results of Juventus players' defensive errors. Such mistakes are common among weaker teams, but they shouldn't happen to a top-tier team!

"Haha, maybe they were too nervous!" Lin Quan laughed. In defense, deciding whether to mark players or follow the ball is always a tough choice, especially for players without specific marking assignments. They have their own defensive zones. In these zones, their primary task is to hold their position, then watch the ball and any opponents within their area. This is the so-called marking the man and the ball.

For seasoned defenders, striking this balance and making reasonable judgments based on the game situation isn't difficult. But even for experienced players, during continuous, intense attacks with multiple shots and follow-ups, their defensive positions are likely to get pulled out of shape. Unless they remain exceptionally calm, most will be drawn to the ball, forgetting their marking duties and leading to a situation where everyone chases the ball.

Even top-tier teams aren't immune to such chaos. In fact, stronger teams fear this kind of disorder more. In such scrambles, luck plays a bigger role, and the impact of skill diminishes. Ideally, they shouldn't give their opponents such chances and should control the game.

Though the process didn't match Guardiola's ideal, he was pleased to see his players' efforts leading to a goal. He gave a thumbs-up to the players on the field. Forcing Juventus into such a disarray was commendable for these substitutes.

Allegri was furious about the goal. From the sidelines, he shouted at his players to pull themselves together and attack Manchester City boldly.

"You're up against a bunch of substitutes, what are you afraid of?"

In his view, this Juventus team had the strength to reach the Champions League quarter-finals or even the semi-finals. Their poor performance in the Champions League so far was due to bad luck and tough opponents, but also their mentality. Since the Calciopoli scandal, Juventus quickly returned to top-tier leagues but had been away from the Champions League for too long, struggling to adapt to high-level European competition. In recent seasons, their best Champions League results were once reaching the quarter-finals and twice the round of 16, with two group-stage exits. This underperformance didn't match their domestic dominance in Serie A.

Allegri knew his players' concerns. After being held to two draws by Gladbach, Juventus lost control of their fate in the group stage. Facing a strong team like Manchester City, their fear grew, making them play cautiously and underperform.

But this couldn't continue.

A draw was not enough for Juventus. They needed a win, they needed 3 points! Moreover, their opponents were substitutes, not the main squad. What were they afraid of?

Allegri's shouts had some effect. Towards the end of the first half, Juventus' players finally calmed down and started to stabilize under Manchester City's relentless pressing. However, with little time left in the half, they couldn't regain the lead before the halftime whistle blew.

During the halftime break, Allegri harshly criticized his players. He didn't usually talk much in the locker room, rarely giving motivational speeches. But today was an exception.

"Open your eyes and see clearly. The opposing lineup only has 3 starters; the rest are substitutes and young players from their youth team. Such a lineup would only be fighting to avoid relegation in Serie A. Are you saying you can't even beat a relegation team?"

Allegri might have exaggerated a bit. Manchester City's substitute lineup could probably rank in the mid-table of Serie A. But he was right about one thing: the team on the field was much weaker than Juventus, and Juventus shouldn't be this passive.

"Boss, just tell us how to play in the second half."

"Yeah, boss, tell us how to beat them. We'll do exactly as you say!"

After Allegri finished venting, the players began to express their determination.

"Good, that's the attitude you should have. Listen, in the second half, we'll do it like this..."

During the halftime break, Guardiola didn't make significant personnel changes. A 1-1 score was acceptable to him. As for the second half, he planned to observe the situation first. Juventus definitely wouldn't be satisfied with a draw, so they were bound to attack heavily. He prepared a counter-attacking strategy but made some adjustments to the defense, pushing the defensive line slightly forward, increasing player movement and pressing to minimize Juventus' shooting opportunities.

When the second half started, surprisingly, Juventus didn't attack immediately. Instead, they patiently organized their play in the midfield, using the width of the field to stretch Manchester City's formation, looking for defensive gaps.

Seeing this tactic, Guardiola felt uneasy. Klopp's strategy had a clear flaw: due to frequent running and pressing, players' stamina would deplete in the second half. If the opponent didn't crumble, they could turn the tables by exploiting this weakness.

Juventus' second-half strategy was clearly to tire out Manchester City's players, forcing them to run more, draining their stamina quicker. "Allegri's clever," Guardiola thought. He immediately called several main players from the bench to start warming up.

Most of the players on the field were substitutes with fewer appearances this season, so they should have enough stamina to last until the 70th or 80th minute. Allegri's plan might not succeed. When the players on the field hit their stamina limit, Guardiola would bring on fresh legs to replace them.

He named three players: Kante, Van Dijk, and Zabaleta. All were defensive players, indicating his intention to strengthen the defense rather than sending on attackers for a direct clash with Juventus.

Inserting one or two attacking players without sufficient support from teammates wouldn't be very effective. However, Lin Quan was an exception. Even without much support, he could still make a significant impact. Therefore, Guardiola was torn about whether to bring him on.

Seeing the activity on Manchester City's bench, Juventus' coaching staff and fans watched intently. They were eager to know who would come on. Noticing this, Guardiola had an idea. Besides the named players, he also called Lin Quan to warm up.

"Lin, go warm up."

"Alright!"

Lin Quan didn't know if Guardiola genuinely intended to bring him on or if it was a strategic move to deceive the opponents. He took off his jacket and checked his gear, ready to play.

Initially, Juventus fans were relieved not to see Lin Quan among the warm-up players. The absence of their most feared opponent was a good sign. However, their relief was short-lived as Lin Quan soon appeared on the sideline, seemingly ready to enter the game.

Just the sight of Lin Quan made many Juventus fans envision him tearing through their defense and scoring single-handedly. They couldn't help it; his presence was too intimidating, leaving a deep psychological imprint on them.

Seeing Lin Quan warming up, Allegri also felt tense. He signaled his players to press the attack and try to score before Lin Quan could enter the game.

On the field, Juventus players saw Lin Quan warming up and didn't need their coach's reminder. They surged forward, attacking Manchester City's goal with renewed vigor.

(End of Chapter)

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