Chapter 463 Guardiola’s weakness, the battle for the top spot begins!

The deadlock between Liverpool and Leicester City completely changed in the 65th minute of the second half because of Benteke's goal.

This was the first goal of the game and the goal that pushed Leicester City into despair.

"Benteke scored a crucial goal, which is worth thousands of dollars!"

Although Benteke wasted many opportunities created by his teammates in this game, in the end he seized one of the opportunities and converted it into a goal.

This goal is very crucial, not only for Liverpool and Leicester City, but also for Manchester City on the other side.

"Leicester City is in a very dangerous situation. If they lose this game, then they are likely to be opened up by more than ten points by Manchester City at the end of the half!"

The commentators are beginning to worry about Leicester City. If they lose this game, they will be 9 points behind Manchester City.

If they lose the next top-place battle with Manchester City, the points gap between the two sides will widen to 12 points.

Trailing by 12 points at the halfway point, as long as Manchester City doesn't suffer a sustained collapse in the second half of the season, it will be impossible for Leicester City to recover.

So for Leicester City, their hopes of competing for the championship are likely to be completely shattered because of this game.

Ranieri is a good old guy who seems to have no temper, but good old guys can also be anxious sometimes.

Seeing that the team was lagging behind, he decisively made substitutions and adjustments to allow the team to speed up the offensive rhythm, abandon some of its defensive strength, and invest more troops in the offense.

Let the players fight wildly in the frontcourt and play the last thirty minutes of the game with a fighting spirit against Liverpool.

Now that they have fallen behind, there is nothing to worry about next. Either Liverpool can beat Leicester City into a sieve in one go, or Leicester City can catch up and equalize the score or even take the lead.

Although Leicester City is a grassroots team, they can become the biggest dark horse this season. They are naturally very capable.

When such a team takes a desperate stance, even the veteran giants Liverpool are a little unable to resist.

At the last moment of the game, Liverpool fell into a very passive situation.

Firstly, it was because Klopp's tactics emphasized running and pressing, which caused the players to consume too much physical energy, and a physical bottleneck appeared in the second half.

Secondly, it was because Leicester City was so aggressive that they put more pressure on them, leaving Liverpool's players breathless.

However, Liverpool is an established giant after all, and this is Anfield!

They showed great resilience. Even though the situation was very unfavorable and they encountered crazy attacks from their opponents, they still gritted their teeth and persisted, defusing the opponent's attacks time and time again.

At the last moment of the game, Liverpool's players suffered from cramps frequently, but they did not choose to lie down on the grass to delay time.

The Red Army fans at home sang the famous song "You'll Never Walk Alone" in unison to cheer for the home team. With the cheers of tens of thousands of fans, Liverpool persisted until the last minute.

When the referee blew the whistle to end the game, almost all the Liverpool players on the field fell to the lawn.

This game really exhausted them. It was not easy to win!

Leicester City's players put their hands on their hips, disappointment written all over their faces.

Losing such a key game will have a huge impact on the team's morale, especially at a critical moment when they are about to challenge the league leader.

On the sidelines, Klopp took the initiative to walk up to Ranieri, shook hands with him and exchanged a few words.

"Your team performed very well and hope to win the game the day after tomorrow."

Leicester City will challenge Manchester City at home on December 28. As a pursuer, Liverpool naturally hopes that Manchester City can be stopped.

In this case, they theoretically still have hope of winning the championship. Of course, it is only a theoretical hope. After all, the gap between them and Manchester City is really too big now.

Ranieri forced a smile: "Thank you for your blessing, and congratulations on winning today's game. You deserve this victory."

If it weren't for the tragic loss in this game, then he would still have three points to play against Manchester City at home.

However, after such a brutal war of attrition, and ultimately a defeat, the team not only depleted their physical strength, but also damaged their morale. It can be said that they lost both their wives and their soldiers.

With Leicester City in its current state, Ranieri doesn't have much confidence even if he returns to his home court for the next game.

Odds?

I’m afraid 30% is too much!

…

"Leicester City loses to Liverpool, and the biggest dark horse of the season may be eclipsed!" 》

"Tinker's magic lost?" Leicester City are in a tough spot! 》

"Manchester City won a big home victory, Manchester City once again expanded its lead! 》

After the end of this round of games, the focus of media reports was mainly on Manchester City and Leicester City.

This season, the traditional giants have collectively fallen behind, and the final contenders for the title are an upstart and a dark horse.

This was an ending that no one expected before the game.

Although outside public opinion is more friendly to Leicester City, the majority of people support them to win the championship.

But the objective facts will not change due to subjective consciousness. Leicester City's hard power is weaker than Manchester City, and its current state is not as good as Manchester City.

This caused the outside world to cry before the start of this first-place battle, thinking that Leicester City was destined to lose.

Not only public opinion thinks so, but even Leicester City coach Ranieri said in an interview that he could not beat Manchester City.

"Manchester City is a great team. Guardiola is one of the most talented managers in football. Under his guidance, this Manchester City team looks impeccable."

Ranieri is telling the truth, and sincerity is always a must-win.

As a result, many Manchester City fans started popping champagne in advance before the game started.

"Haha, Ranieri is so cowardly!"

"Why don't you be cowardly? What level are they and what level are we at Manchester City? How can I win if you sue me?"

"I'm scared before the game even starts. The result of this game must be self-evident!"

"In view of the performance of other traditional giants this season, I declare that the 2015-2016 Premier League champion is - Manchester City!"

…

It's not just ordinary fans who have this arrogant mentality of underestimating their opponents, even the Manchester City team also has this kind of atmosphere.

Some players have even discussed whether the team will have a New Year's Day holiday or hold some activities after winning this game.

Similar activities were held several times last year, and the big boss of the team is also very generous. He often holds lottery activities. If you are lucky, you can win generous gifts in the lottery.

Guardiola was very wary of this atmosphere of underestimating the enemy within the team, and he was not dazzled by the praise from the outside world.

Ranieri's words are certainly true, but they may not be a psychological tactic.

The purpose is self-evident, which is to confuse Manchester City and make them relax their vigilance.

In the football world, opening champagne in advance is a very bad behavior. If you overturn, you will definitely be hit by a boomerang, and then you will be nailed to the pillar of shame and laughed at by the world.

The lessons learned from AC Milan's mistakes are right in front of us, and we must learn from them.

So without saying a word, Guardiola immediately summoned the players and started training after noticing signs of underestimating the enemy in the team.

"Do you think we will definitely win the next game?"

His eyes swept around the players. After hearing his question, some players shook their heads in denial.

Some players did not express their opinions and seemed to admit that they had such thoughts.

Guardiola took a look and found that most of the players with this mentality were young players. The veteran players were experienced and knew that every team in the Premier League was difficult to play, so there were relatively few who underestimated the enemy.

"If you think so, then I can give you a holiday in advance so you don't have to go to the next game."

Upon hearing the news that Guardiola had announced a 'holiday', some players couldn't help but want to celebrate loudly.

However, seeing Guardiola's serious expression, they were afraid to speak out and stood there obediently, waiting to be scolded.

"What I say is true, because if you play in this state, we will definitely lose the next game!"

Guardiola's words were so impactful that the players were stunned and looked at Guardiola one after another.

Some people felt confused, some felt aggrieved, some were lost in thought, and some looked calm, looking like they were enjoying the show.

"If you think you can win a game that hasn't even started yet by just relying on the praise from the outside world and the comparison of the two sides' paper strengths without going on the court to play football.

Then we don’t have to play in all the next games, and we can just award the trophy to you in advance! "

Guardiola looked directly into everyone's eyes, and the proud and complacent players lowered their heads in shame.

As players, of course they know that football is round and anything is possible on the court.

"Someone told me something when I was playing football: don't celebrate a victory before the game is over!"

"Now let me tell you another truth: Don't underestimate any opponent!"

After Guardiola finished speaking, he began to announce the starting lineup for tomorrow's game in advance.

He really didn't use any of the players who showed a mentality of underestimating the enemy before, and didn't even let them enter the bench.

Guardiola's character is actually not very good. He is a relatively paranoid person, has a strong desire for control, and likes PUA players.

He prefers to have everything under his control, both for the game and for the players.

Guardiola is not merciless at all when it comes to cleaning up people he doesn't like or who don't use them well.

Therefore, these players who have been excluded from the big list are all uneasy, fearing that they have violated Guardiola's taboo and will be sold off by Manchester City during the transfer period.

So, after the training, they found Lin Quan, hoping that Lin Quan could help.

"Brother Lin, can you please intercede with the coach for us?"

Lin Quan smiled: "Actually, you just need to apologize to him, or just keep a low profile for a few days and pray that we win the game against Leicester City and wait until he calms down.

But don't make such a mistake next time. The coach attaches great importance to the player's attitude towards the game. If the ability is not good, you can practice slowly. If the mentality is not good, it will be hopeless! "

In fact, it's not surprising why Guardiola is so angry. Lin Quan knows a little bit about the reason.

When he was at Barcelona, ​​under the leadership of Guardiola, Barcelona relied on tikitaka tactics to become an invincible cosmic team that surpassed the Galacticos.

However, after winning various honors, some players within the team gradually lost their desire for championships and honors, and lacked motivation and desire to win on the court.

This makes Barcelona still have the potential to be a champion, but they are unable to achieve results on all fronts.

Guardiola resigned from Barcelona because of his uneasy relationship with club chairman Rosell, but his disappointment and dissatisfaction with the team's current situation was also a very important reason.

For a perfectionist like him, it is best for players to maintain strong fighting spirit and perform at their best in every game. Even when the score is leading, or even when the suspense of victory or defeat is completely lost, players must strictly follow his rules. Execute the tactics and take every game seriously.

This requirement doesn’t seem to be high, does it?

But it is actually difficult to achieve. After all, humans are not machines and will always make mistakes.

If he really requires every player to be so strict, it would actually be a bit unhuman.

When he was at Bayern, Guardiola caused dissatisfaction among some players because of his paranoia.

Now it's just extending this problem to Manchester City!

However, there are no thorns in the Manchester City team, and the young players are relatively obedient. In addition, due to his reputation as a world-famous coach, many people dare not openly confront him, so there have been no problems for the time being.

But if this problem is not solved, problems will occur sooner or later.

Is he considering whether to find time to communicate with Guardiola?

Both as a player and as a son.

But now, no matter what Lin Quan thinks, he will support Guardiola unconditionally.

After all, the war is imminent, and he cannot do anything that undermines the coach's authority.

After these players saw that Lin Quan had received guidance from Lin Quan, they all honestly went to Guardiola to admit their mistakes.

Guardiola forgave them, but still insisted on excluding them from the squad for the next game.

As for when they will be given the opportunity to play in the future, it depends on their attitude in the following daily training.

…

On December 28, the final game of the first half of the Premier League began.

As the focus of this round of games, the game between Manchester City and Leicester City is scheduled to be played in the last game.

This also makes this game the last game of the five major leagues in 2015.

In order to avoid affecting the ratings, all other games in this round of the league have ended before the start of this battle for the top spot.

This has made this game gain unprecedented popularity and attention. There are hundreds of TV stations broadcasting this game, and the number of viewers may exceed 1 billion.

Especially in the UK, Leicester City's side is packed with people. The King Power Stadium has been full for a long time, and even the aisles are packed with people.

Countless fans are ready and waiting for the game to start!