Chapter 615
Lin Feng returns, Manchester United recalls the fear of being dominated.
In the locker room, Mourinho, unusually, did not lose his temper.
This left Marcelo and others, who were waiting to be criticized, completely bewildered.
This plot isn't right!
Normally, they would have been verbally abused to no end by now!
"Alright, stop thinking about the first half. Now focus on the second half!"
Mourinho took the tactical board in his hand, rearranged the red and blue magnetic dots representing the players from both sides, and used the blue magnetic dots representing Real Madrid to form an attacking formation. He then addressed the gathered Real Madrid players:
"I'll bring Lin Feng on in the second half, and after he comes on, we'll play like this..."
……
Inside the Manchester United dressing room, Ferguson didn't rush to explain tactics to the players like Mourinho did. Instead, he praised the players lavishly, especially Cristiano Ronaldo, who performed brilliantly in the first half and scored a crucial goal. He practically showered him with praise.
"You did very well in the first half, and the current situation is very favorable for us, but we cannot be careless because of this. There are many cases in the Champions League where teams have been overturned due to carelessness and underestimation of their opponents after taking the lead. We cannot become such a negative example."
When this was mentioned, Ferguson couldn't help but think of a team that also liked to wear red jerseys.
Although he harbored deep hostility towards those guys and vowed to drag them down from their throne.
But it must be said that Liverpool's team did a really good job in that Champions League final back then.
Even if Manchester United were in Liverpool's situation, it would be difficult to replicate their miracle.
Compared to AC Milan's huge lead back then, Manchester United's one-goal lead seems insignificant, meaning they have even less room for error.
"Many people may think that we will give up attacking and park the bus to defend in the second half, but they are wrong!"
Because attacking is the true DNA of Manchester United, and attacking is the best form of defense. What's more, we also have one of the best attacking lineups in the entire football world: Ronaldo, Rooney, Berbatov...
With such a powerful attacking line, no team can stop our offensive, not even Real Madrid!
Keep attacking in the second half! I don't care what methods you use, just get that damn ball into that damn goal!
We not only need to win this match, but we need to win beautifully, to show those who look down on us and think we're inferior to the two La Liga giants that we are the strongest team on the planet!
Ferguson was a great orator, and his words ignited the passion of the Red Devils in the locker room. Manchester United's morale soared, and the players were all roaring with excitement, eager to rush onto the pitch and continue their battle with Real Madrid!
"Boss, have you forgotten that Lin Feng is on the opposing team's bench? He warmed up in the first half. What if Mourinho brings him on right at the start of the second half? Wouldn't it be very dangerous for us to go toe-to-toe with Real Madrid?"
Assistant coach Ferran whispered a reminder, but Ferguson glared at him, made a shushing gesture, and indicated that he should wait until they were outside to speak.
After explaining the tactics for the second half and reminding the players of important points, Ferguson left the locker room first and returned to the field.
Ferran followed closely behind him, waiting for his explanation.
"Whether Lin Feng's injury has fully healed is still questionable. Mourinho might have brought him in just to play psychological warfare against us, and he might not actually play. Why dampen the team's morale when they are in such high spirits?"
Not only the Manchester United players on the field, but even the head coach himself was a little intimidated by Lin Feng.
If the players had been told directly in the locker room that Lin Feng might come on in the second half, it would have dampened their morale and made them hesitant and afraid to attack.
A one-goal lead is still too risky; a slight mistake could easily allow the opponent to equalize.
Therefore, we need to score another goal to build up enough psychological safety net.
Moreover, it would be a real shame to waste the morale that the team had worked so hard to build up because of their lead.
So Ferguson decided to take a gamble, hoping to capitalize on the team's momentum and launch a fierce attack before Mourinho brought on Lin Feng, aiming to score another goal!
If they can score just one more goal, the game will be in the bag.
Even if Real Madrid brought on Lin Feng in the next match, it would be difficult to change the situation.
After taking a two-goal lead, it's not too late to adjust the team's tactics.
But the prerequisite is that Mourinho cannot make substitutions at halftime; otherwise, his plans will all fall through!
However, when he glanced at the players' tunnel, his expression instantly changed!
"Oh wow, Real Madrid made a substitution at halftime. Lin Feng, who had missed three weeks due to injury, is back on the field, appearing in Real Madrid's most important match of the season, the Champions League final!"
"It's been a long time since we've seen Lin Feng on the field. I believe that our fans, like us, are eager to see his performance!"
"Although Real Madrid is currently trailing, Lin Feng's appearance has injected a strong boost into their performance. With Lin Feng anchoring the midfield, the problems that plagued Real Madrid in the first half will surely be resolved. Let's look forward to the second half of the match!"
Even the commentators became excited when they saw Lin Feng appear on the field, let alone the fans in the stadium.
"Lin Feng!"
"Lin Feng!"
"Lin Feng!"
More than 2 Real Madrid fans at the scene chanted Lin Feng's name as if they were welcoming their king, with fervor and devotion.
The momentum they created was truly terrifying; even some neutral fans were swayed and couldn't help but shout.
The final was held in Italy, and Lin Feng's first stage in the top five European leagues was Serie A.
Although he has been gone for two years, his performance in Serie A back then earned him many Serie A fans.
Two years later, when Italian fans saw Lin Feng again, they felt both nostalgic and wistful.
Many Italians reminisce about the glorious era when Serie A was flourishing, but that era became history after two landmark events: the Calciopoli scandal and Lin Feng's departure to La Liga.
Serie A is in a particularly bleak state these days, with the former Big Three all struggling.
Juventus is struggling on the road to recovery, trying to regain its former glory.
AC Milan, hampered by an aging squad and deteriorating finances, has declined.
As for Inter Milan, which topped the Champions League two years ago, it was also severely weakened after Lin Feng left.
Although they remain highly competitive in domestic leagues, they have struggled to regain their former glory in international leagues.
Everything was irreversible. Lin Feng's sudden appearance disrupted all of Ferguson's plans.
Even the Manchester United players on the field couldn't help but feel nervous after seeing Lin Feng come on.
Only Cristiano Ronaldo's fighting spirit has become even stronger.
Lin Feng's appearance brought immediate changes to Real Madrid.
His first through ball after coming on as a substitute precisely pierced Manchester United's defense, reaching his teammate in the forward line and nearly creating a goal – Raul's shot inside the penalty area was barely saved by Van der Sar's foot as he fell to the ground.
This was Real Madrid's closest chance to score since the start of the game.
"Well said, Lin!"
Raul turned around and gave Lin Feng a thumbs up, praising the opponent for his excellent pass.
Raul's words came from the bottom of his heart. When had Sneijder ever received such a comfortable pass while he was on the field in the first half?
He didn't even need to make any positioning moves; the football seemed to have eyes, heading straight for his feet.
Reflecting on his treatment in the first half and comparing it to how he was treated after Lin Feng came on, Raul only regretted that the coach hadn't substituted Sneijder earlier.
In fact, Sneijder is quite capable. He became the midfield core of the Dutch national team and Inter Milan, leading the team to achieve excellent results in the Champions League and the World Cup, so he must have some skills.
However, his playing style is quite different from Lin Feng's. Sneijder has exquisite footwork, a wide field of vision, and accurate passing. He is a good player in attack, but he is physically weak, has poor running ability, is not good at physical confrontation, is not fast enough in handling the ball, and has no defensive ability. He is a typical classic attacking midfielder.
As early as the beginning of the century, the space for the classic attacking midfielder in the modern football system was becoming increasingly smaller.
Attacking midfielders like Lin Feng, who are versatile and versatile, have gradually replaced them and become the mainstream in today's football world.
Manchester United is a typical Premier League team: fast-paced, aggressive, wild, and prone to fouls.
Against this type of team, Sneijder's weaknesses—his lack of physical strength and slow ball handling—were fully exposed.
Real Madrid did pass the ball to him after winning possession earlier.
But Sneijder couldn't hold onto the ball at all; if he was even slightly slow, he would be double-teamed and then dispossessed.
Once he loses possession in that position, the opponent can immediately launch a counter-attack in midfield, putting Real Madrid in a very passive position.
Real Madrid were besieged by Manchester United multiple times in the first half, largely due to Sneijder's mistakes.
Moreover, even if he gets the ball, it's difficult for him to pass it well. Manchester United's defense sets up very quickly, and the players press aggressively. To break through the opponent's defense, you must complete the pass in the shortest possible time. If you delay even half a second, the opportunity is gone.
Sneijder, who hasn't had time to adapt, clearly lacks the ability to handle the ball quickly.
So when the ball gets to his feet, he either loses it or makes a poor pass that wastes the opportunity. With so many of these mistakes, his teammates' trust in him has plummeted.
In the latter part of the first half, Real Madrid's backfield players were reluctant to pass the ball to him after receiving it, instead passing it directly to the wingers on the flanks or launching long balls from the backfield to find the strikers.
This further exacerbated Sneijder's already poor performance, leaving him with even fewer opportunities to shine and making his situation on the field even more awkward.
When Mourinho substituted him at halftime, the Dutchman felt both humiliated and relieved, as if he had been granted a pardon.
Perhaps he really needs to think about his career transition; otherwise, even if he leaves Real Madrid and goes to another club, he will find it difficult to get a chance to stand out due to the limitations of his playing style.
Compared to Sneijder, Lin Feng, who has proven himself in countless games, still enjoys the complete trust of his teammates, even after his injury.
Whenever his teammates get the ball, they always look for Lin Feng's position immediately and try their best to pass the ball to him so that he can handle it.
To lighten Lin Feng's load, the team's two defensive midfielders tirelessly sprinted and pressed the ball around the field, vying to do all the dirty and tiring work so that Lin Feng wouldn't waste a single bit of energy.
Although Lin Feng has returned, he has missed more than 20 days of training, and his teammates are very worried about his physical condition. That's why they are doing everything they can for him, like a nanny.
Lin Feng felt a warmth in his heart from his teammates' actions and couldn't help but sigh:
With such a great group of teammates, what more could one ask for?
Without a doubt, even if it means going all out, we'll lead our brothers to charge one more time and bring this championship trophy home!
In the 50th minute, Giggs was dispossessed in midfield by Lin Feng. Although Carrick reacted quickly and pressed forward immediately, trying to win the ball back with Giggs, the situation was still very serious.
But Lin Feng's speed in handling the ball is clearly something that the slow and deliberate Sneijder can't match!
The moment he intercepted the ball, he saw an opportunity on the wing and delivered a precise through pass to the side.
After receiving the pass from Lin Feng, Little Flying Man Robben immediately activated his nitro boost, his legs spinning incredibly fast as if they were powered by electric motors!
While Robben was making his run, Real Madrid's attacking trident, Raul and Benzema, were also pushing forward, making incursions into the opponent's penalty area from the left, center, and right.
The situation on the field suddenly changed, Manchester United's backline was in dire straits, and all the players were desperately running back, trying to catch up with Real Madrid's attacking players.
Ferdinand and Vidic could only fight and retreat, not daring to send anyone to intercept Robben, because they knew very well that if they went up to intercept, the opponent would definitely pass the ball out.
The remaining defender will then face a one-on-two situation, making it virtually impossible to break through the opponent's attack!
At this moment, all they can do is hope that Evra can run faster and catch up with the Dutchman soon!
But even with all his might, Manchester United's left-back couldn't catch up with Robben before he could cut inside.
Seeing Robben cut inside to the center and about to shoot, Vidic had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward to intercept.
At this moment, all he could do was pray that the Dutchman would act like a lone wolf, taking the shot himself instead of passing the ball!
To his disappointment, Robben did not do so.
Perhaps knowing the importance of this match, or perhaps not wanting to leave any regrets in his Real Madrid career, Robben, after a half-second internal struggle, chose to pass the ball to Raul.
When Raul received the ball, Ferdinand was the only one left in front of him.
He wasn't foolish enough to challenge Ferdinand one-on-one, but instead passed the ball to Benzema in the center of the penalty area. Benzema was in open space, forcing Ferdinand to abandon Raul and rush towards him.
However, as soon as he left, Benzema immediately passed the ball back to Raul.
After receiving the ball, Lord of the Rings unleashed a powerful shot, and the ball easily went into the net.
The score was now 1-1, but Real Madrid equalized just five minutes into the second half! (End of Chapter)