Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

While the home win brought relief to the fans, a glance at Barcelona's record made them less happy.

Under the new manager Guardiola, Barcelona has achieved two consecutive victories.

In the first match, played away, Barcelona defeated Numancia 3-0. In the second round, played at home, Barcelona defeated Racing Santander 3-1.

After two rounds, Barcelona scored a whopping 6 goals while conceding only one, and took an early lead in the standings with a superior goal difference.

Barcelona made several significant signings this summer.

They bought Dani Alves from Sevilla for €3500 million, signed Caceres from Villarreal for €1650 million, and brought back former La Masia player Gerard Piqué from Manchester United for €500 million…

After taking office, Guardiola not only carried out a sweeping purge of the team's veteran players, but also began to recruit and promote young players according to his coaching philosophy in order to build a tactical system that met his requirements.

Besides Ronaldinho, he also let go of veterans such as Deco, Thuram, and Zambrotta.

Meanwhile, young players like Busquets and Pedro, who were nurtured by La Masia, were promoted to the first team.

If we add Pique, who was bought back from Manchester United, and Fabregas, who has been linked with Barcelona, ​​Guardiola's tactical intention to make good use of his own youth players and build a pure Barcelona system is already obvious.

Guardiola's sweeping reforms have been met with both optimism and pessimism.

However, the general consensus is that after such a large-scale personnel change, Barcelona will likely need a long time to integrate the squad in the early stages of the new season, and their results may not be very impressive.

However, after two rounds, Guardiola's performance as manager has far exceeded everyone's expectations.

What surprised everyone even more was that Guardiola seemed to have brought a completely new and revolutionary tactic to Barcelona that no one had ever seen before.

In the past few seasons, Messi has always been used as a right winger at Barcelona, ​​but in Guardiola's new tactics, he has become a free-roaming forward.

This change seems to have completely revitalized Messi. In the first two games, Messi scored 3 goals and provided 2 assists, averaging 2.5 goal contributions per game, an incredibly high efficiency!
However, that wasn't the most terrifying part. In the third round of the league, in an away game against Sporting Gijón, Barcelona delivered a terrifying 7-1 victory, with Messi scoring four goals in the match!

Only now do those who previously dismissed Guardiola, thinking he was an inexperienced rookie coach who couldn't manage the team, realize they were wrong!

This isn't just a newcomer, this is a total monster!

Although Real Madrid also defeated their opponents away in the third round, Lin Feng did not score a goal, but he did provide an assist.

But compared to the impressive statistics of Barcelona and Messi, Real Madrid is completely outclassed!

[Scoring 7 goals in 3 games, plus 3 assists, Messi is on fire!]

[Has Messi taken Viagra? How did he suddenly become so dominant?]

Messi was already incredibly strong last season!

Yes, I remember at the beginning of last season, Messi and Lin Feng were going at it, scoring twice and then hat-tricks, it was a very close match.

[Later, it seems Messi got injured, and with Ronaldinho in poor form, Barcelona as a whole fell into a slump, which is why Messi fell behind Lin Feng in goal tally. This season, it looks like Messi is in even better form!]

Lin Feng was likely still affected by the Olympics. He returned to the team about a week later than Messi, which probably caused some issues with his physical condition and limited his performance.

[But these statistics are so different! Although they have the same number of assists, Messi has scored a full six more goals than Lin Feng! Trailing by six goals at the start, the La Liga Golden Boot this season might be in danger of changing hands!]

……

It's not just ordinary fans who are discussing Barcelona and Messi's phenomenal form; the entire La Liga and even the top five European leagues are all reminiscing about the enormous changes Guardiola has brought to Barcelona.

Some argue that Barcelona's achievements are not convincing enough because they haven't faced strong teams yet, and are currently playing against newly promoted teams or bottom-ranked teams in the league, which doesn't prove anything.

To prove that Barcelona's tactics are truly effective, they must defeat strong teams.

However, there are relatively few strong teams in La Liga. Barcelona will not face a La Liga powerhouse like Atletico Madrid until next month, while opponents like Real Madrid will have to wait until mid-December.

Therefore, the fastest way to prove Barcelona's playing style is to look at the Champions League.

The new season of the Champions League group stage kicked off on September 17.

On the same day, Barcelona easily defeated Sporting Lisbon 3-0 at home in the Champions League group stage.

The power of Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta was displayed to the world for the first time. With their smooth passing and control, the Portuguese giants were like toys in front of Barcelona, ​​completely manipulated and powerless to fight back!
In the first half alone, Barcelona took an early 2-0 lead.

Messi scored two goals and provided an assist in the second half, helping Eto'o score another goal.

Throughout the match, Barcelona had a possession rate of 72% and took an astonishing 26 shots.

On the other hand, their opponents, Sporting Lisbon, only managed four shots throughout the entire match, all of which went wide.

Watching the entire match, all one could feel was awe. Barcelona's control of the game was almost absolute, and the Portuguese giants seemed to be in a completely different league.

Now, those who previously questioned Barcelona's ability to only beat weak teams and whose records were too inflated to be countable are speechless.

Since the start of the new season, Barcelona has maintained a perfect record in La Liga, cup competitions and the Champions League.

Moreover, every game was a resounding victory, with a minimum of three goals scored, and scoring five, six, or even seven goals was not a problem when things were going well.

Just like in this match, Barcelona clearly eased up in the second half; otherwise, if they had continued with the attacking rhythm of the first half, Sporting Lisbon would have conceded far more than three goals.

This astonishing attacking statistic has terrified teams, even top teams like Real Madrid, who have felt a tremendous threat.

However, some fans still hold out hope, believing that while Sporting Lisbon is not weak, it is not a top-tier team and is a spoiler in the Champions League every year, lacking the ability to win the title.

Beating a team like that wouldn't be difficult for Real Madrid, so Barcelona's victory doesn't prove anything.

This at most shows that Barcelona has a strong attacking force, but it doesn't mean that Barcelona has surpassed Real Madrid.

Unfortunately, Barcelona's group did not have any top teams like Real Madrid, Manchester United, or Bayern Munich.

Otherwise, if these teams were to put Barcelona to a high level before the El Clásico, testing their mettle, Real Madrid would have a better understanding of their strength.

"Guardiola is truly remarkable!" Right now, all the teams in the football world, especially the top clubs aiming to win the championship, are privately studying Barcelona's tactical system and trying to find a way to break it.

As Barcelona's arch-rival in the league, Real Madrid naturally couldn't remain inactive.

Because he arrived at Real Madrid a few years earlier than expected, Mourinho did not feel betrayed by Barcelona, ​​nor did he harbor resentment towards Guardiola for "taking" his position.

Therefore, the relationship between the two did not deteriorate. Mourinho was not surprised that Guardiola took over the Barcelona managerial position. If he had to say something, he probably did not expect that the other party would be promoted to the first team so early.

It's not surprising that Guardiola will coach Barcelona, ​​but what surprised him was the tactics Guardiola tailored for Barcelona.

Thanks to the keen insight of a top coach, he immediately saw the core of Barcelona's tactics – Messi!
Mourinho studied the video footage of Barcelona's first few matches of the new season and found that Messi not only changed his position, but also frequently dropped back to receive passes during the game.

When he drops back from the striker position, he often pulls out the opposing defenders, thus exposing the turmoil behind the defense and creating opportunities for his own strikers, especially speedsters like Eto'o.

But apart from Messi, Barcelona's overall tactical focus was very high up the pitch, with players pressing incredibly hard in the attacking third and making excellent counter-pressing plays after losing possession.

This makes it difficult for the opponent to control the ball; they can't even touch the ball, so naturally they have no chance to launch a counterattack or attack.

Thinking about this, Mourinho seemed to understand something.

Guardiola's tactics, while seemingly besieging the opponent's goal, are actually replacing defense with offense.

As long as you keep possession of the ball, you don't need to worry about the opponent's attack.

So, the key to breaking this tactic lies in whether a quick counter-attack can be launched before Barcelona regains possession.
Because Barcelona's formation was pushed very far forward, their backline was extremely vulnerable, and everyone except Puyol had to push up.

This means that as long as someone can pass the ball out, it can create one-on-one or even one-on-one opportunities, which will pose a huge threat to Barcelona's goal.

The problem is that under Barcelona's intense pressing, not many players can hold onto the ball, and even those who can hold onto it are few and far between when it comes to making high-quality forward passes.

Therefore, other teams are in a passive and defensive position when facing Barcelona's style of play.

Their players' stamina was gradually depleted by Barcelona's constant passing and stretching tactics, and then the slightest lapse in concentration would be seized by Barcelona to deliver a fatal blow.

Thinking of this, Mourinho couldn't help but frown.

He realized a very serious problem: Barcelona's tactics were a surefire way to defeat weaker teams in the mid-to-lower ranks, with a very low probability of them suffering an upset.

Because weaker teams simply don't have a top-class midfielder capable of delivering the crucial forward pass he demands, it means that weaker teams are unlikely to break through Barcelona's defense.

They themselves will be gradually worn down by Barcelona's siege and maneuvering, and eventually lose the game.

If Barcelona can maintain tactical stability and their key players remain healthy, their win total this season could be a terrifying number.

Apart from the two El Clásicos with Real Madrid, other La Liga teams are unlikely to pose a significant threat to Barcelona.

This means that Real Madrid has no room for error this season.

If they accidentally drop points against other teams, those points will be very difficult to recover.

The gap between them and Barcelona in the standings will only widen under these circumstances!

It's so great that even if they beat Barcelona in El Clásico, they might not be able to catch up.

……

Seemingly feeling the pressure from Barcelona, ​​the entire Real Madrid team is determined to prove themselves!
On September 18, Real Madrid defeated their first Champions League group stage opponent, BATE Borisov, 2-0 at home, securing their third consecutive victory in all competitions.

Lin Feng scored one goal and provided one assist in this match, earning him the Man of the Match award.

On September 25, Real Madrid will continue to play at home, this time against Sporting Gijón, who were just thrashed by Barcelona.

Seemingly to prove they were no worse than Barcelona, ​​Real Madrid showed no mercy in this match.

Lin Feng unleashed his full power, scoring four goals with headers and kicks, completing a four-goal haul.

Raul scored twice, and substitute Higuain added another goal, as Real Madrid once again thrashed Sporting Gijón 7-1 at home.

Poor Sporting Gijón, conceding 14 goals in two games. Their goalkeeper must be questioning his life choices with all those top strikers from Barcelona and Real Madrid.

For Barcelona, ​​this match wasn't so easy.

Although their opponent is not strong, their name is Real Betis.

As you can tell from the name, this is Real Madrid's junior partner.

Despite the vast difference in strength between the two teams, Real Betis, the younger team, showed remarkable resilience.

Despite Barcelona establishing a two-goal lead early on thanks to two assists from Messi in the first half.

However, Real Betis did not give up like other teams. Instead, after the start of the second half, they took advantage of Barcelona players' complacency and relaxed mentality after taking the lead, and scored two goals in fifteen minutes through counterattacks, managing to equalize the score.

Real Betis's consecutive goals clearly caught the Barcelona players off guard.

Therefore, after the opponent equalized the score, Barcelona actually panicked for a while and almost let the opponent seize the opportunity to take the lead.

Although they managed to hold on in the end, with time running out and the game about to end in a draw, Barcelona's number 10 player stepped up.

In the 89th minute, Messi's breakthrough in the middle drew a foul from the opponent.

Barcelona took a quick free kick, rapidly switching the ball to the right side.

Alves passed the ball back to Messi, who dribbled into the penalty area, used a series of feints to get past the defender, and calmly slotted the ball home from near the penalty spot.

The score became 3-2, with Messi scoring the winning goal in the last minute of regular time, helping Barcelona secure their fourth consecutive league victory!

Things are developing in the worst possible direction that Mourinho predicted. (End of Chapter)