The Decoy Tactic! Marchisio vs. Tang Long: A Showdown Between Premier League and Serie A Midfielders!
After Pirlo left for Major League Soccer.
Juventus' midfield is gradually shifting from a technical style to a more physical style.
France star Pogba has inherited Pirlo's central role in midfield.
Although his passing sequence and vision are inferior to Pirlo's;
However, thanks to his physical strength and coverage ability far surpassing Pirlo's, Pogba doesn't play like an attacking midfielder, but rather like a box-to-box all-around midfielder.
Because he has a stronger desire to move forward and his offensive style is more direct!
Juventus midfielder Sturaro is a meat grinder-type protector.
He possesses a midfield suffocating ability comparable to Gattuso's, making him a true butcher.
As the oldest of the three midfielders, Marchisio's role is equally crucial.
This season, Allegri made some minor adjustments to Marchisio's tactical role.
Pogba was the main attacker, Sturaro was the main defender, and Marchisio served as a middleman, connecting the two ends of the offense and defense.
Don't be fooled by this seemingly simple sentence; this role is extremely difficult to play. Without exceptional football intelligence, strong stamina, a certain level of physical strength, and proper passing and receiving skills, one cannot play this position well.
However, Marchisio, with his years of football experience, quickly grasped Allegri's tactical intentions.
Allegri greatly admired the Italy veteran's football intelligence, so he gave him a new tactical task for this match – to mark Tang Long for the entire game.
"You don't need to go anywhere in this game. Even during offense, you just need to stick close to Tang and not leave his side for a second!"
The astute Marchisio quickly realized that Allegri was trying to exchange cards!
In football tactics, one-on-one full-field marking is not uncommon;
This tactic is typically used against the opponent's key players.
For example, Lionel Messi often receives the treatment of being followed and stalked by a defender throughout the entire match.
However, Allegri was clearly not satisfied with this!
He knew that Tang Long's threat often came in the instant of switching between offense and defense. If he only focused on defending against him tightly, and then left Tang Long's side to participate in the attack when his side was attacking;
Once the ball is lost, it gives Tang Long space to hold it, and danger often arises in that instant!
This is a problem Allegri has repeatedly encountered when facing Inter Milan and Manchester City.
Therefore, the Italy coach decided to go all in and go for something big!
Whether in attack or defense, Marchisio, you don't need to look at the ball or your teammates' positions; you just need to stick with Don.
You go wherever he goes, sticking to him like glue.
Even if Marchisio is outside of Juventus' overall system, and Juventus is down to 10 men in attack, it doesn't matter;
As long as Tang Long's tactic is suppressed, the success is guaranteed; this is Allegri's strategy of exchanging pieces.
"Okay, boss, don't worry, I know what to do."
So, right after the match started, a bizarre scene unfolded!
Wherever Tang Long went, Marchisio followed him like a bodyguard, occasionally engaging in physical contact.
In an attempt to shake off Marchisio's close marking, Tang Long suddenly retreated, almost to the edge of his own penalty area, thinking he could finally escape Marchisio's pursuit.
Unexpectedly, Marchisio, playing in the defensive midfield position, continued to follow Tang Long, completely leaving his defensive line and acting like a striker, pressing Tang Long all the way to the opponent's penalty area.
Caballero passed the ball to Tang Long, Marchisio immediately pressed him closely to prevent Tang Long from turning.
Tang Long flicked the ball back with the outside of his foot to Demichelis, who was there to receive it, and then made a forward run.
But Marchisio continued to mark Tang Long closely. Demichelis originally wanted to pass the ball back to Tang Long so that he could continue to organize the attack, but seeing that his teammate was being marked so closely, he had no choice but to pass it to another center-back Kompany, so that Kompany could move to the left flank.
"Tang, when you go to nightclubs, do those girls always chase after you like I do?"
"Are nightclubs in the UK fun? How do they compare to those in Milan? Have you met any new girlfriends?"
"I heard you've been on the front page of the Sun twice in one month. Congratulations, you've really made a killing with this traffic!"
Marchisio not only closely followed Tang Long's actions, but also constantly harassed Tang Long verbally.
At first, Tang Long would chat with him casually for a bit, but eventually he got so annoyed that he simply shut up.
But Marchisio never intended to chat with Tang Long. What he wanted to do was to buzz around Tang Long's ear like a fly, trying to distract him and make him unable to concentrate on the football match.
Marchisio would even deliberately use provocative language to provoke Tang Long!
"Could you introduce me to Sky Sport's Diletta? I really like her; she's so charming, she definitely wouldn't mind having another boyfriend."
In the 25th minute, Manchester City launched a quick attack!
The attack originated from the center-back Demichelis, who was distributing the ball.
While his footwork and vision may not be as good as Ranocchia's, he is still the best technically gifted center-back Manchester City can field.
This through ball found Kolarov making a run down the left flank!
Kolarov feigned a sprint forward, taking a large stride over the ball before turning and turning – yes, it was a feint – and then tapped the ball with his right foot to Yaya Toure, who was coming to receive it.
Toure hasn't been sleeping well these past few days because of Nasri's situation; he's worried sick and also harbors deep resentment towards Tang Long.
However, Toure has one advantage: he never brings his off-field issues onto the field!
Right winger Navas has already made a high-speed forward run and is waving at Toure.
After assessing the situation, Toure concluded that passing the ball was too risky and he wasn't confident in its effectiveness.
On the contrary, Tang Long's position is better when he moves diagonally forward to the middle lane!
Without any hesitation, he precisely placed the ball in Tang Long's path.
Tang Long was running, and when he was about a meter away from touching the ball, he felt a buzzing sound of wind rushing past his ears. Without a doubt, it was Marchisio.
Marchisio was taller and stronger than Tang Long avoided him and did not confront him directly.
He used the outside of his foot to change direction and flick the ball 180 degrees, spinning in place and making Marchisio half a body length away. Then he turned around and rushed forward in the opposite direction.
The entire set of movements was fluid and graceful, making it a very enjoyable watch!
"Beautiful! Tang Long executed a stationary spike and turn, and his follow-up was incredibly quick!"
"He's finally about to get rid of Marchisio's defense!"
"A golden opportunity!"
"Ah, what's this? The ball has been intercepted!"
"I know exactly how it was broken just now?"
"Marchisio seems to have made an unconventional step-back move, managing to intercept the ball with difficulty!"
It turned out that Marchisio saw Tang Long dribble past him and was about to dribble straight ahead;
The clever Italy midfielder, quick-thinking, used Ranocchia's killer move – Bow-step interception, his long legs lunging back to intercept the ball with the tip of his foot!
Marchisio was able to steal the ball from Tang Long's feet, which was beyond his expectations;
He was quite surprised; he had only thought he could harass the opponent a little and achieve his goal, but instead, the opponent made a steal.
Tang Long's being severed was also an unexpected turn of events!
However, Tang Long turned around quickly. He immediately took a step back and cleanly poked the ball out of bounds, sending it flying into the hands of a fan in the stands.
This is how it happened, back and forth.
Although Marchisio intercepted Tang Long's quick counter-attack prevented Marchisio from gaining any advantage!
"You know this trick too? Did Ranocchia teach you?" Tang Long asked Marchisio curiously.
"Haha, that's right. Ranocchia taught me this in the Italy National Team, and it's quite useful. I didn't expect to intercept your ball the first time I used it," Marchisio replied with a grin.
Tang Long laughed, "I didn't realize you were so capable."
Although he outwardly praised Ranocchia, saying he had made a brilliant break;
However, Tang Long only told half of it, keeping the other half to himself and silently writing it down in his mental notebook.
He observed very carefully.
Although Marchisio used Bow-step interception move that was almost identical to Ranocchia's, his interception frequency and control range were far inferior to Ranocchia's.
The reason I lost possession this time was entirely due to my carelessness.
Because Pellegrini instructed the team to retreat and defend in the first half, and Marchisio kept Tang Long tightly marked, even if Tang Long managed to get rid of him, there were no teammates to support him in the attacking third. Therefore, Manchester City was indeed suppressed by Juventus throughout the first half.
Juventus controlled possession at the Etihad.
Pogba, as the team's playmaker, frequently received the ball.
He is tall with long legs, has a wide range of control, and most importantly, he has excellent flexibility.
In many close matches, he always manages to pass the ball out first;
Many seemingly difficult half-high passes were handled by Pogba with such ease that the ball seemed to hit cotton the moment his feet made contact with it. No matter the force or the angle, the ball was always easily neutralized, leaving Manchester City's defenders astonished!
Pogba is really strong! I don't think I realized it before!
-[When Pirlo was still around, he was the dealer; now that Pogba is in charge, he's finally showing his true potential.]
Pogba has always been very strong. If he keeps playing like this, I don't think Juventus will be able to keep him.
He's only 22 years old, with a bright future ahead of him. Ferguson made a mistake letting him go back then!
Manchester United fans support Pogba's return to the Manchester United; we desperately need a versatile midfielder like Pogba!
If Pogba continues to play like this, he could win the Ballon d'Or!
However, as a strong Premier League team, Manchester City's strength lies in the fact that even if they can't score in attack, their defensive tightness remains undiminished.
Juventus did indeed have possession, especially in the attacking third, where they frequently regained control of the ball.
However, whenever Pogba looked up, several passing lanes were completely blocked, leaving him no space to shoot, forcing Pogba to play the ball to the wing.
Despite having possession of the ball, Juventus teammates were unwilling to easily employ a tactic of high crosses from the wings.
After receiving the ball, full-back Lichtsteiner passed it back to Pogba, attempting to find a gap in Manchester City's tight defense by pulling the ball back and forth.
"Juventus are currently attacking Manchester City's defense relentlessly."
"The effect isn't good; it seems difficult to penetrate this way."
"To create a threatening attack, we still need to penetrate through the middle and pass the ball in."
"This shows that Pogba is still quite a bit behind Pirlo. Could it be that Pirlo held back and didn't fully teach Pogba his skills?"
Juventus appeared to have control of the attack, but their efforts amounted to little more than a show of force.
Manchester City players' tireless running and pressing made their penalty area impregnable.
The main message is: if I can't score, neither can you.
As Pogba forcefully played a through ball, attempting to link up with Dybala, Kompany stretched out his leg and kicked the ball high into the air, and the referee blew the whistle to end the halftime match.
First half.
Possession: Manchester City 43%, Juventus 57%.
Shots: Manchester City 1 of 3, Juventus 3 of 7.
Both teams have surpassed Manchester City!
Manchester, UK.
Since the last time the five major gangs gathered at Kompany's house to discuss Nasri's affairs;
Agüero and Ranocchia's relationship has also taken a step further.
Right now, the Italy defender is sitting at the Argentina striker's home, and the two are watching the game on television.
During halftime, Agüero tossed the remote control aside somewhat angrily.
"The key to our inability to organize an attack is that Don is being completely contained by Marchisio!"
"I feel like Marchisio is really despicable. He's been constantly wearing down Don's stamina to prepare for the second half. Andre, how much do you know about Marchisio? When you played for Inter Milan against Juventus, did he play like this too?"
Ranocchia simply waved his hand dismissively.
"No! When we played against Juventus before, Marchisio didn't chase after Tang like this, like a madman."
"However, we are national team teammates. Based on my understanding of him, he is very intelligent and has a very high football IQ. This must be a tactic that Allegri specifically devised for him."
Upon hearing this, Agüero looked quite uneasy.
Although he has never played football in Italy football tactics are world-renowned, and many Italy coaches go abroad to teach in the Top Five Leagues.
However, Ranocchia confidently reassured Agüero.
"Sergio, don't worry! Marchisio has a high football IQ, but when it comes to football IQ, Don is definitely the highest I've ever seen!"
"My gut feeling tells me that Don definitely has a way to deal with this Marchisio."
"We're just sitting here watching the game, not playing, so any worries are pointless. Let's see what happens in the second half! I have confidence in Tang!"