Chapter 23: The "death" that came belatedly after many years of rebirth
Chapter 23: The "death" that came more than ten years after rebirth
"Fuck! Lin Huang gave an assist! Another master-disciple connection with Ronaldo!"
"Brother Luo is in such explosive form! This header is unbeatable!"
"I said that this group of Manchester United players have the ability to deliver good crosses. The key still lies in the tactical design! Who wouldn't defend if you pass the ball to Ronaldo? You just need to open up space on the wing and create opportunities for Ronaldo to charge!"
"Don't let Lin Huang do anything too complicated. He performs very well in simple tasks. Brother Chen's idea of using people is really amazing! This set of tactics completely avoids Lin Huang's technical weaknesses. Don't let him think that he is the core of the tactics and that he can just be a supporting role."
"Elanga played well today. I found that Brother Chen uses this type of players very well. It's not too much to praise Brother Chen's ability to select and arrange players as first-class in football, right?"
"First-rate? Top-notch! I'm impressed by your ability to judge the food according to its quality! It just so happens that we have a lot of young talents in Dortmund right now. Brother Chen, do you want to consider..."
"Fuck! Don't try to poach our employees!"
When Lingard became the X factor on Manchester United's field and successfully helped Ronaldo score a header.
Across the ocean in China, countless Chinese fans who were watching the live broadcast of the game were also getting excited!
I don’t know if it’s because Lin Huang got the chance to start again, but today’s game attracted a large number of fans from all walks of life to watch.
Regardless of whether you are a Manchester United supporter or not, as soon as Lingard got an assist, the live broadcast room was quickly filled with various comments about "Lin Huang".
In the cheerful atmosphere of the live game, fans from different teams, who used to have fierce arguments because of their different opinions on players, now gave Li Chen friendly and enthusiastic compliments.
Domestic fans no longer have any doubts about Li Chen's ability to select players and make on-the-spot adjustments.
The five-game winning streak in the league and the examples of subtle on-the-spot adjustments during many games are there.
Including the goal just scored.
Even though it looked like a lucky ball, in the final analysis, it was still Li Chen's clever use of Lingard that stretched Brighton's defense.
The opportunity came and went in a flash. Li Chen not only seized it, but also boldly mobilized the entire left wing to attack actively!
Head coaches with such qualities have never lacked followers, and domestic fans now "worship" Li Chen even more.
Of course, the attitude of local Manchester United fans in England towards Li Chen is almost the same now.
Even though there is still a long time before the end of this season, the vast majority of Manchester United fans have firmly believed that Li Chen is the right choice for the team.
After cheering for the players, the Red Devils fans at home also gave Li Chen a collective round of warm applause.
The Brighton players who were playing away were so angry when they heard the noise, but they could only wait patiently for Manchester United's starting players to return to their positions.
Brighton's head coach Potter looked helpless in front of the live camera.
In his opinion, Manchester United's goal was purely luck, but it was such a lucky goal that caused Brighton to be extremely passive at the moment!
Originally, Brighton's offensive performance was restricted by Manchester United's defensive tactics, but Manchester United also weakened their own defense, and neither side had much to do with the other.
But now Manchester United is inexplicably leading, and no matter how Brighton adjusts, they need to take risks and take the initiative.
Isn't this just falling into Manchester United's favorite rhythm of the game!
Who doesn’t know that Manchester United’s DNA is sharp counterattack?
Even Manchester United under Solskjaer some time ago was able to make other teams in the top six of the Premier League feel apprehensive when they launched a counterattack, not to mention Manchester United, which has now solved the problem of tactical confusion.
Porter didn't want to become a stepping stone for the emerging young coach Li Chen, but he could not suppress the determination of his disciples on the field to counterattack Manchester United and strengthen the offense.
This momentum is likely to push Brighton into the abyss of failure, but Potter also has to admit that when the team falls behind, it often needs the players' unyielding spirit to fight for victory!
So, should we first stabilize our position and let the players calm down, or should we use this momentum to launch a more proactive attack against Manchester United?
Two different tactical ideas were competing fiercely in Porter's mind.
But in the end, the desire to give it a try prevailed.
The reason is very simple. Brighton is playing away today, and for a small team, being behind away from home does not allow them to waste time on attacking.
When falling behind, they choose to calmly stabilize their position. This is the foundation and privilege of the top teams.
Their players are used to the ups and downs of life, have strong psychological stress resistance, and their personal abilities are enough to break the stalemate in the game.
Brighton's young players have good abilities, but they are not mentally strong enough to be the top players in the football world.
So if Potter still wants to score points at Old Trafford, he can only take a bold gamble!
If you choose to play it safe at this time, you will most likely lose the morale of your players!
Although fighting forward is risky, at least it puts the initiative of attack in our own hands.
Only by playing in this way can Porter have the chips to continue playing against Li Chen on the tactical chessboard.
Li Chen was not surprised by Porter's tactical choice. If he were in Porter's position, he would do the same.
But he wouldn't bet all his tricks on one gamble like Potter did.
No matter how he makes tactical adjustments, he will always pay more attention to the rationality of the midfield structure and the overall defensive strength of the midfield.
Only when the midfield is stable and can find the right route to pass the ball while withstanding the pressure, can other players in the front and back fields have the opportunity to give full play to their personal abilities.
Otherwise, no matter how radical your tactical adjustments are or how many offensive players you bring on board, once the midfield is out of control, the entire offensive system will be fragmented and independent, with no systematicity at all.
At this moment, Porter was thinking about changing the entire formation, letting McAllister and Grosso insert into the flanks on both sides of Manchester United, forming an offensive cluster of three central midfielders to force Manchester United to shrink its defense line.
As soon as Manchester United's formation is flattened, the defensive attention will definitely be more focused on Brighton's two forwards.
At that time, McAllister and Gross, who will come in from behind, will be able to connect Brighton's offensive penetration on both sides of Manchester United's penalty area.
Whether it's passing the ball to help the full-back go down the flank, or waiting for an opportunity to pass the ball diagonally to other attacking teammates, Brighton's two core midfielders can play to their technical advantages.
This tactical idea seems to be fine at first glance, but Porter did not expect that Li Chen had no intention of giving up the midfield position to fight back.
He still let his two wingers take the initiative on the defensive end, and they moved inwards to stick to Brighton's two core midfielders. At the same time, he also signaled Fred and Bruno Fernandes, who was now retreating to assist in the defense, to actively interfere with Brighton's players who were holding the ball and advancing in Manchester United's defensive third zone!
The purpose is to disrupt Brighton's midfield organization and deployment!
The midfield operation was not smooth, and Brighton's two forwards could only stare blankly in Manchester United's penalty area!
After all, Manchester United's half was already crowded and there was not much space available for sprinting.
In this situation, the roles of Trossard and Maupay, two short and flexible forwards, are far less prominent than those of a pillar center forward.
Li Chen's tactical arrangement directly hit Brighton's weak spot. For a moment, Brighton's offensive was sluggish as the connection between the midfield and frontcourt was cut off, making it difficult to make new changes.
Porter reacted promptly. Seeing that the first tactical adjustment did not work, he immediately called Welbeck and Lallana on the bench to warm up on the sidelines.
There are still about twenty minutes left in the first half, and Porter is unlikely to make any substitutions immediately.
But in Li Chen's opinion, his tactical thinking is indeed very clear. He wants to replace a disruptive center forward who can play as a back-to-the-basket fulcrum and a midfielder with outstanding personal skills.
In this way, the offensive problems that have been plaguing Brighton are almost solved.
There are more passing points in the midfield and more ball-receiving points on the front line. If another striker runs forward around Welbeck, the offensive space will definitely be greatly increased.
But Li Chen remained calm. No matter how Porter mobilized other players on the bench to warm up on the sidelines, he still sat firmly in the coaching seat.
Before the substitution, Brighton had difficulty breaking through Manchester United's defense no matter how they tried, and ultimately had to go into the halftime break with a one-goal disadvantage.
For Manchester United, taking the lead at halftime was certainly worth celebrating, but that was where it ended.
Li Chen didn't need to remind them too much. The Manchester United starting players who had been fighting with Brighton throughout the first half of the game would no longer look at this new Seagulls team with their past stereotypes.
Whether a team is competitive on the field and whether it has the strength to explode and defeat stronger opponents are actually clearly perceived by the players who have played against them.
Brighton certainly still has a long way to go to become a top team in football, but at least after today's game, the entire Manchester United team will recognize their strength as a "Premier League spoiler".
Just like the Stoke City team that made it into the top ten in the Premier League seven or eight years ago.
The fans don’t think that Sky City team is that strong, but they also don’t want their home team to meet the other team in the league sprint stage.
“This is a tough team. They have not lost confidence in their comeback. They are just waiting for us to make the first mistake, so we have to be prepared for our defense and counterattack.
In the second half, we further contracted the formation on the right side, Anthony (Elanga) could assist Bruno more to block the central channel, and on the left side, we had to create as much space as possible for Luke to advance and go down the bottom..."
Li Chen used detailed tactical arrangements and adjustments to give all Manchester United starting players enough confidence.
After a series of victories, no player in Manchester United would question Li Chen's ability to predict and adjust tactics during the halftime break.
What makes the Manchester United players feel at ease is that Li Chen has endless tactical plans in his mind.
The main focus is on sufficient preparation before the game and a large number of tactical plans.
Regardless of whether the tactical plan can work every time during the game, Li Chen and the current Manchester United coaching staff can always come up with something, and it is difficult for them to be at a loss.
Brighton's decisive approach to taking the lead at the start of the second half was exactly what Li Chen guessed.
Welbeck's appearance as a substitute not only revitalized his partner Trossard, but also disrupted Manchester United's low-pressure defense to a certain extent, helping McAllister create some forward opportunities.
But before he could continue to find the feeling of his running position and make any progress, Li Chen waved his hand on the sidelines, kicking off Manchester United's fierce counterattack in advance!
With a solid midfield defense, Manchester United contracted their formation on the right, hooking McAllister and continuously carrying the ball deep into the interior.
Luke Shaw on the left frequently tried to attack behind Brighton's midfield defense!
The central defender combination of Bailly and Lindelof that Li Chen deployed today can also switch between low-post defense and all-out attacking tactics relatively smoothly.
Anyway, Li Chen didn't force them to seize the opportunity to pass the ball from the backcourt. They just focused on defense, stayed in the low position, grabbed the ball boldly in the high position, and committed tactical fouls when necessary!
After all the explanations, the two who knew they would not take the blame put in their best efforts to perform boldly!
The result was that Manchester United's counterattack was surprisingly effective.
Brighton was caught off guard and never expected that Manchester United would dare to take the risk to fight them after leading by one goal!
If they took this step back, they would retreat step by step. No matter how Potter shouted and reminded them on the sidelines, the Brighton players could not change the fact that they were pushed back to the half court by Manchester United!
At this moment, Manchester United, who had regained the initiative in attack, was not like Brighton in the first half, who only focused on piling up troops in the frontcourt and trying to quickly suppress the opponent's defense.
Their compression of Brighton's defense was not actually very strong, which gave Brighton's midfield and backcourt players flexibility to press aggressively.
As soon as Brighton got the ball out, Manchester United immediately showed their counterattack fangs!
The ball is passed back to the retreating B Fee or Matic, and the diagonal counterattack long pass is sent out the next second!
In the 64th minute of the second half, Luke Shaw, who had made an early run, received a precise long pass from Matic and seized the opportunity to complete a low cross from the bottom!
The Brighton midfielders, who had not yet returned to defense, could only watch Ronaldo knock the ball back to the top of their own penalty area.
Lingard, who had already adjusted his pace, kicked the ball directly!
Brighton goalkeeper Sanchez was still very focused and barely blocked Lingard's long shot!
But the next moment, with Ronaldo attracting the attention of the opponent's defender, B Fee successfully inserted into the middle of the penalty area and shot the ball into the Brighton goal without hesitation!
After confirming that the ball had crossed the line, B Fee slapped his chest hard and rushed to the bottom line with a roar!
Old Trafford once again turned into a red sea of celebration!
At this moment, the mentality of the Brighton players, who had persisted for a long time after falling behind, finally became unbalanced!
Li Chen did not choose to celebrate in advance. Instead, after the team took a two-goal lead, he replaced Matic, who had worked hard on the defensive end today and was almost unable to run, with Xiaomai.
This substitution adjustment was just in time to block Brighton's desperate counterattack when they were forced into a desperate situation!
Although Manchester United paid the price of three yellow cards for tactical fouls in a short period of time, Li Chen felt it was worth it!
Finally, Li Chen replaced Ronaldo and B Fee with Van de Beek and Maguire respectively, and firmly grasped the league victory!
But just as the referee blew the whistle to end the game and his colleagues around him were hugging and celebrating with smiles on their faces, Li Chen's mood quickly turned from comfort to confusion!
Thinking back to the mechanical reminder voice that he had been looking forward to for a long time but had never appeared in all these years, Li Chen couldn't help but curse in his heart!
"I've lived for more than ten years before I came to this damn system?
No, I have already worked hard to become the head coach of a top club, why do I need your system now?!"
(End of this chapter)