Chapter 213 Starting center forward, playing against Leicester City, the pendulum reappears!

"Here are the starting lineups for both teams. The one wearing red jerseys is Manchester United. Compared with the pre-season warm-up match, Mourinho has made a big change. Goalkeeper:"

"Due to the absence of injuries to Matic, Herrera, Lukaku and Valencia, only McTominay and Wan-Bissaka can start. Manchester United's defense has had big holes before. I wonder if Mourinho has solved those thorny problems after this period of running-in."

"There are also big adjustments in the frontcourt. Xiaochu has changed from left winger to center forward. This is bound to have different requirements for the playing style, so it is also a challenge!"

"Let's take a look at Leicester City's lineup, goalkeeper:"

"They finished ninth in the Premier League last season. Although they sold two key players this season, they also earned 130 million euros and signed outstanding players such as Maddison from Norwich and Pereira from Porto."

"Therefore, the overall strength has not declined significantly and still retains sufficient competitiveness."

“.”

The camera shifted to the green field. The players of both teams had already taken their positions and the atmosphere on the field was becoming increasingly tense.

For the Leicester City players, they achieved good results last season and are working together to create miracles again.

But some people choose to leave at the critical moment. Even if they know they should not blame others, they still have a lot of resentment in their hearts.

Therefore, we must work hard to defeat Manchester United and make Maguire and Mahrez regret it!

Manchester United's formation changed rapidly after the start of the game.

Pogba and Kovacic are in the starting lineup, with McTominay acting as the single defensive midfielder.

Chu Feng is the lone striker at the front, with Rashford and Mahrez on each wing, maximizing the use of the width of the field.

After continuous passes, the football came to Kovacic's feet.

Perhaps because of their similar technical styles, Kovacic and Pogba's cooperation has become increasingly tacit, and they have passed Leicester City's first line of defense with continuous passes and cuts.

Pogba, who became the World Cup champion, became more confident. He spun past Ndidi and made a free pass to the left.

Rashford, who returned to the left side, felt like a fish in water and cherished the opportunity to start.

What's more, he is now wearing the No. 10 jersey, Mark Hughes, Shelingham, Van Nistelrooy and Rooney.

Everyone has a legendary story.

Rashford also wants to write his own biography of the Red Devils like his predecessors!

The continuous acceleration and sudden stop were very similar to Chu Feng's breakthrough method, which made Pereira feel a familiar sense of fear.

Last season, Leicester City played against Manchester United. At that time, Chu Feng was still an unknown newcomer and no one cared about his technical characteristics.

But no one expected that after just one season, that kid would become a big devil that everyone feared.

After Rashford opened up space, he made a 45-degree cross! The football spun violently and flew into the penalty area!

Chu Feng and Morgan accurately judged the landing point at the same time, and a fierce physical confrontation broke out in the next second. Morgan felt as if he had hit a ferocious beast.

Not to mention that he is already 34 years old this year, even if we go back 10 years, he might not be able to make it.

After all, after a whole season of training, Chu Feng's physical fitness has been close to the upper limit of the template. Why is Ronaldinho called an "alien"? The most important reason is his extremely terrifying physical fitness. When he was young, he could crush all his opponents with just explosive power and speed.

After Chu Feng got the first position, he used his inertia to step on the grass and jump up! Schmeichel was highly focused and ready to make a save at any time. He was the man who inherited the Danish legend.

A beautiful picture is reflected in the centre of the pupils of Manchester United fans.

Surrounded by a large group of blue players, the red figure stood out and dominated the sky of Leicester City! At the moment the football arrived, he turned his head 180 degrees and exerted force! Snap! Schmeichel's attention was attracted by the sound of the ball touching. He was at the left side of the goal at this time, but Manchester United's No. 7 turned his head and looked at the moon! He jumped at the football in the shortest time!

But unfortunately, the initial position was too far away from the football, and it was useless even if the body was stretched to the extreme.

1-0!

Manchester United scored a goal in the first wave, and Manchester United fans immediately went into carnival.

A classic celebration was staged again at Old Trafford.

"Hi, Hi, Hi!!!"

Manchester United fans shouted loudly in excitement as Chu Feng punched the air! Manchester United players gathered around.

Rashford said with a smile: "How was my pass? You are not the only one who is improving!"

He even hoped that Lukaku could rest for a few more days so that Mourinho could keep Chu Feng as the center forward.

Lukaku, who was undergoing rehabilitation training at this time, felt a strong sense of crisis. Wouldn't he find that his position was gone when he returned to the team after recovering from his injury?

Pogba also seems to be in a good mood.

In fact, he is essentially like a child who has not grown up. He hates serious atmosphere in his bones and is somewhat childish and arrogant.

That's why he had conflicts with Mourinho before, and even used witchcraft to curse Mbappe.

But he is currently very comfortable at Manchester United. Although Ibrahimovic has gone to the United States, Chu Feng has become the new mediator.

Moreover, Chu Feng is different from Mbappe. Compared with the former, the latter is more arrogant and naturally cannot catch Pogba's eyes.

On the contrary, Pogba and Chu Feng get along very well. There are not too many conflicts between them, at least there will be no major problems in the near future.

Mourinho breathed a sigh of relief on the sidelines.

After leading Chelsea to win the league title, he experienced the darkest moment of his coaching career, taking only 15 points in 16 league games at the beginning of the season.

Therefore, we attach great importance to today's game, fearing that any unexpected accidents will occur again.

In fact, there were many reasons for Chelsea's poor performance during that period, including conflicts within the team, players' slump, the female team doctor's mischief, etc. It was not just Mourinho's problem.

Mourinho looked at the harmonious people in the stadium and sighed inexplicably.

He has a very long-term vision. If Chu Feng were to play as a center forward and Pogba as an attacking midfielder, there would definitely be problems with the distribution of the ball.

First of all, Chu Feng’s strongest point is his footwork. He is not a typical center forward who can score points.

As for Pogba, there is no need to say more.

This is not a problem that can be solved through tactics, but those are things for the future. Mourinho didn't think too much about it and focused on the game.

The game was restarted at the referee's whistle.

Leicester City did not change its tactics because of falling behind. The Foxes, who have created miracles, have enough resilience.

Vardy also fulfilled his duties as a leader, constantly shouting to encourage his teammates.

34th minute of the game.

Mahrez was assisted and intercepted by Chilwell and Ndidi. After all, they have been teammates for so many years and are very familiar with each other.

Ndidi didn't bother with the ball at all, and kicked the ball decisively to find Madison in front of him.

As a recently rising British star, Leicester City's core organizer simply dribbled the ball to avoid Kovacic and quickly advanced forward.

When McTominay pressed forward, Madison made a long pass! The ball spun violently and fell behind Maguire! Coach Pierre knew that Maguire was slow to turn around and chase back, so he designed this highly targeted tactic.

Vardy ran frantically, and when he was about to enter the penalty area, he vaguely looked for physical contact.

Maguire was still too young and did not notice Vardy's little movement, and subconsciously bumped into him.

But the next second the referee's whistle sounded.

"Penalty? Am I seeing that correctly?"

“Isn’t that a bit controversial?”

"Let's take a look at the replay. There was no unnecessary additional movement on Maguire's hands and the physical contact was within normal limits. There is absolutely no reason to award a penalty!"

"It reminds me of the 14-15 season when Leicester City beat Manchester United 5-3 and there was a similar penalty."

Zhan Jun said very unhappily.

Vadir's image off the field is indeed very inspiring, but his playing style on the field is also very rough. Of course, it is understandable that he will do anything to win.

After all, he had fought his way up from a fiercely competitive lower-level league, and he wouldn't have survived without playing dirty.

Vardy pulled Maguire up in a friendly manner, not paying attention to the harsh boos around his ears.

When he was playing in the weekend league, he was under house arrest with an ankle brace, so he could only play half a game to avoid being convicted of escaping prison.

He had endured such a difficult time, so what did the boos mean? Maguire tried to explain to the referee, but in the end he failed to change the referee's decision and could only walk out of the penalty area in a depressed mood.

Beep! As the referee blew the whistle, Vardy took a run-up and shot the ball into the goal in one go!

De Gea misjudged the direction and punched the grass in frustration!

His performance in this World Cup has been disastrous, and he desperately hopes to overcome outside doubts and return to his peak form from last season.

But he still didn't get angry with Maguire, he only blamed himself for not being strong enough.

Chu Feng quickly ran towards his teammates, waving his fist and shouting: "This is the Premier League, not the Champions League final. The opponent is Leicester City, not Real Madrid. Have more confidence in yourself!"

Then he picked up the ball and waited silently for the game to resume.

De Gea looked at the familiar figure.

Perhaps it was because of that final where the team fell behind three times and equalized three times that every Manchester United player had full confidence in the young captain.

Maguire waited for a long time but no one blamed him. His anxious mood was inexplicably relieved and he fell in love with the harmonious team atmosphere of Manchester United.

At the same time, a strong pressure also arose in my heart.

Sometimes there is no need for verbal pressure, and setting an example through actions will make people more receptive. This is the biggest difference between Chu Feng and Ibrahimovic.

Vardy also made some provocative trash talk.

This was just a daily routine for him, and he even learned French and Portuguese for this purpose.

After the game restarted.

Manchester United launched a fierce attack, but was tightly defended by Leicester City, and the remaining time in the first half was quickly exhausted.

Back in the locker room, Mourinho briefly reviewed the game and then made detailed adjustments.

“Chu, you don’t have to suppress Leicester City’s defense in the penalty area all the time. You can try to retreat to the front of the penalty area so that you have space to break through and shoot from a distance!”

"Maguire and Bailly, get closer to each other, Luke Shaw should move inwards to fill the gap and increase the defensive density in the backcourt!"

“.”

Mourinho repeated it again before urging everyone to go on stage.

Chu Feng kept it in mind silently.

He has played as a winger for the entire season, and as Ashley Young's frequency of forward runs has decreased, he has become accustomed to retreating to provide support.

So today I deliberately changed my previous kicking method, but I didn't expect that I fell into a thinking error.

It seems that he still has a long way to go in the center position! The situation in the second half of the game was obviously different. Manchester United no longer competed with Leicester City in the midfield, but quickly advanced from both wings.

Mahrez and Rashford both achieved good results in one-on-one situations.

Manchester United also strengthened the connection between the wing and the center, but Pogba and Kovacic both consciously stood on the flanks to attract the attention of Adrian and Ndidi.

Basically no one noticed that the space in the middle of Leicester City, that is, the area between the two defensive midfielders, was gradually getting bigger.

And this is the breakthrough space specially prepared for Chu Feng!

When the game reached the 56th minute, Leicester City fans suddenly widened their eyes.

Kovacic's through ball found Mahrez. He did not give Chilwell and Ndidi any chance to steal the ball. After receiving the ball, he swept it with his left foot!

The football squeezed out from the gap between the two players and accurately arrived at the front of the penalty area.

Morgan and Evans rushed forward to press fiercely. They knew that Chu Feng had good long-range shooting ability and they must not let him shoot without interference!

Chu Feng didn't hesitate at all and took the initiative to rush towards the two people with the ball! His upper body shook violently, and the rhythm of touching the ball changed accordingly, but the speed did not decrease at all! Evans was Maguire's substitute. His defensive level was not high. At this time, he was even more dizzy and subconsciously stretched out his foot.

However, Chu Feng pushed out like lightning and avoided Evans' steal by a hair's breadth.

Morgan is very experienced. The moment Chu Feng touches the ball, he immediately rushes forward to intercept!

But the next second his pupils suddenly contracted.

Chu Feng seemed to have anticipated this and dribbled the ball inwards again!

The natural adjustment and the adhesion between the ball and the player made it seem as if the football had come to life!

Two simple touches broke through Leicester City's defense! In Schmeichel's extremely nervous eyes, there seemed to be a violently shaking pendulum! This was not a simple leg swing, but a complex whole-body shake! Schmeichel couldn't judge Chu Feng's intention at all, so he could only grit his teeth and pounce on the football at Chu Feng's feet.

Old Trafford seemed to become quiet, and everyone stared at the green field expectantly. The unparalleled impact was demonstrated again! When Schmeichel fell to the ground in embarrassment, he looked back and saw Chu Feng passing by gracefully and pushing the ball into the empty goal to take the lead again.

"pretty!"

"In the opening match of the new season, Xiao Chu scored twice with a powerful breakthrough!"

"And Xiao Chu, who temporarily serves as a center forward, can directly threaten the goal after completing a breakthrough in the middle, which is more effective than a winger."

"I think Mourinho should seriously consider changing Xiaochu's position."

Zhan Jun's excited voice came out.

What he said does make sense. After all, after a winger breaks through, he can only choose to go down the flank or cut inside, and he will face more defense if he wants to break into the penalty area.

Zhang Lu next to him also echoed: "If Xiao Chu can fully adapt to being a center forward, with excellent dribbling, shooting and headers, can you guess how many goals he will score in various competitions this season? Is there a hope that he will enter the top ten of the annual goal record list?"

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

"The tenth place is 69 goals in a single year created by Lewandowski and Ronaldo."

Zhan Jun seemed to be too excited, waving his finger and saying, "Coach Zhang, be brave. Manchester United's lineup has been fully upgraded this season. They will definitely not miss the League Cup, FA Cup and other cup competitions. Xiao Chu's firepower can be maximized."

"I'll tell you a number, the first three!"

Zhang Lu smiled bitterly and said, "It's not that I don't have confidence in Xiao Chu, but the top three are too difficult."

"First place is Messi in 2012 (91 goals), second place is Gerd Muller in 1972 (85 goals), and third place is Jimmy Jones in 1957 (80 goals)."

"If it's not the right time, right place, and right people, I'm afraid it will be difficult to touch it in my lifetime!"

While the two were discussing the annual goal record, Chu Feng was running to the sidelines with his teammates, high-fiving the crazy Manchester United fans to celebrate.

"Well done! Do Leicester City have the guts to equalize again? Not every team is Manchester United!"

"Chu, Transfermarkt only values ​​you at 135 million euros. You're not as good as that boiled egg from Paris Saint-Germain. Go and prove to them that you're the best!"

"One more! Hat trick!"

“.”

Manchester United fans shouted excitedly at the top of their lungs.

In their hearts, Chu Feng is the strongest striker. No matter what kind of game it is, he is the most dazzling benchmark on the field.

This is not a temperament that can be produced by outstanding athletic achievements.

Just like Cantona, the former Manchester United king, everyone can stand up their collar and imitate him, but no one can show his overwhelming temperament of looking down on everyone.

Chu Feng's temperament is different from Cantona's. It is a kind of infectious power that moistens things silently.

You can always influence others with your own behavior and words, allowing them to imitate and practice.

Only those who have fought side by side or confronted each other on the field can appreciate the tremendous power of this infectious force.

There is no difference in superiority or inferiority, just different personalities.

Chu Feng felt the pressure on his arm and saw the smiles on the faces of his Manchester United teammates. He suddenly understood the meaning of captain more deeply.

Not far away.

Morgan spread his hands helplessly: "I really can't defend him!"

He even wondered if he should retire, but suddenly he remembered that even Ramos and Varane were helpless, and he felt a sense of identity.

Schmeichel silently wiped the sweat from his forehead, Vardy encouraged his teammates not to lose fighting spirit, and Leicester City players waved their arms and shouted "Come on".

Next, Leicester City began to make substitutions, replacing Adrian with Ivora. The former is a 190cm strong man. Pierre's move was to strengthen the defensive strength in the backcourt.

As for Mourinho, he remained on the sidelines, mainly because there were too many injuries and no suitable replacements.

However, he directed his players to return to their own half and parked the bus at Old Trafford.

Manchester United's giants built a tight and pressing defense!

After Leicester City lost Mahrez, they were basically unable to break through the dense defense and could only watch from the outside.

Pierre even cursed on the spot, mocking Mourinho for being shameless. How could the Premier League and Champions League champions park the bus in their own home stadium?

Are you not afraid of being laughed at for saying this? But Mourinho is determined to win the game with the least effort. His ambition this season is not just to win two championships!

Leicester City had no choice but to try crosses and long shots, but the combination of Maguire and Bailly had no pressure to suppress Vardy, and the long shots without any threat only gave De Gea some points.

As the game entered its end, Leicester City players became more and more anxious, and even paid the price of three yellow cards in order to prevent Manchester United's counterattack.

There is an old saying that goes very well.

"Wasting opportunities will be punished!"

When the fourth official raised the LED board to announce 4 minutes of stoppage time, Maguire once again completed the scramble for the high ball and headed the ball steadily out of the penalty area.

McTominay headed the ball to the back side.

Pogba held on to the dark and hard Mendy and swung his heel back flexibly.

Bang! The football flew out from under Mendy's crotch and landed at the feet of Chu Feng who had retreated to the center circle.

Morgan carefully kept a certain distance to prevent Chu Feng from passing him with his back, but Chu Feng had been training long passes with Carrick for a season! He tilted his body slightly and swung his right leg suddenly! The football whizzed to the right side!

“It’s very difficult to stop the ball!”

"Beautiful! Mahrez's feet seem to be covered with glue! Cut directly into the right side of the penalty area!"

"Are you going to shoot?"

No.

Mahrez chose to pass the ball with his left foot, Rashford ran over and scored again with a shovel shot from a small angle!

3-1!

It was a classic Mourinho counterattack, with only five touches of the ball throughout the entire process, and it was a pleasure to watch.

Those who used to clamor for Mourinho's conservative tactics disappeared, and Neville in the commentary booth in the stands praised him lavishly, saying that he had spoken well of Mourinho.

Carragher mocked: "I don't know who said Manchester United's game was boring. I'm not happy even if I win!"

Neville slammed the table angrily: "Jamie, if you have the guts, bet with me again!"

"What's the bet?"

Carragher was not to be outdone and glared back.

"Let's bet. Who will win in the Reds derby?"

Neville originally wanted to say Chu Feng's hat trick, but considering Liverpool's all-round reinforcements this season, he finally decided to change his bet.

Carragher said confidently: "The bet is to wear the opponent's jersey? I'm afraid that's not enough, I have to walk around Anfield!"

Neville looked at the other party's smug expression, gritted his teeth and agreed to Carragher's request.

He silently prayed in his heart that Manchester United would not let him down, otherwise all the face he had earned would be lost, and he would even become a laughing stock in European football.

Carragher had already suffered enough humiliation and was determined to just throw in the towel.

Soon with the referee's whistle, the game officially ended and Manchester United won their first victory of the new season.

At the post-match press conference.

"Although Manchester United won the final victory, many problems were exposed in the process. What do you think of this?"

Mourinho was the first to answer: "New season, new lineup, this is a very common situation. As for the problem, the sooner it is exposed, the better, so that we can solve it as soon as possible and return to the state of competing for the championship last season."

"Is Manchester United confident of winning the championship this season?" asked another reporter.

Mourinho glanced at him and said, "Of course I am confident. Manchester United has the best players and coaches."

"But confidence does not mean arrogance. We still have a lot of room for improvement and need to continue working hard."

"Because there is no gain without hard work, especially when our opponents are also working hard, we must work twice as hard if we want to win the championship. This is an eternal law."

Mourinho also used the reporter's questions to remind Manchester United players that after all, last season's double championship would make some people a little complacent.

If anyone has a negative attitude towards training, he will show no mercy, even Chu Feng is no exception.

With his voice in Manchester United, he can easily force someone to do something.

But that would lead to greater conflicts in the locker room, which he has experienced before at Real Madrid and Chelsea, so he would choose a more tactful approach.

This suggestion is one of them.

"Chu, you scored two goals today. Can you please evaluate your performance?"

A reporter from The Guardian asked.

Chu Feng attended as the captain of Manchester United today. He adjusted the armband on his arm and answered seriously: "I still need to learn a lot. There is an essential difference between a center forward and a winger. If I change to an opponent with similar strength, the game may become more difficult."

"So you think it's difficult for Manchester United to win the league title?" The Sun reporter asked.

Chu Feng frowned slightly, "No, I am also confident. But I think we should not be bound by the honors of last season, but should face every game with a more humble attitude and make ourselves continue to improve and grow in the games and training."

Then the two of them returned to the Carrington training base together without answering any more questions.

After receiving the physiotherapy massage, Chu Feng drove to Hale, which is only 10 miles away from the city center and is the choice of many stars.

For example, Alisson, Sterling, Pogba, Rashford and others.

Chu Feng drove directly into the garage of one of the luxury houses, which was rented by Manchester United after completing Chu Feng's contract renewal.

Not only does it have 7 bedrooms, it is also equipped with a high-tech fitness center, which includes a swimming pool, jacuzzi and rapid freezing box.

The most important thing is that there is a 5-person security team and a nanny team.

However, this is not the end. Manchester United also prepared a luxurious penthouse apartment on Crown Street for Chu Feng so that he could stay in the city center.

In order to keep Chu Feng and prevent him from being poached by Real Madrid and Manchester City, the Manchester United management showed him the highest respect.

Chu Feng greeted the security captain and walked into the huge room alone.

He always felt that a house that was too big was not a good thing.

Maybe I can get a dog in the future to make the house more lively.

After a simple healthy meal, recovery training and game review, Chu Feng left home and walked to the other side of Hale.

Under Guardiola's murderous gaze, he took Maria for a walk to the small river nearby.

After Guardiola returned, he found the Manchester United game video and analyzed it carefully. He wanted to beat Manchester United in the game in November.

Then he was surprised to find that Chu Feng had become stronger again, especially the dominance he showed in the second goal.

Great strength and speed, skilled ball control, and increased explosiveness.

"Fuck, Mourinho is so lucky!"

Guardiola cursed. He had recently searched Manchester City's youth training camp but couldn't find a similar player.

But Chu Feng’s fellow Chinese fellow Zhang Yang seems to be pretty good.

Guardiola began to reverse design targeted tactics based on Chu Feng's technical characteristics, and his tactical thinking remained clear.

As long as the connection between the two wings and the center can be cut off, and a special person can be set up to defend in the hinterland, Chu Feng can be restricted to the maximum extent and put into an isolated and helpless state.

Simply put, divide and conquer.

(End of this chapter)