Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 511: One-on-One with Modric!

"Manchester City's strategy here is actually better suited for weaker teams, especially when weaker teams face stronger opponents," Wenger commented from the broadcast booth.

"To make Manchester City's tactics effective, they need to draw the opposing team forward; otherwise, it's difficult to break through a complete defensive line with just two players up front, even with Lin Quan in the squad."

"So, what Real Madrid needs to do is quite simple: control their formation and not push forward blindly, especially in midfield. They must avoid leaving too much space behind them!"

Wenger's analysis was spot on, and Zidane gave similar instructions to his players. Following these instructions, Real Madrid was careful to control the spacing between their lines, avoiding the disorganization that led to earlier gaps.

This adjustment worked instantly. Manchester City found it much harder to break through the middle of Real Madrid's defense. However, pulling the formation back created another problem—there was no longer enough pressure on Toni Kroos, the deep-lying playmaker.

Kroos was extremely efficient with his passing and especially dangerous with his long passes. More importantly, his game awareness, vision, and ability to read the match were among the best on the team. If not pressured, Kroos could direct Manchester City's attacks, often initiating dangerous plays down the flanks.

In the 30th minute of the first half, Kroos delivered a pinpoint long pass to Lin Quan in the attacking third, nearly allowing him to score again.

Clearly, Real Madrid couldn't afford to let Kroos operate freely. Zidane made further adjustments, instructing Cristiano Ronaldo to drop back slightly behind Benzema to press Kroos and prevent him from comfortably receiving and distributing the ball.

The reason Ronaldo was tasked with this "dirty work" was simple: out of the attacking trio, Ronaldo didn't have the speed or the ability to hold up the ball with his back to goal. Dropping back to defend was the best way to utilize him without compromising Real Madrid's attacking threat. If Bale or Benzema were to take on this role, their offensive threat would be significantly diminished.

In a typical match, Ronaldo might have been unhappy with such an assignment and might have even ignored the coach's orders. However, this time, when Zidane gave him the task, Ronaldo didn't hesitate at all and immediately set to work. He understood that although this would reduce his chances of scoring, he had to make sacrifices for the team and their victory.

"Ronaldo has really changed!"

"Yeah, he's willing to do the dirty work now!"

"I remember that Ronaldo used to have a special 'no tracking back' privilege at Real Madrid!"

"This just shows how much Ronaldo wants to win!"

Ronaldo's defensive ability wasn't his strongest asset, but his tall and strong physique, along with his relentless fighting spirit, made him effective enough. With his pressure, Kroos found it harder to handle the ball, and his passing frequency dropped significantly.

In City's dual defensive midfield system, the two midfielders didn't line up parallel to each other. N'Golo Kante played further forward, while Kroos stayed deeper. While Kante's playmaking abilities weren't as good as Kroos', his endless energy and wide coverage meant he took on more defensive responsibilities. Kroos, meanwhile, was the team's playmaker, responsible for controlling the pace, distributing the ball, and choosing the attack routes.

Guardiola had placed Kroos deep, almost next to the defensive line, to keep him away from Real Madrid's midfield pressure. This was also why Zidane had his forwards drop back to help defend, as Ronaldo was closer to Kroos than any of Madrid's midfielders.

Guardiola's arrangement was, in fact, a compromise. He would have preferred a defensive midfielder like Javi Martinez or Javier Mascherano, who could also play as a center-back, but Manchester City didn't have such a player. Therefore, Guardiola had to make do with what he had.

Still, this problem wasn't without a solution. Guardiola had set his sights on Everton's young defender John Stones, planning to bring him in during the summer to fill this gap.

Both coaches made adjustments, and the match's tempo was fast. Both teams played clean, efficient football, transitioning from defense to attack with just a few passes, often within seconds, moving from their own half to the opponent's final third and even creating shooting opportunities.

However, despite the numerous shots, neither side made any crucial errors on defense, and the score remained 1-0 in favor of Manchester City.

But just when the game seemed deadlocked, Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up.

In the 38th minute of the first half, Luka Modric intercepted a ball in midfield and quickly passed it to the wing. Gareth Bale used his speed to beat his marker, dribbled down the line, and delivered a cross into the box. Benzema's diving header was parried away by City's goalkeeper Navas, leading to a corner. Modric sent the corner to the far post, and Ronaldo, after a quick double-back run, leaped high and powered the ball into the net with a strong header.

Navas had no chance of saving Ronaldo's header. Frustrated, he spread his hands toward his defenders.

From that distance, with that much power, even if Navas had ten chances, he wouldn't have been able to save one!

That was much harder than saving a penalty!

City's captain, Vincent Kompany, raised his hand, admitting the mistake was his. He hadn't marked Ronaldo properly, allowing the Portuguese star the space for a header. Kompany knew it was his error.

Ronaldo was widely regarded as the best header of the ball in the modern game, if not in football history. Every La Liga goalkeeper knew how deadly his headers could be.

Kompany, though disappointed, wasn't blamed by Navas. The goalkeeper simply patted his shoulder and encouraged him to keep going.

Virgil van Dijk approached Kompany, suggesting that from now on, he would mark Ronaldo while Kompany focused on Benzema.

After confirming his header had found the back of the net, Ronaldo sprinted to the sidelines, roaring into a nearby camera.

Only Ronaldo knew how much pressure he had been carrying before that goal. Now, with that crucial goal scored, he could finally puff out his chest and declare to the world:

"I, Cristiano Ronaldo, am the best in the world!"

"That heading ability is just unbelievable!"

Lin Quan stood in the center circle, hands on his hips, waiting to restart the match. Beside him, Agüero, envious, watched as Real Madrid's players celebrated wildly.

"Ronaldo's heading is amazing, but it's not something we can be jealous of. With our height, we won't be scoring many headers," Lin Quan joked.

Agüero, like Lin Quan, was 173 cm tall. With such a height, they had no chance against towering defenders. So, both players knew heading wasn't their forte, and there was no point in training it excessively. They preferred to work on other aspects of their game.

Real Madrid's goal massively boosted their morale, with fans chanting their support loudly. The energy in the stadium had completely shifted from earlier.

While Zidane was inwardly ecstatic, he quickly calmed himself. The score was only 1-1. They had merely equalized, not taken the lead.

There was no reason to celebrate just yet. They needed to keep pushing and aim for another goal—or more!

"Our opponent's defense is tight in the middle, so focus on attacking from the wings! Make use of set-pieces and capitalize on our heading advantage!"

Real Madrid had several players excellent in the air, while Manchester City had fewer tall players. Zidane had noticed this and wanted to exploit it. Unable to find other weaknesses in City's defense, he decided to hammer this one home.

As the game restarted, the fans quickly noticed that Real Madrid began focusing more on set-pieces, seizing every chance to swing the ball into City's box, hoping to replicate their earlier success.

Such a clear strategy didn't escape the attention of City's coaching staff. Guardiola quickly responded, increasing the pressure on Modric.

Compared to the Real Madrid team of previous seasons, this squad lacked Kroos, which put more responsibility on Modric. If City could successfully cut off Modric, they would severely weaken Real Madrid's attacks.

From the start, City had been targeting Modric, but it hadn't been easy to contain him. Relying solely on De Bruyne wasn't enough. Kante could certainly mark Modric, but Modric covered too much ground, and Kante also needed to protect and support Kroos.

This left City needing someone to step up and put pressure on Modric when he dropped deep to receive the ball. That person needed both the stamina to attack and defend, and the range to track Modric all over the pitch.

In City's midfield and forward line, only one player fit that description: Lin Quan.

If Ronaldo could sacrifice for the team, then so could Lin Quan.

So, when Modric dropped back to collect the ball again, Lin Quan was right there, pressuring him.

Seeing Lin Quan approach, Modric was surprised. He hadn't expected City to send Lin Quan to defend him.

"Looks like they really respect me!" Modric thought.

But while Modric respected Lin Quan's attacking abilities, he wasn't sure about his defensive skills. At just 20 years old, Lin Quan probably lacked the experience necessary for effective defending. To be a top defender, talent wasn't enough—experience was crucial. Without it, young players often made mistakes that ended up helping the opposing team.

Hearing Lin Quan's rapid footsteps behind him, Modric quickly decided Lin Quan was too inexperienced to defend properly.

"Let me give you a lesson, young man," Modric thought confidently.

He planned his next move, waiting for Lin Quan to get close. When he received the ball, he didn't turn right away. Instead, he waited until Lin Quan was nearly on top of him, then suddenly pulled the ball back and turned sharply. He wanted to use Lin Quan's momentum against him, knowing the younger player would find it hard to stop quickly.

As a world-class midfielder, the ability to shake off defenders was a key skill, and Modric was one of the best. He had countless ways to escape defenders and find space to deliver a killer pass.

In tight games between elite teams, even the smallest lapse in concentration or space given to the opposition's playmaker could lead to defeat.

"Lin Quan is still too young!"

"Yeah, his defensive experience is lacking, and Modric will surely get the better of him!"

"What can you do? It's Modric we're talking about!"

Just when everyone thought Lin Quan would be left in Modric's dust, something unexpected happened.

Modric completed his turn, but Lin Quan was still there, standing in front of him.

What?

How was he still here?

Modric's eyes widened in disbelief.

Lin Quan flashed a mischievous grin: "Surprised?"

Had it been any other young player, Modric might have succeeded, but Lin Quan wasn't just any young player. He had an advantage Modric didn't know about—his knowledge of Modric's game from studying hours of footage.

Before the game, Lin Quan had done his homework. He had studied Modric's habits, his playing style, and devised a strategy to counter him.

While Modric knew how dangerous Lin Quan was as an attacker, he didn't realize the young player had already planned for this moment.

Modric misjudged Lin Quan's ability and, after turning, found himself running straight into the young City player.

Presented with such a golden opportunity, Lin Quan wasted no time. He stretched out his leg, stole the ball cleanly, and possession was his.

In an instant, the roles were reversed: Modric was now on defense, and Lin Quan on the attack!

At that moment, any trace of underestimation vanished from Modric's mind. He knew Lin Quan's attacking prowess was world-renowned. Now, even Modric felt nervous.

Can I stop him?

Lin Quan didn't give Modric much time to think. As soon as he won the ball, he was on the move!

(End of Chapter)

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