Chapter 381 Pochettino's Worries! Manchester City is in Chaos! (Part 2
Chapter 381 Pochettino’s worries! Manchester City is in chaos! (2-in-1)
Author: Thief Cao
Chapter 381 Pochettino’s worries! Manchester City is in chaos! (2-in-1)
As time went by, the game became more and more intense, and the offensive and defensive rhythms of both sides never slowed down.
The madness on Tottenham's side is really scary.
All Tottenham players on the field resolutely implemented the tactical requirements of coach Pochettino. Everyone ran wildly throughout the field and pressed the Manchester City players immediately. To say that they were crazy would be an understatement.
As for Manchester City, as the game progressed, Guardiola's formation was completely revealed.
As Guardiola said in an interview with the media before the game, he and Pochettino are the same kind of people. No matter what tactics the opponent plays, he will stick to his own tactical concepts.
Therefore, what Manchester City played today was not 433 at all, nor was it the more secure 4231.
But 4141.
Fernandinho's position is further forward, and Fernando is deeper, playing as a single defensive midfielder.
But in the face of Tottenham's frantic style of play today, even with Fernandinho and Chu Zheng retreating to assist Fernando in defense, Manchester City's midfield was still suppressed.
Fernando is tall enough, but his weight is only 75kg and his body is not strong enough.
Fernandinho's interception ability on the defensive end is indeed very strong, and his offensive ability is also very good.
He has the footwork to pass and threaten the ball, has long-range shooting, and even has the ability to outflank and grab points in front of the goal. He can play as a central midfielder and a wide midfielder, and he plays very well.
But his problem is also serious.
Even in the defensive midfield position, when facing an opponent's frontal attack, his small body really can't withstand it.
Especially today, against the impact of several dark, hard, tall and fast men in the midfield of Tottenham, Fernandinho's short stature and lack of physical strength were completely exposed.
Therefore, faced with Tottenham's extremely destructive strong defense and impact in the middle, the two fell to the ground and lost the ball time and time again, and lost every time they competed for high balls.
Another point is that in past games, Guardiola liked to let Kolarovny take the defensive midfielder position when the team was attacking.
But today, from the beginning to the present, Kolarov has been ravaged by Tottenham's powerful right-side attack, which kept him firmly in the left back position.
Not only that, even Sterling was dragged into the defensive quagmire in the backcourt and couldn't get up at all.
This resulted in Manchester City's offense today not being as good as before, and they were completely unable to play the same oppressive offense as in the past.
Even trying to counterattack quickly from the left is extremely difficult.
On the sidelines, Guardiola watched everything on the court.
At this moment, Guardiola also felt a little regretful.
Before the game, Guardiola knew that playing Fernando would sacrifice some midfield creativity, but he still let the Brazilian start. He hoped to strengthen the midfielder's hardness.
But now it seems that the creativity in the midfield has indeed been sacrificed, but it has not been able to obtain the midfield hardness he needs.
In front of Tottenham Wanyama, Sissoko and others, Fernandinho and Fernando were made to look like they were crushed.
The only thing that makes Guardiola feel lucky is that Chu Zheng still performed well today. He judged and responded to the situation accurately and quickly, and withdrew directly, stabilizing the precarious defense line in time, while constantly instigating counterattacks from the backcourt.
Put pressure on Tottenham.
Otherwise, Guardiola really couldn't believe what a terrifying scene it would be to let Tottenham press them all.
As for Pochettino, he is also worried.
Because the situation on the field was somewhat different from what he had expected before the game.
Now they have indeed suppressed Manchester City, but they are not completely suppressed.
Manchester City's frontcourt pressing attack is indeed gone, but Chu Zheng is still very active, constantly using his excellent passing ability and breakthrough ability in the backcourt to instigate counterattacks, trying to contact Aguero and Nasional in the frontcourt.
gas.
The outside media and fans all said that Tottenham could run the entire 90 minutes, and that was indeed the case.
But Pochettino also has time to set up this high-intensity pressing tactic.
He clearly arranged when to go fast and when to slow down.
Otherwise, even if the players can run for 90 minutes, what will they do in the next game?
Stop playing?
What worries Pochettino most now is that if the team cannot score, their current frenzied full-court press cannot slow down and needs to be maintained.
Once the score continues to be like this and the two sides finally shake hands and make a draw, the loss will be huge for Tottenham.
A game where he cannot make ends meet is definitely not what Pochettino needs, what he wants is 3 points.
Pochettino knows exactly how Spurs fell out of contention for the title last season.
It was because he played so crazy that the players had major physical problems in the second half of the league.
So for this season, Pochettino has detailed plans.
If it is not necessary, he absolutely does not want to engage in this kind of war of attrition with Manchester City. Even if he can win, it will have a profound impact on them and they are likely to repeat the same mistakes.
In the LeTV live broadcast room, taking advantage of the stalemate during this period, Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu were also analyzing the situation.
"Facing a high-pressure press, the most effective strategy is to break the opponent's press with a quick short pass in a small area, and then quickly move to the other side to escape the opponent's encirclement."
“Or it’s a breakthrough!”
Zhang Lu nodded and said with a smile: "That's what Chu Zheng is doing now. He has both backcourt scheduling and breakthroughs!"
"But because Manchester City was crushed on the left, Sterling couldn't go up, so Chu Zheng had to find Navas on the right."
"But the problem is that Navas only knows one move, a straight line breakthrough and cross. He doesn't have Sterling's sharp cutting ability."
"Yes, Navas is definitely a cross expert!"
"But because Manchester City has no high points, even if he successfully completes the cross, it will be difficult to form an effective threat to Tottenham!"
While the two were talking, the situation on the field suddenly changed.
In the 12th minute of the game, Tottenham slowed down the pace of the game for the first time and allowed Stones to get the ball in the left rib cage of Manchester City's half.
Tottenham stood in a 4411 formation and defended extremely tightly.
Stones watched for a few seconds and found that there was no good opportunity.
Seeing Chu Zheng retreat along the ribs, he directly pushed the ball over.
As soon as Chu Zheng got the ball, Wanyama immediately rushed out of Tottenham's midfield defense and headed towards Chu Zheng.
Chu Zheng felt someone coming from behind. He swung the ball with the outside of his right foot and the ball was transferred to the right area at the top of the arc in Manchester City's backcourt.
After Otamendi got the ball, he saw Alli slowly running up, and Lamela on the right front wing was also eyeing him. He directly turned around with the ball and passed it back to Bravo in the penalty area.
At this moment, Ali suddenly accelerated and went straight to Bravo, quickly cutting off the connection between Bravo, Otamendi and Zabalet, trying to force Bravo to pass the ball to the left.
For Kolarov, I still want to pinch the soft persimmon.
This scene is not the first time.
Manchester City made targeted arrangements for Bravo, Kolarov and Zabaleta today.
Once Manchester City wants to pass and control in the backcourt, Alli will press forward to block Bravo's passing route, forcing Bravo to only play the ball to the full-back on one side.
Other Tottenham frontcourt players forced Kolarov and Sabaret to pass forward, forcing them to pass back to the goalkeeper, and then forced Bravo to play a high ball from the backcourt.
Once this goal is achieved, the players on Tottenham's defense will use their height advantage to grab the ball and quickly launch a counterattack after stealing the ball.
But this time Bravo didn't take the bait and passed directly forward to Fernando who was retreating in the middle.
On Tottenham's side, seeing that Manchester City was not on the right track, Eriksen quickly stepped up to press Fernando.
Although Fernando has been reduced to a marginal player in Manchester City, that does not mean that he is not strong enough, it is just because he does not meet Guardiola's requirements for players.
His rich experience is still there.
Therefore, Fernando directly passed the ball diagonally back to Otamendi in the left rib area at the top of the arc, allowing Eric to miss.
In the left rib area at the top of the arc, before Otamendi could stop the ball, Lamela had already rushed to him.
Suddenly Tottenham picked up speed and that crazy energy was revealed again.
Facing the menacing Lamela, Otamendi did not panic, but turned around and played the ball to the right front.
Lamela, who rushed in front of Otamendi, turned and followed the ball towards Zabaleta.
Zabaleta stopped the ball with his right foot and turned around at the same time, quickly hitting the ball towards the ribs before Lamela came over.
In the right rib area of the center circle, the moment Fernandinho took the ball, Eriksen and Wanyama quickly approached from behind her from the left and right sides.
Lamela also rushed straight towards Fernandinho without stopping, and the three of them quickly formed an encirclement and suppression force.
But before Lamela could reach him, Wanyama made a brutal collision from Fernandinho's left back. Fernandinho dropped the ball and lost it, unable to withstand Wanyama's body collision.
.
In the LeTV live broadcast room, Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu are having fun again.
Zhang Lu laughed and said: "This kind of grabbing from the side and behind is Fernandinho's specialty, but today he was actually done in reverse!"
"Those who come out to fool around always have to pay back!"
"Hahaha!"
Zhan Jun said cheerfully, which immediately made Zhang Lu lean forward and back.
On the court, Lamela took advantage of the situation and caught the ball rolling over.
In an instant, Tottenham's frontcourt counterattack appeared again, and Lamela turned a U-shaped turn and quickly advanced along the ribs.
But Fernando moved quickly and blocked him in time.
Seeing Danny Rose coming up the left path, he directly passed the ball to the side.
Danny Rose took the ball and saw that Zabaleta was stuck in front of him and could not come up, so he glanced at the top of the arc.
Seeing that Son Heung-min had started pressing forward, he directly swung his leg and passed the ball.
At the front of the small penalty area in the middle, Son Heung-min took the lead before being pinched by Otamendi and Stones.
But Danny Rose's cross was a bit high, and Son Heung-min missed it at all.
At the top of the arc, Chu Zheng, who had just rushed back, saw that the ball leaked behind Kolarov and there was no Tottenham player next to him, and he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the next second, Chu Zheng was stunned!
Guardiola is stunned!
Manchester City fans are stunned!
Tottenham fans are furious!
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Kolarov, who was on the right side of the small penalty area at the front and back point, took off again and raised his right foot. It seemed that he was preparing to take the ball directly out of the penalty area.
As a result, the ball directly hit Kolarov's left knee, bounced directly towards the goal, and penetrated directly into the lower edge of the crossbar from the inside of the upper end of the right post of the goal.
"Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"My own mistake!"
"Own goal!!!" Seeing the birth of this goal, Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu raised their voices instantly and were dumbfounded.
"Kolarov! Another amateur defense!"
"Hehehehe!" Zhang Hehe couldn't stop laughing.
On the court, Chu Zheng's face was filled with tears. He really wanted to give Kolarov a thumbs up and say, "Well done!"
In the coaching area on the sidelines, Guardiola was also deceived and made another low-level mistake.
Behind Guardiola, on the Manchester City bench, Gundogan, Sane, Iheanacho and others also turned into silly geese.
The moment Guardiola was stunned, Pochettino, who was sitting on the Tottenham coaching bench, raised his arms and ran past her like a gust of wind.
At this moment, the new White Hart Lane stadium was in a state of excitement and carnival.
On the court, Kolarov put his hands on his knees and looked down at the lawn under his feet, unable to see clearly what his expression was.
Bravo in front of the goal looked constipated.
Bravo looked to the sky speechless!
Who has he offended? Why is he always being tricked by his own people?
In the stands, Manchester City fans were also silent, with speechless expressions on their faces. They did not expect that the team would lose the ball in this way.
What happened to Kolarov?
Why do such super amateur and low-level mistakes happen again and again?
This is the doubt in the minds of countless Manchester City fans at this moment.
After Guardiola took over Manchester City, many players took on new glory under him.
For example, last season he transferred to Manchester City but started well but failed. His performance in the European Cup was also a disaster. It was even rumored by the media that Sterling needed to see a psychiatrist to regain his form.
As a result, after Guardiola came, Sterling quickly integrated into the new tactical system. So far in all competitions in the new season, he has scored 5 goals and two assists, and his form is explosive.
Although Sterling still shows his unique talent for happy football from time to time, it is definitely not an exaggeration to say that Sterling has been transformed.
The most surprising one is Kolarov.
Before the start of the season, Kolarov was very close to leaving the team.
But under Guardiola, Kolarov, who was criticized for being strong offensively and weak defensively, showed his style as an all-around defender in the center back position.
A month ago, Guardiola told reporters that Kolarov had played one of the best central defender performances he had ever seen.
Arsenal legend Martin Keown also praised Kolarov, saying that Kolarov's style reminded him of former World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore.
But why did it become like this now?
What about the all-around defender the media talks about?
Why did it suddenly disappear?
On the field, the game continues.
With the help of Manchester City's own goal, the morale of Tottenham playing at home reached its peak amidst the huge cheers of the fans at the scene.
As for Manchester City, after falling behind due to an own goal, the players showed an impatient mentality and chaos began to appear.
In the 14th minute of the game, Manchester City was robbed in the backcourt again and was forced to lob the ball forward.
Navas on the right side of the frontcourt lost the battle for the top, and the ball was passed back to Wanyama by Danny Rose.
Fernandinho, Navas, Aguero, and Fernando failed to get the ball back after continuous attacks, and they seemed to be starting to mess up their position.
Tottenham used the combination of Eriksen who retreated and took the ball out of Manchester City's frontcourt in two or three kicks.
On the left side of the center circle, the ball was tipped towards Ali by Eriksen.
Behind Ali, Otamendi directly attacked.
But when he rushed behind Ali, he was deceived by Ali's fake turn to the left, causing his center of gravity to tilt to the left, and then he was easily broken through by Ali from the right.
After Ali dribbled the ball across the center line, he saw that Son Heung-min had already run into the space in the ribs exposed by Otamendi's attack, and he directly kicked the ball through.
Son Heung-min advanced at full speed.
On the left rib at the top of the arc, Son Heung-min, who was stuck on the outside by Stones in time, slowed down and stepped on his bicycle. The instep of his left outside foot suddenly pushed the ball out of the bottom, and then started a strong breakthrough.
On the left side of the penalty area, seeing that Stones could not get rid of him, Son Heung-min was extremely decisive and raised his left foot to hit the near corner.
Bang!
As he approached the goal post, Bravo quickly knelt down on one knee, putting Son Heung-min's foot on the ground and dangerously blocking the bottom line.
"Son Heung-min!!!" Zhan Jun exclaimed!
"This corner kick was hit with great force and accuracy!" Zhang Lu was also shocked. "Fortunately, Bravo reacted quickly enough, otherwise he would have scored again!"
"Playing as the main lone striker in a team like Tottenham, Son Heung-min's ability has been fully proven!"
On the sidelines, Pochettino could no longer sit still and appeared in the coaching area, gesticulating excitedly towards the players on the court.
He could see that Manchester City was in a bit of a mess.
This is a great opportunity for Tottenham.
As long as they seize the opportunity and score another goal while Manchester City is in chaos, then Manchester City may not be far away from collapse.
On the field, after scoring a goal, Tottenham players became more and more excited as they played.
In the 19th minute of the game, at the top of the arc, Ali received Eriksen's cross on the right rib, and his feet were full of flowers, connecting Fernandinho, Fernando, and Stones.
Just as he was about to break into the penalty area through the gap on the right side of the arc caused by Stones's attack, Chu Zheng came up with a ferocious sliding tackle, giving Ali, who was enjoying the game, a critical hit.
Chu Zheng's tackle was as clean as ever.
After getting up, Chu Zheng let out a vented roar, which shocked Fernandinho and others around him.
They rarely see Chu Zheng show this attitude of not letting strangers enter during a game.