Chapter 464: Chapter 463: Rematch against Juventus
At this stage, Lisbon Athletics and Porto had not pulled away the point-gap, and the remaining opponents in cup matches were also fairly strong. Without thorough preparation, there really could have been a double upset.
This was the last thing the fans wanted to see.
However, there was also good news: the pressure on Porto was equally high.
They had been fighting on three fronts, too.
They successfully made it through the European Union Cup playoffs and entered the knockout phase.
On March 10, in the 26th round of the Primeira Liga.
Lisbon Athletics won a massive victory over Santa Clara by three goals to none.
Reina made several brilliant saves in this match, which was seen as redemption for his poor performance in the Arsenal match.
He had been subjected to a wave of online abuse from Barcelona fans, almost reaching the brink of collapse.
It was Deng Kai who found Reina and told him that even if Schmeichel returned from injury, Lisbon Athletics would start Reina in the final group match against Barcelona.
Reina was encouraged and thus regained his confidence, quickly adapting to the team’s play.
On March 11, a plane filled with "Black and Whites" took off for Lisbon.
The east wind blows, drums of war are beaten, whom should Juventus fear!
The former Serie A dominator, currently in second place, arrived in Lisbon, aiming for a full three points at Estádio Alvalade.
Because they, like Lisbon Athletics, had only four points in hand, trailing behind Barcelona and Arsenal with seven points.
Surprisingly, the team sitting atop Juventus on the Serie A leaderboard was none other than Inter Milan, which had performed very poorly last season.
Viana’s addition and the handling of players like the discarded Pirlo made the Inter Milan squad structure relatively stronger.
Pirlo: ???
The reason I say ’relatively’ is that they still had too many forwards piled up, yet few were actually dependable.
However, Inter Milan’s fans still hadn’t gotten over the previous season.
The main reason was Lippi.
This ’mole’ had coached Inter Milan last season and had seemed utterly clueless about tactics.
Yet, this season, coaching Juventus, he suddenly became a tactical maestro again.
He moved Nedved from midfield to attacking midfield, transforming Juventus’s flat midfield into a diamond, creating a variety of play, and the outcomes were quite satisfactory.
This really was... had it not been for Héctor Cooper’s arrival, Inter fans almost believed all their players were duds.
After Cooper arrived, everyone realized that Inter’s players were indeed capable.
So where did the problem lie?
Lippi’s professionalism and character were thus called into question.
Of course, some said Inter Milan from that year was indeed a sinking ship.
Before the match, both sides announced their starting lineups.
It was business as usual for Juventus:
Del Piero, Trezeguet
Davids, Nedved, Conte, Zambrotta
Pesotto, Ferrara, Monteiro, Thuram
Buffon.
Initially, first-choice defensive midfielder Tacchinardi was unwell, so the veteran Conte took the starting spot.
Yes, it was the future well-known coach Conte.
In the match, Davids’s position would be a bit further back, with a dual role in defense.
Nedved’s position would be further forward, playing as an attacking midfielder, fully replacing Zidane’s role in Juventus.
There were significant changes on the side of Lisbon Athletics:
Cristiano Ronaldo, Drogba, Ibrahimovic
Deng Kai, Ronaldinho
Guardiola, Pepe
Barzagli, Vidic, Maicon
Reina.
In the frontline, with Kaka’s injury absence, Lisbon Athletics directly pushed Ibrahimovic forward.
This arrangement was intentional.
As expected, Ibrahimovic became an important pivot in Sporting Lisbon’s front line.
Because Pesotto, marking Ibrahimovic, was only one meter seventy-three tall.
The charming height difference of over twenty centimeters was Sporting Lisbon’s blatant strategy.
Moreover, Ibrahimovic’s footwork wasn’t bad; once he got the ball, Pesotto almost had no chance of taking it away from him.
This was bound to pull Juventus’s left-center back Ferrara out of position.
In the defensive midfield area, with Matthaus injured, Tu Lei’s starting performance was mediocre.
Choosing to play Pepe in the back was due to his defensive capabilities, also reflecting Sporting Lisbon’s caution.
After all, they had suffered a four-nil defeat in their last match against Juventus.
The three-man defense, featuring Maicon, also reflected the consistency in Sporting Lisbon’s tactics.
With Ibrahimovic stable on the right side, various tactics centered around him were bound to emerge.
Maicon’s overlapping runs thus became especially important.
This is also why Guardiola, who usually plays as a right defensive midfielder, was positioned more to the left today.
Pepe could fill the defensive gap on the right side whenever Maicon pushed forward.
Those who understood tactics could guess Sporting Lisbon’s style of play just by looking at this formation.
There are no secrets in tactics.
The most secretive tactics, once employed, will soon be deciphered by the opponent.
Juventus, facing Sporting Lisbon, made corresponding tactical adjustments in their defense.
Dai Weisi was completely shifted from left winger to play as a left defensive midfielder, focusing on clamping down on Ibrahimovic and also restricting Ronaldo.
...
The match between the two sides quickly got underway.
And sure enough, in the ninth minute, Sporting Lisbon created a set-piece opportunity in the attacking half through Ibrahimovic’s pivot role and a pass to Ronaldo.
Unfortunately, Deng Kai’s feet were not yet warmed up, and his free-kick went wide of the goal.
In the eighteenth minute, it was Ibrahimovic who received the ball again.
He used his strength to shake off Pesotto, then faked a turn to beat him, keeping both Pesotto and Dai Weisi behind him.
Ferrara charged out of the penalty area, heading toward Ibrahimovic.
Ronaldo made a run into the middle, drawing Monteiro’s attention.
Drogba, positioned between the two center backs, burst into action, racing towards the small penalty area.
Bang!
Ibrahimovic unleashed a through pass.
Due to the impact from Dai Weisi from behind, the quality of the through ball wasn’t great.
But the opponent’s defensive line was completely torn apart, and there was enough margin for error in the pass, so it was still a good ball.
Buffon charged out!
Drogba, after receiving the ball, didn’t have time to adjust, but Buffon timed his charge well.
Faced with Buffon’s challenge, Drogba could only attempt a shot at goal.
But he couldn’t even swing his leg through.
In the end, the ball bounced off Buffon’s body and was then cleared by the recovering Monteiro.
Although they didn’t score, Sporting Lisbon was dominating Juventus on the field.
Juventus might have figured out Sporting Lisbon’s tactical patterns, but whether they could contain their players’ performances was the most important aspect of defense.
And Ibrahimovic... this player left a deep impression on Juventus.
Too fierce!
Seemingly invincible!
Regarding this, Deng Kai could only say that you still don’t understand my "Deng Xian" well enough.
Whether "Deng Xian" weakens in the face of strong opponents is debatable, but his strength against weaker ones is certain.
Once he feels that "the opponent is nothing special," then you really don’t stand much of a chance.
Some say such players aren’t good?
Please, rolling a snowball is also a skill.
