The first half ended in a somewhat boring rhythm.
Halftime break, Manchester United locker room.
Ferguson's expression is very strange.
He stood in front of the tactical board, chewing gum, and scanned the players. Finally, his eyes fell on Zhang Kuang.
"Zhang, you have the second half of today off."
The locker room was quiet for a second.
Everyone looked at Ferguson, then at Zhang Kuang.
Zhang Kuang was drinking water. When he heard these words, he paused and replaced him at halftime? This has never happened before.
"Boss, okay, I can rest."
"West Brom will definitely defend in the second half, but they are already 0:2 behind." Ferguson said, "So in the second half, let Rooney go up to warm up and get a feel for it."
"Wayne, you go up in the second half." Ferguson looked at Rooney, "You go up here and play hard, let everyone see if your new worth is worth it."
Rooney was sitting in the corner, his expression uncertain.
"Okay, boss."
At the end of the intermission, when all the media and fans looked into the stadium, they actually saw the substitution card of Manchester United?
Substitution at halftime? No. 33 goes off, No. 10 comes on?
Damn it, Rooney replaced Zhang Kuang?
What kind of magical substitution is this?
Ferguson Don't you know the role of Zhang Kuang on the court? At least it can contain two or three defenses.
However, West Brom doesn't seem to be very strong, so it's not impossible to switch to Rooney to get familiar with the rhythm of the game.
Martin: "Ferguson It seems that the Jazz are already leading 2:0 at halftime, so they took the hero off to rest and pushed the British Emperor star up to feel the foot feeling."
Rob: "What can a mid-lower team like West Brom do? Is it possible that they can make some splash when Manchester United leads 2:0?"
Martin: "Haha, you can't underestimate West Brom so much. There is no weakling in Premier League..."
After the start of the second half, everyone thought it was still the familiar rhythm of West Brom struggling to defend and Manchester United unable to attack, but the situation took a turn for the worse.
Zhang Kuang was sitting on the bench, wrapped in a towel, looking at the situation on the court, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter, something was wrong, wasn't it said that West Brom was on defense and Manchester United was on offense?
Why did you see that West Brom organized several attacks? There were also two threats to the goal.
The player of West Brom can only threaten the goal but not score, but the player of Manchester United can score.
In the 50th minute, West Brom made a pass from the left.
This is a very ordinary cross. The ball speed is not fast and the arc is not tricky. Evra is on the left side of the penalty area. There is no defensive player around him, and the ball hits the top of his head.
He only needs to push the ball out of the penalty area, or to the goalkeeper, or to a teammate, in short, anything is fine, as long as it does not go into his own goal.
Evra made a choice.
He chose to header the ball back, but not to the goalkeeper, but to the air.
Not only did his header not push the ball out of the danger zone, but it changed the trajectory of the ball, causing it to fly toward the goal at a weird angle.
Van der Sar reacted quickly and jumped to the left.
But the ball is faster.
The ball scraped the goal post and rolled into the goal.
2:1.
"OG!!!" Martin·Tyler shouted, "Evra!!! He scored in his own goal!!! Manchester United's lead is down to one goal!"
He Wei was also shocked. "Ah? Manchester United scored an own goal, and their left back Evra headed the ball back into his own goal."
Xu Yang: "This, this, really, alas, I don't know what to say..."
In the stands of Old Trafford, fans covered their faces.
"Evra This ball... are you serious?"
"Is he an undercover agent sent by West Brom?"
"No, he is an undercover agent sent by Manchester United. It's just that the undercover agent made a mistake."
"I don't even know how to evaluate it. My grandma can save this ball."
"..."
Evra knelt on the ground and held his head in his hands.
Van der Sar got up from the ground, walked over, patted his shoulder, and said a few words of comfort.
But Evra's expression was still painful.
He knew that this mistake could change the entire game.
Ferguson touched his red nose and chewed gum vigorously. There was endless anger in his eyes, but he didn't say anything or curse.
In the 55th minute, West Brom made a comeback.
Brunt picked up the ball in the midfield, looked up, and sent a precise diagonal pass.
The ball passed through the gap between Carrick and Anderson and rolled to the edge of the penalty area.
Scharner stopped the ball and swayed his body. Ferdinand was knocked away by him. Scharner quickly started to volley.
The ball went straight to the lower right corner of the goal.
Van der Sar jumped out and his fingertips touched the ball, but the force of the ball was too great.
2:2.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!! West Brom equalized the score!!!" Martin·Tyler shouted, "In just 5 minutes, Manchester United went from a 2-0 lead to 2-2!"
"The decision of Ferguson to replace Zhang Kuang now seems to be a wrong decision," Rob Hawthorn said, "Zhang Kuang performed very well in the first half. Excellent, and can contain several defensive players of West Brom. I don't understand why he needs to be replaced. Ferguson may have underestimated the role of Zhang Kuang on the court."
He Wei's voice sounded in CCTV-5's live broadcast room, "Football is like this, you never know what will happen in the next second. Two goals ahead, playing at home, the opponent is average, no matter how you look at it, it is a solid three points. But an own goal, a defensive error, everything is different."
"Ferguson's face is ugly," Xu Yang said. "He replaced Zhang Kuang because he wanted Rooney to come up and find his status. Unexpectedly, this change also eliminated Manchester United's rhythm and advantage."
"This is the problem of a wealthy coach," He Wei said, "You have to take into account performance, appease the players' emotions, and manage the locker room. Ferguson is one of the best coaches in the world, but he also makes miscalculations sometimes."
"..."
Ferguson stood on the sidelines, chewing gum significantly faster.
His face turned red and his eyes were fixed on the field.
He glanced at the bench and then at Zhang Kuang.
Zhang Kuang was wrapped in a towel and shook his head calmly, but his eyes were always focused on the situation on the field.
"Boss, do you want to change someone?" Phelan came over and asked softly.
Ferguson was silent for a few seconds, shook his head, very angry.
"..."
In the 60th minute, Ferguson replaced Scholes and Anderson.
After Scholes came on the court, Manchester United's midfield control improved significantly. However, his defensive ability was limited, and West Brom's quick counterattack could still pass through the midfield.
In the 65th minute, Nani got the ball on the right.
He stepped on his bicycle twice, shook Shorey away, then cut inside and shot!!
The ball almost hit the goal and hit the billboard.
In the 70th minute, Berbatov took the ball at the front of the penalty area, shook Olsson away, and shot!!
Carson jumped out.
In the 75th minute, Rooney headed the goal in the penalty area!!
Off the mark.
Manchester United became angry and officially launched a bombardment against West Brom.
Old Trafford fans can't sit still anymore.
"Rooney is in this state... is he really worth the highest salary in the team? It's a little worse than Chinese Zhang!"
"The highest salary? His highest salary should be given to Chinese Zhang. We don't care if Chinese Zhang's salary is higher than Rooney, as long as he can score goals."
"You shouldn't have replaced him, then let him sit on the bench! Zhang Kuang is much better than him!"
"..."
At the 81st minute, a scene happened that stunned everyone.
West Brom Goalkeeper Carson caught the return pass from his teammate in the penalty area.
The referee's whistle sounded.
Indirect free kick in the penalty area.
Carson's eyes widened and he chased the referee to explain, "I thought it was a header pass! I didn't know it was a foot kick!"
The referee ignored him.
Manchester United won an indirect free kick on the line of the penalty area.
This is an excellent opportunity to overtake.
Rooney is standing in front of the ball, and Scholes is standing next to it.
"Who will kick the ball?" Martin·Tyler asked.
"It should be Rooney," Rob Hawthorn said, "He is Manchester United's number one free kicker."
Rooney took a deep breath, took a run, and shot!!!
The ball drew an arc, crossed the wall, and passed Carson...
"Bang!"
The ball hit the crossbar and bounced out.
Old Trafford The whole audience sighed.
"Crossbar!!!" Martin·Tyler shouted, "Manchester United missed the chance to win! Rooney's free kick hit the crossbar!"
He Wei spoke slowly, "Sometimes fate is like this. When the opportunity knocks on the door, you are not at home. Rooney's shot is already very good, but the crossbar is closer than him."
"If this goal had been scored, the game would be completely different," Xu Yang said. "The pressure on Rooney would be much less, and the pressure on Manchester United would also be much less."
"But there are no ifs in football," He Wei said, "There are only results."
In the remaining time, Manchester United launched a frantic siege, while West Brom retreated across the board.
Berbatov's shot was saved by Carson.
Nani's long shot missed.
Rooney's header went over the crossbar.
The fourth official held up a sign indicating 4 minutes of added time.
In the last four minutes, Manchester United players on the field tried their best, but to no avail!
The referee blew the final whistle.
2:2.
Manchester United was tied by West Brom at Old Trafford.
After Ferguson shook hands with West Brom's head coach with a livid face, he walked straight into the players' tunnel and walked in a hurry.
At the press conference after the game, Ferguson's expression was very ugly.
He chewed gum and said in a low voice, "We played very well in the first half, Zhang Kuang scored two beautiful goals.
But we made a lot of mistakes in the second half, including the own goal, being lax on the defensive end, and being unlucky to be rejected by our own crossbar. I am very disappointed with this result, but there is nothing I can do about it, this is a football game, and I have to learn to accept dissatisfaction."
The reporter asked, "Jazz, do you think replacing Zhang Kuang is the right decision?"
Ferguson glanced at him. "When you asked 'Is it the right decision?', you already know the answer. I had my reasons for replacing him. Of course, you don't have to approve my substitution, then you can become the head coach."
The reporter shut his mouth knowingly.
Another reporter asked, "Jazz, the team conceded two goals in a row after Zhang Kuang came off the field. Do you think there is a relationship between this?"
Ferguson chewed gum. "It does matter. He is our best player. When he is on the field, opponents have to spend more energy defending him. After he comes off the field, opponents can put more people into the offense. This is football, a very simple truth."
Reporter: "Jazz, Zhang Kuang has scored 17 goals in eight games. He has taken almost all of Manchester United's offensive firepower. Do you think this is normal? If Zhang Kuang cannot play, will Manchester United not score? Like in the second half today?"
Ferguson: "Zhang Kuang's ability to score 17 goals is the reason why we worked hard to sign him. Such a superstar performance is the level he should be.
Without Zhang Kuang on the court, of course we can score goals. Not scoring at halftime doesn't mean anything. Wayne and Berbatov are both super attackers. Sometimes scoring goals requires luck."
Reporter: "But Zhang Goshu doesn't seem to need luck. He can always average two goals per game..."
Ferguson:"Yes, this is what makes Zhang unique, so we need him."
Reporter: "..."
When Zhang Kuang was interviewed in the mixed zone, his expression was very calm.
The reporter asked him, "Do you think the result would have been different if you had stayed on the court?"
Zhang Kuang thought for a while, "I don't know. There are no ifs in football. But I believe in my teammates and they tried their best."
"What do you think of Rooney's performance?"
"Wayne is a good player. He was unlucky today. He will score next time."
"Are you satisfied with the team's performance today?"
"Not satisfied." Zhang Kuang said, "Everyone is a little out of shape and not excited. It may be the reason for the FIFA virus."
But it doesn't matter, we just tied the game, the sky didn't fall, and we didn't become second place because of it.
Believe me, we will continue to make great progress in the future, because we are the leaders of Manchester United and Premier League!"
Zhang Kuang left after saying that.
The reporter was stunned.
So crazy and domineering!
--
The atmosphere in the locker room was very depressing.
Evra sat in the corner without saying a word. His own goal changed the direction of the game, which is a big responsibility.
Rooney threw the sneakers into the cabinet and made a loud noise.
"Take it easy." Ferdinand said.
Rooney ignored him.
"I said it softly." Ferdinand's voice turned cold.
Rooney turned his head and looked at him. "What do you want?"
The atmosphere in the locker room instantly became tense.
Zhang Kuang sat in the middle and said nothing.
Giggs stood up, walked to Rooney, and looked at him.
Rooney is younger than Giggs, but Giggs is older than anyone else in the locker room.
"Wayne," Giggs's voice was not loud, but very powerful, "Everyone did not play well today, we all know it. But this is not the reason for you to throw away your shoes."
Rooney opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but in the end nothing came out.
"Winning is not one person's business, it is everyone's business on the field." Giggs said, "Football is round, and any result will happen on the field. We are professional players. Do we encounter such things rarely? Put away your dissatisfaction!"
Rooney was silent for a long time, then sat down quietly.
Zhang Kuang leaned on the chair and looked at all this. This is the dressing room of a wealthy club. In the past few months, everyone had been going smoothly, so they were enjoying themselves. But today, after a draw, something started to go wrong in this dressing room.
What will happen if we lose a few more games and change the coach who can't control the situation?
It is estimated that they will complain to each other, and then they will start to split...
Gee, I can't imagine it.
Even before both teams left the field, the media was making a fuss.
"Manchester United is suffering from Zhang Kuang dependence, and will not score goals without Zhang Kuang"
"Rooney besides quarreling with the club, what else can he do? Can he still score goals?"
"Zhang Kuang scored 17 goals in eight games, leading the scorer list in a break"
"Chelsea's opportunity has come, only leading by 2 points, Manchester United has no chance of trial and error"
"Why can Zhang Tiantian average more than two goals per game when playing with women?"
"..."
Since Manchester United tied one game, the current Premier League standings... remains unchanged.
First place: Manchester United has 7 wins and 1 draw, with 22 points.
Second place: Chelsea, with 6 wins and 2 draws, accumulating 20 points.
Third place: Wolverhampton Wanderers, 5 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses, with 16 points.
The fourth place is Blackburn, with 4 wins and 4 draws with 16 points.
The fifth place Aston Villa has 4 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss, with 15 points.
No. 6 Manchester City, with 4 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses, with 14 points.
No. 7 Arsenal has 3 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses, with 11 points.
Let's take a look at the scorer list:
First: Zhang Kuang, 17 goals,
Second: Malouda, 7 goals,
Third place: Tevez, 7 goals,
Fourth place: Drogba, 6 goals,
Fifth place: Berbatov, 5 goals,
Sixth place: Kalou, 5 goals,
Seventh place: Darren·Bent, 5 goals,
Eighth place: Rooney, 4 goals,
Ninth place: Odemwingie, 4 goals,
Tenth place: Van Persie, 4 goals.
Let's take a look at the assists list:
First place: Zhang Kuang, 8 times,
Second place: Drogba, 6 times,
Third place: Arshavin, 4 times,
Fourth place: Brunt, 4 times,
Fifth place: Etherington, 4 goals,
Sixth place: Milner, 3 times,
Seventh place: Larsson, 3 times,
Eighth place: Charlie Adam, 3 times,
After Ferguson looked at the points ranking, he found that Chelsea was only two points behind Manchester United, which made him a little worried.
"That guy Ancelotti," Ferguson said on the bus back, "Is a tough opponent."
"How about Mourinho?" Phelan asked.
Ferguson thought for a while, "Mourinho is quarreling with you, and Ancelotti is trying to reason with you. Which is more difficult to deal with, quarreling or reasoning?"
"I don't know."
"I don't know either." Ferguson chewed gum, "But I know one thing: if we keep playing like this, neither of us can deal with them."
He glanced at Zhang Kuang in the back seat.
Zhang Kuang is wearing headphones and has his eyes closed, looking like he is listening to music.
But in fact he didn't listen to anything.
He was thinking about one thing: how to prevent Hong Kong Team from being defeated by strong teams such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Iran in World Cup qualifiers two years later.
Discussions on the Internet are abuzz:
"Is Manchester United really unable to score without Chinese Zhang? Why is this happening? Did Chinese Zhang steal the chance to shoot?"
"Chinese Zhang stole the shooting opportunity? It made me laugh. Let's see how many shooting opportunities Nani wasted in the last game. Let's see how many fewer shooting opportunities Rooney had compared to last season?"
"Then why can't shooters without Chinese Zhang Manchester United score goals?"
"Do you know how hard Chinese Zhang works? He has to shoot on the field every day, and when he returns to the hotel at night, he has to shoot on the bed. Which forward shoots more goals than him?"
"Damn it, if you want to say that, then it's true that no one else would be able to ejaculate so frequently."
"Hey, don't go crooked..."