Another Penalty, Another Red Card

3321!

Real Madrid lined up in a 3-3-2-1 formation.

They packed the middle completely, utterly abandoning the flanks.

Didn't Arsenal love stretching play from side to side?

Fine, then they would give them no sides!

They were stubborn as mules, determined to see this through!

If Arsenal had the nerve, they could fire away freely from six meters outside the penalty area.

If they could score through that sea of bodies, then credit to their shooting accuracy—they would accept their fate!

Other than that, crosses were Arsenal's only attacking option.

That made Arsenal incredibly uncomfortable.

After all, they were the Premier League's best possession team.

That kind of low-tech, cross-from-the-flanks football was Manchester United's game, wasn't it?

How could Mr. Wenger lower himself like that?

"Control it, control it! Wait for them to come out!" Mr. Wenger shouted himself hoarse on the touchline, no longer caring about image or composure.

Winning was all that mattered.

So what if I'm a possession-passing dog!

But Mr. Wenger had overlooked Arsenal's defining trait.

What did Arsenal play?

Pass-and-move!

And Barcelona?

Possession football!

They were not the same!

Ordinary possession meant that after gaining the upper hand, a team surrounded the opposition without attacking, retaining the ball.

Barcelona's possession game was more sophisticated. They could control the ball in any area, without necessarily advancing close to the opponent's penalty area, thereby preventing counterattacks.

That was possible because every player shared the same mentality. Aside from Mateo, no one else had the freedom to make arbitrary forward runs. At most, they could rotate endlessly, with one player taking another's position.

You could think of it as a precise program. Every player could follow the program, ensuring they always retained possession.

Mateo, the sole player who did not have to follow the program, was the variable