Starting with saving Manchester United

"Van Persie scored such a beautiful goal!"

Mike Phelan was so excited when Van Persie scored that he jumped out of his seat.

Steve Lund was also full of amazement and nodded repeatedly.

Seeing Yang Fan's bewildered expression, Steve Lund echoed Mike Phelan, saying, "Anyone who's played football knows this shot was incredibly difficult!"

"Joe Hart has already rushed out into the penalty area, Rooney's passing speed is so fast, Kompany is also following beside him, and combined with Van Persie's running route, the direction the ball is coming from, there is basically no shooting angle."

"A chip shot is the only option, but this chip shot is extremely difficult. The technique of the footwork at the moment of contact, the point of contact, and the control of the power... all of these combined make it simply unimaginable!"

At this point, Steve Lund couldn't help but sigh, "In today's world football, there are fewer than one hand that can execute such a chip shot and put the ball into the goal."

Mike Phelan nodded in deep agreement.

Yang Fan learned a lot.

That's the difference between playing football and not playing football.

Only the player can discern the nuances of the same shot.

Just like Yang Fan, who has only coached Manchester United for 3 games, he has already clearly experienced what it means to have momentum in a game.

It was so tense and intense!

Combined with the atmosphere created by the fans at the stadium, once you step onto the field and face the aura emanating from your opponents, anyone with a slightly weaker constitution would literally have their legs go weak on the spot!

It's nothing like the atmosphere of "friendship first, competition second" that exists in schools or amateur competitions.

It's not something you can experience just by watching TV.

This is a life-or-death war; the other side really wants to wipe you out!

More importantly, physical fitness is like a Damocles' sword hanging over both sides.

The formulation of any tactic must take it into account.

Just like now.

Manchester United are currently leading 1-0. How will they proceed?

Will they continue with that high-energy, aggressive attacking style from the start?

Before the match, Andy Walker and Paul Gaudino both gave preliminary assessments, so Yang Fan had a good idea of ​​what to expect.

If you keep this tactic up for 30 minutes at most, you'll be at the mercy of your opponent for the rest of the time.

What will they use to win the second half?

Once Manchester City launches a coordinated attack, wouldn't the threat posed by Nasri, David Silva, and Yaya Toure come into play?

Don't forget, there's also Aguero on the bench!

Retreating to defend is certainly the safest option, but the result is still being ganged up on by Manchester City.

Moreover, the game still has so much time left, can they really hold on?

Of course, Yang Fan and the coaching staff had made a meticulous plan before the game.

After Van Persie scored and the players celebrated, he quickly walked to the sidelines as they returned to the pitch.

"Michael! Leo!"

Yang Fan called out Carrick and Ferdinand's names, signaling them to begin executing the next step of the plan.

Both players heard Yang Fan's shout.

When Manchester City repositioned the ball in the center circle, ready to kick off, they had already communicated their adjustment plan to their teammates.

We cannot continue to launch an offensive, nor can we retreat too much.

Yang Fan's strategy was to focus his defense on the area from the 30-meter zone to the center line in his own half of the court.

To strangle Manchester City in this area.

At the same time, the two wing-backs also dropped back to coordinate with the three defenders and the two defensive midfielders.

But in the attacking third, Van Persie and Fellaini still lead the field.

On the contrary, Rooney can rush back to defend at any time.

……

When everyone thought that Manchester United, playing at home, would continue their fierce attack after taking the lead, the situation took another surprise after Manchester City restarted the game.

Apart from Van Persie's symbolic pressure in the attacking third, Manchester United surprisingly slowed down their offensive efforts.

Manchester City launched another attack after conceding a goal.

But when Blue Moon's ball reached the center line, it was immediately blocked.

Once inside Manchester United's half, they were immediately put under pressure.

When David Silva tried to break forward with the ball in the middle, Carrick and Cleverley sandwiched him from both sides, turning him into a sandwich and causing him to lose the ball.

Ferdinand preemptively passed the ball to the right side, where he gave it to Phil Jones.

Before Nasri could press, Phil Jones launched a long ball behind Manchester City's defense.

Van Persie made a quick forward run, but Demichelis tracked back quickly and received the ball first.

Finally, Van Persie blocked Demichelis's shot, sending it out of bounds.

Goal kick.

The cheers of Manchester United fans erupted once again.

"The adjustments were pragmatic and timely!"

Sir Alex Ferguson, watching from the VIP box, immediately noticed Manchester United's adjustments.

"This current Manchester United team is somewhat similar to Liverpool."

"Liverpool?" Woodward and the others were quite surprised.

This is the best performing team in the Premier League this season, bar none.

"Abandon the midfield, make wide passes to the left and right, and launch attacks directly from the backfield through long passes, just like a circle."

Ferguson explained patiently.

"But we are different from Liverpool. In the attacking third, Liverpool relies more on passing and movement, while Yang Fan's team plays a simpler style."

Whether it was targeting Fellaini as a pivot or Rooney's diagonal pass to Van Persie, both goals were very simple and straightforward.

This is decided by the players.

After all, Liverpool's attacking players are more technically skilled and faster.

……

After Manchester United made the adjustments, the advantage of a three-man defense immediately became apparent.

The three-man defense led by Ferdinand made it difficult for Dzeko to make any impact.

Navas was almost always right-sided, and Ashley Young was marking him closely.

Nasri was also closely marked and didn't have many opportunities to perform well.

As a result, the entire burden of organizing Manchester City's attacking play falls on David Silva's shoulders.

No matter where David Silva gets the ball, there are at least two defenders around him trying to stop him.

Manchester City's three attacking players were completely separated.

The most typical scene occurred in the 26th minute.

Nasri dropped back to receive the ball outside the 30-meter zone and passed it to David Silva on the left flank.

The Spaniard dribbled forward, drawing the defender's attention.

But when he dribbled the ball to the left edge of Manchester United's penalty area, he was surrounded by defenders.

Phil Jones, Ferdinand, Carrick... and even Rooney tracking back.

When he sent a cross to find Nasri who had cut inside into the middle, Cleverley intercepted the ball first.

Two minutes later, David Silva received a pass from Fernandinho, who was making a run forward, near the bottom of the center circle in Manchester United's half.

As soon as he came to a stop and took a step to the side, Rooney suddenly appeared from the side and rear, and without thinking twice, he immediately launched a confrontation.

David Silva is short, and he's at a huge disadvantage against Rooney.

He stumbled and fell, losing the ball.

What's worse, the referee didn't call a foul.

This prompted David Silva to get up from the ground and roar at referee Michael Oliver.

……

What is our current possession percentage?

Standing in front of the away team's bench, Pellegrini saw David Silva yelling at the referee, and his brows involuntarily furrowed.

This reflects David Silva's strong desire to win.

But it also highlighted the frustration of the Spanish midfielders being isolated and helpless during the match.

Almost every time he gets the ball, all passing lanes are blocked, but when he dribbles and makes a strong breakthrough, he is surrounded and intercepted.

Even a foul.

This is a headache.

"55%," Kusilias replied.

"Too high," Pellegrini shook his head.

Before Manchester United scored, Manchester City had only 37% possession.

In just over ten minutes, possession surged to 55%.

This wasn't something Manchester City actively sought; Manchester United simply handed it over.

However, this kind of possession is not the kind Manchester City wants—effective possession in Manchester United's own half.

"Navas is holding onto the right flank tightly, but it's not very effective; there's a lack of connection between him and David Silva."

Kucilias pointed to the players on the field and analyzed the situation.

"Nasri also has problems."

"Their tactics were very targeted and very clear."

Pellegrini remained silent.

If it were the second half, he would not hesitate to make a substitution.

Milner replaced Navas, who was clinging tightly to the wing.

But this is the first half.

Also, Yaya Touré and Fernandinho.

Unable to press forward in the attacking third, the two defensive midfielders began to frequently push forward, especially Yaya Touré.

This makes Fellaini a high-risk individual.

Unlike the Moyes era, since Yang Fan took over as coach, Fellaini has basically been a tactical center forward active between the defense and midfield, without needing to track back.

After Yaya Touré goes up, who will stop Fellaini?

But if Yaya Touré isn't brought on, the attacking play in the attacking third will be stifled...

A saying has been circulating in the Premier League this season: keep Yaya Toure away from the edge of the penalty area, and Manchester City's attacking threat is halved.

This is certainly an exaggeration, but it's not entirely without reason.

After careful consideration, Pellegrini simply instructed Fernandinho to be careful to cover behind him.

……

The match became intensely close.

Both sides fought fiercely.

In the 27th minute, Manchester United won a corner kick on the right flank after a long pass behind the defense.

Unfortunately, Rooney's corner kick was headed over the bar by Fellaini.

In the 31st minute, Yaya Toure made a late run and chipped the ball into the penalty area. When Dzeko controlled the ball in the penalty area, he collided with Smalling, who was clearing the ball, and both of them fell in the penalty area.

As a result, the referee did not award a penalty.

This angered the Manchester City players.

But cheers erupted from Old Trafford.

Just three minutes later, Manchester City came back on top.

It was Yaya Touré's late run that came on.

After receiving a pass from David Silva, the Ivorian player, under pressure from Cleverley, made a poor first touch.

Ferdinand, positioned at the edge of the penalty area, quickly pressed forward and kicked the ball forward.

It was a clearance, but also a pass.

The clearance ball landed on the left side of the center circle in Manchester United's half.

This area originally belonged to Yaya Touré's defense zone.

Pellegrini, standing on the sidelines, was taken aback when he saw Fellaini rushing over to contest the header.

"Damn it, watch out for Fellaini!"

Fernandinho was a bit far away, but he still rushed over immediately.

But he is only 1.79 meters tall.

Kompany, who was near the center line, ignored everyone else and immediately rushed forward to contest the header with Fellaini.

The three arrived at their positions almost simultaneously and jumped at the same time.

But Fellaini was in a better position. He jumped up and flicked the ball towards the spot behind him where Kompany had just been.

Almost simultaneously, Van Persie rushed over, controlled the ball with his left foot, and immediately chased after it.

Demichelis had no time to spare and rushed back to defend as quickly as possible.

Rooney, who was originally on the right side of the center circle, also started moving quickly.

"A beautiful header pass!"

"Manchester United's quick counter-attack created a two-on-one situation in the attacking third!"

"Look at Van Persie chasing the ball on the left flank, without hesitation, he makes a diagonal pass with his left foot."

"Rooney makes a run behind Demichelis, receives the ball and creates a one-on-one opportunity!"

"Goal!!"

"Rooney scores again in the 34th minute of the first half!"

"An assist from Van Persie!"

"2 to 0!"

Manchester United have extended their lead at home!

As the entire Old Trafford erupted in cheers, Rooney rushed straight to Van Persie, and the two embraced tightly.

The surrounding Manchester United players also chased after them and surrounded the two.

Who said Rooney and Van Persie don't get along?