Chapter 445: Chapter 444: Liking Barça Because of Wanting to Join Arsenal
Evra replaced Pepe, who had received a yellow card.
Sporting Lisbon switched to a 442 formation.
Deng Kai and Yaya Toure formed the central midfield duo.
Kaka and Ronaldinho each took on the role of left and right midfielders, respectively.
This formation could strengthen Sporting Lisbon’s defense.
It offered better protection on the wings.
In the midfield, Deng Kai’s coverage ability was far superior to that of Guardiola after sixty minutes.
"Toure, I’ll move to cover the whole backfield, and you fill the area I leave open," Deng Kai told Toure about their main playing method, "Pay extra attention to protecting behind me."
Toure nodded.
With this, Deng Kai and Toure implemented the "Backfield Double Sweeping Tactic."
This positioning was very risky; if the movements of the two defensive midfielders overlapped, the opposition could easily break through.
But Deng Kai’s vision and defensive positioning almost never made such errors.
And with Toure’s running ability combined with Deng Kai’s command, it was double insurance.
Similarly, Barcelona took the opportunity to make a substitution.
Overmars replaced Saviola, who had been underperforming on the Argentine wing.
Barcelona veteran Enrique came on for Giovane.
Former Valencia utility midfielder Gerard replaced Xavi.
Giovane was very unhappy being substituted; he felt that he should have more time.
After all, Quaresma was still on the pitch.
Gerard’s expression as he came on was somewhat bitter.
Two years ago, he was one of the hot young midfielders in Europe.
But over the past year, he had never found his form at Barcelona.
Starting from the beginning of this year, he had become a substitute.
This season, his role in the team was even directly as a substitute, and not even high in the pecking order.
It seemed like his once bright career was going to be ruined like this.
Speaking of which, Liverpool’s Gerard had entered a career highlight just as Barcelona’s Gerard had fallen into a slump, as if he had stolen Barcelona Gerard’s luck.
Truly mysterious beyond comprehension.
Could it be that only one person named Gerard could shine?
Minute seventy-seven.
Suddenly surging forward, Deng Kai provided a wall-pass option for Ronaldinho, assisted in a one-two, and made a forward run to the right bottom corner, diverting Deboer’s attention.
Taking advantage, Ronaldinho burst forward with a shot, cutting inside, and shaking off Deboer.
After dragging Christanval out, he played a backward triangle pass to Ibrahimovic.
In a shooting position, Ibrahimovic performed a slick dummy, deceiving both Christanval and Barcelona goalkeeper Bonano, who tried to block the shot.
The football rolled toward the left side of the penalty box, with Ronaldo already shaking off Puyol, and he met the ball with a powerful shot.
Targeting the more difficult near corner!
Whoosh!
The ball flew into the goal, stirring up a white spray.
"GOAL! A brace for Ronaldo! What a beautiful shot!"
"However, the greater credit for this goal belongs to Ronaldinho and Ibrahimovic."
"Ronaldo rarely makes such a ferocious pass. This time he didn’t hold onto the ball too long."
"As for Ibrahimovic, he’s an enigma. In some games, he’s so eager to score, but like this one, he doesn’t even intend to get an assist!"
"He’s a player who isn’t sensitive to numbers, not chasing goals or assists. What he pursues is flamboyance! Ronaldo’s addition has further accentuated this aspect of Ibrahimovic, who is playing more and more like an artist now!"
"An artist with a height of 1.95 meters who can play the violin with his feet!"
"Three to zero! Sporting Lisbon has killed the game! Barcelona has no chance of catching up!"
"So, after two rounds of play, all four teams in Sporting Lisbon’s group have three points each! Sporting Lisbon has a goal difference of -1, Barcelona -1, Arsenal 0, and Juventus 2."
"Barcelona, due to head-to-head record, is at the bottom of the group, while Juventus sits at the top."
In the end, the score remained unchanged.
Sporting Lisbon celebrated its first victory in the second phase of the European competition’s group stage.
It was considered a decent result.
After the game, Cristiano Ronaldo, the man of the match, said in an interview, "My passes have always been sharp, I just use them sparingly. Those who say I can’t pass must have never seen me play."
To this, the die-hard Sporting Lisbon fans were all bewildered.
Because we watch so much, we know that you really can’t pass well.
Aside from Ronaldo, Yaya Touré, who performed well in this match, also received media attention.
Before the game, some Barcelona fans had released a video of Yaya Touré during his trial at Arsenal, saying to the media: "The team I like is Barcelona."
If we can’t beat you, we might as well disgust you.
And disrupt your morale, maybe next time we can turn you over.
The Barcelona media’s train of thought is pretty clear.
A netizen commented under the video, "No wonder Wenger swept Touré out the door. You say you like Barcelona during your trial at Arsenal, who would want you then?"
Reporter: "Touré, what does it feel like to see your beloved team lose? Do you feel guilty?"
Yaya Touré looked bewildered.
After understanding the situation, he laughed: "Barcelona doesn’t hold a special place in my heart. You could say Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal... I’m far from fond of Barcelona."
"At the time, someone told me that Wenger liked players trained in the Barcelona style, and that saying those things could improve my chances of staying at Arsenal. But in the end..."
Wow.
So that’s what happened.
This tactic is kind of low.
Barcelona must feel hurt.
...
"Barcelona loses to Sporting Lisbon again! Is this fate?"
"Sporting Lisbon has found the key to beating Barcelona! Quaresma’s stunning performance can’t save his new team!"
"Guardiola’s strategizing proves how wrong Barcelona’s choice was!"
"Wenger did indeed like Barcelona’s team in the past, but after Barcelona continuously poached Overmars and Petit from him, he began to change color at the mention of Barcelona!"
"Insider: The fundamental reason Yaya Touré failed his trial at Arsenal is because he said he liked Barcelona. If he had said he liked any other team, he would have stayed."
"Yaya Touré has potential, Wenger missed out on a good substitute player!"
"Barcelona’s signings, apart from Quaresma, have had mediocre effects. The sports director is not up to par!"
"Manchester United wins alone! Ferguson’s keen eye shines! All three forwards Manchester United had an eye on in the summer are now performing at top level."
"Cristiano Ronaldo takes first place in the Champions League scoring charts with seven goals! Van Nistelrooy with five goals, tied for second with Deng Kai! Diego Forlan scored eleven goals in three months with Independiente in Argentina, with nearly one goal per game average!"
It has been proven that Manchester United’s three consecutive Premier League titles were no fluke.
They say Wenger is good at developing players, but actually, Ferguson is just as strong in that regard.
