r18novel Chapter 38 really does have a bit of a Barcelona feel to it.
Chapter 38 really does have a bit of a Barcelona feel to it.
"YEAHHHHHHH!!!"
The away team's fan section, which had been silent for a full 45 minutes, suddenly erupted in chaos.
After their team conceded three goals in the first half, the Monaco fans who had traveled from France, along with the Chinese fans who came specifically to support Jiang Ming, were already itching to play.
The Tottenham fans next to me had been taunting me ever since the first goal.
He kept shouting "tragedy" and "go home".
The Monaco fans all kept their heads down and dared not utter a sound, not even daring to shout their cheers too loudly.
Things are different now!
The team finally scored! This shows they haven't given up! They're still fighting!
……
In the domestic live chat rooms, the chat boxes were scrolling wildly, instantly reviving fans who had stayed up until 3 a.m.
"Holy crap! It's in! It's in! It's in!! Jiang Ming just came on and already provided an assist?!"
"That long pass was incredible! It completely ripped through Tottenham's defense; it was so imaginative!"
"Why did you hide Yardin if you hadn't said so earlier! You should have brought Jiang Ming on sooner, and we wouldn't have conceded three goals in the first half!"
"Don't rush to praise him. Jiang Ming has been in amazing form lately. Tottenham must have made some preparations to counter him before the match."
"He just came on, and Tottenham's players haven't had a chance to react or mark him yet. I reckon things will be different later."
"And have you forgotten about Jiang Ming's stamina? The opponent is Tottenham Hotspur. Can the intensity of the Premier League be compared to that of a relegation-threatened team in Ligue 1? With his small frame, he simply can't hold on for 90 minutes as a starter. Jardim was right to use him as a backup plan."
"That makes sense, that makes sense."
……
"Forehead……"
Pochettino's smile froze mid-air before he could fully recover, and he scratched his head somewhat awkwardly.
He was just teasing the teaching assistant about this Chinese kid.
And then, less than a minute after they came on the field, they immediately provided an assist?
This was truly beyond his expectations.
He coughed twice to suppress his barely concealed embarrassment and waved to Ben Davis, who was closest to him.
"Do you remember the tactics we discussed before the game?"
Ben Davis nodded quickly.
"Okay, then please pass on the message to the guys on the field. They need to stay focused and not let us down."
That's what he said, but Pochettino wasn't worried at all.
So what if they conceded one goal? They still have a two-goal lead.
If we're talking about the chances of qualifying?
They were three points ahead of Monaco, and a draw would guarantee their qualification. So what if the opponent scored one or two more goals?
……
"YES!"
Yaldin couldn't help himself, let out a low growl, and secretly swung his fist.
That goal came at the perfect time!
During halftime, the locker room was as oppressive as a funeral; the players all had their heads down, almost ready to give up.
Although they were encouraged to try something later, he could tell that it was all just a show of bravado. Everyone was still uncertain and felt that a comeback was too unlikely.
But things are different now!
The team's morale was instantly boosted after that goal.
It changed from 0 to 1.
They're not defenseless; they can score! They can break through Tottenham's defense!
……
The players on the field didn't waste a single second.
After scoring, El Shaarawy didn't even have time to high-five his teammates.
He rushed straight towards the goal, scooped up the ball rolling in the net, held it in his arms, and turned to run towards the center circle.
Every minute and every second counts; they must seize the remaining time to catch up in the score.
Referee Ivan glanced at the linesman, whose flag remained unchanged, indicating no offside.
He nodded to confirm the goal was valid, then blew the whistle and pointed to the center circle.
The game continues.
After the restart, Tottenham's players didn't immediately launch a high press like they did in the first half.
On the one hand, they had already endured half a game of high-intensity pressing, and even with the best physical condition, they couldn't afford to play like that.
After all, they have a league match against Newcastle this weekend, which is the game they value more.
On the other hand, Pochettino just gave the order that there was no need to push forward any further.
Just stay in your own half, use physical strength to stifle Monaco's attack, and maintain your lead.
As a result, Tottenham's players calmed down, each of them holding back and playing with extra caution.
The two sides were separated by the center line, each passing the ball around in their own half of the court, neither daring to make any rash moves forward.
After slowly turning over for two minutes, Monaco couldn't contain themselves any longer.
They were down by two goals, and with every second that passed, their chances of turning the game around were dwindling. How could they possibly keep going like this with Tottenham?
Soon, Monaco's line began to slowly move upwards. After receiving the ball, Bernardo Silva tried to dribble forward a couple of steps. He had just dribbled the ball past the halfway line and wanted to push forward a little more.
The next second, Son Heung-min and Lamela pounced on him, double-teaming and pressing him, instantly blocking his path to break through!
Bernardo Silva had no chance to pass forward and could only quickly pass the ball back to his own half of the penalty area.
As soon as the ball returned to Monaco's half, Tottenham's pressing also stopped.
"Hehe, Monaco is in trouble now!" Zhang Lu sighed. "Although Tottenham didn't press as hard as before, they still put pressure on us in the second half."
"Let's see what other ways Monaco can break this deadlock?"
And so, the two sides cautiously waited for another ten minutes.
The games have been incredibly boring lately. There haven't been any threatening shots, not even a single decent attack.
Tottenham seem to have already secured a spot in the knockout stage and are just waiting for the clock to run out.
Finally, during a break in play, Jiang Ming took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, quietly shuffled forward two steps, leaned close to Bernardo Silva's ear, and whispered a few words while covering his mouth.
B. Seymour's eyes lit up immediately after hearing this, and he nodded quickly.
"Oh?" Zhan Jun noticed immediately, somewhat surprised. "Is Jiang Ming acting as the on-field commander? He's actually whispering to Bernardo Silva."
After the restart, Zhang Lu looked at the positions on the field and suddenly frowned.
He stared at the Monaco players' positions, and a strange thought popped into his head: "Wait a minute, why is Bernardo Silva pulled back to the center?"
"Is there any explanation for this?" Zhan Jun asked quickly.
"Jardim's pre-match setup was a three-defender formation with a diamond midfield, and he originally intended for Bernardo Silva to play as a wing-back, relying on his attacking ability to make runs down the flanks."
Zhang Lu pointed at the screen: "Now, Bernardo Silva has moved up to the attacking midfield position, and the forward line is left with El Shaarawy and Traoré, a tall and fast combination."
He paused, then said in a deep voice, "Yardin's tactics aim to break through on the flanks. What are the tactics devised by our 'Coach Jiang'?"
The live broadcast cut back to the field, where Bernardo Silva was carrying the ball and once again tried to push it into Tottenham's half.
Son Heung-min and Lamela reacted quickly, immediately rushing forward to press the ball.
This is their old tactic: if you dare to cross the center line, I'll double-team you and force you back.
But this time was different. When Bernardo Silva was pressed, he didn't panic and pass the ball back like last time. He did kick the ball back, but he didn't get back to the starting position!
After finishing the game, he didn't stop and charged straight into Tottenham's attacking third, leaving two players who missed their chance to press him behind.
Possession of the ball shifted to Jiang Ming, and naturally, the target of the press followed.
Jiang Ming didn't panic. He dribbled the ball slowly for a couple of steps and then passed it to Moutinho, who was standing next to him.
As soon as the ball left his foot, he didn't stop, following Bernardo Silva's footsteps, slowly moving towards Tottenham's half.
"Oh! Monaco's playing possession football now!" Zhan Jun immediately understood. "One-touch passing! Passing directly without holding onto the ball, that reduces the pressure of receiving it so much!"
"But this requires too much individual skill from the players. If they make even one mistake, Tottenham will immediately launch a counter-attack!"
"Only Guardiola's Barcelona could achieve such a flawless performance; most teams simply couldn't pull it off..."
Zhang Lu's eyes suddenly lit up as he watched the three consecutive passes on the field, and he added, "No, no, Bernardo Silva and Moutinho are also good at playing with their feet, they basically don't misplace passes."
"With these two plus Jiang Ming, their passing and control really does have a Barcelona feel to it!"
……
As the process progressed step by step, the time quickly reached the 63rd minute.
Monaco's passing game finally found a gap and they seized the opportunity.
Jiang Ming glanced at Bernardo Silva in front of him, then gently pushed the ball with the instep of his foot, delivering a short pass.
Tottenham's defensive midfielder, Dier, has been pressing hard in the second half of the game, and his stamina is already wearing thin; his legs are even starting to feel unsteady.
He tried to block the passing lane, but he was a fraction too slow, and the ball slipped past his feet and landed at Bernardo Silva's feet.
Bernardo Silva dribbled the ball forward a couple of steps, and a Tottenham defender immediately closed in. Before the defender could get close, he gently flicked the ball behind him with his heel.
Jiang Ming was already waiting there. Without stopping, he passed the ball directly to Moutinho, who had already made a quick run forward. The whole process was smooth and efficient, without wasting even half a second.
"My goodness! That teamwork was so smooth!" Zhan Jun couldn't help but exclaim. "Jiang Ming is practically a midfield card dispenser! The ball gets to his feet, he just turns around and passes it out, without even stopping!"
Jiang Ming, Bernardo Silva, and Moutinho passed the ball across Tottenham's midfield in a single pass.
After receiving the ball, Moutinho dribbled to the edge of the penalty area, where he found himself in open space.
Without even thinking, he took a long-range shot!
The ball flew out like a cannonball, and with a "thud," it slammed heavily against the crossbeam and bounced back.
Wimmer rushed over in a panic and quickly raised his foot to clear the ball, but in his haste, he made a mistake. The ball was kicked too straight and the clearance was short, landing right at Jiang Ming's feet outside the penalty area!
"How come he just happened to be standing there?"
Pochettino, standing on the sidelines, felt a sudden unease, sensing something was amiss.
How did this kid manage to get stuck in this position so early?
Was it a coincidence? Or was his positioning awareness so good that he could predict the landing point of the escape route in advance?
Before he could figure it out, Jiang Ming, without even stopping, flicked the ball with his toe, and it flew up.
It just grazed over Alderweireld's head as he came to cover, landing directly in front of Traore in the penalty area!
Traore didn't even need to jump; he simply stood still and tossed his head.
The ball grazed his forehead, changed direction instantly, evaded Lloris's anticipated save, and rolled straight into the bottom corner of the goal!
The entire White Deer Lane fell into an eerie silence once again.