green showman

Chapter 995 Towards the Triple Crown

On March 3th, Hawthorn Stadium.

Sun Wu stood on the sidelines with his hands in his pockets, with no expression on his face. Rolf and Mike Phelan whispered something from time to time, but Sun Wu didn't say a word and just stared at the situation on the court.

Although the Premier League has officially started capital games since 2010, the sponsors behind Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea have brought large sums of money, and even Tottenham and Arsenal are willing to invest, but from Sun Wu to Manchester United After that, the Red Devils swept the Premier League for two consecutive years, which made them the public enemy of the Premier League.

Not to mention direct competitors such as Manchester City and Liverpool, even the middle and lower reaches of the team are desperately trying to take a bite out of Manchester United.

West Brom's strength is mediocre in the Premier League, but they are very, very difficult. They almost abandoned the entire midfield, defending with the bus while counterattacking and only relying on the super shit-stirring stick Rondon in the frontcourt.

This physical striker made Manchester United's defenders suffer. Michael Keane was beaten very embarrassingly by him in the first half of the season. The main partner, but Rondon is still overwhelmed in the Manchester United penalty area.

In this game, Sun Wu has carried out a substantial rotation. He has played two rounds of the Premier League in the previous six days, and three days later it will be the knockout round of the second round of the Champions League, so Griezmann and Salah both sat on the bench. Mane formed a trident with Lingard and Harry Kane, with Kante, Milner and Herrera in midfield.

Although Lingard took the lead with a long-range shot from the outside in the first half, and Milner's free kick from the left side of the frontcourt accidentally bounced into the net to expand the lead, but in the second half Rondon scored with a header from a corner kick to regain the goal.

It is now the 80th minute, and Manchester United still has a substitution. Although West Brom's aggressive counterattack is simple, but with Rondon, West Brom players are very threatening to compete for the second spot.

Sun Wu looked back at Rolf, who looked down at the phone, "It's still 1 to 1... wait a minute, it's 2 to 1!"

In the same match, Manchester City played against Aston Villa at home. Walker was sent off with a red card 10 minutes into the game.

Sun Wu no longer hesitated and replaced Milner with himself.

"Best has finally played." Mortensen was a little regretful. As a neutral fan, he hoped to see someone stop the progress of the Red Devils, but soon he praised it vigorously.

"Beautiful pass, West Brom can't do anything about it, Best can always play something new!"

West Brom made a pass from the left, Alderweireld took the lead, and Rondon stopped the ball with a difficult chest in the penalty area. Under the pressure of Van Dijk, he was unable to turn around and could only send a return pass.

The ball was touched by Fletcher, who was helping to defend, and flew towards Sun Wu outside the penalty area. The ball bounced and spun. Great opportunity to shoot from the line of the penalty area.

But Sun Wu Yigao is bold, he moved his shoulders ahead of time and turned around to pick up the ball, then peeled the ball on the outside of his right foot, the ball suddenly bounced and flew past the left side of the West Brom player behind Sun Wu, and Sun Wu went around from the right and quickly advanced to get the ball again.

A simple touch of the ball made West Brom's tight encirclement in the frontcourt completely in vain. Sun Wu hesitated to move forward with the ball. Lingard suddenly ran diagonally in front to attract the attention of the opponent, and Sun Wu suddenly Once again, the ball was thrown away from West Brom's midfielder Jacob, and then dribbled the ball at high speed to the right side of the midfield and sent a large arc diagonal pass.

The ball bypassed West Brom's central defender Macaulay, and Griezmann, who came off the bench, calmly stopped the ball. Facing Dawson's simple shaking, he made a pass from the bottom. Although Macaulay resisted Harry Kane, but Lingard, who has been running, scored twice with a push shot from the back point.

"3 to 1!" Zhan Jun said with a smile: "Manchester United killed the game, and Sun Wu can always bring significant results. I have to admit that when Sun Wu stands on the sidelines to perform the duties of the head coach, Manchester United cannot be called A real Red Devil."

"That's normal." Zhang Lu nodded in agreement, "No team can do without such core players."

As soon as the goal was scored, West Brom, who had expected to equalize the score, was completely discouraged. In stoppage time, Griezmann scored a low shot from the penalty area line to lock the score at 4-1.

Although the situation was unfavorable for ten or so minutes, in general, Manchester United successfully scored 3 points.

But Manchester City is a bit miserable. Walker got a red card and was suspended for three games. JD. An was seriously injured and fell to the ground in the game. He may have to recuperate for at least two months, and he might be reimbursed for the season.

The most unlucky thing is De Bruyne. Sun Wu immediately helped the team stabilize the situation after he came on the field, and organized a successful offensive to seal the victory. De Bruyne played very badly in this game, even Guardiola used Ha After Via Alonso replaced him, Manchester City was lucky to complete the reversal.

If we talk about the Manchester Derby in the first half of the season, the direct competition between Sun Wu and De Bruyne failed because of the latter's injury.

But in the competition between the two in the second half of the season, Sun Wu won a complete victory. If you are good, I can be better. You are unstable, but I can be stable.

After this round of the league, Manchester United leads the standings with 80 points, Manchester City ranks second with 77 points, Chelsea ranks third with 74 points, and Liverpool ranks fourth with 69 points.

But it is worth noting that Manchester United's goal difference has reached 64, 4 more than Manchester City. Even if the two sides have the same points, the top spot in the standings still belongs to Manchester United.

Four days later, on March 3th, Manchester United ushered in Valencia at home. The score of 9-3 in the first leg put the pressure on Manchester United. It was time to replace Bernardo Silva, who had only returned from the United States for a few days.

Sun Wu made his debut in this game, and the rhythm and direction of the game have always been in Sun Wu's hands.

Falling behind 1 to 3 at home in the first round, Valencia wanted to reverse the promotion and must score as soon as possible, while Sun Wu commanded Manchester United to retreat and lock at a high level, putting defense in the first place. Apart from the long-range shots from the outside, Valencia almost There is no means of threatening De Gea.

However, both Sun Wu and Griezmann recovered very deeply. It is difficult for Falcao and Mane to penetrate Valencia's defense in the frontcourt. Human performance, but unfortunately the last shot was blocked by Mustafi.

In the second half, Bernardo Silva reappeared after a three-month truce. Sun Wu specially asked him to come to find out the feeling. The Champions League knockout is very important, but this game is not so important. It is just right to use it to find the feeling.

In the 65th minute, Bernardo Silva took the ball in from the right and sent a direct pass. Coleman on the outside received the ball and made a pass from the bottom. Falcao in the center shook his head and was saved, but Griez Man made a supplementary shot and scored.

As soon as the goal was scored, there was basically no suspense. Sun Wu replaced himself with Milner.

"The two people are very different, but they are both very good." Mike Phelan drew a sketch in his notebook, "both have the ability to take the ball inside and get into the penalty area to grab points. The difference is that Bernardo Schill Wa can form an effective combination with the midfielder, and Salah is more individual."

"The key is speed." Rolf pointed out the key point, "Salah's breakthrough speed is very fast, and the Portuguese's breakthrough ability...well, not much better than Best."

Sun Wu rolled his eyes, took the notebook and looked at it carefully, then tapped Salah's position vigorously, "The key is still him."

The situation on the court was uneventful, the total score was 1-4 behind, Valencia had no hope, and it was just killing time on the court. Manchester United's coaching staff is now considering other issues.

After the return of Bernardo Silva and Mane, Manchester United has more choices in the midfield, but it also brings a problem, the competition is very fierce.

The center position is a little better. Harry Kane and Falcao start with their abilities. If they can score goals, they will continue to start. If they cannot score goals, they will wait on the bench.

But it is difficult to choose the two positions behind the center. In terms of qualifications and goals, Griezmann should get a main position, and the other position allows Bernardo Silva and Mane to compete, but While those two were injured, Salah, who came to Manchester United because of his bottom pain from sitting on the bench at Chelsea, was outstanding.

Not to mention Lingard, Milner who can play guest roles, and Rashford who is waiting hard, these four people alone give Sun Wu quite a headache.

But Bernardo Silva's way of playing determines that he can only play right winger or right midfielder. Griezmann and Mane can play both left and right, so the key is Salah. He likes to play right winger? Because he cuts in with the ball and faces the goal directly, but he can play as a left winger.

Sun Wu made up his mind, turned his head and said in a low voice, "Let the Egyptians try the left winger."

Rolf and Mike Phelan curled their lips at the same time. It's not that they haven't thought about this plan, and Salah doesn't object to it, but the problem is that the effect is not good.

Switching from the right to the left, Salah will habitually draw in and get close to the penalty area after entering the 30-meter area, which makes his activity area very narrow. The cross is likely to be blocked by the opponent's body, and the shot can only pass the ball Accelerate the shot from a small angle, the angle is much smaller.

Hey, this is all the fault of Ronaldo, Messi, and Robben!
After thinking about it, Sun Wu waved at Salah who was sitting on the bench, "Try to play the left winger as a substitute."

"Okay." Salah was an honest boy, and immediately went to warm up.

In the 81st minute, Salah replaced Griezmann as a left winger.

Changing to a new position, Salah was obviously not used to it. He got the ball on the left side twice in a row and was blocked. One of them allowed Valencia to play a wonderful counterattack. Paco rushed to the top of the small penalty area to equalize the score.

Both Rolf and Mike Phelan shook their heads repeatedly, but there were smiles on the corners of their mouths... You, Best, sometimes misunderstood.

But Sun Wu was still very calm, and he called Salah to give some instructions in a low voice.

In the 86th minute, Salah suddenly appeared in the middle to complete the counter-robbery, turned around deftly and got rid of the opponent's midfielder, and then sped up and rushed towards the Valencia penalty area.

After hitting the wall with the retreating Falcao, Salah entered the penalty area from the left. After a slight shot fake tricked Mustafi into a shovel ahead of time, the Egyptian sent an inverted triangle pass. Erkao easily pushed the goal from the penalty spot.

Mike Phelan chased Sun Wu with a grin and asked, "Best, what did you tell him?!"

Sun Wu smiled and said nothing. Before Salah came on the field, he had already used an adaptation card. In theory, his performance would not be too bad. The key is that Salah's position is too deadly. If you play left winger, you really will Standing there without moving, this is inconsistent with Manchester United's overall tactics.

After a simple call, Salah expanded his range of activities. With his super personal ability, a goal is a matter of course.

In the end, Manchester United defeated Valencia 2-1 in this game. They eliminated their opponents with a total score of 5-2 and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

In another knockout match at the same time, Atletico Madrid drew Paris Saint-Germain 0-0 at home, and Atletico Madrid successfully advanced with a total score of 1-0.

In the dressing room, Sun Wu's eyes fell on the names of the clubs in the Champions League table. Which opponent will UEFA arrange for Manchester United...

On the second day, two other promotion teams appeared. Juventus eliminated Dortmund with a total score of 3 to 3 and the advantage of more away goals to advance to the quarterfinals. Real Madrid easily defeated Roma 3 to 0 at home, with a total score of 4. Advance to 0.

Sun Wu has not met Juventus yet, and he always has some fears about Serie A teams. Juventus's old lady-style game rhythm is what he dislikes and fears the most.

Real Madrid played very well this season. Although the league was suppressed by Barcelona, ​​they did not suffer in the two rounds of the national derby. They drew 1-1 and 2-2 respectively. Among them, the former Barcelona midfielder Kroos and the former Tottenham midfielder Mo Dric played particularly well, and the two plus Casemiro formed the best midfielder in La Liga.

Uh, Pogba is no longer able to play the main force. It is said that he has the idea of ​​​​leaving the team, but there are not many clubs willing to take over.

In the 30th round of the Premier League this weekend, the major Premier League giants did not participate, because the FA Cup quarter-finals have started, and the Manchester City duo, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Tottenham will postpone this round of the league.

However, for Manchester United, the difference is not big, because they face Crystal Palace in the 30th round, and they also face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup this weekend.

The strength of the opponent is not strong, Sun Wu has carried out a large rotation, but the depth of Manchester United's bench this season is very deep, and the difference in the strength of the main substitute in many positions is very small. The most typical is the frontcourt trident. It's not good who is strong and who is weak.

Sun Wu continued to start by himself, Fabinho and Herrera started in rotation, De Gea also got a chance to rest, Bernardo Silva, Mane and Harry Kane formed a trident.

Sun Wu actually hopes that Mane and Salah will play at the same time...

The Crystal Palace team's record this season has been consistent. Although they have not succeeded in relegation ahead of schedule, Norwich and Aston Villa have already booked two places for relegation, but there is no way to go up to the European theater. Sturt City have a 20-point gap.

The FA Cup was originally a way for the mid-level teams of the Premier League to participate in the European competition. As long as they reach the final, they can play in the Europa League regardless of the outcome.

But it is no longer possible. UEFA has revised the rules. If the FA Cup champion is in the top six of the league, then the FA Cup runner-up does not qualify for the European competition. This qualification is the seventh in the league.

Therefore, after the Crystal Palace team conceded two goals in a row after the opening 10 minutes, except for a few players such as Zaha and Townsend, they did not have the mentality to fight hard at all.

Sadio Mane scored twice in the first half, Harry Kane and Herrera added the icing on the cake, and United continued to press towards the Treble.

In several other games, Liverpool beat Arsenal to advance, Manchester City beat Chelsea and Tottenham beat Everton.

The FA Cup semi-finals are still old faces, the Manchester City duo and Liverpool, only Tottenham are slightly surprised.

But for the time being, everyone's attention is not on the FA Cup. The semi-finals will have to wait until late April. By then, the Champions League semi-finals will have been released. The team will give up selectively, which is why it is difficult to win the double and triple crowns.

In the second week, all the quarter-finals of the Champions League were released.

Manchester City led Leverkusen by a big score in the first round, and advanced to the second round with a small victory.

Liverpool also advanced easily, knocking out Zenit St. Petersburg 4-2 on aggregate.

Barcelona and Bayern also advanced smoothly.

That night, UEFA conducted the UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw.

Seeing that familiar name, Sun Wu's face was a little dark, UEFA is going to make trouble!

Tsk tsk, Real Madrid vs. Juventus, this pair is okay.

But then there will be a civil war between Manchester City and Liverpool, they have played four games this season...

And Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are also fighting a civil war.

And Manchester United's opponent is Bayern Munich, the Bayern Munich that allowed Sun Wushun to climb from a new star to the top midfielder.

To Bayern, Sun Wu doesn't have much resentment, er, it's hard to say the other way around.

For Sun Wu, the extremely weak Bayern during that period was his best stepping stone, Hoeness, Van Gaal, Klinsmann, Heynckes, Benitez, where Sun Wu's enemies gathered Earth!
However, this may not be a bad thing for Manchester United. Facing Bayern Munich, Sun Wu has enough psychological advantages.

Sun Wu solemnly posted the name of Bayern Munich on the tactical board of the office at the Carrington base. This will be Manchester United's first important opponent towards the treble.

(End of this chapter)