Chapter 52: 3 goals in the first half, a feast of slaughter

Chapter 52: 3 goals in the first half, a feast of slaughter

Chapter 52: Three goals in the first half, a feast of slaughter

The successful conclusion of the pre-season warm-up match temporarily put the hearts of Newcastle’s top management at ease.

The team's outstanding performance in the last two warm-up matches has really made Newcastle fans full of expectations for the new season!
Li Chen gave all the players a day off after the warm-up match with Manchester United.

Their pre-season training this summer lasted a few days longer than other Premier League teams.

Moreover, after the hard preparation work, the coaching staff was very satisfied with the game content presented.

So Li Chen is not in a hurry to train hard in the last week before the start of the season.

Taking a day off is equivalent to rewarding the players of a team, allowing them to relax, and also giving several veteran players in the team more time to adjust their condition.

On August 8, Li Chen attended the pre-match press conference for the first round of the Premier League with Ramos, the new captain of the team he has now appointed.

When talking about the team building and preparations over the past summer, Li Chen just smiled and told reporters that the progress was very smooth.

Ramos, who had a difficult season at Paris Saint-Germain last year, was also asked by reporters on the scene about his goals for the new season and his current physical condition.

“When you suddenly go to an unfamiliar league, it is always difficult to have a good start in your development, and unfortunately, I was always plagued by injuries last season and was unable to show a consistent and stable performance in the team.

Coming to the highly competitive Premier League in the new season is still a huge challenge for me, but fortunately my body has recovered and there are many old friends in the club to help me integrate into the team's tactical system as soon as possible.

Judging from the results of the past few seasons, we are not one of the strong contenders for the Premier League title, but that is already in the past. The new Newcastle will definitely surprise the English football world, and we are ready to beat all competitors! ”

Ramos' confident speech at the press conference naturally aroused heated discussions among the fans.

This attitude is already very clear. Newcastle’s goal in the new season is to compete directly with Manchester City and Liverpool for the Premier League championship!

Bursting with confidence?
arrogant?

Perhaps in the eyes of many fans, Newcastle is now too inflated.

Even if Newcastle is indeed strong after reconstruction, doesn't it need time to get used to each other?

When Guardiola took over Manchester City, a team with a very mature structure, he did not dare to say that he would win the championship in the first Premier League season.

After all, they adapted for a season and won the Premier League championship in their second season. Why are you, Newcastle, so confident?

For a while, fans of all Premier League clubs were waiting to see Newcastle suffer a defeat in the first half of the league.

You know, Newcastle will face Manchester City in the third round of the new season.

If Newcastle loses at home, don't blame public opinion for backlash against them.

Li Chen certainly also understood the importance of playing dumb and eating the tiger, and that a newly-established team needed a long enough time to develop tacit understanding.

But since the day Newcastle was acquired by a Middle Eastern tycoon, it was destined to become a thorn in the eyes and flesh of other Premier League teams.

Whether you plan to bide your time and grow slowly, or learn from Chelsea and Manchester City in the past and spend huge sums of money in the transfer market to quickly improve the team's strength.

Other Premier League teams will put you under a microscope and study you carefully.

Not to mention that Newcastle has already spent nearly 3 million euros on blood transfusion and reinforcement in two transfer windows.

So Li Chen simply admitted openly that their new rich team in the football world is going to launch an attack on the Premier League championship in the new season!

And under the leadership of a group of Real Madrid superstars, Li Chen believes that the other Newcastle first-team players will soon be able to develop a true winner's mentality through continuous victories.

Their goal in the new season is to conquer the entire Premier League and compete head-on with the powerful Manchester City and Liverpool!

Newcastle's big win over Manchester United in the warm-up match before the official start of the season was more like a battle of proof for Li Chen to his players.

Manchester United was third in the Premier League last season and they did not relax in their final pre-season warm-up match.

And even in this situation where both teams were serious, Newcastle defeated Manchester United without any suspense!

Facts speak louder than words.

This big win in the warm-up match gave all Newcastle first-team players a clearer understanding of their own strength.

The coaching team's tactical system has won the trust of all of them, giving them confidence!
On the afternoon of August 8, the high-spirited Newcastle United hosted the league opener against newly promoted Nottingham Forest at home.

When a group of superstars who joined Newcastle officially appeared at St. James' Park, this stadium that can accommodate more than 5 fans burst into enthusiastic and thunderous cheers!
Li Chen also appeared at home in a black sports summer outfit.

Compared to the opposing coach Steve Cooper, he looked more like a fashionable young man who came to St. James' Park to watch the game.

However, with his successful first two half-season coaching performances in the Premier League, Li Chen's overly young appearance in the coaching world can hardly be a reason for his opponents to underestimate him.

Steve Cooper, who is ten years older than him, has only been coaching alone for a few years. At this time, he looked very cautious and low-key. He took the initiative to come over and shake hands with Li Chen.

Nottingham Forest's starting lineup in today's game also revealed Steve Cooper's fear and respect for Newcastle.

532.

Steve Cooper, who directly deployed five defenders, seemed to have made the decision long ago to use the bus to launch a counterattack in the away game.

Facing the opponent's shrinking formation that directly handed over control of the midfield, Newcastle certainly would not be polite and pressed forward on all fronts as soon as the game officially started!
Of course, cautious strategies and offensive probing are necessary, but Newcastle does not need to be too cautious when facing a newly promoted team like Nottingham Forest.

As the first point of passage in the backcourt in the team's new tactical system, Ramos stands quite forward and even plays more like a defensive midfielder than Parinha when organizing the ball.

At this moment, two all-around central midfielders, Joelinton and Guimarães, quickly moved closer to Ramos, standing on both sides in front of him, forming two stable passing points.

Madison also retreated significantly at this moment, either supporting the two central midfielders who had the ball, or directly getting the ball from Ramos and then passing the ball to assist the two wings in advancing.

When Nottingham Forest's three midfielders and two forwards were actively pressing, trying to cut off Newcastle's midfield and backcourt organization.

Ramos, who retreated slightly and received the safe return pass from his teammates, began to show his long pass threat!

Grimaldo and Trippier, who have already stood in high positions, are more like Newcastle's two wingers at this time.

Especially Grimaldo on the left, compared to Trippier, he is younger, has a faster burst speed and better footwork.

Ronaldo's inward position provides him with ample space to move forward.

And Ronaldo's inherent ability to deter and restrain the opponent's defensive players allows Grimaldo to comfortably hold the ball and get opportunities to go down the flank!

Newcastle's current offensive system is more refined and layered than when Li Chen was at Manchester United last season.

Therefore, Grimaldo's forward run does not mean that Newcastle's attacking round will end with a traditional cross.

After successfully getting to the bottom line for the first time, Grimaldo made a sneaky ground pass, forcing Nottingham Forest center back Niakate to clear the ball in fear.

After successfully getting to the bottom line for the second time, Grimaldo first pretended to pass the ball to Ronaldo who was bursting forward.

But his subsequent smart dribble helped him to successfully break out from between Nottingham Forest's right center back and the right side!

After gaining the angle to kick the ball, Grimaldo kicked it directly with confidence, pushing the ball towards the near corner of the Forest goal!
This is a great test of the reaction speed of Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Henderson, who was loaned from Manchester United!

However, Dean Henderson, who was more focused after the start of the game, finally got down to the ground quickly and blocked Grimaldo's shot with his toes extended in time!

Dean Henderson, who was still in shock, stood up from the grass and angrily signaled to his defensive teammates not to give Grimaldo the opportunity to shoot again.

Grimaldo jumped on the spot with regret after watching the ball being blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper. Then he gave a thumbs up to Joelinton who had completed the "Bull Push" and passed the ball to him.

The Newcastle supporters at St. James' Park were initially conquered by this technically outstanding Spanish left-back.

While they were recalling Grimaldo's stunning dribbling and decisive shooting choices, they kept cheering excitedly!

After that, Ronaldo won a point in the corner attack, which caused the home fans to burst into huge cheers.

Steve Cooper became restless on the sidelines early on.

Today he took the initiative to play with five defenders in order to withstand Newcastle's fierce attack in the first half of the game and stabilize the team's position.

But now Newcastle gradually pried open Nottingham Forest's seemingly solid defense without making any tactical adjustments.

If he doesn't take action, Newcastle might not be able to hold on and lose the ball in the first twenty minutes if the game continues at this pace. What's the point of playing in the second half then?

"Let Brennan retreat to midfield! We need a tougher defense! Block Newcastle's attack before the defensive third zone!"

Steve Cooper's tactical adjustments were faithfully implemented by Nottingham Forest's players on the field.

Even though Brennan Johnson was not so willing, the team's overall disadvantage forced him to make tactical sacrifices at this moment.

After the formation was adjusted to 541, the only center forward Surridge left at the front of Nottingham Forest's lineup.

This further reduced Nottingham Forest's counterattack threat.

Even if their center forward Serridge could hold the ball in the counterattack, without the help of his teammates, Forest could not improve the speed of the counterattack.

Li Chen was somewhat impressed by Steve Cooper's decisiveness.

This kind of courage to give up all the initiative of counterattack is indeed great.

After all, if Nottingham Forest suffered a crushing defeat in this game, the media would put all the blame on Steve Cooper after the game.

He admired his opponent's determination and perseverance, but he was still determined to destroy all hopes of Nottingham Forest!
After observing the game situation again and confirming that Nottingham Forest was indeed planning to defend in advance, Li Chen stood on the sidelines and made a tactical gesture of clenching his left fist!
Newcastle's first tactical adjustment of the game came.

Ramos and Pepe pressed forward further as a whole, giving Joelinton and Guimarães the opportunity to move further forward.

Ronaldo changed his previous inward position and ambushed behind Havertz.

At this moment, he actively pressed forward, almost forming a double striker with Havertz, directly pressing forward the entire back line of Nottingham Forest.

Madison retreated to the midfield, holding the ball and constantly attracting the Nottingham Forest midfield defenders to press and double-team him.

His superb ball control and dribbling skills allow him to try to break away from the opponent's constant pressure and find new outlets.

In the 15th minute of the first half, Guimarães received Madison's precise diagonal pass while running forward without the ball.

After taking the ball and taking one step into Nottingham Forest's defensive third zone, Guimarães gathered all his strength and fired a stunning long shot!
This shot was like a cannonball fired straight into the upper right corner of Nottingham Forest's goal!

Dio Henderson did not dare to be careless, he pushed off the ground with all his strength and jumped up to save the shot, and finally he narrowly saved Guimaraes' long-range shot from going out of the bottom line!

The Brazilian midfielder shook his hands with some regret, and then enthusiastically called on his teammates to rush into the Nottingham Forest penalty area.

"Lee's tactical adjustment is starting to work! Guimaraes, Joelinton, Ronaldo, Parinha, Newcastle has no shortage of long-range shooters!

In terms of set-piece attacks, Grimaldo and Maddison can ensure that high-quality passes are sent on both sides of the court. Ronaldo and Ramos are historically skilled headers. Nottingham Forest will face a test! ”

The Sky Sports commentator enthusiastically analyzed Nottingham Forest's predicament for the audience.

Steve Cooper's passive defensive tactics made Newcastle too comfortable on the offensive end.

Now Li Chen is going to use long shots and set-piece attacks to break down Nottingham Forest's defensive wall!
If Steve Cooper doesn't want to play so passively anymore, even if he still has a glimmer of desire to take the fate of the team into his own hands, he can only take the risk and attack.

But does he have the courage to do so?
The live camera was very interesting at this moment, showing Steve Cooper with a serious expression on his face.

He then turned to Nottingham Forest's young striker Brennan Johnson.

The young striker, who just turned 21, recorded a double-double of 18+10 in the Championship last season.

He is extremely fast, has excellent footwork, and has a good shot.

There is no doubt that Brennan Johnson is the most threatening attacker in the entire Nottingham Forest team.

If Steve Cooper intends to press forward to relieve the pressure on the defense, then Brennan Johnson's positional premise is the key signal that Forest is going to counterattack.

But the Forest fans watched expectantly in front of the TV for a long time, but in the end they didn't see Steve Cooper have any intention of directing Brennan Johnson to press forward.

This situation undoubtedly made them very disappointed.

They can understand that the team chooses to play conservatively away from home, but which club's fans can tolerate the team being in a passive situation and getting beaten?

Steve Cooper seemed determined not to make any further tactical changes at this point.

In other words, he believes that the tactical development period is still at a later time point.

The Nottingham Forest players, who did not receive tactical help from the coaching staff, finally returned to the Premier League after many years.

They have too little experience in the top leagues, and their toughness is not as good as other mid- and lower-level teams in the Premier League that have many years of relegation experience.

Once there is a slight inconsistency in tactical thinking, defensive players in the midfield and backcourt will inevitably make mistakes, and the defensive connection will become loose.

In the 21st minute of the first half, Joelinton received the ball on the left and was intercepted by Nottingham Forest midfielder O'Brien.

Facing a smaller opponent, Joelinton made another unreasonable charge, almost carrying O'Brien and dribbling the ball into the left flank of Nottingham Forest!

Nottingham Forest's right center back Waller had to rush forward to grab the ball, but Joelinton's timely pass made his defensive interception a fatal mistake!
Grimaldo ran straight into the defense behind Waller and, with his early start and speed advantage, got rid of Nottingham Forest right-back Williams!

Just when all the Nottingham Forest defenders thought he would either shoot himself or pass the ball on the ground, he suddenly passed the ball to the middle of the penalty area diagonally behind his body!
At this moment, Ronaldo, who was able to successfully cut in near the Nottingham Forest penalty spot because of the entanglement between Havertz and the opponent's central defender, received the pass from Grimaldo and made a clean push shot!

The football quickly stuck to the grass and passed between Dean Henderson's slightly opened legs, and then rolled into the goal behind him without any suspense!

After scoring the goal, Ronaldo excitedly signaled his teammates to rush to the end line with him, and then took the lead in performing his classic celebration at St. James Stadium!

"SIU!!!"

In response, his home fans burst into thunderous celebration cheers, as if they were about to turn the entire St. James' Park stadium over!
Joelinton and Havertz were the first to hug Ronaldo tightly, and the other Newcastle players also rushed forward and quickly drowned the three of them!

All of Steve Cooper's tactical backup plans automatically became invalid at this moment.

Nottingham Forest, who had conceded a goal to Newcastle, had no room for bargaining.

In desperation, Steve Cooper adjusted his team's lineup to 352 and finally issued an order to press forward and attack.

What awaited Nottingham Forest was a desperate situation at halftime as Newcastle scored two goals in the next 15 minutes of the game!
Guimaraes' header in a quick counterattack and Maddison's inside shot helped Newcastle quickly expand their lead!
At this moment, the Newcastle fans who were already celebrating firmly believed that three goals in the first half were just the beginning.

Newcastle's slaughter spree continues!
　It's very annoying. I originally planned to update today, but a bunch of things delayed my time. I will try to finish the update in the next two days. Each chapter will be 8000 words.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)