Volume 1: Playing football with me will break your legs Chapter 22: No reversal, no Red Devil!
"Relax, it's no big deal."
In the visiting team's coaching booth, Manchester United coach Louis van Gaal put his hands in his pockets, crossed his legs, and looked calm and composed.
His assistant coach Ryan Giggs had to resist the urge to stand up and give instructions, and stayed in his seat to watch the game.
While both sides were preparing for a corner kick, Giggs looked through the player information of both sides.
The players in the midfield and frontcourt of New Wimbledon are generally of average height, with most of them below 1.80 meters, and only two central defenders are 1.88 meters tall.
Among Manchester United's starting eleven, only Kagawa and Hernandez are under 1.8 meters tall. Their height advantage is too obvious!
Giggs glanced at Van Gaal and nodded thoughtfully:
[Such a simple question, why didn't I think of it? 】
[I still lack experience. Van Gaal is indeed a world-famous coach! ]
【There's nothing to worry about.】
Then they saw a New Wimbledon corner kick, the ball spun up, passed five or six players at the near post, and then dropped at the far post...
A blue figure jumped high before the Manchester United players, and as if he had made precise calculations, he gently headed the falling ball towards the goal.
Then... Van Gaal and Giggs saw De Gea trying hard to move but with a helpless expression.
[Negative emotions from David De Gea, +2! ]
2:0!
Giggs almost jumped out of his seat, looking at the home team players who were celebrating wildly in astonishment.
Van Gaal was still much calmer than him, but he didn't know when he put away his crossed legs.
[Ryan Giggs, +2! ]
【Louis van Gaal, +3! 】
"A beautiful header! Manchester United suffered a series of blows!"
Lineker's voice rose three notches:
"The game had only started for 7 minutes and Manchester United had already conceded two goals!"
Looking at the replay on the screen, Neville shook his head repeatedly:
"Manchester United's defense was focused on the two tall central defenders, and almost no one noticed the inconspicuous full-back!"
The "inconspicuous full-back" was now jogging towards the corner flag area and jumped directly onto Rigg, the man who had assisted the goal:
"Man, that's a beautiful pass!"
Rigg hugged him tightly, laughing and boasting:
"I am Beckham of Wimbledon. Isn't this a simple pass?"
…
Compared to the players on the field, the coaches on the sidelines didn't seem as excited.
Adley grabbed Cox's arm:
"Brother, hurry up and hold me, I feel a little dizzy!"
Cox was also a little unsettled:
"I can't stand either!"
With the help of the team doctor, the two men barely sat back in their seats.
Adley forced himself to calm down, but his lively eyes betrayed his mood:
"Tell the boys, we will defend steadily and counterattack next!"
He glanced at his assistant:
"Go quickly!"
Cox curled his lips and put his hands on his knees:
"My legs are weak and I can't get up!"
…
"Manchester United's corner kick defense was so amateurish!"
Zhan Jun, who was thousands of miles away, criticized unceremoniously:
"If they had carefully reviewed their opponent's previous games, they would definitely not have missed Li Polo! The reason why New Wimbledon was able to appear in the second round of the League Cup was because Li Polo scored a header to defeat Milton Keynes at the last moment!"
His criticism was correct, but as a commentator, he still slid towards a neutral stance. After all, the majority of people watching the game at this time were Manchester United fans:
"Manchester United should be fully awake now after conceding two goals in seven minutes. Although they have rotated the lineup, as long as they put aside their carelessness and go all out, the two-goal gap is not irreversible!"
…
As the commentators had expected, Manchester United quickly sought changes.
Assistant coach Giggs immediately turned on the "hair dryer mode" and shouted from the sidelines:
"Everyone, cheer up! Attack, attack! Charge!"
After all, the new season has just begun, and every player is looking forward to giving their best performance in front of the new coach. After a brief frustration, they began to attack with all their strength.
Being two goals behind is not scary at all. Manchester United fans all know this sentence:
"No reversal, no Red Devil!"
Fans of Bayern Munich and Juventus are very clear about this!
Fans in the British Isles are also very aware that Manchester United has the ability to turn things around!
The game has just begun, Manchester United still has plenty of time to complete the reversal!
…
Facing Manchester United's fierce attack, the new Wimbledon players completed the formation change without the coach's instructions.
The four defenders retreated as a whole, the four midfielders formed a second barrier in front of the penalty area, and the two forwards turned into guerrilla knights, harassing and forcing Manchester United's midfield and backcourt at any time to prevent their ball holders from being too comfortable.
But despite this, facing the speed attacks of Welbeck and Hernandez, combined with Shinji Kagawa's interspersed running, the English League Two team still felt tremendous pressure.
In the 13th minute, Shinji Kagawa made a sharp pass, Welbeck shook off Phillips and had a one-on-one chance. Facing Shea who abandoned the goal to block the shot, "Black Beb" volleyed the ball into the stands, wasting his second excellent chance of the game.
Van Gaal's face finally looked better.
Giggs also nodded:
"That's right. Even if we are a substitute lineup, our strength is far superior to theirs!"
The home team gasped.
Cox frowned:
"Welbeck is really fast and it's hard for Mark to stop him."
Adre saw further than his assistant:
"The through ball from the Japanese attacking midfielder is the key! If we can't limit his performance, such dangerous situations will occur repeatedly!"
Cox nodded:
"I'll have the midfield take extra care of him!"
He gritted his teeth and said the word "take care" with extra emphasis.
Within a few minutes, Shinji Kagawa felt the enthusiasm from the home team players. He had just received a straight pass from the backcourt with his back turned, but before he had time to turn around, he was kicked in the ankle by Bullman and immediately lost the ball.
"referee!"
Kagawa limped around and looked around, trying to appeal to the referee, but the referee took three steps back without any response, not giving him a chance to speak.
Giggs was not happy on the sidelines and complained to the fourth official, but the fourth official was also indifferent:
"It was just a common foul."
Manchester United got a chance for a free kick in the frontcourt, but the penalty spot was more than 30 meters away from the goal, so there was no possibility of a direct shot. Wimbledon only had two forwards, Akinfenwa and Dubis, who symbolically formed a human wall, and it was difficult to even block the opponent's view.
Nicholas Powell didn't think much about it and made a direct pass into the penalty area, but he obviously underestimated the strength of the home team's goalkeeper. Xie A jumped high before a group of defenders and held the ball firmly.
“Fight back!”
After landing, Xie A didn't hesitate at all. He threw the ball forward with force and accurately found the two forwards who acted as human wall.
Akinfenwa perfectly suppressed Evans who wanted to compete for the ball, and passed the hand-thrown ball to his striker partner Dubis, who took advantage of the situation and broke into Manchester United's half through the gap between Evans and Vermier!
The atmosphere in the stadium was suddenly pushed to a climax!
Manchester United's defense failed to stop Dubis in the first time. The three defenders could only chase back frantically while pinning their hopes on the last goalkeeper.
De Gea is worthy of being the second most valuable goalkeeper in football. Watching Dubis cross the center circle alone, he did not leave his battlefield easily, but stayed calmly in the small penalty area.
When dealing with a one-on-one shot, the most important thing is momentum. After running nearly fifty meters, it was difficult for Dubis to maintain the initial rhythm. However, with the defender chasing him madly, he had no way to adjust his pace and could only kick hastily!
The 24-year-old De Gea was at his peak. Known for his reaction and sense of position, he made the most accurate save, holding the ball firmly in his arms and not giving Dubis any chance.
"Why!"
Adre waved his hand regretfully, and his dream of a three-goal lead was shattered .
There was no way around it. This counterattack was too fast. Wimbledon had only two forwards at the front. With Akinfenwa's speed, it was impossible for him to provide effective support to Dubis. Dubis could only choose to do it alone.
Dubis, with weak legs, shook his head and watched De Gea kicking forward. He could only take a deep breath.
The ball crossed most of the field and found Manchester United's offensive core - Shinji Kagawa!
Kagawa looked up and observed the flight path of the ball while retreating with his back to the home team's goal. When he was about to reach the landing point, he felt that he had hit a wall.
Li Polo, who was guarding the right side, arrived at the landing point one step earlier than him.
Looking at the pass that was about to fly over his head, Kagawa could only lean his back against his opponent and force a jump!
But... at the moment when he was about to take off, Li Polo took a step back!
Having lost his support, Shinji Kagawa failed to reach the height he wanted and instead fell heavily to the ground!
De Gea's long pass failed to pose any threat and instead flew directly out of the sideline, giving Wimbledon players a chance to catch their breath.
Adley saw the action clearly and couldn't help but praise it:
"This little guy... is using his brain to defend!"
Cox was about to agree when he saw Kagawa, who was lying on the ground, slowly raise his right hand.
The Manchester United core twisted his ankle when he landed and he couldn't hold on!
