Chapter 474: Do the Few of You Together Really Think You Can Make Me Frown?
Chapter 474: Chapter 475: Do the Few of You Together Really Think You Can Make Me Frown?
“I saw that look in his eyes six years ago, and now he has the same look every single time he plays Manchester City.”
“What exactly did Manchester City ever do to Leo? Can someone tell me?”
As they walked onto the pitch, Foden couldn’t help muttering to himself.
Grealish motioned for him to quiet down before he started affecting his own mindset too.
“Manchester City’s legendary striker Agüero is on the bench. These days, Agüero has gradually lost his starting place, and Guardiola no longer wants to keep starting him. Several clubs are very interested in signing him.”
“Juventus are even willing to offer him a lucrative contract, but Agüero seems more inclined to join Barcelona.”
The match officially began.
Jesus, who was supposed to be playing as the center forward, constantly combined with Grealish out wide, with both players moving very fluidly between positions.
Ever since joining Manchester City, Grealish’s performances had been one of the biggest talking points among fans.
His looks alone drew plenty of attention. Add his distinctive style of play, enormous transfer fee, and high market value, and it was only natural that so many supporters kept a close eye on everything he did.
Once the match began, Liverpool also paid particular attention to Grealish’s attacking movement.
After all, whenever Guardiola started using a player at center forward who wasn’t naturally a striker, it usually meant he had prepared some new tactical idea designed to cause problems.
“Come on, use the Leo tactic right away!”
When Stones shouted from midfield, Leo thought he had misheard him.
Only when Stones repeated himself did Leo realize that Manchester City’s tactic had actually been named after him.
Every time Manchester City faced Liverpool, Guardiola’s primary defensive objective was always Leo.
Stones had been included in the starting lineup specifically to work with Bernardo Silva in midfield and surround Leo from all sides.
The 13th minute!
“Manchester City’s midfield, from Stones to Bernardo Silva, has been following Leo everywhere! Liverpool are in possession and attacking. Robertson carries the ball forward and finds Rodri. Rodri receives it and moves it wide to Joe Gomez.”
When Joe Gomez received the ball, he initially wanted to play it back to Van Dijk.
But Van Dijk pointed toward Leo, and Gomez immediately spotted the space behind him.
He quickly threaded the ball forward.
Even with Bernardo Silva and Stones both tracking Leo, Gomez still managed to send the pass into the space behind him.
All three turned almost simultaneously.
But Leo was faster.
Stones and Bernardo Silva could only watch as Leo burst straight through the gap between them.
De Bruyne had no choice but to step forward as well.
Three Manchester City midfielders were now surrounding Leo.
De Bruyne was certain that even if he couldn’t win the ball cleanly, he could at least knock it toward Laporte and prevent Leo from getting possession.
Instead, Leo reached out with the tip of his boot and poked the ball toward Mac Allister.
Mac Allister received it while dragging the ball behind himself, keeping it away from Stones.
Stones had already been drawn toward Mac Allister.
Bernardo Silva was still chasing Leo.
Leo suddenly changed the direction of his run, cutting behind Bernardo Silva toward the left and bypassing De Bruyne.
Mac Allister immediately played it forward again.
Straight back to Leo.
With just two players combining, Liverpool’s midfield had broken through Manchester City’s three-man press.
Leo had already found the opening and was preparing to explode forward when De Bruyne finally resorted to grabbing him.
Kyle Walker also closed in from the side.
It should have been a guaranteed turnover.
Instead, not only did De Bruyne fail to stop Leo, but Leo got another toe to the ball.
That touch sent it straight past Walker.
Leo kept sprinting.
He beat Walker and drove all the way down the left toward the byline.
Manchester City supporters had only just recovered from their shock before their expressions turned stunned all over again.
They had seen Leo do this at the Etihad far too many times.
Leo reached the byline and curled the ball toward the middle.
Núñez and Rúben Dias went up for it together.
The Portuguese center back had plenty of strength, but even he nearly lost out under the impact of Núñez’s header.
The ball was directed toward goal.
Ederson tracked its flight carefully and only relaxed slightly when it landed against the side netting.
Liverpool had won a corner.
“That entire attack started with Leo combining with Mac Allister in midfield. Leo doesn’t care how many Manchester City players are pressing him because they simply can’t take the ball away from him!”
“Look at how seamlessly he carries one move into the next. He gets past De Bruyne, then immediately beats Walker!”
“And even after beating Walker, he still has the balance to deliver a high-quality cross. Rúben Dias is an outstanding defender. Put another center back there and there’s no guarantee that ball gets cleared.”
Mac Allister took the corner from the left and played it directly to Leo.
Liverpool then recycled possession backward.
Manchester City once again had to sprint at full speed just to try to win the ball back.
“See that? We’ve only played a little over ten minutes, and the whole dynamic of the match is already changing!”
“When Manchester City played Liverpool before, especially last season, Liverpool were usually the passive side even when the matches ended in draws.”
“But today, Liverpool have been the more aggressive team from the start!”
“Núñez and Gakpo actually look like they’re beginning to fit into the team. They’ve already played more than a dozen matches, so you could say it’s about time, but before these last two games, there had barely been any sign of them truly settling in!”
“Mac Allister is also looking better and better in the role Klopp has given him!”
The 19th minute!
Once again, Liverpool’s attack began through Mac Allister.
“Alisson plays it straight out from the back to Mac Allister! He has plenty of room because Manchester City’s midfielders don’t seem to have time to deal with him!”
The reason they didn’t have time was simple.
Every Manchester City midfielder was watching Leo.
Stones and Bernardo Silva were certain they had positioned themselves as tightly and aggressively as possible around him.
No matter what Mac Allister did, there should have been no way for him to pass to Leo.
But he did anyway.
Once again, Leo squeezed himself between the two and received the ball.
Stones and Bernardo Silva immediately closed the gap.
This time, they actually completed the trap and shut Leo completely inside.
But Leo was like a man who didn’t need a key to force his way through a locked door.
He simply drove straight through the barrier Stones and Bernardo Silva had created.
This time, the referee blew for a foul.
Against Leo.
Leo looked genuinely confused.
“What did I do, ref? I was just making some room for myself!”
Stones and Bernardo Silva heard him and didn’t even bother arguing.
Both of them had just felt the terrifying strength Leo had used to force his way through.
Gullit watched Leo and smiled.
“Just look at him in midfield. It’s almost like he’s saying this to every Manchester City player around him.”
“Do the few of you together really think you can even make me frown?”
“And you actually think you can stop me?”