Chapter 22 Swansea's Bus
Time flies, and it is August 19th.
Whitestone Stadium, Swansea City, Wales.
The second round of the Premier League is in full swing, with Swansea playing against Manchester United at home.
Since Cardiff City was relegated to the Championship in the 13-14 season, Swansea has become the only Welsh team currently participating in the Premier League, and naturally attracted the attention of most local fans.
Due to the tortuous thousand-year feud between Wales and England, the relationship between the fans of both sides has become very bad, which can be seen from the strong smell of gunpowder on the green field.
As soon as the game started, both sides started a fierce confrontation and fought frantically for the football.
Standing on the sidelines was Swansea head coach Bradley, who had just led the team to a relegation battle last season.
Because his overall coaching style is relatively stable, even though he is playing at home today, he still asks the team to tighten their defense.
Not only did they pile up people in front of the penalty area, they also cut off Lukaku's connection with his teammates.
In addition, two fast forwards were placed in the frontcourt, ready to respond when their team cleared the ball and launch a quick counterattack.
As a result, Manchester United's midfielders and backcourt players did not dare to press forward too far and had to free up their energy for defense.
The situation then became deadlocked.
In the 26th minute of the game, Pogba received a yellow gem card because of his big counter-attack after losing the ball.
Swansea fans were very arrogant and made all kinds of gestures towards the field, trying to provoke the anger of Manchester United players.
Mourinho on the sidelines pressed his hands down, signaling his players to stay calm, continue attacking, and create more set pieces.
Someone once told him something.
"As the caravan passed, there was a pack of dogs barking. You look at the dogs, they just bark, but the caravan kept going."
From then on, Mourinho no longer cared about his opponents' doubts and would only fight back with cold facts.
Not far behind him, Chu Feng and Ibrahimovic sat side by side, discussing the game seriously.
They are both substitutes again But the reasons are very different, the former is not strong enough, and the latter has not recovered from injury.
Chu Feng didn't feel much.
After getting Mourinho's promise that morning, he calmed down and immersed himself in training.
During this period, he also brought gifts to find Carrick and asked him if he could teach him some long pass experience.
Faced with the request of the diligent junior, the kind-hearted Carrick naturally had no reason to refuse.
So Chu Feng practiced Taekwondo with Ibrahimovic before daily training, and practiced long passes with Carrick after daily training.
Every day is very fulfilling.
Chu Feng cast his gaze towards the field and brought himself in.
The game time has reached the 43rd minute, and the Manchester United players seem to be influenced by Mourinho and their anxious mentality has calmed down.
Mata received the pass from his teammate on the wing and decisively cut inside to the middle. Before the opposing defensive players surrounded him, he made a diagonal pass to the right.
Valencia took two steps forward to receive the ball and made a cross from the right side of the penalty area.
The football fell towards the penalty spot like a gorgeous rainbow.
Lukaku was closely guarded for most of the game and hardly touched the ball. He had been holding a lot of anger in his heart and finally had the chance to vent it.
He jumped high, overpowered the defensive player, and shook his dark head fiercely.
Bang! Swansea goalkeeper Fabianski, once Arsenal's second goalkeeper, is known for his quick reaction.
With a lightning-fast sideways save, the ball was barely pushed out of the baseline.
The White Rock Stadium was suddenly filled with endless exclamations.
Swansea fans were scared out of their wits and started to show their displeasure after they realized what was happening.
"Admit it, you can't score a goal!"
"Go wherever you want to go!"
On the court.
Lukaku spat in frustration.
I was so unlucky that I was able to block a sure goal.
"Stay focused and remember the tactics arranged before the game." Matic reminded his teammates loudly.
When five tall Manchester United players rushed into the penalty area, the small area instantly became chaotic with people crowding each other.
Mourinho's preference for high-altitude lineups has long become a hallmark of his tactical style.
As his players got into position, Mata stretched out three fingers and quickly took a corner kick.
at the same time.
Lukaku stood near the penalty spot and jumped high again.
Because of the fierce header just now, Swansea players did not dare to let their guard down and confronted closely to interfere with Lukaku's movements.
But no one expected that the football would slide from the sky and fly to the back point.
Manchester United center back Bailly was uninterrupted and easily headed the ball forward and into the goal.
Wow!!! The Manchester United fans who came with the team from afar were like a pot of boiling water, waving flags and shouting wildly to celebrate this hard-earned goal.
The Swansea fans, who had been so arrogant just now, suddenly turned pale and shut their mouths and kept quiet.
There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!
Mourinho, standing on the sidelines, glanced at the side stands with a sneer on his face.
Due to the lack of offensive power last season, he specially developed a new set-piece tactic with the aim of breaking the situation when the game was in a stalemate.
Bradley on the other side frowned.
Near the end of the first half, the opponent scored a goal, which not only disrupted his tactical arrangements, but also affected the mentality of the players.
So he gestured to the team to strengthen their defense and hold on until the halftime break.
On the green field.
The originally evenly matched situation has completely turned into a one-sided one.
Manchester United took advantage of the situation and continued to launch fierce attacks in the frontcourt.
But there was little time left in the first half, and they were unable to score again until the referee blew the whistle to end the first half.
The Swansea players breathed a sigh of relief.
It was only a few minutes, but they felt it was so long that they wished they could press the button to speed up time.
It was mainly because the previous goal was too deadly, dragging their morale to the bottom and causing their movements to become distorted.
It would be better to fall behind at the start. Manchester United players walked towards the player tunnel excitedly with the joy of victory.
But as soon as they pushed open the door of the locker room, they heard that cold voice, and the smiles on their faces immediately disappeared.
"I am very dissatisfied with your performance!"
“Swansea finished 15th last season, just three places clear of the relegation zone.”
"But in the entire 45 minutes of the first half, we only had six shots, three of which were not threatening at all."
"Other than that, you guys have done nothing!"
“.”
Mourinho scolded for a while, opened the cup and drank a sip of water, and continued: "In the second half, strengthen defense, wait for the opponent's formation to press forward, and then look for opportunities to launch a quick counterattack."
The Manchester United players nodded in response quickly, fearing that the war would spread to them.
Mourinho did not pursue the matter further. He simply reviewed the game and then looked at Chu Feng. "After 75 minutes, if the score has not changed, I will replace you."
"Swansea's defense on the wing is not strong. After you complete the breakthrough, you must cross the ball in time and don't give the opponent time to reorganize the formation."
"Okay, coach."
Chu Feng suppressed his excitement and spoke in a low voice.
Although it was not a good idea to think this way, he still secretly hoped that the team would not score a goal.
Only then will he have the opportunity to play, show the results of his recent hard training, and win more opportunities.
In this respect, everyone is selfish, and he is no exception.
Thanks to book friends "When the Smoke is Lighted" and "Quarkqi" for their monthly tickets.
(End of this chapter)