flstandardbreds Chapter 155 Falling Behind and Catching Up
Chapter 155 Falling Behind and Catching Up
The 30th minute of the match.
The formations of both sides have changed from initially guarding their own half of the field to now being completely mixed together.
The forwards were positioned on the opposing defense, while a fierce battle raged in the midfield.
It's hard to say whether this is still what a defensive counter-attacking formation should be doing, but the game just went in that direction.
It was at this point that Burton fell into a disadvantageous position.
It must be acknowledged that Manchester United's midfield intensity is higher than Burton's.
Mata and Pogba both have excellent awareness, are experienced, and are tough defensively.
The only young player, McTominay, focused on defense.
In comparison, the defensive midfield pairing of Baselli and Enzo is slightly weaker, while Quinn can outrun the aging Mata.
Pogba found an opportunity first, sending a long pass to Rashford on the wing.
The latter cleanly and decisively shook off Blind and chose to cut inside.
Fortunately, Bradford has learned a lot from Pepe during this period, and he has been able to cover the opponent's attacking routes in advance and kick the ball back to the wing.
Blind's defense is currently lacking, but his offensive instincts remain good, making decisions the instant he receives the ball.
A high ball over the top!
The target is Murphy!
Rojo came up to try and stop Murphy, but unexpectedly, after receiving the ball, the latter went straight towards Lindelof.
He darted out from the opening in the instant the opposing player was caught off guard.
"A brilliant breakthrough!"
"Can he escape a one-on-one situation?"
The commentators were getting a bit excited. The situation seemed intense, but neither side had actually managed a single shot on goal, which made the game somewhat boring for them.
Murphy's speed is still reliable.
He broke through on goal, but Lindelof and Rojo kept marking him closely, ultimately causing his shot to miss the stands.
"Good, that's it."
"As we discussed before, we can begin!"
Li Yanqing was very satisfied with Murphy's performance. He had been waiting for the right opportunity, and now the timing seemed perfect.
It's time for a change!
On the other hand, Mourinho seemed a little surprised.
This performance shows that Li Yanqing has definitely done targeted research on Manchester United's players.
He specifically assigned Rojo to the middle to defend the first point of attack, in order to compensate for Lindelof's tendency to leave players unmarked.
His apprentice's progress was exceeding his expectations.
Very well, now it's time to show some real skills.
"Pogba, push forward!"
"You switch places with Mata!"
This was one of the changes he had planned before the match.
看似只是换了两个人的位置，但曼联的阵型从4—2—3—1逐渐变成了4—4—2......
Rashford and Lukaku were now a two-striker formation.
This caught Burton a bit off guard.
They had to switch to a 4-5-1 formation to defend, but the problem was that their opponents seized the opportunity when they changed formation.
Pogba activated [Inspiration].
He faked out Quinn and then passed the ball to his teammate.
After the wall pass, another flash of inspiration struck. Facing Enzo who came to help defend, he simply flicked the ball past him.
Finally, [a flash of inspiration kept coming]...
He drew at least two players from the middle to double-team him, then found an opportunity to pass the ball to Rashford, who was in open space.
The latter launched a [Volley Shot]!
Joe Hart was powerless to help.
Burton are down 0-1.
"Oh..."
Li Yanqing rubbed his forehead, speechless at the loss for words after conceding such a goal.
It seems the players can't be blamed, because Pogba put on a one-against-four performance in the midfield.
"Matthias!"
"You go to the middle lane!"
Since they'd already conceded a goal, Li Yanqing wasn't going to play the game the way he'd planned.
Based on my understanding of Mourinho, he will now drop the formation to the edge of his own penalty area.
For most head coaches, a score of 1-0 is the least secure.
But in his view, one to zero is enough.
As Li Yanqing had predicted, after taking the lead, their formation shifted back to its original position.
Now it remains to be seen whether Burton Albion will equalize first, or Manchester United will seize the opportunity to score another goal.
Mourinho looked at Li Yanqing on the other side with a smile.
Now it's time for his strongest area. How will the other side respond?
“We have a backup plan, right, Li?”
"How about we consider it in the second half?"
Lehmann didn't think his team could catch up, and preferred to wait until the second half to put up their best.
The so-called "backup plan" is to bring in Ibrahimovic and others; when it comes to breaking through defenses, they are the more reliable ones.
"Don't worry, we also have other ways to break through a dense defense."
"It's not that far yet."
Li Yanqing still hopes that the team can catch up in the first half.
Substitution is certainly an option, but he hasn't forgotten what "Mourinho time" means.
If Mourinho had a skill, it would definitely be a defensive inspiration specifically for the second half.
And he's a master-level one at that.
Why not take a gamble in the first half?
"Place them all in there and disrupt their formation!"
"Especially Matthias and Louis, your work is the most important..."
This is a risky decision, because Rashford and Lukaku are both adept at counter-attacks, and Pepe and Bradford may not be able to stop them.
Once the ball is intercepted, the probability of being caught out in a one-on-one situation is very high.
However, Li Yanqing had assigned the players a small task before the match.
Coincidentally, apart from Murphy, the others made their impact precisely when the team was behind.
Instead of trying to cross from the wing, Matias positioned himself directly next to Pogba.
David Luiz, on the other hand, was running back and forth between the opponent's center-back and defensive midfielder.
Enzo and Murphy moved into the penalty area, while Quinn organized the attack from the outside.
Actually, Quinn would be more effective if he moved into the penalty area, but neither Enzo nor Blind can play through balls.
In this situation, a long ball over the top is not very effective...
McTominay stood in front of Quinn; the young player possessed the "Intercept" skill, and Mourinho hoped he could control the opponent.
But Quinn wasn't afraid at all.
He still managed to find an opportunity to put the ball in.
It's just that the direction is a little strange.
He was looking for Blind on the wing.
The latter delivered a low shot from the baseline.
David Luiz headed away Rojo, but because of this move, he didn't have a chance to shoot and could only pass the ball back to Quinn.
McTominay's lack of experience became apparent, and he had by then lost his position.
Only Pogba stood not far from Quinn.
He had a chance to intercept the ball, but Matthias blocked his way and started to physically challenge him.
The latter couldn't beat Pogba and was knocked to the ground, but he could only watch as Quinn shot without any interference.
A beautiful, unerring shot found its way into the top corner of the goal!
1-1, Burton Albion have equalized!