If you are a brother, come and play football

Chapter 235 Matthäus's Approval (Please Subscribe)
Seeing Gary Neville's performance, Ferguson couldn't help but shake his head.

He will talk to his disciples afterwards. No matter what happens, the team will need to bring in a new player for the right flank if things continue like this.

Ferguson left the locker room.

Beckham was about to gloat.

Unexpectedly, Gary Neville fell asleep again.

This guy.

Lu Deyang was truly impressed.

That little candle can be removed to solve the problem.

He's so stubborn.

Lu Deyang sat down to change his gear and took the opportunity to draw a prize.

[Your good brother Francesco Totti only won one title at the club level and one title at the national team level. For a top player, such achievements are full of regrets. Therefore, we are drawing a player who has won more than one title at both the club and national team levels. Ding! You have obtained a single-match trial card for the 35th round of the 2002-2003 Premier League season, Arsenal vs. Manchester United.]

Pire!

One of the architects of the 49-game unbeaten streak.

He was a key figure in that Arsenal team.

If Arsenal hadn't insisted on a one-year contract renewal for players over 30, Pires wouldn't have transferred to Villarreal.

The fact that both Manchester United and Arsenal insisted on this rule initially actually provided the teams with a greater sense of security.

This has been the case since the time of Erwin.

Many players may experience a sharp decline after the age of 30.

It's unlikely that Ferguson would spend 7000 million to bring in an aging Casemiro.

Although the professor's final signings didn't quite live up to expectations, the last 20 signings still included a key player like Sanchez.

Arsenal changed several coaches and brought in so many players, but they couldn't replicate the brilliance of players like Ivankovic or Alexis Sanchez, let alone players like Giroud.

Pires' transfer fee wasn't low, but it was definitely one of the most worthwhile signings the professor made.

Pires played as an attacking midfielder during his time at Metz.

He transitioned to playing as a winger.

That's why his playing style is so similar to that of an attacking midfielder; calling him a wing attacking midfielder wouldn't be a problem at all.

In the 1998 World Cup match between France and Uruguay, when Zidane was suspended, it was Pires who stepped up.

France at the time wasn't without capable personnel.

However, Zidane was too dominant and occupied too much of the ball.

Whether it's Pires or Micoud, they would be absolute core players in a national team like Germany.

His role at Arsenal was crucial, adding another layer to their attack, creating a focal point for possession and passing in the attacking third.

The only problem is that he has suffered a lot of injuries, which has affected his career achievements.

Therefore, Lu Deyang has always felt that not getting injured is also a kind of talent.

The main reason those two players achieved such monstrous stats was because they rarely took injuries.

Otherwise, even a player as strong as Ronaldo would end up rolling around on the grass with his knees in his arms.

Lu Deyang was very satisfied with this card.

"Let's go, let's go out and warm up."

Bruce looked at Lu Deyang and said.

Besides Lu Deyang being the last to change clothes, another factor was whether Lu Deyang had any objections to the seating arrangement.

Lu Deyang stood up, nodded, and followed his teammates onto the field.

As Manchester United players stepped out of the tunnel one by one.

The DJ at Dream Theater was yelling out every name with passionate shouts.

"Dennis Irwin!"

"Peter Schmeichel!"

"...The best number 7 in the world, our Dejan!!!"

In the Theatre of Dreams, there will never be an Eastern European named Dejan.

This pronunciation is both a substitute name and a proper noun.

boom--

"Deyang!!!"

"Deyang!!!"

"Deyang!!!"

The loudest cheers erupted at Old Trafford.

They are well aware of the feud between Arsenal's manager and Ferguson, and also acknowledge that Arsenal poses a threat.

But if we can just avoid losing today, we can win the title at home by stepping over Arsenal's corpse, and nothing could be more wonderful.

It's less of a league match.

It was more like the last 100 minutes or so before the championship celebration.

Every Manchester United fan firmly believes that the team will win the title at home today.

Countless people in the stands held up various posters and foam trophies covered with tinfoil.

One TIFO after another was hung below the stands, bearing witness to the team's glory.

George Best picked up the flask, took a sip, and said excitedly, "I never thought being a fan was any less exciting than being a player. Watching the game is even more thrilling than playing it."

"You don't have many years left to live, if you keep drinking like this."

Bobby Charlton quipped.

"Hehe, Captain, hehe."

After a burp, George Best laughed and said, "If you're always suppressing yourself, what's the difference between that and living in a concentration camp?"

“Even Commander Naz didn’t drink as much as you. I think Gascoigne might go to meet God sooner than you.”

Charlton said irritably.

He had high hopes for Gascoigne, that junior, but unfortunately he didn't live up to expectations at all.

Who's a good person who drinks two bottles of whiskey before playing football?
In other words, the coach he encountered was easy to talk to and didn't tell the media about his situation.

There wasn't much specific news about this in the newspapers. Fans knew he was a heavy drinker, but they didn't know the exact extent.

Gascoigne often missed training because he couldn't walk in a straight line.

George Best didn't care.

After he was admitted to the hospital, the doctor told him that he would die if he continued to drink, but he just couldn't control himself.

Best felt that continuing this kind of life for another ten years or so would be worthwhile.

He has slept with every woman he wanted and drunk every kind of fine wine in his life.

Even after retiring, I can still watch Manchester United continue its glory.

Everything they create will be well protected and inherited, so there's really nothing to worry about.

"It's another highly anticipated match. Our Professor is someone Ferguson dislikes, but judging from his performance this season, we have to admit that the Frenchman has indeed brought a lot of changes to Arsenal."

"Yes, I heard from the Arsenal board that they are willing to continue supporting Arsène Wenger, whose teams play beautiful football. Ruud Gullit is now a player-coach who claims to play sexy football, but it doesn't seem to be as effective as Arsenal."

"The situation in London is getting more and more exciting, but we should still focus on today's match and take a look at the starting lineups for both sides."

Manchester United's 4-4-2 formation with two holding midfielders:
Goalkeeper: Schmeichel
Defenders: Irwin, Pallister, Bruce, Philip Neville
Midfielders: Ludjohn, Redondo, Keane, Beckham
Forwards: Cantona, McClair.

Arsenal's 4-3-3 formation with two defensive midfielders:
Goalkeeper: David Seaman
Defenders: Winterburn, Martin Keown, Scott Marshall, Lee Dixon
Midfielders: David Platt, Ray Parlour, Lothar Matthäus
Forwards: Ian Wright, Bergkamp, ​​John Hartson.

"The starting lineup above is somewhat surprising. Gary Neville replaced his brother. Manchester United gave the reason that Gary Neville was injured. Although he appeared in the squad, we saw that he did not come out to warm up, so he may really be injured."

"Arsenal's defense also has some injuries, but most importantly, their attack has problems, as fans who regularly watch Arsenal games should know very well."

"That's right, we all know what kind of football the French want to play, but their strikers don't seem to know."

The main problem with Arsenal's attacking line is that they don't have a proper number nine.

Even if his passing ability is a little lacking, being able to cover for Bergkamp would make the Dutchman's game more comfortable.

Judging from later strikers like Chamakh and Bendtner, the professor favored center forwards who could hold their ground in the penalty area and possessed certain technical skills, which is quite rare. The Swede who never tried out and missed out on Arsenal was perhaps the most suitable player for him.

Even if Arsenal signs Ibrahimovic, they still won't be able to keep him.

He might still transfer to Barcelona.

Old Trump is both dark and fast, while Hartson is an immature number nine who also needs sprint space and doesn't like to be at the front.

As for why he is not very mature, he was suspended from training for stealing other people's credit cards during his youth team days, and later he was suspended by the team for kicking a teammate in the head after leaving Arsenal.

Even in the football world, which is full of scoundrels, he is considered a rather outrageous troublemaker.

Although the newspaper did not specify.

But anyone with a bit of inside information would know that there was a problem between Hartson and Matthäus.

Such a pairing wouldn't help Bergkamp much; on the contrary, the Dutch would need to find a way to take care of them.

Kee went up to guess the coin, and the game was about to begin.

Bergkamp glanced back at Matthäus.

The German gestured with his chin.

This gesture of friendliness did not make Bergkamp feel any better; on the contrary, it made him feel very tired.

One of them dared to commit large-scale thefts from a young age, not just petty theft; the other was hated by everyone in the neighborhood since childhood. It's perfectly normal that the two of them couldn't see eye to eye.

He just hoped that Hartson and Matthäus wouldn't get into a fight today.

Sometimes Bergkamp feels a sense of relaxation when he returns to the national team; he really wants those journalists who always talk about infighting in the Netherlands to see the Arsenal dressing room.

The conflict between blacks and whites in Suriname is nothing.

At 5 p.m. sharp, referee Gary Willard blew the whistle to start the match.

Cantona received the ball and passed it directly back to Lu Deyang.

click -

Lu Deyang flicked his right foot and began to try.

Pires' dribbling style is similar to Figo's, with a strong sense of rhythm.

His father was Portuguese and his mother was Spanish, which made it difficult for him to integrate into French society from a young age.

He was born with a dream of becoming the King and he likes Benfica.

However, he also rejected Real Madrid and Benfica, showing some phobia of big clubs.

But the finesse on the feet cannot be faked.

Matthäus came straight up to him, which made Lu Deyang's heart skip a beat.

It's highly likely that the professor assigned him the task of close-marking defense.

In this world, any attacking player would feel pressured facing a Matthäus who is focused on defense.

Lu Deyang didn't continue dribbling, but quickly turned and passed the ball to Redondo.

The lack of fancy moves was due to the opponent's strength.

Redondo understood Lu Deyang's meaning and began to organize the play in the backfield. He noticed that Matthäus was constantly roaming around Lu Deyang, and he did not pass the ball to the left wing.

Ferguson immediately understood the situation on the field.

However, instead of urging the players to pass the ball, he looked towards the Arsenal coaching bench.

Do they want to use a useless player to replace Manchester United's strongest point?

This tactic is insidious.

Damn Frenchmen!

However, Ferguson was not in a hurry.

He knew that Lu Deyang must have his own ideas.

Football is about you making a move and I making a move; you can only be restricted if you can't make a move.

Lu Deyang is a player who is very good at finding the opponent's weaknesses. Even Ferguson is not as perceptive as him on the field, so Ferguson never gives Lu Deyang advice.

Arsenal pressed very aggressively today.

They were making more moves in the attacking third than before.

Ian Wright accelerated toward Neville Jr., who quickly passed the ball forward.

The kick was a bit too weak, and Beckham and Pratt chased after the ball together.

Feeling he might not be able to get the ball first, Beckham gritted his teeth and slid in with a heavy weight.

The ball was tackled and bounced off Neville's foot, going out of bounds.

"Great opportunity! Throw it straight into the penalty area! Lothar, you throw it!!!"

The professor shouted from the sidelines, "After you throw the ball, go back and defend Dejan immediately. Be quick!"

"French really is awful to listen to."

Ferguson said irritably.

“He seemed to be speaking German; French people speak quite a few languages,” Brian Kidd remarked.

"That Frenchman speaks German, he's a traitor."

Ferguson complained.

Kidd quickly suppressed his laughter.

He noticed that Ferguson's emotions fluctuated more when facing Wenger than usual.

Matthäus went to the sidelines.

His skill level is top-notch, not just in Arsenal, but in the entire football world.

After glancing at the penalty area, Matthäus took a run-up and threw the ball powerfully towards the far post.

Damn it, you cunning bastard!

Schmeichel almost cursed.

Both teams' players were focused on the close post, and thankfully he noticed that the ball's power was off and quickly moved his position.

Ray Parlour was completely unmarked on the right side of the penalty area, and before he could even stop the ball, he unleashed a powerful volley.

Schmeichel made a quick run down the wing and narrowly blocked the ball with one hand. Keown and Keane then attempted to poke the ball into the goal, but it hit Schmeichel's arm and bounced back into the six-yard box.

A chaotic scramble ensued inside the penalty area.

Pratt attempted a sliding shot, but Bruce poked the ball away before he could react.

"Pass it directly, a long pass!" Philip Neville didn't expect to hear Ferguson's shout as soon as the ball reached his feet.

The Scottish-accented English made him dare not be negligent. He looked up, glanced at the general situation, and then swung his arm and kicked out hard with his right foot.

boom--

All 6 fans in the stadium looked up at this pass.

If the attack is delivered in the right way, the counterattack can be successful.

The ball continued its momentum after crossing the center line, heading straight for the left flank of the attacking third.

In terms of long passes, England's full-backs all have good basic skills.

The ball bounced right in front of Lu Deyang.

Marshall, who was trailing behind, tried to steal the ball, but Lu Deyang reacted faster than him.

Manchester United's number 7 raised his right foot and tapped the ball from below.

Snapped--

With a crisp sound, the ball sailed over Marshall's head and landed in the penalty area.

On the other side, Winterburn was running back at top speed, but the distance was too great.

When Lu Deyang received the ball again on the edge of the penalty area, he was completely unaffected.

Many Manchester United fans are already celebrating, as Rudd-Yang is unlikely to miss such a great opportunity.

David Seaman stood behind the near-point line of the penalty area in a posture reminiscent of someone holding a chamber pot, not daring to move an inch, just pressing his center of gravity and awaiting death's judgment.

Snapped--

Lu Deyang tapped the ball under the bouncing ball again and then lifted it up.

Although his strength was not great, it filled He-Man with despair.

Lob shot!

The ball wasn't slow; it flew towards the back of his head almost instantly. Seaman tried to lean back and stretch out his arms, but he couldn't touch the ball. The ball flew into the goal, skimming the bottom edge of the post.

Precise and elegant.

Lu Deyang touched the ball twice, but the opponent did not have a chance to touch it.

That immediately changed the score.

After scoring, Lu Deyang turned up his collar, opened his arms, and looked around the entire Old Trafford stadium.

Boom—"Deyang!"

"Deyang!"

"Deyang!"

Just half an hour later, Lu Deyang's name rang out again at the Dream Theater.

This time it wasn't because of a great performance during the warm-up.

Cantona stopped and did not continue forward.

Every time he saw Lu Deyang celebrate like this, he felt a sense of pride and pride.

"Deyang!"

"Dejan Goal!"

"GoalGoalGoal!"

"Dejan scored the first goal of the day just six minutes into the game."

"Arsenal had a throw-in opportunity in their own half, but they failed to capitalize on the set piece, which instead led to a Manchester United counter-attack."

"Dejan's one-on-one chances only have two outcomes: either he scores directly, or he tries too hard to get the angle right and misses slightly. It's not easy to get a one-on-one chance against Dejan."

"Yes, Dejan has once again given Manchester United the lead. Arsenal's dream of stopping Manchester United away from home has been dashed. Dejan has never managed a draw in a game where he has scored first, not even once."

……

"Dejan is no ordinary player, unless we have Maradona and Matthäus together."

"Ferguson coached for many years before winning the championship, so I don't think losing is a problem."

"Manchester United has never beaten a team I managed when Dejan was absent..."

The professor stood on the sidelines with his hands in his pockets, muttering to himself.

What I had been thinking about has finally happened.

Then they should try to salvage the situation at the post-match press conference.

Philip Neville hadn't expected the assist to be so easy, and he was a step too late to celebrate.

However, Lu Deyang did not forget him and gave him a thumbs up from afar.

Neville scratched the back of his head and grinned foolishly.

Gary, that idiot, always tells him that assists aren't easy and that he should pass to Redondo. But now it seems that's not so difficult. Could it be that his brother is just too bad?

The players from both sides returned to the center circle to prepare for the kickoff.

Hartson looked at Lu Deyang with some envy.

Even if he's simple-minded, he knows that Lu Deyang is a goal he can never reach.

Bergkamp couldn't help but shake his head.

This young man is quite talented.

However, you have some personality issues. You only see others being strong but don't work hard yourself, so you can't even realize your talent.

He also doesn't have the time in America to be a counselor for troubled youth.

Why not spend that little bit of holiday time with your family?

After the kickoff, Bergkamp passed the ball to Wright and immediately reached out for it, fearing that Ian Wright might impulsively charge into Manchester United's half.

Wright passed the ball back, and Bergkamp made a back pass.

Parlour is also a player who can play on the wing or in the center. His ceiling is not as high as Paul Merson's, but his current physical condition is better than Merson's, so he occupies this position.

Parlour passed back to Matthäus, who then laid it off horizontally.

These three people work together very well.

Beckham charged toward Matthäus, trying to prevent him from getting the ball.

However, Platt still passed the ball to Matthäus, who then flicked the ball forward in front of Beckham, dribbled past him, and used his body to push against him as he charged forward.

That's a very arrogant and disrespectful approach.

But Beckham was frustrated to find that he had no way to solve the problem.

The physical confrontation is on a completely different level.

Even though he was taller, he still shifted his weight onto Matthäus.

But after running a few steps, my footwork became inconsistent, and I stumbled and almost fell.

Seeing this, Redondo waved to Keane, signaling him not to go up, and that he would go up and grab the gun himself.

At Manchester United, he was the only one who could rival Matthäus.

Unfortunately, Matthäus was very clear-headed while playing and had no intention of getting entangled with him. He quickly made a through pass while running, directly hitting the back of the defense.

Ian Wright easily made it to the byline, leaving Philip Neville with no choice but to chase back desperately.

Wright made a sudden stop and cut inside just outside the penalty area, sending Neville out of bounds before adjusting himself and passing the ball out.

Hartson and Bergkamp jumped almost simultaneously, but they did not have an advantage in the air.

Pallister, who is over 1.9 meters tall, has a good jumping ability and easily headed the ball out of the penalty area.

Wright and Pratt rushed toward the ball almost simultaneously. Keane got to the ball first but couldn't turn around before Wright poked it away from him.

Pratt didn't dare to hold the ball for long and quickly passed it across the field.

Parlour, who came up to meet the ball, took a long-range shot, but the ball went into the stands.

“Ray Parlour, Wenger replaced one drunkard with another, the only difference being that this drunkard has a shorter drinking history.”

"Jim, your words are a bit harsh."

Martin Tyler said helplessly.

Jim Beglin sarcastically remarked, "I was just telling the truth. Paul Merson ended up in the hospital for alcohol rehabilitation, and Ray Parlour isn't exactly a saint either. The Sun reported that Wenger advised him to stop drinking, but he ended up having two drinks on the plane."

Taylor could only nod silently.

Smoking and drinking were all too common in the football world at that time.

It's often said that smoking is more harmful than drinking, but judging from the situation in the football world, drinking is actually more damaging.

An occasional celebration with a drink is nothing to make the news.

These players, known for their heavy drinking, must drink more than a liter every day.

Sometimes he even wondered if half the world's wineries would go out of business if alcohol were banned in football.

The professor shook his head with some regret, subconsciously reaching for the buttons on his suit jacket before putting his hand down.

Judging from the squad, even excluding Lu Deyang, he also prefers Manchester United's lineup.

Arsenal are currently strong defensively, but their attack lacks structure. If they had Cantona to partner with Bergkamp, ​​their attacking power would increase significantly.

As for Parlor and Merson, he felt they were not as good as that young man Scholes.

At least they have a promising future and are self-disciplined.

From this perspective, summer signings are still very necessary; he needs to make some signings for the forward and midfield positions.

Manchester United played very patiently after taking the lead.

Matthäus prefers close marking, but Lu Deyang isn't in a hurry.

Even if we win 1-0, we can still get three points.

Arsenal should be the ones in a hurry.

It must be said that the professor's tactics were decades ahead of Graham's.

He also noticed from the Arsenal players' positioning that Arsenal's passing and receiving were all based on a triangle formation.

This is the direction in which football formations are evolving.

Off-the-ball movement is the foundation of many things.

Even the most technically skilled team will make mistakes if they just stand still and wait for the ball.

This constant running reduces the probability of mistakes.

Matthäus's long pass ability is also quite remarkable; both teams have the ability to send the ball into the opponent's danger zone with a single pass.

This isn't the kind of long pass and cross that relies on luck.

Instead, it's about precise and rapid passing and movement.

Arsenal voluntarily gave up this point, allowing Matthäus to come and exchange it.

They must have felt they couldn't win the attack.

Redondo got the ball, and Lu Deyang immediately gestured for him to run forward.

Just as Matthäus started moving and charged forward, Lu Deyang slowed down and returned to his position.

This somewhat annoyed the Germans.

They're just messing with him!
Snapped,
Redondo passed the ball to the left wing this time.

Lu Deyang turned sideways and flicked the ball forward without stopping it.

Matthäus, who had just returned from his run, started up again, and Lu Deyang unusually chose to compete against him rather than try to outrun him.

The two of them squeezed together and ran forward, and even so, they were not slow.

A Fast and Furious movie was staged at Dream Theater.

click -

Just a meter or so away from the ball, Lu Deyang suddenly stopped, causing Matthäus to lose his balance and fall heavily in front of Lu Deyang.

Lu Deyang, who had just stopped, jumped over him and easily got the ball.

Matthäus's eyes blazed with fury as he watched Lu Deyang's retreating figure.

But he also admitted that Lu Deyang was smarter than him.

His IQ should be about the same as Einstein's.

Pratt immediately moved to the wing to provide defensive support, waiting for Lu Dejan on the side of the penalty area with Dixon.

Dixon was the first to pounce.

click -

Lu Deyang flicked the ball close with the inside of his right foot, followed by the outside of his foot, using his shoulder and footwork to shake off Dixon. Pratt, standing behind the two, didn't even have a chance to extend his leg and could only watch as Lu Deyang passed the ball to the right wing with his left foot and carried it into the penalty area.

Pratt quickly turned around to chase after him, but he was a step too slow and missed the best opportunity.

Even though both players were inside the penalty area, the distance between them continued to widen.

Matthäus, back at the edge of the penalty area, didn't move; after a series of sprints, he was exhausted.

The other defenders were still standing in front of the penalty area, which made Matthäus mutter "idiots" under his breath.

Sure enough, just as he reached the edge of the penalty area, Lu Deyang raised his right foot and curled a shot. This shot precisely bypassed Marshall, and Seaman's save failed to reach the ball, which nestled into the right side of the goal.

"Deyang!!!"

"Deyang!!!"

"Dejan Goal!"

"Goal! Goal! Goal!!!"

"Dejan scored another solo goal on the left wing, getting past Matthäus, Pratt and Lee Dixon, and then curling a shot into the far corner."

"This goal basically secured the victory for Manchester United. They are about to win their fifth title this season. They are truly terrifying trophy harvesters."

"What's even more terrifying is that Manchester United still has the FA Cup and Champions League to pursue this season, and they could become an unprecedented, and very likely unparalleled, seven-time champion!"

"Arsenal's performance has been good, but they've struggled to even finish in the top four this season. However, this is enough. We've seen the changes that France has brought to Arsenal. He's a capable coach, and perhaps Arsenal will be even stronger next season."

Manchester United players ran forward one after another, celebrating with Lu Deyang.

The fans in the stands waved everything in their hands and interacted with the players.

The tin foil gleamed in the setting sun, and even knowing the trophy was fake, Matthäus felt a pang of envy.

Because after the match, the Manchester United players will hold up the real thing.

Sigh, it was his teammates who dragged him down.

If he and Lu Deyang were on the same team, no team could beat them...

(End of this chapter)