Football: Starting with the Crescent Moon Slash

Chapter 123 On-the-spot Response

Martin, the commentator in the stands, was extremely excited.

"Just one minute into the game! Jiang Yan and Mane! The connection between these two new signings heralds the return of Liverpool to the Premier League!"

Not only Martin, but Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, sitting next to him, abandoned his usual humility and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Jiang Yan! Liverpool fans, did you see that? A god's-eye view! A perfect knuckleball! Top-notch technique and football intelligence! He will definitely be Liverpool's next leader! Mane's explosiveness and shooting skills are also praiseworthy; Cech didn't even make a save!"

On the pitch, the moment the goal was scored, Liverpool fans jumped up to celebrate before they even had a chance to sit down. In the stands, Liverpool fans waved their scarves wildly, and cheers of "Jiang! Jiang! Jiang!" echoed throughout the Emirates Stadium.

Instead of celebrating alone, Mane turned and ran to Jiang Yan, hugged him tightly, patted his back hard, and mumbled some words starting with F.

Firmino, Henderson, Lallana... everyone rushed up and surrounded Jiang Yan and Mane.

"You guys scored in the first minute of the first game! One more to keep the game going!" Captain Henderson said.

The camera then pans to Klopp on the sidelines, the German coach clenching his fist and shouting excitedly...

youngest.

Meanwhile, in the Sky Sports commentary booth...

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L1

Henry's smile froze. His mockery of Jiang Yan was still on his lips when he unexpectedly delivered such a brilliant dipping shot, slapping him in the face in the face at lightning speed!

Martin Tyler immediately seized on this dramatic moment: "Look at that artistic pass, Henry, what were you just saying?"

Henry gave an awkward laugh. "You know, I've always been very impressed with Jiang Yan's skills; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to stand out in such a formidable lineup as Real Madrid. But to survive in the Premier League, the most important thing is still physicality..."

The live stream chat was flooded with comments.

[Henry and Carragher are really something else, teaming up to pull off a lightning-fast face-changing act, huh!]

You know what, Martin Taylor is really good at stirring up trouble!

Henry is right. Jiang Yan was able to make that pass only because the game had just started and Arsenal's players weren't focused, allowing him to make a comfortable pass. Besides, wasn't Mane the biggest contributor to the goal? What are they all so smug about?

[Haha, it's obvious you've never watched Jiang Yan play. To pass the ball to your teammates so accurately, that's more than just good technique!]

That's right, everyone thought Jiang Yan could only pass the ball, but little did they know he was the only one who could pass!

Even after taking the lead, Liverpool maintained a high-pressing style, and the players stuck to Klopp's tactics.

This relentless, high-pressure pressing once made it difficult for Wenger's Arsenal to get the ball out of play smoothly.

Arsène Wenger's Arsenal was known for its elegant, fast, technical, and fluid ground passing, and was hailed by fans as "beautiful football."

It once overturned the Premier League's tradition of "relying on long passes and physical confrontations." In Wenger's own words, he would rather lose beautifully than win ugly.

However, the reason why Arsenal is having trouble getting the ball out of play right now is because of Jiang Yan's presence!

Watching Jiang Yan tirelessly running all over the field, Wenger on the sidelines frowned and said coldly, "Our passing and control is completely being restricted by this young man."

Under Klopp's guidance, Jiang Yan on the field has also begun to run and press relentlessly, which is not good news for Arsenal's players.

Jiang Yan possesses not only Bale's speed and Makelele's tackling ability, but also De Bruyne's godlike vision. This means that if Arsenal's players fail to synchronize their passing and make mistakes, they are very likely to be overtaken by Jiang Yan.

Break!

The assistant coach standing next to Wenger was extremely anxious: "Professor, Jiang Yan has completely exceeded our expectations. What should we do now?"

"With such high-intensity pressing, his stamina will eventually run out. Our players are very good at adjusting themselves, so let's trust them."

After realizing the threat posed by Jiang Yan, the Arsenal players on the pitch decisively changed their attacking approach.

"Holding! Long pass! Found Carraso up front!"

"Arsenal are changing their attacking style; they're now going to play long balls and crosses!"

Holding's long pass bypassed Jiang Yan's pressing area and penetrated Liverpool's midfield.

At this point, the drawbacks of having Jiang Yan kick the fake number nine became apparent.

When Jiang Yan played as a false nine, he would often press forward, and Arsenal's long passes would go directly to Liverpool's backfield. Jiang Yan in the frontcourt could not simultaneously handle the high-pressure pressing in the frontcourt and the defense in the backcourt. Even with Bale's speed, he could not get back to the backfield in a short time.

On the sidelines, chief assistant coach Buvac was quite surprised to see Arsenal's long passes: "Wenger has actually abandoned beautiful football and switched to such a rough style..."

Seeing the long pass from the Arsenal player, Klopp remained calm: "This should be the players' own judgment on the field."

Break.

"Make your own judgment? Wouldn't that go against the head coach's wishes?"

Klopp shook his head: "On the contrary, making the most reasonable judgments and changes based on the situation on the field is exactly what coaches want to see. Players who can play in the top five leagues are truly people who make a living from football. If they don't even have this kind of judgment, they can't be considered top players."

Bovac nodded, muttering something under his breath, seemingly recalling what Klopp had said.

Klopp continued, "And what you just said... rough, I don't think so. Long balls have been popular since the late 19th century and were called 'English through balls' by fans for a long time. Even the most primitive tactic has been used to this day, which is definitely more than just rough. Perhaps this is Arsenal's 'weapon in a desperate situation'."

After hearing Klopp's words, Buvac became somewhat worried: "If this really is Arsenal's last resort, can our players handle it?"

"Don't worry, our players are also very good at adapting to changing situations."

Back on the court.

Arsenal players, no longer fixated on ground passing and possession, launched a highly effective counter-attack.

Carraso received the ball and passed it to Giroud.

Lovren and Matip each took turns marking the defensive line, with one pulling back and the other moving forward to mark the opponent.

However, Giroud has an excellent goal-scoring instinct and had already taken a shot before the two players could react.

boom! ! ! !

"Giroud unleashes a powerful shot!!!"