The strongest winger

Chapter 474 Counterattack? (three more)

Benitez was very dissatisfied with the goal lost by the defense. First, the vice-captain Carragher lost his mind at a critical moment of defense, and then the captain Gerrard and Harvey Alonso did not return to the central defender in time to make a barrier protection.

If one of the two points is achieved, even if Ai Luo misses the ball beautifully, Ballack will not be able to easily aim at the goal to complete the shot under the interference.

Of course, this is not the fault of individual players, but the entire defense line is collectively distracted at this moment.

Benitez calmed down a little after roaring a few words on the sidelines, and the game will continue. There is no need to interfere with the next game because of the conceded goal that has become a fact, otherwise, the loss outweighs the gain.

When Valencia scored this goal, it was already the 34th minute of the first half, which means that there are still about 10 minutes left in the first half. If there is a chance, there is enough time to tie the score. However, if you want to score a goal in a hurry, then the team's defense will definitely have problems.

After thinking about the core issue, Benitez took advantage of the time when Valencia was still celebrating, and quickly called Captain Gerrard to his side to explain some key things.

And Flores, who was not far away, also quickly called the captain Albelda, who was celebrating the outside, to his side, and signaled the players to pay attention to defense in the next game time, because Liverpool, who lost the ball, would definitely find a way to organize the offense to equalize the score and had to defend.

Of course, it would be even better to be able to seize the opportunity to counterattack in the rest of the first half and extend the score to two goals.

Thinking of this, Flores explained again about increasing the investment in defensive counterattacks.

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After Liverpool kicked off again, the fans in the stands were still indulging in the joy of the goal just now. The whole stadium was basically divided into two parts, one part was singing the team's team anthem, and the other part was singing the "Song of Ai" led by fans from China.

Listening to the song uploaded from the stands, reporters from China and local reporters from Valencia also sang along. Although Aiello did not touch the ball for this goal, the goal was due to his two consecutive misses that caught the opponent by surprise. Ailuo should at least take half of the credit for this goal.

And the commentators in the live studio are still thinking about the goal just now. From the bottom of my heart, this goal is indeed impeccable and wonderful. It is basically a one-kick shot. In addition to Ai Luo's continuous misses, it is not an exaggeration to say that this goal is a precious work of art.

After the re-kick-off, Liverpool's midfielder Harvey Alonso significantly increased the number of times he took the ball, but he was more likely to split the ball in the center instead of passing the ball through, because Valencia's defensive center was too dense and couldn't get in at all.

Taking advantage of the momentum to equalize, Liverpool once suppressed Valencia's defenders in their own half.

I believe that at this time, Benitez must regret not letting Crouch play. Even if a 2-meter big man does not compete for the top, just standing in the penalty area will cause invisible pressure on the opponent's defenders.

Liverpool's offense didn't pick up until the No.40 minute of the game. Xavi Alonso lobbed a long ball into the penalty area. Forward Dirk Didier headed the ball back to the top. Gerrard saw the ball and swung his right foot to shoot a powerful volley. However, the ball was too difficult.

It was a wake-up call for Valencia's defense.

"There are still 5 minutes left in the game before the end of the first half. Generally speaking, Valencia's offense has a slight advantage. However, after Liverpool strengthened their defense, they did not have any decent offensive opportunities. On the contrary, after losing the ball, Liverpool organized an offensive in these few minutes. At the same time, I have to praise Valencia's defensive attention, and there is no distraction. Otherwise, it is very likely that Liverpool's defenders made mistakes when they scored..."

Huang Jianxiang glanced up at the time of the game, and then analyzed the overall situation in the few minutes of the game.

The England commentator looked at the problem from Gerrard's shooting state: "Sure enough, he is the spiritual leader of Liverpool! Steve Gerrard sounded the clarion call of the team's counterattack with a powerful long shot. If this goal can be suppressed a little bit, it would be a pity! However, it can be seen that he is in very good condition in this game. If the opportunity is grasped well, it is not impossible to score a goal..."

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With Gerrard's long-range shot that threatened the goal, Valencia's defensive players immediately adjusted themselves and strengthened their control of the second point. Therefore, neither Gerrard nor Xavi Alonso got a good chance to kick.

However, it is worth mentioning that while Valencia was doing a good job of defending, it did not counterattack. Because David Silva came to the team's center, their three counterattack points became two points. Therefore, it became much easier for Liverpool players to defend. In many cases, it is only necessary to limit David Villa and Aiello.

So when the referee blew the whistle at the end of the first half, the home team Valencia entered the locker room with a one-goal lead.

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As soon as the referee blew the whistle to end the first half, Cristiano Ronaldo got up from the sofa, walked into the kitchen, took out the homemade orange juice in the refrigerator and poured out a glass. When he closed the refrigerator, he suddenly realized that Rooney was there, so he shouted towards the living room, "Wayne, what are you drinking?"

"Beer, thanks!"

"..."

Cristiano Ronaldo was very speechless. He was indeed a pure Englishman, and he could never forget a bottle of beer. Of course, he did not take the beer, but poured an extra glass of juice.

Rooney didn't care about the homemade juice that Cristiano Ronaldo poured. Instead, he watched the replay of the first half and asked, "Brother Diving, do you think I can score in the second half?"

Cristiano Ronaldo thought for a moment and finally came to a conclusion, "It's hard to say..."

"why?"

Rooney asked subconsciously.

"You have to pay attention to the degree of that damned Argentine's marking of Igo, which is tighter than the defense against me in the league. He is like a mad dog! For example, when Valencia scored a goal just now, if he chooses to shoot, there will be a 90% chance of not scoring. However, that ingenious omission just happened to deceive Liverpool's entire defense line, and only then did the final goal. If Ige wants to score by himself, it is a bit difficult. ..."

Cristiano Ronaldo analyzed patiently.

Rooney nodded thoughtfully, and then suddenly asked, "Do you think we will win the game at the San Siro Stadium in the middle of next week?"

Cristiano Ronaldo frowned, and after a while, he said slowly, "It's hard to say..."

"..."

※※※

During the 15 minutes of the intermission, the commentators in the studio commented on highlights from the first half, and Ballack's goal became the key comment object.

Without exception, this goal was attributed to Valencia's team goals.

"As we all know, the overall strength of this Liverpool team is relatively balanced, and there are no players who are too powerful. A large part of the credit for their ability to enter the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League this season is due to the team as a whole. In this first-leg match at the Mestalla Stadium, we did not see their team football. Instead, the goal of the home team Valencia caught our eyes. If Liverpool did not have a detailed plan for the attack in the second half, this game will likely end in Valencia's victory..."

The BBC TV football commentator explained according to the highlights of the first half.

"...That's right. Liverpool must increase their offensive strength in the second half. It is difficult for Bellamy alone to pose a threat. It is necessary to liberate Dirk Dirk from the defense and increase Gerrard's forward penetration. Throughout the first half, he focused too much on defense. He only tried one of his best long-range shots. Therefore, while Liverpool increased their offensive strength in the second half, they must also create room for Gerrard to shoot."

In many games where there was no way to open the situation, it was their captain Gerrard who helped Liverpool break the deadlock. Therefore, Liverpool encountered difficulties at the Mestalla Stadium, so it was natural to think of him.

To some extent, it was their captain Gerrard who blew the counterattack horn for Liverpool!
※※※

No one knows what adjustments the two sides made during the 15 minutes of midfield, but the commentators in the studio made various guesses during these 15 minutes, but only by waiting for the start of the game can they verify whether their guesses are correct.

When the Valencia players came out of the player tunnel, the fans in the stands naturally gave the warmest applause. In their minds, the 11 fighters on the field performed very well and were impeccable!

Although Valencia took the lead in the second half, the first shot in the second half was done by Liverpool players.

At that time, after Valencia kicked off with more than a dozen consecutive passes, Ballack spotted David Villa who was retreating to respond, and then passed the pass, but he did not expect that the pass was predicted in advance by Carragher. He intercepted the ball and launched a counterattack.

After a few passes of the ball, Liverpool's attacking players entered Valencia's 30-meter defensive area, and Gerrard received the ball in a very comfortable position.

Then without any hesitation, he swung his strong right leg and shot directly!
He shot very suddenly, even if it was nearly 30 meters away from the goal, so that Canizares was a little dazed when he saw the football, but he reacted quickly and saved the ball to the baseline with one palm.

Then, there was a burst of exclamation from the stands.

Seeing this precise long-range shot being saved, Gerrard spit out angrily, remembering what Benitez said during the intermission, "Steve, you are the captain, you should take the ball forward and shoot more!"

PS: Three more votes!
(End of this chapter)