Chapter 322: Call in the Flying Dutchman—Bayern's Cry for Help!
Kroos shook his head instinctively. The Bayern he saw on the pitch tonight was both familiar and unfamiliar.
Had this been last season, Bayern would never have made such a blatant defensive error so early in the game.
In terms of counterattacks and anti-counters, Heynckes' Bayern had been seasoned veterans.
But clearly, this Bayern had abandoned the very thing they were best at.
Focusing on attack wasn't necessarily wrong—Bayern's Bundesliga campaign had proven the viability of their aggressive play.
But in the Champions League, especially at this semifinal stage, if you can't defend, you're asking for disaster.
Kroos couldn't understand why Pellegrini had benched Javi Martínez just because of a mid-season injury.
Sure, Thiago was good—but he'd never proved himself on a stage like this.
The Schweinsteiger–Martínez double pivot had once won it all for Bayern—both strong and experienced.
From the perspective of a Bayern supporter, Kroos found it all rather regrettable.
But as Chelsea's midfielder tonight, he was more than happy to see Pellegrini "experimenting."
The more chaos Bayern brought upon themselves, the easier Chelsea's job would be—especially for Leon, who could run riot through Bayern's midfield.
Bertrand jogged over to take the corner while Chelsea's aerial threats crowded Bayern's penalty area.
But with Neuer commanding the box, Bayern's defensive shape held firm—Terry's header was disrupted by Boateng and sailed into the stands.
"Tony!"
Leon's voice rang out in front of Kroos, who turned to see Leon flashing a tactical hand signal—three fingers.
Kroos nodded immediately.
Chelsea's players subtly repositioned across the pitch.
Mourinho, calmly seated on the bench, wasn't surprised in the slightest.
This was part of the pre-match plan.
Leon had been granted tactical adjustment privileges—and right now, their thinking was perfectly aligned.
Let Bayern attack.
With this midfield? The harder Bayern pushed, the more vulnerable they'd become.
Leon vacating midfield was the right call.
Let Bayern think they had space. Lure them into overextending.
That early counter?
Let Bayern believe it was a fluke. A one-off.
Neuer's angry screaming at his defenders had refocused them, yes.
But Chelsea's quick transition from attack to a deep defensive block gave Bayern a false sense of security.
When Thiago regained possession, he no longer looked to launch forward.
He circulated sideways with Schweinsteiger, easing the tempo, pushing the fullbacks forward cautiously.
Once they confirmed Chelsea had fully retreated, playing deep and passive...
Then, and only then, did Thiago carry the ball over midfield and link with Müller.
None of Bayern's players suspected a trap.
After all, Chelsea playing on the counter was nothing new.
They'd used this same tactic against Bayern last season—both home and away.
They'd done it countless times in the Premier League too—against City, Arsenal, you name it.
So why question what felt so familiar?
Even the home fans thought the current match flow looked entirely normal.
Leon had dropped all the way back near Chelsea's defensive third.
Hazard and De Bruyne had tucked inside.
Ibrahimović was the only man up top.
If that's not a counter-attacking setup, what is?
Apart from that one near-break in the opening minutes, Chelsea hadn't done much.
They defended deep and committed. Leon's interceptions disrupted Bayern's passing lanes.
But his patience and clean tackling lulled Bayern into a sense of complacency.
For over ten minutes, Bayern dominated possession—and finally, they started to push even harder.
This time, Chelsea's counters looked disjointed.
Kroos launched two long balls toward the wings, but Bayern had adapted, and both attacks were snuffed out easily.
The lack of bite confused Chelsea's supporters.
They'd watched more games than anyone—they knew their team's tactical DNA.
Chelsea didn't care about possession stats.
They didn't care about looking pretty.
But they always fought for space and optimized counterattack efficiency.
Today, something felt... off.
Was Mourinho scarred from last year's loss?
Was he overcorrecting?
Neutral fans didn't overthink it.
They just mocked Chelsea's "turtle tactics" online—calling them cowards.
That nickname was pure mockery.
But Chelsea didn't care.
They stayed deep. Their shape held strong.
Bertrand had a good game defensively.
One-on-one with Götze was no walk in the park.
But compared to last season's battles against Robben, this was a breeze.
In the box, Terry also looked more relaxed.
Lewandowski was no secret anymore.
He was now a household name, a top-tier European striker.
More clinical than last year's starter Mandžukić.
But less aggressive.
And that's exactly why Terry preferred facing Lewandowski.
The Polish striker was smart. He picked his battles.
If brute force didn't work, he'd drift and pull defenders around.
Mandžukić?
Too direct. Too relentless.
He made Terry's life miserable last year.
With Lewandowski neutralized, Müller's threat was halved.
And with Leon now tracking Müller as well, Bayern's attacking spine had been dulled.
It all came down to comparison.
Last year's Bayern had two battering rams up front.
Now, not so much.
The "Robbery" duo on the wings were also past their prime.
And without that same threat of aerial bombardment and wide overloads, Chelsea held firm.
In this kind of offensive setup, the pressure on Thomas Müller was immense.
With Lewandowski unable to establish a foothold up front, and Götze ineffective on the right flank, Müller found himself with only Ribéry as a reliable partner in the attacking third.
Leon thought to himself, If I were Müller right now, I'd probably be losing my cool too.
Of course, Müller's current predicament couldn't compare to what Leon faced last year.
Back then, if Leon pushed forward to support the attack, Chelsea's midfield defense would collapse.
If he dropped back to help defend, Lampard couldn't shoulder the creative load.
In the end, both Leon and Chelsea were gradually worn down by Bayern's relentless attack.
Leon had felt truly helpless.
But now?
With Kroos beside him, Leon didn't have to worry anymore.
He was serious about defending, yes, but that didn't mean Chelsea were content to sit back the entire match.
Leon's deep positioning was the tactical bait in Mourinho's setup.
If Leon didn't join the attack, how could Chelsea threaten Bayern on the counter?
This was exactly the kind of fatal mental trap Bayern had fallen into.
Kroos had launched two long balls to the flanks, both ineffective.
It only reinforced the illusion that Chelsea lacked attacking punch without Leon.
Even neutral fans started to believe it.
Chelsea fans began to wonder.
Now, even Bayern's players were starting to buy into the lie.
As if, so long as Leon didn't move forward, Bayern had nothing to fear.
Thiago, ever confident in possession, got more and more aggressive.
He had excellent vision, but the opportunity to finally outplay Leon again overwhelmed his rationality.
He hadn't forgotten the humiliation from their time in La Liga—when Leon completely shut him down.
That memory had festered like a thorn in Thiago's mind for years.
So when Guardiola and Pellegrini welcomed him to Bayern and entrusted him with the midfield, he saw it as his chance to prove himself.
Now, that moment was here.
He might not surpass Leon in this game, but if he could at least outperform him today, he could silence that nagging voice inside.
And with that mindset, Thiago boldly drove forward into Chelsea's defensive third.
It was a signal.
Bayern's front line surged forward with new energy.
But this time, Chelsea didn't drop back and tighten their lines.
Led by Leon, the midfield stepped up—aggressively.
Thiago panicked. He tried to switch play out wide to avoid the pressure.
It was the safe call. Chelsea's defensive line was clearly pressing harder now.
Ribéry received the ball on the flank, but he too was surprised by how quickly Azpilicueta closed him down.
Azpilicueta didn't win the ball outright, but he blocked the dribble and deflected it into the center.
The ball rolled toward Thiago.
Leon pounced.
Thiago was closer, but Leon kicked into high gear and slid in hard.
Panic surged through Thiago's chest.
The flashbacks were instant—every time Leon had beaten him, muscled him, outpaced him.
Without hesitation, Thiago jumped to avoid the challenge.
Leon didn't expect him to give up on the ball so easily.
But he recovered quickly, rose, and chased the ball.
Stamford Bridge exploded with anticipation.
Leon looked set to tear Bayern apart on the counter.
But Schweinsteiger and Müller rushed in to block him.
Leon calmly laid the ball off—not a booming clearance, but a short push to midfield.
And the recipient?
None other than Kroos, who had surged forward like a silent dagger.
No one expected it.
He wasn't supposed to be this far up—he'd been playing deep all game.
But now, he stepped into the spotlight, exactly when Chelsea needed it.
This was Chelsea's hidden counterattack play.
They didn't use it often—but they had drilled it countless times in training.
Suddenly, Bayern fans remembered something important.
Kroos was a master tempo controller.
He had proven this season that he had the makings of the world's best box-to-box midfielder.
But Heynckes and Mourinho had always said the same thing:
"Kroos is a natural No. 10."
"A born playmaker."
It had been a long time since he'd led a counterattack like this.
And his emotions surged.
Yes, he'd embraced Mourinho's system at Chelsea.
But the fire to go forward had never left him.
Mourinho understood him. Leon understood him.
Tonight, they gave him the moment.
To show Bayern what they gave up.
Kroos scanned the field—cold, calculating.
His pace wasn't electric, but he created enough space to strike.
A smooth swing of his left leg.
A half-volley diagonal pass.
The ball didn't fly as fast as Leon's driven deliveries, but the accuracy—surgical.
Bernat, caught too high, scrambled back.
But De Bruyne beat him easily.
He nodded the ball forward, cut inside, and surged into the box.
Ibrahimović dragged Boateng out of position.
Benatia rushed to help—but De Bruyne had already swept the ball across the box!
Neuer dove low to block—
But Hazard was there, beating everyone to the spot and poking the ball into the net!
Chelsea had torn Bayern apart with a textbook counterattack.
And this time?
Leon was the bait.
He lured the trap.
He created the space for Kroos.
His quiet smile was ice-cold mockery to Bayern fans.
Mourinho had made Leon the decoy.
Chelsea had spent 20 minutes lulling Bayern to sleep.
Now?
Bayern had lost control.
The broadcast camera zoomed in on Bayern's bench.
Robben's furrowed brow filled the screen.
At that moment, Bayern fans could only scream one thing:
"Call in the Flying Dutchman—SAVE US!"
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/johanssen10