Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 709 "Strategy for Defensive Strategies Against Shan Yongzhuo"

After the match resumed, it became even more intense.

With Granada leading 2-0, and with the clash between Ziyech and Neymar, both teams gradually got into a real fight.

In the 27th minute of the first half, Suarez dropped back to receive the ball and used a feint to make Milinkovic lose his balance, forcing Shawcross to cover him.

When Shawcross faced a Suarez whose feint was even more convincing than the real one, his conventional defensive tactics were completely ineffective. In desperation, he had to bring Suarez down, earning a yellow card and giving Barcelona a free kick in a good position.

Pellegrini was somewhat helpless; both Ziyech and Shawcross had yellow cards, which was not good news.

Fortunately for Barcelona, ​​Neymar failed to deliver a high-quality free kick, the ball soaring high over the crossbar and flying directly into the stands.

In the 33rd minute of the first half, Messi, who had been quiet for a while, exploded again. He received the ball on the right wing and made a series of left and right runs, becoming incredibly active and posing a significant threat. At least Guerrero seemed to have no way to stop Messi.

Messi faked out the ball with a simple movement, then suddenly cut inside and unleashed a powerful shot that almost hit the goal. If the trajectory had been just a fraction more accurate, even if Rod had been blessed by God today, it probably wouldn't have made any difference.

Messi, having narrowly missed a goal, scratched his head in disbelief, clearly convinced he should have scored when he took the shot.

The Barcelona fans in the stands were filled with regret. If that goal had gone in, they would have at least pulled one back, and then they would have had a chance to equalize before the end of the first half.

Being down by two goals is really tough.

Three minutes later, Messi tried the same trick again. Although his shot was on target, the angle was too straight and the power was too great, so Rode still managed to keep it out of the net, and Messi missed the goal once again.

Despite his sudden outburst and the lack of a goal, Messi proved that, despite the presence of Neymar and Suarez, he remains the key player for Barcelona in the MSN trio.

The game continues.

Barcelona continued to dominate Granada, giving Shan Yongzhuo very few opportunities in the attacking third.

Moreover, being closely marked makes scoring a goal quite difficult.

Fortunately, there wasn't much time left in the first half, leaving Barcelona with very little time. Going back to the locker room two goals down would be a huge blow to Barcelona; it would be an incredibly bad result.

Therefore, Barcelona's attack became stronger, more intense, and more frantic, to the point that they even became less concerned about defense.

It's all or nothing. Falling behind by two or three doesn't seem to make much difference. It's better to buy time to close the gap.

Barcelona, ​​with this mindset, launched their attack with a desperate gamble.

Messi remained incredibly active, while the young Portuguese player Guerrero was completely outplayed and utterly bewildered.

He received the ball, turned, made a quick breakthrough, used a series of feints to lose Guerrero's balance, and then suddenly changed direction and cut inside, heading straight for Granada's flank.

Just as Barcelona didn't have a good solution for Shan Yongzhuo, Granada didn't have a good solution for Messi either.

But the biggest problem is...

Shan Yongzhuo's goal-scoring efficiency is unmatched by Messi.

For example, in this play, Messi made another brilliant cut inside and then completed a clever combination with Suarez, allowing Messi to directly reach the penalty area. Unfortunately, his final shot was blocked by Van Dijk's full-force interference and was caught by Rode.

The final moments of the first half were almost a recurring scene.

Barcelona continued their relentless attacks, forcing Granada to focus entirely on defense.

Dan Yongzhuo, who was lying in ambush ahead, basically didn't get any opportunities. He could only keep chatting with Mascherano, or rather, Dan Yongzhuo was talking to himself.

"Messi is really amazing." "That dribbling is incredible, he truly is a genius."

"By the way, aren't you going to join the attack?"

"You're down by two goals, I think you should get involved in the attack."

"Don't waste your offensive talent."

"Look, I can't even get the ball, there's no point in you following me."

Shan Yongzhuo unleashed his "Tang Sanzang Technique" on Mascherano, but unfortunately, Mascherano ignored him and just kept rolling his eyes at him.

In the end, Shan Yongzhuo could only roll his eyes in frustration.

The two of them ended up staring at each other.

Mascherano was very satisfied with this.

"Trying to trick me into attacking? You're too naive!"

Seeing Shan Yongzhuo's somewhat helpless expression, Mascherano felt very smug.

He knew Shan Yongzhuo all too well, having suffered at his hands countless times.

He knew that once Shan Yongzhuo became talkative and started nagging you...

That means Shan Yongzhuo is employing some kind of strategy; he's trying to use this strategy to distract you and make you careless when defending against him.

Then, catching you off guard, his counterattack comes.

Many defenders have suffered because of this.

Mascherano also wrote this down in his little notebook.

That was written by Mascherano himself, "Defense Strategy for Dan Yongzhuo".

It clearly records Shan Yongzhuo's various characteristics and playing style.

One of the rules clearly states: If Shan Yongzhuo tries to talk to you, do not let your guard down and do not speak to him, because this is the most dangerous time.

Mascherano is doing the same thing now, which leaves Shan Yongzhuo feeling helpless.

In reality, Shan Yongzhuo was just bored and wanted to kill time, which is why he struck up a conversation with Mascherano. He didn't think much of it at all.

Barcelona also had a very good chance before the end of the first half. It was a free kick in a very good position, but unfortunately, Messi's shot grazed the post and went out of bounds, missing the chance to score.

Soon, the referee blew the whistle to end the first half.

The Barcelona players returned to the locker room dejected. The first half had been embarrassing for them, and being trailing Granada at halftime again at home was something they simply couldn't accept.

Granada's players walked off the field with smiles on their faces. This feeling was familiar and enjoyable to them. Indeed, the feeling of victory is something that people get used to and like.

The key players quickly returned to the locker room, and Pellegrini also returned with a smile to summarize the gains and losses of the first half.

He was quite satisfied with the team's performance in the first half.

(End of this chapter)