That's definitely the truth.
Pizarro has never played like a traditional target man, but rather like a number 9.5, similar to Roberto Baggio. If Grant really replaces Alneka with him, then Chelsea will truly have no chance in today's game.
Moreover, there's one more thing Li Shiguang is aware of.
Pizarro had some impressive performances under Mourinho.
But since Grant took over at Stamford Bridge and bought Anelka, Pizarro hasn't gotten a single minute of playing time in several matches...
Clearly, replacing a defender with a like-for-like substitution did nothing to help Chelsea's attack.
From the moment Clattenburg blew the whistle to start the second half, Leeds United's players, under Li Shiguang's strategy of "seizing the opportunity while the opponent is weak," launched their offensive, relentlessly pressing into Chelsea's penalty area and bombarding them with attacks.
Under Leeds United's relentless attack, Chelsea could only retreat into a defensive posture, and for a moment they looked somewhat disheveled.
····
In the Sky Sports studio.
As a Chelsea fan, Jon was naturally worried to see his team being relentlessly attacked by Leeds United in their own half.
But as a professional commentator, his focus goes beyond that.
Seeing Ben Haim get one-on-one blown by Torres on the TV screen, followed by the Spaniard's powerful shot hitting the outside of the post and going out of bounds, Jon finally couldn't hold back: "I really don't understand Grant's substitution. What was his purpose in replacing Carvalho with Ben Haim?! At least Carvalho could mark Torres in the first half, but now that Ben Haim is on the field, Torres on the wing is starting to become more active!"
“Uh…” Lineker covered his mouth and chuckled, comforting his partner beside him, “Jon, we were just saying, is there a possibility… you see, including the FA Cup, Chelsea is now competing on four fronts… is it possible that Grant is making a choice?”
"What?! Four competitions already?" Jon's eyes widened. "The league is clearly over, they've made it to the League Cup final, and that final isn't until the end of next month! Their Champions League opponent, Olympiacos, isn't a traditional powerhouse, so winning won't take much effort! Tell me, in this situation, what damn normal manager would make such a choice?!"
“Well…” Lineker saw that Jon was getting angrier and angrier and wanted to persuade his old partner, but the scene on the TV screen made him give up the idea and instead started commentating at a fast pace, “Leeds United is here again! Kaká received the ball in the middle and advanced, and facing the double-team of Makelele and Ballack, he actually managed to pick up the ball! Reus received Kaká’s pass!”
····
At Elland Road Stadium.
Leeds United maintained the intensity of their attack from the start of the second half without diminishing.
Just as Jon was criticizing Grant's substitution, Silva once again snatched the ball from Anelka's feet, who had finally managed to get possession, and then passed it to Kaká in the attacking third, instantly turning Leeds United from defense to attack.
Kaka seized the opportunity before Ballack and Makelele could close him down and passed the ball to Reus, who was running from the left to receive it.
Facing Leeds United's offensive.
Chelsea's defensive speed was also very fast. As soon as Reus received the ball and turned around, Chelsea's defenders were already waiting in the penalty area.
Veterans Ballack and Makelele did not repeat the mistakes they made in the first half.
Barak was left alone to guard Kaka.
Makelele then ran back to the edge of the penalty area to help Alex defend against Adriano, Leeds United's most threatening striker.
Seeing that Chelsea's defense was already set up, Reus had no choice but to slow down and pass the ball back to Modric, who had run up to participate in the attack, before continuing to move into Chelsea's penalty area.
Modric organized his teammates to pass the ball around several times, but they couldn't find a good opportunity to get it into the penalty area.
Having learned from the lessons of the first half.
Chelsea set up a relatively solid defensive line in front of the penalty area, consisting of four defenders lined up in a row and Makelele.
Meanwhile, Ballack, who had transitioned from a central midfielder to a defensive midfielder, was also entangled around Kaká.
Actually, looking at it this way...
At least in the middle, Chelsea's defense was quite tight.
Faced with this defensive line, Leeds United patiently used the width of the field to pass the ball back and forth twice, but failed to create any space to pass forward.
But just when Chelsea's players thought Leeds United's attack could only end with a long-range shot that went over the crossbar.
The ball was passed across by Alonso to Modric.
Instead of passing the ball to Kolarov who was making a run down the left flank, Modric raised his right foot and flicked the ball with the outside of his foot, sending it flying into the penalty area!
The football traced a beautiful arc in the air, flying towards the far post.
Meanwhile, the three forwards, Reus, Adriano, and Torres, who had been slowly roaming along Chelsea's defensive line, seemed to know that Modric was about to pass the ball. The moment Modric touched the ball, they suddenly burst forward and accelerated into the penalty area!
This startled Chelsea's defense!
But they reacted quickly, immediately turning around and chasing after them!
Modric's pass was aimed at Torres.
Height and speed were fine, but there was one thing that was lacking: the pass was a little too deep, very close to the byline, which prevented Torres, who won the first ball, from heading it directly into the goal.
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