During halftime, Ferguson didn't say much in the locker room.
"The first half was very good, especially the cooperation of the three frontcourt players." He looked at Zhang Kuang, Rooney and Berbatov, "We will continue to do so in the second half. Tottenham Hotspur will definitely press forward and attack, and we will have more opportunities."
He turned to Rafael: "Rafael, Ber is very fast. Be careful not to press too close to prevent him from hitting you behind."
Rafael nodded. "Understood, boss."
After the second half started, Tottenham Hotspur really came out.
In the 52nd minute, Modrić sent a precise long pass in the midfield, finding Ber. Wales on the left at full speed, like a white lightning flashing across the grass.
Rafael chased after him, but Ber was too fast.
Ber cuts inside, changes the angle, and shoots with one kick!
Van der Sar flew to save the ball and lifted the ball over the crossbar with one palm.
"Van der Sar! World-class save!" Martin·Tyler shouted, "Ber's shot was powerful and heavy, and the angle was very tricky, but Van der Sar's reaction was too fast!"
"At the age of 40, it's amazing that he can still make such a save."
A corner kick was taken, and Crouch found the spot again. His header missed the right post.
"Manchester United's defense is a bit tight at set pieces," Rob Hawthorn said, "Crouch is too high, and Vidić and Smalling have no air superiority in front of him."
When Zhang Kuang returned to defense, he said to Vidić, "Captain, on the next corner kick, I will mark Crouch."
Vidić was stunned for a moment. "You? You are nearly twenty centimeters shorter than him."
"I can jump higher than him." Zhang Kuang said calmly.
Vidić glanced at him and smiled, "Okay, then you try."
In the 59th minute, Tottenham Hotspur got another corner kick.
Ber took a corner kick and Crouch took off in the center of the penalty area.
But there was a red figure that jumped higher than him.
Zhang Kuang took off in front of Crouch, exerting force on his waist and abdomen. The highest point of his body was half a head higher than Crouch. He headed the ball out of the penalty area.
"Zhang Kuang!! He made a header in front of Crouch!!" Martin·Tyler's voice was very excited, "Haha, Zhang Kuang's jumping has always been unique in football, amazing, amazing."
"Fake, this jumping ability is really shocking when compared with Crouch!" Rob·Hawthorn directly cursed, "Crouch is two meters and one, Zhang Kuang is one meter and eighty-five. The impact when he jumps higher than Crouch is really great."
The slow-motion playback on the big screen showed that Zhang Kuang indeed jumped half a head higher than Crouch.
The Manchester United fans in the stands went crazy.
"Fuck! Zhang Kuang!"
"What species is he?!"
"This fucking person is from China?! Don't all China people play table tennis?!"
After Crouch landed, he looked at Zhang Kuang in shock. He obviously didn't expect that someone could win the ball above his head, and it was a person nearly twenty centimeters shorter than him.
"How did you dance?" Crouch couldn't help but ask.
Zhang Kuang smiled, "Talent cannot be acquired through practice."
In the 64th minute, Manchester United's counterattack came.
Berbatov stole the ball in the backcourt and made a long pass to find Rooney in the frontcourt. Rooney stopped the ball and turned around. There were three Tottenham Hotspur defensive players in front of him.
He didn't push hard, but hit the Zhang Kuang inserted on the right side horizontally.
Zhang Kuang caught the ball and faced Hutton and Dawson. He moved his left foot as if to pass the ball, then suddenly accelerated and passed between the two.
"Zhang Kuang broke through! Another man and ball passed!"
He dribbled the ball into the penalty area and faced the attacking Gómez. He did not shoot - instead he passed the ball across the middle to Rooney who was following up.
Rooney faced an empty goal and easily pushed the ball into the goal.
3-0!
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!! Rooney!!!" Martin·Tyler shouted, "Manchester United 3-0 seals the victory!"
"This ball Zhang Kuang was so selfless," Rob Hawthorn said, "He could have shot it himself, but he chose to pass it to Rooney."
"This is where he is better than Nani. He is not greedy for credit. His assists are currently the most for Manchester United and the most for Premier League."
After Rooney scored, he rushed towards Zhang Kuang and jumped on his back. "What a beautiful pass!"
"You also move very well," Zhang Kuang said. "As soon as I dribble the ball, you move into the middle. I can tell as soon as I see it."
Berbatov also ran over, and the three of them hugged each other again.
In the 72nd minute, Ferguson made substitutions: Valencia replaced Berbatov, and Gibson replaced Carrick.
After Valencia came on the field, Manchester United's tactics were slightly adjusted: Zhang Kuang moved to the middle, Rooney was at the front, and Valencia was responsible for passing the ball on the right.
In the 78th minute, Valencia got the ball from the right. Facing Ekotto, he made no fancy moves, just a simple change of direction to accelerate, and then he took off and passed.
The ball drew an arc and landed accurately near the small penalty area.
Zhang Kuang rushed out of the crowd and headed the ball, which hit the goal like a shell.
4-0?
No, the referee raised the flag.
"Offside?!" Zhang Kuang stared at the linesman with wide eyes.
The referee blew his whistle to indicate that the goal was invalid.
"Zhang Kuang is offside," Martin·Tyler said, "Although it is only half a body, it is indeed offside."
Zhang Kuang put his hands on his hips and shook his head. He could have scored a hat trick.
The Manchester United fans in the stands booed the linesman several times, and then began to applaud for the canceled goal.
"Although there is no hat trick, Zhang Kuang already has two goals and one assist today," Rob Hawthorn said, "This performance is perfect enough."
In the 86th minute, Valencia made another pass from the right.
This time, Zhang Kuang did not grab the point, but responded to the inserted Rooney. Rooney met the ball and shot with one kick. The ball hit Dawson's leg and bounced out, flying outside the penalty area.
Gibson followed up and took a follow-up shot, but the ball missed the post.
At the end of the game, Manchester United defeated Tottenham Hotspur 3-0.
After the game, Zhang Kuang was once again named the best player in the game.
When he was interviewed in the mixed zone, his expression was relaxed. "The three of us played in perfect harmony today, and I hope this state can continue."
The reporter asked, "Nani didn't make the squad today, does that mean he..."
Zhang Kuang interrupted him, "Let me say it again, this is the head coach's arrangement. I am not qualified to comment on the head coach's decision. Next question."
The reporter changed direction. "Your cooperation with Rooney and Berbatov is getting better and better. How did you three develop a tacit understanding so quickly?"
Zhang Kuang smiled, "Rooney is a great player, and so is Berbatov. It's easy to play with them, because they know what you want to do, and you know what they want to do. This is a tacit understanding, and I like this kind of teamwork."
"Then can't we have such teamwork with Nani..."
Zhang Kuang turned around and left.
But this time, his back looked much more relaxed.
At the press conference after the game, Ferguson was asked about the absence of Nani.
"Why not let Nani enter the squad? Rotate it?"
Ferguson was chewing gum with a calm expression. "Yes, rotation."
"But in the last game League Cup he played very well, with two assists. He was in good condition but was not included in the squad. Doesn't it make sense?"
Ferguson glanced at the reporter, and there was a sense of oppression in that glance that "you are teaching me how to do things."
"I have coached Manchester United for more than 20 years. I rotate who I don't rotate and I don't need to explain the logic to anyone."
The press conference was quiet for a moment.
Then Ferguson added, "Nani is not injured and he is in good condition. But today's tactics are more suitable for Valencia."
It's that simple. Besides, Valencia also participated in the team's offense after he came on the field. He didn't score but he had an assist and was disallowed, but it didn't affect his influence on the game."
The reporter also wanted to ask further questions.
Ferguson stood up. "Okay, that's it for today."
November 2, Turkey, Bursa.
In the fourth round of the UEFA Champions League group stage, Manchester United challenged Bursaspor away from home.
The starting lineup arranged by Ferguson continued the offensive trident against Tottenham Hotspur: Zhang Kuang, Rooney, and Berbatov all started, and Valencia came on the bench.
"Manchester United can qualify early as long as they don't lose more than three goals today," Martin·Tyler said, "But with their state and Bursaspor's strength, they can only win."
"Zhang Kuang has already scored 8 goals in 3 rounds of UEFA Champions League," Rob Hawthorn said. "If he scores again today, it will be more difficult for Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to chase him."
"Yes, we hope Zhang Kuang will continue to score goals today..."
In the 11th minute after the game started, Manchester United took the lead.
Zhang Kuang took the ball on the left and faced two defensive players. Instead of breaking through, he passed the ball across to Rooney in the middle. After receiving the ball, Rooney passed through Bursaspor's defense.
Berbatov diagonally entered the penalty area from the right, stopped the ball, adjusted, and pushed the ball into the far corner. The ball rolled into the net.
1-0!
"Berbatov!" Martin·Tyler shouted, "Manchester United 1-0 lead! Another connection between Zhang Kuang and Rooney!"
"This cooperation is so tacit," Rob Hawthorn said, "Zhang Kuang attracted two defensive players on the left, and then passed Rooney across, and Rooney passed straight to Berba. The three of them tore through the entire defense line with just one pass."
In the 28th minute, Zhang Kuang expanded the score.
This time, Rooney broke through in the middle and passed the ball to Rafael on the right. Rafael passed the ball. The ball landed at the top of the outside arc of the Bursaspor team's penalty area. Zhang Kuang came and volleyed the ball directly.
The ball flew into the top corner of the goal. Bursaspor's goalkeeper leapt to save the ball, but he couldn't reach it.
2-0.
"Zhang Kuang!!! UEFA Champions League's 6th goal!!!" Martin·Tyler shouted, "Continue to lead the UEFA Champions League scorer list!"
"This is Zhang Kuang's iconic long-range volley shot," Rob Hawthorn said, "Everyone knows Zhang's top tricks: long-range shots, headers, and grabbing points, but no one can guard against it."
"This is a top star."
Zhang Kuang ran towards the corner flag area and made his iconic celebration move.
Rooney and Berbatov ran over, and the three of them high-fived and celebrated in the corner flag area.
Although there were not many Manchester United fans in the stands, their voices were loud. "Zhang Kuang! Zhang Kuang! Zhang Kuang!"
In the 57th minute, Zhang Kuang sent an assist.
He took the ball on the left, cut inside and attracted two defensive players, and then sent the ball into the penalty area with a diagonal kick. Rooney came in from behind and pushed the ball into the goal.
3-0!
"Rooney!" Martin·Tyler shouted, "Can the assist from Zhang Kuang really not prevent him? I think Bursaspor has sent three people to guard him, and he can still score goals and assists."
"The cooperation between the three Manchester United is getting better and better," Rob Hawthorn said. "When Zhang Kuang gets the ball on the left, Rooney and Berba know how to move.
And all three of them can shoot, pass, and create opportunities, which is a nightmare for opponents."
In the 65th minute, Ferguson made substitutions: Valencia replaced Zhang Kuang.
When Zhang Kuang came off the field, the away Manchester United fans stood up and applauded. Although there were only a few thousand people, the applause was loud enough.
"Zhang Kuang was replaced," Martin·Tyler said, "Ferguson is protecting the core players. After all, there is a league on the weekend."
"After this game, Manchester United qualified from the UEFA Champions League group two rounds ahead of schedule," Rob Hawthorne said, "And there is a high chance that he will qualify first in the group. Ferguson's rotation strategy is very successful."
The final score was 3-0, Manchester United won the away game.
On November 6th, in the 11th round of Premier League, Manchester United played against Wolverhampton Wanderers at home.
Manchester United Trident continued their hot form, Zhang Kuang had 2 goals and 1 assist, Rooney had 1 goal and 1 assist, Berbatov had 1 assist, Manchester United defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1.
"The Manchester United trident has scored goals and assists in three consecutive games!" Martin·Tyler said in the commentary, "Zhang Kuang, Rooney, Berbatov, these three may now be the most terrifying trident in the entire Europe."
"Let's take a look at the data: How many goals has Zhang Kuang scored in the league?" Rob Hawthorn said, "He has scored in 11 rounds of the league. Let me count, 21 goals? No, the last one There were 2 goals against Tottenham Hotspur and 2 goals against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Yes, 21 goals were scored in 11 rounds of the league. This is the highest scoring record in the first 11 rounds in the history of Premier League."
"And he also had 14 assists," Martin·Tyler added, "This is outrageous. One person directly participated in 35 goals in 11 rounds of the league - Premier League The other 19 teams combined may not have that many."
"This is so anti-human."
November 10th, Premier League 12th round, Manchester Derby.
Manchester United challenges Manchester City away from home.
This game is known as "Premier League One of the most watched games of the season so far" because it is a derby in the same city and a dialogue between two noisy neighbors.
Manchester United ranks first with 31 points, and Manchester City ranks fourth with 20 points. The gap between the two teams is 11 points.
The second place Chelsea has 25 points, the third place Arsenal has 21 points, and Manchester United has opened a large point difference with these three teams, especially the 6 point difference with the second place.
Before the game, Manchester City head coach Mancini said at the press conference, "Manchester United is indeed in good condition and has established an absolute advantage in the standings.
Manchester United's frontcourt trident has a lot of firepower, especially Zhang Kuang, who is a phenomenal player this year. His firepower is too strong, but today he will not be so relaxed when facing Kompany."
Kompany also said in an interview before the game, "I know Zhang Kuang is very strong, but I have studied his game videos. His movement is indeed very smart, but I will limit him."
After the game started, Zhang Kuang found that he was indeed being taken care of.
Kompany follows him almost every step of the way. Whether without the ball or with the ball, the Belgium central defender sticks to his side like a piece of brown candy.
In the 17th minute, Zhang Kuang successfully broke through for the first time. He took the ball on the left, faced the defense of Kompany and De Jong, changed direction and accelerated, squeezed between the two, but was pulled down from behind by De Jong.
The referee showed a yellow card and De Jong got a yellow card.
"De Jong's tactical foul," Martin·Tyler said, "If he didn't pull people, Zhang Kuang would have done it alone."
Rooney took a free kick. Berbatov rushed to score the header, but it was saved by Joe Hart.
In the 34th minute, Manchester United broke the deadlock.
This time it was Rooney who got the ball in the middle. He withstood Yaya Toure's pressing with his back, and then passed the ball back to Carrick who was inserted.
Carrick made a through pass, Zhang Kuang crossed into the penalty area from the left, stopped the ball, and faced Kompany.
Kompany came up, Zhang Kuang didn't push hard, he dunked with his left foot, passed the ball between Kompany's legs, then passed his body from the right side, and the ball passed!
Kompany turned around and wanted to catch up, but Zhang Kuang was already a full step ahead of him.
Zhang Kuang faced the attacking Joe Hart and shot low. The ball passed through Hart's wicket and rolled into the net.
1-0!
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!! Zhang Kuang!!! Manchester Derby opened the scoring!!!" Martin·Tyler shouted, "He wore Kompany's crotch!"
Kompany said before the game that he would limit Zhang Kuang, but Zhang Kuang hit him in the face with a man ball! Manchester City was too big, only used one Kompany came to defend Zhang Kuang. They thought Zhang Kuang could only abuse small teams. Facing the top defense of strong teams, Zhang Kuang could face it just as easily."
"This goal is so exciting," Rob Hawthorn said, "First he took advantage of Carrick's through ball, and then faced Kompany, one of Premier League's best central defenders, he completed the breakthrough with a crotch pass.
Kompany turns around not fast enough, and once Zhang Kuang passes it, it cannot catch up. At this time, if Manchester City sends another defensive player out, Zhang Kuang may not be able to shoot, so Manchester City has to strengthen its defense."
Zhang Kuang ran to the visiting team's stand, opened his hands, and roared angrily at the Manchester United fans.
In the stands, the songs of Manchester United fans overwhelmed the boos of Manchester City fans. "SupersupersuperZhang!"
In the 58th minute, Zhang Kuang sent an assist.
He picked up the ball on the left, attracted the defense of Kompany and De Jong, and then knocked the ball across to Rooney in the middle. Rooney did not stop the ball, and directly found Berbatov with a diagonal kick on the right.
Facing Joe Hart, Berbatov pushed the ball past Hart's fingers and into the net.
2-0!
"It's in, it's in, the ball is in, Berbatov!!!" He Wei shouted, "Manchester United leads 2-0! This goal came from Zhang Kuang's cross kick and Rooney's diagonal ball. The cooperation of the three people once again tore Manchester City's defense!"
"Manchester City was completely penetrated by Manchester United's offensive trident today," Xu Yang said, "Although Kompany focused on Zhang Kuang, De Jong also followed later helped defend, but Rooney and Berbatov both got space. You can't just defend Zhang Kuang, Rooney and Berba are also world-class."
In the 73rd minute, Ferguson made a substitution: Valencia replaced Berbatov.
After Valencia came on the field, he sent continuous crosses from the right. In the 82nd minute, one of his crosses found Zhang Kuang at the front point. Zhang Kuang headed the ball towards the goal, but was saved by Joe Hart. Rooney followed up with a follow-up shot, but was blocked by Kompany.
At the end of the game, Manchester United defeated Manchester City 2-0.
After the game, Kompany was interviewed in the mixed zone. His expression was a little frustrated. "Zhang Kuang is the kind of player... you know what he is going to do, but you still can't stop him. He is too fast and his body is too strong."
The reporter asked, "You were penetrated by him once today. How did it feel?"
Kompany smiled bitterly, "I will regain my face in the next game."
In fact, Manchester City's performance in this game was indeed a bit awkward, unlike a strong team. Because they shot a total of 9 shots in the game, 2 of which were on target.
The top 7 threats are:
In the 35th minute, Milner broke through from the right side of the frontcourt. Scholes committed a foul on the edge of the penalty area. Manchester City won a direct free kick from 18 meters. Tevez took the penalty. The ball ran to the upper right corner of the goal at high speed. Van der Sar flew up and lifted the ball over the crossbar with one palm.
In the 41st minute, David·Silva dribbled away from Carrick in the middle and broke into the right side of the penalty area. Silva shot low into the far corner from a small angle. The ball missed the far post. Vidić interfered closely and compressed the shooting angle. Ferdinand made a supplementary position to block the short path.
In the 57th minute, Yaya Toure held the ball in the midfield and transferred it laterally, passing it to Milner on the right. Milner hit the top of the arc. Yaya Toure made a heavy shot from outside the penalty area. Ferdinand stretched his legs to block the ball out of the baseline.
In the 66th minute, Milner broke through Rafael at high speed from the right and sent a high-quality 45° cross. Tevez headed forward from the center and headed towards the top. Vidić took off to fight closely, interfering with the landing point of Tevez's header. Finally, Tevez headed high and flew over the crossbar.
In the 77th minute, Adam Johnson, who came on as a substitute, took the ball from the left, cut inside to get rid of Brown, and Johnson shot a long arc from 22 yards, and the ball was slightly higher than the crossbar.
In the 85th minute, Zabaleta forced his way through the Evra bottom line from the right, and made a low cross from an inverted triangle toward the goal. Silva, who was outflanked in the middle, pushed the ball, and the ball missed the outside of the left post.
In the 92nd minute, Kolarov replaced Boateng on the left and made a pass. Adebayor, who replaced Tevez as a substitute, shot 6 yards in front of the goal and hit the side net.
Looking at these 7 most threatening shots, Manchester City is actually far behind Manchester United. It feels like they are not a team of the same level at all.
This made Zhang Kuang a little confused. Didn't Premier League have no weak teams? The weak teams we played before were really difficult to play. Why is Manchester City so stretched out?