Hamburg didn't take their first shot of the game until the 25th minute.
This was a counterattack after stealing the ball in the midfield. De Bruyne dribbled the ball forward, Yaya Toure pulled him down without hesitation, and Hamburg got a free kick.
Salah hit a curved shot with his left foot, but it was firmly caught by Joe Hart who was well positioned.
Salah was not in particularly good condition today. He tried to break through with the ball several times but Kolarov saw through his intention and was stopped.
Including this free kick, it was kicked too straight and the power was not sufficient.
Even so, this shot is a rare opportunity for Hamburg to threaten Manchester City's goal.
In addition, Manchester City's dominant offensive trend continued throughout the first half.
After Hamburg retreated, they maintained a very tight formation and did not leave many opportunities for Manchester City.
Especially Hamburg's defenders, they guarded Manchester City's two forwards Dzeko and Aguero very closely, denying them a chance to take a comfortable shot.
Manchester City was not discouraged and continued to send shells to Dzeko as always.
Dzeko is nearly 28 years old this year and is at the peak of his career.
Just as Nagelsmann commented on his "enhanced version of Mitrovic", Dzeko's speed and explosive power are not his characteristics, and his absolute speed is even a bit slow.
His body is very good, but he is not as strong and powerful as Mitrovic.
And he doesn't play like a traditional center.
His characteristic is that he has a good assist ability to create opportunities for his teammates. He can help the team connect more and have more ball-making attributes.
Dzeko is also a player who does not need to formulate tactics around him. Tactically, he can quickly understand the coach's intentions and execute them without reservation.
Of course, in the current Manchester City, he can also play the role of a terminator. After all, he has excellent shooting skills and good headers.
It is precisely because of his versatility and selfless spirit that Manchester City teammates also trust him.
Even though Hamburg's defenders are very tight on him now, people like David Silva, Aguero and others are still willing to pass the ball to him and then let him think about what to do next.
After all, although Manchester City's first goal was scored by Kolarov's free kick, it was Dzeko who created this free kick opportunity!
…
In the 35th minute, Manchester City got a corner kick on the right.
David Silva stood in the corner flag area, while all Manchester City's high points, including Dzeko, Kompany, Demichelis and others, all pressed into Hamburg's penalty area.
The Manchester City fans at the Etihad Stadium suddenly let out a long sound of "Ohhhhhhhh-".
This is "storing up energy" for this corner kick.
This is also a very common way for fans to cheer.
When the kicker takes a corner kick, the fans will make a final sound of "Ha!" to build momentum for the team's offense.
After all, the team is now leading, and Manchester City fans are still relatively happy.
At this time, Rudiger was in the penalty area, and his task was to keep an eye on Dzeko.
Manchester City's previous goal was due to Rudiger's tackle foul on Dzeko.
At that time, he saw that Dzeko was about to shoot, and he made a shovel move in desperation. Now that he thinks about it, it was a bit reckless.
He will be more careful this time!
After all the Manchester City fans shouted "Ha!", David Silva took the corner kick.
This time the corner kick did not go to Dzeko, but to the forward position of captain Kompany.
It was Casemiro who was defending Kompany. He had already blocked his position and headed the ball out.
But the other person stood in front and shook his head, and the header did not fly very far.
On the line of the penalty area, Manchester City's midfielder Yaya Toure was already waiting there.
He has a great long-range shot!
He can even score more than 20 goals in a season!
So letting him shoot easily is a very dangerous thing.
Rudiger wanted to rush forward to block the shot, but he thought of Dzeko behind him.
If he goes up and Yaya Toure chooses to pass the ball instead of shooting, Dzeko will probably have space to create a threat.
This is a dilemma.
In this flash of lightning, Rudiger still moved.
He moved his body slightly to the right, just blocking Yaya Toure's shooting path, but not too far away from Dzeko.
This is a choice that only an experienced defender would make, as it can take into account the defense of both players and induce Yaya Toure to make a passing choice.
Sure enough, Yaya Toure raised his head and glanced behind the door, only to see a strong black man appearing in front of him.
He also found that shooting at this time was not a good option, and Dzeko also started.
At that moment, Yaya Toure immediately flicked his ankle, turned his shot into a pass, and sent a through ball.
And at this moment, Rudiger started almost reflexively, chasing Yaya Toure's pass with the fastest speed and explosive power.
Of course, the reason why he could react so quickly was because he had predicted Yaya Toure's move!
So, just when Dzeko had just received the pass and was about to hit the goal, Rudiger suddenly came out from behind and made a tackle directly from the side.
Dzeko's shot hit Rudiger's shoveled leg, bounced high, and the ball flew into the small penalty area.
In this place where "there are many experts", a group of people jumped up and wanted to compete for the header again, but how can the head be as high as the hands?
A pair of gloved hands firmly picked up the ball and defused the attack.
Hamburg goalkeeper Keylor Navas has the ball!
All the Manchester City fans in the audience also expressed their regrets.
If Rudiger had been slower, the ball would have been there!
Rudiger's center back partner Van Dijk walked towards him, stretched out his hand to pull him, and praised:
"Your defense is really good! You have my style, haha!"
A layman watches the excitement, an expert watches the door.
Van Dijk, who is also a top central defender, can naturally see the excellence of Rudiger's defense this time and the hidden tricks in it.
Of course, while praising Rudiger, he also didn't forget to give a shit...
Rudiger grabbed Van Dijk's hand, climbed up from the ground, and then shouted to everyone: "Everyone, keep going! The boss is watching us!"
On the sidelines, Pan Yi was applauding them:
"Good defense this time! Just kick like this! Very good!"
The Hamburg players also nodded to express their acceptance!
…
But this kind of shot looks different when viewed from the audience.
What they saw was Manchester City furiously attacking Hamburg's goal, and just now it was just another embarrassing clearance by Hamburg.
"Look, what did I say before the game? Hamburg is no match for Manchester City!" Gary Neville was bragging to Carragher in the media box.
"It's not even half time yet..."
"It's been like this before halftime. You can imagine what the score will be at full time!" Neville interrupted Carragher and continued, "As I said, Hamburg are completely unable to adapt to the Premier League team.
The rhythm, look at it, the whole audience is suppressed!"
"The game is not over yet..."
"The game is not over yet, Hamburg will be beaten even worse!" Neville brought the microphone closer to his mouth, "Manchester City will resolve the battle in one game, and then go to the People's Park Stadium to play a game in the next round
Just a relaxing friendly match."
"Why do I remember that you are a famous Manchester United player..."
"I am indeed a former Manchester United player, and I don't like Manchester City either. But I just don't like you guys bragging about Hamburg and Pan Yi!" Neville snorted, "So now that I see them being beaten, I just
To be happy is to be happy!”
Carragher said helplessly: "Sometimes people just state the facts, but how come they turn into boasting? Are the results Pan Yi has achieved with Hamburg in the past two seasons false? As someone said, anything you say about Messi
Objective evaluation will make you look like a plum blossom..."
"You're here again!" Neville glared, "Cristiano Ronaldo is the best! When he was at Manchester United..."
As a result, these two live treasures of Sky Sports have entered into a long-term battle with Melo.
…
At the end of the first half, the score was still 1:0, with Manchester City leading.
While walking in the tunnel, Pan Yi asked Pintus: "How long do you think Manchester City can attack at this pace?"
Pintus replied without much thought: "If we continue to play like this at the beginning of the second half, many of their players will not be able to withstand it after 20 minutes."
As a physical fitness coach, what he observes most during the game is the running data of both sides.
Then he analyzed the players' physical condition through comprehensive data, estimated the consumption of both parties, and made predictions about the future situation.
This is a very important assistant for Pan Yi and can help the head coach make correct judgments and decisions.
Of course, Pan Yi believes that there will be similar reports from Manchester City.
Therefore, Pellegrini should also consider how to reasonably allocate Manchester City's physical energy instead of really consuming it all in 20 minutes.
After all, a football match lasts for 90 minutes, and now there is still 45 minutes left to play in the second half!
Therefore, in the second half, Pellegrini could only let the players attack for another ten minutes at most, and then slow down the pace to save energy.
Otherwise, it would be fatal if he was kicked to death early.
And this is exactly the opportunity Pan Yi has been waiting for.
After returning to the locker room, even though he was still one goal behind, Pan Yi praised the team's performance in the first half.
Everyone played really well.
Although Manchester City had many offensive opportunities in the first half, apart from conceding a free kick, Hamburg's defensive layout against Manchester City was still very successful.
Even Dzeko and Aguero did not get a good chance in positional battles.
And Dzeko's best chance was when Rudiger blocked the angle of his shot.
This shows how successful the Hamburg center back was in marking Dzeko, and how well the Hamburg players implemented Pan Yi's tactics.
After the praise, Pan Yi said: "I have good news for you, Manchester City can't break out fast."
All the players looked at Pan Yi, waiting for him to continue speaking.
They are all too familiar with Pan Yi's confident look!
This is the look he has every time the changes on the court are under his control and he feels that he has a chance to win.
Therefore, although Hamburg is still lagging behind, the expressions of the players are the same as that of the young head coach. They have no doubts or worries at all, but are full of confidence and fighting spirit!
"In the second half, they can at most attack once, and then it will be our game time." Pan Yi said with a smile in a relaxed tone.
"As I said before the game, the winner between us and Manchester City will come in the second half, and we are the winner and they are the loser."
"They may feel that a one-goal lead is not safe for them, so they want to score another one."
"Unfortunately, my idea is not to lose a goal in the away game and then come back to the home court to come back. I want to win!"
Hearing this, the players couldn't help but clench their hands.
Facing Manchester City away from home at the Etihad Stadium, only a head coach like Pan Yi would dare to say so boldly that he wants to win.
And now Hamburg is still lagging behind!
This also shows how confident Pan Yi is in his tactics and team execution.
After all, in the knockout stages of the Champions League, actually losing one goal, or even two goals, in an away game cannot be considered a real loss in the strict sense.
This is a 180-minute game. If we lose in 90 minutes, it is just a "half-time deficit."
There are so many examples of losing away games and coming back at home, too numerous to mention, that it has almost become a normal pattern.
And if you can score a goal in the away game, your advantage will be even greater when you return to home, and the chance of a comeback will be much greater.
But it's obvious that Pan Yi's ambitions don't stop there.
He just wants to win Manchester City in the away game, then achieve a double win, and then advance to the next level!
"When Manchester City's physical strength is declining and they are ready to slow down, it is time for us to counterattack." Pan Yi said again.
"When the time comes, listen to me throw the cup as a signal... No, watch me start to make substitutions, and everyone will attack immediately!"
"Kolarov's offense was particularly fierce in the first half, and his consumption was also very high. We must focus on his side."
"It just so happens that our right-side attack has always been very fierce...you continue to follow Vardy to create a strong offensive side and beat him to death completely!"
"Of course, the other side can't be completely let go. If it's time to move, move it, and kill them in the way they are best at..."
While talking, it was almost half time, and Pan Yi had arranged all the arrangements that should be made.
"Everyone!" Pan Yi clapped vigorously and greeted everyone.
Hamburg's players also stood up and gathered in front of Pan Yi.
"I still say the same thing, we will definitely advance to the quarterfinals! Manchester City is very strong, but our Hamburg is not hellokitty either!"
"We have killed the super death group, what else can't be done?" When Pan Yi spoke, his eyes scanned every player in front of him.
The matches are played one by one, and the confidence is accumulated step by step.
He told everyone when the team was divided into the group of death that as long as they could get out of such a group, there would be no opponents to fear.
This is the boost of confidence that each victory brings to the team!
What's more, Hamburg continued to win consecutively in the group of death, qualifying two rounds ahead of schedule!
"For the second half, it's up to you! Let's defeat Manchester City and go home happily!"
After saying that, Pan Yi stretched out his right hand.
The players came over one after another, folded their hands on Pan Yi's, and shouted in unison:
"come on, come on, come on!"
…
In the stands of the Etihad, in addition to Manchester City's senior management paying attention to the game, in another corner, there was a shining bald head who was also watching quietly.
He is the owner of Tottenham Hotspur, Daniel Levy.
Today he brought the team's director, Italian Franco Baldini, to watch the Champions League round of 16 match.
And the purpose of their coming here is of course not to simply enjoy a football match.
They are here for Pan Yi!
Since Levi took over Tottenham, this North London team has gradually transformed from a mid-table team into a strong team that can compete with major giants.
In recent years, they have even entered the BIG6 series and become a force that cannot be ignored in the Premier League.
The increase in strength also brings about an increase in ambition.
Levi is no longer satisfied with the team just competing for the Champions League spot, he has begun to covet the Premier League championship!
In the last season, that is, the 2012-13 season, Levy invited former Chelsea coach Villas-Boas to replace Harry Redknapp as the team's new coach, but in the end Tottenham still lost 1 point.
Poor, ranking fifth behind arch-rival Arsenal, and missing out on qualifying for the Champions League.
In the summer window of this season, Tottenham sold Bale, raised a huge sum of 100 million pounds, and introduced Chadli, Soldado, Capoue, Ziriches, Lamela, Eriksen and other talents.
Send out stars, but the team suffers consecutive humiliations.
They were beaten 0-6 by Manchester City in the away game, suffered an upset loss to West Ham United 0-3 at home, and were swept by Liverpool with a score of 0-5 in the 16th round. All these became the triggers for Villas-Boas's dismissal.
After 16 rounds of Premier League games, Tottenham ranked 7th in the Premier League with a mediocre score of 8 wins, 3 draws, 5 losses and 27 points.
Because of this, despite Tottenham qualifying with six consecutive wins in the Europa League group stage, Villas-Boas was fired.
Levy asked assistant coach Tim Sherwood to serve as the interim coach to lead Tottenham, but of course he still hopes to have a truly famous coach to lead Tottenham into a truly wealthy team!
In his eyes, the position of head coach has become the biggest obstacle to Tottenham's development.
After Sherwood led the team, Tottenham's results still showed no improvement, which made Levi even more unable to sit still.
And he naturally set his sights on Pan Yi, the most popular talented young coach in world football in the past two years!
This young coach of the Dragon Kingdom came out of nowhere in 2012. He first served as an assistant coach to help Milan win the Triple Crown, and then went to Germany to lead Hamburg to the Bundesliga runner-up. He led the way this season and also reached the top 16 of the Champions League.
.
Of course, Levi didn't just look at Pan Yi's results.
He also found many people in the industry to learn about it, and many people were full of praise for Pan Yi, thinking that he is one of the best head coaches in world football now.
The key is that his coaching style is very likable, he is good at offense, and he can build a strong team within a certain budget.
Burgers are the best proof of that.
So today, Levi was full of expectations and brought director Baldini to the Etihad to watch the match between Manchester City and Hamburg.
He hopes to get to know Pan Yi up close.
The results of it……
The game has now entered the second half for more than ten minutes.
Whether it's the score or the scene, Hamburg is quite passive, and this Pan Yi doesn't seem to be as magical as everyone says.
Levi just wanted to ask: "Is this the talented young coach you are talking about? A young coach who is good at attacking? Isn't this just an ordinary team being beaten by Manchester City? Just like Manchester United!"
Levi was indeed doubtful in his heart.
Because the British media always likes to exaggerate about their own players, such as British stars, playing football all day long, but in the end they are not very good.
So he also has reason to believe that both the German media and the Italian media like to exaggerate.
Even the people in the industry he asked specifically picked out what he liked to hear!
With this game being played like this, how can anyone have the nerve to brag about his genius?
Baldini, who was sitting next to Levi, saw the boss's doubts and explained: "This game is not over yet, and the result is hard to say. Moreover, Hamburg is an away game. They are pursuing a draw or a small loss.
That’s understandable.”
Unlike Levi, who is a pure businessman, Baldini was also a professional player who played in Serie A when he was young, and he knows football at least.
Although he is not like those world-famous coaches who can understand all the situations on the field, but even from the perspective of a senior fan, he can understand the reason why Hamburg's scene is "passive" now.
Moreover, it is unfair to apply the one-game theory to the players, and the same is true to the coaches.
When observing a player or coach, it is always necessary to watch a few more games and understand more to be more comprehensive and accurate.
"Really?" Levi muttered, "Then he is destined to lose this game? Then what else is there to see? It's Manchester City who is controlling the ball and attacking!"
Baldini said: "Having a high ball possession rate and a lot of attacks doesn't mean we will definitely win."
This is indeed the case, and countless games have proven this argument.
After all, football is about sending the ball into the opponent's goal, and ball possession is just a process needed to achieve this goal.
Just like Spain versus Germany in the 2022 World Cup group stage, Spain had almost twice the ball possession rate as Germany, but in the end they still failed to win the opponent.
"Moreover, based on Pan Yi's past experience, his team often exerts force in the second half of the second half and then gets the score back." Baldini added.
"Then you are saying that Hamburg will win?" Levi was now a little interested, "I only like coaches who can lead the team to win."
"That...that's not necessarily the case." Baldini had a headache and didn't know how to explain to the bald boss.
He's not Pan Yi, so how does he know how Hamburg's ball will be kicked later?
He just told the boss some experiences from watching Pan Yi's past games.
Besides, even Pan Yi can't predict which side will win!
The main reason is that Manchester City's current offensive is still very fierce, and Baldini actually doesn't know what to do.
"Uh... football is round, anything can happen. Let's finish the game and talk about it." Baldini could only say this.
Levi nodded reluctantly: "Then just watch for a while. I make millions a minute, and I really don't want to waste time on useless people..."
While the two were talking, the game time had reached the 65th minute.
At this time, the fourth referee of this game also came to the sidelines and raised a sign.
Hamburg team requests substitution!
——
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