Chapter 172
Chapter 172
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 172
Chapter Title: vs Barcelona -6
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Meanwhile, at that moment.
‘Ho…. So that’s a method.’
Pep Guardiola watched with an intrigued expression as Park Chan-hyuk had Dani Alves relay tactical instructions to the players.
As a manager, there were often times when he had to raise his voice because no teammate was nearby to pass instructions to the player who needed them.
‘I should try that sometime later.’
Of course, not right now. Right now, Barcelona—having regained their form—was relentlessly pressuring Union Berlin.
“Sergio Busquets spots Lionel Messi!”
Sergio Busquets, in possession of the ball, immediately attempted a turn-pass toward Lionel Messi sprinting into the space behind.
“Messi! Messi breaks through Union Berlin’s defensive line! Messi! En garde, Messi! Messi! Messi! Messi! Messi’s cross!”
“Zlatan Ibrahimović!!!”
Lionel Messi shook off Union Berlin’s defenders with a flashy yet efficient dribble, then lofted a precise cross toward Zlatan Ibrahimović’s head.
“Ah! Thiago Silva! He blocks the cross aimed at Zlatan!”
“Thiago Silva successfully defends against the taller Zlatan!”
But Union Berlin’s players, though rattled by Messi’s dribble, maintained their focus to the end and successfully thwarted Zlatan’s header.
“Jaaaaa!”
Pep Guardiola clutched his head as he watched Thiago Silva block Zlatan’s header with his toe and then roar in triumph.
And shortly after.
Having repelled Barcelona’s attack, Union Berlin launched a counterattack centered on Gareth Bale.
Luka Modrić, with the ball, attempted a lofted through-pass into the space behind Barcelona’s high line.
“The ball dropped by Robert Lewandowski goes to Gareth Bale! Bale is off!”
Robert Lewandowski jostled with the defender to drop the ball, and Gareth Bale took it and charged forward.
“Bale! He shoots! Victor Valdés makes the save! In the moment of crisis, Victor Valdés saves Barcelona!”
But Union Berlin’s counter was stopped by Victor Valdés’s save, and this time Park Chan-hyuk clutched his head in frustration.
If that shot had gone in, the game would have clearly tilted toward Union Berlin.
‘That must be proof that the players trust him.’
Pep Guardiola was impressed by Union Berlin, who were taking a beating from Barcelona’s attacks yet still managing sharp counterattacks.
‘He’s a good manager.’
Without firm belief in their manager, it wouldn’t be easy to maintain morale while playing a one-sided match at the Camp Nou.
***
Playing against Barcelona at the Camp Nou was definitely not easy.
Barcelona pinned Union Berlin below the halfway line and began to dominate possession.
The possession stats between Barcelona and Union Berlin quickly diverged.
Well, it was unavoidable since Union Berlin had opted for a park-the-bus counterattack tactic.
‘Barcelona, you guys can have the possession. I’ll take the win.’
I decided to cede possession and secure the actual victory.
Anyway.
So far, the match was very satisfying from my position.
Union Berlin was holding Barcelona scoreless.
It felt like a divine move that, when Union Berlin got promoted to the top flight, we had overinvested in the defense.
Dante - Thiago Silva - Virgil van Dijk.
Even Barcelona with Messi and those three fools couldn’t easily break through the trio who had built chemistry over a considerable period.
For reference, Union Berlin had alternated between 3-back and 4-back depending on the opponent until now.
And for today’s match against Barcelona, we went with the more familiar 3-back.
Today’s game prioritized team organization over individual skill.
Time ticked by quickly, and as the first half drew to a close.
Anxiety began to creep onto the faces of the Barcelona players.
In the Champions League semifinal first leg, Union Berlin had held a 3-0 aggregate lead, so Barcelona needed to score three goals today.
And if Union Berlin added even one more.
Under the away goals rule, Barcelona would need to score five—a disaster.
In such a dire situation, no matter how much they hammered Union Berlin, the goal wouldn’t open, so it must have been frustrating.
Barcelona’s players passed the ball around to lure gaps from Union Berlin, but Union Berlin’s players didn’t rashly charge to steal it.
They simply maintained a proper distance and focused on delaying Barcelona’s attacks.
- Never lunge in recklessly.
That was what I had emphasized to the players before kickoff, and they were following it perfectly.
Union Berlin’s players played as calmly as possible, and we succeeded in keeping a clean sheet through the end of the first half.
“Dem Morgengrauen entgegen, ziehn wir gegen den Wind. (Toward the dawn, we advance against the wind.)”
“Wir werden alles zerlegen, bis wir Europameister sind. (We’ll smash everything until we become European champions.)”
And at the Camp Nou, Union Berlin fans’ chants began to faintly echo. Barcelona fans were getting intimidated by Union Berlin’s unbreakable steel wall.
***
Meanwhile, at that moment.
“This time Virgil van Dijk throws himself to block the shot!”
“It’s no exaggeration to say Union Berlin has united perfectly for the win.”
“Union Berlin’s tenacious defense! Still 0-0!”
Korean soccer fans watching the Union Berlin vs. Barcelona Champions League match couldn’t help but gasp in admiration.
- F*ck, this is the Champions League.
- The match is so intense.
- Intense? They’re getting one-sidedly smashed lol
- Park Chan-hyuk noob’s skills are showing? Can’t beat Pep?
- Yeah? Your bald head got smashed 3-0 in the first leg?
The intensity of the match was palpable even through the screen.
And shortly after, the first half ended, and the sight of all Union Berlin players heading to the locker room in dirt- and dust-covered uniforms stirred indescribable emotions.
- F*ck, uniforms are shredded but why do they look so cool?
- So that’s what giving it your all looks like.
- Wow. I impulse-bought the defense jerseys.
***
In the halftime locker room, I didn’t give the players any specific instructions and just let them rest. The tactics were already perfectly ingrained.
Rather than wasting their time for camera-hungry documentary footage, I focused on letting each player recover stamina in their own way.
Well, I didn’t say nothing at all. Silence can lead to overthinking and sink the team’s morale.
“How’s it feel facing Barcelona at the Camp Nou?”
“A bit tough.”
“But we’re the ones making that Barcelona anxious.”
All I did was chat casually with the players.
“Last season, when we won the Bundesliga, people called us a fairy tale. So if we win the Champions League this season too, what will they call us?”
“…….”
“Let’s become a legend this time.”
As I spoke, the resting players’ attention focused on me.
An inexplicable excitement flowed from the players.
‘Too bad.’
It would’ve been perfect to launch into that heartwarming Austrian-tone speech here.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t do my favorite one.
- Manager, that speech has a bit of a mustache vibe, so could you hold off?
I’d gotten a warning from the documentary crew.
“Let’s go, you idiots! Beat the hell out of Barcelona and head to Wembley!!”
“Jaaaaaa!!”
Still.
This level of speech seemed pretty good to the players.
And at that moment.
“Dem Morgengrauen entgegen, ziehn wir gegen den Wind. (Toward the dawn, we advance against the wind.)”
Yannick Peight led the chant. Pitch and rhythm were off, but the players didn’t care and belted out the next line.
“Wir werden alles zerlegen, bis wir Europameister sind! (We’ll smash everything until we become European champions!)”
Barcelona vs. Union Berlin now had just 45 minutes left.