"Messi, drop back."
"Xavi passes to Messi, who plays it to Iniesta."
"Messi turns to receive it and is double-teamed by two Manchester City defenders."
"Messi dribbles forward, and David Silva and Rakitic can't stop him."
"He's still going, Messi!!!"
"He slips a through ball along the ground…"
"Sánchez bursts in from behind…"
"No whistle!!!!"
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!"
"In the 57th minute, twelve minutes into the second half, Barcelona equalizes!"
"Messi's dribble through the middle opened up the attack and created the opportunity!"
"Oh my goodness, Barcelona finally levels the score!"
"One to one!"
"Both teams are back on level terms."
"After their tactical adjustments at halftime, Barcelona's overall playstyle is noticeably different from the first half."
"Messi has moved to the center and gained more freedom. Agüero has shifted to the left and Sánchez to the right. They look like wingers, but when Messi drops deep, they play more like inside forwards."
"I must say, Guardiola's adjustments were spot on."
"Before the match, he said he was facing his master's protégé, Gao Shen. In their first encounter, he suffered a heavy 0–4 defeat. Now, two years later, he's clearly showing his growth and evolution."
"And now, he's finally breached Manchester City's goal!"
"Just look at this play. Messi's through ball was perfectly timed and angled. It landed just behind David Luiz and Kompany. Sánchez sprinted in behind Luiz and fired a clean shot!"
"Absolutely brilliant!"
"This is Barça!"
"When you think Guardiola's side is out of ideas, they'll suddenly create a killer chance from nowhere."
"Messi's dribble before the pass was also key. He completely disrupted City's midfield structure. This is the brilliance of the world's best player."
"One to one. Now let's see how Gao Shen responds!"
…
Inside Wembley Stadium, Barcelona fans erupted in deafening cheers.
One to one!
In the second half, Barcelona not only dominated possession but also showed clear momentum on the pitch, even pinning City back at times. This shift came after Guardiola's tactical tweaks.
It was still a 4-3-3, but with positional changes.
Messi returned to a central role, switching between striker, attacking midfielder, and even central midfield.
He operated in this entire vertical corridor, responsible for orchestrating the attack and linking up play.
This highlighted just how critical Messi was to Barcelona's setup.
Agüero and Sánchez were active down the flanks.
When Messi pushed forward, they stayed wide as wingers. When he dropped deeper, they moved inside, functioning as a forward pair.
At the same time, both full-backs pushed up high.
This style wasn't entirely new for Barça, but it wasn't often used.
With Messi at the heart of it, the fluidity and creativity in the midfield and final third improved significantly. The equalizing goal was a textbook example—Messi dribbling through tight spaces to unlock the defense.
Naturally, this put immense pressure on Manchester City's backline.
Gao Shen, standing on the sidelines, saw everything clearly.
Guardiola had turned Messi into a false nine, maximizing his mobility and playmaking. This avoided the situation from the first half, where City boxed him in on the right flank with a tight marking system.
But it also came with risks.
Mainly, it left more space in the midfield and back line.
Think about it—if Messi drops deep and Agüero and Sánchez push high, should defenders follow?
"I guess this is what Guardiola was struggling with before the game," Gao Shen muttered to himself.
Knowing Guardiola as he did, Gao Shen figured his opponent had hesitated over which of the two tactical approaches to choose.
Had Messi started as a false nine from kickoff, it might've surprised Gao Shen. He might even have conceded first.
Of course, he had prepared for it. Barcelona had only used this shape twice this season, and he'd studied those two matches thoroughly.
The attack was strong, but the defense was leaky.
With that in mind, Gao Shen stepped to the technical area and called over Javi Martínez, Kompany, and Rakitic, signaling for a return to the 4-3-3.
To counter Barça's attacking setup, City's full-backs tucked inside, allowing the wingers to patrol the flanks.
…
The goal of Gao Shen's adjustment was to overload the central zones and once again disrupt Barcelona's midfield combinations.
Especially the link among Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets sitting deeper.
As long as the central channel was blocked, Messi's influence could be limited.
As for the wide players, when Messi dropped back and Agüero and Sánchez cut into the box, they were still within City's defensive coverage. The real danger came when Barça's full-backs overlapped and delivered crosses.
Gao Shen once again reminded Kompany, David Luiz, and Javi Martínez to stay tight in the middle and control the penalty area.
As expected, following City's adjustments, Barça attempted to play through the middle several times but failed to break through.
Messi dropped deep and drove the ball into City's 30-meter zone, but was brought down by Javi Martínez.
The City midfielder wasn't booked, which annoyed several Barça players.
But in truth, there wasn't much contact.
Their frustration stemmed more from how difficult it had become to break down City's defense.
Three minutes later, Barcelona passed into the box again.
Alves made a run down the right and received the ball near the front third. He attempted a diagonal ball toward Agüero at the far post, but Neuer charged out and claimed it cleanly.
Two minutes later, Vargas delivered a cross from the left. Sánchez reached it, but his header went well over the bar.
After failing to penetrate centrally, Barça's full-backs pushed higher in an effort to create width and stretch City's shape.
But Manchester City stuck to their plan—tighten the middle, leave the flanks open.
…
"Hah, there's a saying in Italian football," Sacchi said from the directors' box, "No matter how strong your wing play is, you still need to go through the middle to score."
He couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Barça's crosses being cleared repeatedly. It felt even sweeter watching their attacks amount to nothing.
There was no way around it—the size mismatch was glaring.
Messi, Agüero, Sánchez, Xavi, Iniesta...
Barça's philosophy emphasized small, quick, and agile players. None of their front five stood above 1.75 meters.
The upside was obvious—superb movement, flexibility, close control. Perfect for tiki-taka.
But the downside was also clear—when it came to long balls or aerial crosses, they had no target.
This was the dilemma Barça faced now.
As long as City controlled the center, Barça could pass all they wanted out wide.
Some might wonder: isn't there any other solution?
Actually, there is.
No system is flawless.
Against City's shape, Barcelona could work the flanks, reach the byline, and cut back into the box.
But to do that, the full-backs had to get more involved in advanced areas.
In the 68th minute, eleven minutes after conceding, Barcelona first tried attacking from the left but failed to break through. Instead of crossing, they looked to pass inside.
Messi made two consecutive dribbles but couldn't open a gap and had to play it back to Xavi.
Xavi switched it to the right, where Alves advanced and linked up with Sánchez just outside City's box. This put pressure on Filipe, and even Bale and Suárez dropped back to help.
But that attack broke down. When the ball came back to Xavi, David Silva stepped up and intercepted.
Xavi tried to recover by playing it back to Alves, but Bale beat him to it and laid it off to Suárez before sprinting forward.
Suárez knew exactly what Bale wanted. With his back to Busquets, he one-touched the ball forward without even turning.
Bale surged ahead, beat Alves to the ball, poked it across the halfway line, and looked up.
He saw Robben already sprinting through the center.
Without hesitation, Bale used his left foot to send a diagonal ball behind Barça's defense.
Robben, arriving three seconds later, collected it cleanly before Thiago Motta.
He was already inside the box.
Robben didn't stop the ball. He controlled it, faked a shot, shook off Thiago Motta, and drove a low shot with his left foot.
Valdés had positioned himself toward the left, but Robben's shot went right. The keeper was left helpless.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"
"Robben! Arjen Robben!!!"
"Manchester City score again!!!"
"Two to one!"
"Manchester City's counterattack was lightning-quick. Barça's defense had no time to respond!"
"From interception to counter, City executed every step smoothly. Barça's defenders never had a chance to get set."
"Bale, Suárez, and Robben—what a front three!"
"The momentum has shifted once again!"
"Guardiola's halftime adjustments initially put City on the back foot, but Gao Shen responded swiftly, restored order, and struck back with a devastating counterattack."
"It's clear that Manchester City had a plan for every possible situation, and Gao Shen came thoroughly prepared for Barça's tactics."
"City lead again. Now, the timing couldn't be worse for Barcelona."
"They're running out of time."
(To be continued.)
***
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