"Friends and viewers, this is the live broadcast of the 12th round of the English National League, Kidderminster vs. New Manchester United. I am your commentator, Scarlett Elan, reporting live from Aggborough Stadium in Kidderminster."
On television, Scarlett's beautiful face appeared before the citizens of Manchester. This was her first time appearing on a live television broadcast. Despite some prior training, her speaking rhythm was still a little flustered.
"Through the broadcast camera, we can see that the two stands at Aggborough are quite empty. According to the assessment of the on-site staff, there may be fewer than 2,000 fans in attendance today. Nearly 800 of them have travelled all the way from Manchester to follow New Manchester United, and they are sitting in the stand right behind me!"
The camera immediately panned above Scarlett's head, where a group of fans wearing New Manchester United's away kit erupted into cheers. Many fans even scrambled to get in front of the lens, shouting loudly, "Go, New Manchester United!"
"Go, New Manchester United!" Jim, in front of the TV, also waved and shouted, his expression making it seem as if he were actually at the match.
"Jim, keep it down. Don't get so excited, alright?" a fellow taxi driver beside him pulled at him.
Jim immediately nodded with an embarrassed smile.
"By the way, we're watching in the office now. What happens when we have to head out? Is there a radio broadcast of this match?" another companion asked with concern.
"Yeah, of course. I heard it's the same audio as the TV broadcast. We can just listen to the radio then!" Jim replied, his eyes never leaving the TV screen for even a second.
"The starting lineups for both sides have been released. Kidderminster are sticking with their main squad from this season. It seems they are taking this match very seriously. However, New Manchester United's starting lineup is somewhat unexpected," Scarlett reappeared on the screen.
"The striker is the young Serbian-Montenegrin, Žigić. This is beyond doubt, as he is currently New Manchester United's strongest attacking weapon. The left and right wingers are Ivica Olić and Alexander Hleb. This is Olić's first time appearing on the left wing, which is quite surprising. The central midfield is made up of Juninho, Michael Essien, and Christian Poulsen. The defensive line from left to right is Patrice Evra, Eric Abidal, Sylvain Distin, and Grétar Steinsson. The goalkeeper is the captain, Schmeichel."
"When we received this starting lineup, we were all a little puzzled. First, Olić is replacing Krzynówek as the left winger. Could the Pole be injured? Even if he was injured before the match, doesn't New Manchester United still have Richie Wellens? Why use Olić?"
"Secondly, the midfield setup is also worrying. Juninho's performance this season has been completely unworthy of his high price tag of 800,000 pounds. As for the young Essien, although he occasionally shows flashes of brilliance, his overall performance is not stable enough, and his experience is insufficient for such an important match."
"Finally, there is the team's bench depth. Bruce brought five substitutes. Besides the backup goalkeeper Almunia and defender Kevin Evans, Darren Lyons, Richie Wellens, and Crouch are all sitting on the bench. This makes us worry about New Manchester United's defense in this match. You should know that Kidderminster's attacking power is quite terrifying."
"Hey, this girl from the Manchester Evening News is talking badly about our New Manchester United again!" Jim shouted in displeasure, responding with a hiss.
Scarlett's reports on New Manchester United had always leaned toward criticism, so many New Manchester United fans did not have a good impression of her.
"Alright, there isn't much time left before the match. We can see the players from both sides entering the pitch. They shake hands with the referee first. Schmeichel represents New Manchester United for the coin toss. The players are starting to return to their halves. We can see that..."
"...New Manchester United have deployed a 4-5-1 formation for this match!"
Jim and the others fell silent, their hearts and minds focused entirely on the TV.
When the referee blew the whistle to start the match, Kidderminster's number 9 forward, who kicked off first, passed the ball back to the defense.
As the lone striker, Žigić was the first to charge into Kidderminster's half. The opposing centre-back saw Žigić rushing over and immediately played the ball sideways to the full-back.
The full-back carried the ball forward two steps and passed it inside to the number 6 defensive midfielder, who was positioned deeper in midfield.
The number 6 received the ball and suddenly felt a rush of heat from behind. His body felt as if it were being held up by a wall. He tried to use his body to jostle for space, but the opponent pushed back without giving an inch, causing him to stumble.
The number 6 was clearly an experienced player. He was surprised by the opponent's strength, but simply went down with the momentum, making it look as though he had been badly fouled by a rough challenge.
Essien immediately spread his arms and looked at the referee, signaling that he had not made any unnecessary movements.
The referee also ran over, gesturing for Kidderminster's number 6 to get up quickly.
"We can see that Michael Essien charged into the opponent's half very quickly and brought down their defensive midfielder. Slow-motion replays show that Essien indeed had no unnecessary movements. The only surprising thing is his strength. According to our information, he is only 17 years old and stands 1.77 meters tall, while the opponent's number 6 is a 29-year-old powerhouse standing 1.85 meters tall, yet he was still easily knocked down by Essien!"
This was Essien's first time appearing on a live television broadcast, and the first impression he gave was a foul!
The match continued. New Manchester United had arranged a very tight midfield defense. The two defensive midfielders had clear roles. Poulsen protected Juninho while also shielding the back line, while Essien sprinted all over the pitch, charging in to win the ball whenever he saw it.
The young Ghanaian's stamina was truly remarkable, and he was fast. Although he was not tall, he made up for it with agility, always finding ways to snatch the ball from the opponent's feet.
Although New Manchester United often did not maintain possession after he won the ball, it at least slowed down Kidderminster's attacking rhythm. This prevented the home team's offense from getting going at all in the first 15 minutes.
However, while Kidderminster's offense could not get going, New Manchester United's offense was also restricted. As a result, after 15 minutes of play, the two teams had not even managed a single shot.
Such a match was undoubtedly dull, but it was also the ultimate test of the teams' tactical levels and overall strength.
"We can see that both teams have committed heavy numbers to midfield and defense, clearly taking this match very seriously. Kidderminster's defense against Žigić has been very successful. Throughout the first 15 minutes of the first half, he has not been able to pose any threat to Kidderminster's goal."
"However, New Manchester United's midfield defense has also been very successful. With Essien sprinting all over the pitch, plus Poulsen's increasingly steady defending and the tireless Olić, New Manchester United's midfield is quite resilient. Kidderminster simply can't get through the opponent's midfield and are forced to choose long balls!"
"But let's look at New Manchester United's defensive line. Distin is positioned at the very front, contesting the first ball. Almost all long balls entering New Manchester United's half are easily intercepted by him. He stands at 1.94 meters and weighs 88 kilograms, and he is also very fast. It is almost impossible for the opposing forwards to win the ball from him."
"While it is understandable for both sides to focus on defense in this crucial match, if the situation continues like this, unless both sides make changes, this match is likely to turn into a very dull 0-0!" Scarlett made her judgment during her commentary.
But almost as soon as she finished saying this, the situation on the pitch changed.
After 15 minutes of the first half, Kidderminster's defense against Žigić was indeed just as Bruce had previously anticipated, completely neutralizing his threat. Although they did not have many solutions for New Manchester United's defense either, Bruce clearly was not prepared to let things continue like this.
Stepping out from the bench to the touchline, Bruce looked at Juninho running on the pitch and shouted, "Ribeiro!" Then he made a gesture for a tactical change.
The players on the pitch, including Juninho and Žigić, clearly saw Bruce's gesture. It was a signal for them to change their tactics.
Upon receiving the signal, the players immediately knew what to do next.
Taking advantage of the ball going out of play, Poulsen ran close to Juninho. Since Bruce had arranged for Poulsen to protect Juninho, the two were very close, and Juninho did not dare to stray too far from Poulsen.
"Ribeiro, you should hold onto the ball more and steady things. Don't worry about losing it. If you do, I'm here, and so is Michael!"
Juninho wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded to Poulsen.
In the first 15 minutes of the first half, although his performance had not been as poor as before, it was still relatively mediocre. He even believed that if Stephen Smith were substituted on, he might do even better.
Could I really be inferior to him?
Juninho was unwilling to admit it. Moreover, recently, he had been strictly following the diet and training plan arranged by Professor Fryer, Derek, and the coaching staff. His weight had increased from 66 kilograms to 69 kilograms.
Professor Fryer said that based on his height of 1.78 meters, combined with his technical characteristics and body type, his ideal weight should be between 72 and 75 kilograms. He had been slightly too thin before, lacking the physical strength to compete, which made his movements easily lose shape once he encountered physical challenges from opponents.
My body is stronger than before. I shouldn't be afraid of physical contact like I used to be! The boss is right. I should be more proactive, show more confidence, and act more like a core player, just like I did back at Vasco da Gama.
Thinking of this, Juninho began to run forward.
Essien intercepted an opponent's pass near the halfway line. Looking up, he saw Juninho nearby with his hand raised high.
Almost without thinking, Essien passed the ball to him.
The opponent's number 6 defensive midfielder had clearly noticed Juninho as well and immediately stuck close to him!
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)