Chapter 1,125 The Hole that Cannot Be Filled

If a team has one weakness, other teammates can still make up for it if they work hard. If there are two weaknesses and the opponent is one level lower, they can still fight, but if one of the two weaknesses is the goalkeeper, , even if the opponent is one level worse, it is still difficult to deal with.

Manchester United now has a headache. They have much better skills and tactics than their opponents, but it is difficult to use them because West Brom's style of play is very simple. Regardless of the wing or the center, they always kick directly into Manchester United's penalty area. , impacting goalkeeper De Gea.

What troubles Manchester United is that their goalkeeper has a height advantage, but cannot handle high-altitude balls well, and has no tacit understanding with the two central defenders. In desperation, Vidic and Ferdinand no longer care about De Gea, and all the balls Solve it yourself.

Vidic and Ferdinand are very strong. Even if De Gea does not handle the high-altitude ball well, it is still difficult for West Brom to form a direct attack opportunity in the penalty area.

However, today Manchester United's defensive midfielders Carrick and Anderson were not tough enough on the defensive end, and the area covered was not large enough. After West Brom grabbed the ball released by Manchester United, they strengthened their defense in front of the penalty area and about 30 meters away. Long shot.

What the Manchester United players never expected was that De Gea's ability to handle long shots turned out to be a shortcoming. He was slow on the ground and couldn't hold the ball, so he had to hit it out. This often gave his opponents opportunities to make up shots.

China's on-site commentator He Hui couldn't help but complain: "Is there any shortcoming in De Gea? Is there any strength? I really don't know how Ferguson took a fancy to him, just because of his height?"

Ferguson was furious with De Gea. Under De Gea's miserable performance, Anderson's performance seemed to be less impressive. Ferguson even forgot to replace him and did not replace Gao Xiaodong in the defensive midfielder position.

Pogba and Cleverley warmed up for five or six minutes, thinking they would have a chance to play. Unexpectedly, Ferguson was gesticulating on the sidelines and forgot about them. They could only continue to stretch and curse on the sidelines.

The poor performance of De Gea and Anderson finally gave the West Brom striker a chance. In the 42nd minute of the game, West Brom made a cross from the wing and Vidic headed the ball over. When Anderson wanted to clear the ball, Brent passed away. He took the first kick from behind and passed the ball to forward Longo. Longo shot a low shot from the left side of the penalty area into the near corner. De Gea was unable to make a save and the ball flew into the net against the goal post.

1:1

West Brom equalized the score.

Longo, who scored the goal, was even happier than Rooney. He lifted up his jersey, ran wildly to the stands, and kept beating his chest at the fans, as if to say, look here! I am the owner of this stadium!

After West Brom was scored by Manchester United,

West Brom's defensive counterattack tactics failed. Fans thought that this was definitely doomed and would be defeated by Manchester United's counterattack. However, the plot did not develop like this. West Brom seemed to have found Manchester United's answer. Weakness, a simple and crude long pass and cross from the wing, coupled with a few nonsensical long shots, actually equalized the score.

"good!"

"What a beautiful job!"

"God! It's evened!"

"Longe! I love you!"

…

West Brom fans were ecstatic. Everyone stood up, waving their scarves and cheering for their team.

Old coach Hodgson also jumped up immediately to applaud the players and congratulate them. Changing the style of play was just a dead horse, but unexpectedly it had a miraculous effect. Not only was Manchester United not beaten back, but it evened the score.

Although it only equalized the score, it was of great significance to West Brom. This goal not only enhanced West Brom's confidence, but also allowed West Brom to gain the tactical initiative again. If Ferguson cannot effectively solve the problem between the goalkeeper and the midfielder, With two weaknesses, it is not impossible for West Brom to win at home.

Ferguson was furious after Longo scored. He got up and rushed to the sideline, pointing at De Gea and Anderson and yelling. Anderson and De Gea both took the blame for this goal. One of them was not stuck, and the other fell to the ground. Slowly, this kick was not an absolute chance to score a goal.

The ball has been lost, and there is no point in scolding. Ferguson is angry, but he has not lost his mind. He knows that even if he is replaced immediately, the remaining time in the first half will not be enough to score another goal. In this case, It's better to let Anderson continue to play, so as not to damage his confidence too much.

But Ferguson was worried that West Brom would get another one in the last few minutes. He quickly asked Gao Xiaodong to return to the midfielder to protect the penalty area, and asked Rooney to go to the wing to ensure that he would not concede the ball again.

I have to say that Ferguson is really experienced. After West Brom scored, his morale was boosted and his offensive became more intense. He also stared at De Gea and Anderson, constantly making crosses and long shots, trying to strike while the iron was hot and score again. One, but after Gao Xiaodong returned to the defensive midfielder, Manchester United's formation changed to 4321. With three defensive midfielders, the protection ability at the front of the penalty area was greatly improved. Even if West Brom could score the ball into the penalty area, the players grabbing the points would not Being watched closely, there was no chance for a long shot, and the attack failed.

After Gao Xiaodong returned to the defensive midfielder, his ability to get rid of the ball was much better than Anderson and Carrick. When Gao Xiaodong got the clearance ball, he could almost form a counterattack. After West Brom scored, the score was only After 4 minutes, Gao Xiaodong actually organized two opportunities to counterattack. If Berbatov was not too slow and Nani was too sticky to the ball, Manchester United might even have the hope of taking the lead again at the last moment.

As the referee blew his whistle, the first half ended. West Brom players applauded the fans happily, while Manchester United players quickly walked back to the dressing room with their heads lowered.

The Manchester United players originally thought they would be greeted by Ferguson's powerful hairdryer, but they did not expect that Ferguson did not get angry. Sir Alex just said calmly with a cold face: "I played very badly in the first half, and half the time I was beaten like this by West Brom." The team was playing hard, and I had a fever on the sidelines. I won’t talk about De Gea. He has just arrived and needs an adaptation period. He doesn’t understand the language and can’t communicate with his teammates. But what about Anderson, you came to Manchester United. It’s been a year or two. I can’t stay in position, I can’t mark people, I can’t stop the ball five meters away, I ask you what have you been doing these past few years, Anderson, you take a rest in the second half and see how other people play.”

The old Sir Alex didn't roar, but Anderson's heart was even colder. He felt that he had been abandoned by Ferguson. It was hard to say whether there would be a chance in the future, because Fletcher and Carrick were still at their peak, and newcomer Borg behind him B. Cleverley is eager to try again.

Pogba and Cleverley were naturally surprised and happy. With Anderson off the field, they had the best chance. It all depended on who Ferguson wanted to use.

After criticizing De Gea and Anderson, Ferguson opened his notebook, analyzed the gains and losses in the first half for the players, and then arranged the tactics for the second half to prepare for the reversal in the second half.