Chapter 94 The last fight of the first half

After losing the ball, Eddie Howe's disappointed expression was just a moment of turning around, and he immediately returned to the rest area to discuss the next tactics with the assistant coach.

Now when we think about scoring goals, that is just a fantasy. How to stabilize the situation is the top priority.

Liverpool's strength lies not only in their high-position press, which allows opponents to make mistakes under pressure.

Rogers, who once served as a youth team coach at Chelsea, studied under "Madman" Mourinho and is also well versed in the concept of quick counterattacks.

Later, when he coached Swansea, Rogers was able to find a good balance between passing control and quick counterattacks.

In today's Liverpool, the quality of the players can maximize his football philosophy. Passing and control skills and quick counterattacks have become the sharpest offensive weapons of Rogers' Liverpool.

After the kick-off in the center circle, Eddie Howe asked the players to return to defense, and the formation was adjusted to 4-5-1. Although they were all five midfielders, the two wingers retreated, actively gave up the attack, and participated in the team's defense.

As for Rossi, let him retreat to the center circle to defend Gerrard's ball.

The Bournemouth team, which has retreated to its own side, has a defensive area full of people. Long passes from the backcourt will only make it more difficult for the offensive team to stop the ball.

Rossi only needs to defend Gerrard's ground pass near the center circle.

Liverpool, who already had two goals in hand, were not in a hurry to attack.

Because before the goal, Bournemouth's counterattack was still vivid in their minds.

Although there was no goal, from the start to the shot, the players did not have extra stick to the ball and were able to distribute the ball at the most appropriate time, with good speed and quality.

The most critical point is the center's ability to get rid of the ball, which fully reflects his awareness, vision and ability to shoot the ball with one kick.

Just the last shot was a result of the player's lack of personal ability.

If it were our own striker playing, it would be very possible to score.

No wonder they can remain unbeaten in the Championship and still have some strength.

However, today you met us, Liverpool, do you really think we are playing as a British Championship team?

In the next ten minutes, Liverpool tried many times to organize attacks on both sides, hoping to use Coutinho's dribbling to stretch the defense and look for opportunities.

But Bournemouth's defensive lineup was maintained very well. Ritchie was closely guarding Coutinho, denying him a chance to play the ball.

With no chance on either side, Liverpool shifted the attack to the two wings, taking advantage of Lallana's running ability and Markovic's speed.

Eddie Howe's response was to let the pass pass but not the sudden attack.

The ball can pass, but people cannot pass it, because Liverpool has no high point in the middle to outflank.

Under Bournemouth's tight defense, Liverpool could only try to create a threat through long shots, but there was no good opportunity.

"Boss, if the fight continues like this, will everyone's physical strength be able to withstand it?" the assistant coach expressed his worries.

Bournemouth's current defense relies entirely on players' active running and timely detection and filling of deficiencies in order to contain the opponent's attack.

But the game lasts for 90 minutes. How can this kind of exhausting style of play last the entire game?

Eddie Howe was silent for a while and said: "Let's finish the first half first. If we can't hold on here, there's no need to play the second half."

The referee only gave one minute of injury time, which showed that the first half was completely one-sided and the game went quite "smoothly."

Liverpool's corner kick was cleared by the defender. Ritchie took a big kick and tried to kick the ball into the opponent's half to kill the remaining ten seconds of stoppage time.

They need to rest and take a breather.

Referee, blow the whistle quickly!

The live broadcast camera also moved along with the flight path of the ball. I thought that after the ball hit the ground, the referee would blow the whistle to end the first half.

But in Liverpool's half, a player wearing the red and black jersey of the home team appeared.

No one at the scene felt that this was an opportunity to counterattack, because the other players of the Bournemouth team were huddled in their own half.

[Oh, there is Luo at the front. He has to face the defense of two people and has no chance.]

Rossi's ability to break through with the ball is not good. If it is Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi who appears here, it will definitely be an opportunity.

Rossi stopped the ball on the right, and Lovren immediately stepped forward to defend.

Firstly, it can prevent Rossi from continuing to advance with the ball, and secondly, it can delay the remaining game time.

Lovren also knows very well that Rossi, who runs without the ball, is his greatest weapon.

Now, my teammates don’t want to run, and they can’t run anymore. What can you do?

Just as Lovren was thinking about how to steal the ball, Rossi's eyes showed a determined look.

This is a determined look to get rid of the defense.

He first used his right foot to gently push the ball to the left, presumably to dribble the ball laterally.

Lovren also moved laterally, keeping his eyes on the ball, ready to take action at any time.

Rossi stood on the ball with his left foot, half-turned his body to the left, lightly stepped on the ball with his right foot and at the same time, quickly pulled the ball back.

Marseille slalom?

Lovren sneered, such a poor technique, there was no confusing movement before turning around, and he still pulled the ball horizontally.

This completely exposes the line of pulling the ball in front of oneself, and there is no protective action at all.

Lovren leaned forward, stretched out his right foot, and blocked Rossi's path to the ball.

But Rossi's foothold allowed him to knock the ball away to the side and behind at a faster speed, avoiding Lovren's steal.

[Oops, that’s it. Rossi’s Marseille slalom was simply amazing.]

After turning around, Rossi showed his excellent starting ability and broke through with the ball.

Oops!

The already silent home fans were once again ignited by Rossi's dashing "Marseille slalom", and their cheers instantly became thunderous.

Lovren was so stunned that he turned around and chased back from midfield.

Although Rossi started quickly, his ultimate speed was still insufficient, and he was quickly caught up by his opponent.

[Lovren has already caught up, and his teammates have also come over to defend. Let’s see how Luo handles the ball? 】

Lovren had already bitten Rossi, but Rossi used his position very smartly to block Lovren's forward path.

This made Lovren very uncomfortable as he chased back. If he didn't slow down and hit Rossi from behind, the referee would definitely call a foul.

This man is really difficult to deal with!

Fortunately, teammate Skrtel came to cover the defense and attacked from both sides.

When Rossi was dribbling the ball, he had already observed that no teammates came to support him wherever he could see.

The defender has already defended. Once the ball is stopped and there is no offensive tendency, the referee will most likely blow the whistle to end the first half.

No chance, last chance!

Faced with Skrtel's defense, Rossi turned back with his right heel and shot.

But Lovren behind him, when Rossi knocked the ball in a different direction, extended his foot to poke the ball. Although it was only a little bit, it had a big enough impact on the shot.

Rossi's reverse foot is not very proficient, and the shot is very difficult after changing.

After being poked like this again, Rossi's shooting foot missed the right spot at all. He just poked lightly with his toe. The ball slowly rolled towards the goalkeeper. Rossi himself lost his balance and fell to the ground.

Eddie Haoqi blushed and roared loudly in the audience. The veins on his neck were clearly visible.

He was not dissatisfied with Rossi's outrageous shot, but with the players' unpositive attitude.

Why not support Rossi and let him fight alone in the frontcourt.

Even if you can't catch up, but you don't have the spirit to fight hard, your teammates who work hard will be very disappointed.

Drop~drop~

The referee blew his whistle and pointed to the center circle, and the first half of the game was over.

Rossi punched the turf angrily unwillingly, then stood up and walked to the tunnel.

Wasn't he unwilling to use up a "highlight moment card" in exchange for a lame shot?

Instead, he feels annoyed about his own incompetence.

Dean Court Stadium, applause roared.

The other Bournemouth players lowered their heads and returned to the dressing room dejectedly.
Chapter completed!