Chapter 298 Can't afford to lose

"Welcome to BBC TV's Match of the Day!"

With Gary Lineker's opening remarks, this football program with amazing ratings officially began.

"The person sitting next to me is familiar to everyone, Alan Shearer, and the other one is our Charlene Lahiri!"

Alan Shearer and Charlene Lahiri both nodded and smiled at the camera.

Especially Charlene Lahiri, she looks particularly charming when she smiles.

"Today we are focusing on the Community Shield match that just ended. The Championship team Southampton unexpectedly defeated the Premier League defending champions Manchester United with a score of 3-0."

At this point, Lineker looked at the two guests and asked, "What do you think?"

Alan Shearer and Charlene Lahiri obviously had an understanding that he would be the first to speak.

"Manchester United's strength has obviously declined compared to last season. The five consecutive wins in the warm-up matches have covered up many problems. But you know, the opponents of Manchester United in the five warm-up matches were all very bad, which made many Manchester United fans too blind."

"From this game, I think if Manchester United continues to play in the Premier League in this state, this season will be very dangerous."

Lineker nodded, "Charlene!"

Charlene Lahiri reached out to smooth her hair behind her ear, the movement graceful and deliberate.

"This game reflects a lot of problems. For example, Manchester United's strength has declined, that's for sure. But after all, they reached the Champions League final last season and are Premier League champions. They shouldn't be beaten so badly."

"I personally think that it is reasonable for Manchester United to lose because their midfield is the biggest problem!"

Lineker nodded, "It's an old problem!"

"Yes!" Charlene Lahri pursed her lips, "But Ferguson has not made effective adjustments or recruitment."

"Then let's talk about Southampton!"

Lineker changed the subject, "What do you think of Southampton's performance?"

It was Alan Shearer who spoke first.

"I think Southampton has proven their strength very well. With their players and their strength, they should not be in the Championship but in the Premier League. I think they have the strength to disrupt the Premier League."

"Top four?"

Alan Shearer hesitated, "If I perform well, it's entirely possible!"

"Charlene!"

"I agree with Alan Shearer's point of view. If Southampton performs well in the Premier League, it is very likely that they will be in the top four. But I am more optimistic. I think if they perform well, they can win the championship!"

"Wow, isn't that too optimistic?" Lineker asked with a laugh.

But Charlene Lahiri was very serious, "They beat Manchester United twice in two finals!"

This is indeed the most convincing evidence!

Lineker smiled and nodded, "Southampton is undoubtedly the most dazzling dark horse in English football in the past year. As a League One team, they have repeatedly upset the competition and won the FA Cup, creating history in English football."

"For two consecutive summer transfers, heavyweight stars were introduced. However, judging from this game, Drogba and Gary Cahill did not play, and Sturridge and Matic did not start. They only played as substitutes for about half an hour."

"On the contrary, Javi Martinez and Toni Kroos played the entire game. How do you evaluate the performance of these two players?"

Alan Shearer spoke first.

"Javi Martinez used to play as a defensive midfielder or even a midfielder. He is tall and strong. Suddenly he was moved to the central defender position. I can feel that he is still not used to it, especially the cooperation between him and Varane is not tacit enough."

"If we look at the score alone, Southampton had an overwhelming victory, but judging from the process, Manchester United was not completely powerless to fight back, and the central defender combination of Xavi Martinez and Varane clearly had problems."

"As for Toni Kroos, he used to play as an attacking midfielder, but now Bielsa has arranged him to move back to play as a defensive midfielder. I personally feel that he played quite well and did not make any mistakes, but he did not have any eye-catching performances. The most eye-catching ones were the assist for Varane's corner kick and the long pass that created the third goal."

After Alan Shearer finished speaking, Charlene Lahiri laughed.

"My opinion is largely the same as Alan Shearer's. Xavi Martinez does need to integrate better into the team. I guess this has something to do with Varane being too young. After all, it's not easy for two youngsters to quickly find tacit understanding."

"But I think that with Javi Martinez playing as a central defender, Southampton's ability to get the ball at the back has improved significantly."

"What do you mean?" Lineker asked with interest.

"First of all, people who are familiar with Southampton know that the Saints had a very strange feature last season. They had a high ball possession rate but a low pass success rate. I interviewed Bielsa, and he believed that this was caused by the team's good counter-attack but weak ball possession and organization."

Lineker and Alan Shearer both nodded in unison.

It's no secret!

"I think Southampton introduced Javi Martinez to strengthen the team's ability to get and pass the ball in the backcourt, and implement Bielsa's football philosophy of launching the attack from the back line and even from the goal."

"In this regard, Javi Martinez did a very good job. Southampton's defense may have problems in this game, but the way he took and passed the ball in the midfield and backcourt was eye-catching, which is what Benatia lacked."

"Another point is that Toni Kroos' performance seems to be quite satisfactory, but everyone ignores some data."

The camera was focused on a piece of paper in Charlene Lahri's hand. Although it was unclear what was written on the paper, it was obvious that it was some data related to the game.

"Tony Kroos made a total of 86 passes in this game, 81 of which were successful, with a success rate of 94%. He made one assist, three threatening passes, 13 long passes that all successfully found his teammates, and ran a distance of 11 kilometers!"

Lineker and Alan Shearer were both moved after hearing this.

"Wow, this set of data is really impressive!"

Charlene Lahri nodded and smiled, "On the offensive end, they completely overwhelmed the combination of Carrick and Cleverley from Manchester United!"

"One is better than two!" Alan Shearer also smiled appreciatively.

"I personally think that Southampton chose Toni Kroos precisely because of his stability, because as the core of a team, the most important quality is stability."

Even ordinary fans know this.

Once the core players are unstable, the team's performance will also fluctuate, which is a fatal blow to any team!

"The top three players with the ball in Southampton are Toni Kroos, Javi Martinez and Strootman, with Varane fourth. This shows that Southampton's ability to hold the ball in the midfield and backfield has been strengthened and improved!"

Hearing this, Lineker laughed, "Charlene, you can give your conclusion now!"

"From a tactical point of view, he may not be the most perfect candidate for Southampton, but at least he is the best and most promising player Southampton can currently choose!"

"So, my conclusion is that judging from the performance in this game, Toni Kroos is worth 60 million pounds!"

…………

…………

Charlene Lahri's analysis and comments in the daily match not only won the recognition of Lineker and Alan Shearer, but also won the recognition of many fans.

The next morning, almost all major newspapers in the UK and Europe reported on Southampton's 3-0 victory over Manchester United in the Community Shield, and they were all amazed at Southampton's outstanding performance.

Toni Kroos and Javi Martinez, who made their debut, both won recognition from the media and the fans.

But at the same time, there were also media reports that Ferguson denounced Southampton for violating regulations when he was interviewed by the media after the game.

The evidence is that Southampton put multiple advertisements on the jersey, including on the cuffs, hem and back collar.

"I can't imagine how Southampton can wear such a jersey on the pitch. It's totally against the rules!"

Ferguson's subtext was that even if they won the championship, it should be cancelled because they violated the rules first.

But Ferguson's criticism, while the media were all hyping up Southampton, looked more like the remarks of a man who was trying every possible way to retaliate against his opponent after losing the game.

Many Southampton fans left messages on news websites and forums, satirizing and mocking Ferguson.

"Sure enough, I said it, Manchester United can't afford to lose!"

"We blamed the referee for losing the FA Cup final, blamed the schedule for losing the Champions League final, and now blamed the jerseys for losing the Community Shield. Sir Alex Ferguson, next time Manchester United loses, what can you blame?"

"Blame the opponent. It must be the opponent's lack of cooperation that caused Manchester United to lose!"

"You're right, Ferguson just can't afford to lose!"

"I used to think Ferguson was a real man, but now I have completely changed my mind!"

"I think what Southampton said is right. Ferguson is the biggest cancer of Manchester United!"

"Get lost, are you qualified to comment on Ferguson?"

"The guy upstairs is a Manchester United lackey. Come on, brothers, let's drown him with our saliva!"

"I thought you were the only ones in Southampton who had more people. I'll go call for help right away!"

Not long after, a group of Manchester United fans rushed into the Southampton fan forum and disrupted the place.

The two sides immediately started a fierce war on the Internet.

Compared to the uproar on the Internet, in reality, the media only reported on Ferguson once and then no longer paid attention to it.

The English Football Association only came out to say that it had received Ferguson's complaint and would investigate the matter, but there was no further news after that.

Southampton did not express any views or opinions on this incident from beginning to end.

These days you really can’t just take advantage of others and act ungratefully, otherwise how can you continue to survive?

But after Ferguson's incident, many fans who had not noticed the Southampton jerseys began to pay attention to them.

Especially after the media disclosed it, everyone was surprised to find that this set of jerseys actually cost a lot of money and was designed by a master designer. This is really amazing.

Which team in the world has its jersey designed by a master?

At this time, superstar Yoona posted a photo on her WeChat.

In the photo, she is wearing Southampton's new jersey.

The pure and beautiful face and the nice figure are all highlighted to the fullest.

But what sparked discussion was her next sentence.

"He said, 'I look good in this dress, what do you think?'" She said with a shy expression at the end.

Judging from the tone and the photos, she looks exactly like a girl in love being praised by her lover!

This immediately triggered crazy pursuit from Yoona's fans.

"He must be referring to Master Huan!"

"I wish Yuner and Master Huan will finally be together!"

"It's really awesome. This dress is so beautiful!"

"Beauty, the clothes are beautiful and the person is even more beautiful!"

"I love you so much, Yoona!"

"I praised you for being pretty, too!"

A message from Yoona on WeChat immediately triggered a frenzy among countless netizens around the world.

Soon after, Psy posted another photo on his WeChat, wearing another Southampton jersey.

"Extra size, mommy doesn't have to worry about my big belly anymore!"

This makes things even more lively.

Two superstars are promoting this jersey at the same time. What's more, this is not a formal advertisement, but a casual wear in daily life.