Chapter 1014 The Power of Perseverance
When Su Dong dribbled the ball into Liverpool's penalty area, Skrtel had already rushed to his left.
At this time, Liverpool goalkeeper Reina was not standing close to the goal line, but slightly forward, because he was still on guard, and if Skrtel could not keep up, he would attack immediately.
Now that Skrtel had caught up, he had no time to retreat.
As long as he adjusts his center of gravity, Su Dong will kick without hesitation.
So, now Reina can only rely on Skrtel, hoping that his teammates in front of him can block Sudon's shooting angle and let him focus on rushing to one side, just like Kompany blocked Suarez's shooting angle just now, allowing Courtois to easily save the ball.
This is actually the cooperation that goalkeepers and central defenders often carry out with each other.
Scottel also knew this, so he was always chasing Su Dong on the left side. He not only used his body to squeeze Su Dong's left shoulder, trying to force Su Dong to the left side of the penalty area as much as possible, but also was ready to kick at any time to block Su Dong's left foot and the shooting angle on the left half of the goal.
Reina only needs to focus on Sudong's right foot and the shot on the right side of the goal.
If it was a player with average physical condition, he would probably fall to the outside by being squeezed by Scottel at this moment, and his shooting angle would be basically gone. But Su Dong is not an ordinary person, his physical fitness is even better than Scottel.
Liverpool's central defender and goalkeeper were cooperating, and Su Dong was also observing the situation.
Such scenes happened frequently and he had become accustomed to them.
What he is best at is shooting according to the goalkeeper's position and the central defender's defensive position and defensive habits.
When Skrtel approached, Su Dong knew that he could shoot with his right foot, but at which angle? Reina's position was slightly outside, leaving a certain gap between the Spanish goalkeeper and the goal post.
So Su Dong was not in a hurry, but took one more step and went directly to the front of the small penalty area.
Looking from the right side of the small penalty area, the gap between Reina and the right post is obviously larger, the shooting angle is also larger, and the distance is closer.
Going in again, Reina attacked.
Su Dong made a prompt decision, rushed to the right side of the small penalty area, and without hesitation, shot with his right foot.
The shot was very fast, but it was within the expectations of Skrtel and Reina, so Skrtel just stretched out his leg as a feint because he knew he couldn't block it, while Reina knelt down directly to save the shot.
But what Reina had never expected was that the shot made by Su Dong was not a ground ball, but a half-high ball at an awkward height for him. It was just at a height that his legs could not reach and his hands were difficult to handle after he knelt on the ground.
Reina is not tall, but he is very agile and has quick reactions, and he subconsciously tried to block it.
The ball was blocked, but not out. It hit the arm directly, changed direction, and reflected into the Liverpool goal behind him.
Reina was so angry that he pounded the grass with both hands, got up from the ground, and yelled angrily at his teammates in front of him.
From the moment Su Dong broke away from Daniel Agger, Liverpool's defense became very passive.
Skrtel and Reina had done everything they could, but Sudong still seized the only chance.
What else could they say? Reina's roar was soon drowned out by the cheers of nearly half of the Manchester City fans at Wembley Stadium.
After Su Dong scored, he excitedly turned around and rushed out of the stadium, running all the way to the bottom of the stands where Manchester City fans were, waving his arms at the fans in the stands to mobilize their passion.
“It’s wonderful!”
"Liverpool's counterattack was really sharp, but Manchester City's counterattack was also lightning fast."
"From interception to goal, the ball only passed through three players and was delivered to Su Dong's feet with two passes. This is amazing efficiency and reflects Manchester City's tactical characteristics. They not only have delicate footwork, but also their decisiveness in seizing opportunities to counterattack is amazing."
"Of course, this goal was mainly due to Su Dong's excellent speed, strong physical confrontation, and the calmness and decisiveness of the final kick. All three are indispensable."
"This is also the most terrifying thing about Manchester City right now. Not only do they have the ability to create chances that is unrivaled in the world, but they also have Su Dong, the most powerful and comprehensive scorer in the history of world football. This makes Manchester City almost invincible and unbeatable."
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Dalglish was standing on the sidelines. After seeing Su Dong volley into the goal, he reached out and touched his forehead, shook his head helplessly, and let out a long sigh.
Liverpool tried their best, but still couldn't stop Su Dong from scoring.
Liverpool was actually prepared for this, but when it really came, it was still difficult to accept.
Dalglish took a deep breath, calmed himself down, walked to the sidelines and shouted loudly to the players on the field, signaling them to continue to be patient, keep their footing, don't panic, don't be anxious, and continue to defend closely.
It's just a lost ball, that's all.
The most worrying thing is that Liverpool will lose their composure and lose goals again and again, then they will be doomed.
As long as Liverpool concedes a second goal, there will be almost no hope of a comeback.
"Stephen." Dalglish shouted at captain Gerrard and called Gerrard to the sidelines.
"The situation is not favorable for us now. We can't go head-to-head with Manchester City. We have to continue to defend and keep the goal. We can't lose the ball again. Save our strength and look for a chance to turn the tables in the second half. Do you understand?"
Gerrard raised his right hand and nodded solemnly to the head coach, "I understand."
Liverpool has another advantage in this game, that is, they have more physical fitness, unlike Manchester City, whose continuous multi-line battles and the Premier League make-up games in the middle of the week have resulted in Manchester City's physical fitness being inferior to Liverpool.
In this situation, Liverpool actually had a chance in the second half.
Of course, the premise is that Liverpool cannot lose the ball again.
If the score of 1-0 could be maintained until the second half, especially in the last twenty minutes or so, Liverpool would have a chance to launch a counterattack, score a goal and equalize the score.
But if we lose two goals, it will be hard to say, and Liverpool’s morale will definitely be worse than it is now.
Therefore, Gerrard could understand Dalglish's request to keep his footing and avoid losing the ball again and again.
"Don't worry, Kenny, we can hold on!"
Before going on the pitch, Gerrard turned around and made a solemn promise to Dalglish.
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The Premier League is a very unique league, especially in the 21st century.
From the Bosman Act to the massive influx of capital, wave after wave of impact has made the Premier League more international than ever before and the best-run sporting event in the world, earning huge sums of money every year from overseas copyright revenue alone. This allows even relegated Premier League teams to wave checks at will and buy stars from other leagues to strengthen their own strength.
This has made the competition in the Premier League more intense than ever before.
But while it is frantically internationalizing and capital is invading, the Premier League has its own principles.
Manchester United and Liverpool are the two most iconic Premier League clubs.
Oh, no, strictly speaking, Liverpool's current performance is no longer considered to be the top group in the Premier League.
But if you look closely at the lineups of these two teams, you will find that they are still adhering to their local characteristics.
Manchester United can sell Cristiano Ronaldo and other players, but it will not sell Rooney because Rooney is the top local player. Even if Rooney gets old in the future and has to be sold, Manchester United will introduce other local players.
Since Ferguson took over as coach, Manchester United has been adhering to this team-building strategy centered around local players.
This is also the reason why foreign players like Veron and Stam find it difficult to play for Manchester United for a long time.
Liverpool is another team that sticks to its home turf. Even during Benítez's coaching period, the team was filled with a large number of foreign players, but the backbone of the team was still based on local players such as Gerrard and Carragher.
After Dalglish took office, he introduced local players such as Henderson, Downing and Carroll, further enriching the local strength of Liverpool's locker room.
Many people say that Liverpool is the least creative team in the Premier League, but you can also look at it the other way around. Liverpool is the most tenacious and resilient team in the Premier League, so they can create the third best defensive line in the Premier League with such a lineup configuration.
One advantage of using local players, especially the team's youth training, as the backbone is that these players are very familiar with the team's traditions and heritage, and they are loyal to the club. The more critical the moment, the more they are willing to sacrifice for the club's interests.
This is why in the first period of the Galacticos superstar policy, golden boy Raul would rather stay away from the goal than cause trouble, but just compromise because he is full of loyalty to Real Madrid.
Some people may think that this kind of loyalty seems a little foolish, but it is undeniable that in today's world where capital is dominant and materialism is rampant, this kind of loyalty is very precious.
In fact, to some extent, there are fewer and fewer people who have this loyalty.
At the critical moment, this group of local middle-level forces will burst out with amazing cohesion and drive their teammates around them.
Just like what Liverpool players did in tonight's game.
Gerrard made a call, and local players such as Spearing, Henderson, Downing, as well as veteran players who had played for Liverpool for many years such as Skrtel, Daniel Agger and Reina, all followed suit. Liverpool became extremely united on the field and had a very strong overall team spirit.
Manchester City has the advantage in strength as well as in technical and tactical aspects, but Liverpool has shown tremendous resilience on the spiritual level, making everyone believe that this is an invincible iron-blooded army.
No matter how Manchester City attacks or penetrates, every player on the Liverpool team is pressing and defending desperately.
Relying on this willpower, the Red Army defended from the first half to the second half, and even with only 30% of the ball possession, they did not allow Manchester City to score again.
In the 60th minute of the second half, Dalglish gritted his teeth and made a decision.
(End of this chapter)
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