radicalducati Chapter 17: Revitalizing Roma's attacking play, an unexpected result!
Chapter 17: Revitalizing Roma's attacking play, an unexpected result!
Many spectators at the Singapore National Stadium came from China, and most of them had some impression of Chang Huan, who came from Liverpool's youth academy, and instinctively clapped and cheered him on.
Roma coach Di Francesco stood in the control area, admiring the elusive movements of Chang Huanyue.
He has excellent footwork, precise passing, excellent vision, and his organizational skills are improving day by day. He is also quite active in defense.
The style of play is very modern.
Excellent speed and explosiveness.
While not as fast as traditional wingers, they are still faster than most midfielders and forwards.
Such offensive players are truly rare.
The person I'm most satisfied with is the sports director, Monchi, who accompanied the team on the trip.
The performance of the players brought in by the previous manager has little to do with him. The better Chang Huan, who was brought in this summer, performs, the higher his KPI will be!
If they continue with their current performance, and with the help of collaborating journalists who boast about it, multiplying 100 million euros tenfold will be a piece of cake.
Sell it again at an even higher price next year.
I felt really happy.
Chang Huan, who came on as a substitute, quickly demonstrated skills and composure beyond his years.
By making runs, making appropriate breakthroughs, and combining passing and movement, Roma revitalized their previously disorganized midfield and forward line.
Bayern Munich's head coach Carlo Ancelotti raised an eyebrow, seemingly lost in thought: "That young Asian player from Roma is really energetic. Is he from Sushi or South Korea?"
His assistant's son, David Ancelotti, said from the side: "Chang-huan, a Chinese, came from Liverpool's youth academy and joined Roma this June."
"Chinese? Interesting..."
Football matches are, in essence, a game of attack and defense.
When one side gains the upper hand in an attack, the other side is forced to defend passively.
Roma, who were forced to defend for most of the time, turned the tide and launched wave after wave of attacks.
The football was passed around continuously.
Lorenzo Pellegrini, pressing forward, passed the ball to Chang Huan, who was receiving it on the left flank.
Little Götze made a decisive tackle, and Chang Huan lowered his right shoulder, pretending to use his right foot to complete a stop and slide to the right front.
In reality, once the ball slipped through his fingers, he used the instep of his left foot to propel it forward from the outside.
The whole process was smooth and seamless; Götze missed his target!
Right-back Rafinha and Javi Martinez, who were covering for him, pressed him simultaneously.
Chang Huan, dribbling the ball forward, quickly executed a quick left-right twirl, flashing into the gap between the two defenders!
Javi Martinez, a seasoned player, deliberately let the ball pass but not the player's, extending his leg to kick Chang Huan, who was making a stylish breakthrough, to the ground. The referee immediately blew his whistle: "Beep~"
"Chang Huan's breakthrough is really impressive."
CCTV-5 commentator Shao Shengyi exclaimed, "Easily getting past Götze, and then calmly dribbling past Rafinha and Javi Martinez. If Javi Martinez hadn't had such long legs, Ulreich would have had a tough time guarding the goal..."
"Um?"
Commentator Zhan Jun, who switched to PP Sports this summer, became excited when he saw Chang Huan placing the ball at the spot of the foul: "He took all of Liverpool's set pieces in his professional debut, and now he's back as a set-piece taker in Rome. It seems Chang Huan's technique is recognized by the whole team!"
Many Chinese fans who watched the live broadcast through CCTV-5 and the online platform PP Sports could not hide their excitement.
Being responsible for taking set pieces for a team has a clear underlying meaning!
The whistle blew.
Lorenzo Pellegrini, who was standing on the left rear of the ball parallel to the baseline, took a step and stopped in place.
Chang Huan, who was positioned parallel to the left flank, raised his right hand in a tactical gesture and quickly took two steps.
The left foot kicks the ball with the inside of its foot in a slicing motion.
The football, propelled into the air by high-speed rotation, spun over the head of the wall at a visible speed, its arc in mid-air resembling a crescent moon, bypassing both teams' players at the near post and accurately finding Fazio, who had broken out in the middle of the penalty area.
The 1.95-meter-tall Argentine center-back leaped high, outjumping Thomas Müller and Sanches to unleash a powerful header.
Ulreich's instinctive save attempt covered a limited area, and his fingertips failed to touch the high-speed, outward-spinning football...
"Goal!"
PP Sports commentator Zhan Jun exclaimed with enthusiasm: "Chang Huan delivers a precise free kick from the left wing, assisting Fazio to break the deadlock! Roma leads Bayern Munich 1-0 at the Singapore National Stadium!"
"This little guy is amazing!"
Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti could not hide his admiration.
Ribery is 34 years old, and based on Chang Huan's performance during his time as a substitute, he is perfectly capable of becoming his successor...
After celebrating their goal, the Roma players naturally ran back.
Di Francisco called Chang Huan to the sideline and gave him instructions: "Go to the right. If you have the chance, cut inside boldly. Don't be afraid of making mistakes and getting the ball stolen. Just focus on winning the ball back."
"Huh? Got it."
Chang Huan mainly plays to the right side, so he was a little surprised to be called to cut inside from the right, but adhering to strict tactical discipline, he subconsciously nodded.
The game has restarted.
Despite trailing, Bayern Munich wasn't in a hurry. Their starters and semi-starters knew that the purpose of preseason friendlies was simply to find their form.
Winning or losing doesn't matter.
However, substitutes, fringe players, and youth team players know that the International Champions Cup is very important, as it is one of the few opportunities to change their standing in the eyes of head coach Ancelotti.
Götze, Sanches, and Kingsley Coman were very anxious, their restlessness evident as they moved.
French winger Kingsley Coman and Portuguese prodigy Renato Sanches each attempted a long-range shot.
Roma's defenders were in high spirits and pressed hard on the defense with all their might.
The two Bayern players failed to control the ball and fired high into the air.
Chang Huan attacked down the right flank, but things didn't go smoothly at first.
However, thanks to his good adaptability and outstanding footwork skills, he played very well.
The only truly awful shot was the one that cut inside and fired from distance.
With a shooting power of 60+, shots from outside the penalty area require a lot of effort to generate enough speed.
However, the accuracy of the long-range 47mm shot was too low.
Even more outrageous than Kingsley Coman and Sanches.
Chang Huan remained calm and composed, looking down at the spot where the long-range shot was supported, and stepped back onto the few patches of grass that had risen from the ground with his left foot.
"The poor quality of the pitch caused Chang Huan's long-range shot after dribbling past his opponent to miss the target."
CCTV-5 commentator Shao Shengyi gave a loud commentary.
Many fans watching on TV couldn't help but laugh.
This tactic...
I understand everything I understand.
In the 70th minute, Lewandowski, Ribery, and Hummels were substituted.
Rome also pulled Dzeko, Strootman, and De Rossi from the front lines.
Bayern's young substitutes struggled to change the course of the game, and Roma gradually took control.
After a necessary transfer, the ball came to Chang Huan's feet on the right wing.
Considering his lack of long-range shooting accuracy and power, he decided against cutting inside again.
The young Bayern player who came on as a substitute wanted to teach Chang Huan a lesson, but he was dribbled past like a training stick or a marker, so he didn't dare to defend rashly anymore.
Bayern's defenders maintained a safe distance, and Chang Huan, with excellent vision, made a long diagonal pass!
El Shaarawy, as if on cue, sprinted along the left flank and delivered a perfectly timed long pass with a controlled touch.
He was able to fulfill the bold statement he made on the bench in the first half.
Crossing the road is like crossing at 5 a.m.!
He dribbled the ball rapidly into the corner between the left sideline and the goal line of the six-yard box, and selflessly passed it back to Lorenzo Pellegrini to extend the lead with a shot.
"Could Chang try playing as a deep-lying midfielder? His link-up play is outstanding, and his long passes are very accurate."
Assistant coach Tome offered advice during the goal celebration.
Di Francesco shook his head: "He's too skinny, his jumping ability and heading are among the worst in the team, his defensive positioning is average, he's very aggressive, but he relies more on fouls..."
"Too."
Roma are leading by two goals and their morale is soaring.
Thomas Müller, Javi Martinez, and Thiago boosted morale, but the substitutes and young players had limited ability.
Their overall form is still adjusting, and it's really difficult for them to create any attacks that could threaten Alisson's goal.
The two sides traded attacks back and forth until stoppage time.
Thomas Müller, the "space reader," capitalized on Fazio's miskick in the penalty area, poking the ball past Alisson in goal.
This goal was also the last goal of the match.
Ultimately, Roma defeated Bayern Munich 2-1 at the Singapore National Stadium.