Football feast, starting from the acquisition of European clubs

Chapter 432 Surprise or fright?

As a teammate of the Argentine national team, Mascherano knows Tevez very well, and Chen Ran assigned him the task of freezing Tevez.

As soon as Mascherano came on the field, the effect was immediately reflected.Tevez's several breakthroughs were interrupted by Mascherano, and Manchester City's offense was once again paralyzed.

On the Crystal Palace side, because they are all substitute players, their offensive strength cannot be compared with the main lineup.

For a while, although the two teams played very lively with you coming and going, neither of them could break the opponent's goal.

Until the referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half, the score remained unchanged at 0:0.

On the way back to the locker room, Southgate moved to Chen Ran's side again.

"Boss, now it seems that it is difficult to break Manchester City's goal with only the players on the field. Shall we change the main force to attack?"

"No. Three days later it will be the second round of the Champions League quarter-finals. We only beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the first round. This score is not safe. Therefore, the physical fitness of the main players must stay to deal with Real Madrid. Madrid."

"Gareth, if you lose points in the league, there is still a chance to recover them. But if you lose points in the Champions League, you have to wait until next season. When the two competitions cannot be balanced, as a head coach, sometimes you have to do something. Make a trade-off, understand?"

"Understood, boss."

Back in the locker room, Chen Ran didn't lose his temper because the game didn't go well.He still encouraged the players as usual, and then deliberately walked in front of Suarez.

"Louis, I'll give you 'free fire' in the second half of the game, you can play as you want, understand?"

"Really? Boss!"

Suarez, who was wiping his sweat with a towel, was stunned for a moment, and then he screamed with excitement.Having been back at Crystal Palace for some time now, he knows exactly what that means.

"That's right. It's a rare opportunity, you have to make good use of it."

Chen Ran patted Suarez on the shoulder with a smile and said.

"Haha, boss, don't worry, I will definitely help the team win Manchester City."

After explaining to Suarez, Chen Ran turned to look at the other players.

"Everyone should send more shells to Louis in the second half of the game, especially Frank and Jamie, and you two should also increase your wing attack. Understand?"

"Understood, boss."

Ribery and Vardy glanced at each other and replied in unison.

Chen Ran used the "first-level chicken blood card" for Suarez here, and in Manchester City's dressing room, Mancini was very satisfied with the team's performance in the first half.

After all, it is not an easy task to be able to draw with the mighty Crystal Palace.

Therefore, apart from encouraging Manchester City's players to make persistent efforts in the second half of the game, Mancini did not make subsequent substitution adjustments.

At the beginning of the second half of the game, Mancini was secretly relieved to see that Crystal Palace had not made any substitutions.

Mancini is very clear in his heart that Crystal Palace is basically playing on the bench.

Don't look at Manchester City can draw with Crystal Palace now, but this is definitely not the true level of Crystal Palace.

What Mancini is most worried about now is that Chen Ran will replace the core offensive players such as Ronaldo and Messi.

However, Mancini soon realized that something was not right.

Crystal Palace's only forward on the field now, the Uruguayan teenager Suarez who had been inactive in the first half of the game, suddenly became very active as if he had changed a different person.

He threatened the goal guarded by Shay several times, and even hit the crossbar with a shot and almost scored, which shocked Mancini.

The same player, the difference between the first half and the second half is so big?
What happened at halftime?
Did that Suarez take medicine?
Mancini glanced quietly at the Crystal Palace bench, seeing that Chen Ran was still sitting in his seat as before, he was puzzled.

However, although he couldn't figure it out, Mancini didn't delay what he should do.

Originally, he just arranged for Kolo Toure to be responsible for man-marking Suarez. Now, he ordered another central defender Lescott to double-team together.

One is responsible for close marking, and the other is responsible for assisting defense protection.

This time, Suarez, who had disturbed Manchester City's defense just now, suddenly misfired again.

Seeing that his adjustments had paid off, Mancini was relieved.

However, Mancini soon found himself underestimating Suarez.

When Vardy snatched the ball from Petrov again, he dribbled the ball all the way along the right line.

Realizing that the situation was not good, Manchester City's left-back Drenthe rushed up to intercept Vardy.

Drenthe is a typical full-back. He is not tall but very flexible, fast and has good skills.

Vardy wanted to use his speed to forcibly break through Drenthe, but he couldn't get rid of his opponent after several attempts.

In order to avoid losing the ball and being counterattacked by Manchester City, Vardy had no choice but to force a cross under the interference of Drenthe.

In this case, the quality of the cross is naturally not much better.

Due to Vardy's excessive force, the ball flew directly over Manchester City's penalty area and turned outside the penalty area line.

At this time, Suarez quickly judged where the ball fell and ran out of the penalty area.

Seeing Suarez leave the penalty area, Kolo Toure and Lescott hesitated.

If according to Mancini's request, they both followed Suarez out of the penalty area at the same time, then Manchester City's penalty area would reveal a large gap.

Fortunately, Kolo Toure has rich experience. He told Lescott to stay in the penalty area while chasing Suarez out of the penalty area.

However, it was such a delay that left Suarez with a chance to shoot.

After Suarez ran to the point where the ball fell, he jumped up with his back to the goal and played a volley shot.

"boom!"

The ball immediately drew a parabola and flew towards Manchester City's goal.

The goalkeeper Shay reacted quickly, moving his feet quickly and rushing over.

However, Suarez's shot angle was very tricky. Ji Wen tried his best but failed to touch the ball. He could only watch the ball fly into the net from his hand.

"GOAL!!!!!!"

With Suarez's ultra-long-range barb shot, Crystal Palace finally broke the deadlock at home, leading Manchester City 1:0, and the entire Emirates Stadium immediately boiled.

On the sidelines, Suarez's shocking goal left Mancini stunned.

This kind of shot, is it possible for a fledgling young man to kick it?

In the absence of the main players in the Crystal Palace, his team was still scored by the opponent, which made Mancini feel a little discouraged.

However, Mancini quickly packed up his emotions, he immediately turned and called Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy from the bench.

Although Van Nistelrooy is too old to support a high-intensity game, he is more than enough to be a substitute.

After a brief warm-up, Mancini replaced Petrov, who was so angry with Vardy, with Van Nistelrooy.

He let Van Nistelrooy and Adebayor form a double center, and Tevez served as a midfielder behind them and was responsible for the series.Manchester City's formation has also changed from 4411 to 4312.

Seeing Mancini's substitutions and adjustments, Chen Ran immediately understood that the opponent was desperate.

Van Nistelrooy is 188cm tall, and Adebayor is 192cm tall. Mancini is going to use two powerful high center forwards to hit the Crystal Palace's defense.

Without any hesitation, Chen Ran immediately called Southgate to his side.

"Gareth, you go and inform Vidic to warm up now, and replace Beckham with him later. Then let Vidic and Kompany serve as double central defenders, and Pepe will go to the front position to go with Mascherano, Cesc Fabregas played the three midfielders together."

"Okay, boss."

Although Chen Ran wanted the main players to rest and prepare for Real Madrid, he couldn't just watch the three-pointer slip away from him.

Soon, Mancini saw the substitution adjustment on the Crystal Palace side.

Shaking his head with a wry smile, the Chinese man was always able to come up with the most appropriate way to deal with his moves in time, which made Mancini feel powerless.

Vidic plus Kompany and Pepe, under the marking of these three people, neither Van Nistelrooy nor Adebayor could break through the goal guarded by Van der Sar.

In the end, with Suarez's stunning barb goal, Crystal Palace beat Manchester City 1-0 at home.

While scoring the key three points, Chen Ran also got a "Level [-] Recovery Card" from the system.

In the other games of this round of the Premier League, there is another game related to the ownership of the league title this season that attracts much attention.

Manchester United, currently ranked second in the standings, sits at Old Trafford to face third-ranked Chelsea. The difference between the two teams is only two points.

As a result, Chelsea led by Carlo Ancelotti defeated Manchester United led by Ferguson 2:1 at Old Trafford, surpassing their opponents in one fell swoop and regaining the second place in the standings.

But in the Crystal Palace, the snipe and the clam are fighting each other, and the fisherman benefits.

Originally they were only two points ahead of No.2 Manchester United, and their lead was in jeopardy.Now with the help of Chelsea, it has suddenly become four points ahead of No.2 Chelsea.

After getting the news, Chen Ran specially opened a bottle of red wine at home to celebrate with Cheryl.

Three days later, on April 4, Crystal Palace ushered in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.This time, they will have a decisive battle with Real Madrid at home.

After the rotation in the Premier League, Chen Ran can send all the main lineup in this game.

On the Real Madrid side, Mourinho also intends to put all his eggs in one basket.Once the team was eliminated from the Champions League, he put all his energy into competing with Barcelona for the La Liga championship trophy.

The game was extremely intense. In the end, with the goals of Ronaldo and Messi, Crystal Palace once again defeated Real Madrid 2:1 at home.

While eliminating his opponents with a total score of 4:2 to advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League, Chen Ran also received a "Level [-] Recovery Card" from the system.

However, for the victory of this game, Crystal Palace also paid a heavy price for their comeback.

Javier Mascherano, the team's only full-time defensive midfielder, is also reimbursed for the season due to a torn ligament.

After the game, Chen Ran, who won the game, was not happy at all.

He knew very well that Mascherano's injury was entirely caused by fatigue.

In the last game against Manchester City, Mascherano, who was supposed to rest, had to play because of the need of the game, which led to the current result.

The function of the "level one blood recovery card" is somewhat similar to the enhanced version of Red Bull. When I used it, I felt that my whole body was full of energy, but the fatigue was actually accumulating at a faster rate.

Now, in the final sprint of the season, Crystal Palace have to face the situation without a full-time defensive midfielder.

"Boss, we don't have a full-time defensive midfielder now, what should we do in the next game?"

Southgate approached Chen Ran and asked worriedly.

"Let Pepe temporarily play as a defensive midfielder, he has played this position before."

In front of subordinates such as Southgate and Simeone, Chen Ran, the backbone of the team, did not show the slightest worry.

He knew very well that football was like war in peacetime.

The coach can't be messed up.

If the coach is in a mess, then the next battle will be impossible to fight.

"However, this is also a backup method. The opponent's head coach is not a fool. They will definitely attack Pepe who is a temporary guest midfielder."

"So, we have to turn passive into active. I decided to adopt active offensive tactics in all the remaining games of this season. Substitute offense for defense, and don't give the opponent a chance to attack our weakness. Understand?"

"Understood, boss."

Seeing Chen Ran, he immediately came up with a countermeasure, looking confident.

Whether it was Southgate or Simeone, they immediately lifted their spirits.The morale was still a little low just now, but it recovered immediately.

Only two days later, on April 4, Crystal Palace ushered in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.This time, they will face Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.

From March 3 to April 31, Crystal Palace played consecutive games against Real Madrid, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Chelsea.

Ten days, four games, and all the opponents were strong teams, Chen Ran was so angry that he wanted to scold his mother.

Looking at the physical examination reports of the Crystal Palace players in his hand, Chen Ran sighed helplessly.

Even if he has reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, he has to make a decision to give up.

After all, if there is another injury due to the FA Cup game, which will affect the Premier League and the Champions League, it will really be worth the candle.

Therefore, Chen Ran sent all the substitutes in the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea, and handed over the command of the game to Simeone.

However, what Chen Ran did not expect was that Simeone brought him an unexpected result.

(End of this chapter)