Chapter 191 Li Yu must go
Under the leadership of Ancelotti, Chelsea has become the number one favorite to win Manchester United's three consecutive championships. Ancelotti did not have many signings, only bringing in left-back Zhilkov, striker Strić and goalkeeper Turnbull. There are not many reinforcements, and Ancelotti relies more on old ministers such as Drogba and Lampard.
At the beginning of the season, An Shuai's midfield diamond row was very successful, with a 6-game winning streak at the beginning of the season. Coupled with a 5-game winning streak under Hiddink at the end of last season, Chelsea won 11 consecutive Premier League, breaking the team's best winning streak record in the Premier League created in January 2006. Although he has lost to Wigan and Aston Villa in the next three rounds, he will have another five-game winning streak, especially Arsenal 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium. The invincible state of Warcraft Drogba has made the Blues' call for winning the championship unprecedentedly loud.
And Ancelotti's character has also been praised by the British media. The Italian's modesty and low profile make him a perfect coach, and his reputation even follows the legendary Blues coach Mourinho, but he also has excellent results, but Mourinho's RP is far less popular as An Pang.
But like other teams, Chelsea will have bad moments. Anpang's RP seems to have dispersed in North London overnight. After that, he only won one game in the five rounds of the Premier League, with 3 draws and 1 loss. To make matters worse, Drogba, Kalu and others will return to their respective national teams to participate in the African Cup after playing Fulham. However, Maluda is still getting a red card in the first game against Birmingham. Chelsea's schedule for more than a month will be very difficult, and Ancelotti has to reuse young player.
Before Birmingham, An Pang vowed that he would run naked if he bought someone in winter, so this was probably one of the biggest challenges in his coaching career.
In contrast, without C Ronaldo and Tevez, Manchester United will not collapse, because Manchester United has Ferguson and a new Golden Globe winner.
After selling C Ronaldo for 80 million pounds, Ferguson unexpectedly attracted free agent Owen, and Cristiano Ronaldo's real successor, Valencia, only spent 17 million pounds, which was also Ferguson's biggest bumper summer since he took office. Does Ferguson really not miss Cristiano Ronaldo? The absence of a Portuguese means that Manchester United's most successful system in the past two years must be greatly adjusted. The formation of 433 has to be changed to 442, Rooney has been given more goal responsibilities. Li Yu began to connect the team, and midfielders such as Carrick and rookie Valencia also have to share the goal index. As the Lord estimated, Li Yu and others achieved their goals as they wished. The newcomer Valencia also showed his simplicity and perseverance, which is different from Cristiano Ronaldo. The Red Devils scored significantly more goals in the middle of the season than in the same period last season.
But Manchester United's defense is not as wise as last season. Ferdinand's condition plummeted, and the substitute goalkeeper Foster made a series of mistakes. Van der Sar, Vidic, Evans and Brown were constantly injured. In the last round against Fulham, Ferguson had to expel Fletcher, Carrick and junior player De Lae's three central defenders "playing the soy sauce defense line", and lost 0-3. Manchester United has the most solid bench in the Premier League, but it can't stand the consumption of injuries, especially in the case of a chase after Anpang, the difficulty of achieving four consecutive championships can be imagined.
Arsenal, which has not won a championship in four years, did not collapse because of the release of Adebayor and Toure this summer. The professor still adheres to his rejuvenation and holistic strategy and moves towards the set goal.
Without Adebayor, the professor changed 433, with Van Persie as the leader, Fabregas as the core, and the newcomer Fermaren as the backbone of the defense. In the first round of the season, he started to kill Everton, beat his opponent 1-6, and then defeated Portsmouth 4-1. However, successive away losses to Manchester City hit the young Gunners' self-confidence. Wenger did not lose faith. After that, Arsenal won 6 wins and 1 draw, but accidentally lost center Van Persie and suffered a disease. They lost to Sunderland and Chelsea in a row. Arsenal's young player was once again nailed to the pillar of shame, but the professor is still full of confidence in the team. Recently After 5 rounds, 4 wins and 1 draw, Arsenal returned to the championship team. As long as Arsenal continues to maintain its faith and is not confused by the outside world, the professor's years of painstaking efforts will eventually gain something.
However, it is worth mentioning that after Van Persie's injury will be absent for the whole season, Bentner will also recover. Arsenal still lacks a center who can provide a pillar in the tall defender Forest. If Wenger can introduce a center in the winter transfer, it will have an "Arshawen effect" for winning the championship. In addition, Gala and Fermaren lack a strong substitute for the main central defenders. Sylvester is getting old. Sooner or later, Sendros will leave, and there must be a strong substitute to guarantee it. Manchester United's worst defensive shield in the previous 23 years is enough to learn from it. To win the championship, it is not superfluous to have more benches.
At least Arsenal has not been thrown away by the championship group. Another traditional giant, Liverpool, has become a free fall this season.
Last season, Liverpool, who had not won the championship in the league in 2019, saw the hope of winning the championship for the first time in the Premier League. As the team with the fewest losses, it finally lost to Manchester United. Unfortunately, this season, the Reds seem to have returned to the old path of Merseyside. Liverpool, which lost Alonso, was depressed. Since the beginning of the game, it has lost the League Cup and the Champions League. The Premier League champion has only hope on paper. Benitez has suffered an unprecedented crisis of trust, so he is dismissed halfway.
Liverpool's unlucky is well known. At one time, there was a lack of Gerard, Torres, Benayong, Glen Johnson and many other main players, but in the Premier League, who hasn't encountered bad luck? In the same period last season, Arsenal also injured Adebayo, Walkot, Fabregas and other main players, and also returned to the top four positions with the introduction of "Tsar" Arshavin with a winter transfer in January. Therefore, Bei Shuai's departure does not attribute all problems to injuries.
The American boss can't count on it. The new coach can only rely on his disciples, the Latin players introduced by Liverpool, but at the critical moment, the players often let him down. Lucas, Voronin, Ngo, these "mediocre players" that the British media don't pay attention to at all, don't seem to be able to help Liverpool compete for the championship.
Anfield has fallen twice, and the old stadium reflects the predicament of the two giants in the past and the reality of 21st century football. For Liverpool, they are in urgent need of new investment, but in the Dubai crisis, Abu Dhabi has gone to Manchester City, and the Saudi prince is late. If there is no guarantee of tickets for next season's Champions League, it will be difficult for the new coach, like Benitez, not to finish the class.
Last month's Golden Globe Award, Giggs ranked 14th with his bravery in the Premier League last season. Don't underestimate these 14 places. The Welsh veteran is better than Henry, who has 28 goals and three crown titles at hand. In addition, he is the only one of the top 30 lists who is over 32 years old. The legend of immortality makes the world look up again.
British national media BBC selected Giggs as the sports figure of the year, and he is also the only candidate in football. The Telegraph pointed out that Manchester United's midfielder is well-known: "Look at what this 36-year-old veteran has done in the past year: breaking Charlton's Manchester United record, winning the Premier League championship for the 11th time, and participating in the Champions League final for the third time. What an unimaginable achievement in today's football world? Manchester United did not lose momentum because of the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo, just because they had Giggs.
Manchester United defeated Hull City 3-1, and Li Yu was undoubtedly the greatest contributor, but the role of Giggs, who recovered from injury, was also irreplaceable. Manchester United's first shot was completed by Giggs, who grabbed a volley in the penalty area, but only hit slightly higher. The free kick in the 16th minute also deflected the post. Giggs is only 10 inches away from scoring a goal," Sky Sports regretted.
However, what is more interesting is Giggs's taking and scoring, which shows his profound skills in the nearly 20 years of Premier League career. In the 33rd minute, Giggs' cross pass had laid a good foundation for Rooney, but the latter did not catch up with the shot. In half-time, Fletcher knocked back on the right side, and Giggs answered in front. Almost no one thought that he would smooth the ball with his heel, and Rooney's push shot at the back was extremely easy.
It can be seen from the slow motion that Giggs did not mean to shoot, but to find a teammate to pass the ball. The wonderful pass to the extreme makes people see what a master-level demeanor is in an instant. Sky Sports said: "No one thought this was a goal opportunity."
In the 74th minute, it was Rooney who sent an "assist" to Dawson's own goal, but it was also Giggs who sent the straight kick before. 2 shots, 34 passes, and 3 key passes. The data is not particularly beautiful. The Manchester City Evening News also feels that "the Welshman's pass has not reached the usual level", but it is the best Christmas gift to help Manchester United win. Previously, the Welsh veteran has been absent from the game for two weeks due to a strained Acne tendon, and it is reasonable that it will take time to return to its best form.
Giggs's evergreen, even his old teammate Scholes is envious. His secret is never satisfied with his self-motivation: "Before I retire, I still have a lot of championships to fight for. If you hang up your boots, you won't get any titles. I hope to have more championships, and there will be 4 or 50 years to recall, but not now. I know I'm coming to the end of my career, but I've been enjoying the game for the past 12 months. I often exercise my legs and back to keep fit.
According to data from OPTA, the official data provider of the Premier League, Lampard is the player who has won the most games in the Premier League in the past 10 years, but this is only because Chelsea's Irons have more appearances. Even Wenger said that Giggs is the best player in the Premier League in the decade: "He is the best player in my mind. He combines the overall play with the team's victory, although the goal in 1999 is still piercing me." Whose praise is more valuable than Wenger, who has been fighting against Manchester United and Giggs for 13 years?
As soon as Giggs returned from his injury, he won unanimous praise from the media and peers!
Before the start of the 20 rounds of the Premier League, because the Premier League itself was in a period of major changes in its pattern, Manchester United, which was difficult to perform well, did not withdraw from the championship. Ferguson, who is about to celebrate his 68th birthday, said, "As long as we don't fall behind in January, we will have a chance to complete the overtaking!" Indeed, in recent years, the future efforts have become a characteristic of Manchester United, but don't forget that the Red Devils also have away games against Arsenal, Aston Villa, and against Chelsea and Liverpool at home. The goal of four consecutive championships in the Premier League is uncertain for Manchester United now. As for whether it can finally be achieved in May 2010, the answer will come to stone.
Now Manchester United's task is to play every league well and prepare well for the final battle.
When asked whether Li Yu still needs to rotate, Ferguson said abnormally, "Our No. 9 has been performing well so far, and there is no problem of injury. Now it's time for Manchester United to stand up and solve his opponent!"
The old man did not answer the reporter's question positively, but all the reporters already knew the answer they wanted. As long as Li Yu was not injured, Ferguson would definitely let him start. In the media's opinion, it was a big trick for the Manchester United boss to let Rooney start before and let Li Yu rotate.
But now it seems that Ferguson himself is aware of this, but the media also admits that there is no problem with letting Li Yu take a few breaks occasionally. It's just that today's Manchester United is not in the presence of Li Yu, which is always reassuring. Manchester United has Li Yu's dependence. The media is not clear, but many people are also like this. I think so.
Facts have proved that the 20th round of Manchester United's home game against Wigan confirms this. Manchester United, which is at home at Old Trafford, swept Wigan 5-0 and successfully replicated the "massacre" situation in the first round of the two sides, which not only brought a successful end to the team's 2009 final game, but also for a few hours later. Ferguson, who celebrated his 68th birthday, presented a big gift. In this game, Rooney made 1 shot and 1 pass and 2 shots were blocked by the post; former Wigan player Valencia made 1 shot and 2 passes, Rafael also scored 1 goal and 1 assist, and Carrick and Li Yu also scored one goal each.
It seems that Li Yu has only one goal, but the real situation on the field is that the data after the distant game is much more wonderful. Almost all the threatening attacks of Manchester United come from the instigation of Manchester United No. 9. It can be said that Li Yu alone inspired Manchester United's strong offensive power, and once Manchester United's attack is alive, the opponent Wigan can only fight. Manchester United's defense did not receive any threat.
At the post-match press conference, Ferguson answered the reporter's questions with a smile.
"I'm very happy to see that the whole team has performed so well. Last Sunday and tonight, Li Yu and Rooney showed the value of world-class superstars. Manchester United No. 9 showed a strong desire to attack, and he also showed his strength. He was amazing. I'm glad to see Valencia score a goal. That goal is actually crucial. I believe he will score more goals in the future. We also saw Raphael's goal. He even ran excitedly in front of his brother to celebrate. They all like football, which is a great **. Ferguson told Manchester United's official website, "I don't want to choose who is better, because the team performed so well tonight that everyone plays their own role."
"I think I played better in the first half, and I can even say that I played best this season. The overall cooperation is very smooth, maintains a fast pace, and creates a lot of opportunities. Ferguson continued, "But I think we should keep the momentum of scoring tonight, and we should note that this is a good opportunity to score goals. You will never know that the difference in the number of goals is likely to determine the ownership of the final champion. We now have 27 goal-winning goals, 29 for Chelsea and 30 for Arsenal. Our Chelsea are only two points apart. The goal-win goal may play a crucial role.
Carrick scored and Fletcher's assists. The two midfielders who were forced to go to the backcourt to put out the fire in difficult times burst out their greatest energy after returning, adding to the perfect end of Manchester United 09. In fact, Manchester United won a winning streak in the "Christmas Express" devil's schedule and scoring 8 goals and conceding only 1 goal in two games, which is directly related to these two unknown heroes.
Looking back on Manchester United's season, the extreme injury and devastation must be one of them that cannot be ignored, and in the difficult years, Carrick and Fletcher joined hands as firefighters as guest-backs to help the team tide over the difficulties, which is also the main reason why Manchester United was only two points behind Chelsea when they entered 2010. With the recovery of Vidic and Brown's injuries, Carrick and Fletcher naturally returned to the familiar midfield position, and Hull City and Wigan have suffered in the last two battles.
Only 4 minutes after the start of the game, Fletcher created a volley on the right side of the penalty area, but the ball missed the bottom line. Since then, Manchester United's strong control of the game has made Wigan completely passive. Fletcher's active running and Carrick's long pass make trouble for his opponents from time to time. In the 20th minute, Carrick throws an out-of-bounds ball on the left side of the front court, and Rooney catches the ball and hits the post and pops out.
It's a pity to miss the assist, but Carrick made up for the regret with a goal 11 minutes later. At that time, Valencia dribbled the ball from the right side, and Carrick plugged in and waved his hand to his companions. Valencia immediately returned, and Carrick shot low and broke through the city of Wigan. Coincidentally, Carrick's last goal of the season was scored with Wigan. In that game, Manchester United scored a reversal victory goal scored by Carrick 0-1 behind.
Perhaps stimulated by a good partner in the middle to score, Fletcher also gave the team a gift to expand the lead before the end of the game. In the 45th minute, Fletcher sent a straight ball in the middle, and Raphael turned around at the edge of the penalty area and made a low shot to send the ball into the net. In fact, in the last round of the game against Hull City, Rooney's goal before the end of the half came from Fletcher's right-wing pass. With the passage of time, Fletcher and Carrick became more and more skilled in the middle.
Brian Robson thought earlier that Carrick was a rare midfielder in both Manchester United and England. Carrick is very smart, has a good pass, and runs in a reasonable position in the game. As long as there is no injury, I'm sure he will occupy one of the seats in Manchester United and England. Manchester United has always had the kind of player who controls between the two penalty areas, just like me and Roy Keane, but Carrick is another type. He grabs as many balls as we do, but he won't tackle too much impulsively, because he will read the game and then judge where the ball runs and accurately intercepts the ball halfway. He and Fletcher, who has a positive attitude and strong running ability, is undoubtedly a good combination that Manchester United can rely on in the future.