Chapter 750: Turning against guests

Chapter 750: Turning against guests

Liverpool was almost omnipotent when they played like crazy. Even Manchester United had to choose to temporarily avoid the attack and retreat to their own half to defend tenaciously.

The defense that Mourinho has trained for three years also showed its effectiveness at this critical moment. Apart from problems with left-back Luke Shaw, it was difficult for Liverpool to gain any advantage over Manchester United.

The midfield and backcourt are tightly defended, while the frontcourt is actively looking for opportunities. On the one hand, it serves as the team's first line of defense, and on the other hand, it also puts pressure on Liverpool's midfield and backcourt.

Bruno was running as frequently as ever. He was not worried at all about conceding goals because this was part of Manchester United's pre-match plan. The coaching staff had already made sufficient plans for conceding the first goal, including how to play after conceding two goals.

With a plan, he felt more confident. Bruno knew that all he needed to do next was to wait patiently.

As long as Manchester United can hold on, Liverpool will reveal its flaws sooner or later.

………………

The Manchester derby is not only a continuation of the century-old showdown between the two traditional Premier League giants, but also a rare gathering of the two giants' legends. Manchester United has many legends, and even Liverpool, who are playing away, has sent out many legends including Carragher and Gerrard.

The President's Stand became a gathering place for the two great legends, and as the game began, the hot topics gradually shifted to the game itself, especially the two most popular stars of the two teams, Salah and Bruno.

It is not surprising that Liverpool continued to pursue the victory after taking a one-goal lead, as this has always been Liverpool's style.

"Klopp now sees Mane, Firmino and Salah as the cornerstones of the team's challenge for the league title. They achieved great success last season. Although they failed to win the league title in the end, 97 points in a single season was a near-perfect performance. The three forwards scored a total of 56 goals, which was the most scoring forward combination last season. Salah scored 22 goals."

"The Egyptian also performed very well in this game. He scored in the first five minutes. He dribbled through the game, shot from long range, headed in front of the goal, took free kicks... He can do almost anything. He is really amazing."

"In comparison, Firmino and Mane seem to be overshadowed by him recently."

"He is still relatively immature and needs more polish," Gerrard said with a smile. "Look at it now. It cannot be denied that he was in good form in this game, but it was precisely because he was in such good form and his personal performance was so active that the team began to revolve around him intentionally or unintentionally."

After hearing what Gerrard said, everyone actually noticed this phenomenon.

………………

Beckenbauer once said that on a football field, the strongest point is often also the weakest point.

When Salah performed almost omnipotently and when the Egyptian put on a solo show on the court, Liverpool's overall offensive means still seemed too monotonous, almost all of them were aimed at the Egyptian.

Mourinho also realized this problem and immediately took targeted defensive measures.

Salah was concentrating on how to dribble forward, how to break through, and how to create threats. Many times he even chose to shoot by himself instead of observing his teammates. This not only made Manchester United's defense easier, but also embarrassed Liverpool's midfielders and forwards.

It is difficult to say whether it was because other Liverpool players were in poor form or because they were affected by Salah's activeness. In any case, on the field, everyone saw that Liverpool's attack turned into a personal show of the Egyptian.

Salah's personal performances often end with hasty shots or blocked breakthroughs, which is quite unreasonable.

………………

Looking at Salah who was constantly making breakthroughs, Gerrard shook his head and said: "Football is always a game of eleven people. One person cannot lead the whole team. At least Salah can't do that now, so he needs to play more as a team."

As soon as Gerrard finished speaking, many other celebrities nodded.

Those who can sit in this position are all Liverpool celebrities, all of whom have played football for decades. Having been involved in football all their lives, they can naturally see the tricks and even guess the deep meaning behind it.

Gerrard said: "Klopp still seems to rely on him and has no intention of controlling him. It's hard to say specifically, but there are generally only two possibilities. Either Klopp is old and his eyes are blurry, or he feels that Salah has value worth his investment."

Everyone was a little surprised after hearing this.

Of course Klopp cannot be blinded by old age, he is very shrewd, so it can only be the latter.

Training young players has always been Klopp’s forte, and the fact that he is allowed to let them do what they want has made everyone very curious about how much potential this Egyptian has.

You know, Manchester United is not a pushover, and taking risks in such a game is not a wise approach.

At least there is a Bruno in Manchester United who is just as good as Salah, or even better than him.

………………

Bruno patiently looked for opportunities on the court.

When Liverpool were one goal behind and launched a massive attack, the burden of Manchester United's attack almost fell on him.

He began to expand his scope of activities, and he integrated himself into the team as a whole. But at the same time, when the team needed his personal performance, whether it was breaking through, taking the ball, organizing or distributing the ball, he was able to do it with ease. , also showed its own advantages.

Compared with the flashy Salah, Bruno's style is concise and fast, stable and reasonable. This is the impression everyone has formed of him since his debut.

More than ten minutes after conceding the goal, Manchester United gradually stabilized their position and the team began to find a familiar feeling.

The three players in the midfield were very effective in intercepting the ball, and the two central defenders in the backcourt gradually adapted to Liverpool's style of passing the ball from the flanks.

Salah still got the ball frequently, but it was more of a personal performance and not much of a threat.

Once the midfield and backcourt stabilized, the players in the frontcourt began to get opportunities.

First, Rashford made a cross from the left, allowing Mbappe to head the ball in front of the goal, but it was saved by Alisson.

Then Rashford made a straight pass from the left rib, allowing Bruno to break into the penalty area and shoot wide.

In the 28th minute, Bruno had an opportunity to face Henderson alone with the ball and tried to break through one on one. However, when he was passing the player, he was tripped to the ground by the more experienced Henderson.

Atkinson ran up quickly and showed Henderson a yellow card.

The Liverpool captain did not argue, but reached out to Bruno who was lying on the ground, pulled him up, patted him on the shoulder, and quickly stepped back.

Manchester United then had a free kick from Bruno, and Maguire headed the ball but missed the target and it was too high.

………………

Time quickly entered the thirty-minute mark, and Manchester United was still behind Liverpool.

After a break of about ten minutes, Liverpool launched another fierce attack.

Salah is still the most threatening Liverpool player on the field and his performance is quite outstanding, which makes the Liverpool fans in the stands almost shout their throats out to cheer him on.

The enthusiasm from the fans undoubtedly further fueled Salah's excitement. But the Egyptian seemed to be always a little short of scoring a goal. Almost no one was able to enter the penalty area. Most of them were long shots from the outside, and they were long shots from more than 20 meters away.

It is not difficult to see how solid Manchester United's defense is.

In the Manchester United team, Bruno really felt a sense of security that he had never experienced in Udinese.

When he was in Udinese, the team's defense was always worrying. Whether in Serie A or in European competitions, Udinese has never been known for its defensive ability, so during the three years he played for Udinese, Bruno often retreated to defend.

But at Manchester United, Mourinho's requirement for him was very simple, that is, to wait for opportunities to counterattack in the frontcourt and rush when there is a chance!

Although Mourinho's team focuses on defense and Bruno also undertakes certain defensive tasks in the game, the main task Mourinho gives Bruno is still offense.

As for pressing the opponent's defense, intercepting and defending in the midfield and backcourt, and how to pass the ball to Bruno's feet, that is the job of other Manchester United players.

Bruno has always been a player who is very good at understanding and implementing the coach's intentions, and this was also the case in this game.

………………

After sprinting again and again, Bruno was already sweating profusely, but he could feel that the distance between him and the opponent's penalty area was getting closer and closer. Henderson's yellow card just now was the best proof of this.

Liverpool then launched a counterattack and their offensive power surged, but Bruno also felt that Liverpool's defense was gradually pressing forward.

What is he best at?

Accurate pass!

Then there is the sharp breakthrough!

The situation he likes to face most is when the opponent's defense line presses forward, leaving a large space behind them.

Whether passing the ball to teammates or dribbling through, it is a virgin land for everyone to gallop!

Salah tried to pass the ball with his heel, but was tripped by Kante.

The referee ran over and gave Kante a yellow card warning, and at the same time gave Liverpool another free kick opportunity in the frontcourt.

The Egyptian took the penalty himself, and Bruno went back to set up a human wall. He was face to face with Salah again, and he could feel the burning fighting spirit in Salah's eyes when he looked at him.

He looked full of fighting spirit and extremely excited, as if he was saying: Today, here, there can only be one winner, and that is me!

And this is exactly what Bruno wanted to say to him.