Football: Starting from the Ronaldo Template

Chapter 400 Champions League Semi-Final Second Leg
2020 5 Month 7 Day.

The day before the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, Manchester United players were having dinner at the Carrington training base and holding a tactical meeting.

"I won't waste any more time talking nonsense. In tomorrow's game, Juventus should change their formation. Judging from their recent data, it is likely to be 4-3-3."

"So, we continue to use 4-3-1-2, strengthen the protection of the midfield, and limit Juventus' attack as much as possible."

"Because we were two goals ahead away from home, we didn't need to play too hastily and had to wait patiently for the opponent to make mistakes. There were many unreasonable aspects in their lineup."

"If we force the offensive tempo to increase, the midfield and frontcourt will most likely be out of sync, and that will be the time for us to counterattack."

Mourinho tapped the tactical board.

"The key defensive target is still Ronaldo, but don't ignore Dybala who may start. His good ball control skills in the midfield and frontcourt can form a good interaction with Ronaldo."

"When defending in the midfield, you need to stay close to the opponent and never let them pass you easily. You need to use your running position to put pressure on the opponent's space with the ball, and then cooperate with your teammates to assist in defense."

"In general, we should focus on defense. Chu, you should stay in the front court and either retreat to support or advance to counterattack according to the situation of the game. Inform your teammates in advance when the time comes."

After Mourinho finished speaking, he looked at the Manchester United players with his sharp eyes and left his last words:

"Remember, we are creating new history, so we should be extremely careful. Don't wait until the opportunity is gone and never comes back, then sigh and lament."

Chu Feng nodded to show that he understood. Manchester United has been going smoothly so far this season and has not experienced any major setbacks.

But because of this, the players tend to slack off and think that the opponent is nothing special.

But once people have this mentality, it is easy to make fatal mistakes.

When Juventus players arrived in Manchester, head coach Sarri was interviewed by the media and said:
"We hope to beat Manchester United and then go to Lisbon, Portugal, to continue our Champions League journey."

"Therefore, we must show our best performance to deal with Manchester United. Manchester United has become more and more stable since it changed to a three-defensive midfielder system. The defensive midfielders headed by Kante have outstanding intercepting ability and are particularly good at quick counterattacks after stealing the ball."

"Besides, Manchester United also has the best striker in the world right now. Maybe if I remove one of them, I believe the fans will think it is very reasonable."

"Winning the Champions League? I think in Italy, the team has more pressure in the Champions League because there are many clubs that are obviously stronger than us. There are probably three or four clubs that can compete for the championship, and we are one of them."

"We have a tactic to counterattack Manchester United, and we also have Cristiano Ronaldo who has scored in 11 consecutive Serie A games, surpassing Batistuta's goal record."

Sarri said confidently.

But the media held opposing views and various media outlets began to report extensively.

"Gazzetta dello Sport": Ronaldo, who just played against Roma, is still 4 goals behind Immobile in the Serie A scorer list, so he has almost no hope of catching up with Immobile. From the perspective of a rational head coach, should Ronaldo be allowed to rotate and rest so that he can play in the Champions League in the best condition?
The Guardian: Since Cristiano Ronaldo joined Juventus from Real Madrid, he has only scored two hat-trick goals and has never scored more than four goals. Tomorrow Juventus must score three goals to reverse Manchester United and advance to the Champions League final!

"Sports Weekly": When Chu Feng was interviewed by our reporter before the game, he expressed his confidence in breaking the single-season goal record of the Champions League. However, in the new betting market opened by English bookmakers, the odds of Chu Feng scoring more than 20 goals in the Champions League were only 1.34.

Before the second leg of the Champions League semi-final started, the attention of fans from all over the world was focused, making Manchester more and more lively.

The next day.

Old Trafford.

Crowds of people.

"Migu Sports! Migu Sports!"

"Now live for you is the second leg of the 2019-20 Champions League semi-final!"

"Manchester United vs Juventus at home!"

"The two teams tied 2:0 in the first round. Chu Feng scored twice with his head and feet, scoring two away goals."

"Juventus, who have the highest scorer record in the Champions League, failed to score at the Allianz Stadium in Turin and exposed many problems. I think few people believe they can turn the tide now."

"But as the saying goes, when everyone is not optimistic about you, you are often the one who is most motivated."

“C罗曾经被称为逆境之王，更是被称作为欧冠之王，181次出场记录、140个总进球、42个总助攻、67个制胜球和单赛季打进17球等五项记录都由他创造。”

"And just a few days ago, Ronaldo's record of scoring in 11 consecutive games was broken, and it was Chu Feng from Manchester United who broke it."

"Today's game is a battle for records, but also a battle for honor!"

"Here are the starting lineups for both teams!"

"The red jerseys are Manchester United, Mourinho returns to the 4-3-1-2 formation, the goalkeeper:"

"Due to the change in formation, the lineup has also changed a lot compared to the first leg. Sandro, who has a stronger assist ability, is chosen as the full-back, and Chu Feng and Mahrez are the forwards."

"McTominay also started the game. The five-kilometer record he set not long ago has aroused considerable public opinion in European football."

“People are talking about whether players must be able to run.”

"According to the concept of modern football, running distance is a must. We can see this from Barcelona. They are the team with the shortest average running distance and the least individual running distance among the top eight teams in the Champions League."

"That's why they were easily defeated by Manchester United and scored a humiliating score."

"Okay, let's take a look at Juventus' starting lineup. Sarri chose 4-3-3. Goalkeeper:"

"We saw Ronaldo being put on the wing, similar to his position in Real Madrid, with Benzema attracting the defense and pulling back to provide space in the penalty area for Ronaldo."

"But the problem is that Dybala is not Benzema. His physical confrontation and tactical awareness are far behind Benzema's."

"Sarri is likely to imitate others but fail to learn the essence and ruin his last hope."

"."

In the live broadcast room, the barrage of comments was like snowflakes.
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【Dream back to the 2017-18 season! 】
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[No, how can a loser like Danilo still be a starter? ]
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[No one uses it. Compared to Danilo, the others are several times worse.]
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[Sarri is not only learning from Real Madrid, but also from Manchester United in previous seasons, letting Pogba play as a left winger, and adding that idiot Zi Beibei, I would eat the TV if I wasn’t suddenly exploded by the polo king! ]
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[The cow doesn't look like a cow, and the horse doesn't look like a horse. Sarri is really desperate and is trying all kinds of methods. 】
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[If they fail to advance to the Champions League final, they will be fired. It is said that Juventus has already chosen its next head coach, and it is Pirlo! ]
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[Alas, Juventus is really not good now. The overall environment of Serie A is like that. It is recommended that Ronaldo leave as soon as possible. Whether returning to La Liga or the Premier League, he can still try to chase the Champions League title. ]
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[Can I return to Manchester United? ]
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[Impossible, Ronaldo and Chu Feng's salaries are ridiculously high, a team can't afford to have just one of them, and if there are two, it will definitely violate the Financial Fair Play Agreement! ]
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[Even if he can come back, what position will Ronaldo play, center forward or winger, and who will be the main attacker? The two are destined to not coexist based on their technical characteristics. ]
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【.】

In the player tunnel at this moment.

Ronaldo looked around, feeling familiar yet unfamiliar when he saw the posters on both sides of the passage.

Above are pictures of Manchester United holding the Champions League, Premier League, Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup and other trophies.

And each poster has the same face at the center.

In this situation, Ronaldo couldn't help but feel deeply moved. What he brought to Manchester United was totally incomparable to what Chu Feng brought.

When he first arrived at Manchester United, he was ostracized by Ferdinand and others, who deliberately passed the ball too far during training and secretly took his clothes.
But that experience was not only bitter, but also full of heartwarming happiness.

For example, in the 2008 Champions League final, he missed the crucial penalty but still won the trophy in the end.

And Sir Alex Ferguson.

Soon, he calmed down and his eyes regained their toughness.

What has not changed in his past or present is his desire to win.

The other side.

Chu Feng pulled the captain's armband tight, and the contraction in his upper arm kept him alert at all times. Now he was no longer the young boy hiding behind his teammates.

The desire to win.
He is not inferior to anyone in this regard.

As the UEFA Champions League theme song sounded, players from both teams walked out of the tunnel and Manchester United fans instantly burst into thunderous cheers.

Beep! ! !
With the referee's whistle, the game began!
"Juventus started the game very cautiously, pushing forward tentatively on both wings. Once they encountered too much resistance, they immediately reorganized!"

"But looking at Manchester United's overall defense, they are determined to play a defensive counterattack. The overall formation is positioned far back, but the midfielders are pressing very hard!"

"Beautiful! Cuadrado drizzled past Sandro with the fried meatballs. Is he going to cross the ball directly to Ronaldo?"

No.

With the cooperation of Thiago and Maguire, Manchester United's penalty area was basically in a no-air state, not to mention that De Gea was standing in front of Manchester United's goal.

The Ducks felt in good shape today, almost the same as in the first round.

After Cuadrado went down the bottom line, he made an inverted triangle pass to Pjanic who was making a forward run.

Is Pirlo's successor strong?

Strong.

But the most obvious difference between him and Pirlo is that Pirlo can control the ball under high-intensity pressing and even organize the attack in a clear and orderly manner.

When Kante approached, Pjanic was stuck and had shaky control of the ball.

The moment he saw the space on the left and kicked the ball straight through.

Snap!
Kante seemed to have anticipated this and kicked out to intercept the ball half a beat in advance.

From the fans' perspective, it seemed as if Pjanic took the initiative to pass the ball to him.

After completing the steal, Kante did not hesitate at all and went to find McTominay on the wing.

Facing the aggressive Pogba, Xiao Mai remained extremely calm.

"Bruce!"

McIlroy and the retreating B Fee collided with the wall, then moved forward to receive the ball and got rid of Pogba, but the latter was very active today.

Bang! With the sound of muscles hitting each other, Xiaomai's body swayed slightly, and then he regained his balance.

Once upon a time, Pogba was a child prodigy who returned to Manchester United with a transfer fee of 100 million yuan and was seen as the hope of Manchester United's future.

And what about him?
A player who suddenly grew taller and became a midfielder from a forward is ordinary and has no special features.

What is the only impression left on people?
Mourinho said that.

a mag dog.

A mad dog.

He is not afraid of anyone. He uses long-range running and pressing, as well as high-intensity, aggressive confrontations to create trouble for his opponents.

Pogba was surprised to find that the strong body he had been leading since childhood had no effect at this moment.

Even when he took a step back to chase, Xiaomai suddenly stopped and pushed him forward.

Immediately afterwards, the football came to B Fee's feet. Big B stopped for a moment, waiting for the polo king to arrive, and then passed the ball to him.

At the same time, Chu Feng was moving forward quickly, at a speed that was shockingly fast.

Bonucci and De Ligt turned and followed like frightened birds, fearing that they would be pulled away by Chu Feng.

But it was obvious that Chu Feng was just feinting.

"Mahrez cuts inside! Bernardeschi is very fast, he sees the right moment and makes a tackle to destroy the opponent!"

"No! No! Algerian Messi, with high-frequency touches, avoided Bernardeschi's tackle!"

"He shoots with his left foot from the edge of the penalty area to the far post. This is his best way to score goals!"

clang! ! !
A clear and pleasant sound was heard, and Szczesny fell to the ground, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, I am lucky.

At this moment, he, like Sarri on the sidelines, wanted to take a puff of cigarette to relieve stress.

But he couldn't, so after getting up, he yelled to his teammates: "Why can Manchester United get the ball to the front of the penalty area so easily? Don't focus all your attention on Chu. It will be useless if he can't receive the ball. Remember not to let Manchester United shoot easily again!"

Although Juventus conceded another goal, considering the home and away mechanism, they still need to score three goals to reverse the situation.

But the question is, can he really score three goals against Manchester United?
Their previous goal was to score two goals and enter overtime.

"Don't forget what we're here for! Come on, guys!"

C Ronaldo high-fived his teammates to encourage them.

Soon, Juventus kicked the ball out.

When the ball was passed to Pogba's feet, there was a sharp booing at Old Trafford. Manchester United fans were filled with disgust for this ungrateful Frenchman from the bottom of their hearts.

He lost sight of himself after achieving a little success and even joined forces with other teammates to force the club to quit.

Pogba is an emotional player. He was booed by Manchester United fans until he felt a little dizzy. After getting rid of McTominay, he still stuck to the ball and wanted to show himself.

The result is simple then.

The timing of the attack was delayed, giving Wheat time to chase back.

Without making any effort to steal the ball, McIlroy pushed Pogba to the side, and when Wan-Bissaka arrived, the two of them instantly surrounded and pounced.

But why is a genius called a genius?

At the critical moment, Pogba was able to protect the ball and make a through pass at the right time.

"Cristiano Ronaldo! Cut in from the wing to the middle, Thiago comes forward to block it!"

"No shot! Selflessly cross to Dybala!"

"Dybala's center of gravity kept shaking, Maguire was almost dizzy, and Dybala suddenly shot into the far corner!"

"Beautiful! De Gea! This shot didn't pose any threat to him!"

(End of this chapter)