my team is going to attack

Chapter 89 Unexpected Start
"Raphael, long time no see."

Su Bai warmly embraced Benitez, who often supported him in the media. Although he did not have a deep friendship, as a senior in the football world, Su Bai respected Benitez very much.

In particular, he knows that after Benitez dismissed from Liverpool, even though he once coached Inter Milan, Chelsea, Real Madrid and other giant teams, he was quickly kicked out of the position of head coach.

Even he came to the Chinese Super League to coach, but still did not achieve good results. It can be said that when Su Bai came over in 2021, Benitez failed to lead a team to success again.

The forced smile on Benitez's face looked exhausted, "Su, hello, you've been amazing this season, and you've done really well."

Seeing the other party's appearance, Su Bai would not say anything to comfort him. If it was in 2008, Benitez's handsome position was almost taken away by the Germans, but in the end he managed to keep his position abruptly.

But now, Benitez does not seem to want to stay in Liverpool.

The lineup he sent today is also the best one he can come up with, goalkeeper Reina;
Defenders Carragher, Insua, Agger, Skrtel;
Midfielders Benayoun, Lucas, Dirk, Gerrard;

Forward Babel, M-Rodriguez.

Aurelio, Lieira, Torres and others were still sitting on the bench. It wasn't that Benitez let the water go on purpose, but that Torre had just returned from surgery. He didn't want to bring Torres to Manchester at first, but Torres must to follow.

The core of Liverpool's midfield is still their captain Gerrard. The Liverpool general has been with the team for many years. What he wants most is to bring the team a Premier League championship.

But the fact is like this, if you can't get it, you can't get it. It doesn't mean how much you want and how much effort you put in, you will have a championship. It may be Liverpool who want the league title.

They haven't won the league championship for many years. For a team that was once extremely brilliant, it has not won the league championship for more than 20 years. This is really miserable. Liverpool has sunk for many years.

More importantly, Liverpool's biggest rival Manchester United, under the leadership of Ferguson, really surpassed Liverpool in the number of league titles, and it really realized what Ferguson said when he took office.

"I'm going to take Liverpool off the throne with my own hands."

Several generations of Liverpool people have been chasing the league championship, but they are just a little short, and they just can't get it.

In the league played one day earlier, both Chelsea and Manchester United dropped points. Su Bai naturally wanted to rely on the three points in this game to consolidate his ranking, so naturally all the main players who can play will come up.

The goalkeeper is Hart;
Defenders Marcelo, Cahill, Kompany, Maicon;
Midfielders Mascherano, Wright Jr., David Silva, Petrov, Royce;

Forward Lewandowski.

Su Bai formed a lineup of 451 for this game. Lewandowski is at the front alone. Royce and Wright Jr. are the two wings of Manchester City. I hope they can penetrate Liverpool's midfield from the wing. It is not an easy task for Manchester City for Liverpool to force a tough battle in the middle.

Now Liverpool's midfielder Gerrard, Benayoun, and their central defender Agger, Skrtel is a very strong old player.

The strength and experience are not inferior to Manchester City's central and backcourt players. They attack from the wing and then pass to the middle. With Lewandowski, Piedrov and Silva, they can receive Wright Jr. and Roy in the frontcourt Adams' pass.

Today's referee is the young Walton, a relatively young England referee.

In the 5th round of the English Premier League from 2009 to 2010, the match between Manchester City and Liverpool at home officially began when Wharton blew the whistle for the start of the game and the cheers of nearly 27 fans at the Manchester Stadium.

To Su Bai's surprise, it was Liverpool who took the lead first. Babel passed back to Gerrard, Gerrard and then handed it over to the winger of Dirk.

After Dutch Flying Wings received the ball, they instantly started to go straight to Manchester City's backcourt. Mascherano and Wright Jr. did not expect that Dirk would actually want to attack at the beginning, allowing him to break through the midfield all at once.

Compagnier and Cahill in the backcourt also hurried over to block the cut-in route. Before entering the penalty area, Dirk Drivet forced a shot from the right side, and Cahill stretched his leg to block the ball from the baseline. .

In just 1 minute of the opening, Liverpool won the first corner kick before reaching Liverpool.

The corner kick was also delivered by Didier Dirk, who drove the ball into the penalty area, and the tall Liverpool defender Skrtel jumped high and headed the ball towards the goal.

The one at the top was more upright and fell directly into Hart's arms.

Hart hugged the ball tightly, and signaled his teammates to stabilize first, so as not to be disrupted by the opponent's sudden attack.

Liverpool's players didn't know if they drank some chicken blood today, and they kept Manchester City tightly in their own half 10 minutes before the opening.

In the 5th minute, it was Kurit who came up from the wing again. Marcelo came over directly and shoveled him out of the sideline with the ball. Liverpool got a free kick in a good position.

Dirk Driven kicked off and found Gerrard in the middle. Two or three steps away from the penalty area, Gerrard directly bent his bow and set an arrow, shot with his right foot, and the ball hit the instep heavily.

Gerrard originally wanted to hit a shot like an elevator ball, so he gently pulled the ball when he raised his foot, thinking that the ball would fall in front of the penalty area.

However, the elevator ball on the move was too difficult. This ball did not fall, but went directly to the stands.

In the 8th minute, Gerrard made a pass from the right, and Maxi Rodriguez missed the edge of the small penalty area. With no one around him to defend, the ball passed in front of him.

Gerrard yelled at Rodriguez a few times angrily. You didn't catch the ball when there was no defense on the edge of the penalty area. The opponent's mistakes won't give you too much.

In the 13th minute, Insua took the ball out of bounds, Gerrard flew the header from the edge, and Rodriguez shot directly from the right edge of the penalty area without stopping the ball.

Fortunately, Kompany flew over and blocked the ball out of the baseline with his body, and Liverpool got another corner kick.

Su Bai was a bit caught off guard by Liverpool's start. Before the game, he did not expect that Benitez would let the team attack at the beginning. This is not a common method for Liverpool.

What's even more unexpected is that Liverpool's players have such a lot of energy. Benitez is indeed very good at adjusting the atmosphere of the team.

Liverpool won a corner for the third time after Maicon deflected a Dirk Drivet corner over the line again.

As for Manchester City, they don't even have a single corner kick, and they are completely suppressed by Liverpool both offensively and defensively. Su Bai finds it a bit unbelievable, and needs to change the method.

"David, you told your teammates in the past to strengthen the pressing of the midfield and don't let them play the ball so easily."

Su Bai didn't ask the players to press hard before the game, but in the current situation, Liverpool's pass from midfield to frontcourt is too easy, and their momentum must be suppressed.

The intensity rose immediately, but Su Bai was hit, and Xiao Ma stepped on Lucas's feet while defending him.

Brother Xiao Ma didn't do it on purpose either, he's not the kind of player who likes to intentionally hurt people, not to mention that Lucas is still his former teammate.

Walton sent out the first yellow card of this game. As the core of Manchester City's offensive and defensive conversion, if Xiao Ma gets a trump card early, there will be a big hidden danger for him in the following games.

However, after Manchester City strengthened the midfield press, Liverpool's offensive flames have been extinguished a lot.

(End of this chapter)