Dream Training : The Champions

At the start of the game, the intensity of the game was not so high. Both teams were still trying to build attacks. In midfield, Bennet was very active around the pitch to help Southampton build attacks. Pienaar and Darren Gibson pressed tirelessly in midfield to stop Bennett. The constant pressure from Everton clearly made Southampton uncomfortable.

In this match, Crage and Kounde played more centrally, so they often helped Southampton in dealing with the pressure exerted by Everton.

In the 7th minute, Simone made a long pass into the right area, but Crage lost the duel for the ball against Baines. Everton did not immediately counter-attack, instead they let Darren Gibson set the attack. The reason was that Southampton have not been provoked forward, overall Southampton still maintains two lines of defense.

In the 12th minute, Bennet stepped up to press Darren. However, the Everton player managed to move Bennet, so Darren easily passed Bennet. Then, Darren sent a pass to Coleman. At the same time, Tony rushed forward to overlap. Coleman gave the ball to Fellaini. The Everton attacking midfielder held the ball firmly, he tried to avoid the figure of Rudolf, who tried to steal the ball from him.

Fellaini provided a pass for Jelavic who went backward. Jelavic, with his back to Hilton, then provided a through ball to the right. Tony Hillbert, Everton's right-back, immediately competed with Benson for the ball. Just before the ball crossed the touchline, Tony pulled the ball back. Then, he sent the ball back to Fellaini.

It did not take long for Fellaini to launch a cross to the left. Baines figure headed the ball into the middle. There was Nikola Jelavic who was looked after by Hilton while Okhalo guarded Leon Osman. Jelavic held Hilton with his hands, then he pushed the ball towards Osman. Leon Osman ran and kicked the ball. Too bad, Okhalo managed to hold the ball with his feet.

Everton attack failed to result in a goal.

In the 18th minute, Darren sent a long ball forward. Simone kept Osman from moving. The two players duel for the ball. Simone managed to secure the ball, he then gave a pass to his partner, Rudolf. Fellaini immediately came and disturbed Rudolf. As a result, Rudolf made a mistake, he gave a pass that was too weak to Bennet, so Darren Gibson managed to intercept.

Gibson dribbled the ball forward. He gave a flat pass towards Leon Osman. Osman ran to do a body charge on Simone, who tried to get close to him, then he approached the ball and pushed it forward. Jelavic ran backward and returned the ball to Fellaini. The Belgian player then sent a pass to Tony Hillbert who overlapped. Hilbert received the ball and pushed his way through the gap between Benson and Hilton.

After that, Hilbert provided a cross into the middle of the penalty box. Nikola Jelavic dueled in the air against Okhalo, the Southampton center-back won the duel. He managed to head the ball to the right. Vicente, who got the ball immediately threw it off the field. Everton attack failed again.

At the beginning of the first half, Everton played aggressively, especially their two fullbacks, namely Tony Hillbert and Leighton Baines. They do not hesitate to attack forward in place of the winger. While Fellaini and Leon Osman played in half-space, namely the corridor between the flank area and middle area

It's a shame that the overlap of the two fullbacks could not be utilized properly by Southampton. The reason was because Crage and Kounde were both pulled a bit to the middle, so there was Everton defenders who guard them. This was clearly George's tactical error. It showed that Benitez's coaching level was better than George's.

In the 25th minute, Southampton counter-attacked for the first time in this game. Simone this time managed to cut the Everton attack well. He then gave the ball to Rudolf. Fellaini again tried to annoy Rudolf, but this time Rudolf didn't panic, he made the right pass. Benson received a pass from Rudolf, he then flicked the ball to the side. The reason, to stay away from Tony Hillbert who was guarding him.

Benson then kicked the ball powerfully forward. Bennett received a pass with his chest, he then gave the ball to Crage. The Southampton player received a pass from Bennet while avoiding Steven Pienaar, who tried to steal the ball from him. Crage then gave the ball through to Osmund. The ball was too strong, Tim Howard reached the ball ahead of Osmund. Finally, Southampton's attack failed.

Osmund gave Crage a thumbs up. Even though the ball was too strong, he appreciated Crage's breakthrough pass. Meanwhile, Crage seems to regret his poor pass. On the side of the field, there was the figure of George, who was pacing back and forth. He looked worried about this match.

Even so, George did not regret his choice to not playing Kazuki. As Southampton's asset, George didn't want Kazuki to be exhausted. That was why he rotated. Even though he knew, Kazuki's role was really important in Southampton.

In the 31st minute, Darren Gibson again stole the ball from Bennet's feet. Gibson immediately kicked the ball to the side. Steven Pienaar walked slightly wide to the left side. Crage tried to catch him, but Steven used his outside foot to kick the ball towards Leighton Baines who did overlap. Baines received the ball from Steven, he then gave the ball to Leon Osman, who fell behind. Simone chased Osman but the Everton player quickly gave the ball to Darren Gibson who was moving in the opposite direction.

Darren Gibson then dribbled the ball into the penalty box. As Okhalo stepped up to knock him out, Gibson quickly crossed for Fellaini. However, when Fellaini was about to receive the ball, Rudolf immediately tackled him.

Rudolf's tackle hit Fellaini's leg, causing Fellaini to fall and howl in pain. Rudolf felt his tackle didn't really hit Fellaini's leg, so he immediately told Fellaini to get up. The Everton players pulled Rudolf away from Fellaini. Then, the referee came and gave Rudolf a yellow card. Both teams protested, Everton felt Rudolf deserved a red card, while Southampton felt a yellow card was too much.

In the end, Rudolf could not escape the yellow card. Immediately after, Rudolf got a yellow card. Fellini, who was carried off the pitch on a stretcher, now stands up and walks towards the free-kick point. Rudolf gave Fellaini an annoyed look as he said, "You can win an Oscar with your acting, you bastard."

The match resumed. Fellaini became the one who executed the free kick. He kicked the ball after the referee blew the whistle. The ball went to the front of the penalty box. Darren Gibson received the ball with his chest and kicked the ball with his feet before it hits the ground. The ball bounced high and fell in front of the goalpost. Nikola Jelavic launched his body in the air and headed the ball.. Too bad the ball hit the post and went off the pitch.