Starting from playing as a defensive midfielder for Real Madrid

Guardiola did not show his usual disappointment and annoyance after seeing his side concede the second goal.

He acted very calmly, exceeding the fans' expectations, and perhaps even exceeding his own expectations.

Lost?

There must be some disappointment.

After all, he had already done enough vigilant tactics against Li Ang before the game.

Manchester City defended Li Ang's long-range shot very well today.

But faced with the "surprise" that Li Ang once again provided by running long distances after getting rid of the ball and playing with the ball behind his back, Guardiola could only helplessly spread his hands, feeling full of bitterness.

However, his expression is still quite calm, and this calmness comes from the habit of being hit by Li Ang many times.

From Li Ang's restriction on Messi at the beginning, to his late insertions that disrupted his team's midfield defense, to his unexpectedly threatening long shots...

At first, Guardiola thought that Li Ang got excited when he beat Barcelona, ​​but now he has realized that Li Ang got excited when he beat the team he coached!

Every time he played against Li Ang's team, Li Ang would bring him a lot of surprises.

When they met for the first time in the Premier League, Li Ang used two long-range shots to destroy his ambition to defeat Chelsea.

And today, Li Ang once again gave him a huge surprise.

If he hadn't been used to Li Ang's characteristic of getting more excited the more he plays key games, he would definitely be anxious and upset at this moment.

But he lost a lot to Real Madrid in the previous two seasons. The biggest advantage is that it allows him to control his emotions better and look at the victory and defeat more rationally.

"Now you still want to limit his offensive performance?"

Guardiola was even in the mood to joke with his assistants.

Before the game, many members of Manchester City's coaching staff suggested targeting Li Ang's offensive movement habits based on Chelsea's recent five game data.

Guardiola disapproved of it at the time, and many of his new assistants didn't understand it at the time.

Now, they finally understand the meaning of Guardiola's disapproval of their war preparations.

"Li Ang just runs to whichever side has more opportunities, and he is so smart that he basically only chooses to penetrate the weak side of our defense."

"How did he develop this back-hand skill? He is more stable than many center forwards. I can't understand it!"

"And he is not greedy for merit. He passes the ball whenever he can. He can always suppress our midfielders in one-on-one situations. How can this restrict him..."

Everyone in the Manchester City coaching bench half sighed and half complained.

Guardiola did not stop their outpourings, he had already made up his mind.

When you're done complaining, it's time to face reality.

Since Chelsea cannot be restricted from playing the rhythm of the game that they are best at, Manchester City can only face the difficulties and make a final effort with their best offensive method!

Guardiola at this moment is like Mourinho who just arrived at Real Madrid.

In order to unify the tactical thinking of the players and coaches in the team, he not only had to emphasize the correctness of his tactics over and over again.

He also has to make it clear to his players and coaching staff.

Their past game experience is no longer suitable for this new era. Only by cooperating 100% with his transformation of the team can they get everything they want.

Perhaps in this game, Manchester City will not escape defeat in the end.

But it was through such a tragic and painful defeat that Mourinho stimulated the growth of Real Madrid players and finally cleared the way for him to fully take charge of Real Madrid.

What Guardiola is doing now is to replicate the model that led Real Madrid to rise under Mourinho.

Manchester City's players had no idea of ​​the "good intentions" of their new coach.

As their opponents, the Chelsea players could not even imagine this.

If Li Ang knew Guardiola's true intentions, he would only give him a thumbs up and say, "What a ruthless person."

After all, what Mourinho did back then was a risky move, but now it seems that Mourinho succeeded, so what he did back then will always be talked about by fans and the media.

But for Li Ang, who had experienced such a difficult period, he knew it.

If Lafayette hadn't been eager to find the right person to end Barcelona's dominance of La Liga.

Mourinho is likely to be fired directly by Real Madrid after winning only one Copa del Rey in his first year as coach.

So now Guardiola wants to go back to the path Mourinho took.

If Li Ang knew what he was thinking, he would only think that he was on a crazy adventure.

Of course, without knowing it at this moment, Li Ang only felt that Guardiola's on-the-spot adjustments seemed to have made the same old mistakes in the past.

Manchester City did not immediately make new tactical decisions in the final minutes of the first half.

And Chelsea, who had a two-goal advantage, didn't want to take too many risks.

Mourinho sat on the coaching bench with his arms folded, watching with satisfaction as Li Ang signaled his teammates to shrink their formation.

Now Li Ang is more and more in line with his picky requirements for the core of the team.

You can advance to attack, retreat to defend, make decisive tactical decisions, and be able to focus on team victory.

Speaking of which, Deco and Lampard when they were young were actually not the most perfect offensive and defensive core in his mind.

When he took over Real Madrid as coach, the most satisfying thing about his predecessor Peigong was that he left him with such an offensive and defensive core as Xabi Alonso.

But Xabi Alonso was already relatively old at the time. If Alonso could be four or five years younger, Mourinho would have no objection at all.

Originally, he thought that it would be difficult for him to coach a core midfielder who was the right age and whose abilities fully met his requirements.

Unexpectedly, after three years, he discovered and cultivated a...

The referee's whistle interrupted Mourinho's thoughts while sitting on the coaching bench.

Seeing the Chelsea players walking towards the tunnel one after another, Mourinho also led Holland and strode back to the locker room.

The cheers of the Blues players soon filled the tunnel at Wembley.

With a smile on his face, Li Ang patted Ibrahimovic's butt and chatted with him as he walked into the locker room.

Now that the first championship trophy after moving to the new club is right in front of them, Chelsea's core players, led by Li Ang, look relaxed.

However, they did not let down their guard in their hearts. The closer they got to winning this trophy, the more they cheered up and did not dare to slack off at all.

The smiles on their faces reflect their confidence more.

After all, they have achieved too many victories in previous Premier League and Champions League matches this season.

And victory is the best confidence-boosting catalyst.

If it weren't for Mourinho and Li Ang's constant knocking and vigilance on the entire team.

Maybe most of the young players in the Chelsea team will be happy now.

But with the coach and the team's new core leading by example and "verbally attacking", this group of Chelsea's young players can only remain firmly rooted in the ground.

So they are confident and alert. Perhaps to a large extent, this mature performance is not their intention.

But as long as we continue on this path of growth, even if it is passive.

One day they will understand how important this is to their career path.

As usual in most games, Mourinho takes the lead in the first half.

During the halftime break, he made very small adjustments to his tactics and basically adopted the tactical plan that was laid out before the game.

He prefers to make simple and to-the-point comments on the players' personal performance, and then asks them to pay more attention to the execution of tactical details.

For example, Bertrand performed very well on the offensive end today, but gave Nasri several opportunities on the defensive end and had Matic wipe his butt many times.

At this moment, he obediently listened to Mourinho's tactical instructions to him and kept nodding.

After completing such a task, Mourinho also gave the remaining time to Terry.

The words of the old captain of the Blues inspired the desire and enthusiasm of all Chelsea players for the EFL Cup championship.

When Li Ang finally stood in the middle of the locker room, he generously promised to invite all his teammates to celebrate the victory after winning the championship.

The Chelsea dressing room was cheering and howling with great momentum!

There is the pursuit of championship honors, and there is also the excitement of the core team's party after the game.

The veterans in the Chelsea team watched happily as their younger teammates rushed out of the locker room and stepped onto the court again.

On the other side, the Manchester City players, who had been stimulated by Guardiola, returned to the field firmly and embarked on their desperate counterattack!

It can be said that the defeat in the first half has eliminated all voices in the Manchester City team that are different from Guardiola.

After all, the 0-2 halftime result said it all.

Manchester City players still want to make a comeback and win, so now they can only choose to believe in Guardiola.

So after the second half of the game started, almost all Manchester City players were devoted to controlling the ball and advancing the ball forward!

In the first half, Chelsea was able to achieve crazy high pressure, pulling out two full-backs to participate in the risky rhythm of pressing forward and intercepting the ball.

Correspondingly, in the second half, after Manchester City relaxed the mentality of the whole team, let alone the two full-backs.

Even Kompany once participated in the ball control organization, crossing the center line, and seemed to have returned to the defensive midfielder position he played in the Bundesliga!

Guardiola's offensive courage far exceeded Chelsea fans' expectations.

Mourinho doesn't seem to want to compete with his old rival for this moment of courage.

At his signal, Li Ang quickly directed his teammates to stick to the center line and change the high-position pressing tactics into a complete defensive counterattack.

Suddenly, the game seemed to have returned from the tit-for-tat in the first half to a contest between the strongest spear and the strongest shield in the Premier League.

This is in line with the expectations of a large number of fans for the rhythm of the Guamu competition.

But looking at the fierce confrontation between the two teams on the court, the neutral fans wanted to see the bloody and intense passion of the two teams' bayonet attacks in the first half.

However, Li Ang can lead his teammates to go crazy when he is desperate, but he is also good at holding a sufficient lead and sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai, as solid as a rock!

When it was time to defend and the tactical point came, he completely transformed into the most trustworthy interception wall in the Chelsea team.

Whether it is Yaya Toure or Cesc Fabregas who comes in from behind, it is difficult to make even half an inch when facing him with the ball!

Therefore, even though Manchester City stepped up their offensive in the second half, they still chose to give the ball to the offensive players on both wings.

In terms of offensive coordination, Manchester City also creates more space on the wings and in the half-court rib area.

This is the offensive method that Nasri and Silva are good at.

But without the restraint of the central attack, it is very difficult for the two of them to perform against Matic or Lampard's inside marking.

At this moment, time has become Manchester City's most precious thing, and Guardiola has to use his last offensive method.

Dzeko came on. He replaced Fernandinho and formed a double forward with Aguero, and Manchester City also took advantage of the situation and changed to 442.

With a high center forward on the field, even though Dzeko is not as tough as a traditional British high center forward, Manchester City's ability to grab points in Chelsea's penalty area has indeed been greatly enhanced.

Mourinho did not hesitate for long before he also initiated counter substitutions.

The tall Van Ginkel came on, replacing Lampard.

Gary Cahill was also warming up on the sidelines at this moment.

Li Ang did not drag Tuo Da, and after Van Ginkel came on, he did not take the initiative to improve his position, but still stood firmly at the forefront of Chelsea's penalty area.

As a result, Chelsea's 433 formation became further flattened, with the three midfielders acting as a protective wall in front of the central defender line.

Hazard and De Bruyne further moved in, locked in the rib area, leaving only Ibrahimovic standing in Manchester City's half.

Chelsea are already quite proficient in playing this kind of defensive system. After all, they have many midfielders who can play as a defensive midfielder.

Guardiola looked around and saw Essien and Mikel standing up one after another on the Chelsea bench. His expression was the same as that of most Manchester City fans at this moment.

Helplessness has outweighed anger and anxiety.

Watching the game time go by bit by bit, countless neutral fans also let go of the last trace of expectations in their hearts.

This game is like a microcosm of the Premier League this season.

Before the official contest, Manchester City seemed to have a fighting chance against Chelsea, and both teams were able to play back and forth after the match started.

But with Li Ang's explosion, Chelsea never gave Manchester City any room to resist after gaining the upper hand.

In terms of defense, Chelsea did an excellent job.

And until the referee finally blew the whistle for the end of the game, Manchester City failed to break through Chelsea's door!

Seeing Li Ang cheering and celebrating with his teammates in the live broadcast footage, countless fans could only sigh with emotion.

Li Ang really looks like a born champion!