[Football] Bad Boy Batty

【Welcome everyone to watch the first round of the semi-finals of this season's UEFA Champions League. Manchester City plays at home against Monaco. Today we have invited Coach Zhang to share this wonderful game with you.】
[This match can be said to be the ultimate contest between two young players born after 95, Batista from Manchester City and Mbappe from Monaco. Both are young players under 20 years old, and both are right-footed players active on the right side. So, Coach Zhang, who do you think can help their team win?]

[It still depends on the overall strength of the team. Modern football is becoming more and more diversified. It is no longer the time when one world-class star can lead the team to soar. ]
[Look at how Guardiola uses tactics to curb Monaco's youth storm... With Manchester City's aging defense, if Monaco breaks through their midfield and faces the defenders, it will be difficult to resist them. ]
【But Monaco's defense also has problems. The center back turns slowly and does not coordinate well with the frontcourt, which happens to be Batistuta's favorite gap. He can get through the middle, and his cross from the bottom is also very fast, which Monaco has to defend. 】

Overall, it was a close match.

Manchester City has come a long way in the Champions League, defeating Dortmund, whose style is very similar to Monaco's, quickly penetrating the midfield and frontcourt to suppress the opponent's running. Monaco also defeated Barcelona, ​​who once pushed passing and controlling football to the top of the world with Guardiola, in the last round.

One is a team that dares to sprint madly to penetrate the opponent's defense and is called the "sharpest spear". The other is a team that combines passing and controlling with high pressure from the flanks to attack the opponent's goal from all directions. Both are known for their offense. So at this time, as Coach Zhang said, whoever can do a good job of defense will be more likely to win.

……

After the opening, Monaco played very cautiously and did not let go completely, as if they wanted to find out the details of Manchester City first. Manchester City did not give a clear answer right away, but focused on holding the ball and controlling the situation.

In terms of defense, Guardiola borrowed the defensive style of Juventus, the team that conceded the fewest goals in the Champions League knockout stage this season, and retreated across the board. Aguero retreated to the vicinity of the center circle, while Batistuta returned to his own half to assist in defense.

This means that when Monaco attacks, all they can see are Manchester City players.

This is Guardiola's innovation. Manchester City's head coach has always been very bold in terms of tactical clashes.

In terms of personnel, Guardiola resumed the 433 formation in this game. Fernandinho was the single defensive midfielder, De Bruyne and Silva were the double midfielders, and Sterling, Aguero, and Batistuta were still the forwards.

Guardiola hopes that they can reduce fast-paced straight long passes, increase short-distance passes, and create opportunities for deep penetration attacks by moving forward and backward.

More importantly, it's about getting Monaco into their rhythm.

A good player must have a very broad field of vision. Maybe from the broadcast camera he seems to be doing nothing and just strolling around the court, but in fact he knows exactly what is happening around him and who has the ball, and then he can suddenly start and create trouble for the opponent.

Batistuta was observing and moving on the sidelines, waiting for his chance at any time.

The Monaco defender who faced him today was Benjamin Mendy, an African-French man who is physically strong and has strong assist abilities, but his accuracy in quickly judging the opponent's route on the defensive end is not high.

This resulted in that when Manchester City launched an attack from the backcourt, Batistuta was half a step slower and was left behind when he retreated in front of him, and the ball was successfully transferred to Silva who was making a run.

Manchester City had a good chance 6 minutes into the game.

"Kevin!"

Mendy was taken away, and the central defender had to defend the open space in front of the goal, so the space behind him was naturally exposed. De Bruyne understood what he meant, and made a two-on-one combination with Silva and successfully sent the ball to an unguarded space. Aguero took the ball with his back and kicked it to Batistuta who was returning to the wing, and Monaco's defense was broken.

Unfortunately, Mendy made up for his mistake by using his body to block Batistuta's space to operate. He secretly pushed Batistuta to make him lose his balance, and then quickly cleared the ball to the backcourt.

Clichy got the ball, but the possession was still on Manchester City's side, and this wave of attack was ineffective.

But at this time the referee blew the whistle to stop the game, and the audience only knew what happened on the court after the broadcast camera followed up.

It was Batistuta, who clashed with Mendy near the touchline.

Let's go back 30 seconds.

……

The push just now caused him to lose the ball, but the referee did not react at all, which made Batistuta a little angry.

"Stay away from me, n word," Batistuta said to Mendy angrily. "You're lucky the referee didn't see it. If you push me again next time, I'll beat you up."

Mendy walked over with a playful smile, not taking it seriously.

"Go ahead and hit me. If you dare to move, I'll give you a red card." He stretched out his hand and rubbed Batistuta's cheek provocatively. "Don't think you can do anything just because you're at home. Be careful, kid."

Batistuta slapped his hand away without thinking. Mendy was a little annoyed, but he didn't dare to foul, so he turned around and confronted Batistuta.

"You hit me!"

"Your hand first!"

"That's a reasonable confrontation!"

"fart!"

The fans in the stands started to make a noise, and the linesman noticed the conflict and reported it quickly, so the referee suspended the game.

"Step back, gentlemen!" The referee stretched out his hand to separate the two men. "This is not a gladiatorial arena. Try to control your emotions. If you do that again, I will show you a yellow card."

Aguero ran over and hugged Batistuta's shoulders and pulled him back, "Don't be impulsive, we are still playing."

Silva stepped forward to negotiate with the referee, and several Monaco players who were nearby also gathered around.

Fortunately, it was not a serious matter. The referee reiterated the rules and ran back to midfield.

Aguero patted Batistuta's chest to calm him down, and the next second the anger burned him.

"And you, Kun," Batistuta patted him on the back. "You should have passed the ball back to Silva. The defenders behind him weren't in place yet. You could have just run in with the ball. There was also Rahim at the back post. Why did you give it to me? That bastard was almost stuck to my back. There was no space at all."

"My, my." Aguero gave him an apologetic smile, "I'll pay attention."

When it comes to calming Batistuta, Aguero is a master.

Batistuta took a deep breath, cheered himself up, exchanged punches with Aguero and then returned to the game.

[Guardiola's tactical design is reflected here. From the backcourt to the frontcourt, Monaco tried to steal the ball but couldn't. It's just that Aguero shouldn't have passed it to Batistuta, otherwise it would have been a direct threat to the goal.] Coach Zhang analyzed, [Monaco's players don't seem to have found the rhythm yet. We haven't seen any quick counterattacks yet. If they are always led by Manchester City, it's only a matter of time for Manchester City to score.]

Although it is Manchester City's rhythm now, Aguero's out of form is also a big deal.

Two minutes later, Monaco had just begun to find its own rhythm, but there was an error in the midfield pass, and Silva intercepted the ball and passed it directly to Batistuta on the wing.

As the incident happened suddenly, both teams were not prepared, and the lack of defensive players allowed Batistuta to run with the ball, but there was no Manchester City player in front to support him, so he could only go deep into the penalty area alone.

Three Monaco defenders chased and blocked him, with Batistuta caught in the middle. He dodged the opponent's attempt to grab the ball, but someone pulled his jersey from behind, causing him to fall backwards.

At the last moment, Batistuta saw the opportunity and sent the ball through the gap between the six legs in front of him.

[Bati! Break through many difficulties and pass the ball - Aguero is in the middle, you can shoot! ]

The space in front of the goal was clear.

However, an accident happened.

Aguero wanted to step back a little to receive the ball so as to completely avoid the last Monaco central defender blocking the goal, but it was as if the grass and air at Etihad Stadium played a joke on him. Aguero, who was running backwards with his head raised, tripped over his left foot and fell to the ground!

The ball just passed by his feet.

This scared the Monaco players so much that they quickly cleared the ball. Guardiola on the sidelines was mad, he never thought that the usually "stable" Aguero would lose his temper this time.

Batty was also going crazy.

"Kuni! What are you doing!?"

Batistuta, who had spent a lot of effort to send a cross and whose jersey was almost torn, could not believe his eyes. He did not even bother to argue with the defensive player. He jumped up and spread his hands towards Aguero in confusion.

"That's almost an empty goal. Didn't you bring your shooting boots today?"

Aguero was also very upset. This was a low-level mistake. If he had received the ball, they would have led 1-0. It was less than 20 minutes. If they could lead at home, there was no doubt that the atmosphere on the scene would be mobilized.

However, all of this was lost because of that mistake.

The Argentine striker jumped up from the grass with a fist pump and gave his teammates a thumbs-up.

"There won't be a next time, I promise you." He patted Batty's chest, "Come on, we still have a chance."

Batty blew the hair on his forehead and ran back to his position.

"Come again!"

……

Five minutes later, Aguero, who had been holding his breath, finally vented all his anger.

Otamendi was able to attack from the backcourt, and David Silva lightly cushioned the ball and passed it to Aguero who retreated to receive the ball. Seeing the defensive players coming up, Aguero and Batistuta on the wing played a classic 2-on-3 combination.

Just as Aguero shook off the defender and dribbled to the front of the penalty area, Batistuta made a long run into the penalty area. Monaco's defenders did not dare to move forward rashly. There were players on both ends and they were overwhelmed. Aguero quickly looked around, then made an accurate diagonal pass to Batistuta who was making a run.

"Surround him!"

It was too close to the goal, and Monaco's defenders blocked his position to prevent him from turning around and passing the ball. This was not a foul, and even if Batistuta could lift the ball past the defense, it would be difficult for him to shoot if the goalkeeper came out from behind.

But can this stop Batty?

Obviously not.

Monaco players still underestimated Batistuta's flexibility and imagination as a South American player.

At the moment when he was surrounded by defensive players, Batistuta had an idea. He pretended to turn around to trick the defender into kicking the ball, then pulled the ball back to let the midfielder behind him leave the center.

Then he deftly used his feet to dissolve the layers of blockade. He couldn't see the situation in the middle, but he chose to trust his teammates.

A Kun, it’s up to you!

The ball came to the middle at a slow speed.

Monaco players underestimated their opponent. When they saw Batistuta being blocked on the wing, they thought the crisis was over and did not return to the center to defend Aguero. When they saw Aguero starting, it was too late. There was no obstacle around the Argentine striker.

[Aguero! ! The ball went in! This time he lived up to Batistuta's pass! ]

[What a clever, imaginative back-heel pass, Aguero understood it and swept the ball into the opponent's goal! 1-0, 29 minutes into the first half, Manchester City leads at home! ]

Aguero was extremely excited after scoring the goal. He turned around and roared, then rushed to the cheering fans with Batistuta, who was climbing the tree, and celebrated wildly. Batistuta hugged his head and kissed his wet hair: "I said we would be the best partners in the world!"

……

Monaco, which was behind, seemed a little impatient and made several passing mistakes. Even the fans in front of the TV noticed it. Of course, it also included the players in the lounge in Barcelona, ​​Spain, who were also watching the game.

"It was so smooth, the attack from the backcourt, Silva's pass, Aguero and Batistuta's 2-on-3 combination, and his heel kick, every step was so wonderful." Suarez commented after taking a sip of water, "I think Monaco is doomed this time."

"It's only been a few minutes. It's too early to say that now, Louis." Pique shook his head and walked to the wall-mounted TV.

The camera just happened to focus on Mbappe who had not yet performed.

The Barcelona defender snorted, "This guy is really fast. Not only is he fast, he's also reckless, like a wild donkey. He's unstoppable. Once Monaco attacks, the guys on Manchester City's back line will break his bones."

As they were talking, Monaco launched a counterattack. It was indeed fast, but not delicate enough. Bernardo Silva couldn't get past De Bruyne with his lateral dribbling, and Manchester City took the ball away after a few back kicks.

"It was a good combination, it felt like what we did a few years ago," Iniesta said as he walked over. "Pep must have put a lot of effort into it. When they met us a few months ago they didn't use this kind of quick pass in a small area, but now they can use it to disrupt the opponent's defense."

As soon as he finished speaking, Messi and Neymar came in from outside. They had just finished their conversation with Enrique and returned to the lounge.

Barcelona's performance this season is not very ideal, and the biggest reason is the disagreement between the coach and the general. However, near the end of the season, Enrique also confirmed that he will no longer coach Barcelona next season. They still need to let the fans see a normal locker room.

"Hey, Leo, Na, come on!" Pique waved at them, "Manchester City is leading."

Messi came over and sat on the sofa next to Suarez, while Neymar stood behind Pique.

They both looked at the scoreboard on the screen which showed 1-0.

"Who scored the goal?" Neymar asked.

"Aguero." Pique turned around and answered. He glanced at Neymar, then suddenly patted his shoulder with a teasing smile, "Your little Batistuta gave an assist, a heel pass, very beautiful."

Neymar frowned and pushed back. "What do you mean by yours or mine? Gerrard, I warn you, don't talk nonsense."

"I'm praising him, why are you still not happy?" Pique dodged with a smile, "Why, you don't want it? Give it to me, I want it."

Neymar looked upset and pretended to hit him: "He is a human being, not a stuffed toy. You can't think before you speak."

"Okay, okay, you are noble, you are great...it's like you have no ideas at all." The Barcelona defender muttered.

Seeing Neymar start to roll up his sleeves, Pique ran to the other side with a smile. He cleared his throat and turned the topic back to the court.

"I'm not kidding you. Seriously, I think that kid is really good." Pique waved his hand. "Everyone said this match was a duel between him and Mbappe, but up to now he has made several threatening passes and Mbappe hasn't even had a shot."

Neymar calmed down, folded his arms and looked at the screen.

However, Suarez glanced at Pequeña and said, "Who said Mbappé was fast and that Manchester City's defenders had to be careful not to break any bones? Was it you, Gerrard?"

Pique shrugged and said: "I just said he was fast, not strong."

Just then, with one minute left before halftime, a player fell to the ground.

【A foul! Fabinho knocked down his fellow Brazilian in front of the penalty area. Batistuta got the ball with his back to the goal and was kicked in the ankle before he could even think of a passing route. The referee was about to give him a card.】

"What the hell!"

Batistuta lay on the ground and didn't get up. He was carried off the field on a stretcher. Neymar's heart was broken.

The referee showed Fabinho a yellow card and awarded Manchester City a free kick in the frontcourt.

"Yellow card? That should be a red card! He kicked Batistuta from behind and wanted to destroy Batistuta!" Neymar rushed to the screen angrily and scolded the referee who was being followed, "Protect the players! You have to protect your players! What the hell are these referees doing?"

It is not common to see Neymar so furious. Even the staff passing by the lounge popped their heads in to see what was going on.

Roberto tugged at Alba's sleeve and whispered, "I've never seen him get so angry before. Do you think he'll smash the TV?"

"...We can't rule out this possibility." Alba nodded seriously, "If he really can't control himself, remember to rush over to stop him. This TV is not cheap."

Neymar did nothing to the TV as Messi and Suarez calmed him down and told him to sit down between them.

By curbing the problem at the source, they can immediately stop Neymar if anything happens.

[It's bleeding. Fabinho's tackle was quite heavy.]

The camera was focused on Batistuta who was recovering from his injury on the sidelines. The team doctor cut open his socks, which were stained with blood. After rinsing them, it could be clearly seen that there was a wound on the outside near the lower end of the fibula, which seemed to have been scratched by a shoe spike.

"hiss……"

The team doctor used iodine mixed with alcohol to disinfect him. The instant pain made Batty shrink his bent calf and also drew his attention away from the court and back to the sidelines.

"Since they are all injured, just take care of the wound first. Don't look at them. They are fine." The team doctor said helplessly as he wrapped him in gauze. "Change him. Your wound is a bit deep. We need to clean it as soon as possible."

"You're kidding!" Batty glared at him. "You asked me to leave with such a minor injury. What do you think I am? Am I made of glass? Don't wrap me in so many layers. It will affect my flexibility if it's too thick."

"If you don't wrap it with gauze, the blood will seep out."

"Then let it seep."

"…Excause me?"

"It's no big deal. Here's the pain spray. Spray it on me. I have to go up."

Batistuta and the team doctor were still arguing, and Manchester City took a free kick, but Monaco grabbed the first one, which was not a big threat. The ball came to the midfield, and Manchester City, who temporarily played with 10 men, slowed down the pace to prevent Monaco's counterattack.

Just then the referee blew the whistle to end the first half.

Just like that, the question of whether he could play or not did not need to be decided now. Manchester City entered the halftime break with a 1-goal advantage, and Batistuta - although he repeatedly said it was not necessary, was still helped back to the locker room by two team doctors.

"I told you it's okay, Pep, they still want me to get down." Batistuta sat on the bed, hugged his arms, and looked unconvinced. "I promise my movements will not be affected. It's just a small scratch. There's just some blood. Look how scared you are."

Guardiola touched his forehead with a headache. Half a minute ago, he was furious with the referee in the player tunnel, scolding them for not protecting the players well, but now the player who was knocked down and needed protection told him that he was fine and asked to play.

"I swear to God I'm really fine." Seeing that the head coach didn't say anything, Batty added, "Look, it's just a cut, and there's no swelling...Okay, it's a little swollen, but I promise it won't affect my passing and shooting."

As if to prove what he said, Batty jumped off the bed, ran from the bed to the door and then ran back.

"Oh my God - I know, I know! Go up and lie down." Guardiola took an extremely deep breath to calm himself down. "I know this is nothing to you, but at least you have to rest in the 15 minutes of midfield and apply an ice pack. If your ankle is still swollen like an apple, I will have to replace you."

Hearing this, Batty obediently sat back on the bed, then called Loach over with an ice pack to reduce the swelling on his ankle.

"One more thing, Pep." He called Guardiola, "Kevin's position is too far back, so we have to retreat every time in the frontcourt, getting further and further away from the goal. This will make us more and more passive."

"But we need him to stay back and cooperate with the defense. His position cannot be as forward as in the previous games, otherwise our defense will be a mess when Monaco attacks." Guardiola took out the electronic tactical map on the tablet and patiently explained to him, "Don't worry, Batistuta, being away from the goal does not mean you can't score. We still have a lot of time and many ways."

Batty thought for a while and finally nodded.

The head coach is right. Defense is the main thing now. If the defense is not in place or there are mistakes in the frontcourt, Monaco's counterattack will be very deadly and he will have to retreat deeper to assist in defense.

Once Monaco scores a goal, a valuable away goal, the morale of those kids will increase, and they will attack more fiercely, and then they will fall into a vicious circle.

Apparently, Batty forgot that most of the kids he was talking about were a year or two older than him.

……

In the second half, the swelling on Batistuta's ankle had subsided by a large margin and the bleeding had stopped. With Guardiola's acquiescing look, he stuck out his tongue at the team doctor and then ran onto the court happily.

"You're going to spoil him, Pep," the team doctor said disapprovingly. "Although his injury is not a big deal, you can't let him develop this indifferent attitude."

"I know," Guardiola sighed, "but he's Batistuta, what else can I do?"

It was right not to make substitutions. In the second half, Monaco finally found their rhythm and kept launching attacks from both flanks, causing panic in front of Manchester City's goal.

But failing to attack for a long time will also make the players lose confidence. In the 59th minute, Monaco launched an attack from the backcourt. Mbappe first retreated to half the court, then quietly changed position to the left side of the center and waited for an opportunity.

Monaco's left side means Manchester City's right side, and Batistuta noticed him almost immediately.

Tsk, even more impatient than him, Batistuta found it funny, Mbappe, since you dare to come here, as the host, we must not let you come here in vain,
Two minutes later the chance came.

Mbappe dribbled the ball and attacked quickly from the wing. De Bruyne called on Silva and Clichy to assist in defense, but Mbappe was indeed fast, with quick steps and steady changes of direction. After falling down several times, he miraculously took the ball out.

But just as he was dribbling towards the penalty area, Batistuta returned to defense in depth and then used a standard sliding tackle to clear the ball out of the baseline.

[Oh? Batistuta is really trying hard. He must have learned this move from the defender. It's a very standard shovel. I haven't seen him return to such a deep position this season.]

Mbappe fell to the ground in pain.

"Get up, are you a feather pillow? I didn't touch you." Listening to the cheers of the home fans, Batistuta smiled and patted Mbappe's leg, "The referee is watching... Why don't you get up? Do you want me to cook you a bowl of noodles?"

Batistuta's sliding tackle was very clean, without showing his studs, and was not aimed at Mbappe's feet, and it was right under the nose of the referee at the baseline.

The referee made a decisive decision and awarded Monaco a corner kick.

Seeing that he couldn't get a yellow card, Mbappe had to hide the painful expression on his face.

However, just as he was about to get up by himself, a hand suddenly stretched out in front of him.

Looking up, I saw Batty's bright smiling face.

"Oh, he's so sweet!" A fan in the stands made an enchanted sound, "Everyone is paying attention to whether this is a yellow card action, only Batistuta is concerned about the opponent's injury."

However, out of sight and hearing of the fans, Batistuta pulled Mbappe up and took the opportunity to whisper in his ear: "If you can't act, don't act. It's too fake. Do you know Stanislavsky? He has a book called 'An Actor's Self-cultivation'. You should read it carefully."

Mbappe, who failed to perform well and was mocked by his opponent, said: "Get lost"
(End of this chapter)