Chapter 103 A great start! A duel between geniuses [Subscribe]
Some are happy, some are sad! This sentence is the most appropriate to describe the first round of the new Premier League season.
Benítez's Liverpool will open the Premier League this season away against Sheffield United.
As a result, the Reds drew 1-1 away from home.
Not only that, but the team also had to pay the price of two main players, Riise and Carragher, being injured and leaving the field in the first half.
The double central defender consisting of Jagielka and Roger Johnson almost completely blocked Liverpool's attack.
But most importantly, Liverpool did not have Xabi Alonso in this game.
This is the crux of the Red Army's poor performance.
In London, there was also a 1-1 match that attracted the attention of countless fans.
That is Arsenal, who had just moved into their new stadium, playing against Aston Villa at home.
Before arranging the schedule every season, the Premier League will send inquiries to each club to solicit their opinions and preferences on the schedule, including what opponents they hope to meet and when.
It is said that in the report submitted, Arsenal hoped that the first round would be a home game.
After all, it is their first official game after moving into the Emirates Stadium and also the first game of the new season, which is of extraordinary significance.
The gunman did get his wish.
Moreover, the opponent assigned to them is not very strong, Aston Villa, which ranked 16th last season.
Logically speaking, with Arsenal's level, they should not be unable to beat Aston Villa.
As a result, more than 60,000 Gunners fans flocked to the Emirates Stadium, and the seats were packed.
Unexpectedly, Arsenal not only fell behind for a long time, but the final score was only 1-1.
The two sides shook hands and made peace.
No matter how you look at it, Aston Villa is being unfair.
Martin O'Neill threatened before the game that he would destroy Arsenal's stadium away from home.
As a result, he was really hit.
Of course, Aston Villa's way of getting the precious 1 point away from home was indeed a bit embarrassing.
They are almost all on high alert.
Without Henry, Wenger fielded a double striker combination of Adebayor and Van Persie.
But from an overall tactical point of view, none of them can replace Henry's role.
As for the entire midfield, Hleb, Fabregas and Ljungberg are all good at getting the ball but lack speed.
This resulted in the Gunners being unable to pose any threat in front of Aston Villa's iron wall.
It was not until the second half that Aaron Lennon came on as a substitute and used his speed to open a gap on the right, assisting Gilberto Silva to equalize the score.
In addition, the Gunners' defense also has big problems.
The central defender combination of Gallas and Kolo Toure is good, but defending against high balls is a hidden danger.
After Ashley Cole left the left wing, Clichy was still seriously injured and the young player Hoyte played in this game, but he did not perform well.
On the right is Eboue, who also has hidden dangers.
The Gunners' current problem is quite interesting.
Henry has only one year left on his contract and the transfer fee is not much, only 15 million pounds.
Given Arsenal's current financial situation, they lost the qualification for the Champions League this season, which is a huge loss.
Therefore, Wenger did not plan to recruit new players, but to promote young players internally.
The problem is that the young players in Arsenal are not that good.
Just like Aaron Lennon.
It is obvious that the Chinese are playing very well and in great form in Bayswater.
But in the first round of the league, Wenger still used Ljungberg.
I really don’t know, should I say that Wenger is being too cautious? Or is he conservative? If Liverpool and Arsenal both stumbled in the first round, then Manchester United was really awesome.
Ferguson's team swept Fulham 5-0 at home.
The biggest change for the Red Devils in this game was in the midfield and frontcourt.
On the front line, Rooney not only scored twice, but also had an assist.
Ferguson's team still plays 442.
Saha and Rooney are on the front line.
The midfield from left to right is Giggs, Carrick, Scholes and Ronaldo.
The back line is basically the same as last season, with Gary Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra.
Judging from the course of the game, Ronaldo, Rooney and Saha cooperated very well.
The Portuguese scored a goal.
With Carrick and Scholes in midfield, the entire attack became very smooth.
Plus, Giggs on the left is in great form.
Manchester United launched an offensive storm in the first round of the season.
In the press conference after the game, Ferguson openly challenged the Chinese players from Chelsea and Bayswater.
The Manchester United godfather said that in the battle for the Premier League title in the new season, he is most worried about these two teams.
What this means is that Arsenal, Liverpool, and even Tottenham, which many people are optimistic about, are not taken seriously by him.
Of course, who knows whether this is said sincerely or deliberately to belittle Arsenal and Liverpool?
"Due to the rise of Chelsea and Bayswater Chinese, we must cheer up and give our all from the first round of the league!"
"This will be a new test for any team that wants to challenge for the Premier League title."
Given Ferguson's character, he certainly won't let it go.
He quickly changed the subject.
"Of course, I am very happy with the team at the moment, we have made the best start in the club's Premier League history!"
See, after all, it’s still just boasting! …
Mourinho's Chelsea is the most watched team in the Premier League this season.
At the same time, it is also the team that Yang Cheng pays the closest attention to.
I don't have any other intentions, I just want to see how he solves the problem of coexistence among stars.
In the Community Shield, Mourinho used Shevchenko and Drogba to form a double striker and adopted a 442 tactics.
This is a very normal idea.
How could such a big star not be used?
The midfielders are Essien, Lampard, Ballack and Robben.
As a result, they lost to Liverpool in the Community Shield.
After returning to the league, they faced Manchester City at home.
Mourinho was obviously more confident, so he took off Ballack and used Robben and Wright-Phillips on the wings, with Essien and Lampard in the middle.
The Blues easily scored three goals in a row and defeated Manchester City.
But many problems were still exposed.
First, there are two strikers.
Drogba and Shevchenko don't seem to be compatible, and they don't look like a good match together.
Wright-Phillips performed poorly on the right, and Ferreira was not good at assists.
Chelsea's overall attack is seriously tilted to the left.
Finally, the middle of the midfield.
Neither Essien nor Lampard are good at organization and organization, and they also lack a sense of position when defending.
Yang Cheng watched the live broadcast of the game and also arranged for scouts to watch the game on site.
If Mourinho dares to put out this kind of lineup when facing the Chinese in Bayswater, Yang Cheng will make him regret it! Of course, if you think about it, Mourinho also has a difficult situation.
Force a Shevchenko on him.
I bought it at a sky-high price, is it okay not to use it?
Given Drogba's tactical role, it is impossible not to use him.
There is no other choice but to have two strikers.
So how do we choose the remaining midfielders? 442 and 433 are completely different.
Makelele can play well as a 433 defensive midfielder, but given his age and running ability, it is probably difficult for him to meet the requirements of a 442 midfielder.
As for letting Shevchenko play on the wing, that's out of the question.
To put it bluntly, this is pure nonsense.
The Ukrainian nuclear warhead is 30 years old and has played as a striker all his life. Now he is asked to play on the wing? Does he have the speed and impact?
No?
Then he might not be as good as Wright-Phillips in playing on the wing.
In short, Mourinho did not buy a superstar, but a big trouble.
…
In the first round of the league, the most prominent teams were Manchester United, Chelsea and Bayswater Chinese.
After the game, Manchester United topped the list, followed by Bayswater Chinese, and Chelsea ranked third.
Yang Cheng had expected to receive praise from the media.
But to his surprise, Walcott became popular again!
The Times wrote an article by famous journalist Loughjoy titled "The New Hero of the New Wembley Stadium."
Good job! It was clearly a match for the Chinese in Bayswater, but it was somehow linked to Wembley Stadium and the England national team behind it.
The Observer was even more straightforward. When rating the players of Bayswater Chinese, apart from Arshavin who scored twice, Walcott was given the second highest score.
The reason is that his presence makes the game more entertaining.
Yang Cheng was completely confused.
Is it licked like this? In this game, Yang Cheng placed Walcott on the left, with the aim of allowing him to adapt to more positions and develop his versatility.
For example, the cross he made to Dzeko was made with his left foot.
These all represent his progress over the past period of time.
What's the result? The Sun directly described him as the new Henry, believing that after Henry left for La Liga, Walcott would become the new idol of the Premier League left winger.
"His speed, technique, dribbling, and his ball protection are really like Henry!"
There are even media outlets that are accusing Eriksen of nothingness.
Why can't England go far in the World Cup?
"Because he didn't listen to me and forgot to bring Walcott!"
"He is only 17 years old. Is he a rare genius in English history?"
"What? Too young?"
"No, no, no, the 17-year-old Pele has already won the World Cup!"
Seeing how shameless the British media was, Yang Cheng finally felt relieved.
He now understands more deeply why there are so many talented people in England.
But he privately warned Walcott not to care about what the media said, but to continue to improve with his feet on the ground.
…
Round 2 of the Premier League.
Chelsea's situation was exactly as Yang Cheng expected.
After Middlesbrough suffered a 0-4 defeat to Bayswater Chinese in the first round, Southgate learned from the pain and adopted a 541 formation at home, determined to launch a counterattack.
As a result, Middlesbrough really beat Chelsea 2-1 at home.
Shevchenko only had three shots in the whole game and scored one goal.
Drogba had a few shots but didn't score a single goal.
After the game, many media outlets blamed Mourinho, saying that his 442 tactics did not allow Shevchenko to get support from the midfield.
Only three shots in the whole game is a shame for a striker of Shevchenko's level!
How to score goals without enough shots?
In this round, Manchester United beat Charlton Athletic 3-0 away from home.
Liverpool defeated Newcastle 2-0 at home with Xabi Alonso's assist and goal.
Arsenal beat Wigan Athletic 1-0 away from home thanks to Adebayor's goal in the 88th minute.
Yang Cheng's team encountered tenacious sniping from Aston Villa away from home.
Martin O'Neill's team successfully destroyed Arsenal's stadium in the last round, and this round they want to embarrass Bayswater Chinese at home.
As a result, Arshavin's goal 4 minutes into the game made them realize the situation.
The Russian has scored in two consecutive Premier League games.
In the 61st minute of the second half, Inler's goal helped the team secure the victory.
It was only Gareth Barry who scored against Neuer with a long shot in the 81st minute.
In the end, Bayswater Chinese beat Aston Villa 2-1 away.
After 2 rounds of matches, Bayswater Chinese and Manchester United both have 6 points.
Ferguson's team tops the Premier League table thanks to their goal difference advantage.
…
After the second round of the Premier League, the Chinese in Bayswater began to actively prepare for the European Super Cup at the weekend.
As the UEFA Cup champion last season, the team will face the Champions League champion Barcelona this time.
It is also due to the unprofessionalism of the current European clubs’ training and preparation.
Barcelona is going on a tour to the United States this summer, although it will only be for 10 days.
But these 10 days were very exhausting for Barcelona. Not only did they play games, but they also traveled to multiple cities and participated in many commercial activities. The schedule was very tight.
If that were all, it would be fine.
The schedule after returning to Spain from the United States is also very tight.
The first round of the Spanish Super Cup was held on August 17th.
Barcelona defeated their city rivals Espanyol 1-0 away from home.
In the second leg on the 20th, they defeated Espanyol again 3-0 at home.
In the two rounds, they won both home and away games, defeating their opponents 4-0 and taking the Spanish Super Cup.
Then on the 22nd, Barcelona’s traditional event, the 41st Gamper Trophy, will be held at Camp Nou against Bayern Munich.
Rijkaard's team crushed the Bundesliga champions 4-0.
The European Super Cup is held on the 25th, with three days in between.
But what? On the afternoon of the 24th, Barcelona players went to Monaco to attend the UEFA awards ceremony and the Champions League group stage draw ceremony.
In other words, since the trip to the United States, Barcelona has been on high alert since returning to Europe.
On the other hand, due to the two big victories in the Spanish Super Cup and the Gamper Cup, coupled with the excellent results of the US tour, the atmosphere in Barcelona and Catalonia is extremely high.
The Daily Sports newspaper published on the 24th even asked this question in a very arrogant and eye-catching front-page headline.
"Next game, Monaco, how many goals will they win?"
…
After the third round of UEFA Champions League qualifiers, British media have already revealed the standings of the 32 teams in the Champions League group stage.
This is the first time for the Bayswater Chinese to participate in the Champions League and the second time to participate in European competitions.
Although they won the League Cup last season, it was a big upset.
However, the European competition points are calculated based on the results of the past five years.
The final result was that the Chinese in Bayswater were still ranked in the fourth tier.
This creates a very interesting pattern.
In this season's Champions League group stage, the fourth-tier teams include Bayswater Chinese and Hamburg, in addition to teams that have difficulty on the road such as Dynamo Kyiv, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray and Spartak Moscow.
The Bundesliga's northern king has also been silent for many years in European competitions.
Not only that, in the third tier, in addition to teams from the Portuguese Super League, Ligue 1 and other teams, there is also Werder Bremen from the Bundesliga.
This team is also in great trouble.
Also, teams like Chelsea are only in the second tier.
Bayern Munich is also in the second tier because of its poor performance in European competitions in the past few years.
There are also Roma from Serie A, Lille from Ligue 1, Celtic from the Scottish Premier League, etc., all of which are in the second tier.
Therefore, many people say that no matter who draws the Bayswater Chinese, it is basically a death group.
Since the UEFA awards have nothing to do with the UEFA Cup, Yang Cheng and the Bayswater Chinese players did not go to the Grimaldi Conference Center in Monaco in advance to attend the awards ceremony like Barcelona did.
The team packed up and headed to Heathrow Airport to catch a flight to Nice after finishing an afternoon training session in London.
One of the team's buses, sponsored by Germany's MAN, had already arrived at Nice Airport in advance.
After picking up Yang Cheng and others, he went directly to Monaco.
After arriving at the hotel that had been booked in advance and checking in, Yang Cheng received a call from Adam Crozier.
…
The first tier was drawn to Real Madrid.
Bayern was drawn in the second tier.
The third tier was drawn to Sporting Lisbon.
As soon as the draw results came out, Brian Kidd's face changed.
Isn’t this too outrageous? It was said to be the group of death, and we really entered the group of death?
"I seriously suspect there is something fishy going on here. UEFA likes to do this kind of thing, letting players meet their former clubs!"
Adam Crozier, who rushed over from the Grimaldi Forum, couldn't help laughing when he heard this.
"Brian, didn't I tell you before that this is a high probability event?"
"I know it's a high-probability event, but why can't I get a low-probability one?"
Adam Crozer turned his head speechlessly and looked at Yang Cheng, who also laughed out loud when he heard it.
"Okay, okay, Brian, sit down and calm down."
"I can't keep calm!" Brian Kidd was still very angry.
Yang Cheng certainly knew that this set of rules was restricting the rise of new teams.
Chelsea is so strong, but it is still in the second tier. Who can we complain to?
Manchester City will be even worse off in the future. How many times will they encounter the group of death? "In fact, our situation is not bad, at least we didn't face teams like AC Milan and Inter Milan."
Italy's two Milan giants are now the real headache.
As soon as Juventus falls, Inter Milan will be full.
After Vieira and Ibrahimovic joined the team, the overall strength has been greatly improved.
Before, after they failed to buy Ribery, they were very close to Robben.
Fortunately, Chelsea did not trade him in the end, otherwise Inter Milan would have really taken off.
And AC Milan.
Under the coaching of that fat guy Ancelotti, AC Milan has had a really hard time playing this season.
The Christmas tree formation, the back line is tied up tightly for you, and Kaka is left to fly alone in the frontcourt.
The key is that there are passers like Seedorf and Pirlo in the midfield.
How to fight!
More importantly, AC Milan has no hope in the league, so they focus on the Champions League.
Everyone would have a headache if they met such a team.
Of course, Capello's Real Madrid is also in a difficult situation, but in comparison, Real Madrid's poor defense is not at the same level as AC Milan.
Bayern is in some trouble. After Ribery joined, Bayern's overall strength is still good.
Bayern lost 0-4 to Barcelona in the Gamper Trophy because they didn't try their best.
The Bundesliga had already started at that time, and Bayern took time out to lead the team to play there. Many main players were resting, and Ribery did not play either.
So, Yang Cheng felt very strange.
What are the Catalan media and fans happy about? Is it something to be proud of beating Bayern Munich II 4-0?
It’s still on the front page. How many goals do they need to win?
It's really an old man hanging himself! "Adam, you saw the Barcelona players at the Grimaldi Forum. How did you feel?" Yang Cheng asked with concern.
This was also what Yang Cheng had specifically instructed before, asking him to pay more attention to Barcelona players.
"Most of the players went and felt OK, but they were a little bit out of spirits."
Yang Cheng nodded slightly.
Barcelona is indeed very strong now.
In the UEFA draw that just concluded, there were a total of 5 awards, and Barcelona took 4 of them.
The best goalkeeper award went to Arsenal's Jens Lehmann.
The best defender award went to Barcelona's Puyol.
The best midfielder was awarded to Deco of Barcelona.
The best forward was awarded to Eto'o of Barcelona.
The best player award went to Barcelona's Ronaldinho.
Is Barcelona very strong now? What's even more powerful is that after winning the Champions League last season, they added Thuram, Zambrotta, Gudjohnson and Henry this summer.
This makes Rijkaard's Dream Team II even more star-studded.
"Do you think Rijkaard will adjust the lineup and let new players play in this game?" Adam Croser asked.
Yang Cheng shook his head, he didn't know either.
"It depends on his attitude."
After a pause, Yang Cheng continued, "If he was blinded by the series of victories before and thought we were easy to control, then he would probably still choose to attack aggressively."
"In this situation, Thuram, Zambrotta and Henry's running-in with the team is obviously not enough."
These three players all played in the World Cup finals and then took a long vacation before reporting to Barcelona.
At that time, Barcelona had already started its trip to the United States.
Judging from this situation, there is not enough time for the three superstars and Barcelona players to get used to each other.
If Rijkaard wants to use a strong attack, new players who have not yet been fully integrated will not be used.
But Barcelona is strong enough in itself.
The front trident, Ronaldinho, Eto'o and Messi.
The iron triangle in the midfield is Deco and Xavi, and Thiago Motta is at the number four position.
Is this midfield and frontcourt combination strong?
"So, your strategy is..." Adam Crozier looked at Yang Cheng worriedly.
"We must fight for consumption and speed, and never let Barcelona control the ball, the tempo and the game."
"We have to set the pace right from the start, with the fast pace and high-confrontation style of the Premier League that we are most familiar with."
"Even if we can't score in this fast-paced and high-confrontation game, we must try our best to consume Barcelona's energy and then eat up the opponent in the second half!"
Adam Crozier couldn't help but gain more confidence when he heard this.
Turning around to look at Brian Kidd, he discovered that the assistant coach, who had been very depressed just now, became excited when talking about the Super Bowl.
They have been preparing for this game for several days.
It is really rare to be able to compete with a top team like Barcelona.
More importantly, Yang Cheng, who will not turn 27 until September, showed a ruthlessness and sophistication that was totally inconsistent with his age, and firmly grasped Barcelona's weakness in this game.
"Isn't the Daily Sports asking how many goals we can win?"
"We will answer them with this game!"
…
"Dear audience, welcome to the Stade Louis II in Monaco!"
"The game that is about to begin is the 2006 European Super Cup!"
"From the Spanish giants Barcelona to the dark horse of last season's Premier League, the Bayswater Chinese!"
"Both teams achieved excellent results in the European competition last season. Barcelona was the Champions League champion and the La Liga champion, while Bayswater Chinese was the UEFA Cup champion and the Premier League runner-up."
"Therefore, the British media also had high hopes for this game before the game."
"They all hope that Bayswater Chinese can redeem themselves from the injustice inflicted on Chelsea last season."
"As the TV live broadcast was broadcast, we could see in the stands Barcelona president Laporta and former IOC president and Barcelona fan Juan Antonio Samaranch."
“By the way, this is also the first time in the history of Bayswater Chinese to participate in the European Super Cup.”
"This team was promoted from the Premier League last season, but their results are outstanding."
"And the most amazing thing is that their head coach, who is also the owner of the club, Yang Cheng from China, is only 26 years old!"
"This is a very young and talented coach."
“So, many people say that tonight’s game is a match between the most talented team and the most talented coach. It’s a showdown between geniuses!”
"The two teams are walking onto the pitch under the guidance of Italian referee Stefano Farina."
"Now we can see the starting lineups for both teams."
"Look at Barcelona first."
Goalkeeper: Valdés; Defense: Sylvinho, Puyol, Marcos and Belletti;
Midfield: Thiago Motta falls back, Deco and Xavi in the middle;
Forwards: Ronaldinho, Eto'o and Messi.
"Both teams adopted the 433 tactics. Look at Bayswater Chinese."
“They made some changes to their lineup tonight.”
Goalkeeper: Neuer;
Defence: Leighton Baines, Jose Fonte, Koscielny and Maicon.
"We may not be able to see clearly how their midfield is arranged until the game."
"Because in addition to the regular starters, Yaya Toure, Lass Diarra, Modric, there is also Gokhan Inler."
"These four players are all midfielders. Does that mean Bayswater Chinese will adopt a 4-midfielder tactic tonight?"
"The front line is Dzeko and Arshavin."
…
Just six seconds into the game, the Bayswater Chinese team, who took the lead in kicking off, made no secret of their intention to attack.
When his teammate in the center circle just served the ball and passed it back to Yaya Toure, Eto'o hadn't even rushed over before Toure passed the ball to Inler.
The Swiss midfielder made a long pass to the frontcourt.
Dzeko chested the ball on the left side of the center circle in Barcelona's half and passed it back to Modric.
The Croatian player did not stop the ball and passed it straight to Arshavin in the frontcourt.
Arshavin dribbled the ball and tried to break through between the two defenders Belletti and Marcos.
As a result, after a hard collision with Marcos, Belletti stole the ball home.
The ball was lost.
After grabbing the ball, Barcelona quickly passed it forward, across the center line, and gave it to Messi on the right.
But as soon as the Argentine got the ball, Inler approached him. With his back turned, Messi bumped into Inler hard.
As a result, Inler himself was fine, but Messi almost fell to the ground due to the collision.
The referee immediately blew the whistle, indicating that Inler had committed a defensive foul.
This free kick is quite far from the penalty area and there is no danger.
But through this test by Inler, the Chinese players at Bayswater basically had an idea.
The enforcement in European competitions is stricter than in the Premier League.
Every referee has different standards for enforcing the rules, so test the waters after the start of the game.
Yinle was testing just now.
If Barcelona goes to the left side of Ronaldinho, it will be Las Diarra who will try.
But it's not exactly a test.
The strategy Yang Cheng formulated for the team is not to mind using his body.
This is the advantage of the Chinese in Bayswater.
When Barcelona restarted the ball, Belletti had already made his way forward, was marked by Leighton Baines, and passed the ball to Messi in the flank.
As soon as the Argentine got the ball, Inler came up again.
Messi immediately passed the ball to Xavi in the midfield.
As a result, Yaya Toure suddenly rushed forward and snatched the ball away halfway.
The Ivorian rushed into the center circle with the ball, looking very aggressive.
In front of him, Xavi and Deco were much shorter and thinner.
You know what, it looks really impressive.
Especially when he rushed forward with the ball, it really felt like a heavy truck crashing into a micro car.
Yaya Toure is also a showman.
Before he got close to Deco and Xavi, he suddenly turned around and tried to do a Marseille turn.
As a result, he stumbled and failed to spin, and hurriedly passed the ball to Modric.
Seeing Yang Cheng on the sidelines, he quickly covered his face.
"They are all a bunch of unreliable guys!"
…
From the start of the game, the pace was very fast.
The Bayswater Chinese have deployed heavy forces in the midfield.
After only two or three minutes of the game, everyone had basically seen through the tactical style of the Chinese in Bayswater.
The defense has remained largely unchanged, but the midfield has.
Inler, Yaya Toure and Las Diarra are more like three defensive midfielders.
Arshavin was pushed forward to partner with Dzeko.
Modric plays as a forward midfielder.
This is a bit like the 4312 tactic.
But it's very different.
Dzeko's position is very flexible and he often moves to the side.
Arshavin was roaming around, especially near Barcelona's defense.
This is Yang Cheng’s strategy.
Make full use of Dzeko's ability to get the ball in the frontcourt and Modric's ability to advance and pass the ball to create more opportunities for forward runs and allow Arshavin to rush forward.
In addition, Maicon and Leighton Baines were not as active as usual, but kept a close eye on Ronaldinho and Messi.
The role of Inler and Las Diarra is that the players on whichever side the ball is on must get into position as quickly as possible to prevent Ronaldinho or Messi from cutting inside or cutting diagonally into the ribs.
This kind of targeted defense is still very effective against Barcelona.
In the first few minutes, Ronaldinho and Messi had difficulty keeping hold of the ball.
Not to mention rushing into the heartland of the Chinese in Bayswater.
After grabbing the ball, the Bayswater Chinese did not push through the midfield like Barcelona did.
Basically, they use medium and long distance straight passes to find Dzeko in the frontcourt.
Sometimes Dzeko couldn't hold the ball, so he passed it back to Modric.
If the Chinese in Bayswater were preparing for the match as if they were facing a formidable enemy, then Barcelona were clearly playing in a more relaxed manner.
Players upload on the court whenever they have the ball.
It can be seen that they are very confident in their passing and controlling the ball, and at the same time they also want to control the rhythm.
But the Chinese in Bayswater will immediately launch a counterattack and quickly speed up the pace.
This style of play made Barcelona very uncomfortable. Not only the three midfielders, including Ronaldinho and Messi, made many passing errors.
However, both sides are basically in the center line area.
Barcelona's two central defenders are Rafael Marcos, 1.83 meters tall, and Puyol, 1.78 meters tall.
Both players were at a physical disadvantage when facing Dzeko.
Before the game started, when Yang Cheng got the starting lineup, he emphasized to the players to pay attention and pass the ball to Dzeko more often.
In the first 10 minutes, the two sides were in a tug of war, but no one was able to create a truly effective scoring opportunity.
In fact, neither side had even taken a shot yet.
And in the 11th minute, Messi got the ball in the frontcourt again.
Inler pressed forward, forcing Messi to pass the ball to Belletti.
But as soon as he passed the ball, Messi regretted it.
Leighton Baines took the lead and kicked the ball behind Messi.
Inler quickly stepped forward, got ahead of Xavi, and made a low pass that quickly crossed the center line.
This pass was at least 25 meters long.
Dzeko dropped back from the front line and prepared to receive the ball on the left side of Thiago Motta, but Rafael Marcos stayed close behind him, making it difficult for Dzeko to stop the ball comfortably.
The Bosnian center forward took a glance forward and did not stop the ball, but kicked it forward.
Dzeko pushed the ball back to the center line and passed it to Modric's feet.
Modric ran over quickly, stopped the ball, and without waiting for Xavi to get close, he took two steps forward and made a straight pass about 15 meters away.
Let’s find Dzeko.
The Bosnian center forward was running quickly, but he stopped, passed the ball back to the middle and gave it to Modric.
The two of them seemed to have completed a two-on-one pass of about 15 meters.
Modric also took this opportunity to avoid Xavi.
But at this time, Thiago Motta rushed towards him quickly, wanting to attack him together with Xavi.
Dzeko was about to sprint.
As long as he starts, when Modric passes the ball, he can grab the ball and then find a way to pass it to Arshavin.
But after seeing Thiago Motta's movement, he gave up the forward run and ran back, calling Modric's name.
"Luca, here!"
Modric was double-teamed by two players, but he still dribbled the ball skillfully. After creating an angle, he made a lob pass with the outside of his foot.
When Dzeko ran back, he saw that Arshavin had been sticking close to Barcelona's defense, ready to strike.
The Bosnian center forward knew what was going on.
Facing Modric's lob pass, Dzeko stopped the ball with his chest and moved it to the right, then turned to the right, avoided Marcos, and sent a straight pass behind his back with his right foot.
Almost at the same time, Arshavin, who was originally slightly behind Puyol, suddenly started, sprinted forward at an extremely fast speed, successfully made an offside, shook off Puyol, and caught up with Dzeko's pass.
The fans in the entire stadium screamed in surprise.
Goalkeeper Valdes decisively left the goal to attack.
But just as he rushed to the penalty spot, Arshavin had already dribbled the ball to the left side of the penalty area, then chased up and shot the ball into the Barcelona goal.
The Russian continued to rush out of the court without slowing down.
At this moment, the whole audience burst into thunderous applause.
“The ball goes in!!!”
"In the 11th minute, Bayswater Chinese used a series of passes after a counterattack after an interception to tear open Barcelona's defense."
"1 to 0!"
"The goal scorer is Andrei Arshavin from Russia!"
Arshavin excitedly rushed to the side of the court, pointed at the live TV camera on the sidelines, pulled out the Bayswater Chinese team logo on his chest, and kept pointing at the logo, muttering something in Russian.
But soon, he was hugged by his teammates who caught up with him from behind.
…
They scored the first goal in 11 minutes, which was a great start for the Chinese in Bayswater.
Yang Cheng applauded his players vigorously on the sidelines.
At the same time, he also called on the players to pay attention to maintaining suppression on Barcelona, especially to disrupt Barcelona's rhythm.
When the game resumed, Barcelona was frustrated to find that after scoring a goal and taking the lead, the Chinese in Bayswater still maintained the same tactics as after the opening and the pace was still very fast.
What's even more outrageous is that not only is the pace fast, but they also like to commit fouls.
Whenever Barcelona tried to play a smooth combination, they committed fouls.
And very decisive.
This makes Barcelona very distressed.
If Barcelona had not had any shots in the first 10 minutes, everyone would have thought it was normal.
Then as the game progressed and Barcelona still had no shots, things started to get interesting.
By the 20th minute, even the commentator had noticed something was going on.
"Barcelona now have the ball, but the passing is not smooth."
"More importantly, when they get to the front court, Ronaldinho and Messi, it becomes very difficult for them to pass the ball forward."
"That is to say, they lack the final pass!"
When did Barcelona's first shot take place? 23rd minute.
It was a foul committed by Modric on Xavi when he was retreating to defend.
Ronaldinho took a direct free kick, but it was too high.
When the Brazilian genius and Messi were isolated, Eto'o obviously did not have the awareness to connect the two flanks.
This makes Barcelona's front trident like three isolated islands, fighting on their own every time they get the ball.
Yang Cheng used Koscielny to mark Eto'o tonight, and Jose Fonte was still at the back.
The Cameroon striker was similarly contained.
Instead, it was the Chinese in Bayswater.
Every time they got the ball, they immediately passed it forward quickly.
And they always look for Dzeko.
After special training in the summer, Dzeko's physical confrontation ability has improved a lot, and he is more confident when taking the ball in the frontcourt.
He is a left-footed player. No matter whether he is on the left or right, after getting the ball, as long as he can turn around, he can find a way to make a threatening pass.
Arshavin's speed caused Barcelona a lot of headaches when he attacked the goal.
It wasn't until the 35th minute that Barcelona started trying long shots.
But there is no need to say how efficient this offense is.
Neuer didn't leave Barcelona any chance.
In the end, the first half ended with Bayswater Chinese leading 1-0.
…
When the game whistle sounded, Yang Cheng stood on the sidelines, paying close attention to the movements of the Barcelona players.
He found that many players, including Ronaldinho, Deco and Eto'o, were breathing heavily.
Harvey in the distance already had his hands on his hips.
Obviously, the fast-paced game in the first half took a heavy toll on their physical energy.
Of course, if they can skillfully control the ball and slow down the pace of the game to the speed they are accustomed to, it will be a nightmare for the Chinese in Bayswater.
The premise for Yang Cheng's tactics to work is that the players of Bayswater Chinese are also constantly being consumed.
Just a little better physical fitness.
“They are dying!”
After returning to the locker room, Yang Cheng excitedly told the players about his discovery.
In fact, the cost of Bayswater Chinese players is not small.
Just not as tired as Barcelona.
"I believe they will try to start substitutions in the second half. This is our chance!"
As he spoke, Yang Cheng pulled over the tactical board.
Based on some game situations in the first half, Yang Cheng pointed out the problems.
He repeatedly stressed that Maicon and Leighton Baines should try to reduce forward runs in this game.
"Remember, your mission is to defend!"
"You are facing the two strongest talents in the world, Ronaldinho and Messi!"
"Don't give them any space to get the ball. You have to keep following them closely."
“And Inler and Las Diarra, you too, don’t slack off and don’t rely on any fluke mentality!”
The players whose names were called by Yang Cheng kept nodding.
"We were one goal ahead so we could play more patiently."
"In the second half, we need to further reduce the opponent's ball space. Our formation needs to be more compact. Do you understand?"
"Once we get the ball, we pass it quickly to our teammates and launch a counterattack."
"After the counterattack, regardless of whether it succeeds or not, we must keep the overall formation compact and not leave the opponent more than 20 meters of passing space. This is a death order!"
Rijkaard's team is not as dense as Guardiola's team.
Although Barcelona has many talented players now and also plays a passing and controlling style, mid-range passes, even long passes, and even crosses from the wing are their forte.
The offensive means are also more diverse.
"I'll give you a piece of information."
All the players looked over immediately.
"Whoever scores first in the second half will determine the course of the game."
Yang Cheng said with certainty.
In the three years that he has coached the team, his predictions have basically been accurate.
So the players also believed in his inference.
"but……"
Yang Cheng further emphasized his tone.
"While thinking about scoring goals, it is more important to avoid conceding goals."
"For us, not conceding a goal is more important than scoring a goal!"
We were already leading by one goal in the first half.
Yang Cheng believes that the players understand this principle.
But he still had to emphasize it so that they would remember it firmly.
…
The second half of the game begins.
As soon as the two teams entered the stadium, Yang Cheng noticed the changes on the Barcelona side.
Rijkaard made a substitution during the half-time break.
Iniesta replaced Xavi and partnered with Deco in midfield.
It must be said that this took him quite by surprise.
Combined with what he saw near the end of the first half, when Harvey stood with his hands on his hips, panting heavily, he vaguely guessed the problem.
If even Harvey is exhausted like this, then the situation for others won't be much better.
Thinking of this, Yang Cheng stood on the sidelines and reminded the players loudly.
As soon as the game started, the Chinese from Bayswater took the lead.
Barcelona wanted to take advantage of the kick-off opportunity and have the central defender pass the ball back and forth in the backcourt to try to slow down the pace of the game.
But the Chinese in Bayswater took the initiative to grab the ball.
Led by Dzeko, Arshavin, Modric and others, plus the midfield, all pressed forward.
Puyol forced Barcelona to make a long pass to the front court to find Eto'o.
Koscielny overpowered the Cameroon striker and headed the ball to Yaya Toure.
The Ivorian used his body to block Iniesta, who was running very actively after coming on as a substitute, protected the ball and passed it to Las Diarra next to him.
The Bayswater Chinese player once again passed the ball straight to the front court, looking for Modric.
The entire tactical play basically continued the trend of the first half.
Regarding the new stadium, I actually downloaded a few domestic AI softwares some time ago, found some materials, and tried to draw it. The result... Never mind, I won't say more... I did take a screenshot of Google Maps and used a drawing tool to draw a layout casually, but I really don't have the talent for this, so I dare not show it to others...
(End of this chapter)
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