Chapter 821 Dare to be the first in the world!
On the evening of November 10, Manchester Etihad Stadium.
In the twelfth round of the Premier League, Manchester derby, Manchester City faced Manchester United at home.
This is a game that no one can afford to lose.
Manchester City, playing at home, is currently leading the Premier League standings. This is the first time in the past few decades that Manchester City has climbed to the top of the league after playing more than a dozen rounds. This has extraordinary significance for Manchester City.
But a four-point lead is not secure, especially for Manchester City.
Mark Hughes was once accused of being content with his small fortune and not being presentable, so he was quickly removed from the job.
Why?
Any team aiming to win the championship must have the determination and courage to be the first in the world!
On the road of life, not competing is a gentleman's demeanor, but in the professional arena, not competing is useless.
Manchester City has finally climbed to the top of the league, so naturally they don't want to be dethroned by their opponents, especially not to lose to their city rivals and their most direct competitor in the league, Manchester United.
Guardiola announced in the locker room before the game, in front of the players, that Su Dong would not start, but he also said that regardless of whether Su Dong was there or not, Manchester City had only one goal in this game tonight, and that was to win! Su Dong also encouraged his teammates before the game, saying that he believed in them.
Even without Su Dong, Manchester City is still Manchester City. He believes that they can beat Manchester United at home, maintain their position as the league leader, and contribute their own strength to Manchester City's journey to the Premier League title.
This is the finale of this round.
Chelsea won, Arsenal won, Liverpool drew but nobody cared.
It can be said that only if Manchester City defeats Manchester United can it gain a firm foothold in the leading position.
…
Compared to Manchester City, Manchester United has more sense of urgency.
They are already six points behind Manchester City and two points behind Chelsea. If they lose this game again, Manchester United will be nine points behind the leader. Although this is not an insurmountable gap, it is relatively difficult to catch up.
Ferguson knows better than anyone that if Manchester United wants to take the initiative and boost morale before Christmas and the winter break, the best result would be to defeat Manchester City in this derby.
As long as Manchester City loses its edge, the morale of the team will definitely be unstable in the following games. When it comes to Christmas and the winter break, Manchester United will catch up, and it is entirely possible to achieve a reversal before the Champions League in February.
This is not a joke, but is based on facts.
The Premier League has a devilish schedule during Christmas and the winter break, and there are several cases of repeated defeats every year. Even in the championship race, it is not uncommon to lose points continuously. Manchester United has rich experience in this regard.
As long as enough pressure is put on Manchester City, who says Manchester City won't capsize during Christmas and the winter break?
There are so many players in this team who are making their first appearance in the Premier League. Who says it's not possible?
Therefore, Ferguson gave the team a death order before the game.
Manchester United must win this away game against Manchester City!
…
When two teams that cannot afford to lose meet in a derby, the end result is more intense than exciting.
Manchester City still deployed their 433 formation.
The goalkeeper is Joe Hart, the back line is Marcelo, Pepe, Kompany and Boateng, the midfield is Busquets, David Silva and Toni Kroos are in the center, and the front court is Di Maria, Santa Cruz and Sanchez forming a trident.
At the critical moment, Guardiola trusted Boateng more than Trippier, a young player who had started for three consecutive games.
Obviously, Proton, who has played in the Bundesliga for many years, is more mature than Trippier.
Ferguson also fielded his strongest lineup.
The goalkeeper is Van der Sar, the defense is Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic and Rafael, the midfield is Carrick, Scholes and Fletcher are in the center, and the frontcourt is the combination of Park Ji-sung, Berbatov and Rooney.
South Korean player Park Ji-sung has performed very well in recent times. Ferguson hopes that he can make a strong impact on Manchester City's right side, but Guardiola chose Boateng to start before the game, which was somewhat beyond Ferguson's expectations.
Trippier started in three consecutive games and performed well, but in the crucial game, Guardiola used Boateng, which was somewhat a sign of playing it safe.
…
At the beginning of the game, Manchester United took the initiative and exerted high-intensity pressing pressure on Manchester City.
Manchester United's intention was very clear. They suppressed Manchester City from the very beginning, restricted Manchester City's passing and controlling style of play, speeded up the pace of the game, and entered the rhythm of the game that Manchester United was most familiar with and liked.
Manchester City did not intend to play the way Manchester United wanted, but wanted to control the ball patiently.
The two teams fought very fiercely, the game was frequently interrupted, and the referee's foul whistle came one after another. Fortunately, the players on both sides did not make big moves and did not get to the point of being shown a card, but the game was still in a stalemate.
Manchester United has kept zero goals in six of their last ten games, and their defense is very solid, especially in the midfield.
Carrick was in great form, and Scholes and Fletcher were both capable of both offense and defense. This allowed Manchester United's midfield to remain stable despite Manchester City's passing and control of the ball, without becoming flustered. They even frequently intercepted the ball to organize quick counterattacks and create threats.
Especially in the second half of the first half, Manchester United seemed to have the upper hand in this stalemate.
The main reason is that Manchester City could not push the ball forward after it reached the frontcourt.
In the end, Santa Cruz failed to show better strength in front of Ferdinand and Vidic.
…
“It won’t work if we can’t push forward, no matter how good David is.”
When he saw that no one in the frontcourt could hold the ball, David Silva began to dribble the ball forward more often, but this made it easy for him to fall into the close pressure of Carrick and Fletcher, or even Ferdinand and Vidic.
And everyone knows that close combat is not David Silva's strong point.
Moutinho is also a technical midfielder, so he is well aware of David Silva's current embarrassment.
This is also a problem that must be solved in the middle of the frontcourt in modern football tactics, especially in passing and controlling the ball tactics.
Who can hold the ball?
After sending Ibrahimovic away, Barcelona let Messi appear in the middle. Manchester City performed terribly last season, but after welcoming the Soviet Union this season, the offense immediately underwent a complete transformation. This is really not a coincidence.
And Arsenal, Chamakh is Arsenal's best player so far this season, is this a coincidence? Even Chelsea, in Ancelotti's tactics, Drogba is also very important.
It can be said that in the passing and controlling system, getting the ball in the middle of the frontcourt is crucial.
If you can't hold the ball in the frontcourt and just keep passing it back and forth in the midfield without passing it into the threatening area, it is only a matter of time before the ball is intercepted, and you will also be threatened by a counterattack at any time.
Even if the ball cannot be passed into the threatening area, the more possession the player has, the greater the risk of being counterattacked.
Su Dong did not respond to Moutinho's words, but he agreed with the Portuguese midfielder's point of view.
Santa Cruz couldn't hold the ball, and the two flanks were closely guarded by Manchester United. Manchester City's attack did not pose a threat. The more they passed and controlled the ball, the greater the risk.
This is why Manchester City wants to bring Dzeko from Bundesliga Wolfsburg to serve as a substitute for Su Dong.
Compared to Santa Cruz, Dzeko will be more comprehensive and have better ability to get the ball in the frontcourt.
Even in some cases, if you really want to find a partner for Su Dong to form a front line twin towers, Dzeko will only be more suitable than Santa Cruz, because Dzeko can maximize Su Dong's scoring ability, which Santa Cruz cannot do.
If it was Dzeko on the field now, I believe Manchester City's attack would never be as stumbling as it is now.
…
Time quickly entered the second half.
After the half-time break, the two sides basically continued the situation in the first half. Manchester United continued to have a slight advantage in the stalemate, but the ball was still in the hands of Manchester City, but the Red Devils' counterattack was more threatening.
In the 52nd minute, Manchester United launched a quick counterattack after stealing the ball. Rafael drove straight into the right and passed the ball into the penalty area. Berbatov volleyed near the penalty spot and made a very wonderful shot.
But unfortunately, this cool shot from Xiaosa Ge failed to break Joe Hart's goal.
The angle is too sharp.
Manchester City quickly changed its tactics. David Silva dribbled the ball forward in the middle and suddenly sent a straight pass to Santa Cruz in the penalty area. The Paraguayan center made a low shot and sent the ball directly to Van der Sar.
After that, the two sides exchanged blows and the game became more intense.
The live TV camera frequently turned to the home team's bench on the sidelines and frequently fell on Su Dong.
But throughout the entire game, Su Dong sat on the bench except for running out and warming up every once in a while, and it seemed that he had no intention of playing.
"From the warm-up, it seems that Su Dong has not fully recovered yet. I wonder if Guardiola will consider arranging him to play? Manchester City's offense is difficult to create threats now. Santa Cruz is basically powerless in front of Ferdinand and Vidic. Manchester City needs the offensive power from Su Dong at this time."
Time is also passing by bit by bit.
Manchester City fans now fully understand the team's current situation.
When Su Dong was there, people always felt that scoring goals was easy and Manchester City's offensive was like a tide. But now, when Su Dong is absent, they find that Manchester City has been beaten back to the terrible predicament of last season.
The point is, why doesn't Santa Cruz get it?
The fans in the stands were waiting anxiously, but Guardiola in front of the home team's coaching bench remained unmoved, making it difficult to tell what he was thinking.
Ferguson in the visiting team's coaching booth also kept an eye on Guardiola's movements from time to time, his mind full of doubts.
If Su Dong is included in the roster, there is a very high possibility that he will play.
The only difference is when and how Su Dong will appear on the field?
(End of this chapter)
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