Chapter 225: Counterattack! Mourinho's hatred!
Mourinho didn't want to implement this plan so quickly.
This was originally a plan to be used next season when we compete against strong teams in both the Champions League and the league.
The name of this plan is "Superstar Plan".
And this superstar is Chen Xiaoliang.
Since sending Chen Xiaoliang to Glasgow Rangers, Mourinho has been observing his growth.
Like Gerrard, he is very aware of the talent of Chen Xiaoliang, and this season, he has witnessed the transformation of a defensive midfielder into an all-around midfielder.
He was well aware of Chen Xiaoliang's offensive abilities, long shots outside the penalty area and headers from behind. Although these two abilities were far inferior to his unrivaled stealing ability, they were definitely at a respectable level among professional players in the top five leagues.
But he never used it. He just let Chen Xiaoliang switch positions between central midfielder and defensive midfielder according to the characteristics of the opponent, using his defensive and passing abilities.
It's not that he doesn't want to use it, but he deliberately suppresses it.
Because once a player's ability is fully demonstrated, he will become the target of careful study and close targeting by his opponents.
Even ordinary fans know that when facing superstars, they should focus on defending them.
For example, when facing peak Messi, you need to double-team him to prevent him from breaking through. When facing peak Cristiano Ronaldo, you need to find a way to cut off the passing route to him in the midfield. When facing Zidane and you really can't beat him, you can send in Materazzi. When facing De Bruyne, you first need to distinguish whether he is the De Bruyne from Belgium or the one from Manchester City.
Once Chen Xiaoliang fully unleashes his offensive abilities this season, it means that opponents will definitely make special defensive arrangements against him next season.
But Mourinho didn't expect that he would have the opportunity to compete for the league championship in his first season in Rome.
And it has reached such a stalemate.
He thought about it for a long time and finally decided that instead of looking forward to winning the championship next season, it is better to seize the opportunity that is right in front of him!
So he specially arranged the opening scenes of this game.
Long shot, long shot, and long shot again.
Of course, there was an element of gambling on his part. If the first few long shots were ineffective, not only would they fail to intimidate the opponent, they would also give away the ball and undermine their own confidence.
But he made the right bet.
Although Chen Xiaoliang's three consecutive long shots failed to score, each shot made the entire Inter Milan team sweat.
If scoring a goal is compared to death, then what is often more frightening to opponents than death is hovering on the edge of death without knowing when death will occur.
It's like a person walking on an ice river. The ice crackles with every step. While he is glad that he didn't fall, he is also afraid that the next step will lead to his doom.
Like walking on thin ice and facing the abyss.
As a result, everyone in Inter Milan knew that in addition to his abnormal defensive skills, Chen Xiaoliang could also make through passes and crosses from the side. He could directly threaten the goal outside the penalty area on his own and even rush into the penalty area to compete for headers.
What's more tricky is that what sets him apart from the usual playmakers is that his advantages in speed, confrontation, running and endurance mean that most midfielders cannot gain the upper hand when confronting him one-on-one.
This will pose a problem for all team coaches: how to use man-marking and space compression in the midfield to limit his performance.
The people who can "enjoy" this exclusive and targeted arrangement are naturally only superstars.
That was the case with the free kick just now.
Chen Xiaoliang's running outside the penalty area attracted the attention of two opposing defenders and four players, greatly reducing the pressure on his players in the penalty area when facing the opposing defense.
This can be said to be Mourinho's "unplanned" trick to compete for the championship.
Of course, he was also very satisfied with the role of this "unexpected" effect.
Sometimes Mourinho even wondered whether Chen Xiaoliang was deliberately hiding something because of his flaws in medium and short-range shooting and minor techniques.
However, as the defending champions, Inter Milan is playing at home and will obviously not lose their composure because of a goal.
Although the defense has not yet fully adjusted to Chen Xiaoliang's "sudden change", they are still methodically executing the established tactics in offense.
In the 29th minute, Pellegrini cut in from the right and his long shot was blocked by Handanovic. De Vrij passed the ball directly to the left, Dimarco dribbled forward and Zaniolo chased after him to press.
Next, Inter Milan played a very exciting combination.
Dimarco ran down the left flank and passed the ball forward just as Zaniolo was about to catch up with him.
Perisic, who played as a left midfielder, did not receive the ball. Instead, he kicked the ball with his left foot and directly sent it to Barrera's feet not far in front of him.
Chen Xiaoliang came over, and Barrera did not dare to delay for a moment, and directly passed the ball back to Calhanoglu who was making a run.
The Turkish midfielder's subsequent pass while running proved to everyone watching the game why he can firmly occupy a starting position in the Nerazzurri.
His through ball rolled forward quickly for about 35 meters, passing through the gap between Veretout and Matic, and accurately found De Vries who had run to the middle and successfully got offside next to Mancini.
When the ball was passed forward from the backcourt just now, Lautaro had already moved forward in the middle. His run directly attracted the attention of Roma's two central defenders.
No one expected that an opponent's right winger would suddenly appear.
De Vries was running all the way at this moment, catching up with this perfectly timed pass on the penalty area line, then he took a step and made a slight adjustment, and before Patricio could rush in front of him, he shot with his left foot!
The ball passed between Patricio's legs and rolled into the far corner of the goal along the grass!
Lou Yichen: “I never expected it! In less than 4 minutes, Inter Milan equalized the score in a high-speed counterattack!”
Liu Yue: "The backcourt kept relying on wall passes to quickly guide the ball to the midfield, and then Calhanoglu made a deadly through pass that directly tore through Roma's defense, which didn't seem to be very focused."
"De Vries's final push was also very calm, hitting Patricio's wicket."
Lou Yichen: "Oops, the replay shows that Ibanez was dragged too far back, and the other two defenders, Malacia and Mancini, retreated 3 meters in front of him, resulting in Inter Milan having no offside pressure when Calhanoglu passed the ball."
Liu Yue: "Central defenders have always been a weakness of Roma. In positional warfare, it was OK, relying on the numerical advantage, the defensive midfielder's replacement, the full-backs' inward movement, and the height of the central defenders, they were able to deal with it relatively calmly. But once it came to the stage of rapid retreat, the opponent repeatedly seized on the shortcomings in speed and reaction."
Lou Yichen: "Lautaro, who just wasted a good opportunity to score, made up for it. In this counterattack, he attracted the attention of two opponent players alone, creating a huge space for De Vries to suddenly appear."
On the sidelines, Mourinho, who was full of complacency half a minute ago, now frowned.
No matter how hard a genius fights in the frontcourt, he can't stand up to a few idiots in the backcourt.
However, it was only the 30th minute, and the score of 1-1 simply meant returning to the starting point.
Cesco kicked off from the center circle and the game continued.
Having tasted the sweetness of quick counterattacks, Inter Milan continued to make every possible attempt to speed up. When one of the two wingers got the ball, the other would come over to provide support, increasing the number of receiving points in the middle to advance forward as quickly as possible.
Although Perisic's speed and breakthrough ability are not as good as their peak as he gets older, he can still pose a certain threat with his dribbling when facing Celik, who is also not known for his speed, or even Roma's slow central defenders.
In the 32nd minute, Barrera received a header from Dzeko on the penalty area line, but was saved by Patricio.
Immediately in the 33rd minute, Roma immediately launched a long pass counterattack. Zaniolo, who did not return to defense, got the ball on the right side of the frontcourt and rushed directly to the penalty area. He rushed into the penalty area and passed the ball in front of the goal with too much power. When Cesco fell to the ground and shot, the ball had already rolled over.
The two sides continued to fight a rapid offensive battle in this almost defenseless state, with quick pushes against each other every few minutes.
In such a situation, the fans were so happy and excited, and the commentators were spitting and their mouths were dry.
In the 37th minute, Barrera fouled Celik in defense, and Roma once again got a free kick opportunity on the right side of the frontcourt.
This time, Calhanoglu stood directly next to Chen Xiaoliang, and Barrera was behind him ready to assist at any time.
The penalty area was still crowded, and Veretout, who was ignored last time, was closely guarded by Perisic this time.
Pellegrini kicked the ball, and this time he still sent a high ball into the penalty area.
Lou Yichen: "Still at the back post! Cesco is there again!"
"De Vries and Skriniar double-team defense!"
"Destroy the ball!"
“Dumfries rushes out to chase the ball!”
"Get the ball before Zaniolo!"
Liu Yue: "It seems that Roma has practiced this set-piece tactic many times in training, but Inter Milan has obviously also stepped up its response."
Before Liu Yue could finish his words, Inter Milan's counterattack had already crossed the half court!
Lou Yichen: "Hey! Let's see!"
"When Dumfries saw Chen Xiaoliang rushing towards him, he immediately passed the ball to the left!"
"Lautaro received the ball! He stopped suddenly while running! He passed it to Brozovic who was running past him!"
"5 against 5 in the frontcourt! Roma's retreat speed is also much faster than before!"
"Brozovich into the penalty area!"
"Mancini is in front of me!"
“Cut inside!”
"pretty!"
“So beautiful!”
"In the 39th minute! Inter Milan's Croatian midfielder Brozovic scored another goal! The score was reversed to 2-1!"
Liu Yue: "Roma's defense had problems again. Mancini retreated quickly this time, and Veretout had also retreated into the penalty area in front of him. But after Brozovic made a feint in front of him, Mancini rashly stretched out his foot to grab the ball. At that moment, Brozovic flicked the ball to the right and shot directly into the far corner."
"This ball was played beautifully, directly onto the side net. It was difficult for the goalkeeper to react from such a close distance."
Lou Yichen: "Little Inzaghi, he raised his arms and celebrated excitedly on the sidelines! But the camera showed that Chairman Zhang Kangyang still had a blank expression on his face, and he didn't seem to be satisfied with the team's excellent counterattack performance at all."
Liu Yue: "He is under a lot of pressure now. I heard that the club's debt repayment has reached an imminent stage."
Lou Yichen: "Competitive sports are always cruel. I remember that after Inter Milan won the championship last season, Zhang Kangyang was hailed as the savior by Inter Milan fans. However, this season, as the team is still struggling for a Champions League spot at the end of the season, banners asking him to get out of the club have appeared on the streets of Milan."
On the sidelines, Mourinho turned back and said to Forti: "Let Smalling, Spinazzola and Zalewski warm up."
Futi nodded and did as he was told.
He knows Mourinho is under tremendous pressure.
From leading by one goal in the 25th minute to conceding two goals in the 39th minute, only 14 minutes have passed and Mourinho's mood has plummeted like a roller coaster.
In this game, the team gave up the three central defenders that had worked well against strong teams before and played with four defenders. On the one hand, they hoped to use full-time full-backs to strengthen the wing defense, and on the other hand, they also hoped that the two defensive midfielders would help the central defenders with frontal defense.
However, Inter Milan adopted a fast-playing style at the start of the game, which prevented Mourinho's double central defenders and central midfielder from playing the expected role.
Inter's repeated rapid advances down the flanks often resulted in the ball going into their own penalty area before Matic could run back.
But now is not the time to make substitutions, Mourinho must keep his composure.
He turned to Forti and asked: "Ask Pinto what happened to Wijnaldum."
Forti nodded, returned to his seat and sent Pinto a text message.
Ever since Wijnaldum was on Roma's loan target list, Mourinho must have been very concerned about this matter.
Compared with other available targets, Wijnaldum, who has won the Premier League and the Champions League, can better assist Chen Xiaoliang in the position of defensive midfielder, allowing the latter to play a greater role in offense.
Compared to Matic and Cristante, he is faster, covers a larger area and has more physical strength;
Compared to Veretout, his defensive ability is much stronger;
As for the two young players Volpato and Dalbo, they are completely incomparable to this main player of both the Netherlands national team and Liverpool.
This season, in Paris Saint-Germain, which is full of big names, Wijnaldum has only played as a rotation player, and nearly half of the games were as a substitute in the second half.
This obviously goes against his original intention of the transfer.
Pinto had previously told Mourinho that Wijnaldum was interested in being loaned to Roma as a starter, but the specific terms still needed to be agreed upon between the two clubs.
Recently, his focus has been on the championship, and he has been concentrating on it. It was not until he witnessed the misery of the defense on the field again that he remembered this matter again.
But distant water cannot quench immediate thirst, and the most important thing at the moment is to win this game.
Taking advantage of the kick-off in the center circle, he shouted to the defense line, and then when the players' attention was drawn to him, he made some tactical gestures with his hands and feet.
As the head coach, there is only so much he can do on the spot. As for whether the players can understand it or do it, it is really not something he can control.
"Beep!" The game continues!
After 40 minutes, Inter Milan's advantage became more and more obvious , especially Dumfries on the right, who caught everyone's attention.
The director searched for a long time in various extension positions in the stadium, and sure enough, he saw the Dutch team's head coach Van Gaal sitting in the stands!
On the Roma side, the Dutch left-back Malasia also performed very well, but he faced very little pressure tonight. Dumfries moved to the middle most of the time to participate in support and direct attacks.
In the 43rd minute, Inter Milan attacked from the left. Perisic dribbled the ball past the midfield line about 15 meters before making a quick left-footed cross. It was Dumfries again, who cut directly into the penalty area from the right, jumped up during a high-speed sprint, glided in the air for a while before heading the ball.
Although the ball went wide of the right post, Ibanez, who was defending him, also jumped up to compete for the header while retreating, but was completely defeated in the physical confrontation in mid-air and fell headfirst after landing.
Mourinho couldn't help it, so he lowered his head and paced a few steps.
He cursed Madfak in his heart!
After spending so much effort on solving the defensive midfielder problem, what about the central defender? !
How much budget there is in the summer depends on how "good-looking" the financial statements of the season are and whether UEFA approves this "good-looking" statement.
You know, even ordinary fans know that the so-called Financial Fair Play Act does not work for a very small number of clubs.
For example, Paris Saint-Germain, which has close cooperation with UEFA, has firmly stood on the side of UEFA in the European Super League incident. After the 12 founding clubs of the European Super League were all removed from the European Club Association, Paris Saint-Germain chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi was immediately elected as the new chairman of the association at the re-election meeting, while Gerlinger, the legal director of Bayern Munich, another giant that boycotted the European Super League, was appointed first vice chairman.
Football has never been about fighting and killing, it has always been about human relationships and worldly wisdom.
Rome has neither such influence nor such background, nor the financial support of a sovereign fund.
Although Dan Friedkin is indeed a good boss, from spending 199 million euros to acquire the club, to the 126 million euros in transfer acquisitions in the summer window, to repaying the club's previous debts and filling losses and daily expenses, the Friedkin family has invested 534 million euros in the club.
This is undoubtedly an astronomical figure.
Especially after serving as head coach at Manchester United and Tottenham, Mourinho understands how rare it is to have such a boss...
The former is a famous vampire. After the Glazer family took over Manchester United, they never spent a penny. Manchester United's strong purchasing power is entirely based on its unparalleled business operation ability. After paying off the huge fixed annual loans and interest, they can still buy players.
And the latter's boss Levi...
Let’s not talk about it. Mourinho feels like vomiting when he thinks of this name.
What kind of person is this boss who can fire the head coach a few days before the English League Cup final, and a businessman who can do such a thing that harms others and does not benefit himself?
"Forti." Mourinho turned around and called Forti again.
"Ask Pinto to think about getting a centre-back. If he tells you he has no idea or the scouts don't have any good options, tell him to go find Riise!"
"Yeah, yeah." Futi nodded repeatedly.
On the field, Roma had already transferred the ball to the middle. Chen Xiaoliang took the initiative to retreat to his own half to get the ball, and Calhanoglu followed.
Chen Xiaoliang glanced at the big screen above the court:
41 minutes and 3 seconds...
He looked at Calhanoglu again.
The first half isn't over yet! Let's start with you!
