Chapter 596 Double Champion

"The ball was passed to the left, Neymar stopped and dribbled horizontally!"

"The ball was passed horizontally along the front of the penalty area, Drogba came out of the penalty area and knocked the ball back."

"Vidal goes forward, receives the ball and passes it."

"Drogba stopped the ball, turned around and passed it to the right."

"Sturridge quickly entered the penalty area and received the ball..."

"Nice, Terry got into position securely, no chance, Sturridge had to pass back!"

"Drogba received the ball in front of the penalty area. There was no one guarding him. It was a good opportunity. He just shot!"

“The ball goes in!!!!”

"In the eleventh minute of the first half, former Chelsea player Didier Drogba scored a wonderful long shot from the edge of the penalty area, which penetrated the goal guarded by Cech, making it one to zero!"

"Southampton played so brilliantly in this attack!"

"From Neymar taking the ball from the left and cutting inside, to Drogba going outside the penalty area to support, to Vidal's forward run, and Sturridge's diagonal run into the penalty area, they were all trying every possible way to create Chelsea's defensive loopholes at the front of the penalty area!"

"It was amazing. Chelsea's defense only lasted for eleven minutes before being broken by the Saints!"

"Drogba, the former Chelsea Magician, almost made his old club suffer after switching to Southampton!"

"What's interesting is that in this game, Southampton's starting lineup includes Drogba, Sturridge and Matic, all former Chelsea players!"

"In the Chelsea squad, Benatia and Adam Lallana are former Southampton players."

"But these two teams are the most bitter rivals in the Premier League this season. Three days ago, in the FA Cup final, Southampton beat Chelsea 5-0."

"Now, judging from the first ten minutes of this game, Chelsea still hasn't found an effective tactic to restrain Southampton, and hasn't been able to get out of the shadow of the disastrous defeat three days ago."

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As the game resumed, Chelsea got the kick-off.

But soon the ball was out of the Blues' control and returned to Southampton's feet.

"Compared to a year ago, the changes in Southampton are really impressive!"

Platini, as the president of UEFA and a former world superstar, can naturally see the tricks of football that other laymen cannot see.

"What's the difference?" Yang Huan asked with a smile.

"Are you testing me?" Platini said with amusement.

You, what the hell, I am also the president of UEFA? You asked me this question directly, what if I can't answer it? Wouldn't it be embarrassing in front of so many people?

But Master Huan did raise his eyebrows, still grinning, as if to say, this is not a problem for you!

Platini was at a loss. He thought for a moment and nodded, "It's mainly because the whole tactical system has become more sophisticated, especially in certain areas."

"Southampton's tactics a year ago were very advanced, especially the high-intensity pressing and oppression, which was very eye-catching. However, this tactic is good, but it is too physically demanding and consumes too much energy."

"So, in the past year, Bielsa should have mainly worked on the details."

"Overall, the Saints' tactical philosophy is still Bielsa's, and the defensive end is still the same, regaining the ball in the shortest possible time. But with the same high-position defense, a year later, the Saints have done a better job in cutting off the opponent's passing routes and cutting off the opponent's players' offensive space with the ball."

At this point, Platini nodded and praised, "It is obvious that Bielsa's team has put in a lot of effort!"

When Yang Huan heard this, he could not help but nod his head slightly.

Platini is absolutely right!

In terms of defense, Southampton has indeed made considerable progress this season compared to last season.

However, in the eyes of many people, Southampton is still the same, pressing high up the pitch desperately.

Little did they know that with just this set of high-pressure pressing, Southampton could perform many different tricks.

The most obvious point is that the players' physical energy consumption is much less than last season.

At this moment, Chelsea's attack on the field wanted to pass the ball to Juan Mata, but it was blocked by Matic.

Although the ball was still in Chelsea's hands, the Blues had to pass the ball back to the backcourt and then kick it to the frontcourt.

"Chelsea failed to find an effective passing route and could only kick the ball frequently. Failure!"

Platini shook his head and sighed.

After Southampton regained the ball, we could see the overall attack of Southampton from a high position.

“The defense has upgraded its version, and the offense has made considerable improvements.”

Platini saw some new ways to attack.

"The Saints were very determined to speed up the transition from defense to offense, but unlike in the past, they did not speed up the entire midfield and frontcourt at the same time. Instead, they did it in a very targeted manner, obviously to reasonably distribute the physical energy consumption of the players."

Yang Huan nodded with a smile, which was considered as his agreement.

"Break through the wing and cross the ball, cut in from the wing and attack from the flank, insert from the middle, insert from the back and cut out from the flank to attack..."

Platini laughed in amazement.

"Your entire attack at Southampton is very rich in means, the switching is very sophisticated, the players have high execution, and the three lines remain compact and very flexible. Whether it is offense or defense, the effect is particularly ideal!"

"On the other hand, Chelsea's double defensive midfielder formation of David Luiz and Mikel was not ideal, and Ramires and Lampard's insertions from the midfield were not as threatening as expected."

"After Juan Mata, the only player in the starting lineup who had the ability to advance the ball, was strangled, Chelsea's entire offensive system was frozen and could not pose any threat at all!"

At this point, Platini sighed, "From the starting tactics, Zenden was completely restrained by Bielsa."

After a pause, he added: "Maybe he should consider Adam Lallana."

But he immediately felt that it was not appropriate, "If Adam Lallana is used, the midfield may not be able to hold up!"

The UEFA president quickly shook his head. "There is no way. Chelsea's entire midfield and frontcourt were completely cut off. There was no coordination, which not only put their offense and defense at a disadvantage, but also gave Southampton too much space."

Obviously, Platini also felt that Chelsea had little chance of winning.

At least, the one-to-zero score on the field and Southampton's 64 percent possession rate indicate this.

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It turned out that Chelsea had few chances.

The Blues' first shot of the game came in the 31st minute.

It is hard to imagine that Chelsea would be forced into such a difficult situation by Southampton, a newly promoted team in the Premier League. They could not take a shot for half an hour and finally had no choice but to have Lampard complete the first shot.

This was a very high quality shot, but from a long distance.

Neuer steadily lifted the ball over the crossbar, and then steadily took Chelsea's corner kick from mid-air.

After that, Southampton continued to launch wave after wave of attacks on Chelsea, but ultimately failed to score.

Chelsea was very passive throughout the first half, even having the embarrassing statistic of only three shots on target.

In the second half, after adjusting during the halftime break, Southampton started to press Chelsea straight away.

After a heavy beating from the Saints, the Blues once again revealed their weaknesses.

With a precise long pass from Matic in the backcourt, Drogba firmly suppressed Terry in front and controlled the ball in the penalty area. Sturridge on the right was very smart and shook off Ashley Cole and ran to the middle.

Drogba overpowered Terry in the penalty area, stopped the ball, turned his back to the goal, and passed the ball to the middle.

James Rodriguez rushed into the penalty area at high speed while being entangled by David Luiz, spotted the ball and passed it with his heel to Sturridge who was cutting in from the right.

Facing James Rodriguez's perfect heel pass, the England striker did not waste his teammate's generous contribution. He blocked Mikel with his body, stopped with his right foot, followed up with a curved shot with his left foot.

The ball drew a delicate arc and, with an extremely intense spin, hit the upper left corner of the goal.

Although Cech reacted, he was unable to stop the ball from entering the net!

Two to zero!

Under the pressure of Southampton's consecutive goals, Chelsea's acting head coach Zenden finally couldn't hold on.

The former Dutch star made three consecutive substitutions in just ten minutes, intending to adjust the team and further strengthen the team's offense.

In particular, Adam Lallana's appearance really activated Chelsea's frontcourt attack.

But doing so also brings huge hidden dangers to the defense line.

As a result, the two flanks of Neymar and Sturridge were completely activated.

Especially Neymar.

Throughout the game, the Brazilian star did not have a particularly eye-catching performance.

But with Chelsea's change of formation, the left side gained more room for movement, and Neymar began to show his outstanding personal strength, completing breakthroughs on the left side again and again, creating threats, and becoming the most eye-catching player on the court.

The last thirty minutes of the second half completely turned into Neymar's solo performance.

Especially in the 81st minute, Alaba passed the ball back from the bottom and Neymar got the ball in the left area in front of the penalty area.

Chelsea's defense, which had been disrupted by Neymar throughout the second half, was shocked again.

The moment the Brazilian star got the ball, four Chelsea players around him moved towards him.

But Neymar was skilled and bold. He dribbled the ball into the penalty area, avoided Chelsea's first wave of defenders, and soon met Benatia.

In the penalty area, the defending side did not dare to kick the ball easily, but Neymar had no such concerns.

The Brazilian was like a mad dragon. After an abrupt stop in the penalty area, he suddenly accelerated, created a gap on Benatia's body, and forced a pass to the back post with his left foot.

Drogba had been patiently waiting for the pass from Neymar. As soon as he saw the ball coming, the Ivorian immediately rushed forward, crushed Terry with his body, and scored with a header!

Three to zero!

Drogba scored twice!

The entire Amsterdam Arena was boiling!

Countless fans were cheering Neymar and Drogba's name!

Three to zero, in such a crucial match, Southampton defeated Chelsea!

Especially immediately afterwards, Bielsa cleverly replaced Neymar, Drogba and Javi Martinez one after another, allowing these three players to receive the applause and cheers from all the fans in the stadium.

Enjoy the hero treatment they deserve.

Because it is their outstanding performance and play that have made Southampton what it is today!

Therefore, all the Saints fans at the scene gave high praise and affirmation without any stinginess.

The game finally ended with the cheers of Saints fans and the loud singing of "We are the champions".

Southampton once again defeated Chelsea 3-0 thanks to Drogba's double and Sturridge's goal.

Following the FA Cup title, Southampton successfully defended the Europa League title!

Double champion!

Let all Saints fans be full of expectations for the league championship! r1148