aspirations football

Chapter 50 First half with Liverpool
On the eve of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 knockout match against Liverpool, Mancini came to Jingxuan's hotel room alone.

"Coach, what can I do for you?"

Jingxuan had just finished eating the raw beef that he carried with him, and it was time to take a bath to get rid of the fishy smell.

"Jing, I want to talk to you."

While Mancini was talking, he sat down on the single sofa beside the bed and turned his head to admire the night view outside the window.

This hotel is located in the center of Liverpool, the scenery outside the window is very good, and you can have a panoramic view of the city's feasting and feasting.

As the absolute main force of the team, Jingxuan was obviously allocated a room with a particularly good view.

"Coach, can you just tell me if you have something to say?"

Finding half of the water in the bathtub in Jingxuan's bathroom, Mancini frowned and asked:

"Want to take a shower?"

"It's okay, just talk about it if you have something to say."

"It's okay, we'll talk slowly after you take a shower."

As he spoke, Mancini crossed his legs and looked at Jingxuan tenderly.

"."

Jingxuan always felt that something was wrong, but a big man was sitting in his room, he couldn't take a bath with peace of mind.

"Coach, let's talk about things directly, so as not to waste your time."

Mancini took out a cigar from his inner pocket, lit it slowly, and said:
"Okay, Jing, do you want to play center for this game?"

Jingxuan had thought about the problem Mancini mentioned in training before, but he gave up soon.

After all, in the away game against Liverpool, which has super running ability, Jingxuan, who was born as a defensive midfielder, can provide protection in the midfield.

"Coach, if I play center forward, Kroos has to be a substitute. He is in such a good state, I am afraid there will be emotions."

"Hyypia is 1.9m[-] tall. His body can completely fight against Ibrahimovic. Cruz's speed is relatively slow. With such a starting striker in an away game, it is easy to fall into a passive position in the face of fierce Liverpool."

The two chatted for about half an hour, but unfortunately they did not reach a consensus.

In Jingxuan's view, tomorrow's game must be a tough battle. After the phone door incident, the competitiveness of Serie A has gradually declined.

Apart from Inter Milan, there is no other top team.

Rome is limited by its financial resources, so it can only make small troubles, and it is difficult to make big achievements.

Juventus has just returned to Serie A, and its vitality is far from restored.

Although AC Milan won the Champions League, this is due to Kaka's god-level performance.

In addition to Kaka, AC Milan's lineup is actually aging seriously, and the bench lineup is thin.

In addition to the lack of strong teams, the overall rhythm of the Serie A game is slow, and the team is weak in defense and attack.

Inter Milan is used to this kind of unopposed and slow game,
Facing Liverpool, which is known for its immortality, this high-intensity game rhythm will definitely make Inter Milan very painful.

And apart from Jingxuan, there is no world-class organizational midfielder in peak form in the Inter Milan team.

If Jingxuan played as a center forward at the beginning of the game, it may be difficult for Inter Milan to pass the ball from the midfield under Liverpool's strong pressure.

In summary, Mancini adopted a conservative 4-3-1-2 formation for the sake of safety.

BJ时间2月20日3时45分(意大利当地时间19日20时45分)，欧洲冠军杯1/8决赛首回合利物浦主场对战国际米兰的比赛正式打响。

In this game, Inter Milan discharged the defender combination of Maicon, Cordoba, Materazzi and Maxwell.

In the midfield, captain Zanetti, Cambiasso and Stankovic served as the three midfielders.

Jingxuan suddenly served as an attacking midfielder, and Cruise and Ibrahimovic formed the starting striker combination.

For the home team Liverpool, the goalkeeper is still No. 25 Spanish national goalkeeper Reina, and the back line from right to left is: No. 3 Finnan, No. 23 Carragher, No. 4 Hyypia, and No. 12 Aurelio.

In midfield, captain Steven Gerrard and Argentine giant Javier Mascherano served as a double midfielder combination.

No. 21 Lucas is the attacking attacking midfielder, Dutch duo Babel and Dirk Dirk are separated on both sides, and No. 9 Spanish golden boy is the single arrow.

It should be said that both sides have formed familiar formations and the strongest players.

Inter Milan is the champion of Serie A and has a stronger lineup on paper. The odds of this game are still optimistic about the two sides fighting for a draw.

At the beginning of the game, Liverpool launched a frenzied press on Inter Milan.

In the 2nd minute of the game, a shot from the corner of the restricted area on the right side of Didier Dirk was shot out of the bottom line by Julio Cesarto, and Liverpool got a corner kick.

Gerrard took a corner kick from the right, and Carragher hit Cordoba's right arm with a half-volley shot with his right foot 12 meters behind the goal.
He raised his hand to ask the referee for a penalty, but the Belgian referee Debrickley believed that Cordoba was violated by the opponent.

The body lost its balance and was forced to handball, so no penalty was called.

In the 5th minute of the game, Stankovic tripped Gerrard in his own half and was given a yellow card by the referee.

Aurelio took a direct free kick 24 meters away from the goal on the right, but unfortunately his left foot free kick was high.

In the 8th minute of the game, Couitt's pass and shot was blocked by Cordoba from the bottom line.

Gerrard took a corner kick on the right, and Hyypia shook his head 7 meters in front of the goal and was pushed out of the crossbar by Julio Cesar.Inter Milan escaped.

In the first 10 minutes after the start of the game, Liverpool used crazy pressing to almost hold Inter Milan at halftime.

Several wonderful cooperations were within a hair's breadth of the goal. If it weren't for the brave performance of Inter Milan goalkeeper Julio Cesar, the score on the field might have been rewritten long ago.

In the 12th minute of the game, Materazzi made up for Maxwell who lost the ball. He was fouled for pulling Torres in the wing defense.

He received a yellow card for expressing dissatisfaction.

In the 16th minute of the game, Jingxuan received a pass from Cambia in the frontcourt, turned his back to Mascherano's defense, and just stopped the ball and wanted to turn around, but was kicked by Mascherano. Foul by Scherano, Inter Milan's frontcourt ball.

Jingxuan told the referee that Mascherano should have received a yellow card, but the referee did not make a decision to draw the card.

Stankovic takes a quick free kick, but the pass is destroyed by Dirk.

Liverpool quickly started to counterattack after stealing the ball, and most of Inter Milan's players had no time to return.

Dirk Driven took the ball into the penalty area and pretended to pass the ball to Babel on the left, but in fact he flicked the ball out with his right foot, flashed out of space and kicked the goal.

The ball hit the post and popped out of the penalty area, and was kicked out of the sideline by the returned Maxwell.Inter Milan escaped again.

Due to Liverpool's high-position press, Inter Milan's midfield retreated too much and was completely unable to provide support for the striker.

In the first 20 minutes of the game, Ibrahimovic and Kroos had very few opportunities to get the ball.

Jingxuan, as the lubricant that binds the striker and the midfielder, also looks awkward at the moment.

If you can't wait for the pass in front, you can only go back to the backcourt to participate in the defense, but once the ball is stolen, there is no good counterattack point.

Liverpool's two full-backs are wide open. This style of play that makes full use of the field space is very efficient in wing attack.

At the same time, the two full-backs moved to the side and drove away Inter Milan's midfielders, making Inter Milan's defense in the middle easily empty.

On the opposite side, Gerrard and Mascherano often use the gap in Inter Milan's backcourt to attack Inter Milan's penalty area and get a good chance to hit the goal.

Mancini was nervous on the touchline, but he understood that Liverpool's high pressing and wide movement could not last the entire game.

As long as they keep the ball in the first half, wait for the opponent's physical fitness to decline in the second half, the rhythm slows down, and after shrinking the formation, Inter Milan's opportunity will come.

But things often don't go according to people's wishes. Wouldn't it be unfair for Liverpool to press so hard without any gains?

In the 25th minute of the game, Babel made a low pass from the left, and Lucas touched the ball to Gerrard who was plugging in.
Gerrard missed the left post with a low shot from the front of the penalty area, and Cesar broke out in a cold sweat.
After all, the ball is too fast. If it hits the goal, he can only watch the ball go into the net.

There was a sudden change in the 30th minute of the game. Torres received Babel's high-altitude pass from the right side of the penalty area.
Then quickly turned around and threw Materazzi away, Materazzi could only pull the collar of Torres' jersey from behind,
The referee Debrickley called him a foul, Materazzi expressed dissatisfaction, thinking that Torres pulled his jersey first,

But his protest only got a yellow card, and he was sent off with a total of 2 yellow cards!

Materazzi's restless behavior caused Inter Milan to face only 1 players in the next hour!
Mancini had no choice but to arrange for Cambiasso to retreat and play central defender, and Scankovic and Zanetti partnered as double midfielders.

It should be said that the wishful thinking of the Inter Milan coach has come to nothing. After all, there is one less player to fight. Even if Liverpool's physical fitness declines in the second half, Inter Milan will also consume more physical energy because of one less player.

In the 35th minute of the game, Jingxuan and Zanetti jointly intercepted Lucas's ball and launched a counterattack from the backcourt.

Dribbles the ball up the pitch and shoves it straight to Zlatan Ibrahimovic before Mascherano falls to the ground with a sliding tackle.

After Ibrahimovic got the ball, facing the tall Finnish defender Hyypia behind him, he could not turn around and had to cross the ball to Kruse.

But his intention was too obvious, the pass was intercepted by Carragher stretching his feet, Jingxuan rushed to rush to steal the ball before Carragher could control the ball.

But then his long shot was too hasty, resulting in poor quality and a lot higher than the crossbar.

But this is Inter Milan's first shot in the first half.

After that, due to Inter Milan's defensive defense, Liverpool did not get a good chance to score.

In the 40th minute of the game, Dutch striker Babel relied on his speed to overpower Maicon on the wing, then cut the ball and took it to the center.
He kicked up and bombarded the goal 18 meters away from the goal. Unfortunately, the kick was too strong and the shot was high.

In the 42nd minute of the game, Gerrard's low pass and shot from the left was confiscated by Julio Cesar.

In the 45th minute of the game, Liverpool finally played a wonderful cooperation on the right rib.

Gerrard broke into the penalty area and made a low pass on the right side, but neither Torres who outflanked the center nor Didu Dirk, who was at the back point, could touch the ball.

Babel on the left stopped the ball and passed it into the penalty area. Gerrard ferried the header from the center, and Dirk Dirk volleyed with his right foot 25 meters in front of the goal. Unfortunately, it was slightly higher than the crossbar.

Throughout the first half, Liverpool shot as many as 11 times, but only 3 hit the target.

As for Inter Milan, there were only two poor shots in the first half, and the ball possession rate was less than 40%.

It should be said that this halftime was the most difficult and embarrassing halftime game since Jingxuan represented Inter Milan in the official game.

Inter Milan, who was sent off one man, was completely powerless to fight back against the fast-paced ball and wide-ranging running of the Premier League team.

If it weren't for Liverpool's poor luck, Inter Milan might have conceded several goals in the first half.

It should be said that during the intermission, Mancini had to think carefully about how to change the passive situation on the court. After all, Inter Milan's style of play is too conservative and procrastinated, and the rhythm is slow.

Facing the arrogant Liverpool, you must come up with something new to hope to get out at Anfield.

During the intermission, Mancini couldn't bear to criticize the players when he saw the players panting under his hands.

After all, the poor performance in the first half is not a problem of one person. Big centers like Ibrahimovic and Cruise are more suitable for positional warfare.

Maybe Cruise is better, he is more flexible than Ibrahimovic.

However, his soft style of play caused it to be difficult for him to perform normally in the face of Liverpool's iron-blooded defense.

Not to mention Ibrahimovic, in Serie A, he has always crushed opponents with his strong body, and used his superb skills to get shots or create opportunities for his teammates.

It can be said that the biggest difference between Ibrahimovic and traditional centers is that he does not have strict requirements for space.

When there is no space, he can act as a coordinator or a transition point to create opportunities for teammates,

But the premise is that there must be teammates to cooperate with him.

In the first half today, there were not many people in the frontcourt of Inter Milan, and Cruise was also closely watched. Who can form an effective cooperation with him?
Is it Jingxuan?Jingxuan was tired of defending in the first half, and it was difficult to find a good pass point in the offense.

Especially after Materazzi left the field, he was exhausted running on the field.

So how depressed and quiet Ibrahimovic played in the first half, the head coach Mancini certainly understands.

"David, you go to the second half!"

Mancini ordered Suazo.

Cruise on the side naturally knew that he was going to be replaced, and he had no objection to this.

Originally, Mancini's original intention was to arrange for Jingxuan to play center forward in the second half, but there was one less player to fight, and it was an away game, so the second half still had to be based on defense.

In the midfield position, Jingxuan can help the team control the ball at least when the offense and defense transition, and provide support for the striker.

But Jingxuan doesn't think so, because the first half of the game has confirmed his embarrassment in the midfield position.

Inter Milan's formation retreated to the queen mother, and the striker was too slow to counterattack at all.

It is not realistic to rely on a single rider to break through the barriers, and he will be strangled by the muscle forest of Liverpool's midfielder in minutes.

And Inter Milan does not have the pass control ability like Barcelona, ​​and it is easy to lose the ball in the face of Liverpool's pressing.

It is a very embarrassing situation if you can't attack and attack, and you can't defend.

Jingxuan feels that at this moment, it should simply change to a four-forward formation and fight Liverpool to the death.

Originally, Liverpool's defense was not solid. The reason why it appeared to be defensive in the first half was because Inter Milan did not attack at all.

If you fight against it, even if there is one less player to fight, Inter Milan may not have no chance.

After all, Ibrahimovic's support and ability to hold the ball, the impact of whiskers, Suazo and the teenager Pele are all very powerful weapons.

But Jingxuan understands that this is just his wishful thinking. Before Mancini is beaten half to death by his opponent, he will not make up his mind to go up to the striker more.

(End of this chapter)