Chapter 229: Playing Football with the Leader 2

Klopp and Guardiola are in this historical period.

If a 4-3-3 formation is deployed, the biggest difference in the attacking phase is the use of the two full-backs.

Guardiola's Manchester City has very high demands for the movement of the two full-backs:

Often one needs to tuck in to switch with the center-back, while the other pushes forward to become a pivot for distributing the ball; as for how the midfield and forward players should play, it remains the same.

Liverpool is simpler yet also more complex:

The two full-backs stay closer to the flanks, push forward to join the attack, making full use of the width.

Subsequent movements of the midfield and forwards must develop according to the full-backs' positional changes.

Should Henderson charge forward or drop back?

Should Mané and Coutinho cut inside or stay wide?

Should Firmino drop into midfield to join the press?

All the answers lie with the two full-backs.

Facing Li Kang, this is a strong one-on-one defensive interception point.

Which method is more effective?

Of course it's Liverpool.

Emirates Stadium.

A black surge wildly sweeps across the red-and-white half.

"Liverpool's formation has become a 2-3-5!"

"Klein and Moreno on the two flanks are so far apart yet can still distribute widely—both transfers were very successful."

"The passing speed is just average, like the prelude to heavy metal rock."

"Arsenal can only retreat quickly as a whole; there aren't enough midfielders to compete!"

In God's perspective.

Li Kang observed that the opponent's passing speed was not fast, but the movement of several attacking players up front changed especially quickly.

This is the prelude to being ready to speed up the attack at any moment.

Over the past few days he has been studying Liverpool's match footage, fully aware that Klopp has polished the team's attacking play to be very smooth.

He subconsciously prepares to drop back and support.

Suddenly he sees Wenger raise his right hand, signaling him not to drop back too deep.

At the same time.

The diligent old ox Giroud quickly tracks back and takes position.

This is another arrangement that violates tactical defensive discipline.

Arsenal's defensive line has been compressed into a flat shape.

Many criticize Wenger's coaching ability as weak.

Actually his pre-match deployment is very strong, after all he is the manager who won the Premier League 49-match unbeaten trophy.

Every year he can turn mediocre ingredients into a dish fit for a top-four Premier League finish...

On the other side.

Klopp scratched his beard.

His brain raced wildly:

"'Arsenal clearly has no intention of competing in midfield pressing; their forwards don't even press forward to cut space, allowing us to flatten them so easily?'"

"'How is that kid just strolling around?'"

"'What does that mean?'"

The Arsenal fans in Highbury also feel a bit dazed.

This kind of defensive tendency, similar to 'parking the bus', is simply not beautiful football!

How can we let Liverpool attack so easily into our own half?

How come our £200 million man isn't participating in defense?

Even Barcelona's midfield is launching high-frequency presses!

Gradually, sparse boos drift from the home stands.

Meanwhile, Liverpool fans are singing 'You'll Never Walk Alone', uplifting the red troops on the pitch!

"'Mané has run into the half-space!'"

"'Klein and Moreno are stretching wide on the two flanks!'"

"'What an extreme width!'"

"'Pick up the tempo!'"

Coutinho suddenly surged into the penalty area, simultaneously receiving a through ball from Wijnaldum.

It did not lure Koscielny into a frontal tackle.

Giroud shoved his hips forward!

Cannot delay,

Delaying the attacking rhythm is a major taboo for Liverpool!

Cazorla also needs to come over to help defend!

Smack!

The Brazilian genius feinted and darted, but ultimately gave up on the dribble, striking with an outside-of-the-boot pass to Klein near the outer edge of the penalty area close to the baseline!

Another smack.

The football whistled into Arsenal's penalty area!

Dangerous!

Ah! What a pity, the passing force was a bit strong, the route was erratic, nobody touched the ball!

The ball almost slid out of the baseline, fortunately Moreno controlled it.

Liverpool is going to reorganize its attack.

If it's a positional battle, the Gunners aren't that afraid of the Red Army.

Liverpool's forward trident is very space-consuming.

Time passed minute by minute.

Mané, Firmino, and Coutinho, under Klopp's tactical framework, do not easily lose possession in positional play.

When the ball reaches each player's feet, different attacking details can be derived.

Mané's ball-receiving characteristic, when not bursting, is a 'Sheep Assault' type organization, with very strong passing deception, passing long not short; people of this era overlooked his passing and control ability.

Coutinho's trait is that of a genuine number 10, occasionally cutting to midfield to receive the ball, with extraordinary dribbling ability, while restraining the opponent's defensive positioning, he also waits for a chance to accelerate and break through Arsenal's defense.

After all, he is a super talent produced by Inter Milan's youth academy; during his growth, the stars he played with were all treble-winning level giants, and Barcelona has long been eyeing him.

And Firmino?

He is more like the hub that exchanges possession between the two and switches attacking patterns.

However.

The overall attack is never just the affair of three people.

"Klopp-trained this forward line, ordinary teams really can't withstand it."

"Absolutely firepower at the level of Champions League semi-finalists!"

"It's just that the chemical reaction between the midfield and the two full-backs on both sides isn't strong."

"Wenger's arranged defense is very targeted!"

"Liverpool's attack always goes silent on Moreno's side."

"If Coutinho mainly attacks in the direction of Klein, he also falls into Arsenal's trap."

Wenger kept looking at his watch, still gesturing for Li Kang not to retreat too deep.

The Emirates Stadium rang with boos.

Yinsilingdun fans were very dissatisfied:

"Two hundred million to buy back an old geezer? Didn't you see the team getting thrashed that badly? What happened to the promised holding midfielder debut? Why not track back?"

Arsenal fans all over the world were, however, expecting something.

-【Although it slightly violates tactical discipline, playing very un-Arsenal, but Wenger's defensive deployment has no problems.】

-【There's not much pressure; keep Li Mingdeng in midfield, keep Morata up front, a very traditional counter-attack link.】

-【Moreover, look at Wijnaldum's positioning; he hardly dares to go too deep, and from time to time he has to pull out to link up with Li Mingdeng, reducing the number of Liverpool attackers involved.】

-【When our unit accompanies the leader in a kickabout, the leader doesn't need to participate in defense.】

-【Hey, pay attention, the opposing players also especially dread the leader.】

Morata wanders between the two Liverpool centre-backs, occasionally turning to look back at the rear situation.

At this time he still hasn't learned to talk trash, nor has he learned to accidentally injure opponents.

Temporarily teased by fans as: Pure and Spotless.

Lovren and Klavan feel a bit uneasy: whenever the backfield possession is unstable, the Spanish god-forward's running tendency becomes especially strange, his acceleration also especially explosive, feeling very tricky.

At the edge of the pitch.

Klopp also finds it very tricky.

His tactical system has no problems at all.

Compared to last season, it greatly reduced 'ineffective running', and the midfield-front attack is also better at controlling the tempo.

However.

Several ingredients in this dish are not good!

It fails to meet the lower limit of Liverpool's attacking demand.

"Arnold is still young; this match cannot be his Premier League debut."

"I still need an interior forward skilled at tearing open the weak side."

In the midst of thought.

Liverpool's head coach agonized to the point of involuntarily tugging at his hair.

Match minute 18.

Moreno's lofted pass was intercepted by Walcott.

Arsenal sounded the horn of counterattack.

Fortunately, Lallana intercepted in time, regaining possession.

Match minute 26.

Moreno was again subjected to a 'gang beating'.

Arsenal again sounded the horn of counterattack.

Fortunately, Lallana and Mané's interceptions were timely, regaining possession.

Match minute 34.

Coutinho received a teammate's pass at the edge of the penalty area.

He observed that Moreno had run into space, but for a moment he dared not pass the ball there.

Facing Giroud's arched butt.

The Brazilian genius quickly turned and circled, creating space for a long-range shot.

In an instant.

Arsenal's defensive line quickly contracted.

Cheers rose from the stands on all sides.

"Wow, this pre-move! This position!"

"He finally has a chance to unleash his big move!"

"A single arrow that pierces the clouds, and ten thousand troops come to meet."

One fresh move, and you can eat all under heaven.

Kutinio's pierce-the-clouds arrow is now one of the supreme skills in football!

Peng!

The ball was accompanied by a loud sound.

Like a sharp arrow that missed.

It howled, breaking through the dense red-and-white crowd.

It headed toward the far corner of Arsenal's goal.

The visual impact exploded.

At the moment when thousands of troops fire as one.

The Czech wearing a tank top on his head stretched his posture and used both fists to push the ball out.

The goalkeeper of the Arsenal at this moment is Qiehe!

"A godlike long-range shot!"

"A godlike save!"

"We also have to praise the positioning of Kesiqierni and Motesake!"

"Mengleyaer's big kick clears the ball!"

"It's a pass!"

"Another counterattack!"

Liverpool, after losing possession in the front, has the 'five-second principle'.

This is the essence of Kelopu.

Ordinary opponents, if they rush to counterattack, cannot withstand it.

Unfortunately, Wenge's Arsenal will not overly pursue the ultimate speed of counterattacks.

The thirty-meter area.

Woerkete received the ball, without rushing to pass it directly to Molata.

Instead, he was observing Li Kang's movement.

Weinerdumu dared not drop back far, but instead stayed close behind Arsenal's number 10.

"Don't rush!"

"Arsenal's counterattack isn't fast, but it's very steady."

"Wait for Kaisuola to come up, then we'll speed up!"

"Oh no!"

"Li Kang feinted, shaking off Weinerdumu!"

"Woerkete passed the ball over!"

In Li Kang's vision, a slightly plump, curly-haired figure appeared.

Puladini.

French prodigy.

It didn't bring any attribute boost, but conveyed the most relaxed idea of shaking off.

He followed the tendency of the phantom.

He swayed to the left.

Weinerdumu then took two lateral steps, the action halfway...

Li Kang had already darted out from the right-side space!

The whole stadium was shocked!

"Agile."

"Suave."

"Can a single feint and turn create the ideal receiving space?"

"Terrifying observation skills, terrifying speed of balance adjustment!"

Kelopu wasn't panicking at all.

He had anticipated this situation.

Li Kang could shake off Weinerdumu, but not Hengdesen, and even less Luofullun and Kelawan!

That's right.

Wenge's slow counterattack pace no longer matches the mainstream of the Premier League.

During the counterattack, do we still have to wait for teammates to come up and play give-and-go?

We can't intercept Li Kang's ball... but we can also delay other players' recovery.

Hengdesen's paper strength is very weak, but wearing the Liverpool jersey makes him explode.

Facing Arsenal's number 10, famous across Europe.

He did not lightly commit a tackle.

Drag.

Wait.

Press.

Li Kang sensed Casola behind him.

He lightly tapped his heel.

The two seemed to have a telepathic connection.

The ball rolled back two meters, and at the feet of Arsenal's magician, he lofted a lovely arc.

"Very very crucial midfield transition!"

"We finally understood Wenger's intention to keep Li Kang in midfield!"

"Not a fancy pass-and-cut!"

"It's a deadly move!"

"When did Morata go wide?"

"No offside!"

"Lovren and Klavan can't keep up with him!"

"The Spanish forward's burst speed is too strong!"

"He's rushed past!"

"One-on-one!"

Pitch side.

Assistant coach Boerde looked bewildered: "Boss, how did Morata kick out a top‑world level? Clearly at the European Cup he was..."

Wenger said seriously:

"Morata's childhood dream was to join Arsenal."

"He must know our football philosophy well."

The other side.

Klopp anxiously directed the players.

He was really annoyed.

The front‑line attack couldn't achieve perfect results because of some players' individual abilities.

The defensive setup in the back was clearly perfect, yet it was torn apart with ease.

Can't give up!

There are still trustworthy teammates!

Goalkeeper‑Karius!

Emirates Stadium.

Cheers and boos mingled together.

Morata charged forward all the way, reaching the edge of Liverpool's penalty area!

Karius isn't afraid of him.

He's just bad—only bad when facing Li.

As for Arsenal's other attackers?

I had already made detailed pre‑match preparations, down to each player's preferred foot and shooting habits!

Morata suddenly felt he had become smarter.

The opposing goalkeeper's blocking position was perfect.

It didn't give him a good shooting angle.

If he slowed down now to adjust his shot, wouldn't Lovren and Klavan behind catch up?

That's still secondary.

He seemed to have lost a bit of his shooting confidence.

What should we do?

In his peripheral vision he saw Li Kang's run.

He immediately lowered his head and found the perfect answer: widen the play!

"Why not shoot?"

"What a waste of a chance!"

"Don't you watch your teammates' runs?"

"Karius's blocking positioning is perfect, giving Morata no chance!"

"A textbook‑style defense against a breakaway."

"Morata took the ball wide!"

In the shot.

Morata quickly found himself surrounded by three men near the byline of the penalty area.

It looked like the ball was about to be lost.

Li Kang surged into the penalty area, with Henderson close behind.

In his vision, the phantom of Platini appeared again.

Still, it brought no improvement in ability.

Instead, it pointed out the most suitable receiving position.

A penalty‑area ball‑path analysis more precise than God's perspective?

Wrong.

This ability is close to prediction.

Smack!

The ball burst out from the crowded crowd.

It was a route no one had anticipated.

Li Kang circled around and shook off Henderson.

He tapped the ball with his left foot.

A perfectly natural shooting motion.

Straight into the empty net!

2:0!

!

"Wow!"

"What a beautiful ball!"

"Li Kang again! He scored twice!"

"Ball and player arrive together!"

"The two-hundred-million man and the fifty-million man's decisive connection!"

"The chemistry between them is too gorgeous!"

"Morata assisted, Li Kang scored into the empty net, helping Arsenal extend their lead!"

"Wenger's deployment, which violates tactical discipline, lets Li Kang command the fullest offensive resources up front!"

"Created space for teammates to launch counterattacks!"

"Created opportunities for late-arriving teammates to receive and transition the ball!"

"Provided finishing support for the forward line teammates!"

"Arsenal under his control is like an exquisite pistol."

Live broadcast.

Bullet comments flying everywhere.

-【Fixing Li Mingdeng in the attacking third... also very strong.】

-【He plays so easily on the pitch.】

-【Arsenal's two hundred million were well spent; the whole counterattacking style is different.】

-【Wenger abandoned beautiful football... but the process of these two goals is also beautiful.】

-【It's still too risky; if the back line can't withstand Liverpool's attack, it's over. All we can say is that Arsenal's pre-match setup was thorough, exploiting Moreno's flank to disrupt the attack.】

-【Watch the slow replay; Karius is actually not bad—he, Lovren, and Klavan, from the situation on the field, cleared this one-on-one.】

-【Morata is also a monster... despite being pressed by three men, he still delivered such a seamless pass—50 million euros! Where else could you find such a fitting Arsenal striker!】

-【With this kind of dominance, Arsenal could win the Premier League if injury-free! In the Champions League they could overturn a cosmic team!】

-【What to do? Will Liverpool be slaughtered?】

-【Really, don't rush; after watching more Liverpool matches you'll know the second half is the time for a comeback.】

Yin Si Ling Dun fans blushed.

They were still criticizing Li Kang's 'defensive attitude' just a few minutes ago.

Now they can only drown it out with even wilder cheers.

"Lee!"

"

Li Kang was surrounded by his teammates.

Even Sanchez, who bore a grudge, subconsciously developed the intention to be a good accessory.

Originally, wanting Arsenal to take the lead was that simple.

"Li, your movement is too amazing; I actually wanted to wait for Giroud to run up before passing!"

"Damn it, if we waited for Giroud to run up, Mané would already be standing by our goalpost!"

"See? Just play like this, helping Li create space."

Li Kang inadvertently recalled other teams' match footage:

Platini's thinking may not be universally applicable against any opponent.

If I attract most defenders in the attacking process, Arsenal still has many attacking options up front—Sanchez, Giroud, Walcott, Cazorla, etc., plus the bench players...

In short.

This Arsenal's future competitiveness in the Champions League is strong.

Under Liverpool's goalpost.

Karius took off his gloves, anxiously tugging at his blond hair; his handsome face was clouded with worry.

This is actually his Premier League debut.

Before halftime even ended, Li Kang had knocked his value out.

Henderson took responsibility for the lost ball upon himself:

"It's my problem... I didn't realize Morata's pass would be so weird."

"Cheer up, we're only two goals behind, there's still time!"

At the edge of the pitch.

Wenger excitedly clapped loudly.

Boerde and the substitute bench players embraced.

"Boss, it looks like Liverpool is about to make a substitution."

"Is that the youngster named Arnold?"

"Oh no, he hasn't even played in the Premier League yet! The coaching staff doesn't have enough information on him."

On the other side.

Klopp embraced a curly-haired youngster, spewing words in rapid succession.

"Listen, I'm going to substitute you in for Moreno."

"No, no, no, I won't let you play on the left flank."

"You'll take Krein's position, and let him go to the left."

"We're not far from scoring in the whole first half!"

"Good kid, don't ask such a stupid question, just do it like in regular training!"

The tactics board fell to the ground.

Liverpool's head coach couldn't help but punch Arnold in the chest.

"Knock them over!"