Chapter 564: Inferior Skills

Yang Huan sat in the chairman's stand at St. Mary's Stadium, in the seat that belonged exclusively to him.

He had no idea that back home, three women who were close to him were plotting to start a business. He was just concentrating on watching the game where Southampton was playing against Liverpool.

Looking at the current Premier League standings, Southampton is in second place and Liverpool is in sixth place.

But judging from the situation, the Saints will challenge Manchester United for the top spot, while Liverpool will fight for the Champions League qualification in the top four of the league!

Therefore, neither side can afford to lose in this game.

In this game, Southampton changed its stable tactics in the previous round against Norwich and played very aggressively.

From the beginning of the game, the Saints pressed forward in a big way, adopted high defense and pressure, and suppressed the Red Army firmly.

Liverpool seemed to be prepared for Southampton's starting tactics. After the opening, the three midfielders consisting of Joe Allen, Lucas and Gerrard all fell into deep positions, looking more like taking a defensive stance.

This season, at St. Mary's Stadium, wanting to play a head-on offensive battle with Southampton is undoubtedly like an old man hanging himself, tired of living!

The Saints' series of pressing and oppression after the opening made Liverpool very embarrassed, especially the goalkeeper Reina's low-level mistake, he passed the ball directly to Gareth Bale, which almost caused a goal.

This also caused panic among the Red Army.

In the fifth minute, Neymar took the ball, broke into the penalty area from the left rib, and suddenly knocked it back.

Toni Kroos came from behind and shot directly after receiving Neymar's return pass.

The ball spun violently and went into the upper right corner, and Reina was out of reach!

Toni Kroos's powerful long-range shot ignited the frenzy of the entire St. Mary's Stadium.

Countless fans rushed out of their seats frantically, shouting Toni Kroos' name and cheering for the German midfielder!

Although Yang Huan was sitting in the stands, he still responded with warm applause.

"You, Southampton, have so many ways to change the situation of the game!"

Ian Ayre, a Liverpool player who was traveling with the team and was sitting next to Yang Huan, shook his head and sighed.

When Rogers wanted to rely on the defense line and three midfielders to block Southampton's attack in the middle and front court, Toni Kroos suddenly made a late run and made a long shot, which resulted in a goal!

How can one resist this?

Yang Huan laughed, Southampton’s attack was no joke!

Just like in this game, in the starting trident, Ibrahimovic alone was able to contain Liverpool's two central defenders Skrtel and Agger. Even the defensive midfielder Lucas had to pay attention at all times and keep in touch with the double central defenders.

But even so, can Liverpool cut off the ball passed to Ibrahimovic?

The answer is, it’s difficult!

This is the greatest tactical value of the Swedish center in the frontcourt!

Neymar on the left and Gareth Bale on the right are both attackers who pose a great threat in the frontcourt.

Once they get the ball, they cannot be defended by the full-backs alone, and they must have the support of their midfield teammates.

So, when Neymar got the ball just now, Glen Johnson and Gerrard teamed up to follow him, one to defend against the bottom line and the other to defend against cutting inside.

Gareth Bale on the right also attracted the attention of Jose Enrique and Joe Allen with his clever movements.

Vidal suddenly moved forward and immediately attracted Lucas over.

This resulted in the entire front of Liverpool's penalty area being completely exposed.

So, as soon as Toni Kroos made a run-in and Neymar passed the ball, the German could directly take a long shot!

After all, Southampton's strength, especially the individual strength of the players in the midfield and frontcourt, far surpasses Liverpool!

Glen Johnson and Gerrard double-teamed Neymar and forced the latter to pass the ball back. What else can be said?

In Yang Huan's opinion, the only player in Liverpool who can keep pace with Southampton in the midfield and frontcourt is Suarez.

The Uruguayan has been in amazing form in recent times, scoring seven goals in four games. He is second only to Southampton's Ibrahimovic in the scorer list, which shows how hot his form is.

As soon as Suarez was mentioned, the Uruguayan striker on the field seemed to come alive.

Because Southampton adopted a high-pressure defense and the defense line was very high, Suarez had been patiently looking for opportunities.

Not long after the restart, an opportunity was seized. Gerrard kicked the ball from the midfield, Suarez started quickly and broke through Southampton's defense. He was about to have a one-on-one chance when the referee blew the whistle.

Offside!

The Uruguayan turned around and saw Javi Martinez and Varane starting at the same time. Southampton's entire defense line moved forward very tacitly, forming an offside trap.

"What a pity!" Yang Huan shook his head and sighed.

It’s not that I feel sorry for Suarez’s offside, but I feel sorry for the Uruguayan.

With Suarez's strength, he is definitely buried in Liverpool at present.

To put it bluntly, Liverpool's attack now relies entirely on Suarez alone!

In Yang Huan’s previous life, there was at least a Sturridge who could keep up with Suarez, but what about now?

Looking at the entire Liverpool, Gerrard is getting old and Sterling is still young. Who else can cooperate with Suarez?

Rogers planned this game very smartly. He retreated in the midfield with the aim of pressuring Southampton's first pass forward from the midfield and backcourt, and then used two wingers to entangle Southampton's two full-backs.

As for Suarez, he was alone in the front and was in a helpless situation. There was nothing he could do about it.

But in this case, the three midfielders retreated, and the two wingers also had their own defensive tasks. Then who would be responsible for the defense for Southampton's double defensive midfielders Modric and Toni Kroos?

Modric was relatively better off, and the hardworking Gerrard was still able to run back and forth, but on Toni Kroos' side, Joe Allen had no time to take care of him, so the German got a lot of space to move around, appeared very active, and frequently moved forward to create threats.

Toni Kroos's activeness and Modric's organization and dispatch of the ball in the midfield enabled Southampton to firmly control the ball. From the opening to now, the ball possession rate has been as high as 70%.

"Oh my God!" Yang Huan wondered if he had seen it wrong.

Is this still a game between Southampton and Liverpool?

It is worth mentioning that the Saints’ ball possession rate is very different from Barcelona’s.

Barcelona's ball possession rate mainly depends on passing and back and forth passes between the midfield and backcourt.

The Saints’ possession rate was achieved through pressing and oppression.

Southampton dared to take risks to try to pass threatening balls, insisted on going to the two wingers, and was not afraid of losing the ball, because once the ball was lost, they would immediately launch a counter-attack and get the ball back in the shortest time, and then try to launch an attack again, make a mistake, and then try to get the ball back again.

Apart from the game against Norwich, Southampton rarely saw unnecessary back passes from the midfield and backfield, let alone increasing the ball possession rate.

This is also the reason why Southampton's style of play is more aggressive and entertaining than Barcelona, ​​and more popular with fans.

Firmly controlling the situation on the field, Southampton almost gave Liverpool a beating.

But it must be said that although Liverpool's offense is not very good, their defense is quite well organized.

The central defender combination of Skrtel and Agger, as well as Lucas in the defensive midfielder position, make Liverpool's defense very solid.

Especially after Southampton scored at the beginning of the game, Liverpool adjusted their defense and became more conservative in their mentality. Although Southampton had many opportunities, they were unable to convert them into goals.

It was not until the 37th minute of the game that Neymar was fouled while dribbling in the frontcourt. Toni Kroos took the free kick, Ibrahimovic headed the ball, and Gareth Bale scored, 2-0!

This goal, coupled with the situation on the field, almost sentenced Liverpool to death!

But Yang Huan didn't feel very happy.

Manchester United's game started one day earlier than Southampton's. Thanks to Rooney's goal, the Red Devils beat Reading 1-0.

In this way, if the Saints beat Liverpool, at best they will just be closely following Manchester United.

Eight rounds and eight points, there’s still a lot of suspense to be had!

"My skills are still not as good as others!" Ian El shook his head and sighed unwillingly.

Yang Huan laughed, "Ian, don't be unconvinced. Liverpool's defense is solid now, but if you want to compete for the top four in the league, you still have to work hard on your offense!"

"What do you mean?" Ian El asked with concern.

In the entire Premier League, oh no, in the entire Europe, who doesn’t know that Master Huan is the boss who understands football the best?

"The biggest problem for you Liverpool now is the advancement of the ball!"

"The advancement of the ball?" Ian Ayre thought thoughtfully.

"Suarez alone in the front is not effective, but if Suarez is withdrawn to connect the midfield and the front, who can be the striker? But if Suarez is on the front, who should complete the advancement of the ball from the midfield to the front?"

Ian Ayre immediately felt that it made sense.

Isn't the reason why Southampton's offense is so excellent because they have many ways of advancing the ball?

Toni Kroos' long pass is unique, and Javi Martinez and Varane both have strong long pass ability.

In addition, with top center forwards like Ibrahimovic and Drogba standing in front, it is enough to bring out the team's advantage in long passes in the midfield and backcourt.

When the ball reaches the midfield, Neymar, Gareth Bale and Modric all have outstanding personal abilities and can dribble the ball forward.

But looking at the Liverpool team, besides Suarez, who else can dribble the ball forward?

In Yang Huan's previous life, the season when Liverpool achieved the best results was the season when Suarez and Sturridge formed a double striker and performed the best. In addition, there was no interference from European wars and cup competitions, and the team focused on the league, so the fighting power they displayed was also quite amazing.

There is a reason for this!

To put it simply, these two players can decide to advance or retreat according to the surrounding situation to solve the problem of advancing the ball. With the assistance of Henderson, Coutinho, Sterling and others, Liverpool's offensive power is revealed.

When Suarez transferred, the problem was exposed again!

"You don't have many options now. You can either bring in another strong striker to partner with Suarez, which will improve Liverpool's overall strength, but the funds invested in the operation are also not cheap."

Yang Huan paused deliberately, noticing that Ian El looked embarrassed, and he knew what was going on.

Liverpool's operations in the transfer market have never been the lavish type.

The reason why Carroll was brought in at a high price was because Torres was sold and the team urgently needed to fill the vacancy left by Torres.

But in the end, Carroll turned out to be a big dud, more than 30 million pounds were wasted, and Comolli, the director of football who was responsible for the transfer, was fired.

Therefore, Yang Huan was very sure that if Liverpool had to invest more than 20 million pounds to introduce a striker capable of conquering the Premier League, even Ian Elken, the boss behind Liverpool, would definitely not agree.

Then, there is only the second option left!

"Or just sell Suarez, cash in and get two frontcourt attackers to solve the team's current problems!" r1148