In terms of counterattack, Southampton certainly has many tricks up its sleeve.
Southampton didn't have that kind of particularly fast player last season, so it was relatively slow when counterattacking, but this time it was different.
Benteke is still very fast when running.
Although he is 1.9 meters tall, his speed and sprint are quite outstanding.
So after William ran forward for a while, he passed the ball to Benteke in front.
Benteke took the ball forward, attracted Kompany's attention, but made a cross pass and passed the ball to Mkhitaryan who was actively advancing!
"Henric thrust forward too fast this time!" Benelli screamed.
Not just fast.
Mkhitaryan breathed evenly while running. After receiving Benteke's pass, he quickly took a step laterally, then raised his left foot while running and volleyed directly!
This is also what makes the Armenian outstanding - although he is a right-footed player, his left foot is also very flexible and he can shoot with both feet.
This left-foot shot was of very high quality. The ball roared into the penalty area, and then began to fall, flying past Hart who struggled to save it...
The next moment, he dived into the goal!
See Hart take a kick!
Hart fell to the ground in embarrassment, and the entire Etihad Stadium fell into silence. Only a few hundred Southampton fans shouted wildly!
After scoring the goal, Mkhitaryan began to run with his arms spread wide.
"If Henrik was in his current form last season, we wouldn't have to worry about no one scoring goals! When this guy was in Armenia, he was also an attacking midfielder with a goal rate of 70%." Ji
Ya said to Benali with a smile while clapping her hands.
Benali nodded silently. It must be said that Mkhitaryan really sacrificed a lot after coming to Southampton. When he was in the lower leagues, he and Lallana served as a double attacking midfielder. His main task was to break through and disrupt the opponent's defense.
, the scoring role was shared by Lambert and others. He took turns playing with Lallana in the British Championship, which also affected his scoring. Last season, he was reduced to a substitute.
However, these three years of dormancy are not in vain. Compared with three years ago, he has now fully adapted to the rhythm and confrontation of the Premier League. On this basis, if he can show his characteristics, it will make him become a better person.
Be more powerful.
Even if Dembele does not transfer and leave, Ji Ya will give Mkhitaryan more opportunities.
Once you have the strength, you should play the main role.
After being beaten by Southampton at home, Manchester City continued to launch counterattacks in the following time. Although Southampton suppressed the midfield, they still continued to create through offense on both wings.
Take the opportunity.
In the 40th minute of the game, Nasri sent a direct pass from the wing. Tevez accelerated and formed a single shot. Otamendi raised his right hand to indicate that Tevez was offside. However, the referee ignored it and faced the situation.
After Navas attacked, Tevez calmly pushed the shot into the far corner to equalize the score!
"This must be an offside!"
Noriya yelled at the referee, but the referee had already pointed to the kick-off point at this time, and the goal was valid!
"I'll deal with them again in the second half." Ji Ya said angrily.
Southampton's players were indeed unconvinced.
They suppressed their opponent in the midfield, but the opponent scored a slightly lucky goal.
"We have to strengthen our offense in the second half... In the first half, we suppressed very well, but we did not launch a few effective attacks. Do you understand? We cannot indulge in possession of the ball. Barcelona's system will gradually become less good. Controlling
The purpose of the ball is to create offensive opportunities, and there is a risk of failure when attacking. Such risks are inevitable, we just need to do better."
Noriya said in the locker room, and the players nodded. Southampton did a lot in controlling the ball and suppressing the ball in the first half, but they did a little less in launching attacks.
This can be regarded as a hangover from last season.
The second half of the game started with the expectations of Manchester City fans. In their view, Manchester City should launch a counterattack in the second half. With their strength, they would not be suppressed by Southampton.
However, Southampton's performance in the second half was even better than the first half.
Manchester City's offensive was fierce, but Southampton was not to be outdone at all.
Nasri broke through from the wing and passed in. Dzeko grabbed the first shot in the fight with Wundt, but was still blocked by Wundt. The ball returned to his feet, and Dzeko quickly took the shot again.
, the ball was confiscated by Navas.
Southampton launched a counterattack. Benteke turned around and shot after receiving a pass from Ronaldo. Hart made a wonderful save this time. He flew to block the ball and Kompany immediately made a big kick.
Manchester City launched a ball-control attack. Yaya Toure passed the ball from the middle. Clichy, who advanced from the wing to assist, inserted the ball into the penalty area and shot directly. The shot was of high quality, but Navas still made a save.
Southampton quickly launched a counterattack. This time it was Willian's turn to break through and attack from the wing. He passed the ball into the penalty area. Benteke moved forward at high speed to receive the ball and shot immediately. Kompany, who was substituted, used
The body blocks the bottom line.
"Southampton's offense seems to be focused on Benteke... Do you want to give such a high degree of freedom to a newly signed center forward?"
Mancini was thinking silently in his heart. During this period, Southampton's offense was obviously centered around Benteke. This really made him a little strange, because Southampton is also a Champions League team after all, giving a rookie striker
Is it appropriate for such an important position?
What he didn't know was that this was not actually an important position, but that Southampton's tactics originally lacked such a center position with good personal ability and the ability to drive the whole team.
In fact, neither Klose nor Giroud are such centers, but Benteke is.
Although he is still young and still has many flaws, his characteristics are exactly what Southampton needs in their current tactics.
This is actually what top clubs are pursuing now. After all, plug-and-play top players are still rare. Many players need to be in the right position to shine their best.
For example, after Lambert went to Liverpool, his performance actually declined...
After all, when he was at Liverpool, he did not have the same status as when he was at Southampton.
Benteke is not a particularly top forward, but his strong body, excellent running ability, good speed and desire to force shots to score are all what Southampton needs now.
In the right position, he can shine brightest!
So even though he still lacks some experience and cooperation, his current characteristics alone are enough for Ji Ya to entrust him with important tasks.
