Chapter 28: Ronaldo is heading for the Premier League Golden Boot
Chapter 28: Ronaldo is heading for the Premier League Golden Boot
"What a great shot! Sancho passed the ball to Dalot with his back before Rice could steal the ball!
Cresswell couldn't catch up, Dalot went down the line! Oops! It was just a little bit short!
It seems that Ronaldo touched the ball at the back post, but he didn’t hit the right spot. If he really used force, the ball should have been within the goal range..."
In the studio, Zhan Jun sighed and lamented that Ronaldo missed the chance to score a header.
Coach Zhang Lu, who was sitting next to him, once again praised Sancho sincerely.
"Sancho played very well today and played very smartly!
He doesn't need to waste too much physical energy in direct confrontation with opponents. His current idea of playing football is very correct, which is to make the best use of his technical and organizational strengths.
It really has a bit of the flavor of Turan as the core of the front line during his time at Atletico Madrid.
It seems that Li Chen is very concerned about Sancho's guidance and training. This is to help Sancho take a step further in his development as a wing midfielder and organizer."
Zhan Jun nodded in agreement, "Yes, Coach Li has made some major adjustments to Sancho's playing style, and at the moment, these adjustments are very beneficial to Sancho.
Compared to his past as a wide organizer, Sancho now undoubtedly bears more tactical responsibilities and is more like a core organizer, which is undoubtedly beneficial to the development of his career..."
The two had just finished their discussion in the live broadcast room.
On the field, Rice, who was unable to compete head-on with Sancho, finally lost his patience and knocked Sancho to the grass with a large defensive move.
The referee's whistle sounded at the right time.
Rice spread his hands to show his innocence, while Sancho held the football in his arms as if nothing had happened.
Li Chen clapped his hands vigorously towards Sancho, and then gave him a thumbs up to show his praise.
The situation on the field is developing in the direction expected by the coaching staff.
Manchester United has not launched a more aggressive attack at present, so there is no such thing as having their offensive rhythm interrupted by West Ham United.
The more impatient the West Ham United defenders are and the more tactical fouls they commit, the more favorable the situation will be for Manchester United.
Especially as for Rice, Li Chen really hopes that this kid will get carried away and commit a few more fouls like he did just now.
Once he gets the yellow card, the overall defensive strength of West Ham United's midfield will be greatly reduced.
"Keep this pace, control the situation, don't be anxious! We will play slowly and look for opportunities slowly..."
Li Chen shouted at the top of his voice on the sidelines to remind his disciples.
Moyes turned a deaf ear to him. He is a veteran coach in the Premier League and will not be disturbed by Li Chen's shouting.
West Ham United still needs to speed up further. If they play faster, they are not afraid of Manchester United now.
On the contrary, if the game turns into a positional battle, Manchester United, which has more veteran superstars, will have a greater advantage.
So there was no need to hesitate, Moyes simply signaled the West Ham United players on the field to continue to maintain high pressure.
He just didn't believe that Li Chen really dared to withstand the huge pressure, shrink his formation at home, and allow West Ham United to attack aggressively.
This is Old Trafford!
Apart from Mourinho, which other Manchester United coach would dare to choose to avoid the game at halftime in this stadium? !
Moyes wanted to force Li Chen to let go and engage in tactical games with him.
Once Manchester United chooses to invest more offensive forces in the midfield and frontcourt, the aging Matic will not be able to stop West Ham United's quick counterattack!
This is a conspiracy.
Moyes was also very confident in the conspiracy he had put forward.
But facing West Ham United's more aggressive pressure and pressing, Manchester United's players on the field quickly tightened their formation after a little confusion!
Li Chen waved his hand, and Sancho and Martial also retreated, forming Manchester United's first line of defense near the center line, interfering with West Ham United's ball organization in the backcourt.
Manchester United decisively changed its formation to 451, with only Cristiano Ronaldo at the front of the formation to intimidate West Ham United's defense.
This posture is very obvious, it is simply giving up the initiative of attack.
However, control of the midfield is not given away easily. Do you want to push through the center line and organize infiltration?
Then we must first overcome Manchester United’s low and medium pressing defense!
Moyes really couldn't sit still now.
"Would he really dare to avoid a fight at half-time at Old Trafford?"
Turning his head to look to the side, Moyes only saw Li Chen sitting in the coaching seat, thinking quietly.
At this moment, Lord Mo also labeled Li Chen as "tough" in his mind.
"He is indeed a coach brought up by Jose. His mental quality is so good..."
Moyes sighed in his heart, then looked at the field again with a smile.
But he didn't know that Li Chen's good psychological quality actually had little to do with Mourinho.
It was purely because of the torture I suffered at home against the Real Madrid team during those years.
The most discerning fan group in the world, Li Chen has been "serving" different coaches for four years...
Especially in his first three years at Real Madrid, when he was sitting on the coaching bench with Mourinho, he had no idea how many times he was booed by the Real Madrid fans at home.
Even if a coach does not have strong psychological qualities, if he can work in Real Madrid for four years, he will be trained hard.
What is the pressure of public opinion from local sports newspapers in Manchester nowadays?
Besides, Manchester United fans didn’t boo him, so what does he have to worry about? He should just avoid the fight and drag it out.
Li Chen's shameless tactical choice made Moyes feel a little frustrated.
West Ham United was like an angry strong man at this moment, punching at the opponent again and again, but his opponent turned out to be an experienced master who was good at Tai Chi.
Do you want to compete in physical reserves and confrontation intensity?
I won't fight with you.
If there is an opportunity, control the ball more. If you can't control it, shrink the formation and play double-team defense in the middle and low posts.
This approach can help you avoid being suppressed and besieged by your opponents to the greatest extent.
Moreover, our most threatening Ultimate has not consumed much energy. He is like a sword of Damocles, always hanging over the opponent's head, intimidating the opponent's defense line!
As Manchester United dragged their feet, the game's attack and defense rhythm eventually slowed down. Many viewers in front of the TV felt that the game was becoming more and more boring, and it was not exciting at all.
The final score of 0-0 at halftime seemed to confirm their point of view.
However, many old fans are looking forward to the game between the two teams in the second half.
Manchester United chose to avoid fighting at home, so they must choose the right time in the second half to have a decisive battle with West Ham United.
Moyes definitely has a backup plan, and it will depend on which coaching team has done better pre-match preparations.
The short halftime break ended quickly and the two teams changed sides after the second half began.
But West Ham United, who chose to defend first, did not wait for the expected offensive from Manchester United.
Having misjudged Li Chen's tactical arrangements twice in a row, Moyes suddenly had a bad idea in his mind.
He did not look down on Li Chen, but before the game started, he always treated Li Chen as an outstanding junior.
By this moment, Moyes had increasingly sensed that something was wrong.
Li Chen's unconventional tactical choices and on-the-spot adjustments made him feel like he was facing a smaller Mourinho!
Every time the other party guessed him, he was right, but every time he guessed the other party, he was wrong.
Feeling a little dry in the mouth, Moyes quickly took two sips of mineral water and had an urgent communication with his assistant coach.
But to be honest, it may not be a wise choice to make adjustments first before the team loses the tactical initiative by losing the ball.
And now Manchester United is clearly going to make changes and launch a general attack in the second half of the game, but it is not known at what time the changes will be made.
So instead of taking action first, it is better to wait for Manchester United to change its behavior before taking action.
At least the tactical adjustments made at that time will not waste substitutions, right?
West Ham United's coaching staff ultimately chose to play it safe.
Moreover, seeing that Manchester United had no intention of speeding up their attack in the short term, Moyes subconsciously believed that Manchester United would postpone the time of launching the general attack as much as possible.
After all, West Ham United was more engaged in high-pressure pressing, and the further back they went, the greater the physical advantage Manchester United had over West Ham United.
Anyway, if you put yourself in his shoes, Moyes thinks it would be more cost-effective for Manchester United to delay the game until 70 minutes before fighting with West Ham United.
He also plans to make tactical adjustments at this point in time. At worst, he can be more conservative and try to get a point at Old Trafford and get out of here safely.
But the experienced Moyes miscalculated again this time.
In the first half, Manchester United chose to avoid fighting, and indeed they wanted to try their best to drain the energy and physical strength of the entire West Ham United team.
But it won't be to the point where West Ham United is exhausted to the point where the whole team can hardly run.
For Li Chen, it is ok as long as he can avoid fighting with the veterans in Manchester United and avoid their physical exhaustion prematurely.
In Li Chen's view, the 60th minute of the second half was a perfect time for a counterattack!
At this point in time, Manchester United's overall physical reserves are superior, and there is still enough time left in the game.
If it is later, there may not be enough time for the game. Why drag the game to a draw when there is a chance to win?
Li Chen is still willing to take this risk.
The tactical instructions he issued were very clear and his attitude was firm.
In the 61st minute of the second half, the entire Manchester United team pressed forward together, changing their previous slippery style of play, and actively launched a counterattack against West Ham United!
This time, with the overall forward pressure, Li Chen still signaled Maguire to boldly stand in a position parallel to Matic!
At this moment, it is Varane and Fred who are lagging behind Manchester United's formation.
Maguire, who has fully unleashed his ability to pass the ball and advance, has once again become the X factor in Manchester United's offensive system.
Varane and Fred, who were flexible enough in turning and quick enough in chasing back, restricted West Ham United's quick counterattack to the greatest extent.
Ronaldo and Sancho both received space in the flanks, while Luke Shaw and Dalot took on the responsibilities of wingers.
Frightened by the fierce offensive of Manchester United, West Ham United had to temporarily avoid the attack and shrink its formation.
But soon after they gave up the midfield space and returned to defense, Moyes regretted it on the sidelines!
Manchester United's full-force attack is not limited to the traditional attacking tactics of both wings flying together and combining the wing and the center.
After the two full-backs with strong offensive attributes pressed forward and pulled away West Ham United's wing defenders, Ronaldo and Sancho, who were operating in the flanks, had more space to move.
Whether they are pulling to the side to support the double-teamed full-backs and reorganize the attack, or advancing to the flank area and using Martial's tactical cover to score, the threat is huge!
Behind them, B Fee and Maguire, who frequently made runs from behind, surrounded the team from both the ground and the air, and their long-range shots and headers were quite threatening!
The layered and continuous attack immediately made the West Ham United defenders feel a little breathless!
At this time, when Moyes wanted to command his disciples to expand the defense line, it was too late.
Manchester United, with high morale, will launch a crazy pressing on the spot even if they lose the ball in the frontcourt!
They had rested long enough before the game, and they played against West Ham United for 60 minutes, so their physical reserves were even more outstanding. Of course, they had the capital to use a crazy scramble tactic at this time.
The Hammers, without a technical core player in the midfield, had no better solution to such a difficult situation.
Under heavy pressure, Rice and Zouma, who were eager to help the team, made the first mistakes.
The double-team defense implemented by the two players on Sancho was unsuccessful. Sancho, who broke through the siege, passed the ball to Martial who came out of the penalty area to meet him.
At this moment, Luke Shaw suddenly raised his hand and moved forward. Seeing his action, the West Ham United defenders subconsciously shifted their center of gravity to the right.
But Martial used a heel pass that was beyond the expectations of all West Ham United defenders, forming a threatening connection with Ronaldo who was running diagonally into the penalty area!
Zuma's previous decision to attack and assist in defense became a fatal mistake at this moment!
His partner Craig Dawson turned too slowly and was completely unable to keep up with Ronaldo's pace adjustment!
West Ham United goalkeeper Areola was forced to abandon the goal, but what greeted him was the regrettable ending of being pierced by both the big and small goals of Ronaldo.
A decisive kick to the ground!
After the football passed through Areola's crotch, it rolled into the goal behind Areola without any suspense!
Manchester United used more than 60 minutes of patience to score this crucial goal, which not only broke the deadlock in the game, but also pushed West Ham United directly to the edge of the cliff.
The Portuguese superstar once again became the brightest man on the field!
Amidst the huge shouts of “SIU!!!” from the stadium, Ronaldo jumped up and landed on the ground, with his arms open, and was excitedly hugged by his young teammates who rushed over to him!
This is his 14th Premier League goal this season!
Since Li Chen took over Manchester United, Ronaldo has scored 11 goals and provided 9 assists in 3 league rounds!
Today, Ronaldo is second only to Salah, who has scored 16 goals, in the Premier League scorer list.
This superstar, who will turn 37 in a few days, is moving firmly towards the second Premier League Golden Boot in his career!
(End of this chapter)