On October 20, in Old Trafford's locker room, Zhang Kuang frowned slightly when he heard the starting lineup announced by Ferguson.
(Starting 433: Kuszczak (goalkeeper), Rafael (right back), Smalling (centre defender), Vidić (centre defender, captain), Evra (left back), Carrick (midfielder), Fletcher (midfielder), Anderson (attacking midfielder), Nani (right winger), Federico Macheda (center forward), Zhang Kuang (left winger).)
It's not that I have any objections to Ferguson's arrangement. Manchester United's upcoming schedule is indeed devilish. They will play Bursaspor at home on October 20th and away from home on October 24th. Stoke City, League Cup will play Wolverhampton Wanderers on October 26th, Premier League will play Tottenham Hotspur on October 30th, and Bursaspor will be played away from home on November 2nd.
Five games in twelve days, especially from October 24th to November 2nd, four games in eight days, an average of one game every two days. Not rotating is murdering players.
What he was unhappy with was another name: Nani. This guy came on the field and just shot. He didn't see the ball go in, and he didn't cooperate. I really don't know why he was allowed to play?
No matter how badly the media criticized him, they were all questioning Ferguson's use of Nani. The media even gave Nani a nickname, 'Nani Won't Pass'.
Oh, forget it, forget it, anyway, without him Nani, it won't affect his Zhang Kuang scoring goals.
I don't have any objections to the youngster Federico Macheda, Zhang Kuang who was assigned to the center position today. This Italy guy who is four days younger than him and has just emerged from the Manchester United youth training camp is very good.
Zhang Kuang still remembers Macheda's birthday party, which was held at Manchester's Italy restaurant on August 22nd. Macheda invited him there because the two peers in the team could chat better together.
The theme of that day was "Celebrating my 20th birthday". As a result, after Zhang Kuang went, Macheda took his hand and said, "Zhang, you are only four days older than me. Why are you still playing in the Manchester United reserve team while you have already scored more than thirty goals at Ligue 1?"
Zhang Kuang patted him on the shoulder at that time. "Because your brain strategy only makes you very clear on the training ground, you are the king of training, but once you get to the high-level competition field, sometimes the time given to you to make decisions is often only tens of milliseconds or even a few milliseconds. In just a few dozen milliseconds, you can go from analyzing the situation on the field to facing dozens of solutions to the situation, and then you can choose the most reasonable solution from dozens of solutions."
So, brother, what you lack is not technology, but brain decision-making. In this regard, people have different talents. Some people are born with the ability to make quick and decisive decisions, while others are not."
Macheda's eyes turned gray at that time. "I know, our youth training coaches have taught us to watch videos, read tactical boards, record teammates' movements, and cooperate with teammates to practice quick reactions. However, many teammates have been training for several years, but they have never been able to practice. Do you have a better way? I see that you react very quickly and can always make the right decision."
Zhang Kuang: "There are some things I can't explain, but if conditions permit, you can practice with me."
In this way, later he, Pogba, and several other young people often asked Zhang Kuang to practice, but Zhang Kuang was a little lazy and left when the time came and refused to practice more.
But even so, the level of these guys has obviously improved a lot, otherwise Ferguson wouldn't have promoted them to the first team and into the starting lineup.
Macheda stood in the middle circle, stepping on the turf alternately with his feet, staring at the Turkey person opposite.
Bursaspor's players are generally strong, especially their central defender, Erdoğan, who is 1.9 meters tall and stands like a moving wall.
But Macheda is not afraid.
He had seen Zhang Kuang tell them how to deal with this type, using running, rhythm, and brain. However, Zhang Kuang himself likes to use his body to directly knock away, which is convenient and fast.
"Are you nervous?" Zhang Kuang came over from the left and asked in his ear.
"A bit." Macheda admitted honestly, "My mother said that my dad opened three bottles of red wine at Italy's hometown today, and said that if I score a goal, he will open the bottle that has been treasured for twenty years."
"Then you'd better get one, otherwise your dad will have to wait another twenty years for that bottle of wine."
"... Can't you say something nice?"
"If you score a goal, I'll treat you to my bottle."
Macheda was stunned for two seconds. "You have also treasured it for twenty years? Aren't you only nineteen years old?"
"So I'm talking about my bottle, not the one I've kept for twenty years."
"..."
The game started amidst the noise of Old Trafford.
Kuszczak stands in front of the goal. This is his first start this season. UEFA Champions League.
Van der Sar is sitting on the bench, wrapped in a thick coat, with a calm expression. The Netherlands veteran goalkeeper has long been accustomed to rotations, but today his eyes have been staring at the frontcourt, staring at the red figure No. 33.
In the 3rd minute of the game, Zhang Kuang took the ball from the left.
Bursaspor's right back Tandoğan sticks up, never leaving. Turkey's defensive style is very hard, with upper body and lower hand, not giving you any room to turn around.
Zhang Kuang turned his back to protect the ball and leaned slightly. Tandoğan felt like he had hit a heated iron plate and staggered back half a step.
It was at this moment that Zhang Kuang turned around.
He flicked his left foot, and the ball passed under Tandoğan's crotch, and his body passed by from the right side. The ball passed cleanly.
A burst of cheers erupted from the Old Trafford stands. They really enjoyed watching Zhang Kuang use his body and skills to defeat others.
Zhang Kuang dribbles the ball towards the penalty area. Erdoğan comes over to defend. Macheda in the middle is running, but there is another central defender beside him.
Zhang Kuang chose to pass the ball.
He pushed with his right foot and the ball rolled diagonally into the penalty area, looking for Macheda's running route.
Macheda starts up, pokes with toes!
Ivankov made a save, and the Bulgarian goalkeeper blocked the shot with his legs.
The ball bounced outside the penalty area.
Fletcher controlled the ball, looked up, and then made a short pass to the right.
Nani is there.
Portugal man catches the ball, turns around, and faces Erdoğan.
He pedaled twice, swayed his body to the left, and then suddenly cut inside.
Erdoğan The center of gravity was deceived.
Nani made a move with his left foot, and the ball drew an arc and went straight to the far corner of the goal.
Ivankov flew out.
His hand touched the ball, and the ball bounced and changed direction. Instead of entering the net, it bounced high and landed in the center of the small penalty area.
Everyone was stunned. Manchester United failed to score two consecutive shots?
Except Zhang Kuang.
It started the moment Nani kicked off.
Diagonally inserted from the left to the middle, like a red lightning flashing across the front of the penalty area.
The ball was spinning in the air and landed near the penalty area line.
Zhang Kuang jumped high after a run-up.
His body stretched out in the air, his waist and abdomen exerted force, and his head hit the ball hard.
The ball changed direction and went downward.
Ivankov's saves were exhausted. He collapsed on the ground and watched the ball fly over his head and fall into the net behind him.
1:0.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!" Martin·Tyler's throat was about to split, "Zhang Kuang! It's Zhang Kuang again! He made up for Nani's saved shot! UEFA Champions League's sixth goal!"
"Wait a minute," Rob Hawthorne said, "You said it was a follow-up shot? Didn't he mean just to pick up missed shots? He has scored so many goals this season, many of them are this kind of follow-up shots. Is he in a good position, or is he really specifically targeting this point?"
"Whatever, the ball went in anyway!"
Old Trafford is boiling.
Zhang Kuang got up from the ground, patted the grass clippings, and ran towards the corner flag area. He was about to make his signature celebration when he suddenly felt someone hugging him from behind.
It's Macheda.
"Zhang! Zhang! That header of yours is so beautiful, how can you jump so high?" Macheda was as excited as a child who got a new toy. The shock to him at the scene was different from the feeling in training.
Zhang Kuang: "I believe you can score goals like this too, come on, seize the opportunity."
"Okay."
Nani stood on the penalty area line, looked at the two people hugging each other, twitched the corners of his mouth, then turned around and walked towards the center circle.
His expression is very complicated.
The ball was originally his.
Ivankov saved it, why did this damn old man save my ball? If he didn't save it, the ball would have been scored, and my profile on UEFA Champions League would have added one goal, which would prove that I can also...
But the reality is that Zhang Kuang scored a goal.
"Don't be sorry." Fletcher passed by him and patted his shoulder, "You will score next time."
Almost everyone in the Manchester United team knows that Nani is dissatisfied with Zhang Kuang and never passes the ball to Zhang Kuang, and Zhang Kuang rarely passes the ball to Nani.
The two of them seemed to be in a state of affairs. The fact was that everyone knew that it was Nani who couldn't let go. I really didn't understand what he could do to compete with Zhang Kuang, but no one could persuade him.
Nani twitched his lips. "... Hmm."
The game continues.
In the 17th minute, Zhang Kuang took the ball from the left, and Bursaspor sent two people to defend him this time. One went up to grab the ball, and the other defended from behind.
Zhang Kuang didn't make a hard breakthrough. He glanced at the center and saw that Macheda was pushing forward, with only one defender beside him.
He picked up the ball with his left foot, and the ball went over the head of the first defensive player and landed accurately on Macheda's running route.
Macheda stops the ball, turns around, faces Ivankov. Small angle, push shot!
Ivankov used his legs to block it again. The ball bounced towards the top of the penalty area.
Then another red figure rushed over.
Zhang Kuang.
He cut in from the left to the center and ran faster than anyone else. Ivankov had just saved Macheda's shot, but before his body could regain his balance, Zhang Kuang had already arrived.
He pushed with his right foot and the ball passed through Ivankov's armpit and rolled into the empty goal.
2:0.
"Another follow-up shot!!" Martin·Tyler's voice could no longer remain calm, "Zhang Kuang scored the second follow-up shot! Did he specifically take advantage of the ball saved by Ivankov today?!"
"I now suspect that Zhang Kuang did it on purpose," Rob Hawthorn said, "Has he specially practiced how to capture the goalkeeper's saving route? He can appear in the most correct position every time."
"It doesn't matter if he practices or not, he is just lucky." Nani stood on the court and said to the air, his voice was very low, only he could hear it.
Then he ran forward and patted Zhang Kuang happily, pretending to be very happy.
Macheda also followed to celebrate, but he was a little bit regretful and a little bit envious.
On the side of the court, Ferguson was chewing gum, his expression relaxed.
He turned to Phelan and said, "That kid Macheda has a good impact, but his shot is a bit poor."
"He's only 19 years old, boss." Phelan said.
"Zhang Kuang is also 19 years old, only four days older than him." Ferguson glanced at the red figure walking back on the field, "The difference is that Zhang Kuang knows where the ball will go and it will be easier to score. Macheda doesn't know, he only knows that as long as he shoots the ball on target, he can score."
In addition, Zhang Kuang can calculate which direction the ball will fly to if a teammate's shot is saved. Even if a teammate hits the goal frame, the ball will roughly land in the area when it pops out. Others will be active in this area in advance, and then quickly capture the ball's path with his speed, and finally grab the attack point."
"... You mean Zhang Kuang has the ability to predict?"
"This is more than just prediction." Ferguson chewed gum, "He is gifted with strong game reading ability. Not only can his brain quickly capture opportunities, but his body can also keep up with it.
Some people may be able to calculate it in their brains, but they can't reach that point after running for a lifetime. Some people can run it physically, but their brains can't calculate it. And he Zhang Kuang is born to be able to achieve both, and this is the difference."
In the 28th minute, Bursaspor played the most threatening attack in the game.
Carrick picked up the ball in the backcourt and made a random cross. The ball was not passed in place and was kicked a little too close. It rolled directly from his feet to the sideline.
İpek rushed over from the side, stole the ball, and then drove the ball straight into the Manchester United penalty area.
Single sword.
"Carrick!! Did he make a mistake?" Martin·Tyler shouted.
İpek is very fast, Rafael is on the other side, and Vidić is chasing back, but the distance is too far. Van der Sar is not there, and Kuszczak abandons the goal and attacks.
The moment İpek raised his foot to shoot, a red figure flew over from the side.
Rafael.
Brazil boy slid out, accurately tackled the ball with his right foot, and destroyed the ball out of the baseline.
İpek fell to the ground and raised his hand to indicate a foul.
The referee shook his head and pointed to the corner flag area.
"No foul! Perfect tackle!" Martin·Tyler shouted, "Rafael saved Manchester United!"
Rafael got up from the ground, with an expression on his face that was both excited and scared. He patted his chest and gave a thumbs up to Kuszczak.
"If this ball is lost, Carrick will be scolded to death." Rob Hawthorn said.
"He has been scolded." Martin·Tyler said, "Listen to the boos in the stands."
Carrick looked ashen and walked toward the backcourt with his head lowered.
Zhang Kuang ran back from the front and patted his back. "It's okay, nothing was lost."
Carrick nodded, opened his mouth, wanted to say thank you, but in the end said nothing.
In the 35th minute, Manchester United won a corner kick. Nani stood in the corner flag area and glanced at the penalty area. Vidić grabbed a position in the crowd, Smalling covered from behind, and Macheda interfered in the front spot.
Nani takes a run-up, kicks off, and the ball draws an arc and flies to the center of the penalty area.
Vidić leaps high and headers the goal!
The ball missed the right post slightly.
"Vidić's header missed by a hair!" Martin·Tyler shouted, "If this goal had been scored, it would have completely killed the game."
In fact, the best header in the Manchester United team is Zhang Kuang, but Nani's serve did not go to him. Zhang Kuang did not want to receive Nani's assist. If he scored, should he thank Nani?
Will the two of them be embarrassed? It's not like Zhang Kuang can't score goals, so why should he eat the cakes he feeds?
Zhang Kuang stood outside the penalty area, looking at Vidić holding his head in regret, and stepped forward to comfort him, "Captain, you are unlucky today, but it doesn't matter, we still have time."
In the 40th minute, the first yellow card appeared on the field.
Nani pulled Tandoğan down from behind when returning to defense, and the referee decisively showed a yellow card. Nani showed his hands and said that he did not foul intentionally, but the referee ignored it.
Two minutes later, İpek committed a tactical foul in the midfield, pulled Fletcher down, and also received a yellow card.
In the first minute of stoppage time, neither side scored again.
2:0, Manchester United leads into the halftime break.
In the locker room, Ferguson stood in front of the tactical board with a calm expression.
"We played well in the first half," he said. "Zhang scored two and Ivankov saved two. We controlled the game as a whole. The task in the second half is simple: continue to control the rhythm and don't give them any hope."
He glanced at Zhang Kuang: "I will replace you in about 60 minutes. Do you have any objections?"
Zhang Kuang was drinking water. Hearing this, he was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "No objection, boss."
Of course he knows why Ferguson arranged it this way.
Devil schedule, rotation, protect core players.
But he actually still has a little thought in his heart. In the last game against West Brom, he was substituted at halftime and the team was tied. He has already tasted that feeling once. If he was substituted at midfield in this game, the team should not be tied, right?
"Zhang," Ferguson looked at him, "I know what you are thinking. The last game is the last one, and this one is this one, believe me."
"I know, boss."
Ferguson nodded, turned around and walked out.
The locker room was quiet for a while. Macheda came over and whispered, "Zhang, if you score another goal in the second half, it will be a hat trick."
"Then what?"
"Then my dad's bottle of wine can be opened."
"... What does that have to do with your dad's wine?"
"Because of your hat trick, I assisted you and I will have face when I go back."
"Then you have to assist me first."
"Don't worry," Macheda patted his chest, "I will pass it to you in the second half."
When Nani next to him heard this, his hand that was tying his shoelaces paused for a moment, and then continued to tie it.
After the start of the second half, Bursaspor changed two people. Bahadır came on. This was an adjustment made by Turkey. It was obviously to strengthen the ability to compete for the top in the penalty area.
But Manchester United's strategy is very clear: control the ball, consume it, and don't rush to attack.
Zhang Kuang was roaming in the frontcourt, and Bursaspor's players pressed closer. After conceding two goals in the first half, they did not dare to give Zhang Kuang any more space.
"This is to prevent me from dying." Zhang Kuang thought. He glanced at Macheda and saw that the Italy guy was standing in the penalty area with only one defender beside him. The other defender was pulled to the left by Zhang Kuang.
There is a gap.
The question is, who can pass it through?
In the 54th minute, Zhang Kuang received a long pass from Smalling. He took the ball with his back on the left, and Tandoğan pushed it up from behind. Another defensive player helped defend from the side.
Zhang Kuang leaned forward, and Tandoğan was bounced half a step away.
Then he took the lead with his left foot, and the ball passed between the two defensive players. He rushed out like a red beam, leaving the two behind him in the blink of an eye.
"Zhang Kuang broke through! Left!" Martin·Tyler shouted.
Zhang Kuang ran wildly along the left wing with the ball. Bursaspor's defense was torn open by his speed, and center back Erdoğan had to pull out to cover.
Zhang Kuang glanced at the penalty area, Macheda was running, and there was only one defender left beside him.
He dunked his left foot and made a fake move to cut in and shoot. Erdoğan was deceived and moved his center of gravity an inch to the left.
Then Zhang Kuang pushed with his right foot, and the ball rolled from behind Erdoğan to the center of the penalty area. It was not a shot, but a pass.
Macheda rushed over. He stopped the ball, without adjusting, and pushed the ball directly.
The ball rolled towards the far corner of the goal.
Ivankov jumped out, but this time, he failed to touch the ball.
The ball scraped the inside of the goal post and rolled into the net.
3:0.