Chapter 703 Difficulty

"Let's take a look at this slow-motion replay. When Alba made the cross, Fred obviously did not follow Suarez in time, which led to Suarez's subsequent header, which was completed almost without anyone guarding him."

"This is definitely a big mistake, because before the game started, we said that Manchester United's header advantage is very obvious. If Fred had followed Suarez just now, I believe Suarez would have had a hard time getting a header."

"But no matter what, the mistake has been made, Manchester United should be careful."

Mourinho slapped his forehead hard, and the whole person kept shaking his head and walked back.

What he worried about before the game still happened. Fred was absent from the game for too long, which caused him to be unable to keep up with the rhythm after the start. He was thrown away by Suarez just now, and it was obvious that he did not smell the breath of danger for a while.

Long-term absence will make the player's senses numb and no longer sharp.

But he did not regret his choice, because the defensive ability of several other Manchester United midfielders was not as good as Fred, so he would still choose Fred.

He knows the Brazilian midfielder and believes that he will gradually adapt as the game goes on.

In fact, Manchester United did not play badly after the opening. Bruno sent a straight pass and Mbappe made a cross from the left, but Harry Kane did not keep up and missed an opportunity.

Coutinho took the ball from the left and cut inside several times, but was trapped by Cancelo, Kante and Maguire.

In the twelfth minute, he fell in the penalty area and tried to get a penalty, but the referee ignored it.

Luke Shaw was dedicated to defending Yosi. The Argentine players did not perform well after the opening. Barcelona's offense was mainly concentrated on the left, and the right side was basically silent.

This is not surprising. Rashford was holding Roberto in the frontcourt, and Yosi was restricted by Luke Shaw. Barcelona's right-wing offensive channel could not be opened, so they could only go to the left more.

………………

Coutinho is really strong!

Although many people say that he failed to continue his good form at Liverpool and his performance did not meet the expectations of fans and the club, this Brazilian is still very magical. Almost as long as the ball reaches his feet, anyone, even if three players double-team him at the same time, he can protect the ball and pass it out.

He can easily pass, as if any defensive player is useless in front of him.

The goal just now seemed to be a cross from Alba, but before that, Coutinho's pass allowed Alba to get rid of Rashford, and the receiving and crossing were done at the same time.

This is the world's top superstar!

With Mourinho's successive adjustments, Manchester United stabilized. Van Dijk took on more responsibilities to keep an eye on Suarez, and Maguire began to free up his hands to assist Cancelo. In this way, Manchester United's entire right half of the defense was stabilized.

Manchester United's defensive task was mostly completed by restricting Barcelona's left wing. In addition, Luke Shaw restricted Yosi on the right wing, and Barcelona's two wings could no longer gallop freely.

After the defense line stabilized, Mourinho immediately made adjustments, and the team's entire defense line slowly pressed forward.

Barcelona's defense line pressed past the half court, and Manchester United's defense line tried to press out of the penalty area, which made the formations of both sides flat, and a huge space was revealed behind Barcelona.

This is the area where Manchester United's counterattack focuses on attacking, which Mourinho mentioned when he focused on the attack before the game.

Harry Kane and Rashford are two points, and Mbappe is a sharp knife!

………………

It's easy to say in theory, but it's difficult to play it on the court.

Barcelona has excellent passing and controlling ability, the players have superior personal abilities, and they have the advantage of the devil's home court. This itself leaves Manchester United with few counterattack opportunities, especially in the first half.

And in the few opportunities, it is not easy to quickly threaten and cooperate.

Manchester United has targeted tactics, and Barcelona also has targeted tactics. If they can't grab the high point, they will try to control the second point.

The Red Devils counterattacked several times near the front line. Although they grabbed the first point, they never passed the second point well.

Roberto followed Mbappe throughout the whole process. Obviously, Valverde's strategy is exactly the same as Mourinho's strategy against Yosi.

He would rather sacrifice Roberto's attack on the right to freeze Mbappe.

Of course, all this was not beyond Mourinho's expectations.

As early as before the game, he had repeatedly told the players that Barcelona would definitely dominate the first half. At this time, they still have physical strength, and they are playing at home, so their attacking firepower must be very strong.

Facing Barcelona in the first half, if Manchester United can stabilize the defense, it will be considered a success. It can only depend on luck to counterattack. The team really wants to exert its strength in the second half.

………………

The game went as Mourinho had expected before the game. The only mistake was Fred's one in the 14th minute, which led to a goal.

After that, Manchester United stabilized their defense. Barcelona launched several attacks but failed to break Manchester United's goal. Although Barcelona was given four or five shooting opportunities, they were either long shots or forced shots. There were no real threatening shots, but Manchester United also paid the price of two yellow cards.

One time, Van Dijk pushed Suarez from behind, and another time, Rashford tackled Alba in the frontcourt.

In the 38th minute of the game, Mbappe got a chance on the right. When he was about to dribble, Roberto made a decisive foul and was shown a yellow card by the referee.

"Manchester United quickly sent a free kick in the frontcourt."

"Bruno passed the ball to the front point, and Harry Kane headed the ball!"

"It was a little high!"

"This was Manchester United's most threatening shot in the first half."

"A free kick opportunity from the frontcourt on the right created by Mbappe, but Harry Kane did not seize the opportunity."

"Barcelona's goal kick."

...

As Barcelona sent a goal kick, Manchester United retreated back to their own half. At this time, the time was already the 38th minute of the first half.

Soon, it jumped into the 39th minute.

Barcelona still controlled the ball, but although Manchester United was one goal behind, the scene was not chaotic at all. The players still looked very calm and full of fighting spirit on the field, especially after the team created a threat.

At this moment, Manchester United is like a shark that has smelled blood, ready to chase and bite at any time.