The star-studded Luzhniki Stadium.
After the start of the game, both teams did not go all out. Instead, they were probing each other.
The pace of the game was not fast.
Everyone was used to this. In an important game like the Champions League final, you could never expect the game to be sparks flying from the start. Of course, in most cases, such a final would not be very intense and exciting most of the time. This was the inevitability of utilitarian football.
Now, Inter Milan was in possession of the ball. They were not in a hurry to move the ball to the front field. Instead, they moved the ball from the back field to their feet. Their goal was to attract the Manchester United players to come up and snatch the ball and tear apart the opponent's formation.
However, Manchester United was not fooled. Other than the two strikers, Tevez and Rooney, who were working hard to snatch the ball, the other players were "doing their job." They did not blindly press forward. Instead, they stood in their positions and maintained a good distance from each other. They did not give Inter Milan any opportunities to take advantage of.
"Old fox!" On the sidelines, Li Ang smacked his lips.
Manchester United's tactical response showed that Ferguson's choice today was to defend and counterattack!
Between offensive tactics and defensive tactics, Ferguson ultimately chose the latter.
Li Ang only frowned slightly. This meant that it would not be easy for Inter Milan to score a goal. Inter Milan had to remain vigilant and not rush. They could not give Manchester United a chance to counterattack.
Of course, this situation was also within Li Ang's consideration. He understood Ferguson. Manchester United could play beautifully, but when they needed to play conservatively, Ferguson's team did not mind playing "ugly"!
In the Manchester United technical area, Ferguson sat in the technical area, chewing gum in his mouth. The old Scot had long expected such a start.
In fact, Ferguson's choice of conservative tactics was due to his vigilance against Li Ang and Inter Milan. He wanted to guard against Li Ang's possible sudden attack. At the same time, no matter what the considerations were, it was safest to adopt a strategy of defending and counterattacking first.
It was not wrong to be conservative in the Champions League final!
Of course, Manchester United's conservatism did not mean that they would defend their own half of the field and wait for Inter Milan to attack.
Once Manchester United thought that Inter Milan had advanced to their psychological safety line, they would take the initiative to press forward.
This was the tactic that Ferguson had formulated for Inter Milan. To a certain extent, they would press forward to press and snatch the ball. Not only did they protect their own goal, but they also did not completely give up the initiative on the battlefield.
In fact, once Inter Milan advanced to the vicinity of the center circle, Manchester United's pressing was still very fierce. It was purposeful, and Ferguson knew that blindly defending would not work. Moreover, this kind of slightly aggressive pressing was covert. If they could intercept Inter Milan's ball in the front field and then launch a counterattack, that would be even better.
*****
"Little Fox!" Ferguson glanced at Inter Milan's technical area.
He noticed that Inter Milan's tactics at the start of the match were also focused on defense and waiting for an opportunity to counterattack!
Clearly, in Ferguson's view, when faced with the choice of whether to attack or defend in the final, Li Ang did not hesitate to choose conservative tactics in the end. He strived to not make mistakes or make fewer mistakes and strive for victory with the premise of not conceding a goal.
In a sense, Li Ang's choice was correct. In such a final, the strength of both sides was close. They were not competing on who was more capable of breaking the opponent's goal, but on who made fewer mistakes.
Only in the case of the smallest mistakes would it be a contest of offensive ability and offensive efficiency.
"Both sides are more cautious. Whether it's Ferguson or Li Ang, they both asked the team to defend well."
"Although we should be mentally prepared for this, it will still disappoint the fans who are looking forward to a showdown of sparks!"
The commentators expressed their views on the seven or eight minutes into the game. Both sides clearly had no intention of pressing heavily. So far in the game, both sides only had one shot. This was when Hargreaves knocked down Mata, and Inter Milan was given a free kick in the front field. Modric drove the football into the penalty area, and Adriano's header was deflected. On the other hand, Manchester United had yet to complete a shot.
"Looking at the current situation of both sides, it will not be a surprising result if there is no goal after 120 minutes of the game. It looks like we have hope of a penalty shootout …" a commentator complained.
The game went on for another five minutes. When the game time reached 12 minutes, Manchester United finally had their first shot. Their star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, finally could not hold back and made a long shot from outside the penalty area. The football went over the crossbar and did not pose a threat to Inter Milan's goal.
On the other hand, Inter Milan increased their shot count from '1' to '2.'
It was still a chance for a set piece.
Mata took the ball in the front field. He was not in a hurry to pass the ball or look for coordination. He dribbled the ball left and right until he was pushed to the ground by Carrick. The referee blew for a free kick.
Modric's free kick flew into the penalty area. This time, it was Adriano's header. Diego Milito's subsequent header was slightly deflected to the right post, startling the Manchester United fans into a cold sweat.
Ferguson immediately became alert. He felt that he had captured Li Ang's tactical intention.
Inter Milan played more conservatively and prioritized not conceding goals. At the same time, on the offensive side, Li Ang asked Inter Milan's players to foul as much as possible in the front field. He wanted to use the set piece to create a goal opportunity!
Ferguson glanced at his own side of the field. Adriano and Diego Milito appeared in his line of sight. He confirmed his guess. With two great center forwards, Adriano and Diego Milito, Li Ang wanted to play to his strengths in headers. It was understandable that he wanted to make an issue out of the set piece.
Defend and counterattack firmly, strive to create set pieces, and use the set piece opportunity to score a goal!
Is this the tactic you created for Inter Milan?
The old Scot glanced at Inter Milan's technical area and revealed a sly smile.
I've seen through you!
*****
Li Ang looked at his watch in the technical area. Fifteen minutes had passed in the game. He believed that Ferguson had "seen through" his tactics. In that case, he could now start implementing his real tactics.
As a result, Li Ang got up from his seat and slowly walked to the sidelines. He did not make any gestures, nor did he whistle. He did not shout the players' names to attract their attention.
He just walked to the sidelines and then returned to the technical area.
He believed that his players should know what to do when they saw him get up and walk around.
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