Chapter 920: A Pieced Together Defense Line

"Anfield is not a stadium, but a holy place. These people cheering on the sidelines are not just fans, they are more like our family." - Bill Shankly

Anfield!

One of the scariest stadiums in Europe!

From the moment he entered the locker room, Gao Xiaodong felt the difference of this stadium.

The visiting team's dressing room is very simple, which is normal. No team wants to make its opponent comfortable, but Liverpool's visiting team's dressing room is not only simple, but there are also commemorative boards hanging on the wall commemorating Liverpool's home wins against Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Chelsea and other giants. Details Match times and overviews were recorded.

This is simply a disincentive to the away team.

The passage from the locker room to the stadium is extremely narrow. Above it is the famous "This is Anfield" sign. The establishment of this sign began in Shankly's era. The legendary coach of Liverpool in the 1970s and 1980s wanted to This is a way to remind your players who they are playing for and who your opponents are fighting against.

When playing, Liverpool players would pat this mark religiously when passing by for good luck.

No one knows whether this mark can really bring good luck to the Red Army, but one thing is certain, it definitely brings great psychological pressure to the visiting team players.

Since the two main center backs, Ferdinand and Vidic, are undergoing injuries, the captain's armband is temporarily worn on Gao Xiaodong's arm.

Players from both sides referee Phil. After Dodd came out, the captain came out to exchange team flags and emblems.

Gerrard saw that the captains of Manchester United were not the familiar Vidic and Ferdinand, but Gao Xiaodong, and he sneered: "Is it true that no one at Manchester United can be the captain?"

Gao Xiaodong smiled slightly, "That's because Sir Alex felt that playing a mid-range team does not require an outstanding captain."

Gerrard is not a person who talks nonsense. Hearing what Gao Xiaodong said, he pressed the team flag and emblem heavily into Gao Xiaodong's hand, "The mid-level team will teach you a lesson you will never forget today."

Gao Xiaodong said with a smile: "Okay! I hope your footwork is as good as your oral work!"

When Gao Xiaodong and Gerrard exchanged team flags and emblems on the court, the on-site commentator He Hui, who introduced the team's history for half a day, was perked up and began to introduce the starting lineups of both sides to the fans and speculate on their tactics.

“Liverpool’s position today is 451: Goalkeeper: No. 25 Reina

Defenders: No. 2 Glen Johnson, No. 23 Carragher, No. 37 Skrtel, No. 6 Aurelio

Midfielder: No. 18 Kuyt, No. 21 Lucas, No. 4 Meireles, No. 8 Gerrard, No. 17 Maxi Rodriguez

Forward: No. 7 Suarez

The Red Army King Dalglish is really powerful. Although he really wants to win this game, his formation is not radical, but a very pragmatic 451 formation. It seems that Dalglish is against The two sides have a clear understanding of the gap in strength and state, and have not let desire defeat reason.

Before the game, Dalglish had been saying that Gerrard had a groin injury and was very likely to be unable to play, but now that Gerrard has appeared on the court in full force, it seems like Dalglish just set off a smoke bomb.

It can also be seen from this small detail that Dalglish was very well prepared for this game.

Let’s take a look at Manchester United’s playing list:

Goalkeeper: No. 1 Edwin van der Sar

Defenders: No. 3 Evra, No. 12 Smalling, No. 6 Brown, No. 21 Rafael

Midfielder: No. 11 Giggs, No. 10 Gao Xiaodong, No. 16 Carrick, No. 17 Nani

Forwards: No. 7 Rooney, No. 9 Berbatov

This is a 442 formation. The most watched central defender position is the combination of Smallin and Brown. This combination has never appeared in the league or the Champions League this season. It is a temporary piece. There is no way. Because Ferdinand, Vidic, and Evans are all injured, whether O'Shea, Smalling or Brown are used, the effect is estimated to be similar.

On the front line, Sir Alex trusted Berbatov more during the battle. Newcomer Hernan Des still needs to feel the atmosphere of the Double Red Club on the bench.

Now that the pre-match ceremony is over, Xiaodong returns to his half. Judging from his position, he should be playing as a midfielder today. There is no way around it. The position of the center back is unstable, and Ferguson must strengthen the midfielder position. However, because Gao Xiaodong retreated, veteran Scholes had to sit on the bench, with Giggs playing as a wing midfielder to increase the offensive power of the wing.

What is surprising again is that Xiaodong wears the captain's armband again. If Xiaodong was asked to wear the captain's armband when playing Inter Milan in the Champions League because Xiaodong faced his old club, then it is a bit intriguing that Xiaodong wore the captain's armband this time because he is also the vice-president. Rooney and Evra are also captains. We are not sure whether Sir Alex Ferguson did this intentionally, but this arrangement shows that in Sir Alex Ferguson's mind, Gao Xiaodong is ranked higher than Rooney and Evra as captain. , or rather higher than Fletcher who is sitting on the bench,..."

While He Hui was introducing, Phil was the referee. Dodd's whistle sounded, and the 156th league double red meeting officially kicked off.

Manchester United and Liverpool have met twice this season in the league and FA Cup. Manchester United won both games at home. Manchester United also gave Liverpool the second-largest score in history. Gao Xiaodong performed a hat-trick.

Old and new hatreds came to mind. After the opening, the Liverpool players who kicked off the ball quickly moved forward and launched a fierce attack on Manchester United.

Liverpool also knows that Manchester United's center back is a weak point. Their offense is very direct. The ball is passed directly from the wing to the center, allowing their forwards and midfielders to grab points.

In the second minute of the game, Liverpool got a shooting opportunity from the center.

After Meireles pulled to the wing and passed Giggs, he passed the ball directly to the penalty area without touching the bottom.

Manchester United's center backs Smallin and Brown were temporarily paired together due to the injuries of Ferdinand and Vidic. Smallin was young and irritable, and Brown was old and injured. The two had very little time to cooperate. This time Meireles After breaking through Giggs, Brown, the versatile defender, moved to the wing to prevent Meireles from breaking through. However, Smallin did not follow Brown in time. As a result, the position between the two was a bit wide, and Meireles Rice's pass hit the space between the two.

Although Suarez, who plays the center position, has just joined Liverpool, he has integrated quickly and has excellent reading and positioning awareness of the game. When Meireles passed the ball, he immediately ran into the space and just grabbed it. Reached the landing point.

Today Gao Xiaodong returned to the midfielder position, but any position is not a problem for Gao Xiaodong. His comprehensive skills allow him to play in any position with ease, but the two central defenders in the defense rarely partner with him. Rick didn't play many games this season, and Gao Xiaodong couldn't form a tacit understanding with them for a while.

When Brown moved to the wing, Gao Xiaodong immediately blocked the gap left by Brown to prevent the midfielder from grabbing points. He believed that Smallin would definitely move with Brown.

Unexpectedly, Smallin did not keep up. He was staring at Liverpool center Suarez very dogmatically.

Smallin is 1.94 meters tall and Suarez is 1.82 meters tall. It is too difficult for Smallin to keep an eye on Suarez. The moment Meireles passed the ball, Suarez suddenly started and moved away in one step. Smallin, when Smallin turned sideways, Suarez had already left Smallin two meters away.

It is disastrous for the defender to be two meters away from the forward, which means that the defender cannot complete any defensive actions.

Suarez's escape was very fast, but he and Meireles also lacked tacit understanding. Suarez's grab was a step too fast, and the ball directly hit Suarez's leg. Before Suarez could exert force, the ball flew away. Towards the goal.

Suarez's shot was on the line of the small penalty area, but the power was a bit weak and the angle was not tricky. Van der Sar fell to the ground and saved it.

Seeing Suarez get a good shooting opportunity in the second minute of the opening, the Anfield stands burst into applause like a storm.

The on-site commentator He Hui exclaimed and said: "Manchester United's defense is very problematic. The temporary partnership of Smalling and Brown is very unreliable. Gao Xiaodong and Carrick don't play together much in the game. It would be better to partner with Fletcher more. For some reason, Sir Alex Ferguson put Fletcher on the bench. If we continue to play like this, we will definitely lose goals."