Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 342 Messi and Sanchez
Guardiola, however, was in a real bind on the sidelines.

In his opinion, he had actually defended the ball successfully, but Aguero stole it in the end, which was really regrettable.

Most importantly, the current situation is very unfavorable.

Manchester City are two goals ahead, and with two away goals, this is not a good thing for Barcelona.

"Everyone, you need to do your best!"

"It's up to you, Leo. Prove to the world that you're no worse than Shan Yongzhuo!"

Guardiola could only try to encourage himself internally while choosing to trust the brainless Messi.

After all, only 14 minutes of the game had been played, and there was still plenty of time. Given Barcelona's attacking prowess, he didn't believe they couldn't score a goal.

So he loudly encouraged his disciples from the sidelines, urging them to cheer up.

The game starts again.

Barcelona's players didn't seem to be affected by the score too much because of Guardiola.

In fact, this group of Barcelona players is indeed battle-hardened. Although some key players, such as Xavi and Puyol, are actually in decline, they are generally more mature than Mourinho's Real Madrid.

After the game restarted, Barcelona quickly recovered and continued to firmly control the game, keeping the ball firmly under their control.

However, it's clear that they've increased the number of forward passes, obviously hoping to score a goal quickly.

However, at this point, Barcelona's biggest problem of the season was exposed.

That's the forward line.

This season, Barcelona's attacking line has been a major problem.

Villa's poor form and frequent injuries have led Guardiola to almost abandon him.

However, Guardiola didn't have many good options in the forward line. Most of the time, he could only use Sanchez as the main striker, sometimes partnering with Iniesta, sometimes with Fabregas, and sometimes even Pedro would be placed as the main striker.

In this match, he chose Sanchez and Fabregas for the two forward positions.

However, the attacking partnership of these two players has many, many problems.

First, there's Fabregas. Although he has outstanding individual skills, his overly soft playing style makes him unsuitable to be a truly excellent striker.

Sanchez's problem is even more serious. Sanchez is a technically outstanding speed player, a typical South American small, fast and agile player. His dribbling ability is excellent, and his footwork is extremely fast, even comparable to Messi's dribbling.

Moreover, Sanchez is a very spirited player with an indomitable spirit. His fighting spirit is comparable to that of Puyol and Mascherano at Barcelona, ​​which is very rare for a team whose overall playing style is somewhat soft.

However, Sanchez also has serious problems. His playing style is a bit selfish, and his tendency to hold onto the ball too much sometimes makes it difficult for him to get the ball out of his feet, causing Barcelona to lose their overall attacking rhythm and fall into Sanchez's solo attacks.

An even more significant problem is that Sanchez and Messi's styles overlap too much. Both players need to control the ball at their feet to manage the tempo, and neither is particularly adept at off-the-ball runs and poaching. This can easily lead to clashes in their attacking rhythm on the field.

In reality, although Messi plays in midfield most of the time, his position is actually further forward, serving as a link between the forwards and midfielders. He is not a true number 10, but rather what is commonly referred to as a number 9, and is the most important link between Barcelona's front and back lines.

Messi's most proficient tactic is to break through from ten to twenty meters in front of the penalty area, which is also his most threatening area.

However, Sanchez's characteristics meant he couldn't wait in the penalty area like a typical center forward, and his lack of a keen nose for goal meant he couldn't possess the same ability as Eto'o to get into scoring positions and beat the offside trap. Sanchez wasn't a true number 9 either; he was actually more of a number 9, with his most dangerous position being precisely in the area ten to twenty meters outside the penalty area.

This is the biggest problem between him and Messi.

Thus, Barcelona's attack fell into this predicament.

After Messi's unsuccessful dribbling attempt, Sanchez took the ball and attempted another dribbling run, but the two didn't seem to have much chemistry.

Fortunately, there's still Fabregas in front who can be used as a target man in the attacking third.

However, although passing and possession are the core of Barcelona's attack, dribbling is also a very important attacking tactic. The constant dribbling by Barcelona's two key players still created opportunities for them.

31 minutes.

This time, Sanchez received the ball ten meters from the edge of the penalty area. He accelerated and immediately shook off De Jong. Then, facing Lescott who came to intercept, he made a feint and tried to break through.

This time, Lescott cut it off directly.

Lescott's tackle was very decisive, but it also brought down Sanchez. The referee blew his whistle without hesitation and gave Lescott a verbal warning.

"Watch your movements!"

Lescott felt wronged, but there was nothing he could do; Barcelona had been awarded a free kick in an excellent position.

This time, Messi took the free kick and kicked the ball directly.

The football arced through the wall of players and headed straight for the corner.

Joe Hart made a desperate save, but the ball was too good for him to handle.

The ball went in!
The scene suddenly erupted in warm cheers.

"1 to 2! 1 to 2!"

"Messi scored a free kick, Joe Hart couldn't save it, the quality of the shot was extremely high!"

"Messi, he didn't disappoint the Barcelona fans, Barca pulled one back!"

"We also have to thank Sanchez for this goal; it was his breakthrough that created this excellent free kick position for Barcelona!"

"This goal is just the beginning. Barcelona will continue to score. Although our opponents have Shan Yongzhuo and Aguero, we also have Messi and Sanchez. Barcelona will not lose to them!"

Amidst the excited shouts of the Spanish commentator, the fans in the stadium cheered for the goal, and many called out the name of Messi, the hero of the goal.

Barcelona finally pulled one back, which allowed the Barcelona players and Guardiola on the sidelines to breathe a sigh of relief.

They're only down by one goal now, which greatly reduces the pressure on them.

At the same time, they are more confident in the competition.

Manchester City relied solely on Shan Yongzhuo's goal, but as long as the team firmly controls the tempo of the game and prevents Manchester City from launching an easy counterattack, it will be possible to overcome the challenge.

If Shan Yongzhuo can't receive the ball, then he won't pose any threat!
(End of this chapter)