Chapter 179 The true leader!
Veteran Giroud stood on the penalty spot.
Players from both teams lined up on the penalty area line, ready for battle.
Patricio bent down slightly, ready to dive at any time according to Giroud's shooting action.
The 35-year-old French striker didn't make any unnecessary movements, just took three steps and shot with his left foot!
Patricio bets to the left!
The shot was not tricky, but Giroud completely fooled the Portuguese goalkeeper.
"1 to 0!"
"AC Milan got off to a dream start in the 7th minute despite being short of players!"
"So far, Patricio has not been able to save any penalty since joining Roma!"
"Although both are meritorious goalkeepers in the history of the Portuguese national team, Patricio is better at saving shots in open play. Compared with his predecessor Ricardo, his ability in saving penalties seems to be a little inferior."
"Who is the best goalkeeper at saving penalties in Xiaodong's opinion?"
In this game, Zhan Jun's partner in the Penguin live broadcast room was Dong Fangzhuo, who had played for Manchester United for several years.
"I have also on the screen, but the one I have seen in person is Edwin van der Sar, who saved Anelka's penalty in the 2008 Champions League to help Manchester United win the Champions League."
On the court, the game continues.
However, for Mourinho, this unexpected goal made his pre-match deployment meaningless.
The essence of defensive counterattack is to shrink the defense line and let the opponent attack.
Regardless of whether AC Milan is short of players or not, as long as this is San Siro, this veteran giant deserves to be taken seriously by any team.
But after taking an early 1-0 lead, the young players of AC Milan did not press forward. In addition, although the young central defender combination of Kalulu and Gabia still had a slight gap in experience and defensive ability compared to Tomori, Romagnoli and Kjaer, they were much better in flexibility and speed due to their youth and physique.
Roma neither pressed forward nor feared being attacked from behind and could not keep up with the pace, which made it difficult for them to launch a penetrating counterattack.
The two sides were engaged in a rotation of positional warfare.
In the 9th minute, Celik tried to cross the ball from the right, but the pass was not well-placed and was cleared by Kalulu.
In the 13th minute, Zaniolo made a cross from the bottom, which was directly confiscated by goalkeeper Maignan.
In the 15th minute, Salemakos cut in and made a cross, but the ball was cleared by Matic. Florenzi made a long shot but missed the target and was easily caught by Patricio.
The match looked exciting, but because both sides were very cautious and did not commit large numbers of troops, there was no threat at all.
Pioli obviously suffered a loss in the first game and did enough preparation for this one.
The offense is still centered on Theo's left side, but the frequency of Florenzi and Messias' insertions on the right side has also increased.
Except for attacking midfielder Diaz who was still participating in the frontcourt attack, the two defensive midfielders Krunic and Tonali were almost only responsible for lateral transfers. The rest of the time they seemed like spectators who came to watch the game. At most, they went to the center circle and watched their teammates in front of them try to attack from a distance.
The purpose of all tactical arrangements is to limit the most threatening person in the Roma lineup - Chen Xiaoliang.
Tonali and Krunic are not strong in defense, far inferior to the two African players in the team, Kessie and Bennacer, but Pioli gave them a very clear task, which is to do a special defense against Chen Xiaoliang when Roma switched from defense to offense:
When the ball was in the backcourt, the two of them tried their best to double-team Chen Xiaoliang to prevent him from getting the ball;
When the ball reached the front court and Chen Xiaoliang got the ball, the two of them blocked Chen Xiaoliang's forward pass;
When the ball reached the wing and was about to be hit to the middle, the two of them retreated to form an encirclement with Kalulu and Gabia behind them, surrounding the Roma attacking players who entered their own penalty area in the encirclement, defending against high balls in the upper three lanes and against inverted triangles in the lower three lanes.
This trick really works.
Although Chen Xiaoliang's passing ability is no longer what it used to be, facing the double defense of four people in the middle, he has no good passing route to get the ball to Cesco who is rushing forward except for the lob pass behind him which is easy to lose the ball.
What's more, Kalulu and Gabia did not press forward. Once they passed the ball behind them, if it was too short, Cesco would have to compete with the two central defenders for the header at the same time, and if it was too long, it would be easily blocked by the attacking goalkeeper Maignan.
But there is still plenty of time. A 90-minute match is a game process of mutual testing and adjustment for both sides. Especially for Chen Xiaoliang, the reason why he can repeatedly help the team equalize or even reverse the score in the final stage of the game is based on the gap that the opponent's physical strength is greatly reduced, while he can never run to death.
This is also the first official game for the three new players who joined in the winter window. Especially with Matic behind him, they still need games to develop tacit understanding.
However, just when Chen Xiaoliang was thinking about how to open up the offensive situation, his teammates played a joke on him again.
In the 16th minute, Malaysia dribbled forward and under the pressure of Florenzi, he chose to pass the ball back to Veretout behind him.
After Veretout controlled the ball for a while, Diaz came up and pressed him in a high position.
Veretout, who wanted to pass the ball to "big brother" Chen Xiaoliang, hesitated for a moment, and chose to pass the ball back safely to Ibanez behind him.
Smalling, who was standing in the middle, stretched out his hand and pointed to Patricio, indicating that he should pass the ball back to the goalkeeper and then move to the right to reorganize the attack.
Ibanez seemed to have seen Smalling's instructions, but the pass was weak and powerless, and Smalling only pointed in the direction but ignored Giroud who was chasing the ball.
The ball was intercepted by Giroud halfway through its roll. Patricio had no choice but to rush forward to block it. Giroud shook to the right and shot!
"Danger!"
"Giroud!"
"The ball hit the post and bounced back!"
"Messias followed up with a shot and the ball went in!!!"
"In the 17th minute, AC Milan once again took advantage of the Roma players' mistakes and changed the score to 2-0!"
Dong Fangzhuo: "Roma's forward and defender each gave a big gift today. AC Milan probably never dreamed that the start would be so smooth."
Zhan Jun: "Veteran Giroud ran tirelessly in the frontcourt to grab this opportunity! Ibanez's pass was too reckless."
Dong Fangzhuo: "Giroud is quite suitable for Serie A at this age. The overall pace is not as fast as that of the Premier League, and the intensity of confrontation is also lower, which can better play to his technical advantages."
Zhan Jun: "On the bench, Ibrahimovic and his teammates were cheering! Compared to the low-key Pioli, Ibrahimovic has already said at the beginning of the season that AC Milan's goal this season is to regain the Serie A title!"
Barrage:
[Buy defensive midfielder, buy full-back, but don’t buy the most important center back, I am also laughing]
[Milan sent the second team to play, but Roma still played like this, just focus on fighting for the top four]
[Smalling seems to be showing Giroud the way]
[If even the 35-year-old Giroud can't be defended, how can he defend Vlahovic next game? ]
[Manchester United fans leave a message: Welcome Roma to pack up Fred and Maguire]
…
Mourinho's face was livid on the sidelines, and the players' performance seemed to be a slap in his face.
Compared to Pioli's low-key attitude before the game, Mourinho was full of confidence. He not only praised the team's performance in the first half of the season, but also hinted that they would "go further" in the second half of the season after the new players joined.
It’s already ranked 2nd, so where else can it go except 1st?
However, the panic and confusion among the team seemed to spread from person to person.
After Cesco kicked the ball out of the center circle, Veretout's impatient long pass to Zaniolo on the left was intercepted by Messias who was actively returning to defense.
Zaniolo was so angry that he stretched out his leg to trip the Brazilian who was about to break through with the ball. The referee immediately met Zaniolo's request and showed him a yellow card.
Mourinho was angry and clapped his hands and complained to himself on the sidelines.
Joao came up and asked him if he wanted the opposing players to warm up in advance. Mourinho was just worried about where to vent his anger, so he angrily retorted: "Why should I play?! Substitution after only 18 minutes?! Then just replace the whole team!"
At this time, AC Milan, who were already at home, had completely gained the upper hand both in momentum and mentality.
Players are relieved of pressure and are more likely to play smooth football in a relaxed and focused state.
After being "beaten" for another five minutes, Chen Xiaoliang decided to take the initiative to change the situation on the field.
Because AC Milan's two defensive midfielders were focused on defense and covering positions today, and the central defender was standing very far back, the tactic that he took the initiative to pull to the right to attack Theo who was losing strength last time could not be used today.
Not to mention that the game is only in the 23rd minute and his physical strength is almost gone. It is not easy to force a breakthrough against Theo, who is known for his speed.
And given the density of AC Milan's central defense, even if he breaks through Theo and crosses the ball, it will be difficult for Cesco to head the cross in the encirclement.
Although both Veretout and Matic are capable of long-range shots, especially Matic, his running ability is not as good as before. Like Cristante, it is difficult for him to follow the breakthrough on the wing and make a high-speed run in a quick counterattack. Veretout also has to protect Matic to prevent the opponent from using speed to break through the middle, so he dare not rush in.
However, Chen Xiaoliang's solution was also very rough.
If one leg can't be broken, then break the other leg.
Florenzi was particularly excited in this game. The veteran players in the team knew it well, and he didn't really want to prove to his former teammates how great he was, but he wanted to prove to Roma's fans and former management how stupid it was to underestimate him.
Although the original boss and head coach are no longer with the team, the wounds in his heart cannot be healed by later generations.
His exciting performance allowed AC Milan's right wing, which was led by Calabria and did not pose any threat in the last game, to frequently create opportunities, putting Roma under attack from both sides.
But before launching a counterattack, Chen Xiaoliang must first help the team rebuild their confidence in defense.
How to do it? It’s simple, retrace.
Immediately, teammates and coaches discovered that Chen Xiaoliang was no longer roaming in the midfield, but came to the sides of Matic and Veretout.
In the 28th minute, Florenzi, who was better at defense and was in high spirits today, rushed forward again and made a strong attack on Malaysia, who was 9 years younger than him. Seeing that he had no speed advantage, he made an emergency stop and passed the ball from the right at a 45° angle to the penalty area.
The ball hit Veretout's butt and changed direction slightly. The ball that was originally flying towards Giroud turned into rolling towards Messias outside the penalty area.
As a fixed rotation player, Messias, who scored one goal, worked very hard. Which rotation player would not want to perform well and establish his own starting position in one fell swoop when the main players are absent?
Like a shark that smelled blood, he immediately stopped and ran back, trying to catch the ball.
Then there was already a fisherman waiting there.
Just as Messias was about to raise his foot, Chen Xiaoliang flashed past him like a gust of wind and kicked the ball into the stands.
There was a loud bang, and before Messias could react, he subconsciously retracted his hands and feet to protect himself.
When he came to his senses, he found that it was Chen Xiaoliang who had rescued him violently. Just as he was about to go up to argue with him, he heard Chen Xiaoliang walk to the side of Wellertu and talk in a language he could not understand.
Chen Xiaoliang said in French: "What are you doing? Just block it! If you are afraid, they will bully you. If you are tough, they will be afraid of running into you!"
Chen Xiaoliang has been using this to motivate his teammates during training, especially when Mourinho has selected young players from the youth team to train with the first team and they are afraid of Chen Xiaoliang's tough defense, he will encourage his teammates in this way.
In competitive sports and team events, on the surface it’s a competition of confrontation, but on the inside it’s a competition of fighting spirit.
If you don't dare to fight back physically and just avoid the opponent when you see he's fierce, then what's the point of fighting spirit?
Even though he is neither sturdy nor tall like Messi, he dares to get up again and again when facing the opponent's double-teaming and hard fighting, and use breakthroughs to undermine the opponent's confidence and fighting spirit.
Why do people generally despise diving in the penalty area? Because this behavior not only undermines sports ethics and fair competition, but also makes people feel weak.
Messias was stunned when he saw Chen Xiaoliang lecturing Weletu, who was much older than him, in a tough manner.
When the two teams first faced off, he tore his muscle fibers and did not travel with the team to Rome, so he neither played against Chen Xiaoliang nor felt the atmosphere on the sidelines.
This kind of imposing pressure cannot be experienced through television.
What puzzled him even more was that both Veretout and other Roma players felt that being lectured by the 17-year-old kid was a very normal thing.
The 30-year-old Messias couldn't understand. If any young man in AC Milan yelled at him, even if he was just a substitute, even if the opponent was Daniel Maldini, the son of club legend and football director Maldini, who was sitting on the bench in this game, he would have to yell back:
Who do you think you are?
What's going on with Roma? Is the Kopa Award so powerful? Even Messi, who has won seven Ballon d'Ors, doesn't dare to yell at Mbappe in Paris...
Although I, Messias, have two more words in my name than Messi, I still want to try out what this kid is up to.
Messias thought about it and went up to catch the sideline ball thrown by Florenzi unwillingly.
He had just stopped the ball and was about to turn around when he heard Florenzi's loud shout and a huge force from behind knocked him over.
Messias had no idea what was happening. He fell to the ground and looked back, only to see the ball being kicked far forward by Chen Xiaoliang. Abraham was competing with Tonali in speed.
He looked at the referee in surprise, but the referee had already rushed to the front court following the ball.
He looked at the linesman again, who looked at him with a questioning look on his face and waved his hand.
However, the audience in front of the screen could see it clearly.
Dong Fangzhuo: "This was a beautiful interception. He rushed from behind without even a tackle. He stepped on the ball while Messias was turning around, and then used the momentum of his body to push him away . There was no pushing or collision with his arms or body. Messias didn't even look behind him and was caught off guard."
Zhan Jun: "This ball is quite similar to the style of Stam when he was at Manchester United!"
Because Florenzi came up to throw the ball from the sideline, Tonali had to move to the side to block Abraham.
But how could his speed catch up with the big black legs running at full speed?
Abraham dribbled the ball and rushed diagonally towards the penalty area. Cesco in the middle and Zaniolo at the back followed him.
"Abraham chose to shoot from a small angle!"
"oops!!!"
Not only did Zhan Jun and Dong Fangzhuo sigh loudly, but the Roma fans who traveled with the team on the away game were clapping and stamping their feet. Mourinho wanted to replace Abraham immediately and scold him for an hour!
But someone helped him convey his emotions on the court!
"Hey! Tammy! Look at me!"
“Look at me!”
This time it was in English. Chen Xiaoliang yelled at Abraham who was running back silently with his head down.
Dong Fangzhuo: "Xiaoliang was very tough and proactive today."
Zhan Jun: "This practice reminds me of someone! You also know him, Xiao Dong!"
Dong Fangzhuo: "Keane!"
Zhan Jun: "That's right! It was Roy Keane! Darren Fletcher, Wes Brown, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and even the young Cristiano Ronaldo were all scolded by this iron-blooded captain!"
Dong Fangzhuo: "It seems that Xiaoliang was really anxious today, but Roma's performance was indeed worse than everyone expected."
Zhan Jun: "Instead of being criticized by thousands of people after the game, it is better to hit the nail on the head on the court! It is better to suffer a short pain than a long one!"
On the court, Abraham of course heard Chen Xiaoliang's roar. Based on the more than half a year of interaction and extra training between the two, he knew that Chen Xiaoliang had a lot more to say.
He frowned, looked up at Chen Xiaoliang, then raised his hand to signal, ran to his position, turned around and looked at AC Milan goalkeeper Maignan preparing to serve.
From the 12th round to the 19th round of the league, he only scored 2 goals in 8 games, while Cesco scored 3 goals and had 2 assists, and even Zaniolo scored 3 goals.
As a striker, and a high-priced striker at that, he naturally endured a lot of pressure from fans and the media.
He wanted to score a goal so badly. What's more, it was he who caused the penalty for AC Milan today, so he wanted to make up for his mistake.
But for strikers, there is often only a fine line between confidence and selfishness.
At this moment, he felt extremely regretful.
AC Milan kicked off and returned to their most familiar left flank.
But today, in front of Salemacols, it was Celik who was conscientious and not at all rash.
No matter how AC Milan passed the ball or ran on the left, he would guard the wing, fighting back against any enemy that came his way. Without full confidence in returning to defense, he would never press forward even if they lured him again.
Because they almost lost the ball just now, Theo didn't dare to press forward for a while. Salemacols and Diaz made a few short passes, but when they found there was no chance, they moved to the right.
Tonali received the pass from Diaz and passed it to Florenzi.
The former Roma "third generation" crossed the center line and was about to look at the position of his teammates to decide whether to break through or pass.
Unexpectedly, when he looked up, a young man wearing a white jersey and captain's armband stopped in front of him.
The well-informed Florenzi is not a marginal player like Messias who tries hard to gain a foothold in a big team. He knows how important Chen Xiaoliang is to Roma at the moment.
He also knew that if he didn't get rid of this person, he would not be able to fully vent his hatred for being abandoned by the club in those years.
The two looked at each other and understood each other tacitly.
No matter what happened in the past, no matter how much it happened, let’s end it all here today, at San Siro!
