Chapter 180
Ram's IQ and football IQ are very high.
He didn't hesitate for too long.
His gaze swept over Guardiola's gestures, the body tendencies of Benatia and Boateng, and the runs of Leverkusen's forward line.
His brain raced, all information blending together.
He made a quick decision!
Hold to shorten the defensive line spacing!
Alaba is still young and doesn't like to think too much.
He caught Guardiola's gesture out of the corner of his eye.
He quickly rushed toward Li Kang.
No need to think.
His body instinctively chose the most suitable defensive positioning.
As long as he doesn't space out or lose focus.
He is the strongest among the young generation of this historical era.
After all, he's still that genius teenager who once competed against Jinbian Luo.
No weaknesses whatsoever.
Flawless.
Golden Legend.
He is destined to become a legend of the full-back position.
"Brilliant!"
"Alaba's burst speed is even more exaggerated! He got in front of Li Kang! Too terrifying!"
"A genius showdown of the young generation!"
True Eye, thick black mist surged out.
The phantom of the white number 10 stood proudly.
Figo!
Negative emotions spread wildly.
Li Kang felt the rhythm change of the wing magic wing, at the instant he made a dribbling move.
The phantom of the red and blue number 6 struggled out.
He swung his arm.
Figo's phantom drifted away with the wind.
Time seemed to stand still.
All noise around his ears faded away.
In God's perspective, all dynamic information came to a sudden halt in an instant.
Ram, Boateng, and Benatia formed a parallel defensive line.
Alaba's pressing point was like a hook derived from a parallel line.
Even if he used the Figo module to shake off the double team, Leverkusen's forward teammates still couldn't keep up with the rhythm.
Guardiola's parallel trap.
The connecting number 4 position of La Masia before and after.
Slow.
Harvey's phantom.
Guardiola.
Li Kang.
The distance between the three generations of La Masia's number 4 position has never been this close!
The river of time flowed again.
A hint of doubt flashed in Alaba's eyes: Does Li also like to space out?
He decisively extended his black leg!
Perfect timing for a tackle.
In the genius full-back's mind, the counterattack route after a successful tackle was automatically outlined!
In a flash.
He watched Li Kang spin around in place!
Cut inside with the inside of the back foot?
Turn around?
"Harvey?"
"Naturally perfect!"
"The magic circle of love's power! He shook off Alaba!"
"Oh! It means nothing! Slowing down the attack rhythm! Missing the opportunity..."
"No! The timing is just right!"
The camera pulled back.
Li Kang slowly shook off Alaba.
Havertz, Bellarabi, and Son Heung-min's forward line perfectly overlapped with Bayern Munich's defensive line!
Guardiola looked completely bewildered.
During his tenure coaching Bayern, he never solved the problem of the defensive line's overall movement rhythm, but he could cover it through Alaba and Lahm's running...
But now, Li Kang actually seized their weakest link with his slow, deliberate approach!
Dino shouted frantically on the sidelines: "Surround Boateng! Focus! Don't stretch the width!"
His voice was quickly drowned out by the roar of Bayern fans.
Leverkusen's forwards had already practiced countless times against him in training matches.
Dealing with Boateng is a topic the entire Bundesliga has devoted itself to studying.
Allianz Arena.
Alaba didn't have time to turn and interfere.
He could only watch helplessly as Leverkusen's number 10 struck the ball into the wind...
Li Kang's body leaned back slightly.
His left foot lashed out fiercely!
The ball lifted off the ground.
Like a silk ribbon's soft trajectory, it tugged at the hearts of tens of thousands of fans present.
"A perfect lofted pass!"
"A nanny-like landing spot!"
"Exquisitely precise!"
If there were no Messi in this world.
Boateng's professional career is perfect.
Champions League champion, Club World Cup champion, World Cup champion.
The world's best center-back.
FIFA Best XI.
Perfect.
Now his left leg is plagued by injuries, and his strength is far from what it once was.
The moment the ball fell toward the edge of the penalty area.
Bayern's center-back anticipated the ball's trajectory and waved his hand, indicating Neuer didn't need to come out.
He could handle it himself.
Suddenly.
He realized he was surrounded!
Forwards surrounding a defender?
What the hell?
"Wow!"
"Boateng and Lahm couldn't recover in time—the defensive positioning gaps were too wide!"
"Bellarabbi!"
Boateng's retreat path was blocked by Havertz and Son Heung-min!
He gritted his teeth and summoned every ounce of strength!
His body surged forward violently!
It was already too late.
Bellarabbi arrived first at the ball's landing point.
He lightly trapped it with his chest.
Before the ball hit the ground.
He volleyed it with his left foot!
How could you spit out a cookie already in your mouth?
Neuer moved, having early on observed the footwork changes of Leverkusen's Black player.
He lunged forward, diving toward the far corner!
Where is the ball?
Did that Black guy kick it wide?
Old Tuop clutched his chest in anger.
Dino looked dejected and lost.
Bellarabbi wore a conflicted expression.
"Oh no! Did Bellarabbi kick it wide?"
"Complete chaos!"
"Havertz follows up with a shot!"
"Go for the near post!"
The ball bounced on the grass.
Havertz got there first, sliding in to shoot!
No way—Lahm tried desperately to track back, but his legs weren't long enough.
Thud!
In full view of everyone present.
The ball screamed into Bayern Munich's net!
0:1!!!
Allianz Arena, sighs of lamentation never ceased.
Seventy thousand Bayern fans... could not accept the reality before them for a moment.
They had not been so far from the salad plate for a very long time.
"Beautiful!"
"This goal went in!"
"Li Kang delivered a flawless long pass!"
"Bellalabi feigned a shot and laid off the ball! Havertz slid in and scored!"
"They seized a perfect start!"
"Bundesliga champions! Leverkusen is closer to the Bundesliga championship trophy than ever before!"
"Youth storm!"
"Tonight, will the Bundesliga salad plate have a new owner?"
"Leverkusen, they are very likely to create history!"
Live stream room.
Bullet comments flew across the screen.
-【Mongxukosen! Li Mongxing!】
-【Li Mingdeng is awesome, controlling the whole situation, making long runs down the flank, turning and shaking off defenders to create time differences, an unstoppable long pass leading to a goal! Masterful demeanor!】
-【Indirect assist! He played this match like a pure midfielder, not worrying about being a forward or defender!】
-【If Leverkusen's forward players can get the ball in the opponent's penalty area, they are still very fierce.】
-【Bellalabi's layoff was too perfect!】
-【Havertz, limitless future.】
-【Damn it, Guardiola is going to get scolded again! The last match of his Bayern coaching career... is he going to crash?】
-【I always feel this Bayern team, under his guidance, won't play off-the-ball football.】
-【Still too unlucky; if not for the draw against Frankfurt, Bayern would already be Bundesliga champions now.】
-【Tonight is Li Kang and Guardiola's last Bundesliga match.】
The two thousand Leverkusen fans traveling with the team shouted as loudly as they could.
"Leverkusenallez!!!"
"Leverkusenallez!!!"
"Leverkusenallez!!!"
Havertz and Bellalabi were overjoyed, the two of them wildly turning and running back!
"Li, I knew you could pass the ball over!"
"Yes yes yes, I deliberately let Havertz have the ball!"
All teammates excitedly gathered around, embracing tightly.
At the start of the season, I never dared to dream of having a chance to win the Bundesliga championship.
As Nuriyal stood up, he angrily punched the turf.
There's nothing to be done.
Who can I vent at?
Should I vent at Boateng's new hairstyle?
Should I vent at Lahm's legs being too short?
Sideline of the pitch.
Tuopu Laotou and Dino waved their fists.
"Li this time didn't dribble past himself; he chose the purest opportunistic long pass, but our forwards didn't stretch the attacking width—what's going on with surrounding Boateng?"
"Boss, this is a tactical detail Nagelsmann researched, inspired by an old video of AC Milan vs Manchester United surrounding Vidic—forward pressing on defenders!"
"Damn it, what world is this? Nowadays forwards can even restrict defenders!"
Tuopu Laotou felt he was living more and more leisurely.
After missing a few league matches due to illness, the coaching staff would proactively handle all tactical arrangements.
On the other side.
Guardiola called Boateng to his front.
He helplessly rubbed the new hairstyle of Xiao Heidan, without any blame or complaint, but patiently explained the upcoming tactical changes.
Corner of the stands.
Martinez and Thiago, dressed in casual clothes... appeared in the camera shot.
The faces of these two Bayern stalwarts were filled with worry.
Injuries, or rather, those damned injuries.
How tough is the hardness of this midfield duo?
The online community is flooded with ** fiction about the two...
"Wrong, Li and we are on the same national team, why should we feel bad? Bundesliga champions every year, European Cup every four years."
"Use your brain, when has the Spanish national team ever lacked midfielders? The old man now lacks center backs... eh? I've played center back these past two seasons!"
VIP box.
Kahn curled his lip: "Damn, this kid seems to have remembered he is a genius midfielder!"
Beckenbauer took off his glasses, gently wiped them, and countered: "If he fixed himself in the holding midfielder position, his ceiling would be Alonso."
Kahn pondered for a moment, puzzled: "Is Alonso really that bad?"
Beckenbauer did not give a direct answer to this question, still muttering softly about the "libero tactic" long buried under the dust of history.
Alonso is no slouch.
At this moment, he was gently chewing gum.
After the restart of the midfield circle in the match.
Facing the situation of being one goal behind, he appeared very composed.
After all, he was a key figure in the Istanbul night of that year.
The 24-year-old Alonso back then drove the whole world crazy.
His name and that final were etched into football history as a classic mark.
But with the passage of time, people only remember the AC Milan that was overturned.
"Lewokusen did not press aggressively, but instead pulled their defensive line back to the thirty-meter zone."
"Bayern Munich's current main ball-playing point is the two centre-backs!"
"Begin a full-scale press forward."
Li Kang and his teammates gradually retreated.
The tofu-dregs defensive line... can it withstand Bayern's offensive pressure?
It cannot withstand it.
Robben, operating outside Guardiola's attacking system, can single-handedly take on the entire backline alone.
His single-player combat ability is of historical level.
He fundamentally needs no teammate support, and his deterrent power is off the charts.
"The match has entered the positional warfare phase."
"Lewokusen has almost given up on counterattacks and attacks altogether, due to their points lead and goal advantage, Bayern must overturn the score to have any hope of winning the championship and lifting the trophy."
"They don't need to push forward like when behind in the Champions League; they must find a way to strangle the source of the attack."
Yes.
Bayern's ball-playing point is the centre-backs.
But the most terrifying orchestrator is still Alonso.
He is old, and his physical confrontation and ability to shake off defenders while stationary have severely declined.
When facing the "Green Hill Yue Buqun" Son Heung-min's entanglement, he gradually feels a bit powerless.
Every time the Korean forward commits a minor foul to block Alonso, he always puts on an expression of "I didn't mean it" with a wronged look and apologetic gesture.
Minute 18 of the match.
Lahm dribbled the ball to the vicinity of the byline and struck a cross.
The football was swept horizontally to the front of the goal!
【211> Müller made a ghostly run, seizing the moment to surge forward!
Müller ghosted his run, taking advantage to surge forward!
Lewokusen's defensive line, astonishingly, had no one notice him.
This is the ultimate alternative striker.
He may have all his paper abilities rather mediocre, but he possesses an instinct and football intelligence, awareness, and game comprehension beyond ordinary people.
He is always able to appear in time at the most crucial shooting positions.
He looks clumsy, yet always manages to score.
Thud!
At the instant when he was about to kick the ball to complete the shooting motion.
He suddenly collided with a wall.
Li Kang.
The Lewokusen number 10 with God's perspective is simply the nemesis of all fake runs in positional defense.
Lai Nuo quickly leaned out and firmly caught the ball.
Allianz Arena, Bayern fans couldn't help but emit a wave of regretful sighs.
Just a little bit more, and Müller could have pushed the ball into an empty net.
"How close!"
"Lewokusen's counterattack!"
No time to slowly organize.
Lai Nuo stood up and immediately began his run-up!
One hand gripping the ball, he swung his upper arm in a wide arc!
Like a shot put athlete!
The football traced a large arc in midair, lunging toward the centre circle!
"This ball seems a bit too obvious!"
"Son Heung-min can't get past Benatia's barrier!"
The football plummeted rapidly to the vicinity of the centre circle.
Son Heung-min and Alonso both rushed toward the landing point.
The two pressed tightly together.
In secret, they were engaged in fierce physical confrontation.
Alonso only felt a faint, weak pain transmitting from his waist.
Can this be endured?
Even as a youth, he was once called the "Jade-Faced Butcher"!
Just as the two leapt up, vying for the landing spot.
Alonso's elbow slammed hard into Son Heung-min's chest!
The South Korean forward winced and collapsed to the ground.
The main referee was about to bring the whistle to his lips, hesitating for a moment.
"This ball wasn't controlled, it was deflected onto Bellarabi's feet!"
"Attacking advantage! The game wasn't stopped!"
"Lewokusen's counterattack continues!"
Bellarabi's footwork is a bit rough.
He swung his right leg, and the ball stopped diagonally forward about a meter away.
Fortunately, his starting speed is fast, so he surged ahead with the momentum.
The clumsy movement happened to cause Benatia to misjudge the direction of the attack.
Seeing this, Son Heung-min quickly scrambled to his feet and charged forward with all his might.
Alonso, who was still preparing to apologize afterward, looked utterly bewildered.
Boateng frantically gave chase.
"It's two up front! Alonso is running too slow, he can't get involved in this defensive play from the back!"
"It's three up front! Noynor has run into the thirty-meter zone!"
"Oh no, Bellarabi is going to lose this ball."
Noynor is the "gatekeeper."
His name represents a revolution in world football goalkeeping, worthy of being recorded in sports history.
The area he guards has long surpassed the penalty box, covering more than half the field.
Forty-meter zone.
Bellarabi's speed slightly slowed, his expression troubled.
Damn, I was still planning to try a Rooney-style super lob shot... How can Noynor's blocking speed be so fast?
Thud!
Boateng strode forward with long steps, swinging his black leg from behind and sideways, making a precise tackle!
The ball lost control, slowly rolling toward the baseline.
A black-haired figure came galloping in!
Son Heung-min.
"Wow! His absolute speed is too exaggerated!"
"Boateng and Noynor might not even realize his position!"
"Is he going to chip it?"
"No! It's a pass back!"
"He's looking for Li Kang!"
Bayern's defensive players are about to take position!
After receiving the ball, Son Heung-min quickly found himself double-teamed.
But his football IQ is high; he had already noticed his teammates' positions early on.
He struck powerfully with his right foot!
The ball lightly leapt toward the midfield!
In the shot.
Li Kang's figure appeared.
Noynor immediately turned and sprinted off at full speed!
Still a gatekeeper, my ass!
That kid's footwork can chip the goal!
On the sideline.
Tuopu Laotou and Dino were excited beyond measure.
Guardiola instinctively clutched his head with both hands.
The stands on all sides suddenly fell silent.
It seemed as if everyone sensed that something was about to happen.
Vidal was about to go crazy.
At the moment he barely caught up to Lewokusen's number 10.
A crisp ringing sound echoed in his ears!
Damn it, I'm going to get killed by a turtle shell rebound again—how many goals has this Guardiola-style Bayern conceded this season due to counterattacks!
The ball left Li Kang's left foot.
In his vision, the phantom images of the red-blue number 10 and the white number 8 gradually overlapped.
Ronaldinho, Toni Kroos.
It was a super lob shot like a cruise missile!
Under the moonlight, it lifted a silken, beautiful arc.
The ball plummeted straight into Bayern Munich's goal!
The entire stadium gasped in awe.
Noynor channeled the energy of fucking his 19-year-old girlfriend, sprinting back desperately... his silhouette grew increasingly disheveled.
Not in time.
There are too many things in life that come too late!
Allianz Arena.
All eyes were fixed tightly on the football hanging in midair.
The distance was unconsciously estimated in the heart.
Thirty meters.
Twenty-five meters.
Twenty meters...
The football skimmed over Noah's head.
It slammed heavily near the twelve-yard mark of the small penalty area.
Accompanied by two bounces.
The ball's speed and force vanished completely.
It slid silently into the net.
0:2!!!
Noah faced the goal, collapsing to his knees in despair.
His white-gold latex gloves weakly pounded the turf.
Just that little bit!
Just a little bit!
"Super chip shot!"
"Astonishing and unconventional!"
"Unbelievable!"
"Beyond belief!"
"A great goal!"
"Poor Noah, played to ruin!"
"Bayern Munich paid a heavy price again for their high defensive line!"
"The giant's tremor!"
"Goal! By Leverkusen's genius midfielder Li Kang! Leverkusen extended their lead!"
"They are getting closer to lifting the Bundesliga trophy!"
"Miracle night!"
"One assist, one goal — the perfect farewell performance by Bei lai yin's son!"
Live stream room.
Bullet comments flew across the screen.
-【Damn, Li Menxing is awesome!!! Invincible! Every time they play Bayern, they explode into T0-level combat power!】
-【Am I watching Mönchengladbach vs Bayern?】
-【What the hell, is Leverkusen really going to win the Bundesliga?】
-【Bayern needs to score three goals in a row to overturn and win the title...】
-【The flaw of Guardiola's Bayern: too obsessed with control, the defensive line is pushed too deep; if Boateng misjudges his defensive positioning, he'll be torn apart in seconds!】
-【No, the first wave of defense was actually good; the issue is that Vidal was half a beat slow in predicting the ball's trajectory and couldn't keep up with Li Mingdeng's speed!】
-【Li Mingdeng's vision is monstrous — marking Müller, predicting the ball's path, and still delivering that super chip...】
-【These Bayern superstars, how did they become tactical guinea pigs? When Hai Shuai coached them, this group won the Champions League with their club and the World Cup with their national team...】
-【News says Guardiola is going to Manchester City next season, and under his possession-based system...】
-【Joe Hart: Please spare me!】
Ronaldinho's virtual shadow gradually faded.
Positive and uplifting emotions eroded the soul.
Li Kang laughed and raised both fists.
Teammates surged forward like madmen.
Close-range audio equipment transmitted waves of hysterical shouting.
"Li, sorry!"
"Li, I knew you could smash the ball in!"
"Li, you're amazing!"
"Damn, Munich's sand is really plentiful!"
Leverkusen teammates' hearts... rippled with wave after wave.
Tonight.
They might just create club history, lifting that distant trophy!
Sideline.
Leverkusen's bench descended into chaos.
Calhanoglu tightly embraced Tuop and Dino.
"Boss, we are champions! We are champions!"
"Damn it, you're going to choke me to death! The game still has 70 minutes left!"
"Post-match punishment: run 10 laps around the playground!"
On the other side.
Guardiola's face was filled with confusion.
His football philosophy had hit a bottleneck.
Three years.
The three years he coached Bayern.
In the Champions League campaign... he repeatedly fell to Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, and Real Madrid.
Even in the Bundesliga, a string of Borussia Mönchengladbach, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Borussia Mönchengladbach...
He clearly possessed the most balanced superstar lineup in terms of overall strength on this planet.
Without peak Haaland.
Without Messi.
Could it be that his tactical philosophy simply cannot be carried through?
He clutched his head with both hands, his mind constantly searching for an answer.
End of Chapter
