Team Spirit

Chapter 226 Giru defends against Lu Kai alone; Winter is coming.

After halftime, the two sides switched sides and resumed the game.

Manchester United are playing more and more relaxed.

In the 48th minute, Fletcher took a long-range shot from 30 meters away from the goal.

The ball hit the target area, but with little power, and Van der Sar caught it securely.

What else could this be but a sign of being on fire?
In the past, Ferguson would have already been furious and yelled at them.

But firstly, the team was in the lead, and secondly, Fletcher was Ferguson's favorite player after Ronaldo, so how could he bear to scold him?
Lu Kai looked toward the Manchester United bench.

Manchester United captain Keane, on the contrary, was indignant and quite dissatisfied with Fletcher's wasteful shot.

Since they are both defensive midfielders, Keane certainly has a say in the matter.

In the 52nd minute, Ronaldo received the ball on the right side and made a series of stylish dribbling moves while waiting for Filippo to intercept.

Boos erupted at Penguin Stadium as Philly impulsively tackled Ronaldo, earning a yellow card.

Manchester United won a free kick in a good position.

Rooney's free kick went directly into the side netting.

Judging from Ronaldo's expression, you can tell he also wants to take the penalty. He strives for every opportunity to perform and always aims to be the best.

Lu Kai then found Ribery and exchanged a few words with him.

In the 57th minute, Ashley Young dribbled forward, passed the ball to Ribery, and then overlapped on the wing.

Ribery made a decisive cut inside.

Although Rooney tracked back, he wasn't particularly aggressive and was easily outmaneuvered by Ribery's acceleration.

Lu Kai suddenly retreated to Fletcher's side, and then moved forward.

Fletcher immediately stepped back, keeping an eye on Lu Kai and cutting off Ribery's passing lanes to him.

But with his withdrawal, Manchester United's left defensive midfield position collapsed.

If you position yourself defensively, and the edge of the penalty area collapses and is occupied by the opponent, then they can easily launch a deadly through ball.

"Softie!" Keane cursed from the bench.

Ferguson looked quite grim.

Carrick wanted to have Fletcher fill in, but knew it was too late and he had to fill in himself as quickly as possible.

The next moment, Lu Kai's movement became erratic, bouncing to the left.

Ribery easily made a diagonal pass.

Lu Kai receives the ball.

"Take Lu Kai down!" Carrick reminded Fletcher, and the two switched positions to defend.

But if Fletcher is slow on the first step, he will be slow on the next.

Lu Kai's explosiveness and ability to fight back are now vastly different from before. Fletcher was kept behind Lu Kai and could not cause much of an impact.

At that moment, Fletcher recalled playing against Arsenal during his youth academy days.

That match was very important for the young Red Devils because Ferguson and Manchester United's first-team stars would be there to watch, and the young Red Devils absolutely could not lose to the Gunners.

Fletcher broke Lu Kai's leg with a vicious foul, and he apologized, saying he didn't mean to.

But if time could be reversed, he would still choose this path.

It was that flying tackle that won him Ferguson's favor, and Ferguson regarded him as the "successor to the Red Devils spirit".

Time flies, and everything seems to have returned to its starting point.

Fletcher tackles from behind!
Even if it means taking a card, we must defend against this attack!
However, just as he made the sliding tackle, Lu Kai suddenly flicked the ball to the left.

Fletcher's eyes lit up.

He collided with Brown, who was making a sliding tackle from the front.

Brown made a frontal tackle, but still had some strength left, and pulled back in time.

Fletcher, however, was determined to win and left no room for error.

The two met, and a scream rang out.

Lu Kai cut inside to the left, facing Ferdinand directly, and delivered a diagonal pass that pierced the penalty area.

Giroud was unmarked on the right side of the penalty area. After receiving the ball and making a slight adjustment, he unleashed a powerful shot with his left foot.

Foster was powerless to reverse the situation!
"GOAL! Two to three!"

"Lu Kai created a traffic accident in Manchester United's own half, assisting Giroud to score!"

"He and Ribery are targeting Manchester United's midfield."

Guardiola laughed on the sidelines: "To be precise, it's about targeting Fletcher."

Southgate nodded: "Two defensive midfielders are not always more effective than one. Carrick played mostly as a single defensive midfielder during his year at Chelsea, occupying a central position."

"This fully utilizes his strengths in excellent positioning, superb vision, active running, accurate passing, and strong anticipation and interception abilities."

"But he's not fast; he's better suited to holding down a position than to sweeping through enemy lines."

Chen Tao also participated in the discussion: "Two defensive midfielders may seem like more players, but if we don't establish a primary and secondary role, then we might end up leaving the core defensive position empty."

"That's the case with Fletcher and Carrick; neither of them can hold their ground in the rear command."

"As a result, the area that Manchester United's defense seemed to be its strongest point has become its weakness."

"Carrick's slow speed and Fletcher's poor defensive choices were both exposed."

Sure enough, the sound of Keane scolding Fletcher came from next door.

Ferguson's face turned ashen.

Because Manchester United conceded more than just goals.

"What? Brown was injured by Fletcher's tackle? This..."

Manchester United's team doctor came onto the field and carried Brown off.

Fletcher looked embarrassed.

Lu Kai smiled slightly: "After all these years, you still can't get rid of your flaws of being brave but rough."

Fletcher couldn't argue back, so he could only leave in a huff.

Soon, Manchester United's substitute center-back came on.

It's none other than the future Barcelona captain, Gerard Piqué, who stands a full 1.94 meters tall!
In the 63rd minute, Ronaldo cut inside from the right and unleashed a long-range shot.

The football slipped through the goal.

Van Nistelrooy in the penalty area was very unhappy.

He and Cristiano Ronaldo have a good relationship, and Ronaldo often seeks his advice.

However, Ronaldo has a bad habit during the game: he doesn't listen to instructions and loves to shoot too much.

You can also use your right foot to hit the door from the right side.

With a "king of the penalty area" already in place, why would we need a winger to shoot?
"Fuck! That damn Portuguese kid!"

Keane's cursing came again.

This made everyone look towards the Manchester United bench.

Today, Manchester United's manager seems to be Keane, not Ferguson.

He criticized everyone, especially the young players at Manchester United.

Because Ferguson is pushing hard for a rebuild at Manchester United.

Essentially, this is a struggle between interest groups.

But outwardly, this manifested as Keane's dissatisfaction with the young players' lax attitude.

Both make sense.

However, a team can only have one path forward, and someone will inevitably be abandoned.

In the 65th minute, Green Guns made substitutions early on.

Chen Tao replaced Modric.

Vardy replaced Giroud.

Giroud gave Ferdinand and Brown plenty of rest today, and even scored a goal himself, making the most of his role.

In the 68th minute, Ronaldo made a run down the right flank and passed the ball back to Rooney behind him.

Rooney blocked the onrushing Barton, turned sharply, and chipped the ball into the penalty area.

If we don't get it in soon, Fanny will get angry.

Van Nistelrooy heads the ball towards goal.

However, Vidic was taller and cleared the ball with a header.

Cristiano Ronaldo shrugged and sighed on the right; he knew this would be the outcome.

Under pressure from the Green Gunners' twin towers, Van Nistelrooy couldn't get a header at all, which is why Ronaldo tried to cut inside.

But since they've both cut inside, it's definitely more convenient for them to shoot themselves.

Wouldn't it be more troublesome to add another step to the passing process?

To reiterate, the current core of Manchester United's on-field players and the future stars that Ferguson is focusing on developing do not overlap, resulting in too many people having special privileges.

If all the players are privileged, the team is unplayable.

It can easily collapse once it encounters obstacles.

Sure enough, after Vidic cleared the ball, Motta received it and dribbled forward.

Green Gun launched a counterattack.

Motta took two steps, then passed the ball to Chen Tao on the left front.

The football has entered Manchester United's territory.

This was a 4-on-4 situation in the frontcourt.

Chen Tao dribbled the ball towards the center.

Ahead are Lukas and Vardy, and to the right front is Ribery.

Lu Kai suddenly made a cross-cutting run with Vardy, pointing forward and actively asking for the ball.

Chen Tao delivered a direct pass.

"Chen Tao's pass was a bit too hasty this time. Pique is in that position!" Huang Jianxiang said with a worried look. If the pass had been misplaced, Chen Tao would probably have been scolded. "Mainly because he just came on as a substitute, he might not have found his footing yet... Good pass!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Kai easily caught up with and squeezed past Pique, bursting into the penalty area.

Lu Kai looked at Vardy on his left and unleashed a powerful shot that hit the right side of the goal.

Foster misjudged the situation and tried to move to the left, but his center of gravity shifted, and he ended up kneeling on the spot, unable to make a save.

"GOAL! Three to three!"

"Green Gun's fast counterattack was brilliant!"

"This is a China-Guo connection!"

"Young player Chen Tao provided an assist, and Lu Kai easily scored."

"Manchester United's defense is practically non-existent!"

Replays of Lu Kai's goal repeatedly highlighted Pique's poor performance in the background.

Keane's curses rang out again: "This kind of trash wants to stay at Manchester United?"

"You'd better go back to Barcelona as soon as possible!"

"Like a woman!"

On the Green Gunners' bench, Guardiola, as a former Barcelona legend, has a lot to say about Barcelona-related products: "Pique is tall, but therefore his turning speed is relatively slow."

"Moreover, he is thin and weak, and his ability to fight is poor."

"Lu must have seen this, so he launched a strong attack on Pique, and he actually won."

Modric has memorized Pique's technical characteristics.

Giroud remarked, "Lu's ability to read the game is amazing. Pique has only been on the court for a short time. I thought he was quite strong in physical duels..."

Before Giroud was substituted, he didn't actively seek out challenges with Pique, and even seemed to avoid kicking Pique, because he was worried that the opponent was strong in physical duels.

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a mere showpiece.

If we really need a point of reference, it's very similar to Crouch, who came to Green Gun early on.

This is also why Barcelona gave up on Pique in the first place.

With this kind of performance, it's destined that Pique will find it difficult to shine in the Premier League.

He will only be able to usher in the spring of his professional career once he improves his physical strength and returns to Barcelona.

In the 71st minute, Manchester United also made a substitution.

Park Ji-sung replaced left winger Richardson.

In the 75th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo won a corner kick on the right.

After Manchester United took the corner kick, Van der Sar rushed out and punched the ball away.

In the 79th minute, Ashley Young passed the ball to Ribery on the right midfield line and then made a run into the paint.

Ribery dropped back to receive the ball, and Fletcher lunged at him.

Ribery made a through pass to Vardy, who had moved to the wing.

Vardy was followed by Sylvester.

The latter is physically stronger than Vardy and can withstand pressure.

Vardy could only flick the ball with his heel, trying to pass it out.

But in reality, there was no one to meet him up ahead.

That pass would have meant losing possession. But Silvestre defended very well, stretching out his leg to block the backheel pass out of bounds.

The football bounced forward and rolled out of bounds.

Ashley Young, who was making a forward run, abandoned his attempt to cut inside, rushed to the sideline, caught the ball that had bounced out of bounds, and threw it high above his head with both hands.

Quickly serve the ball inbounds!
It may seem like it went out of bounds, but in reality, it's no different from executing a well-coordinated play.

Lu Kai ran over and positioned himself on the right side of the penalty area to receive the ball.

Pique applied pressure from behind.

But Lu Kai exerted force backward and struck twice, causing Pike to retreat steadily, offering no resistance whatsoever.

After passing the ball, Ribery, who also started to move forward, originally wanted to receive the ball, but when he saw Ashley Young throw the ball to Lu Kai, he immediately accelerated into the penalty area and instantly got rid of Fletcher's marking.

Lu Kai held off Pique and flicked the ball with his heel, a move that was far more precise than Vardy's.

Pique was pinned down and unable to extend his leg to stop it.

Ribery followed the ball to the edge of the six-yard box and curled a shot with his left foot before Ferdinand could get to it.

At such close range, Foster could only shoot at a narrow angle to avoid a push shot.

However, Ribery's left-footed shooting skills were superb, and he unleashed a high, curved shot.

Foster was powerless to help.

The football went into the far corner of the net.

"GOAL! Four to three!"

"Green Guns have taken the lead!"

"Ashley Young has not wasted his years playing with Lu Kai. Although his skills have not improved significantly, he is familiar with Lu Kai's playing habits and his throw-ins are quite good."

"Pique was suppressed by Lu Kai once again; he was completely outmatched by Lu Kai!"

"This is Lu, the center! He's terrifying!"

"Speaking of which, I think when we're compiling a list of the best defensive players in the future, we absolutely have to include one player, and that's... Giroud!"

"He can definitely defend Lu Kai one-on-one!"

"As long as he's in the center position, center Lu can't be there!"

"How about he guards LeBron James one-on-one next season?"

As Huang Jianxiang made his joke, the camera focused on Giroud on the bench.

Green Gunners fans were left speechless, both amused and exasperated.

For Manchester United, Ferguson was furious and substituted Van Nistelrooy with super-sub Eastwood.

Fanny didn't dare to complain.

Everyone could see that Ferguson was about to explode.

Green Gunners substituted Pepe for Barton, focusing on defense.

In the 82nd minute, Park Ji-sung delivered a cross from the left.

Eastwood got his chance after shoving Kompany in the penalty area and headed the ball towards goal.

Van der Sar made a miraculous save.

Ferguson sighed in despair on the sidelines.

If I had known Van der Sar still had this ability, I should have continued to compete with Green Gun for it.

What's the difference between Van der Sar, who cost three million euros, and Foster, whom Manchester United bought for twenty-five million euros?
In the 86th minute, Manchester United launched a series of attacks in the attacking third.

Compared to the "new Green Gunners 1.0", this Red Devils team is the "new Red Devils 2.0". They have been playing together for a year or even two years and have a much higher level of chemistry.

Fletcher passed the ball to Carrick on the left wing, and Carrick played a through ball to Rooney.

Rooney passed the ball to Park Ji-sung on the edge of the penalty area, feigning a run into the box, but actually stopping abruptly as he approached, forcing the defenders to retreat.

Park Ji-sung seized the opportunity to pass the ball across to Rooney.

Rooney received the ball and moved to his right, feinting a shot before passing to Kompany, who then fell to the ground to block it.

Rooney then played a through ball into the penalty area.

Eastwood, who had already run back and forth twice near the penalty area, successfully beat the offside trap and turned to shoot with his back to the goal.

Although the kick went wide, the team's advantage lay in its rapid attack.

They didn't give Vidic and Ashley Young a chance to help defend.

Van der Sar was a beat too slow, and the ball went into the goal first.

“GOAL!!!”

"It has to be Eastwood!"

"Four to four! Eastwood helps the Red Devils equalize!"

"He truly deserves to be called the greatest super substitute in Manchester United's history!"

"The six million pounds spent to acquire him is probably the most cost-effective six million pounds in Manchester United's history!"

"Fortunately, Manchester United chose Eastwood over Ashley Young back then!"

Ashley Young: ???
That's how rumors start.

What does "choose one of two" mean?

Back then, Ashley Young was clearly Manchester United's only option.

After he broke his leg, Manchester United settled for Eastwood as a second choice.

Don't believe unofficial football anecdotes!
In the 88th minute, Silvestre pulled Ribery and received a yellow card.

In the 89th minute, Pepe tackled Ronaldo and then clashed with his former Sporting Lisbon youth academy teammate Ronaldo, both receiving yellow cards.

The two are very close friends in private, but on the court they are both hotheads and can take each other's tempers.

In the first minute of stoppage time, Chen Tao received the ball on the left wing and dribbled laterally.

Lu Kai clashed with Pique inside the penalty area, and after gaining position, called for a pass.

Carrick acted decisively, shoving Chen Tao down, and was therefore given a yellow card.

Green Gun got a free kick in a perfect position.

Chen Tao and Ribery stood behind the football.

Lu Kai is inside the penalty area.

This is very misleading.

Because this free kick was within Lu Kai's shooting range, if Lu Kai had positioned himself further back, the ball would have been a direct shot at the goal.

But if Lu Kai doesn't go, there will be more variables.

Ribery is fully capable of scoring directly from free kicks.

Although Manchester United are not familiar with Chen Tao, they know he is a technically gifted player, a Chinese version of Zidane, and can naturally shoot directly.

For a moment, Manchester United's defensive wall was caught in a dilemma.

With the sound of a whistle, Chen Tao rushed towards the football.

The Manchester United players were confirmed immediately.

Chen Tao doesn't touch the ball; he's there to cover for Ribery.

Since Ribery needs cover, it means he intends to attack the goal directly.

If he were to enter the penalty area, it would be a waste of Chen Tao's feint.

This thing sounds complicated, but for the players, it's purely an instinctive reaction that comes from years of playing football, requiring no thought.

Manchester United players chose not to jump, waiting for Ribery to shoot...

boom!
Chen Tao kicked the football away.

By the time the Manchester United wall realized what was happening, it was too late!

He's a junior player, a substitute, a new player. How dare he just kick off the game so casually?
Cristiano Ronaldo shines brightly at Manchester United and is highly sought after, but he has yet to be involved in taking free kicks for the team.

However, precisely because Manchester United is currently in a power struggle, various powers cannot be easily delegated, much less allowed to become chaotic.

The Green Gun faction is stable; apart from Lu Kai, everyone else is a noob, so there's not much for them to fight over.

Instead, they achieved more beautiful teamwork with no distractions.

Pepe made a forward run and headed the ball at the far post.

Foster thought he was going to shoot and made a save.

Manchester United's defenders were also watching the ball's trajectory.

But in reality, this ball was not a shot on goal, but a header pass.

The next moment, Lu Kai leaped high into the air, looking down at all the mountains below!

He was prepared for Pepe to pass the ball, and took off in sync with Pepe's pass.

Manchester United players, focused on the "attack," reacted only after passing the ball, a beat too late for Lu Kai.

Therefore, they had just finished crouching and launched when Lu Kai reached the highest point.

boom!
The football slammed into the goal with great force.

The Golden Bomber is almost unsolvable!
The next moment, the green penguins cheered.

The penguin logo is flashing lights wildly, and the crown on top is even more dazzling.

This is the "special effect" after the home team scored a goal at Green Gun Stadium.

“GOAL!!!”

"Five to four! A last-minute winner! Lu Kai scores with a header!"

"A hat-trick of goals!"

"Three goals and two assists throughout the game, contributing to five goals in total!"

"Once again, Lu Kai single-handedly helped the team defeat their opponent in the Champions League!"

"Strong, that's the only word I've ever said!"

"If this isn't the world's number one, then who is?"

"Even Ronaldo back in the day didn't have this kind of dominance in winning and losing, did he?"

The scene was incredibly crazy.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who had an outstanding performance in this match, looked at Lu Kai celebrating with a "Luuuuu" at the corner flag and felt an indescribable sense of resentment.

He can turn the tide with a group of CBA players, so what can he do with Manchester United's roster?
On the sidelines, Van Nistelrooy remained silent.

He has always been very confident in his goal-scoring ability.

Apart from Henry, no one in the Premier League was anyone he took seriously.

But now... if Fanny and Lu Kai switched identities, could he do what Lu Kai did?

Ferguson was frustrated because Keane kept yelling in his ear: "Look at those young guys, sharing possession boldly and not taking credit for themselves."

"And look at Manchester United's young players now, they're all..."

Ferguson turned to look at Alfred, who had just woken up, and was terrified by his old friend's wisdom.

For two consecutive years, they have dismantled their championship-winning roster and brought in a large number of new green guns.

It may seem foolish to outsiders, but it was exactly what Ferguson didn't have the courage to do back then.

In 1999, Manchester United won the Champions League, achieving a treble in the season, and were riding high.

With two years remaining, they achieved a three-peat in the league, making the Red Devils' Class of '92 a legend in the football world.

Over the past three years, Ferguson has been reluctant to break up the Manchester United squad, fearing that the team would decline if it were split up.

However, after those three years, Ferguson was no longer able to make the changes he wanted to make to Manchester United. Even with a thousand ideas, he could only proceed slowly and missed his chance.

The final renovation process was prolonged, and they were defeated by Arsenal and Chelsea in the league.

After being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Champions League for three consecutive years, they were then eliminated in the round of 16 for three consecutive years, making it hard to call it a success.

This Red Devils team certainly made the Class of '92 a legend and created a classic in the business world.

From a competitive standpoint, the best option would have been to break up Manchester United during those three years, sell off their core players who were nearing the end of their prime at high prices, vigorously develop young players, and use the proceeds from those sales to bring in some of the best players on the market.

Only in this way can Manchester United belong solely to Ferguson.

It's not that Keane is constantly nagging in his ear, yet he still doesn't dare to send him away easily.

What Ferguson couldn't do, Alfred did.

He was not bound by empty fame and resolutely dismantled the lineup.

Although this year's Green Gun team is still inexperienced, Ferguson has already seen a terrible future for them, just like the low-level Dartford team in the past.

In a five-year stint, Green Gunners managed to climb from the ninth tier to the Premier League, winning the Champions League, Europa League, and several FA Cups and EFL Cups.

So what can Green Gun Phase Two achieve in five years?
With a whistle, the game ended.

Green Gunners staged a 5-4 comeback victory against Red Devils!

As Ferguson left, he muttered, "It's getting dark!"

Perhaps soon, the Premier League and even European football will be plunged into darkness.

The green aurora will take everything away!
Therefore... the Red Devils must seize every second and make the most of every moment to win enough championships before the Green Gunners reach their second peak.

To avoid not having enough prestige to weather the storm in the future and falling from a top-tier powerhouse to an ordinary one.

However, Ferguson was not the only one who felt this way.

This is a Champions League match.

It doesn't matter if it's a team from another league.

Arsenal's Wenger had the same premonition.

Chelsea and Liverpool also felt the temperature drop sharply, and winter was coming!
(End of this chapter)