The first round was 1-1 away from home, and the second round was at home. Knowing that the opponent must attack and score, how should the home team start?
The answer given by Ferguson is, attack!
From the moment the whistle blew, he launched an attack without hesitation.
Make use of the advantage of the home court, the momentum of the fans at the scene, and various favorable conditions to seize the initiative of the game from the beginning, disrupt the opponent's deployment and strategy, and strive to further expand the advantage as much as possible.
From the beginning, Manchester United immediately accelerated the pace of the game.
How fast?
In just six seconds, Cristiano Ronaldo was in front of the Napoli goal, forcing Handanovic to step forward as all his options were blocked by Manchester United.
The big kick went to the frontcourt, Vidic headed the ball back, and the two sides started fighting in the Naples half.
Soon, Manchester United created the first shot of the game.
How much time did it take?
Fifty-seven seconds!
This shot failed to pose a threat, but it didn't matter. Manchester United continued to suppress and refused to retreat.
…
When the game lasted a minute and a half, Gao Shen was already aware of Manchester United's determination and strategic intentions.
He quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind.
Should we continue to fight Manchester United to the bitter end? Or should we stabilize our defense first?
Less than two minutes later, Gao Shen walked to the sidelines and signaled to the players to retreat and hold on!
Thiago Motta, Biglia, Bonucci, David Luiz, and even goalkeeper Handanovic saw the advanced gesture, and the Napoli players immediately retreated.
Gao Shen gave up the opening confrontation with Manchester United and switched to defense.
At the same time, Gao Shen reminded Bonucci.
Evra, Anderson and Rooney played more actively in the opening game, especially Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney, who frequently wanted to hit Bonucci's point.
Everyone knows that Bonucci is the weak point in Naples' defense in terms of one-on-one defense, so Manchester United wants to make a fuss about this.
So after the opening, Ronaldo intentionally pulled David Luiz to the right, allowing Rooney to insert Bonucci.
Thiago Motta did a good job and defended in a timely manner, and Lichtsteiner's attack was also good.
In the third minute, Manchester United once again cooperated in a small area on the left side of the frontcourt.
Evra and Rooney attracted the defensive attention, and Anderson suddenly caught the ball and stepped in, but Biglia, who followed up in time, successfully tackled the ball and promptly destroyed a threatening rib attack by Manchester United.
Gao Shen vigorously applauded the performance of the players on the sidelines.
"They did a good job." Zidane praised with a smile.
"The forty-five minutes against Inter Milan was very rewarding," Gao Shen said with a smile.
In that half of the game, Naples' defense withstood the test of Inter Milan's double center forward and strong attack.
Although Mourinho's defensive ability is not very good, Inter Milan's attacking lineup and offensive firepower are still very strong.
Naples defended the game under the attack of Inter Milan, but many problems were also exposed. The coaching staff solved and improved them in time, so that the team can now stabilize its position and block Manchester United's attack.
"To be honest, Ferguson is also cunning. He knew that we must score goals and knew that we would attack, so he took action first and wanted to disrupt our deployment and rhythm." Zidane also sincerely praised.
Ferguson was still very decisive and sophisticated in his use of troops.
"But tonight, our response and adjustment were very timely." Carlo said with a smile.
While speaking, his eyes looked at Gao Shen, showing a hint of admiration.
Manchester United's attack was very resolute, but Naples' adjustments were also quite decisive.
This proves that Gao Shen has indeed stepped out of Ferguson's shadow.
Zidane nodded, he also heard what Carlo meant.
In fact, he could understand Gao Shen's mood.
The whole world knows that his idol is Uruguayan star Enzo Francescoli. For this reason, he even named his eldest son Enzo to express his admiration for his idol.
But he was born at the wrong time.
When Francescoli was shining in Ligue 1, Zidane was still working hard to grow up in the youth team. He often took a two-hour drive from Cannes to Marseille to watch his idol play, sitting in the stands and watching him. After the game, I will use his game videos to imitate his movements.
To some extent, Francescoli has profoundly influenced Zidane's playing style and aesthetic.
But unfortunately, when he debuted, Francescoli had already left Italy.
When Zidane moved to Juventus in 1996, Francescoli had returned to Argentina as early as 1994.
But here is the ingenious arrangement of fate. Before Zidane joined Juventus, the Bianconeri won the Champions League, and Argentina's River Plate won the Copa Libertadores. The two teams met in the Toyota Cup by accident.
Zidane clearly remembered that when he met his idol before the game, he was shaking with excitement. He even did not perform very well in the game, although in the 81st minute, he assisted Pioneer Hierro scored the winning goal, but he was still not satisfied with his performance.
After the game, he exchanged jerseys with Francescoli, signed autographs and took photos.
"Actually, I can understand Gao's mood and his change." Zidane said with emotion.
Later, when he became famous and became the idol of countless people, he gradually faded away from this idol complex, but by that time, he was already old.
Carlo glanced at Zidane, but he didn't expect that he would think of so many past events at this moment.
…
Manchester United attacked several times in succession, but found that nothing worked.
The Red Devils were constantly attacking forward, and most of the game was played in Napoli's half or near the halfway line.
This kind of high-position pressing gave Manchester United the advantage, but as a Serie A team, Naples also defended very firmly.
"This kid retreated in time!" Ferguson couldn't help but praise.
"After arriving in Italy, his defensive skills have improved. He is very layered and flexible, which is good."
Manchester United tried to beat Bonucci several times, but failed to work.
Cristiano Ronaldo first moved to the right. Later, when he saw that his teammates could not penetrate Bonucci's point, he simply joined in, often leaning to the left, or simply pulling to the left, but Naples' defense also responded quickly.
This made Manchester United's offense look powerful, but failed to create a threat.
Seeing another long-range shot from Ronaldo, which missed directly, Ferguson shook his head helplessly and sighed.
Almost ten minutes had passed and Manchester United had fired seven shots. Cristiano Ronaldo had taken five of them, and none of them were on target.
Ferguson gradually lost his relaxed attitude.
He can relax because he has no pressure.
Who can relax under pressure?
Besides, after ten minutes of attacking, do Manchester United still want to continue?
Gao Shen now kicked the ball back to Ferguson.
Judging from the current situation, Manchester United's opening attack did not achieve its goal, or all of its goals.
At least there were no goals, and the offense lacked threat, and it did not form an effective blow to Naples.
And all this is because Gao Shen reacted quickly enough and retreated in time.
As long as Naples is in chaos, if Manchester United withdraws, the Serie A teams will definitely take the initiative to pressure them out. What will Manchester United do then?
But if you don't retreat, the gap behind you will be a bit big. Once you are hit behind you, the situation will be very dangerous.
Tonight, Manchester United's midfield position is actually an equilateral triangle. Anderson is forward, and Carrick and Fletcher are behind. Therefore, the overall formation is a bit biased towards 4231. The purpose of Anderson being forward is to restrict
Thiago Motta.
After Naples contracted, Thiago Motta retreated, and Anderson pressed further forward, causing Manchester United to be a little higher as a whole, so Carrick and Fletcher moved a lot.
On the other hand, Naples doesn't seem to be a threat, but they are always looking for opportunities.
Sanchez, Cavani and Di Maria are all very powerful attackers. Once they are caught with the opportunity and hit behind, Manchester United's situation will be dangerous.
In fact, Ferguson really considered that if the situation went wrong, just like Hiddink's Chelsea, the three defensive midfielders would line up in front of the defense, allowing Napoli to attack and then concentrate on counterattacks.
But this would be too conservative and the scene would be too ugly.
After all, this is Old Trafford.
Thinking of this, Ferguson did not hesitate anymore. He walked to the sidelines and signaled the players on the field to slow down the offensive appropriately. The pressure was a little too high. They should maintain the formation appropriately and pay attention to their positions.
…
"Manchester United retreated!" Zidane felt relieved.
Once Ferguson's Manchester United goes crazy, it is really scary and frightening.
But after Gao Shen made timely adjustments, Naples stabilized its position.
The scene is very passive. From the beginning to now, there has not been a single shot, but the defense is stable.
Carlo nodded, and when he saw Gao Shen walking back, he immediately took a bottle of water from behind and handed it to Gao Shen.
Gao Shen would only come back when he was thirsty to drink water. Otherwise, he would always stand on the sidelines and give instructions.
Everyone in Naples is used to his style.
Some players even reported that if they didn't see Gao Shen on the sidelines one day, they would be very uncomfortable and would feel uncomfortable playing football.
"What now?" Zidane asked concerned.
Manchester United retreats, it’s time for Naples to show off!
But Gao Shen shook his head and said, "Don't be anxious, just be steady first, suppress the midfielder and then use your strength."
When Zidane and Carlo heard this, they understood.
"Have you noticed Ronaldo? He often pulls aside tonight, why?" After Gao Shen asked, he opened the lid and took a gulp of water.
When people are nervous, they become thirsty easily.
"It's very simple, I can't get the ball." Zidane laughed.
But after saying that, he understood what Gao Shen meant and why Gao Shen wanted to be more stable.
Cristiano Ronaldo is actually not suitable to play center. His most suitable role is that of a scorer. This is related to his character and the way he plays after his transformation. If you let him play center, in fact, he will not be able to play well.
But Ferguson has no choice now. Let Berbatov play and Cristiano Ronaldo play on the left. Evra's side will definitely be ruined. Play on the right. Wes Brown was fine before, but now O'Shea is also in trouble.
Which side he plays on, the midfielder on that side will have to bear more defensive tasks, which will greatly affect the team's midfield.
Therefore, Ferguson pushed him to the center.
But the effect is not ideal either.
Is there any way to solve it?
have.
A defensive midfielder was added to the midfield, so Manchester United introduced Hargreaves.
but……
"Wait a moment, it will be our turn soon!"
After Gao Shen finished speaking with a smile, he put down the empty water bottle, turned around and walked back to the sidelines.
