The following day, Li Shiguang, who had recently been in the spotlight, reappeared in numerous media outlets.
Top 4 in the league? Li Shiguang's lies!
Mourinho was right; Leeds United's victory over Chelsea was purely by luck.
Is this what they call a genius coach?
Leeds United rotated their squad for an away game against Charlton Athletic, managing only a draw at The Valley.
Leeds United may be exposed for what they truly are in their next match against Manchester United!
Squad depth will be Leeds United's biggest weakness!
Online, the draw emboldened England fans who had been criticizing Li Shiguang for a week, unleashing a barrage of aggressive comments.
"Hahaha, Dongfang kid, go back to your hometown. You think you can play in the Champions League with this level of skill?"
"They can't even get Charlton, yet they dare to dream of kicking one of the BIG4 out of the competition. I don't know where they get the courage."
"Upstairs, a rational analysis would be that Leeds United made significant rotations in this match. Li Shiguang was definitely preparing for the away game at Old Trafford in three days, so a draw with Charlton is understandable."
"Upstairs, does he think Old Trafford can be taken just by letting the first team rest? Don't be delusional, okay? Easterners should go play their specialty, table tennis. If they insist on playing football, Ferguson will show them what a real powerhouse is."
"That's right, even if a team like this qualifies for European competition, they'll still be a disgrace to the Premier League!"
"I agree. I used to like Leeds United quite a bit, but I didn't expect the owner and manager to be such an arrogant person. Instead of learning from the good, he insists on learning from Mourinho."
"As I said before, although Leeds United beat Chelsea, they are still a young, newly promoted team. The biggest problem with this kind of team is their inconsistent form. Just watch, they will definitely be exposed by Manchester United at Old Trafford in the next round."
"Up on the top floor, Manchester United will win by at least 3 goals. If they lose by one, I'll eat it upside down!"
But Li Shiguang, back at Thorpe Arch training base, had no time to pay attention to these comments.
When training ended in the morning, Allen came over and briefly explained to him that the online comments were very unfavorable to Leeds United and whether they needed to respond.
Li Shiguang didn't care, after all, the outcome of a football match is what matters.
Since everyone thinks Leeds United will get thrashed by Manchester United at Old Trafford, let's just go all out for a win, or at the very least take a point and leave!
However, these media outlets and fans are not wrong about one thing: Manchester United's overall strength is indeed stronger than Leeds United's. Li Shiguang can see this from the player attributes in the system alone. Not to mention that under Ferguson's command, the cohesion of Manchester United's lineup is definitely higher than that of Leeds United, which has only been formed for a little over a month.
Li Shiguang is familiar with Manchester United's squad for the first half of this season.
Ferguson usually prefers a 4-4-2 formation, with Van Nistelrooy and Rooney leading the attack. In Li Shiguang's system, these two players are rated S+ and A+ respectively. Of course, it is also possible that Ferguson will use Tevez to replace Rooney. After all, as a new signing from Leeds United, Tevez is certainly more familiar with Li Shiguang's tactics and the defensive habits of Leeds United's two center-backs.
Then, in midfield, "Ginger Head" Scholes occupied the attacking midfield position, and his powerful shots were definitely a key weapon for Manchester United's attack.
To his left is Welsh winger Ryan Giggs. Although he is 32 years old and no longer at his peak in terms of speed, his rich experience on the wing and accurate crosses often allow Van Nistelrooy to score in the penalty area.
To Scholes' right was the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the future world football legends. At this time, the still somewhat green Ronaldo had already been entrusted with important responsibilities by Ferguson. His sharp breakthroughs, accurate shots, and creative passes on the field were also Manchester United's winning weapons.
In the defensive midfield position, the current choice is still Irish tough guy Roy Keane. This veteran is already 34 years old, and according to Li Shiguang's recollection, he left Manchester United early this season due to frequent conflicts with Ferguson, leading to his early termination of his contract. However, Li Shiguang speculates that this position is subject to change. Based on Ferguson's understanding of Leeds United, he is very likely to field South Korean powerhouse Park Ji-sung to bolster the midfield's defensive coverage.
As for the back line, former Leeds United players Ferdinand and Silvestre played in the center, while Gary Neville and versatile defender O'Shea occupied the left and right back positions.
The starting goalkeeper is Edwin van der Sar, a Dutchman whom Ferguson just bought from Fulham in the summer.
Li Shiguang repeatedly checked the overall ratings of Manchester United players on the system. Damn, even the lowest-rated player, Silvestre, reached an A grade. It can be said that Manchester United truly crushed Leeds United in terms of raw strength.
Actually, Li Shiguang had considered whether to give up on the Manchester United match and instead focus on the Charlton and Sunderland matches.
After all, even if Manchester United loses this game, they can still get at least 6 points by winning the other two.
However, he also imagined that after setting the goal of striving for a Champions League spot this season, the only people who might still believe in him were the Leeds United fans and his own teammates. If he were to back down before even facing a direct competitor like Manchester United, it would be a huge blow to the confidence of the entire Leeds United team. Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Li Shiguang still chose to go all out.
Fortunately, he has a lot of tactical reserves in his mind. In this game, he plans to try something new, which is to try a 3-5-2 formation.
Li Shiguang spent the entire afternoon at Thorpe Arch training ground studying Ferguson's tactical routines. Finally, combining this with his memories from his previous life, he finalized this set of tactics.
After reviewing Manchester United's entire season in his mind, Li Shiguang realized that their attacks were basically launched from the flanks. All of Manchester United's final losses were due to Ronaldo and Giggs being too heavily marked, which prevented Manchester United from launching effective attacks.
Because of the other two players in Manchester United's midfield, Scholes is more of a finisher than a playmaker, not to mention Roy Keane and Park Ji-sung, one is a midfield killer and the other is an tireless runner, both of whom are defensive players.
By suppressing Manchester United's two flanks, you can essentially stifle 80% of their attacking options!
Therefore, Li Shiguang plans to play a 3-5-2 formation in this match. Once Giggs or Ronaldo gets the ball, the two central midfielders on the flanks will immediately drop back to form a 5-defender formation, and then the two defensive midfielders will cooperate to assist in the defense, trying to create a numerical advantage in the shortest possible time to make a tackle.
In that case, Leeds United might still have a chance to win this match...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
