Hello, I'm ssi. I'm very panicked right now. I've been trapped by a violent gang. They won't let touch the ball and have forced to stay away from the rest of the team. I haven't found a way to escape. I've tried everything and can only ask the right person for help. If you see my ssage, please call the police!
…
That was pretty much how ssi felt once the ga kicked off.
From the mont Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai blew the whistle, ssi found himself caught in the tactical cage that Manchester City had ticulously prepared for him.
He usually operated around the right half-space, but it was difficult to get the ball.
Manchester City's players had built layers of barriers around him.
Tonight, Barcelona used their traditional 4-3-3 formation, with ssi on the right, Agüero in the center, and Sánchez on the left.
But Manchester City's setup was sowhat different.
David Silva and Rakitic dropped deep, playing almost like holding midfielders.
Gareth Bale, nominally on the left, advanced aggressively, seemingly to suppress Alves, but he played more like a forward. Whenever Suárez drifted to the right, Bale moved into the center.
Robben on the right side also dropped deep.
So, with Robben, Rakitic, Javi Martínez, and David Silva, it resembled a four-man midfield.
Among them, Javi Martínez constantly shadowed ssi. Filipe pushed forward along the sideline, and with David Silva behind, it ford an effective containnt structure.
It was very difficult for Barcelona to move the ball through this area.
That ant ssi couldn't get the ball unless he left his usual area of activity.
But if he did, it would disrupt the positioning of his teammates.
After the kickoff, Manchester City imdiately launched an aggressive attack on Barcelona.
Barcelona wasn't surprised. They knew Gao Shen loved aggressive football.
Interestingly, in the first two minutes, Barcelona struggled to maintain possession, but Manchester City also found it difficult to break through Barcelona's defense.
Soon, as Barcelona got hold of the ball, Manchester City quickly dropped back.
When they dropped deep, it resembled a 4-4-2. Gareth Bale was very flexible. He could play wide, cut inside, and even track back with Alves.
In contrast, Robben on the right side dropped very deep. In the third minute, during a City attack, Lichtsteiner was seen pressing forward even more than Robben.
But as soon as the Swiss full-back pushed up and the attack transitioned to defense, he imdiately counter-pressed with teammates to win the ball back. Robben, holding a deeper position, received the ball and cut inside, then used his left foot to send a diagonal pass toward Suárez.
Thiago Motta got there first and headed it clear, beating Suárez to the ball.
Manchester City quickly reset without delay.
Barcelona, unable to find an opening on the right, switched play to the left, trying to work through Sánchez. But Lichtsteiner made a precise tackle on the wing. Although Sánchez went down, the referee only awarded a throw-in, not a foul.
Manchester City's defense was extrely well-organized.
Most importantly, the back, midfield, and forward lines were compact, transitioning smoothly between attacking and defending.
ssi tried several tis to find space, to receive and carry the ball, but his teammates just couldn't get it to him.
It kept getting passed around, and eventually, it was always forced to the left.
In the fifth minute, Alves crossed the halfway line and received a pass. He glanced toward ssi and tried a long pass over the top, aiming behind City's defense.
But before the ball could reach its target, Neuer had already rushed out. He leapt and caught the ball over ssi's head.
The German's area of control was just incredible.
ssi wanted to imdiately apply pressure and force a mistake, but as soon as he had the idea, Neuer launched a long ball forward, aiming directly for Gareth Bale.
The Welshman positioned himself well, but Thiago Motta held his ground in the physical battle and won the header.
Xavi tried to pass to ssi again, but David Luiz stepped in and blocked it.
Possession continued to shift between both sides.
In the sixth minute, Filipe intercepted a pass and fed Javi Martínez, who imdiately played a first-ti ball forward to David Silva.
The Spanish playmaker took a couple of steps and delivered a through ball behind Alves.
Gareth Bale, like a fighter jet, burst past Alves from behind, outrunning him easily to et David Silva's pass. He charged into the left side of the penalty area and unleashed a left-footed strike from his signature zone.
But whether it was due to aiming too precisely or nerves in the final, the shot—which was usually guaranteed—slightly missed the target.
The entire Wembley Stadium gasped.
The Welshman scratched his head and looked up in frustration.
This was the first shot of the ga.
It took nearly seven minutes for either side to register a shot.
It showed just how intense and effective the pressing from both teams had been.
ssi also tracked back with the team. He had only just crossed the halfway line when he saw Bale take the shot. He let out a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, that guy wasn't in top form tonight.
If Manchester City had scored first, it would've put Barcelona in a passive position.
But thinking about it, that chance also ca because Barcelona chose to play out from their left side.
And Manchester City had heavily fortified that flank.
Realizing this, ssi's face turned serious.
…
Unlike Gao Shen, who exaggeratedly opened his arms in anticipation of the goal only to sigh and stomp back in frustration, Guardiola's expression was very serious.
He clearly realized that Manchester City's tactics were highly targeted.
City weren't playing their usual 4-3-3. In fact, it didn't even look like a 4-4-2.
It was hard to tell what Manchester City's shape truly was tonight.
But one thing was clear: Gao Shen had Robben drop deeper and effectively deployed four n across the midfield when defending.
Rakitic and Javi Martínez operated like a double pivot, making it difficult for ssi and Sánchez to threaten from the flanks.
Everyone knew that ssi on the right and Sánchez on the left liked to cut inside.
Once Barcelona's attack failed to stretch the opposition, the space behind them was left exposed.
Earlier, Alves had already been outrun by Gareth Bale before he could even push forward. If the Brazilian full-back had moved higher up, who would've stopped Bale's frontal charge?
That was a real problem.
What made things worse was that Manchester City weren't even pressing high up against Barcelona's backline. Instead, they were targeting Busquets.
Gao Shen knew very well that if City pressed too high up the pitch, they'd burn out physically, and wouldn't last the full ga. But by engaging from the midfield, with Suárez helping to press Busquets, Manchester City could conserve energy and sustain their intensity.
Now the pressure was on Barcelona.
They had possession, and they could pull and circulate the ball.
But they couldn't break through.
Were City being conservative?
No. Their performance tonight wasn't conservative.
But were they being aggressive?
Not exactly either.
They were just making Barcelona very uncomfortable.
"This guy is still such a pain!" Guardiola cursed angrily.
Gao Shen's biggest weapon was the speed of Gareth Bale and even Robben.
Just as Guardiola was thinking, Barcelona tried to push down their left—City's right—but the ball was intercepted by Kompany and passed quickly to Rakitic, who imdiately launched a counterattack and fed Lichtsteiner on the right.
Before the Swiss full-back crossed the halfway line, he spotted Robben sprinting ahead and sent a straight pass down the right sideline into Barça's final third.
Robben surged forward and beat Vargas to the ball.
The Peruvian full-back recovered quickly and tried to mark Robben one-on-one.
But Robben didn't give him the chance. With a few signature feints, he suddenly cut to the byline, darted into the right side of the penalty area, and swung a left-footed cross just before Piqué closed in.
Suárez charged in and struck the ball off the return pass.
With a thud, the ball slamd into the right post and rebounded back into play.
The entire stadium erupted once more.
"Wow!!!"
"Oh my god, Manchester City's second shot hits the post!"
"You have to say, City's finishing hasn't been sharp tonight."
"Guardiola's defense definitely has so issues. City have generated two great chances already. They were just inches away from scoring both tis."
"But Barça should count themselves lucky tonight."
"Maybe the pressure is getting to so of City's players. After all, many of them are playing in their first Champions League final, while several Barça players are here for their third and have loads of experience."
"At this critical mont, City still need to stay calm and composed."
Guardiola was also shouting angrily from the sideline.
Even though Robben had dropped deep, he still wasn't at ease, because Robben's pace made him even harder to contain when launching from deeper positions.
Just now, he had cut right through the channel between Piqué and Vargas.
He was taking advantage of the fact that Barça's defenders couldn't match his speed.
But what could you do?
That was just the reality.
Moreover, Robben had an exceptional sense of timing when making runs.
That mont, he seized it perfectly.
Gao Shen's tactics tonight were frustrating.
He trapped ssi, isolated Sánchez on the wing, and if Agüero dropped deeper, there'd be no one up top for Barça.
But if Agüero stayed high, Xavi and Iniesta would struggle to deliver the ball.
Manchester City's two banks of four, resembling a 4-4-2, remained extrely compact and cohesive.
After all, that's what 4-4-2 is all about—balance.
In simple terms, Gao Shen's strategy was to focus on defending well, disrupting Barça's rhythm, and waiting for opportunities to counterattack.
When both wingers found it difficult to cut inside, their greatest strengths turned into weaknesses.
Most importantly, because of the threat posed by Bale and Robben, Barça's full-backs didn't dare push forward freely.
This created a tactical deadlock for Barcelona.
And the root of that problem was the lack of variation in Barça's attacking approach.
(To be continued.)
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