Chapter 302 It’s nothing, we are teammates

Fulham's current head coach Chris Coleman is a 'legendary' coach.

The reason for this is that he is only 35 years old this year, even one year younger than Fulham goalkeeper Mark Crossley.

This young head coach, who was born in Swansea, Wales, was the captain of Fulham in the 00/01 season. Three years ago, Coleman was seriously injured in a car accident, with both legs shattered and forced to retire prematurely.

With five rounds left in the 02/03 season, Fulham's performance was terrible and coach Tigana was fired. At that time, Fulham, West Ham and Leeds United were on the verge of relegation. Coleman, who was the team's temporary assistant coach, was appointed to lead the team to survive with a record of 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss.

Last season, Coleman knew that his experience was too shallow, so he recommended Wales coach Mark Hughes to chairman Fayed. But chairman Fayed favored the former Fulham captain very much. His prestige in the team was beyond the reach of Tigana, so Coleman's coaching career continued for another year. In this year, he led a team that was almost relegated to the 9th place in the league, becoming one of the three miracles since the start of the season together with Birmingham and Southampton.

This miracle was achieved at the cost of Coleman enduring tremendous pain. Even though Coleman's contribution to Fulham in the first two seasons was unquestionable, many media still believed that he would be the first coach to be sacked in the Premier League this season. But no matter what, he is also the youngest of the three great coaches. So far, he is the youngest coach in the history of the Premier League.

Now, the youngest Premier League coach faces a difficult problem.

On the banks of the Thames, the West London derby at Carr Farmhouse Stadium had already entered the 17th minute of the first half, and the scoreboard hanging on the left side of the stadium still showed '1:0'.

Since Chelsea scored the goal about 8 seconds after the game, the two teams have been in a stalemate. Chelsea's defensive counterattack tactics made Fulham almost powerless. The players on the field knew that every large-scale attack meant that the opponent would likely have a good counterattack opportunity.

As a result, Fulham's attack was restricted and they dared not attack freely, posing even less threat to Chelsea's defense.

Seeing the situation on the field, head coach Coleman also became anxious. If it continued like this, Chelsea would score again sooner or later. Even though he did not have much hope for this game, he certainly could not explain this situation to the club and the fans.

In the 18th minute of the game, taking advantage of a throw-in, Coleman finally couldn't help but walk to the sidelines, called forward Andy Cole and whispered to him, instructing him on the next tactics.

At this time, the big screen showed that after Andy Cole heard Coleman's words, a look of surprise flashed across his face, but the legendary star who was the same age as Coleman did not question it too much. He just ran back to the court and conveyed the coach's words to his teammates.

Mr. Mourinho saw Coleman's actions off the field, but his face had almost no expression. In fact, Mourinho was not afraid of any tricks the opponent might play. With Chelsea's strength, as long as they kept steady and played defensive counterattacks, it would be difficult for the opponent to break Chelsea's goal even if they attacked with all their strength, not to mention that they did not dare to attack at all now.

The Portuguese man always believed that in the face of absolute strength, any tactics are useless. Moreover, even if it comes to tactics, would he, the champion coach of Portugal, be afraid of the 30-something young man on the opposite side?

………

After the game restarted, for five minutes the fans in the stands couldn't see what adjustments Fulham had made.

The situation on the field became increasingly "soft", with both teams having no offensive potential. The game had only just begun for more than 20 minutes, but it seemed to have already entered garbage time. These scenes made the reporters and fans feel bored and a little drowsy.

On the field, when Chelsea players could threaten their team with passes, Fulham kept passing the ball back and forth in the backcourt. If you only looked at the scene, you couldn't tell who was winning or losing, because Fulham had no chance of tying the score and they were just wasting time.

The same is true for Chelsea. They don't invest many troops in each attack, and their focus is still on defense - even though Fulham rarely takes the initiative to attack.

As a result, both teams focused on defense and the game became boring.

Many reporters were confused and saw the shadow of Serie A on the scene. This kind of game would only appear in the Italian Serie A, which focuses on defense. But now, the Fulham team on the field was like Juventus. They passed the ball back and forth as usual, but lacked the sudden change of rhythm in Juventus' attack. They were similar in form but not in spirit.

Chelsea is like Fiorentina or Parma, always feeling that they have enough defense and not enough offense. This is mainly because the tactics Mourinho arranged in the first half were defensive counterattacks. He had no intention of spreading out the formation and launching a large-scale attack. In the absence of the head coach's command, Chelsea players didn't care what the situation was like. It would be much easier if the opponent didn't attack, so why not do it?

At this time, even Sky TV anchor Mr. Graham was drowsy. He took a sip of mineral water and forced himself to cheer up. He said, "Both teams seem to play very conservatively, and the competition in the midfield is not fierce. This is probably the result of a battle of wits between the two head coaches. Coach Coleman is only 35 years old this year, but he must not be underestimated. At least in this game, the two teams seem to have a draw, although this kind of draw is not liked by most fans. Oh, I don't like it either."

………

On the court, seeing that the opponent seemed to have given up attacking, Joe Cole even ran back from the front court near the center circle, and even had time to tease Wang Li that they were really sissy, not attacking when they were behind, wasting game time.

You want to score, go to the front court and steal the ball, maybe you will have a chance. "Wang Li said with a smile, looking at Joe Cole's gloomy face. Of course he knew that Joe Cole wanted to score. You know, in recent games, Joe Cole rarely got a chance to play. This time he has a chance to start. If he doesn't have an outstanding performance, he may have to sit on the bench again.

"What should we do? Are we going to keep playing like this?" Joe Cole asked doubtfully. In the absence of a head coach, he could only ask Wang Li about offense. The whole team knew that the head coach intended to make him Chelsea's offensive core.

Watching the opponent's players constantly passing the ball in Fulham's half, Wang Li frowned. If the game continued like this, it would really be uninspiring.

After thinking for a while, Wang Li ran to Joe Cole and said, "Try to stand closer to the front. I will pass the ball to you when I have a chance."

"Do you have a way to make them attack?" Joe Cole asked puzzledly.

"Go, stop talking nonsense." Wang Li ignored his doubts and said directly: "Just wait for the pass, otherwise I will give the chance to score to others."

Upon hearing this, Joe Cole immediately shut his mouth, smiled and ran quickly to the front court. Now, he was crazy about scoring a goal.

After notifying Joe Cole, Wang Li turned around and ran towards the backcourt. After a few minutes, the whole team knew Wang Li's plan. They were now bored with such games. You know, in this season, they have long been accustomed to the kind of games where many goals are scored. They don't take teams like Fulham seriously at all. Many people still have complaints about the head coach's conservative style of play in this game.

However, none of them wanted to change tactics hastily and offend head coach Mourinho, as that would put their starting positions at risk. Now with the guidance of this black-haired kid, the whole team followed suit, and the club would not blame everyone for what they did. Besides---

Chelsea's big-name players all understand that they need to learn to adapt to changing circumstances on the field.

………

The game has entered the 35th minute and the situation is still the same. Both teams seem to have no offensive potential, and the ball is now in Chelsea's hands.

Under the gaze of all the fans, Chelsea's backcourt was passing the ball aimlessly. In the eyes of Fulham players, Chelsea was also wasting game time, which was the same tactical goal as head coach Coleman, which even made them feel like they had found a soulmate.

Many Fulham players thought that at least the first half would end in this situation. Yes, they had already prepared for it. Facing the crazy Chelsea team, it was not shameful at all to hold on to 1:0 in the first half, even though it was a West London derby.

On the court.

Lampard received the ball and passed it back to Ricardo Carvalho, who then kicked it to captain John Terry who was standing in a parallel position. At this time, the opponent's forward Thomas Radzinski symbolically ran over to grab the ball. Looking at his lazy movements, it was clear that he had no hope of stealing the ball.

This was indeed the case. Terry passed the ball to the left and it fell to defender William Gallas. At this time, the opponent's midfielder Malbranque also crossed the center line and ran towards William Gallas.

At the same time, Wang Li, who was near the center circle, raised his right hand and snapped his fingers lazily.

Seeing this scene, William Gallas curled his lips. Just when Malbranque who was rushing over thought that he was going to make a short pass to John Yeli, Gallas instantly accelerated and dribbled past Malbranque.

The fans in the stands who were still looking directly at the stadium saw it clearly. At this moment, Chelsea's two full-backs Gallas and Paulo Ferreira, and midfielders Lampard and Geremi ran towards Fulham's half at the same time. Many fans were drowsy and did not react at all to what was happening. They stared blankly at Chelsea's attack which suddenly quickened in pace, and turned to ask the people next to them what was happening.

This was even more so for the Fulham players, many of whom were unable to react to the sudden change in rhythm.

But Chelsea did not care about the opponent's situation. After William Gallas broke through Malbranque, he passed the ball to Wang Li in the center circle steadily and quickly.

After Wang Li got the ball, he changed direction and shook off the opponent's forward Andy Cole, then headed straight towards Fulham's heartland.

At this time, Fulham players finally realized what was happening and they immediately started to prepare to return to defense. However, without mental preparation, the sudden change in rhythm would inevitably make them uncomfortable, so Fulham's defense was still half a beat slow, and even their normal game state declined a bit, which made it easy for Chelsea's offensive players to run to a good position in the frontcourt.

After Wang Li passed Andy Cole, he took two steps forward, looked up at the situation in the frontcourt, and then chose to pass the ball.

Gremi

Undoubtedly, Geremi's position on the right is the best. He is on the right side of the penalty area and there is no one guarding him at this time.

A diagonal pass of about 30 meters should be considered a long pass, but Wang Li's footwork is unquestionable. The football quickly passed through the sides of two opposing defensive players and passed in front of Geremi. The latter easily unloaded the ball with his right foot, and the ball stopped steadily under his feet.

This kick also caused exclamations from all the fans in the stadium. They were truly amazed by the skills of the black-haired boy on the field.

"Oh my god, Diop, run faster!"

At this time, the commentator on the scene also realized the crisis. A winger was unguarded on the right side of the penalty area. Everyone knew what this meant.

Sure enough, the next moment the commentator's worries came true.

With no one guarding him, Geremi looked up at the penalty area and then kicked the ball straight into the penalty area.

At the same time, Drogba, who was in the penalty area, instantly shook off the defender who was close to him and turned to run towards the goal. Joe Cole on the right side of the penalty area was unguarded. The nearest defender was about one meter away from him, but his position was less than 45 degrees from the goal. It was very difficult to stop the ball, turn around and shoot, but the ball was already rolling quickly towards him---

At this moment, Joe Cole, who was eager to score a goal, struggled a little in his heart, but finally jumped up on the spot and let the ball pass.

If Joe Cole stopped the ball and turned to shoot, he still had a chance of scoring, but in the end he passed the ball to Drogba behind him. In the moment he moved the ball, the latter was almost 100% likely to score. This is the difference in choice.

As a substitute player for Chelsea, when he has not yet established himself as a main player in the team, everyone knows what a goal means. The decision is really difficult, but Joe Cole did it.

Goalkeeper Mark Crossley and defender Bocanegra were both fooled by Joe Cole's shake. By the time they realized the ball had slipped past them, it was too late. Drogba followed up from the left and easily pushed the ball into the net.

Graham, who had been silent for nearly half an hour, stood up at this moment. He seemed to want to shout out all the dullness of the first half.

"Didier Drogba's easy shot. Chelsea's attack was so sudden. It reminded me of the Italian old ladies' team, Juventus. They are very good at this style of play. However, my fans, you read it right. This is the Premier League, the 13th round of the Premier League, the West London Derby."

The Blues fans, who had been dazed for half the game, finally got excited again when the goal was scored.

………

In the Chelsea coaching booth, Mr. Jose Mourinho, who watched the entire game carefully, was also surprised by the goal. He did not arrange this tactic at all. It was obviously the command of the black-haired boy on the field, because he saw Wang Li snap his fingers unconsciously when Chelsea suddenly attacked.

That action is exactly the same as the command action during tactical training.

At this time, Mr. Mourinho's face was normal and he did not delve into the tactical changes made privately by the players on the field. Of course, most of the reasons were attributed to the goals.

If this attack failed and gave the opponent a chance, the Portuguese would definitely have another idea in his mind. What he hates most is players not following the tactical arrangements, then the game will not be in his hands.

As a football coach who wants to achieve better results, this is very important.

However, that did not happen. Now the score has been rewritten to 2:0. Mourinho was also a little happy. He turned to Clark and said, "This kid's command ability is not bad."

Assistant coach Clark looked at the Chelsea players celebrating their goal on the field and turned around in confusion, asking, "Did he direct this attack?"

"I think so, at the beginning of the attack, he made a commanding move."

Mr. Clark, who was in charge of daily training, of course understood what Mourinho meant. He also raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have any talent for this, and his fingers didn't make any sound at all. However, Clark didn't care about this and asked, "Is this it?"

Seeing the Portuguese man beside him nod, Clark said with some emotion: "His progress is really fast. Maybe he will grow into a qualified offensive commander after Christmas."

Mourinho pursed his lips, stared at the black-haired boy on the field, shook his head silently, and said: "If you want to be a real commander, you are still a long way from it."

………

On the court, Drogba, who had just scored a goal, looked very happy. This was his fourth consecutive game in which he had scored. His goal drought was over. These days' games had allowed the Ivorian monster to regain his confidence.

Of course, in this excitement, Drogba did not forget to thank Geremi for passing the ball and Joe Cole for missing the ball, especially Joe Cole. Although Drogba usually behaves honestly, he is actually very smart. He knows clearly that in that situation, even he himself would probably choose to stop the ball and shoot, and would not miss it to his teammates.

Especially in a situation like Joe Cole's where the substitute and the main force are in a state of uncertainty.

So, when Joe Cole stepped forward to congratulate him on his goal, Drogba simply stretched out his arms and hugged him, with that honest expression on his face again, but this time there was some sincerity.

"Thanks"

A simple sentence contains a lot of meaning. What's important is that Joe Cole has gained the friendship of this Ivorian outsider.

"It's nothing, we are teammates." Joe Cole smiled heartily, patted Drogba on the shoulder, turned around and ran towards his own half.

Wang Li, who was standing next to him, smiled silently when he heard this and couldn't help but give a thumbs up to his back.

………