Football: Starting from the Ronaldo Template

Chapter 243: Liverpool’s condemned Atkinson missed a penalty kick!

Beep! ! !
With the referee's whistle, the game officially begins!
Chu Feng kicked the ball back to Matic.

Manchester United's formation quickly expanded and they used the width of the field to move forward. Although Mourinho said before the game that he would focus on defense, it did not mean giving up the ball without limit.

If they can seize the start and catch Liverpool off guard, Manchester United's next game will be very easy.

Of course, Klopp also took precautions in advance. He did not let Alexander-Arnold start, but chose Klein, who is more defensively stable, because he considered that Manchester United might start the attack.

Pogba on the left received Matic's diagonal pass. He originally wanted to use his personal ability to break through, but there were already two defensive players surrounding him.

Under the defense of Salah and Wijnaldum, Pogba finally chose to go straight to the wing.

"The football has been transferred to Rashford's feet. Since he returned to the left winger position, his condition is getting better day by day!"

"Catching the ball with my back, smooth action!"

Facing Liverpool's crazy running flow, there is no meaning in passing and controlling. A fast pace must be used to prevent Liverpool from building a complete defense line.

Unfortunately, Van Dijk in front of the goal reacted very quickly and blocked the ball back into the penalty area with his head.

In fact, his physical fitness is not as good as Chu Feng. After all, the physical functions of a 30-year-old are definitely not as good as those of a 20-year-old.

"A head-to-head confrontation between the two!"

"Oh, Van Dyke reacted and followed up very quickly!"

But Van Dijk's defense is very distinctive.

Just respond with goals.

Chu Feng steadily stopped the ball in front of him and took a stance to take a long shot!
Van Dijk did not "retreat" anymore, but quickly came forward, compressing Chu Feng's shooting space.

as predicted!

"After all, with an average height of 182cm, Manchester United players will have a greater advantage when competing for high-altitude balls."

So he decisively picked up his right foot and hit the football hard!

After Rashford passed Klein, he looked up on the left side of the penalty area and spotted Chu Feng's figure at the front of the penalty area.

"You bastard in Manchester, isn't that your area? Why didn't you score the ball?"

"Just a few minutes into the game, Xiao Chu contributed a shot."

This is Van Dijk's defensive art: compressing space!

During the dribbling process, Chu Feng looked up and observed his surroundings and found that his teammates were tightly guarded and there was no suitable passing route.

In the chaotic battle, Chu Feng took advantage of his long legs and took the lead in tipping the ball towards the goal with his toes.

Suddenly, he noticed that his and Van Dyke's positions were quickly drawn closer.

And it’s hard to find shortcomings.

"Corner kick, pay attention to your position!" Chu Feng ignored the Liverpool fans and waved to the Manchester United players.

Not to mention how happy the Liverpool fans were to see Manchester United's core players being restricted. They put on mocking expressions and laughed with various hand gestures.

The shooting space that was forcibly grabbed was not of high quality, and the ball was blocked by Alisson from the bottom line.

According to the established corner kick tactics, Manchester United players quickly positioned themselves to confront Liverpool players.

But Alisson was ready, turning sideways and grabbing the ball between his hands.

But he did not lose all his center of gravity, but controlled his speed.

Although he has only been in the Premier League for a year and a half, he has encountered similar situations many times and is used to being ridiculed by opponent fans in away games.

Seeing that the attack was fruitless, Chu Feng loudly urged his teammates.

The formations of the two teams swarmed toward the Manchester United half in unison. After Alisson got up from the turf, he threw the ball directly to the right with great force.

Mahrez passed the ball to the front of the penalty area with his left foot. Maguire, who was inserted in the back row, rushed fiercely and squeezed away Fabinho and Naby Keita. His forehead was printed on the football.

Chu Feng tried to break through with explosive power, but found that Van Dyke was following him.

"Did you waste too much energy on women last night?"

Zhan Jun's passionate voice sounded, arousing the fans' heartstrings.

"Xiao Chu's classic fake cum and real dunk!"

"Bang!!!" The football roared towards the goal.

He is used to occupying space and forcing the opponent to choose the worst offensive method, and then attack or destroy.

From this point of view, Manchester United and Liverpool have the same offensive tactics.

"So far this season, Manchester United has scored 11 goals through set pieces, ranking first in the five major leagues. This shows that Manchester United uses set pieces very efficiently!"

"Come on, take a look at Manchester United's corner kick, see if there is a chance to change the score!"

So he didn't hesitate and hit the middle decisively.

Today, Van Dijk is close to the peak of his career. There is no doubt that he is at least the top three among active central defenders in football.

"Back to defense! Back to defense!"

"Look at the power of your shot. It's not as good as my grandma!"

Wijnaldum and Pogba had a fierce confrontation. The former took advantage of the first move and jumped up to head the ball to Salah in front!
Liverpool also have to use an extremely fast pace to tear apart Manchester United's unformed defense.

Even though Salah was pulled by Ramos last season, causing serious injuries to his shoulder and back muscles, he is still able to explode with terrifying speed.

"The only player in the five major leagues who has scored more than 30 goals but has not won the Golden Boot."

This is the media's evaluation of Salah. Although Salah doesn't care on the surface, in fact, he has long wanted to meet Manchester United again and prove that he is better than Chu Feng.

Worried about being directly passed by Salah, Luke Xiao did not rush to grab recklessly, but turned sideways and quickly retreated to the backcourt.

Use space in exchange for time to allow your defensive players to position themselves.

"A very sophisticated defensive strategy! Since Luke Xiao suffered a serious injury, his speed is far less than before, but his defensive skills are more mature."

"But in fact, he is only 23 years old!"

"It can only be said that injuries are the biggest enemy of football players!"

After entering the 30-meter area, Luke Xiao leaned slightly to the outside, revealing his route to the hinterland.

Salah took advantage of the situation and moved into the middle.

"In the absence of space, only appropriate physical confrontation and marking restrictions can minimize Salah's role."

This is what Mourinho said before the game.

Matic was already well prepared, seizing the gap between Salah's touch and getting close to him!

In desperation, Salah could only pass Fabinho back.

The Brazilian midfielder from Monaco has a stronger desire to attack than the average midfielder, and he also has excellent vision.

If it were another team, it would be difficult for him to exert his full strength.

But Klopp's run-and-gun tactics covered up his shortcomings and made him the most critical flag for Liverpool's offensive and defensive transitions.

Fabinho passed the ball directly without stopping.

The football accurately fell to the left side of the penalty area, and the two little black eggs started a speed contest!
Although Mane has a bad temper, there is no doubt about his strength. Even if Wan-Bissaka was specially trained by Chu Feng, it would be difficult for him to keep up with Mane's rhythm.

So he used the simplest method, rushing towards people but not the ball!

Soon the two got entangled and both fell to the ground.

"What the hell do you want to do?" Mane got up and without saying a word, pressed Wan-Bissaka's head.

"What?" Wan-Bissaka shot back, "Fuck you!"

Players from both teams immediately gathered around.

Clashes broke out at the start of the game, making Anfield even more noisy, with fans from both sides showing international goodwill gestures and cordially greeting each other's families.

Atkinson arrived belatedly and pointed toward the sidelines.

Throw-in ball.

The Liverpool players immediately changed their goals and put pressure on the referee with words.

This is their home court, so even if they don't blow the home whistle, they still favor Manchester United, which is absolutely unacceptable.

Who knew that Atkinson was very resolute, "Gentlemen, I have my own penalty standards. If you surround me again, you will definitely receive a yellow card."

"As long as the penalties are consistent, we won't have any objections." Van Dijk pulled away from the violently beaten Mane.

After the chaos on the field ended, the game continued.

Liverpool has a hand throw coach, his name is Gronemark, who has studied hand throw tactics and techniques for 15 years.

He believes that the hand throw is a powerful killer in the final third.

There was once a video widely circulated on the Internet, in which a person threw a ball 50 meters using a backflip. That person was Gronemark.

Naby Keita wiped the ball clean with his jersey and retreated directly to the advertising board.

The results are very dramatic.
"Naby Keita stepped on the line with his right foot and was punished by the referee for a violation." Zhan Jun was furious.

Zhang Lu next to him made a joke: "This player's appearance doesn't look very smart."

"However, Naby Keita is very suitable for Liverpool, because the current industrialization of Liverpool's midfield has led to stagnation in progress and breakthroughs in the middle."

"Neither Wijnaldum, Henderson nor Fabinho have the strong ability to move forward and pass threatening balls."

"Naby Keita's main responsibility is to promote the game. He also performed well in the previous games. He may be too nervous to participate in the double red for the first time."

Zhang Lu gave a few explanations.

In the commentary box of Sky Sports next door, Rooney laughed and said: "Hahaha, Steven, this guy is still wearing the No. 8 jersey. Do you have any thoughts?"

"No!" The corners of Gerald's mouth twitched crazily.

Neville and Carragher were also bickering, attracting the attention of many fans.

The camera turned back to the green field.

The Liverpool players were unable to complain and finally regained the ball, but it was returned easily.

But don’t be too harsh.

The next game became more intense, and due to Atkinson's penalty scale, there were endless fouls on the court.

In less than ten minutes, the frontcourt players of Manchester United and Liverpool were covered with grass clippings and dirt, looking very embarrassed.

As the game entered 20 minutes later, Liverpool ushered in its strongest stage, and Anfield seemed to be filled with heavy metal music. Manchester United's overall formation retreated to its own half and set up a dense defense within a thirty-meter area.

Mourinho's idea is very simple. Through reasonable tactical arrangements, Liverpool will be introduced into positional warfare to fight Liverpool's defensive counterattack.

After all, Liverpool has the "Black and Gold Trident", and Manchester United also has Rashford, Chu Feng and Mahrez on the front line. If they really compare, Manchester United should be better.

The tactics did achieve good results, but Mourinho soon discovered something was wrong.

Because Salah began to hold the ball less time, and instead began to distribute the ball, move, and pull, becoming more team-oriented.

Liverpool's attack also gradually shifted to the left.

When he wanted to remind him, it was already too late.

Naby Keita received a pass from Fabinho on the left and passed by to avoid Kovacic's pressing.

After advancing a few meters, he stuffed the ball directly into the edge of the penalty area.

Firmino, nicknamed "Jade Faced Man", is different from a serious center. What he is best at is distributing the ball.

His ability to control the ball in front of the penalty area is absolutely world-class.

"Half-turn and take the ball to the left baseline? Are you preparing to shoot from a small angle?"

"no!"

Firmino and Mane's cross-positioning successfully disrupted Manchester United's defense.

Liverpool No. 9 made a cross from an inverted triangle, and Liverpool No. 10 followed up with a shot into the near corner. The football got into the Manchester United goal without any suspense!

1-0! ! !

Anfield instantly erupted into deafening cheers, and tens of thousands of Liverpool fans couldn't help but stand up and wave their arms wildly.

The feeling of putting the ball into the enemy's goal sends everyone into a frenzy.

The shame of being defeated twice by Manchester United last season and stepped on by Manchester United can finally be paid back today!
Carragher in the commentary box also shouted excitedly.

"Mane! Beautiful push! He is the hero of Anfield!"

"In the 27th minute of the game, Liverpool scored first!"

"The signings of 1.68 million euros have solved the problem of lack of creativity in Liverpool's midfield and made Liverpool one of the strongest players in the Premier League."

"Manchester United, what are you going to win with!?"

Neville next to him was silent. Although he had confidence in Manchester United, he couldn't help but worry. After all, the cost of losing the bet was too high.

He doesn't want to be the laughing stock of English football for the next 20 years.

Gerrard also smiled very happily and glanced at Rooney provocatively, "It turns out that Naby Keita is qualified to wear the No. 8 jersey."

Rooney also remained silent after hearing this.

Chu Feng looked at Ma Nei, who was kneeling gracefully, and couldn't help wiping the sweat from his forehead. Van Dyke indeed put a lot of pressure on him, but he didn't restrict himself to death.

The crux of the matter should be in the midfield.

Manchester United's midfield defensive intensity is too low, and it is easy to make mistakes during positional battles. If it were the previous Liverpool, no one could deliver the football forward, and this goal would definitely not be scored.

But the addition of Naby Keita improved this problem.

"It would be great if Herrera was on the court." Chu Feng said secretly in his heart. Unfortunately, Herrera was injured in the Club World Cup and could only sit at home and watch the game.

He didn't say any words of encouragement because today was a double red meeting and every Manchester United player didn't want to lose.

Beep! ! !
The referee blows the whistle and the game restarts.

Liverpool were unyielding and launched a crazy press. They seemed to regard themselves as hungry beasts, and the football was a delicious prey.

It was very difficult for the Manchester United players to deal with it.

First of all, they have just returned from the United Arab Emirates, and they cannot compare to the Liverpool players in terms of physical fitness and condition.

The second is the weakness of the midfield.

Liverpool players frequently use their personal abilities to compete one-on-one with defensive players, and even after losing the ball, they will quickly counterattack on the spot.

Either to prevent Manchester United's quick counterattack, or to interfere with Manchester United's backcourt play.

Mourinho frowned on the sidelines. He also discovered the problem in the midfield.

The defensive abilities of Pogba and Kovacic are too weak, and their defensive enthusiasm is not high. They are double-teamed by many people during the attack, which leads to the disjoint of Manchester United's overall formation.

The forward players are isolated in the frontcourt.

Mourinho couldn't think of a good way for the time being. He could only ask Rashford and Mahrez to retreat and use their numerical advantage to make up for the midfield gap.

Time passed unconsciously, at the 34th minute of the first half.

Salah dribbled in the frontcourt and saw the opportunity to shoot a long shot with his left foot. Although the power was not enough, the angle selection was extremely appropriate.

"Beautiful! De Gea!"

"World-class save to keep the city open!"

"I found that De Gea always showed far superior strength when facing strong teams."

Zhan Jun sighed.

"What about the World Cup against Portugal?" Zhang Lu teased.

"Well, that's a special situation."

Zhan Jun beat haha.

Just five minutes later, Bailly's attack was effective, taking the ball away from Mane and passing directly to Kovacic.

Kovacic and Pogba have similar technical styles, with excellent ball control and the ability to break through and create opportunities with the ball.

Continuous touches of the ball shook Naby Keita away.

Players near Liverpool quickly provided support, but Kovacic did not stick to the ball and handled it neatly.

Snapped!
The football was like a precise scalpel, coming to Liverpool's right rib.

"Nice pass!"

"Although Kovacic plays less time, his passing success rate is 86.2%, which is higher than 92% of midfielders!"

"Also averaging 8.01 passes per game!"

As the camera moved quickly, Mahrez entered the picture. He started to hit the ribs diagonally, followed closely behind him was Robertson.

As we all know, Liverpool's two full-backs have unlimited rights to move forward.

Because Klopp's tactical default is to break the deadlock in the frontcourt through full-backs.

Therefore, Liverpool's full-backs are not very strong defensively.

For example Arnold and Robertson.

Robertson was caught off guard and was thrown away, and he could only grit his teeth and chase after him.

But Mahrez has cut inside into the middle.

Pretend to shoot but actually pass!

Everyone's eyes followed the football, and they discovered that the end point was Manchester United's No. 7!
"Don't let him turn around!" Van Dyke yelled anxiously.

Since he stepped forward to block Mahrez's shot, Lovren could only be asked to mark Chu Feng.

But he knew how strong Chu Feng was. No matter how his opponent tried to defend, he could always find a loophole and hit him with a fatal blow!
It's a pity that he reminded him a little late.

Chu Feng leaned firmly against Lovren with his back, and the movement of the football was in his field of vision.

How to complete the shot in a limited space?
He subconsciously thought about three-dimensional space.

Lift your right foot up slightly to unload the ball, and use the momentum to exert force in the opposite direction.

Snapped!
The football jumped from Lovren's left side like a leaping elf, and Chu Feng completed a gorgeous turn!

Manchester United fans have stood up and are ready to cheer after the goal.

But the next second, Lefulun found that he had missed the ball, and his body slammed into it with force.

Chu Feng lost his balance and fell to the ground, and the football slowly rolled out of the bottom line.

"no problem!"

Atkinson flagged down Liverpool's goal kick.

"He deliberately hit from the outside and ruined my chance to attack with the ball. Shouldn't it be a penalty kick?" Chu Feng got up from the turf, ran to Atkinson, and asked angrily.

Manchester United players also gathered around.

But no matter how Chu Feng explained, Atkinson remained indifferent.

"Grass!" Chu Feng cursed secretly.

However, he looked at the captain's armband on his upper arm, suppressed the anger in his heart, and called on the Manchester United players to go back to defense.

There is no point in worrying about these now, and the referee will not change the penalty.

The Manchester United fans in the stands were also very annoyed and booed Atkinson, but they were quickly covered up by the cheers of the Liverpool fans.

Lovren breathed a long sigh of relief.

He was prepared for a yellow card and a penalty kick, but he unexpectedly escaped.

"I think this is a penalty kick foul. Lovren made an obvious foul action on Chu's side. He prevented Chu from facing the goalkeeper alone in the penalty area!"

Neville spat.

"I think there is no problem. The referee is considering whether the impact is strong enough to make Chu fall to the ground." Carragher's face turned red. "Obviously, no!!"

The two had a heated argument over this issue in front of countless online viewers.

The game on the field has restarted, and with only a few minutes left before the end of the first half, Klopp decisively chose to reduce the intensity of the attack and take the lead into the halftime break.

Things went as he expected.

After Manchester United missed a great opportunity to equalize, they never threatened Liverpool's goal again.

Mourinho simply called it quits, spent the final stage peacefully, and then looked for opportunities in the second half.

Beep!
Not long after, the referee blew the whistle and the first half was over!

(End of this chapter)