Volume 1: Heroes Come and Go, People Pay Attention Chapter 272: Disappointing Focus Battle (Second Update, Please Vote for Me)
Liverpool are somewhat similar to Mourinho's Real Madrid.
They all pay more attention to defense.
It is Liverpool's tradition to attach importance to defense, and it is also Mourinho's tradition to attach importance to defense.
Two teams that both attach great importance to defense met. If you expect to see any passionate offensive battle, you must be out of your mind.
Liverpool needs to be more offensive and proactive at their home court, but it is also limited. Real Madrid simply put on a defensive counterattack posture.
Although the war of words before the game was heated, it could be seen that both teams were very cautious in this game.
This made many people a little disappointed - they had been spitting at each other so enthusiastically before, they thought it would be a fierce battle.
In fact, this point made Martin O'Neill frown. He originally thought that Chen Yingxiong came forward to stimulate Real Madrid, and stimulated it so hard that Real Madrid would definitely try its best to attack in this game, and then he could take advantage of the situation to counterattack, just like they did against Juventus.
Unexpectedly, Real Madrid responded to the scolding, but when it came to the pitch, it was unmoved and still followed its own steps. This shows that they are not carried away by anger, they remain calm and still know what they should do. They are not like Juventus. Because of Chen Yingxiong's provocation, the whole team was like a pot, and even the head coach couldn't keep calm.
While Martin O'Neill frowned, he also had to admire Mourinho's ability. Being able to manage a team to this point can be said to be a success.
I admire you, but this also means that this game will be more difficult to play.
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Because both sides paid more attention to defense and were cautious, the goal did not appear for a long time. Both sides are fighting in the midfield. There are not many wonderful shooting and defensive scenes.
This made many neutral viewers who were interested in watching the strong showdown find it very boring.
Especially those fans who are not in Europe, they have to endure the pain of jet lag, watch this game, but do not see the usual scenes they imagined, they will inevitably be disappointed.
In the first half, the two sides played directly 0:0!
This score made Martin O'Neill very dissatisfied, but Mourinho was very happy.
away games. The result of 0:0 is acceptable to Mourinho. It would be better if it is 3:3.
This is Mourinho's strategy to draw opponents away from home and then slowly deal with them at home. That's why he is so conservative and cautious. He now has supreme power at Real Madrid, with the exception of club president Florentino Perez. No one can point fingers at him, not even the Madrid media can criticize him, otherwise he will give the media a look.
When he first arrived at Real Madrid, if he had dared to play so cautiously, he would have been criticized by the media for tarnishing Real Madrid's glory and tradition. Now. No one talks about it anymore. Just cheer for Mourinho.
So Mourinho can do this with confidence and boldness. In order to win, he will do whatever it takes.
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"The first half of the game is over. No one scored a goal on either side. Liverpool was forced to a 0-0 draw by Real Madrid at home!"
"Mourinho's strategy should be to ensure a draw on the road, and he has already succeeded half way."
"This first half is not good news for Martin O'Neill. No goals are the biggest problem. Liverpool has the sharpest offensive combination in England. But they can't beat Real Madrid's defense. It seems that the half-time break It’s time. Martin O’Neill needs to make adjustments to this…”
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Back in the locker room, Liverpool's players were a little frustrated. They originally wanted to break the deadlock and score in the first half.
Unexpectedly, not a single goal was scored, and now they only had forty-five minutes left. They wasted a full forty-five minutes!
Martin O'Neill also realized that there was no future in being so cautious. In any case, the current situation was stronger than others. No matter how worried he was, he had to take the initiative. If no goals were conceded, it would end up being a draw. That road trip will definitely not be easy.
"Okay, hold your heads up first, boys." He said to everyone.
"We were too conservative in the first half, and we have to be more proactive in the second half. Now is not the time to think about whether we will concede the ball, we have to score goals first. In the second half, our full-backs have to be bolder when they press for assists, but the assists are completed After that, you have to get back to defense quickly.”
O'Neal still cares about defense. If he can't concede the ball, he won't concede it...
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On the other side, Mourinho praised the performance of Real Madrid players.
His players did a great job, executing his tactical requirements very well and not allowing Liverpool to score. This is what Mourinho always cares about. No matter how many goals he scores, it is not as important to him as not conceding a goal.
Then he began to analyze for everyone what Liverpool would do in the second half and how Real Madrid would respond.
"Liverpool will definitely step up their attack in the second half because they didn't score a single goal in the first half. If they didn't score a goal the whole game, they would be dead. So they will attack aggressively in the second half. No matter how fierce the offensive is. , don’t panic, find the right opportunity to hit them with a quick counterattack... But, but! Pay attention to this but!"
Mourinho suddenly raised his hand and reminded everyone with a serious look.
"However, if our defense is in danger, the pressure is high, and the opponent's offense is too fast and may break our goal at any time. Then we must give up the offense immediately and concentrate on defense! Remember, don't lose in this game The ball is put first!"
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In addition to those fans, there are still people paying attention to this game. That's Barcelona's Messi.
Whether it is Cristiano Ronaldo or Chen Yingxiong, they can be regarded as Messi's enemies.
Especially the latter.
Messi is now competing with Chen Yingxiong for the top scorer.
So he is particularly concerned about Chen Yingxiong's goals.
So much so that he even started watching Chen Yingxiong's games.
In this game, Chen Yingxiong didn't score a single goal in the first half, so he felt relieved.
The gap between the two is now four goals - Chen Yingxiong has scored 15 goals and Messi has scored 11.
In the last Champions League game, Chen Yingxiong scored one goal and Messi scored two.
Chen Yingxiong hasn't scored yet this time. It would be better if he doesn't score in the whole game.
Barcelona's game is tomorrow night, and Messi hopes to continue to catch up with the goal difference between him and Chen Yingxiong...
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After the start of the second half, just as Mourinho said, Liverpool really wanted to score, and they pressed forward across the board.
Should this be good news for Real Madrid?
No.
Real Madrid's defense instantly felt tremendous pressure. Liverpool's offensive combination headed by Chen Yingxiong caused a lot of trouble for Real Madrid.
The Real Madrid players kept Mourinho's words in mind and saw that their defense was crumbling, so they stopped thinking about offense and simply concentrated on defense. Holding this draw was considered a win for them.
The scene in the second half was different from the first half. It was no longer a struggle between the two sides near the midfield, but Liverpool's full line of defense in the penalty area besieging Real Madrid, while Real Madrid shrank its defense and stayed behind closed doors.
Liverpool's shots have increased, but because of Real Madrid's intensive defense, Liverpool can only shoot from long range. In addition, there is an outstanding goalkeeper Casillas, so even though Liverpool's offense is fierce, it is Not scoring...
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"This is why I hate defensive football - what a beautiful dialogue, but it was ruined by passive and conservative tactical thinking! Mourinho's team parked two cars in front of the goal It's like a bus, completely blocked. No matter how hard Liverpool attacks, they can't score! But what's the point of such a game? One side is pressing the other side, is this a game? This is a half-time offensive and defensive drill!"
The commentator angrily criticized Mourinho's conservative tactics.
Mourinho's ears are calloused by such criticism and he won't take it seriously.
The commentators are angry, that's their business. Mourinho will not sacrifice himself just to take care of the emotions of the commentators - he is not so noble and willing to sacrifice himself for others.
He also turned a deaf ear to the boos at Anfield.
He sat on the coach's bench with his legs crossed and was very confident in his team.
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The game continued like this until seventy minutes later, and the score on the field was still 0:0.
Some Chinese fans who stayed up late to watch the game were already yawning and tears were squeezing out of their eyes.
This game is so boring! Let them be disappointed!
What they originally wanted to see was a strong dialogue between Liverpool and Real Madrid. What they wanted to see was a master's showdown between Chen Yingxiong and Ronaldo, two of the world's top players. What they wanted to see was a hearty battle...
As a result, nothing was seen.
It seems that the focus battle promoted by the media is not necessarily the best to watch... It was only after watching the game that it was hyped to the heavens. It was just... a rip-off!
Chen Yingxiong was closely guarded by Real Madrid. Wherever he appeared, there were a bunch of people, and he couldn't even think of making any other moves. Real Madrid doesn't have to worry about everyone defending Chen Yingxiong, but they can't defend other Liverpool players. Because Real Madrid is shrinking their defense and all of them are retreating, their penalty area is full of people, and there are always people to take care of other Liverpool players.
Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, is limited by Real Madrid's tactics and lacks counterattacks, so he naturally has fewer opportunities to perform. Occasionally, he took the ball to attack Liverpool's defense. Due to the lack of support from his teammates, he was not able to pose any threat to Liverpool's goal.
Just when many people were drowsy and almost falling asleep, the situation on the field suddenly changed!