The game has only been going on for more than 20 minutes now. If we make major adjustments to the starting lineup immediately or to the tactics that have been practiced for a long time, it may have a negative effect.
Besides, Van Gaal's "big circle tactic" has also changed. Otherwise, how could it be effective in such a fiercely competitive Premier League?
I really thought that Van Gaal's status as a master tactician came from his words.
Therefore, under the command of Van Gaal, Manchester United midfielders Fellaini and Herrera moved a little closer to the center, which allowed Carrick to receive more support and the connection between the two wings was no longer
As fragmented as before.
At the same time, these two midfielders, together with Ashley Young, Mata and Rooney in the frontcourt, began to press Chelsea's midfield and backcourt, trying to disrupt Chelsea's transmission cooperation.
After all, Chelsea only has Kante in the midfield at this time. If Manchester United strengthens their pressing in the middle, they will have a chance to take back the initiative.
But Pan Yi immediately responded.
He also moved Hazard and Willian a little further back and closer to the midfield, while Marcos Alonso and Ivanovic moved a little higher.
In this way, they formed a five-midfield position with Kante. Although Chelsea's formation is still a "514 poke", it will become a more standard 3-5-2 when defending, which can better
Dealing with Manchester United's midfield press.
"David Luiz rushed over and kicked Kante in the butt, and everyone laughed happily."
On the contrary, the two of them collided a lot.
He also has very good vision and passing awareness.
"0:2! Chelsea is already two goals ahead in the away game!"
Chelsea fans in the stands at Old Trafford booed, but these boos were quickly drowned out by the overwhelming applause.
——
"It's like this in the away game, there's no way." Steve Holland shook his head.
"Oh my god, the score is now 0:4, Manchester United is four goals behind at home!"
Hazard glanced ahead before stopping the ball. Without stopping the ball with his left foot, he directly passed the ball to Lukaku who was retreating. After turning around and bypassing Carrick, he ran laterally and raised his hand to ask for the ball:
"Quick, this way!"
"Coach Pan Yi, tell Zuma not to follow me. I'm ready to go home."
He got ahead of Smalling, fell to the ground and tackled Hazard's low pass into the Manchester United goal.
Therefore, when Chelsea defended, they not only limited Manchester United's advance on both wings, but also blocked Carrick's ball in the middle. The two central defenders even pushed Rooney into the penalty area, forcing him to leave them.
The most threatening area.
He replaced Fellaini with Di Maria.
At this time, everyone saw Hazard rushing forward again and directly passed the low ball with his left foot to the front of the small penalty area.
Mata's defensive ability is far inferior to Ashley Young, Fellaini and others on the other side.
At this time, Ivanovic had already stepped in from the back row and was raising his hand for the ball in the space on the right.
It was in these few seconds that the entire Old Trafford stadium fell into deathly silence.
"He really has to thank Kante. After all, although he scored the goal, most of the credit for this goal must be attributed to Kante!"
"Two goals behind, Van Gaal will definitely start a massive counterattack!"
——
Conceding two goals at home first, Van Gaal was certainly not willing to accept such a defeat.
But in this way, after the two teams entered a relatively regular match, the advantages of Chelsea's formation in terms of running-in and proficiency became more obvious.
Everyone is standing in the middle of the midfield. Of course, it is impossible not to have a head-on confrontation.
"In the 66th minute, it's Lukaku again! He scored twice!"
As expected, Ivanovic got the ball very easily, because at this time the opponents here were all marking Lukaku, Bamford and Willian, and it was easy to ignore him running up from behind.
After Jones and Smalling passed back and forth, a passing error occurred due to interference from Lukaku.
"It doesn't matter, we are still ahead." Pan Yi said with a smile, "As long as we keep an eye on Fellaini and Carrick, it will be difficult for this Manchester United to pose any substantial threat to us."
And this kind of position can force Kanter to pass back even if he can't get the ball back immediately.
Almost all Manchester United fans opened their mouths, unable to believe what they were seeing and what was happening on the court.
This made everyone at Chelsea very dissatisfied, because they all thought it was a very obvious foul in the penalty area.
"Especially at Old Trafford," Scaloni added with an unhappy expression.
Pan Yi, who witnessed all this on the sidelines, also had his eyes lit up:
"Kante, this kid, really gets smarter the more he plays, and the better he gets."
"No, you still have to cheer up!"
The ball rolled quickly past Jones and directly into the net from the near corner of De Gea's defense.
But Kanter had already predicted Valencia's intention, fell to the ground and made a tackle, scooping the ball away cleanly, and then turned his body on the ground to protect the ball to his side.
"Can anyone imagine that today's game will be like this? And now there are still more than 20 minutes before the game is really over!"
With just two moves, Manchester United's defense was stretched loose and could no longer keep up with Chelsea's agile players.
On the court at this time, Kanter suddenly approached David Luiz: "If there is a chance to counterattack later, I will press forward. Please remember to help me stand up."
When Lukaku caught up with the ball again, he was already facing De Gea in the penalty area, one-on-one!
This kid usually only responds with a shy smile. Why is he smiling so happily today?
Then, Willian and David Luiz, who were standing near Kante, also laughed.
In the process of such changes, Chelsea's versatile midfielder Kante undoubtedly plays the most crucial role.
The two-on-one cooperation between these two Belgian internationals can be said to be very skilled.
Lukaku knowingly passed the ball to the front of Hazard's running route, just enough for him to get the ball comfortably.
After all, Manchester United has been practicing large circle tactics before!
After about twenty minutes of relatively boring competition, Chelsea stole the ball in midfield and immediately launched a quick counterattack.
That's a nice, clean tackle!
The ball was immediately transferred to Chelsea.
Therefore, the side guarded by Mata and Valencia is actually relatively weak defensively.
"We can see from the footage that Kanter was talking to William, and then pointed at David Luiz who also ran over to celebrate with him."
It can be said that he is the same "eye of the formation" as Manchester United's Carrick, but he has done more than Carrick.
Hazard quickly stopped and turned around to protect the ball. After getting rid of Herrera's first steal, he looked to the other side, that is, the right side.
After William scored and everyone hugged and celebrated, he lowered his head and ran back to his position, as if the goal had nothing to do with him.
After William got the ball, he passed it behind him and Hazard started quickly!
When Hazard was about to enter the penalty area, he was tripped by Jones and fell into the penalty area.
He sent the ball forward and handed it to William who was on the wing.
This is why Pan Yi dared to have only one person in the midfield.
And obviously, his change was very determined.
Whether dribbling or passing the ball, it is difficult to find the rhythm that I am familiar with.
The ball arced from the right and fell to the left side of the penalty area.
In the 38th minute, Manchester United could not attack for a long time and made a mistake in the backcourt.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"
Carrick really had a hard time playing in front of a player who can cover 29% of the earth's surface.
Kanter didn't think much and really passed the ball back, but he didn't stay where he was. Instead, he turned around and rushed forward along the left side.
"Beautiful! Kanter made a beautiful breakthrough and pass, William made a beautiful push, and the ball went in again! Kanter completed his second consecutive assist in the game!"
Valencia tried to use speed and direction to get past Kanter, but found that this guy's position was very stable and it was really difficult to get rid of him, so he gave up the idea and prepared to pass the ball to Mata in front of the sideline.
Without Kante, to be honest, Pan Yi really wasn't sure that he could resort to "514 pokes" to deal with Van Gaal's big circle tactics.
From stealing the ball to scoring the goal, it only took a few seconds.
This will prevent Kante from launching an attack forward immediately to slow down Chelsea's counterattack.
All of this came into his mind in an instant, and he quickly made his best choice.
Hazard immediately passed the ball.
Now Hazard is more than just an assaulter!
"If you score a goal, can you remember to pay for it when you come back to my restaurant for dinner next time?"
——
Soon, Manchester United launched another offensive.
Now teammates in the frontcourt and backcourt are coming to support, which gives Kanter more time and space to display his offensive talents.
Because at this time the attention of Manchester United players is on Kante and Lukaku!
In the penalty area, Jones and Smalling were surprised. The former didn't even care about Lukaku and quickly attacked.
Even at the start of the second half, Fellaini, who had already put on his coat, said something to Pan Yi with a wry smile:
Being three goals behind at halftime was undoubtedly a huge blow to Manchester United's morale.
But just when he was about to intercept Kanter, the little Frenchman suddenly stopped, changed direction, and spiked the ball toward the center.
Since Fellaini on the left was watched by Zouma, Van Gaal ordered Carrick to move the ball more consciously to Mata's side, allowing the "dexterous team" here to use technology and footwork to
move forward.
But he is fast, William is faster than him.
Although the two of them have not been working together for a particularly long time, they have already established a tacit understanding and trust between each other. David Luiz did not ask too much, but suddenly patted Kanter on the shoulder and said with a bad smile.
:
But Carrick is different. He needs more Chelsea players to help defend, to pressure or induce him to pass the ball where Chelsea wants.
Therefore, Carrick will sometimes open his position wider to avoid Kanter's frontal interception, and then find opportunities to wash the dirty ball, or pass the ball directly to the frontcourt for counterattack.
Of course, the most critical role in this is Kanter.
The sudden change surprised all Manchester United players, including Valencia.
After the game restarted, the Red Devils launched a more intense offensive, putting more pressure on Chelsea.
At this time, Chelsea's wing-back Marcos Alonso has also pulled out of the space to the left.
"The most painful defeat in recent years was the 1:6 loss to our city rival Manchester City, which was also at Old Trafford!"
This actually surprised Pan Yi.
A big foot passed the ball to the back point!
William also rushed forward and at that moment, a small, undefended area was formed at the front of Manchester United's penalty area.
The ball rolled into Manchester United's goal again, and the score became 0:3!
At this time, the entire Manchester United midfield and backfield were actively pressing forward, preparing to cooperate with Carrick's pass to organize the attack, but unexpectedly they were suddenly intercepted and then counterattacked, catching everyone off guard.
When the ball reached Ivanovic's feet, the Manchester United players' defense quickly moved this way to prevent him from continuing to break into the penalty area.
He was just a little surprised that Kanter, a black boy who was usually taciturn, actually made a request to him today, and he still wanted to attack!
Did he discover any defensive loopholes in Manchester United?
Fellaini does have to be watched, but this task is left to Zuma alone and has nothing to do with anyone else.
Not to be outdone, Valencia immediately followed Kante closely, trying to get the ball back.
All of this happens in an instant.
So after seeing center back Smalling pass the ball to Blind on the wing, Carrick pulled over to prepare to receive the ball.
"You are also a restaurant owner, and you have scored goals now. Tell David later that you won't ask for money if I go to your restaurant to eat. You are both good people..." This is what Kanter said to William.
They didn't even have any intention of retreating, but stood up to the Red Devils' offensive in the midfield and then pushed them back.
This is a signal to strengthen the attack in the middle, and it is also a denial of his "big circle tactics" in the first half.
Van Gaal on the sidelines was already a little furious.
After all, Fellaini really had no effect at all under Zouma's defense in the first half.
"William, the hero of the attack, rushed over and hugged Kanter tightly, and the two celebrated this beautiful goal together!"
When defending, Kante will fight and retreat, retreating all the way to the central defender position, a bit like what Pan Yi told him to do when he was in Milan;
When attacking, he will speed up and jump in to provide sufficient fire support for the frontcourt.
That is, after falling behind by one goal, Manchester United shifted its forces to the center, and Herrera moved further away from the wing.
This whole process was completed so quickly that Manchester United's defense did not react at all.
Being powerful means being so tyrannical!
Of course, Chelsea doesn't dare to be careless about Manchester United's key figures.
The duel between the two sides was originally one of the highlights of this "rare tactical duel".
"The biggest defeat in Manchester United's history occurred around the 1930s, when they lost three games 0:7. But this is already too far away."
But before everyone thought about it, Kanter quickly launched a counterattack.
In front of the goal, Manchester United defender Smalling and Chelsea center Lukaku rushed over together.
"Well played! Kante!" Pan Yi shouted into the field and gave him a thumbs up.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"
Midfielder David Luiz's eyes flashed with surprise, but he nodded firmly: "No problem."
He also saw his teammate Lukaku moving forward into the middle, preparing to receive his pass;
He even kicked a bottle of water away from the sidelines and was given a warning by the referee.
The originally chaotic scene caused by fierce fighting seemed to suddenly become clearer, and every route of dribbling or passing the ball could be clearly understood!
He saw Manchester United's centre-back Smalling rushing toward him;
He saw another central defender, Jones, moving towards the center of the penalty area and getting ready to help defend;
He also saw that at the far end, William was also moving forward quickly.
But Kanter quickly got over and directly entangled Valencia who was dribbling the ball.
David Luiz is a central defender, and it is his job to defend him from the front and back of the midfielder. This is of course not a problem.
Even Zhang Fei can do embroidery, let alone Kanter who is already very versatile!
On the field, after Kante cut inside to get rid of Valencia's defense, his whole body seemed to suddenly light up.
Marcos Alonso also understood the situation clearly. Facing the incoming ball, he made an overhead ball without thinking and flicked the ball directly in front of Kante.
For example, their forward Rooney.
Keep an eye on Carrick, this is what coach Pan Yi has emphasized time and again to Chelsea players in the past few days.
"He received a wonderful pass from Hazard and shoveled the ball into the Manchester United goal!"
"In the 30th minute, Chelsea broke Manchester United's goal again!"
But Kanter posted it right away!
As soon as Carrick got the ball, but before he could stop the ball, Kanter appeared in front of him.
Although Rooney is nearly 30 years old this year and his physical condition is far inferior to that of his youth, his experience and shooting skills are still there, and his impact is not weak.
And what David Luiz said after kicking Kanter's butt was: "Damn you, you didn't even score the ball for Bai Lao, right? You also passed the ball to my restaurant partner, how treacherous!"
——
After celebrating with his assistants on the sidelines, Pan Yi also set his sights on Kanter.
If he is allowed to face the goal near the penalty area, it will also be very dangerous for Chelsea.
At Old Trafford, trailing by three goals at halftime!
——
"Damn it, really damn it!"
There, Lukaku had already made a diagonal run, successfully countered offside, and then quickly sprinted forward from the other side.
De Gea made a flying save, but how could he stop this close shot?
And Kanter completed his task very well.
Marcos Alonso dribbled the ball down the left wing and passed the ball to Hazard.
At this time, Manchester United midfielder Herrera also came over.
This surprised Valencia, who quickly turned around and chased after him.
"From stealing to launching an attack, to advancing into the Manchester United penalty area, and then to the final pass, Kante destroyed Manchester United's entire defense by himself!"
This time it was initiated by Valencia and Mata on the right.
Van Gaal really needs to seriously consider whether to stick to this style of play...
Many viewers even only saw Carrick take the ball, and then the ball reached Kante's feet, but they failed to see clearly how Kante made the move.
Therefore, Manchester United's backcourt is very empty at this time!
William reacted quickly after receiving the ball. He did not choose to dribble the ball, but passed the ball directly to the left side of the front edge of the penalty area.
Oh? Why two centre-backs? Doesn’t Chelsea have a three-centre-back formation?
0:3!
In addition, Carrick is always surrounded by Chelsea players and it is difficult for him to come here to support Mata's team. This gives Kante the space and opportunity to move forward.
His tireless running, good defensive awareness, and comprehensive ability of both offense and defense make him the man most suitable to stand in the middle.
In this process, Kanter's cooperation with the winger, including the display of personal skills, are amazing.
But Chelsea is naturally not afraid at all.
Although he had only raised his head for a moment, he had already clearly seen the positions of his teammates and opponents in the distance, and he had also quickly deduced the appropriate passing route in his mind.
And if 20 minutes ago, Chelsea had only Kante in the middle of the midfield, which made him hesitate to attack;
This made Pan Yi feel a little hairy:
"MD, aren't these kids too excited after scoring a goal at Old Trafford and a little stupid?"
But Lukaku's legs seem longer.
Therefore, this "big circle" battle with "514 pokes" that can be recorded in the history of football actually lasted only half a game!
Of course, "lap" can't beat "poke", so being two or three goals behind is very reasonable.
The French midfielder has always been very low-key, and he is no different today.
But the referee did not award a penalty kick, but instead awarded a free kick outside the penalty area without taking a card.
Both Fellaini and Carrick were completely restricted. Even Rooney in the frontcourt could not play any role.
Carrick didn't expect Kanter to follow him to the wing. He was not alert for a moment, slowed down his foot movement, and lost the ball!
During the halftime break, Van Gaal made a decisive substitution adjustment.
Kanter also showed his big white teeth towards Pan Yi and grinned.
Only then did he realize that no matter how much fine-tuning he made, Pan Yi always seemed to have the key to his formation.
Valencia is also very fast, and he also has the ability to line up the wings.
Obviously, Kanter has observed Manchester United's defensive risks on this side in advance.
"The relationship between Chelsea players is really good! Perhaps it is this wonderful locker room atmosphere that allows them to trust each other on the court and perform at their best!..."
Before Jones could get closer, William took the lead and pushed the ball forward.
Because one of the central defenders, Zouma, was following Fellaini all over the field and had no time to deal with Rooney!
In short, Chelsea's defensive strategy made Manchester United's offense look powerful, but it never created a threat.
Kanter was not very fast, and Valencia quickly caught up.
De Gea hurriedly abandoned the goal, but Lukaku had already shot!
A powerful blast!
No matter how quick De Gea reacts, he can't stop this powerful shot.
Of course, the commentator has no way of knowing what Kanter is talking about.
But Ivanovic just flicked the ball and made a curve ball with his right foot.
This is how the tactic of redeeming yourself is used!
And judging from the slow-motion replay on the stadium's big screen, it was indeed a foul in the penalty area.
In the 43rd minute, Manchester United wanted to launch an attack quickly before the end of the first half. This way, entering the halftime break with only one goal behind, the disadvantage would not be that big.
"So, will today's game create new history?"
"From the current point of view, the entire Manchester United team is playing very poorly. Both the score and the scene are at a disadvantage. If this continues, it is not impossible to concede goals again."
"Whether it's the big circle vs. 514 in the first half or the more conventional confrontation in the second half, Manchester United seems to be no match for Chelsea!"
"In this game, it can also be said that Pan Yi completely defeated Van Gaal at the tactical level!"
"From this point of view, the coach who quarreled with Pan Yi before the game seems to have no good results..."