It was true that Paris Saint-Germain's attack had developed some cracks since Neymar's arrival, but that had nothing to do with Neymar himself. If anything, it was more likely an issue with the head coach.
"When a team has so many star players, the head coach should clearly assign roles like penalty takers and free-kick takers. Only then can you avoid situations where players fight over penalties or free kicks on the pitch."
"If the head coach has already set the order and a player still tries to break it, then he should face the proper consequences. That is how a team should be run."
"A team has to function properly before it can produce good tactical results on the pitch."
As Paris pushed forward, Leo Lin could clearly feel that their front line was playing too much as individuals. There were hardly any clever combinations in tight spaces.
Every Liverpool player was following the same tactical idea: defend first, especially through the middle, where Neymar was the primary target.
But once they sensed that Paris's attack was not as threatening as expected, Liverpool began to show signs of counterattacking.
"Since the start of the match, Liverpool's positioning has been very clear, especially up front. Leo Lin is playing very high. He is not in a traditional attacking midfielder position, nor is he playing as a second striker. At times, he is almost level with Firmino, and at other times, he drops back."
Leo Lin's movement was far too flexible, and he was covering a huge amount of ground.
To stay with him, Verratti was forced to run all over the pitch. But Leo Lin's runs had a purpose, while Verratti was simply chasing him without direction.
Long stretches of aimless off-the-ball running would gradually make Verratti lose his sense of position. That was exactly what Leo Lin wanted.
In the 29th minute.
"Liverpool launch an attack through the middle!"
"Driving forward down the center!"
"Wijnaldum carries it himself, one-on-one against the defender, and he goes for it!"
"Wijnaldum beats his man!"
"Firmino comes to receive."
"A one-two, and it goes back to Wijnaldum!"
"Now it is played out to the right, to Leo Lin!"
"Beautiful build-up through the middle!"
"Clearly, with his recent run of starts, Wijnaldum's technique has improved!"
With a fine piece of dribbling, Wijnaldum carried the ball all the way from the back into the attacking third, forcing Rabiot to track deep and catch up with Leo Lin.
Leo Lin received the ball and faced Rabiot head-on. One-on-one.
His lively footwork moved the ball with him. Rabiot stared at Leo Lin, but he could not read the movements of his feet at all.
He did not dare stick a leg out rashly, because the moment he did, he would be beaten.
After two feints in a row, Leo Lin suddenly exploded to the left, using his right foot to carry the ball in the same direction.
He opened up the angle.
Rabiot shifted with him, but he could not match Leo Lin's first burst.
A brief pocket of space appeared, with less than half a second to adjust. But for Leo Lin as he was now, that was enough.
He struck from distance.
No hesitation.
Buffon twisted his body and flew across goal.
"Great shot!"
"Great save!"
"Buffon keeps out Leo Lin's effort!"
"Liverpool's attack there was almost unreasonable. First Wijnaldum forced his way through, then Leo Lin forced the one-on-one and shot the moment he found space!"
"Liverpool have clearly targeted the middle in this match, and they are attacking it with real determination!"
Scholes had guessed correctly. Klopp's plan in this match was to break through the middle and hammer Paris's central zone.
Because Neymar was playing as an attacking midfielder, as long as Liverpool attacked the center fiercely enough, Neymar, who was also stationed there, would be forced to drop back and defend.
If he did not drop back, his chances of receiving the ball would decrease, weakening his threat.
When it came to targeting the opponent, Klopp could only be ranked second. The only person shameless enough to claim first place was Krawietz.
As luck would have it, both of them were Liverpool coaches.
Paris Saint-Germain's front line could not threaten Liverpool's goal, and the more they played, the more disjointed they became. Meanwhile, Liverpool began to tighten their grip on the tempo in the attacking third.
The contrast between the two teams was enormous.
With their teammates pulling defenders out of position, Leo Lin and Wijnaldum repeatedly created shooting chances through the middle. Their intelligent movement left Rabiot and Marquinhos struggling to cover everything at once.
Although Neymar took the initiative to drop back and help defend, his defensive ability and attacking ability were complete opposites.
In the 40th minute, after a long spell of pressure and attrition, Liverpool once again worked the ball into the attacking third.
"Paris Saint-Germain threatened Liverpool's goal with their attack early on, but they soon revealed their problems. The longer they played, the more chaotic they became. Liverpool, on the other hand, have grown into the match, building up their advantage little by little."
"And honestly, Joe Gomez has looked very good since starting this match."
"Ocho is clearly more confident than before as well. His turning speed is still a weakness, but with Van Dijk covering him, Cavani has not had many chances."
Scholes watched as Liverpool launched another attack. Leo Lin carried the ball through the middle and went straight at Rabiot, while Wijnaldum stood on the left without offering himself as an option.
His job was to draw Marquinhos away and create space for Leo Lin.
Neymar stayed diagonally behind Rabiot. The two of them were defending against Leo Lin.
Mané and Shaqiri, one on the left and one on the right, stretched the pitch as wide as possible, ensuring that Paris Saint-Germain's central area was left with only two center backs and two midfielders.
Everything was ready.
Now it was time for Leo Lin to break through the middle.
Facing Rabiot, Leo Lin started forward, taking long strides as he dribbled toward the right.
Rabiot and Neymar moved at the same time, preparing for an interception. But the very reason Leo Lin chose the right was because Neymar was positioned on that side.
As the two of them moved, Rabiot's lateral movement was clearly hindered slightly by Neymar.
Leo Lin used that chance to shake off Rabiot first. Then he faced Neymar head-on and drove forward again, one-on-one.
His speed was not especially fast, but his rhythm changed constantly. Leo Lin kept altering the tempo of his dribbling, speeding up and slowing down, and somehow forced his way past Neymar.
Immediately after that, Leo Lin changed direction from the right and broke back toward the center, facing the two center backs head-on.
This time, he chose to go left, toward Kimpembe's side, avoiding Silva's defense.
Scholes already had a sense of what was about to happen. On the surface, it looked like Leo Lin had chosen the right direction of attack, but in reality, Paris Saint-Germain's defense was far too open.
They had actually allowed Leo Lin to choose the most comfortable route forward, and they were utterly powerless to stop him.
Leo Lin felt as if he had become one with Anfield.
Focused on dribbling.
Focused on breaking through.
Facing Kimpembe, Leo Lin performed a stepover, baiting him into sticking out a leg. Then he touched the ball with his right foot and pushed it into the penalty area, right past Kimpembe's outstretched left leg.
Leo Lin completed the central breakthrough.
He was at an angle to goal.
He swung his leg and fired diagonally.
Then Scholes's shout rang out.
"Lin!"
"Now that is what it means to lead a team on your own!"
"Now that is what it means to be a Midfielder!"