Chapter 134 The cornerstone of the dynasty! A bloody battle with Manchester United [Please subscribe]
If he wanted to write an autobiography, Marcelo really didn’t know where to start his story.
Is it summer camp when you were 6 years old?
Or was it the graffiti he and his friends painted on the streets before the 1994 World Cup?
Or, when he was 9 years old, he felt like Ronaldo for the first time?
But maybe, it should have been the invitation to Fluminense when I was 15, and my grandfather’s orange Volkswagen Beetle.
In Brazilian football, 18 is a very special age.
Being 18 or older means you can go abroad to play football and make money.
Every year, many European teams look around in Brazil.
Everyone knows that Brazilian players are very good, so they like to buy some players who are around 18 years old.
It's a bit like gambling.
18-year-old young players are still semi-finished products. After they are sold to Europe, processed and trained, and they succeed, they are sold to better teams at higher prices.
If it failed, it was sold back to Brazil at a low price.
This is already a very mature industrial chain.
When Marcelo was 18 years old, many European teams were already paying attention to him.
For example, CSKA Moscow in the Russian Super League.
Russian and Ukrainian teams have been very fond of buying Brazilian players in recent years. You won’t feel lonely when you play there.
There is also Sevilla in La Liga.
This team has gathered many Brazilian players and has also trained many. They have developed very quickly.
When Marcelo contacted Sevilla, he was really tempted and asked many people about this team.
But he didn’t know why, and he finally chose London, England.
Fluminense easily accepted the Bayswater Chinese offer and then notified Marcelo and his agent.
The next day, Marcelo and his agent went to the hotel to meet with the Bayswater Chinese representative, Mike Rigg, and had a phone call with head coach Yang Cheng.
The call lasted only about ten minutes.
But on the phone, Yang Cheng used proficient Portuguese and communicated smoothly with Marcelo, which gave him a great impression.
He began to look forward to his trip to the Premier League.
The day after he finished chatting with Yang Cheng, he received a call from the UK.
The resettlement officer of the Chinese in Bayswater asked him some information, such as whether he had a girlfriend? Who will you live with? How big a house should I prepare...
In a very short period of time, he successfully joined Bayswater Chinese.
From warm Brazil to cold Britain.
Frankly speaking, the climate is not a big problem for him, nor for his girlfriend.
In London, the hotel arranged by the club was very comfortable and the house found for them was very comfortable.
Everything was well arranged.
Marcelo still clearly remembers meeting head coach Yang Cheng on the first day he came to Bayswater Chinese.
The two communicated for half an hour.
Just like on the phone, Yang Cheng made an excellent impression on him.
Very young and have a lot of common topics.
But it seems that he is very familiar and understands him.
This made Marcelo feel reassured.
After that, Yang Cheng called Jose Fonte.
A Portuguese, the team's vice-captain.
José Font integrated him into the team, introduced him to all the players and gave him his mobile phone number.
“If you need anything, just call me.”
Marcelo still remembers this sentence clearly.
Although there are language communication problems, the atmosphere in the team is very good, and Marcelo has received help from many people.
His life soon settled down.
He began to work hard to learn English and actively integrate into the team.
But for Marcelo, everything still happened too fast.
From leaving Fluminense to joining Bayswater Chinese, before he completed the role change, he followed the team for training, then went to Asia, and then came back to participate in the Premier League, Champions League, League Cup, and FA Cup...
The Premier League has a dense schedule, and there are endless games every week.
In the first season of joining, his agent also reminded him that he might be rented out.
After all, he had not been selected for the national team at that time. He only played for Brazil U17 and was selected for U20.
What they didn’t expect was that the Bayswater Chinese used the special genius clause for him.
It is said that each Premier League club can only use it once a year.
This shows how valuable this quota is.
The first season is more about getting familiar and adapting, while also learning and improving.
The football style of the Premier League is completely different from that of Brazil.
They are too fast paced.
Every time he gets the ball, before he is ready, the defensive players have already rushed to him.
However, Marcelo is the kind of Brazilian who likes to have the ball at his feet.
He is working hard to adapt to the Premier League.
This season, Danny Collins left the team, leaving Leighton Baines and Marcelo on the left.
The playing time has increased, and the tasks of the game have become heavier.
Marcelo’s previous worry about not being able to play has also been eliminated.
But instead, he found that his performance was somewhat different from what he expected.
There is a very different understanding of football, of full-backs, the Premier League and Brazil.
He is more responsible for offense in Brazil.
Conceding goals and conceding goals in the frontcourt is not a problem at all in Brazil.
Even, no one would consider it at all.
Yes, but not in the UK.
More and more people are paying attention to his offensive strength and defensive weakness, and more and more media are criticizing his poor performance on the defensive end.
At the beginning, the head coach and the teammates around him would comfort him.
Especially the head coach.
He always emphasizes again and again, "You have to have confidence in yourself and have confidence in me!"
In order to help him, the coaching staff even arranged some targeted projects in training. , during the game, people such as Jose Fonte, Yaya Toure and Thiago Silva will constantly remind him repeatedly.
Assistant coach Brian Kidd was nice to others, but very harsh on him.
He will ask Marcelo to go forward, but he must ensure that every time he loses the ball, he can sprint back in the shortest time.
Can it be done?
You can attack however you want.
What if you come back late?
What was waiting for him was Brian Kidd's shout.
After every training session and game, Brian Kidd will point out many of his problems and tell him where he can do better and where his stupidity is the result...< br>
Although Marcelo is in awe of Brian Kidd's severity, he is more grateful to Brian Kidd for helping him improve and progress.
So, Marcelo learns quickly.
But like all Brazilians, he always feels particularly strange about European tactics.
Even, incomprehensible.
Marcelo couldn't describe the feeling.
He knows what he wants to do, and he tries hard to do it well, but he always fails to do it well.
It's like, whenever he performs badly, everyone around him tells him not to care about the public opinions outside.
But it is impossible for him not to pay attention to the public opinions outside.
Even Brazilian media reporters will ask him, is it really bad to play in the Premier League?
That’s right!
All Brazilians dislike the Premier League.
So far, all the Brazilians who have achieved success in the Premier League can be counted with one slap.
This started to become Marcelo’s nightmare.
He began to suspect that he would become the next Brazilian to fall in the Premier League.
He works very hard to do everything well and play every game well.
But sometimes, the harder he tries, the worse the effect becomes.
It's like playing against Tottenham.
Especially the penalty kick at the end.
He ruined the team's 3 points and a precious chance to reach the top.
Even, he may ruin the team's chance of winning the league championship.
This made him feel even more uncomfortable and doubt himself even more.
Especially after the game, he even began to worry, would he be isolated by his teammates?
On New Year's Day, he didn't even make the squad.
This made him even more worried.
The New Year's Day game is in the afternoon, and it will be in the evening after the game.
The head coach invited the whole team to have a dinner together.
After dinner, Marcelo blocked the head coach who was about to take his girlfriend out on a date.
This is what the head coach said before.
If you need anything, you can always come to him.
......
The two of them stood on the top floor of the Lancaster Royal Hotel where they were having dinner, overlooking the Bayswater Stadium to the west.
It's pitch dark there now.
"You have two problems now."
In the past few days, Yang Cheng was so busy that he hardly had any private time.
It was rare that he had free time today. He was planning to accompany Xia Qing to Knightsbridge for a walk, and then go home and sleep quickly.
So, he didn’t plan to talk to Marcelo.
"First, you are not confident enough now."
Marcelo raised his head and looked at the head coach, a little unbelievable.
He felt that the head coach knew all his worries and thoughts.
And it’s crystal clear.
"Second, you lack experience and practical training, and have not found your own balance between offense and defense, between Brazil and the Premier League."
Marse Luo was completely convinced!
He didn’t know how Yang Cheng did it.
The head coach is obviously only 28 years old, but why does it seem like everything can't be hidden from him?
“These seem to be two problems, but they are actually one problem.”
Confidence is something that is slowly kicked out.
The same goes for competition experience and actual combat training.
“From the moment I signed you, I have been telling you that I know what kind of player you are and how far you can play, but you seem to be doubting me and yourself. .”
Marcelo didn't know how to answer.
Because Yang Cheng is right.
"To be honest, there is really no good way to deal with this situation. There are only two options."
"First, I will rent you out, right now, during the winter. During the break, I will help you choose a suitable team. The competition pressure and media attention will not be so great. You can go on loan and play for one or two years."
"As long as you perform well outside, Play hard and improve yourself, and I’ll bring you back in a year or two.”
"The second option is that you stay in the team and continue to play like you are now. I will try to arrange more game time for you. You play slowly, accumulate experience slowly, and build up confidence slowly. Then the situation will be better in the future. It’s getting better.”
What Marcelo felt was a strong sense of trust and support.
This is the second professional team he has played for.
But he had never felt the trust and support he received in Fluminense.
To be honest, Marcelo was particularly touched.
For the first time, he had the urge to play football for Yang Cheng and do everything for him.
"I don't want to leave!" Marcelo said firmly.
He has never been one to give up easily.
More importantly, he was afraid that if he left, he would never come back.
“Then train, play and improve with peace of mind. Brazilians’ tactical literacy has always been relatively low, but the more so, the more hard you have to learn more and understand more. There is no Who is born with it?”
"Also, Brazilians are also very resistant to physical confrontation and hate gym training. I'm not saying that you should train yourself into a muscular man, but at least you have to ensure that you don't suffer in physical confrontation at the same level, right?"
Marcelo kept nodding.
“All of us will help you, but it will take some time, maybe one year, two years, or even three years.”
“I have confidence in you, so don’t Give up! ”
Marcelo was really moved, listening to the coach’s teachings and keeping nodding.
...
"I can see that you attach great importance to Marcelo."
After Marcelo left, Xia Qing came to Yang Cheng's side and said curiously.
The outside media have a low opinion of Marcelo.
Especially after the draw at White Hart Lane, Marcelo was almost nailed to the pillar of shame.
Yang Cheng smiled slightly, leaned against the guardrail, looked at Xia Qing in front of him, stretched out his hand, and led her to his side.
“He will become the best left back in the world, bar none!”
Xia Qing was surprised.
Unexpectedly, Yang Cheng spoke so highly of Marcelo.
"I remember, you said that Maicon will be the best right back in the world, so now..."
Yang Cheng laughed directly, "Maicon was born in 1981 and Marcelo was born in 1988. They are 7 years apart."
The peak years are completely staggered.
Why does Yang Cheng value Marcelo so much?
In addition to the fact that he is the world's top left back, there is another very important reason, Toni Kroos.
Marcelo is actually a very, very, very special full-back.
He is very different from other full-backs.
Needless to say about the defensive end, Marcelo's characteristic is on the offensive level.
European full-backs generally focus on passing, whether it is diagonal passes or underpasses, these are the characteristics of European full-backs.
But they rarely get ahead of others.
Just like Ashley Cole, who is famous for his offensive ability, he is considered to be the type with strong offensive ability among continental European full-backs. He is not tall and has good foot skills.
Ashley Cole's comprehensive passing success rate is over 85%, and the backcourt has reached 95%.
But his number of passes is pitiful, and his offensive method is still based on crosses.
Leighton Baines averages 0.6 passes per game, but his passing success rate is a bit lower than Ashley Cole. The overall passing success rate is 80%. The field is around 90%.
The success rate of crosses is at most one quarter.
These days, crosses from the wing are not that efficient.
Even Maicon in the Bayswater Chinese team is considered a very mature right back, and his success rate is only this number.
But Maicon's long pass from the right was very accurate, reaching 60%.
Over the years, the full-backs on the European continent have basically followed this pattern. Even the top player like Lahm, if he can have one dribble in every game, it is pretty good.
Passing is still mainly based on crosses and long passes.
This situation will continue until ten years later, when Arnold and Theo Hernandez emerge as a new generation of full-backs.
Affected by the entire football environment at that time, the training and requirements for full-backs have undergone great changes.
Theo Hernandez makes very few crosses, and mostly makes long passes and passes.
Arnold was influenced by the tactical systems of the Premier League and Liverpool. He still retains a strong passing ability and is also quite good at long passes.
To put it simply, Arnold is like Ashley Cole on the right.
But Arnold's passing ability is far inferior to Ashley Cole, at least 10 percentage points behind.
This is the mainstream full-back in continental Europe.
Why are Brazilian full-backs so special?
A very important reason is that they dare to pass the ball on the wing.
Whether it’s Ashley Cole, Lahm, or others in front of them, European full-backs basically don’t dare, or can’t, pass the ball on the wing.
Theo Hernandez is one of the few exceptions.
The French full-back has an ability to pass the ball from the wing that is not inferior to that of the Brazilian.
Even Maicon, the average number of dribbles per game remains above 1.5.
Such extraordinary statistics are beyond the reach of many European wing players.
Marcelo and Dani Alves will have stronger passing abilities.
The two Brazilian players have another characteristic in common, that is, they both have very delicate foot skills.
Marcelo, in particular, stops the ball and passes better than Alves.
The most rare thing is that his right foot is also very strong.
This allows him to launch an offensive along the wing. Once in the frontcourt, he can choose to cross, cross, or cut in laterally.
So, if you look at Marcelo, it is easy to find that he often moves on the wing and in the ribs.
This is a bit similar to the side of the back waist, or even the side of the front waist.
Judging from the statistics, he will have a lot of through balls.
The same was true for Maicon and Alves at their peak.
Whether it is passing from the wing, breaking through with the ball, or diagonally cutting in and passing through, they can do it with ease.
This is the biggest difference between Brazilian full-backs and European full-backs.
Among European full-backs, even Theo Hernandez, who is very capable of passing people, actually has very few or almost none of the balls passed behind him.
To a certain extent, the playing style of playing as a defensive midfielder is like a style driven by Brazilian full-backs.
Only the Brazilian full-back can take this style of play to its extreme.
In Yang Cheng's previous life, whether it was Maicon during the Inter Milan period, Alves during the Sevilla and Barcelona period, or Marcelo during the Real Madrid period, they all belonged to this kind of all-around organizer on the wing. representative.
Raphael during the Manchester United period also played like a Brazilian full-back, and his ability to pass people from the wing was also very good. However, after Manchester United and Ferguson trained him, he gradually moved towards continental Europe.
This trend can be vividly reflected in Rafael's series of game data.
Another player must be mentioned here, Piszczek.
As a forward, the Pole has sharp speed, excellent foot skills, and is also very capable of passing people from the wing.
But in his previous life, two hip surgeries, that is, butt injuries, had a huge impact on him.
That time in the 08/09 season, he also played for Hertha Berlin and was injured for 8 months.
In the 2012/13 season, he was injured again. This time in Dortmund, he still took more than half a year off. As a result, he suddenly lost all his speed and passing ability.
Since then, Piszczek has begun to change his style of play and has suffered more and more injuries.
But in Bayswater, Piszczek is still doing well.
It’s just that Maicon performed too well, and it’s still difficult for the 22-year-old Pole to get a starting spot.
……
In Yang Cheng’s previous life, many people spoke highly of Real Madrid’s midfield three.
But it is still easy for fans to underestimate Marcelo's role at the tactical level.
The Brazilian full-back's exquisite foot skills and sharp wing breakthroughs allow him to form a great deterrent on the wing.
More importantly, the small-scale passing and cutting cooperation between him and Toni Kroos on the left side of the midfield, coupled with Ronaldo in front, is something that no team dares to ignore. .
So, they can only focus their defense here.
In this case, the effect of Toni Cross's long pass transfer can be maximized. Once the ball reaches the right side, the cooperation of Modric and Carvajal can quickly attract the defensive attention.
At this time, Ronaldo will move closer to the center, and the defensive players will also move to the center, leaving only Marcelo on the left.
Modric and Carvajal will also move the ball to the left in time.
In this case, Marcelo, who is strong in one-on-one dribbling ability, has shown his full potential.
In the Bayswater Chinese team that Yang Cheng is currently building, one thing that is better than Real Madrid is that Carvajal's ability to pass people from the wing is not strong.
The average dribble per game of Real Madrid full-backs is about 0.6, which is similar to Ashley Cole, Alexander-Arnold and others.
Where is Piszczek?
Now in the Bayswater Chinese, his statistics without injury are basically similar to Maicon, both above 1.5.
This is the biggest gap.
By then, the Bayswater Chinese attack will be sharper than Real Madrid.
The threat from the two flanks will be greater.
If Barcelona at its peak had Alves and Messi on the right, and Real Madrid at its peak had Marcelo and Ronaldo on the left, then now, the Bayswater Chinese are playing There are full-backs with strong attacking power on the left and right flanks.
At that time, it’s hard to say who will win and who will lose!
But with Modric and Toni Kroos in his hands, plus Marcelo and Piszczek, Yang Cheng is absolutely confident to compete with top Barcelona or Real Madrid where Ronaldo is. Down!
There is nothing we can do about this.
The strength of the peerless twins is really too strong.
The Chinese in Bayswater do not have such a superstar with super personal ability, so they can only make up for it by relying on the whole team.
But Yang Cheng believes that this will definitely be a set of cornerstones strong enough to establish a ruling dynasty in the Premier League.
This is why Yang Cheng has been waiting so hard for Toni Kroos.
……
The Premier League's Devil's Christmas schedule is indeed very difficult.
After Christmas, it’s time for the FA Cup.
Therefore, many Premier League teams, especially strong teams, often choose to rest their main players in the third round of the FA Cup.
Even a holiday.
Yang Cheng gave Arshavin a holiday last year.
This year is still the case.
Because after the third round of the FA Cup, midweek is the League Cup semi-finals.
But the Bayswater Chinese have been eliminated from the League Cup, so there is no such thing. competition pressure.
In other words, after the 21st round of the Premier League on January 1, many main players of the first team will be able to get about 10 days of rest.
Yang Cheng gave the core players three days off in one go, allowing them to have a good rest and spend time with their families.
In the third round of the FA Cup on the afternoon of January 5th, the Bayswater Chinese faced an interesting opponent.
Queens Park Rangers.
This is really not a trick, it is purely a coincidence.
Even more coincidentally, the Bayswater Chinese were drawn at home.
Due to past connections, the Chinese in Bayswater are also very generous.
Adam Crozier proposed that both parties sell tickets separately.
Since Wembley Stadium is so big, how can it possibly be full?
So, both parties sell tickets separately, and the income from the tickets sold belongs to them.
When Adam Crozier made this suggestion, he secretly told Yang Cheng that he just wanted to take this opportunity to secretly attract another wave of Queens Park Rangers fans.
In the end, more than 70,000 fans poured into this game, of which more than 20,000 were Queens Park Rangers fans.
This can also reveal the background of this west London team.
The Chinese people in Bayswater have already been attracted by it, and in the end they were able to call so many fans to Wembley Stadium to support them.
Yang Cheng also had to admire this team, and at the same time he "beat" Adam Crozier hard.
The suction power is not strong enough!
Yang Cheng played this game with all substitutes and a young lineup.
Goalkeeper: Begovic;
Defense: Marcelo, Thiago Silva, Koscielny and Piszczek;
Midfield: Matic Deep back, Rakitic and Aaron Ramsey;
Forwards: Gareth Bale, Lewandowski and Theo Walcott.
Yang Cheng originally planned to start Matuidi, but the French midfielder was injured during training.
There was no choice but to let Rakitic take the lead.
Although the lineup is young, its strength is not weak at all.
After the game started, the midfielder composed of Matic, Rakitic and Aaron Ramsey showed strong passing and ball control abilities.
These three midfielders all have excellent skills with their feet.
Queens Park Rangers tried to launch an attack at the beginning, but the result was like hitting cotton wool.
After the Bayswater Chinese slowly controlled the rhythm of the game and the possession of the ball, they gradually exerted their strength starting from the 15th minute.
In the 21st minute, Walcott broke through with the ball on the right, easily passed two opposing defenders, and passed the low ball to the right side of the small penalty area.
Lewandowski stepped in to outflank and sent the ball into the Queens Park Rangers goal.
1 to 0!
In the 29th minute, with a wonderful pass from Gareth Bale on the left, Lewandowski stopped the ball on the left side of the penalty area and passed the defender, then shot with his right foot and broke through again. The goal guarded by Lee Kemp.
2 to 0!
Continuous attacks have left Queens Park Rangers exhausted.
Especially the two sides.
Marcelo and Piszczek played very actively on the wings.
The strength gap between the two teams is too great.
This resulted in the Bayswater Chinese defense having basically no pressure. Marcelo and Piszczek could devote themselves to the attack to the maximum extent without worrying about what was behind them.
Queens Park Rangers played in fear.
Before the end of the first half, a long shot from Rakitic once again broke the Queen's Park Rangers goal.
3 to 0!
In the second half, the side changed sides and the game started again. First, Gareth Bale scored with a direct free kick from 35 meters away.
Subsequently, former Bayswater Chinese midfielder Martin Rowland also kicked a long shot, but it was confiscated by Begovic.
In the 58th minute, Aaron Ramsey took the ball on the right rib, broke through the double-team of two opposing defensive players, and sent a through ball on the right side of the penalty area.
Lewandowski kicked off the right side of the small penalty area and sent the ball into the goal again.
5 to 0!
The Polish center scored a hat trick!
Later, the Bayswater Chinese also gave up as soon as they could.
After all, they are both teams from West London, and they were in the same stadium before.
But on the scene, the team still created dangerous situations repeatedly.
In the end, the Bayswater Chinese beat Queens Park Rangers 5-0 at home.
Yang Cheng didn’t think there was anything good to say about this victory.
The head coach of Queens Park Rangers is Italian Luigi De Canio, who has coached many Serie A teams before.
Yang Cheng was not familiar with him, so he just shook hands politely.
On the contrary, it was Martin Roland.
After the game, the Irish international came over to shake hands with Yang Cheng.
When he saw Koscielny and Lambert, his expression became obviously complicated.
It is also interesting to say that Martin Rowland developed quite well in the first year after leaving Bayswater Chinese.
With a higher salary, although watching the Bayswater Chinese promoted from the English Championship to the Premier League makes me feel uncomfortable, in the end it can be relieved with money.
But as the Bayswater Chinese performed better and better, especially last season when they won the Premier League championship, he felt even worse.
Since July 2004, he has never entered the Irish national team again.
A few years have passed, and Modric, his former midfield partner whose performance was not as good as his own, is now a well-known core midfielder in the Premier League and the captain of the Bayswater Chinese.
Seeing that the former backup center Lambert also became famous, Koscielny also gained a good reputation even though he was not the main player.
Looking back at myself, although Queens Park Rangers have always been the main force, their performance has been deteriorating.
Today's Queens Park Rangers are almost in the relegation zone of the British Championship.
Martin Roland has also seen it clearly and figured it out.
The success of the Chinese in Bayswater back then was not due to how strong he was.
It's because he fits head coach Yang Cheng's tactics and has used his own characteristics and advantages in this set of tactics.
After leaving the Bayswater Chinese, he was like a bird that had lost its wings. Although it could still run on the ground, it could not fly.
"If I had not chosen to leave, maybe everything would be different."
Martin Roland left such regretful words before leaving.
Yang Cheng always smiled, but he didn't think so in his heart.
Is it different?
Maybe.
If Martin Roland meets a team with suitable technical characteristics, he should be able to serve as a substitute in the middle and lower reaches of the Premier League.
But it is difficult to play the main role.
More importantly, no one can replace him in the Bayswater Chinese midfielder.
So, the result should still be the same.
……
January 12th, the 22nd round of the Premier League.
This round of games started with Chelsea defeating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at home.
The Gunners Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Birmingham City at home.
This is considered a minor upset.
Birmingham is currently fighting for relegation. It is indeed a bit embarrassing for Arsenal to play like this at home.
Liverpool drew 1-1 with Middlesbrough away from home.
Manchester United defeated Newcastle 6-0 at home with a hat-trick from Ronaldo and a brace from Carlos Tevez.
Ferguson's team, as always, always exerts its strength during the Christmas and winter breaks.
With Arsenal and Liverpool losing points one after another, Manchester United's massacre can be described as a morale booster.
The Bayswater Chinese challenge Aston Villa away from home this round.
Martin O'Neill's team has strengthened for two consecutive seasons and is very strong.
The team has gathered famous Premier League players such as Gareth Barry, Carew, Agbonlahor, Petrov, Bouma and Leo Koke.
Especially the combination of one high and one fast between Carew and Agbonlahor is a huge headache for all teams.
On the other hand, the Bayswater Chinese used all their main players in this game, but Yaya Toure was transferred to the national team to play in the African Cup of Nations.
So, Yang Cheng arranged for Matuidi to start and Lars Diarra to play as a defensive midfielder.
At the beginning, the team still wanted to attack, but failed to score.
On the contrary, in the 14th minute, Carew made the ball, and midfielder Gareth Barry followed up with a push from the front of the penalty area, breaking the Bayswater Chinese goal.
1 to 0!
But just 9 minutes later, the Bayswater Chinese equalized the score.
Maicon and Arshavin on the right formed a wall-to-wall cooperation, and the Brazilian made a pass from the right.
Dzeko grabbed the point in the middle and gave it to Modric who came in from behind.
The Croatian crossed the ball and Matuidi broke into the penalty area and fired with his left foot near the penalty spot to equalize the score.
1 to 1!
After that, the Bayswater Chinese launched successive offensives.
Matuidi even had a long shot that hit the post.
But in the 36th minute, it was Maicon's precise pass from the right. Dzeko overwhelmed the opponent's two central defenders in front of the goal and headed the goal from close range to reverse the score.
2 to 1!
In the second half, neither side scored again.
In the end, the score remained until the end of the game.
……
On the afternoon of January 19th, Wembley Stadium, London.
In the 23rd round of the Premier League, Bayswater Chinese faced Manchester United at home.
This is a world-famous battle for the top spot.
Both teams are aiming for the championship, and the current gap in the standings is only 1 point.
Since Yang Cheng took charge, the Bayswater Chinese have not lost at home.
But the biggest problem for the team now is that the core midfielder Yaya Toure is going to participate in the African Cup.
In the last round, Yang Cheng used Matuidi to top and Lars Diarra played as a single defensive midfielder, but the effect was not very good.
So, Yang Cheng chose Matic to start in this game.
This is a very courageous decision, and it also represents Yang Cheng's meaning.
Defending may not be possible, it is better to take the initiative!
If Ferguson wants to retain his position as the leader, he must withdraw from Wembley Stadium.
And Manchester United had just defeated Newcastle 6-0 at home in the last round, and they were in the limelight for a while.
Ferguson's idea is also very ambitious. He wants to destroy the Bayswater Chinese in one go.
Use Manchester United's best offense to defeat your opponents!
Not only must the league points be expanded, but the morale of the Chinese in Bayswater must also be weakened.
For this reason, the two teams presented an open game to the 75,000 fans at Wembley Stadium from the first minute.
Only 42 seconds into the opening of Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo passed the ball to Tevez and Rooney continuously, dribbled the ball to the edge of the penalty area, and kicked the goal.
This is the first shot of the game.
Ferguson also held the same idea, to steal the Bayswater Chinese's attack so that the Bayswater Chinese could not attack.
But in the 9th minute, when Wes Brown got the ball in the backcourt, he was intercepted by Di Maria.
The Argentinian dribbled the ball diagonally into the left side of the penalty area and hit the goal with an angry shot, which was saved by goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.
At the critical moment, Dzeko rushed over, used his body to fend off Vidic, and hit a follow-up shot, 1-0!
The atmosphere of the entire stadium was completely ignited!
Senior fans can guess that in this kind of confrontation situation, the result of early goals must be a big score.
Manchester United began to launch a fierce attack, especially the trident in the frontcourt, which performed particularly strongly.
The Chinese in Bayswater are also not to be outdone.
Although Yaya Toure is not here, the team's midfield is running smoothly.
In the 20th minute, Manchester United launched a quick counterattack.
Tevez took the ball with his back and sent a direct pass.
Rooney quickly moved forward and received the ball to form a single shot.
Facing the attacking Neuer, Rooney swung away from the angle and succeeded in pushing the shot into the empty goal.
1 to 1!
But the Bayswater Chinese counterattack came quickly.
First, Modric took a long curved shot from outside the penalty area, which was saved brilliantly by Edwin van der Sar.
Then Dzeko hit the goal from a small angle on the right side of the small penalty area, but Vidic blocked it with his body.
The subsequent corner kick also failed to pose a threat.
And in the 28th minute, Leighton Baines's frontcourt free kick directly missed the upper right corner, hit the top of the crossbar, and went out of the baseline.
Only 3 minutes later, in a quick counterattack, Dzeko faced the joint double-teaming of Ferdinand and Vidic and shot a hasty long shot from 35 meters away, almost beating Van der Sar. The goal hit the post and bounced back.
Manchester United's goal is in a hurry, and the Bayswater Chinese side is also in a similar situation.
The difference is that Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez are obviously not very comfortable with their feet.
Yang Cheng once again released Las Diarra to restrict Ronaldo. The Portuguese seemed to have a psychological shadow on Las Diarra and frequently kicked the ball, but all of them were stray shots.
In the stoppage time of the first half, Maicon came in from the right, received Arshavin's direct pass, broke into the right side of the penalty area, and passed the low ball to the back point.
Di Maria followed up and hit a shot with his left foot, surpassing the score again.
2 to 1!
In the second half, Manchester United changed sides and fought again. In the 57th minute, Rooney passed the ball to Ronaldo despite the interference of Matic.
The Portuguese quickly made a diagonal pass to the right side of the penalty area, made a pass and sent the ball to the goal.
Tevez threw his whole body away and shoveled the ball into the Bayswater Chinese goal.
2 to 2!
After equalizing the score, Manchester United decisively changed their tactics.
Ferguson began to make substitutions and replaced Tevez with Fletcher.
At the same time, Manchester United adjusted the team's tactics and changed to 4312, with Rooney and Ronaldo as the strikers.
At this time, Hargreaves, Carrick and Fletcher formed a back three, with Scholes in front.
Yang Cheng guessed Ferguson’s intention.
But he wanted to take a gamble!
The Bayswater Chinese are still 1 point behind Manchester United. They must win Manchester United in this game to counterattack in the standings.
What’s more, this is still at home.
So, Yang Cheng signaled the team to continue to strengthen their offense.
For a time, there was a tremor outside Manchester United's penalty area.
The Bayswater Chinese attack resulted in shots one after another.
Van der Sar suddenly became the busiest person on the court.
Especially in the 65th and 67th minutes, both times we almost scored.
The previous time was a cross from Maicon from the right. Dzeko's volley from the left side of the penalty area almost sent the ball into the goal, but Van der Sar saved it like a divine help. .
But the Bayswater Chinese continued to strengthen their offensive, forcing Vidic to score in the 67th minute.
Yes, Manchester United's defense has a big problem this season, which is preventing high balls.
Ferdinand, Vidic, and Wes Brown all have good headers and are tall enough, so they won't be frequently handed headers by their opponents, right?
But they have a very fatal problem. They occasionally lack concentration when defending high balls.
That's what happened to Vidic's rise to the top this time.
Arshavin broke into the penalty area and rushed to the penalty spot.
As a result, Van der Sar abandoned the goal and snatched the ball out of the air before Arshavin.
The two of them bumped into each other.
But the Manchester United goalkeeper clung to the football.
One minute later, the Bayswater Chinese offensive forced Ferdinand to foul and receive a yellow card.
Another crack appears in Manchester United’s ironclad wall.
But just when the Bayswater Chinese were about to break through Manchester United's defense, in the 77th minute, Fletcher blocked an attack from the Bayswater Chinese, and Scholes sent a fatal through ball. Ronaldo moves forward at great speed.
Facing the joint interception of two defensive players, Pepe and Thiago Silva, the Portuguese used his speed to force his way through, broke into the right side of the penalty area, kicked off and hit the goal, 3-2!
Manchester United began to defend more resolutely.
Ferguson even replaced Scholes with Giggs and continued to adopt defensive counterattack tactics.
The Bayswater Chinese continued to increase their offensive intensity.
The crucial battle for the top spot, the undefeated record at home over the past many years, the cheering of 75,000 fans at the scene...
Everything made the Bayswater Chinese devote their all to the game!
Especially after the 86th minute, the Bayswater Chinese offense almost reached the point of completely ignoring defense.
In the 88th minute, Rooney sent a pass, allowing Ronaldo to rush into the Bayswater Chinese penalty area, once again forming a one-on-one goal.
But Neuer decisively abandoned the goal and saved the ball from Ronaldo's feet on the right side of the penalty spot.
Then, the German goalkeeper got ahead of Rooney, quickly rushed out of the penalty area and kicked the ball forward.
Such a brave performance further aroused the enthusiasm and morale of the home team players.
Until the 92nd minute, Arshavin received a back pass from Dzeko on the left side of the penalty area, forced his way past Fletcher, and hit the goal with a curved ball with his right foot.
After the football made an arc, it hit the inside of the right post and scored into Manchester United's goal.
The entire Wembley Stadium burst into crazy cheers!
3 to 3!
(End of this chapter)