Football: My AI System Provides Max-Level Predictions-Chapter 698 - 490: Manchester City in trouble with 10 men! Kolarov’s mistake gives away a penalty, can Tang Long turn the tide?
The term "as nimble as a rabbit" precisely captures Messi’s movements on the field.
During the first half, Messi mostly seemed to be strolling around; his sprinting distances were far less than Suarez’s, and his dribble attempts were fewer than Neymar’s.
Yet, when the team needed him, Messi suddenly sprang into action like a ghost, positioning himself at the most threatening spot near the goal, swiftly beating two defenders and scoring!
Kompany, who was tricked by Messi and fell to the ground, looked utterly incredulous.
Slowly getting up, he bowed his head, repeatedly replaying the scene in his mind, unable to fathom:
"I’ve reminded myself countless times not to be fooled by his feints. I also know that dip of the shoulder is a fake move. But why am I still inexplicably drawn towards it? Could I be... cursed?"
Kompany’s perplexity is shared by many defenders who have faced Messi before.
Although they know Messi’s first move is a feint, when actually confronting him, it’s like iron drawn to a magnet; they always lose their balance to his feints!
Agüero watched from the side, secretly taken aback.
The two are good friends and share a room in the Argentine national team.
Messi’s recent lob shot made Agüero, who prides himself on his lob shots, feel inferior.
"Too strong, even after beating two defenders, he can instantly adjust his body posture. If it were me, I might not be able to lob the ball over Bravo."
Whether in dribbling or shooting, Messi has shown a level completely different from the other players on the field.
In the presence of the powerful Messi, even Manchester City’s all-time top scorer Agüero expressed a lack of confidence.
He felt that relying on his own strength alone, he couldn’t defeat Barça, so he looked expectantly at his striking partner Tang Long.
"Tang, we..."
"Stay focused, let’s talk during halftime!"
Tang Long noticed the lack of confidence in Agüero’s eyes, patted his shoulder, indicating he shouldn’t overthink.
The two sides entered halftime with a score of 1:1.
Having scored first but then leveled, morale-wise, Manchester City was the weaker side.
Guardiola noticed the players’ inner thoughts.
So during the 15-minute halftime, Guardiola spent a whole 10 minutes boosting the players’ spirits.
He didn’t convey much tactical information to the players but encouraged them to maintain courage and a calm mindset.
"Guys, treat this match like a regular Premier League game. This isn’t Camp Nou, nor Itihad, just an ordinary stadium. Don’t harbor fear, play as you would, you are the Premier League champions; I don’t believe your strength is inferior to Barça’s, remember!"
...
[Messi’s live material has been collected 85%]
[Big data analysis underway]
[Initiating test task now]
[Combine Messi’s dip with Ronaldo’s dip, achieve three dribbles, score one goal]
"Combine Messi’s dip with Ronaldo’s dip?"
Sitting in the away team’s locker room, Tang Long fell into deep thought.
The impressive dribble where Messi used a dip of the shoulder to bypass Kompany in the first half was seen clearly by Tang Long.
This was the first time in his career to be in close contact with Messi on-site, and the sharp-eyed Tang Long felt that Messi’s dip differed from Ronaldo’s.
Messi is relatively short, agile, and has a low center of gravity;
His dip relies more on his nimbleness, the dip might be relatively small but quick, suitable for maneuvering and creating breakthroughs in tight spaces.
Ronaldo possesses a strong physique and impressive explosiveness, tall with long legs;
His dip is usually larger, using his powerful physique and instant speed to break through defenses in a forceful manner.
Tang Long softly muttered, "The two dips have their differences; Messi’s dip fits better in crowded areas for creating chances, while Ronaldo’s suits long-distance charges; however, for breaking dense defenses, Messi’s dribbling method might still be superior..."
Guardiola clapped his hands once loudly in front of Tang Long.
"Hey! Tang! Stop ruminating about Messi; I groomed Messi myself. If I were to say, at twenty, Messi wasn’t as good as you, I would definitely be telling the truth, okay? Stand up!"
Guardiola gave Tang Long a hug, heavily patting his back.
...
Back to the match.
In the second half, Barça, having equalized, surged in morale.
Under the cheers of 87,000 spectators at Camp Nou, they launched a tidal wave of attacks against Manchester City’s defense line.
Fortunately, Chiwo, after joining the team, had greatly worked on the team’s defensive coaching, momentarily withstanding the pressure.
During halftime, after Guardiola’s encouragement, Manchester City’s players were rejuvenated. Despite Barça’s dominant ball possession, they struggled to penetrate Manchester City’s penalty area.
But under Barça’s fierce offensive, after twenty minutes, the players started to feel exhausted and out of stamina.
"Width, Barça’s players know how to exploit Camp Nou’s width!"
"This stadium was precisely tailored for Barça’s possession-based tactics!"
"They’ve been pulling and directing Manchester City’s players continuously."
"Manchester City, be careful; while running, maintain a compact formation."
"At this moment, if there’s any distraction, a flaw emerges in defense, Iniesta might deliver a fatal blow!"
Chiwo, Manchester City’s assistant coach, was watching from the sidelines, his palms sweating.
He once represented Inter Milan during the 2009-2010 Champions League semifinals against Barça.
Seeing these exhausted, sweaty Manchester City players on the field, Chiwo couldn’t help but recall being in such a situation back in the day.
Barça’s front-line MSN trio, regardless of who, taken alone, is like a ticking bomb, bringing severe defensive challenges to Manchester City.
Because in past matches, even encountering teams using three forwards, usually there’s only one main offensive point, possibly two at most, but no team has ever been like Barça with three top scorers!
As if summoned, left-back Kolarov got distracted, allowing Suarez to bypass him on a slant run forward.
Chiwo, seeing it clearly from the sidelines, shouted repeatedly, "Kolarov, watch your back!"
Just as the shout barely fell, Iniesta’s pass arrived precisely.
Kolarov, as if awakening from a dream, quickly turned to chase!
But with neither positional nor speed advantage, he couldn’t catch up, and resorted to a risky slide tackle, hoping to leverage his height and long legs to clear the ball out of bounds;
Unexpectedly, Suarez reacted faster, deftly sidestepping, Kolarov missed the ball but caught Suarez, knocking him to the ground!
The referee blew the whistle resolutely, pointing to the penalty spot and showing Kolarov a red card!
"Ah! It’s a red card and penalty combo!"
"Who would’ve thought experienced Kolarov would spell disaster for Manchester City!"
"Had I known, it would’ve been better to let Suarez take that clear shot!"
"66 minutes in, down a man and conceding a penalty, this match is very tough for Manchester City..."
Kolarov knew he caused a big problem—there was no dispute over the decision. After apologizing to captain Kompany, he walked off the field.
Passing by Tang Long, Kolarov couldn’t help but glance at him, filled with guilt, thinking, "If the team loses because of my defensive blunder, I truly apologize for Tang’s magnificent opening goal..."
