Sports Weekly All-Media Reporter Lin Liangfeng
Two points left. One more time.
There is no European war in the night game on Monday, and the platform frequently uses it for traffic diversion operations. It is really a situation like "Why should Internet celebrities complain that the night is long and the Champions League is difficult to come to the Theater of Dreams?" If you still remember the situation that Manchester United encountered last Monday night, and then contact the Bee team that came this round, it is more fierce and stronger than the previous White Rose, then you will be startled in your dream, right?
It's not unusual to have such a premonition. Brentford almost defeated Manchester United again. This time it was a little less lucky. If Igor Thiago had scored a hat-trick in the first half, Manchester United would have been defeated. I don’t know whether it was Carrick’s luck, Manchester United’s deep heritage, or the tenacious fighting spirit displayed by Bruno and others. Manchester United defeated the opponents who came to challenge with a score of 2-1 in a stormy situation, and scored 3 points with difficulty. There are still 4 rounds left in this season. Manchester United has currently accumulated 61 points, leaving Brighton, which is ranked sixth in the Premier League, by 11 points. But if they get two more points, or they can beat Liverpool at home in the next round, then "Zardok the Priest" will be played again at the Theater of Dreams next season, at least 4 times! The heroes of the goal are Casemiro, who is about to leave the team, and Sheshko, who only joined this season. He "resigned his salary and returned to his hometown and went to the theater overnight." This is what he said.
Emotion is valuable, but rationality takes precedence
This is Casemiro's highlight moment. In the past 20 seasons, the personal defensive record in a single Premier League game has been refreshed. He completed a record-breaking 11 tackles. This is the first point. At the same time, he won 16 confrontations, which is the second important statistic. In addition, he made 9 clearances, and this defensive performance is also worthy of attention. In other words, Manchester United's defensive situation made fans terrified. Sheshko successfully scored the winning goal, and his personal output reached double figures. Before that, if there were doubts about whether he could "survive", then his performance in the second half of the season gave Manchester United some reassurance.
But that extremely valuable data belongs to Bruno – Fernandez, he ran as fast as a ball with the ball in his hand, successfully attracted two opposing defenders, made the most appropriate choice at the best moment, and skillfully passed the ball to Sheshko, who successfully scored. His assists this season have reached 19 This time, during the remaining four rounds of the regular season, if he sends one more exquisite pass, he can tie Henry and De Bruyne's single-season Premier League record. He does not even need to perform further and win the best individual award of the season. This is what everyone hopes for. This goal and this assist are very characteristic of Manchester United: fast speed, concise method, and getting to the point. Due to specific historical reasons, Manchester United has actively or passively transformed into a quick counterattack tactical style in this century. Although the process was involuntary, wonderful masterpieces like this are not uncommon in the history of Manchester United.
Amad Diallo made a self-sacrifice tackle in the backcourt, which triggered a counterattack by Manchester United. Bruno quickly ran with the ball for nearly 50 meters and handed the ball to the unmarked Sheshko. Sheshko was slightly frustrated and got rid of the visiting team's center back Collins' block, and successfully shot 2-0. This ensured Manchester United's record in the top league, that is, when Old Trafford changed sides with a two-goal advantage, Manchester United never lost. Since May 1984 (previous top-flight figures are incomplete), United have failed to win on just 35 of 395 similar occasions. As soon as Sheshko's goal was completed, both old and young fans felt at ease. Although Danish midfielder Jensen's bazooka-like shot at Brentford successfully pulled one back, Manchester United survived the next eight minutes and took that decisive step towards the Champions League.
Sheshko scored a goal. Such a goal was highly praised by experts. Former Manchester United assistant coach Meulensteen and famous star Owen both praised Bruno for his extremely clever pass: Bruno dribbled the ball and ran straight towards Collins. He endured until the last moment, and Collins made a mistake that caused his loss. The judgment of defeat was to pounce on Mbemo on the left, and this was exactly the choice that Owen had been calling for in his heart. What a Bruno. When he saw Collins turning, he immediately pushed the ball gently to Sheshko on the left. Only then did Collins know that he had fallen into the trap, but at this time he had no way to save the situation.
Sheshko had a more comfortable scoring opportunity before, but either he played cluelessly due to lack of confidence, or he made a hasty kick, just asking for God's mercy. He prepared to take a kick but moved the ball to the right. Collins, who came back to defend again, was once again helpless and could only watch as Sheshko shot decisively. Irving kept praising Sheshko: "This is what a confident forward should do. He did not choose a safe attack method, but played accurate footwork." From completing the tackle to scoring, it only took 12 seconds, as fast as lightning, Manchester United's counterattack made the opponent fearful.
After the game, Sky TV analyzed this, and guest Dewsbury-Hall lamented, "They say you are most vulnerable when you are in an offensive situation, and you can't help but believe this." This game presents a wide-open situation. Both sides have very good opportunities to score goals. These opportunities, which are as precious as gold, mostly appear when one party has problems during the offensive process and the attack is interrupted. At this time, the opponent will immediately launch a counterattack. Without Casemiro's "forward-thinking" performance, it would be difficult for Manchester United to score 3 points. It is precisely because it is a one-line game that the 34-year-old Casemiro has the physical strength to support such a fierce fight. If there is another front, the Brazilian veteran will not be able to cope with it. Old Trafford shouted to him as usual: play for another year! Play for another year!
After the game, Carrick was resolute and gave up the idea: It won't happen again. He still has 4 games. Both sides believe that it is most appropriate not to interfere with each other. There are many things worth paying attention to in this game. To sum up, there are three main points: whether the main players leave, whether the tactics are suitable, and most importantly, the direction of signings. Many Manchester United fans are grateful for Casemiro's previous efforts and hope to see him play for another year. This is reasonable. As long as your heart is soft, you will think so. People who make decisions must not blindly follow them. Manchester United's past mistakes can serve as a lesson for the future. Thinking back to this time two years ago, Manchester United defeated Manchester City in an upset victory at Wembley to win the FA Cup. At that time, the fans also called for Ten Hag to continue to stay. In less than 6 months, Ten Hag could no longer carry him.
Currently, among those who are clamoring for Casemiro to stay, countless people loudly criticized him a year ago for occupying the position but not doing anything, relying on Manchester United's roster of highly paid personnel. After Casemiro scored, there was a celebration similar to counting money. To a certain extent, this was a mockery of those who criticized him for being blind to money. Casemiro is the second-highest-paid player in Manchester United's lineup, just behind Rashford, and earns more money in a week than Bruno. Casemiro did not force Manchester United to get this money at gunpoint, but the return on this investment was not up to standard. Age, high salary and multiple fronts, these three major factors are superimposed on each other. Someone must keep a clear mind, and someone must step forward to play that disgusting role.
Bruno, treasure veteran
While everyone still thinks fondly of him, seal up this good feeling and don't let forceful twists and turns destroy this memory in the future. What Manchester United has to do is to select the most suitable new Casemiro from among the many candidates. Who has the most say on this plan? Bruno! Unlike Casemiro's Tears of Farewell Dream Theater, Bruno must stay until the day he can no longer run. Bruno's position and role are different from Casemiro's. Not only does he have endless imagination, he handles the ball extremely well, and he has an extremely rare attendance rate. In the "animal league" of the Premier League, such torture-resistant creative talents fell into the hands of Manchester United, which is really a sign of ancestral merit and smoke rising from the grave.
Bruno will be 32 years old in September this year, but he is still full of energy and fighting spirit. In Manchester United's overall plan, this is the most valuable asset. When you see him, who do you think of? It's Pirlo. Pirlo moved to Juventus when he was 32 years old. At that time, many fans accused him of going to an old woman to collect a pension. During his four years at Juventus, Pirlo made a great contribution to the team's fourth consecutive Serie A run and the Champions League final. He joined as a champion, and finally left as a champion.
Even if Bruno cannot follow Pirlo's example and play for another four years, he can at least buy Manchester United two years to find someone to inherit his legacy. And these two years – fortunately United stop making stupid decisions – will be a crucial time for United to return to the top. Looking at the Premier League and even Europe, it is difficult to find an outstanding figure who is at the same level as Bruno but has not yet belonged to him. Without Bruno, there would be no Carrick to lead Manchester United out of trouble. If Carrick becomes a regular, his first priority will be to build a lineup around Bruno, even if it is just a two-year transitional lineup. Carrick had to take extra care to take care of this precious car so that it could participate in the most valuable events, and ensure that it never suffered serious damage from an accidental collision by a mindless young man in a meaningless scene.
From this perspective, Manchester United's signings are directed in only one direction: backward. Looking for one or even two people with the ability to run and steal to provide protection for Bruno, and to make overall improvements to the left and right full-backs to ensure that Bruno's direct and fast transmission is accurate and targeted. If you have any doubts about this, just look at the rebuilding work carried out by Guardiola at Manchester City. What did Manchester City do during the summer transfer window in 2017? 150 million euros were invested to introduce two people to serve as full-backs and goalkeeper Ederson. During the winter transfer window, an additional 65 million euros were added to introduce Laporte. The foursome (Banyammen Mendy spent much of the legal process) worked together for six years at Manchester City, winning five league titles and a Champions League.
Manchester United is strapped for funds and has a lot of holes to fill, but the investment in the defensive midfielder and two full-backs cannot be reduced at all. Fortunately, Lamence performed relatively well in his first season, and there are two young players, Yoro and Sivan, at the central defender position. Otherwise, I really don't know how to arrange funds. Sivan performed well against Chelsea. He started again this round and showed the same level of performance. He is worthy of being expected and cultivated. The reuse of Xiwen is also a sign of good team management. Rewards will be given if achievements are made, and punishment will be implemented if mistakes are made. Those who disregard the interests of the club and act recklessly on the field do not deserve a chance at all, even if you are Messi's friend and have a World Cup medal. Sheshko showed a rebound in form, which once again clearly demonstrated the situation: you have already bought a white-cut chicken at a high price, so why should you be stingy with the small amount of ginger and green onion? Create opportunities for him, give him a lot of opportunities, so that he can score goals for Manchester United and achieve a lot of goals.