Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 482: Manchester City vs. Manchester United - A Huge, Huge Mistake!

Actually, for the outside world, there are quite a few intriguing matchups. Whether it's the grudge match between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid or the financial clash between Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, there are plenty of points of interest and hype.

Both Manchester City and PSG are backed by wealthy Middle Eastern conglomerates, stirring up the European football scene in recent years. This clash between two big spenders will test which team's financial investments have yielded better results.

Although Manchester City's backing came earlier, PSG's spending power is formidable and even exceeds City's. Last summer, PSG spent 200 million euros to bring in Neymar, doubling the previous transfer record. Unless players like Lin Quan or Messi transfer in the near future, this record is unlikely to be broken. Even Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer might not affect this record much, as his age has decreased his market value, and there are few teams willing to pay 200 million euros for him now.

While many mock PSG as nouveau riche, spending large sums with little to show for it, they have had some success. At least in Ligue 1, PSG has ended the era of many strong teams, establishing themselves as the dominant force. However, the competitive level of Ligue 1 is relatively low, making their domestic success less impressive compared to other leagues. Thus, more attention is paid to their performance in European competitions.

Unfortunately, PSG has consistently fallen short in the Champions League, being eliminated in the quarterfinals for three consecutive years. Since the Qataris took over, they have never reached the semifinals. While this record isn't terrible—considering Manchester City struggled even to get out of the group stages before Lin Quan joined and were often the laughingstock of European football—City's recent success in Europe has set a high bar. Winning back-to-back Champions League titles has put Manchester City miles ahead of PSG.

PSG's massive spending, especially on Neymar, was aimed at achieving European success. However, drawing Manchester City in the quarterfinals has cast doubt on their chances of advancing further this year.

"Don't underestimate Paris Saint-Germain. While Ligue 1 may not be as strong as the Premier League or other leagues, PSG is a class above their domestic competitors," Guardiola said, addressing the complacency among some at the club who thought City had drawn an easy opponent.

"PSG's dominance in Ligue 1 allows them to focus entirely on European competitions," Guardiola continued. This season, PSG has been so dominant in the league that they secured the title eight rounds early with a 9-0 win over bottom club Troyes, setting a new record for the earliest title win in French football history and breaking Bayern Munich's five-league record of seven rounds.

Additionally, PSG is progressing well in other domestic cup competitions, reaching the semifinals of the French Cup and the final of the League Cup. If they succeed in Europe, they could become the first French team to achieve a treble.

To reinforce his point, Guardiola showed the team footage of PSG's recent matches, including their games against Real Madrid and Chelsea in the Champions League. The players' expressions turned serious as they watched. Seeing PSG dominate Chelsea, a team City knew well, underscored PSG's strength.

"PSG doesn't have to worry about their domestic league and have a fully fit squad. We, on the other hand, have many injuries and distractions from the league and other cups. That's our weakness," Guardiola explained. "So, before the Champions League quarterfinals, we need to secure as many points as possible in the league to remove any doubts about the title."

March 20, 4 p.m., Etihad Stadium. The 31st round of the Premier League and the focus of this week's matches—Manchester City vs. Manchester United—kicked off on time. Leicester City's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace earlier that day reduced the gap between them and City to six points. If City lost to United, the title race would remain very much alive with seven rounds to go.

Leicester's recent form had been excellent, with three wins and a draw in their last four matches, capitalizing on City's loss to Liverpool to close the gap. Ranieri's team had won over many Premier League fans, and regardless of whether they won the title, their journey had already been extraordinary. But if they could pull off the ultimate upset and win the league, it would be legendary, especially against Europe's current best team, Manchester City.

"Tonight, we're all Manchester United fans!" "Come on, United, do us a favor!" "Stop Manchester City; we're counting on you!"

Before the game, Leicester fans took to the internet to cheer for United, hoping for a surprise result. Even though Leicester couldn't beat City themselves, other teams could. Every defeat for City was an opportunity for Leicester.

It wasn't just Leicester fans rooting for United. Apart from City and Liverpool supporters, most other fans were backing United too.

As Premier League fans, they don't want to see a situation where one team dominates the league, nor do they want Manchester City to monopolize the Premier League title. So now, anyone challenging Manchester City receives their support and sympathy.

Manchester City fans are used to this. After all, to wear the crown, you must bear its weight.

Although almost all football fans in England were supporting Manchester United, once the match began, United parked the bus in their half, adopting a defensive stance.

Seeing this, the fans supporting United were furious!

"Come on, United! Have some pride, this is the Manchester Derby! Parking the bus? Have you no shame?"

Fans had high expectations for a heated, thrilling match, especially in such a significant derby. They wanted to see an exciting offensive battle, not a defensive strategy with a parked bus.

However, in the 16th minute, when United scored through a quick counterattack with a goal from Rashford, all the complaints stopped, and the fans even changed their tune.

"Classic Mourinho! This bus parking is brilliant!"

"Against City, there's no need for fair play—deploy the ultimate defensive formation!"

The ultimate defensive formation referred to here involves having eight players, except for the forward, all stay back to defend.

On the sideline, Mourinho couldn't hear the fans' praises online. When Rashford's shot hit the net, he celebrated with a knee slide, completely forgetting he was in a suit.

This goal was crucial. A defensive counter-attacking formation thrives when the opponent attacks, as the more they press forward, the more counter-attacking opportunities arise. Now, with United leading, City would surely intensify their attacks, which would amplify the effectiveness of United's counter-attacks.

If City weren't careful in defense, more goals might come for United soon.

Seeing United score first, Guardiola shook his head. Losing two key central defenders had a significant impact on the team. Rüdiger's reckless defending, where he was beaten after an aggressive challenge and failed to recover in time, was the main reason for the goal.

Rüdiger, whom Guardiola had observed for a long time, was impulsive and lacked calmness. Despite his quick turns and recovery speed, his overconfidence in these abilities made him prone to aggressive challenges. If he succeeded, fine; if not, it often led to big problems.

This was very different from the other key defender, Van Dijk. In some ways, Rüdiger resembled PSG's David Luiz. The defensive talent pool was clearly lacking and would need to be strengthened in the transfer window, especially with Demichelis confirmed to leave.

Despite being temporarily behind, Guardiola remained calm, and the home crowd at Etihad didn't lose their composure either. They continued singing loudly, faithfully playing the role of the 12th man.

As Mourinho expected, City intensified their attacks after falling behind, providing United with more counter-attacking opportunities.

In the 23rd minute, Pogba delivered a through ball on the flank, and Martial, catching up, found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. City's goal was in severe danger again!

However, Martial couldn't adjust his rhythm to shoot immediately. By the time he tried, Navas had closed down the angle, and Martial's shot was blocked and deflected out.

On the sidelines, as Pogba delivered the through ball, Mourinho had already raised his hand, ready to celebrate. Martial's miss almost sent him over the edge. Such a golden opportunity wasted!

But missed chances often lead to punishment.

In the 25th minute, seeing United's strict pressing and marking in the front, Lin Quan passed the ball back to Kroos. Carrying the ball near the halfway line, Kroos, unchallenged, tilted his body and delivered a signature 40-meter long pass, precisely finding Son Heung-min on the left.

Receiving the ball, Son quickly sent a low cross into the box, where both Jesus and Lin Quan were rushing in. Jesus narrowly missed, but Lin Quan slid in at the far post to score.

In less than ten minutes, City had leveled the score!

A roar of celebration erupted from the stands as City fans cheered loudly for Lin Quan, the king of Etihad.

Guardiola punched the air and ran a few steps along the sidelines, hugging his assistant coaches in celebration.

The goal was beautifully crafted, especially Kroos' long pass. His vision was astonishing, accurately finding Son over such a distance. Son's low cross was perfect, exploiting the agility of smaller players like Lin Quan and Jesus.

Mourinho, on the other hand, was furious. His delight lasted less than ten minutes. What was his defense doing? How did they lose track of Lin Quan?

Jesus was just a young player, not on Mourinho's radar. But Lin Quan slipping through the defense was a massive, massive error!

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