Chapter 366: Taking the Lead Again
Just after getting past Fernandinho, Bruno faced David Silva. The two were very close, a tactic City employed to deal with Bruno—keeping two defenders close together to reduce his room for adjustment during a dribble and increase the chances of a turnover.
Instead of speeding up to charge forward after evading Fernandinho, Bruno slowed down to stabilize his control. As Fernandinho turned to chase and David Silva took a step forward, Bruno passed the ball to the right with his left foot.
Gundogan received the ball, and Bruno easily ran between the two defenders. United's whole team surged forward, even the defensive midfielder Gundogan crossed the halfway line, and the full-backs were almost playing as wingers. The only players staying back were the defensive midfielder Kante and the two center-backs.
This was United's attacking stance, their relentless pressure troubled many opponents while also presenting opportunities. However, taking advantage of their forward pressing wasn't easy; opponents first needed to withstand United's wave-like attacks before launching a threatening counterattack. City had the ability to exploit these gaps, so they remained calm, waiting for their chance to counter.
During halftime, Guardiola analyzed the situation. Mourinho, known for his defensive approach, wouldn't aggressively attack. Even with the score at 1-1, United's management had ambitions and would pressure Mourinho to strengthen their attack for a win. Thus, United would inevitably take risks, pressing forward and ignoring the spaces behind them.
City's strategy was to let United press forward and wait for counterattacking opportunities. Even if United didn't press, City had many ways to deal with them, but counterattacking was the most cost-effective.
Bruno passed to Gundogan and ran forward. Gundogan quickly returned the ball. Despite getting past Fernandinho and David Silva, Bruno wasn't out of danger; City had pulled back to their half, creating tight spaces for continuous pressing. Bruno, evading Fernandinho and David Silva, still faced a relentless pursuit from live players, not immobile strawmen.
Receiving Gundogan's pass, Bruno immediately passed to Rashford. He didn't keep running forward but moved horizontally to the center, right behind Rashford, who returned the ball to him.
If there were a computer analyzing United's passing routes, it would be clear that Bruno was the core of this attack. Regardless of the situation, the ball was always passed to him. Many United players didn't need to move much; their job was simply to receive and pass the ball, while Bruno ran from back to front, left to right, and center, linking the whole team.
Receiving Rashford's pass, Bruno didn't make a through pass despite many expecting it. City's players, seeing Bruno with the ball, instinctively glanced to their sides, checking for gaps he might exploit.
Bruno passed to the wing, where Rooney crossed. Ibrahimovic, who had moved up, didn't connect with the ball but did enough to distract Stones. The ball flew past everyone, landing on the other side.
Rashford, controlling the ball on the wing, initially planned to cross but saw no clear opportunity. City's defense was well-positioned. With Sagna behind him, Rashford passed back to Luke Shaw, who transferred the ball to Bruno in the center.
Bruno, lowering his center of gravity, controlled the ball. As Fernandinho closed in, Bruno immediately passed to Gundogan in the center, who then passed to Rooney. The ball circled back to Bruno.
Facing constant pressure from Fernandinho, Bruno used his heel to flick the ball to Gundogan, then ran around Fernandinho to the left.
"Now United is continuously controlling the ball..." Lineker noted, his tone filled with amazement.
Gundogan, closely marked by David Silva, faked receiving the ball but let it pass, chasing after it and passing to Bruno, who didn't stop it either. Instead, he flicked Gundogan's pass to Valencia.
United's right-back had pushed forward but didn't stay wide, leaving the wing to Rooney and moving into the half-space. Receiving the ball, Valencia broke through.
Familiar with Valencia's strengths, City's players knew they couldn't let him enter the box. Two defenders quickly closed in, but Valencia passed to Bruno, who was now free. Valencia, slipping through the defenders, left them in a dilemma—any attempt to tackle him risked conceding a penalty.
Fernandinho, knowing their plan, charged at Bruno, successfully knocking him down. However, the referee, about to blow his whistle, saw the ball rolling towards the box and held back.
"Through pass! Brilliant! Brilliant!!" "This is a golden opportunity!" "Bruno passed the ball to Valencia!" "Valencia is through!"
As Valencia crossed Kolarov, Bruno, just before falling, managed to poke the ball through to him. Valencia, now behind the entire defense, saw the opportunity.
"United have been circulating the ball around City, finally finding a fatal gap!" Valencia, receiving the ball in the box, was closely followed by Kolarov. City's defenders were slow to react, caught off guard as United's forwards surged forward. Valencia, spotting Bravo covering the near post, passed the ball across.
The ball slipped past Bravo to Ibrahimovic, who lightly tapped it with the outside of his right foot, sending it into City's goal!
(End of Chapter)
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