After Paris Saint-Germain was removed from the list, I led England to victory!

In March 2018, the German league was still in full swing.

In the just-concluded round of the Bundesliga, Hoffenheim did not stop their advance.

In the latest round of the league, they secured three more points, maintaining their strong lead at the top of the standings, tied with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

At the post-match press conference, the reporters' focus, as always, was on Yan Yuan.

"Yan, congratulations on scoring again! 24 league goals and 14 Champions League goals, how does it feel to be the double top scorer?" The flashlight focused on his young face.

Yan Yuan's expression was calm and focused, without much pride.

"It feels great, but this is not my personal honor. Team honors always come before individual honors."

The victory and the goal were not the work of one person alone; they were the result of the coach's successful tactics and the brilliant teamwork of the teammates.

Right now, all I'm thinking about is the next match; I'm really looking forward to our upcoming Champions League opponent.

Seeing his beloved student answering questions more and more fluently, Nash, who was sitting next to him, was even happier.

This kid has really grown a lot, from initially being bad at dealing with reporters to now being able to "play tai chi" with them.

However, the spotlight in the world of football doesn't just focus on statistics and victories.

A few days later, on March 16, 2018, at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

Eight European teams that have fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood are about to learn the next hurdle on their path to the Champions League summit.

Tonight, in the Hoffenheim club's meeting room.

Head coach Julian Nagelsmann, the first-team players, and club executives sat together as the Champions League quarter-final draw ceremony was played on a large screen.

Yan Yuan was just as nervous as everyone else.

Today, unusually, he skipped his usual extra practice and arrived at the meeting room early, all in order to be in top condition for the upcoming "trial".

The draw began, and one by one, the balls were drawn to form the match-up list.

When Marchetti reached into the last can of balls containing the "unseeded teams" (second seed).

Nagelsmann held his breath. Behind him, his assistant coach unconsciously poked at his notebook with his pen, and Chairman Hopp nervously clenched his fist.

"Hoffenheim..." Marchetti pronounced the name clearly.

So their opponent will be...

Manchester City!

This time, Lady Luck did not favor the brave challengers from the small village.

They drew what is theoretically the toughest opponent among the top eight.

Manchester City, the Premier League leaders under the leadership of Pep Guardiola!

"Hiss..." A collective gasp filled the conference room almost instantly.

This was followed by suppressed sighs and incredulous whispers.

"Manchester City?! My God..." Chairman Hope was shocked by the draw results.

"Good heavens..." Gnabry said, frowning.

"My luck is just too bad..."

"It's Manchester City..." Maguire, sitting in the back row, couldn't help but gasp.

Others may not know Manchester City, but Maguire knows it very well.

Before being loaned to Hoffenheim, Leicester City had already been thrashed by Manchester City once in the Premier League.

In the meeting room, everyone in Huocun had a solemn expression and an undisguised bitterness on their faces.

Yan Yuan took a light breath, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly before regaining his composure.

He looked around and could clearly feel the pressure spreading outwards.

Manchester City is one of the teams that no club in the draw pool wants to face.

At this time, Manchester City in the 2017-2018 season was putting on a near-terrifying display of dominance in the Premier League.

Since Guardiola took over Al-Ittihad in the 2016/17 season, the team has embarked on a transformative evolution.

Although they failed to win the title in the 16-17 season, only managing to finish third, Guardiola's Manchester City's fluid, precise, and aggressive Tiki-Taka tactics had already instilled fear throughout the Premier League, and everyone saw the potential to become champions.

This season, however, the storm has intensified, evolving into a true sweeping event.

It was only March of this year, and Manchester City had already pulled ahead of their city rivals Manchester United by more than double digits in the standings, leaving them far behind.

The Premier League title is practically in Manchester City's hands.

They crushed their opponents with breathtaking possession-based football, scoring goals in droves and conceding very few.

Sterling, Sané, De Bruyne, Aguero, David Silva, Fernandinho, Otamendi...

This central axis and attacking line, composed of top-tier stars and perfectly integrated into Guardiola's tactical system, is enough to strike fear into any opponent.

Amidst the discussions in European football, Hoffenheim, the dark horse of the Champions League, facing off against the near-dominant Premier League champions, has undoubtedly become one of the most dramatic and anticipated clashes in the quarterfinals.

The results of the draw were finalized, and the air in the conference room seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Nagelsmann rested his chin on one hand, his brow furrowed, his expression unreadable—worried or perhaps inspired by some newfound fighting spirit.

Nash said nothing, only nodded slightly at the screen, then was the first to stand up and said in a deep voice:

"Alright, guys, the results are in. You can all go back and rest now. We have a new goal. Meeting adjourned."

Nash didn't reveal what the target was, but everyone present knew perfectly well, and they all left dejectedly.

They are equally pessimistic about Manchester City.

Guardiola also watched the draw ceremony with his coaching staff.

When the words "Hoffenheim VS Manchester City" appeared on the screen, the Spanish coach, unlike his usual jovial self, looked serious and even slightly worried.

Unlike some optimistic Manchester City fans, Guardiola did not consider drawing Hoffenheim to be a "lucky draw".

On the contrary, Guardiola never underestimates any team that can reach the Champions League quarterfinals because of their reputation or history, especially Hoffenheim, coached by Nagelsmann.

In Guardiola's eyes, this team from a small German village was by no means an easy target.

Nagelsmann's talent and tactical innovation cannot be hidden from a tactical master like Guardiola.

Hoffenheim's performance in the Bundesliga and Champions League this season is less a miracle of a dark horse and more an inevitable result of precise tactics and a strong team belief.

Their style of play is flexible and varied, combining the efficiency and impact of German football with exquisite local passing and off-the-ball movement, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

Despite his young age, Nagelsmann possesses masterful tactical acumen and the ability to make adjustments on the spot.

What gives Guardiola even more of a headache is Yan Yuan, a superstar in Hoffenheim's squad with terrifying efficiency and the ability to even determine the course of a game to a certain extent.

This 17-year-old possesses composure and maturity beyond his years, world-class positioning, world-class vision, top-notch shooting, and frequently shines in important matches.

He also specifically studied Yan Yuan's positioning, shooting choices, and ball control, and even had the players imitate his ball handling style under high-intensity pressure.

The more Guardiola studied him, the more he felt that Nagelsmann was no ordinary person.

A young coach who can integrate the team's overall potential and maximize it, plus his talented apprentice.

The Hoffenheim coach-student duo, along with other young players from Hoffenheim, put real pressure on Guardiola.

Guardiola touched his bald head, frowning in thought.

Just hours after the draw, reports and analyses of this matchup flooded global media and online platforms.

The BBC described the showdown as "a clash between the art of teleconference and a youthful storm."

Kicker magazine called it "a new dimension of challenge for Bundesliga dark horses and Premier League aspiring giants";

The Guardian even ran a rather amusing headline: "Guardiola vs. a younger version of Guardiola?"

……

Once the lottery day is over.

Time was fast-forwarded, and the moment the lottery results were announced, wartime conditions were immediately set in motion.

It's already midnight.

Nagelsmann's desk is piled high with video clips and analysis reports of Manchester City's last ten matches.

The coffee cup that was originally placed to the side was moved to a closer and more convenient position.

Apart from Nagelsmann, all the other members of the Hoffenheim coaching staff, video analysts, scouts, and others were present in the office; not a single one was missing.

They were discussing everything about Manchester City.

"The high-pressing strategy is initiated primarily by Fernandinho and the two center-backs dropping back..."

"Attacking down the flanks is their lifeline, Sterling, Sané..."

"De Bruyne's vision and long passes..."

"There are weaknesses in set-piece defense, but they are few..."

Amid the discussion, Nasser sipped his coffee one sip after another, his eyes bloodshot yet unusually bright.

Guardiola's tactical system and player configuration have brought unprecedented pressure to the young coach who is only 30 years old.

The pressure comes not only from the gap in player talent, but also from the breathtakingly high precision and intensity of tactical execution.

Manchester City's game gives the impression that:

They seem to maintain a unified mind and high level of focus for every moment of the 90 minutes, dragging their opponents into their pre-set rhythm.

Nagelsmann understands that his team relies on a youth revolution, unimaginable team cohesion, and a highly flexible and perfectly executed tactical system.

Facing a Manchester City team that is like a precision machine, the core problem that was churning in his mind was how to find the key points connecting the gears before the machine started running and how to make it "jail".

He constantly overturned and rebuilt possible responses on the tactics board, simulating the details of various offensive and defensive transitions.

Although Nash's dark circles were getting worse, his gaze was becoming increasingly intense.

Guardiola, the tactical mastermind he admires, has now become his rival.

……

Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away in Manchester, the lights in the head coach's office at the Etihad training ground also stayed on all night.

Guardiola did not underestimate Hoffenheim in the slightest because Hoffenheim was a small club.

On the contrary, he gave the team and its coach unprecedented attention.

Inside the office, the Manchester City coaching staff were also busy, with a key video clip of Hoffenheim's victory over Porto playing on the screen.

And highlights of their Bundesliga matches, especially replays of Yan Yuan's goals.

"Look at this kid's positioning, Mikel," Guardiola said to his assistant Arteta, pointing to Yan Yuan's agile movements on the screen.

Taj was quietly taking notes next to Guardiola.

"See? He's like mercury, he's everywhere."

His explosiveness, balance, and final touches in front of goal are extremely rare for his age... no, even at any age. He possesses the instinct and composure of a top striker.” Guardiola paused, pointing to a clip on the screen showing Hoffenheim's overall pressure.

"And this young team... their counter-pressing is very organized, not brute force, but very layered."

The formation is very flexible...

Guardiola's face lacked the relaxed demeanor he usually displayed when facing weaker opponents; instead, it showed a rare seriousness and a hint of worry.

"Hoffenheim gives me the feeling that... it's a bit like... a second Bayern Munich."

This assessment surprised Arteta slightly.

"Take a close look at Mikel and Nagelsmann's attacking strategies. Their obsession with space utilization, their emphasis on width on the flanks and passing combinations in the half-spaces, and the interchangeability of player positions... Do you see the shadow of Klopp's passionate counter-attacks? Mourinho's defensive organization? Simeone's toughness?"

No, most importantly, he has a very clear spatial-based attacking organization logic... much like the Bayern we've encountered before.

But they are younger and more energetic than Bayern Munich, and they don't have the psychological burden of "we are a powerhouse".

They are in great danger.

In Guardiola's view, Hoffenheim's success today is not solely due to the emergence of a superstar, Yan Yuan.

Nagelsmann's tactical imagination and execution amazed and even made this veteran coach, who has seen countless talented coaches, feel a sense of apprehension.

This dark horse team has a clear strategy and strong team execution, like an exceptionally sharp dagger that can accurately find even the smallest gaps in heavy armor.

He also locked himself in his office, repeatedly studying Hoffenheim's tactics board, simulating how to deal with their high-speed transitions, how to limit the omnipresent number 17 Yan Yuan, and how to break through their seemingly versatile but actually disciplined defensive formation.

He even called some friends in the Bundesliga to try to get more information about Nagelsmann's training details and on-field command habits.

Guardiola respects Nagelsmann and appreciates his talent.

But it is precisely because of respect that he must use his richer experience and greater resources to suppress this brilliance of genius.

The two teams consist of a world-renowned coach who has already achieved great success but continues to break through his own limits, and a rising young coach who is stirring up a youth storm.

One is a rising powerhouse aiming to conquer Europe and establishing a dynasty in the Premier League; the other is a dark horse in the Bundesliga dreaming of making history and eager to continue its fairytale.

Guardiola is obsessed with tactical details to the extreme, while Nagelsmann is good at integrating and maximizing combat power with limited resources.

The battle between Hoffenheim and Manchester City has already begun in the tactical meeting room.