Changing subs is like changing knives.
For a whole first half, Bayern had not launched any truly effective attacks.
But as soon as the second half started, they were already threatening Liverpool's penalty area.
Müller succeeded in beating the offside trap. Alisson charged out, and Müller passed horizontally to the center.
Noel, holding off a Liverpool defender, burst through the encirclement to get on the end of it.
Facing an empty goal, even my grandma could have scored, let alone the world's number one, Noel.
The Bayern fans were already preparing to cheer.
Including Isagi and the others watching in the interception room, they all thought this was a sure goal.
This match was not over yet.
However, thunder suddenly erupted in the penalty area. Liverpool's superstar, Tendou, shot out from the crowd at almost the same time.
No nonsense.
Just before Noel's foot could smash into the ball, Tendou threw his body forward a step ahead and, with a precise tackle, cleared the ball out of the box.
Swish~~~
Tendou and Noel fell to the ground at almost the same time, sliding across the grass for some distance.
"Now we're even, world's number one."
Tendou grinned.
He was, of course, referring to the shot that Noel had blocked back in Blue Lock.
"I should have had the club bring you to Bayern Munich at all costs back then."
Not for results, but to have someone who could threaten his own position.
This way, he, who was already the strongest in the world, could continue to improve under pressure.
"I'm not in the habit of being a supporting player for someone I've beaten."
Tendou continued to provoke him, but Noel was unmoved.
That match, they had indeed lost, but a match of that nature was, at best, just for entertainment.
"Brag to me after you've won this match."
Tsk!
Poker-faced guys are so troublesome.
Tendou hated this kind of poker-faced guy the most. It was as if nothing could disturb him.
A corner kick opportunity for Bayern.
Müller sent the ball into the box, and the 1.93-meter-tall Tendou out-jumped Noel to clear the ball.
2:0!
The numbers on the scoreboard seemed to be welded in place.
Liverpool continued to attack down the two wings.
The two sides went back and forth. Although there were no more goals, the scene was much livelier than in the first half.
Although Liverpool's possession rate still reached 70%, firmly pressing Bayern, the Southern Kings were now like a venomous snake, always waiting for a chance to deliver a fatal blow to Liverpool.
However, they could never get the chance.
Müller swore that the Liverpool he had seen before was not like this.
This was perhaps the change that TJ had brought to Liverpool.
To get a 50 million Euro value on his first entry on Transfermarkt, and purely from his league performances.
By the end of the Champions League, if he continued to play with his current stats of 1 goal and 1 assist per game, his market value would probably soar to 80 million Euros after the season.
Müller saw the shadows of many people in Tendou.
Because he seemed to be almost omnipotent.
Kaká's explosive power in the center, CR7's shooting technique, De Bruyne's passing, and the most heaven-defying thing was his step frequency, which had actually reached Messi's level.
One had to know, for a player of his build, step frequency had always been their biggest weakness.
But Tendou's step frequency...
His talent was too astonishing.
And that was just on offense. On defense, there were all sorts of predictive interceptions, tackles, and headers.
As elegant as the "Soul of the Rossoneri," Paolo Maldini.
He was too difficult to deal with.
To break the balance on the field, they had to do something about this young man.
After thinking for a few seconds, Müller communicated with his teammates in German.
Liverpool took a throw-in.
Müller and Martínez immediately went for a pincer.
From the side, Thiago abandoned his defense on Mané and moved horizontally to close in.
Bayern was trying to seal his passing lanes, forcing Tendou to shift the attack to the two wings.
No need to ask.
There was definitely a trap there.
Bayern was just waiting for him to run straight into it, so they could immediately launch a fast counter-attack on the wing, not giving Liverpool a chance to organize an effective defense...
Or, to put it more bluntly, they wanted to cut off his connection with Robertson and the other defenders.
Because, in that previous attack, without Tendou, Bayern's attack would have already succeeded.
Tendou's mind held the entire pitch and the future of everyone on it.
Facing Müller, he dribbled towards the left wing.
This was the result Müller wanted.
Seeing that he had taken the bait, Müller did not press tightly but left space for Tendou to pass.
Who knew that Tendou would suddenly charge forward without any warning.
In front were Martínez and Müller. Behind was Thiago.
A flash of lightning exploded from Tendou's body.
"Thunderclap and Flash!"
"Triple!"
And.
Tap-tap-tap!
The terrifying step frequency, combined with the explosive power boost from Thunderclap and Flash, allowed Tendou to complete a scalp-tingling dribble.
The fans couldn't even see clearly what had happened. They only saw Tendou charge quickly towards the 3 Bayern defenders.
The moment of contact, the ball seemed to dance at his feet.
The next second, Tendou, in his red Liverpool jersey, had already shot past Martínez and Müller.
"What kind of step frequency is that?!"
Martínez was dumbfounded.
A 1.93-meter-tall person, dribbling like Messi?
Are you fucking kidding me?
"TJ!"
"He's beaten three! Facing the encirclement of Müller, Martínez, and Thiago, he broke through!"
"My God! His feet looked like they were having a seizure!"
"Can you believe it?"
"That's a move made by an athlete who is 1.93 meters tall!"
"This is talent! Un-copyable talent!"
The BBC commentator was spitting all over the place.
This was absolutely a criminal-level dribble.
Without a second thought, Müller turned and immediately went for a slide tackle from behind.
Having been beaten one-on-three, he had already sketched out a terrible picture in his mind.
At a time like this, he would rather commit a foul than let Tendou get past.
But it was too late.
Tendou had already predicted his action. He didn't need to adjust.
Tendou's left foot smashed into the bottom of the ball. The ball bounced off the pitch and curved into the Bayern penalty area.
Müller's tackle hit empty air.
Looking up, he saw Klopp raising both hands.
This was the creativity Klopp wanted: a single pass that was enough to slice through the enemy's defensive line.
Müller looked over.
The world's number one god-keeper, Neuer, had already charged out quickly.
This sweeper-keeper's defensive range was the largest of any goalkeeper in the world, and even in history.
But Salah was faster. After catching up to the ball, he went for a chipped shot.
The ball flew over Neuer and bounced into the Bayern goal.
"TJ!"
"A long pass after a one-on-three!"
"A beautiful rainbow curveball!"
"Neuer is coming out!"
"Salah catches up to the ball!"
"A chipped shot!"
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!!"
In the 68th minute of the match, Tendou performed a heaven-defying one-on-three on the left and passed the ball into the space behind the Bayern defense.
Salah scored with a chipped shot.
3:0!
Liverpool had almost sealed the victory.
At Anfield, tens of thousands of Liverpool fans had long since leaped to their feet.
A jumble of songs, meaningless roars, like an exciting symphony.
After scoring, Salah immediately ran over and jumped on Tendou. The others also surrounded them at the first moment.
Klopp?
The Anfield farmer's three punches reappeared!
"So... so amazing!"
In Blue Lock, Teieri Anri's sleepiness was completely gone.
This stunning dribble had made her bite her lip in astonishment.
Ego Jinpachi was silent, but the pupils behind his glasses had already dilated.
The game of football is an art of time and space.
This was one of Johan Cruyff's football philosophies.
Passing the ball immediately after a dribble had disrupted Bayern's deployment, not giving them enough time to get back on defense.
The final landing point of the pass and Salah's run...
It perfectly matched Cruyff's football philosophy.
Utilizing time and space to the extreme.
"Time and space are just toys at his feet!"
After a long time, Ego finally spoke.
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"