Chapter 579: Lin Quan vs. Modric
"Captain, I'm sorry, I got a bit too anxious earlier and wasted your perfect pass!" Mbappé apologized to Lin Quan, feeling embarrassed about missing the goal. He was nervous because he had wasted a great chance his teammates had worked hard to create. He worried they might not trust him enough to pass the ball again, especially since he was still new to the team. A single mistake could cost him his teammates' confidence, and they might prefer passing to the more reliable veteran players instead.
"Yes, you were a bit too rushed. When the goalkeeper charges at you, there's no need to panic. You can take a moment to think about a more reasonable way to handle it."
Mbappé was incredibly talented, but his technique still needed development. He would need to work on it during training. Luckily, there were plenty of experienced players on the team who could guide him, as long as he took the initiative to ask them for advice. Lin Quan, for instance, would be happy to share his experience with Mbappé if the young player sought his help.
"Brother Lin, if you were facing the goalkeeper in that moment, what would you have done?" Mbappé, showing his emotional intelligence, immediately asked for Lin Quan's advice.
"I would've dribbled horizontally. The goalkeeper had lowered his center of gravity, so his lateral movement wouldn't be as fast as yours. Once you create space, you can take a shot, and it will be much harder for him to save it."
Mbappé nodded seriously, determined to try this approach the next time he had a chance to see how effective it would be. However, he understood that dribbling past a goalkeeper in the penalty area wasn't as easy as Lin Quan made it sound, especially since the goalkeeper could use his hands. The key was controlling distance and timing, which wasn't simple at all.
With Mbappé as an unpredictable element, Manchester City created unexpected threats. Over on Real Madrid's side, Gareth Bale—also known for his speed and explosiveness—wasn't willing to be outdone.
In the 28th minute, noticing that Manchester City's left-back had pushed forward and left space in defense, Kroos quickly spotted the gap and sent a long, high pass to the wing. Bale, as if turbocharged with nitrous oxide, suddenly accelerated down the wing. His speed was so fast that Manchester City's defenders couldn't keep up.
Unfortunately, when Bale cut inside, he was blocked by Virgil van Dijk, missing the chance for a shot. He had no choice but to pass the ball into the center, where Benzema arrived just in time to unleash a powerful shot before Stones could block it.
But Manchester City's goalkeeper, Keylor Navas, had anticipated Benzema's move. With a brilliant dive, he deflected the ball away.
Benzema scratched his head, feeling like he had rushed the shot a bit. If he had taken a moment to adjust, perhaps observing the goalkeeper's positioning or aiming for a better angle, the result might have been different. But in the heat of the moment, he had worried that the defenders would block him if he hesitated, so he rushed the shot.
Ronaldo, standing nearby, spread his hands in frustration. He had been just half a step behind Benzema and was in a good position. If Bale had passed to him, Ronaldo felt he had at least a 50% chance of scoring.
Real Madrid's attack was dangerous, largely thanks to Bale's speed on the wing. Like Mbappé, Bale was fast, explosive, capable of both shooting and crossing after breaking through the defense, making him hard to mark.
However, the real threat wasn't in the forward line—it was in midfield.
Without Kroos's sharp vision and high football intelligence to spot Manchester City's defensive gaps, this dangerous attack wouldn't have happened at all.
Kroos had solved a major problem for Real Madrid since Xabi Alonso left: they had been missing a midfield commander who could control the tempo and deliver critical assists from deeper positions. His long passing ability had already been proven during his time at Manchester City.
Guardiola had not underestimated him and had even assigned someone to specifically mark him in this match. However, it wasn't working well. Kroos was playing deep, rarely pushing past the halfway line unless Real Madrid was pressing heavily forward. Most of the time, he stayed behind Casemiro, who protected him, allowing Kroos to play comfortably in a secure zone.
Ironically, Guardiola himself had designed this tactic for Kroos during their time together at Manchester City, and now Zidane had adopted it.
The reason Real Madrid's attack was so threatening in this match wasn't just because of the individual brilliance of the BBC (Bale, Benzema, Cristiano) trio, but also because of their two core midfielders.
Kroos was orchestrating the attack from the center, rarely venturing forward but still creating opportunities with his long passes, making it tough for Manchester City to defend.
Modric, on the other hand, was playing an offensive midfield role, but unlike De Bruyne on the opposing side, Modric was incredibly versatile.
He excelled in dribbling, playmaking, advancing the ball, and shooting—everything a midfielder needed. But in addition to all that, he had qualities that most midfielders lacked: exceptional stamina, a wide range of movement, strong defensive capabilities, and superior tackling.
Modric was like an all-around player, with no obvious weaknesses. Though none of his abilities were the best in the world, the fact that he had no weak points made him extraordinary.
Guardiola could see elements of many great midfielders in Modric, but there was no one else quite like him in today's football world.
During Real Madrid's attacks, Modric was always present, delivering some of the most dangerous passes. In defense, he was also there, intercepting passes and disrupting Manchester City's build-up play from the start.
This was why Manchester City had started attacking more from the wings. If they didn't bypass the midfield, their attacks would be slow and ineffective. Worse, they might leave themselves vulnerable to counter-attacks.
But the more they used the flanks, the more predictable they became, and by the second half, this strategy might not be as effective.
Guardiola was pondering this problem, as was Zidane.
Real Madrid had a strong midfield, but did that mean Manchester City's midfield was weak?
In this match, Guardiola had started Gündoğan instead of Fernandinho.
But even with just N'Golo Kanté, Real Madrid's attacks had been repeatedly shut down.
Over the past three years, Kanté had won three consecutive Premier League and Champions League titles with his team, playing against the best clubs in the world. He had built a reputation as the world's best defensive midfielder through countless hard-fought matches.
Just how good was Kanté at defending?
Fans had a saying: "There's no obstacle too tough to overcome—except Kanté!"
Seeing Kanté on the field reminded Zidane of his old teammate, Claude Makélélé.
And it wasn't just Kanté in Manchester City's midfield—Gündoğan, Lin Quan, and David Silva were also actively involved in central defense. Any hesitation from Real Madrid's players could quickly lead to turnovers, falling into Manchester City's pressing traps.
The midfield battle in this match was intense. Both teams were making heavy challenges, with players constantly falling to the ground, and the game frequently being interrupted. To control the pace and prevent chaos, the referee had already handed out five yellow cards by the 30th minute.
On Real Madrid's side, both midfielders, Kroos and Modric, had received yellow cards, as had right-back Carvajal. On Manchester City's side, Gündoğan and Agüero had also been booked. Three yellow cards in midfield alone showed how fierce the contest was.
However, once Lin Quan dropped back into midfield, Manchester City started gaining a slight advantage there.
Modric could contain De Bruyne, but he found it much harder to stop Lin Quan.
Lin Quan's ability to protect the ball and break free from pressure was far superior to De Bruyne's. In fact, Lin Quan had a habit of taking on and beating aggressive defenders.
At first, Modric didn't realize this, trying to use the same tactics he had used to mark De Bruyne. But after Lin Quan easily dribbled past him a few times, Modric quickly adjusted.
Defending against Lin Quan required a different approach. You couldn't mark him too tightly. You needed to limit his dribbling space and cut off his passing lanes, rather than trying to steal the ball directly from him.
Of course, if a teammate came to help and they could double-team Lin Quan, there might be a chance to dispossess him.
But Manchester City's support play was excellent. Gündoğan and David Silva were always in the right spots, allowing Lin Quan to safely pass the ball without losing possession.
Both Gündoğan and Silva were also highly skilled passers. If Real Madrid didn't track them closely, they could easily deliver a killer through-ball to Agüero or Mbappé.
This put Real Madrid's defense in a difficult position. They couldn't contain Lin Quan one-on-one, but if they sent two or even three players to mark him, it would leave space for his teammates, giving Manchester City dangerous opportunities.
But ignoring Lin Quan was out of the question. He wasn't a traditional midfielder—he was essentially a forward. If they allowed him to dribble freely, once he got within shooting range, the goal would be at risk, and he might even score!
After witnessing Lin Quan take on five Juventus defenders in the Champions League semifinals and beat the entire defensive line, Real Madrid knew they couldn't relax their defense against him for a second.
This put Real Madrid in a tough position.
Toward the end of the first half, Manchester City started to dominate possession.
They were losing the ball less frequently, and as a result, Real Madrid had fewer chances to counter-attack. The battle was shifting more and more into Real Madrid's half.
As the match slowly began tilting in Manchester City's favor, Real Madrid fans in the stands grew anxious.
This wasn't good. Manchester City was getting more and more chances to build attacks, putting constant pressure on Real Madrid's defense, which had already experienced several close calls near the goal.
If this continued, they might concede a goal.
The match was indeed starting to favor Manchester City, but the first half was almost over.
In the 43rd minute, Manchester City created their most dangerous chance of the game.
Lin Quan and David Silva combined with a quick one-two to break through Real Madrid's left-side defense. Lin Quan dribbled inside, faking a shot before slipping a through ball between Ramos's legs and directly into Agüero's path.
Agüero quickly adjusted and aimed for the far corner. The goalkeeper had already given up, but the ball struck the post and bounced out, allowing Carvajal to clear it with a powerful kick.
Agüero dropped to his knees on the grass, feeling immense guilt, like he had committed a terrible crime.
What an incredible chance! And he had missed it!
In the stands, Real Madrid fans exhaled in relief as the ball bounced off the post. Many felt a cold sweat break out all over their bodies—only now, after the scare had passed, could they relax, feeling as though they had just narrowly escaped disaster.
That was too close. Way too close!
If their luck had been just a bit worse, they would have fallen behind.
If Manchester City had scored that goal, the psychological blow to Real Madrid would have been enormous.
Going from leading to being equalized, and then falling behind—that would crush the players' spirits.
Not only were Real Madrid's fans shaken, but even Zidane on the sideline was so tense he could hardly breathe. His hands, stuffed into his pockets to appear calm, were trembling slightly.
He was not pleased with this defensive play. Casemiro, why didn't you foul him? In that position, letting the opponent through was extremely dangerous—don't you realize that?
And Marcelo—if your defensive skills were half as good as your attacking skills, maybe our left side wouldn't have so many holes in it!
Honestly, not a single player is making it easy!
Zidane was deeply dissatisfied with his team's defense.
But Real Madrid's defense wasn't weak. Even Juventus's formidable back line hadn't been able to stop Manchester City's attack.
When your opponent's attacking power exceeds your defensive capabilities, there's just no way to stop them.
Glancing at the clock, Zidane let out a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, the first half was almost over. If Manchester City kept attacking like this for another ten minutes, Real Madrid would almost certainly concede a goal.
No, he needed to rethink his strategy for the second half.
In the early stages of the first half, Real Madrid had played well. If they kept playing at that pace, they had a good chance.
But if the second half continued like the later part of the first half, Real Madrid's chances of winning would be slim.
So, adjustments had to be made in midfield.
They absolutely had to find a way to contain Manchester City's number 10!
(End of Chapter)
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