The so-called "Dongxi Plan" is the "privilege" Keegan set for Wang Xiaodong.
As long as he finds Walcott on the counterattack, he can pass the ball directly to him.
In daily practice, Wang Xiaodong's task was to turn around instantly after receiving the ball, and then pass the ball to Walcott as quickly as possible.
Walcott needs to catch the ball as quickly as possible and then complete the shot within three kicks.
But without the blessing of the aiming charm, Wang Xiaodong's footwork was terrible.
Walcott was so angry that he gritted his teeth, but he could only move forward, sprint and chase the ball again and again.
Wang Xiaodong later gradually found a pattern. As long as he didn't kick the ball too crookedly, Walcott had to do his best to chase the ball.
Therefore, under Wang Xiaodong's deliberate "aiming", the little tiger running back and forth over and over again became tired and turned into a kitten.
Since practicing long passes with Walcott alone, Wang Xiaodong has not paid much attention to the schedule.
He didn't even react much when he found out he would start in Monday's Carabao Cup tie.
"Wow! Wow! Wow! Dong, this is incredible, the first choice!"
"Yes, Dong, congratulations, you can even start!"
"Dong, work harder, I'm optimistic about you!"
Amid the congratulations of his teammates, Walcott looked ferocious.
"Mr. Keegan..."
Looking at the unwilling face of the little tiger, Keegan replied calmly: "Theo, I know what you want to ask. You want to ask why he has been holding you and the winter training camp these days, and why he is allowed to start without you, right? What?"
Walcott nodded, he must Keegan must come up with an answer that can convince him.
"It's very simple, look at you now, and then look at Dong!"
Keegan pointed lightly.
It was also the same day of training. Wang Xiaodong seemed to be fine, but Walcott was sweating profusely.
In terms of physical strength, Wang Xiaodong completely defeated Walcott.
"But, but I..."
"But what?"
Walcott gave Wang Xiaodong a hard look and finally swallowed his words.
He wanted to say that he had been walked around by Wang Xiaodong these days, but if he said it, wouldn't he admit that he was being treated like a "monkey"?
Walcott, who had always been high-spirited, had no choice but to swallow all his grievances.
"Just wait! Wait until I come on the field and score the winning goal. Then I will let you know that I am Southampton's most dazzling new star!"
...
Unlike other leagues, England has an extra League Cup.
The purpose of the League Cup is to allow all 92 teams in England to participate, and through successive eliminations, they will eventually win the championship.
Precisely because there is no entry threshold, the League Cup has not received as much attention as the League and FA Cup, and it has not been taken seriously by wealthy teams.
For the Premier League giants, the League Cup is simply a dispensable thing. At best, it is used to train the second team.
On the contrary, for those lower-level teams, the League Cup is an opportunity for them to stand out.
Think about it, a League Two team can face top clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal on the same field, and even score a goal.
Such fantastic and wonderful things appear in the dreams of those low-level team players every night.
Since Southampton is in the British Championship, it has no privileges and has to participate from the first round.
The opponent in the first round was Southend United from the single management area of Essex in eastern England.
Last season, Southend United became the second division play-off champion and was promoted to English League One. Now, after eight league games, Southend United is ranked sixth in English League One, barely squeezing into the promotion line.
Southend United's strength is limited, and most of the players sent by Kevin Keegan are substitutes. This is the fundamental reason why Wang Xiaodong can appear in the starting lineup.
Perhaps for Wang Xiaodong, starting this game is not a good thing, because it may mean that he will continue to sit on the bench in the league a few days later.
Poor Walcott was only focused on "competing" with Wang Xiaodong and didn't pay attention to this key personnel arrangement.
However, in Wang Xiaodong's view, this is not a problem. As long as the coach still believes in himself and lets him play, he will have a chance to score goals or assists.
When the data came in, Keegan wanted to put himself on the bench, but the fans refused.
On September 13, the first round of the League Cup officially started.
Although it was only a League Cup match, and the opponent was a low-level club like Southend United, because they heard that Wang Xiaodong could start, many Southampton fans still came to the east coast with the team and left the Root Hall Stadium. Fill up.
Root Hall Stadium is small and can only accommodate 12,000 fans.
Even so, it is the largest football ground in Essex.
While Wang Xiaodong was warming up, he saw many familiar fans in the stands.
They held up banners that read "DONG" and seemed to have completely become Wang Xiaodong's personal fans.
"Come on, let this be my home court!"
As usual, Wang Xiaodong came to the bottom of the visiting team's stands and issued his battle declaration to the fans.
"Winter! Winter! Winter! Winter!"
This time, he once again got a response from all the fans.
...
As soon as the referee blew the whistle, Kendi Jones passed the ball to a teammate on one side and began to rush towards the opponent's half.
Forward Madsen also chose to pass back and advance forward. When the ball came to Wang Xiaodong's feet, six teammates had already crossed the midfield.
Wang Xiaodong, who was standing in the backcourt, had plenty of space to play the ball. Such a deep hinterland made Southend United's forwards afraid to act rashly.
Wang Xiaodong glanced at the front court and moved the ball to the right. Then he takes a running start and hits the ball hard.
Whoosh!
A meteor streaked across the sky and headed straight for the Southend United penalty area.
"Stop it! Push out of the penalty area! Block it, block it!!!"
Seeing this scene, Southend United head coach Steve yelled into the field in a panic.
However, this was clearly an opening "stealing tactic" that Southampton had long practiced. When Southend United's defenders hurriedly ran in front of the Saints forward, Kendi Jones had already unloaded the ball steadily.
As the team's main forward, Kendi Jones clearly knows that the coach's purpose for letting him play is not to score goals, but to create opportunities for other players.
On the premise of protecting himself, Kendi Jones did not choose to break through with the ball, but directly swept the ball across the middle.
Although Southend United is strong in League One, in England, every level of the league is like a chasm.
Teams that have climbed up from below are very likely to fall back down again in the new season.
Therefore, the newly promoted team's first priority in the new season is to do their best to avoid relegation.
Kendy Jones stopped the ball and most of the Southend United defenders focused on him.
When he passed the ball out, the players all followed the shadow of the ball and diverted their attention.
This kind of defensive method of watching the ball but not the people is simply LOW in the eyes of Southampton, who has experienced the Premier League.
Madsen, who responded in the midfield, flicked the ball directly over the defender's head with a tiptoe tip.
The defender never expected that the opponent's forward would pass him by in this way.
In fact, Madsen did not expect that this unconscious pass would go so smoothly. When he appeared behind the opponent's defender with the ball, the only thing standing in front was Southend United's trembling goalkeeper.
Madsen quickly swung his leg and pushed the ball. With the goalkeeper's symbolic save, the ball went directly into the net.
16 seconds!
In less than half a minute, Southampton broke through their opponent's goal.
The Saints in the stands were going crazy. Such a neat and quick goal made it impossible for them to calm down.
It seems that only yelling can vent the excitement in my heart.
After scoring, Madsen quickly rushed to the sidelines and posed variously in front of the camera.
Wang Xiaodong, who had just run through midfield, stood there, scratching his head and watching the replay on the big screen.
"Is this a goal?"
"Isn't it too easy to score a goal?"
Wang Xiaodong took an inner look at the 8 advanced, 13 intermediate and 22 elementary aiming spells he had accumulated, and suddenly a ridiculous idea came to his mind.
This is his first starting game. If he doesn't leave some unforgettable memories, how can he be worthy of himself?
