"Pochettino's preparations tonight were very detailed."
In the stands, Lucas tilted his head toward Gao Shen with a smile.
After Mbappé's opening goal, the game entered a stalemate.
Barcelona began to counterattack, but Leeds United quickly switched to a defensive strategy.
Unlike the opening stage, when their high pressing left them exposed and repeatedly hit by Barcelona on the break, Leeds United's overall performance improved greatly once they stabilized defensively.
Kalvin Phillips effectively suppressed Coutinho, limiting his influence, which significantly reduced Barcelona's threat through midfield. Although Vidal covered a lot of ground and was good at arriving late into the box, his creativity and passing ability were limited.
At this stage, Messi often drifted into the central areas.
Rodri, Rúben Dias, and De Ligt formed a triangle in front of the penalty area, with Rodri positioned slightly higher, like the tip of a spear, specifically aimed at blocking Messi's path.
As Gao Shen had said before, if it were Kimmich alone defending Messi, it would be difficult. But Rodri was doing an excellent job, and with solid cover behind him, Leeds United's defense looked very secure.
Felipe Anderson, playing as an inverted winger on the left, used his right foot to cut inside. Because of that, Arnold positioned himself slightly narrower when defending.
On the other side, Robertson's approach was different. Since Messi frequently moved into the center, Robertson pushed higher up the pitch. This not only supported Mbappé's attack but also limited Vidal's influence.
The biggest tactical masterstroke, however, was Milinkovic-Savic.
At the start, when he pressed Piqué and Lenglet, many thought he was playing as a striker. But in truth, he was acting as a false nine, with great positional flexibility.
When Leeds pressed high, he directly pressured Piqué and Lenglet. When they dropped deeper, he shifted to mark Busquets.
The key was in transition. Whenever Leeds switched from defense to attack, Milinkovic-Savic was the first to appear in the gap between Busquets and the center-backs, serving as the team's pivot.
Mbappé's goal earlier came precisely from that position.
It was a brilliant piece of tactical design by Pochettino.
"The use of Milinkovic-Savic was very clever," UEFA President Ceferin praised.
He enjoyed sports and often played indoor football, though his understanding of tactics was limited, having previously worked as a lawyer.
But hearing Ceferin's words made Gao Shen feel quietly proud.
Whether it was his initial suggestion to utilize Milinkovic-Savic earlier in the season, or his later prediction that Pochettino would rely on him, both had proven to be spot on.
"On the football pitch, no matter how techniques and tactics evolve, they always revolve around one principle: higher, faster, stronger," Gao Shen said calmly.
Some might ask, what about geniuses like Messi and Ronaldinho?
Go back and watch Messi when he first debuted.
He was frail. Though his technique was excellent, he was constantly bullied physically and suffered frequent injuries. Many feared he would burn out early.
So what changed later?
It was all about building his body.
Being able to hold off defenders in central areas, do you really think Messi is weak?
Even Neymar, a winger known for his flair, possesses impressive physical resilience.
In European football, players who can't handle physical battles get eliminated quickly.
The reason these technically gifted players sometimes appear slight or not overly muscular is because of their style of play.
Imagine if Messi bulked up like Drogba. Would he still be able to execute such quick, intricate moves?
Many wonder why Ronaldo, who had dazzling footwork as a youngster, later became more direct and less flashy.
The answer lies in adaptation. To succeed in the Premier League and carry Manchester United, he had to strengthen his physique. But those very muscles made it harder to execute the same fancy tricks, so his style became simpler and more efficient, leading many to believe he could no longer dribble like before.
In the end, a player's physique serves his role on the pitch.
No matter how football evolves, there will always be one kind of player who never goes out of style:
The kind who can use their body to overpower defenders and create space for themselves and their teammates.
It doesn't have to be a traditional striker. It could be someone like Milinkovic-Savic or Fellaini.
Because such players are a tactical weapon in themselves.
Unlike Fellaini, Milinkovic-Savic has better footwork, superior passing, and excellent off-ball movement, making him more adaptable to various systems.
Just like now, he can drop back to mark Busquets, press the center-backs, or support the attack in transition by positioning himself where a striker would normally drop deep.
From this alone, it's clear that he's the most important tactical piece for Leeds United tonight.
His presence disrupts Barcelona's passing lanes from the back to midfield, making it difficult for them to find Coutinho or Messi. Combined with Phillips' pressing, Barcelona's forward progression was effectively blocked.
As a result, Messi had to drop deeper to receive the ball.
But by dropping too deep, another issue arose for Barcelona.
In the past, when Messi came deep, Iniesta and Xavi could combine with him in tight spaces to create fluid passing triangles. That was the core of Barcelona's dominance for years.
Now, Messi drops back, but Coutinho, though talented, lacks that chemistry with him. As for Vidal... best not to mention him.
That meant when Messi got the ball, he had no one nearby to combine with.
Left with no options, he had to dribble forward repeatedly on his own.
Even if Maradona himself came back, Messi couldn't do it all alone.
On the pitch, both teams battled fiercely around the halfway line.
Leeds United concentrated their defensive structure in that zone, making it nearly impossible for Barcelona to break through into their defensive third.
Since Leeds dropped back, more than twenty minutes had passed, and the situation remained unchanged.
The White Rose started with more possession, but it gradually tilted in Barcelona's favor.
Now, Barcelona had the ball, but they couldn't find a breakthrough.
"If we can hold this, we'll definitely have a chance before halftime," Gao Shen said confidently.
Lucas and Borrell both nodded.
Having conceded early and failed to score for so long, Barcelona were desperate to equalize before halftime.
If they went into the break trailing by one at home, it would be a huge psychological blow.
Especially since they hadn't been able to threaten Leeds United for most of the half, questions would arise about their attack.
Confidence is everything in football.
If Barcelona wanted to score before halftime, they had to push harder.
But that would open up space, and counterattacks were exactly what Leeds United excelled at.
The situation now was actually more favorable for Leeds United, provided their defense held firm.
…
Thirty minutes passed quickly.
The match grew increasingly stagnant.
Barcelona couldn't find a way through Leeds United's defensive wall, and frustration spread among the home fans at Camp Nou.
This was supposed to be a star-studded team!
And that infuriating man was sitting right there in the stands!
How could they lose face in front of him?
The fans began shouting louder, urging their team to press higher and attack harder.
Whenever the players passed the ball backward, it was tolerated once or twice, but repeated passes drew growing dissatisfaction.
By the 35th minute, Valverde became visibly anxious and stepped to the touchline, signaling his team to increase the press and push harder for a goal.
If they could equalize before halftime, the second half would be much easier.
Pochettino, however, seemed fully confident in his players. He didn't pull them back but instead maintained the battle around midfield.
Rodri, Phillips, and Bruno Fernandes, along with Milinkovic-Savic pressing Busquets, were now operating in perfect coordination, keeping the team compact and balanced.
Kalvin Phillips, in particular, stood out.
His energy and pressing were relentless. Last season in the Premier League, he averaged 2.7 tackles, 1.5 interceptions, and 1.7 clearances per game, while covering the most ground among Leeds players.
Many called him the "big Kante."
In the 39th minute, as the game neared the 40th, Alba pushed forward to join the attack. His pass to Coutinho was rushed and off target.
As Coutinho controlled the ball, Phillips had already closed in, forcing the Brazilian to make a hurried pass. Phillips blocked it with his foot.
Instantly, the midfield turned chaotic.
Phillips reacted first, poking the loose ball to Milinkovic-Savic nearby.
The Serbian midfielder quickly moved forward, used his body to shield Busquets, controlled the ball with his right foot, and passed it to Bruno Fernandes.
The Portuguese midfielder didn't stop the ball but played a first-time pass behind the defense.
The ball slipped perfectly between Piqué and Lenglet. Barcelona's defensive line had pushed up to about 30 meters, leaving a massive gap behind.
Mbappé was already on his toes, ready to burst forward.
In an instant, the Camp Nou erupted again.
Mbappé surged past Piqué with blistering pace, latched onto Bruno Fernandes' pass at the top of the box, and drove straight into the area.
Goalkeeper Cillessen rushed out, but Mbappé was quicker. He poked the ball past the keeper, then sprinted after it.
At the edge of the six-yard box, Mbappé caught up and calmly slotted the ball into the empty net.
This time, drawing from his previous experience at Stamford Bridge, he struck the ball with full power, losing balance as he fell.
But the ball flew straight into Barcelona's goal.
2-0!
(To be continued.)