Chapter 620: No Longer Grassroots

Simeone lied.

At home, he was not satisfied with just 1 point.

He wants to score all 3 points!

That's why he formed such an aggressive lineup. He wanted to take the initiative from the beginning!

As soon as the game started, QPR players rushed all over the field and resolutely executed a high press. Everyone except Ricardo had to run to compress the space for Manchester United to play the ball.

However, Mourinho seemed to be well prepared. Manchester United used the ball quickly to play fast breaks. Although the success rate was not high, they rarely lost the ball in their own half and did not give QPR a chance to counterattack on the spot.

Of course, high-position pressing cannot continue forever, and physical fitness is a big issue. Simeone requires players to press high in the first 30 minutes, regardless of whether they succeed or not, and then enter ball control mode after 30 minutes.

After a period of stalemate, QPR gradually gained the upper hand and several attacks were threatening, but Manchester United also created several murderous opportunities through set pieces.

In the 12th minute, Ashley Young's free kick was pushed into Courtois' arms by Nani.

One minute later, QPR successfully stole the ball in the midfield. Pogba sent a long pass forward. After taking the ball, Liccardo made a fuss on the wing, shook off Rafael and sent a cross. Vardy wanted to stop the ball with his chest and shoot directly. , but stopped a little too much, lost control of the ball, and Ferdinand cleared the ball.

In the 15th minute, Ashley Young's free kick was grabbed by Hernandez. Hernandez headed the ball backwards. Vidic relayed the header and headed the ball to the dead corner, but Kull Tuva, who is tall and has long arms, jumped up deftly and lifted the ball over the crossbar, resolving the crisis.

The corner kick was taken and hit the forward point. Van Persie grabbed the point and hit the defender.

In the 19th minute, QPR successfully stole the ball in the midfield again. Nainggolan passed the ball forward. Vardy passed the ball to Ricardo. Ricardo stepped on his bicycle twice and broke into the penalty area. He tried to shoot, but his left foot failed. Smashing the ball and then pushing it gently, De Bruyne followed up with another hypothetical pass and pushed the ball to the right. Nainggolan inserted a shot and shot through De Gea's fingers.

"Nainggolan Goalllllllll! This is his fifth goal this season. Nainggolan gave QPR the lead at home!" the commentator shouted, "This season, QPR's frontcourt cooperation is getting better and better. They have become more proficient and they no longer rely on Ricardo as much as they did last season, which is a good sign. Even when Ricardo is not in form, someone can step forward and contribute to the team."

"Nainggolan has continued his good performance. In the summer transfer window, he will definitely become the target of many giants. Barcelona, ​​Juventus, Inter Milan, Chelsea and many other giants have expressed interest in him. But if Simeone is a bit If you were rational, you would not sell him. He is an important puzzle piece for QPR. Midfielders who can attack and defend well, have sufficient physical strength, and have long-range shooting ability are too scarce in the transfer market. Of course, maybe QPR's young player Bo Gerba can replace Nainggolan, but if you consider fighting on the third or even fourth line, I think it is best for QPR to do their best to retain Nainggolan."

This is of course nonsense. Ricardo also knows the importance of Nainggolan and of course he will not sell it. As long as Nainggolan stubbornly demands a sky-high contract extension, he will keep the Indonesian-Belgian star.

After taking the lead, QPR continued to implement a high-pressing strategy.

But they soon made mistakes.

In the 23rd minute, QPR pounced too hard, leaving a large space behind them, while Ricardo slowly defended with his eyes, allowing Rafael to send a long overhead pass forward, find Van Persie, and he himself went to the center. sprint.

Van Persie pulled to the right, passed Alex Sandro who was too aggressive, and made a cross.

This cross was too close to the goalkeeper, but due to the great power of his cross, Courtois did not dare to hold the ball and hit the ball out of the penalty area with both fists.

However, at this time, Rafael rushed over and fired a volley without waiting for the ball to hit the ground. The football flew across the sky like a Tomahawk missile and hit the upper left corner of the QPR goal.

"Raphael Goallllll! He equalized the score for Manchester United with a world-beating goal! Rafael is very excited, this is his first goal this season, it is so crucial!"

Liccardo shook his head, speechless. How many goals can Rafael score if he shoots this kind of ball 100 times? But I got in this time.

Manchester United's luck is so good that it makes people speechless.

QPR entered a period of physical exhaustion early and began to shrink its defense and focus on ball control.

Manchester United did not press hard and allowed QPR to control the ball. They only suddenly strengthened their defense when the opponent reached within 30 meters of their own area.

For a time, the game entered a stalemate stage.

Neither side got any good chances and could only try long-range shots. However, their long-range shots were either blocked by defenders, went too far, or missed.

The two sides also strengthened their defense of set pieces and did not reveal any flaws.

In the 39th minute, Rafael broke through from the wing and sent a diagonal pass. Van Persie volleyed in front of the goal and Courtois confiscated the ball.

2 minutes later, QPR played a fast break. Neymar continuously dribbled the ball from the wing and then sent an inverted triangle pass. Nainggolan fired a powerful shot from the top of the penalty area, but Ferdinand blocked the baseline.

This was the last threat from both sides in the first half.

The unfavorable situation for Manchester United appeared in the 44th minute. Van Persie fell while fighting with Miranda and seemed to have strained the outer thigh muscle. Mourinho had to replace him with Welbeck.

With a score of 1:1, the two sides entered the halftime break.

In the home team's locker room, Simeone looked relaxed, "You all know that I long for a victory. But so far, even though the game is a draw, I am quite satisfied with your performance. You can't blame anyone for that goal. "

The only one to blame is Liccardo's defensive eyes, but Simeone didn't want to criticize the team's number one star.

"In the second half, we should not press high. I misjudged everyone's physical condition, which caused us to lose control in the second half of the first half. In the second half, we resolutely controlled the ball. It's best if we can score goals, but we really can't. , at least I have to ensure that I don’t concede any more goals, and a draw is something I can accept.”

Coincidentally, in the visiting team's locker room, Mourinho also said: "Although we were lucky enough to equalize the score in the first half, from the overall situation, QPR still has possession. They are no longer the grassroots team of last season. , with the championship in hand, their spirit is very different from last season, and they are more confident. We don’t need to compete with them for short periods of time. There are still 11 rounds of the league. It doesn’t matter if we tie this game. I have the confidence to lead everyone to win the championship.”

"In the next half of the game, I hope everyone will focus on defense and be sure to maintain a draw! Of course, I will be more satisfied if we can use set pieces and counterattacks to score goals."

Both sides entered the second half with the mentality of maintaining a tie and competing for victory.