When Wang Xiaodong silenced Stamford Bridge with a horse in the air, Tottenham's performance was about to begin.
Grant wanted to use Tottenham's massive pressure to counterattack, but today's Chelsea is not the team trained by Magic Bird at all.
Not to mention counterattack, it is not easy to clear the ball out of the half.
Ballack's eyes were filled with sparks from the kick, but he was still helpless.
He alone cannot change the status quo at all.
Just like the 2002 World Cup.
Of course, it's not like Chelsea hasn't made a decent counterattack.
In the 19th minute, Makelele used a tackle to steal the ball from Modric's feet and quickly pushed the ball to Ballack.
The German god of war pushed with his right foot and handed the ball to Phillips on the wing.
Wright-Phillips, who had been holding back his energy, finally got the ball and immediately sprinted forward as fast as he could.
After passing Lee Yong-pyo, he suddenly went inside and moved along the ribs of the penalty area.
Seeing that he was approaching Tottenham's penalty area, the impatient Phillips swung his left leg and kicked out a cannon.
Compared with Peter Pan Robben, Phillips' shot is completely different.
Robben's inward arc can bypass all defenders and fly into the net against the post.
However, Phillips' kick went straight forward and rushed out of the goal frame early.
Even so, it still won cheers from the fans in the stands.
I don't know since when, Blues fans began to cheer for this kind of shot that was of no quality but was barely entertaining.
It seems that in the post-Magic Bird era, Chelsea as a whole has begun to decline.
Seeing the ball deflecting away from the goal, Phillips looked annoyed.
He wanted to take advantage of the absence of the team's main forward to show off his performance, but now it seems that he may not be able to win the trust of the head coach and fans.
He is just a substitute.
Not every substitute has his day.
Just look at Anelka sitting on the bench and you will know that in the second half of the league, the club still has not had his turn as to the starting candidate for the forward line.
Thinking of himself sitting on the bench helplessly waiting for Drogba to return, Phillips became angry.
After falling behind by one goal in the game, he was even more anxious than the head coach.
But it's useless to be anxious. Chelsea only had a few counterattack opportunities, leaving not many times for him to waste.
If he doesn't help the team change the situation in time, who knows how many more goals the Chinese who can spread his legs will score.
DONG, who started going crazy, dared to perform in the Champions League with five sons!
In the 34th minute of the first half, Chelsea's offense could not reach Tottenham's half no matter how hard it fought.
In a rare big-footed clearance, Robinson picked up the ball and then passed it to his teammates to organize the attack.
Although Chelsea in the Magic Bird era did not have a high ball possession rate, their counterattack effect was among the best in the world.
But now, watching the players desperately making clearances one after another, the fans are anxious to death.
Finally, even Grant on the sidelines couldn't stand it anymore and replaced the sluggish Pizarro with Anelka, who had just signed a few days ago.
Seeing the head coach's substitution, Wright-Phillips involuntarily crossed himself on his chest.
Good guy!
My condition is not good, but there are others in the team who are in even worse condition than me!
Pizarro, who had been sleepwalking for the first 30 minutes, never entered the center of the screen once, causing the fans to simply forget that they had another striker.
Although Phillips' performance was not satisfactory, Grant eventually replaced Pizarro, who didn't even have a "performance opportunity."
The Frenchman, who was born in Paris Saint-Germain, is no longer the Gunners star who was discovered by Arsene Wenger.
Today, Anelka has played for 8 clubs at the age of 29.
After experiencing the decline of La Liga, the precipitation of the Turkish Super League, and the preparation for returning to the Premier League, Anelka was brought to Stamford Bridge from Bolton by Chelsea for 20 million at the beginning of the year.
Today, Anelka is no longer the impetuous boy he used to be. Having already started a family in England, he has gradually calmed down both in life and in his playing style.
The only reason Chelsea bought him was to find a second striker who could replace Drogba.
Today's game against Tottenham is Anelka's first appearance with the Blues!
The appearance of the bald black man caused a roar in the stands.
There is no other way. Blues fans can only choose to give their trust and applause to this "new recruit" who has just joined the team, hoping that he can make a difference to the team and the situation on the field.
Anelka's appearance did not live up to the fans' expectations of him. One minute before the end of the first half, he finally created a chance for Chelsea.
Another steal from Makelele in midfield.
Facing the French defense, both Modric and Wang Xiaodong had a headache.
With most of the team's main players absent, Makelele fully demonstrated what it means to grow stronger with age.
This engineer-type player is like a screw in Tottenham's offensive line in the midfield.
No matter what mentality and performance other opponents have, when it comes to Makelele, everything is the best display.
Modric's fake moves at his feet were already very smooth, but in the eyes of Makelele, who was planning to move later, he only needed one kick to seize the opponent's flaw.
In other words, if the opponent's flaws are not discovered, the French will not take action.
Sometimes too much foot movement often brings more negative effects. It took Ronaldo three or four years to figure this out after he came to Manchester United, and Modric is also gradually mastering this knowledge.
Makelele's sudden interception of the ball stopped Tottenham's overall offensive. When he passed the counterattack, Bell on the other side was even running forward and did not react at all.
After receiving Makelele's pass, Wright-Phillips ran forward quickly like an arrow off the string.
The positioning of Tottenham's half-court players is very subtle at this moment, especially the two central defenders at the end. Their reaction will determine everything.
For central defenders, unless necessary and if they are 100% sure, they will generally not attack easily.
The defender's job is to stay in position and wait for his midfield teammates to run back and form a double-team, thereby intercepting the opponent's ball.
But at this moment, Wright-Phillips made a quick attack, and Wang Xiaodong, Modric and others had not yet returned to their positions.
The experienced Ledley King gave an order, calling Dawson to look back and quickly retreat.
Viewed from the air, Wright-Phillips is like a steel nail, driving hard into Tottenham's half. And the direction in which he dribbled the ball was exactly surrounded by Ledley King and Dawson.
Rushing between the two will inevitably lead to a flank attack from the opponent.
In this way, other teammates will have the opportunity to join in.
In the encirclement, Wright-Phillips began to slow down and wait for his teammates to move. And his goal was also very clear, he rushed towards the position between Dawson and Ledley King without any hesitation.
In desperation, Tottenham's two defenders had no choice but to close the door.
When closing the door, there is also a clear division of labor. One person is responsible for rushing up, and the other is responsible for filling in the back.
But at this moment, Wright-Phillips made a sudden stop and stepped on the ball under his feet.
Before anyone else could react, in the next second, he tiptoed and lifted the ball over the heads of Dawson and Ledley King.
Uh-huh!
Anelka, who was inserted on the other side, rushed past Ledley King like a gust of wind.
A single sword appears!
Facing Robinson, the national goalkeeper of the San Miao Legion, the French were not afraid at all.
After the ball landed, he pushed it lightly towards the far corner. Robinson fell to the ground and could only watch the ball slipping from his fingers.
1 to 1.
Chelsea finally equalized the score before the end of the first half.
