Just when Gu Ran was thinking about how to get Alan Shearer for free, Kawai Yuichi desperately squeezed in front of Alan Shearer and said excitedly: "Mr. Shearer! I have watched all your games! I admire you very much! Please pay more attention to me in the next game and see how I perform!"

Shearer smiled innocently, "Okay! If I'm not mistaken... you should be the rising star of our Saints, Mr. Gu Ran, right? Mr. Gu Ran, I have heard of your name a long time ago. I hope you can perform well and lead the Saints U18 team to defeat Liverpool U18."

Kawai Yuichi's mouth twitched, and he said with an extremely bitter expression: "...I am not, I am not Gu Ran."

Hiller was stunned, "Ah? Aren't you?"

Coach Dodd said with a smile: "Alan, you are wrong. How could he be Gu Ran? Come on, let me introduce you to the real rising star——"

As he said this, Coach Dodd pushed Kawai Yuichi away almost roughly, then pulled the dull-faced Hiller towards Gu Ran.

Kawai Yuichi is about to cry!

I finally squeezed to the front to get up close to the legendary idol, but...

The idol only has Gu Ran in his heart!

Others came over on their own initiative, but Gu Ran just waited there.

Alan Hiller has a kind of "If the mountain doesn't come to me, I will go to the mountain" mentality.

Coach Dodd pointed at Gu Ran and said with a smile: "Look, Alan, this is our rising star, Gu Ran! He is wearing the No. 9 jersey, the same as you!"

Hiller smiled innocently, "Sorry, I made a mistake just now."

Shearer either apologized to Kawai Yuichi or apologized to Gu Ran for making a mistake.

Seeing this scene, Kawai Yuichi's glass heart was shattered again.

Gu Ran quickly reached out his hand to shake hands with Shearer, "Hello, Mr. Shearer. It's such an honor to meet you. You are my role model."

Shearer smiled and said, "Mr. Gu Ran, I have heard of your name a long time ago. I hope you can perform well and lead the Saints U18 team to defeat the Liverpool U18 team."

The lyrics were the same old ones, and it was obvious that Shearer had been preparing for this meeting for a long time.

"...Okay." Gu Ran nodded.

Hiller smiled naively again.

Gu Ran also smiled foolishly.

Social phobia is contagious.

Two people with social phobia met and had an awkward conversation. Apart from a few polite words at the beginning, they couldn't say anything else.

Coach Dodd cleared his throat and prompted, "This is a good opportunity... to get an autograph."

"oh!"

They both reacted at the same time.

Gu Ran said: "Mr. Shearer, please sign for me."

Shearer also said at the same time: "Mr. Gu Ran, please sign for me."

Gu Ran: Mr. Shearer, please respect your status!

Hiller smiled innocently, "Sorry, I thought Dodd was giving me a hint just now."

Gu Ran was suddenly at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

This legendary superstar in front of us, who is as honest as an old farmer, is really cute in his honesty.

Who could have imagined that he is the top scorer in the Premier League and the two-time record-breaking transfer in the Premier League!

Shearer has a really good personality and is not arrogant at all. How can we make such a good person feel emotional and get rid of negative emotions? You can't just pull out the hair on his forehead, which is not much, right?

——Gu Ran was at a loss for a moment.

Hiller took the pen that Coach Dodd had prepared long ago and signed his name on the No. 9 jersey worn by Gu Ran.

Other U18 players also came over to ask for autographs.

Shearer accepted everyone who came and signed autographs diligently.

Soon, the entire Southampton U18 team got Shearer's signature, even Yuichi Kawai, who was wearing No. 47.

The morale of the Southampton U18 team was high! After Shearer signed the last jersey, Coach Dodd clapped his hands and said, "Okay, calm down! There are only 10 minutes left before our friendly match with Liverpool U18 begins! Now, you are all wearing jerseys signed by Alan Shearer. Tell me, what should you do to live up to this signature?"

“Win the game!”

"Down with Liverpool!"

The players of Southampton U18 team roared loudly.

Coach Dodd nodded with satisfaction. "Next, I will announce the starting 11 players—"

The players suddenly became quiet.

The starting 11 are mainly composed of key players from Southampton U18 team.

Gu Ran was not among the starting lineup, but Kawai Yuichi's name appeared in the starting lineup.

"Yoshi!" Kawai Yuichi clenched his fists and cheered excitedly.

His "yoshi" sound is particularly harsh and annoying.

Kawai Yuichi even sneered at Gu Ran with a smug look on his face: "Gu Ran! Aren't you very good? But you're not even a starter! You're just a lousy substitute!"

After these words were spoken, Gu Ran did not react indifferently, but the other 10 substitute players all glared at Kawai Yuichi.

If there weren't a rule against fighting, Kawai Yuichi would have been beaten to a pulp by them long ago.

Although Gu Ran did not start, he did not think it was a big deal.

This is just a friendly match, there are no restrictions on substitutions, so it doesn’t matter much whether a player starts or not.

Besides, Coach Dodd is well aware of Gu Ran’s strength, so there is no way he would not send him on the field.

Gu Ran is still very confident about this.

Gu Ran analyzed in his mind that Coach Dodd was more likely to want Gu Ran to observe the situation on the field, especially the strength of Sterling on the opposite side, so that Gu Ran could be fully prepared mentally, wait until the critical moment to come on the field, and use his abundant physical strength to deal with Sterling.

This is also a strategy.

——But in fact, this is not necessary at all.

Gu Ran understands Sterling's characteristics better than anyone else present, and dares to even say that he understands Sterling better than Sterling himself.

But since this was the head coach's tactical intention, Gu Ran naturally had nothing to say - just do as the head coach asked.

Then I heard Coach Dodd say, "Okay, everyone go take a break - Gu, let's talk alone."

"Okay, coach."

Coach Dodd walked Gu Ran to the bench and asked kindly, "Gu, are you unhappy that I didn't let you start?"

Gu Ran smiled and said, "No."

Coach Dodd said, "You are our U18's trump card. I want you to see the situation on the field first, observe the guy named Sterling more, and accumulate physical strength. Don't worry, as long as the opportunity comes, I will immediately put you on the field."

really……

Gu Ran smiled and said, "Okay, coach."

Seeing that Gu Ran was not unhappy at all, Coach Dodd smiled with relief, "Gu, you are such a good player. I bet that all the coaches in the world will like players like you! Okay, I'm going to get busy. You should take a break. The game is about to start. Remember to sit next to me so that we can discuss tactics at any time."

"OK."

After the two men finished chatting, Coach Dodd happily ran to find his good brother Alan Shearer.

Gu Ran sat on the sidelines, took off his sneakers and relaxed.

Since you are not in the starting lineup, there is no need to sit on the bench wearing sneakers.

Evelin ran over happily and raised the microphone to Gu Ran's mouth, "Gu! Can I interview you now? You performed really well during the warm-up just now. Although you are very low-key, I still see through your excellence! Now we are about to play against Liverpool U18 team, so as Southampton's rising star, this is also your first time to represent Southampton Club in an external game, so how do you feel now?"

Holy shit…

Gu Ran’s head was ached. “Evelyn, the competition is about to start, and you’re going to let me…”

etc!

Gu Ran looked at Evelin who was eager to get interviewed, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind! If he was so troubled by Evelin's interview, wouldn't Alan Shearer be even more troubled? As long as Evelin was more powerful, Alan Shearer would definitely be able to get rid of the negative emotion bubble!

Gu Ran immediately jumped up excitedly and grabbed Evelin's smooth little hand! Evelin was shocked, and then said with surprise: "Gu, you finally took the initiative to me! Is it because you want to go to my house to ride a horse?"

Gu Ran quickly let go of Evelin's hand and said seriously, "Evelyn, as a reporter for the Saints, don't you want to interview the Saints' legend Alan Shearer?"

Evelin blinked, “Uh… of course I do, but I’d rather interview you more. You’re the focus of my interview this time.”

If it wasn’t for Cai Gu Ran, Evelin wouldn’t have risked taking a plane.

Gu Ran said: "If you go and interview Alan Shearer from the beginning of the game to the end of the game, I will agree to go to your house for dinner... and ride horses."

Evelin said in surprise, “Great! Wait…didn’t you promise me before?”

Gu Ran said: "This time it's real."

Evelin said unhappily, “Then it was fake last time?”

Gu Ran said quickly: "You can't say that, but this time I'm more serious. I promise you, I will definitely go to your house within a week."

Evelyn smiled and said, “Well, I’m going to interview Mr. Alan Shearer anyway.”

Gu Ran said: "I have a request - you can only ask questions, and you cannot answer on your own initiative for Alan Shearer."

Evelin was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, “I understand… Don’t worry, I will only be in sync with you, and it’s impossible for me to be in sync with other interviewees.”

Gu Ran nodded in satisfaction, "Great...eh?"

etc!

Evelin, there's something wrong with your eyes! Are you misunderstanding something?

I don't mean what you think! I don't want to possess you, I just want to have Alan Shearer for free! Oh shit, I can't explain this clearly!

Gu Ran gritted his teeth and cleared his throat, "Then... go ahead."

"Yeah!" Evelyn happily ran to the bench with the microphone and sat down next to Alan Shearer.

Alan Shearer greeted Evelyn with a silly smile at first, but when he heard that Evelyn was a reporter from the Advance Saints, Alan Shearer's face was suddenly filled with social phobia! He didn't know what to do with his hands and feet!

Gu Ran breathed a sigh of relief:

I'm so damn smart!

This really kills two birds with one stone!

Not only did I get rid of Evelyn's endless interview "harassment" during the substitute process, but I also had the opportunity to make Alan Shearer drop negative emotion bubbles! Sorry Alan Shearer, it's just because you are too fragrant, I have to get it for free.

Evelyn! Come on! Nag him as hard as you can!

Gu Ran was about to pick up his sneakers and walk towards the bench when a familiar fragrance blocked his way.

This is the unique scent of middle-aged woman with charm of Suzuki Honami.

Gu Ran suddenly felt that he should explain to Honami.

Honami, wearing big sunglasses, smiled gently at Gu Ran, "Gu Ran, you have to work hard."

So sweet...

There wasn't even a hint of resentment in that sweet tone.

Honami has a very big heart.

My young hands can testify to this...

Gu Ran breathed a sigh of relief, “I thought you would misunderstand the relationship between me and Evelin.”

Honami smiled faintly and said nothing. She just bowed to Gu Ran and then walked away.

Holy shit…

Looks like you're angry?

Can't I? Forget it, never mind, let's be honest with each other tonight! Gu Ran cleared his mind of the messy thoughts, walked to the bench, and sat down next to Coach Dodd in silence.

Gu Ran could hear Evelyn's endless questions from across Coach Dodd and Alan Shearer...

A few minutes later.

Players from both teams began to enter the field.

Because it was a friendly match not open to the public, the entrance of both sides was not as complicated as in a formal match.

After the captains of both teams choose their sides, the players of both teams will take their positions.

Southampton U18 team got the first kick-off right and attacked from the north half to the south half, while Liverpool U18 team attacked from the south half to the north half.

Most of the football fields in the world are oriented north-south to minimize the impact of sunlight on the players on the field.

beep--

With the whistle of the temporary referee, the game officially began.

Southampton U18 team started to attack fiercely right from the start, pressing very high on both flanks.

The Liverpool U18 team then steadily retreated in defense.

The physical confrontation between the two sides was very intense, and the scene was very heated from the beginning.

Judging from the opening situation, Southampton U18 team seemed to be taking the initiative and dominating Liverpool U18 team.

In addition to the fact that Southampton U18 has good basic skills, they are also positively affected by Alan Shearer's signature BUFF.

In the first five minutes of the game, Liverpool U18 played very passively and was pressed to defend near their own penalty area.

Gu Ran watched the game seriously, but his brows couldn't help but frown slightly -

It seemed that the Southampton U18 team was in high spirits, but after several waves of attacks, they were unable to penetrate the Liverpool U18's defense.

Liverpool U18 is very stable...

And Southampton U18 has no knife...

In terms of formation, Southampton U18 adopted the classic 442 formation.

This formation is also arranged according to the coaching style of Southampton's first-team head coach - in the first two seasons, Southampton's first-team was coached by coach Alan Pardew, who prefers 442 and likes to threaten opponents through midfield organization and quick transition.

In this formation, the full-backs play a very important role, they are responsible for supporting the attack and providing width, while the midfielders need to pass the ball quickly, support the forwards in attack, and provide solid support in defense.

How should I put it? There is nothing wrong with this formation and tactical combination. 442 is a classic formation that can be used with almost any tactic.

However, the 442 combined with offensive tactics is obviously not as sharp as other attacking formations, especially when the opponent's defense is strong, it is difficult for 442 to create opportunities through attacks on both wings.

The opposing Liverpool U18 team also lined up in a 442 formation.

Liverpool U18 head coach Mark, as a direct descendant of the first-team head coach "Hodgson", must have continued Hodgson's tactical system.

Hodgson, a famous English coach who came from the Crystal Palace youth training system, has always preferred the 442 formation. Especially when he was coaching small clubs, Hodgson's 442 was unique.

However, when he coached Liverpool, it was difficult for Hodgson to use 442.

Liverpool's offensive end is so rich in talent that it can be described as ultra-luxurious.

Gerrard, Kuyt, Torres, Lucas, Maxi Rodriguez, Benayoun...

Any one of them can be an absolute core player in a small team.

Liverpool during this period had too many cores. Hodgson, who was used to coaching small teams, was confused when he came. In order to arrange Liverpool's overly large attacking lineup, Hodgson abandoned his favorite 442 and used the transplanted 4231.

It would be fine if Hodgson used the typical 4231 offensive tactics, but the key is that Hodgson has his own ideas.

He abandoned the advantages and highlights of 4231, only used stars to stack the frontcourt, used three luxurious forwards to move the defense line forward, and required the players originally used for attacking in the frontcourt to defend on the spot.

Simply put, the advantage of 4231 is offense, especially when combined with Liverpool's super luxurious attacking lineup. It should have played the most Liverpool-specific offensive style, but Hodgson used 4231 to play defensive tactics.

This misalignment in formation and tactics prevented Liverpool's super luxurious attacking lineup from fully bringing into play. Therefore, during the period when Huo Taigong coached Liverpool, the team's performance was quite terrible. In the just-concluded 09-10 season, they could not even make it into the top six (BIG6) of the league.

However, in Liverpool U18 team, Hodgson's favorite defensive counterattack 442 formation and tactics are still implemented.

So it can be said that the Liverpool U18 team not only played without misposition or awkwardness, but this was the original Huo Taigong style - that is, the classical English football tactical style.

The tactical idea of ​​Southampton U18 team is to make full use of the two flanks, play oppressive double-wing attack and focus on offense.

The Liverpool U18 team in front of us tends to organize tight defense and counterattacks, especially emphasizing the defense of midfielders. When defending, they usually form a tight three-dimensional defense line, leaving the opponent with little space and opportunities.

The Liverpool U18 team's performance in the first five minutes was indeed better than that of the Southampton U18 team.

They have a stronger sense of unity than Southampton U18 team, pay more attention to the team's overall defense, and emphasize more on cooperation and position coverage between players.

Their midfielders also tend to be more defensive to ensure the stability of the overall formation.

In terms of offense, the tactics of this Liverpool U18 team must have followed Hodgson's style and would take advantage of empty spaces to launch quick counterattacks.

After the team's defense is over, they will inevitably launch a counterattack quickly, using the forward's speed and offensive ability to tear apart the opponent's defense.

Therefore, this is definitely not a good phenomenon for the Southampton U18 team, which appears to have the upper hand.

Southampton U18 team must tear apart Liverpool U18's defense as quickly as possible and find a breakthrough, otherwise...

Gu Ran quietly glanced at Coach Dodd and Alan Shearer beside him.

Coach Dodd doesn't seem to realize the problem - the coach of the youth team focuses more on training and is indeed weak in tactical analysis and response.

After retiring, Alan Shearer also served as the coach of Newcastle United, but it was obvious that he was not sensitive enough to the tactical games on the field.

What’s more, Evelin kept nagging in his ear.

Evelyn was like five hundred ducks.

Alan Shearer is dying.

...Gu Ran smiled in his heart.

8th minute of the game.

Southampton U18's offensive was still blocked, and all its forces were pressed into the 30-meter area on the opposite side, but they were still unable to break through Liverpool U18's dense and solid defense.

At this time, No. 47 Kawai Yuichi suddenly accelerated, got rid of the defense of the opponent's full-back, and ran to the empty area outside the top of the penalty area to respond!

There is something about this run.

As a champion striker of the Japanese national championship, Yuichi Kawai does have some strength.

But... look at the positions of the two defensive players of Liverpool U18, this is a fucking offensive trap.

Unless Kawai Yuichi passes the ball immediately after picking it up, anything bad will happen if the ball sticks to him for even a moment.

Silly son Yuichi would definitely not be able to see through this kind of basketball IQ game.

Gu Ran frowned even more tightly.

Seeing Yuichi Kawai running into the open space, Southampton U18 team's No. 10 core midfielder hesitated for a moment, then passed the ball to Yuichi Kawai.

Although No. 10 does not like Yuichi Kawai, as a professional player, he still has to pass the ball when Yuichi Kawai is actively moving and has a good open space.

While passing the ball, the No. 10 midfielder ran diagonally to the left, on the one hand to distract Kawai Yuichi's firepower, and on the other hand to make Kawai Yuichi pass the ball quickly.

After getting the ball, Yuichi Kawai had a great opportunity.

In this position, Yuichi Kawai can either dribble the ball straight in, or if he can't get in, he can choose to pass the ball to his teammates, or he can directly take a long shot on the spot.

No matter which option you choose, you have to be quick. The situation on the field changes rapidly and everyone is in motion. Any slowness will mean missed opportunities.

Kawai Yuichi chose to shoot directly! Kawai Yuichi howled and made an exaggerated tiger-like shooting posture——

Liverpool U18's defense line contracted and double-teamed very quickly!

This area was originally a trap. The two Liverpool U18 midfielders No. 8 and No. 12 didn't wait for Kawai Yuichi to kick the ball and directly rushed over to close the door! No. 47... I'm targeting you: Gu Ran! Liverpool U18's No. 8 and No. 12 seemed to be particularly hardworking and excited in defending Kawai Yuichi! After all, "Gu Ran", a Chinese, stole their British national championship and the Golden Boot Award for the best scorer!

Liverpool U18's No. 8 player directly used his strong body to block Kawai Yuichi, and also pulled Kawai Yuichi's arm. While blocking Kawai Yuichi's long-range shot, he also prevented Kawai Yuichi from turning around and breaking through!

This level of defense is definitely professional.

The other No. 12 player was not polite at all and slid towards Kawai Yuichi fiercely!

The grass was slippery, and the sliding tackle was powerful and fast! Kawai Yuichi never expected that he would be taken care of so much as soon as he got the ball!

Faced with the sliding tackle, Yuichi Kawai was still reluctant to pass the ball, but wanted to rely on his own ability to turn around and protect the ball.

However, his movements were too slow.

Before he could even turn around, the No. 12 player on the opposite side cleanly shoveled the ball towards the center circle! Sterling, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly exploded and chased after him quickly! Sterling puffed out his chest, stuck out his little buttocks, and stepped on the grass with his legs to create splashes of water!

The Liverpool executives and staff in the stands cheered excitedly! Especially the technical analysis director Michael Edwards, who stood up and applauded and whistled happily.

Coach Dodd on the visiting team's bench jumped up anxiously. He was going to scold Kawai Yuichi, but at this time, Sterling had already dribbled the ball past the midfield, and the two central defenders of the Southampton U18 team could not catch up with him even if they tried their best.

Coach Dodd yelled loudly: "Get back on defense! Get back on defense! Get back on defense quickly!"

Sterling was as fast as a flash of lightning! The entire Southampton U18 team was running back at full speed, their lungs were about to explode, but they couldn't catch up at all.

This is a clear gap in physical talent!

Sterling is indeed a young genius that Britain has high hopes for!

Gu Ran couldn't help but secretly take a breath: According to the system's rating standards, the 16-year-old Sterling's burst attribute must be at least 78 points if not 80 points.

He is truly a genius.

After another two years in Liverpool's youth training, Sterling's burst and speed attributes should reach around 90 points.

Great, having such an opponent gives me more motivation! Gu Ran looked at Sterling running wildly on the court, and the blood in his body could not help boiling.

…

(End of this chapter)