Chapter 153: AC Milan's Championship
[Solo defense against Ibrahimovic, I can brag about this for the rest of my life]
[I can't believe it, Ibrahimovic can't even carry Chen Xiaoliang, is he cheating?]
[Mancini saw that Ibrahimovic had no temper today. If he keeps defending like this, Ibrahimovic will score a goal sooner or later]
[Ibanez is tougher, but a little short, but Kjaer on the opposite side is also a big sieve]
[This is not the first or second time that Roma’s defense has relied on Chen Xiaoliang. Apart from him, no one else’s defense can be relied on.]
…
Facing the heated discussion, Zhang Lu explained: "The ball just now really can't be tackled. He was the last defensive player. If he accidentally committed a foul, he would be given a red card. Xiaoliang used the best defensive method to destroy Ibrahimovic's center of gravity balance.
But it must be fair to say that Ibrahimovic is 40 years old after all. If he was in his prime, he would have already passed the ball with his speed. If they really ran at high speed, it would be difficult for both sides to exert their strength. "
He Wei: "Milan's performance today was very calm. Whether they were behind at the start or tied at 1-1, they were not in a hurry at all."
Zhang Wei: "There is a clear gap between the two teams in terms of maturity. Roma is indeed very competitive. Judging from the recent rounds, their fighting spirit and willpower have improved, but their threatening offensive points are still relatively limited.
Now Cesco's role on the field is obviously greater than that of Abraham and Zaniolo.
On the AC Milan side, the players' positioning was clearer and their attacking styles were more varied. For example, Krunic came up to pass the ball to Ibrahimovic, and the same was true for Salemakos on the right, who provided more indirect support than direct attack.
In Roma, Pellegrini, who plays in the same position, always gives people the feeling that he wants to work alone, and when he fails to work alone, he will consider passing the ball, so the offense is not systematic. ”
By the 42nd minute of the game, AC Milan had already had 4 corner kicks and 8 shots.
If it weren't for Patricio's hard work and Milan's shot being far from the goal, the score would not have been 1-1 at this time.
Ibrahimovic's threat in the middle is too great, whether with or without the ball.
It's a very different feeling to guarding Harry Kane.
England's top player, who is at the peak of his powers, has better attacking style, supporting ability and running ability than the 40-year-old Ibrahimovic.
But there is one thing about Ibrahimovic that very few other players possess, and that is his rebellious leadership qualities and strong spiritual attributes.
After returning to Milan this time, he immediately became the undisputed leader of the team's locker room. Whether he played or not, his opinions and words were extremely important in the minds of the players.
In the eyes of opponents, this temperament will invisibly increase their psychological burden - tension, fear, not daring to actively annoy Ibrahimovic, etc.
Based on the current situation on the field, Chen Xiaoliang has completely given up on attacking. As long as Ibrahimovic retreats, he will directly defend him. If Ibrahimovic goes forward, he will try his best to cut off the passing route between Milan's center and Ibrahimovic by running.
He secretly rejoiced in his heart that his speed attribute had been increased, so that he could keep up with Milan's lateral transfer rhythm more quickly.
In the stands, Roma fans watched their team being frequently threatened by AC Milan, but it seemed as if it had nothing to do with them. Fans in each stand were still taking turns singing cheering songs, preparing to be the most solid 12th man of the team.
Anyway, Roma has always been like this when facing strong teams, so there's nothing strange about it.
In addition, when Mourinho arrived, they had already anticipated that there would be an extra bus in front of the goal of the Olympic Stadium, so they were mentally prepared.
Ugly? Even if it is ugly, it ranks third in the league, 2 points higher than the defending champion Inter Milan.
As long as the result looks good.
With Chen Xiaoliang's repeated lateral running, it became difficult for Ibrahimovic to get a through ball in the penalty area except for crosses from the wing.
Krunic, who was a little further forward, couldn't even find a chance to take a long shot outside the penalty area, and had to rely on Kessie and Bennacer to follow up and take long shots from further away.
Theo on the left spent more and more time holding the ball, and the ball had to pass through his feet in almost every attack. On the right, Salemacols and Calabria simply turned into midfielders to help transfer and coordinate.
In the 43rd minute, Theo dribbled the ball near the left bottom line and faced Karsdorp who was following him all the way.
In the targeted training before the game, Mourinho asked Karsdorp not to aim for steals, but to make preventing Theo from passing the ball comfortably the key point of defense in this game.
To put it bluntly, you can pass, but you cannot pass comfortably; you can pass, but you cannot pass with a swagger.
After all, crossing is a technical job that tests one's footwork. If the ball is passed too close to the goal, the goalkeeper will jump up and confiscate it; if the ball is passed too far from the goal, the threat level of the attack will be reduced.
Although Karsdorp is not a very spiritual player, he always carries out Mourinho's requirements to the letter.
At this time, he was keeping a distance of about two meters to prevent Theo from overtaking him in one step, and then observing his footsteps. As long as he intended to pass the ball, he would try to block his route.
Theo took a few steps and tested Karsdorp. Suddenly, he pushed the ball to the right with his right foot, stepped on the ball with his left foot, and raised his right foot again, as if he was going to pass the ball.
Karsdorp really took the bait and stretched out his left leg to block.
This is what Theo is waiting for.
Without waiting for Karsdorp's feet to land, he hooked his right foot, stepped with his left foot, and forced his way past Theo from the side of the baseline.
"Karsdorp's defensive problems have been constantly exposed this season, and now Theo has once again broken through them."
"Theo enters the left side of the penalty area along the baseline!"
"Hit the middle!"
"Leo!"
"Danger!"
"Corner kick! Patricio saves Roma again!"
"Mannic was too slow. After Leo finished the shovel shot, he just turned around and ran back."
"Karsdorp played very hard! But he is too easy to be fooled, which has been proved countless times this season!"
"From the fact that he took the initiative to keep a distance from Theo, he knew that he was easy to be fooled, so he wanted to use his speed to keep up with his opponent's breakthrough."
"If Leo's shot hadn't been too straight and Patricio hadn't jumped up to save it, AC Milan would have changed the score to 1-2 before the end of the first half!"
"But now they have a corner kick opportunity!"
Seeing the team getting better and better, AC Milan fans who came from afar also began to cheer.
Chen Xiaoliang, who was guarding the middle road, also sighed helplessly.
The defensive problems on the wing, especially Karsdorp's defensive problems, are clearly known to everyone in the team.
But what is frustrating is that a right-back like Karsdorp is considered top-notch in the entire Serie A.
In addition, many threatening players in the opponent's lineup like to move on the left, such as Insigne, Immobile, and Theo today, so Karsdorp seems unable to cope with it.
When he encounters a player with good skills and slow speed, he can still catch up with his speed after losing his position. This is why his defense looks pretty good when he plays against a weak team and the opponent does not have a strong winger.
But when facing a strong team, especially a French full-back like Theo who has a non-traditional Italian style and is extremely fast and has excellent personal skills, once Karsdorp is dribbled past, it will be difficult to catch up.
But again, Roma only has these few guns that can be used, and Mourinho is also waiting for winter reinforcements.
The only player currently playing full-time as a full-back is Calafiori on the bench, but he is better at playing as a left-back.
A good cook cannot cook without rice, and this really makes it difficult for Mourinho.
Pioli, who was on the sidelines, couldn't help but feel regretful when he saw that he missed the goal.
But overall, he looked very relaxed today.
The team's performance was very good and their attacking style was very mature. He believed that Milan would not score only one goal in this game.
Although Ibrahimovic was the main target of defense, they still had Theo and Leo.
If that is not enough, Pioli can also replace him with another veteran Giroud and midfielder Tonali worth 50 million euros to strengthen the attack.
This is the gap between Roma and the three giants in Serie A.
At least from now on, this gap in lineup depth is difficult to reverse in a short period of time!
Mourinho sat in the stands with a blank expression on his face.
Joao asked him if he wanted to make any adjustments, and he just replied, "Wait a little longer."
Adjust? How?
Karsdorp is the best choice at the moment.
Moreover, tonight's tactics were decided and practiced by the team before the game .
Should they temporarily change to three central defenders? Or should Chen Xiaoliang help defend Ibrahimovic and go to the wing to help intercept Theo?
This is obviously a solution that will not be adopted unless it is absolutely necessary, because it will give the players a clear signal that the tactics before the game cannot adapt to the situation in the game.
Theo is indeed very good, but he still relies on passing and assists to threaten Roma's goal. Compared with Ibrahimovic, the fulcrum in the middle, his threat is still much smaller.
The corner kick was taken quickly, and it was still a tactical corner kick given to Theo for a cross.
However, this time Theo used a little more strength, and the arc trajectory of the ball in the air actually caused the ball to fly out of the baseline. The referee stopped the shot and awarded the goal to Roma.
It was already 45 minutes, with 1 minute of injury time.
Roma got the last offensive opportunity in the first half.
Patricio passed the ball to Ibanez, who passed it to Binya on the left.
Salmachorus immediately went to meet him.
The team's long-suppressed offensive scene made Binya impatient. Seeing that Salemacols had not returned to his position in the middle, he immediately lowered his head and kicked his feet, starting to move forward with the ball at full speed.
Seeing that his actions had been discovered, Salemarcos had no choice but to chase after Vinia.
Bennacer also did not have time to return to his position, and the only one left in front of Binya was Milan's right-back Calabria.
Seeing Binya coming forward, Roma's three forwards also pushed forward at all costs.
Abraham's cut-in took away Calabria, and this actually allowed Viña to create an opportunity to pass the ball from the bottom!
The Uruguayan was not in a hurry to kick the ball. He kept dribbling the ball inside, waiting for Zaniolo and Pellegrini to rush up from behind.
Seeing that Bennacer was about to stick to him when he returned to defense, Binya made a reverse triangle pass!
The ball was passed accurately to Pellegrini's feet!
Next to him was Cathy, whose hand was already slightly on his waist!
But this was a restricted area, and Casey didn't dare to move too obviously.
Pellegrini shoots!
The distance is too close! Tatarusanu can only stand near the near corner, while Tomori is already guarding the near post!
"oops!"
He Wei and Zhang Lu shouted.
Logically, football commentators should not have too obvious supportive tendencies, but Roma is Chen Xiaoliang 's team after all, and such subconscious modal particles at critical moments often cannot be deliberately concealed.
"Pellegrini missed such an opportunity. The ball hit the outside of the post. After Viña made a cross, he lost his balance and fell outside the baseline. Seeing that the opportunity he had run out was wasted like this, he lay on the ground and sighed to the sky."
"Mourinho must be missing the shooting skills and ability to seize opportunities in front of the goal of those stars in his past teams!"
"Well, the referee didn't give either side any more chances and blew the whistle to end the first half of the game."
"We saw that Zaniolo seemed to be discussing the ball with Pellegrini, as if he was saying that if he passed the ball horizontally to himself, it would be an empty goal."
"However, football matches are ever-changing, and there are not so many ifs! Roma finally held on to the 1-1 score."
"The home team was in the lead, with a possession rate of 47 to 53 in the first half, shots of 6 to 10, and a pass success rate of 87 to 85. Roma was actually two percentage points higher. Judging from the score and these data, it seems that the two teams played back and forth in the first half and were evenly matched."
"But the data cannot represent the scene. Overall, AC Milan had a clear advantage in the first 45 minutes. Roma had no good way to deal with Theo's wing attack and could only rely on central defense."
"Fortunately, Milan only has Ibrahimovic as a high point in the penalty area, so Roma's defense is still very targeted. It depends on how Mourinho adjusts in the second half."
Back in the locker room, the Roma players didn't look happy.
Pioli's Milan is very pragmatic. It can be seen from their ball possession rate that they did not pursue siege today and still attacked when they had the chance.
This left Roma with not much space to counterattack.
If they were able to rely on defensive defensiveness to attract the opponent's full-scale pressure against Napoli and Juventus, maintain ball possession, and then wait for an opportunity to counterattack, it is obvious that this tactic did not work against Milan.
"Everyone played well in the first half!"
It took Mourinho twice as long to get back to the locker room from the stands as it did from the dugout, during which time he had to deal with greetings from enthusiastic fans.
The players didn't .
Is this what you call a good kick?
Obviously, Mourinho also saw that the players were not satisfied with the situation on the field.
"Last season, we were ranked 7th and today's opponent was ranked 2nd. This season, we are ranked 3rd and they continue to be ranked 2nd. Don't forget, we are the pursuers."
"Their entire team is worth 571 million euros, while ours is currently around 420 million euros."
"You are all professional players and you know what a difference of 150 million euros means."
"I know you guys are frustrated and you think the game is not pretty, but at the end of the season, when we make it to the Champions League next season, who will care about that?"
"Hold on, this game is all about who gets impatient first and who makes mistakes first! The two goals in the first half have already shown that if someone loses focus or makes a mistake, the other team will seize the opportunity and score in one fell swoop!"
After that, Mourinho asked Mkhitaryan to replace Zaniolo and form a double attacking midfielder with Pellegrini, while Abraham returned to the center and acted as a shadow striker behind Cesco.
He ordered everyone, including Cesco, to participate in the defense. If Milan did not press forward, they would rush to the midfield line and start pressing them.
Mourinho's plan is simple. Once the pressing starts on the center line, it will become more difficult for Milan's midfielders and defenders to advance with the ball, and more supporting players will be needed nearby as safe passing points.
If this is the case, Milan's defense will have to consider pressing forward to keep the lineup compact and ensure that there are no mistakes in passing.
Once they press forward, there will be space for counterattack. If they don't press forward, the possibility of the pass being intercepted or being forced to make a long pass forward will increase significantly.
The advantages of pressing are obvious, the only disadvantage is that it requires a lot of physical strength.
In Mourinho's eyes, this Milan team plays confidently and steadily. Although they are currently ranked second in the league, compared with Napoli and Inter Milan, they have already shown the potential to be champions.
“Beep!”
The second half begins!
Milan kicks off!
Still advancing on the left as usual.
Theo dribbled the ball from the left to the middle, and Leo ran on the left to attract the defense's attention.
Ibrahimovic retreated to the top of the penalty area to prepare for the response, and Chen Xiaoliang followed closely!
As soon as the second half started, I don’t know if it was a coincidence or intentional, but the two of them met!
The experienced Ibrahimovic deliberately used his body to hit Chen Xiaoliang several times when he was off the ball.
Firstly, it was a counterattack against the single-handed defense on him in the first half, and secondly, he wanted to try again where this kid got such great strength.
He gradually discovered that Chen Xiaoliang was very good at close defense, and he always felt indescribable discomfort when he was caught in such close combat.
It was like something was placed in his body, and the switch was on Chen Xiaoliang. Every time there was a close collision, it was like pressing a switch, and he would feel uncomfortable!
Well, when Ibrahimovic thought about it, he also felt that this metaphor was quite appropriate.
He followed Mourinho, and although Mourinho led the team to win the treble the next season after he left Inter Milan, he did not regret it. Instead, he admired the Portuguese very much.
So when he first saw Mourinho choose to let a 17-year-old kid play as the main defensive midfielder when he came to Rome, he just found it difficult to understand.
When he was at Inter Milan, who were the players behind Sneijder? Cambiasso and Zanetti!
Occasionally, the aging but still strong Figo would be rotated in.
This shows the importance of the defensive midfielder in Mourinho's football philosophy.
Just when I thought of this, Theo passed the ball to me!
Ibrahimovic leaned his back against Chen Xiaoliang, blocking the ball with his hands to ensure that Chen Xiaoliang could not get around, and then stretched out his right leg to catch the ball.
Ibrahimovic tried again, trying to push Chen Xiaoliang away and then turned around to attack.
Unexpectedly, after two hits, he almost lost his balance again! He had no choice but to pass the ball back to Bennacer!
Now Ibrahimovic understood that when he was using his left foot as a supporting foot and controlling the ball with his right foot, Chen Xiaoliang was exerting force on the right half of his body.
Although he is not as strong and powerful as himself, when he focuses all his strength on his weak point, he can produce almost double the effect!
"You did a good job. I don't know who taught you, but you did a good job. But the teaching phase ends here. I'm going to get serious from now on."
After saying that, Ibrahimovic ran back to the penalty area!
Without the ball, Chen Xiaoliang couldn't take the initiative to stop him.
Ben Nasser saw Ibrahimovic running back, and immediately passed the ball into the penalty area after receiving it!
Mancini comes up and Ibrahimovic jumps!
Mancini felt as if a huge truck hit him head-on and his whole body was leaning backwards!
In the end, Patricio made an early move and punched the ball out of the penalty area before Ibrahimovic could reach it!
Barrage:
[These two defenders can't defend against fast opponents, and can't defend against tall opponents either. They are excellent.]
[Chen Xiaoliang is the only one protecting the front of the penalty area now. Cristante is basically invisible. He can't keep up with the speed of the ball transfer.]
[I really don’t know how this team beat Napoli. Spalletti must have fainted in the toilet after watching today’s game. Hurry up and place an order for a center forward.]
[Juventus has basically finalized the purchase of Vlahovic for 80 million euros]
[Winter window, 80 million euros, Juventus are crazy, they are hesitant, if they bought in the summer, they wouldn’t be ranked so far behind now]
[Bold prediction, today's 1:3, Big Brother reverses and wins - Third Brother fans leave]
