Chapter 256: Someone on the Paris bench couldn't help it
At the tactical analysis meeting before the game, Mourinho had already made clear requirements on the defense of the midfield and backcourt.
Although Messi and Neymar are marked as wingers, both of them will have a lot of inward runs. In other words, there will be at least one person appearing in the position of attacking midfielder on one side to support the attack in the frontcourt.
These two superstars, especially the 35-year-old Messi, have declined significantly in starting burst and absolute speed compared to their peak periods, but despite this, both of them are still very fast.
On the other hand, their abilities in dribbling, ball control, passing, and the use of small techniques can be said to be ahead of almost all players on the planet.
Especially Messi, as he gets older, his ability to dribble and break through is not as good as before, but in terms of frontcourt organization, ball distribution, and even the final pass, he is getting better and better with age.
When the two of them move inwards to the middle, the two wingbacks, Ashraf and Nuno Mendes, will move in and attack the flanks directly.
Therefore, whether the midfield and backcourt can cope with this offensive mode defensively tonight will be a test of how far they can go in the Champions League in the new season.
Under Mourinho's arrangement, Roma retreated very deep after the opening, and the bus was once again blocked in the penalty area. Chen Xiaoliang was the third midfielder, helping Matic to defend, while Enzo was more responsible for defending his idol Messi.
Galthier was also very satisfied with the situation on the field.
In Ligue 1, as the last league among the five major leagues, although the overall competition is not as fierce as that in the Premier League, the popularity of the mid- and lower-level teams, and the team value can only be described as bleak, they will not give up when facing Paris Saint-Germain.
At the same time, because the French national team, under the leadership of Deschamps, has used defensive counterattack and rapid advancement as its main tactics in recent years and achieved very good results, many teams in the league have also begun to use defensive counterattack as their main tactic.
Mourinho can be said to be the coach of the current generation who has brought the bus counterattack to the pinnacle.
This is of great significance for Galthie in practicing his offensive tactics.
Players from both sides also fought with two different tactics.
Most of this competition takes place without the ball.
Mourinho told the coaching staff before the game that this game was the best opportunity to test whether Enzo was a good defensive midfielder.
As for why the younger Wijnaldum and Cristante were abandoned in the other defensive midfielder position and the 34-year-old Matic was chosen, it is because although the Serbian midfielder's physical fitness has obviously declined, his experience is unmatched by other defensive midfielders in the team.
Taking the current situation on the field as an example, Chen Xiaoliang is responsible for running in the middle, cutting off as much as possible the routes for Vitinha and Verratti to pass the ball to the front of the middle, as well as the space for cooperating with Messi and Neymar who are retracting in the middle.
Once Messi and Neymar leave the wing, Enzo and Matic will defend them man -to- .
So on the field, Roma's two defensive midfielders are often pulled very far apart from each other.
After the two players move apart, Chen Xiaoliang will automatically retreat to the defensive midfielder position to protect the defensive midfielder area that has become vacant due to the separation of the two players.
At the same time, Sarabia, who does not have the impact of Mbappe but has good skills and is a front midfielder, will frequently retreat to help Messi and Neymar organize.
In this situation, Ibanez usually takes the initiative to move forward and keep a distance to prevent Sarabia from receiving the ball too close to the front of the penalty area.
In this case, Matic will take the initiative to retreat and act as a temporary central defender to protect the central defender position left vacant due to Ibanez's presence.
The tactical execution of defense is completely different from the offensive transmission. It looks clear and has clear routes, but it is very complicated to execute and tests the judgment, execution and even intelligence of the defensive players.
In this regard, Matic, who was selected into the Premier League's best team of the season twice, can be regarded as a master in this regard.
Why were many teams able to dominate the game in the first few years when passing and controlling the ball became popular, but have clearly declined in recent years and have been hit hard by defensive counterattacks?
In fact, the reason is that the coaches have figured out defensive tactics to crack the transmission in the midfield and frontcourt and the transfer between the strong and weak sides, and quick counterattack tactics targeting the defensive weaknesses in passing and controlling have also been developed and effectively promoted.
And when the coaches of the passing and controlling school are able to upgrade their passing and controlling methods based on these cracking methods, that will be the day when the passing and controlling style of play will once again lead the football world.
As the saying goes, every generation has talented people who lead the way for hundreds of years. There is no best tactics, only better coaches and talented players to match them.
After 5 minutes, players from both sides had a preliminary understanding and adaptation to each other.
Chen Xiaoliang was both surprised and excited.
Needless to say, Messi and Neymar, Chen Xiaoliang has watched many live broadcasts and video highlights of their games, and the two midfielders of Paris Saint-Germain, Verratti and Vitinha, also made Chen Xiaoliang's eyes light up.
The 30-year-old Verratti is the best midfielder in Italy and the engine of the top-heavy Paris Saint-Germain team. Almost all passes from back to front are completed by him. At the same time, his defensive ability is also strong and his ability to steal the ball is outstanding.
Next to him, the 22-year-old Vitinha is like a spare tire, ready to replace Verratti and organize the offense when Verratti is unable to receive or pass the ball effectively.
This is the strongest opponent Chen Xiaoliang has ever encountered in his football career!
In the 7th minute, Verratti and Vitinha moved apart. Vitinha, who was in control of the ball, attracted Chen Xiaoliang's defense, and then pushed the ball to Ashraf on the right.
Ashraf pushed the ball to Messi who was retreating under Malaysia's defense.
Enzo kept a close eye on Messi, defending him closely while watching his idol every minute of every second. This was simply the best defensive task on the court.
Messi passed the ball to Neymar, and Matic was marking him sideways. Neymar shook his feet left and right, did two bicycle kicks, and broke through to Matic's right side!
At the same time, Nuno Mendes's advance along the left side also prevented Celik from moving forward without any worries to help Matic defend.
Neymar took a few steps forward to focus all the defense's attention on himself. Then, seeing Messi suddenly moving towards him, he immediately passed the ball back to Messi.
Enzo follows closely!
Mancini in the penalty area moved two steps to the middle to prevent Messi from taking a long shot.
Messi didn't stop the ball and directly kicked it with his left foot into the penalty area!
Sarabia instantly made a breakthrough and moved forward, and after receiving the ball 2 meters in front of Patricio, he kicked it with his left foot. Patricio opened his arms to block it, but did not touch the ball!
The ball flew over Patricio's head and then over the crossbar!
Realizing that he not only wasted a wonderful pass but also missed his first goal for Paris Saint-Germain, Sarabia held his head in his hands, full of regret.
He then reached out to Messi to apologize, but Messi waved his hand to say it was okay, while Neymar on the side smiled and told Sarabia to relax.
Chen Xiaoliang knew that Neymar was the kind of player who would cry bitterly after losing a crucial game, but he was also the kind of man who would go to a nightclub and have fun the next night.
When he is sad, he is really sad, and when he is happy, he is really happy. That's just his personality.
Enzo ran a few steps after Messi and whispered, "Boss, you passed the ball very well just now. The reason why the ball didn't score was because the striker didn't grasp it well."
Messi couldn't help laughing, thinking that we are from two different teams... This kid, as an opponent, actually comforted me.
Patricio kicked off and it was Roma's turn to attack.
For Roma's midfield and backcourt, this game may be the biggest defensive pressure they have ever faced since they started playing football, but in terms of passing the ball, it seemed very easy.
It is difficult for the 35-year-old Messi to carry out too much high-pressure pressing in the frontcourt, and Neymar has not been very active in defense since he joined Paris Saint-Germain.
Therefore, Roma's defenders did not face any pressure in passing the ball.
However, after Galthie came to Paris Saint-Germain, he repeatedly emphasized the importance of defense to the team. Even if they did not initiate high-pressure defense, after losing the ball in this game, Messi and Neymar would actively retreat to help their teammates defend in their own half.
As a result, Rome fell into positional warfare, which they were least good at.
However, today's Rome has Chen Xiaoliang.
Mourinho had made special arrangements before the game. Once Chen Xiaoliang advanced or moved to the side during the attack, Enzo would be promoted from the defensive midfielder position. He would be responsible for receiving the pass and transferring the ball in the middle, as well as taking the responsibility of blocking the opponent's midfield from launching a counterattack as soon as possible during the transition from offense to defense.
In the past, Mourinho has never been able to find a player who could help Chen Xiaoliang complete this job in terms of midfield coverage, interception and running.
Veretout runs actively but lacks intercepting ability. Cristante and Matic are good at defending but not at running, so it is easy for them to go up and not be able to come back.
Now with Enzo and Wijnaldum, Mourinho has assigned Chen Xiaoliang more offensive tasks.
Matic received the ball and passed it to Chen Xiaoliang who had moved to the right.
Chen Xiaoliang received the ball and turned around, but before he had time to observe the running positions of his teammates, Verratti had already blocked him, and Nuno Mendes was standing five or six meters behind him.
Given the positions of these two people, it would not be difficult to get past one, but it would be extremely difficult to get past both of them.
Chen Xiaoliang took a few steps forward, forcing Verratti to step back and adjust his steps.
At this time, Enzo had already moved up to the defensive midfielder position, while Cesco retreated from the center forward position.
Chen Xiaoliang immediately kicked the ball and passed it half-high to Cesco. When he passed the ball, Verratti and Nuno Mendes turned their heads to observe and retreated at the same time, their attention was immediately diverted.
Cesco was behind Kimpembe and Vitinha was standing nearby, and the two of them worked together to prevent him from turning around and dribbling past the opponent after receiving the ball with his back.
However, Cesco stood still without even jumping. The ball passed to him by Chen Xiaoliang seemed to fall on his forehead like a precision-guided missile.
Sesco gently pushed the ball back to Enzo who was coming from behind, then raised his left hand and pointed to the right. Enzo immediately understood, and with a glance he saw a white shadow moving quickly forward on the right. He immediately kicked a long, low and straight pass, and the ball passed in front of Chen Xiaoliang from the gap between Verratti and Ramos!
Just now, after Verratti turned around to observe, Chen Xiaoliang immediately flashed past him, and Nuno Mendes behind Verratti reacted, stepping back sideways and blocking Chen Xiaoliang.
As soon as Enzo's long diagonal pass came out, Chen Xiaoliang spotted the path of the ball and immediately started at full speed. Nuno Mendes moved close to block it, trying to use his body to block Chen Xiaoliang.
But what Nuno Mendes didn't expect was that when he just stuck to Chen Xiaoliang and exerted a little force to push him to the outside, Chen Xiaoliang seemed to actively avoid him and ran directly in front of him from the outside, and ran faster and faster!
Although Nuno Mendes' speed is not the fastest in Paris Saint-Germain, it is at least among the fastest. But he was surprised to find that in the first few steps, the two were running side by side, but after running about 10 meters, he was already one body length behind Chen Xiaoliang!
Roma's right side was right next to the bench, and this scene was clearly seen by everyone on the Paris Saint-Germain bench.
Galthie was stunned and looked at one of his two assistants - Joao Sacramento, who left Mourinho in Rome. But interestingly, the surprise he saw on Joao's face was greater than his own.
He asked Joao, "Is this red countryman so fast?"
Joao frowned and shook his head: "He was indeed fast, but definitely not as fast as he is now!"
Joao had another sentence in mind: Besides, I don’t remember his dribbling skills being that good…
In front of the two of them, Chen Xiaoliang caught up with the ball and rushed towards the baseline.
Nuno Mendes chased frantically, Ramos wanted to rush out, but seeing Chen Xiaoliang's speed, he knew it was too late, so he had to move horizontally in the penalty area, trying his best to put his body between Chen Xiaoliang and the penalty spot, at least to block the low cross.
Chen Xiaoliang slowed down, swept his right foot towards the bottom of the ball, and made a half-high cross, the ball flew flat and fast!
Cesco , who had turned and moved forward just after Enzo made a long diagonal pass to Chen Xiaoliang , rushed over, jumped high, and slammed the ball that was passed accurately in front of him into the goal like a dive bomber!
All the substitutes on the Roma bench stood up, even though it was just a warm-up match, but for the Roma players, after two games without a win, who wouldn't want to defeat the French aircraft carrier that has three superstars and a group of big stars like Ramos, Marquinhos, Verratti and others?
However, Donnarumma proved to everyone present why he could be a candidate for the world's top goal!
Facing a header bombarding him at such close range on the goal line, he had no time to move his feet and instantly leaned to the right. He stretched out his right hand and made a Banks-like super-fast reaction to block the ball from the goal line with his right hand!
Everyone on the Roma bench couldn't believe it! They could even save this ball?!
The players on the Paris bench excitedly punched and clapped their hands to celebrate witnessing a great save!
But it was not over yet. Kimpembe, who had been helpless behind Cesco, immediately kicked the ball out of the penalty area. Unexpectedly, his clearance in a hurry was too high and not far, and was caught again by Enzo who was guarding outside the penalty area.
Vitinha pounced on him. Enzo was thinking about what to do with the ball when he heard Chen Xiaoliang calling him vaguely!
He pulled the ball and looked to the right. Chen Xiaoliang had already run across the penalty area from the bottom cross position to the right side of the penalty area, asking for the ball from him!
The two practiced for a month, and had one-on-one duels with each other in daily extra practice, and accumulated the lowest level of orange tacit connection.
Enzo had no time to hesitate and pushed the ball to the right without thinking.
Nuno Mendes kept chasing after him, and Ramos also moved to the middle to intercept Chen Xiaoliang.
Chen Xiaoliang is not prepared to hide anything. He will seize every opportunity to create goals and fully display his talents!
Seeing that the ball passed by Enzo was already in front of him, he slightly adjusted his steps and shot with the inside of his left foot about 2 meters outside the penalty area!
The ball drew a rainbow and flew straight to the left side of the goal!
Roma's coach and substitute players once again couldn't help but lift their buttocks slightly off their seats and lean their heads forward, as if they could see more clearly just by moving just a little bit forward.
After the save just now, Donnarumma seemed like a nerve-wracking person, and he jumped to the right again with all his might!
With his arms fully extended, the fingertips of his right hand actually touched Chen Xiaoliang's shot!
The ball changed direction, but did not completely change direction and was still flying towards the blind corner!
“Ding!”
The ball was touched and hit the outside of the post and bounced out of the baseline!
"oh……"
“That was a close call…”
Seeing that the game finally entered a dead ball status, Paris fans who had held their breath for a while could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Then there was applause.
Although it was a warm-up match, and although the Paris fans still spent between ten and fifty euros to buy tickets to watch the game, and although they did not want to see the home team lose any game, it was still worth applauding the players on both sides when encountering such a wonderful offense and defense.
Half of the goal went to Donnarumma, who made two consecutive saves to keep the goal intact, and the other half went to Chen Xiaoliang, who made an assist and a shot, which was very threatening.
On the sidelines, a man who had been looking disdainful since he walked out of the player tunnel and sat on the bench stood up.
At this moment, his eyes were already filled with surprise and expectation.
"I feel my leg is fine and yes, I will play," he told his new head coach Galthie.
In Paris Saint-Germain, no one can ignore the words of this young man who transferred from Monaco for 180 million euros and whose value has been close to 200 million euros.
Galthie is no exception. He understands that as a newcomer with no prestige and little achievement, if he does not handle the relationship with this young man well, the locker room will be in chaos and the team's performance will naturally not be good.
At that time, the board will not hesitate to choose the young man between this young man and themselves.
Fortunately, he understood why this young man who didn't care about the game at all suddenly volunteered: "Okay, Killian, you warm up first and make sure your body is warm. I will send you on the court at the beginning of the second half."
He also added: "Don't worry, there is no player on this planet who can run faster than you."
The young man named Kylian Mbappe nodded, but sat back on the bench.
It's only been about 10 minutes since the game started. Warming up? Just do some preparations during the halftime break.
