Amid the cheers of more than 41,000 fans, this world-famous Premier League match officially started.
Manchester United won the right to serve first.
Falcao and Rooney kicked off the ball in the center circle, but what was different from their usual practice was that today they did not pass the ball back after the kickoff. Instead, Rooney took the ball directly to Chelsea's half.
Approximation.
Including Fellaini, Ashley Young, Mata and others also pressed forward at the same time, and center Falcao even rushed behind Chelsea's defense just after taking the ball.
Obviously Manchester United wants to overwhelm Chelsea in the opening game.
In Van Gaal's view, Chelsea is playing at home today. Although Manchester United still has to focus on defending, they cannot lose the momentum at the beginning.
If we can turn around and suppress Chelsea's defense in the opening stage, it might be even more effective.
However, Chelsea is obviously prepared for this.
Cancelo and Ivanovic quickly retreated and formed protection in front of Kante and Matic, forcing Manchester United to enter Chelsea's half and suffered a huge blow before they could advance to Chelsea's 30-meter zone.
obstacles.
In desperation, Rooney could only pass the ball back to the defense.
Chelsea's frontcourt immediately launched a counterattack.
Needless to say, Lukaku, Hazard and Seat B are also actively running in the frontcourt, and Kante and Matic immediately follow up to cut off Manchester United's backcourt play.
"Chelsea players seem to be in good condition today. It seems that they have not been affected by the departure of two important players." Zhan Jun couldn't help but praise.
Zhang Lu also said: "The system Pan Yi constructed for Chelsea is very complete. In fact, no player is indispensable."
"Take Oscar as an example. Although he has contributed astonishing statistics of four shots and two passes in the past two rounds of the Premier League, if Pan Yi replaces him in the B seat, the team's offensive power will not be weakened, even in the overall situation.
The offensive and defensive rhythm will also be improved."
"Now we just have to see whether the new players Pan Yi bought, especially Gnabry, can step forward when the team needs to rotate in the later period..."
On the field.
Now Chelsea is pressing in front and there is a barrier in the midfield, which makes Manchester United encounter a lot of difficulties in playing the ball.
So the center back McNair, who had the ball at this time, could only make a long pass to Falcao, but David Luiz beat him to it and headed the ball back to the midfield.
Seat B grabbed the first shot and passed it back to Matic.
The tall Serbian midfielder blocked Rooney with his body, protected the ball, and then passed it back to the B seat who ran into the gap, and then passed it to Kante. Chelsea quickly launched an offensive on the right side.<
/p>
At this time, the game time has just passed one minute.
Seat B dribbled the ball forward from the right, but Luke Shaw retreated quickly, denying him any chance to break through his defense.
But this defensive strategy also allowed Seat B to quickly dribble the ball across the center line and burn the battle to Manchester United's 30-meter area.
However, Manchester United was clearly prepared for such a situation today.
After the initial wave of offensive failed, they retreated very quickly and quickly organized a counterattack near the center line.
Seat B held the ball for a while but didn't find a particularly good opportunity, so he had to pass it back to his own wing-back Ivanovic.
Ashley Young also quickly came over.
Ivanovic didn't wait for him to get close, and passed the ball directly to Matic, who also just passed the center line.
Matic is usually placed at the end of the midfield and also in the middle position to facilitate the coordination of Chelsea's offense and defense on both sides.
But as soon as he stopped the ball, Rooney had already pressed forward and cut off Matic's pass to seat B. This forced the Serbian to turn and take a few steps to the left to avoid Rooney's upward attack.
Grab.
At this time, left wing-back Cancelo has also passed the center line.
He was standing near the left sideline. When he saw Matic looking over, he immediately ran two steps forward and raised his hand to ask for the ball.
But Valencia, the Manchester United full-back on this side, also noticed him and moved closer to the left, making it difficult for Cancelo to get the ball.
As a result, it is equivalent to saying that Chelsea's two midfielders and two wing-backs have a bit of a ball release point, and Chelsea has a problem of difficulty in delivering the ball.
Seeing this situation, Lukaku immediately retreated from the front, preparing to meet Matic in the gap in front of the penalty area.
Seat B and Hazard also returned from the winger positions on both wings, and even made a cross move to open up Manchester United's defense.
But today Van Gaal has obviously done a detailed study of Pan Yi's frontcourt movement tactics.
Manchester United players took their time after seeing the Chelsea trio's actions.
They did not let the opposing players follow the opponent's forwards, nor did they stand in their own positions. Instead, they formed a well-coordinated on-court rotation mechanism.
Freni, Herrera, including McNair and Smalling on the back line, when they see Chelsea players running into their positions, they will follow and mark them to prevent them from receiving the ball comfortably; p>
After the opposing player runs away to a certain distance, the player guarding him will become another Manchester United player.
This is a strategy that combines zone and man-marking.
"It seems that Chelsea's offense encountered difficulties today."
"Manchester United's defense is very well-organized today. Chelsea's invincible cross-positioning in the past did not allow any loopholes in their defense."
"Van Gaal is indeed a master of tactics. He must have conducted long-term research after losing to Chelsea last time before coming up with such tactics to deal with Pan Yi's frontcourt trident."
"Now Chelsea's offensive players, whether they are three forwards, two wing-backs, or double midfielders who often come in behind, I feel like they are all being watched to death."
"In this case, I can't figure out how Chelsea should attack because I don't know who to pass it to."
"Who can break down such a line of defense??"
But at this moment, Matic still passed the ball forward.
Even though the passing routes on both sides and in front were blocked, he actually sent an overhead ball with his right foot and passed the ball into the penalty area!
It was only at this moment that everyone, including the live broadcast cameras, noticed...
At this time, on the left and right sides of Manchester United, there was a blue figure on each side like two lightning bolts, quickly entering Manchester United's penalty area from the left and right ribs!
And these two people are not Lukaku, Hazard, Seat B, nor Cancelo and Ivanovic.
It’s Marcos Alonso and Azpilicueta who are serving as central defenders today!——
When Pan Yi asked Marcos Alonso and Azpilicueta to stand at the center back position in training, both of them were surprised.
But what surprised them even more was that Pan Yi demanded more from them than a normal ball-playing central defender.
"Strengthen the press", "Short passes", "Pass more into space", "Speed up the pace", "More risky passes"...
In addition to these basics, they also have instructions such as "increase dribbling" and even "boldly insert into the penalty area".
Even if Marcos Alonso and Azpilicueta have become somewhat accustomed to Pan Yi's various magical operations in the past half season, it is still difficult to digest such information in a short period of time.
After all, what exactly is the role of a centre-back?
If you watch a modern game or analyze a team's offensive setup, you'll likely find that all but one or two players in the outfield are involved in the offense.
So, who are the one or two players who are not involved in the offense? They are usually the team's central defenders.
The forward players are naturally an important part of the attack, the midfielders will also move forward into the opponent's half, and the defensive midfielders - even if they do not press too far forward - will often act as a pivot to help the team play left and right.
Ball.
As for the full-backs, they will make full use of the wings to create offensive opportunities for the team.
When teammates in other positions move forward to create offensive opportunities for the team, the central defender usually stands closer to his own goal as the last line in front of the goalkeeper to resist the opponent's defensive counterattack.
Barrier.
In other words, except for special situations such as set-pieces that require a high point, the central defender will not easily participate in the attack.
Since the latest batch of coaches, represented by Pan Yi, have begun to use the concept of ball-playing central defenders to a large extent, the central defender's long-pass attack has also become a weapon for the team's offense.
Just like Van Dijk, just like David Luiz.
They have good performance on both offense and defense, so Pan Yi will let the central defender help the team control the ball, and then pass the ball in the backcourt to organize the team's offense.
But the problem is, even if they do this, it will only increase the ball release points in the backcourt and add a way to launch an offense through long passes. It does not allow these central defenders to suddenly move forward and become forwards? p>
But Pan Yi just asked for it.
In recent training, he often asked Kos Alonso and Azpilicueta to insert from the left and right central defender positions until they passed the center line and reached the opponent's penalty area, and then completed the shot.
This somewhat subverts everyone's understanding of central defenders.
But Pan Yi quickly explained the benefits of this approach to everyone.
"With teams currently keen on accumulating heavy troops in the midfield area, it will be a valuable trend for the team to move the central defender forward when in possession of the ball to further strengthen the numerical advantage in the midfield area.
Advance strategy."
"In previous games, I often asked David Luiz to do this, and achieved good results. It's just not as radical as what is required now."
"The main reason is that if a tactic is used for a long time, it will always be studied and cracked by others, so we have to prepare more back-ups. This time, we tried to let two players who originally played wing-backs play as central defenders, and played from the ribs.
All the way into the opponent's penalty area."
"If the central defender drives forward with the ball, or drives forward without the ball, this will further expand the team's numerical advantage in the midfield area. This will make it easier for the team to drive the ball through the midfield
, enter the more dangerous area of the frontcourt."
"And when the opponent is marking all our offensive players, the central defender's forward penetration will make them hard to guard against, because no one will think of marking our defender who is originally standing in the backcourt and does not seem to be preparing to participate in the attack.
."
"This type of kicking was actually done by someone a long time ago. That person's name was Beckenbauer..."
"Of course, the forward movement of our two central defenders will create a gap in the defense line, giving the opponent's offensive players an opportunity. In fact, the solution to this problem is also very simple, that is, let nearby players fill the position in time - or
Defensive midfielder, or closest wing-back."
"This forms a vertical, wide-range crossover. The wing-back or midfielder who was preparing to attack recovers, and the center back suddenly steps in."
"In such a tactical system, the central defender will have the opportunity to suddenly appear on the front line, surprising the opponent's defensive players, and all players will be able to put pressure on the opponent in a more dangerous position."
Pan Yi did not elaborate on why this tactic is rarely widely used in world football, and in history, only big names like Beckenbauer and Matthaus can execute it.
In fact, the reason is very simple, it is because the skills of most central defenders are not enough to have a positive impact in the offense.
Let’s not talk about the impact of tactical requirements on this point. Let’s just say that in the early stage of football player selection, players with good skills and strong forward awareness have long been trained as strikers or midfielders. How can they be allowed to play defenders? The last person to play as a defender is usually a "rough guy" who is strong and can head the ball.
But today, it is indeed a little different.
Football has begun to emerge with many technically superior central defenders who can contribute on the offensive end if they move forward.
"Coincidentally", there is such a candidate in Pan Yi's Chelsea team.
Apart from David Luiz, it's Marcos Alonso and Azpilicueta.
Of course, Ake also has such potential, but for now, these two guys who are famous as wing backs are the most suitable to implement such radical tactics.
Under the premise that the offensive tactics in the frontcourt are gradually and thoroughly studied, head coaches must carry out tactical innovation and find ways to improve the team's offensive ability.
In this process, the central defender is likely to become a key part of the team's offense.
Now, Pan Yi wants to directly apply this tactic to the game against Manchester United.
Of course, this is also Pan Yi's consistent requirement for the players, that is, each player should try to learn the skills of multiple positions, rather than one carrot and one pit in the traditional sense.
In the most ideal situation, if a player can really play all positions on the field, then there will really be no formation or formation on the field.
The changes on the field will become endless, and the coach can make many tactical adjustments without making substitutions.
Of course, this premise is currently unlikely to be fully realized - letting Messi play as a central defender is still a bit outrageous.
But Pan Yi just tries his best to let the players lean in this direction, so that he can often show his strange moves on the court and surprise his opponents.
In modern football, every tactical response strategy is meticulous to the extreme. When you surprise your opponent, you often have the upper hand strategically, and you have already won half the battle...
——
Now Manchester United's players, coaches, and fans are in a state of shock.
When Chelsea's frontcourt attacking combination seemed to be completely restricted by Manchester United, Marcos Alonso and Azpilicueta had quietly started from the backcourt and headed towards the Manchester United penalty area along the ribs.<
/p>
At the same time, on both sides of Chelsea, the two wing-backs Cancelo and Ivanovic have actually stopped pressing forward, and have even slowly moved back.
They just want to fill the gap between the two central defenders.
But at this time, Manchester United just felt that it was because of its own defense that Chelsea's wing-backs were having difficulty attacking, so they had to retreat.
Moreover, everyone at Manchester United is now paying attention to Chelsea’s trident, double midfielders, two wing-backs, and even David Luiz who often dribbles the ball in the middle. Who will notice Marcos A
Ronso and Azpilicueta?
Therefore, when Matic passed such a ball into Manchester United's penalty area, the Manchester United players were a little confused.
Where did these two generals come from?
In fact, when Manchester United attacked Chelsea's attack, they still left a central defender at the back to defend, and that was Smalling.
This is actually Van Gaal's response to the central defender insertion tactics that Pan Yi sometimes uses.
But the problem is, even if Chelsea had such an intervention in the past, it was still David Luiz in the middle. Why did it change to two full-backs today, and two at once?
This left Smalling wondering what to do.
But in this moment of lightning, he didn't think too much, he just subconsciously stared at Marcos Alonso who was closer to him
——This is also because Marcos Alonso is taller, and Smalling feels that he is a greater threat to his own goal.
And this also caused Azpilicueta on the other side to be completely unguarded.
He inserted into the penalty area as quickly as possible and caught up with Matic's pass.
Matic's pass was just right, not too hard, not too hard, just like what he had passed in the past few days of training.
After Azpilicueta caught up, the feeling of catching the ball was very familiar, and the desire to shoot became very strong at this time!
So, he didn't stop the ball, he directly faced the ball with his right foot and fired!
The ball kicked out in a straight line and hit the upper right corner of Manchester United's goal at great speed.
Manchester United goalkeeper De Gea's reaction was already very fast, but when faced with a shot from such a close distance, so fast, and at such a tricky angle, he could only stand straight and watch the ball hit him.
Inside the upper right corner, it crashed into Manchester United's goal.
"The ball went in!!!!!!!!! Beautiful goal!!!!!!"
"At this time, it's less than two minutes into the show!"
"Chelsea's first attack, Azpilicueta quickly stepped in and fired an amazing right-footed shot to open the scoring for Chelsea!"
"1:0! Chelsea leads by one goal at home!"
"It can be said that Chelsea's goal came a bit suddenly!"
"Just a few seconds ago, it seemed that Manchester United's defense was well organized, and Chelsea seemed to be unable to find any openings for attack."
"But a few seconds later, Chelsea's two full-backs suddenly entered Manchester United's penalty area, which caught Manchester United by surprise."
"They were like magic soldiers descending from the sky, stunning Manchester United's entire defense."
"Now, we can finally understand the power of Chelsea's lineup."
"Using two wing-backs to play as central defenders and making full use of their offensive capabilities is really a trick that only geniuses can come up with!"
"And precisely because of this arrangement, Manchester United's zone-marking defense suddenly lost its effectiveness, because no one would have thought that the opponent's two central defenders would enter the penalty area at the same time and assume the responsibility of forwards!" p>
"Almost every game of Pan Yi this season will surprise people and bring surprises to people, and it seems that tonight is no exception!"
——
In the first minute or two of the game, Van Gaal sat calmly in the coaching bench and watched the game on the field.
Although Pan Yi's lineup today and the arrangement of the back line did surprise the Dutch coach, in his guess, this should be Pan Yi's last resort.
Terry's suspension was determined before the game, and Cahill was unable to do so, perhaps because of some injury he suffered before the game.
This is sometimes unavoidable. Some players will get injured during the warm-up before the start of the game after being put into the lineup.
In such an important game against Manchester United, Pan Yi may not want to let young newcomers like Ake, Zouma and Christensen play to avoid making mistakes under great pressure.
Therefore, in desperation, we could only arrange a three-back combination composed of Alonso and Azpilicueta.
But this conjecture was shattered after two minutes.
Van Gaal was watching with satisfaction as his disciples blocked Chelsea's attack from the dangerous area, and then suddenly heard the exclamations of Manchester United fans and the cheers of Chelsea fans.
Then, there was the clear whistle of the referee.
Scored!
Van Gaal was dumbfounded.
Both central defenders reached their own penalty area?
Is Pan Yi really playing a four-wing-back tactic?
This is really unheard of!
Van Gaal didn't even believe his eyes and watched the slow-motion replay several times.
It's true.
The ones who penetrated their own penalty area were not Lukaku, Hazard, and Seat B, but Alonso and Azpilicueta.
The name of the goal scorer is indeed Azpilicueta!
Is this a special effect improvised by the Chelsea players on the field who were messing around?
Van Gaal can't help but think so.
After all, such tactics are too outrageous!
Whether it is four wing-backs or two central defenders playing as forwards, it is outrageous. I have never seen such a tactic in world football.
However, the remaining reason in Van Gaal's mind told him that this was probably a tactic specially designed by Pan Yi.
It can be seen from Chelsea's lineup that Pan Yi would rather not use Cahill and Ake, but also let Alonso and Azpilicueta stand at the central defender position.
This is not the impact of injuries, nor is it fear of nervousness for young players, this is what Pan Yi did deliberately!
And think about the last confrontation between the two teams...
Pan Yi's 5-1-4 poke, has it been possible to find a similar style of play around the world before? (Author's note: excluding a certain cloud anchor.)
This shows that Pan Yi put together an unexpected lineup in this game, and then used an unexpected style of play to directly give Manchester United a sneak attack!
Thinking of this, Van Gaal is really a little depressed.
He has really prepared for this game for a long time.
Pan Yi has studied the various personnel combinations and tactics used this season very thoroughly, so today he confidently arranged such a 4-1-4-1 formation to compete with it, and it seemed that he was also opening the game
It took more than a minute to achieve results.
But it's a pity that it only lasts more than a minute.
Snap, very quickly. Chelsea scored.
And he scored the goal in a way that Van Gaal didn't expect at all.
This is equivalent to saying that Van Gaal's preparations for such a long time have all come to nothing.
Is there anything more depressing than this?
Van Gaal couldn't help but glance towards the home team's coaching bench.
Pan Yi is now celebrating the goal with the assistant coach and substitute players, and he is constantly pressing forward towards the players on the court.
This action means...
Want to continue the onslaught?
Van Gaal felt vaguely uneasy.
After all, the shadow of the 0:5 defeat in the last game was still echoing in his heart.
If he loses so miserably this time, then he really doesn't know how to calculate the growing shadow area in his heart...