Manchester City takes the throw-in.
As expected, the Juventus "Zebras" imdiately launched a high press against the Man City players.
Mikage Reo and the others imdiately dropped back to support their teammates and create passing links.
Seeing this, Chigiri Hyoma decisively accelerated down the wing.
They already had experience dealing with a high press, using the sa tactics Tendou had directed in the last match.
Manchester City's counter-attack was fast.
Juventus's retreat was equally swift, even faster than the counter-attacking Man City.
"It's not a high press. So, it's a trap to lure the snake out of its hole."
Tendou saw through it. This wasn't the tactic Enrique used at PSG.
Under Tendou's watch, most of the Man City players had pushed past the halfway line.
Perhaps it was because of the condition that Man City had to score a goal to trigger Tendou's entry into the ga, which had led the Man City players to be exceptionally eager for a quick result.
Snuffy had taken advantage of this.
As if sensing Tendou's gaze, Snuffy turned his head and gave him a smile.
On the field.
"Let's go, Nagi!"
Reo received the ball and imdiately charged at the Juventus defensive line with Nagi.
"Yeah!"
Nagi nodded in response, and he and Reo replicated their telepathic one-two passes from the last match against PSG.
Thwack~
Thwack~
Thwack~
Every pass was a one-touch, and the two of them used their coordination to tear open Juventus's midfield defense.
At this ti, the entire Man City army had pressed past the halfway line.
Everything was going smoothly. Reo beca even more convinced that he and Nagi had what it took to shake the world.
"Go, Nagi!"
Reo delivered a precise through pass to Nagi.
At this mont, the latter was only 20 ters from the goal, already in a position to score directly.
But.
At this ti, a strange man with a mouth full of gold teeth, a neck like a giraffe, and a body so flexible it seed boneless, stood in Nagi's way.
This was Don Lorenzo, the pure Italian defender from the New Generation World XI.
"Ah, what a pity. When it cos to being exceptionally talented, you have to count in, OK?"
Lorenzo stuck out his tongue and initiated his interception with his strange "OK" verbal tic.
How strong was his defensive ability?
In the original manga's match against Bayern, Lorenzo had marked Kaiser so tightly that he didn't even get a chance to shoot.
The one ti Kaiser did get a shot off was because Lorenzo was distracted, allowing Kaiser to seize the opportunity.
For Nagi to try and beat Lorenzo one-on-one and score, his level was clearly not high enough.
"88 million, Manchester City's temporary ace, right?" Lorenzo brought up Nagi's market value, then his eyes shifted to Mikage Reo. "You, 60 million."
Lorenzo was a very strange person. He believed that there was nothing in the world that couldn't be bought with money.
Especially players. Their value was entirely reflected in their annual salary.
He pointed his finger at the Man City players, accurately stating their annual salaries, and then used that to determine their ability level.
And then.
"Let's go all at once, Juventus!"
"Counter-attack, OK?"
After saying this, Lorenzo, a defender, began to lead a charge forward.
Reo, with a dark face, rushed towards this gold-toothed monster who liked to asure a player's value with money.
"See ya, 60 million," Lorenzo grinned, then used a very strange posture to leave Reo behind.
How strange?
Like an Abnormal Titan from Attack on Titan.
Tokimitsu Aoshi imdiately moved to cover, and Lorenzo said again, "Ah, aren't you 10 million? Utterly worthless, OK?"
Lorenzo looked as if he was off balance, his feet moving the ball back and forth.
Such a peculiar dribbling style made it impossible to predict his actions.
"His upper and lower body aren't even on the sa channel. What kind of guy is this?"
With one careless move, Tokimitsu was also beaten.
And then.
BANG!
Lorenzo passed the ball to the advancing Sendou Shuto. He passed it on his first touch, and Dravus was also bypassed.
This lightning-fast passing combination stunned the Man City players.
This kind of coordination was comparable to the telepathic understanding between Nagi and Mikage Reo.
However, there were only two of them, Nagi and Reo. But at Juventus, the entire team was on the sa wavelength.
"It's a trap. Their goal was to lure us into their half."
The intention behind Juventus's strange kickoff at the start was finally exposed.
Manchester City's eagerness for a quick result had been completely exploited by Snuffy.
At this ti, only a few defenders were left in Man City's midfield.
After receiving the ball from Sendou, Lorenzo continued to advance.
From about 30 ters out, Lorenzo made a move as if to shoot.
However, the mont Yangu went for a slide tackle, Lorenzo chipped the ball over the defender, muttering, "37 million, completely useless."
The other Man City players, seeing this, could only accelerate to cover.
But.
Tendou and Prince both saw it at the sa ti. While everyone's attention was on Lorenzo, the king, Barou, had already burst out from the other side.
Like a lion waiting to pounce.
BANG!
Lorenzo passed. Barou received the ball, adjusted, his dominant foot's muscles tensed, and he smashed the ball.
The ball pierced through Manchester City's goal like a missile.
1:0!
Just 2 minutes into the match, Juventus had scored with lightning speed.
"ROAR~"
After scoring, Barou let out a lion-like roar.
Snuffy, with his hands behind his head, said, "Good job!"
This was the football philosophy of Juventus.
Snuffy compared the team to a company, and the players were the employees.
As long as they stuck to their positions and did their respective jobs, victory would be within their grasp.
Compared to the muscle-worshipping Man City, the data-worshipping Bayern, and the freedom-worshipping Barça, Juventus was clearly more professional!
"That guy's football is still so boring," Prince snorted, annoyed.
"But you can't deny that it's effective."
This was the reality of modern football.
Most players look like workhorses.
After all, superstars are a di a dozen, but workhorses can be mass-produced.
When a team lacks a superstar who can decide a match single-handedly, leading a group of workhorses to strictly execute the correct tactics is the closest way to victory.
Want to play gorgeous football, beautiful football, artistic football?
Do you have the money for it?
Even Guardiola, the best football manager today, has been criticized by fans for only being able to "drive aircraft carriers."
If you ask him to lead a group of workhorses, his signature style won't work.
His tactical system requires players to have very strong individual abilities.
As long as you can provide him with a strong enough lineup, Guardiola's team can be very artistic, very elegant, and just pass the ball into the goal.
...
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