Real Madrid has adjusted!
Guardiola frowned slightly; Real Madrid's adjustment speed was a bit faster than he had imagined.
Moreover, they still hadn't scored a goal so far.
The best outcome would naturally be to equalize or reverse the aggregate score through the success of this tactical play.
However, Real Madrid's adjustment was within expectations. For these top teams, their ability to adjust is very strong, just like in the last match, Bayern Munich quickly adjusted to Real Madrid's continuous tactical plays, and Real Madrid is in the same situation.
But this is not something that can take effect immediately just by adjusting.
Guardiola's gaze focused on Muller.
In fact, compared to stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Götze, who are obvious, Muller's role is often more effective.
Muller is not a technically excellent player in the traditional sense, but his positioning, football IQ, and understanding of the situation can always bring surprises to the team.
Most importantly, Muller is not the player Real Madrid targets. Real Madrid is willing to spend a lot of energy focusing on Cristiano Ronaldo, but they won't spend the same energy watching Muller.
And in this situation, Muller often achieves surprising effects and results.
At this moment, under Guardiola's gaze, after constantly turning his head to observe, Muller actually began to move towards the central area.
This kind of movement does not belong to a wide player.
But Muller running like this actually vacated the wide position.
This allows their own full-backs to push forward smoothly, and even the midfielders can move closer to the wide area.
Muller, on the other hand, constantly moved between the half-space and the central axis, positioning himself slightly behind Cristiano Ronaldo, forming a link-up point.
Even if the link-up doesn't succeed, he can become a sudden attacking assassin.
Guardiola was very surprised by Muller's 'nose' for the game. He had also asked Muller how he made his judgments, and Muller's answer was simple: 'Feeling'!
Guardiola's understanding of this was 'instinct'.
Some players are just like that; they have an innate sense of space. The game environment can form a three-dimensional projection in their minds. Although they can't explain why, they always manage to run into open spaces, or even actively create open spaces.
This is a risk-creating ability!
And this is the embodiment of talent!
Muller possesses this talent!
Muller moved constantly. Casemiro needed to pay attention to him, but watching this guy run back and forth in front of him, and not seeing him touch the ball many times, made him incredibly annoyed.
If Muller touched the ball, Casemiro could follow up and restrict him.
If Muller didn't touch the ball, Casemiro could ignore Muller.
But this guy was just between touching and not touching the ball, creating a sense of annoyance.
He was just hovering in front of you, but you couldn't ignore him.
Just then, the ball was passed forward.
Muller shouted, "I'm coming!"
Casemiro instinctively followed, but then realized that after Muller shouted, he stood still, not moving.
When Casemiro arrived, Muller was still motionless.
The ball just slipped past, directly to Cristiano Ronaldo's feet.
The latter took a powerful shot, which Ramos barely blocked with a sliding tackle.
"What a pity!"
Muller shook his head, lamenting the missed opportunity.
When he turned his head, he saw Casemiro's eyes wide open, fuming like an enraged bull.
Is something wrong with him!
If you're not touching the ball, why are you shouting nonsense?
At this moment, Muller actually smiled at Casemiro and shrugged.
Honestly, Casemiro really wanted to punch this guy; he was so damn annoying.
"The match has entered a white-hot stage, with both sides trying to score first. Real Madrid is using a strong attack on the left wing, while Bayern Munich is using wide crosses, but in this process, Muller's movement has indeed caused no small impact on Real Madrid, especially Casemiro, who seems unsure how to choose. Facing this type of player, it's difficult to achieve a complete restriction, because Muller's play is half-truth, sometimes a real threat, sometimes just a pure decoy!"
As the commentator said, Casemiro was indeed feeling very annoyed at this moment.
Muller was like a fly buzzing around him, impossible to catch, impossible to shoo away, incredibly irritating.
This guy would also occasionally shout loudly to attract his attention.
Even if it was just a momentary shift in attention, in a match of this level, every moment can lead to problems.
Therefore, Casemiro, as the lone defensive midfielder, felt somewhat stifled.
When the defensive midfielder position cannot serve as a shield for the backline, the pressure on the backline greatly increases.
Casemiro was feeling somewhat disoriented.
Muller attracted too much of his attention, allowing Tiago to distribute the ball freely from the central midfield position, with too few restrictions.
In top-tier matches, any moment of ball distribution can become crucial, so this was very bad news for Real Madrid.
Suker was watching from upfront, feeling a bit anxious.
But he also had no choice; he was an attacking player by position. Although he had some defensive duties, he wouldn't drop back to his own half, which wouldn't provide them with much help.
Football is a team sport of eleven people, requiring cooperation.
Suker could score goals for the team in an attacking position, but he couldn't do everything, both attack and defend.
This still needed his teammates to overcome themselves!
Seeing Casemiro struggling, Kroos and Kaka also dropped back some distance to help Casemiro share some of the defensive pressure.
With the addition of the two of them, the situation finally improved somewhat.
Panting! Panting!
Casemiro was constantly panting, his head turning left and right. He needed to focus on Tiago and also keep an eye on Muller.
Just then, Tiago pulled the ball and turned in the left area, a pull that perfectly evaded Kroos's defense.
And facing an opportunity to thread the ball down the wing, Tiago actually chose to curl a shot with the outside of his foot.
The ball just threaded through the gap in the crowd and rolled towards the space behind Casemiro.
At this moment, Casemiro and Muller started almost simultaneously, but in terms of explosive power, Muller had the edge.
Seeing that he couldn't control the ball first, Casemiro decided to foul Muller if necessary to stop him.
As Muller was about to control the ball, this guy slightly lifted his body, used the sole of his foot to stop the ball, fixing it in place, while his own momentum carried him forward, also tricking Casemiro.
"Damn it!"
Casemiro cursed loudly; he had just turned around.
Götze burst in from the diagonal, receiving the ball and immediately threading a pass forward.
And this threaded pass perfectly supported Muller's forward run.
The one-two combination actually breached Real Madrid's defense.
"Oh~~~ dangerous!"
Muller quickly caught up with the ball. He turned to look at the penalty area and then forcefully pushed the ball across with his left foot.
The ball zipped into the six-yard box. At that position, with that speed, Casillas had no time to save.
And by the time the ball entered the six-yard box, Cristiano Ronaldo had already been waiting there for a long time.
He met the ball with a gentle push.
Swish!!
The ball went into the net.
"Oh~~~~ My God! A fluid attacking pass, and Muller has become the absolute hero of this goal."
"That ball trap and forward run were so beautiful; they completely disoriented Real Madrid's defense. They reacted, but they were always a step too slow!"
"And by the time Real Madrid reacted, the ball had already been swept to the front of the goal, and Ronaldo easily slotted it in!"
"This is Muller's impact; he always manages to pull off these unexpected attacks, and his positioning is unpredictable."
"Many people mock Muller's rough technique, but this guy possesses extremely high football IQ and positioning ability. He can, in this situation, play to his strengths and help the team score goals."
"This is a very crucial goal for Bayern Munich. This goal has leveled the aggregate score for them, but due to Real Madrid's two away goals, they are still trailing, so they still need to intensify their attack!"
"Judging from their current form, this possibility will greatly increase!"
Bayern Munich finally scored a goal.
A goal in the 31st minute, not too fast and not too slow, just perfect.
And Guardiola's tactics had paid off.
Muller and Götze's cross-runs were deadly, especially in their ability to confuse Casemiro, which had a crucial effect.
This goal also indicated that Bayern Munich would increase their attacking intensity going forward.
The offensive was like a floodgate opening; once it gained momentum, even the smallest cracks would widen and burst until fully unleashed.
After the match restarted, Bayern Munich's attack became even more ferocious.
They were playing completely unleashed.
Their cross-runs were not limited to just the two flanks; even Cristiano Ronaldo joined in, making Real Madrid's defense increasingly chaotic.
As for Casemiro, he was already lost in the chaos.
"Bayern Munich is targeting our single defensive midfielder!"
Zidane's expression was grave.
Ancelotti remained silent; he also understood the core of the problem, but it wasn't something that could be resolved with on-the-spot instructions.
Kroos had already dropped back, but the problem still wasn't solved.
This meant that Real Madrid had to make adjustments.
"A substitution?" Zidane asked.
Ancelotti thought for a moment, then shook his head.
Substitutions would only surrender the initiative, especially in the second half when adjustments are made through changes.
Every substitution slot was crucial!
Now, they could only trust the players on the field.
"Hold on!" Ancelotti whispered.
The match continued, with Bayern Munich's offense surging, wave after wave!
Their performance in attack, in particular, became even sharper after the previous goal.
Even both full-backs began to push forward frequently, posing a threat to Real Madrid's defense.
Under a continuous barrage of passes, Cristiano Ronaldo was in full throttle, becoming the biggest threat in front of the goal.
It was the 42nd minute of the match.
Just as the first half was about to end, a sudden turn of events occurred.
Most of Götze's flank attacks were blocked within the penalty area, so crosses weren't very effective.
At this moment, Götze made a choice.
He horizontally pushed the ball parallel, directly into the open space in the central area.
And there, Lahm surged forward, not even stopping the ball, and unleashed a low shot directly at the ball.
The ball burrowed into the crowd, and in the confusion, its trajectory was completely unclear.
Only after a thudding sound did the net behind Casillas begin to tremble.
Casillas stiffly turned his head, realizing the ball had already entered the net.
"Goal!! Another goal!! Lahm! At a crucial moment, Bayern Munich's captain Lahm stepped up, becoming the key player of this match. This long-range shot, after a deflection inside the penalty area, ultimately found its way into the goal. Bayern Munich scored their second goal of the match, completely overturning the aggregate score!"
"Currently, Bayern Munich leads Real Madrid 3-2 on aggregate! They have truly achieved a reversal of the situation."
"In the first half, two consecutive goals, twice breaching Real Madrid's goal!"
"The suspense of the match has flipped again. Bayern Munich has one foot in the Champions League final, they are truly marching towards retaining the Champions League title."
The appearance of the second goal completely ignited the passion of Bayern Munich's fans.
Although the away fans were not numerous, their intense cheers filled the entire stadium.
In contrast, Real Madrid's fans were filled with worry and tension.
They still had confidence!
They had played many matches from a disadvantage.
But the feeling of worry still couldn't be stopped.
After all, their opponent was Bayern Munich, also a top European team; the probability of a comeback could not be compared to other teams.
Most importantly, could Real Madrid successfully adjust?
What kind of adjustments would they make?
With these questions, the match transitioned into the half-time break.
Players from both teams entered the player tunnel one after another. Through the camera, it was clear that Real Madrid's players had extremely grave expressions.
After all, conceding two goals at home, and playing extremely passively, their mood naturally couldn't be good.
However, their fighting spirit had not dissipated!
Just like the previous saying, it was still too early to make Real Madrid surrender.
Inside the changing room, Ancelotti walked in and immediately clapped the tactics board to quiet everyone down.
Once the changing room was quiet, Ancelotti began:
"We played very passively in the first half, and I won't say much about the reasons!"
As he spoke, Casemiro lowered his head, knowing it was his own problem that led to the passive situation.
"Playing passively isn't just one person's problem, but a problem with the entire team," Suker suddenly said, which prompted others to speak up as well.
"I also have areas where I didn't do well."
"We must reflect and make adjustments!"
"Besides our own duties, we also need to pay attention to others and provide appropriate help!"
"Guys, believe in yourselves, we can do it!"
Amidst the encouraging voices, everyone's mood gradually changed.
Suker spoke again: "In the second half, give me more through balls!"
His words were few but concise.
They all understood that this was a premonition of Suker's outburst.
Whenever the situation was behind, especially in the second half, Suker was always the trustworthy teammate.
"But honestly, Muller has indeed caused us quite a bit of trouble!" Kaka said; "Someone must mark him!"
Muller had become the key to this match; his runs indeed made it difficult for Real Madrid to perform.
"Yes! So we will adopt a double defensive midfield setup in the second half!" Ancelotti stated: "Kroos will drop back and play parallel to Casemiro. Besides your passing duties, you also need to help Casemiro share some defensive pressure. Whichever side Muller runs to, that side's defensive midfielder will follow him and put pressure on him!"
"We've let him play too easily; as long as we apply appropriate pressure, his effectiveness will quickly diminish!"
"If he still wants to be effective, he can only penetrate into the penalty area, but if he does that, we'll be even better equipped to deal with him."
Everyone nodded, agreeing with Ancelotti's choice.
"There will be no substitutions at halftime, but at the 60-minute mark, we will make substitutions. Pato, Isco, go warm up."
Looking at Ancelotti's choices for warm-up, everyone was a bit surprised.
This was to strengthen the midfield and attack, not the defense.
Normally, strengthening the defense would be the logical flow.
But currently, Real Madrid was trailing; they needed to attack.
There was another issue: playing against Bayern Munich, pure defense was simply ineffective.
They had to consider the overall picture, combining both offense and defense.
Both sides needed attention; whether offense or defense had problems, Bayern could seize the opportunity and launch threatening attacks.
"Finally, there's the attacking problem," Ancelotti sighed: "Clearly, Bayern Munich understands our attacking patterns very well, especially the sudden switch after a left-wing attack; they've handled it very well."
Benzema: "Are you saying we need some changes in our attack?"
Looking at Benzema's expression, he seemed to be vaguely anticipating something.
"Changes are necessary, but the general direction won't change; the left wing will still be the preferred attacking point, but how to create an attacking environment is the question."
"Therefore, Karim and Gareth..."
Ancelotti looked at Benzema and Bale: "You two need to make some sacrifices!"
The two exchanged glances, showing no strong reaction to this.
They were used to making sacrifices.
Moreover, the sacrifice was to allow Suker to have a better environment.
And based on Suker's ability and effectiveness, they were willing to make such sacrifices.
"What should we do?" Bale asked.
Ancelotti said in a deep voice: "Create space, allowing Suker more room to operate and more opportunities to hold the ball."
Benzema: "But then Suker will be targeted!"
At this moment, Suker spoke up: "They can't stop me!"
He said it with full confidence.
Ancelotti also nodded: "Just as Suker said, Bayern cannot limit Suker. Once Suker gets the ball in the attacking third, Bayern Munich's defense will inevitably contract inwards, and the resulting width on the wings will be the key for us to exploit!"
Finally, Ancelotti said in a deep voice: "Gentlemen. We cannot make any more mistakes!"