Starting with saving Manchester United

Chapter 85: Just one step away from scoring!

Standing in Yang Fan's position, he could see Tony Kroos, wearing jersey number 39, taking a corner kick.

As a fan, Yang Fan really likes TK.

Now that he was facing an opponent, he felt somewhat uneasy.

Fortunately, Toni Kroos' corner kick was headed away by Vidic.

But Bayern immediately launched a counter-pressing attack in the attacking third.

In haste, Manchester United launched a long pass to clear the ball into the attacking third.

Yang Fan stood on the sidelines clapping loudly, shouting for the Manchester United players to calm down a bit.

Bayern quickly regrouped.

Like Barcelona, ​​Guardiola's Bayern Munich still prefers to initiate passes from the backfield and push forward.

Judging from the lineup, Bayern Munich is playing a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Toni Kroos in the number 10 position.

However, if you watch the game closely, you'll notice that Tony Cross sometimes drops back even deeper and further to the left than Schweinsteiger and Lahm.

As a football fan in his previous life, Yang Fan hadn't really noticed this.

Could it be that Real Madrid's technical team saw this, which is why they brought in Toni Kroos and then played him as a left central midfielder, and seamlessly integrated him into the team?

When the game reached the 2nd minute, Bayern pressed forward again.

From Yang Fan's position, it's clear that after Bayern secured possession, they essentially formed three lines.

The two center-backs are at the very back.

In the middle are Tony Cross, Schweinsteiger, and Lahm.

The frontcourt is the most interesting.

Just like this time.

Ribery was surprisingly positioned closest to the left sideline, while Alaba appeared between Ribery and Mandzukic.

Mandzukic's right is Robben, and Rafinha is near the right line.

The five players were lined up almost in a row.

It was precisely because of this change that Ribery received the ball outside the penalty area, close to the left sideline, and cut inside along the penalty area line, while Alaba waited for an opportunity to move forward, and after receiving the ball, he wanted to cross it into the front of the goal.

As a result, Vidic kicked the ball out of bounds before Mandzukic could react.

The Serbian center-back shouted at Phil Jones, signaling him not to drift too far out.

However, in Yang Fan's view, it was Bayern's attacking combination on the left flank that disrupted Manchester United's defensive plan.

Alaba sometimes plays on the perimeter and sometimes on the inside, and his cross-play with Ribery is really a headache.

"Antonio".

Yang Fan walked to the sidelines and called out Valencia's name.

When the Ecuadorians looked over, Yang Fan shouted again, "Retreat a bit, pay attention to the positioning of the two players, and block the inside."

"Michael, move back a little."

The following sentence is a reminder to Carrick.

Sure enough, as soon as Manchester United made a change, Bayern Munich threw the ball in from the left flank, but were immediately blocked on the left side and forced to pass it back to reorganize.

The next attack will start from the right flank.

When Rafinha made a run down the right flank and combined with Robben on the left side of Manchester United's penalty area, attempting to cross from the byline, Smalling timely blocked the inside, forcing Rafinha to pass back.

Robben controlled the ball outside the left corner of the penalty area. Facing Ashley Young, who had tracked back in time, he made a series of small adjustments before cutting inside, intending to move sideways.

But at the crucial moment, Cleverley blocked Robben's cut-in, preventing him from cutting inside and forcing him to pass the ball back again.

Lahm, near the 30-meter mark, made a diagonal pass, aiming for Mandzukic.

But under Vidic's control, Mandzukic couldn't even get into position.

The ball landed at the far post and went out of bounds.

Manchester United goal kick.

"Well done!"

"Go! Go!!"

Yang Fan shouted loudly from the sidelines.

The Manchester United fans in the stadium cheered.

In the 4th minute, Ribery dropped back to the midfield line to receive the ball. He originally wanted to combine with Alaba, but Manchester United were prepared. The Frenchman immediately changed his mind and moved sideways to Manchester United's left side, passing the ball to Rafinha.

Rafinha followed up and once again sent the ball diagonally across the box.

This time it was still at the far post, where Phil Jones dove to clear the ball, heading it out of the penalty area.

After receiving the ball in midfield, Bayern passed it back to reorganize the game.

"Since the start of the game, Bayern have had possession of the ball for most of the time."

"But we can see that the quality of the first few crosses was not very high."

"Although only 5 minutes have passed, Manchester United seems to be intentionally opening up both flanks."

"This style of play might be effective, but the presence of a tall center forward like Mandzukic is still very dangerous."

Yang Fan also noticed a very interesting phenomenon.

Bayern's two flanks are not aligned.

On the right flank, Robben is positioned very far forward, close to the flanks.

Even when the midfield can't effectively pass the ball out, Mandzukic will drop back, and Robben will move up to play as a striker.

Therefore, Yang Fan went to the sidelines to remind Smalling and Cleverley to keep an eye on Robben's position.

What about Rafinha?

His position is basically the same as the midfield, right next to the wing.

The left flank is somewhat the opposite.

Whenever the ball doesn't go smoothly through the middle, Ribery will appear in the flanks, dropping back quite far.

Tony Kroos will move closer to the left flank, somewhat like a full-back.

What about Alaba?

He was positioned at the very front, close to the left flank, like a left winger.

This is absolutely not unfounded.

Guardiola's arrangement is to fully utilize the characteristics and strengths of each player.

For example, Ribery.

If the ball doesn't go smoothly through the middle, wouldn't that be perfect for Ribery's dribbling skills?

In the 6th minute of the match, when Bayern passed the ball across the halfway line to Toni Kroos on the left, the German midfielder immediately launched a long diagonal pass, attempting to send the ball to the right side of the penalty area behind Manchester United's defense.

Robben makes a quick forward run.

Yang Fan's reminder just now came in handy.

Smalling got there first, firmly blocking the position, and headed the ball to De Gea.

Another cheer erupted from the stadium.

Yang Fan also clapped enthusiastically from the sidelines.

He also noticed that Smalling looked startled, but the light above his head was still green.

The English defender even nodded towards Yang Fan from afar.

Obviously, it wasn't affected!

Possess the ball! Possess the ball! Possess the ball again!

As the game progressed, the situation became increasingly clear.

Bayern Munich maintained firm control of possession.

However, the Bundesliga champions' attacks consistently struggled to penetrate Manchester United's defense.

As soon as they crossed the halfway line, they were immediately surrounded and intercepted.

Once inside the 30-meter zone, Manchester United will press aggressively.

Especially in the middle and on both sides.

On the contrary, Bayern began to pose some threats on the flanks.

In the 11th minute, again on the left wing, Alaba received a pass from Ribery and quickly moved to the left side of the penalty area. After receiving the ball, he crossed it to the far post.

As a result, Mandzukic was in the middle, but there was no one to support him at the far post.

The Manchester United fans erupted in applause once again.

"Our crosses were really poor tonight, what's wrong with Mandzukic?"

In the stands where Bayern Munich fans were gathered, Bayern president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was not satisfied with the progress of the match.

"Vidic has always been with him."

Sammer, a former center-back, immediately noticed the clues.

"Vidić may be old, but he's very experienced," Beckenbauer remarked from the other side.

Sammer nodded. "Mandzukic didn't gain any advantage, and it seemed like Manchester United were deliberately letting us cross from the wings."

"They did the same thing when they played Barcelona before."

Beckenbauer pointed to the game on the field and said.

"Hold firm in the center and flanks, while opening up the flanks."

"Moreover, they knew very well that they were destined to lose in the midfield, so they simply gave up on the midfield and avoided such pointless contests. Their attacks were basically long passes to find the frontcourt."

"In addition, they strengthened their defense from the midfield line and then retreated in layers, instead of retreating directly to the vicinity of the penalty area. This is the same as when they played against Barcelona, ​​which is clearly aimed at Guardiola."

Beckenbauer's tone revealed a sense of helplessness as he said this.

How so?

After all these years, coaches all over Europe probably know that Guardiola and Barcelona share a common characteristic.

They both prefer to slowly pass the ball forward and maintain possession.

So, from Dortmund playing Bayern Munich, to Real Madrid playing Barcelona, ​​then Manchester United playing Barcelona, ​​and now Manchester United playing Bayern Munich, it's basically the same pattern.

By relinquishing possession, I'll set up a flexible and layered defensive formation in my own half, allowing you to attack.

Barcelona struggled to find a good way to counter a Manchester United team that was stable overall and maintained a good formation, let alone Bayern Munich, whose passing and penetration abilities were even worse.

Therefore, Bayern can only resort to crosses.

"Guardiola's tactics involve too much pointless possession," Beckenbauer said, shaking his head.

Rummenigge smiled, but had a different opinion: "If we seize control of the game, even if Manchester United is a tortoise shell, we can still pry it open!"

"Look, in the first 10 minutes, we had 81% possession, while Manchester United only had a mere 19%."

This is really a bit outrageous!

Although they lacked possession and were on the back foot, Manchester United had clearly anticipated this, and the players remained patient.

"That rookie was indeed very well prepared," Summer nodded.

And as Rummenigge said.

With such a large advantage in possession, Bayern can slowly pass the ball around and create some opportunities.

In the 16th minute, Robben suddenly appeared on the left flank and played a beautiful three-man combination with Ribery and Alaba.

The Dutch winger made a quick forward run and caught up with Ribery's through ball near the byline, passing it towards the center of the goal with his left foot.

Fortunately, at the crucial moment, Vidic dove to block the ball out of bounds.

The entire Old Trafford stadium erupted in gasps of relief, as if all had been saved.

Too dangerous!

Bayern's corner kick was cleared again, but they immediately launched a counter-press and intercepted the ball in the 30-meter zone.

The Bundesliga champions continue their siege.

From Rummenigge and Beckenbauer's perspective, it's clear that Yang Fan is shouting at the players outside the home team's bench, signaling them to push forward.

"Once our siege is established, can they still resist?" Rummenigge was clearly very satisfied with this situation.

This is the characteristic of Guardiola's passing and possession style of play.

You can keep your opponent pinned down in their own half, or even within a 30-meter radius, and relentlessly siege them!

Starting from the 20th minute, Bayern Munich pressed forward with almost their entire team.

Even the two center-backs, Dante and Boateng, pushed up to the outside of Manchester United's 30-meter zone.

Manchester United's entire defensive formation was pushed very flat.

In the 24th minute, it was still on the left wing, and it was still the same combination of Ribery, Robben, and Alaba.

Robben received a pass from Ribery and then played a through ball.

Alaba quickly made a run down the wing and delivered a low cross to the edge of the six-yard box.

As a result, Mandzukic still failed to get into position to encircle the enemy.

With no one to receive the pass, the ball fell to the far post and was caught by Ashley Young, who was tracking back to defend.

"Mandzukic wasn't energetic enough tonight!"

Rummenigge, a former striker, was very dissatisfied with Mandzukic's performance tonight.

At that very moment, in front of the home team's coaching bench, Yang Fan walked out clapping as he encouraged the Manchester United players.

This prompted Rummenigge to let out a cold snort.

"Just one step away from scoring!"

In Yang Fan's previous life, in 2026, whether it was the World Cup, the Champions League, or the league, one thing had been proven countless times.

Tactics like those employed by Barcelona, ​​Spain, and Guardiola, which involve pinning opponents down within a 30-meter zone and ganging up on them, become less effective as the game progresses, provided the opponents manage to hold out through the early stages and maintain a stable and orderly defense.

When Alaba delivered a low cross, Mandzukic in the middle failed to receive it in time. Yang Fan saw Vidic's early positioning, preventing Mandzukic from making a run into the box.

These are all things Manchester United had practiced before.

So far, the results are very good.

The most compelling proof is that Bayern Munich hasn't had a single shot on goal so far.

Surprised or not?

Not surprised?

25 minutes have passed, and Bayern Munich has had so much possession, yet they haven't created even a single shooting opportunity.

They don't even have long-range shots!

This also proves that the targeted defense devised by Yang Fan and the coaching staff before the game was effective.

The players on the field became more and more confident as they defended and played with more and more self-assurance!

Even if the first leg at home ends in a 0-0 draw, Bayern will be in a passive position!