Chapter 81 This is not a big success, but just a symbolic start of success

“Ten Hag obviously didn’t expect that Sir Alex Ferguson would use such a simple tactical arrangement to target Manchester United’s defense.

Martinez’s height problem has always been a hidden danger, and it is rare for a team like Newcastle, which has a deep bench and can send out two strong centers in a game.

Unfortunately, today Martinez faced his toughest defensive test.

He has to be smarter defensively, otherwise Newcastle’s aerial bombing will always hang over Manchester United’s penalty area like a dark cloud…”

After Manchester United lost the ball, the Sky Sports commentator almost said that Martinez could not withstand Newcastle’s high-altitude bombing.

It is unrealistic to expect Varane to handle all the high balls in the penalty area by himself.

Martinez is pretty good at fighting on the ground, but Newcastle is not attacking on the ground at all now, and his headers are getting better and better.

If they continue to play like this, Manchester United will seem like they are playing without a central defender.

If Ten Hag is not prepared to make substitutions at halftime, he’d better make some more detailed defensive adjustments based on the existing lineup as soon as possible.

Otherwise, this League Cup final would seem too boring from a tactical perspective.

I don’t know if he has heard the voices of the fans.

Although Ten Hag was angry, he still made some defensive tactical adjustments before the game resumed.

Martinez definitely cannot be substituted in the first half of the game, as that would be a slap in his face and would make him appear too passive.

He decided to have the players on both wings defending with a more active attitude to deal with Newcastle’s wing advancement.

To put it more bluntly, it means that Anthony and Rashford will have to make more tactical sacrifices and strengthen the restrictions on Newcastle’s two wings.

After the game resumed, Newcastle players quickly felt that Manchester United’s actions in close confrontation had increased.

Especially on the wing, Anthony and Rashford actively sought close confrontation with their opponents, and even took the initiative to commit tactical fouls to limit their opponents’ breakthroughs.

The tactical effect is naturally quite good, but it can only last for a while.

In the 28th minute of the first half, Anthony received a warning yellow card from the referee, and then Rashford’s defensive actions were greatly restrained.

Ten Hag’s defensive trick was no longer effective.

Ten Hag, who refused to give up, encouraged the two full-backs to take defensive actions.

As a result, after Dalot received a yellow card in the 33rd minute of the first half, he instantly became obedient.

The referee did not tolerate Manchester United at all, and today at Wembley Stadium he insisted on fairness and justice.

Ten Hag didn’t think much about it. Even if the referee didn’t give Newcastle extra care today, would he risk offending Li Chen by blowing a false whistle for Manchester United?
The nickname “Little Ferguson” given to Li Chen by the British media is now extremely appropriate.

It is naturally different when you have a title.

Even though Li Chen did not fight for more rights for his team through aggressive speeches like Ferguson.

He does nothing, and the English Football Association no longer dares to sacrifice his interests occasionally to cause trouble and gain traffic as it did before.

For Newcastle now, playing under the established rules and getting fair whistles against weaker teams is already the biggest benefit.

Manchester United, who received two yellow cards on the defensive end, could only follow Newcastle’s rhythm.

Although Ten Hag called Maguire and Lindelof from the bench to warm up on the sidelines early.

But Li Chen was certain that this stubborn guy would never replace the defensive player in the first half.

And he also decided to add fuel to the siege on Manchester United.

Following his gesture, Ramos, who was eager to try, quickly made frequent forward runs and participated in the header competition in the frontcourt!

This will undoubtedly make Manchester United’s defense, which already has insufficient air defense capabilities, even worse.

Varane kept looking back at his own coaching bench, and he was almost getting impatient!
How could he not know what Ramos’s ability is in heading?

Back in 2017, Ramos was like the nuclear weapon in Real Madrid’s lineup.

Every time Zidane’s XJBT tactics didn’t work, he would frequently let Ramos participate in headers in the frontcourt after 80 minutes in the second half of the game.

Therefore, the Meilingges who were worried at that time always saw that their team, which clearly had the advantage in the midfield, chose not to play a penetrating attack.

I just like to kick the ball and cross it at the crucial moment of the game.

And these two ruthless guys, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ramos, are always able to step up and score the winning goal to save the team in adversity or even in real desperate situations!
Varane has witnessed all of this, and now he has to face the joint header competition from Ronaldo and Ramos, in addition to Chris Wood and Guimarães who are eyeing him from behind.

He really felt panicked!

If he had the final say, he would definitely make adjustments and replace Martinez with Ma Datou.

Without Maguire, Ten Hag’s defensive tactics are useless in the face of the current severe situation.

Unfortunately, his words did not count, and Ten Hag ignored his frequent requests for help.

In the end, Casemiro, who knew that it was not easy for him, frequently moved into the penalty area to help him share the pressure of high-altitude headers.

But in this case, Manchester United’s ability to protect the front of the penalty area arc is far worse than before.

Although Fred also played as a defensive midfielder in this game, his tactical responsibility was more to clear the midfield, and his defensive positioning was average.

In addition, B Fee’s defense was not strong enough and he was unable to retreat to the front of his own penalty area in time.

Therefore, in several offensive and defensive transitions, as soon as Casemiro moved inside the penalty area, a large area at the top of Manchester United’s penalty area would often be left empty.

Madison, who was ever observant, had noticed this long ago.

In the 38th minute of the first half, Madison made a gesture to Joelinton to stop advancing, and then passed the ball to Marcelo on the side as usual.

He then moved closer to the left and signaled Joelinton to move to the middle.

Marcelo was about to break through, forcing Casemiro to move into the penalty area early to help Varane share the defensive pressure.

But then, Marcelo quickly passed the ball back at Madison’s signal.

After receiving the ball, the latter made a quick cross pass and pushed the ball directly to Joelinton who had already moved to the top of Manchester United’s penalty area!

The Brazilian midfielder received the ball and adjusted with almost no one marking him.

At this moment, Fred, who came over to defend, and Casemiro, who wanted to intercept, were already a beat too late.

Joelinton made a full effort and shot from the edge of the penalty area directly into the upper right corner of Manchester United’s goal!

De Gea had already made predictions and saves in advance.

But facing Joelinton’s powerful shot from the corner, he was helpless.

The football finally hit the intersection of Manchester United’s goal crossbar and the far post and bounced into the goal!

This is a super world wave with great value!

Joelinton, who scored the goal, was very excited and stuck out his tongue and made faces at the live camera.

Maddison, who received the assist, also rushed towards Joelinton to celebrate with Ronaldo, laughing.

Wembley Stadium once again became a sea of ​​celebration with black and white waves!
Newcastle fans then went for the Mexican Wave after celebrating with passionate cheers and roars.

The devastated Red Devils fans once again looked dazed.

Ten Hag could no longer maintain his coaching demeanor, and his anxious mood was clearly visible on his face. After calling his assistant Fletcher for an urgent discussion, he still failed to make an immediate tactical decision.
On the other hand, Li Chen and Carrick, who restrained their excitement and did not celebrate in person, made tactical adjustments first.

Newcastle is going to call it a day for now.

Even though such a tactical decision would allow Manchester United to catch their breath, it would also allow Newcastle to slow down the pace and safely maintain their two-goal lead.

Of course, the Manchester United players, who have suffered repeated blows and have not yet received new tactical instructions from the coaching staff, do not have the energy to launch a counterattack against Newcastle at this moment.

When the first half of the game ended, many neutral fans looking at the 2-0 score felt that Manchester United had no hope.

Even though they made timely adjustments in the second half and replaced the central defender.

But the current situation is not only a test of Manchester United’s counterattack efficiency, but also a test of their efficiency in actively attacking Newcastle’s defense.

During this period, Newcastle, who are good at seizing opportunities for transition between offense and defense and launching quick counterattacks, will also continue to put pressure on Manchester United’s defense.

In this situation, it would be extremely difficult for Manchester United, whose overall strength is inferior to Newcastle, to make a comeback.

After returning to the locker room, Ten Hag gave some chicken soup to the main players who were in a bad mood.

He then made a tactical adjustment by making substitutions at halftime.

This time he seemed to have come to his senses. Not only did he replace Martinez with Maguire, but he also replaced Anthony, who had been ineffective in the first half of the game, with Greenwood.

When the second half of the game started, the reporters watching the game couldn’t help but shake their heads when they saw Manchester United replace two players in a row.

Now they know to have the courage to make substitutions. What did they do with all that time in the first half of the game?
The idea of ​​substitution is correct, but how much effect can it have on Manchester United’s counterattack if it is changed now?

These reporters and more fans watching the game were not optimistic about Manchester United’s subsequent offensive development.

However, to their surprise, Greenwood, who came on as a substitute in the second half, was in excellent form. He dared to take the ball and made moves. He broke through Marcelo continuously right from the start and created a threat of damage.

If he really continues to perform, Manchester United might be able to tear a big hole in Newcastle’s left defense.

But Li Chen’s on-the-spot adjustments were much more decisive than Ten Hag’s.

In the 49th minute of the second half, Li Chen replaced Marcelo with Grimaldo who had finished warming up in advance.

Marcelo, who had completed his first-half offensive mission, had no dissatisfaction when he left the field.

It seemed as if he had already reached an agreement with Li Chen on his playing time in the second half during the half-time break.

If Greenwood’s condition was not so good, he might have been able to play on the field for ten more minutes.

But seeing that he was about to become a flaw in the team’s defense, Marcelo was still willing to give up his position.

He is a veteran superstar with many honors.

Li Chen gave him the opportunity to fully demonstrate his offensive skills in the right playing time, allowing him to continue to enjoy high-level games, and that was enough.

After Grimaldo came on the court, he quickly limited Greenwood’s breakthrough with the cooperation of his teammates.

Using fresh forces to fight fresh forces is a very simple and effective principle.

Manchester United, whose attack was frustrated, had to increase the pressure of their formation forward.

Luke Shaw and Dalot were also more aggressive than in the first half, moving forward into Newcastle’s defensive territory to participate in the attack.

But facing Newcastle who were determined to shrink their defense at this time, each of Manchester United’s offensive players had little room to play.

They could only speed up the passing frequency as much as possible, look for Newcastle’s weak defensive side, and then hope that the forward teammates who got the ball could find a chance to shoot.

Weghorst, who had almost exhausted his energy early on, could no longer be relied upon.

Rashford, who carried a heavy burden on his shoulders, stood up and helped Manchester United continue their offensive momentum with several inward shots after creating new angles.

But before he and Greenwood could continue to exert their strength, Newcastle used a double-team and counterattack after intercepting the ball to completely push Manchester United into the abyss!

It was Pepe who accurately stole the ball from Weghorst.

Guimaraes, who reacted faster, passed the ball back to Ramos, who decisively sent a long counterattack pass to the right midfield.

Ronaldo retreated to receive the ball and headed it to help Elanga, who was running on the side, get rid of Luke Shaw’s defense and move forward smoothly!
Not being greedy for credit, Elanga passed the ball to Madison who was following up before being pressed by Fred.

Maddison’s long diagonal pass after running and observing helped Grimaldo, who broke into Manchester United’s penalty area, get a chance to make the final pass calmly!

Grimaldo’s low pass quickly passed through the middle of Manchester United’s penalty area.

Chris Wood and Maguire, who wanted to score and intercept, ultimately failed to touch the ball.

When De Gea saw the figure who was half a body length ahead of Luke Shaw and completed the shot at the back of the penalty area, only one negative thought flashed through his mind.

“Ruined!”

Ronaldo, who made the final blow, is still the cold-blooded killer who shows no mercy at the critical moment.

Unsurprisingly, the football penetrated Manchester United’s goal for the third time in this game!
However, Ronaldo, who completely killed the game, did not choose to celebrate.

He scored with a pass and a shot, giving Ten Hag two loud slaps in the face in the head-on confrontation.

But he didn’t feel very happy at the moment.

He no longer cared about how Ten Hag had treated him.

He gave Manchester United and the Red Devils fans the last bit of dignity.

Ronaldo raised his hands slightly and was quickly hugged by his teammates who rushed over.

Many Manchester United fans who were watching this scene gave Ronaldo faint applause in pain.

This applause was both a response and thanks to Ronaldo, and a naked mockery of Ten Hag.

He was the first veteran he wanted to get rid of last summer, and now he has personally shattered his hopes of leading Manchester United to win the first championship trophy since taking office.

Ten Hag, with a gloomy face, sat in the coaching seat in silence. No one knew what he was thinking at the moment.

On the other side, Li Chen, who was confident of victory, began to arrange the next substitutions.

Palinha, Joe Willock and Van der Ven came on.

In the 87th minute of the game, Li Chen replaced Ronaldo with Wilson, using up the last substitution and allowing Ronaldo to enjoy the applause and enthusiastic cheers from the fans alone.

Until the referee blew the whistle to end the game, Manchester United had not scored a face-saving goal.

3-0.

Newcastle won cleanly, while Manchester United lost without any suspense.

After the game, Ronaldo and Li Chen, who were officially selected as the best players of the game, became the targets of reporters on the sidelines.

However, when a reporter congratulated him on leading Newcastle to achieve the goal of winning the championship, Li Chen slightly corrected the other party’s statement.

“For a club like Newcastle, winning the EFL Cup is not a huge success.

This is just the beginning of our journey to success.”

　The set-pieces we lost tonight were heart-breaking to watch. The final result was acceptable, but it would have been better if we hadn’t lost the two corner kicks in the first half…

No matter what, we are always making progress. Keep working hard next time. Come on, Chinese team!

　
(End of this chapter)