"A lobbed volley!"
"It's in!!!"
"Beautiful! Firmino's finish was clever, absolutely brilliant!"
"Brilliant."
"Liverpool lead Lyon 1-0. This is an attacking tactic they haven't shown before!"
"Through their passing, Rodri and Henderson created comfortable, wide-open long-ball space for Leo Lin. Then Leo Lin used his strength in long passing to exploit the lack of pace in Lyon's center backs, giving Firmino or the wide players a one-on-one chance!"
"This attacking tactic is simpler and more direct, but it works extremely well!"
Back then, as Klopp sat in the car, looking at the fans on both sides of the road and the open stretch ahead, then thinking of Leo Lin sitting beside him, this spreading tactic had taken shape in his mind.
Once the midfielders were pulled apart, it would not only leave Leo Lin space to pass, but also make the opponent's midfield lose its protection of the back line without even realizing it.
Lack of pace had always been one of the traits of the center back position.
After all, most center backs were tall and powerful, making it difficult for them to lower their center of gravity. Their explosive speed when turning and sprinting would naturally be limited as well.
Without midfield protection, the center backs would have to race directly against the opposing striker. Add Leo Lin's precise long balls to that, and this kind of attempt was bound to create scoring chances for Liverpool.
Firmino charged toward Leo Lin, and the two flew into the air again, bumping shoulders.
Klopp was delighted. He knew his new tactic was effective.
This tactic was not top-tier, but its strength was that it was fresh enough to enrich Liverpool's tactical options.
Gullit said, "Lin's long passing is accurate."
"Very accurate."
"Absurdly accurate."
Scholes nodded. "That's his comfort zone."
"Lin is good at these kinds of passes, and Klopp knows how to bring out his ability."
The new tactic created a goal. After play resumed, Liverpool continued using this spreading tactic in their own half to create passing space for Leo Lin.
But Lyon became more cautious. They would no longer rush forward recklessly just because Rodri or Henderson moved.
Leo Lin continued changing the attacking approach, switching from the spreading tactic to a forward-surging tactic. It was time again for his favorite part, charging into the opponent's penalty area.
Whenever Leo Lin rushed toward the opponent's box, the wide players would immediately cut the ball back or send in a curling cross, and Firmino could always use his excellent movement to find a chance to attack the ball.
Lyon's attack, just like their defense, relied on headers.
Moussa Dembélé was physically strong, but he had to face Van Dijk.
In one-on-one defense against Dembélé, Van Dijk had the advantage whether in the air or on the ground.
In the 40th minute, with just over five minutes left in the first half.
Moussa Dembélé got a chance to shoot from the edge of the box and struck it immediately. The ball bounced off Matip and went out over the byline.
"A corner chance. Whenever Lyon's players get the ball in the final third, they shoot right away. After all, they don't have many chances, so they can't afford to hesitate!"
All of Lyon's tall players rushed into Liverpool's penalty area, hoping to seize the corner chance and score.
Leo Lin also dropped back into the box, and the Gullit skill burst with orange-gold light.
Aouar took the corner, sending it toward Moussa Dembélé.
Leo Lin jumped at once and made a beautiful headed clearance, making Klopp shout in delight.
That hammer of a clearance clearly left Gullit a little stunned.
"Good ball!" Scholes glanced at Gullit.
"Wasn't that a headed clearance? Who was it earlier who said he couldn't use his head?"
Gullit only thought it was a flash of inspiration from Leo Lin.
"It was just one headed clearance. That doesn't prove his heading ability. Scholes, don't be so quick to shut me down. Let's keep watching."
The battle continued. Lyon's attacks still mostly came through set pieces and corners, while Liverpool remained more patient.
The first half ended, and both sides returned to their locker rooms.
After brief instructions from both coaches, the second half resumed.
"Lyon still haven't found any good solution. Relying only on set pieces might work in Ligue 1, but it doesn't do much in the Champions League."
"They have the same problem as Paris. They perform well in the league, but their form fluctuates on different stages, almost like they can't adjust to the conditions."
Liverpool's combinations grew more frequent, and their attacking patterns became more varied.
In the 47th minute!
"Salah chooses to carry it himself. This is his favorite area to dribble from."
"Rodri offers support, plays it back, then switches it left. Mané starts his run!"
"The two of them are taking turns attacking Lyon's back line!"
Through repeated attacks, Liverpool forced Lyon's defense into frequent mistakes, and their corner count kept rising.
In the 70th minute, Mané's powerful cross was blocked by a defender and went out over the byline, giving Liverpool their sixth corner of the second half.
"This is the first time I've seen corner chances come this densely. Less than thirty minutes into the second half, and Liverpool have already won six corners."
"Lin isn't taking it. Mané is standing over the ball."
Scholes found it strange, because in the past, Liverpool's corners had always been taken by Lin, since his technique was the best.
Leo Lin stood in the middle and looked at Mané. Mané looked right back at him.
Their understanding met in that instant.
No screens, no decoy runs, no fancy tactical movements.
Leo Lin simply stood there. As long as Mané could put the ball above him, Leo Lin was confident he could head it in.
Denayer stood beside Leo Lin, along with Aouar. The two of them were ready to defend him together.
Mané took the corner, sending it toward the middle. The delivery was excellent, and the pace was just right.
Denayer jumped at once. He was the defender with the highest aerial success rate in Ligue 1, and he was full of confidence.
But as the sound of breathing rose beside him and a dark shadow climbed into the air, Denayer felt himself being suppressed by something above him.
Leo Lin rose with crushing power.
He hammered the ball with his head.
The header came down with the force of a mountain, leaving the goalkeeper stunned and Denayer unable to breathe.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!"
"Lin! He scores straight from a corner!"
"2-0!"
"He met Mané's corner, overpowered both Denayer and Aouar, and sent the ball into the net!"
"Liverpool extend their lead!"
"Are they trying to kill off Lyon's hopes in this match alone?"
"If they can keep scoring, they really can do it!"
"Liverpool, who have been tearing through English soccer, are just as fierce in the Champions League!"
Scholes looked at Gullit and burst out laughing.
"Don't be so quick to shut me down."
The sarcastic version of Scholes was online.
"It was just one headed clearance."
"Let's keep watching."
"He can't head the ball."
Leo Lin's two consecutive hammering headers. The first left Gullit dazed, and the second drove him completely mad.
Gullit did not dare think about it. He simply could not imagine it.
If Leo Lin truly mastered heading as well, wouldn't this guy become a second version of him?
He might even become an upgraded version.