"We have to be calm, understand? Being behind by two goals in the first half is not the end of the world... You should also see the disappointed expressions of the fans. They can be disappointed, they can be impulsive, and they can show off when the game situation is not good.
Resentment and anger. But as long as we score a goal, as long as we start to reverse the situation, they will cheer immediately. This is normal, and fans should be like this. They should be happy when the situation is good and angry when the situation is bad. But
We are players, so we cannot let our emotions influence our mentality. We must stay calm at all times, continue to play, and continue to attack. In the first half, we were at an advantage in all statistics. This is what makes us outstanding, so we must be even better in the second half.
Go calm and attack. We didn't score in the first half, it was luck, and it was also because we were distracted by conceding the ball, so I said to stay calm, do you understand?"
Watching Ji Ya talking eloquently, Benali began to feel that he was indeed an excellent head coach. At least at this time, he kept calm and grasped the key.
"In the second half, when attacking, you can boldly pass the ball. From the observation in the first half, we can see that their defenders are actually a bit slow to turn around, and unlike in the Premier League, their defense is not so forward. The center is directly
It is difficult to create a threat by passing the ball to the center. We can draw more wide, and then pass the ball to create a threat after forming a breakthrough on the wing, do you understand?"
Just talking big words and clichés is obviously not effective enough. At this time, coming up with a tactic that is effective, or at least seems to be effective, is the key.
Sure enough, the players immediately became energetic...
Hit the back more often.
Players who thought this way came out.
The Southampton fans in the stands continued to shout loudly. Although they were disappointed and angry when they fell behind by two goals, they still started chanting after the game restarted.
"The boss is right, they are just looking at our performance." Southampton players were thinking in their hearts.
The Portsmouth players were very excited at this time.
They struggled in the league, but they performed well in the cup. The two-goal lead in the first half of this derby made them feel that their strength must be crushing, at least in English League One.
ah!
Derby? If the Premier League plays against a English League One team, then it’s not called a derby, it’s called a massacre!
With this in mind, Portsmouth suffered a blow from the beginning of the second half.
Southampton began to pass the ball in the midfield looking for opportunities, and the two forwards also continued to retreat, drawing the attention of the opponent's defense, and then constantly looking for opportunities to pass through.
The direct pass attack seems simple, but in fact it requires very high requirements in all aspects such as passing. If it weren't for the Southampton frontcourt attackers who are actually quite good but still lack experience, ordinary players would want to play
It is really difficult to come out.
And they did it beautifully!
The forward Schneiderlin received the ball and broke through. After attracting enough attention, he passed the ball laterally to the retreating Lallana. When Lallana received the ball, Lambert and Giroud ran horizontally at the same time, attracting the attention of the opponent.
With the opponent's defense paying attention, Lallana keenly noticed that Mkhitaryan had begun to move forward, and immediately sent a beautiful through ball!
Lallana passes through and Mkhitaryan goes forward!
After this series of wonderful cooperation, Mkhitaryan received the ball in the penalty area, and no one around him came to defend him for the time being!
Of course, Mkhitaryan would not let go of such a good opportunity easily. He made a slight adjustment and then decisively shot in the penalty area!
The ball flew close to the ground towards the near corner of the goal. As soon as Begovich fell to the ground, the ball quickly flew past his armpit!
The cheers above St. Mary's Stadium immediately went up to a higher level!
Mkhitaryan rushed into the goal, picked up the ball and ran back - only to get a goal back!
"Go! Go! Go!"
Noriya on the sidelines began to wave his arms continuously, and as he waved his arms, the Southampton fans in the stands began to chant rhythmically.
"He is simply like the most brilliant conductor!" the commentator sighed.
Of course, Ji Ya didn't know that he was always praised by many people for no reason - in fact, this was a sequelae of other people's designs...
After regaining a point, Southampton began to press more crazily in the midfield, running and intercepting constantly. The two full-backs moved to the midfield position and began to continuously interfere with Portsmouth's ball-taking, allowing
Their transfer appears more difficult.
Portsmouth's midfield passing was not very good in the first place, relying more on Boateng's personal ability. Now the midfielder is suppressed, and it is impossible to pass to Boateng.
Just one minute after kick-off, Walton made a beautiful tackle in the midfield and intercepted the ball directly!
The ball rolled out and was caught by Schneiderlin. The Frenchman first faked a direct pass, and then decisively dribbled the ball forward!
He rushed past the Portsmouth midfielder, which also caused chaos in Portsmouth's defense. He immediately passed the ball to Lallana who was further ahead, and Lallana kicked the ball through again!
The ball flew diagonally to the edge of the penalty area, and Giroud stepped in just in time, and then received the pass from Lallana - he did not make any other unnecessary movements, but quickly kicked off and passed the ball to the penalty area.
Middle!
Lambert, who rushed to meet the rolling ball, quickly kicked off and pushed the ball into the goal!
Two to two ties!
Just five minutes into the second half, Southampton scored two goals in a row to equalize the score!
While Portsmouth was stunned, Southampton's players started celebrating wildly!
Lambert opened his arms and rushed to the stands, then turned around and hugged his teammates who were swarming up!
Ji Ya waved his fist fiercely, and then shouted at the celebrating players: "It's just a draw! Keep attacking! What I want is victory!"
Portsmouth up and down continue to be stunned...
The wind direction changed too fast, and they really couldn't accept it...
They are just a League One team! Why are they performing so well all of a sudden?
It must be an accident! Let’s just play well next...
However, Southampton, whose form had begun to reach its peak, did not give them a chance to counterattack after the restart.
Boateng kept running on the court, but it was difficult to get the ball. Once he got the ball, he would be double-teamed by Walton and Schneiderlin. They were not afraid of confrontation and struggled with Boateng.
At the same time, Boateng's desire to perform was also greatly affected.
"You only have one tactic, and you still want it to be effective all the time? It's such a beautiful idea!" Ji Ya said in his heart.
