February 20th, still Manchester, but at the Etihad Stadium.
In a focus match in the Champions League round of 16, the upstart Manchester City of the Premier League encountered the upstart Hamburg of the Champions League.
This game attracted 55,000 fans into the Etihad, and the venue was packed with people.
"Manchester City are in good form, so I still think they will beat Hamburg easily at home."
In the media box of Sky Sports, Gary Neville said, but his face didn't look very good.
Carragher, who was sitting next to him, joked: "Do you think Manchester City are in good condition because of their performance in the Manchester Derby? I asked, is there such a possibility that it is because Manchester United is so bad this season?"
"Shut up!" Neville rolled his eyes. "At least these two teams in Manchester have entered the last 16 of the Champions League. What about Liverpool? Can you get me a ticket for their Champions League this season?"
Neville and Carragher played for rivals Manchester United and Liverpool respectively during their playing days, and they were also tit-for-tat on the court.
After retiring, they became a couple who fell in love with each other, and their bickering on the TV station was a repertoire that fans loved to see.
Therefore, Carragher did not feel dissatisfied. He smiled and said: "You can be arrogant, but you can't be arrogant for too long. By next season, I will be the one who says this."
Carragher certainly has the confidence to say this.
In this season's Premier League, Liverpool is still competing for the title and seems to have a good chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
Manchester United, on the other hand, is already a huge points gap away from the top spot. Not to mention competing for the championship and the top four, even qualifying for the Europa League is not within grasp.
"Let's watch today's game first." Neville changed the topic intentionally or unintentionally, "Judging from the Manchester City Derby, Pellegrini's transformation of this Manchester City team is still very successful. Their frontcourt The attacking combination is very flexible and I doubt whether Hamburg can adapt to this style of play."
Carragher said: "But we have also watched the game in Hamburg, and the same is true for Pan Yi's team, and I feel that the changes in the frontcourt are even worse. So I don't agree with your statement."
Neville defended: "I still have the same point of view as before. The reason why Hamburg can play such a smooth cooperation is because it did not encounter the tough defense of the Premier League team. You also saw the Manchester City derby a few days ago, that kind of offense and defense Is the conversion speed comparable to that of Braunschweig and others?"
"...You should at least compare it to Leverkusen or Dortmund?" Carragher was a little speechless.
"That's the same. They are all teams that focus on offense but not defense." Neville waved his hand, "This Manchester City, when it switches from offense to defense, will use extremely aggressive counterattacks to prevent the opponent from counterattacking. It will be difficult for Hamburg to put together an effective attack."
Carragher put forward a different view: "But this also means that when Manchester City is in possession of the ball, the double midfielders need to move in front of the top of the opponent's penalty area, and there is no guarantee that the structural level of each attack can provide sufficient protection. In this case, it is easy to expose a large space between the forward line and the back line, which may be exploited by Hamburg's group of extremely fast forwards."
"I doubt that players who are accustomed to the rhythm of the Bundesliga can find such an opening." Neville snorted, "It's useless to say more, let's see how Manchester City gives Hamburg the intensity of the Premier League!"
…
In the visiting team's locker room, Pan Yi was giving final reminders to the players.
Judging from the Manchester City starting list previously obtained, Pellegrini should still use the 4411 formation when he easily won the Manchester City Derby, but made an adjustment in the defense.
He replaced Clichy with Kolarov, the more aggressive left back.
This also shows Pellegrini's attitude towards this game, which is to attack Hamburg at home to occupy a dominant position in promotion.
"Manchester City will definitely attack in the opening game. We must be mentally prepared and cannot mess up no matter what."
"Their attackers in the frontcourt will frequently cross and change positions, but we adopt a zone defense. Everyone is only responsible for marking the players entering the area and cannot follow them to run around and cause the formation to become scattered."
"Also, they will have more direct passes, and of course there will be crosses from the side. This requires us to keep the formation tight and not leave too much space."
Pan Yi also named Van Dijk, Rudiger and Casemiro: "In addition to keeping an eye on their center Dzeko, you must also focus on Aguero. Especially in the middle of the penalty area, and if He retreats very deep, follow carefully to avoid being sent away from the mountain!"
After all, this is the Etihad, the home ground of Manchester City, and they are in good shape and their morale is very high.
It would actually be a bit unwise to have a fierce hedging with Blue Moon at the beginning.
Although Hamburg has an advantage in physical fitness due to rotation, this is not reflected in the opening stage.
Therefore, Pan Yi will seek a safe start, avoid Manchester City's sharp attack, and then find a way to counterattack.
"No matter how aggressive they are in the opening game, we should not panic. And no matter what happens, any accident, or even if they score first, don't be anxious or chaotic."
"They don't have a winter break in the Premier League, and they also have an extra League Cup. During this period, they played more than four or five more games than us. Just a few days ago, their main players played a fierce Manchester City derby. There must be some physical issues."
"And their players are generally older than us. They can't run without us! As long as we hold on to our position, the next opportunity will be ours! The winner between us and Manchester City will appear in the second half!"
"This is Hamburg's first Champions League knockout game in so many years, and it is also the first Champions League knockout game for many of you here in their careers. In fact, it is also the first game since I became the head coach!"
"The first time is always difficult. Sometimes you may not be able to find the direction of your efforts or the entrance to move forward."
"But I also ask you to believe that as long as you relax and play to your own level, I will definitely lead you to a good result from the Etihad!"
"Then just like I promised you before, we will reach the quarterfinals, the semifinals, and even the finals! The Stadium of Light is waiting for us!"
After hearing this, the players were excited and agreed in unison!
…
With the cheers of more than 50,000 fans at the Etihad Stadium, the referee officially blew the whistle to start the game.
Sure enough, as Pan Yi expected, Manchester City attacked aggressively from the beginning.
In addition to the front four who are still actively running and attacking, Manchester City's two full-backs are also pressing forward.
Especially Kolarov on the left, his cooperation with David Silva frequently launched attacks on Hamburg's wing.
The Serbian left back is 1.87 meters tall, but Kolarov's flexibility is not bad. Instead, he is known for his wide range of running and high agility.
When playing in the frontcourt, he often threatened Hamburg's goal with his signature powerful shot after breaking through the left rib.
When Kolarov assists forward, Fernandinho or Yaya Toure behind him will fill the space in time, so that he has no worries.
This style of play is actually very modern football, and it is somewhat similar to Pan Yi's Hamburg.
The main idea is to create a numerical advantage in local areas through players' active movements and interspersed fillings.
And Manchester City's players also performed very well.
So after the opening, amid the cheers and cheers of the home fans, Manchester City really made Hamburg a little embarrassed.
Hamburg's backcourt combination has certain difficulties. Whether it is delivering shells to the front or to the side, it is always not so smooth.
So the Hamburg players followed Pan Yi's instructions before the game and did not rush to attack. Instead, they pulled back the defense line a little and retracted the encounter line to better deal with Manchester City's stormy attack.
In this way, Manchester City pressed even higher.
Even Fernandinho and Yaya Toure began to press forward and suppress Hamburg's defense more actively.
They also created some shooting opportunities.
In the 5th minute, Kolarov made a pass from the left. Dzeko in the middle shook his head to attack, but it was higher than the crossbar.
In the 8th minute, Jesus Navas broke through from the right and passed a cross. Aguero grabbed the point and shot with his right foot, but the ball hit the side net.
In the 12th minute, Manchester City launched another offensive on the left wing.
After a one-two with David Silva, Kolarov moved forward at high speed to get the ball, trying to rush to the baseline and pass.
Carvajal's defense was in place and prevented the opponent's attempt.
And Kolarov didn't always have to pass the ball. He glanced at the center, then dunked to change the angle and sent the ball over.
At this time, Dzeko in the middle had retreated to the top of the penalty area. This action also allowed him to avoid Van Dijk's defense and gave Kolarov a passing line.
The ball also reached Dzeko's feet smoothly.
He stopped the ball, adjusted it a little, then bent his bow and arrow, ready to shoot!
At this time, Rudiger, who came to defend, saw that the situation was not good, and directly made a flying tackle, preparing to block Dzeko's shooting angle.
But Dzeko did not shoot, but feinted a shot, preparing to switch the ball to the other foot to shoot.
But Rudiger couldn't hold his foot back and shoved directly into Dzeko's supporting foot, knocking him to the ground.
"Beep!——"
The referee's whistle sounded immediately, then signaled a free kick and gave Rudiger a yellow card.
"Line up the human wall! Line up the human wall!" Pan Yi on the sidelines frowned, stood up and shouted.
This Dzeko is really difficult to deal with. Even though he has warned Van Dijk and Rudiger a lot, he still took advantage of him.
The free kick was also in a good position, which gave Pan Yi a bad feeling.
At this time, David Silva and Kolarov were already standing in front of the ball.
The two discussed for a few words, and then both backed away.
David Silva made a run-up, but ran straight past without touching the ball.
Kolarov takes another run-up, this time he lifts his foot and shoots!
The ball drew a beautiful arc, bypassed Hamburg's wall, and drilled into Hamburg's goal from the near corner.
Faced with such a high-quality free kick, Hamburg goalkeeper Keylor Navas had no choice but to make any move.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!! Manchester City has scored!!"
After Kolarov scored, he was so excited that he turned around and ran away, and all the Manchester City players chased him to celebrate.
Kolarov's "golden left foot", in addition to his strong assist ability and long-range shot, is also world-famous for his free kick skills.
When he was at Lazio in Serie A, he was even hailed as the successor of Mihajlovic!
At this time, the Hamburg players were all stunned and seemed very frustrated.
It was only about ten minutes into the game and we lost the ball. This game was not easy to play.
"Remember what I told you in the locker room!!!" Pan Yi yelled on the sidelines.
Of course he was not happy that Hamburg lost the ball, but he knew that he could not show such emotions now.
Once the head coach becomes impatient, the players will not get better either.
"Cheer up! Stay steady and play hard! It's still a long time!"
"Whoever gets downcast again, wait until I kick his ass hard with my boot!"
"What are you looking at? It's you! Lift your head up, kid!"
After a loud shouting, the players finally woke up.
The main reason is that Pan Yi's status in the Hamburg locker room is really high now, and everyone has unconditional 100% trust in him.
He is the backbone of the Hamburg team!
Under Pan Yi's reminder, the Hamburg players also regained their spirits and cheered up to join the game!
…
In the President's Stand at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City Club Chairman Mubarak, Director of Football Begiristain, CEO Soriano and others were watching the game.
When Kolarov scored the Hamburg goal with a beautiful free kick, they suddenly jumped up and cheered and hugged excitedly like ordinary fans.
"pretty!"
"pretty!"
"Very good!"
There is certainly reason for their excitement.
Since the Abu Dhabi Group took over Manchester City in 2008 and won the FA Cup in 2011 and the Premier League in 2012, they have shifted their focus to the Champions League.
Winning the Champions League is the ultimate pursuit of Sheikh Mansour, the boss behind Manchester City!
It can even be said that the main reason for the dismissal of former Manchester City coach Mancini was not the loss of the Premier League championship or the FA Cup final, but the humiliating exit from the bottom of the Champions League group stage with 3 draws and 3 losses. .
The Chilean engineer Pellegrini was hired to take over as Manchester City coach because of his excellent performance in the Champions League when he was with La Liga teams.
"It seems that Pellegrini was the right choice to be the head coach." Chairman Mubarak said, "His playing style is very flexible and he can also build suitable players around the characteristics of the existing players. tactics."
Director Begiristain also nodded and said: "Yes, I think he is one of the best coaches in world football today."
"Fortunately we did not choose Pan Yi." Mubarak said with a smile, "He is indeed still too young."
When Mancini dismissed get out of class, Manchester City's top management really seriously considered Pan Yi.
At that time, Pan Yi had just led Hamburg to the Bundesliga runner-up, and his Triple Crown achievements while serving as an assistant coach in Milan have not been ignored.
However, after long-term discussions, senior executives still believe that Pan Yi's results after independent coaching still do not guarantee that he is qualified for the position of Manchester City coach.
First of all, Pan Yi has only been the head coach for one year. Sometimes it is normal for a new coach to achieve some results in the early stages of coaching. What is difficult is to consistently achieve results.
This kind of example is also very common in world football, and it feels like a kind of "newbie's luck".
For example, Di Matteo won a Champions League title after taking over as Chelsea coach, but then disappeared.
Sometimes, some coaches lead small teams and achieve good results, but once they reach a strong team, they immediately fail.
When you think he is really not good, he returns to the small team and is good again immediately!
This is commonly known as "not being able to fly an aircraft carrier".
There are more people like this, like Emery, Moyes... they are all like this.
For Manchester City and Sheikh Mansour, they want to build a dynasty.
Not only a dynasty that can dominate the Premier League, but also a dynasty that can dominate the Champions League!
Therefore, a stable, strong and senior head coach who can "fly an aircraft carrier" is a must.
And now it seems that Pellegrini is the person they are looking for!
As for Pan Yi...
Let’s observe him for a few more years to see if he can truly prove himself!
…
The game starts again.
Although Manchester City led by one goal, they still continued to organize attacks.
This is actually one of Pellegrini's more distinctive features.
When the team is leading but not by much, many teams will adopt some methods to avoid risks.
Those who are strong will use "ball defense" and use ball control as an alternative means of defense;
The weak ones will drop back low and organize a solid defensive structure.
However, Pellegrini often does neither.
On the contrary, he will let the team continue to maintain a more direct offensive style, and hope to score the second and third goals during the transition between offense and defense to expand the score advantage.
In addition, no matter what time period he is in or what opponent he faces, he will insist on aggressive high pressure.
This is actually one of the reasons why Manchester City executives chose Pellegrini as head coach.
More goals are scored and the game is better to watch, which is also an important factor in attracting fans to the venue.
As a "new giant", Manchester City has a big gap in the global fan base with those "old money".
For example, compared with their neighbor Manchester United, they are not at the same level at all.
But as long as Manchester City insists on attacking and winning, it will slowly shorten this gap and make Manchester City truly a world-class team with loyal fans all over the world!
However, at the competitive level, Pellegrini's approach is actually risky.
Once you are unable to score more goals, your physical fitness will decline under strong pressure, the space on both lines will be exposed, and you will lose control of the rhythm of the game.
Including if you encounter some opponents with a more direct style of play, such as when they lost to the underdog Sunderland this season, the opponent will use long passes to resolve Manchester City's press, and then crush Manchester City to death.
Pellegrini also knows this very well.
So although Manchester City has taken the lead, the Chilean engineer is still a little uneasy.
After all, Hamburg now seems to have stabilized its position after experiencing a bit of panic and conceding a goal after the opening.
Especially after Pan Yi stood up and yelled for a while, there was no anxiety or panic on the faces of the Hamburg players. They were all patiently building a line of defense to withstand Manchester City's attack and were not in a hurry to push the ball. To the frontcourt.
It's been 15 minutes since the game started, and Hamburg didn't even have a shot!
But they still defended actively and calmly.
This really surprised Pellegrini.
Of course he had studied Hamburg games before, and he also knew that Pan Yi's team was mostly young people and would often launch a fierce attack in the opening stage, which was simply a replica of Manchester City.
But today is a bit uncharacteristic of the norm. Even if we are lagging behind, we still act like nothing is wrong.
"They can really keep their composure." Sitting next to Pellegrini was assistant coach Brian Kidd. He looked at the head coach and asked, "Does Pan Yi want to withstand our onslaught first, and then launch a counterattack in the second half?" ?”
"When our physical energy is almost exhausted?" Pellegrini asked.
Kidd nodded: "With the team's current style of play, we will have a big physical problem in the second half. At that time, they may have a chance to counterattack."
Pellegrini also nodded silently.
Why doesn't he know this problem?
They had just played a Manchester City derby a few days ago, which was about championships and honors, and the Premier League team's consistently high-intensive schedule also made many players feel tired.
Although Hamburg is also fighting on the third front, compared with Manchester City, which is fighting on the fourth front, has no Christmas holiday, and has more games, it can only pale into insignificance.
Not to mention that in the previous league, Hamburg used a full rotation of players, and now all the main players in the starting lineup have received sufficient rest.
The average age of Hamburg is also much lower than that of Manchester City!
But Pellegrini also knows they can't afford to slow down.
Hamburg is also a team that is good at controlling the rhythm of the game and then launching deadly attacks.
If Manchester City slows down, Hamburg can immediately get up to speed, then counter-pressure, and then force Manchester City to a rhythm they are unfamiliar with.
Therefore, what Pellegrini can do is to let the players attack desperately and score more goals while their physical condition is still very good!
In this way, firstly, it can alleviate the pressure of being counterattacked if physical fitness declines. Secondly, it can also undermine the opponent's confidence and make Hamburg players lose their fighting spirit. This will also further reduce the pressure on Manchester City in the later stages.
In fact, Manchester City is already half successful, after all, they have scored a goal.
But not enough.
This goal does not seem to have dampened the confidence of the Hamburg players.
Pan Yi also made Hamburg retreat in a timely manner and encouraged the players well, which hindered Manchester City's offense.
"Continue to attack." Pellegrini stood up and walked to the command area. "As long as we can score one more goal, the situation will be much better."
If we can lead 2:0, it will not only play a crucial role in winning this game, but also play a vital role in the knockout round where the outcome is determined in two rounds.
If you don't win as many goals as possible at home, it will be even harder when you go away.
So, under the command of the Chilean engineer, Manchester City continued to frantically launch wave after wave of attacks into Hamburg's penalty area!
(End of chapter)
