Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 498: Saúl's Flash of Brilliance and Manchester City's "Mad Dog" Tactics

As soon as Atlético Madrid made their first substitution, all eyes turned to Manchester City. The two City players who had been warming up were now fully ready, standing by the sidelines and listening to Guardiola's instructions.

"It looks like Manchester City is about to make some substitutions too!"

De Bruyne and Son Heung-min were fully kitted out, just waiting for the fourth official to raise the board and signal their entry. Initially, Guardiola hadn't decided whom to substitute for De Bruyne. But after watching Agüero miss such a good chance, he made up his mind—Agüero was coming off to rest.

Originally, Guardiola planned to substitute Fernandinho. He had put Fernandinho on the field to protect Kroos. Now that Atlético's players were tiring, their harassment of Kroos had decreased, and there wasn't much threat to him anymore. Therefore, keeping Fernandinho on the pitch didn't seem necessary.

However, Guardiola felt that there was still some risk. Although Atlético's stamina was waning, they weren't completely exhausted—none of their players were cramping up yet. So Guardiola decided to wait and see, postponing Fernandinho's substitution for now.

As for Agüero, not only did the upcoming tactics not require him much, but considering he had previously been injured, Guardiola didn't want to risk him aggravating an old injury. With the game almost won, he preferred to rest Agüero in preparation for the next tough match.

After using two substitution slots, Guardiola called out Fernando's name, asking him to start warming up. Fernando, who had seen Guardiola bring on two attacking players, had already resigned himself to not getting any playing time. But to his surprise, Guardiola called his name. Without hesitation, Fernando rushed out to warm up, as if afraid Guardiola would change his mind if he took a second longer.

"Is Manchester City preparing to make another substitution?" The commentators turned their attention to Fernando as he warmed up. This wasn't like the later era where teams had five substitution slots. At this point, each team had only three, making each substitution more precious. Coaches were very cautious about using up all their substitutions too early, in case something unexpected happened later in the game, leaving them without options.

"Wait a minute, isn't Fernando a defensive midfielder? Manchester City already has three defensive midfielders. Why bring on another one? Could it be that Guardiola plans to play with four defensive midfielders?"

The commentator chuckled at the thought. In all his years of commentating, he had seen five or even six-man defenses, but four defensive midfielders? That was a first!

If Lin Quan knew what the commentator was thinking, he'd probably laugh at how little he knew. On April 28, 2019, in the third-to-last round of the Premier League, after taking the lead, Guardiola had subbed in three defensive players, creating a 5-4-1 formation. When defending, Stones dropped back to the defensive line, and Gabriel Jesus dropped to midfield, turning the formation into a 6-4-0! With this ultra-defensive setup, City won 1-0 away, securing three crucial points.

While Guardiola was a strong advocate for attacking football, it didn't mean he was inflexible. The main reason for this ultra-defensive tactic was the intense title race that season, with Liverpool just a point behind City. The day before, Liverpool had demolished Huddersfield 5-0, overtaking City by two points on the table. City absolutely had to win their match; anything less was unacceptable. So after Agüero scored the only goal in the 63rd minute, Guardiola immediately subbed off Agüero, Sterling, and Sané, opting to park the bus for the rest of the match.

Guardiola's pragmatism surprised many who didn't know him well. Seeing Fernando warming up, Simeone furrowed his brow. What on earth were City up to? Three defensive midfielders had already made life tough for Atlético. If they added another, what were they supposed to do? Atlético wasn't known for their attacking prowess. Torres was past his prime, and Griezmann, though talented, wasn't a traditional striker. If Atlético could play their usual fast counter-attacking game, avoiding too many midfield battles, Simeone might have some hope. But City had dragged them into a grinding battle, and there wasn't much Simeone could do except hope for some luck.

As the minutes ticked by, City's defense remained impenetrable. Torres was completely shut down by Van Dijk, and Griezmann was tightly marked by Kanté, leaving little room for maneuver. Who could step up in this situation?

Simeone's eyes finally landed on a young player, Atlético's right midfielder wearing the number 17 shirt—Saúl!

In the 73rd minute of the second half, just as City was preparing for their third substitution, Atlético launched an attack. Oblak passed the ball to right-back Juanfran, who evaded Son Heung-min's challenge and passed it forward to the retreating Saúl. Saúl's play was beautiful—he moved early to receive the pass, closing the distance with his teammate and shaking off his marker. This gave him time to make a move, and before De Bruyne could close in, Saúl anticipated his action, pulled off a smooth turn, and bypassed De Bruyne completely.

Now, with space ahead of him, Fernandinho rushed over, and De Bruyne gave chase. Saúl carried the ball down the wing, glancing at his teammates' positions, as if preparing to pass. Seeing this, Fernandinho instinctively moved to block the passing lane. But that slight shift gave Saúl an opening.

He kicked the ball forward, sprinted down the wing, and easily outpaced Kolarov, who hadn't yet gotten into position. Within seconds, Saúl, now at full speed, reached the ball in City's half! Meanwhile, Torres, Gabi, Griezmann, and others were making runs into City's box, finally achieving the fast-paced counter-attack Atlético wanted.

"That's it!" Simeone jumped out of his seat, fists clenched, eyes glued to Saúl and City's goal. Saúl and the ball were getting closer and closer to City's goal. What would he do? Cut inside and shoot or pass to a teammate in the box? Despite the rapid counter-attack, City's defenders didn't panic. Van Dijk was organizing the defense, and goalkeeper Navas was carefully watching, constantly adjusting his position.

All eyes were now on Saúl. Fans stood up, holding their breath, sensing the danger in this attack. Worried about Rüdiger's impulsiveness and the risk of him making a mistake by diving in, Van Dijk stepped up to intercept Saúl as he neared the box. Seeing Saúl face off against Van Dijk, the City fans in the stands breathed a sigh of relief. The Dutch defender was like a rock at the back—just seeing him gave them a sense of security.

Conversely, Atlético's fans couldn't help but worry. City's defender seemed very strong, rarely losing one-on-one battles. Saúl knew his opponent's strength well, so he wisely chose not to take Van Dijk on. Instead, he used Van Dijk's momentum against him, shifting the ball sideways and unleashing a quick shot from outside the box before Van Dijk could recover. The timing was perfect—Navas was still adjusting his position, and his view had been briefly obscured by the towering Van Dijk. As soon as he adjusted, the ball was already flying towards the goal.

Navas dove to save it, but he was just a fraction too late. The ball soared into the net. Confirming the goal, Saúl dashed towards the sideline in celebration. Atlético's players, even more ecstatic than Saúl himself, swarmed the young hero, piling on top of him in a wild celebration.

On the sidelines, Simeone pumped his fists, his joy evident. "Saúl has done it!" "This 21-year-old has just scored at the Etihad, breaking through Manchester City's defense!" "This goal is crucial—not only does it close the gap between the teams, but it also gives Atlético a precious away goal. This goal has turned Atlético's slim hopes of advancing into a real possibility!" "I have to give credit to Saúl for this. He may not be well-known, but he should not be underestimated. Every decision he made during that attack was the best possible one—even Lin Quan might not have done it better!" "I agree. After seeing this performance, maybe Vicente del Bosque should consider giving this young player a chance in the Spanish national team!"

Saúl's goal sent the commentary booths into a frenzy. A one-sided match is never as thrilling as one full of twists and suspense. With Manchester City being so dominant, many people found themselves sympathizing with Atlético, rooting for the underdog. As a result, the commentators' reactions to Saúl's goal were much more enthusiastic than they had been for previous goals.

Spain's coach, Vicente del Bosque, was watching from the stands. With the European Championship approaching, he had been attending matches frequently to assess the form of his key national team players. Lin Quan, as the core of the Spanish team, was one of his primary focuses. Plus, Atlético had several internationals, so this was a match Del Bosque wouldn't miss. Saúl's goal caught his attention. The young player had impressed him, and Del Bosque was now considering giving Saúl a chance with the national team.

Spain had long been known for their strong midfield, but with veterans like Xavi and Xabi Alonso retiring, the midfield had started to weaken. As the golden generation of '85 began to retire, without fresh blood, Spain's strength could decline sharply. Saúl's emergence as a talented young midfielder gave Del Bosque some reassurance and made him more willing to give the youngster a chance.

On the sidelines, Guardiola looked a bit gloomy. Just as he was about to make a substitution, Atlético scored. Oh well, no matter—time to make the change anyway. Guardiola used his final substitution, bringing off center-back Rüdiger and sending on Fernando. The fans and commentators were stunned—Guardiola was really going with four defensive midfielders!?

But with City's lead down to just one goal and Atlético holding an away goal, what was the point of strengthening the defense now? Perhaps Atlético was already satisfied and ready to retreat. Guardiola didn't care what Atlético planned to do. He wasn't sending Fernando on just to defend!

Soon, the fans and commentators were left in disbelief—Fernando was playing as a forward! They rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were seeing things. Was Manchester City's defensive midfielder really playing up front? What kind of new tactic was this? Was it possible to use a defensive midfielder this way?

Fernando wasn't concerned with the outside noise. He closed his eyes, recalling the instructions Guardiola had given him before he went on. "Don't overthink it. Just go out there and act like a disruptor. Whoever has the ball, you go after them like a mad dog!"

Glancing at the game clock, Fernando saw it was the 77th minute. A mad dog, huh? Don't worry, boss—I'll make sure they regret every second on that pitch!

(End of Chapter)

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