super sports specialist

Chapter 258 Thiago Mendes' Embarrassment
Thiago Mendes is under a lot of pressure.

Not only in this game, he has been under tremendous pressure since the beginning of the season. In the Chelsea team, he is actually an embarrassing player. Many people regard him as Mourinho's "direct descendant" because he Mourinho brought it to Chelsea, but Thiago Mendes knew he wasn't, never was.

The club that Mourinho coached before was Porto, and Thiago Mendes was from Benfica. Mourinho really valued him, perhaps because he performed very well when Benfica and Porto played against each other.

He is also grateful for Mourinho's trust.

But because he is not a direct descendant, nor is he an inherent player of Chelsea, troubles come-his position in the dressing room has become very embarrassing.

This embarrassing status also affected his relationship with his teammates and the speed at which he integrated into the team.

In fact, Thiago Mendes has not adapted to the Premier League environment so far.

From the beginning of the season until now, Mendes's performance has been very average. If he is in an ordinary team, he will naturally have fewer chances to play if he does not perform well.If it's just that, Thiago Mendes can still accept it calmly.

At worst, just be a substitute!
In Chelsea, a rising upstart in Europe, there is nothing unacceptable to be a substitute player. Most of the other teammates in the Benfica team have no chance to come to Chelsea.

But Mourinho valued him and gave him opportunities to play many times.

Although his performance has always been mediocre, Thiago Mendes has even played more playing time than the average main player.

This emphasis puts tremendous pressure on Thiago Mendes.

When he's not doing well, he doesn't know how to deal with his team-mates, and he doesn't know how to deal with the Chelsea fans.

The same goes for this game.

In the last game, Thiago Mendes made two turnovers, and once almost let Chelsea concede a goal. I thought he would definitely stay on the bench in this game, so that he would calmly accept the arrangement, which also proves that I am not a special one in the team.

But coach Mourinho still gave him the chance to start - as a right back.

right back?
Thiago Mendes never imagined that after he came to Chelsea, he would play the position of right back.

What can be done?

He is actually a midfielder and is also very good at attacking. However, his teammates in the same position in the midfield include Lampard and Makelele. There is no position for him at all. He can only play as a right back or a right forward.

Thiago Mendes is completely unsuited to this position.

But Thiago Mendes is not nervous, at least not now, because the opponent is only Fulham. He feels that even if the team does not have himself, they can still win when they meet such teammates, and the opponent has nothing to threaten. The man on the defensive line, he may be the one who works harder than goalkeeper Cudicini on the field of play.

This time we have to face the opponent's breakthrough.

No, not a breakthrough.

According to Thiago Mendes' past experience, as long as the opponent breaks through to this position and he walks tight-pressing, the opponent will choose to pass the ball.

It will be the same this time!

Thiago Mendes thought, he ran forward slowly, and there was a veteran in front of him, and he didn't look like a player who often made breakthroughs.

He needn't worry too much.

Thinking of this, Mendes calmed down a lot.

----

Thiago Mendes is definitely a qualified defensive player, his experience lets him know how to defend.

Facing the approaching Portuguese, Pembridge calmly flicked the football sideways with his right foot, then suddenly flicked the ball to the left again, shaking it twice in a row, allowing Thiago Mendes Some flustered.

Pembridge took the opportunity to speed up suddenly!
Pembridge's explosion was not too fast, but it was enough to deal with a flustered defensive player. By the time Thiago Mendes reacted, he had been left behind.

This is a very common dribble, but the effect is very good, and it also illustrates a problem: dribble is actually a very simple action, as long as the opponent has been cheated, a simple action is enough to have an effect.

Thiago Mendes never expected that he would be easily passed by the opponent.

Do not!
He didn't even think that the opponent would choose to break through!

When he reacted, it was too late to catch up, so he could only hang behind Pembridge.

This scene surprised Fulham fans very much. They did not expect that their players could still stage the dribbling of Chelsea players when the team was so passive.

They cheered!

This scene did not surprise Shen Yang, because he knew that Thiago Silva's state was only 63%, which is an absolutely unqualified value, because the average player's state is more than 75%, and all Fulham players are More than 90%.

Coleman was a little surprised.

Pembridge is great?

Pembridge is 34 years old, and will be 35 soon. He will probably retire next summer. He has not seen Pembridge excel in more than one season in Fulham. His The skills are there, but he can't run in the game, and he doesn't have enough explosive power to support people.

But what happened, the opponent was still a semi-main player of Chelsea, a star worth nearly 1000 million euros, which was higher than most Fulham players.

In the professional football circle, worth does not necessarily represent strength, but if there are no special circumstances, it can also explain strength to a certain extent.

Pembridge's extraordinary is quite surprising.

At this time, even Pembridge himself was very surprised. Although the coach told them to look for opportunities from Thiago Mendes, it was his own choice to surpass others. A passion for becoming younger--it turns out that I can also break through the stars in the game!
Pembridge suddenly became full of energy. He hurriedly dribbled the ball and rushed towards Chelsea's penalty area. Carvalho came to meet him. Pembridge didn't choose to pass the ball, but was cut off by Carvalho. up.

Coleman shook his face as he watched.

Shen Yang shook his head silently.

"Thiago Mendes is not in good form, but it doesn't mean that other Chelsea players are also in bad form. With Carvalho's strength, even if he is in poor form, it is impossible for him to be thrown away by you..."

Pembridge thought of this too, and he was annoyed by his impulsiveness just now.

Thiago Mendes feels like he has survived the disaster. If Pembridge plays well, breaks into the penalty area and finds an opportunity to score the ball, then it will definitely be his responsibility!
Carvalho couldn't help complaining and shouted, "Be careful, don't be easily broken through!"

Thiago Mendes nodded, indicating that he heard.

In the eyes of ordinary fans, it doesn't seem like a big deal for a player to be broken through, but it is different in the eyes of professional players, especially in the top competitions, it is difficult for any team to have one less player to beat a strong team. Opponents, because of the strength gap between the two sides, it is difficult to surpass the level of 'one person'.

When a player is broken through, it means that this way, or this line is penetrated, and defensive tactics, positions, etc., also lose their meaning.

In football matches, most of the offense stops at the 'second line of defense'. The 'second line of defense' refers to the position of the full-backs and midfielders. If the 'second line of defense' is penetrated, the opponent will attack the last front in front of the goal. , it becomes very threatening. The central defenders often have no time to think and defend. When the football enters the penalty area, it is generally a direct reckless fight, or the central defender clears the ball, or the opposing player finds the ball. Chance shot.

If the opponent's shot chance is good, the goalkeeper will no longer have a chance to save. Even if it is close, it is enough to threaten the goal.

Therefore, in a football game, a player, especially a player in the 'second line of defense' is breached, is not a trivial matter, but a major event that must be taken seriously.

Pembridge walked back a little annoyed. He felt that he should not continue to break through, but thinking of Thiago Mendes' performance, he felt that he should remind his teammates, "Have you seen that guy? He is really not in shape. ! I got rid of him so easily."

"Yes, just do it, keep doing it!"

Some of the teammates were talking, especially the players who had the opportunity to meet Thiago Mendes, with a bit of malice in their eyes.

In fact, there were no Fulham players at the beginning, and I thought it would be a good choice to find opportunities from Thiago Mendes all the way. In Chelsea, Thiago Mendes is not well-known, but Mourinho The trust in Thiago Mendes is well known, and even the Chelsea support media have criticized Thiago Mendes for his long playing time and poor performance.

But Mourinho trusts Thiago Mendes. In the understanding of many professional players, being trusted by a champion coach must have a certain ability.

Such a player must have no problem defending.

With Pembridge's temptation, other players know that Thiago Mendes is at least in poor condition. Chelsea's defense is very tight, but if there is such a breakthrough, there will be loopholes in the tight defense .

The Fulham players suddenly had confidence.

As long as Thiago Mendes can be broken all the way, scoring goals is no longer a dream, right?Then the door to victory is opened.

----

In the next game, Fulham began to deliberately attack Thiago Mendes' points.Whenever there is a chance, the holding player will pass the ball this way. When a player encounters Thiago Mendes, he will look for opportunities to intentionally break through.

Fulham's frequent targeted attacks have put tremendous pressure on Thiago Mendes. He even hopes that the head coach can replace him. As for the impact on future playing time, it doesn't matter at all. He is not A very ambitious player, as long as he can play in the top league normally, he has never thought about being the number one player in the world.

Thiago Mendes has never adapted to English football.

One is that the style of English football is tougher, and physical collisions are common on the field. The other is that the rhythm of English football is too tough and too fast. Sometimes the opponent passes the ball before he can react.

Pembridge and Andy Cole, two veterans took turns to break through Thiago Mendes.

If it is normal obstacles, Thiago Mendes is not in good condition, and he will not be afraid of the breakthrough of the two veterans, but it is different now. Whether it is Andy Cole or Pembridge, they both have 95 If the state is more than %, the state reflects the performance, the adaptability, calmness and many other factors on the field.

The state cannot change the body and ability, but it can allow a player to show his strength.

The opponent has played more than 90% of his strength, while he has only played 60% of his strength. The difference between them is very large.

It is difficult for Thiago Mendes to defend well, and he is broken by the opponent time and time again, making him feel like he is in hell.

Thiago Mendes was totally unprepared.

The opponent's targeted attacks again and again made him a little at a loss, so his state became worse. When Fulham did not attack him, he forgot to take a defensive position, so that the defense all the way Vulnerabilities occur frequently.

----

sidelines.

Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho frowned. He didn't expect Thiago Mendes to be so unbearable.

In fact, Mourinho always likes to send Thiago Mendes, which is also a helpless choice. After the summer transfer, Chelsea's lineup has been improved, but there has always been a problem with one position, that is, the defense on the right. There are no very good right backs.

Chelsea has a good young player - Glenn Johnson, but Johnson is too young, and Mourinho has no interest in training new players. In contrast, Thiago Mendes has much more experience , and the strength is quite good.

In addition, it is very important that Thiago Mendes is a player he resolutely introduced.

Although Thiago Mendes did not play for Porto before, the players he brought to Chelsea with one hand always feel that they are "one of his own". vision.

Thiago Mendes did not perform well, and Mourinho didn't care too much. Instead, he hoped that Thiago Mendes could use his playing time to adapt to the Premier League so that he could perform better in the future .

Now Mourinho frowned. He found that Thiago Mendes was not only in poor condition, but also targeted by opposing players.

Generally, in the face of this situation, some adjustments must be made. The best way is to replace Thiago Mendes. The opponent has nothing to target. But the first half is not over yet, and now the substitution It is tantamount to negating the starting list, and it should not be done just for the sake of establishing prestige.

Mourinho could only frown.

Half of the first half time has passed, and Chelsea has a great advantage. Thiago Mendes is targeted by the opponent, probably there will be no problem, right?

But what Mourinho didn't expect was that the problem really appeared.

(End of this chapter)