Chapter 472: The three midfielders of the duel ceremony!
Mourinho’s tactical strategy is unexpected.
However, it is also reasonable.
After all, when defensive counterattacks are mentioned, the first figure that pops up in everyone's mind is the Portuguese who entered the football world with the concept of "anti-counterattacks"!
Moreover, in the "Battle for the Earth" that was recorded in the history of football, Inter Milan led by Mourinho relied on anti-counterattack tactics to prevail in the two rounds of the game. Barcelona!
Therefore, coming to the stage of the Champions League final again, facing Real Madrid whose overall strength and lineup depth are stronger than his own, Mourinho's choice is obviously very wise!
In Mourinho's plan, they must decide the winner within ninety minutes!
Never drag the game into overtime!
Because, once it enters overtime, Real Madrid's terrifying bench depth and ever-changing backhand are enough to destroy all their efforts in the previous ninety minutes!
So, unlike in the past where everyone retreated and set up a bus, Manchester United's formation did not completely retreat to the hinterland of the backcourt.
Moreover, they adopted a strategy of forcing but not grabbing, concentrating manpower in the middle to compress the space as much as possible, without giving the opponent a chance to send a through ball in the middle or take a long shot.
In addition to regional defense, Mourinho also used man-to-man marking in this game!
For Kroos, the hub of the midfield and backcourt, let Ling Feng suppress his ball.
Kros's physical fitness, including speed and explosiveness, are very average.
As long as Cross is not comfortable playing the ball, Modric, the other midfielder, has to frequently drop back to catch the ball and form a connection with the backcourt.
As the only midfielder with the ability to hold the ball and advance, Modric is Real Madrid's offensive promoter.
If the distance between him and the front trident becomes further, it will be more difficult to advance the ball to the front court and cooperate with passing and cutting.
As a result, the less support the frontcourt trident receives, the less useful it will be!
This set of restraint methods was inspired by Mourinho's combination of Juventus and Barcelona's MSN team!
In fact, if we really want to compete for midfield strength and control, Manchester United's midfield trio is no less than Real Madrid's midfield trio.
Maybe Herrera is a little lacking in ability, but Ling Feng and Kante are definitely one of the best offensive and defensive midfield combinations in football!
Kante’s main defensive ability is perfect. Whether it is physical fitness or defensive positioning, he is impeccable.
And Ling Feng is even more perverted!
Casemiro's defensive interception, Modric's ball-handling promotion, and Kroos' passing series.
What the three midfielders can do, he alone can do it It can be done!
Not only can he contain the defense on the offensive end, but he can also fight one against two on defense.
His tandem with Ibrahimovic in the frontcourt can also cut off Real Madrid's three midfielders to a certain extent.
As for Real Madrid's most threatening figure, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mourinho handed him over to Herrera, who has first-class tactical execution.
Early in the Premier League match with Chelsea, Herrera successfully defended and froze Chelsea's core Hazard in a single defense, contributing a successful case of counter-attack tactics to the football world.
This time, he faced Real Madrid's core Cristiano Ronaldo. Whether he can complete this arduous task again is also a key part of whether Manchester United can withstand Real Madrid's ferocious attack!
As for Kanter, he is responsible for running continuously in the midfield, sweeping and intercepting.
With his physical fitness and running, he can form a defensive barrier in front of the back line.
Coupled with Ling Feng who retreats from time to time, the midfielder does not have to worry about being easily penetrated!
In the first fifteen minutes of the game, the situation on the field was just as Mourinho expected.
Both sides played very cautiously, not daring to overpower the formation.
Coupled with Manchester United's initiative to give up the ball, Real Madrid's ball possession rate after the start of the game reached 60%.
Unfortunately, such an advantage in controlling the ball is just an illusion of "Real Madrid controlling the game".
The so-called possession of the ball means that Real Madrid keeps passing the ball around, and then finds that it cannot pass the midfield, so it can only pass the ball back, and then the central defender divides the ball between Ronaldo and Isco. The man breaks through with the ball from the wing.
If you cannot find the gap in the opponent's defense, continue to pass the ball back and repeat the process just now.
This kind of playing style makes Real Madrid players very uncomfortable.
Especially Ronaldo, who is closely followed by Herrera!
Wherever he went, Herrera followed him, never letting him get the ball easily for a moment.
At the beginning, Ronaldo also felt that Herrera was like a follower and very annoying.
However, he was not surprised.
After all, he has long been accustomed to being treated as a star by his opponent's special one-on-one defense.
The opponent's attention will actually stimulate his fighting spirit.
Send someone to keep an eye on me, right?
I won’t let you succeed!
Furthermore, Ronaldo's game reading ability is also very good.
In the situation where Herrera is not leaving, he will think about how to get rid of Herrera
The most important thing is that compared to Hazard, who has average running ability without the ball, Ronaldo's running ability and running speed without the ball are much better!
Soon, as the game progressed, Ronaldo was not only active on the left, but also wandered to the middle to get the ball.
This makes it more difficult for Herrera to follow and defend.
Many times, Ronaldo drops back to get the ball, bounces the ball back, and then immediately runs into the open space to catch the ball, thereby getting rid of Herrera's piece of candy.
After several times, Herrera couldn't keep up with his speed, causing Ronaldo to leave his effective defensive range.
It was his smart movement that gave Ronaldo more opportunities to hold the ball in the frontcourt.
Fortunately, Mourinho does not think that Herrera alone can freeze Ronaldo.
Herrera is not the only player marking Ronaldo!
In the 18th minute of the game, Ronaldo retreated from the wing, knocked the ball to Kroos, then turned around and swung his arm forward.
Immediately afterwards, Cross passed the ball back immediately. After a simple hit against the wall, Ronaldo got the ball on the wing and faced the offensive direction.
However, just as he was about to move forward with the ball, he felt someone coming from behind.
Looking back, I saw a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time!
Rooney!
Captain Lu, who returned to his side's backcourt, stuck directly behind him, and then engaged in a physical confrontation with Ronaldo from the side.
At the same time, Herrera, who had just been passed, also moved laterally to Ronaldo's inside route.
Coupled with the pressing right back Valencia, Ronaldo was double-teamed by three people for a while!
Although it looks almost surrounded.
But under the siege of three people, Ronaldo still used a fancy heel pass close to the sideline and passed the ball back to the left back Marcelo who came in behind.
However, this wave of possible one-on-one opportunities on the wing was missed.
If Rooney had not defended in place, Ronaldo would most likely have driven the ball directly towards the right back Valencia, creating a threat in the offensive third.
Therefore, after this successful defense, the Manchester United fans in the stands immediately gave warm applause.
Seeing Rooney's active defense, Mourinho, who had his hands in his pockets on the sidelines, also nodded slightly.
When selecting the starting lineup the day before the game, Mourinho also considered letting the more energetic Lingard replace Rooney as the starting right winger.
However, after careful consideration, he still chose to let Rooney start. First of all, as the captain and leader of the team, Rooney will inevitably cause an uproar in public opinion if he does not start in such an important game in the Champions League final.
Even Ling Feng is now recognized as the number one player in Manchester United and England.
However, in terms of qualifications and status in football, as long as Rooney does not retreat, he will be the first brother of Manchester United and England!
If Rooney is not allowed to start in the Champions League final, no matter what the reason, not only will he be scolded internally by the team, but also by the media!
Of course, in addition to the stability of the locker room, Mourinho also considered tactical issues.
Since he chooses to defend against counterattacks, all players must participate in the defense, especially the two wingers, who must retreat to near the midline to assist in defense.
Rooney's hard work and defensive enthusiasm are much stronger than Lingard.
Anyway, wait until Rooney and his opponent are almost exhausted, and then switch to Lingard, who is full of energy, to rush forward. This will have a miraculous effect.
This is also the best use of "Substitute" Lingard throughout the whole season!
. . .
“The game time is about to reach the 20th minute. Both sides are very cautious and there has not been a single shot on target yet.”
"Real Madrid still occupies the initiative on the court. But although they control the ball at their feet, they have never been able to create good kicking opportunities in the frontcourt."
"Real Madrid is the most active in the formation. Yes, it’s Ronaldo at No. 7.”
If we talk about Real Madrid’s formation, the one who feels the most aggrieved and helpless is No. 8 Kroos.
Under Ling Feng’s pressure, it was difficult for Cross to catch the ball.
In nearly twenty minutes, he only touched the ball a pitiful five times and passed the ball three times.
Without Kroos, the commander, to connect and sort out the midfield and backcourt, in the face of Manchester United's very tight overall defensive formation, Real Madrid's pass and penetration in the middle is impossible to talk about!
Moreover, Manchester United's defensive strategy is very smart.
Whenever Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, or even Isco moves to the center to receive the ball, Kanter immediately presses forward and prevents him from turning around.
Stand still, slow down the opponent's attack speed, and wait for Ling Feng to get into position.
As the team gradually adapted to Real Madrid's offensive rhythm and routine, the anxiety and nervousness of the Manchester United players participating in the final gradually faded away.
The defending champion, known as the Galaxy Battleship, doesn't seem to be that powerful.
At least they didn’t break through their defense in one fell swoop!
As a result, they slowly made some bold attempts to counterattack!
In the 22nd minute of the game, Isco received the ball in the middle. Just as he was about to step on the ball and complete his turn, Kanter cleverly squeezed aside, then extended his foot and kicked the ball away!
The ball rolled right towards the feet of Ling Feng who was returning to defense.
"Manchester United steals the ball!"
"No. 7 Ling Feng gets the ball!"
As soon as he stepped on the ball and turned around, Ling Feng saw Modric rushing towards him.
Obviously, in Real Madrid's targeted arrangement, Modric is the first barrier to prevent Ling Feng from launching a counterattack!
This is normal.
After all, among the three midfielders, the one with the most mobility is the light and agile Modric.
The rest of Cross and Casemiro are both slower types.
However, in front of Ling Feng, even Modric is just a slightly more flexible wooden stake.
With just a quick pass, Ling Feng easily passed Modric and got rid of his hand movements.
Going past the Magic Flute and continuing to drive forward with the ball, Ling Feng was like a knight in red, charging forward into the pure white Real Madrid position.
As the last barrier in front of the defense, Casemiro did not choose to rush forward rashly.
He knew very well that if he went up there, there would be only two outcomes:
Or he would be passed over! Either foul directly and bring down Ling Feng!
Neither the former nor the latter is acceptable.
So, he could only step back and call for help from his teammates:
"Tony, come on!"
While directing Kroos on the left to step forward, he was also staring at Ling Feng's feet while turning his head to observe the movement of other Manchester United players and prepare Ling Feng to distribute the ball. preparation.
However, Cross's interference had no effect at all.
Ling Feng directly resisted Kroos, then accelerated twice and rushed towards Casemiro with the ball.
Seeing that Ling Feng's pace was so frighteningly fast that his legs were almost out of sight, Casemiro was faced with a choice:
Should he knock Ling Feng down directly, or interfere with him, let him enter the penalty area, and let Ramos deal with him?
Just when Casemiro hesitated, Ling Feng, who took the initiative, helped him make a choice!
I saw No. 7 of the Red Devils suddenly stepping out with his right foot, making a pendulum fake move, then swaying left and right, like a red lightning, and passed Casemiro neatly!
In one attack with the ball, he passed Modric, Kroos and Casemiro all by himself!
At this point, Ling Feng has gained an absolute advantage in the duel between the three midfielders in this one-on-one ceremony.
However, Real Madrid still has a very good understanding of him.
The moment Ling Feng passed Casemiro, Ramos immediately pounced on him, with murderous intent in his eyes!
Boy, don’t ever think about me!
Because the distance was too close, and Ramos filled in very promptly, the time and space left for Ling Feng to make moves was very short.
Extraordinary pass, penalty kick?
Or pass the ball?
In a flash of lightning, Ling Feng made a decision - shoot right away!
Before Ramos stretched his legs to block, he pushed the ball directly with the arch of his foot!
The next second, the ball turned into an afterimage, passing between Ramos' legs, and then went straight to the lower left corner of the goal!
This shot was very sudden, and Ramos blocked his sight to a certain extent, making it very difficult to save.
However, Navas deserves to be Navas.
Goal line prediction and reaction are simply amazing!
The moment Ling Feng shot, he made a prediction in advance and took a step to his right.
It was this step that allowed him to quickly get off the ground and touch the ball with his fingertips before the ball went into the dead corner of the goal.
The ball that changed its trajectory hit the outside of the goal post with a "Duang" sound, and then rolled out of the baseline.
Seeing this scene, the tens of thousands of Red Devils fans in the stands suddenly burst into a uniform sigh!
Ling Feng also frowned, feeling a little regretful in his heart.
Grass!
Can this be done?
He is only a few steps away from scoring his first career goal in the Champions League final
(End of this chapter)