Chapter 605: Salah breaks out and Haaland appears

The consequence of Liverpool's loss of possession is that their players have not touched the ball for a long time.

From the 30th minute of the game, Manchester City took control of the situation on the field.

The football is constantly being passed at their feet, and many times it is a kick that is difficult to intercept.

This caused Liverpool's players to waste their energy in vain, but it failed to achieve any effect.

At 40 minutes into the first half, Liverpool lagged behind in all statistics.

Their ball possession rate is only 37%, which is more than 20 percentage points behind their opponents.

The number of passes was 188, less than half of Manchester City's.

There were only 27 dangerous attacks, 15 fewer than Manchester City.

0 corner kicks, 4 by the opponent!
However, he committed many more fouls than his opponents and received more yellow cards.

This is a number based on the premise that they got a lot of offensive opportunities in the early stages of the game. Once their physical fitness declines in the second half, this number will probably become even more disparate.

Although the score on the field was 1:1, when many people saw this, they had already silently sentenced Liverpool to death in their hearts.

If you play against a team like Manchester City, you will either be defeated by the opponent's passing and explosive play with Lin Quan as the core at the beginning.

Either you fall into the opponent's ball control rhythm, lose the initiative little by little, and then enter the rhythm of slow death.

Obviously, Liverpool is now in the second situation.

At the end of the first half, Liverpool players were already running out of energy due to running too hard.

In addition, many previous aggressive attempts to tackle the ball failed to achieve any results, which also greatly affected their enthusiasm, reducing their number of tackles and running range.

Feeling the decrease in the opponent's pressing intensity, Manchester City played more boldly.

They make full use of the width of the court and the superb footwork of the players on the left and right sides, frequently hitting from the left to the right, and then from the right to the left, in order to mobilize the opponent's defensive position and consume the opponent's physical strength. .

And try to find the opponent's flaws when the opponent's defensive players are moving.

Liverpool's defense was very solid and did not expose any flaws. Manchester City did not get a good chance and tried several long-range shots from outside the penalty area, but failed to score.

The first half of the game ended quickly, and the two sides returned to the locker room with a score of 1:1.

Although the score was a draw, the atmosphere in the locker rooms of the two teams was completely different.

The atmosphere at Manchester City is relaxed, the players are talking and laughing, and they don't feel any pressure at all.

As for Liverpool, there was silence in the locker room. The players were busy with their own things and no one spoke.

Until head coach Klopp broke the dull atmosphere.

……

Guardiola heard the sound coming from the locker room next door and smiled and said to the Manchester City players:
"I guess Klopp is giving the Liverpool players a boost!"

His words caused a burst of laughter from the Manchester City players. Basically, the head coaches of each team have done this kind of thing, so everyone understands it instantly.

Only when the team is in an unfavorable situation does it need to stimulate the players and put them in better shape to cope with the next game.

There is absolutely no need to do this when the team has a huge lead.

Now that Liverpool are already playing chicken, it proves that they feel that they are at a disadvantage.

But the score is clearly 1:1. As far as this game is concerned, both sides are still evenly matched.

It can be seen that Liverpool themselves also realized that their situation in the second half would be very bad.

"Okay, don't worry about what the opponent is going to do. We just insist on doing our own thing. In the first half, everyone played very well. In the second half, we will continue to implement the tactics we formulated before. Mbappe and Sane, I I will replace one or two of you in the 75th minute. I have only one request for you. Just take advantage of your speed and impact after playing! "

Guardiola glanced at Mbappe and Sane. The two people whose names were called held their heads high and looked like they were actively asking for a fight.

They know very well that if they are really substituted, according to the tactics formulated by the coach in advance, they are likely to become the protagonists in leading the team to win.

No one wants to be the protagonist, especially on a big stage like the Champions League knockout rounds.

……

After the start of the second half, Liverpool's tactics seemed to have undergone some changes.

Klopp has obviously realized that if he continues to perform the high press with the intensity of the first half, his players' physical fitness will not last long.

So he chose to give up space on the court and shrink back to prepare for a defensive counterattack.

This is a very wise choice, because Manchester City's passing control is too strong. If Liverpool cannot grab the ball, the players will just waste their energy.

But retracting to defend and counterattack may not necessarily be a brilliant tactic.

Manchester City did not fall behind, so their offense seemed unhurried and very patient.

The score of 1:1 is completely acceptable to them, so even if they finally leave Anfield with this score, it doesn't matter to them.

On the contrary, it's Liverpool. Can they really accept the result of a draw at home?

They will not have such a big home advantage when they visit the Etihad in their next game.

For an imposing team like Liverpool, without the fanatical atmosphere at home, their combat effectiveness would drop by almost half a notch.

Therefore, Manchester City played slowly. Fifteen minutes passed. With a huge advantage in possession of the ball, they only completed three shots.

The opponent played very patiently, and the result was that Liverpool had few opportunities to counterattack.

But Salah is really brave. Although there are few opportunities, he still relies on his own strength to turn Manchester City's wings upside down.

Fortunately, Manchester City's defense in the middle was very dense in this game and did not give him too many opportunities to cut inside. Otherwise, with his strength, he might really be able to create miracles.

Liverpool fans are very satisfied with Salah's performance, especially when the team as a whole is at a disadvantage, they can only count on star players like Salah to stand up.

"Salah, come on!"

"If you win this game, I would like to call you Messi of Liverpool!"

"Why not Lin Quan from Liverpool?"

After Messi and Lin Quan became famous one after another, several XX Messis or XX Lin Quan appeared in football almost every year.

Many fans like to call players with the same position and similar playing style 'Messi' or 'Lin Quan'.

This is the expectation for these people. After all, these two are the two giants in football. Fans hope that these people can grow to the height of these two.

Salah is very similar to these two in terms of his position on the court, height and weight, and playing style.

In addition, after joining Liverpool, he has performed better and better, both in the league and in the Champions League. Many people are very optimistic about him and feel that he can continue to grow and may eventually be able to touch the super giant. threshold.

Salah lived up to the expectations of Liverpool fans.

In the 67th minute of the second half, Liverpool stole the ball and launched a quick counterattack. But Manchester City retreated quickly. When Salah dribbled the ball into the opponent's half, there were four defensive players in front of him.

As for Liverpool, no one except Firmino can keep up with his pace.

Salah just glanced at it and then dribbled the ball. He used a wonderful crotch pass to tease Fernandinho, and then sent a cross from the edge of the penalty area.

After receiving the ball, Firmino wanted to shoot directly, but it hit the defender.

He hurriedly went to grab the ball again, but was cleared early by Manchester City's defensive players.

However, the Manchester City defender made a mistake in clearing the ball. Laporte seemed to want to pass the ball to his teammate, but he kicked it into his teammate's leg.

Stones, who was turning around, lacked preparation and did not make a clearance at the first time. When he went to make a clearance at the second time, a red figure suddenly jumped out from the side and kicked the ball into the goal.

The goal was none other than Liverpool’s No. 11 winger Salah!

When they saw this goal, the fans at the scene were all shocked.

2 against 4, actually scored!
What kind of bullshit luck is this!
How could Manchester City's defense make such a low-level mistake!

Guardiola had already called Mbappe over and was about to tell him what to do after he came on the field.

Unexpectedly, such a change occurred on the court.

Because he did not see the whole process of losing the ball clearly, Guardiola asked doubtfully:
"what happened?"

Assistant coach Arteta introduced the process of losing the ball just now, and Guardiola's expression became speechless.

It's this kind of low-level mistake again. Why does the team's defense give him a little extra work every time he encounters Liverpool?

In the past, he, the head coach, liked to do things very well. How come the players now like to do things very well?

This conceded goal made Manchester City very passive. Liverpool, who were leading the score, could now retreat and play defensive counterattacks with peace of mind.

Compared with high-position pressing, defensive counterattacks consume less physical energy, which greatly extends the time Liverpool can persist.

According to his expectation, after 75 minutes, Liverpool's physical energy was almost exhausted.

At this time, he replaced a fast and impactful winger, who could easily tear apart Liverpool's defense.

But now it's better, the opponent's formation has shrunk, and neither Mbappe nor Sane is easy to use at this time.

There is not enough space for them to speed up, and half of the opponent's court is full of people, so they can't rush forward.

The team now needs a siege cone that can smash the opponent's defense.

The forward Jesus on the field obviously does not have such ability. He is not even a serious forward.

Thinking of this, Guardiola gave up his plan to replace Mbappe or Sane, and instead considered replacing Jesus with a forward.

His eyes swept over the players on the bench. Aguero is Manchester City's regular striker, but he does not have strong offensive ability. Replacing him on the field may not necessarily do better than Jesus.

So Guardiola hesitated for a moment, and finally turned his attention to the next person.

There were two forwards sitting on the bench. Apart from Aguero, Haaland was the only one left to make up the numbers.

When he saw Haaland, Guardiola's expression became even more hesitant.

This guy is big enough, but he's too young.

Can he, who is not yet 18 years old, really be able to defeat those veterans in Liverpool's defense?

Forget it, let’s treat a dead horse as a live doctor!

Whether it works or not, you will know after you try it.

Even if it fails in the end, the score of 1:2 is not unacceptable.

The worst thing is that we will return to the home court to decide the outcome!

So Guardiola named Haaland’s name:
"Erlin, go warm up!"

"Ah? Me, me?"

Haaland thought he was a mascot, here to make up the numbers.

Unexpectedly, at such a critical moment, the head coach would actually call his name.

"If you don't want to go up, just keep sitting!"

Guardiola glared at him, and Harland ran away without waiting for Guardiola to say another word.

Being able to appear in the knockout rounds of the Champions League is an opportunity Haaland only dreams of!
How could you give up?
The reason why I had such doubts just now was because I was so shocked that I didn’t react immediately!

Despite his size, Haaland seems to be a simple-minded guy with well-developed limbs.

But in fact, he has a very bright mind. When Harland was warming up, he started to use his brain and think.

The coach left the regular striker Aguero unused, but chose his own little transparent soldier.

This shows that the coach is interested in the advantages that he has but Aguero does not have.

Harland is not yet 18 years old, and he is not as good as Aguero in terms of game experience, skills and understanding of teammates.

The only thing that can defeat the opponent is probably his own height and tonnage.

So, the coach took a fancy to this aspect of him and planned to let him go to the penalty area to fight for the top?
Thinking of this, Haaland glanced at Liverpool's defense and began to think about how to deal with these people after playing.

The fans didn't care that Manchester City arranged a substitute whose name they had never heard of to warm up. They were even more excited about Salah's goal just now.

"Salah is so strong, he can seize opportunities like this!"

"There's something there. No wonder he's called the Egyptian Messi. He succeeded in playing 2-on-4!"

"This transfer from Liverpool is such a bargain. I feel that after this season, Salah's worth will soar to more than 8000 million euros!"

"Haha, only 8000 million? You are too conservative. I estimate that the Egyptian Pharaoh is worth more than 1 million euros!"

In the current era of serious inflation in football, the value of players has also begun to rise.

Since the German transfer market raised Lin Quan's worth to 2 million euros, the worth of subsequent players has also increased a lot.

Salah is only 26 years old this year. As long as he is not seriously injured or his condition suddenly declines, he can still maintain his peak period for at least five or six years.

It is not surprising at all to give him a net worth of 100 million euros.

"How did Chelsea hire people in the first place? De Bruyne and Salah. These two joined the team at almost the same time, but they were both given up by Chelsea. It's incredible!"

"Haha, this is called a piece of shit when gathered together, but a sky full of stars when scattered!"

"Alas, the Blues won the SSR card, but they can't use it well!" (End of this chapter)