Chapter 248 The peaceful winter window of 2019 was broken by Manchester United
After a few days of rest, Manchester United faced Newcastle United in the best condition, and started the game still based on defense and tried to counterattack.
But Benítez's tactics are also very conservative. It is obvious that if you don't attack, I won't attack either.
Newcastle United is currently ranked 13th in the standings, only 8 points away from the relegation zone. Therefore, facing Manchester United, which is stronger on paper, Benítez's primary goal is to do his best to keep 1 point.
Mourinho naturally would not accept a draw.
With a wave of his hand, Manchester United quickly advanced forward and launched high-altitude bombing from both wings.
The ball was constantly being hoisted into Newcastle United's penalty area.
Manchester United's formation today is 4-3-1-2, with Luke Shaw, Maguire, David Luiz and Wan Bissaka lined up on the back line.
The defensive midfielders are McTominay, Matic and Herrera.
Pogba plays as the single attacking midfielder, while Chu Feng and Lukaku serve as double center forwards.
Mourinho has not used this formation before, but he can't let Lukaku continue to sit on the bench. After all, the Belgian guy's salary is not low.
So with the idea of making the best use of resources, he developed a double center tactic.
"Boss, why don't we use 4-4-2? This formation is much more balanced in offense and defense." Faria asked puzzledly.
"That would occupy the space of the wide players and reduce the defensive strength." Mourinho replied without looking up, "Besides, among our three defensive midfielders, except Herrera who is more mobile, the other two are not very good."
Faria nodded, not quite understanding.
After a period of adaptation, Manchester United's front three became more and more tacit and launched an attack as smooth as Dove.
Pogbala passed the ball past Diame and passed it directly into the penalty area.
Lukaku headed the ball while holding off the defender, but the landing point of his pass was too awkward. Chu Feng couldn't touch the ball and shoot at the first time, whether with his feet or head.
But the next second, Benítez's eyes widened.
Chu Feng was seen lying down, using a movement similar to a diving header, and sending the ball into the goal with his head on the right side of the goal!
In the 21st minute of the game, Manchester United scored the first goal! After that, Manchester United completely controlled the rhythm of the game. Even if the frontcourt attack was intercepted due to mistakes, the three defensive midfielders were strong enough, coupled with two defensive fullbacks.
Newcastle United did not have a single shot on target until the end of the first half.
After the second half of the game started.
Manchester United also used the same three-pronged attack, running forward and crossing the ball, but the method of crossing had changed, with frequent switching between 45-degree crosses, low crosses, and half-high passes.
Newcastle United's defense was exhausted and made several low-level mistakes.
63rd minute of the game.
Luke Shaw's left-foot cross after breaking into the baseline was not of very high quality, but Chu Feng relied on his advantage in the air to overpower the Newcastle captain, and Russells completed the header back.
Lukaku volleyed the ball without saying a word, and the ball bounced off the ground and flew straight into the goal.
0-2!
With a two-goal lead in hand, Mourinho decisively parked the bus.
As for the boos from the home fans? He let them go in one ear and out the other.
"Boss, you said before that you wanted to contact Kante, but Chelsea made it clear that they would not let him go."
Faria said with a sad face.
"Look at you, are you in a hurry again?" Mourinho waved his hand, "Business is not done in a day, take your time and there will always be results."
He is now concerned about Manchester United's wage structure.
Manchester United spent 180 million pounds on player contract renewals in the past year. If they sign Kante, there will probably be financial problems unless they sell a few more players to free up salary space.
But the problem is that Manchester United's current lineup is relatively complete, and redundant players such as Rojo and Smalling have already left.
Damian? Mourinho thought of this and glanced at the bench.
Manchester United is not short of defenders at the moment, so perhaps letting the Italian return to his hometown is a good choice.
When Damian noticed Mourinho's eyes, he couldn't help but get goose bumps and forced a smile that was uglier than crying.
He also wants to be a champion like Lukaku! There seem to be too many midfielders, McTominay, Kovacic, Matic and Pogba.
But if the 4-3-1-2 formation is proven to be feasible, then Pogba will be the starting attacking midfielder, Kovacic will be used as a substitute, and the remaining personnel will be easy to allocate.
Or maybe swap Kovacic for Kante, or at worst give Chelsea some extra money? The more Mourinho thought about it, the more he thought it was feasible, and he glanced at the pitch again.
Kovacic was just about to receive the pass from his teammate, but he didn't choose the right place to touch the ball and stopped the ball directly outside the sideline.
After Newcastle United sent a throw-in, they discovered something horrible.
All Manchester United players retreated when defending.
The forward retreated to the center circle and the attacking midfielder retreated further, forming a player positioning similar to a compressed version of 4-4-2.
To put it simply, in addition to the goalkeeper, there are 10 people participating in the defense at the same time, blocking the entire backcourt.
No matter which Newcastle United player gets the ball, he will be pressed fiercely in a short period of time, and will not be able to find a gap to pass the ball through the defense.
It can be said that this is the ultimate in bus parking!
"What a fucking bastard!" Benítez couldn't help but curse.
Although whether he coached Liverpool or Real Madrid, he used parking the bus as the team's mainstream tactic.
But he is not as crazy as Mourinho!
However, since the defense is strengthened, the offensive strength will inevitably be lost! 4-3-1-2 has a fatal problem, that is, the offensive power is very weak, and only two forwards are in the offensive state for a long time.
"I think this shouldn't be a problem for Manchester United." Mourinho raised the corner of his mouth slightly, his eyes fixed on Chu Feng.
No matter how much pressure is put on him, he can handle it and complete the task.
Which head coach would not like such a player? Using personal strength to make up for tactical deficiencies is a very simple but effective method, but not everyone can use it.
Mourinho couldn't help but sigh: "It's so cool!"
"What's so cool about that?" Faria exclaimed before he finished speaking: "There was a gap on the wing, luckily David Luiz made a tackle in time!"
"Boss, there are huge gaps on our left and right wings. We can only solve them by letting the three central midfielders move horizontally over a large area! This formation doesn't work!"
"Well, that's true, but if we add a defensive midfielder with a huge running range, the problem will be easily solved!" Mourinho nodded.
The two were talking about the transfer matters in a casual manner, but the situation on the football field changed dramatically.
Newcastle United's long shot hit Maguire and bounced near Matic at the front of the penalty area.
"Nemanya! Behind!"
Even without vision, Matic still decisively kicked the ball with his heel.
The football brushed past Diame's toes and came to Chu Feng's feet who was running to receive the ball. Facing Hayden who was rushing towards him from the side, he just cleverly passed the ball to the left and easily passed him.
Then he rushed straight into the air! Amid the excited voice of the commentator, he was like a cluster of flames flying close to the ground, heading towards the Newcastle United defense!
In the wide-angle lens presented in the picture, the billboards on both sides seemed to become blurred! In just a blink of an eye, Chu Feng arrived at the front of the restricted area.
The two central defenders, Russells and Dummett, were like a rapidly closing iron gate, trying to stop Chu Feng from entering the penalty area! But the next scene made everyone open their mouths wide.
Chu Feng did not slow down his stabbing speed at all. He lowered his center of gravity and forced his way out from the crack in the door. He shot to the left before he lost control of his center of gravity and fell!
The football stumbled around the goalkeeper's fingers and crossed the goal line.
0-3!
"A beautiful long-distance charge! He even ate the defender alive in the end!"
"This strong body and terrifying speed are the nightmare of every defensive player. I think Russells might dream about Chu Feng tonight!"
"The outcome is decided!"
There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!
St James' Park.
Newcastle United fans applauded. Even though they were Manchester United's opponents today, they would not deny the brilliance of this goal.
Chu Feng celebrated passionately and then was substituted off the court.
Manchester United naturally won the game smoothly, but the scene was very boring. After all, Lukaku was the only one left in the frontcourt. Although he had lost weight, his speed was no match for Chu Feng.
When counterattacking, if you are double-teamed, it is difficult to get the ball out safely.
The gap between the two was directly reflected. Lukaku did not care when he was interviewed after the game. "Chu Ke is a player who broke the Premier League goal record. What if I am as good as him?"
Two days after returning to Manchester with the victory, Manchester United played against Reading in the third round of the FA Cup with a half-rotated lineup.
The substitute players proved why they were substitutes with their performance and made a series of very eye-catching moves.
Mourinho was so angry that he started to criticize on the spot.
However, Reading, as a Championship relegation team, still failed to break Manchester United's goal. After all, their overall strength is too poor.
In the end, it was Mahrez, who was wearing gloves, who performed well and scored two beautiful shots in a row between the 67th and 73rd minutes of the second half.
In the end, Manchester United beat Reading 2-0 and advanced to the FA Cup round of 32! After this game, Manchester United's next game will have to wait until January 14, which means there will be nine days of free time.
Mourinho gave his players a day off.
Chu Feng took Maria to London to attend a commercial event held by Puma. When the two walked on the red carpet, they amazed everyone in the audience.
The best way to describe them is to use the phrase "golden boy and jade girl"! Maria's social media account gained 400,000 followers that night.
After returning to Manchester from London, Chu Feng still led a boring life, training, going to school, and going home every day.
But compared to his peaceful life, the Premier League has set off a transfer storm!
Manchester United's former captain Valencia has received invitations from Fulham and Newcastle United. Although both teams are Premier League relegation teams, they can give him enough playing time.
Valencia decisively chose to refuse this and said in an interview with the media: "Due to my knee injury and physical fitness, I know that my level can no longer meet the requirements of Manchester United's full-back, but Manchester United can't find a suitable substitute at present, so it is the best choice for me to take the position."
"Of course, it's only a matter of time before I leave, maybe after the end of this season, but before that, Manchester United is still my home and I will continue to play for it!"
When seeing this news, Chu Feng was also deeply moved.
Valencia was born in a poor county in Ecuador. His family of eight was struggling for survival. When he was a child, he started picking up bottles to supplement his family income.
It wasn't until he came into contact with football that his life changed dramatically.
Countless banknotes, expensive supercars, gorgeous luxury goods. Many people in the football world become decadent after being exposed to these, but Valencia did not change his original intention.
Fired his agent for Manchester United and broke his leg Others always say Chu Feng is the inheritor of Manchester United's spirit, but he actually thinks the old captain Valencia is the one.
Not long after, Manchester United's official website released another news, that is, the contract with Spanish goalkeeper De Gea has been renewed and will last until 2024.
This made Manchester United fans very satisfied.
De Gea's performance in recent seasons has been obvious to all, and no one wants to let go of such an excellent goalkeeper.
As for recruiting players?
Manchester United is negotiating with Chelsea to swap Kovacic for Kante, and Sarri is said to be interested.
After all, in the 4-3-3 formation he used, there could only be one defensive midfielder, and he would definitely prefer his disciple Jorginho.
Kante is a player who is better at defense than offense, which leads to Chelsea's unsatisfactory advancement on the flanks.
However, there are still big differences in the transfer price.
The rest of the teams also started recruiting.
Manchester City has taken a fancy to Ajax's De Jong and wants to use him to replace Fernandinho, but there is also the problem of salary structure. It depends on how Guardiola decides.
Chelsea's biggest problem is still the lack of forward power.
Both Morata and Giroud performed poorly, and Hazard's form was also unsatisfactory.
So Chelsea spent 57.6 million to sign Pulisic from Dortmund, but he will have to wait until the summer to officially join, and also loaned Higuain from Juventus.
It can be seen that Abramovich is no longer wealthy.
How could Chelsea do the same thing as renting a player first to try it out, buying it if it works, and returning it if it doesn't? Arsenal also held on to their purse strings, only renting Spanish midfielder Denis.
Liverpool and Tottenham went even further, pursuing a strategy of saving wherever possible and not spending a penny.
The former has spent a lot of money in two consecutive transfer windows, so now the squad is complete and there is no need for major changes.
The latter is rebuilding the stadium, spending a full 1 billion pounds. Now his pocket is emptier than the Hall of Fame, and Pochettino cannot buy it even if he wants to.
Thousands of miles away, the Chinese football world has begun to implement strict spending caps and control the cash flow of major clubs due to the corruption scandal that broke out earlier.
There is also very good news that Wu Lei joined Espanyol for 2 million euros.
After many years of decline, the trend of Chinese players studying abroad is showing signs of resurgence, and many European teams have begun to pay attention to outstanding young Chinese players.
Some of these clubs have even taken substantial steps forward.
This has also become a new opportunity for Chinese football to revitalize itself. Although this opportunity may not necessarily be successful, it at least allows people to see the dawn of hope.
On January 10, four days before Manchester United played against Tottenham, the Premier League broke shocking news that Chelsea player Kante joined Manchester United.
(End of this chapter)