Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 527 seems destined for failure again?

On the field.

Manchester City have finished their goal celebrations and are back in position, waiting for the referee to blow the whistle to restart the game.

The stands were still filled with cheers.

Although the game has restarted, Manchester City fans are still reminiscing about the goal they just scored. Most importantly, they have taken the lead and are very likely to defeat Bayern Munich.

Victory represents a champion, and it represents defending a title.

Manchester City fans are thrilled at the thought of their team winning their second Champions League title, and for the second consecutive year, achieving the first back-to-back Champions League victories since the format change.

They discussed enthusiastically and cheered loudly for the players on the field.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola listened to the cheers and encouragement from the crowd, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his face. His excitement was no less than that of the fans. Although the game was not over yet, and the first half had not even passed, taking the lead was the first step to success. Thinking about the Champions League title that was about to be won, he couldn't help but feel excited.

This is the Champions League champion!

In the world of football coaching, winning the Champions League is practically a standard requirement to join the ranks of top coaches.

Although Guardiola won a Champions League title with Barcelona, ​​who would complain about having too many of those? Moreover, he led Manchester City to two consecutive Champions League titles, breaking the curse that no team could defend the title since the Champions League was restructured, which makes the achievement very significant.

"It's a pity they didn't invite me to Granada; it seems they've already chosen someone else..."

Guardiola still harbors some regrets. After a season of struggle, even he, as stubborn as he is, has to admit that the one who brought him glory was undoubtedly Shan Yongzhuo. Of course, he hopes to continue coaching Shan Yongzhuo's team, so that he won't have to face the problem of defending against Shan Yongzhuo.

And the other side.

Bayern Munich manager Jupp Heynckes is a senior figure in the coaching world compared to Pep Guardiola, but Heynckes' coaching career is not as illustrious as Guardiola's; at least Heynckes has never led a team to win the Champions League.

Last season, Bayern lost to Manchester City, and this season, it seems they are destined to fail again?
Heynckes was also very disappointed. In fact, he had the opportunity to coach Shan Yongzhuo, but due to the arrogance of Bayern's management, he ultimately let Shan Yongzhuo go to Roma.

Now, Heynckes has to face the problem of defending against Shan Yongzhuo. He feels that his setup is not bad, and limiting Shan Yongzhuo's ability to shoot is quite good.

But now, only 30 minutes into the game, Bayern is still behind.

Dan Yongzhuo forced an own goal and scored a goal himself, his performance was absolutely perfect.

This shows that the defensive setup failed.

The first goal was Boateng's own goal, which is nothing to say; it was probably just bad luck. But the goal just now was a complete display of skill. He dribbled past his marker and then unleashed a half-turn shot from the left side of the penalty area, at a less than ideal angle.

If the opponent continues to be in such good form, limiting their ability to shoot is a joke.

Heynckes couldn't help but think back to last season's matches. In the group stage, Manchester City's overall performance was somewhat poor, allowing Bayern Munich to achieve a record of one win and one draw.

However, in the Champions League final, Bayern Munich was completely outplayed by Shan Yongzhuo, who repeatedly put the ball into Bayern's goal with amazing performances.

Heynckes still vividly remembers the scene from that final match.

"So, in the end, I still couldn't lead the team to defeat him?"

Heynckes was somewhat unwilling to give up; he was already quite old, and his physical condition couldn't support him continuing to coach for an extended period. Before retiring, he also very much wanted to win a Champions League title.

As Heynckes pondered this, he suddenly realized something was wrong. "No, how can I be so negative!"

"I should trust my players. If Shan Yongzhuo can do it, they can do it too. The most important thing now is to equalize the score!"

On the field.

Bayern Munich were indeed launching an aggressive offensive. Their performance seemed unaffected by the score deficit; on the contrary, they appeared to be spurred on, becoming even more proactive and active.

This is the power of belief and fighting spirit.

Bayern Munich's players are eager to defeat Manchester City, avenge last year's defeat, and lift the Champions League trophy.

Having reached the Champions League final for the second consecutive year, and for the third time in four years, they have already lost twice.

In the 2009-2010 season, Bayern Munich lost to Inter Milan in the final, and last season they lost to Manchester City in the final.

If Bayern loses this match again, the players can't even imagine the psychological trauma they'll face.

People only remember the champions, no one remembers the runners-up, especially two consecutive Champions League runners-up. This achievement is even more embarrassing than Juventus' countless Champions League runner-up finishes.

Compared to Manchester City, Bayern Munich's players seem to be even more eager for this Champions League title.

When all the players become proactive and try their best, the overall performance will be better. Bayern's midfield and attacking third created continuous threats. In 10 minutes, Bayern completed 4 shots, 3 of which were on target. If it weren't for Joe Hart's outstanding performance, the score would have been tied.

Bayern Munich is a team with a fast pace of attack and defense. They do not rely on the central midfield for organization, but instead constantly use Robben and Ribery, the two wingers, to attack the opponent's defense. Their attacking tactics, including wing attacks and high balls, make Manchester City, who have always relied more on the central midfield for defense, very uncomfortable.

If the game continues like this, no one doubts that Bayern will be able to equalize.

During those ten minutes, Manchester City were completely suppressed.

Manchester City's counter-attacks were completely ineffective; the ball struggled to even cross the halfway line and remained essentially passed around within Manchester City's own half.

Manchester City's players naturally knew that the remainder of the first half would be the most difficult period. If they could withstand Bayern's attacks during this time, they would enter the second half with a lead, which would be very advantageous for them.

Dan Yongzhuo stood at the very front, receiving no support whatsoever, and looked rather isolated.

However, he also knew that these were difficult times.

"Looks like we'll have to find a way to score in the second half..."

Bayern continued their relentless attack, but unfortunately, the first half was almost over.

They attacked fiercely for more than ten minutes and were in very hot form, but unfortunately they couldn't score.

The stoppage time was originally only two minutes, but it wasn't until two minutes and forty seconds later that the referee finally blew the whistle to end the first half.

(End of this chapter)