On the afternoon of November 8, 2014, Liverpool City.
The eyes of fans across the UK and even the world are focused here, on Anfield Stadium.
The reason for this is of course not only because this is the focus of this round of the Premier League, Liverpool vs. Chelsea at home.
The main reason is that Chelsea's form this season is really amazing, with consecutive wins all the way.
After breaking the record for the best start to the Premier League with ten consecutive wins in the last round, many people are already looking forward to them hitting the longest winning streak record of 14 consecutive wins set by the undefeated Arsenal team that year. .
Of course, some relatively sane fans believe that Pan Yi has led Chelsea to create amazing miracles this season, but there is no team in the world that can truly win all the way to the end.
In other words, Pan Yi will lose sooner or later.
But the question is, when will he lose?
No one knows the answer.
At least judging from the current development trend, it is still difficult to find the logic that they will lose normally.
What, didn’t Chelsea already lose the League Cup when they were eliminated by York City on penalties?
First, that scene was not normal;
Second, that game was also a draw during regular time;
Third, it is an irrelevant League Cup, a competition that even many Chelsea fans feel they need to strategically abandon.
Moreover, what is being discussed now is the Premier League winning streak!
Can Pan Yi break it?
If it breaks, where will it end?
Can this record be raised to a level that is unattainable for future generations?
And if this record is broken, can the Premier League's highest scoring record, highest win record, etc. also be broken?
These questions naturally make fans all over the world curious.
They want to know even more, if Pan Yi is going to lose in the end, when, how and to whom will he lose?
This makes all fans pay close attention to every game of Pan Yi.
After all, no one knows which game Pan Yi started losing, and everyone wants to witness this moment with their own eyes.
Therefore, even if it is a relatively clear-cut game like Chelsea playing QPR, the ratings can compete with the Manchester Derby, not to mention today's strong dialogue with Liverpool.
After all, this is also a head-to-head battle between last season’s runner-up and third-place finisher!
As the other party in this focus battle, Liverpool's head coach Rogers certainly hopes that he can be the one who can really stop Pan Yi's progress.
In order to prepare for this game, he even did not send all the main players to play in the Champions League group match with Real Madrid two days ago, resulting in the loss to Real Madrid in the away game.
In Rogers' view, the Champions League group he is in can allow Real Madrid to win and then compete with two relatively weak teams, Basel and Ludogorets.
Moreover, as far as Rogers' current situation is concerned, the results in the Premier League may be more important than the Champions League.
After all, the Premier League is the bottom line. If you fall out of the top four, your coaching position will most likely be lost;
As Liverpool, which is competing for the first time in recent years, loses to a team like Real Madrid in the Champions League, Liverpool fans will not blame it too much - at worst, they will keep this account and calculate it later!
Therefore, losing two back-to-back games with Real Madrid is a reasonable result after conserving strength.
What Rogers wants to do now is beat Chelsea in the Premier League!
This is an important battle to win three points and an important battle to regain confidence!
As long as Chelsea can be won, Liverpool fans' doubts about Rogers will disappear. His transformation of Liverpool's tactics can be carried out step by step, and he may even seek opportunities to recruit reinforcements in the winter window.
But if you lose...
Liverpool will fall out of the European theater in the standings, which will inevitably cause a new round of dissatisfaction among fans. Rogers may be dismissed midway.
Of course, Rogers came to Anfield with a lot of confidence this time.
He prepared carefully for a week, just to let Pan Yi taste the sharpest defensive counterattack in the Premier League! ——
Anfield was packed as always.
Liverpool game tickets have always been difficult to buy, whether they are home tickets or away tickets.
In addition, this is another focus battle against the Premier League leader, and it is even more difficult to get a ticket. Those who can get in are basically season ticket holders and die-hard fans.
Although the players have just finished their warm-up match and the game has not officially started yet, the fans' enthusiasm is obviously more enthusiastic than before, and all kinds of cheers, songs, and boos can be heard in the sky.
Of course, at Anfield, the most famous song is often played from time to time:
"Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone"
Of course, the players and coaches on both sides now have no time to enjoy the fans' performances.
At this time, in the visiting team's locker room, Pan Yi was putting Liverpool's starting lineup on the tactical board, preparing to give one final emphasis on tactics to his players.
As Pan Yi expected, Rogers’ formation today was indeed his best 4231 formation:
Center: Balotelli.
Frontcourt: Emre Can, Coutinho, Sterling.
Midfielder: Henderson, Gerrard.
Defenders: Moreno, Lovren, Skrtel, Johnson.
Goalkeeper: Mignolet.
Pan Yi coughed lightly and pointed at the tactical list.
At this time, the Chelsea players in the locker room immediately stopped playing and sat upright.
They all knew that Pan Yi was about to start his final speech.
"Although Liverpool's lineup is clearly intended to counterattack us, we cannot ignore the individual offensive abilities of their players."
"Those like Sterling have strong breakthrough abilities, while Balotelli and Moutinho have very strong shooting abilities."
"It's Moutinho, including Gerrard in the defensive midfielder position, and even Henderson, who also have long-range shooting skills, which we need to focus on guarding against."
"And today they are playing at home. Even if their main strategy is defensive counterattack, there may be a wave of attacks at the beginning to disrupt our rhythm."
"So we have to start more steadily. Our priority is to control the rhythm and possession of the ball, stabilize our defense, and when their momentum passes, it's time for us to take over the game."
"To take a step back, even if they score our goal first, I won't be too surprised, and I believe you won't be too panicked."
"Previous games have told you and me that as long as we can hold our ground and not panic at any time, we can always equalize and overtake the score, right?"
The players responded in unison: "Yeah, we got it, boss!"
Everyone is full of confidence. This is the spirit brought by the winning streak.
If we could have a system like that in football games, we might now be able to see that the arrows indicating the status and morale of all Chelsea players are pointing straight up.
Pan Yi began to make targeted arrangements for some key locations:
"Their speed in the frontcourt is still very good, especially Sterling. You must pay attention to maintaining the level and depth of the defense at all times, especially Qin and Ake. You must always pay attention to your position and destroy his cross. You can put him farther away from the goal."
Chelsea's three starting central defenders today are Ake, David Luiz and Gary Cahill.
Using Ake at the left center back position means using his speed and flexibility to fight against Sterling.
During this period, Sterling appeared more as a right winger, using his speed and hips (?) to break through, and then create opportunities for teammates in the penalty area, more like a traditional winger's style of play.
Sterling's speed, running position, and breakthrough ability are all very strong. He can be said to be the biggest explosive point in the frontcourt of this Liverpool team.
But as a player who promotes "happy football", he was really disappointed at the last moment, so Pan Yi also told Ake a more detailed defensive strategy.
Who is Sterling? That is a man who will occupy the most important position among the top five players in the Premier League in the future.
Which five unique skills?
East tilt - Nunez, West tilt - Grealish, South tilt - Anthony, North pestle - Lukaku, Middle - Sterling.
Lukaku now has Pan Yi's guidance and is breaking away from the five absolutes and no longer a stick king;
Even if he is still the Chugzhuang King, he is still an evolved Chugzhuang King.
But Sterling is not that good at the moment, so he will continue to be happy.
After hearing Pan Yi's instructions, Ake, David Luiz and Gary Cahill agreed in unison, with Ake shouting the loudest.
You know, he pushed captain Terry to the bench, which shows how much Pan Yi values him.
Of course, Pan Yi will also explain clearly to the players this kind of lineup change due to tactical reasons, so substitute players including Terry will not have any complaints.
After all, everyone knows that in Pan Yi's eyes, no player must play.
In Pan Yi's view, only the players in the best condition and the players most suitable to play when facing a certain opponent.
When it comes to defending against a quickie like Sterling, Ake is of course more suitable. Otherwise, if Sterling breaks out, Terry will have no choice but to make an aircraft carrier U-turn, which will delay things.
"After guarding their opening attack, our two wingers and wing backs must also actively move forward and suppress the opponent's two full backs, including their wingers, at all times, so as to relieve our defensive pressure. ,understand?"
"No problem, boss."
Today's starting winger Hazard, seat B, and wing backs Marcos Alonso and Azpilicueta all agreed.
"Their defense is actually not particularly good, especially when defending set pieces." Pan Yi explained to starting center Lukaku, "Don't take it hard when the opportunities in the frontcourt are not particularly good. If you have to, just fail. Just like your predecessor Drogba is so smart, understand?"
"Understood!" Hanhan said.
"You can create corner kicks when you should, you know?"
"Understand!"
"good."
Finally, there are two midfielders.
Kanter and Matic are actually the combination that saves Pan Yi the most.
They are both good at offense and defense, and can basically cover Pan Yi's various tactical ideas. It can also be said to be a one-size-fits-all combination.
Maybe it means that when everyone needs to hold high and play high, Kanter is not needed very much...
However, Pan Yi still gave a few instructions, don't make it special!
"You have to help the team maintain a compact formation and keep a good distance between each other. Their main method of attack is counterattack, and if the formation is too loose, it will easily create opportunities for them to counterattack."
The black and white pair of midfielders also nodded.
Naturally, they already knew this most basic tactical requirement.
"Finally, let's set foot on Anfield and conquer the fans here!"
Pan Yi raised his arms and shouted, and the players all jumped up from their seats like springs! ——
"Viewers, welcome to watch the 11th round of the Premier League in the 2014-2015 season. This is Liverpool's home game at Anfield against the visiting Chelsea."
"Directors Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu will bring you today's live commentary."
This game attracted the attention of the whole world, including of course the Dragon Kingdom.
In this prime time game, there are countless Dragon Country fans watching this Premier League focus battle through various channels.
"Hehe." Zhang Lu's voice sounded, "In today's game, I don't know which side you are more optimistic about? Or, which side do you prefer to win?"
Zhang Lu's question seemed normal, but it was actually a bit difficult to answer.
As we all know, Zhan Jun is a die-hard Liverpool fan.
Although he never expressed any obvious favoritism during his commentary, he certainly wanted Liverpool to win in his heart.
It's just that things are a little different today.
Due to Pan Yi's existence, Chelsea has become the first home team in the eyes of the majority of Dragon Country fans. If you answer poorly, you will offend people, and you will offend a lot of people.
But Zhan Jun still laughed and said: "Actually, it doesn't matter who I hope wins, because strength speaks for itself on the football field."
"Just like Chelsea played Manchester United before, Manchester United fans all over the world must have hoped that Manchester United could win, but in the end they were massacred by Chelsea."
"So, all predictions before the game are meaningless. In the end, it all depends on the performance of both sides on the court."
After all, he is a professional commentator, but he still cannot show his own tendencies during the commentary process.
But as a guest, Zhang Lu doesn’t need to be like this.
He said bluntly: "In terms of the strength and state of these two teams, I really don't think Liverpool can beat Chelsea, even if they are playing at home."
"Obviously, so far this season, the signs of Chelsea winning the championship are very obvious. Not only Liverpool, I also don't think any team can stop Pan Yi and his team."
Zhan Jun: "It seems that Director Zhang is still as confident as ever in Pan Yi."
"It's just that now it seems that this Liverpool team is the last team that has any hope of beating Chelsea."
"In BIG6, Chelsea has defeated Arsenal, Manchester City, and Manchester United. This is the fourth team, which is Liverpool."
"Tottenham, the last BIG6 team, has been in even more ups and downs this season, and I feel like they have no chance to challenge Chelsea."
"So I think if Liverpool still can't score points against Chelsea at Anfield today, then Pan Yi is really unstoppable."
Zhang Lu also nodded: "We'll see if Rogers can suppress the performance of Chelsea's generals tonight."
"Judging from the starting lineups and rosters of both sides, neither side has any special tricks, such as a big circle to poke 514..."
"Both sides are regular 4231 vs. 343. In other words, it depends on the coaches of both sides' control and targeting of details, as well as on-the-spot command."
"The game time is coming soon. Let's take a look at their performance on the field!"
——
With the referee's whistle and the cheers of the Liverpool fans in the audience, the game finally started.
Liverpool took the lead and won the right to serve.
But Chelsea did not press forward to grab the ball as they had in the past, but steadily retreated. This allowed Liverpool to quickly secure the ball and advance quickly through the half.
Less than a minute into the game, Sterling broke through with the ball on the right, but was tightly pressed by Ake and blocked Sterling's path to the baseline.
Sterling had no choice but to cut in, take a step and then shoot!
The ball flew into the stands ridiculously.
This happened to be the visiting team's stand where Chelsea fans were, so everyone burst into happy laughter and applauded Sterling to show encouragement.
However, such a shot inspired the Liverpool players a little bit, and they quickly made a comeback two minutes later.
This time he switched to the left wing where Emre Can was. His breakthrough ability was not as sharp as Sterling. After getting the ball, he saw that Gary Cahill had already established his position, so he moved the ball to the center. pass.
Captain Gerrard is there to help.
Upon seeing this, Kanter immediately went over, preparing to destroy Gerrard's action of catching the ball. At worst, it could also affect Gerrard's next plan.
But what is a bit unexpected is that after receiving the ball, Gerrard just gently pushed the ball out and then shot!
At this time, the ball is still about 35 to 40 meters away from the goal.
This is too far!
However, Gerrard's power was very sufficient, and the ball blasted towards Chelsea's goal like a cannonball.
Chelsea goalkeeper Courtois did not dare to neglect, and for the sake of safety, he turned his palms into fists and hit the ball directly.
The ball flew high and landed in the penalty area. David Luiz pushed the ball out of the danger zone with a header.
But the next landing point belongs to the Liverpool players.
This time it's Coutinho!
I saw him about 28 or 9 meters away from the goal, directly bending his bow and setting an arrow, and kicked a curved ball with excellent power and angle!
This time, Courtois was a little beyond his reach.
After he jumped up, his fingertips almost touched the ball, but the ball was too fast, and the arc of rotation happened to bypass his fingers.
As a result, the ball turned directly into Chelsea's goal with a strong spin!
"The goal went in!!!!!! Beautiful long shot!"
"Coutinho! An arrow piercing the clouds, thousands of troops are coming to meet you!"
"In the third minute, just three minutes into the game, Liverpool took the lead in breaking Chelsea's goal!"
"The whole Anfield stadium became a sea of joy."
"For Chelsea, this is definitely a head-on blow. Conceding the goal in the first three minutes is obviously quite detrimental to them."
While the live TV was playing back in slow motion, the commentator Zhan Jun suppressed his inner excitement and spoke:
“The development of this goal is actually very simple, but it’s also a bit surprising to be honest.”
"Gerrard's team actually chose a long shot from such a long distance. After the ball was punched out by Courtois, David Luiz also pushed the ball out of the penalty area normally."
"But Coutinho was waiting there and ended the attack with a world wave."
"It can be said that in the whole process of scoring the goal, the Chelsea players did not make any mistakes, but the ball just went in."
"Maybe this is the role of stars. The long-range shooting ability of Gerrard and Coutinho played an important role."
Zhang Lu mused: "Under normal circumstances, midfielders will not shoot from such a long distance. The efficiency is too low. In many cases, they give the ball away."
"But maybe this is one of Rodgers' strategies today? He may have realized that it would be difficult to penetrate Chelsea's defense through normal ball control or counterattack, so he asked the players to strengthen long-range shots."
"And in his formation, there happen to be so many players who are good at long-range shooting. Although the efficiency of long-range shooting is relatively low, random punches can kill the master..."
"Since so many strong teams in the past couldn't defeat Chelsea through various methods, Rogers found a new way to score goals by enhancing long-range shots, increasing the number of shots, and causing chaos in Chelsea's defense."
"Now it seems that his strategy has been successful. I just don't know what coach Pan Yi will think about this and how to deal with it?"
——
"It's okay, cheer up and remember what I just told you!"
Pan Yi's shouts came from the sidelines.
He still looked calm and could not see the impact of the bad start on him at all.
This is also true. Is it unusual to concede a goal at Liverpool's home ground?
What's more, it was such an unexpected goal.
Sometimes there is just no way. Even if the players make no mistakes, the ball will still go in.
It's a bit like playing basketball. Someone throws it at the basket in the backcourt, but the ball goes in. What can you do?
You can only admit that you are unlucky, then put your mind in order and try to get the ball back.
Of course, it cannot be said that the Chelsea players did a perfect job in conceding the goal just now.
If Courtois can confiscate the ball directly, if David Luiz can push the ball to a safer area, if someone interferes with Coutinho's shot as soon as possible...
Especially when Gerrard and Coutinho had a long shot, Pan Yi specifically warned him before the game.
But on the football field, everyone has to react within a few tenths of a second. If everyone requires everything to be perfect, it would be too strict.
Sometimes the other person shoots beautifully, but you just can't prevent it, you have to admit it.
Pan Yi is not such a coach who criticizes his players too harshly, otherwise everyone would not be so convinced by him.
"Come on, remember what I said and keep playing hard!"
Pan Yi looked confident on the sidelines, clapped his hands constantly to encourage the players, and was not anxious at all when he spoke, as if he had not been scored at all just now.
The players on the field also thought that the boss had just emphasized the matter of Liverpool taking the lead in the locker room just now, which shows that this was within his expectations.
Since everything is under the control of the head coach, why panic?
They all have inexplicable confidence in Pan Yi.
And since the boss said it doesn't matter, then it definitely doesn't matter.
Keep up the good work!
As a result, what Liverpool fans wanted to see, the scene where Chelsea players panicked and made repeated mistakes did not appear.
On the contrary, Chelsea played more steadily, organized the defense more carefully, and began to defend tightly in the ten or even twenty meters area in front of the penalty area.
This resulted in Liverpool having fewer opportunities to take long-range shots.
But the overall situation on the field is that Liverpool is the main attacker and Chelsea is the main defender.
This is a strange thing.
After all, in almost every game this season, Chelsea has dominated the game and then ended it with a big or small score.
Why is it different today?
Not to mention that Chelsea had already conceded a goal in such a short period of time. Why didn't they look anxious at all?
Liverpool head coach Rogers looked on from the sidelines and felt a little flustered for no reason...
(End of chapter)
