A Prediction on Busquets' Level? Guardiola Sends a Message for Help from the Stands!
They started the game in the lead, but were quickly tied, leaving Sevilla manager Emery extremely frustrated.
Inter Milan's lineup did not include two tall full-backs D'Ambrosio and Santon. The average height of the players from both teams is actually not that different.
This gave Emery a lot of confidence in the team's heading success rate at the start of the game.
Surprisingly, Tang Long, who is only 1.82 meters tall and not known for his heading ability, actually scored a header in the penalty area.
Emery stood on the field, looking at the ball from a distance at a parallel angle, but he couldn't see the header very clearly.
He just felt a commotion in his own penalty area, with everyone moving towards the center, while Bonazzoli's header landed at the far post.
Emery coached for many years and won championships.
Based on his instinctive experience as a seasoned coach, he believed that this set piece was definitely meticulously designed by Inter Milan.
Bonazzoli feigned a flick-on to the center at the near post, but the two central defenders Ranocchia and Juan Jesus, were merely decoys; the ball was actually flicked to Tang Long at the far post...
"That simple trick fooled all our defenders, it's infuriating!"
Emery's face was ashen, but he couldn't help but admire the exquisite tactical coordination of the Serie A team.
Although he has never coached an Italy team, Italy football is world-renowned for its tactics.
Many Italy coaches in Europe, such as Ancelotti, Eriksen, Lippi, and Mancini, have also achieved remarkable results in major Europe leagues.
Thinking about this, Emery a little guilty.
He tilted his head to the left and looked at Inter Milan's head coach, Mancini, standing on the coaching bench.
Mancini chewed gum, his hands in his pockets, looking completely nonchalant.
His originally half-gray hair had just been dyed black before the match, making him look spirited and as if he had become 10 years younger.
Standing next to him, Chivu, though retired, still has an exceptionally tall and upright physique.
His thick biceps made his white shirt bulge.
That physique looks significantly stronger than any of the current professional players on the Sevilla pitch!
Emery's heart tightened suddenly, and he lost all confidence in victory.
His pre-match arrogance was also dampened considerably.
"Looks like I need to think of a good strategy during halftime; this match is 100 times more difficult than I imagined..."
After that, both sides engaged in offensive and defensive maneuvers.
But no one was able to change the score.
The score remained 1-1 until halftime.
Both teams' players, drenched in sweat, walked towards the players' tunnel.
Dimarco walked up to Bonazzoli and put his arm around his neck.
"Hey buddy, that header you flicked on was pretty good! It was pure luck that it landed right at the far post!" Dimarco said with a laugh.
Bonazzoli's face darkened when he heard Dimarco say he was lucky.
Don't be fooled by their obedient and well-behaved demeanor in front of Tang Long; behind the scenes, they're quite competitive.
Both were born in 1997 and were promoted from the youth team to the first team.
Both of them were determined to outdo each other in the team.
"Luck? This isn't luck, I deliberately moved back a little, what do you know?"
Bonazzoli shoved away Dimarco's arm that was wrapped around his shoulder.
"Intentional, haha! Who are you trying to fool? Everyone heard it, okay? You shouted 'middle' before you jumped, and we were all getting ready to go to the middle to receive your ball."
Dimark smiled dismissively.
Bonazzoli blushed and said loudly:
"I was deliberately trying to mislead my opponent, you know? I deliberately called for him to go to the middle, then flicked the ball down to the far post, leaving Tang's position open."
"That's called catching the opponent off guard and confusing them. Tang always tells us that during training, have you forgotten? Go back and brush up on your lessons, kid!"
Dimarco listened, stunned and half-believing.
At this moment, Tang Long walked past him. Seeing that Dimarco didn't believe him, Bonazzoli simply gritted his teeth and called out to Tang Long.
"Tang, tell Dimarco, was my header that grazed the far post intentional or accidental?"
Tang Long stopped and turned to look at the expressions on their faces.
He saw Bonazzoli winking at him and instantly understood what he meant by asking that question.
Compared to Dimarco, Tang Long and Bonazzoli are closer, after all, they are both players under Ronaldo's management.
Tang Long understood that confidence was extremely important for a striker.
While Bonazzoli currently falls short of Icardi technically, a similar gap exists in terms of confidence.
"Of course it was intentional. I specifically told him about it before the match!"
"Pretend to push the middle lane, then turn and head to the back post; that's the kind of move that catches you off guard."
Tang Long patted Dimarco on the shoulder and walked quickly toward the locker room without turning his head.
"Wow, you can do that? That's amazing!"
Hearing that even Tang Long had said so, Dimarco no longer doubted Bonazzoli.
"He should tell me about it too, and tell me any other tricks he has."
Instead, he jogged to catch up with Tang Long and kept pestering him with questions.
In the stands, many seats were empty around Guardiola.
During halftime, many fans left their seats to either go to the restroom, buy hot dogs, or stretch their muscles.
Guardiola, however, stood upright and remained motionless.
His eyes were wide open.
He has been holding this position for a long time.
Guardiola maintained this posture at least ever after Tang Long scored with a goal assisted by Bonazzoli.
The Spain coach was watching the game from a stand with a moderate ceiling height and a wide view.
His perspective on the pitch is completely different from that of Sevilla's head coach Emery, who is standing on the ground.
Although his line-of-sight distance was farther Emery's, thanks to his bird's-eye view and being seated in the very center of the stadium, he could see more clearly and thoroughly Emery.
Tang Long's header goal was seen by Emery as a deliberate tactical maneuver by Inter Milan.
He flicked the ball on at the near post, feigning a flick to the middle, but actually flicking it on to the far post, catching the opponent off guard.
But the astute Guardiola doesn't see it that way!
He didn't even need to watch the replay. The instant Bonazzoli bent over and flicked his head, Guardiola knew that Bonazzoli could not have intentionally flicked the ball towards the far post!
Unlike Emery, who started as head coach at the same club from the beginning.
Guardiola started his career as a youth coach at Barca's La Masia academy.
Although Guardiola's achievements far surpass Emery's now, his starting point in his coaching career was Emery.
As the head coach of a senior team, Emery doesn't focus on the players' basic skills, because those are already set in stone. So, his coaching career began with studying tactics.
At La Masia, the players are not yet adults; many are around 15 or 16 years old.
As the coach of La Masia, Guardiola often had to personally guide young players and improve their basic skills.
Guardiola, who was also the captain of Barcelona and a legendary defensive midfielder during his playing days, is very willing to pass on his profound football knowledge and skills to help the children of Masia.
Having honed his skills through several years as a youth coach, Guardiola has developed a keen understanding of a player's fundamental weaknesses.
It's usually obvious at a glance!
Take, for example, Bonazzoli's header flick just now.
Even though he was sitting in the stands watching from a distance, Guardiola could tell at a glance that Bonazzoli was clearly aiming to flick the ball towards the center!
Why do I say that?
Because when Bonazzoli jumps and flicks his head, there is a noticeable downward pressure in his waist and abdomen.
Guardiola knew that Bonazzoli made that move to prevent the ball from flying too far.
During his time at La Masia, he often explained this technique to the players.
Bonazzoli's core movements are fine; the problem arises the moment he shakes his head.
There was a noticeable disconnect between his head-shaking motion and the transition between his waist and abdomen movements!
When I headed the ball, I was a beat too slow.
This demonstrates the player's lack of basic skills.
It was precisely because of the lack of coordination between the head flick and the waist movement that Bonazzoli was unable to control the ball's trajectory.
He originally intended to head the ball towards the middle, but accidentally deflected it to the far post!
Guardiola can be 100% certain of this.
Based on his years of experience working with young players, Guardiola believes that Bonazzoli's flick on the far post during Inter Milan's corner kick was definitely a mistake, not an intentional act.
In other words, the ball flying to the far post was entirely accidental!
However, what kept Guardiola sitting motionless in his chair for a long time, deep in thought, was not why Bonazzoli made a mistake in his basic skills.
What he kept thinking about was Tang Long's positioning.
Guardiola, sitting on higher ground, has a better view Emery.
The instant Bonazzoli jumped, Guardiola's left eye was fixed on Bonazzoli, while his right eye immediately scanned other areas of the Sevilla penalty area.
Amidst the chaos, everyone was rushing towards the middle lane.
But halfway there, a dark blue figure suddenly retreated!
In that instant, Guardiola was suddenly filled with surprise.
He had a keen sense of timing; he knew that at that moment, the instant the blue-black figure retreated, it was almost the instant the ball touched the top of Bonazzoli's head.
In other words, before Bonazzoli's header was even fully released, an Inter Milan player had already started moving towards the far post!
It wasn't until he saw the players celebrating their goal that Guardiola realized with surprise that it was Tang Long!
Guardiola sat in his chair, completely baffled.
How could Tang Long have known the ball would glide to the far post?
How does he predict the ball's trajectory?
Did this 18-year-old China boy anticipate the precise landing point the moment the ball touched Bonazzoli's head?
It's important to understand that even legendary coach Guardiola couldn't have predicted the change in the ball's trajectory at that moment.
Tang Long made an absolutely correct judgment in the blink of an eye.
"I can't understand it, I really can't understand it..."
Guardiola scratched his bald head, his eyes widening even further.
At that moment, although he was Bayern's head coach, he suddenly thought of his Barca protégé, defensive midfielder Busquets!
As a midfielder, Busquets willingly played a supporting role under the brilliance of Xavi and Iniesta.
However, those who understand football know that Busquets, an outstanding product of La Masia and promoted by Guardiola, plays a crucial metronome role in Barca's midfield!
He was the irreplaceable link in Barca's midfield Dream Team III.
This tall midfielder always displays amazing anticipation on the field.
Whether it's positioning or changing the ball's trajectory, he can always anticipate his opponent's moves by a second and make judgments ahead of time!
Seemingly unassuming, passing and moving with ease, they always manage to stay one step ahead of the game.
It is often this initial lead that allows him to maintain his advantage and remain undefeated in the midst of perilous situations!
From this perspective, even Guardiola, who also played as a defensive midfielder during his playing career and served as Barca's captain, is not as good as Busquets.
"That guy Tang does bear some resemblance to Busquets."
Guardiola muttered to himself, a smile playing on his lips.
However, even after witnessing Tang Long's phenomenal prediction firsthand, the renowned Spain coach still harbored doubts.
Could it be that Tang Long only chose to run to the back because he saw everyone rushing towards the middle?
In other words, Tang Long was able to head the ball at the far post not because he anticipated the ball's trajectory, but because he simply ran towards any open space!
From this perspective, Guardiola's idea is not wrong.
As a staunch supporter of Cruyff's spatial football art, Guardiola also understands that football is essentially an art of space.
The distribution of attacking players in the penalty area, both at the front, center, and back points, is tactically sound.
Guardiola then looked up at the center of the field.
The spacious Olympiastadion Berlin was completely empty during halftime.
The stadium manager is tidying up the damaged turf.
A few substitute players were warming up, occasionally passing the ball around.
Guardiola stared into Sevilla's penalty area, constantly simulating Tang Long's runs in his mind.
Just then, the huge stadium display screen in the upper left corner of the Olympic Stadium began playing highlights of the first half.
When the replay showed Tang Long's goal, Guardiola had a sudden thought!
He immediately raised his phone, turned on the camera, and started recording the video on the stadium screen.
He then sent the ten-second video to Busquets via text message.
Although he left Barca three years ago, Guardiola still has a very good relationship with the players from his former club.
Many Barca players were promoted by Guardiola, and they regard Guardiola as the godfather of their football careers, and they occasionally keep in touch with him in private.
Guardiola has decided to listen to Busquets's opinion; perhaps he'll discover something new!
[Hey Sergio! Long time no see! How are you and your family? I'm watching the UEFA Europa League final in Berlin. Could you analyze the video I sent you? Looking at that header, if it were you, would you immediately run to the far post?]