What’s this!

Is this some kind of La Masia ritual?

But Huang Kaiwen didn’t give up the struggle.

Over the years, he occasionally got the [Experience Card] of a defensive player.

His understanding of defense improved quite a bit.

The bigger issue in defending Messi is mental, not technical.

Huang Kaiwen rushed directly towards Messi without any hesitation.

His decisiveness startled Messi, but Messi’s footwork was not slow at all; his right foot nudged the ball to the left foot, and then he tried to slip past Huang Kaiwen with his left foot.

As Huang Kaiwen turned to chase, he spread his arms to block Messi.

It’s not about fouling intentionally; Messi is so agile that he needs to maintain his balance and must stretch his arms out.

This action greatly restricted Messi’s movement, and after a few steps, Messi decisively turned around and passed back to Iniesta.

Huang Kaiwen chased after him immediately.

But AC Milan didn’t relax their defense on Messi.

Van Bommel followed Messi to the middle, and Zambrotta followed David Villa.

Seeing no opportunity, Iniesta passed the ball sideways to Xavi.

Xavi took the ball and passed it back.

He had observed the situation on the field in advance.

"Barcelona now controls the ball in the backfield; last time, their possession was higher than AC Milan."

"Yeah, Barça’s ball control ability is world-class; there’s no doubt about it. They’ve been playing this kind of football since the La Masia academy, so when Barça players get promoted to the first team, they can seamlessly integrate."

"Puyol brought the ball up, waving his arms to get his teammates to widen the play; wow, Puyol’s arms are really thick."

"They’re in no hurry, you see, Barça is a team that’s particularly patient with passing."

Enrico stood on the sidelines, showing no sign of expression.

But inside, he was extremely anxious.

Huang Kaiwen’s appearance significantly affected the balance between the two sides.

Familiar with the team, Enrico knew that the team’s morale wasn’t high today.

It’s frightening that one player’s presence could affect their morale so much.

But no matter how anxious, he dared not show it.

If the coach can’t stay calm, the emotion can easily transmit onto the field.

Puyol still carried the ball leisurely on the left.

Torres went for him immediately, but physically couldn’t compete.

Puyol, being shorter, had a lower center of gravity, strong limbs, and great strength; he easily shielded Torres with an arm.

Seeing this, Ramos rushed up.

Rakitic quickly retreated.

Without maintaining two people in front of the defensive line, there’s no way to handle the pressure Barcelona brings.

Seeing Ramos, Puyol finally acted and passed the ball to Xavi ahead.

As Xavi received the ball, Ramos already lunged towards him.

Xavi immediately turned with a cut, only to find Ramos didn’t fall for it.

He didn’t follow the spin around.

Xavi didn’t dare to turn a full 360°, so he had to pass it back to Piqué.

He then turned to check Ramos’s position.

Ramos’s unexpected behavior startled him; he didn’t chase his tail like a dog.

Piqué laterally passed the ball, and Mascherano quickly sent it to Alves.

Alves charged forward with the ball himself.

As Van Bommel advanced to seize, Ramos returned to his position.

Guardiola’s demands for the midfield trio focus mainly on disruption.

Even if they couldn’t win the ball, they had to disrupt Barça’s rhythm.

That’s a tall order.

In the backfield, you can’t keep committing fouls to break the opponent’s attack.

To disrupt the opponent’s rhythm, you must mark the passing options tightly at key moments.

Prevent players who ran into space from receiving the ball.

So the three of them kept two people holding back.

Alves was very fast, intending to overwhelm Van Bommel.

But Van Bommel wasn’t easy to deal with; while moving left to block Alves’s path, he still left some room.

Alves, trying to pass, turned sideways, prompting Van Bommel to extend his right foot immediately.

Finding no other choice, Alves passed it back to Mascherano.

This Barça attack was completely thwarted; without finding any opportunity, AC Milan returned to their half, forcing Barça to reset their organization.

After more than 20 minutes of play, nothing much happened.

It made Luis Enrique grind his teeth in frustration.

Only Guardiola could trouble Barcelona like this.

Having coached Barça for over two seasons, Guardiola knew these Barça players inside and out, even more than he did; even Messi became an absolute starter under him.

That’s why AC Milan’s tactics today targeted Barça’s traits so specifically.

Enrique sighed.

He hadn’t expected his former friend to cause such problems for him.

Barça shifted the ball back to the left, with Pedro and Messi exchanging positions.

Messi upfront wasn’t his preferred playstyle, and Enrique couldn’t ask him to stay centrally as a pivot.

Going left, Messi ran forward, even though he was off the ball.

Ramos still went after him.

While running, Pedro passed back, and Xavi stopped to observe upon receiving the ball, faking a pass to the left.

This shifted Milan’s defensive focus instantly to Messi’s side, but when Xavi’s right foot fell, Milan players quickly realized they were tricked.