If the trails left by celestial bodies passing through the atmosphere are called meteors, then the Olympic Stadium in Rome tonight is the place to witness the meteor shower.
Chen Xiaoliang seemed to have completely changed his playing style. Under the blocking defense of Krunic and Tonali, Chen Xiaoliang no longer consciously approached the offensive third zone when he was off the ball. Instead, he retreated actively, helping the defensive midfielder to intercept AC Milan's transmission in the middle, while responding to the attacks of teammates who had the ball on both sides at any time and using super long passes to break through the defense.
In the 33rd minute, Dybala retreated and made short passes with Celik who had the ball and Wijnaldum who came to support. Every time the two passed the ball, the third person moved forward without the ball and hit the area near the right side outside the AC Milan penalty area.
But Dybala, who had the opportunity, did not have the speed advantage after receiving Wijnaldum's through pass, and was easily caught up by Theo who was chasing back.
At this time, Chen Xiaoliang asked for the ball behind him, and Dybala immediately turned around and passed it back.
Tonali followed, and Bennacer, who was standing next to him, saw Chen Xiaoliang getting the ball and prepared to double-team him.
Chen Xiaoliang looked up and observed. Tonali thought he was going to choose a route to speed up and break through, so he immediately bent down and bent his knees, ready to retreat at any time.
Chen Xiaoliang kicked the ball with his right foot. The people defending him thought he was going to pass the ball out of the encirclement, but who would have thought that the ball would fly directly into the penalty area!
Sesco, who was standing on the penalty area line at the junction of AC Milan's two central defenders, saw the ball coming out and instantly started to move forward. Tomori in front of him didn't realize what was happening, but the veteran Kjaer behind him noticed something was wrong and immediately rushed forward to stick to Sesco.
When the ball arrives, the people arrive; when the people arrive, the ball arrives!
Cesco blocked Kjaer behind him and jumped lightly. It was not that he could not jump, but the ball landed so accurately that he did not need to jump at all. If Kjaer had not exerted force from behind to disrupt his balance, he could have just stood there and waited for the ball to hit his head.
Lou Yichen: "The 45° angle cross is very accurate!"
"Cesco heads the ball!"
"Oh! Maignan has done a great job!"
Xie Hui: "Cesco's header was a little too straight. The quality of the pass was so high that he should have been bolder and used more force. However, Maignan's reaction was indeed fast. Normally, even if the ball was headed at his side from this distance, he might not have had time to react."
Cesco was very disappointed for not being able to score a goal. He first covered his face with his hands, then roared angrily, and finally turned around and raised his hand to signal Chen Xiaoliang.
Tonali quickly called out to Leo, asking him to retreat and press the ball carrier on the wing. Leo turned his head away after hearing that...
The camera immediately turned to AC Milan head coach Pioli, who was seen with his hands folded across his chest, saying nothing.
Milan kicked off and then attacked from the left. Theo dribbled the ball from the wing to the middle, and Dybala chased back and harassed him.
Theo passed the ball to Leo in front of him, then moved to the side again, preparing to make a short pass with Leo from the side to the middle.
As a result, when Leo looked up and saw Chen Xiaoliang coming to defend him, Theo who came in from behind instantly disappeared from his eyes.
At the age of 23, with a market value of 80 million euros, he has outstanding speed, delicate dribbling, and as a winger his passing is generally better than his shooting. Coupled with the physical fitness of a black man, Leo has the potential to become a superstar from any angle.
Especially in the Portuguese national team in the post-C Ronaldo era, he is given high hopes.
But he has a biggest problem. His performance on the field depends on his interest. When he is very interested in the game or a goal, he will work hard. Once his interest is not high, he will show the laziness that is often criticized by Milan fans.
Obviously, Chen Xiaoliang was a target that interested him very much.
Countless young players would exclaim "WTF" when watching Chen Xiaoliang's videos, and at the same time ask how he could do such incredible things at the age of 18 and then have his net worth soar to 150 million.
Leo was of course one of them. He watched the almost one-sided confrontation between Chen Xiaoliang and Bellingham, but he came to the conclusion that Bellingham was a fake, which was why he was beaten so badly by Chen Xiaoliang, and he would definitely not be easily defended!
When he thought of this, not only Theo disappeared from his sight, but he also lost sight of his teammates on the entire team. The only person in his eyes was Chen Xiaoliang.
Dribbling the ball forward...
Small steps to test...
Observe Chen Xiaoliang's center of gravity...
First, fake a move to the left to test Chen Xiaoliang's reaction...
Then I spike the ball to the right with my left foot...
Speed ​​up...
Passing...!
Got it!
Eh? Holy shit! Where's the ball? !
Leo's men did get through, but the ball did not.
Although Chen Xiaoliang was unable to predict Leo's next move with his marking ability of 15, he was able to use his precise tackling movements and faster reactions brought about by his improved burst and flexibility to kick the ball away at the moment Leo dribbled the ball and changed direction.
What's more, Leo's way of passing the opponent was too ordinary. Such a simple feint and change of direction was just a basic move that Chen Xiaoliang used when Kva was warming up during the extra training with him.
Leo looked back in confusion and found that Chen Xiaoliang had stood up and chased the ball towards AC Milan's half.
However, unlike most other players, who would chase after Chen Xiaoliang in revenge and try to steal the ball and regain their face after being intercepted by him, he just walked back slowly, as if defense had nothing to do with him.
He was careless this time. He just needed to wait for the next ball to come and then pass Chen Xiaoliang.
Chen Xiaoliang took the ball 10 meters away and did not pass the ball immediately.
Not passing the ball does not mean sticking to the ball, but allowing teammates to quickly run to their respective positions and lines during the transition from offense to defense.
The three arrows in front were already in position at this time. Chen Xiaoliang made a long diagonal low pass to the front left, sending the ball directly to the feet of Kwa who was moving forward quickly.
Although AC Milan's right side was not as strong as its left side in attack today, Diaz and Calabria had obviously received strict orders from the head coach before the game, and they continued to defend tightly against Roma's left-wing sharp knife Kva.
At this time, Kva, who had just received the ball, was immediately double-teamed by two people, one in front and one behind. Calabria was responsible for the specific defense, while Diaz was responsible for blocking the position, trying his best to block Kva's passing route to the penalty area and compressing his space for cutting inside.
The two of them had a clear division of labor and came well prepared, which really made Kwa very uncomfortable.
However, Rome's counterattack was never a one-man show.
Seeing that Kva was blocked from moving forward, Malaysia behind him shouted for the ball, and Kva immediately passed the ball back.
After passing the ball, Kva tried to sprint forward without the ball to get rid of Calabria, but the AC Milan captain's attitude was very determined tonight. As long as he could defend Kva, he would not care even if he did not cross the center line throughout the game.
After receiving the ball, Malaysia did not want to move forward by himself. He had already seen Chen Xiaoliang moving towards the left and immediately passed the ball to him.
After receiving the ball, Chen Xiaoliang started running forward unreasonably.
Because he was on the left side, the person who followed him became Krunic, and Bennacer was still chasing closely from behind, trying to double-team him from the front and back.
But Chen Xiaoliang did not give the two men a chance to encircle each other. He rushed further and further to the left, even attracting Diaz who was chasing after Kwa.
Chen Xiaoliang slowed down slightly while advancing, and this time he used his left foot to swing back and prepare to kick the ball.
The long-distance 45-degree cross from the right almost helped Cesco score. This time, he kicked with his left foot again, and Diaz, who was blocking the ball on the side, quickly jumped up and tried to block it with his body.
Unexpectedly, Chen Xiaoliang used his left foot to push the ball forward, passed it between Diaz's legs, and then quickly ran out of bounds, bypassing Diaz who was blocking the sideline, and naturally got rid of the encirclement of Bennacer and Tonali.
With a whoosh, Diaz, who was jumping in the air, felt as if a fast-moving sports car flashed past him, and Chen Xiaoliang had already run behind him.
Calabria was anxious now. He didn't know whether he should continue to follow Kva who was advancing without the ball, or turn back to block Chen Xiaoliang who was dribbling forward with the ball.
Leaving Kva to defend Chen Xiaoliang, once Chen Xiaoliang passes the ball forward, Kva will go straight into the penalty area.
If we don't defend ourselves, everyone will know that it will be impossible to defend ourselves when Chen Xiaoliang rushes forward.
In a flash, when Calabria was about to make a decision, Kva, who had perfect understanding with Chen Xiaoliang, gave Chen Xiaoliang a "god assist". He suddenly cut inside and ran towards the penalty area, pretending to ask for the ball.
Whether it was a subjective decision or a subconscious reaction, Calabria's body followed Kvara into the penalty area.
Chen Xiaoliang no longer has any obstacles on the left side!
He took another step and caught up with the ball when he was already near the baseline!
Sweep the left foot and cross the ball again!
The ball flew directly towards the penalty spot!
On the left side of the penalty area, Calabria was close to Kvadrat, while in the middle of the penalty area, Kjaer and Tomori were looking at Cesco. He was the only high point of Roma in AC Milan's penalty area, so he was naturally the focus of defense.
Wijnaldum also moved forward, and Tonali retreated into the penalty area and watched him.
The ball drew an inward-spinning arc in the air and flew towards the penalty spot!
Cesco jumped! Tomori and Kjaer didn't care whether they were heading the man or the ball, they just leaned on Cesco tightly in the air, exerting a lot of strength on their hands and bodies!
Cesco missed the ball!
At that moment, Tonali was still feeling lucky: Chen Xiaoliang’s pass was too high!
He also took a look at Wijnaldum who had no chance of touching the ball outside the penalty area, which made him even happier.
But they all forgot one person, a person who should have been on the right side but suddenly disappeared.
Chen Xiaoliang's target was exactly him, while Cesco and Wijnaldum were just pressing forward to attract the defense's attention!
Theo, who was supposed to defend him, was on the wing, waiting for his teammates to pass the ball to him after they finished defending so that he could launch a counterattack as soon as possible.
In the penalty area, on the right side of the arc, one step inside the penalty area line, an Argentine coach appeared there.
The ball passed over Cesco's head and flew accurately to his side.
In the Argentina national team, he is Wang's substitute and is hailed as Messi's successor at a young age.
I just didn’t expect that this class has been accepted for 30 years and it has not been accepted yet…
Everyone is watching the next World Cup. Will he outlast Messi, or will the 39-year-old Messi outlast him?
At the age of 30, he still has a baby face, and has charmed millions of girls with his handsome face. His playing style is elegant and ethereal, but he just doesn't like to stop the ball.
Whenever I see something falling from mid-air towards me, I can't help but use my left foot to hit it.
At this moment, Chen Xiaoliang's cross came flying towards him, how could he endure it?
The striker, wearing the number 21, turned sideways, extended his right hand outward to keep his body balanced and maximize the range of his left-foot shot.
The leg swings back, the ball falls, the body turns, the left foot pulls out, and kicks it horizontally in the middle of the ball!
If Chen Xiaoliang's long-distance pass was a meteor, then this person's sideways volley was a meteorite that passed through the atmosphere and fell to the ground!
Lou Yichen: "Oh! Oh! Ouch!"
Three people: "Beautiful! Beautiful! Dybala! A world wave!"
Xie Hui: "Although he has been sitting on the bench in the World Cup because of the overlapping position with Messi, this goal still fully demonstrated Dybala's strength as a world-class star."
"It was a very comfortable shot, Maignan had no reaction and the ball went straight to the top left corner of the goal."
Lou Yichen: "What's going on with Roma these past few weeks? First it was Xiaoliang, who scored a tank-like goal with two players hanging on him, then it was Kvaratskhelia, who changed direction back and forth in front of Atalanta's goal to fool six players, and today it was Dybala, who received Xiaoliang's cross and shot directly into the goal without any adjustment, as if whoever let the ball land first would lose!"
“Is this going to sweep the top three spots in the next Puskas?”
Liu Yue: "I thought of a line from a poem: I will draw a bow like a full moon, look northwest, and shoot the wolf in the sky!"
"Theo was careless about this ball. He probably thought that Xiaoliang could only cross the ball after he went down the left wing, and Cesco was the only one in the penalty area who had the ability to score from a high altitude. He was so focused on counterattacking that he didn't follow Dybala to move inwards and keep defending."
"Although Dybala's final shot was very beautiful, this goal still reflects Cesco's tactical role. You dare not not defend him, and you dare not easily let a central defender defend him alone. His ability to compete in the air and his ability to choose positions are too outstanding."
Xie Hui: "Xiaoliang's style of play suddenly changed after falling behind by two goals, which is quite interesting, but I didn't see any communication between him and Mourinho, so I don't know if it was a preset tactic."
"Several attacks started from the left and right sides, either kicking the ball at a 45-degree angle or going down the flank. AC Milan's defense seemed unable to adapt all of a sudden. Moreover, his feet felt very smooth today, and the landing point of the ball he passed was really great. I feel that Beckham was no more than this in his prime."
Lou Yichen: "Yes! Coach Xie said it very accurately. This cross was so accurate. For the person who received the ball and shot it, it was just like delivering it to him with his hand. I mentioned Beckham just now. Beckham's right foot is amazing, but his left foot is definitely not as good as Xiaoliang's first kick."
1-2, Dybala was very excited after scoring the goal, but after briefly making his signature celebration move with his thumb and index finger open, the other three fingers curled up, and then putting his hand under his nose, Cesco had already rushed into the net and picked up the ball. He also stopped celebrating and ran back to his own half with his teammates.
Just as the game was about to start, the director typed a few lines of words on the screen.
Lou Yichen: "The official technical statistics have been released. The assist just now was Xiaoliang's 16th assist in Serie A this season, tying the Serie A single-season assist record. The previous record was held by Argentine player Alejandro Gomez in the 2019-20 season when he played for Atalanta."
"The current single-season assist record in the top five leagues is 21 set by Thomas Muller of Bayern Munich in the 2019-20 season."
"Messi also recorded 21 assists that season, but since Muller played fewer games, the top spot goes to Muller."
"Jointly in third place are Henry in the 2003-04 season and De Bruyne in the 2019-20 season, both of whom set a record of 20 assists in a single Premier League season."
"In the first game against Chelsea, Xiaoliang has made 10 assists in the Champions League this season, breaking the record of 9 assists in a single season in the Champions League set by English player James Milner and Portuguese legend Luis Figo, and taking the first place!"
Xie Hui: "I remember Figo twice had 9 assists in a single season, but this is Xiaoliang's first year in the Champions League."
"His final pass is too strong. In general, although many excellent passers can pass accurately, they still need the receiver to receive the ball well in order to achieve an assist. In this regard, the tacit understanding between Roma's forwards and Xiaoliang is a bit incredible to me. It's as if the ball is about to be passed but hasn't been passed yet, but this side already knows how to pass and to whom to pass it."
The Roma fans were cheering, but the AC Milan players were complaining to each other.
Leading the way were goalkeeper Maignan and captain Calabria, both of whom complained to Theo, questioning why he was only thinking about attacking and not defending Dybala.
Theo looked unhappy and pointed at Leo and shouted at him not to be stupid enough to try one-on-one again.
Faced with Theo's attempt to shift the blame, Leo spread his hands, turned his back and didn't bother to pay attention to him.
Yes, he is so lazy even when arguing...
Giroud kicks off and the game continues.
AC Milan, realizing that Chen Xiaoliang had started the crossing mode, consciously strengthened the collective retreat and wing defense.
Theo didn't dare to waste time anymore and guarded the wing seriously. In addition, when the game was approaching 40 minutes in the first half, it was time to defend steadily and conserve energy for the second half.
Roma did not press forward much, especially Wijnaldum, who basically never got close to the opponent's attacking third zone.
In the end, the first half ended with a score of 1 to 2 as both sides played it safe.
On the way back to the locker room, Chen Xiaoliang caught up with Mourinho and kept whispering to him.
Mourinho listened quietly at first, but the more he listened, the more surprised he became.
"Who have you met with? What tactic is this?"
This was the first question that came to his mind after listening to Chen Xiaoliang 's advice.
Chen Xiaoliang shrugged: "Coach, you know I study various tactics and videos when I have free time. I am not doing this on a whim."
Mourinho then asked: "What about Cesco? Have you ever done this in small circle training?"
Chen Xiaoliang shrugged again: "I think he can do it."
Mourinho: "Fuck, so you mean you haven't tried this yourself? Are you going to use it on the pitch?"
Chen Xiaoliang: "Yes, I think so. Based on my understanding of them, I really think we can give it a try at the critical moment of the game. You know, when we get serious, we are like one person sometimes."
The two stood at the door of the locker room and discussed, and everyone else was puzzled.
Mourinho thought about it and finally said: "The tactics in the midfield and backcourt remain unchanged. You can try your ideas, but I have two requirements."
Chen Xiaoliang: "Coach, you say."
Mourinho: "First, don't use it unless you feel it is absolutely necessary. I don't like things that are not planned, so the next thing is second, if you use this method and end up not only failing to win back but losing more, think about how to make up for it."
Chen Xiaoliang smiled and said, "Okay, coach, I won't do anything rash. Everything is for winning!"
Mourinho poked Chen Xiaoliang in the waist and said, "You are a smooth talker, and your mind is full of messy ideas all day long."
During the entire break, Mourinho repeatedly emphasized defensive tactics in the midfield and backcourt, while Chen Xiaoliang sat next to Cesco and kept muttering to him.
Cesco's expression changed from surprise at first, to confusion, to enlightenment, and finally to excitement, as if he had watched a suspense movie, and finally everything became clear.
Soon, the halftime break ended and both sides entered the field again.
AC Milan attacked several times after the kick-off, but Roma retreated deeper. Leao, who was scolded by Pioli in the locker room, temporarily suppressed the idea of ​​seeking revenge on Chen Xiaoliang. He honestly tried to break through several times on the wing, and after being double-teamed, he obediently passed the ball to his teammates.
After blocking the three attacks, Roma gradually began to increase the pressure.
In this game, their goal is not to reverse the situation and equalize to get 1 point. They want to win the league title in advance before the start of various finals as much as possible, so that the main players will have enough time to rest in the last few rounds of the league.
Chen Xiaoliang tried to attack from the wing again, but AC Milan had obviously made adjustments. No matter which side he went to, the AC Milan midfielder on the same side would follow him and press hard, trying to prevent him from getting the ball.
In the 55th minute, after Roma attacked several times without success, Chen Xiaoliang waved to Cesco, who nodded in understanding.
AC Milan attacked, Theo received the ball and advanced from the backcourt.
Dybala was about to chase after him, but he saw Cesco chasing Theo all the way back to defense.
Dybala was stunned, thinking, what the hell are you doing? Why are you coming back when you're not the center forward?
Looking again, Chen Xiaoliang had switched positions with him and ran to the front, blocking Theo's return pass.
Theo could only move forward, and after passing the midfield he was stuck by Cesco.
Although Cesco's defensive ability is limited, he has good confrontation ability due to his height and long legs, and when he gets close to the ball, he creates a lot of pressure on the player with the ball.
He was able to continue dribbling the ball, but his rhythm and speed were seriously reduced due to his shaky behavior.
Theo followed the established tactics and passed the ball to Leo on the left.
Unexpectedly, the two of them mismatched their cooperation. Leo thought Theo passed the ball, and Theo thought Leo was going to move forward so he passed the ball forward, but the ball rolled directly out of the sideline.
At this time, not only Roma's players, but also the commentators on various platforms were a little confused. It was a good thing that the players actively returned to defense, but what kind of kick was this from Cesco? It was unprecedented.
Celik immediately took the ball from the ball boy and threw it out of bounds. Smalling came up to meet the ball and passed it to Cristante in front.
At this time, Cesco ran forward with his long legs and reached out for the ball. Cristante made a long pass directly, and the ball passed over Bennacer and Theo who had not had time to retreat, and reached the feet of Cesco who was making a forward run.
Kva came over to support, Cesco passed the ball and continued to run forward.
There was no one around him.
Because the attention of AC Milan's backcourt defenders was focused on Chen Xiaoliang who was wandering around the penalty area line.
"What are these two doing?"
Even AC Milan's assistant coach Murelli raised questions.
After receiving the ball, Kva was still double-teamed by Diaz and Calabria, but he did not rush to break through. Instead, he slowly advanced for a while and then passed a high ball directly to the middle.
At this time, Tonali and Krunic were still looking at Chen Xiaoliang who had already entered the penalty area. There was still no one next to Cesco who was about to run to the top of the penalty area.
The ball was passed, and at this time Krunic realized something was wrong, so he had to leave Chen Xiaoliang behind to defend Cesco.
With his height, there was no way he could stop Cesco from catching the high ball.
Cesco leaned sideways on Krunic and headed the ball to the left side of the penalty area. Chen Xiaoliang immediately started, shook off Tonali and rushed forward to receive the ball.
Kjaer also came up and formed a double team with Tonali on Chen Xiaoliang.
At this time, Cesco moved forward towards the penalty spot, and Dybala and Kva also quickly moved into the penalty area from both sides!
Chen Xiaoliang pretended to turn left and get out of the penalty area, then immediately turned right and rushed towards the baseline!
Kjaer has good physical confrontation and ability to steal the ball, but his speed and explosiveness are really his weaknesses.
Standing next to Chen Xiaoliang, he not only failed to catch up with the first step, but also inadvertently became a barrier blocking Tonali from catching up.
Chen Xiaoliang brought the ball to the vicinity of the small penalty area, and Maignan blocked the ball at the left near post!
Kjaer and Tonali were chasing from behind. When Tomori saw Chen Xiaoliang getting rid of Kjaer and about to get a one-on-one chance, he immediately pounced on him!
Suddenly, three people surrounded Chen Xiaoliang in the penalty area!
Chen Xiaoliang swung his left foot back with a large amplitude, as if he was going to shoot!
In an instant, Kjaer and Tomori both fell to the ground and slid to block with their bodies!
Chen Xiaoliang dribbled the ball with his left foot and kicked it in front of the penalty spot with the outside of his right foot!
With no central defender in front of him, Cesco leaned forward to meet the ball and dive-bombed!
Maignan, who was guarding the near post, had no time to turn around and save the ball!
Lou Yichen: "In the 56th minute, Roma equalized the score!"
"Xiaoliang, Xiaoliang, you have completed another assist, the 17th time in a single season, and the first in the history of assists in Serie A! Is he going to break Messi and Muller's records today?!"
Liu Yue saw something at that time: "The style of play suddenly changed. Cesco took the initiative to retreat significantly and then acted as a fulcrum in the front midfielder position."
"This tactic has existed before. Mourinho also used a similar tactic on Fellaini when he was at Manchester United, but at that time Fellaini played as a front midfielder and there was a full-time center forward in front of him in the penalty area, instead of switching positions with Xiaoliang like now."
Xie Hui: "With Xiaoliang's ability to catch the ball and his physical strength, it won't be a big problem for him to be a fulcrum in the penalty area."
Liu Yue: "Why do I feel like Mourinho is playing the same trick as Ten Hag? Is he making Cesco a pressing striker?"
A bunch of the same two words suddenly appeared in the barrage:
【Wowo】