Dear Gua
Chapter 174 Pogba, Walcott, and Akinfenwa
Son Heung-min is the "gentlemanly player" type, like Yue Buqun.
Before these two emerged, the "villains" of European football were relatively pure.
North De Jong.
East Ibrahimović.
West Rooney.
South Pepe.
...
At Real Madrid's training complex, Zidane was a little troubled.
Because Varane was injured.
The 23-year-old French center-back was seen by European media as the defensive version of Li Kang.
"Varane's speed, versatility, and overall vision naturally counter teams like Leverkusen that emphasize width!"
"It's okay, we still have Pepe! He has been recovering well recently, and Leverkusen's attack won't pose a threat to Real Madrid."
Bettoni pointed to a bald head on the training field and suggested.
Zidane didn't say anything.
In the distance.
Pepe was doing one-on-one training with Ronaldo.
His eyes revealed kindness.
Many fans believe he is becoming more mature with age.
But that's not the case.
A careful review of the matches of the three giants of La Liga in recent years reveals that the main reason is encountering two "alternative" forwards, Diego Costa and Suarez, which made the martial monk Pepe realize that ferocity cannot solve all problems.
To survive, you have to use your brain.
Flying kicks and hair-pulling against Castro, heavy blows against Albin.
Flying knee strikes against Sandro, whip kicks against Sissoko.
A kick to the groin against Lago.
Elbowing the aging Drogba.
Stepping on Messi's hand.
These evil deeds aroused the disgust of most neutral fans.
In 2016, Pepe was working hard, trying to change in the direction of an acting派 (pai, style).
"Li is a flower in a greenhouse; he can't get past me."
On the other side.
Other Real Madrid teammates were doing a keep-away drill.
Casemiro asked, "How should we play in the second leg?"
Kroos thought for a moment and said seriously:
"Outside the thirty-meter zone, ignore Li, because his teammates can't keep up with the pace."
"Within the thirty-meter zone, just besiege Li, because his teammates can't run into space."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Real Madrid led by two goals in the first leg, and if Leverkusen wanted to advance, they would have to launch a full-scale attack in the second leg.
The execution of the overall tactics is based on the characteristics of all players.
Leverkusen cannot execute effective offensive plays under Real Madrid's high pressure.
......
Leverkusen training base.
Old man Toppmöller was worried:
"The two goals in the first leg were entirely due to Li's individual ability. Now that Real Madrid understands his characteristics better, it will be difficult to replicate those goals in the second leg..."
"Real Madrid has the best coaching staff on this planet, and their players aren't fools who stop thinking."
Dino was silent.
He had a premonition that if Li was not sent out to play, the German Cup would likely be eliminated by RB Leipzig.
A few days later.
The small city of Leverkusen, with a population of only 200,000, was suddenly flooded with countless Real Madrid fans.
Due to the away ticket sales rules, only a small number of people managed to grab tickets for the away stands.
But it couldn't stop the enthusiasm of Real Madrid fans.
They gathered in bars and squares to cheer for their team.
Every corner was filled with Spanish...
.....
BayArena.
The seats in the home stands were removed.
More than 30,000 fans poured into the narrow stands.
They would rather stand for ninety minutes to cheer for Leverkusen!
"Ctv5! Ctv5! Good evening, viewers!"
"Welcome to the second leg of the 2015/16 Champions League semi-final!"
"Leverkusen hosts Real Madrid!"
"The score of the first leg between the two sides is 4:2! Real Madrid has a two-goal lead!"
"Oh! Varane is injured, and we see Pepe appearing in the starting lineup!"
"This is undoubtedly good news for North Rhine!"
"Since 2016, Real Madrid has only lost one game. Pepe played the entire game, and the defense conceded a shocking six goals!"
"I am the commentator for this game: Duan Xuan!"
"I am He Wei."
"Now we will introduce the starting lineups of both sides."
"Real Madrid is lining up in a 4-3-3 formation!"
"Goalkeeper:..."
...
Live broadcast room.
-【Leverkusen has been given a suspended death sentence, right? Real Madrid is still using its full strength, not giving any chance to turn the tables.】
-【Pretty much. Li Mingdeng certainly can't replicate the one-man show of the first leg. The other side is prepared and won't stand there dumbly for you to charge.】
-【Even if the score tonight is a draw or a narrow loss, Real Madrid can still advance to the final.】
-【Can Leverkusen overturn the score with a 2:0 victory?】
.....
The referee team led the players from both sides out of the tunnel.
The familiar Champions League theme song suddenly sounded.
The stands erupted in a tsunami of cheers.
Black and red team flags fluttered in the wind.
Miniature flares exploded in every corner!
The entire BayArena was shrouded in smoke and red light.
The stadium's public address system shouted the name of number 10.
"Lee!"
"Lee!!!"
In the North Stand, a giant mosaic puzzle slowly descended!
It featured the back of Leverkusen's number 10!
"This may be Leverkusen's last battle in this season's Champions League!"
"After fourteen years, they have once again reached the Champions League semi-finals! Unfortunately, this time, the top of the Champions League is so unattainable!"
"North Rhine, will a miracle happen tonight?"
....
Old man Toppmöller paced back and forth nervously.
Zidane sat calmly on the coach's bench.
With the referee's whistle.
The game officially began.
Leverkusen ball.
Kießling passed the ball horizontally to Son Heung-min.
Under Benzema's pressure, the latter decisively passed the ball back to Li Kang!
Unfortunately, the pass wasn't strong enough.
The ball was intercepted by Ronaldo, who was sprinting!
"Oh dear! Did Benzema put all his skill points into defense? His interference ability is too outstanding!"
"Real Madrid wants to start strong!"
....
Ronaldo strongly restrained his urge to shoot from forty meters out.
He was no longer at his peak, and he didn't have much time to waste possession.
Snap!
Facing Li Kang's approach.
He quickly passed the ball to Modrić, who was coming up to support!
In Li Kang's vision, the phantom of a little pony instantly appeared!
And also the red and black soul, Nesta!
Forty-meter zone.
Just as Modrić stopped the ball.
Leverkusen's number 10 darted forward like the wind.
Everyone couldn't help but gasp.
This tackle was too fierce, wasn't it?
...
There wasn't as much intense physical contact as expected.
Modrić seemed to have sensed everything long ago.
Having experienced the first leg, he knew all of Li Kang's characteristics.
He gently lifted his left foot.
The ball gracefully passed under his crotch.
Li Kang tackled thin air.
The phantom of the little pony struggled painfully.
The red and black soul was furious.
"Beautiful!"
"Masterful style!"
"A smooth let-through, Modrić pulls one back!"
....
Kroos appeared on the ball's path in a timely manner.
No adjustment needed.
No need to look up.
He unleashed an elegant long pass.
A beautiful rainbow suddenly appeared in the sky above the BayArena.
The ball landed precisely on the left wing of the thirty-meter zone.
Perfect to a T.
Leverkusen's defense was caught off guard.
Marcelo unloaded the ball with ease, easily beating Borges and charging straight in!
All of Real Madrid's midfielders and forwards began to move forward at high speed!
Van Dijk frantically directed his teammates' defensive positioning, but it was too late.
Kramer and Jonathan Tah lost their positions again.
The two of them converged on Marcelo, trying to block his passing lanes as they ran.
It wasn't that easy.
Marcelo quietly accelerated, a small change of direction, and he found a passing angle.
Bang!
The ball whistled into the penalty area.
Ronaldo overpowered Van Dijk!
He leaped high!
A header!
This was a header close to max in football history.
"This ball is in!"
"Oh dear! Leno's superb save!"
"It's a rebound!"
"Benzema shoots!"
"Post!"
"Bale!"
Ronaldo's header had a lot of power, and even Leno's superb save couldn't clear it completely!
The ball stumbled onto the grass!
Benzema squeezed past Bender and slid in to shoot!
The goal frame shook violently.
The ball hit the post!
Falling back into the penalty area!
Bale, enduring Hilbert, blasted a volley!
This time.
Finally.
0:1!!!
"Beautiful!"
"The attack is too smooth!"
"The process is bumpy, but the result is perfect!"
"Real Madrid, opening the scoring!"
"Leading by three goals on aggregate!"
"The understanding and cooperation of the BBC front three is far less than Messi, Neymar, and Suarez, but everyone's individual ability has reached its peak!"
"The suspense of advancing is getting smaller and smaller!"
....
Live broadcast room.
Barrage flying.
-【It's not working. It feels like Modrić has turned Li Mingdeng into Pogba!】
-【Pogba is a super midfielder with all stats maxed out in the game. Is it useful? Not at all. He's still toyed with by midfield masters like Xavi, Pirlo, and Modrić.】
-【How is Li Mingdeng supposed to play? When he plays off the ball, his teammates can't hold the ball; when he plays with the ball, his teammates still can't hold the ball.】
-【This scoring is so complicated. How many goals does Leverkusen need to score to advance?】
-【As expected, the two goals conceded in the first leg were just Li Mingdeng stunning Real Madrid. Once Modrić and Zidane were prepared, Leverkusen was destined to be eliminated.】
-【Schalke 04 can score 3 goals against Leverkusen. Guess how many Real Madrid can score tonight?】
-【If they keep playing like this, RB Leipzig's firepower will eliminate Leverkusen from the German Cup.】
.....
Bale and his teammates simply high-fived, celebrated, and returned to the center circle.
Everything came too easily.
It didn't feel like playing in the Champions League.
More like bullying weak teams in La Liga.
"Enjoy the game. This is the easiest time in your career to face Li..."
"Shh, lip-reading experts are watching you!"
"What are we afraid of? The toilet paper news says I don't know Spanish. Even if I go to the MLS, I'll still speak Spanish to my teammates!"
Not just the BayArena.
The entire small city of Leverkusen, including Cologne Square twenty miles away.
Was filled with Real Madrid's slogans.
"halamadrid!!!"
"halamadrid!!!"
"halamadrid!!!"
Leverkusen players lowered their heads.
Bender loudly encouraged his teammates... to no avail.
Li Kang shook his head, trying to dispel all negative emotions.
He picked up the ball from the net and ran back to the center circle.
He kept replaying the details of his duel with Modrić from a God's-eye view.
He had been turned into Pogba, Walcott, Akinfenwa...
In the distance.
Modrić gazed at the figure of Leverkusen's number 10.
His expression had a hint of regret.
....
On the sidelines.
Old man Toppmöller slumped onto the coach's bench.
His whole body was trembling.
He couldn't think of any countermeasures.
All the pre-match arrangements vanished in the face of Real Madrid's powerful individual abilities.
Dino picked up a pen and frantically recorded Real Madrid's entire offensive process on the tactical board.
On the other side.
Bettoni celebrated wildly.
He tentatively suggested, "Can we bring on James yet? There won't be any major problems in this game."
Zidane clapped gently, smiling and shaking his head.
"If we let James play, we will lose."
....
The game resumed.
Leverkusen's possession was quickly stolen by Casemiro, who had pushed up to the front line!
This time, Real Madrid did not launch a quick attack.
Instead, they steadily controlled the rhythm in the middle.
Li Kang began to run back and forth frantically...
But Modrić and Kroos's passing ability was too outstanding.
The two had fully understood Li Kang's defensive characteristics in the first leg, and they could easily resolve the opponent's pressing and tackling.
Let alone Nesta.
Even if Maldini, Cannavaro, Baresi, and other super defensive masters possessed him, Li Kang was still only one person.
No matter how fast, he couldn't be faster than the ball.
As Marcelo and Carvajal moved forward.
Real Madrid had more passing options on both wings in the middle.
The weight of possession gradually shifted to the two wings.
Li Kang couldn't possibly cross the entire width of the field for tackling and pressing in a short time.
What about his teammates?
His teammates' cross-pressing network couldn't even touch the ball.
The overall strength gap was too large.
Real Madrid didn't even need to use any complex offensive tactics.
It was like playing a friendly match.
....
24th minute of the match.
Modrić was like a matador holding a sword and a red cloth.
Facing the aggressive Li Kang.
The Real Madrid midfielder's control of time was perfect.
He flicked the ball lightly with the outside of his foot.
Leverkusen's number 10 missed again.
The mastery of spacing and timing.
Could not be made up by simply increasing all stats.
The Li Kang in front of him, in Modrić's eyes...
Was no different from Pogba, Walcott, or Akinfenwa.
....
Kroos, who was coming up to support, volleyed a low, flat long pass.
"Precision guidance!"
"In this situation, he can still spot the loopholes in Leverkusen's defense!"
"Beautiful!"
"Carvajal!"
"Not offside!"
.....
Van Dijk wanted to retreat.
Unfortunately, at this time, his awareness and anticipation couldn't keep up with Carvajal, who was at his peak.
The latter used a horizontal cutback to play around with Leverkusen's two center-backs!
Then he unleashed an extremely terrifying speed.
He charged to the landing point, controlled the ball, and burst forward!
Leno charged out!
Barely reaching the edge of the penalty area.
He saw a black shadow lightly passing over his head!
He turned his head.
The net was raised again.
0:2!!!
"Too easy!"
"Carvajal knows Leno's characteristics very well!"
"A skillful chip shot!"
"When did he get to the front line? Zidane gave the players too much freedom in this game!"
"No celebration!"
"We see Carvajal raising his hands, no celebration!"
.....
Carvajal's first-team career started at Leverkusen.
He didn't celebrate wildly, but raised his hands and silently walked back to the center circle.
VIP box seats.
The little assistant smiled bitterly: "Boss, if we hadn't sold players all these years... maybe we would have..."
Völler lit a cigar: "The situation is different... How many more goals do we need to score to advance?"
The little assistant had a dark look on his face: "Five goals!"
On the green field.
Modrić pulled Li Kang up.
He wanted to say something, but in the end, he shook his head.
Individual ability is too small in the face of Europe's top tactical competition.
Especially a midfielder.
After being restricted, he can't even control the ball...
How can he play an offensive and defensive game?
You don't even have a chance to break the deadlock.
....
32nd minute of the match.
Son Heung-min received a through ball from Li Kang.
Bang!
A bald giant slid the ball out of bounds!
Son Heung-min couldn't stop in time, and Pepe "fell" to the ground "in pain"!
"Yellow card!"
"Not a big problem."
"Pepe is no longer the martial monk of the past, but a holy monk. He didn't cause chaos, and let the referee decide the result!"
"Adding insult to injury."
"The attack can't be opened, and he gets a yellow card for making too big of a move."
....
36th minute of the match.
Jonathan Tah used his hands and feet to bring down Kroos in the rib area.
Ronaldo was surprised not to be standing in front of the foul spot.
Bale took a three-step run-up!
He unleashed an extremely fierce shot through the clouds!
Opening Leverkusen's goal again!
0:3!!!
BayArena, deathly silence.
Many Leverkusen fans began to leave early.
Real Madrid fans began to celebrate early.
Fireworks and salutes rang out!
Colorful confetti danced in the sky above North Rhine.
....
No Istanbul. (referring to the 2005 Champions League final where Liverpool came back from 3-0 down to win against AC Milan)
The second half was still a massacre!
"I suspect this Real Madrid team will not lose a game in 2016!"
"At most, at most, they will lose two games!"
"The dominance they have shown in European competitions is like AC Milan and Bayern Munich in those years."
"Concise, efficient, and not relying on any one core player!"
"It won't require major changes to tactics due to someone's absence!"
"No weaknesses!"
....
70th minute of the match.
Li Kang received a long ball from Van Dijk in the frontcourt.
The Dutch center-back understood.
Passing through the middle simply couldn't get the ball there, so it was better to find the core with a long ball!
Unfortunately, the moment he passed the ball.
Modrić had already completed the defense in the backcourt.
He wouldn't allow the "one-man show" of the first leg to happen again.
...
Li Kang began to accelerate.
The shadow in his brain spread to the extreme.
In his vision, the phantoms of the little pony and Figo appeared at the same time.
In the eyes of everyone in the stadium.
His speed and touch accuracy soared to the extreme.
It was useless.
Without his teammates' runs and timely support.
He eventually fell at the arc of Real Madrid's penalty area.
Pepe, Ramos, Casemiro, and Carvajal breathed a sigh of relief.
"No foul!"
"In the final moments, Li Kang almost replicated Messi's miracle of dribbling past five players in a row!"
"Unfortunately, Real Madrid's defensive line maintained a deep sense of depth!"
"Modrić's tackle was very clean!"
"Real Madrid's counterattack!"
....
Finally.
Beep! Beep Beep~
The referee blew the whistle to end the match.
The LED scoreboard in mid-air showed the disastrous result of 0:5.
Real Madrid eliminated Leverkusen 9:2 on aggregate and advanced to the Champions League final!
Old man Toppmöller sat on the ground like a defeated rooster, his face covered in dirt, tightly clutching a handful of grass.
Dino lowered his head, still diligently recording Real Madrid's offensive and defensive details.
The scratch paper was gradually soaked by the rain.
All the bumps, all the hardships...