Super Marshal

"Manchester City moved the ball to the right."

"Sturridge sprinted forward, grabbed the ball, and passed it back without a chance."

"Modric pulled to the right to receive the ball, adjusted, and passed diagonally into the penalty area."

"No one was able to catch the shot. Benzema swung his tail with a scorpion and shot with his heel."

"Oops, it hit the crossbar and the ball is still in the penalty area."

"Cristiano Ronaldo catches up and fights again!"

"Almunia! Oh my God, the Spanish goalkeeper withstood the pressure at the critical moment."

"The ball flew out of the penalty area, but still landed at the feet of the Manchester City player. Zabaleta got the ball and passed it forward."

"Modric received the ball and passed it back to Javi Martinez."

"Manchester City reorganized their attack."

…

Brian Kidd's eyes widened, looking at everything happening on the court, and he couldn't believe his eyes.

Because he saw Manchester City actually playing against Arsenal!

After scoring two goals in a row, Manchester City seemed to be in form all of a sudden. The players performed very well. Whether they were running with each other or cooperating with passing and receiving, they looked very skillful. This gave Manchester City an advantage on the court. .

You know, whether it was the preparation before the game or the opening period, Gao Han never emphasized possession of the ball. He even said in turn that possession of the ball could be given to Arsenal. The focus was on pressing and attacking efficiency in the frontcourt.

But as a result, the players on the court seemed to naturally control the ball.

The double defensive midfielders of Xabi Alonso and Mascherano advanced to the 30-meter area. Kompany, Xavi Alonso and Zabaleta were all cruising from the 30-meter area to the midline. The three players are spread far apart, with the two full-backs playing the role of full-backs from time to time.

It can be said that Manchester City maintains a very tight and reasonable formation from front to back. This makes it difficult for Arsenal to pass through Manchester City's defense even if they get the ball out. Manchester City regains control almost as soon as it comes out.

Is this the football Gao Han wants Manchester City to play?

Brian Kidd stared dumbfounded at head coach Gao Han, who was standing straight in front of the coaching bench.

He was really shocked!

Over the years, no team in the Premier League has ever been able to press Arsenal like Manchester City during this period, suppressing the Gunners in the half, and has already scored two goals in a row to take the lead.

But Gao Han still seemed dissatisfied. He kept shouting on the sidelines, reminding the players that he would ask Kompany and Zabaleta to pull away a little, and then ask them to recover in time and pay attention to the timing. Via Alonso came back, but when he turned around, Mascherano, who was the main defender, went to the front.

Brian Kidd has been paying attention to the situation on the court. He found that every shout from Gao Han was adjusted according to the changes in the situation on the court. Xavi Alonso advanced and Manchester City wanted to attack. The two wingers The central defender must open up, and Xavi Alonso moves back, which means paying attention to defense. The wide central defender must pay attention to the defensive formation and recover when necessary.

Javi Martinez is also a very interesting player. He is like the most stable contact point in the defense. He is always running, and the players around him are restricted. When passing back, you can always see him.

After the ball is handled by him, it can basically find a way out.

Just as Brian Kidd was observing the situation and pondering Gao Han's tactical ideas, Gao Han had already walked back, took a bottle of water, unscrewed the cap and drank it in large gulps.

It was obvious that he was thirsty after shouting so much.

"Mascherano is still too conservative." Gao Han drank water and shook his head.

Brian Kidd was surprised, "You let him play, aren't you trying to defend?"

"Yes, but the defense does not have to be behind, and now is our time to control the ball. He can press forward. First, he can support the offense. Second, after we lose the ball in the frontcourt, he immediately engages in counterattack and wins the ball as soon as possible. Get the ball back."

Brian Kidd was a little confused when he heard this, "What if it is breached?"

"With Xavi Alonso behind us and three defenders, what are we afraid of?" Gao Han took it for granted.

"As long as our entire midfield and frontcourt counterattack as soon as possible after losing the ball, it will be difficult for the opponent to counterattack quickly. Even if the counterattack in the first stage is not won, at least it can buy us enough time to return to defense as soon as possible and organize Good defense.”

"The same goes for Benzema. When David Silva and Modric retreat, he should also come back and bring out Vermaelen and Gallas. When our midfield and backcourt are reorganized, The attack can be launched at once, and the two wingers can easily seize the opportunity to penetrate the penalty area diagonally in the ribs.”

Brian Kidd smiled bitterly upon hearing this.

He has been very shocked by Manchester City's performance in the past ten minutes. It can even be said that he is quite satisfied. It can be said that it is the best ten minutes of football this season. But he did not expect that in Gao Han's eyes, there are so many shortcomings.

But from Gao Han's few words, he also figured out something, that is, Gao Han didn't seem to pay attention to the player's position at all.

Mascherano, who specializes in defense, can press forward, center Benzema at the front can retreat, the center back can pull wide, the winger can cut inside, and even center back Javi Martinez, who is behind at the end, can move forward. They were all allowed to dribble forward.

To be honest, Brian Kidd felt that he was a little unable to keep up with Gao Han's thinking and ideas.

But he was really looking forward to seeing what kind of football Gao Han could play with the three-four-three formation with Kaka in his mind.

Could it be said that it is more dreamy than the ten minutes now?

…………

…………

"High cold is still high cold!"

In front of the visiting team's coaching bench, Wenger let out a long sigh, but for a while he couldn't think of a good solution.

On the court, Manchester City has formed a suppressive trend. It is difficult for Arsenal to pass the ball in Manchester City's half. It is even difficult for the ball to pass through the center line. It is always controlled by Manchester City as soon as it comes out.

"We haven't had good control of the ball for more than four minutes." Assistant coach Patrice also felt helpless.

Wenger nodded, "The main reason is that when Manchester City's midfield and frontcourt are pressing, the players behind them still maintain a very orderly formation. This allows us to make a clearance no matter which direction we go, their players can always grab the ball as soon as possible." point, and then reorganize the offensive."

In the past ten minutes, Manchester City has indeed dominated the situation on the field. Arsenal was very passive, especially after conceding two goals. The players' mentality was somewhat unbalanced. The first half was about to end. Even if Wenger wanted to It was too late to adjust, so we could only hope that the players on the field could stabilize the defense in time to avoid conceding the ball again.

"This is not the best lineup in Gao Han's mind." Patrice was also quite depressed. "I heard that according to Gao Han's original intention, Mascherano wanted to return to the right center back position, and he also considered A left-footed central defender was placed on the left central defender, but it seemed that Kompany was playing pretty well, so he didn’t change it.”

Wenger also knows this.

Gao Han used Bridge to play this position in the preseason, but the effect was not as good as Kompany's, so he had to make do with it.

As for Mascherano playing right center back, this is quite certain. The Argentinian midfielder is better than Zabaleta in terms of taking the ball, defensive ability, and one-on-one competition.

It is estimated that the current style of play is only limited by Kaka's absence and Gao Han's temporary compromises and adjustments.

"Is there no other way?" Patrice asked.

"Of course not." Wenger shook his head, "They are not skilled enough in passing and controlling the ball now, especially when the players do not cooperate with each other tacitly. This can easily lead to deviations in the judgment of each other, insufficient contact points, or mistakes. "

"Another big problem is the rhythm of the offense. They can basically play the first wave of offense now, but the connection between the second wave and the third wave of offense is not good enough. It is mainly due to the rotation in the midfield. This is also a problem. question."

Patrice immediately understood that since Wenger saw it, Arsenal would definitely make a fuss about this in the second half and even launch a counterattack.

…………

…………

"Wenger's game is asking for his own death."

In an inconspicuous corner of the City Stadium stands, Manchester United head coach Ferguson, accompanied by his younger brother Martin Ferguson, appeared on the scene and watched this peak showdown with cold eyes.

Manchester United's away game against Tottenham Hotspur is tomorrow. The players have already gone south in advance. Ferguson specially stayed in Manchester to watch the game live. After watching it, he immediately went south to London.

So far, this game has given him the biggest warning that the cold Manchester City has begun to take shape.

"To beat Manchester City like this, they either have to defend and use the defense to gain opportunities to counterattack. This will undoubtedly be a big test for the team's defense. Arsenal's defense is not strong. Almunia and the back line are both problems. .”

When Ferguson said this, he changed the subject, "Then, the option left for Wenger is the second option, take the initiative to attack."

Martin Ferguson was a little confused, "You mean, Wenger is seeking his own death by switching to 4-4-2?"

"Just watch, he will definitely change back to 433 in the second half. With Arsenal's current strength, Wenger has no choice at all." Ferguson said with great certainty, as if he was Arsenal's head coach.

"But don't forget, when they lost at Old Trafford, they played four, three, three."

"It depends on who. Manchester City's current offensive connection is not ideal. The offense is often a one-shot deal. But the offense Gao Han wants is that the first wave did not work, the second wave is in place, and the third wave has begun. Prepare and prepare, and attack one wave after another, just like the waves crashing on the shore."

"But now you pay attention. After the first wave of offense fails, they always have to pass back and reorganize to give the defense a chance to breathe. The offense is also forced to stop. And if at this time, the midfielder can Withstand the pressure and apply pressure forward, which will inevitably create pressure on Manchester City..."

When Ferguson said this, he suddenly fell silent.

This made Martin Ferguson on the side murmur a little, why did he stop suddenly in the middle of his words?

After a long time, I heard Ferguson shake his head with a wry smile and said: "I know now that Kaka's absence has had such a big impact on him. Fortunately, I thought it was just a few fewer goals. I didn't expect..."

Martin Ferguson was scratching his head when he heard these words. Why did he always say it halfway? Can you please make it clear?

"Now Manchester City has just started. When Gao Han has perfected the lineup, the players have developed a tacit understanding, become familiar with the coach's tactics, and Kaká has recovered, Manchester City will be even more terrifying than it is now."

When Ferguson said this, he couldn't help but sigh helplessly.

"The 400 million that the rich man from the Middle East spent was really worth it!"

At this moment, there was another burst of cheers in the stadium.

Manchester City scores again!