At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea faced the challenge of Newcastle United.
At this time, Newcastle had just experienced a coaching change.
Their former head coach Alan Pardew finally accepted the invitation from his old club Crystal Palace to become a firefighting coach to help avoid relegation.
Under the leadership of Alan Pardew, Newcastle, which does not have much strength, can maintain its top ten position after playing 20 rounds. It is actually quite difficult.
After his departure, Newcastle could not find a suitable head coach to replace him for a while, so they could only ask his assistant John Carver to serve as the interim head coach to fill the vacancy after the former coach left.
Opponents change coaches before the game, which is good for Chelsea.
However, the weather in London today is extremely cold, with rain and snow.
The cold icy rain patted my face randomly...
The impact of this weather on the competition is that a lot of snow can be seen on the grass, making the venue very slippery.
This is very detrimental to Chelsea, which advocates a possession-based style of play.
Moreover, the weather is too cold, which also causes the players' bodies to be unable to warm up and to get up.
The combination of these factors resulted in Chelsea not playing very well in this game, and there were many mistakes among the players.
The impact on Newcastle's side will be smaller.
This John Carver actually has no ability. In fact, he only won three games with Newcastle this season, almost relegated the team, and was eventually terminated by the club.
But the 4-4-2 defensive counterattack, long pass and lob tactics he deployed today are very suitable for this venue.
In order to achieve this tactical goal, he even pushed French midfielder Sissoko to the front line and used his strong body to rush forward.
The rest is defense.
Everyone gathered around Argentinian defender Coloccini, forming an iron wall, and then let Dutch goalkeeper Krul do his best.
Such measures also had an effect, and the two sides fought to a score of 0:0 in the first half.
But after changing sides and fighting again in the second half, Pan Yi quickly made substitution adjustments.
He replaced midfielder Matic with Lingard, and replaced wing-back Azpilicueta with Gnabry.
Chelsea's formation also changed into a relatively abnormal 3-2-4-1.
Except for the fact that the positions of the goalkeeper and the three central defenders have not changed much, there has been a "big shift" in the midfield and frontcourt.
The original left wing back Marcos Alonsoone took over the defensive midfielder position and formed a double defensive midfielder position with Kanter;
In front of them, there are four attackers: Hazard, B-seat, Gnabry and Lingard, supporting the front center Lukaku.
As for the specific positions of these four attackers?
There is no specific location.
They are almost completely free. During the game, everyone may drop back to link up and connect, and everyone may suddenly rush to the front to form a double forward or even a three forward with Lukaku.
This is also the epitome of the very flexible and changeable playing style of Chelsea under Pan Yi.
This is not just a change in formation.
On the basis of short passes to penetrate high-position pressure, they combined some more direct and efficient methods such as long passes and crosses.
In the specific implementation process, sometimes they will deliberately show weakness in local areas to lure the enemy in and then counterattack.
Ten minutes after the substitution, Chelsea exerted a lot of pressure on Newcastle United's backcourt.
After several consecutive passing errors, Newcastle goalkeeper Krul began to be wary of Chelsea's high pressure, and was forced to often pass the ball with long kicks.
And such a long pass often means handing over the ball to Chelsea.
At this time, Marcos Alonso, who has moved into the defensive midfielder position, will take on the important task of organizing the offense and immediately move forward with the ball.
Data shows that Marcos Alonso has averaged 3.2 dribble attempts per game this season, with 2.8 successes and a success rate of 87.5%, ranking first among all players who have attempted at least 50 dribbles.
It can be seen that Marcos Alonso's initiative to take the ball and control the ball play an important role in Chelsea's midfield this season. It can be said that he is a key part of the Blues' organization from the backcourt to the front.
Many celebrities and commentators even believe that Marcos Alonso is Chelsea's best player so far this season!
His performance was even better than the top scorer Lukaku and the top assists Hazard.
Therefore, Pan Yi attaches great importance to and trusts him, and fully develops his comprehensiveness.
After playing him as the left center back when playing Manchester United in the last round of the league, he was also used as a defensive midfielder in the second half of today's game to make full use of his ability to organize offense.
In the 67th minute, Pan Yi's change of formation had an effect.
Krul wanted to pass a long pass to Sissoko in front but was intercepted by Chelsea center back Gary Cahill, and then the ball went to the feet of Marcos Alonso.
Alonso got the ball, broke through the area between Newcastle United's double midfielder composed of Cole Baker and Anita, and then passed it to Lingard, who had already retreated to the middle of the midfield to receive the ball.
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Coloccini made a move, but Lingard wiped him out with a flexible change of direction.
Coloccini was a bit reckless when he turned around and then grabbed Lingard. He tripped Lingard and committed a foul!
This also gave Chelsea a perfect free kick in front of the penalty area.
This is because after Pan Yi changed the formation, he increased the number of people in the frontcourt, strengthened the frontcourt pressure and rotation, which caused Newcastle to make a series of mistakes.
From the long pass in the backcourt, to the gap between the midfielders in the midfield, to the lack of tacit understanding of the positioning of the center back and full back in the backcourt, it finally led to this free kick.
Chelsea also seized the opportunity of this free kick.
They played a simple coordination, Hazard stepped lightly in front of the ball, and Marcos Alonso shot behind him and scored!
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"goallllllllllllllllll!
”
"In the 67th minute, Chelsea finally broke through Newcastle United's goal!"
"Marcos Alonso, he scored the Newcastle goal with a wonderful powerful volley from the free kick!"
"Although Alonso scored the ball, we still have to take a look at the process of creating this free kick."
"It was Lingard, who came on as a substitute in the second half, who made a deft escape in front of Newcastle United's penalty area that caused Coloccini's foul and gave him the opportunity to take a free kick in this excellent position."
"It can be seen from these two games that Lingard is very adaptable to Chelsea's tactical system. He can bring out his characteristics and contribute to the team every time he plays."
"Coach Pan Yi once said in an interview that whether Lingard will be sent out depends on his performance in training; now it seems that Lingard should have worked hard in recent training and finally won the favor of the coach and teammates.
With my trust, I got the opportunity to play.”
"Of course, we should also see that at the critical moment when the situation has been delayed, Pan Yi's substitution once again produced a magical effect."
"After he sent Gnabry and Lingard, he also made corresponding adjustments to the formation. These adjustments immediately turned Newcastle United's seemingly impregnable defense upside down, and Newcastle's mistakes also greatly increased.
”
"The running ability and passing ability of Gnabry and Lingard have also shown good results after such adjustments. It seems that Pan Yi insisted on buying these two young players in the winter window.
It’s really not just a whim.”
"And at this time...it hasn't even entered the 70-minute Pan Yi time!"
After scoring the goal, Chelsea found the rhythm of the game and suppressed Newcastle even more.
From a picture in the 74th minute, we can see the intensity and results of Chelsea's oppression.
When Chelsea pressed in the frontcourt, Alonso and Kante were positioned very forward, following the opponent's center back. The Blues now formed a 7-man frontcourt position.
After a while, Kanter even rushed to the front line, level with Lukaku, maintaining pressure on Newcastle's two central defenders.
It is precisely this kind of pressure that makes Newcastle unable to play the ball in the backcourt. They can only pass long balls in an attempt to hit behind and cause a counterattack.
But Chelsea's three central defenders intercepted the ball easily.
At this time, Lingard and Gnabry on both sides had quickly retreated between the two lines. After receiving the pass from the central defender, they directly cooperated and passed the ball to Newcastle's rib space.
It's a pity that this time, Lukaku's shot was saved by the brave Dutch goalkeeper Krul, and he missed the opportunity.
In short, such strong pressure and flexible movement made Newcastle United players a little breathless.
Amid the cheers and cheers of the home fans, Chelsea was not satisfied with taking a one-goal lead, but kept attacking.
In the 82nd minute, Chelsea made a classic pressing 2-3-5, and this time even David Luiz rushed to the penalty area.
After a series of dazzling cooperation, the front four penetrated the gap between Newcastle United's right back and right center back, and finally Lingard sent a through ball!
Several players suddenly stepped in together, causing Newcastle's defense to become chaotic, and no one knew who to target.
In the end, it was Gnabry who gently shot and broke the door guarded by Krul again!
2:0!
This was also the goal that sealed the victory.
The players on the field were celebrating, and Pan Yi also loudly applauded Gnabry's goal on the sidelines, and also gave Lingard his thumbs up for the assist.
"These two young players are really good!" Scaloni praised with a smile after high-fiving Pan Yi, "There is quite a chemical reaction between them."
Pan Yi nodded. Who says it’s not the case?
Strictly speaking, Lingard's scoring ability is not strong, but he still plays a very good tactical role in Chelsea's tactical system.
He can run, is flexible, has a wide range of motion, and more importantly, this player is smart.
As long as he obeys you, no matter what kind of tasks you assign him or what role you ask him to play, he will be able to handle it for you properly.
Gnabry is similar, but he has better shooting skills and stronger scoring ability, so he can often appear as a finisher.
And the goal just now is a manifestation of their respective characteristics.
Of course, as to why Lingard passed the ball and Gnabry shot, this was not arranged by Pan Yi and could not be so detailed.
This is the player's on-the-spot performance on the court.
Strict tactical discipline and appropriate freedom can allow players to perform at their best on the court.
In the process of scoring this goal, although Lukaku, including Hazard, and the B bench did not touch the ball, they also played an important role.
At that time, Newcastle had a total of eight to nine defensive players in the top area of the arc, which was more than Chelsea, but Chelsea still opened up the space and scored.
How?
It depends on coordination and movement.
Lukaku's air-cut, Hazard, B-seat's pull-up, etc.
This is a tacit understanding that can only be formed through extensive daily and meticulous training!
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With goals from Alonso and Gnabry in the second half, Chelsea defeated Newcastle United 2-0 at home.
As usual, the news media after the game praised Chelsea's performance, especially the performance of Gnabry and Lingard who came off the bench.
"Several consecutive outstanding performances have proved that Gnabry is really a new star with unlimited potential. Should we say that Wenger made a mistake or not? After all, if it wasn't for Wenger, Gnabry would have
Will not come to the Premier League..."
"And Lingard has obviously cleared away the haze he had at Manchester United, and is at home in Pan Yi's tactical system. Whether he is playing as an attacking midfielder or a winger, he can contribute his own strength. With one goal and one assist in the two games,
At least it shows that the three million pounds spent on him is worth it..."
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"Pan Yi's change of formation in the second half and the use of two newcomers and Marcos Alonso are even more eye-catching. Who can come up with such a position and such a formation?"
"Some people may still question that Pan Yi cannot bear the title of the world's number one coach, but no one will deny that he is definitely the most imaginative and capable coach in the world!"
"Moreover, his whole life can always bring victory to the team! Perhaps, the sky is his limit..."
In addition to this game in this round of the Premier League, Liverpool also defeated Sunderland 1:0 away from home, while Arsenal defeated Stoke City 3:0.
Manchester City was held to a 1:1 draw by Everton in the away game. Fernandinho and Naismith made contributions to both teams respectively.
Manchester United lost to Southampton, who was in excellent form, at home. The score was 0:1. Italian gunner Peilai scored the only goal of the game!
It is worth mentioning that after Southampton lost to Chelsea, they faced strong opponents in the next two consecutive games, and actually won two consecutive games!
In the last round, they defeated Arsenal 2:0.
This two-game winning streak also allowed them to replace Manchester United's position and rise to third place in the standings.
The number one dark horse this season seems to be Southampton.
Crystal Palace, who had new coach Alan Pardew, made an immediate impact, defeating Tottenham 2:1 at home.
This result allowed Crystal Palace to jump out of the relegation zone and move up to 15th place. It also put Tottenham in the 6th position, making it impossible for them to continue climbing up.
However, for Pan Yi and Chelsea now, the records of these so-called strong teams seem to have little to do with them.
The only thing that deserves caution is that Manchester City did not win this round, which expanded Chelsea's advantage in the standings by two points.
In the 21st round, there is already a huge gap of 14 points between the first place and the second place!
Such a gap makes many people think that there is really no suspense about this year's Premier League championship.
After all, everyone originally thought that the Christmas schedule might hinder Chelsea's progress, but Christmas has passed, and Chelsea's lead has expanded...
There are also many people who believe that Chelsea's "failed" winter window will weaken the team's strength and lead to a decline in record.
But now it seems that the three new players have integrated into the team very quickly, and they have begun to show their value.
So, how can we expect Chelsea, a team with almost no weaknesses, to make continuous mistakes and give up the number one spot?
After all, a 14-point advantage means that Chelsea have to lose five games, while Manchester City has to maintain a complete victory in the same period!
The difficulty of this can be imagined.
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It is precisely because of the huge lead in the standings and the relatively loose schedule that follows that Pan Yi has time to make a trip north.
The destination of his trip is York City!
Of course he went for the previous invitation to buy the team.
However, Pan Yi did not notify York City owner Jason McGill for the time being, but secretly sat in the stands and watched a League Two game first.
York City plays Oxford United at home.
It is said that in this year's English League Two, you can see two teams, Oxford and Cambridge, which is quite interesting.
Whether it is Oxford United or Cambridge United, their strength is stronger than York City.
They are probably both mid-table, while York City have been fighting for relegation.
In today's game, although Oxford United was playing away from home, they took advantage of the field from the beginning of the game. In the end, forward Will Hawkins scored two goals with his head and kick, and finally won 2:0.
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After this round, York City ranked 20th among all 24 English Second Division teams with a record of 5 wins, 12 draws, and 9 losses, with 27 points.
But considering that the points from 21st to 23rd are all 27 and 26, York City is actually only 1 point away from falling into the relegation zone.
After the game, Pan Yi also found York City head coach Wilcox to chat for a while.
Of course Wilcox knew Pan Yi, the Chelsea coach, not to mention they had faced each other head-on once!
However, after they defeated Chelsea in that game, they were eliminated by Liverpool in the next round of the League Cup.
"There is too much turnover." Wilcox complained when he came up.
For a team like York City that can only fight to retain qualification for League Two, wanting a stable lineup is really a luxury.
Many players come here without visas, and many times they sign short-term contracts. After playing for one or even half a season, they might leave.
At this time, we need to recruit more people, and it is impossible to buy people at a high price, so we continue to exempt them from visas.
At this time, it is difficult to ensure the quality of players, so we can only get the staff together first.
After all, there are 24 teams in League Two and 46 rounds of games are played in a season!
Coupled with the League Cup, FA Cup, Pioneer Cup and so on, there are so many games in a year that it is almost impossible for the first team to complete a full season without sufficient personnel.
So, what should I do if I really can’t sign anyone?
That's renting.
For example, York City's current main goalkeeper Oleinik is on loan from Peterborough United in the English League One, while midfielder Holiday and defender Zuba are on loan from Middlesbrough and Bournemouth in the English Championship respectively.
Although they managed to put together a team in the end, it was really just like cobbling together things. The players were basically mercenaries and rarely stayed with the team for a long time.
In the current York City team, those who can stay on the team for two to three years are considered "meritorious veterans".
However, this is actually the norm for teams at this stage.
English League Two is a professional league, and the next-level national league is amateur in nature, which leads to a natural dividing line between them.
Those semi-professional players who play in the National League are no longer applicable after they are promoted to League Two and must be re-signed.
The same is true if we are demoted from English League Two.
Moreover, teams located in the fourth and fifth tiers have relatively poor venue facilities and youth training systems, and it is difficult to really improve their scores by cultivating their own players.
Players who have played in the FM low-level league must have a deep understanding of it.
If you lead the team all the way to promotion, you will basically be changing players all the way, and it will not be a little more stable until after the English Championship.
Because then you will have a certain amount of capital to cultivate Xiaoyao, train new players, or sign some capable players.
It is at this time that "precipitation" makes sense.
"It's impossible for me to build the team according to my own ideas like you do." Wilcox said to Pan Yi with envy, "I will use whatever players I have. Even if I keep using
It’s 343. Today suddenly a midfielder with English level is here, so I will immediately change the formation to 4231!”
Pan Yi also smiled and said: "Isn't this the only way to show your ability?"
Wilcox shook his head and smiled bitterly: "But, who doesn't want to have a team that truly 'belongs to them'?"
Pan Yi nodded slightly.
He also understands Wilcox's difficulties.
Players are just passing by, and sometimes they don't even realize it yet. They may pack up and run away the next day. How can they build a team that "belongs to them"?
Sometimes there will be twenty or thirty new players coming in and out in a summer, and the integration alone is a big trouble.
The most important thing is that because these players are all obtained by "casting a wide net", sometimes the criterion for consideration is just "cheapness", and the characteristics of the players are also different, making integration very difficult.
Just like what Wilcox said just now, I want to play a Chelsea-style 343, but you have several players who only play as attacking midfielders, so I still want to play a woolly 343?
"By the way, what do you think of your boss?" Pan Yi pretended to ask casually.
Wilcox replied: "He is a good person, and he really loves this club. But now there is a shortage of funds, the team has been fighting for relegation, and he also has a headache."
Pan Yi said: "There is no way, the whole world is short of money."
Wilcox nodded and suddenly looked at Pan Yi curiously, "Why do you suddenly ask about this?"
"Nothing, I'm just asking casually." Pan Yi said with a smile, "I see you complaining for a long time, but you still choose to coach here. You must have something to do with the boss."
"I just make a living." Wilcox also smiled, "Of course, McGill is a very nice person, which is why I accepted the invitation to come here."
Pan Yi nodded again.
He actually knew it already, otherwise he wouldn't be here today.
Next, he is going to have a chat with the owner of York City, Jason McGill.