Football: Starting from the Ronaldo Template

Chapter 307: Manchester United was kicked into a desperate situation
Beep!
The loud whistle sounded again.

Manchester United stabilized the tempo after the kick-off, and Liverpool did not take the initiative to attack because they had already achieved their pre-match goals.

At least it ended in a draw and with an away goal.

And they are still in the lead.

It is Manchester United who should be anxious now. They absolutely cannot accept losing at home, and pressing forward to attack is inevitable.

In this way, there will be enough space behind Manchester United's formation for Liverpool's strikers to launch a quick counterattack.

Most fans think that Mourinho's defensive counterattack is unique, but they don't know that Klopp is also good at defensive counterattack.

Klopp once coached Mainz, a relegation team, so the dominant tactics in the early stages of his coaching career were often solid defense. It was also during this period that he developed his own unique defensive counterattack concept.

Based on players with strong running and acceleration abilities, a highly mobile defensive counterattack system is built.

Klopp stood in the coaching command area, wearing a black baseball cap, watching the green field closely.

The Liverpool team he spent four years to build now has the ability to stand at the top of Europe.

Even if Manchester United is standing in their way, he still thinks Liverpool can win.

Even in his future blueprint, he plans to increase the depth of the bench next season to compete with Manchester City and Manchester United for the league championship.

After all, compared to the Champions League title, the Premier League title means more.

Because it can help Liverpool break the endless doubts.

"The overall formation needs to shift to the right and be careful of the Manchester United players running forward in the middle."

Klopp said to his assistant coach.

The assistant coach nodded and ran to inform the Liverpool players.

As time continues to pass.

73nd minute of the second half.

Chu Feng's long shot was saved by Alisson and Manchester United got a corner kick on the right side.

The strong teams in European football will never miss a set piece because it is an easier way to score a goal.

Manchester United is no exception.

Mahrez held up three fingers, meaning he would kick forward.

at the same time.

Manchester United players moved quickly, Rashford ran to the back point and Maguire rushed from outside the penalty area.

As for Chu Feng, he made a circle and ran from the center of the penalty area to the front point.

However, Liverpool's defense was not chaotic, and everyone kept their eyes on their own goal.

Van Dijk followed behind Chu Feng, with Robertson in front to assist.

"Just give it a try."

With this mentality, Chu Feng jumped up and shook his head, trying to head the ball to the left.

But Van Dyke was very sneaky and followed up with a push.

This resulted in Chu Feng's contact with the ball being inadequate and his strength being inadequate.

In the end, the football missed the goal and flew over the crossbar and out of the bottom line.

"Compared to the last time the two teams met, Liverpool's defensive strategy has changed a lot. They no longer try to completely restrict Chu Feng, but try to interfere as much as possible."

“It turns out this strategy is very effective.”

Carragher's analysis is very logical.

Although Neville didn't say it, he agreed with Carragher in his heart.

Before Manchester United fans had time to feel sorry for the header, they saw Liverpool launching another fierce attack.

The same scene happened again.

Arnold received the pass from Alisson and made a long pass to Robertson on the other side.

Chu Feng suddenly realized Liverpool's intention, gestured to David Luiz, and at the same time called on his teammates to retreat quickly.

This time Liverpool pushed forward deeper on the left side, probably not because they were inclined to attack from the right side, but to avoid Ashley Young who had just come on the field and to besiege the younger Wan Bissaka.

"Liverpool's frontcourt players have blurred their roles, making their attack more unpredictable."

Chu Feng didn't expect that Liverpool would undergo such great changes in just a few months.

However, according to the original trajectory of the world, Liverpool has indeed exploded recently, not only winning the Champions League, but also only one point behind Manchester City in the league.

Chu Feng looked back while running.

He found that after Robertson received the ball, he did not continue to advance, but chose to pass it straight.

The ball passed between Matic and McTominay.

"Firmino!"

“The central hub of Liverpool’s attack, will he look for Mane or Salah?”

Firmino did not turn around, but passed the ball back to Henderson, which left many people puzzled.

In fact, Liverpool currently has two main offensive tactics.

The first is to push the entire formation to the right, pushing Mane to the false nine position.

The second was Henderson's forward run.

Firmino played the role of wingman, using his back as a wall to seek cooperation and cause chaos in the opponent's midfield.

As for the ultimate goal?
It is to give Mane on the weak side a better environment to hold the ball!

Henderson received the ball and made a light pass.

The football fell to the left side of Manchester United's penalty area like a rainbow!

Mane once again burst out with terrifying speed and withstood the physical confrontation with Wan Bissaka.

On the surface, he made a shooting gesture, but in fact, after Wan Bissaka made a tackle, he hooked the ball back towards the penalty spot with his left foot!

“Spiritual processing!”

“But no one followed up in the middle and David Luiz cleared the ball.”

"Why do I feel like Manchester United is a bit of a mess?"

Carragher scratched his head in confusion.

Neville frowned worriedly. He also discovered Manchester United's problem. It was not that the players performed poorly, but more that their tactics were targeted.

Especially Liverpool's offensive transitions on the left and right wings.

Manchester United seemed unable to keep up with Liverpool's pace and could only fall into an extremely passive defensive state.

"Manchester United's control of the second point is quite tight, giving Liverpool no chance to continue attacking. Let's see if their counterattack can be effective!"

"McTominay passed the ball decisively, cooperated with Matic on the side, and then passed it to Pogba in front. The advancement on the left was very smooth!"

Pogba received the ball but did not pass it.

He also found that Manchester United's attack was blocked, so he wanted to use his personal ability to open up the situation. As long as he could get past one or two defensive players, his teammates' ball holding environment would be much better.

But this is dangerous in Mourinho's view.

As Manchester United advanced into Liverpool's territory, the top priority was to keep moving forward rather than staying in one place for too long.

Otherwise, if Liverpool intercepted the ball, the offense and defense would be switched instantly.

Manchester United was in an offensive formation, and there was enough space left in the backcourt for Liverpool players to play.

Mourinho really got what he feared.

Compared to Pogba, Fabinho is not inferior in physique.

Besides, he is also a defensive midfielder.

It can be said that among Liverpool's backcourt players, the Brazilian is second only to Van Dijk in importance.

Pogba used his long legs to pass the ball back and forth, and when the opportunity arose he rushed to the right.

Fabinho seemed to have predicted Pogba's move, and he half-turned in advance to block his position and pass the ball to Matip.

"careful!"

Just as Matip was about to receive the ball, he heard Van Dijk's voice and spotted Chu Feng's figure from the corner of his eye. This kid is so insidious!

He always jumps out from his blind spot, if Van Dijk hadn't reminded him in time.

I guess Chu Feng will really steal the ball.

Matip used his body to separate Chu Feng and passed the ball directly to Wijnaldum.

"Fabinho's crucial steal!"

"Manchester United players have no time to return to defense, Salah is waiting in the frontcourt, Liverpool has a great counterattack opportunity!"

"Wijnaldum!!!"

With Carragher's excited commentary, Manchester United launched a strong pressure on the spot.

We can't let Liverpool launch a counterattack.

This is what all Manchester United players are thinking at this moment. They must slow down Liverpool's counterattack and eliminate the threat at the source!
But the person who got the ball was Wijnaldum.

He is a low-profile player in the Liverpool team, but in fact he can be regarded as the cornerstone of Liverpool.

Not only does he have the ability to stably protect the ball under high pressure, he can even occasionally dribble the ball forward to complete the advancement.

At the same time, his awareness of wall collision is excellent, and his timing of passing the ball under pressure and stress, as well as his timing of forward runs after passing the ball and his response without the ball are all very good.

Facing the approach of Matic, Mahrez and Pogba.

He chose to pass the ball back to Robertson, then turned and moved forward along the sideline.

The two of them had perfect understanding of each other, and Robertson passed the ball without stopping, making a precise pass!
The football brushed the white sideline and rolled quickly towards Wijnaldum.

The linesman kept indicating that the ball was not out of bounds.

Two consecutive passes broke Manchester United's pressure, leaving only Wan Bissaka on the left side, and he will face the siege of Wijnaldum and Mane!
The young English player was originally at Crystal Palace, where he froze outstanding wingers such as Mane and Sterling.

But with the numerical disadvantage, it is still difficult to defend two at once.

After all, this is the highest level of European football.

"You go guard him, I'll fill in!"

David Luiz came to support in time.

Wan Bissaka breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this and rushed forward to press Wijnaldum.

Wijnaldum didn't give him a chance.

Because Firmino also came nearby, and Liverpool players are not wooden dummies.

The kind that stands still without moving at all.

They are also actively moving to seek cooperation.

"Firmino receives the ball and passes it to Wijnaldum!"

"David Luiz goes to defend Mane, Wijnaldum can go straight into the penalty area, and Maguire on the side doesn't have time to come over!"

"Kick the ball into the far corner!"

"Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!"

"Wijnaldum has done a great job. He helped Liverpool score another goal. The balance of victory has tipped over again - to Liverpool!!!"

"This goal puts Manchester United into a desperate situation!"

"According to UEFA's historical statistics over the years, the chances of a team losing two goals at home in the first leg of the Champions League to turn the tables away from home is less than 3%!"

"A more accurate number is 1.69%!"

"Only Chelsea and Barcelona have done it before, and Manchester United want to break that record?"

"We need to ask Liverpool if they agree first?!"

Carragher was so excited that he forgot the time and thought the game was over.

Then he looked at the green field. After Wijnaldum scored a goal, he ran to the corner area and lowered his head to kiss the camera.

at the same time.

More than 2,000 Liverpool fans at the scene waved their scarves and cheered wildly.

How long has it been since they beat Manchester United?
There has not been a single win either last season or this season, not even to see Manchester United win the league title.

The feeling of watching their arch-rivals flourish makes Liverpool fans extremely uncomfortable.

Now finally there is a chance for revenge!
They want to step on Manchester United and stand at the top of Europe!
“Allez Allez Allez!!!”

“Allez Allez Allez!!!”

“Allez Allez Allez!!!”

Listening to the shrill cheers, Neville's expression was a little dazed.

He thought Manchester United could equalize the score, but who would have thought that Liverpool would score another goal.

Manchester United players have the same idea as him.

De Gea kicked the goal post angrily, not because he blamed his teammates for not being strong enough, but because he felt he had a chance to save the ball.

But those last few centimeters were like a chasm.

Pogba's face was full of self-blame. He didn't want to show off deliberately, but he really wanted to do something for the team and change the stalemate on the field.

But the result is so cruel.

After Neville came to his senses, he criticized without hesitation: "Last season, Pogba lost possession of the ball as many as 602 times, the most among all Manchester United players and even the Premier League players!"

"In our time, if you had more than two ineffective touches, you would be yelled at by captain Keane."

"I took a moment to adjust my balance before crossing against Coventry and Keane gave me a snarling bulldog rant. I thought he was going to hit me!"

"I think Chu, as the captain, should take responsibility!"

In fact, Chu Feng did so. He didn't care about Pogba passing the risky ball. In that situation, losing the ball would not be too dangerous.

Because Liverpool had to face three or four lines of defense, it was difficult to organize an effective counterattack.

And Pogba's position is too critical.

"Fabinho is used to close pressing. He doesn't give you a lot of time to receive the ball, to turn around, to touch the ball once, twice."

"So you have to be more decisive and get the ball out as soon as possible."

"I believe you can threaten the opponent's defense and we will both run forward to support you."

Chu Feng didn't say anything excessive. He simply analyzed Pogba's mistakes and told him what he should do.

After all, with Pogba's personality, being too tough will only lead to resistance.

Keane said to Neville: "Pass the f**king ball!"

This approach is not advisable.

Pogba also knows his mistakes. He is a very emotional player. When his performance is normal, he will perform like a world-class midfielder. When his performance is abnormal, it will be a disastrous one.

"Chu, I'll pay attention next time."

Pogba said in a muffled voice.

"Yeah." Chu Feng nodded, looked at his teammates, and said loudly: "Last season, we were also behind Liverpool, but we finally caught up with them and surpassed them."

"Don't feel too burdened. Even if we lose this game, we still have a chance!"

"Everyone keep calm and keep working harder!"

It is normal to fall behind, make mistakes and have accidents in a football game. The important thing is whether you can maintain your mentality.

Chu Feng has experienced darker moments.

Of course, that was also his own fault.

But it is precisely because of this that he will not repeat the same mistakes and will not give up every game.

This is being responsible to yourself.

But his words could not infect his teammates, as not everyone had the same experience.

After conceding three goals to Liverpool at home, Manchester United players were filled with frustration and they felt instantly tired.

(End of this chapter)