Wembley Stadium, London.
League Cup Final, Leeds United vs Tottenham Hotspur.
It was a game with few surprises, yet full of unexpected delights.
Even before the match, everyone had more or less concluded that Tottenham, facing a Leeds United side in red-hot form, would surely adopt a defensive counter-attacking strategy.
And indeed, Mourinho did employ a defensive counter-attacking tactic.
The Portuguese manager still fielded a 4-2-3-1 formation, aiming to strengthen the defense and wait for opportunities to strike on the counter.
However, what was surprising was that although Spurs managed to stabilize their defense, they failed to create any threatening counter-attacks.
Everyone knows Leeds United excels at high pressing and suffocating the midfield. It's their trademark.
At Wembley, Pochettino's team continued to employ this style, but with some key differences.
Valverde's injury and absence disrupted Leeds United's midfield structure.
Many wondered whether Pochettino could find a suitable replacement for Valverde.
After all, there aren't many players in the squad as versatile as Valverde.
But unexpectedly, instead of a like-for-like swap as many expected, Pochettino decisively adjusted his tactics.
On paper, it still looked like a 4-3-3, with a midfield trio of Enzo Fernandez, Tchouaméni, and Pedri. However, in the actual match, Enzo played closer to Tchouaméni.
Tchouaméni was positioned deeper, stationed right in front of the two center-backs.
The two full-backs pushed up boldly to join the attack, linking up with Rashford and Sancho on the wings.
So in practice, Leeds United played more like a 2-4-1-3.
Pedri operated in a more advanced role, given a lot of freedom. You could even say he lingered behind the front three, focusing on distribution and providing service.
This created a new midfield setup: Enzo as the deep-lying playmaker, Pedri responsible for passing and making late runs into the box, and Tchouaméni focused on interceptions, shielding the defense, and even dropping into the backline when needed.
More importantly, Leeds maintained a high defensive line and pressed aggressively in the attacking third.
This made life very difficult for Spurs.
Technically and in terms of ball control, they were outmatched by Leeds United.
As a result, an interesting scenario emerged: Leeds completely controlled possession and tempo, while Spurs were pinned back and unable to mount any real counter-attacks.
Son and Lucas Moura had to track back to help their full-backs, and even Abraham dropped deep to receive the ball, which prevented Spurs from creating any real danger in the final third.
But Mourinho is, after all, a defensive master. Although Spurs offered nothing going forward, their defense was extremely compact, giving Leeds no real chances.
Thus, a unique scene unfolded in this much-anticipated League Cup final.
Spurs focused solely on defending, without any attacking threat. Leeds dominated possession and pressed high, registering far more shots, yet struggled to create truly dangerous chances.
Both teams' tactics were only half-successful. "Mourinho is still good at defending."
In the stands, Gao Shen couldn't help but smile as he observed the situation.
It was already the second half, and Spurs had only taken one shot. That says a lot about how much pressure they were under.
But the problem was, they still hadn't conceded.
Leeds had many shots, but the center-back duo of Thiago Silva and Alderweireld performed brilliantly.
Højbjerg and Winks, the two holding midfielders, also played bravely, and even Bruno Fernandes tracked back actively to help with defending.
In this respect, Mourinho still did a great job.
"Are you really sure he can make good use of Messi?" Wenger suddenly asked with a sly grin.
Everyone around burst out laughing.
This was all because the Qatari consortium wanted to sign Messi to build momentum for the World Cup.
Surprisingly, Mourinho really believed that signing Messi would massively boost Spurs' attacking threat.
"Honestly, I just can't picture Messi under Mourinho," Gao Shen chuckled.
With a guy like Mourinho, he might even turn Messi into a defensive midfielder.
That would be insane.
Mourinho has always had trouble utilizing naturally gifted players.
Or rather, he's not good at managing this type of player.
You can't really blame him for that. Coaches are human too. They each have their strengths and weaknesses.
But if he truly wants to sign Messi, he must be out of his mind.
"I told him not to dream too big!" Gao Shen laughed and swore.
If Messi really wanted to join a team backed by the Qatari consortium, then it had to be Paris Saint-Germain, to link up with Neymar.
To be honest, the competition in Ligue 1 is also less intense. If PSG had Messi, their chances of winning the Champions League would increase, and they might finally break through.
Messi coming to the Premier League wasn't impossible, but considering his age and the fact that he was preparing for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, had he really thought it through?
Even at Guardiola's Manchester City, the pressure would be immense.
For a 34-year-old like Messi, the intense grind of the Premier League would only make it harder to shine at the World Cup.
"Your young lad is playing quite well. He reminds me of David Silva. Are they from the same place?" Ferguson asked, pointing at Pedri.
Pedri's performance this season has been outstanding.
"They're both from the Canary Islands. Jesé from Real Madrid is too," Gao Shen said.
How to describe it?
Pedri is the type of player who looks extremely intelligent on the pitch. He has excellent technique, great ball control, and very composed passing. But if you watch closely, you'll notice something special.
His playing style is unusually mature.
This doesn't mean he lacks room for improvement. Rather, he plays in a very steady and controlled way.
Whether it's passing, movement, or defending, he's very balanced and composed.
He's a bit like a more agile, Spanish version of Toni Kroos.
Even though he's still young, he plays with remarkable maturity, which naturally draws attention.
"I've been watching him for a long time too," Wenger chimed in with interest. He has always had a soft spot for talented youngsters like this.
"He might not look flashy, but he often delivers the unexpected when given the chance. He's not your typical playmaker. Actually, I think pairing him with Enzo Fernandez tonight is quite interesting. He's a magical kid."
Wenger made no secret of his admiration for the two Leeds midfielders.
Tonight, Leeds had good structure but lacked cutting edge in attack.
Not because they were too weak, but because Spurs' defense was simply too tight.
This was Mourinho's team, after all.
"Will Haaland be shut down by Thiago Silva again tonight?" Ferguson chuckled.
The old man seemed to find amusement in others' struggles these days.
Since joining Spurs, Thiago Silva had truly grown stronger with age, becoming more cunning as the years went by.
"I think he still has a chance," Gao Shen replied, full of confidence in Haaland.
Knowing Haaland's ambition, he wouldn't let himself fall into the same trap twice.
From the opening whistle, it was clear Haaland was playing with high intensity.
Even now, he was still constantly seeking opportunities.
Tottenham's second shot of the entire game didn't come until the 75th minute.
A quick counter-attack was stopped by the retreating Saliba, who conceded a corner on Spurs' left side.
That was Leeds United's right side.
Son jogged over to take the corner, sending it straight into the box.
Rúben Dias reached the ball first, but under pressure from Alderweireld, he couldn't clear it very far.
Tchouaméni quickly moved into position, headed the ball out of the box, then surged forward to chase it down.
At that moment, there weren't many Leeds players outside the box.
The reason was simple: once Spurs' corner was cleared, their players stationed outside the box quickly dropped back.
Everyone knows how fast Leeds can counter, so Spurs didn't dare take any chances.
Tchouaméni caught up with the ball and drove forward with long strides.
Haaland and others also sprinted upfield.
Tchouaméni seized the moment and played a pass to the right wing, finding Sancho.
Sancho suddenly stopped, didn't continue forward, but instead cut inside and played it back to Haaland.
By this point, Spurs' defenders had already retreated into the box.
Put simply, Mourinho knew Pochettino too well. He wasn't about to take any risks.
He would rather give up attacking than leave his goal unprotected, so he pulled everyone back immediately.
Haaland received the ball and faced Winks directly. Pedri was making a run nearby into open space.
The Norwegian quickly passed it off and changed direction, cutting diagonally toward the left edge of the box.
Pedri took the ball, saw Haaland's pass and also spotted Thiago Silva and Alderweireld blocking the way. He came to a sudden stop.
He wasn't tall or particularly fast, but he had one big advantage: extremely short braking distance.
Pedri stopped instantly and even stepped on the ball.
It felt like he had eyes on the back of his head. He spotted Haaland's diagonal run and flicked the ball backwards immediately.
Normally, defenders try to read the passer's intentions. But for someone like Pedri, who dares to pass backwards, it's really hard to predict.
Haaland was also sprinting full speed. He didn't even try to control the ball.
He stepped in and swung his left foot, smashing a low shot.
The ball skimmed across the grass with incredible pace, drilling into the bottom left corner of the Spurs goal.
Lloris stood frozen, not even able to attempt a save.
(To be continued.)