Football’s First Defender
Chapter 685: Missed opportunity
In recent years, Manchester United has actually invested a lot in the offensive line. All along, in terms of team building, Manchester United has to grasp both hands and both hands.
Both spend a high price to buy some existing players in the transfer market to improve the immediate strength of their team.
also focused on promoting the players who grew up in his youth training system, hoping to reproduce the glory of Class 92 through youth training.
It’s just that the reality is that Manchester United’s first team players have come in and out in the past few years, although they will always perform some wonderful offensive operations and play beautiful games in the game.
But compared with the "Red Devils" player in the Ferguson era, today's players have never been able to guarantee a stable performance.
The team has always had a huge problem with the state of the game.
'S performance on the court is always good and bad. It can beat the top teams upset and lose to the underdogs.
In the previous game, he was able to play smoothly in the offense, defeating the opponent by a big score, but in the latter game, he could be prevented by others from not scoring a goal.
As a giant team, without stable performance as a guarantee, it will naturally not achieve better results in the league.
And everyone knows that the most stable point of Manchester United's offensive end now is not the occasional outbreak of Depay or Martial, who is known as the new Henry, but Fellaini, who is responsible for defense in the center during regular time.
Manchester United, which does not have a high center forward, can use Fellaini's forward penetration to act as a high center forward. In the game, it is always able to exert a good effect.
Now, when the lineup on the field and the offensive firepower are not strong, Van Gaal can only continue to choose to let Fellaini enter the penalty area to help the team fight for a high point.
At this time, it is Liverpool's turn to make a decision. For Manchester United's "double forward" combination, which is high and "fast" on the field, how to allocate defensive tasks between Fellaini and Rooney, Liverpool's double central defenders.
As for the final allocation of players, Skrtel will focus on defending Rooney, and then Yang Feng will defend Fellaini.
After all, Fellaini has a single offensive method in the penalty area. When passing the ball from high altitude, Yang Feng can still make up the defense and complete the defense to create a greater threat to the opponent.
It's just that, in the first half of today, Manchester United didn't have many passers on the field, and there were not so many threats created by the offense.
There are not many offensive players. In Liverpool's frantic frontcourt press, Manchester United's offensive advancement has been greatly affected.
can't even play the ball smoothly, how can Manchester United organize an effective attack to get a goal?
The impact of injuries from various positions makes Manchester United not doing a good job even in simple wing attacks. There is no top breakthrough player. This also makes Manchester United forced to pass through some mid lanes and Liverpool are in the middle. The frontcourt press is very effective. Every interception can directly create a lot of offensive opportunities.
Compared to Manchester United’s offense, even a threatening kick can't be accomplished, but Liverpool can constantly use their counterattacks to create opportunities in the game.
In the 32nd minute of the game, Liverpool counterattacked from the front. This time, Manchester United clearly learned a lesson and began to focus on strengthening the protection of the backcourt. Liverpool's counterattack advanced from the own half and passed through the ground.
Klein took the ball from the right side after half-court, and forced to break through the bottom.
Relying on the speed of the defensive player who barely waded halfway through, Klein chose to pass the ball into the center penalty area.
The Manchester United player who returned to the defense, facing the ball that suddenly passed to the ground, the two directly slid and intercepted the ball with double insurance.
However, because the two grabbed a piece from the two people's direction, although one person had obviously retracted his foot, the two still collided, the ball was shoveled and hit the other person, or it popped out of the penalty area. Not far away.
Irregular bullets fly out, and the scramble for the second place is entirely based on luck.
And Lallana is just near the second drop point, and the reaction speed is not slow, after grabbing the second drop point, immediately reorganized the team's offense in the frontcourt.
After Lallana controlled the ball, he crossed to find Henderson in front of the arc in the penalty area. After starting, Henderson ran diagonally to the front right to catch the ball. After attracting Manchester United's defensive attention, he did not. Stopped the ball but knocked gently on the heel, knocking the ball to the foot of Coutinho, who was 2, 3 meters away on the left.
Coutinho took the ball and passed it accurately to Firmino who was returning from Manchester United's goal before Manchester United's defense came over.
Firmino has his back to the goal, and there is no good way at this time. He can hit the goal directly after receiving the ball in the penalty area.
Feeling the defensive pressure of the Manchester United players and foreboding that after he stopped the ball, he was immediately surrounded by a round and there was no room to hit the goal. Firmino still made an instant decision and passed the ball.
It was also a kick out of the ball. Before stopping the ball, he flicked his ankle and moved the ball directly to the small penalty area on the right. In that tiny empty position, Henderson had been accelerating forward and running to the right. The area after the point.
The ball arrives, and Henderson has completed his self-adjustment during the running process. He shot directly with an angry kick and blasted towards the small left corner of the goal from a small angle.
just...
"De Gea! Once again became the last insurmountable wall in Manchester United's defense! A magical save once again saved Manchester United."
De Gea once again saved the team with his defensive reaction. When he saw Firmino's sudden pass and Henderson quickly inserted it, De Gea was already vigilant.
De Gea, who had been watching Henderson, felt that Henderson was about to finish hitting when he saw Henderson's last kick out.
Between the electric light and flint, De Gea chose to fall to the ground first, using two legs to block the way of hitting the door.
And the hands are waving freely to interfere with the middle department.
If Henderson can hit the goal with a blast aiming at the road in such a fast pursuit of the ball and still at a small angle, then De Gea will also recognize it.
De Gea tried his best to complete the split with his leg and increase his defensive area.
Fortunately, De Gea's defensive choice, he chose to sit on the ground in advance. Henderson's kick hit the goal with a low level ball. With enough strength and a tricky angle, he went straight to the goal to make a small foot. In the end, De Gea's right leg stretched out. Performed meritorious service, blocked the route of the goal, and made Henderson a very threatening goal. This time, Liverpool's excellent continuous pass in the frontcourt failed.
The situation in the final stage of the entire first half was very obvious. Manchester United wanted to make their own wing crosses and the strikers tried to complete the goal.
But in fact, it is most of the offense. It has not been developed to the last step before being destroyed by Liverpool defenders.
And even if the cross is really forcibly obtained from the wing, or the cross is in front of the goal, Fellaini will not take the slightest advantage under Yang Feng's defense.
Manchester United's attacking opportunities are few, and they can't play a threatening attack against Liverpool.
And Liverpool's defense in front of the goal, achieved a very good defensive interception. While not giving Manchester United a chance to hit the goal in the penalty area, it also greatly increased the number of Liverpool's frontcourt counterattacks.
Van Gaal’s change was thinking of trying some offensive performances in the second half of the first half, but it was counterproductive. Instead, it was Liverpool’s defensive counterattack that was very impressive.
In the 39th minute of the game, Liverpool once again played a subtle counterattack.
In addition to organizing the offense in the frontcourt, Manchester United was forced by Yang Feng, Henderson and others to accurately guide the long pass in the backcourt.
After every attack is completed or Liverpool completed a steal, all the players remaining in their own half quickly retreat to the core area before the team's penalty area and reorganize their defense.
This kind of reckless quick return to defense did limit Liverpool's first-time counterattack long pass, but it also gave Liverpool more space for counterattack in the midfield.
Liverpool’s counterattack strategy is very practical. Whatever your defense gives, then I will catch something.
Since Manchester United chose to fully retreat and limit Liverpool's long pass counterattack, then after taking control of the ball, patiently walk on the ground and push forward, allowing Liverpool to play a good counterattack effect.
Although this kind of counterattack may be much different in counterattack time than the pass directly hitting the penalty area, but in terms of threat, it is definitely not smaller than the previous long pass counterattack mode.
After Manchester United forced Damian to send a long pass to the penalty area at 45 degrees on the right, Yang Feng, after judging the position, took the lead in the fight against Fellaini.
For Fellaini, as a midfielder, he can always play a miraculous effect when he plays a high center as a guest, relying on his excellent ability to compete in the penalty area.
Among them, there are naturally the advantages of height, bounce and resistance, but there are also reasons for Fellaini's first-rate judgment of the landing.
But when facing Yang Feng's defense, Fellaini felt himself restrained everywhere.
In terms of judging the impact point, Fellaini felt that his ability to judge the impact point was good enough, but when Fellaini was able to quickly determine the impact point area, he always found that Yang Feng, who was defending himself, was already standing on the point. Near the point area, or in the position rushing to the point area, is already in the leading position.
It was judged that the speed of the landing point could not keep up with Yang Feng, and Fellaini Tongan could not interfere with Yang Feng in the subsequent physical confrontation and card position.
After these years of hard training, Yang Feng has already reached the top level of football in physical confrontation. Fellaini wants to squeeze Yang Feng's position, and it is not so easy.
Damian's pass was still defended by Yang Feng and he overpowered Fellaini and successfully completed a header clearance.
Due to the limited interference given by Fellaini this time, Yang Feng can even control the drop point of the relief to a limited extent, allowing the ball to drop closer to the defensive player outside the penalty area, allowing Liverpool to counterattack more quickly.
Milner controlled the drop point of the ball and immediately found Henderson not far away with a straight pass.
Henderson strode forward with the ball himself.
Because of Manchester United's defense line, the overall priority is to build the defense line before returning to the penalty area, making the midfield area, for Liverpool, have a huge space to use.
Henderson drove the ball forward and advanced through halftime before meeting the first Manchester United defender in midfield.
A simple diagonal short pass, Henderson directly played a two-to-one match with Lallana, making Manchester United's midfield defense useless.
And when Manchester United's defense line fell into the defensive area as a whole, turned his head, ready to face Liverpool's counterattack.
does not have much effect.
Manchester United are empty and have a defense line, but in a static state, against Liverpool's overall counterattack line that has already rushed to full speed, it is naturally not easy to rely on its own defense to limit Liverpool.
In the process of telling the forward, Lallana made a forward pass and found Coutinho. Coutinho took the ball again and diagonally gave Lallana, who continued to advance, an advance amount. Manchester United's defense is completely in the palm of the hand.
After Lallana received the ball again, seeing that the time was right, a through ball slanted to the right passed through the middle of the two Manchester United defenders and passed directly into the Manchester United penalty area.
And it was Firmino who moved fast on the right.
Firmino quickly pushed forward, followed by Martial who was desperately chasing after him.
"I don't want to miss this great opportunity."
"This is another chance to score twice. I must seize it and continue to show my offensive ability."
For Firmino, in recent games, he has become more and more adaptable to the forward position and the offensive tasks assigned to him by Klopp. Now, he has quickly adapted to the Premier League and the team. Firmino, who quickly completed his personal performance advancement, has become the new darling of Liverpool's striker.
The last game scored twice, this game ~lightnovelpub.net~Firmino also scored the first goal before, but this will not affect Firmino's determination to pursue goals.
It's not too little to score twice, and it is not too much to have a hat trick.
Firmino, has already begun to like the feeling of scoring, and also wants to quickly complete the siege for the team this season.
Stop the ball, take a deep breath and relax, adjust your steps, look at De Gea's position in front of the goal, ready to shoot a tricky shot to expand the score for the team.
Although there were too many preparations and some adjustments at a slower speed, Firmino was confident that he could finish the shot before Martial from behind.
After all, the inertial speed is there, and this time, completed within a second or two, is fast enough.
just...
"Firmino, this kick is not finished!"
Martial at the back of the side, in the process of quickly returning to defense, although unable to rush to Firmino, complete the defensive interception.
However, a powerful collision with increased speed at the back of the side directly knocked Firmino, who was about to hit the goal, to the ground in the penalty area.
"Will you give a penalty?"
The ball was already uncontrolled, and when Firmino fell to the ground, he hit the bottom line.
The broadcast footage is focused on the referee, to see how the referee decides the penalty.
"Slide your hands horizontally!"
"The referee Clattenberg signaled that there was no problem with the ball, no penalty!"
"Liverpool's excellent counterattack came to an abrupt end."