While Hamburg was held to a draw by Borussia Monchengladbach, their Champions League rival Manchester United seemed to be in good shape.
In the past 31st and 32nd rounds of the Premier League, they defeated West Ham United 2:0 away from home and defeated Aston Villa 4:1 at home.
Although there is no change in their ranking in the standings, they are still approaching Everton and Tottenham who are ahead of them, giving them more opportunities to compete for Europa League qualification.
The most important thing is that such a winning streak can also greatly enhance the confidence of Manchester United!
Especially for the game against Aston Villa, Manchester United also sent a rotating lineup because they had to prepare for the Champions League quarter-finals against Hamburg a few days later, including Shinji Kagawa, Butner, Da Silva and others.
But we still got a big victory.
In the game, Rooney scored twice, and Mata and Hernandez also scored goals, which also showed the good competitive status of Manchester United players.
In comparison, Hamburg's draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach was a bit disappointing.
The German media even began to worry slightly about Hamburg's trip to Manchester.
After all, football matches still depend on the players’ current status and morale.
Is it true that, as Guardiola said, Hamburg's draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach will be the beginning of Hamburg's collapse?
After tying with Borussia, if they lose to Manchester United again, it is really possible to destroy the spirit of an originally high-spirited team.
Then lose to Bayer Leverkusen, then lose to Hannover 96, and then lose nothing, because the championship is gone.
The recent two consecutive victories have obviously given Moyes a lot of confidence.
He, who has always been low-key, also said in an interview with reporters that Manchester United's morale is now strong, and the whole team is confident that they can defeat Hamburg at Old Trafford and gain the upper hand!
He also finally responded to Pan Yi's previous "contemptuous remarks" about Manchester United:
"Pan Yi said that the whole team likes to play Manchester United, so I hope that after this battle at Old Trafford, he can continue to say this with a smile."
When Pan Yi led the team to Manchester and attended the pre-match press conference, he also responded to Moyes:
"We really like playing Manchester United because they are the lowest ranked team in the major leagues among the eight teams."
"Yes, it's always been difficult to play at Old Trafford, but that was before. Manchester United have broken a lot of records here this season, right? A lot of teams have won their first ever victory here...
…”
"I don't know why they are so ordinary and confident. Yes, they have won two games recently, but that's it. Before these two games, they lost 0:3 to Liverpool. They lost so quickly.
Forgot?"
"This also shows that Manchester United can no longer play as a strong team. Unfortunately, our Hamburg team is a strong team."
"Yes, we are No. 1 in the Bundesliga and they are No. 7 in the Premier League. I won't play them as a weak team, but Manchester United is obviously not the team that can win the Triple Crown now." "So, we will definitely take away a victory at Old Trafford, there is no doubt about it!"
Pan Yi's speech can be regarded as psychological warfare.
When the opponent's morale and confidence rise, just use words like this to suppress them.
This can also enhance the confidence of our own players.
After all, Hamburg has indeed tied a game now, which may make the players who have been winning streak a little bit self-doubt.
But as long as Pan Yi firmly believes that his team can easily win, this little doubt will disappear as the game progresses.
Of course, this can also be regarded as a response to those Manchester United celebrities who are gossiping.
Inzaghi has been thinking about slapping them in the face!
Pan Yi took the initiative for Pipo, and then completely defeated them on the court!
……
Hamburg players once again stepped into Manchester's football stadium.
Different from the last time where sky blue was everywhere, this time everything that comes into view is red.
This is the home ground of Manchester United, Old Trafford!
Due to the war of words between the two sides before the game, and also due to the importance of this Champions League quarter-final match, Hamburg players suffered overwhelming boos and boos during their warm-up.
The more than 70,000 Manchester United fans in the audience made a huge noise, as if they wanted to overwhelm the Hamburg players and tear them into pieces.
Although the Hamburg players are young, they have all experienced big storms and are used to such away treatment.
You boo yours, and I practice mine, without any impact at all.
And Pan Yi also got Manchester United's lineup for tonight:
Forwards: Rooney, Welbeck.
Midfielder: Fellaini, Carrick, Fletcher.
Defenders: Ashley Young, Ferdinand, Vidic, Phil Jones, Valencia.
Goalkeeper: De Gea.
"This is actually a 532 formation? Five defenders and three midfielders to sweep up. Is this a bus at home?"
Nagelsmann said in surprise.
Although Pan Yi had guessed before the game that Moyes might counterattack, Nagelsmann did not expect Moyes to be so determined.
"But it seems that Moyes has never played in a three-centre-back system this season? I have never heard of him using it in Everton." Inzaghi also looked at the list in his hand with doubts. "Is he going to learn the whole system from Guardiola?"
Is it alive?"
"This formation may also be fake to confuse us." Pan Yi said, "The actual position of their players may not be 532 or 352. In short, it is not a three-center-back system."
When submitting the roster before the game, some coaches will indeed do such a trick, that is, the roster is submitted correctly, but the positions of the players are randomly placed.
For example, if you originally played 433, you might hand it over as 361, which can confuse some opponents who are not familiar with their team.
But how could Pan Yi be deceived?
He knows that Moyes is a cautious coach and he will never surprise him before an important game like Guardiola does.
"It is possible for Valencia to play as a winger, so that he, Rooney and Welbeck form a front three."
"At this time, Phil Jones will move to the right back position, forming a standard 433 formation. And this 433 will also evolve into 442 at any time depending on Valencia's position."
"I guess Moyes originally wanted to play defense, but Manchester United's recent good results gave him some ideas, so he came up with such a defensive-center-attack formation to fight against us."
"Whether it's the three players in the midfield, or Valencia playing as a winger or a full midfielder, their defensive ability is good. They may want to take advantage of the home court to attack and see the situation, and if that doesn't work, they will switch to defense.
”
"Then, we may have to make some corresponding adjustments..."
……
With the exciting music, the referee team has led the players from the two teams into Old Trafford.
The fans in the audience burst into warm applause!
Pan Yi took the initiative to walk over and shake hands with Moyes.
Although the two sides were a bit tit-for-tat before the game, it was all for the sake of the game.
Pan Yi would not have any real hostility towards a good old man like Moyes.
"Hamburg fans say you are a genius, and Manchester United fans also say I am a genius." Moyes suddenly laughed while shaking hands, "Today we will compete to see who is the real genius!"
Pan Yi almost laughed out loud.
I didn’t expect that Moyes is quite humorous.
I’ve even learned to shame myself.
"Your five-back formation is indeed quite genius." Pan Yi also smiled, "But Valencia will move to the forward line later, right? Don't say you went to Bielsa or Van Gaal overnight to learn from it.
A three-back tactic..."
"I knew I couldn't hide it from you." Moyes laughed, "This way we both have 433, so do you think I will focus on offense or defense today?"
"Then it depends on where your Valencia stands." Pan Yi smiled slyly, "No matter how you arrange it, I already have corresponding countermeasures. If you don't believe me, just wait and see."
Pan Yi looks very relaxed, which makes Moyes very envious.
This guy is only 27 years old!
Why is it that he seems to be 72 years old? He seems to have seen every scene, he will not be afraid of any opponent at all, and his psychological quality is also very good.
And Pan Yi's judgment on Moyes' tactics is also accurate.
Perhaps this is why Pan Yi showed such confidence at this time.
But this is a move that Moyes came up with after careful consideration. It can maintain the team's offensive power while ensuring that the overall defensive ability does not decline.
In this way, the original intention of defensive counterattack can be taken into account while maintaining the satisfaction of Manchester United fans.
But Pan Yi saw through his intention instantly.
And when the two shook hands and Pan Yi turned around and walked to the away team's bench, Moyes' smiling face suddenly disappeared.
His brows couldn't help but frown.
Thinking of Pan Yi's high profile before the game, and listening to what he said now, Moyes felt a little guilty unconsciously:
Is he bluffing me?
Did he really find a way to crack his own tactics in such a short period of time?
……
With the referee's whistle, the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals officially begins!
Hamburger kickoff.
Vardy handed the ball to Salah on the side, and Salah directly passed the ball back to Casemiro in the midfielder position.
After Casemiro got the ball, he found that Manchester United's players were pressing hard.
Rooney, Welbeck, and Valencia all pressed towards Hamburg's back line, including the midfielder.
It is indeed a three-forward formation!
And this also indicates that Manchester United, as Pan Yi expected, took the initiative to attack in the frontcourt at the beginning.
But Hamburg players have seen this too.
Casemiro was not in a hurry at the moment and passed the ball back to Van Dijk.
Several players on Hamburg's back line began to fall back again.
The Old Trafford stadium immediately booed again.
At this time, Manchester United's players pressed higher and became more aggressive in attacking, including midfielder Carrick, who was also assisting the forward line in pressing.
When the ball reached Robertson's feet, Rooney and Valencia rushed towards him, and Welbeck also cut off his path to the central defender.
At this time, Robertson saw Sun Xingmin in front of him raising his hand for the ball, so he swung his legs and tried to pass a long pass to the front.
But this time, under the pressure of the opponent, his kick was a bit hasty, and the ball was closer to the sideline.
Son Xingmin jumped up and stopped with his chest, but when his feet landed, the ball also went out of the sideline.
Manchester United's touchline ball.
The Old Trafford Stadium was suddenly filled with joy and bursts of applause.
This applause is of course given to the Hamburg players, to "compliment" them for their good passing and stopping.
Robertson reached out to Sun Xingmin to indicate that he had not passed the ball well, and Sun Xingmin gave Robertson a thumbs up to express that his teammates did a good job.
This is what a team with a good atmosphere will often see, and it is also what a mature team should do.
When teammates make mistakes, they encourage each other instead of blaming them.
But this mistake did hand over Hamburg's opening possession to Manchester United.
Manchester United issued a throw-in and then began to take possession of the ball to launch an attack.
Hamburg, on the other hand, took its time and retreated its line to defend, which seemed very cautious.
Therefore, judging from the scene, Manchester United has the advantage.
They were attacking, while Hamburg was defending, and they did not use a high press.
This makes Manchester United fans happy, but many neutral fans and media feel a little confused.
Wasn't Pan Yi very high-profile before the game?
Didn’t you say you wanted to overthrow Manchester United at Old Trafford?
Why are you so timid when you come up?
……
"Let's stabilize it first and find out the truth before talking."
This is what Pan Yi said to the players before they entered the stadium.
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The lineup Moyes put together today is indeed a bit new. In fact, even Pan Yi cannot completely guess his thoughts.
So to a certain extent, what Pan Yi said when the two shook hands was indeed bluffing Moyes.
But the question is, even if it is Moyes himself, does he really know what kind of playing style he will play?
If he had really found a solution to Manchester United's problems long ago, he wouldn't be in this half-dead state now.
It’s really difficult to rely on these people now.
Unless there is a replacement, a group of people who can suit Moyes' tactics will be replaced.
But this is not easy?
Good players, especially players who can adapt to the coach's tactics, all cost money.
It is so rare to be able to spend a small amount of money to achieve big things like Pan Yi.
This is why what Pan Yi did in Hamburg can arouse the attention of the football world.
He not only brought the team's results up, but the players he used were people who everyone originally looked down upon!
Then as the performance increased, the status of these unknown players also increased significantly, which is equivalent to making a lot of money for the club.
Who doesn’t like a head coach who can achieve results and make money?
But obviously, Moyes is not such a person.
He also does not have the ability to find such high-quality and cheap players, nor does he have the ability to ask Manchester United's senior management to buy people according to his wishes.
So he can only test his new tactics based on the framework of existing players.
The problem is that coaches have inertia and players also have inertia.
No matter how you change it, it is difficult to change some game habits without long-term training and competition.
Just like a cross.
This is almost engraved in the DNA of this Moyes Manchester United player.
But Pan Yi cannot yet confirm whether Moyes has developed a new trick, so it needs to be observed.
He will use the few minutes after the opening to stabilize his defense and see if there are any new changes in Manchester United's offense under such a formation change.
……
Now Manchester United launches another attack.
The two full-backs, Phil Jones and Ashley Young, are positioned relatively high at this time. It seems that Moyes's opening strategy is really to attack more proactively.
When Carrick got the ball in the middle, Ashley Young also started to insert at high speed, and made a cross-change with the winger Valencia on this side, and then reached the bottom line!
And then...
Cross!
Ashley Young made the cross without hesitation.
Although the accuracy of this cross was acceptable, Rooney was also waiting in the small penalty area.
But Hamburg had long been prepared, and Van Dijk's body was tightly pressed against Rooney, making it impossible for Lu Xiaopang to get up.
Van Dijk easily shook his head and pushed the ball away.
"It seems that nothing has changed." Pan Yi on the sidelines also breathed a sigh of relief.
Moyes' various changes finally came to fruition in the final cross.
This is the so-called "simplification into complexity".
Of course it is very simple to deal with such tactics.
Even a team like Fulham can defend Manchester United, but why not Hamburg?
Hamburg has super central defenders like Van Dijk and Rudiger!
Neither Rooney nor Welbeck, let alone Valencia, are good at headers.
In the next few attacks, Manchester United's performance also confirmed that Moyes does not have many tricks.
Either it's a two-on-one in the middle, then split from the midfielder to the winger, and let the winger pass the ball;
Or it is to insert the winger from the wing, and after the winger and full-back cooperate, let the full-back go down and pass...
These offensive routines were all within Pan Yi's expectations and were also the focus of Hamburg's defensive drills before the game. They were basically out of the question.
As a result, Pan Yi began to signal Hamburg to increase the intensity of its pressing, and also began to pay attention to the restrictions on Manchester United's two wings.
This means that even if it’s almost done, it’s time for us to perform.
Moreover, even passing is restricted for you!
Otherwise, if you were asked to pass a hundred kicks, wouldn't you have to be tricked into one or two?
When Hamburg mentioned the rhythm, Manchester United was a little uncomfortable.
As far as the ball-playing ability of Manchester United's three midfielders is concerned, they are really no match for Hamburg.
In the tenth minute of the game, Fellaini got the ball in the middle, and Casemiro grabbed the ball back with one move.
Fellaini immediately counterattacked, but Casemiro was very good at protecting the ball. He leaned on the ball while dribbling the ball, and forced the ball to a higher position.
At this time, many Manchester United players are still attacking from the front, and there are not many defensive personnel.
In order to prevent Casemiro from continuing to dribble the ball and pose a threat, Fellaini made a fierce tackle and knocked Casemiro to the ground.
The referee's whistle also sounded.
Free kick.
This is a position not far from the outside of Manchester United's penalty area, slightly to the left.
De Bruyne came over and took the free kick.
Although it's a little off, judging from his footwork, it should still be within range.
At this time, other Hamburg teammates were walking into the penalty area, and it seemed that De Bruyne was indeed going to take the shot directly.
Under the command of De Gea, Manchester United also formed a four-man wall and looked at De Bruyne nervously.
De Bruyne takes a run-up and starts!
But he did not choose to shoot directly.
He just kicked the ball in a very low arc, letting it just go over the wall and reach the front point.
There, Hamburg forward Vardy, who reacted quickly, had already sprinted into position.
Although his height and weight are not as good as Manchester United's two central defenders Ferdinand and Vidic, Vardy's starting speed is very fast.
Moreover, this free kick coordination was obviously practiced by the Hamburg team. As soon as De Bruyne stretched out his hand, Vardy had already started running that way.
In this way, when the ball arrives, Vardy runs to the front and leaps high, grabbing the first landing spot before the two Manchester United central defenders take off, and flies the header to the outside of the right corner of the penalty area.
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Yes, Vardy is not shooting this time!
He is in the front spot at this time. If he wants to force a shot, he can only use his scalp to rub it. In fact, it is difficult to threaten Manchester United goalkeeper De Gea, who is currently in good form.
Moreover, Ferdinand also rushed to the goal to cover the moment Vardy rushed to the ball, giving him less space to shoot.
So he is a ferry.
And this is what he does more often in the penalty area now.
This kind of ferry is difficult to guard against.
Because everyone's attention is focused on De Bruyne who is passing the ball and Vardy who is receiving the ball, few people will pay attention to the far corner of the penalty area.
But here, Salah has already rushed up from behind and stopped the ball steadily.
At this time, Manchester United's left-back Ashley Young also quickly made up for it. He immediately got into position and blocked the corner of the penalty area, forming a one-on-one with Salah.
Salah grabbed the ball, took small steps forward, and slowly approached Ashley Young.
This is the characteristic of Salah. He can use small movements to shake, and after finding the opponent's flaws, he may pass the ball in one go.
This is why he is called "Egyptian Messi".
Ashley Young has obviously studied Salah's move. He also fought and retreated, not in a hurry to make a move.
At this time, Salah stopped the ball and made a move to find Vardy in the penalty area with his left foot.
Ashley Young hurriedly stretched his legs to block the passing angle, but Salah just made a feint.
He pushed the ball forward with the outside instep of his left foot, then caught up with him, spotted the defensive vacuum at the front of the penalty area, and sent an inverted triangle return pass with his right foot.
He didn't pass it to Vardy, but to De Bruyne who came in the middle!
After Ding Ding took the free kick just now, he didn't know when he turned to the middle again, and then stood outside the penalty area waiting for the opportunity.
And this time, the opportunity comes!
There is no defensive player in front of De Bruyne!
Who would pay attention to a person who takes free kicks?
"Manchester United is in danger now!
”
"The middle of their penalty area is empty, and De Bruyne has already got the ball!"
"He has plenty of time to aim and exert force!"
"He's kicking! He's pumping! He's cumming!"
"The ball is scored!
Come in, come in, come in!
”
"In the first 12 minutes, De Bruyne opened the scoring for Hamburg!"
"This feels like another designed free kick. De Bruyne fired forward and let Valledi's header fly to the other side."
"Then he used Salah's breakthrough ability to successfully attract the attention of all Manchester United's defensive players. At this time, De Bruyne had already run all the way to the edge of the penalty area. Salah's pass and De Bruyne's run
The position is just right.”
"Let's take a look at this slow-motion replay again. Yes, Salah didn't even look up at De Bruyne's position when he passed the ball. He knew there must be his teammates there!"
"Hamburg's entire offensive coordination is very clear. This must be a routine that has been practiced many times! I have to say that Hamburg is indeed unique in the design of its offensive routines."
“I can’t remember how many times De Bruyne has succeeded in shooting from behind! This young Belgian midfielder is really good at playing as a pseudo-winger. Whether it is passing or shooting, he can achieve the goal.
A world-class level!"
"The current score is 0:1, Manchester United is lagging behind at home!..."
On the sidelines, Pan Yi hugged Nagelsmann, Inzaghi and others one by one, then turned around and cheered loudly at De Bruyne and the Hamburg players who were walking back to the court.
Then Pan Yi glanced at the home team's bench again.
At this time, Moyes showed his familiar face again, wearing a mask of pain.
The corners of Pan Yi's mouth curved slightly.
The current Moyes and the current Manchester United are indeed not very good.
After the trial in the opening stage, once Hamburg started to exert force, it felt like Manchester United would not be able to catch it.
Pan Yi also proved that his remarks before the game were not just nonsense.
He has all the tricks up his sleeve to deal with the current Manchester United!