After Robben's opening goal, City looked to score again, but this time, Barcelona had learned their lesson.
Seeing that chances were slim and Barcelona was gradually regaining control of the game, Gao Shen signaled for the team to start retreating.
Barcelona began to dominate possession.
There's no denying that Barcelona's passing and ball control is truly exceptional. The players moved the ball between each other with incredible skill and understanding, weaving intricate patterns that seemed almost magical.
For any opponent, it was nearly impossible to chase the ball against such a team.
Trying to do so would only exhaust you. You wouldn't win the ball, and you'd be pulled apart by Barcelona's passing, leaving gaps to be ruthlessly exploited.
Many similar situations in the past have proven this.
Gao Shen adopted a different tactical approach. He applied pressure, but kept the overall formation tight and disciplined. The players coordinated well and never tried to fight Barcelona for the ball head-on. Instead, they kept shifting the formation as a whole.
As Gao Shen had always emphasized, against Barcelona, as long as the team maintains a compact defensive shape and applies enough pressure, even Barcelona's superior possession becomes ineffective.
At the same time, it's crucial to find the right offensive strategy to counter Barcelona.
Once Barcelona regained control, they tried hard to dictate the rhythm of the game, to play it on their terms.
But Manchester City weren't playing along.
Whenever there was a chance, City pressed high, forcing Barcelona to up their tempo. Once they regained possession, they immediately launched quick counterattacks.
As Gao Shen anticipated, Barcelona aimed to break through from the center and both wings.
The front trio of Sánchez, Agüero, and Messi kept rotating positions, with Sánchez even acting as a center-forward at times.
But Manchester City stood firm. Regardless of who played where, they defended both the flanks and the middle.
Javi Martínez often dropped into the penalty area, playing level with the central defenders, while Yaya Touré and Rakitić were quick to fall back in front of the defense to provide cover.
Even Bale, Robben, and Suarez tracked back actively to defend.
This gave Barcelona high possession stats, but their attacks remained ineffective, unable to penetrate or create any real threats.
Manchester City's defense was far from passive or static.
Take this moment in the 18th minute, for example.
Barcelona attempted an attack on the right side of City's penalty area, but as soon as the pass came through, David Luiz stepped up and cleared it before Agüero could reach it.
The ball flew a long distance, landing near the center circle in the attacking half.
Suarez had dropped back to the left side of the center circle in his own half. He read the trajectory and positioned himself to win the ball, but Piqué caught up from behind, leaned into him, and jumped to head the ball back.
The Uruguayan striker was visibly frustrated.
If he had been a bit more sly and simply stepped aside, Piqué would've landed badly.
Could've even gotten injured.
This Barcelona center-back is getting cocky. Does he think he's the best in the world?
People with this kind of attitude are bound to pay the price sooner or later.
But that's just talk. After Piqué headed the ball back, it fell to the left side at the top of Manchester City's box.
Agüero and Messi both rushed to contest the second ball, but Yaya Touré got there first. Using his height and strength, he muscled into position and controlled it with his chest.
This was where Barcelona players were at a disadvantage.
But they had another weapon: close-quarters pressing.
Xavi, Agüero, and Messi immediately closed in on Yaya Touré, trying to trap him and win the ball.
Stealing the ball in that area could lead to an instant scoring chance.
Yaya Touré knew that too, so he quickly adjusted to shield the ball and moved left to avoid the pressure.
Once on the wing, the defensive pressure would ease.
Agüero and Messi's physical harassment disrupted him, and Xavi spotted a chance, kicking the ball toward the left sideline.
Felipe rushed forward and controlled the ball.
But Xavi immediately closed in.
The two clashed again. Felipe tried to pass back to Yaya Touré, but Xavi got a foot in and deflected it.
The ball bounced high and fell to the left.
Gareth Bale, who had tracked back, used his body to shield Alves, who was closing in. As the ball dropped, he headed it into open space behind Xavi.
Busquets hesitated to push up, and with Xavi chasing back, a small gap appeared between him and Iniesta.
Rakitić arrived first, intercepted the ball, and passed it to Suarez up ahead. After slipping past Iniesta, he ran into open space.
Suarez had Busquets on his back but understood immediately, passing the ball back to Rakitić.
Now free, the Croatian midfielder glanced up and saw Bale was already making his run.
Rakitić sent a long pass without hesitation.
Almost at the same moment Rakitić released the ball, Gareth Bale accelerated from the left flank like a bolt of lightning, leaving Alves in his wake as he charged forward.
"After a fierce midfield battle, Manchester City found an opening and Gareth Bale launches a lightning-fast counterattack!"
"He's so fast!"
"Oh my God, Gareth Bale..."
"No one can catch him!!!"
As Bale sprinted past Barcelona's last line, there was no one left in their half.
Only Valdés stood in front of goal.
The Welshman didn't hesitate. He could see Alves, Piqué, and Puyol all tracking back hard, but none of them were faster than him.
Gareth Bale had absolute confidence in his pace.
After sprinting at full speed, he slowed briefly outside the top left corner of the penalty area, waited for the ball to drop, then burst forward again.
Just as he was about to enter the box, Piqué had already caught up to the edge of the area.
But as Piqué prepared to make a challenge, Bale suddenly kicked into another gear, taking the ball into the penalty area. He accelerated like an arrow and left Piqué no chance to foul him.
Bale moved into his preferred zone on the left side of the box. Facing the onrushing Valdés, he calmly struck a low shot.
The ball went past Valdés and rolled into the bottom left corner of the net.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"
"Bale Zone!!!"
"Gareth Bale!!!"
"2-0!"
"My God, Manchester City have scored two goals in under 20 minutes!"
"Gareth Bale used a blistering off-the-ball run to pierce through Barcelona's defense!"
"Both of City's wingers are lightning quick. We have to admit, their counterattacks tonight have been decisive and sharp. Barcelona are really struggling to contain them."
"More importantly, Barcelona's backline is too high, leaving huge spaces behind."
…
Guardiola had a bad feeling the moment he saw Bale beat the offside trap.
When he saw Piqué unable to keep up, he knew it was trouble.
Sure enough, Bale's shot came from the left side of the penalty area—his favorite zone.
At that moment, Guardiola looked up and felt a pang in his chest.
His entire tactical system at Barcelona isn't just about passing and ball control. At its core, it's about pressing and intensity.
Everyone knows that tactics include both attacking and defending.
But Barcelona's playing style pushes too high. The benefit of this is obvious: their possession game is as close to the opponent's goal as possible. That's where they thrive.
But pushing the possession zone forward means the backline must follow.
When Xavi, Iniesta, and others are circulating the ball near the 30-meter area, the defenders are essentially near the halfway line.
So what happens when you lose the ball and get hit on the counter?
Against pacey players like Robben and Gareth Bale, there's simply no answer.
They don't even need to be world-class. As long as the striker is relatively fast, it becomes a huge threat.
To counter this, Guardiola implemented suffocating pressure in midfield and the final third.
This stems from Van Gaal's tactical philosophy—regain possession as quickly as possible after losing it.
Of course, that's not always realistic.
But the purpose of that philosophy isn't to win the ball back every time. It's to ensure everyone in midfield and attack immediately joins in the counter-press.
Only by actively pressing high can the team apply enough pressure to disrupt the opponent's build-up, giving the defense time to reset.
But now, that system was breaking down.
Especially with that second goal, which came from a direct ball over the top.
How did Rakitić get the time and space to make that long pass?
Long passes are different from short ones. They need space and time.
And yet, he had both.
At this moment, Guardiola felt truly frustrated.
He had no doubt the team was facing a problem even he couldn't solve.
What can you do when your core players—those who once executed everything flawlessly—start losing their focus and commitment?
The answer: nothing.
Fire them?
Personal relationships aside, even from the club's perspective, it's impossible.
Anyone who tries would be the first to be fired—by the fans.
Even President Rosell wouldn't survive that.
Guardiola had spoken with them many times. The players had constantly assured him they would work harder.
But sometimes, laziness creeps in unconsciously, and no amount of willpower can change that.
Just like in that moment.
Even though it's a two-legged tie, how do you come back after conceding two goals at home?
(To be continued.)
***
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