Football: Starting from the Ronaldinho template

Chapter 299 FIFA World Player of the Year Award Ceremony! Cristiano Ronaldo's Subtle Taunt! EFL Cup Match Against Manchester United!
2017 1 Month 10 Day.

The FIFA headquarters in Zurich is a constellation of stars.

This is the first year that the FIFA Men's Player of the Year award has been awarded independently since FIFA parted ways with France Football magazine.

"Messi isn't here again?" Qin Ming looked around but didn't see Messi. Instead, he saw Cristiano Ronaldo with Georgina.

Cristiano Ronaldo noticed Qin Ming's gaze and nodded in a friendly greeting.

Qin Ming smiled and waved.

"Barcelona is preparing for the Copa del Rey, and none of the players, not even their representatives, came."

Wenger shrugged, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"It's just that I knew I wouldn't win the award."

Qin Ming didn't care.

Anyway, he still enjoys participating in activities, even though he may not win the highest honor, since he has never participated before.

Unlike the Ballon d'Or from France Football, Infantino's ramblings were so numerous that Qin Ming was starting to feel sleepy.

The awards ceremony has finally arrived.

The first award presented was for Best Men's Football Manager, which went to Arsène Wenger for winning the league title again after 13 years, as well as the Community Shield, EFL Cup and other cup titles.

Zidane, who led Real Madrid to the Champions League title, was naturally outshone because he lacked league and other honors.

The Best Women's Football Coach award went to Ned, who led the German team to their first Olympic gold medal.

The title of FIFA Women's World Player of the Year was awarded to Lloyd, the captain of the US women's national soccer team. She was selected for two consecutive years. Although her team was eliminated in the quarterfinals at the Rio Olympics, she scored two goals herself.

The Puskás Award was won by Malaysian player Subri for his free-kick goal against Cambodia, which was named Goal of the Year.

As for the Fair Play Award.

Atlético Nacional of Colombia received this award for relinquishing their Copa Sudamericana title after the Chapecoense air disaster.

This incident actually occurred at the end of November last year, when a plane carrying the Brazilian football team Chapecoense crashed. There were 81 people on board, including 72 passengers and 9 crew members.

Moreover, since the plane was a chartered flight for the team, all the people on board were relevant members, board members, or journalists.

In the end, only six people survived.

Before the match against Atletico Madrid, Qin Ming and his teammates observed a moment of silence.

Next up is the most important FIFA World Player of the Year award. Qin Ming already knew the voting results. A few days ago, Perrin and Zheng Zhi even called him and said that their voting order was: himself, Buffon, and Kroos.

As for why Messi and Ronaldo weren't chosen...

I just want to increase my voter turnout; maybe a miracle will happen.

But clearly, their votes did not change the outcome.

Cristiano Ronaldo!

Infantino announced the award winner.

"It's been a fantastic 2016, unbelievable. Thank you to my teammates, family, and team! It's a shame some Barcelona players couldn't attend, but I understand."

Cristiano Ronaldo delivered his acceptance speech on stage.

Qin Ming suppressed a laugh upon hearing this, thinking that the last sentence was somewhat sarcastic.

However, I just heard that some legends who came to the scene, such as Maradona, also expressed their dissatisfaction with Barcelona's absence.

Watching Cristiano Ronaldo lift the new trophy designed by a Croatian artist, modeled after the ball used in the 1930 World Cup final, and engraved with the "FIFA" and "The Best" logos.

Qin Ming felt a surge of excitement.

This awards ceremony is important for FIFA because they need to rebuild their credibility after the corruption scandal broke.

New trophies, new rules, and a new chapter.

However, the recent Best 11 list had already caused some dissatisfaction among fans.

Messi and the Barcelona players showed no mercy again today.

Qin Ming wondered if Infantino, that bald guy, would cause trouble for Barcelona.
late at night.

Mundo Deportivo: A review of Cristiano Ronaldo's achievements in 2016: Champions League title, European Championship title, Club World Cup title, and UEFA Super Cup title!

The Sun: Ronaldo subtly hints at Messi and Barcelona players' absence, while Qin Ming gives a mysterious smile in the audience! What is the relationship between the world's three top players?
Dongqiudi: After the awards ceremony, Wenger said in a media interview that he hopes Qin Ming will be the one representing Arsenal on the podium next year!
The battle between Messi and Ronaldo has reignited!
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Cristiano Ronaldo personally leads the charge!
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[Qin's army can't be absent either, everyone charge for Messi!]
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[By the way, Arsenal will face Manchester United in the EFL Cup semi-final the day after tomorrow. I wonder if they can win?]
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Manchester United's season is a microcosm of their success in cup competitions and their poor performance in the league.
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Mourinho's coaching philosophy is indeed well-suited to cup competitions; they have currently advanced in the League Cup, Europa League, and FA Cup.
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[Does this mean Manchester United still have a chance to win the treble?]
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[Ibrahimovic is quite impressive, achieving 20 goals and 9 assists at this age, frequently contributing crucial goals in cup competitions.]
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[There's also Herrera, one of the strongest defensive midfielders in the Premier League right now, and Kanté, who has an extremely high coverage area.]
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Arsenal are not afraid of Manchester United. Manchester United struggles to break down a dense defense in positional play, relies too much on individual ability, and lacks explosive play on the wings and short passing combinations.
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[We won quite easily before.]
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However, cup matches ultimately depend on performance on the day. If Arsenal's winning streak and morale falter, they might just repeat their poor form from the spring.
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【.】

Unlike the Ballon d'Or, the second and third place winners of the FIFA World Player of the Year award do not receive a trophy, so Qin Ming returned to London empty-handed.

The EFL Cup semi-finals will be held on January 12th.

Arsenal host Manchester United.

"We are now broadcasting live the 2016-17 EFL Cup semi-final!"

"The match has begun!"

"Following the previous rotations, Morata, Kante, and others have recovered from their injuries and returned to the starting lineup!"

"But some players were rotated, with Gustavo replacing Coquelin!"

"Manchester United seems to know they have no hope of winning the league title, so they are focusing all their energy on the cup competitions!"

"Mourinho chose a 4-2-3-1 formation today, with Ibrahimovic as the lone striker, supported by Martial, Pogba, and Mkhitaryan!"

"The two defensive midfielders will be Herrera and Fellaini!"

"The backline consists of Luke Shaw, Smalling, Phil Jones, and Ashley Young!"

"This is what Zhan Jun explained from the broadcast studio."

Zhang Lu, standing next to him, began to explain that, judging solely from the squad, Manchester United is indeed quite good, and their total market value is not lower than that of Arsenal.

Ibrahimovic, Pogba, and others are all well-known football stars.

Luke Shaw, a defender, was once England's first-choice full-back, but unfortunately he broke his leg.

"Unfortunately, Ashley Young's contract doesn't expire until June 2018!"

Zhang Lu chuckled.

If the contract expires this year, we can see if Yang can truly surpass Messi and Ronaldo, as rumored.

Emirates Stadium.

The game has been going on for 15 minutes, and the camera is focused on the coaching bench on the sidelines.

Perhaps it was because of the cold weather, but Mourinho was very calm today and did not give orders as frantically as usual.

"This is the best defensive midfield pairing, with both strength and speed, which can push Arsenal's passing line outwards."

"This was said by Faria, Mourinho's assistant coach for 16 years."

“That’s right, and Paul has been much more obedient lately. It seems Zlatan’s method is working.”

Mourinho had a smile on his lips.

He also knew that given Manchester United's current situation, winning the title was no longer an option.

To secure his position as head coach and give an explanation to the management and fans, he must win several cup titles.

He is quite confident about this.

He has been adept at leading teams in cup competitions since his time at Porto.

"WOW!"

When Herrera and Fellaini intercepted Cazorla, Pogba received the ball and immediately made a wide pass.

Martial controlled the ball on the wing, dribbled past Bellerin, and then passed it across the box.

Ibrahimovic's tall body twisted, separating Kanté from him and preventing him from making a tackle. At the same time, he dribbled the ball to create space and then swung his leg to deliver a kick.

boom!
A powerful shot slammed into the goal, eliciting gasps from Manchester United fans.

"Cech! It seems his view was blocked by Van Dijk, and his dive was a fraction of a second too slow!" "Goal!"

"This is a magic ball!"

"Ibrahimovic! Zlatan, in his thirties, just like he said, he will become Manchester United's god!"

The Sky Sports commentator exclaimed in shock.

I thought this match would be Qin Ming's show, but Ibrahimovic scored first.

And that shot was truly beautiful.

"Come on United!!!"

The Red Devils in the away stands also perked up, cheering hysterically as if they wanted to take over the Emirates Stadium.

For them, watching one of their most hated teams rise at an unimaginable speed, not only winning multiple championships last season but also setting a new winning streak record this season, makes it impossible to muster the fighting spirit to chase after them.

But they are undoubtedly the main characters today.

On the pitch, watching Ibrahimovic celebrate with a group of his underlings, Qin Ming pursed his lips and scratched his eyebrows.

What kind of feeling did Manchester United give him today?

chaos.

His own chaotic rhythm also disrupted theirs.

Then seek opportunities amidst the chaos.

Indeed, the Mourinho in cup competitions and the Mourinho in the league are completely different levels of opponents.

Qin Ming had to admit that his previous victory had made him underestimate Manchester United.

"Don't get entangled with them in midfield, or fall into their rhythm and confrontations."

Qin Ming quickly realized the problem: after several seasons of adjustment, Arsenal was no longer as afraid of physical contact as before.

But that doesn't mean they are a team that can gain an advantage through physicality.

On the contrary, their core strategy remains unchanged: to adjust the rhythm of the game by controlling the ball, and then use variations to disrupt the opponent's defense.

This is the kind of game situation they need.

However, Manchester United's use of physical tactics, coupled with frequent physical confrontations, effectively allowed them to exploit their strengths against their weaknesses.

That's why Arsenal had such a tough time playing.

The match restarted, and Qin Ming frowned even more. He noticed that Manchester United had started to retreat and had set up their bus at the entrance.

This is really Mourinho's old trick.

Without the ability to make continuous breakthroughs in small areas, it's really possible to fail to get through.

The 23th minute of the game.

Qin Ming tried to cut diagonally from the side to the middle, but Fellaini cleverly stuck to him, preventing him from having any space to accelerate.

at the same time.

Herrera quickly moved to cover and assist in the defense.

At this point, Qin Ming also realized that forcing a breakthrough was pointless, so he looked for Cazorla, who had made a run into an open space.

However, Manchester United quickly changed their formation.

The space Herrera just covered was quickly filled by Pogba, who had been relegated to the youth team for half a month and was also heavily pressured by Ibrahimovic.

Pogba has really behaved himself.

In addition, his desire to defeat Qin Ming outweighed his desire to show off.

They'd rather do dirty and tiring jobs that they used to look down on.

"I must say, Pogba's defensive skills are quite good. He doesn't just rely on his physique, but uses anticipation to block passing lanes!"

"He looks a lot like Pirlo back in the day!"

"Arsenal can't penetrate, Sanchez crosses from the byline, find Morata!"

Manchester United has a nickname in the Premier League.

Giants!
With the team having the tallest average height in the Premier League, their defensive capabilities are naturally very strong.

Smalling squeezed past Morata to head the ball away.

"Manchester United's protection of the second ball is too good!" Wenger frowned on the sidelines.

Again.

Mourinho is well-suited for cup competitions because cup competitions have a low margin for error and a greater element of chance; it's all about who makes fewer mistakes.

A defensive stance that involves turtling down can indeed significantly reduce the turnover rate.

In addition, Wenger's ability to make adjustments on the spot is indeed inferior to Mourinho's, although he is unwilling to admit it.

"Look at Manchester United's five-man midfield stifling defense; it put too much pressure on Arsenal's attack!"

"At this point, Kante's lack of forward-moving ability was forcibly exposed and magnified by Manchester United!"

"."

Beep-beep! The whistle blew, signaling the end of the first half, and the score remained unchanged at 0-1.

"This is a bit tricky." On his way back, Qin Ming was chatting with Cazorla when he turned his head and saw Pogba's provocative gaze.

He ignored them and walked straight into the players' tunnel.

Back in the locker room, the assistant coach had already set up the tactics board, and Wenger stood in front of him, his hands never stopping, leaving the Arsenal players with only his back to him.

Make full use of the space on both sides.

Wenger spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Long-range shots might not be very effective." Qin Ming felt a headache coming on just thinking about De Gea standing in front of Manchester United's goal.

This parked-the-bus tactic, combined with a goalkeeper possessing exceptional goalkeeping skills, is simply unstoppable.

He did try long-range shots in the first half, but De Gea's saves were absolutely brilliant.

"Yes, what you said makes some sense. There are many ways to break through a dense defense, but if we can't use headers or long shots, we can only penetrate inside."

"This method is still the most difficult."

Wenger is also in a dilemma.

"In the second half, I'll try to break inside. Santi, you move to my right front and try to draw away their center-backs as much as possible."

After thinking for a long time, Qin Ming decided to use the old method.

Personal ability.

But when the second half started, Mourinho only said one thing: "Football is a hooligan's game."

Manchester United have begun their logging tactics.

Moreover, thanks to De Gea's excellent goalkeeping skills, Manchester United are not very afraid of free kicks in the attacking third.

The game remained deadlocked.

As time ticked by, the cheers of Manchester United fans grew louder, while Arsenal fans seemed somewhat bewildered.

Their previous victories made them arrogant.

However, it was only in cup competitions that they discovered they were not an invincible team.

Beep-beep-beep!
Finally, amidst the jubilant anticipation of the Red Devils in the away stands, the referee blew the final whistle.

(End of this chapter)