Leeds United intercepted the ball on the right side of the midfield line.
"Ashraf hands it off to Valverde."
"Then a cross to Bruno Fernandes, who switches it to the left wing."
"Alphonso Davies makes a very fast forward run."
As Leeds United's young left-back burst into Barcelona's left flank at lightning speed and caught up with Bruno Fernandes' pass, Barcelona's defense was still scrambling to reorganize.
But at that moment, Vinicius and Haaland had already moved into attacking positions in the central lane.
Barcelona's defensive structure quickly shifted toward Leeds United's left flank. Before Semedo could even get close, Alphonso Davies touched the ball forward, adjusted his stride, chased it down, and delivered a direct cross.
Barcelona's defensive shape clearly showed they were prioritizing the near post, so Alphonso Davies aimed his cross toward the far post.
Haaland accelerated past Lenglet and attacked the right side of the goal.
Lenglet desperately grabbed at Haaland's shirt to pull him back, but the fabric slipped through his fingers and Haaland could not be stopped. The Norwegian broke free inside the penalty area and connected with the cross.
Goalkeeper Neto tried to rush forward, but Haaland struck the shot early, catching him off guard. The ball went under Neto as he landed and slid into the left side of the goal.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"
"Leeds United score again in the 17th minute!"
"Haaland gets the goal!"
"2-0! Barcelona are in serious trouble!"
Camp Nou fell silent instantly.
Barcelona fans stared in shock as the Leeds United players sprinted in celebration. No one expected Leeds to score twice in less than 20 minutes.
This was definitely not a good sign.
In fact, it was a terrible omen.
...
"Haha, both of you guessed wrong."
In the stands, Gao Shen could not hide his excitement after watching Haaland score.
Lucas had predicted that Barcelona would hold on for more than half an hour before Leeds United scored again, but it now seemed he had been far too optimistic about Barcelona's situation.
"I haven't lost yet," Borrell said, looking at Lucas with a smug expression.
He hadn't predicted how long Barcelona would hold. He had only bet that Leeds United would score another goal before halftime.
And he still had a chance to win.
"Barcelona's situation looks bad tonight," Lucas said with a helpless smile.
Losing a bet was not the issue. The real problem was that Barcelona conceded their second goal far too early.
Leeds United's counterattacks were slicing through them with ease.
"The backline and the forward line are too far apart, and the midfield is disconnected. They can't control the rhythm at all," Gao Shen pointed out sharply.
This had long been a chronic issue for Barcelona.
Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Arthur, Roberto, Vidal, Coutinho and the others were all good players individually. Many were European-level talents, some even world-class.
But put together, they could not achieve the effect Barcelona fans expected.
From Van Gaal, to Rijkaard, to Guardiola, Barcelona's tactical system had developed through inheritance and refinement. Though modified over different eras, the core ideas and characteristics remained consistent.
For example, one of Guardiola's greatest strengths as a coach was high pressing.
This style had appeared during Van Gaal's two spells, and it had been used by Rijkaard as well.
The match that left the deepest impression on Gao Shen was a game in which Rijkaard's Barcelona completely crushed Real Madrid. Their high pressing suffocated the Galácticos.
Guardiola then elevated Barcelona's ball control and pressing system to its peak.
The system already had the foundation during Rijkaard's era through midfielders like Deco and Xavi, but it lacked the player for the number four role.
Old fans surely remember how badly Barcelona lacked a defensive midfielder back then, even forcing Xavi to play that role at times.
Even the famous second-half surge after Edgar Davids joined was largely because Davids played as a midfielder, not a number four, and provided pressing and aggressiveness in midfield.
Under Guardiola, with Yaya Toure and Busquets in that role, Barcelona's tactical system finally became complete.
What pushed Barcelona's possession system to its peak was the trio of Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets, with Messi ahead of them.
That combination was almost unbeatable.
But now, Iniesta was gone. Frenkie de Jong and Arthur had not integrated well. Roberto could not receive and carry the ball upfield. Barcelona's midfield no longer supported the attack.
Against weak teams, they could still dominate. Against strong teams, the problems appeared. Against elite opponents, the midfield could not balance attack and defense at all.
In this situation, Barcelona relied on Messi dropping back.
But this sacrificed Messi's threat, forcing him to serve as a link between midfield and attack, organizing the play himself.
Barcelona tried to fix this.
Felipe Anderson was signed to improve wing play. Coutinho was signed to provide midfield mobility. Griezmann was signed to link midfield and attack.
Every signing had a purpose, revolving around freeing Messi.
Only when Messi was free could Barcelona regain their threat in big matches.
But all these players struggled with integration.
The same was true for Frenkie de Jong and Arthur.
Barcelona spent hundreds of millions. They were not blind to the need for renewal. They had the courage to change.
But the biggest problem was that everyone, including Messi, had become accustomed to the entrenched style Barcelona had repeated for two decades.
What is this like?
Like playing longtime Werewolf veterans against new players.
People who have played Werewolf or Murder Mystery know exactly what this looks like.
When a game raises the barrier to entry and becomes confusing for newcomers, it naturally declines in popularity.
Old players keep using terms like "shield blocking," "golden water," "silver water," and "badge flow," while newcomers sit in confusion.
Barcelona today was exactly like this.
Pique, Messi, Busquets and the others were veteran experts. Frenkie de Jong, Vidal, Lenglet and the others were confused newcomers.
A typical example happened in the 24th minute.
Seven minutes after Leeds United scored their second.
Messi dropped deep to receive the ball but was tightly marked.
Valverde closed him down first, blocking his direct route. Four Leeds United players formed a cage around him and cut off his passing lanes.
Messi used his skill to shift inside.
Freeze the frame, and you would see Messi already initiating his move while Frenkie de Jong, who should have been in the best receiving position, was still casually jogging nearby.
This showed flawed understanding.
Frenkie de Jong assumed Messi would dribble by himself.
Messi often did.
Carry the ball forward, beat a man, and only pass if necessary.
Frenkie de Jong had no involvement.
But after just two steps, Valverde pinched in and Sancho collapsed onto Messi as well.
Two players sandwiched him, Messi lost balance, and Leeds won the ball.
Sancho broke away with it, and Leeds launched a rapid counterattack.
Messi shouted at Frenkie de Jong, who quickly ran back but could not help in time.
Leeds were too fast.
Sancho drove diagonally into the box, then slipped the ball to Haaland near the penalty arc.
With his back to goal, Haaland controlled and spun in one motion, showing the results of his improvement this season.
Haaland pressured Pique at the edge of the box.
He had four options: go right, find Sancho, shoot himself, or pass to Bruno Fernandes. But there was an even better choice.
After drawing Pique and Lenglet toward him, Haaland played a diagonal pass to the left side of the penalty area.
Vinicius accelerated, took the ball on his left, and without adjusting his right foot, side-footed toward the far corner.
The shot flew past Neto and slammed into the bottom right corner.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!"
"In the 24th minute, Vinicius scores again for Leeds United!"
"3-0!"
"In less than half an hour, Leeds United's young players have produced a breathtaking attack."
"Haaland's pass was clean and decisive, perfectly weighted."
"Vinicius finished with composure."
"These young Leeds United players have truly left a deep impression."
...
In the stands, Gao Shen could not contain his excitement. He stood and applauded the young Brazilian's goal, and he felt genuinely happy for Haaland's improvement.
The Norwegian's work ethic was well-known at Leeds.
When Gao Shen turned back, he grinned at Lucas and Borrell.
"You, and you, one meal each. And I want a feast!"
(To be continued.)