socalfunplaces Chapter 58 Just teasing you.
Chapter 58 Just teasing you.
Latourby Training Centre.
Jiang Ming dribbled the ball forward, glancing at the defenders ahead.
Fabinho, this guy is 188cm tall and has a strong physique.
But instead of liking physical prowess, he relies on his long legs to outmaneuver his opponents with footwork.
Since he switched from full-back to defensive midfielder, his tackling awareness has improved significantly.
Fabinho was staring intently at the ball at Jiang Ming's feet, waiting for a moment to find an opening.
His defensive habits are like this: relying on his long legs and quick reflexes, he always likes to seize the opportunity to recklessly stick out his foot to poke the ball.
One step, two steps.
Jiang Ming dribbled the ball and slowly pressed forward.
It's now!
Fabinho finally seized the opportunity when Jiang Ming flicked the ball forward, and with a long leg, he poked the ball directly at him.
Jiang Mingzao had been waiting for this move. Before Fabinho's toes could touch the ball, he stepped on it and pushed it forward.
The ball went straight through Fabinho's legs!
This move was both a nutmeg and a perfectly timed pass, landing right at Mbappe's feet.
Mbappe glanced at goalkeeper Subasic's position, then gently pushed the ball into the far corner.
"Beep—"
The assistant coach on the sidelines blew his whistle.
"Nice Jiang! Our teamwork is getting better and better."
Mbappe ran over and gave Jiang Ming a high five.
"Not bad, you little rascal, you've done it to my groin again." Fabinho also came over and patted him on the shoulder.
Jiang Ming smiled but didn't say anything.
Fabinho's style of actively reaching out to tackle carries too much risk of being nutmegged.
He should learn from that man who is currently at Southampton and will be his teammate at Liverpool in the future.
Don't be pressured when facing a breakthrough; just retreat and compress the opponent's movement path and shooting space...
Yaldin clapped lightly twice on the sidelines: "That's enough. That concludes today's training match. Everyone, go back and get some rest."
Then everyone started walking towards the changing room in twos and threes.
"Shall we go to that restaurant at the end of the street for dinner later?"
"Sure! My treat, Killian's on the bill."
"You just renewed your contract and got a raise, shouldn't you be paying for it?"
Yaldin watched his lads walk away and breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, unlike before, three people were injured in a single training match.
If he gets injured again, he won't be able to field a full starting lineup.
Back in the office, I closed the door.
Yaldin plopped down on the sofa.
He's been quite worried lately.
The team has too many injuries, and there is even a shortage of personnel in the defense.
So he turned on his computer, intending to research the recent winter transfer rumors.
Let's see if there are any cheap and practical promising young players who can fill some of the team's gaps.
Upon opening the sports website, Jardim saw familiar Chinese faces.
Sky Sports: Manchester United are closely monitoring Monaco's rising midfield star, Jiang Ming.
Manchester Evening News: Reliable sources confirm that Manchester United have prioritized Jiang Ming's transfer, placing him on the same level as Paul Pogba.
Journalist David Ornstein: Although Jiang Ming just signed a new contract, Manchester United believes it won't be difficult for them to bring him from Monaco.
Yaldin: "?"
What is all this about?
Why are my own cabbages being targeted again?
If these sources weren't all from credible newspapers or well-known journalists...
Otherwise, he would have almost thought it was fake news from somewhere.
Manchester United just bought Martial from him for 6000 million euros in September.
How long has it been, and it's happening again?
Moreover, it has been less than half a month since Jiang Ming signed his new contract, how could he transfer immediately?
It's impossible for a player to be so rootless...
No, Martial was also poached by Manchester United less than two months after signing a new contract, on the last day of the summer transfer window.
This caused the team to be unable to find a replacement player after the transfer window closed.
Yardin was almost furious.
So they're targeting the same sheep?
He looked at the news and his face darkened.
The more he thought about it, the less he felt the 8000 million yuan termination fee was enough.
Fortunately, the release clause in Ligue 1 is different from that in La Liga.
It's not the kind where the amount is listed and the transfer is triggered automatically once the other player reaches that amount.
Everything requires the player's approval.
After pondering for a long time, Yaldin finally made up his mind that he had to do something within the team.
We should try our best to provide Jiang Ming with better conditions so that he can feel at home in Monaco.
Even if Manchester United offers a high price, as long as Jiang Ming himself doesn't want to leave, their transfer will not be possible.
"Let's do it!"
Once Yaldin understood this, he immediately began to devise new tactics.
Of course, the core of all tactics revolves around one person.
……
2016 1 Month 17 Day.
It is 3 p.m. local time in France, which corresponds to 9 p.m. in China.
The 21st round of Ligue 1 matches has officially kicked off.
Lorient will host Monaco at the Stade de la Le Moustova.
Welcome to Lay's Sports...
"Monaco is likely to have a tough time in this match."
"Lorient are unbeaten in eleven home games this season."
"They only lost by one goal against Paris Saint-Germain, currently the strongest team in Ligue 1."
"Furthermore, they won their first league match against Monaco away from home, and this time they have the home advantage."
"If Monaco can successfully defeat Lorient away from home, it means they can compete with Paris Saint-Germain..."
"On Lorient's side, 22-year-old Rafael Guerreiro, this full-back is currently the team's anchor in the backfield."
"It can attack or defend, making it a versatile player that combines offense and defense."
After Sun Chen finished his introduction, the starting lineups for both sides were officially announced.
"Let's take a look at Monaco's formation."
"Jiang Ming has started again, it seems his position remains the same..."
"Defensive midfielder?!"
When Sun Chen saw the formation diagram displayed on the live stream, he almost thought he was seeing things.
Defensive midfielders: Toulalan, Jiang Ming, Moutinho
That's right!
Sun Chen composed himself and said, "It seems that Yaldin is preparing to conduct a tactical experiment, but I don't know if Jiang Ming can handle this position."
The players entered the field with their caddies.
When fans finally saw Jiang Ming in the defensive midfield position, their screens were flooded with comments.
"What the hell? What is Yaldin doing?"
"Does he really think he's Ancelotti, using Jiang Ming as Pirlo? He even puts him in a triple defensive midfield position."
"But Pirlo at his peak could jog 10 kilometers per game. Although he would fall over at the slightest touch in a physical contest, this running could bring positive feedback to the team."
"Honestly, when have you ever seen Jiang Ming fight against anyone?"
"I understand what you mean. Pass it on. Jiang Ming has never lost a physical confrontation in many matches!"
"As long as I don't fight back, I haven't lost."
……
With the referee's whistle.
Game start.
Lorient pushed forward as soon as they kicked off.
They've been incredibly stubborn this season.
Under the tactical requirements of head coach Ripol, the main focus is on attack.
Even against Paris Saint-Germain, they dared to play an attacking style.
What's even more surprising is...
Lorient even surpassed Paris in terms of shots and shots on target in that match.
The only reason for the loss was that the players weren't as good at seizing opportunities as Paris Saint-Germain.
They acted like this against Paris, so they certainly won't back down against Monaco!
They only want to kill everyone present, or be killed by everyone present.
The 5th minute of the match.
Guerrero dribbled down the left flank, facing Dillard's cover.
He simply swerved and got past Dillar.
Fabinho, playing as a right-back, retreated while looking for opportunities to intercept.
However, Guerrero did not continue down the line.
Instead, he launched a 45° cross from the left wing.
Lorient's striker, Gennot, unleashed a powerful shot from just outside the penalty area.
He raised both hands, ready to celebrate the goal.
But in the end, the ball couldn't be contained and narrowly missed going over the crossbar.
The 8th minute of the match.
Lorient's attack is on again.
It was Jannot again, receiving a through ball from his teammate in the heart of Monaco's midfield.
One-on-one with Subasic, he made a slight adjustment and slotted the ball into the near corner!
Goal!
Jannot slid down to his knees in the corner flag area and began a passionate celebration.
But at the same time, the linesman raised his flag.
Jannot was offside; the goal was disallowed.
He turned around, saw the goal disallowed, and scratched his head.
He'd already slid down his knees like that; it would be so embarrassing if he got blown out of it.
As Jannot walked back to his own half of the field, he was still trying to comfort himself.
No problem, with the team's attack so fierce, how can we worry about not having scoring opportunities?
Although I have now scored zero goals and celebrated twice.
But that's okay, there's always a third chance to celebrate.
He believed that by then, he wouldn't have a zero-goal, three-celebration game!
……
Sidelines.
Lorient's manager, Ripol, tossed his overcoat.
Elegant and freehand.
Anyway, a small team like ours is bound to get thrashed in Ligue 1.
Instead of being constantly pressured, it's better to take the initiative and maybe even surprise these strong teams.
Of the top four teams this season, apart from Paris Saint-Germain, his team defeated the other three in their first encounter.
This further proves the practicality of this offensive tactic.
He watched his own players on the field constantly dominating Monaco, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
That's how you have to suppress them.
He didn't care what kind of midfield prodigy or speedy winger Monaco had recently produced.
Let's do it!
"Monaco is being suppressed pretty badly right now!" Sun Chen sighed.
"They were hit with three shots on goal by Lorient within the first ten minutes."
"And he scored once over the crossbar and once offside in a one-on-one situation."
"Could this be their first loss in recent times?"
……
The match is in its 12rd minute.
Monaco finally regained possession of the ball under Lorient's continued pressure.
Toulalan intercepted the opponent's through ball just outside the penalty area and prepared to pass the ball to Jiang Ming in the center circle.
Then he suddenly realized that the Chinese player on the team was in a similar position to him, both being defensive midfielders.
He looked up and saw Jiang Ming about seven or eight meters away, blinking at him.
Without hesitation, Toulalan made a short pass and delivered the ball.
As Jiang Ming prepared to receive the ball, he glanced behind him.
Lorient's midfielder Ndon has already begun to run towards him.
Fortunately, Moutinho came up to help block the shot.
That's how Jiang Ming avoided being closely tackled and robbed.
He looked up and glanced at the scene before him.
Lemar on the left, Carrillo in the middle, and Dilar on the right.
After seeing Jiang Ming get the ball, the three players quickly moved forward.
This clearly indicates the formation of path dependence.
As long as Jiang gets the ball, he should charge forward!
Jiang Ming immediately swung his leg on the spot and delivered a long, overhead pass that pierced the night sky.
[Special Skill: Pirlo's Long Pass Guiding]
Wow! Jiang Ming delivered another long pass from the backfield!
"Lemar receives the ball on the left wing."
"Cut inside, break into the penalty area..."
"Break the door!"
"Goal!"
"In the 12th minute of the match, Monaco took a 1-0 lead away from home!"
"They withstood Lorient's fierce attacks, seized an opportunity after a successful interception, and Jiang Ming orchestrated a long pass counter-attack that resulted in a successful goal!"
……
"They made it in already? That's awesome!"
"Who dares to say I, Yaldin, am messing around? This is based on tactical principles! Apologize!"
"You always think that the three defensive midfielders are some kind of mess, but actually they are just copied from AC Milan's backline positioning."
"Jiang Ming's teammates Toulalan and Moutinho are like Pirlo's teammates Gattuso and Ambrosini."
"My God, you are capable!"
……
"Heh." Yaldin sneered.
Ripol thought that he could succeed in stealing a chicken once and then do it again.
That's utterly delusional.
The formation with three defensive midfielders that I set up today was specifically designed for counter-attacks.
Unexpectedly, one of them was successfully advanced in just 12 minutes.
As for being suppressed earlier...
That was just to tease you!
……
After celebrating, the players returned to the center circle.
The game has restarted.
Lorient, having conceded the first goal, seemed lost and unsure how to respond.
In the past, they would usually start by applying high pressure from the beginning, overwhelming their opponents.
After scoring, they continued their momentum, using their aggressive style of play to constantly pressure their opponents until they achieved victory.
But now that they're behind, Lorient's players are a bit at a loss.
They glanced at their coach, but received no response, so they decided to continue playing like this.
……
The 25th minute of the match.
Monaco regained possession in their own half.
Jiang Ming received the ball and delivered a long pass.
Dillar on the right wing receives the ball and prepares to go down the wing.
However, Guerrero, who was rushing towards him, made a precise tackle to steal the ball.
"Wow! Guerrero's steal was amazing!" Sun Chen exclaimed.
"It is said that he has been scouted by Borussia Dortmund and is preparing to transfer to Dortmund this summer."
After successfully intercepting the ball, Guerrero dribbled forward and once again dribbled past Toulalan with a feint.
He was about to dribble into the penalty area when Fabinho, who was marking him on the same path, dispossessed him again.
The two sides kicked back and forth for a while.
……
The match is in its 42rd minute.
Fabinho once again successfully intercepted the ball in the backfield.
He has made all three of his steals so far!
Fabinho passed the ball to Jiang Ming.
Having learned his lesson from Jiang Ming's long passes twice before, Lorient has made new tactical adjustments.
Head coach Ripol instructed all the forwards to press and position themselves after he received the ball.
This forced his teammates to defend him one-on-one.
At this point, this physically weak young Chinese man will be left isolated and helpless.
Ripol has already envisioned scoring after successfully intercepting the ball.
The situation on the field was the same.
Lorient's midfielder Ndong came rushing towards them.
Jiang Ming, however, did not rush to take action.
Instead, he stepped on the ball with his right foot.
The moment Eun-dong arrived.
He and the ball moved back a step.
Endong missed his target and was about to kick again.
Immediately afterwards, Jiang Ming flicked the ball to the left.
Eun-dong had just caught up when he missed again.
It went on like this, one wave after another, then another.
Jiang Ming seemed to be on the field, dancing to the rhythm.
When Eun-dong came to his senses...
The distance between the two had increased to two or three meters.
They weren't far away, but there was nothing that could be done to stop them.
He could only watch helplessly as the young Chinese man swung his leg again.
The ball was struck.
Long pass.
Over the top.
Tear through the defenses!
Carrillo chests the ball down at the edge of the penalty area.
Turn around.
Taking advantage of the gap when they weren't blocked by the defenders.
A right-footed shot!