Chapter 725 Gladiator
"Welcome to the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy."
"What is being broadcast live for you now is the final of the 2008-2009 season, the UEFA Champions League."
“The competition is about to begin.”
"Today, the local temperature in Rome is good, 23 degrees Celsius and 71% humidity, which is very suitable for the competition environment."
"Before the game, there will be a short opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium and there will be a performance."
"The heavyweight guests tonight are being welcomed on the spot."
"We can see Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi, Chinese Prime Minister, German President Horstkoler, Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Royal Representative Prince William, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown."
"The ones who walked in the end were UEFA President Platini and Secretary-General Infantino."
“The warm-up performance before the game has begun.”
"There was a chant sounded in the scene, which was the voice of the Italian blind tenor Bocelli, from the theme song of the famous Hollywood movie Gladiator. The live actor played Jubit, the king of the ancient Roman gods in thunder and lightning."
"A group of supermodels in costume walked into the stadium with the St. Berede Cup, which represents the fashion country of Italy."
"Bocelli began to sing the theme music of the Champions League original by Handel, and the atmosphere on the scene was very strong."
“The competition is about to begin.”
"We can see the live TV camera switched to the player channel. Both teams of players are already lined up in the channel and ready to enter the field at any time. The referee of this game is from Busaka, Switzerland."
"Busaka, who is 40 years old, has a lot of experience. He is the head of a company. From the first international law enforcement competition in 1999 to the present, he has participated in the last 80 UEFA games and has participated in more than 30 UEFA Champions League law enforcement games so far, with very rich experience."
"This season, Busaka has enforced five Champions League games, all of which have been decided within 90 minutes. This season, he has enforced Bayern Munich and Manchester United one game each, and both teams have won."
"Let's see who this Swiss referee will bring good luck tonight."
"The two teams walked into the court quickly."
"We can see the lineup of the two teams in this game."
"Bayern Munich still adopts the 433 formation style he is good at. The goalkeeper is Germany's new international Neuer, the defense is Marcelo on the left, Ram on the right, and the two central defenders are a combination of Hummels and Lucio."
"The midfield is Schweinsteiger dragged behind, Vidal and Modric are ahead, and the front trident has not changed. Ribery, Aguero and Robben form the most lethal offensive combination in Europe."
"It can be said that Bayern Munich has put all his strength into this game, and the lineup is also very neat."
"Let's take a look at Manchester United again."
"Ferguson's game has lined up Manchester United's traditional 442 formation."
"The goalkeepers are Dutch veteran Van der Sar, and the defenses are Leiden Bynes, Evans, Ferdinand and O'Shea. Portuguese central defender Pepe received a red card in the second leg of the semi-finals and unfortunately missed the final. So Ferguson arranged for young players Evans, and it is estimated that this position will be Manchester United's weakness in this game."
"In the midfield, Giggs, Matic and Carrick are in the center on the left, Fletcher is on the right, and the two forwards in the frontcourt are a combination of Tevez and Rooney."
"Ferguson hid Berbatov and instead let Tevez and Rooney form a double striker, and arranged four players in the midfield. The intention is already very obvious. He is going to use the midfield to suppress Bayern Munich in this game."
Gao Han's first reaction when he saw Manchester United's lineup in front of the home team coach's seat was the same as everyone else. Ferguson wanted to use the advantage of the number of players to suppress Bayern Munich's midfielder.
"This old man still refuses to defend himself." Gao Han praised with a smile.
He knew Ferguson well and the Scottish temper.
When facing Barcelona last year, Ferguson knew that his team could not play against his opponents, but he chose to push it out. This was definitely irrational, but it was in line with his personality with Manchester United.
Or should we say that Ferguson and his Manchester United have long passed the stage where they need to rely on their grades to prove themselves. They are more about sticking to their football philosophy and their philosophy.
Holding to the death is definitely not what Manchester United insists on, so they would rather lose the game than choose to push it out.
The same goes for this game.
What's more, it's not unreasonable for him to make such a choice.
Everything has its pros and cons. Bayern Munich's players are participating in the Champions League final for the first time. Manchester United hit the ball out of the game, which might disrupt Bayern Munich's position?
As for the risks, Ferguson must have considered it, so he won Berbatov and arranged four midfielders.
The only surprise is that Scholes does not, and he will probably appear as a surprise.
When Gao Han thought of this, he couldn't help but feel excited.
This is the Ferguson he knew.
This is the Champions League final that is interesting.
"Be careful, guys, you must stabilize the game, first gain a foothold, take your time, don't be anxious or confused, do you understand?"
Gao Han quickly walked to the sidelines and shouted loudly at the players.
The players on the court also heard his shouts and nodded in unison.
Ferguson was always worried about the final last season.
To say regret, there must be some, after all, I lost in the finals, but to say I am envious, there must be no.
As an experienced head coach, Ferguson had already anticipated various possibilities before the game.
He knew better than anyone else that if he took a defensive position, he would definitely have to play in that game, at least the outcome would be unpredictable.
Manchester United has not defended, but Ferguson has always believed that retreating to the penalty area and adopting strict defense tactics is not what Manchester United should insist on.
Brave is the team trait he has always valued the most.
Therefore, he has always insisted on letting the team create better results in a positive way that they are good at.
If you go against what you insist on, then what's the point of even achieving good results?
So, he chose to push out that game.
The same goes for this game!
Tonight is the Champions League final, a life-and-death final battle.
Just like the gladiator chanted by Bocelli, there is only one team that leaves the arena with glory.
"Tell them, after the game, try to get the best of the opponent!"
Ferguson ordered loudly.
With the whistle of referee Busaka, the highly anticipated Champions League final finally kicked off.
Manchester United took the lead in getting the kickoff.
At the beginning of the game, the Red Devils quickly kicked the ball and passed it directly to the backcourt, but the players in the frontcourt rushed forward quickly. The two forwards were more like two sharp blades and directly rushed towards Bayern Munich's goal.
The Bundesliga giants also retreated quickly, especially the defense line led by Lucio and Hummels, which retreated directly to the front of the penalty area. However, the Red Devils came in full force and the ball quickly passed to the midfield.
Carrick took the ball and moved to the left rib. Giggs received the ball and took the ball to the middle, but when he entered the 30-meter area, he was dragged and tripped to the ground by midfielder Schweinsteiger, and the referee's whistle sounded.
This was the first foul in this game, and Manchester United got a set piece opportunity in the frontcourt.
Within a minute of the opening game, a set-piece opportunity was created, and Manchester United fans in the stands seemed extremely excited.
Giggs and Rooney stood on both sides of the free throw point respectively. This position is very far from the goal, thirty meters away, and there is little possibility of a direct shot, so Bayern Munich is more defensive against Manchester United players.
But unexpectedly, Giggs suddenly sent a fast arc ball and headed straight for the goal with a strong spin.
Neuer quickly made a judgment and stretched out his hands to hold the ball, but unexpectedly he took off his hand.
This sudden change caused a riot in the entire penalty area, and there were continuous exclamations in the stands.
Teves quickly followed and picked up a free shot before everyone could make a shot, but Hummels fell to the ground and blocked Teves's shot from the goal.
The entire Olympic stadium only breathed a sigh of relief.
Neuer raised his hand to his teammates apologized, saying that the danger was caused by his mistake. He looked a little nervous, while teammates such as captain Ram, Schweinsteiger, Hummels and others walked over to comfort him.
Gao Han also clapped his hands hard on the sidelines, and he was sure that the players performed well. Don’t worry, take your time.
Giggs ran to the corner kick area, but this time, the corner kick he sent out was quickly rushed out of the goal by Neuer, jumped high, and grabbed it from mid-air before everyone was taken, giving Manchester United no chance to threaten the goal.
The German goalkeeper's attack also won him a lot of cheers.
Bayern Munich quickly made the goal, and Neuer sent the ball to the right back Ram, but Manchester United seemed to have no intention of retreating and still pressed Bayern Munich in the frontcourt.
Two forwards, four midfielders, Manchester United pressed heavily in the frontcourt, and Ferguson was able to say that he had invested a lot.
Bayern Munich played a bit cautiously and cautiously at the beginning. The players participated in the Champions League final for the first time, focusing on stability, so they were quickly suppressed by Manchester United. The Red Devils used their pressing and oppression and active running, making it difficult for Bayern Munich to spread the pass control, and they often make mistakes after passing two or three times.
However, Bayern Munich is also very well organized in defense. Once the ball is lost, it immediately forms a meticulous defensive level and will not give Manchester United a chance to truly threaten the goal.
It was not until the sixth minute that Manchester United got another chance.
It was Tevez's long shot from 30 meters away from the goal, which slightly missed the goal, but it made Bayern Munich sweat from the top and bottom.
Manchester United players pressed fiercely after the start of the game and played very aggressively.
Bayern Munich is very skilled in passing and controlling the midfield and backcourt, and both central defenders have strong ability to shoot the ball, so Ferguson arranged for Tevez and Rooney to press against the two central defenders at the same time, making Matic's position even higher and press Schweinsteiger.
This kind of nearly human-to-peer pressure, coupled with Manchester United players' full physical fitness at the start, made Bayern Munich really feel a headache, and the ball is even difficult to pass to the frontcourt, let alone a threat.
Gao Han was mentally prepared for such a start. In fact, Ferguson used Barcelona last season, but Barcelona quickly reacted and attacked.
So this time, he won Berbatov and played with Fletcher, using four midfielders and two forwards to exert force at the same time.
This made Gao Han admire that Ferguson's training of Manchester United and his ability to understand tactics were indeed extraordinary, and he could play new tricks no matter how he played.
But Manchester United can't continue to attack like this. Bayern Munich will definitely fight back.
But just as Gao Han was thinking about countermeasures and preparing to make adjustments, a sudden change occurred on the field.
Manchester United left-back Leyton Bynes suddenly stepped forward, and Giggs dribbled the ball to Bayern Munich's right rib, attracting the attention of defensive players such as Ram, and suddenly returned to the left.
Without thinking, Leiden Bynes rubbed a cross from his left foot and sent the ball into the penalty area.
At this time, Rooney quickly inserted the back row, jumped high, blocked Lucio with his body, stopped the ball in his chest, and shot it out loud after landing.
The ball headed straight to the goal with a thunderous momentum.
Chapter completed!