Chapter 370: There's a baffle on your stomach!?

"The game had only been going on for more than two minutes when Manchester United players threatened Chelsea's goal twice in succession. It seemed that Manchester United played very smoothly in this game. Scholes and Van Nistelrooy's shots were very good. They were using these two shots to tell everyone that if Chelsea wanted to trample on Manchester United's dignity to win the league title, it would be like a dream." After the wonderful replay, the commentator at Old Trafford took a breath and immediately commented happily.

Commentators from other TV stations focused on the performances of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Thomas, for example, Mr. Janis, the commentator from the British BBC Sports TV: "After recovering from his injury, Dutch center forward Ruud van Nistelrooy's performance did not disappoint the fans. He always appears in the right position. From this shot, we can see that Ruud van Nistelrooy has very good awareness. The worries of Manchester United fans are unnecessary. This shot was excellent. I thought it would go in, but Chelsea's goalkeeper performed better."

"... Thomas Clarke is a very popular name in London. From the replay of the shot, we can see that this young man reacts very quickly. After saving Scholes' shot, he immediately stood up and blocked Van Nistelrooy's shot with his hands. This performance is definitely the best in the world. Maybe we can see him in the England team during the World Cup in Germany."

"…He has a promising future…"

What Giannis said was exactly what Mourinho was thinking at this moment, just like what Thomas was thinking. The reason why Mourinho sent him to start in this game was to give him a chance to start in a major tournament to observe his performance in the tournament. However, at least at the beginning of the game, Thomas must have received good reviews just for this defense.

"What a quick reaction..." Mourinho was even a little surprised.

According to the team's goalkeeper coach's feedback, the Portuguese have long known that Thomas' reaction speed is faster than Cech's, but this data is difficult to see in the game. Now, this difference in reaction speed is reflected in the game. If the goalkeeper is Cech, he will definitely not be able to save the second ball.

However, if it was Cech, the ball would probably have gone out of bounds on his first save.

Of course, this is just a possibility. At least from the reaction just now, Thomas's performance is still good. Chelsea, as a world-class team, cannot consider the future of a player like a small club. Mourinho is of course the same. He needs to consider whether Cech or Thomas is better.

However, everything cannot be determined by just one performance. Mourinho touched his smooth chin, sat back in his seat calmly and continued watching the game.

…………

Chelsea's defenders were no longer careless. When Manchester United took a corner kick, Drogba returned to defense and headed the ball out of the penalty area with a fierce header, giving Manchester United no chance to attack.

It was not until there was no crisis that Chelsea players began to feel a little scared. If the ball had been scored, they would have fallen behind by two minutes at Old Trafford. How would the team play? This was indeed dangerous. Even though they had a lot of experience playing against Manchester United, they still felt uneasy when facing such a desperate team.

At this time, they turned to look at Thomas standing in front of the goal, and they felt a little more confident. This young goalkeeper, who was only 19 years old, sometimes performed really amazingly. Judging from the save just now, he was in good shape today.

The save just now also gave Thomas a lot of confidence. He laughed and shouted: "Guys, go attack, don't worry, I'm here, they can't score a goal!"

………...

After the restart, the ball was passed to Wang Li. This was the offensive method that Chelsea players had become accustomed to after a season.

When it comes to organizing offense, Wang Li is certainly not as good as world-class masters like Ronaldinho and Riquelme, but his perfect personal skills and the absolute trust of his teammates completely make up for this.

After Wang Li got the ball, he was immediately closely marked by Manchester United players. Near the center line, the one defending him closely was Manchester United captain Roy Keane. This veteran was not fast, but his strong physique and rich experience were unquestionable. Even Wang Li felt some pressure from his close defense. A little later, Scholes came up to make up for the deficit at any time.

In fact, before the game, Manchester United's new star Cristiano Ronaldo volunteered to defend Wang Li. He did so mainly because he wanted to have a real 1v1 with Wang Li to prove himself, but Sir Alex Ferguson denied it. Ronaldo's ability has been fully proven this season, but when it comes to defense, he is indeed not as good as the rest of the team.

Ferguson didn't want to rely on a 1v1 match, mainly because he didn't think Ronaldo could defend Wang Li.

Manchester United's one-defense-one-support method is indeed a headache, and the same is true for Wang Li. The combination of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, it is estimated that Wang Li is the only one in the entire Premier League who has this special treatment.

This was not the first time that Roy Keane had defended Wang Li. Despite this, he was extremely serious about his task. Keane knew that as long as he could defend successfully, Manchester United's chances of winning would be several times greater. Otherwise, Manchester United would almost certainly lose. The pressure on Roy Keane could be imagined.

Keane moved slowly and carefully so that he could be ready for any sudden changes.

However, Wang Li did not force his way through. At the center line, even if he got rid of Keane and Scholes, he still had no good chance, so he chose to transfer the ball and then headed towards Manchester United's penalty area himself.

When Wang Li was running without the ball, Keane and Scholes were helpless. When they were stunned, Wang Li had already passed Scholes. When he reached the Manchester United penalty area, his teammates passed the ball to him again. Seeing the three Manchester United defenders in front of him solemnly blocking the goal, Wang Li raised his head slightly, made a fake shot with his legs, and the ball passed through his legs.

Manchester United's defenders were obviously fooled by Wang Li's feint. Several defenders jumped up at the same time and tried to block the ball with their bodies, but Drogba on the right received the pass. After receiving the ball, he swung his foot and shot. Maybe he was too hasty, and the kick did not have much power, and the ball was easily caught by Manchester United goalkeeper Howard.

The Ivorian monster pursed his lips, waved at Wang Li, and ran towards the backcourt.

…………

On the field, as time passed, all the players had entered the game state. Chelsea's defense became more and more solid, and as Manchester United became more and more impatient, Chelsea's offensive threat became greater and greater.

In the 13th minute of the first half, Manchester United played a wonderful combination. The ball changed several times from the middle and was passed directly to the right side of the penalty area, but William Gallas kicked it out of the sideline.

Just two minutes later, Chelsea counterattacked. Wang Li dribbled past Roy Keane, C. Ronaldo and Heinze on the right side and made a precise through ball, giving Lampard, who came on to assist, a chance. Unfortunately, the latter missed the target in excitement.

After the restart, the two teams fought for control of the midfield with the center line as the center. The fierce fighting in the Premier League style was fully displayed by the two top English teams. The commentator of the court station was explaining what happened in the game in a panic, but in fact, the offense of both teams became less and less threatening.

In this game, Mourinho did not line up an offensive formation, but a traditional 442 formation that focused on defense. The four players in the middle were Lampard, Makelele, Wayne Bridge and Damien Duff. Among these four people, except for Duff who is a winger with balanced offense and defense, the others are more focused on defense.

In Mourinho's view, this game only needs a small win, and he doesn't need to take risks to arrange an offensive formation. With Wang Li and Drogba in the frontcourt, Mourinho thinks scoring a goal is not a problem, so for the backcourt, the Portuguese would like to park a bus in front of the goal, such a victory is the most comfortable.

Manchester United did not dare to attack with all their strength, fearing that Chelsea would play a defensive counterattack. Mourinho also wanted to play a defensive counterattack. The two most successful coaches in the Premier League had the same idea, which made the game between the two teams become increasingly mediocre after the exciting opening, and the players on the field seemed to be working without putting in any effort.

For old Ferguson, even though the Manchester United team was determined to win, he actually knew that his team could not beat Chelsea. The tactics he formulated were to slowly erode Chelsea from the backcourt, score the first goal with stable defensive counterattacks, and then defend with all-out effort to delay the game. It was really too conservative and shameful to execute such tactics at Old Trafford, but for the sake of victory, the old Sir could not care so much.

But Mourinho is not a fool either. If he wants to win, the first thing he has to do is defend. Although Chelsea has strong offensive capabilities, it is not a team like Arsenal that has an unbalanced offense and defense. Mourinho is better at and prefers to let his team defend.

"Is it okay to do this? If the opponent launches a surprise attack, it will be difficult to defeat us when we fall behind." On the Chelsea coaching bench, assistant coach Mr. Clark asked with some concern as he looked at the situation on the field.

Sitting upright in a chair, with his legs crossed and his chin supported by his hands, Mourinho grinned and said, "The old man doesn't dare, he doesn't dare to fight. We don't need to take the initiative to attack now, as that will give them a chance." Perhaps his confident performance infected Clark, and Clark's slightly wrinkled face relaxed, and his heart slowly settled down.

After a season of contact, he has already known this Portuguese player who is younger than him. When he is very confident, it often means success.

Facts have proved that when a team is cautious in attack, its performance in the game will not be very good, and Wang Li is Manchester United's concern.

Although Chelsea's defense was very good, Manchester United had two of the world's top center forwards, Van Nistelrooy and Rooney. The threat of these two players was not small, but Manchester United's midfield was always concerned about Chelsea's counterattack, so they dared not assist too far forward every time. This meant that the two players could not get effective support in the frontcourt, while Chelsea was steadily playing defensive counterattacks. The game once tilted towards Chelsea's direction. This is the difference in the form of the game now.

However, there is no doubt about Manchester United's strength. In the 27th minute, they still got a good chance.

Cristiano Ronaldo was knocked down by Makelele when he broke through on the left. Referee Riley awarded Manchester United a free kick, which was taken by Cristiano Ronaldo who suddenly jumped up from the ground. He kicked the ball into the penalty area, and the tall and strong Thomas squeezed several players and hit the ball out of the penalty area with both hands.

Manchester United's right winger Fletcher got the ball and shot directly from a distance

But there were too many people in the penalty area, and Fletcher's shot hit

The ball bounced out of Rooney's body and caused exclamations from Manchester United fans in the audience.

Soon, Chelsea hit back.

In this game, Wang Li and Drogba partnered as forwards. The ability of their combination is unquestionable, and Mourinho is full of confidence that the two can bring goals to Chelsea.

In the 33rd minute, it was C. Ronaldo who dribbled the ball again. After breaking through Wayne Bridge's defense, he was knocked to the ground by Lampard. However, this time the referee did not whistle the ball and waved his hand to indicate that it was a good ball. C. Ronaldo, who was lying on the ground groaning, could only stand up helplessly and go back to participate in the defense, which even made the Manchester United fans in the audience feel a little embarrassed.

Seeing the ball being intercepted in the backcourt, Wang Li immediately ran slightly to the right. Seeing the ball passed to Duff on the wing, Wang Li instantly shook off Roy Keane beside him and ran towards the Manchester United penalty area. Sure enough, Duff and Wang Li had a perfect understanding. Wang Li received the pass just about 10 meters after crossing the center line. Although the ball was a little crooked due to Wang Li's position changing too quickly, he still slowed down and stopped the ball at his feet.

After receiving the ball, Wang Li chose to continue dribbling.

After a season of research, many opponents have understood the danger of Wang Li's dribbling attack. When they see Wang Li breaking through, they must immediately defend the penalty area, otherwise they may be hit by Wang Li's shot or threatening through pass at any time.

Many opponents know this, and Manchester United is no exception. When Wang Li dribbled the ball, several Manchester United defenders consciously began to move towards the middle of the penalty area. They wanted to block all shooting angles of the black-haired boy in front of them, so as to completely suppress his performance and make Manchester United's goal safer.

Facts have proved that this method is very effective. Faced with this human wall tactic, Wang Li really has no good solution. He can only slow down his dribbling speed and look for opportunities.

However, a group of people's defense cannot always be perfect, there will always be mistakes and loopholes. On the right, C. Ronaldo, who had just returned to defense, made a mistake in his position. He did not defend Damien Duff, but consciously moved towards the middle. Obviously, he wanted to steal Wang Li's ball unexpectedly, but this was obviously unrealistic.

Seizing the opportunity, at the moment when C. Ronaldo kicked the ball, Wang Li gently pulled the ball, passed it to the right, and ran into the crowded Manchester United penalty area.

When Damien Duff received the ball, he was already in the left corner of Manchester United's penalty area. This position was not suitable for continuing dribbling, so he kicked the ball high into the penalty area.

Wang Li passed the ball and made a forward run, which was almost a signal for Chelsea's surprise attack. The Manchester United players obviously knew this. The moment Wang Li ran into the penalty area, three defensive players leaned tightly around him, preventing him from receiving the ball calmly, including England's top defender Ferdinand.

However, Wang Li did not let them rely on him so easily. After running into the penalty area, he immediately performed the "Lingbo Weibu" and his constantly changing positions made it impossible for the Manchester United defenders to keep up with him.

But Wang Li's eyes were always fixed on the flying football.

When the football fell to a certain position, he used his internal strength and jumped up with all his might. At the same time, Ferdinand next to him also jumped up, and it seemed that the two were about to collide in the air.

"Oh my God!" The commentator of the imperial TV station couldn't help but exclaimed, he even knew what was going to happen next in his mind.

On the field, Wang Li glanced left and right in the air, and in an instant he stepped on the instep of his right foot with his left foot. Using a method similar to a "ladder to the clouds", he instantly raised his body a little higher, and before Ferdinand, he lightly rubbed the football with his head, and then the two collided in the air.

Because Wang Li jumped higher, Ferdinand's body crashed directly into Wang Li's arms, and then the two fell to the grass together, causing a group of fans in the audience to exclaim in surprise.

"Wang Li fell to the ground. I hope he is not injured..." The commentator of the imperial TV station was still reporting on Wang Li, but the game on the field had not stopped yet.

On the other side of the penalty area, Drogba made a forward run and poked the ball lightly. Goalkeeper Howard was stunned and didn't react at all.

"Drogba Goal Goal"

"The Ivorian made a great contribution. He scored the first goal for Chelsea with a low shot. This goal was more thanks to Allen. His header in the air was so accurate. From this we can see that Drogba and Allen have such a tacit understanding in their cooperation. However, Allen seems to have not gotten up yet. I hope he is okay..."

Wang Li was of course fine, but he was now lying on the grass, with a black English man completely pressing on him---

"Are you... okay?"

Wang Li held his waist, supported his body with his right hand and sat up. He gently lifted the black man's shoulders with both hands and slowly helped him to the side, then stood up from the ground. Seeing that Wang Li was fine, his teammates and the anxious Mourinho on the sidelines breathed a sigh of relief.

At this time, Ferdinand covered his head with his hands and lay on the grass, and other players also gathered around him.

After waiting for a long time, Ferdinand finally put down his hands and slowly supported himself to half sit up. He closed his eyes tightly and shook his head vigorously. After a while, the team doctor came in. Ferdinand seemed to have recovered and turned to Wang Li and asked, "Did you put a baffle on your stomach?"

Wang Li was stunned for a moment, then smiled awkwardly and said, "Oh, sorry..."

After saying that, he reached out and pulled Ferdinand up, patted him on the shoulder, and ran towards his own half.

In the Manchester United half, Van Nistelrooy kept looking at Wang Li's back, slowly walked to Ferdinand and said, "Leo, I've said it before, his body seems to be made of iron. I was injured for half a year after my last tackle. You are not..." As he spoke, a look of fear flashed across Van Nistelrooy's face.

Ferdinand reacted, turned his head to look at Van Nistelrooy and shook his head vigorously.