Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

Having learned from their previous defeat, Chelsea adjusted their defensive strategy against Lin Feng once again.

They no longer tried to rely on one person to stop Lin Feng, but instead adopted a chain-like overall defense strategy.

In layman's terms, it's about regional joint defense.

In a football defensive system, each player has their own defensive zone. Under normal circumstances, a player will not leave their defensive zone rashly, so as to avoid creating a defensive vacuum and giving the opponent space to attack.

However, against an attacking midfielder like Lin Feng who can dribble, pass, and shoot, if we continue to defend as before, it would be giving the opponent the opportunity to pick us off one by one.

Therefore, Grant instructed Chelsea players to actively cooperate with their teammates in the defensive midfield position to provide defensive support when Lin Feng is dribbling the ball.

As for their original positions after they leave, other nearby players will cover them, and other players will cover their positions, thus forming a linkage and rotation of the entire defensive line.

In this way, even if Lin Feng gets past one of them, he will immediately be blocked by the next line of defense.

This tactic worked well in the first thirty minutes. Lin Feng tried it, but whether he moved to the wing or made a strong run through the middle, he couldn't seem to break through Chelsea's defense.

If it were a typical attacking midfielder, they might really be helpless in this situation, but Lin Feng is different.

Because he can drop back into his own half to play as a defensive midfielder!
Starting in the 30th minute, Lin Feng retreated, allowing Sneijder to move up in position.

Chelsea's defensive midfielder Essien seemed a bit lost. If he had been using the same man-marking defense as in the last game, he would have been determined to stick with him now.

However, the coach did not assign him man-marking duties in this match, which prevented Essien from daring to chase too deep.

Seeing that Essien did not chase after them, Lin Feng breathed a sigh of relief.

Essien's defensive ability may not be as good as Makelele's, but he has the advantage of being young and strong, with plenty of stamina, and is especially good at running and harassing opponents.

Even if you get past him, he'll relentlessly chase after you like an unkillable cockroach.

Therefore, Lin Feng's physical exertion was significantly greater in this match compared to the previous one.

If the intensity of the first 30 minutes is maintained, he might run out of stamina by the 70th minute.

To be honest, there aren't many defensive midfielders in today's football world who can push Lin Feng to this extent. Although Essien has the help of his teammates, his own ability should not be underestimated.

That incredible physical ability and strong body truly befits an African buffalo!
Grant was a little confused when he saw Lin Feng move back to play as a defensive midfielder, and so were the Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge.

"What's going on? Why is Real Madrid's number eight playing as a defensive midfielder?"

"He must be afraid of our African buffalo, didn't you see how badly Essien made him look just now!"

Chelsea fans were beaming with pride. They had pushed the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year to such a point that even if they couldn't pull off a comeback in the end, they would still have something to brag about.

“I’ve watched a lot of Real Madrid’s games. Real Madrid’s attack this season has relied heavily on this guy’s passing. Now that he’s moved to play as a defensive midfielder, all of Real Madrid’s forwards are rendered useless. It’s time for us to launch a major attack!”

Chelsea fans thought their goal would be safe if Lin Feng dropped back to the defensive midfield position, but little did they know that Lin Feng's wide vision and superb footwork could be fully utilized in that position.

In the 35th minute of the first half, under pressure from the opponent, Real Madrid players passed the ball back to Lin Feng in the backfield.

Lin Feng stopped the ball and pretended to look up to observe the situation in the attacking third, but in reality he was deliberately waiting for Chelsea's formation to push forward.

Just as Malouda was about to get close, Lin Feng suddenly kicked out a precise long pass from the left flank.

On the front line, Van Nistelrooy, who was walking back, saw Lin Feng looking up and observing, and immediately stopped and started running in the opposite direction.

Terry, who was following him, was taken aback. Seeing the ball flying through the air, he hurriedly took off after it.

But he was a step too slow. Van Nistelrooy headed the ball into the open space ahead and sprinted toward it.

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech saw this and decisively rushed out, but he was just a little too short, and Van Nistelrooy got to the ball first.

Seeing this, Cech lowered his center of gravity, spread his arms, and tried to maximize his blocking area to prevent the opponent from shooting.

However, Van Nistelrooy had no intention of shooting himself. After receiving the ball, he deftly pushed it to his left, passing it into an open space in front of the goal.

A white figure sped past, kicking the ball into the goal before Terry could make a sliding tackle.

The goal was scored by Real Madrid's number 7 player – Raul!
The crowd erupted in uproar, with Chelsea fans in the stands staring in disbelief at their own goal.

The ball lay there quietly, proving that what had just happened was not a dream.

Despite all the precautions, it still couldn't be prevented.

"nice shot!"

Mourinho's assistant coaches and substitutes were celebrating loudly and excitedly.

But Mourinho stood calmly with his hands in his pockets, exuding an air of composure and control, as if everything was within his calculations.

This scene was captured by the cameras on site, creating a stark contrast between Mourinho's composure on the sidelines and Abramovich's impotent rage in the VIP box.

At this moment, the outcome seems to have lost all suspense.

Raul's goal was a fatal blow to Chelsea.

They were already down by two goals, and they would need to score at least two more to equalize.

But now, with Real Madrid scoring an away goal, a draw is no longer an option. Chelsea will need to score four goals in the next sixty minutes to advance to the semi-finals.

Scoring four goals in sixty minutes is extremely difficult even against an average Premier League team, let alone against a top powerhouse like Real Madrid.

So far this season, Real Madrid has never conceded four goals in a single match.

So for Chelsea, this goal sealed their fate.

"Fire that damn Jew!"

In a fit of anger, Abu said something that was very politically incorrect.

Thankfully, this happened in a private box. If it had happened in public, his Chelsea career would probably have ended 15 years earlier.

But for Grant, none of his previous victories had a greater impact than this loss.

Abu has never been a rational, patient boss.

For him, firing the head coach was just a regular occurrence.

Moreover, Grant's loss in such a crucial match made him unable to hold his head high in front of Mourinho, that traitor.

Having committed such a grave mistake, should we keep him around instead of firing him?
Grant is not the first coach to be fired by Abramovich, and he certainly won't be the last.

...After conceding the goal, Chelsea launched a furious counterattack in the ensuing minutes.

Grant was clearly aware that his job was in jeopardy. Although he would receive a hefty severance package if he were sacked by Abramovich, he had finally gotten the opportunity to manage a near-elite club like Chelsea and didn't want to give it up so easily.

He felt he could still be saved.

However, Chelsea's frantic counterattack failed to achieve its goal. Instead, because they were pressing too far forward, Lin Feng seized the opportunity in the second half and once again assisted young Higuain to score with a precise long pass.

For Little Smoker, this match was a complete success.

He not only started the game, but also scored a goal.

Thanks to his outstanding performance in this match, he has gained more attention from the outside world, and even impressed Mourinho, who plans to give him more time in future matches to observe his potential.

Raul and Van Nistelrooy are both in their thirties and are veterans; their form can only last for two or three more years before they start to decline.

Although Real Madrid has found their best option in midfield, they still need to look carefully for a striker.

Higuain has good footwork, positioning, shooting, and playmaking abilities, making him a good candidate for a starting striker.

As for the choice of winger, Mourinho was not satisfied with Robben's performance, firstly because the opponent had too many injuries and his injury-prone nature was too obvious.

Secondly, Robben's playing style is incompatible with the team. He can neither score himself nor assist his teammates, and his attitude in defense is not proactive enough. Putting him on the field will only drag the team down.

As for who to buy, Mourinho hasn't decided yet.

However, Mendes had previously hinted to him that his compatriot was very interested in Real Madrid, and perhaps he could try to extend an invitation to him.

Of course, considering the other party's high value, signing them is not an easy task.

As for the proposal that President Calderon had previously made to sign Kaká from AC Milan, Mourinho has completely lost interest.

Kaka's playing style is very similar to Lin Feng's. Having one Lin Feng in the team is enough. There is no need to bring in another player with a similar function. After all, a player of Kaka's near Ballon d'Or level cannot be bought as a substitute.

In the final stages of the match, Chelsea finally scored.

The goal was scored by Didier Drogba, and despite Mourinho bringing on German defender Metzelder in the second half, he still couldn't stop the Cameroonian attack.

But scoring at this point was too late for Drogba and Chelsea.

A few minutes later, the referee blew the final whistle to end the match.

Ultimately, after a hard-fought battle, Real Madrid defeated Chelsea 2-1 away from home, achieving a double victory over their opponents and advancing to the semi-finals with an absolute advantage of 4-1 on aggregate.

At the post-match press conference, the reporters had high hopes that Mourinho would take advantage of the situation and ridicule Abramovich and even Chelsea.

But to everyone's surprise, Mourinho sang praises of Chelsea, extolling them from top to bottom, and even publicly extended olive branches to some Chelsea players, showing a willingness to poach them from Chelsea.

Watching Mourinho speak eloquently, the reporters exchanged bewildered glances, wondering if he was deliberately trying to annoy Abramovich or if he was serious.

“Essien is the world’s best defensive midfielder I discovered. I admire his talent very much. If he is willing to come to Real Madrid, I will reserve a starting position for him!”

“Terry is a player I really like. We had a very pleasant time working together at Chelsea. He is a calm, thoughtful, and charismatic captain who is good at uniting his teammates and maintaining stability in the dressing room. Real Madrid is short of defenders. If he is willing to come to Real Madrid, I will offer him a top salary and guarantee him a starting position!”

“Carvalho is a veteran player I brought out from Porto, and I know his ability very well. If he is willing to continue working with me, I would be very happy to welcome him!”

……

Basically, Mourinho singled out all the talented players in Chelsea who weren't particularly old.

Whether they ultimately come or not, he has certainly made the right gesture.

If, by some chance, it impresses some of the players, then it's pure profit.

Even if they don't win over the last one, it would be great if they could disgust Abu.

I really don't know what kind of grudge Mourinho and Abramovich have against each other. They were so close when they were at Chelsea, talking about everything. How did they suddenly become enemies?

Abramovich reacted swiftly to Mourinho's provocative poaching tactics.

Shortly after the match, Chelsea announced on their official website that they had reached an agreement with captain John Terry to extend his contract until 2013.

According to inside sources, Terry's weekly wage will reach £13 after the contract extension, surpassing Manchester United's Rooney and Ronaldo to become the highest-paid player in the Premier League.

Abramovich is really going all out by offering such a high annual salary to a defender.

It's hard to say how much of this was motivated by Mourinho.

After Real Madrid defeated Chelsea to advance, news also came from Anfield Stadium next door that Liverpool had defeated Arsenal to advance to the semi-finals.

A day later, the results of the other two matches were also announced.

回到主场的巴塞罗那，继续1:0小胜沙尔克04，总比分2:0淘汰对手晋级四强。

Manchester United, meanwhile, thrashed Fenerbahce 4-0 at home, securing a double victory over their opponents and advancing to the semi-finals.

Manchester United could have scored more goals in this match. They established an early lead in the first half thanks to a brace from Rooney and Ronaldo.

In the second half, Ronaldo scored again with a free kick at the start of the game, and then Giggs' long-range shot helped the team extend the score to 4-0, at which point the game had only been going on for 55 minutes.

Manchester United had plenty of time and opportunity to extend their lead, but Ferguson felt it was pointless to do so, so he substituted key players like Ronaldo and Rooney early on to give them a rest.

Although Fenerbahce is only a Turkish Super League team, they are considered a strong team in the Champions League.

But this time, they were completely outmatched by the defending Premier League champions.

Manchester United's double victory with clean sheets at both home and away games has boosted their title hopes, making them one of the favorites to win the title, just like Real Madrid.

Compared to Manchester United and Real Madrid, the two favorites to win the title, not many people are optimistic about Liverpool and Barcelona. Although these two teams were the champions in 05 and 06, they lost to their arch-rivals in the Merseyside derby and El Clásico, respectively.

This led to a lack of confidence in them from the outside world.

But the league is the league, and the Champions League is the Champions League. You might not win in the league, but you might not lose in the Champions League.

Take Liverpool, who just eliminated Arsenal, for example. Before this match, Arsenal had an excellent record of 3 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss in their last 7 encounters with Liverpool, which seemed to give them a significant advantage.

But in the end, Liverpool eliminated Arsenal.

Given the historical rivalries between Real Madrid and Barcelona, ​​and Liverpool and Manchester United, many fans speculated after the semi-finalists were announced that UEFA, the master of scriptwriting, would arrange a national derby between the two teams in the Champions League, giving fans around the world a treat.

However, the final matchup results were a huge surprise to everyone. (End of Chapter)