"Oh no, how could Icardi clear the ball like that?"
"To be blunt, his retreat from the front all the way to the penalty area was completely helping Manchester United by making a mistake!"
"Look at De Gea’s expression, he looks like he wishes he could strangle the guy!"
"It’s good to have enthusiasm when you’re young, but you still need to use your brain a bit." Thɪs chapter is updated by novel✶fire.net
In the studio, Zhan Jun pinched his thigh hard, holding back his laughter as he commented on Icardi.
Even the well-informed Zhan Jun found this play bizarre.
Adding to the show, this ball was actually passed by Tang Long~
Although these two have already left Inter Milan, playing for Manchester City and Manchester United, is there still a tacit understanding between them that led to this comical scene on the field?
Of course, Sterling was the happiest!
He shook his hips, deliberately circling around Icardi before running to Tang Long to celebrate.
Even though it was Icardi who scored, Sterling believed he played a crucial role. Without him dodging in front, Icardi probably wouldn’t have managed such a spectacular own goal!
The first half ended with a score of 2:1.
As they left the field, Icardi lifted his jersey over his head, looking ashamed.
Manchester United’s captain Rooney quickly approached, tidying up his jersey and sincerely saying,
"Mauro, don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault. If I were chasing the ball from the front, I’d also race back to our penalty area. Your luck was just a bit off, but it’s alright; it’s only one goal. In the second half, get it back for us!"
Icardi, comforted by Rooney, recalled his bold words at the pre-match press conference, reigniting his fighting spirit.
"Don’t worry, Captain. Watch me score a hat-trick in the second half and finish them off hard!"
The flames of revenge burned hotter in Icardi’s heart.
Pellegrini felt the first half was a bit chaotic.
It wasn’t the rhythm of the match that was messy, but rather the three unexpected goals.
In the first 10 minutes, both sides banged in a goal each, and then nothing until Icardi, a striker, bizarrely scored an own goal before halftime!
Sixty-something-year-old Pellegrini was both surprised and amused.
He decided not to make any tactical adjustments, sticking to the game plan.
Van Gaal also thought Manchester United played quite well in the first half, standing toe-to-toe with Manchester City; the only thing lacking was a bit of luck.
He gave Icardi a big hug, praising his sense of responsibility in retreating from the front lines, and then gave a morale-boosting speech in the locker room.
"Whether you want to be a hero or a zero, it’s up to your performance in the second half!"
Icardi’s wife, Wanda, was also watching from the stands as a family member during the game.
During halftime, she was busy with her phone as many fans sent insults to her on social media.
Look at how your superb husband performed in the entire first half, apart from an own goal, what else did he do?
Icardi indeed seemed to be sitting in a penalty box in the first half, with his former teammate Ranocchia tightly marking him, limiting his appearances aside from that own goal.
Wanda, her face contorted, fiercely typed back with her thumbs on her phone screen.
"The own goal was just bad luck, but that doesn’t overshadow the effort my husband has made on the field!"
"Watch the second half, he’ll definitely contribute to Manchester United!"
Both teams gathered themselves again and took to the field once more!
Trailing 1:2 at home, this situation made Manchester United’s players more restless.
The anxiety wasn’t because their skills became sloppy but because they actively sped up their passing rhythm.
Many times, after getting the ball, center back Jones chose not to pass through his partnership with Smolin but directly passed quickly to the flanks;
they even launched long balls directly from the central defense, aiming for De Bruyne and Icardi.
The main offensive force on the right, Valencia, upon receiving the ball on the flank, either forced down the line or made a 45-degree cross right away.
This made Manchester United’s tactical style in the second half strikingly different from the first half.
Seeing this, Ferguson, in the VIP box, couldn’t help but frown.
To him, Manchester United was extremely cautious in the first half, trying to keep the ball at their feet, but in the second half, they abruptly switched to traditional English long-ball tactics.
It’s just one goal behind, so why did Van Gaal suddenly change the opening tactics?
However, what Ferguson didn’t know is that the current Manchester United is far from the team he managed.
In Ferguson’s time, he was the totem of Manchester United, his name as famous as the club itself!
One could say Manchester United was Ferguson’s team alone, regardless of who was the biggest star, the coach was the biggest star.
After Ferguson left, coaches like Moyes and Van Gaal who took over dramatically weakened their control over the dressing room.
Van Gaal did not tell the players to suddenly switch to a long-ball playstyle. He just guided them to slightly speed up the game pace, avoiding unnecessary short passes in defense to waste time.
But maybe it was an issue of the players’ ability, or maybe they misunderstood, or the eagerness to beat Manchester City, their historically noisy neighbor, got to their heads, resulting in disorganized gameplay.