Tactical Shift
The locker room after the first half of the match against Liverpool. “Everyone, focus!” Pep Guardiola called the players to attention.
“The first half could have been incredibly difficult, but you handled it very well. Especially you, Ha.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Keep doing exactly that. Make sure Salah cannot come forward aggressively.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Ha Sunmoon answered confidently, but inside he felt a slight pang of pressure. “The outcome of this match depends on how well you control Salah.”
Pep Guardiola’s words also carried the implication that the goal they had conceded was due to a breakthrough. ‘Phew… Our captain was right. I have no choice but to do better. There are still forty-five minutes left.’
Once Pep Guardiola confirmed that Ha Sunmoon had regained his sharp focus, he moved on to check other areas.
“Attacking line, what’s the most frustrating part right now?”
“The opponent’s center-back pairing is so strong that it’s hard to break through. Their defenders are particularly solid. We might need a different approach.”
Phil Foden, who had started as a center forward, shared his thoughts with Pep Guardiola. Phil Foden had adapted reasonably well to the false nine role, but Liverpool’s committed center-backs had barely allowed him any meaningful touches. Whenever he dropped deeper, Matip would follow tightly, preventing good passes to the wings. In the end, Phil Foden’s role had been limited to distributing the ball to the attacking midfielders. Throughout the match, he had been harassed by the two giant center-backs and had only managed to create one or two chances after barely touching the ball.
Pep Guardiola, who understood the situation perfectly, gave Phil Foden a gesture of acknowledgment.
“Van Dijk and Matip are their best pairing, so it’s only natural that it’s difficult. You’re doing more than enough. The other players will find opportunities and score because of the hard work you’ve put in.”
Pep Guardiola’s words made it clear there would be no tactical change. ‘This is why playing as a center forward is so tough.’Phil Foden nodded in understanding.
Even though Manchester City were at home, they were struggling for a reason. Liverpool had essentially fielded their best eleven: the formidable attacking trio of Mané, Jota, and Salah, the experienced midfield of Thiago, Henderson, and Fabinho, and the most destructive back four in Robertson, Van Dijk, Matip, and Alexander-Arnold. In particular, the Van Dijk-Matip partnership had given the attackers no breathing room. That was why Kevin De Bruyne’s goal could only be described as a lucky one—if not for the deflection, it would have been blocked.
The midfield was slightly better off, but it was only a narrow advantage. With the attack and defense being pushed back, Manchester City were overall on the back foot.
“We may need to do something different from what I said earlier. Let’s increase possession again. Even if it takes time, we’ll focus on creating chances. We must drastically reduce the amount of time we give the opponent on the ball.”
“Understood.”
“We have to slowly look for gaps and exploit them. No matter how strong a team is, if they don’t focus solely on defense, weaknesses will appear.”
The referee’s whistle blew sharply, signaling the start of the second half.
The second half, which began with a Liverpool attack, painted a completely different picture from the first. [Their formation has changed?]
Just as Manchester City had shifted toward a higher-possession style, Liverpool seemed to have altered their tactics as well. [A bit more aggressive? It feels like an all-out war.]
Liverpool raised their defensive line and pushed forward. ‘This is going to be tough.’[This is bad.]
Both Harrison, watching from above, and Ha Sunmoon, experiencing it directly on the pitch, had a bad feeling. As the first half drew to a close, it had felt like they were being dragged around. Klopp had clearly made the right tactical adjustment.
In the end, the Manchester City players began circulating the ball at an extreme pace. ‘This is precarious.’
Ha Sunmoon had to pass the ball to another player within two seconds of receiving it.
[Laporte’s free on the left.]
[This time Fernandinho is open.]
[Should I play it back to the keeper?]
[Sterling can’t push forward any further. Someone needs to take the ball.]
Although he wasn’t yet fully accustomed to Manchester City’s tactics, the pressure came incredibly quickly. The only reason Ha Sunmoon hadn’t collapsed was thanks to Harrison, who—feeling guilty—frantically pointed out open spaces from above.
Pep Guardiola watched the current situation with a deep frown. ‘Hmm… Should I change the tactics?’
It was a frustrating scene. With the opponent pushing their line so high and applying intense pressure, the Manchester City players couldn’t advance. The build-up play felt like walking a tightrope, yet they somehow managed to push forward once in a while.
Surprisingly, the player moving most organically to avoid losing the ball under high pressure was Ha Sunmoon. Simply maintaining the tactical structure under such intense pressing would have been impressive enough, but Ha Sunmoon was roaming like Bernardo Silva, shifting between midfield positions and recycling the ball with excellent vision.
‘Still, when you teach him properly, his talent really shines. Could it be because of all the false nine work he’s done lately? He’s linking play far better than I expected.’
Watching Ha Sunmoon’s play, Pep Guardiola judged that the tactics were functioning adequately for now. But that judgment was a mistake.
As the fierce battle for the ball continued and the clock reached the seventieth minute, disaster struck.
- Sterling! He’s lost the ball!
The problem occurred during a counterattack.
- Fabinho launches a quick counter. As soon as Salah takes up a position inside, Ha Sunmoon immediately sticks to him.
But a single regional defender could only mark one player.
- Arnold is bursting down the outside! Thiago receives from Fabinho and immediately plays it to Arnold!
While Ha Sunmoon was occupied with Salah, Arnold had quickly exploited the space on the outside. Arnold should have been Sterling’s responsibility, but Sterling was still recovering after losing the ball. Ha Sunmoon tried to cover desperately, but Arnold had more than enough time and space to deliver a high-quality cross.
- Arnold! He delivers the cross! It’s heading straight for the striker Jota!
Bang!
The net ripples~!
- Liverpool score their second goal! Jota with a magnificent volley!
Another Liverpool goal had exploded. The Liverpool players sprinted madly toward the away fans to celebrate.
There were about fifteen minutes remaining. The growing anxiety among the Manchester City fans was palpable.
[Sunmoon. Do you remember what I told you before?]
Ha Sunmoon looked at Harrison with a puzzled expression.
[You can’t solve this by only defending. Arnold and Robertson’s greatest strengths are their powerful crosses, but their weakness is that their defensive ability doesn’t match their attacking threat.]
Ha Sunmoon recalled the information on the two fullbacks. They were undoubtedly world-class fullbacks, but their standout qualities were in attack. They weren’t particularly renowned for their defensive prowess.
[When they do get stopped, it’s usually by a rough foul. That might work at Anfield, but this is the Manchester City home ground. Hmm… It’s Sterling. Because of his past history, the referee rarely calls fouls on him, but you’re different.]
After listening to Harrison, Ha Sunmoon fell into brief thought. ‘Hmm… That’s right. Just defending won’t work. If I only mark Salah, the game might stay manageable, but at this rate we’re going to lose comfortably.’
Ha Sunmoon gave a small nod, as if agreeing. [You’ve already made one big mistake and are bound to receive heavy criticism. A more dangerous situation could arise.]
Ha Sunmoon had already committed one major error. He needed to make a choice.
“I guess I’ll have to… take a bit more heat. Whatever. I understand. When playing against Liverpool, it feels like the only way to win is to think about winning no matter what. If you think about drawing, you’ll probably lose.”
Ha Sunmoon revised the tactical instructions he had set for himself. Rather than focusing heavily on Salah, he would shift toward creating scoring opportunities.
The referee’s whistle blew again. Manchester City players began passing the ball backward.
- Manchester City are once again building up slowly from the back.
‘Is this the right move?’
Laporte, who received the ball, furrowed his brow deeply. They were under heavy pressure once more. After circulating the ball at the back for a long time, they seemed ready to push forward. At that moment, Ha Sunmoon raised his hand and stepped up.
‘There? That seems overly aggressive.’
Excessive enthusiasm often led to mistakes. Laporte was a player who coordinated well from deep. Ha Sunmoon’s movement gave the impression that he was about to attempt something. Although he had been largely responsible for the first goal they conceded, Laporte remembered that throughout today’s match Ha Sunmoon had been circulating the ball as well as any Manchester City player.
‘Alright. He’s been moving the ball well all second half. Let’s trust him this once.’
Laporte passed the ball to Ha Sunmoon.
[What are you trying to do?]
He had received the ball without any clear plan. Ha Sunmoon suddenly burst into a sprint down the outside. The Manchester City players, who had been advancing slowly while keeping possession, suddenly saw one of their own sprinting down the flank. For a split second, Mohamed Salah lost track of him. Ha Sunmoon raced toward the Liverpool half completely unmarked.
The roles had completely reversed.
- Ha! He’s extremely fast! Salah chases desperately, but the gap has already opened up!
As soon as Ha Sunmoon sprinted, Manchester City’s attackers also began surging forward at full speed. Henderson rushed out to challenge him urgently.
‘Like Ronaldo.’
Ha Sunmoon swayed his leg like a classic Brazilian player. Henderson, caught off guard by the movement, froze for a moment.
- Ha! Incredible individual skill! He breezes past Henderson and continues forward!
Ha Sunmoon decided to step onto the tightrope once more. And the opponent began to waver.