Suker constantly moved in the rib area, on one hand creating space for Marcelo to push up on the wing, while simultaneously putting pressure on Alves.

Alves was under immense pressure now.

One man marking two.

One overlapping on the sideline, the other poised to dart into the ribs at any moment.

It could be said that if Alves' positioning showed even the slightest flaw, Real Madrid could execute a penetrating pass.

After all, Kaka's shrewd eyes kept darting toward the space beside him.

For the first time, he found Kaka's gaze so detestable!

But there was nothing he could do; he had to stay focused.

"Play down the left wing! Play down the left wing!"

Suker kept shouting loudly.

Thanks to Mourinho's adjustments, Suker immediately identified the key issue.

Under the current circumstances, as long as Suker could break free from Busquets and Xavi's marking in the left rib area, Real Madrid's attacking formation would take shape. From there, they could continuously pressure Barcelona from that point.

Smack!

Kaka pushed the ball to Suker.

Suker positioned himself sideways on the left wing with his back to the goal, but he had already signaled Marcelo with a glance. By now, Marcelo should have started his forward run.

Thinking this,

Suker decisively pulled the ball forward.

Busquets indeed rushed at him, trying to apply pressure.

Suker abruptly shifted his weight forward, making a move as if he was about to sprint.

The movement was large and highly deceptive, causing Busquets to immediately adjust and take a step sideways. Just that one step created the opportunity Suker needed to get past him.

Suker instantly pulled back, returning his center of gravity to its original position.

From start to finish, Suker hadn't moved a step, but because Busquets had moved sideways, there was a gap of about a body's length between them.

"Damn it!"

Busquets quickly swept his leg.

He wanted to kick the ball away from Suker's feet.

But at that moment, Suker seized the opportunity, using a step-over to evade Busquets' sweeping leg while sharply pulling back his body to avoid Busquets' attempt to grab him.

Throughout the entire process, Suker only used large, deceptive body feints, with the actual dribbling move being just a simple step-over and pull-back.

Busquets, carried by his momentum, rushed past Suker.

Suker took the chance to push the ball forward.

"Suker!!! He's past him!!"

In the stands, Barcelona fans gasped in shock.

From their perspective, the ball had already bypassed their midfield and was heading straight for the defensive line.

At the same time, in the attacking third, Marcelo, Suker, Benzema, Kaka, Bell, and the advancing Srna—

just looking near the penalty area, it was all a sea of white Real Madrid players.

This made them feel an inward sense of dread.

Mourinho also clenched his fist tightly.

Yes!

It's working!

Next, it's about distributing the ball according to the pre-arranged tactics.

Suker passed the ball to Marcelo, directly drawing Alves toward Marcelo. Meanwhile, Suker made a run into the rib.

Marcelo met the ball and slotted it into the space in front of Suker.

A simple one-two, and Suker was already into the penalty area, arriving on the left side of the goal.

Suker received the ball and turned. Benzema, Bell, and Kaka were all rushing into the box, ready to compete for the header.

But Suker didn't loft a cross. Instead, he passed the ball to a spot just behind the penalty spot.

There, Srna arrived with a late run and, meeting the ball, gave it a gentle push.

The ball weaved through the crowd and flew into the right side of the goal.

Swish!

The ball hit the net.

"Goal!!! Srna!! Real Madrid's attack was so cohesive this time. After Suker completed the breakthrough, their attacking ideas were incredibly clear. The final passing choice was especially unexpected—Barcelona's defense has been torn open again!"

"This isn't the first time. Barcelona failed to stop Suker in midfield, putting too much pressure on the defensive line. Moreover, Real Madrid's players advanced with remarkable speed when pushing up. In this instance, Barcelona simply couldn't keep up with the pace."

"And then there's Busquets. When facing other teams, we always see his steady performance, but only against Real Madrid, only against Suker, does he consistently make wrong judgments and mistakes. As a single defensive midfielder, as the link between the midfield and defense, when Busquets has problems, it means Barcelona's defense will suffer heavy damage!"

In the stands, Barcelona fans held their heads in their hands.

They're trailing again!

This feeling is utterly terrible.

Leading but unable to win!

Trailing and unable to turn it around!

And then there's Busquets—

"What is he doing? Suker fooled him with just one feint?"

"Does he fall for feints that easily? This is just stupid."

"When we play Real Madrid in the future, this guy will be our weak point!"

"Sub him off! I don't want to see him anymore."

Barcelona fans loudly criticized.

Mourinho heard all these comments.

There was no helping it!

Is Busquets good?

Very good!

As a single defensive midfielder, as the anchor between midfield and defense, he always makes just the right judgments and choices.

He's a player who uses his brain to play.

But when a player who relies on his brain loses his head, the problems become significant.

Busquets usually plays without issues, but only against Suker does he frequently make mistakes.

This is because, over the past three seasons, Suker has constantly applied pressure on Busquets in match after match.

It's no exaggeration to say that Suker has become Busquets' nightmare.

Once a player like Busquets develops a mental block, it greatly affects his judgment and decision-making.

He isn't afraid of others, which is why he performs well against other teams.

But he is afraid of Suker, so when facing Suker, every muscle in his body is tense, every nerve is strained. In this state, his brain short-circuits, and he loses the sound judgment he normally has.

If Mourinho were Barcelona's manager, he would not hesitate to drop Busquets for matches against Real Madrid, opting for a more intimidating defensive midfielder, or even a double pivot to contain Suker.

But Guardiola clearly can't bring himself to do it—he doesn't want to abandon his Tiki-Taka!

And so, Busquets continues to be tormented by Suker. Under constant pressure, he will eventually break down one day.

In Mourinho's view, if Guardiola continues to use Busquets like this, Busquets' form will undoubtedly be destroyed by Suker.

Busquets needs a partner!

"Hey! What are you thinking about?"

Mourinho snapped out of it. He turned his head, opened his mouth, and started yelling:

"Idiot! Is that how you play? Even I could play better than you..."

Mourinho felt a sense of relief—he could finally openly insult Barcelona!

Faria glanced at Mourinho.

A smile also appeared on his face.

After the goal, the pressure instantly lifted, and it felt like the fourth title was within their grasp.

But soon, Barcelona's formation suddenly changed.

Xavi dropped back.

Barcelona began playing a 4-2-3-1 formation with a double pivot!

Just as Mourinho had said, Guardiola quickly provided Busquets with a partner in the defensive midfield line.

This made it much harder for Suker to break through Barcelona's midfield.

At the same time, with the formation change, Barcelona's attack became more threatening.

The 4-2-3-1 formation is essentially a variation of the 4-3-3.

But compared to the latter, it has more attacking attributes.

The three positions in the attacking midfield were occupied by Messi, Fabregas, and Iniesta, with Guardiola adopting a five-pronged attacking mode.

That's right!

Barcelona also started utilizing the rib areas.

This change caught Real Madrid off guard.

In the 23rd minute, Barcelona strung together a brilliant series of passes in Real Madrid's half.

Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, and Messi—the technical prowess and vision of these four seamlessly merged, culminating in Xavi playing a through ball to Villa, who finished with a one-on-one.

Villa went one-on-one with the keeper and chipped the ball into the net!

But that wasn't the end.

In the 28th minute, Barcelona struck again.

Messi dropped back to midfield to receive the ball, initiated a dribble down the wing, and cut inside along the edge of the penalty area, continuously pulling apart and disrupting Real Madrid's defense. Taking advantage of Ramos' aggressive advance, he suddenly pushed the ball forward and broke into the box.

Just as Srna decided to make a tackle, Messi quickly passed the ball back to Iniesta.

Iniesta shot from a tight angle and scored again!

"Goooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!!!"

"Iniesta! Barcelona has scored two quick goals to complete a comeback in the match!! What a brilliant game, an outstanding performance—this is the Barcelona we know!"

"After the 23rd minute, Real Madrid looked completely unsettled by Barcelona's sudden formation change!"

"And Barcelona seized this opportunity, scoring two quick goals to turn the game around!"

The entire Camp Nou erupted.

A hundred thousand Barcelona fans cheered and shouted.

The more frustrated they had been earlier, the happier they were now.

They've come back!

They've finally fucking come back!

Meanwhile, on Real Madrid's bench, Faria was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, constantly glancing toward the stands.

At that moment, Mourinho was being carried away by the ecstatic Barcelona fans to celebrate together.

Mourinho was also annoyed, but he couldn't show it and had to endure it.

At the same time, his mind was racing.

Suddenly, Mourinho's eyes lit up.

As the saying goes, all changes ultimately return to the core!

"Hey! That curly-haired guy up front!"

Faria turned to look at Mourinho.

Mourinho shouted insults; "Weren't you guys so arrogant just now? Come on! High press! Are we afraid of you? Inverting the wings is useless! Kaka dropping back is even more useless! And that Bale guy! He's a flop, completely useless. If he's so good, let him run!"

Please, Faria, you have to understand!

Faria pondered.

High press! Inverting the wings! Kaka dropping back!

Then activate Bale on the right wing!

Faria suddenly yelled back; "Bale is not someone for you to criticize! I'll have Srna help him!"

Mourinho was stunned and hurriedly said; "Will Srna be useful?"

Damn it!

Use your brain!

If we're high pressing, have Srna focus on pressing and defending!

Faria; "Kaka will help him too!"

Mourinho's eyes lit up: "Kaka is useless too!"

Faria: OK! It's Kaka!

So, Kaka drops back, Bell drops back.

Change from 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 formation.

"Idiot!"

Faria cursed and turned away.

Mourinho slowly let out a sigh of relief.

He hoped Faria understood!

A large fat man nearby stared blankly at Mourinho; "Do all British people insult like this?"

Mourinho's heart skipped a beat; "I like to hit where it hurts!"

The large fat man nodded; "Alright, I thought all British people were football hooligans!"

Mourinho grinned.

He turned his gaze to the pitch, his expression grave. The situation was not optimistic!

They had to stabilize the situation first!

Do everything possible to equalize before halftime.

He really didn't want to be trailing again in the second half.

If they could equalize before halftime, with Suker's dominance in the second half, Real Madrid's chances of winning would be much greater.

At that moment, Mourinho suddenly noticed someone on Barcelona's bench staring straight at him.

Yes, that person was Guardiola!

Before becoming a manager, Mourinho had worked as a translator for Barcelona. During that time, he had a very good relationship with Guardiola.

However, now, due to their respective roles and jobs, they had grown apart.

Moreover, after Mourinho stirred up problem, Guardiola had begun to dislike him.

But that didn't mean Guardiola wouldn't recognize Mourinho.

After all, they had been close friends who spent years together.

"I'm done for! I'm going to be recognized!"

Mourinho lowered his head. If he was recognized here, he was finished.

He had been shouting too loudly earlier, too easily drawing attention.

Don't recognize me!

Don't recognize me!

Don't recognize me!

Mourinho muttered under his breath!

He saw Guardiola pull his assistant coach over and point at Mourinho, seemingly discussing something.

Run quickly!

Mourinho immediately stood up and left.

"Hey! buddy, where are you going?"

The large fat fan asked.

Mourinho didn't look back; "I need to use the restroom!"

He could only use the pee excuse!

With that, he fled as if escaping.

Guardiola watched Mourinho's retreating figure.

"Right? I didn't recognize him wrong…"

Guardiola was both amused and exasperated.

So, this guy had been directing the game from the stands all along?

No wonder Assistant Coach Faria had such sharp instincts—it was Mourinho himself directing the game.

When Mourinho and Faria were "arguing," he had sensed something was off. The voice was too familiar.

Lucky he ran fast!

Otherwise, Guardiola would have definitely reported Mourinho, gotten him beaten up, and then called the police to rescue him.

Phew~~~~~

Guardiola let out a breath and turned his attention to the pitch.

Now that the annoying guy was gone, the game could return to normal.

Mourinho quickly made his way out of Camp Nou. He arrived at a corner near the edge of the pitch, took out his phone, and called the team manager.

"Leite, it's Jozé. Remember what I'm about to say. In the second half…"

Mourinho relayed his second-half plans to Leite in great detail.

He also listed out the timing for various substitutions and the choices Guardiola might make.

Mourinho's plan for the second half was very direct!

That was to set up the big cannon!

Everyone would focus on defense, forming the solid base for this big cannon.

When the time came, the big cannon named 'Suker' would lead them to storm the city and capture the fortress!

"I understand!" Leite finished recording and said; "Actually, you could have chosen to hide in the stand, like you did before!"

Mourinho; "You think I didn't consider that? But I was spotted by Josep. Given his personality, he would definitely insist on checking the stand."

Leite; "Alright, but is it really okay? If Guardiola reports you…"

"What grounds does he have to report me? Any evidence? I bought a scalper ticket; there's no evidence. And those foolish Barcelona fans only know me as Arsène!" Mourinho said proudly.

Hearing this, Leite fell silent for a moment; "If the Professor finds out about this, he'll fight you to the death!"

Mourinho; "Alright, the most important thing is that we must win—"

Whoooooooooosh!!!!!!!!!—

The entire stadium erupted in cheers, accompanied by intense boos.

Mourinho rushed to the entrance and saw on the big screen Real Madrid players celebrating and Suker raising his arms high.

Mourinho couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a slight smile.

"He really equalized! What an incredible guy!"

At Camp Nou, Real Madrid players were celebrating wildly.

Equalized!

They equalized again!

Another goal from Suker!

"Oh my! Real Madrid has equalized once again. After Barcelona came from behind, Real Madrid showed tremendous resilience. They used intense high pressing and finally forced a mistake from Barcelona's players. Busquets! His momentary hesitation allowed Bale to seize the opportunity to steal the ball, poking it directly to Suker!"

"And Suker immediately launched a counterattack, curling a shot from the edge of the penalty area into the net!"

"Barcelona 2:2 Real Madrid!"

"Just as the first half was about to end, Barcelona failed to hold on to their lead, allowing Real Madrid to equalize!"

The match had reached the 44th minute, with only one minute left in the first half.

Barcelona players were extremely disappointed.

They only needed to hold on for one more minute to take the lead into the second half.

But it's precisely at times like these that mistakes are most likely to happen…

Busquets looked bewildered.

This was already the second time he had made a mistake in this match.

Guardiola also watched the pitch, his face full of frustration.

This was the headache when facing Real Madrid.

Even when trailing, these guys would cling on like stubborn glue, constantly wearing them down, waiting for an opportunity to score.

Guardiola believed that Real Madrid's most terrifying quality was this resilience!

"However…"

Guardiola glanced toward the stands, where Mourinho was no longer visible.

"The trouble has been dealt with."

Guardiola turned his head and saw Suker tracking back.

Suker returned to the halfway line surrounded by his teammates, a greedy glint flashing in his eyes. This guy was still obsessed with scoring.

"Here… there's an even bigger trouble!" Guardiola's expression turned serious.

Suker in the second half would undoubtedly be a greater threat than the "troublemaker" Mourinho in the stands.