Chapter 135: Li Ang Isn't in the Top Five Defensive Midfielders—He Just Beat Two of Them
Modrić stared at the scoreboard, which had been rewritten to 2–0 before even thirty minutes had passed, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of disbelief.
Last season, when he was still at Tottenham, they had faced Manchester City twice in the Premier League. The first match ended 1–5—a total beatdown. The second time, they kept it a bit closer, but still lost 2–3.
Those two defeats left Modrić with a high opinion of City, especially of Yaya Touré. He'd experienced firsthand the Ivorian's mismatch-inducing power and offensive presence. At the time, he couldn't stand up to Touré one-on-one, and his attacking teammates couldn't match City's firepower either.
But right now, in this moment, Modrić got a very real sense of just how different it was to be part of Real Madrid—to be on the side of the European elite.
Manchester City, who once felt like an insurmountable mountain, now looked more like an angry teenager, flailing emotionally after being shoved down.
Real Madrid, the strong, composed adult, hadn't even gone all out. They'd simply nudged City aside, and the Premier League's "new kings" were already gasping for breath.
Sure, they could try to get back up—but provoking Madrid again would just lead to another punch to the gut.
That was the power gap. At least for now, it was obvious to anyone watching.
Modrić couldn't help but sigh. Winning at Real Madrid really is a whole lot easier.
"Is this how he usually plays in the Premier League?"
Li Ang leaned over, covering his mouth and gesturing subtly toward Yaya Touré, who was visibly rattled.
Modrić looked up and followed his gaze, then nodded slowly. "Not usually this bad… he does track back sometimes. And he can defend well when he wants to. This is just an off night."
Li Ang raised an eyebrow—clearly not the answer he expected.
But thinking back to how Touré had become obsessed with trying to beat him one-on-one after being dispossessed earlier, it started to make more sense.
"Wait… has the English media ever compared me to him or something? Because I swear, I've got no personal beef with the guy."
Modrić laughed, but his expression said it all: You nailed it.
Ah. That explained it.
Touré wasn't angry about losing the ball. He was angry about being ranked alongside Li Ang.
But that wasn't Li Ang's problem. And as far as Real Madrid was concerned, it was great news. Li Ang didn't care if someone outshone him—he just loved the challenge.
If Touré wanted to turn this into a basketball-style one-on-one duel in midfield, Li Ang was more than happy to oblige. Mourinho would love nothing more than to watch that battle unfold over and over again.
With that thought in mind, Li Ang deliberately increased the physicality between them, keeping the pressure on Touré and denying him any time or space to reset his mentality.
Touré got more and more agitated.
Even when he managed to slip past Li Ang a few times and found himself with the ball near Madrid's penalty area, he made the wrong decision—going it alone.
Sure, his long shots were powerful and did threaten the goal. He even managed to test Casillas a few times with rockets on target.
But Casillas was sharp. He wasn't about to let Touré steal the spotlight.
After each save, Casillas quickly released the ball to the flanks to launch another counterattack.
City drifted further and further away from the rhythm of the game.
Their only "good news" at this point? Madrid hadn't scored a third.
When the halftime whistle blew, most City fans watching from home exhaled in relief.
Their team hadn't played well. Touré's off-night could explain the two-goal deficit.
But the truth was plain: Real Madrid weren't even playing with full intensity.
Even Ronaldo, after three solid shots, had stopped calling for the ball as frequently. Madrid were still in early-season form, not yet at full gear—and they were still dominating.
City fans weren't asking for much anymore.
They just hoped Mancini would do something.
They didn't expect him to match Mourinho in tactical brilliance, but at least fire up the squad. Something. Anything.
They weren't even hoping for points anymore—just a goal, a slimmer goal differential, some dignity.
Back in the dressing room, Mancini wasted no time confronting the problem.
He didn't scold Touré outright in front of everyone, but his tone was sharp, and the message was clear: Get your head on straight. Fast.
If he didn't adjust, if he didn't calm down and contribute properly, he'd be subbed off. That was the unspoken threat.
With Džeko and Agüero both sitting on the bench, Mancini could replace Touré with a striker and shift to a 4-4-2 if necessary.
Touré got the message.
Whether it was pride, shame, or just enough time to reflect, his demeanor changed.
Mancini might not be great with in-game decisions, but his halftime tactical adjustment was spot-on.
When the second half began, City emerged in a 4-5-1 formation.
Barry and García remained as double pivots. Touré moved out to right midfield. Silva dropped into the center, and Nasri stayed on the left. Tevez was the lone striker.
The change had an immediate impact.
Nasri and Tevez suddenly found more space. Silva had freedom to orchestrate as a true No. 10, with the security of two holding midfielders behind him.
He no longer feared Madrid's midfield line and played with growing confidence.
With Silva and Nasri sharing the playmaking duties, City's attack finally started clicking. Real Madrid could feel the shift in pressure.
And Touré, now operating on the flank, reminded everyone why he was once called the Premier League's best midfielder.
Marcelo struggled against him. The difference in physique was too much. Touré couldn't beat Li Ang, but he could still bulldoze a smaller fullback.
That forced Li Ang to divert some of his attention to help double up on Touré with Marcelo.
Naturally, Modrić had to drop back and help Alonso cover the resulting gaps.
Suddenly, the momentum was shifting.
City's attacks were smoother. The midfield battle was tighter. Pundits began praising Mancini's second-half adjustments.
But Mourinho and his players weren't rattled.
They knew it was just a tactical tide—one they'd prepared for.
And somewhere in the back of his mind, Li Ang chuckled.
Sure, Touré had finally found a place to run.
But he still hadn't beaten him.
And he still wasn't Vieira.
With the right attacking rhythm established, Manchester City's front four, all individually talented, looked entirely capable of scoring against Real Madrid.
In fact, Roberto Mancini had begun to feel hope rising in his chest.
But if there's one thing Mourinho was never going to do, it was let him get what he wanted.
He hadn't made any changes earlier because he was still analyzing the primary threat in City's new tactical setup.
And once he saw through Mancini's plan—using Yaya Touré to break down Madrid's left flank—he acted immediately.
"Looks like Real Madrid are preparing a substitution during this stoppage! Matuidi has already completed his warm-up and is now receiving last-minute instructions from assistant coach Karanka. Could this mean Mourinho is bringing on another holding midfielder?"
He Wei sounded intrigued. He, like many fans watching in China, thought this might be a signal that Mourinho was planning to take off Modrić and further reinforce the defensive line.
But the moment the fourth official held up the substitution board, everyone realized—once again, they had misread Mourinho.
"Whoa! Di María is the one being subbed out! So Real Madrid are switching to a 4-3-1-2? Or maybe pushing Modrić deeper into a 4-4-2?"
Coach Zhang perked up, clearly interested in the tactical switch.
Matuidi, upon entering the pitch, quickly relayed Mourinho's new instructions. He slotted into the right side of midfield, just ahead of the defense.
Three defensive midfielders.
Real Madrid had pulled off one of their wingers and reshaped into a 4-3-1-2, with Li Ang, Alonso, and Matuidi forming a flat line across the back of midfield.
Mancini, watching from the technical area, felt an unexpected sense of dread.
And sure enough, the Real Madrid players wasted no time proving the effectiveness of Mourinho's adjustment.
Li Ang was now solely focused on patrolling his own defensive third. His left-sided positioning completely shut down Yaya Touré's intended breakout lane.
On the right, Matuidi was glued to Nasri, disrupting everything.
That gave Alonso and Modrić the freedom to step up and stifle Silva through the middle.
As for Tevez? If he wanted to drop deep to collect the ball, fine. But in Madrid's penalty area, he had to deal with Pepe and Ramos, alternating in man-marking him.
Under this kind of coverage, if Tevez still managed to score, then honestly—he deserved it.
The three holding midfielders had split the pitch into three zones, perfectly matching the three avenues of City's attacking routes.
With Li Ang neutralizing Touré, Madrid's defensive triangle completely sealed off the dangerous channels just outside the box.
No matter how slippery Silva and Nasri were, if they couldn't penetrate the flanks or half-spaces, they had no choice but to try their luck wide.
And Nasri? The poor guy had no good options.
Cut inside? Matuidi was waiting.
Try the wing? That meant facing Essien one-on-one.
Instantly, Nasri gave up on forcing the issue. He barely held onto the ball more than a second or two, afraid of getting sandwiched by Madrid's physically dominant right side.
Mourinho's adjustment broke City's midfield assault completely.
Commentators were speechless. City fans could barely believe their eyes.
The calls from fans to sub on Džeko and start using him as a battering ram grew louder. If they were going to have any chance at scoring, it had to be through brute force—not finesse.
The short passing sequences around Madrid's box were going nowhere. Even if they tried it for 90 minutes, Tevez was never getting a clean shot at Casillas.
The Spanish media, meanwhile, were more than pleased.
A strong start to the Champions League campaign was crucial, especially with Borussia Dortmund and Ajax still locked at 0–0 in the group's other match.
If both matches ended as they stood, Madrid would finish top of Group D after the first round.
Their next opponent? Good old Ajax.
Even if it was an away fixture, three points there wouldn't be too difficult.
If Dortmund and City beat each other up in the next round—ideally with a draw—then Madrid's third-round showdown with Dortmund would be stress-free.
Even if Madrid slipped once later on, they'd still be on track to win the group.
Still, nothing beats a clean win. Spanish pundits were full of confidence.
Over in England, though? Sky Sports' commentators were decidedly less cheerful.
This was last season's Premier League champions. And now? Their hopes had been crushed before the first group stage match even ended.
Pre-match, they were talking about grabbing a result at the Bernabéu. Now, it was all about fighting Dortmund to hang onto second place.
And just when City fans were mentally adjusting to accept the current scoreline, the game turned again.
Modrić's advanced position hadn't been a meaningless reshuffle—it was part of Mourinho's trap.
He didn't move Luka deeper. He wanted him free, ready to exploit the next gap.
In the 68th minute, Matuidi and Alonso swarmed Silva, forcing an awkward through ball that failed to connect.
Li Ang had already anticipated it. He cut in front of Tevez and stole possession, then sent a long ball forward to Modrić, who had perfectly positioned himself near the center circle.
Cristiano Ronaldo might not have been fired up today.
But he wasn't going to say no to a golden counterattack chance.
As Modrić turned and received the ball, both he and Benzema took off—Ronaldo right behind.
García stepped up to challenge, but Modrić pulled a cheeky feint, sending the Spaniard the wrong way, and slipped the ball through to the onrushing Benzema.
Kompany hesitated—a fatal mistake.
Benzema surged into the right side of the box, forcing Kompany and Nastasić to both collapse on him.
Which left Ronaldo all alone.
Benzema squared the ball. Ronaldo stepped into it without breaking stride.
Boom.
Near-post rocket. Joe Hart had no time to react.
3–0.
That was it. The final scoreline of the Champions League group stage opener.
And after the match, the media firestorm reignited.
Sky Sports, the very outlet that had previously pushed Li Ang into the "Top 5 Defensive Midfielders" list—an inclusion mocked by many English fans—was now being dragged online by Madrid supporters.
One tweet, in particular, went viral among Real Madrid fans:
"Sure, maybe Li Ang isn't one of the top five defensive midfielders in the world.
He just beat two of them, that's all."
Beneath the tweet were side-by-side images of Sergio Busquets and Yaya Touré.
Busquets, this time, was an accidental casualty.
But given the stat comparisons and head-to-head matchups Li Ang's fans were now posting, even Barça supporters found themselves short on arguments.
This time?
Li Ang didn't just ride the media hype.
He rode it all the way to a landslide win.
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