In last night's key Premier League match of Round 19, Leeds United defeated Chelsea at home thanks to a goal from Gareth Bale just before halftime. Notably, veteran Fabio Cannavaro made a spectacular bicycle kick save in the final moments of the game, stopping Didier Drogba's shot on the goal line and securing three valuable points for Leeds United!
In the post-match press conference, Mourinho publicly questioned Martin Atkinson's decisions. He believed Drogba's shot had crossed the goal line, but Atkinson, in an interview, clearly stated that the linesman had a clear view that Drogba's shot was blocked by Cannavaro outside the goal line.
Mourinho stated that Li Shiguang is indeed a formidable opponent, Leeds United's tactical setup was very targeted, and Chelsea were slightly less fortunate in the match. He is looking forward to his next encounter with Li Shiguang back at Stamford Bridge!
Leeds United are on a tear! Chelsea couldn't stop their advance! After this victory, Leeds United and Chelsea are tied on 42 points, but Leeds United sit second in the league standings on goal difference, now only behind Manchester United with 47 points! The two teams will face off in Old Trafford in three days. Will Manchester United extend their lead at home, or will the in-form Leeds United continue to put pressure on Manchester United in the standings? Let's wait and see!
Li Shiguang: Chelsea is very strong. Before the match, I spent a lot of time studying Mourinho's tactical ideas, and I did find a weakness in Chelsea's defense that wasn't exactly a weak point. Fortunately, Bale didn't disappoint me and helped us win the game! As for Cannavaro? I think signing him this summer was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my coaching career. His performance on the field once again proves that he deserved this year's FIFA World Player of the Year award!
The next morning, major English media outlets devoted considerable coverage to the previous night's pivotal match.
Even though they were scheduled to depart for Manchester the day after tomorrow, Li Shiguang decided to give the players a day off after returning to the locker room last night following the press conference, since today is Christmas. Of course, besides that, Shakira, who watched the entire match from her box, was also one of the reasons Li Shiguang gave them the day off.
However, Shakira didn't stay in Leeds for long. After a romantic and crazy night, she set off for Madrid after lunch today because she had work to do.
After dropping Shakira off at the airport, Li Shiguang rushed back to the Thorpe Arch training base without stopping.
Although the players are on holiday, he, as the head coach, cannot relax, as there is still a tough battle the day after tomorrow!
Watching Cristiano Ronaldo celebrate wildly after scoring his third goal in the video recording, Li Shiguang habitually touched his chin and began to make plans in his mind.
Damn! With Manchester United in this form, the next game is going to be tough!
Playing at home, they were spared the fatigue of travel and had an extra day of rest compared to Leeds United. His previous victory with Toure outmaneuvering Carrick was key to Leeds United's win, but that tactic certainly wouldn't work the day after tomorrow. Ferguson isn't stupid; he won't fail at the same trick twice!
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Three days later, at Old Trafford, the referee blew his whistle, and as Podolski passed the ball back to Modric, the 20th round of the Premier League officially kicked off.
Just as expected, Ferguson abandoned his plan to launch an attack through the middle today in order to prevent Li Shiguang from repeating his old tricks.
He removed Scholes from the starting lineup and replaced him with Park Ji-sung, who has a stronger sweeping ability.
As it turns out, this tactic is indeed effective as long as the score isn't behind!
With Park Ji-sung's help, Carrick's defensive pressure was greatly reduced, and Leeds United's attacks from the middle after the start of the game rarely reached the edge of Manchester United's penalty area.
Later, Li Shiguang realized something was wrong and simply abandoned the idea of creating an opening through the middle. He switched the positions of Toure and Modric, leaving Modric in the midfield to occasionally help connect the two flanks, while Toure returned to the defensive midfield position to help Alonso defend the two flanks.
After this change, a strange scene unfolded on the field.
"Ronaldo and Giggs subtly switched positions, and after receiving a pass from Carrick, he made a high-speed run down the left flank. Leeds United were not to be outdone; Bale was perfectly capable of keeping up with Ronaldo's pace, and Lahm also came up from the side. The two seemed to be trying to push Ronaldo towards the byline!"
"My God! Unbelievable! Ronaldo deftly flicked the ball through the gap between the two players with his foot, then circled around Bale and sped away! The two Leeds United players collided with each other instead!"
"But unfortunately, this brilliant breakthrough did not have a perfect ending. Cannavaro truly deserves to be the first player to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award as a defender. He ended Ronaldo's cut inside with a precise tackle and immediately passed the ball to Ribery on the wing. The two sides then began a rapid and intense exchange on the other side of the field!"
Lineker, having just finished a long commentary, barely had time to swallow before Ribery dribbled past the halfway line. He didn't dare pause for a second: "Leeds United again! Ribery is dribbling at high speed, but Evra is right next to him! Aha! Ribery goes for a powerful run, trying to outrun his opponent! But Evra isn't one to be trifled with, and Ribery couldn't shake him off. The ball goes out of bounds! Ribery seems to be protesting to the referee that it's a corner kick, but the referee's eyes are firm, pointing towards the Manchester United goal! Manchester United goal kick!"
"Friends, this match is incredible! We're nearing the end of the first half, and the score is still 0-0! Leeds United tried to build attacks through the middle at the start, but after little success, they made adjustments. Then, for the next 35 minutes, we've witnessed what is perhaps a battle between the two fastest wingers in the Premier League—a back-and-forth affair, with both teams seemingly trying to find a breakthrough using their speedy wingers!"
Ugh, this is tough!
Watching Van der Sar placing the goal kick in the penalty area, Li Shiguang rubbed his face and then subconsciously looked at Ferguson, who was also standing on the sidelines.
Seemingly sensing Li Shiguang's gaze, Ferguson also turned to look at him at the same time.
In that instant, for some reason, the two foxes, one old and one young, who were clearly rivals today, both broke into smiles when their eyes met...
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