All those reporters say that Kevin’s tactical position is special.
But isn’t that as it should be?
I’m the most democratic person there is: if any of you think you can easily lead the team to defeat the opponent, then you don’t have to defend.
If you can’t, you’d better damn well be smart about it and not let me see Kevin running back to the front of our penalty area to cover your asses. Got it?
"Right, pay attention when defending!"
Ramos leapt up, waving his arms and shouting.
Cassano curled his lip and muttered, "Bootlicker, the gap behind you is the biggest."
Ramos squatted down to pick up his boots, ready to hit Cassano with them.
The locker room was very lively.
After greeting the Inter Milan players, we headed back onto the field.
Inter Milan made a substitution: Samuel came on to replace Figo.
"Inter is switching to a five-defender formation? No, wait, Cordoba is moving up front; this diminutive defender really does have decent dribbling skills, and he can play multiple positions in the back as well as being quite fast. Is Mancini assigning him to target Huang Kaiwen?"
"Ancelotti turned Pirlo into one of the world’s top midfielders by playing him behind a forward; heh, today Mancini is pushing a defender forward. I wonder if it will be effective."
Besides Sannetti, Huang Kaiwen now also had Cordoba for company.
The Inter captain and vice-captain had an understanding and wouldn’t constantly follow Huang Kaiwen.
But whenever Huang Kaiwen was about to receive the ball, both of them would immediately abandon their attack and run to his side.
Standing on the sidelines, Mancini finally let a smile show on his face.
His crisp suit, coupled with his features, radiated the charm of a middle-aged man.
Before, he had been in despair.
But Real Madrid’s own goal in the final minutes of the first half gave him hope again.
In the UEFA Champions League, a 2-3 loss away from home still offers a decent chance of advancing when returning to your home ground.
Real Madrid’s number ten is strong, but who can guarantee that Huang Kaiwen can stay healthy for the second leg?
Having realized this in the locker room, Mancini made his decision.
Forget about pushing up the defensive midfielder, he might as well send Cordoba forward.
Cordoba had enough understanding with Sannetti, not to mention his speed and leaping ability, and his footwork was hardly inferior to that of the offensive players. Paired with Sannetti for defending against Huang Kaiwen, he could also be effective in attack.
Mancini felt like a tactical genius, predicting that many coaches would mimic his strategic arrangement after today’s game.
Once again, Maicon took the ball and mounted an attack. After Torres was bypassed, Pepe managed a successful tackle as he covered from behind.
Huang Kaiwen, lurking in the defensive midfield, suddenly burst down the left flank, and Robinho hurriedly cleared a path.
Pepe delivered a quick diagonal pass to Huang Kaiwen.
Huang Kaiwen took the ball and set off, leaving Maicon a step behind, and flicked the ball ahead over 20 yards, dodging Cambiasso’s sliding tackle.
But with "Matthäus’s" speed already quite rapid, plus the "King of the Left Wing" and "Sprint Expert" titles, Huang Kaiwen’s pace was also incredibly fierce.
The Real Madrid fans in the left-side stands saw it all too clearly.
Huang Kaiwen sprinted along the left flank, pursued by the hottest Brazilian right-back, whose veins throbbed visibly on his forehead, yet they were still left behind by their number ten.
Seeing that Huang Kaiwen was closing in on the ball, Maicon resolved himself to slide in with all his might, capitalizing on his momentum.
Huang Kaiwen, near the top of the large penalty area, took control of the ball with his left foot and knocked it toward the area, smoothly avoiding Maicon’s sliding tackle.
After reaching the end line and regaining possession of the ball, he spun quickly for a back-heel pass; Samuel, rushing toward Huang Kaiwen, extended his foot in an attempt to intervene, but the ball passed between Samuel’s feet.
Raul, who came to support in the middle, was shaken off, and Cambiasso, following up to the arc top, received the ball, turned, and cleared it with a big kick. This time, Cambiasso didn’t control well, and the ball flew out of the sidelines at midfield.
"Stick close to him!"
Mancini, waving his arms, shouted, "Even if he goes to the sidelines, don’t let him have it easy!"
A few minutes ago, he was confident about a comeback at home.
But watching Huang Kaiwen’s performance in this attack, Mancini began to doubt whether he could keep the suspense alive for the home leg.
He waved Burdizzo over to the sidelines and said, "Tell them, try not to force Kevin to the sidelines."
Burdizzo asked, puzzled.
The threat of breaking through the middle was surely greater than from the sidelines.
"Ah, I thought the same, but there are more people in the middle, so he can’t run at full speed; you saw what just happened, as soon as he went to the sidelines, he could easily become a threat."
Mancini, patting Burdizzo on the shoulder, continued, "Try to keep him in the middle, don’t let him pull wide. If he’s in the middle when nearing the area, be cautious and don’t give him a chance to shoot from distance."
"I’ve got it, coach!"
Burdizzo said, nodding his head.
He ran back and relayed the coach’s instructions to his teammates.
Mancini’s demands were many, under normal circumstances, Inter players would have complained.
But facing Huang Kaiwen, they indeed needed to do more.
Torres threw the ball in from midfield, and Guti received the ball in the center circle and instantly passed it to Huang Kaiwen.
Huang Kaiwen, taking the ball on the left, flicked it with the outside of his left foot and started a fast dash forward, with Maicon sticking close as they ran back.
It was a race of speed between the two men.
Although Huang Kaiwen, running on the outside, had a longer distance to cover, he kept his lead over Maicon by a step.
As the two neared the end line, Huang Kaiwen’s left foot sent the ball across.
The ball flew over Samuel’s head towards the right post, and Materazzi, realizing he couldn’t make it, threw himself to the ground and stretched his foot to increase his defensive reach. Cassano, approaching on the right side of the small area, took a volley shot, but the ball flew from the right side of the goal all the way past the left post.