Chapter 800: Traditional Giants vs. Rising Stars
Some people believe that winning the domestic treble in England is more difficult than winning the Champions League, although it may sound exaggerated, objectively speaking, it seems to be true.
Because to date, only two English clubs have won the treble in a single season, including the league, domestic cup, and Champions League: Liverpool in the 1983-1984 season and Manchester United in the 1998-1999 season.
But no team has managed to win the league, FA Cup, and League Cup simultaneously.
However, the League Cup obviously cannot be compared with the Champions League in terms of prestige, and Manchester City shows no intention of stopping. They will continue to strive to create miracles.
The Champions League final was held at the Wales National Stadium, also known as the Cardiff Millennium Stadium. This was the first time the capital of Wales hosted the pinnacle of European football.
Although Manchester is not far from Wales, as newcomers to the Champions League final, the Sky Blues still decided to go to the venue early to prepare.
Money can pave the way for everything. As early as the beginning of June, the club sent a working team to Wales, ensuring that the players' every need was taken care of.
This time, Manchester City chose to stay at a five-star hotel near the Millennium Stadium. Although it was not the best place in the city, it was close to the stadium, only a short bus ride away.
This consideration was also to increase reaction time in case of unexpected situations. After all, many processes for clubs participating in the final for the first time are not yet familiar.
The hotel facilities fully met the standards of a five-star hotel, with luxurious rooms, an indoor swimming pool, and a spa center. After booking the entire place, the players could practice and relax without any disturbances.
The cheering squad accompanying the team also stayed at the same hotel, but they were separated from the players before the final to avoid distractions.
Wang Feng's family also came to the scene. Another year of playing, they wouldn't miss this important moment.
On the other hand, Bayern Munich arranged for their players to stay at a holiday resort in the suburbs, focusing mainly on comfort.
The Bundesliga champions have always tried to reassure everyone with a calm attitude towards the match. Although facing the "arch-rival" Wang Feng, Manchester City is still a bunch of rookies, completely unable to compete with the experienced Bayern Munich.
This is where they need to rely heavily on.
At the pre-match press conference the day before the game, Ancelotti showed a strong desire to win, "This is a great opportunity for us to lift the Champions League trophy. Bayern has been waiting for this moment for too long!"
However, this does not mean underestimating the opponent. When asked about Manchester City's biggest threat, Ancelotti immediately pointed out Wang Feng, "I have worked with the Chinese superstar for many years, and I know his abilities very well. The bigger the stage, the more decisive he becomes."
"So far, Wang has won all finals without any mistakes. Honestly, this will be the biggest test Bayern faces."
The Italian coach said he had shared all he knew with his defensive players and would use every method to limit the Chinese superstar. This is not groundless worry, but a real crisis.
As for the other Manchester City players, Ancelotti will not take them lightly either. "They have reached this point and achieved so much outstanding results, which speaks for itself."
"We can no longer look at this team with old eyes. At this moment, Manchester City is one of the top clubs in the world."
Compared to Ancelotti's eloquence, Guardiola's speech was much simpler. He stated that Manchester City is a challenger, full of enthusiasm and momentum to move forward.
"To reach this point is already a miracle. We are not afraid of failure but continue to grow stronger!"
To relieve the tension of the players, Guardiola did not arrange many training sessions on the day of the final, just emphasizing the tactics on the field.
During this period, Manchester City legends such as Sun Jihai and Barry also came to the scene to support the Sky Blues. As their old friends, Wang Feng naturally had a chat with them.
"It feels like we were fighting side by side just yesterday, but in the blink of an eye, I retired, and you are still at the peak stage," Sun Jihai couldn't help but sigh.
Barry also had similar thoughts. He teamed up with the Chinese superstar to fight against the enemy, and he had to trace back to the era of Genk more than ten years ago.
After that, the Englishman transferred from Aston Villa to Manchester City, witnessing the team's rise due to financial injection but then leaving for Everton.
Now he plans to sign with West Bromwich Albion and play for another two years. At the age of 36, he probably won't get much playing time anymore, and retirement is just a matter of time.
"You will surely witness Manchester City lift their first Champions League trophy and become a true European giant!" Wang Feng confidently promised.
On the evening of June 3rd, at the Cardiff Millennium Stadium, the highly anticipated annual battle kicked off.
Bayern Munich is undoubtedly the dominant force in European competitions. Historically, they have won the Champions League four times and even established a dynasty with three consecutive titles from 1974 to 1976.
In addition to this, they have won one UEFA Cup and one UEFA Super Cup.
On the other hand, Manchester City has an empty trophy cabinet in terms of European honors, with only one UEFA Cup from the 1970s.
This match is a showdown between traditional giants and rising stars, and its outcome and significance are far-reaching.
Led by the referees, the starting lineups of both teams slowly walked out from the player tunnel, greeted by the enthusiastic cheers and applause of the fans.
Manchester City, managed by Guardiola, adopted a 4-2-3-1 formation, their second most common tactic besides the 4-3-3.
Goalkeeper Bravo, the four defenders were Otamendi, Kompany, Navas, and Kolarov.
Fernandinho and Delph formed the double pivot, with Sané, Wang Feng, and De Bruyne as the three attacking midfielders.
Aguero continued to lead the line as the lone striker.
Bayern Munich deployed a 4-5-1 defensive counter-attack formation, with Neuer as the goalkeeper.
The four defenders were Boateng, Lahm, Hummels, and Alaba.
The five midfielders formed a compact line, consisting of Alonso, Vidal, Thiago, Robben, and Müller.
Lewandowski served as the focal point of the attack.
From the lineup, it is not difficult to see that Bayern adopted a cautious tactic, aiming to keep the defense solid while seeking opportunities to develop attacks.
In terms of overall strength, they are actually superior to Manchester City, as evidenced by their 10-2 victory over Arsenal.
But there is no team in the world that dares to play an open attacking style against the current Manchester City, as that would be a dead end.
Not to mention their advantages in possession and penetrating attacks, just Wang Feng alone is enough to intimidate all teams. Any slight mistake could be exploited, let alone wide-open defenses.
Therefore, Ancelotti's requirement for the team is simple: to push dangerous positions forward through a compact midfield setup, intercepting most of the opponent's forward passes.
Counterattacks use long passes and high balls, relying on Lewandowski's excellent ability to win aerial duels and break free, swiftly transitioning from defense to offense, catching Manchester City off guard.
The Italian coach also added some aggressive tactics, such as quickly entering a state of high press at the beginning of each half, aiming to seize the initiative.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢