Joe Cole's through ball went straight between three Southampton defenders!

Holmes, who had retreated, raised his leg to intercept and almost did a split.

His defensive awareness was very good, but his legs were too short and his toes were stretched to the limit, so he was still a few centimeters away from Joe Cole's through pass!

The venomous snake Jovanovic at the far end of the penalty area immediately started sprinting at the same time as Joe Cole kicked! The high school defender who was responsible for defending him, Jaidi, also started immediately!

Jaidi's turning speed was like a snail in front of Jovanovic! Jovanovic almost instantly shook off the slow-chasing Jaidi and got the ball first.

The moment Jaidi lost his position, goalkeeper Davis chose to attack and intercept Jovanovic head-on! This was also a helpless move. Only by suppressing Jovanovic's forward speed and waiting for Jaidi to catch up and entangle Jovanovic, there was a chance to save the goal.

Jovanovic didn't even slow down or change direction, but just made a clean and swift diagonal shot!

This shot was too sudden and the ball was too fast!

Davis was caught off guard! The ball went straight into the upper left corner of the goal...

The ball went in! "Yeah!!!"

"Allez Allez Allez~"

Liverpool fans at the scene cheered wildly! 7 minutes into the game!

After the home team Liverpool intercepted the ball in the frontcourt, they played a perfectly coordinated set of offensive coordination. With only three simple passes, they tore through Southampton's defense and blasted open Southampton's goal!

The score on the big screen immediately changed to Liverpool 1:0 Southampton.

Anfield Stadium has become a sea of ​​joy! Fans in the KOP stands are singing and dancing happily!

This goal was undoubtedly a very exciting start for all Liverpool fans! After scoring the goal, Jovanovic happily ran to the Kop stand and raised his arms to accept the cheers of the fans.

Players such as Joe Cole and Maxi Rodriguez also ran over and rubbed Jovanovic's head to celebrate.

The whole Anfield stadium was shaking!

The red celebration was really crazy! On the Southampton team side, everyone was silent.

Davis stood up from the grass shaking his head. He knew Liverpool would definitely score, but he didn't expect it to come so soon.

Hammond, the person primarily responsible for the goal, covered his face and dared not communicate with his teammates.

If Maxi hadn't intercepted the ball and launched a counterattack, why would Southampton be so passive?

Head coach Adkins turned away angrily, not wanting to look at these depressed players.

From offense to defense, Southampton was really terrible.

After all, Southampton used to be a strong team in the Premier League and was always at a disadvantage when playing against strong teams. But it has only been three years since it was relegated and it has become like this.

It's not just a difference in individual strength; the overall coordination seems to be soulless and cannot form a whole.

At times like this, someone has to step up and integrate offense and defense...

"Coach...let me play!"

With a passionate and excited shout, Chamberlain stood up from the Southampton bench and volunteered: "I will definitely turn the tide!"

Gu Ran: ...idiot! Coach Adkins glanced at Chamberlain, frowned, and ignored him.

Chamberlain could only sit down in disappointment.

In fact, it is taboo for players to volunteer to play on the bench.

Most head coaches don't like players who ask to play on the bench, because it makes the head coach seem to have no control.

The 17-year-old Chamberlain is worthy of being Southampton's top young talent.

The game on the field continues.

Southampton, who lost a goal at the start of the game, continued to strengthen their defense under the on-the-spot command of coach Adkins.

The Liverpool team launched an aggressive attack, launching beautiful coordinated attacks one after another.

14th minute of the first half.

Liverpool's left-back Konchesky dribbled the ball along the left side, and Schneiderlin and Pulis jointly defended Konchesky.

Konchesky passed the ball to Spiering who came to receive the ball and Spiering moved forward through the midfield.

Southampton immediately retreated to defense under the on-the-spot command of coach Adkins, and even Lallana retreated to help defend.

This style of play is very conservative and ugly.

But it did limit Liverpool's passionate offensive.

Seeing that there was no better breakthrough route, Spiering immediately passed a high ball into the penalty area.

Rejoice's N'Gogo confidently rushed forward to compete for the header.

Southampton's center back Jaidi jumped up to meet N'Gogo, caught the high ball and headed it out of the danger area.

The ball happened to fall at the feet of left midfielder Holmes!

Although Holmes is small in stature, he is very fast on his feet!

Holmes quickly dribbled the ball to the left side, an area he was familiar with.

Standing in the technical area on the sidelines, head coach Adkins shouted excitedly, "Good opportunity! Someone in the middle should be the fulcrum for support! Quick counterattack! Charge! Charge!"

The other Southampton players immediately sprinted forward.

Lallana went straight to the middle to provide support for Holmes, while Schneiderlin ran to the right to provide support for Lallana. Guli also attracted the attention of Liverpool's two defenders Kyrgios and Skrtel in the front.

Southampton’s counterattack was quite decent!

Liverpool's overall defensive speed was a little slow - after all, defensive counterattacks are the most difficult to defend. Even a strong team like Liverpool finds it difficult to organize its defense line in the first time when facing a defensive counterattack.

However, the personal abilities of Liverpool stars played a crucial role at this time!

Joe Cole accelerated rapidly and caught up with Holmes from five meters away!

The KOP stands went completely crazy! Holmes's footwork was not slow!

But... the legs are short and the stride is too small.

What's more troublesome is that when Holmes was competing against a star like Joe Cole, there was obvious fear in his eyes, and he kept looking back at Joe Cole's position.

The more he saw Joe Cole approaching, the less confident Holmes felt to fight back.

Before Joe Cole could catch up with him, Holmes slowed down and passed the ball to Lallana in the middle! There is nothing to fear in a defensive counterattack, but to be intercepted in the middle and then counterattacked.

From this perspective, it is normal for Holmes to pass the ball early.

However, the quality of this pass was too poor. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision while running, and there was no communication with Lallana at all.

Lallana was originally sprinting in a straight line, but when he saw Holmes pass the ball in the wrong direction, he quickly changed direction and chased after him.

Before Lallana could get in position to receive the ball, Maxi, who had been marking Lallana for a long time, rushed over and pushed Lallana away with his elbow.

Lallana was completely defeated in the physical confrontation with Maxi and fell to the ground, and Maxi took the opportunity to steal the ball away.

Beep, beep! The referee blew the whistle, indicating that Maxi had committed a foul.

Maxi shrugged innocently and dropped the ball to the ground.

The fans in the KOP stands booed the referee.

There was no problem with the referee's decision on this ball, but the KOPs didn't care about that. In short, any decision that was unfavorable to Liverpool was problematic.

Southampton also got a chance to breathe.

The ball is about forty meters away from the goal, so it is definitely unrealistic to shoot it directly.

Head coach Adkins yelled out the third tactic, and the players on the field immediately understood it, and both wingers pressed forward actively.

Lallana passed the ball to Schneiderlin on the right.

After Schneiderlin chested the ball, he immediately dribbled into Liverpool's penalty area.

Maxi came out to defend Schneiderlin.

Southampton's right-back Butterfield runs around behind Schneiderlin and down the flank!

Schneiderlin immediately half turned and pushed the ball to Butterfield.

Without stopping, Butterfield made a half-high pass, which was not of very good quality! Center forward Guli jumped high -

However, Liverpool goalkeeper Jones got there first and snatched the ball over Gourlay's head with both hands.

The Southampton fans in the north stand suddenly let out a howl.

This was a very good opportunity to equalize the score, but unfortunately... the right back passed the ball too loosely.

With this level of attack, it would be difficult to score goals even in the English League One, let alone against Premier League giants.

Coach Adkins in the technical area on the sidelines raised his fist and shouted, "What are you all standing there for? The ball is not dead! Get back on defense! Run!"

Before he finished speaking, Liverpool goalkeeper Jones threw the ball with a powerful hand to Rejoice's N'Golo near the center line.

Ngogo even deliberately slowed down, always keeping a distance of three to five body lengths from Hammond.

This is a complete humiliation! Davis could only abandon the goal and attack, trying to intercept Ngogo at the edge of the penalty area, creating an opportunity for Hammond and other defensive players who retreated to jointly defend.

However, N'Golo made a confident and beautiful change of direction, directly shook off Davis, and shot a powerful shot towards the empty goal -

The football is shot into the net!

The KOP stands went crazy again! This was a wonderful goal that went past the goalkeeper!

The score on the big screen was immediately changed to Liverpool 2:0 Southampton!

Only 18 minutes into the first half, Liverpool was already two goals ahead!

After scoring the goal, N'Gogo shook his bald head, jumped onto the fence on the sidelines, and danced for the KOP fans.

The mentality of the Southampton players on the field has collapsed.

Less than 20 minutes into the first half, they had already conceded two goals... If they continued playing like this, they would probably lose 6:0! The difference in strength between the two teams was too great.

Liverpool hasn't even fielded their real main players yet, but they've already beaten Southampton so badly.

The Southampton team, playing away, seemed to be in a state of sleep. They were not in good shape at all. Their defense was not good, and their offense was even worse! No one would believe that this was a Premier League team three years ago. Even more, no one would believe that this was a professional team in the English Premier League!

Southampton played so badly!

The traditional passionate offensive strategy was lost, and the new defensive counterattack strategy was also a mess! Coach Adkins crossed his arms in front of his chest, and his face was full of depression.

He even began to regret that he should not have accepted Liverpool's invitation to a friendly match.

If the team loses the game badly, it will inevitably affect his prestige and status in the locker room, as well as his voice in the club.

Is it time to make a substitution? Coach Adkins couldn't help but glance at the silent bench.

Most of the players on the bench lowered their heads, not daring to look Coach Adkins in the eye.

They originally wanted to play, but they were dealt a bad hand and faced an unfavorable situation at the beginning. Who the hell dared to go against the wind?

"Coach! It's time for me to take the field!"

Chamberlain stood up excitedly again, "Coach! Let me go up and save the game!"

Gu Ran: ...

Damn it, Chamberlain, you idiot, no one can save you.

Coach Adkins pursed his lips slightly and said, "...Connolly, Tafazoli, you two go warm up."

"Yes! Coach!"

Connolly applied a muscle bandage to his right leg with a stable expression, while Tafazoli was tense and looked uneasy.

Chamberlain said anxiously: "Coach! Me, me, me! What about me?"

Coach Adkins ignored Chamberlain and glanced at Gu Ran very naturally.

Gu Ran met Coach Adkins' gaze with determination.

This is a silent communication.

This is to show Coach Adkins that he is eager to get on the court.

This kind of micro-expression that makes eye contact with the head coach is what the head coach appreciates.

However, Coach Adkins did not call Gu Ran's name.

Gu Ran continued to sit on the bench calmly.

Gu Ran knew clearly that the reason why Adkins didn't let him come on as a substitute right away was probably because he wanted to wait until the situation stabilized before finding a chance for him to play.

Chamberlain was still emotionally asking Coach Adkins, "Coach! Let me play! There will be no problem for me to play! Coach! Coach? Did you block me? Oh, I'm so anxious!"

Coach Adkins still ignored Chamberlain.

At this time, the game on the field continues.

After conceding two goals, Southampton played more conservatively and the situation became even uglier.

In the 22nd minute, the ball was dead and Southampton began to make substitutions.

Connolly replaced forward Gourlay.

Young Tafazoli replaced right back Butterfield.

Substituting two players so early, even in a friendly match, it is clear that Coach Adkins is eager for change.

On the other side, Hodgson was like Jiang Taigong, sitting steadily on the bench.

Carragher, the team vice-chairman on the bench, laughed and said, "It looks like we don't need to play today."

Gerrard smiled and said: "No, it's time to play. After all, we have to live up to the fans' tickets."

Kuyt said: "I hope they don't beat Southampton 6-0, otherwise how can we perform after we come on the field? We can't beat them 10-0 in one go, right?"

Carragher smiled and said: "It's true, this warm-up match arranged by the club is both relaxing and morale-boosting!"

Gerrard said: "Of course. We at Liverpool have always paid attention to metaphysics. A good start means that we will be prosperous throughout the season!"

The players on the bench all laughed in relief.

Coach Adkins' substitution was obviously not recognized by Southampton fans.

Many Southampton fans stood up from their seats and shouted "Gu Ran" loudly to Adkins.

They didn't come to see Southampton being beaten to the ground by Liverpool! They came to see Gu Ran!

Coach Adkins was very calm and ignored the interference from Southampton fans.

As a head coach, Adkins has a stubborn temper. He will not let a player play because of his pleading, nor will he make substitution decisions just because of the fans' jeers and threats.

After the substitution, Southampton did not improve much on the offensive end.

The players in the midfield and frontcourt were still suppressed in their own half and could not display their talents.

However, under the on-the-spot command of head coach Adkins, Southampton's defense did take shape.

Liverpool organized several consecutive attacks, but they were all broken by Southampton's messy defense.

In the next ten minutes or so, Liverpool continued to attack.

After N'Gogo scored a goal, he also made a lot of shots and wasted several opportunities for no reason.

After several fatal crises, Southampton slowly began to stabilize its position.

Schneiderlin took the opportunity to look for an opportunity on the right.

In the 32nd minute of the first half, the chance came! Schneiderlin seized a loophole in Liverpool's midfield defense and made a precise pass into the penalty area! Lallana stopped the ball with his thigh, turned around and pulled the ball with his left foot under the double-team of two Liverpool defenders, creating a small gap beautifully.

Connery comes up the rim!

Lallana immediately made a short pass——

When Gurley is there, Lallana is the first attacking point. When Gurley leaves the field and Connery comes on, Lallana becomes the offensive fulcrum and attracts firepower.

Connelly skillfully turned around and got the ball, and under the double-team of Konchesky and Kyrgiakos, he took a direct shot!

The football hit the side net heavily and bounced out of the end line.

Connery looked back and sighed.

Southampton fans also wailed in pain.

The coordination of this ball was really good, from Schneiderlin to Lallana to Connery, every link was perfect and flawless.

It’s a pity that the last shot was still a little bit short under the strong defensive pressure of Liverpool.

Connolly, Lallana and Schneiderlin high-fived each other.

Southampton fans also responded to this attack with encouraging applause - what else could they do? This was already a good improvement.

And now that they have only lost two goals, there seems to be hope for Southampton.

The game continues.

Liverpool had a two-goal advantage, so they played calmly.

The Southampton players were not in a hurry to attack, but instead formed a tight defensive network as required by head coach Adkins, looking for opportunities to counterattack Liverpool.

At this point in the game, the two teams were like two old men fighting each other, each trying to protect their own weaknesses first.

…

(End of this chapter)