Lionel Messi and Suarez Shine at Etihad, Qualified? Tang Long Rises from the Bench...
"Let's take a look at the starting lineups for both sides."
"Barcelona, the away team, is fighting with their backs against the wall and has fielded their strongest lineup, with Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Suarez all starting."
"Despite the team's poor performance in the last round against Monchengladbach, Enrique still has great faith in this attacking duo."
"Look at Manchester City..."
"Haha, Guardiola really gave his former club a lot of face!"
"Compared to the last league match against Watford, the team has rotated most of its squad!"
"Youngster Robertson finally made his UEFA Champions League start, while veteran Zabaleta also started."
"What?! Even the goalkeeper has been changed?! Caballero is on the field!"
"Gündoğan Ranocchia played."
"Of course, Tang Long was also sitting on the bench."
"It seems that Manchester City, having already secured first place in their group, is still focusing on the upcoming Manchester Derby, which is understandable."
"This is great news for Barca, with two matches scheduled for the final group stage game."
"Barca can't be careless either, Monchengladbach is eyeing them covetously, eager to devour Celtic in one bite!"
After the DJ announces the starting lineups for both teams, the home team fans usually give a warm cheer to support their team.
But a strange thing happened.
The Barcelona fans, numbering only 3,000, erupted in a thunderous roar after hearing Manchester City's starting lineup. The roar was so loud that it even drowned out the more than 50,000 Manchester City fans at the stadium!
"Pep!"
"Thank you, Pep, thank you!"
We will always remember you!
"You're welcome to visit Camp Nou again sometime!"
The Barca fans at the stadium even sang the Pep song, which they had written for Guardiola during his time in charge, leaving the head coach, Guardiola, looking quite embarrassed.
However, he still smiled and waved to the away fans in the corner of the stands to express his gratitude.
Guardiola thought to himself, "This isn't me intentionally throwing the game. I'm preparing for the Manchester United derby. Anyway, that's the situation. I'm a professional coach, don't get the wrong idea."
He then turned to Enrique and said, "Whether we win or not depends on your ability."
In this match, Guardiola surprisingly fielded a three-man defense, instead of using his usual 4-3-3 formation.
Up front, only Agüero played as a lone striker.
His purpose in doing this was clearly to treat this match as a training exercise.
He's willing to accept defeats as long as they don't suffer a crushing loss at home, since playing against a team like Barca for training is a rare and precious opportunity for real-world experience.
Manchester City, having already secured first place in their group, are unwilling to simply coast through a weak match.
So even though Guardiola didn't care about winning or losing this match, he still made careful tactical preparations.
Guardiola rarely plays with a three-man defense; he wants to see if Manchester City's players can adapt.
The whistle blew on time, and Manchester City's players positioned themselves in a three-defender formation.
Defensive players accustomed to a four-defender system showed a noticeable deviation in their positional awareness.
The gaps between the wing-backs and the center-backs were like cracks, giving Barcelona an opportunity to exploit.
Manchester City's midfield passing was no longer as fluid as it used to be. Youngster Robertson appeared somewhat nervous when controlling the ball, and his timing and power of passes were not precise enough.
Without Gündoğan orchestrating the midfield and Ranocchia providing consistent playmaking, Manchester City's attacking rhythm was completely disrupted, and the ball frequently went astray.
"Barca launched a high-pressing attack at Manchester City's home ground!"
"Delph has been making frequent mistakes; he's been dispossessed three times in the first ten minutes!"
"It seems that Delph is completely unable to replace Ranocchia in the defensive midfield position."
"Without support from the mid lane, Agüero has become invisible!"
"Zabaleta's pace is at a disadvantage when facing his fellow Argentina, Lionel Messi; Messi simply doesn't dare to close the gap."
In contrast Barcelona's attacking trident of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Suarez immediately seized the opportunity to disrupt Manchester City's chaos.
Lionel Messi roams the midfield like a ghost, attracting multiple Manchester City players with every touch of the ball, but he always manages to find passing gaps in the dense defense thanks to his excellent dribbling skills and accurate judgment of the situation.
Neymar was like a whirlwind on the left flank; his speed and dribbling kept Manchester City's defenders constantly on their toes.
He repeatedly used his individual skills to get to the byline and deliver crosses, creating one dangerous situation after another in Manchester City's penalty area.
Suarez, on the other hand, was like a keen-nosed hunting dog in the penalty area, constantly looking for opportunities to pounce on the chance to shoot.
About twenty minutes into the first half, Lionel Messi received a pass from Busquets in midfield, and Manchester City's defenders immediately surrounded him.
But Lionel Messi remained calm. He first used a shoulder drop feint to get past Zabaleta, then quickly slipped through the narrow gap between the two players and delivered the ball precisely to Neymar's feet.
Neymar made a quick run down the wing and cut the ball back, but Suarez's shot went just wide!
Although his team was under pressure, Guardiola still maintained a smile.
"Don't be afraid, kick freely!"
"Robertson, you played very well, don't be nervous!"
"Yes, that's right. Zabaleta needs support. Delph, come back when it's time!"
As the game progressed, Barcelona's attacks became increasingly fierce.
Near the end of the first half, Lionel Messi once again displayed his superstar brilliance.
He strolled along the sidewalk, then put his hands on his hips and looked around.
(This photo was taken by the author on site, November 1, 2016, Manchester City vs. Barca at home)
But after receiving the pass, Lionel Messi suddenly changed!
Facing three Manchester City defenders closing in, he first used his left foot to subtly feint past one of them, then quickly accelerated and broke through from the outside of the other defender.
Tang Long, watching from the bench, secretly cheered at these moves!
"That start-up was incredibly fast, it was as swift as a rabbit."
Near the baseline, he made a clever turn, getting past Otamendi's defense, and then, from a tight angle, facing the hastily rushing Caballero, he deftly chipped the ball into the net with his right foot.
The entire action was executed flawlessly, and the Etihad Stadium fell silent instantly, followed by a deafening roar of cheers from the Barcelona fans!
"Messi!"
"Messi!"
"LeoMessi!!!"
In the second half, Barcelona did not slow down their attacking pace.
In the 68th minute, Suarez received a pass on the byline, and Robertson ran over quickly. "I'm here!" he said, lowering his center of gravity and pointing to Lionel Messi next to Delph, signaling him to come and help defend.
The strength of Barca's attacking trio MSN lies in the fact that each of them possesses world-class individual skills.
Suarez pretended to pass the ball back to Lionel Messi, but then suddenly flicked it to the outside, drawing Robertson over before unleashing his signature baseline dribble!
Tang Long watched this baseline dribble with rapt attention.
He had seen it countless times in the film, but seeing it in person was still incredibly moving.
Many players, after breaking through to the baseline, either cut back or cross the ball. Only Suarez's dribbling allows him and the ball to pass through the narrow space of less than half a meter between the edge of the baseline and the toes of the defenders!
This perfect combination of physical flexibility and ball control is unparalleled in the world of football!
After attracting the attention of several defenders, he decisively passed the ball back in a triangular pass. Lionel Messi received the ball in the penalty area, made a slight adjustment, and curled a shot with his left foot into the far corner. The ball drew a beautiful arc and went straight into the net, 2-0!
Barcelona completely controlled the game.
After scoring, Suarez Lionel Messi, and Neymar excitedly embraced each other.
Taking advantage of the lull in the scoring, midfielder Busquets quickly ran to the sidelines, exchanged a few words with teammate Arda Turan, and then his eyes lit up. He raised his fist high and returned to the field, shouting, "Brothers, good news! Monchengladbach is down 0-1!"
This shout gave the already excited Barca players an extra boost of energy, and everyone was filled with excitement.
Regardless of whether Barca can beat Manchester City away from home, even if they draw or lose the game, as long as Monchengladbach Mönchengladbach doesn't get any points, then there's nothing to worry about!
After all, although Barca and Monchengladbach are currently tied on points and have the same head-to-head record, Barca has the lead in goals scored against them, so they are ranked one place higher than Monchengladbach in the standings.
With almost 70 minutes already played, Barca were still leading Manchester City 2-0 away from home.
We were in the lead, while our competitors were behind. This back and forth resulted in a difference of three whole points!
Thinking of this, every Barca fan beamed with joy, and even Lionel Messi, who is usually calm and rarely shows his emotions, had a relaxed smile on his face.
Ah, the light boat has already passed ten thousand mountains!
We've finally made it to the knockout stage!
Lionel Messi started strolling around the field; his mind was no longer on the game.
He began to examine his own actions.
Why is the mighty Barca UEFA Champions League winners last year, struggling so much in this season's UEFA Champions League group stage?
Even if they win this match, they'll only have 10 points from 6 games, which is hardly a good result!
"If I want to return to my peak in this year's UEFA Champions League, I have to take each knockout stage match seriously and I absolutely cannot make the same low-level mistake as losing to Monchengladbach that caused me to slip up in the gutter," Lionel Messi thought to himself.
After 80 minutes, Barca had stopped attacking.
They passed the ball back and forth in their own half, using their familiar ball control to wear down the game.
This left Tang Long, who was on the bench, feeling utterly bored.
His focus in this match was on the individual breakthroughs of Lionel Messi, Suarez, and Neymar.
If they stop playing, what am I supposed to watch?
I might as well go up and kick it myself.
"Boss, let me go first." Tang Long walked calmly toward Guardiola.