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MTL - Football Feast, Starting From the Acquisition of European Clubs-Chapter 371 burn one's boats
Chapter 371
did not make Chen Ran wait for a long time, and the little fat Louis brought him news soon.
"Chen, Paulinho's transfer has been settled, with a transfer fee of 2 million euros, an annual salary of 1.5 million euros, and a five-year contract. The Sao Paulo Odax Club released him very readily."
"As for Conca, as you said, this guy is a bit pretentious. The Fluminense Club has agreed to let him go, but he still doesn't want to leave."
"But I still managed to get him by the method you taught, but the price was a bit high. I agreed to the transfer fee of 8 million euros from Fluminense Club, and then paid Conca an annual salary of 5 million euros. Do you think this condition How about it?"
Sold a few years in advance, and sure enough, you can get a bargain. Hearing Louis' report, Chen Ran was very satisfied.
"Yes, just do it. Remember, you must sign a long-term contract, understand?"
"Okay, I know."
After finishing the transfer affairs of Shencheng Galaxy, on December 11, Chen Ran ushered in the last match of the Champions League group stage. This time, Crystal Palace played against Fiorentina at the Emirates Stadium.
Because Crystal Palace has secured the first place in the group in advance, Chen Ran sent a starting lineup consisting of all substitute players in this Champions League match.
And, he once again handed over the command of the game to Southgate.
And on the Florence side, because they also determined the fate of being eliminated in advance. Therefore, when they played away to Crystal Palace this time, they also sent a lineup mainly composed of substitutes and young players.
So, in a substitute-to-substitute contest, with the goals of Dzeko, Cavani and Beckham, Crystal Palace easily defeated Fiorentina 3:1 at home.
While successfully advancing to the Champions League round of 16 as the first place in the group, Chen Ran also got a "Level 1 Rehabilitation Card" from the system.
In another competition in this group that is related to the promotion, Bayern Munich and Lyon faced off head-to-head, and the game was extremely fierce.
In the end, Bayern Munich, with its superior strength, won the last place in the Champions League round of 16 in the away game with a 3:2 victory over Kryon.
The match between and Fiorentina is only one day apart. On December 13, the seventeenth round of the Premier League will start again.
This time, Crystal Palace are going to Anfield to challenge Liverpool.
Fortunately, Chen Ran made a rotation ahead of time, which enabled Crystal Palace to play with the main starting lineup.
Center Tony
Left midfielder Ribery, midfielder Modric, right midfielder Messi
Defender Yaya Toure, Defender Mascherano
Left-back Chiellini, center-back Thiago Silva, center-back Kompany, right-back Maicon
Goalkeeper Cech
On Liverpool's side, this season's unexpected performance has led many to see them as the only team that can stop Crystal Palace from continuing to defend the Premier League title.
Even Liverpool's two battered American bosses, George Gillette and Tom Hicks, flew from the United States to London in their busy schedules to watch this important match, which is related to the Premier League championship this season.
This period of time is one of the darkest times for financial markets in the world. As the leader of the global stock market, the US stock market has also fallen horribly.
George Gillette and Tom Hicks, who invested hugely in the US stock market, are now busy looking for money everywhere to make up for the other.
As one of their core assets, Liverpool Club is naturally the best choice for them to cash out.
However, Liverpool's performance in recent years is really unsatisfactory. Even if someone is willing to take over the offer, the offer is far from meeting their requirements.
Now, if Liverpool can win the Premier League title this season, it must be a good price.
To this end, George. Gillette and Tom. Hickster intended to fly to London before the game with Crystal Palace, and the two had a talk with coach Benitez.
As for what the three of them talked about, no one knows. However, it is said that when Benitez left, his face was not very good-looking.
"Tom, do you think we can win this game against Crystal Palace?"
In a VIP box at Anfield Stadium, George Gillette looked at Tom Hicks with some uncertainty in his heart, as if he wanted to gain some confidence from the other party.
"I'm afraid it will be difficult, but I'm very satisfied with the draw."
Tom Hicks shook his head slightly, he has not been paying attention to Crystal Palace for a day or two. This team is too stable, even if there are various unfavorable factors, the Chinese can handle it perfectly, so that no one can find flaws.
George Gillette wanted to increase his confidence, but Tom Hicks poured him a basin of cold water directly.
"Then what should we do? If we can't get a significant championship trophy, we can't sell it at a high price."
George Gillette's face was a little pale. If Liverpool Club can't cash out, then he may not be far from bankruptcy.
"Keep going and wait for a miracle to happen. After all, Benitez once led Liverpool to the Champions League, and we can only choose to trust him now."
Tom Hicks' life was not easy, but he was a little stronger than George Gillette.
The grim situation made the two Americans lose interest in continuing to speak. In the box, there was a sudden silence.
On the sidelines of the pitch, Benitez was also in a heavy heart.
What the club's two American owners said to him before the game, let him Alexander.
He did not expect that the Liverpool club has reached this point now, and it has to rely on bank loans to maintain the daily expenses of the team.
The two Americans made it clear to him, if Liverpool couldn't win the Premier League or the Champions League this season.
Then from next season, the team will have to sell core players to keep the club afloat. After all, there is no way the banks could lend Liverpool indefinitely.
Benitez has been in charge of Liverpool for five seasons, this is his first time coaching an established giant club.
Here, he won the first Champions League trophy in his life.
For the Liverpool team, Benitez has feelings. In order not to let this team collapse, he is willing to do his best.
However, after several seasons of competition, Benitez also knows that Crystal Palace's strength is above Liverpool.
If he still plays according to his previous tactics, Liverpool may still have the same result as before.
After studying the recent game footage of Crystal Palace, Benitez also has a new consciousness.
If you want to take points from Crystal Palace, you must learn the bus tactics of Lyon and Chelsea.
This may not necessarily lead to victory, but it is by far the closest tactic to success.
So, in order to keep Liverpool's hopes of winning the Premier League title, Benitez decided to give up his usual tactical style of play.
Isn't it just putting on a bus, the Italian fat man in Chelsea can pull his face, why can't he Benitez?
Everyone is the coach of the Champions League, it is not ashamed to do so.
After some self-consolation, Benitez gave Liverpool an unexpected starting lineup.
Forward Robbie Keane, Forward Torres
MF Lucas, MF Xavi Alonso, MF Gerrard
Left-back Aurelio, center-back Skrtel, center-back Hypia, center-back Carragher, right-back Abeloa
Goalkeeper Reina
When Chen Ran saw Liverpool's starting roster, the corners of his mouth twitched violently.
Special meow, why are all these famous men starting to put on the bus?
You are all coaching giant clubs, so is it really okay not to face FACE?
"Boss, Benitez is in a 532 formation. He seems to have never used it before."
Next to , Southgate also came over and whispered.
"Isn't it just putting a bus. Now these teams will start doing this as long as they meet us Crystal Palace, no matter how strong or weak."
Simeone was not surprised. In his opinion, he should play like this against an opponent who is stronger than himself.
"Hey, it looks like today is another hard fight. If nothing else happens, we can only grind it slowly."
Southgate sighed helplessly.
Chen Ran, who didn't say a word, just stood there quietly watching the players on the court. Southgate is right, this game is not easy to play.
Actually, the situation was worse than Southgate saw.
Although on the surface it looks like Benitez has a 532 formation, Robbie Keane has been playing at left-back most of the time.
Only when Liverpool have the ball and are ready to counterattack will he rush forward and join Torres in attack.
Therefore, the formation designed by Benitez for Liverpool is actually constantly changing between 541 and 532.
From the first minute the referee blew the game, Liverpool shrank across the board.
Except for one Torres, who stayed in midfield, all other players were collected in their own half.
Do everything possible to compress the space, making it exponentially more difficult for Crystal Palace to penetrate Liverpool's defense through passing and cutting.
Seeing this situation on the field, Chen Ran simply returned to the bench and sat down.
In the face of more teams that use the bus strategy, Chen Ran has more and more experience in dealing with it.
For these bus-heavy teams, especially strong teams, it is almost impossible to break their defenses in the first half when they are full of energy.
Therefore, Chen Ran is not in a hurry, and he will wait until the opponent's physical fitness declines.
The entire first half of the game became a half-court offense and defense drill for the two teams.
Liverpool's defense is very tight, and Crystal Palace has never found a way to break the opponent's goal.
When the referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half, the score remained at 0:0 without any change.
At halftime, in the Crystal Palace locker room, Chen Ran did not lose his temper because of the delay in scoring.
"Everyone performed well in the first half, and we must continue to work hard in the second half. Don't let up. When the Liverpool players' physical fitness declines, it is the best time for us to score goals. Understand?"
"clear!"
Hearing the energetic answers from the players, Chen Ran nodded with satisfaction, his morale was commendable.
"Maicon, we have to continue to strengthen our offense in the second half of the game, how about you come down and rest first?"
"Okay, boss."
"Edin, after you replace Maicon for a while, play a double center with Luca. Understand?"
"Understood, boss!"
Hearing the boss mention his name, Dzeko immediately responded with excitement.
After arranging the substitutions, Chen Ran turned to look at Ribery and Messi again.
"I added Dzeko's high point in front, and the team's formation changed from 4231 to 352. In this way, Liverpool will definitely think that I want to use high-altitude bombing tactics."
"Frank, Leo, while your opponents are focusing on defending the high-altitude ball, the two of you have to cut in and shoot more in the second half of the game, so that surprises can make them unstoppable. Understand?"
"Okay, boss!"
"Understood, boss!"
On Liverpool's side, Benitez was very satisfied with the team's performance in the first half.
So, at halftime, he didn't make any substitution adjustments other than praising the players.
In the stands, the contest between the top two teams in the Premier League also attracted a large number of media reporters.
"Liverpool defended very well in the first half. Crystal Palace attacked for 45 minutes and they couldn't do anything about it."
"Hehe, isn't it just setting up a bus. Now these strong teams are becoming less and less promising. It's a shame to set a bus when they encounter Crystal Palace, just like those weak teams."
"Okay, you also have to take a look at these head coaches. The team is not as strong as Crystal Palace, and if they play against each other, they will lose without a doubt. It's better to put a bus, at least it is likely to score points."
"But a draw has no effect on Liverpool. They are now four points behind Crystal Palace. If the gap is not narrowed, the league title will eventually fall to Crystal Palace."
"I guess Benitez is planning to delay and wait for Crystal Palace to make mistakes."
"Hehe, Benitez won't be so naive, right? In the past few years, when did that Chinese person make a mistake?"
"That's true. But other than this trick, there doesn't seem to be any better way. That Chinese man is really stable and perverted."
"Alas, I hope a miracle will happen."
At the beginning of the second half of the game, Benitez saw the substitution adjustment on the Crystal Palace side.
He has studied the video of Crystal Palace's previous games and knows that this is a signal for Chen Ran to strengthen his offensive.
Fortunately, Benitez knew that Chen Ran liked to use high-altitude bombing tactics, and he was well prepared for this.
Liverpool's three central defenders currently on the field, Hypia is 195CM, Skrtel is 191CM, and Carragher is 185CM.
Benitez is very confident about the air defense capability of this configuration.
However, what surprised Benitez was that Crystal Palace did not make a lot of wide crosses in the next game.
(end of this chapter)