"Moussa Dembélé is probably the young striker with the best heading ability I've seen recently. And then there's Denayer in their back line. His aerial success rate in Ligue 1 is very high. He came through Manchester City's youth academy, and after joining Lyon, he became a regular starter."
"I have to say, ever since Manchester City changed their management in recent years, their heavy investment in the academy and focus on developing young players have really paid off. A lot of talented youngsters have come through Manchester City's youth system and started shining at other clubs!"
Champions League Round of 16, the European commentary booth. Scholes and Ashley Cole continued their partnership, and this time, they had invited Gullit as a special guest commentator.
"Let's give the warmest applause to this episode's special guest commentator, the Dutch legend, the all-round player who loves tulip-scented perfume, Gullit!"
Gullit entered with his handsome hairstyle, tossed his hair, and sat down steadily.
"Hello, everyone. It's great to see so many passionate fans here. I'm Gullit, your old friend."
Ever since Gullit had been invited to join the commentary team during the World Cup, fans had loved his humor in the booth. Naturally, the European livestream would not pass up the chance. They invited Gullit to join Scholes and Ashley Cole in bringing the fans an exciting broadcast.
"Before we begin, I'd like to mention that my good friend Gerrard has led Rangers to some excellent results. It looks like his coaching ability really is better than his commentary."
Gullit still could not stop thinking about Gerrard. During the World Cup, the two of them had built a deep friendship.
"Now, let's have Gullit introduce Lyon and Liverpool's starting lineups for the fans, and give us his prediction for the score!"
Gullit picked up the lineup sheet. The first thing he looked at was Liverpool's lineup, and there he found his target: Leo Lin.
During the World Cup, Leo Lin had already left a deep impression on Gullit.
"To me, after Lin won the Ballon d'Or, his market value rose all the way to 180 million, and he also signed the contract with the highest weekly wage in the Premier League. He really is that strong."
"He's very complete. He can pass, cross, play through balls, organize attacks, and he knows when to drop back and provide cover. His only weakness seems to be that he isn't very good in the air."
"I rarely see him shoot with his head or make headed clearances in matches. Most of the time, he brings the ball down with his chest. Sometimes he'll also show off his superb first touch, bringing a ball out of the air smoothly."
"But for a player, not being good at headers is actually quite a big weakness."
"He has liked entering the opponent's penalty area to join the attack this season, but against Denayer, I don't think he'll have much of an advantage in the air."
Gullit began introducing Lyon's lineup. Fullback Mendy, center backs Denayer and Antonio, midfielders Depay, Aouar, and Ndombele, and striker Moussa Dembélé were all outstanding players.
"Liverpool's lineup for this match is still one we're very familiar with. Van Dijk, Lin, the front three, and Rodri and Henderson are all starting!"
"In the first leg, Klopp seems to want to play a little more conservatively. Rodri and Henderson are forming a double pivot."
"As Rodri has improved, his double pivot with Henderson has gradually become Liverpool's strongest midfield pairing. They can distribute the ball, control the tempo, and defend!"
The Liverpool players were already preparing to enter the pitch. Leo Lin was greeting Denayer, squeezing his muscular arm and praising him.
On the surface: "You're so strong. Your headers must be fierce!"
In reality: "Can you really be fiercer than me? Just don't give me a chance, or I'll smash you dizzy!"
In this atmosphere of fake friendliness, both sides entered the pitch, and the battle began.
After kickoff, Liverpool took possession first.
Lyon were very good at using their defensive shape, focusing heavily on shutting down Liverpool's flanks.
Even when Liverpool's midfield carried the ball forward, Lyon refused to give Liverpool's wide players a chance to break through one-on-one. Their manager had clearly done his homework.
But Liverpool gradually changed the way they played. They no longer used the space-opening attack they had become so familiar with over the past several matches.
Leo Lin dropped into the back line to receive the ball and organize play. He was in no hurry to move it wide, nor did he pass forward. He simply stayed deep and used his excellent dribbling to control the tempo.
As long as Lyon did not charge out, they had no way to take the ball from Leo Lin's feet. Moussa Dembélé alone was nowhere near enough.
At first, Lyon were still cautious and did not send players to surround Leo Lin. But this was their home ground, and Lyon wanted a goal. Otherwise, going to Liverpool's stadium for the second leg without a goal in hand would make things very difficult.
The first 30 minutes were extremely flat. So flat that it did not feel like a Champions League match, but more like an EFL Cup third-round tie.
As the first half entered its later stages, Lyon finally began pressing more aggressively and preparing to attack. This was exactly the result Leo Lin wanted, and Klopp's new tactic also needed this kind of opening.
In the 37th minute!
"Aouar is pushing up. Liverpool's shape is sitting quite deep, including the midfield, but the forward line hasn't dropped back."
"Their positioning is a little broken up and not very coordinated. That isn't the kind of positioning mistake Liverpool should be making!"
Gullit believed this was a strategic mistake from Liverpool. After all, the gap between the midfield and defense and the front line was too large.
Rodri carried the ball toward the right side of the back line, drawing Aouar toward him. As Aouar rushed at him, Rodri broke out and sent a long pass toward the front-left, completing a beautiful switch.
Henderson, who had just been in the middle, had already arrived at the landing point. The two of them were positioned front and back, left and right, pulling Aouar and Ndombele apart.
Henderson watched Rodri's pass. Just as Ndombele was about to close him down, he quickly moved forward and headed the ball into the central attacking area, finding Leo Lin.
From the broadcast angle, the layout of the entire pitch looked very strange. Because of Rodri and Henderson's movement, the central area had opened up completely. The two of them had created plenty of space for Leo Lin.
Lyon did not think anything was about to happen.
Until Leo Lin received Henderson's pass and immediately sent out a long ball.
It flew in behind Denayer.
Firmino had already started his run according to the tactical plan, beating the offside trap perfectly.
Klopp's brand-new spreading tactic.
It worked.
Firmino sprinted through after beating the offside trap, using Denayer's slower turn to burst into Lyon's penalty area. The pass dropped to the ground, bounced, and rose quickly.
Facing the goalkeeper rushing out, Firmino lifted the bouncing ball upward again.
A chipped volley!
...
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