Leeds United's first game of the new season was on the evening of August 6th, an away game against newly promoted Saints Southampton.
The Community Shield is on the afternoon of August 7th.
Manchester City went south to London one day in advance and checked into the Manor Hotel in London's West End.
After Gao Shen, Carlo, Buenaventura and Pintus arranged the players, they quietly left London and headed to Southampton, more than 100 kilometers away.
Both men put on disguises, blended in with the fans, and entered St. Mary's Stadium.
They were sitting in the area of the stand where Leeds United fans were, and the tickets were also provided by Fernando Lucas.
…
The attendance rate of St. Mary's Stadium is actually quite average. This game only attracted 25,000 people.
In terms of fan enthusiasm, there is still a certain gap between Southampton and Leeds United.
This also makes Gao Shen feel lucky.
Southampton's head coach Nigel Adkins is not well-known, but Gao Shen knows that he brought Southampton to the Premier League in his previous life, but later his coaching in the Premier League was not successful, and then he was replaced by Bo.
Replaced by Tino.
It was also from that time that Southampton ushered in a comprehensive renaissance.
At present, Adkins has played for Wigan Athletic for a long time in his career. His biggest coaching experience is that he coached Scunthorpe for four years. His results are not bad, and what he is best at is four-three-three.
Leeds United has just gone through a reorganization, and Gao Shen is a little worried about Sarri's formation.
In terms of integrating the team, Gao Shen has actually been paying close attention and making suggestions for Sarri.
For example, Pogba, Gao Shen told Sarri very clearly to put Pogba in the left position of the three midfielders of 433 and let him play to his own characteristics and advantages.
Adam Lallana on the left is very skilled, but his speed is slow. Kurzawa will often intervene in the attack, so he must beware of Southampton's counterattack.
On the right, Bolasie has excellent speed, explosive power, and physical fitness. He also has his famous stunt [Bolasie Turn], but his handling of the ball after turning is also very problematic. It depends on
Sarri has been undergoing some training recently.
What Gao Shen is most worried about is actually the defense.
Woodgate failed to participate in the first game, and Sarri arranged a combination of Maguire and Koulibaly.
Very young, but inexperienced.
This will become the biggest hidden danger tonight.
…
Facts have proved that Gao Shen's concerns were correct.
After the opening, Leeds United turned away from home and launched a wave of attacks.
Southampton was also not to be outdone. Although they were promoted, they played very bravely.
Stephen Dreedle, in particular, was very active on the wing.
In the tenth minute, center Lambert created a corner kick opportunity. Portuguese center back Jose Fonte headed the ball over, and midfielder Hammond took advantage of the chaos to sneak in and break through the goal guarded by Courtois.
The Belgian goalkeeper was very dissatisfied with this and believed that his teammates did not keep an eye on his goal.
"It's a bit troublesome." Carlo said with a frown.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Leeds United played a little too anxiously from the start.
After losing the ball, the scene was a bit chaotic and passive.
Sarri wanted to let the players control the ball and play the kind of passing game he wanted, but the players were anxious. As a result, as soon as Southampton pressed and pressed them, Leeds United immediately fell into chaos.
Fortunately, there was Courtois standing in front of the door.
Although the ball had just been lost, the Belgian goalkeeper performed very vigorously with a high block and a low ball.
"Courtois is really good!" Lopez praised.
At the beginning, he praised Courtois highly, and he still remembers him even now.
The first half ended with Leeds United trailing 0-1.
"This half was a bit..." Carlo smiled bitterly, unable to finish his words.
"From the perspective of physical fitness and performance, the team's preparation is quite sufficient, but it is not stable enough and the integrity is not strong enough." Buenaventura also felt it was a pity.
To put it simply, Leeds United has strength, but it cannot show it.
Not to mention the players, even those who know football felt anxious when they saw this feeling.
"Let's see how the midfield adjusts." Gao Shen shook his head and smiled bitterly.
…
After changing sides in the second half, Southampton once again launched a fierce attack, trying to win Leeds United in one go.
But in the 52nd minute of the game, Schneiderlin successfully stole the ball and handed the ball to Paulinho, who quickly passed it to the frontcourt to Bolasie on the right.
After the latter stopped the ball, he passed the ball directly and shook off Southampton's left back Dan Harding. He rushed to the right side of the penalty area with the ball and passed it to the center.
Benteke quickly moved into the front post, overpowered Southampton's two central defenders Martin, and headed the ball to the back post.
I saw former Southampton player Adam Lallana quickly step in and hit the goal, successfully equalizing the score!
"pretty!!!"
Gao Shen, like the surrounding Leeds United fans, all cheered loudly for the team's goal.
Although Adam Lallana did not celebrate the goal.
No one expected that just three minutes later, Adam Lallana got rid of the ball on the left side of the frontcourt, then dribbled past Jack Cork and sent the ball into the penalty area.
Benteke used his body to squeeze Wundt away, and when the ball came, he volleyed with his right foot and sent the ball into the very close goal.
Two to one!
reverse!
"Wow!!!"
This time not only Gao Shen, but also everyone cheered with excitement, including Carlo.
Everyone knows about Adam Lallana's abilities, and now that he has been successfully activated, Leeds United's frontcourt attack can immediately gain momentum.
After that, the two teams made consecutive substitutions.
Adkins wants to strengthen the team's offense, and Leeds United also makes no concessions.
But it wasn't until the 87th minute of the second half that Leeds United scored again.
This was a pressing from the frontcourt. Icardi, who replaced Benteke, stole the ball from Aaron Martin when pressing in the frontcourt. After getting the ball, he entered the Southampton penalty area and completed a fatal blow.
Three to one!
At this point, Gao Shen's heart is finally at ease.
…
"The score was good, but the process was still thrilling and not stable enough."
After watching the game, on the car back to London, Carlo summarized the game.
He is a profound right-hand man, always speaking and doing things in an even-keeled manner and never telling lies.
Gao Shen and others did not go to the locker room after the game. They just sent a congratulatory text message to Sarri and then set off back to London.
"To be honest, judging from the game process, this Leeds United team is still very good. Whether it is training or physical fitness, they are very good. Although I did not get detailed data, I can generally see that they ran a lot.
, Sarri’s tactics are in the same vein as yours.” Buenaventura smiled.
"Take your time, it's only the first round now. Although the warm-up match is good, you still have to gradually enter the rhythm and state of the game step by step. This kind of team that has just been reorganized cannot be expected to play the best performance all at once.
A good level," Pintus said.
Everyone also nodded.
The entire starting lineup of Leeds United, including the five substitutes, are all newcomers who have just joined the team. We cannot expect them to play at their best level and develop a tacit understanding all at once, so it takes time, games, and gradual accumulation.
By the way, there are only five substitute places in the Championship, League One and League Two.
It sounds weird too.
Last season, the English League Committee voted to change the number of benches from five to seven in the Championship, League One and League Two, following the pace of the Premier League. This is called keeping pace with the times.
But one season later, the clubs voted and changed the number of places from seven back to five.
why?
Because many clubs are unable to fill their 18-man roster when they encounter injuries.
This is the current situation in the lower leagues.
In comparison, the teams in the English Championship are actually relatively good.
"Don't worry, this Leeds United team is still very strong. It's a pity that Pogba, who you are most optimistic about, and Paulinho haven't been kicked out." Carlo laughed.
Everyone also nodded.
Gao Shen has high hopes for these two players.
"However, Benteke is really strong. Jose Fonte and Aaron Martin can't stop him at all. My God, let alone this guy in the English Championship, I guess in the Premier League, he can't stop him."
With his physical fitness, he can definitely run like a tank." Buenaventura said in amazement.
"The footwork is also very good." Carlo added.
Everyone said yes.
The most eye-catching player in this game should be Adam Lallana, but his outstanding performance was expected by everyone, and Benteke exceeded the expectations of Carlo and others.
This guy is really a monster!
At the beginning, Gao Shen promised to find a new monster for Surrey, but he didn't expect it to be true.
"In the lower leagues, with a strong center like Benteke, the team is so comfortable to play. I think the defenders of the English Championship teams will have a nightmare this season." Lopis said slightly.
Make exaggerated jokes.
Everyone also laughed.
After watching the game, Gao Shen felt relieved.
Even if Sarri doesn't perform very well, as long as he plays steadily, the team's ranking will definitely be higher than last season.
The most important thing is that the back-breaking connection between Pogba and Paulinho has not yet been effective, especially the connection between Pogba and Adam Lallana. There is no threat yet.
You know, with the technical abilities of Pogba and Adam Lallana, as long as the two are connected, who can stop them in the left rib area?
Especially with Benteke at the front.
All fans who are familiar with Paulinho know how brutal Paulinho's back play is.
The two midfielders did not perform well today, which may be due to the players themselves or the coach's tactical arrangements.
After all, it's the first round of the league, so it's better to be careful.
In addition, Klein's side didn't put much pressure on him today, and the pressure on him from Dreedle was still a bit high.
Generally speaking, the 3-1 away win against Southampton is a good start.
After Gao Shen breathed a sigh of relief, he could concentrate on preparing for the Community Shield.
