Football: My AI System Provides Max-Level Predictions-Chapter 730 - 519: Messi and Suárez shine at Itihad, qualified? At this moment, Tang Long got up from the bench…

"Let's take a look at the starting lineups of both teams."

"The visiting team Barça is in a do-or-die situation, sending out all the main players, Messi, Neymar, and Suarez are all starting."

"Even though the team performed poorly against Borussia in the last round, Enrique still places great trust in this attacking trio."

"Let's see Manchester City's side..."

"Haha, Guardiola is really giving his old club a lot of face!"

"Compared to the last league match against Watford, the team rotated most of its lineup!"

"The young player Robertson is finally starting in the Champions League, and the veteran Sabaleta is starting as well."

"Even the goalkeeper has rotated, Caballero is playing!"

"Gundogan and Ranocchia are also not playing."

"Of course, Tang Long is also sitting on the bench."

"It seems Manchester City, having already secured first place in the group, is focusing on the upcoming Manchester Derby, which is understandable."

"This is good news for Barça, still with the last round of group matches, two matches starting simultaneously."

"Barça also can't afford to be careless, with Borussia eyeing Celtic eagerly, wanting to take a big bite!"

When the DJ announced the starting lineups for fans on both sides, it normally received a warm cheer from the home fans to boost the team's morale.

But a strange phenomenon occurred.

The Barça fans, only numbering three thousand, erupted into a loud noise after hearing Manchester City's lineup, a sound like a tidal wave that even drowned out the more than 50,000 Manchester City fans at the stadium!

"Pep!"

"Thank you, Pep, thank you!"

"We will always remember you!"

"Welcome back to the Camp Nou anytime!"

The Barça fans at the scene even started singing the Pep song that they had created during Guardiola's coaching tenure, which made Guardiola, in the coach's area, look quite embarrassed.

However, he still smiled and waved to thank the visiting fans in the corner of the stands.

Guardiola thought to himself, "This is not me deliberately letting up; I have to prepare for the Manchester Derby with United; anyway, that's how it is, I'm a professional coach, don't get the wrong idea."

Then he turned to Enrique, "Whether you win depends on your skills."

For this match, Guardiola surprisingly set up a three-back formation, not using his usual 4-3-3 tactics.

And on the front line, only Agüero was playing as a lone forward.

The purpose of doing so was obvious: to treat this game as a tactical experiment.

As long as they didn't lose too badly at home, he could accept it, after all, facing a team like Barça for tactical experimentation is a very lavish real match opportunity.

Having already secured first place in the group, Manchester City did not want to just let this match slip away.

So even though Guardiola didn't care about the win or loss of this match, he still put in meticulous tactical preparation.

Guardiola rarely plays three-backs, he wanted to see if Manchester City's players could adapt.

The whistle for the match blew on time, and Manchester City's players stood according to the three-back formation.

Defensive players used to the four-back system made noticeable errors in positioning.

The gaps between the wing-backs and the center-backs opened like cracks, giving Barça opportunities to exploit.

Manchester City's midfield passing was no longer as smooth as usual, and the young Robertson appeared a bit nervous during ball control, not being precise enough with timing and strength.

Without Gundogan's organization in midfield and Ranocchia's stable distribution, Manchester City's attacking rhythm was thoroughly disrupted, with frequent mistakes occurring at the players' feet.

"Barça is employing high pressing at Manchester City's home ground!"

"Delph is making frequent mistakes; he has already been intercepted three times in the first ten minutes of the match!"

"It seems Delph is completely unable to replace Ranocchia's presence at defensive midfield."

"Without deliveries from the middle, Agüero is disappearing!"

"Sabaleta is at a disadvantage when facing his Argentine compatriot Messi; he doesn't dare to get close at all."

On the other hand, the trident of Messi, Neymar, and Suarez quickly capitalized on Manchester City's chaos.

Messi roamed like a phantom in the midfield; every touch of his attracted several Manchester City players to crowd him, yet he could always leverage exquisite dribbling skills and precise judgment of the situation to find passes in dense defenses.

Neymar was like a whirlwind on the left flank, his speed and breakthroughs causing Manchester City's defenders to struggle.

He continuously used personal skill to cut in and cross, creating one danger after another in Manchester City's penalty area.

Suarez, meanwhile, prowled as an acutely aware hound inside the penalty area, always seeking poaching opportunities.

Over twenty minutes into the first half, Messi received a pass from Busquets in midfield, and Manchester City's defenders immediately closed in.

But Messi remained calm, first using a shoulder drop feint to shake off Sabaleta, then swiftly threading through a narrow gap between two players, delivering the ball precisely to Neymar's feet.

Neymar quickly cut in from the wing, sending a low cross back into the center, but unfortunately, Suarez's shot just missed!

Even though his team was being overwhelmed, Guardiola maintained his smile.

"Don't be afraid, play freely!"

"Robertson, you're playing great, no need to be nervous!"

"Yes, that's right, Sabaleta needs support, Delph, come back when needed!"

As the match progressed, Barcelona's attack grew increasingly intense.

As the first half neared its end, Messi once again showcased his superstar flair.

He strolled along the wing, then stood with his hands on his hips, watching.

(This picture taken at the scene by the author, November 1, 2016, Manchester City home game against Barça)

However, after receiving the pass, Messi suddenly changed!

Facing three Manchester City defenders, he first gently tapped with his left foot, tricked a defender, then swiftly accelerated, breaking through outside another defender.

This series of moves made Tang Long on the bench quietly applaud!

"That burst of speed is so quick, truly like a hare in motion."

Near the baseline, he deftly turned, outmaneuvered Otamendi, then in a tight angle, faced the hastily advancing Caballero, and elegantly chipped the ball with his right foot to score.

The entire movement was fluid, and the Etihad Stadium fell silent, followed by the deafening cheers of Barça fans!

"Messi!"

"Messi!"

"Leo Messi!!!"

In the second half, Barcelona did not slow their attacking pace.

In the 68th minute, Suarez received the ball at the baseline, Robertson ran over actively, "I'm here!" He lowered his center of gravity and pointed at Messi beside Delph, signaling him to defend.

Barca's forward trio, the powerful MSN, each possesses world-class solo capabilities.

Suarez pretended to pass back to Messi, but at the last step, suddenly brushed outward, attracting Robertson, then executed his signature baseline dribble!

This baseline dribble was something Tang Long watched with extreme focus.

He had seen it countless times on video, but seeing it live was truly astonishing.

Many players, after breaking through to the baseline, either cut back or cross, only Suarez's dribble could squeeze through the half-meter space between the baseline edge and the defenders' toes!

This perfect combination of physical flexibility and ball sense is peerless in football!

Having attracted multiple defenders' attention, he decisively passed back, and Messi received it in the box, adjusted slightly, and delicately curled the ball with his left foot into the far corner, the ball drew a beautiful arc, straight into the net, 2-0!

Barcelona completely controlled the match's situation.

After scoring, Suarez, Messi, and Neymar embraced each other enthusiastically.

Taking advantage of this scoring gap, midfielder Busquets quickly ran to the sidelines and exchanged a few words with teammate Arda Turan, his eyes lit up, and he raised his fist high, returned to the field shouting, "Guys, good news, Borussia is 0-1 down!"

This shout injected even more excitement into the already thrilled Barça players, everyone was overwhelmed with emotion.

No matter if Barça could beat Manchester City away, even if they drew or lost the match, as long as Borussia couldn't score, there wouldn't be any problem!

After all, Barça and Borussia were level on points, and their win-loss relation was the same, but in terms of mutual goal scores, Barça held the advantage, positioning them above Borussia in the standings.

Plus, the match was nearing the 70th minute with Barça still leading Manchester City 2-0 away.

Our side leads, and our qualifying rival trails, a three-point difference!

Thinking about this, every Barça fan's face was beaming with joy, even the usually calm Messi, rarely showing his inner joy, wore a relaxed smile on his face.

Ah, the light boat has crossed a thousand mountains!

We can finally smoothly advance to the knockout stage!

Messi started strolling around the field, his mind no longer on this match.

He began to self-reflect.

Why is the mighty Barça, last year's Champions League winners, struggling so much in this season's group stage?

Even if they win this match, only gaining 10 points from 6 matches, that result is truly unsatisfactory!

"To return to the peak in this year's Champions League, the knockout stages must be played seriously, with no room for errors like losing to Borussia in the gutter," Messi thought.

By the 80th minute, Barça had stopped attacking.

They passed the ball around in defense, using their familiar possession to wear down the match.

Making the bench's Tang Long watch with boredom.

The focus of this match for him was the individual breakthroughs of Messi, Suarez, and Neymar.

If they're not playing, what am I watching?

Better if I play myself.

"Boss, let me play," Tang Long calmly approached Guardiola.