The current Mönchengladbach is in a completely different state than the team they were in during the first leg.

Therefore, taking the initiative and scoring a goal to prevent the game from being constantly tense is quite advantageous for Manchester City.

Mönchengladbach's coach stood on the sidelines, and after his initial anger, shouted at the players to continue playing according to the pre-arranged tactics.

Thinking carefully about this goal, it doesn't have much to do with defense.

Currently, there is no one in the Mönchengladbach squad who can defend against Zhao Gang. They can only adopt zonal defense, supplementary defense, and double-teaming.

However, this time, Zhao Gang stood in the center and began to orchestrate the attack, instead of continuing to break through and charge like before.

It's a bit difficult for Mönchengladbach's players to adapt in the short term by following the original tactics.

Zhao Gang's position as a pure organizer is not much different from Toni Kroos at Real Madrid. The important thing is to control the rhythm, constantly distribute the ball to teammates, and seize opportunities to pass threatening balls for goals.

As a connector, he performed quite well.

Without having to dribble the ball all the way to the opponent's penalty area, his stamina remained quite good.

Guardiola stood on the sidelines, nodding frequently. Not bad.

Zhao Gang's dribbling and passing ability allows him to adapt well to this role.

Raheem Sterling on the wing and Sergio Agüero in the center also have very strong impact.

As time slowly passed, Manchester City's midfield firmly controlled the rhythm, making it difficult for Mönchengladbach's players to steal the ball. The constant passing of the ball put a lot of pressure on the stamina and mentality of Mönchengladbach's players who were constantly running on the field.

They couldn't steal the ball, and after Manchester City attacked, they couldn't launch effective counterattacks during the brief periods of possession.

If they wanted to open up the situation from the two wings, they would be met with supplementary defense from the players in the defensive midfielder position. The defensive layers were very distinct, making it difficult to open up the situation.

Zhao Gang's presence as an explosive point made the offensive rhythm very fast, and Mönchengladbach could also launch efficient counterattacks.

Now, Zhao Gang has retreated a bit to organize the attack. Although the threat is a little less, it is more uncomfortable to play against.

The ball is swaying in the midfield, and Manchester City's two full-backs don't easily overlap and go forward. They are now controlling in the midfield, waiting for the opportunity.

In this process, Manchester City's attack did not stagnate as much as expected.

Agüero and Sterling had two good shooting opportunities. Agüero received a diagonal long pass from Kevin De Bruyne, and after breaking through while being marked by a center-back, his small-angle shot was bravely saved by Yann Sommer.

The "King of Small Angles" was a little off this time.

Sterling's shot came when Zhao Gang dribbled the ball forward. He used his flexible running position, and after receiving the ball, he had already formed a half-breakaway. He wanted to continue dribbling to open up a larger angle, but when the angle came out, he kicked the turf, and the ball was snatched back by the defending player who arrived.

Guardiola stood on the sidelines, his face a little wooden.

Sterling's breakthrough running position, including cutting inside, is really very strong, but he likes to mess around when shooting.

In the thirty-fifth minute of the game, Mönchengladbach finally seized a very good opportunity when İlkay Gündoğan's pass was directly intercepted by the midfield!

This was the only counterattack opportunity that Mönchengladbach seized in the entire game.

Hermann found Hofmann on the wing with a long pass.

After Hofmann accelerated, Fernandinho was already left behind. His accurate cross after reaching the baseline found Raffael.

Unfortunately, Raffael's header after being interfered with went directly over the bar.

For a full thirty-five minutes, Mönchengladbach finally launched a threatening attack.

This was a situation they hadn't even experienced when facing Bayern Munich.

Although their two wings have strong speed and impact, and the midfielders also have good long passes, they can launch sharp counterattacks.

But this requires two things: space and the ball!

Manchester City firmly controlled the rhythm, making it difficult to steal the ball. In terms of space, the positions of the two full-backs were very far back, which was different from the previous tactics of overlapping and inserting to receive the ball. This led to very little space behind, and even if they got the ball, it was difficult to launch efficient counterattacks.

Zhao Gang's rhythm and ball control ability have turned Manchester City back into the team they used to be, using ball control to the extreme, making Mönchengladbach play more and more irritably.

Bayern Munich's attacks come wave after wave, and Manchester City's tactics today are incomprehensible to them as a strong team.

It's not like before. Before, when Zhao Gang got the ball, almost all the players rushed up at once.

Then Zhao Gang would look for his teammates. This style of play is extremely aggressive, but once the ball is intercepted, they will be hit with efficient counterattacks.

This is what Mönchengladbach's coach meant when he said he had seen Manchester City's weaknesses and would give the fans a surprise.

But this time, after Zhao Gang got the ball, he slowly and steadily controlled the rhythm, pushing forward little by little to find opportunities.

This made Mönchengladbach's previously arranged tactics completely useless.

Mönchengladbach's players saw Zhao Gang holding the ball and once again stretched out their hands and gestured to their teammates, "Settle down!"

"Be steady! Don't rush!"

Mönchengladbach's players wanted to slap him in the face.

This guy's specialty is precise guidance with one pass, but today, did he take slow-release medicine??

Zhao Gang doesn't like this style of play either.

One reason is that his position is here, so he has to do his job well.

Another more important reason is that Manchester City's current schedule is too unfavorable, and the players' physical reserves are almost running out.

Slowing down the pace, although the scene is not very pretty, is the most beneficial for Manchester City's players.

As for Mönchengladbach wanting to take this opportunity to launch a counterattack?

Zhao Gang really didn't see through their intentions and deliberately play this way.

This style of play was also instructed by Guardiola.

Currently, the Manchester City starting players with the best stamina is Sterling.

He is a substitute for most of the time, so Zhao Gang will always consciously dribble the ball to find him.

Zhao Gang once again found Sterling. Now his passes are all about stability.

After Sterling got the ball, he started his show.

Facts have proved that Sterling's ability is absolutely top-notch.

He kept stepping on the bicycle, and suddenly accelerated, changed his center of gravity, and directly pulled it back, and Korb was directly shaken away!

Then he cut inside. Of course, it was far worse than Arjen Robben, but it was definitely eye-catching.

The fans at the Etihad Stadium were almost halfway through the game, and they were only excited three times. This was completely different from the previous situation. Some of them were losing interest, but when they saw Sterling's performance, they stood up with a whoop and shouted at the top of their lungs.

Sterling was as if blessed by the gods. Before, when he scored a goal, many fans shouted Zhao Gang's name, which made him a little depressed.

Now the whole stadium is chanting his name!

How could this not excite him?

At this time, Sterling had no teammates in his eyes. After cutting inside, he passed the ball again, then dribbled horizontally, and then moved forward, entering the penalty area!

Mönchengladbach's defenders rushed over in a swarm, raising their legs and blocking the shot with their backs!

Sterling saw that there were too many people in front of him, and the defenders beside him were also rushing over, so he had no chance to break through or move horizontally. He just kicked the ball!

Bang!

Sterling's forward route was severely blocked, and he pursued an angle, kicking the ball into the stands with one kick!

Then he knelt directly on the ground.

Agüero stood not far away, jumping and pointing like crazy, pointing with both fingers at Zhao Gang who rushed to the open space to prepare to respond.

"Pass it!!! Pass it!!! Zhao is already open, there's not a single defender!! Where are you passing it!!"

Sterling's continuous breakthroughs forced Mönchengladbach's players to go all out to defend, and Zhao Gang in front of the penalty area was completely open. If the ball was passed to him, the opportunity would be excellent!

Guardiola squatted on the sidelines, shaking his head helplessly. If it were Zhao Gang, he would definitely have passed it.

He understands his teammates' running positions, and more importantly, he always knows who has a better chance, and he won't be selfish for the sake of scoring goals.

This kind of team-first choice really reminded Guardiola of Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets during the Barcelona era.

When it's time to score, I'm not soft at all, and when my teammates have a better chance, I'll never be greedy for credit.

Mönchengladbach kicked off the goal kick. At this time, it was obvious that Mönchengladbach's players' movements began to increase.

They have already begun to change their style of play, after all, continuing like this is very unfavorable to them.

Following Manchester City's rhythm all the time, they will have no chance at all.

And the midfield is the most fiercely contested.

Connecting the front and back fields is like a person's waist. If it stands up, it is imposing, and once it softens, it is almost over.

The midfields of strong teams have extremely strong suppression, such as Barcelona's Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets, and Real Madrid's midfield trio.

Once the midfield can't hold the ball, the team will become very passive.

Now, a big reason why Mönchengladbach can't open up the situation is that the midfield is locked down. They are seeking to change, of course, they have to start from the midfield!

And Zhao Gang occupies the central position and directs the attack, of course, he will receive their special attention. Once they can steal the ball from Zhao Gang's feet, Mönchengladbach's counterattack will be very threatening.

Beep!

Beep!

Beep!!

The referee's whistle sounded continuously, and Zhao Gang's dribbling in the middle of the road was often violated by the opponent.

Zhao Gang was almost unmoved, and the Manchester City fans on the scene were unhappy. These guys can't beat him, so they use this method?

Is this the defensive method that Mönchengladbach's coach came up with?

Foul Zhao Gang as soon as he gets the ball, and even foul Zhao Gang after he passes the ball??

"Trash!!"

"Shameless!!"

"The shame of German football!!"

"Is this how you beat Bayern Munich??"

"Why didn't Müller kick you to death??"

"Go back to Germany!!"

"Is the referee blind?? Where's the yellow card??"

The players on the scene could clearly hear the angry voices of the fans.

Mönchengladbach's players will of course be affected by these trash talk, which is also a kind of football culture.

And the pressure from the fans will also make the referee start to increase the scale. If they continue to foul Zhao Gang like this, they are likely to issue cards continuously.

Mönchengladbach can only slightly reduce the scale, but if they don't trip him, they can't stop him at all!

Zhao Gang, who had not been very active, suddenly accelerated sharply, directly throwing off Mönchengladbach's midfield.

In the deafening cheering sound of the Etihad Stadium fans, Zhao Gang turned into a blue flash again.

This kind of speed and passion instantly made the fans' blood boil, and they shouted like crazy.

As professional players, Mönchengladbach's players' reaction cannot be said to be slow, but this sudden change of rhythm still made them have a brief period of unsuitability.

By the time they reacted, Zhao Gang had already rushed into the hinterland.

Christensen immediately rushed up to block, and at this distance, Zhao Gang might be able to shoot directly.

Dahoud rushed diagonally towards Zhao Gang from not far away, preparing to provide supplementary defense.

The two full-backs looked nervous. Going up to provide supplementary defense would leave De Bruyne and Sterling open, and not providing supplementary defense, Zhao Gang might rush into the penalty area!

In an instant, they made a choice and quickly rushed towards the front of the penalty area, compressing Zhao Gang's passing route and breakthrough space.

If Zhao Gang can find a passing route to pass to the wings at this time, then they will have no way.

Zhao Gang's space is already a bit small, and he can only continue to break through towards the penalty area.

When the two formed a closing door, Zhao Gang squeezed out the space and entered the penalty area from the middle!

The ball stumbled under his feet, Zhao Gang hooked it back!

The ball appeared on his left side. The left full-back had already rushed into the penalty area one step ahead, blocking Zhao Gang's forward route. The right full-back saw the position of the ball. At this time, Zhao Gang's center of gravity was on the left, and he couldn't use his left foot to dribble the ball in a short time. He made a judgment for the first time and rushed over to destroy the ball.

Zhao Gang, who broke through two people and rushed into the penalty area, really had no chance to continue dribbling at this time.

He can forcibly raise his left foot and push the ball out, but at this angle, De Bruyne is behind him, and within his sight, there are no teammates of his own.

Zhao Gang, whose center of gravity was on the left, saw that his ball might be destroyed, and when inspiration struck, he raised his right foot, went around behind his left foot, and kicked hard!

Before the full-back could destroy it, he kicked the ball out close to the ground.

The defender in front of him was stunned for a moment, and saw the ball pass between his legs, but he couldn't react in time.

He quickly turned his head and looked towards the goal.

Sommer had been concentrating and preparing to save.

At that time, Zhao Gang's action, the left foot could never violate the laws of physics to shoot, only after moving the center of gravity can he kick, or adjust the position of the ball to kick.

In either case, the ball should not rush out from between his teammates' legs.