I almost helped Manchester United revive, but I chose to run away

Chapter 5: A good tactic is one that suits the players
"Okay! Welcome everyone to watch the focus battle of the 2021th round of the Premier League in the 2022- season! At this time, we will also introduce the starting lineups of both sides to you!

For the home team Chelsea, the forward line today is Werner, Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi.

The midfield is led by two key players, Jorginho and Loftus-Cheek.

Then on the back line, the three-center-back combination is composed of Thiago Silva, Rudiger and Chalobah, with Marcos Alonso on the left wing and Reece James on the right wing.

The starting goalkeeper is Edouard Mendy.”

"The starting goalkeeper for the visiting team Manchester United today is Spanish international De Gea.

Then Bailly will replace Maguire who is suspended for a red card to partner with Lindelof in the central defender position, Wan-Bissaka is the left back and Dalot is the right back.

In midfield, Matic played as a single defensive midfielder today, while Fred and Bruno Fernandes played as central midfielders.

C Ronaldo, Martial and Sancho formed a new front line combination for Manchester United today..."

Accompanied by the familiar commentary voice of Zhan Jun, in the early hours of the morning in China, countless fans were waiting in front of their TVs or mobile phone screens waiting for the start of this Premier League battle.

Li Chen's previous achievements as an assistant coach have long made him the undisputed number one domestic coach in the hearts of Chinese fans!
Although there have been many voices questioning Li Chen's level of coaching alone.

But for the vast majority of Chinese fans, Li Chen's status in football has long surpassed that of many domestic players and so-called senior coaches.

Now that Li Chen has become Manchester United's interim head coach, domestic fans have naturally become keenly concerned about Manchester United's games, which are already very popular.

There are supporters, and there are also fans who want to make fun of Li Chen. The combined hype of public opinion about the white and black pieces has directly pushed the attention of this game in the country to its peak!
As one of the most representative commentators of the Premier League in China, Zhan Jun was worried about Li Chen when he saw Manchester United's starting lineup!

Coach Zhang Lu is an experienced commentator and doesn’t have too many concerns. He directly addressed the concerns of many fans.

"Luke Shaw's injury is a huge hidden danger. Without his offensive assistance, Ronaldo will probably find it difficult to play comfortably on the left. Li Chen may want to use Wan Bissaka as a guest player on the left to limit James' performance, but using Martial as the starting center forward may be an arrangement worth discussing..."

The several tactical questions raised by Coach Zhang actually hit the nail on the head.

At this moment, not only some old fans in China think that Li Chen's behavior of drastically changing the starting lineup is a bit risky, but local Manchester United fans in England also do not quite understand Li Chen's personnel arrangements.

"Why not use Marcus (Rashford)?! Cristiano has adapted to the number nine position. Doesn't our new head coach understand this? Why does he dare to put the second-highest scorer in the team last season on the bench!"

"Come on, Marcus is too lazy! Injury and condition are not excuses for him to be lazy on the field. I support the head coach to give him a beating, but what I don't understand is why he would rather play Anthony (Martial) who is prone to injury than Mason (Greenwood)?"

"Can Jaden (Sancho) play as a wing midfielder? He has been struggling on the wing for so many games, why not try to put him in the middle..."

"Stop arguing! Let's watch the game first. If we don't play well, we will go to Carrington to protest tomorrow. We can't just hand the team over to a young guy who knows nothing!"

The surging public opinion on the Internet has made many reporters who are paying attention to this game excited!
In their opinion, Li Chen's bold substitutions were too risky.

He used the glass center forward Martial to suppress Rashford, retreated Bruno Fernandes, and even dared to let Matic, who is old and no longer in his prime, play as a single defensive midfielder... I can only say that he was too presumptuous and too young!

Many reporters felt that Manchester United would definitely be defeated by Chelsea, who were in great form, this time.

They wrote their articles in advance, and looked with gloating eyes at Li Chen, who happened to be in the live broadcast at that moment and looked calm.

"Is this guy in a daze? He's still pretending to be calm at this hour!"

Seeing Li Chen with his hands in his pockets, looking calmly at the court, many English reporters spat in their hearts.

But the next second, the referee's whistle finally interrupted their malicious associations.

Chelsea, playing at home, has no reason not to take the initiative to attack Manchester United, which is currently ranked eighth in the league.

Just as countless fans expected, Chelsea took the initiative as soon as the game started. Even though several main players were injured and rotated, they were still very confident in exerting high pressure on Manchester United.

If Solskjaer was still in office and continued to play his weird and active offensive tactics, Chelsea would definitely be able to easily advance their front line into Manchester United's defensive hinterland.

Because at that time Manchester United's midfield and backcourt were completely out of touch.

The defense is unable to form continuous double-team pressure, and they want to quickly transition to the midfield as soon as they get the ball. The result is often that Bruno Fernandes' gambling-style threatening passes are intercepted by opponents. The tactics are so crude and simple that it is simply unbearable to watch!
But today, Manchester United honestly built a solid defensive system in their midfield and backcourt.

Matic is the lone defensive midfielder on the surface, but in fact, Fred and B Fee, who play as central midfielders, are given more defensive responsibilities by Li Chen!
Especially for Fred, Li Chen took advantage of his physical fitness and flexibility to let him take on more tactical tasks of covering the midfield.

He is not required to chase and defend in place, but only to disrupt Chelsea's organizational advancement in the middle and protect the area in front of Matic.

Fred is indeed good at this job, and Li Chen does not require him to play an important role in the offensive end. With the tactical burden reduced, Fred's role in carefully covering and sweeping the midfield is immediately highlighted!
With two midfield partners actively returning to defense, Matic naturally does not need to consume more energy on lateral interception.

With rich defensive experience and excellent positioning ability, he only needs to block the key vertical channel. It would be better if he can complete the key interception. If he fails, he can buy time for his teammates who are returning to defense!
B Fee's excellent running and covering ability can also cause trouble for Chelsea's serial advancement on the defensive end.

The three midfielders each performed their duties, and with Martial and Sancho also participating in defense from time to time today, Manchester United's defensive hardness improved visibly for a while!
With the protection of their teammates in front of them, Bailly and Lindelof can focus more on limiting the performance of the opponent's forwards.

Seeing their team's advance blocked, many Blues fans at the scene looked at each other in bewilderment.

Is this still the Manchester United they had previously ridiculed, with a leaky midfield and backcourt like a sieve? !

After being relieved of his burden, Fred was able to play such an outstanding tactical role?
Can B Fee participate in defense with such dedication?
And what about Matic? Now that he was protected in front of him, he actually regained some of the defensive momentum that was so powerful that no one could break through in the past?
Tuchel raised his eyebrows while standing on the sidelines and looked to his side involuntarily.

At this moment, Li Chen smiled and patted Carrick's shoulder.

"Michael, you see, a tactic that suits the players' technical characteristics is a good tactic."

(End of this chapter)