Starting With Real Madrid

January 25th, Etihad Stadium, Manchester.

In the second leg of the League Cup semi-final, Manchester City hosted Liverpool.

As the away side, Liverpool played a deep, compact formation throughout the match, frustrating Manchester City's attacking efforts time and time again. But the home team remained patient, keeping possession and controlling the tempo.

Until the 56th minute of the second half.

Liverpool won the ball near the edge of their own penalty area and passed it into midfield, finding Mascherano.

The Argentine midfielder played it to Biglia, but Manchester City's counter-pressing forced Biglia to return the ball to Mascherano, who then turned and passed to the right.

On Liverpool's right side was Martin Kelly, a 21-year-old full-back. Standing 1.91 meters tall, he wasn't the most agile player. Mascherano's quick pass to the flank caught him off guard, and he struggled to control the ball initially.

By the time Martin Kelly turned and chased the ball down at the sideline, Gareth Bale—starting on the left wing—had already closed him down and blocked the pass, forcing the young defender to quickly pass the ball back.

Bale nearly poked the ball away.

Kelly was lucky to recover in time, turning his body to shield the ball from Bale.

One of the characteristics of Manchester City's pressing is their aggressive trap on the wings. When the ball moves into tight spaces near the touchline, it becomes the ideal pressing zone. Once the trap is set, players around the ball collapse in simultaneously.

As Kelly turned to shield the ball and looked to play it back to Skrtel, he noticed David Silva had stepped up, cutting off that passing lane.

The difference between young and experienced players is often composure. Kelly panicked when he saw his intended pass blocked and felt Bale pressing from behind. It looked like Silva and Bale could trap him any second.

He rushed his decision. Not daring to hold onto the ball, he hit a long back pass toward goalkeeper Reina.

But the ball flew past Skrtel and straight into the penalty area.

Any experienced defender knows this kind of long-distance back pass is extremely risky.

It shouldn't be too strong or too fast, or it might result in an own goal.

But if it's too soft or slow over a long distance, the window of vulnerability increases significantly.

All it takes is a striker to break into that lane.

Just like Van Persie did.

The Dutch striker had been lurking between Liverpool's two centre-backs, Skrtel and Agger. When Skrtel shifted left to support Kelly, Van Persie followed, looking to double up with David Silva.

But he always stayed level with Skrtel to avoid being offside.

When Silva cut off Kelly's passing option and Kelly looked to pass back, Van Persie saw the chance.

In that situation, the only available pass was to the goalkeeper.

So Van Persie broke forward decisively.

There's no such thing as offside when intercepting a back pass!

In that moment of panic, Kelly didn't check his surroundings.

He just launched the ball back.

The moment he kicked it, he felt a chill run down his spine.

He saw a figure in a sky-blue shirt sprinting into the box.

Goalkeeper Reina immediately realized the danger and rushed out.

But Kelly's back pass was neither fast nor strong. As soon as it entered the box, Van Persie intercepted it cleanly with the outside of his left foot. The ball stuck to him like glue as he sidestepped Reina, who was rushing out, and glided along the baseline.

Reina was completely beaten. In that situation, there was only one option left—no option.

A foul would mean a red card and a penalty.

So the Spanish goalkeeper froze, then quickly turned and tried to recover.

Van Persie, after beating Reina, sprinted to the left side of the six-yard box. Near the baseline, he caught up with the ball and smashed a left-footed shot.

The ball rolled toward the goal in a straight line.

Reina stretched out to save it, but it was too late.

Agger had raced back and attempted a sliding clearance, but he missed. The ball kissed the inside of the left post and crossed the line.

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!"

"In the 56th minute, Liverpool's iron defense finally cracked under Manchester City's relentless pressure!"

"Martin Kelly's errant pass gifted Van Persie a golden opportunity. The Dutch striker rounded Reina and slotted home to give Manchester City a 1-0 lead!"

"Van Persie! The scorer for Manchester City tonight!"

After scoring, Van Persie wheeled away in celebration, sprinting toward the corner.

The Etihad erupted, roaring his name.

1-0!

Liverpool's wall was finally breached.

…

January 28th, noon, Anfield Stadium, Liverpool.

In the fourth round of the FA Cup, Liverpool hosted Manchester City.

The atmosphere was intense from start to finish.

In January 2012, these two teams had now faced each other four times—once in the league, twice in the League Cup, and now in the FA Cup.

In the previous three meetings, Manchester City had two wins and one draw. They were unbeaten.

This match would decide who advanced in the FA Cup. After falling short in the league and League Cup, the FA Cup was Liverpool's only hope for silverware. Benítez went all in.

Both sides scored in the first half.

The rest of the match remained tense and balanced.

City dominated possession, but Liverpool's defense remained disciplined.

Gao Shen made several substitutions in the second half to try and change the tempo.

When the match reached the 88th minute, the score remained 1-1. Neither team had managed to break through again.

City pushed forward into Liverpool's final third.

Yaya Touré received the ball near the edge of the arc. He used his body to shield Mascherano, calmly held the ball with his right foot, and waited until Biglia stepped in to challenge.

Then he lobbed the ball forward into the top of the penalty area.

Substitute striker Giroud, who had dropped deep with his back to goal, held off Daniel Agger and met Yaya Touré's pass. He used the inside of his left foot to lift the ball delicately.

Giroud's flick beat Skrtel and dropped into the left side of the six-yard box.

Sturridge came racing in from behind Skrtel at top speed. Before the ball could bounce, he met it with a left-footed volley, blasting it into the right side of Liverpool's net.

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!"

"Manchester City! Another late winner!"

"This time, it's Sturridge!"

"The homegrown forward, a product of Manchester City's academy, latched onto a clever flick from Giroud and volleyed home the winner!"

"2-1!"

"At a crucial moment in a punishing fixture schedule, City's squad depth once again made the difference. Sturridge delivered when it mattered!"

"Three days ago, in the League Cup semi-final, Martin Kelly's back-pass error gifted City a goal. Tonight, he lost track of Sturridge again."

"But to be fair, Kelly can't be blamed entirely. At 1.91 meters, it's tough for him to match Sturridge in a foot race!"

"Manchester City's tactical flexibility continues to shine. In key moments, they always seem to find the right player to make a difference."

"Giroud and Sturridge—tonight's match-winners for City!"

…

Before the nightmare schedule of Christmas and winter truly kicked in, many doubted Manchester City.

They believed it would be impossible for the team to compete on all fronts. It was simply too much.

But just how brutal was it?

From December 26 to January 28, Manchester City played nine matches in 34 days.

That included five league matches—away to West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland, home to Liverpool, away to Wigan Athletic, and home to Tottenham Hotspur.

Two League Cup semi-final legs against Liverpool.

Two FA Cup clashes, against Manchester United and Liverpool.

Out of these nine games, only West Brom, Wigan, and Sunderland weren't top-five sides. Every other opponent was elite.

This schedule was so difficult, The Sun called it the most grueling run in Premier League history.

Some outlets even claimed Manchester City wouldn't survive. They said the team had to choose between competitions.

But a month later, everyone saw the truth.

Manchester City survived!

In the League Cup, they won one and drew one against Liverpool over two legs to reach the final.

Their opponent in the final? Leeds United, who beat Cardiff in both legs.

It's already being billed as a showdown between master and apprentice.

The Sun even called it a "civil war" between the Gao Shen couple.

But regardless of the drama, Manchester City are the heavy favorites. Leeds will struggle to threaten them on any front.

In the FA Cup, City knocked out Manchester United and Liverpool to advance to the Round of 16.

And after enduring a brutal run, the draw finally offered some relief. They were paired with Championship side Brighton.

The match is being marketed as a battle between Premier League wealth and Championship ambition.

Let's see who's richer.

As for Leeds United, after their upset win over Arsenal, they fell 3-2 at home to Aston Villa in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

The League Cup dark horse couldn't pull off another shock in the cup.

Still, Leeds United's performances have turned heads. Beating Arsenal and reaching the League Cup final was impressive. Their attacking style and breakout players have caught attention.

But concern is rising.

More and more Premier League clubs have started targeting Leeds United's players.

(To be continued.)

***

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