The thought that Mourinho might have unintentionally stabbed him in the back sent a chill down Li Shiguang's spine. He could guess that if the conversation between Mourinho and Ferguson was really like that, then Ferguson must have been scolding him.
But then I thought about it again.
Alex! This isn't my fault, you bastard!
I'm just trying to be a good person!
Who could have predicted that, aside from the rules against teams from the same league, Manchester United would be drawn against Inter Milan out of the remaining eleven teams?
Right!
····
A series of tedious pre-match rituals were completed.
The highly anticipated first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 kicked off with a whistle from Portuguese referee Diaz!
Playing away from home, Mourinho fielded his most familiar 4-3-3 formation today. The goalkeeper was Cesar, whom Chinese fans remembered as having a "Saint" added before his name. The four defenders were Materazzi, Cordoba, Chivu, and Maxwell. The three starting midfielders were undoubtedly led by Sneijder, with Cambiasso and captain Zanetti. The three forwards were Crespo and Dzeko up front, with Vardy behind them.
A lineup that looks like a 4-3-3, but is actually a 4-3-1-2!
Li Shiguang made a judgment immediately!
It's clear that Mourinho has made ample preparations for today's match against Manchester United.
Because of Li Shiguang's arrival, Maicon, who should have joined Inter Milan in 2006, went to Real Madrid instead. If he had been there, Inter Milan's right flank defense might have been under less pressure.
Seeing the Inter Milan players' positioning, Li Shiguang knew that if Ronaldo wanted to make a one-on-one breakthrough today, it probably wouldn't be so easy.
Mourinho took a different approach, placing the experienced Cambiasso, the fast Cordoba, and the ruthless and physically strong Materazzi on the right flank to counter Cristiano Ronaldo's explosive form this season.
The idea of playing Vardy as an attacking midfielder or a shadow striker was a brilliant stroke of genius.
What Ferguson thought of before the match, Li Shiguang, who had some knowledge of Inter Milan, also thought of.
Anyway, Sneijder just hovered around the center line.
Tell me, are you going to defend against it or not?
Defend!
Then I'll find an opportunity to pass the ball into that 35-meter gap in your path. As long as the ball gets to Vardy's feet, whether he dribbles down the wing or advances through the middle, his speed is terrifying!
If we don't take precautions!
Sneijder was even happier, dribbling forward and threatening Manchester United's penalty area with either a pass or a shot once he was within 35 meters!
Oh shit!
Mourinho's finally figured it out!? Now he's even parking the bus with an artistic flair! And you know what, with Sneijder's abilities, Ferguson is really in trouble with this move!
Seeing this lineup.
Even Li Shiguang was moved.
However, Ferguson's side was not far behind. The old manager also guessed Mourinho's move and, after thinking for a long time, abandoned the 4-3-3 formation that he had used more this season.
Today, Ferguson benched Berbatov and fielded a 4-4-2 formation.
The goalkeeper is Kasper Schmeichel, who has long been a regular starter. The four defenders are Paco Evra, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, and Wes Brown. In front of them, Ferguson has fielded two defensive midfielders today: Hargreaves and the energetic and wide-covering Brazilian Anderson. Of course, Anderson is also very attacking, and when transitioning from defense to attack, he can also provide support for the two veterans up front, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. Up front, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney form a two-striker partnership!
To be fair, both head coaches put a lot of effort into today's game.
As for who will ultimately prevail.
It all depends on the players' performance on the field and the two coaches' on-the-spot command!
I don't know if it's because the Champions League has already reached the knockout stage.
After the match started, neither team immediately launched a full-scale attack. Instead, they mostly looked for opportunities by passing the ball around in short passes and slowly advancing into the opponent's penalty area.
After watching for almost ten minutes, Simeone grumbled somewhat discontentedly: "Why are you playing so cautiously? If you ask me, this is Old Trafford, Manchester United should speed things up."
"What are you so anxious about? Ferguson knows Mourinho's style well. It's not like you can just rush in and attack and expect results." Rivaldo said. "Besides, it's the knockout stage now. If we accidentally concede a goal at home, it would be a huge loss!"
Rivaldo's words actually make sense, and Li Shiguang agrees with them.
But the fans at Old Trafford don't care about all that.
The match has been going on for so long, and neither Manchester United nor Inter Milan has managed a single shot on goal.
I've come to witness this grand and sweeping battle of offense and defense!
I didn't come here to watch you pass the ball around!
So for the rest of the game, whenever either team got the ball but didn't pass it forward, a chorus of boos would erupt from the stands at Old Trafford.
The only difference might be that when Manchester United does this, there are fewer boos.
It was under these circumstances.
The match has reached the 29th minute.
The situation on the field finally changed.
It was originally an attacking opportunity for Inter Milan.
Cesar took a short goal kick and passed the ball to Cordoba on the wing. Cordoba intended to pass the ball to Zanetti, who was coming over to receive it, but because the intention to pass was too obvious, the experienced Scholes anticipated the passing route in advance. The ball only rolled halfway before Scholes intercepted it!
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