Chapter 269: It’s just the League Cup, how come it feels like the Champions League?

"Mourinho used Luke Shaw and Wan Bissaka to replace Ashley Young and Valencia. The two veterans are now approaching their physical limits and cannot provide enough defensive strength."

"And I think Manchester United should also take this opportunity to restart the two-wing attack system."

"As for Manchester City, Sane replaces Sterling."

There was some confusion on Zhan Jun's face. He didn't understand Guardiola's intention. "Empty right and solid left" has always been Manchester City's strategy, but Manchester United has strengthened its defense on the left.

Logically speaking, Manchester City should increase the intensity of the attack on the right side.

"Compared to Sterling, Sane has a stronger explosive speed. Guardiola wants to make use of his personal ability." Zhang Lu gave his own inference.

The camera returns to the green field.

Before leaving the field, Valencia ran to Chu Feng, took off the captain's armband and put it on him personally, "Chu, every time I leave the field, I feel very relieved. Do you know why?"

Without waiting for Chu Feng to answer, Valencia said in an affirmative tone: "Because I believe you can lead them to victory, come on!!!"

After saying this, he turned around and left quickly.

"Antonio!"

Looking at the old captain's back, Chu Feng smiled and said loudly: "Just wait and applaud for me!"

It's not that he suddenly became pretentious, but when he felt the restraint of the armband on his upper arm, he always felt the heaviness on his shoulders.

Of course, maybe others don't think so.

After the game resumed, Manchester City launched a fierce attack.

This time they learned their lesson and avoided the left side where Kante was and focused on the right side where Matic was.

"Mourinho's predictive substitutions were crucial. If it weren't for Wan-Bissaka's frequent defensive support, I'm afraid the right flank would have been destroyed by Manchester City!"

"However, Manchester United's double defensive midfielder configuration itself has considerable strength."

"If Guardiola is the best at playing as an attacking midfielder, then Mourinho is the best at playing as a defensive midfielder. The two of them are the pinnacle of attack and defense!"

The situation became the same as at the end of the first half, with the fierce physical confrontation giving people a feeling of suffocation.

In the 76th minute of the game, the situation finally changed.

Laporte made a long pass from mid-range to find De Bruyne. Ding Ding is now at the peak of his career and his physical fitness has not declined as seriously as it will be in the future.

Without waiting for Chu Feng to confront him, Ding Ding passed the ball with one kick.

Gundogan made a forward run from the middle, but Pogba did not retreat, resulting in a gap in Manchester United's midfield!

“Run!”

Mourinho yelled in frustration, he had known long ago that putting Pogba in the attacking midfielder position would lead to problems of not being able to let go actively.

Before, Manchester United could still cover it up with its strong offensive line.

But in the face of Manchester City's average and strong strength, this fatal problem was fully exposed! If you don't do your job well, your teammates will suffer.

This sentence made a lot of sense. Matic could only push forward and called out to Kante: "Help me fill in the position!"

Kante turned his head to look to the right and saw David Silva making a diagonal run.

So he quietly moved sideways a few steps.

As expected!

Seeing Gundogan pass the ball, Kante suddenly accelerated his sprint and intercepted the ball before David Silva!

Due to his height disadvantage, it is difficult for Kante to play as a single defensive midfielder.

From Pogba of the national team to Bakayoko of Chelsea, they all have a taller partner.

When the media asked Kante who he liked to partner with the most, Kante hesitated for a long time and finally said it was Matic.

Because Kante is short but fast and agile, and Matic is tall but not very agile, and they both happen to have one left foot and one right foot.

What’s even more amazing is that their skin colors are one white and one black.

"Nice steal!" Mourinho pumped his fist vigorously.

If there had been no internal conflicts within the team, he might have left Chelsea a year later, and by the time Kante was signed, there would have been a chance to win the championship again.

But those are fleeting.

Mourinho stared at Kante and kept muttering: "Paul didn't join the defense and was in the best attacking position, but..."

However, Gundogan is already running back, and he can insert himself into the connection between Kante and Pogba at any time!

This is not the best option.

Kante raised his head and observed quickly, pretending to pass the ball to Pogba, attracting Gundogan to move to the right.

But at this moment, the passing route to the left was opened!

Kante pushed the arch of his foot firmly into the middle of the ball and delivered a mediocre pass.

Perhaps because he was afraid of Chu Feng's acceleration ability, Kyle Walker positioned himself a little further back, but he reacted quickly and got close immediately.

No matter how skilled you are, I won't let you turn around! Kyle Walker felt the power in front of him, his whole face flushed, thinking that the two of them were not in the same weight class at all! Chu Feng raised his left arm to block, separated Kyle Walker with his body, and gently knocked the football with his right foot.

The softness of the ball is beyond words.

The fans in the stands had an illusion that it was not Chu Feng's feet that were leading the ball, but the ball was leading Chu Feng's feet.

The football slipped past Chu Feng's back and got out from Kyle Walker's block!

"Why is this guy so difficult to deal with?" Kyle Walker felt extremely annoyed.

From Tottenham to Manchester City, he rarely encountered similar strikers and was nervous every time he defended.

The key is, you never know what tricks Chu Feng will use!

"Cruyff turned!"

“It is a practical move to get rid of the tight defense from the side and rear, and it is also a perfect combination of fake moves, speed and flexibility!”

Chu Feng had completed the action and rushed a few meters with the ball before the commentator's voice sounded.

Kyle Walker remembered Guardiola's instructions, turned around quickly, and used his hands and feet to pull Chu Feng away.

I wish I could hang on Chu Feng.

"If he fell not far from the halfway line, there's a chance he wouldn't even get a yellow card."

Due to Mourinho's tactics, Manchester United did not have many opportunities to counterattack, and Chu Feng was unwilling to return empty-handed.

So he dragged Kyle Walker, tried his best to adjust his posture, and fell to the ground and passed the ball with his left foot!

"Are you still human?" Kyle Walker was stunned.

The next second, a dull sound was heard.

BANG!!! Under the illumination of dozens of spotlights, the football seemed to be a meteor streaking across the sky, spinning and falling to the right side.

The cheers of Manchester United fans also became louder.

The reason why they like Chu Feng is because of his spirit of never giving up.

And it was precisely because of this that Manchester United emerged from the Munich tragedy and created an era that belonged to the Red Devils! Mahrez estimated where the ball would land, gritted his teeth and ran desperately, creating an opportunity that Chu Feng had created with all his strength.

He can't waste it!

Zinchenko, who was crouching in the pit to defend, thought Chu Feng would fall to the ground and take a free kick, but he didn't expect that Chu Feng would pass the ball.

He let down his guard due to being caught off guard and now rashly stepped forward to grab the ball.

"Go back!"

Laporte reminded anxiously, but he was still a beat too late. He could only watch Mahrez stop and dribble and pass Zinchenko cleanly!

Wow!!! At Wembley Stadium, Manchester United fans in the stands suddenly stood up, like a group of burning flames.

Then there was passionate singing.

"The Red Devils keep moving forward, the glory belongs to Manchester United!"

"Wembley! Wembley!"

"We are the great Manchester United!"

Mahrez dribbled the ball towards the penalty area at high speed while observing the positions of the defensive players.

Chu Feng and Kyle Walker were still in the midfield and definitely didn't have time to participate in the attack. He suddenly had a strange feeling.

It turns out that since he came to Manchester United, he can see a familiar figure in almost every attack.

His father died of a heart attack when he was 15, he missed the chance to change his destiny when he was 18, and he was still playing in a low-level league in France when he was 22. I am not saying this to say how miserable his life was.

After all, whatever kind of person you want to be, you have to endure that kind of pain.

But Mahrez understands that training regardless of rain or shine does not necessarily lead to a bright tomorrow.

So he is the same as Chu Feng, both are used to seizing opportunities!

Otamendi has to mark Lukaku, and Laporta will definitely rush to steal the ball as long as he can get past the latter. Mahrez has been playing as a wingman before, and today he also wants to be the protagonist.

Although Lukaku always missed opportunities in front of the goal, his awareness was still acceptable. He immediately moved in the opposite direction and took Otamendi away.

The polo king knew that he was naturally lacking in explosive power.

But what he excels at is rhythm and technique, so he touches the ball continuously and quickly, flashes out of space and immediately swings his left foot.

Laporta subconsciously kicked out to intercept.

"Mahrez's cross again has a bit of Robben's flavor!"

"Cut inside and shoot. Beautiful!"

"The ball goes in! Manchester United overtook the score. In the final stage of the game, in the 81st minute of the second half, we scored a valuable goal!"

"All they have to do now is maintain the score and they will be the winners tonight!"

Boom!!! Wembley Stadium was like boiling water, gurgling and rolling violently.

After Mahrez scored the goal, he did not celebrate alone, but trotted all the way to Chu Feng, "Chu, thanks to you, not only did you pass the ball, but the quality was also so high."

"My pass was also a bit of a fluke." Chu Feng high-fived and hugged him, not forgetting to say a few words of modesty.

In fact, he was not lying, because it was indeed very difficult to pass the ball when he was about to lose his balance.

Didn’t you see that Kyle Walker still hasn’t recovered? It’s because he racked his brains and couldn’t figure it out. He could only hang his head and say to his teammates: “Sorry, it’s my problem.”

"It doesn't matter, the game isn't over yet, let's continue!" De Bruyne consoled.

As long as he doesn't run into Courtois, he has always been understanding.

At the same time, Guardiola on the sidelines had no time to regret and urgently asked Fernandinho and Delph to warm up.

In fact, it was not just Zinchenko's problem just now, but there is no point in worrying about who should take the blame now. The most urgent task is to find a way to equalize the score.

Guardiola did not leave any substitutions. Anyway, there is no extra time in the League Cup. Everything ends when the injury time ends! He must bet everything! Mourinho was not too excited, but called Matic to the sidelines, "Let the boys move more aggressively. Give the free kicks from 30 meters away. Manchester City has no high point to compete for the high ball."

After returning to the pitch, Matic relayed his boss' instructions to his teammates.

As the Manchester United players finished celebrating, Chu Feng assigned tasks to his teammates, "Romelu, you need to retreat deep into the middle, between the Manchester City defenders and defensive midfielder, and try to interfere with their passing."

"Paul, the same goes for you. Always pay attention to your position."

“.”

Lukaku nodded to show that he understood, but Pogba was a little unhappy, but if you asked him to explain the reason, he really couldn't tell you.

Maybe it's just the temper of a child.

Unexpectedly, the fourth official suddenly held up an LED sign with two numbers clearly written on it - 6 and 39.

McTominay replaces Pogba.

“.”

Pogba is not as bold as Kepa because he knows Mourinho's character and knows that if he says he will put him on the bench, he will definitely do it.

Maybe I will have to spend a few days with the youth team.

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

As for the cause of all this?

Pogba glanced at Chu Feng without leaving a trace. It turned out that he was the future of Manchester United. Both his teammates and senior management doted on him.

But now it's different.

“Good kick.”

McTominay praised Pogba and stepped onto the pitch after high-fiving him.

Since Kante came to Manchester United, his playing time has been squeezed again, but even so, he has not relaxed his training.

Because he knew that he would be able to play sooner or later.

"Scott, the task of marking Fernandinho is now up to you!"

Chu Feng extended his right fist towards his friend.

"Don't worry!" McTominay's eyes were full of fighting spirit.

Beep!!! The game started again. Manchester City was not in a hurry. They passed the ball calmly and advanced slowly.

I have to say that Guardiola is very strong in coaching players.

But Mourinho also said that when the game reaches the final stage, they will not give the opponent a chance to control the ball.

High-pressure, front-court pressure! Everyone is chasing the ball madly! Fernandinho is not as good as Gundogan in organization, and he can't organize the attack under Manchester United's relentless pressure.

So this job still has to be left to De Bruyne and David Silva.

However, the latter has entered the end of his career and is even preparing to return to his hometown to retire after the season.

The energy bar had already turned red! Soon, the fourth official raised the sign again, indicating that there would be 6 minutes of injury time.

At Wembley Stadium, some people have started to leave, seemingly not holding out much hope for victory, as if the League Cup title has already belonged to Manchester United.

"So tired!" De Bruyne muttered to himself, as if paralyzing himself.

But what can he do?

You can't just quit, right? "Xiao Chu's physical strength also declined seriously, and he was beaten by Kyle Walker and De Bruyne. Fortunately, he grabbed De Bruyne's clothes in advance!"

"He also received a yellow card for that."

"Let's see how Manchester City will deal with it?"

De Bruyne looked at the scoreboard and saw that the time had reached 94 minutes and 52 seconds. This might be Manchester City’s last attack.

He originally wanted to pass the ball directly into the penalty area.

But that would only be possible if Manchester United players made mistakes. Otherwise, given the average height of Manchester City players, there is basically no hope of grabbing any points.

So he passed the ball to Fernandinho on the ground.

Xiaomai remembered his duty and pounced forward ferociously.

"The old captain is still very experienced. He positioned himself in advance and passed the ball to David Silva on the side!"

"Can a space magician save Manchester City?"

cannot!

He no longer had the strength to break through, but his years of experience allowed him to discover the gaps in Manchester United's defense.

Not big, but enough! The precise pass tore through a corner of the defense, and the ball rolled along the grass towards Sane.

The most common mistake made by young players is that their concentration wanes in the later stages of the game, and Wan Bissaka fell to the ground and made a tackle for some unknown reason.

Neither the player nor the ball was tackled!

Sane didn't have time to thank Wan Bissaka and dribbled the ball into Manchester United's penalty area.

"David Luiz's defense was timely!"

"Sane, he chose to sweep towards the center of the penalty area!"

Under the gaze of all the fans.

Aguero squeezed out the last bit of his energy, cut diagonally to Maguire's left, and shoveled the ball directly! The ball went steadily into the lower right corner of the goal! 2-2!!!

"Aguero equalized!"

“Only football can make your emotions go from high to low, or from low to high, in just one second.”

“People often say that no one knows what will happen in the next second.”

"Today's game really showed us this."

"It seems like time has returned to May 13, 2012. It is still unknown who can put a perfect end to the Premier League."

"Aguero, who has just arrived at Manchester City for a year, has become the embodiment of miracles!"

"We used the miracle of 9230 to snatch the league title from Manchester United. Could it be that today..."

The only sound left at Wembley Stadium was the cheers of Manchester City fans.

Manchester United fans had painful expressions on their faces, their emotions instantly went from high to low, and they also thought of their past nightmares.

"Damn, it's just the League Cup, how come it feels like the Champions League?" Chu Feng stared at the Manchester City players who were celebrating wildly and smoothed his sweat-soaked hair back.

Finally, he smiled bitterly and said, "I'm not tired!"

They couldn't complete an attack in the remaining time, and it was estimated that when they restarted the game, the referee would directly signal the end of the game.

To be honest, there is definitely some disappointment. "Brothers, we fought Real Madrid on penalties, and it was the Champions League final!"

"Don't be afraid, just do it!"

Chu Feng yelled at the top of his lungs.

But the effect was not very good, and Manchester United players were still dejected.

"I have to do it again." Chu Feng rubbed his eyebrows and regained his spirit.

Beep-beep-beep!!! Just as Chu Feng thought, when the ball was kicked out of the sideline by Manchester City, the referee blew the whistle immediately! All the players lay on the grass, their chests rising and falling like bellows.

Tired. They all had the same thought in their minds.

After a while, the players from both teams gathered in their respective areas, and Mourinho asked in a deep voice: "Who is willing to take the first penalty?"

In last season’s Champions League final, Ibrahimovic stepped forward.

What about this time? "Boss, let me do it." Chu Feng raised his hand without saying anything and said in a very relaxed tone.

Mourinho nodded.

The first penalty kick had a huge impact on morale, and several veteran players were replaced. The one he trusted the most was Chu Feng.

With Chu Feng's example, Mahrez, Kante, David Luiz and Matic also stood up.

"If you don't know which direction to kick the ball, kick it through the middle because goalkeepers often don't stand still and that makes them look like fools!" De Gea repeated what he said in the Champions League final.

"David, is there a possibility?" Chu Feng said with a smile, "Does Manchester City think so too?"

De Gea was stunned when he heard this.

Good boy, how dare you disturb my mind!

"Okay, let me say a few words to you one last time." Chu Feng regained his serious expression and pointed at the goal in the distance. "All the players and goalkeepers who take penalty kicks are fighting with their hearts."

“The one who conquers his own heart is strong enough.”

"So, follow your heart and don't think too much!"

After saying that, Chu Feng stretched out his right hand and roared: "Manchester United will win!"

The Manchester United players put their hands together.

"Manchester United must win!"

Then they stood shoulder to shoulder in the center circle, waiting for the final moment.

Chu Feng walked slowly towards the penalty spot, without any pressure between his brows. He picked up the football and spun it around his fingertips several times.

"This mentality is truly invincible!"

Commentators from several countries couldn't help but admire it.

But Ederson was under a lot of psychological pressure and kept jumping on the spot nervously.

The whistle blew, the run-up began, and the shot was fired! No fake moves, the ball was fired confidently to the right, but Ederson ended up misjudging the direction.

Chu Feng turned around to look at his teammates and raised his eyebrows in a nonchalant manner, as if to say, "See, it's very simple, just do it like I do."

People are always like this.

If someone takes the lead and sets an example, you won't be shaken. Besides, who among the players who took the penalty kicks at Manchester United is not experienced in many battles? They are very strong mentally! "The first player to take the penalty kick at Manchester City was David Silva. He deceived the goalkeeper and shot from the left side and scored!"

"Mahrez, Aguero, Kante, Fernandinho, all of them were very stable in their free throws and they all sent the ball into the goal!"

"It all depends on the last two rounds!"

David Luiz took a deep breath and volleyed the ball into the middle to score another goal. He clenched his fists to celebrate and walked towards his teammates in the center circle.

Soon, De Gea looked at De Bruyne in front of him, and Chu Feng's words filled his mind.

I'll just be a fool for once! Then he saw De Bruyne take a spoon penalty kick. When De Gea held the ball in his arms, he heard thunderous cheers!

"Beautiful! De Gea!"

"As long as Matic can score, Manchester United will win the League Cup!"

"Run up! Shoot, the ball goes in!"

(End of this chapter)