Anfield Stadium.

The game between Liverpool and AC Milan has been played for forty minutes, and the score on the court is still 0:0. Although there are many stars on both sides, the game still makes people drowsy. AC Milan's defense is very strict. Liverpool has to worry about defense and attack, and the game is not very good-looking. Such a game really makes people feel boring.

Even the British Sky Sports commentator Alfie, who has always supported Liverpool, couldn't help but say, "The game between the two teams is really meaningless today. Both sides have to worry about defense. Liverpool's offense has no excellence. Zhang was very defensive by the opponent. Facing AC Milan's iron-clad defense line, Liverpool can do not do much."

This is not the beginning of the game. Forty minutes have passed. The fans watched the game for forty minutes, and the number of shots of both sides added up to no more than ten times. Such a game made many people lose interest. Except for those hard-core fans of the two teams, everyone else regretted watching the game.

Those media reporters were expecting Mars to hit the Earth, but what was the result? Mars did hit the Earth, but both sides were made of the most solid materials in the universe. The result was a collision, and both sides did not even have any damage...

All in all, the game seems boring.

However, for the two teams participating in the game, they have no mind to worry about whether the game is good or not. Their purpose is to win rather than play exciting games.

Forty minutes passed and neither side scored a goal, which was beneficial to AC Milan.

Ancelotti's strategic goal of letting the team choose defense is to prevent Liverpool from scoring goals. They have a goal advantage. As the game time slowly passes, the advantage of this goal will make them stand in a more proactive position. Force Liverpool to attack without a choice. The more violent they attack, the bigger the loopholes in the defense will be. AC Milan takes the initiative and will play better in the second half.

On the contrary, Liverpool must score!

They have two away goals. But if they want to score away goals, they have to play a role in the same score. It is useless to score one goal behind, so they have to take the initiative if they are eager to score goals.

As the game approached the end of the half, their attack became more fierce, but soon many people realized that such an offensive effect was not very good, but it caused loopholes in the defense.

If this continues, AC Milan's counterattack will be too threatening.

"Stay calm! Don't worry!" Gerald kept reminding his teammates with shouts.

After Gerald's command, Liverpool stabilized the team, but this did not help the goal.

On the field.

Zhang Tiehan has a deep understanding of AC Milan's stability in defense. The opponent's defensive restrictions on him in the first half were everywhere. This may be the most stable defense he has experienced since entering professional football.

Whenever he is in the frontcourt, Stam and Nesta defend him, and other AC Milans will consciously block him and football, making such a tight defense. Even Zhang Tiehan really has no good idea.

He was restricted so much that it was very difficult to get it.

The one who made him feel the most helpless was Stam. This 34-year-old veteran, former Manchester United Iron Guard, has really rich experience. His physical condition may have declined a lot with age, but his experience has also brought a lot of trouble to Zhang Tiehan - he can always get stuck in the most favorable position, and his defense can always make people feel uncomfortable.

If that's all. Zhang Tiehan can completely use his physical advantages to make Stam's defense useless. The key is that he has a strong partner - Nesta. Stam is already strong enough, Nesta is stronger than him. Together with the two of them and their defensive experience, it is too difficult for Zhang Tiehan to find opportunities.

In the first half, Zhang Tiehan knew that AC Milanlan had really put a lot of effort into his defense.

He really has no good idea. Most of the energy of AC Milan's defense is on him. In this case, he can only expect his teammates to perform better.

Zhang Tiehan was very unwilling to accept it, but at least he had no chance in the first half.

......

Soon, with the referee whistle blew, the first half ended.

In the end, neither side scored a goal.

This is not good for Liverpool, so the atmosphere in the locker room is a bit dull. When talking about the first half, everyone felt helpless. After 45 minutes of attack, they did not gain any results. They have experienced a lot of this situation, but Zhang Tiehan was not much when he was present.

Not only Zhang Tiehan, but others also have a deep understanding of AC Milan's defense.

"They can hold on until the end of the game!" Riser said with a shrugged.

"Probably, but we have to score, there is no other way."

Gerald asked Zhang Tiehan, "Zhang, how are you? Can you deal with those two guys?"

Many people came over.

Zhang Tiehan turned his head and said affirmatively, "Of course! Their defense is very tight, but I think if I have a chance, I will definitely be able to break through the defense!"

He showed great confidence on his face.

This also gave the teammates who saw it a lot of confidence. For them, as long as Zhang Tiehan has confidence, they have confidence, because Zhang Tiehan is the team's number one scorer. He has the confidence to break through the defense and score goals. What else are they worried about?

But in fact, Zhang Tiehan is not as confident as he shows.

If he can get the ball, it is still possible to break through Stam and Nesta's defense. The most important thing is that he doesn't have many opportunities to get the ball.

AC Milan's defense is all-round. It is very difficult for him to get the ball in front. This is not a problem with his personal ability, but also a problem with his teammates passing the ball. After all, it is not something he can run out of a good position, so the football can pass it. Many times he gets rid of the defense for a while, and the football can't pass it at all. On the contrary, when the football comes, he is defended very tightly, and the ball is directly cut off.

This happened many times in the first half, and Zhang Tiehan kept thinking about what to do.

Head coach Benitez walked into the locker room.

Benitez has been thinking about the first half of the game. In the first half of AC Milan, they showed strong defensive ability. They are truly the world's first-class defensive team. Liverpool really has no way to use their defense. Benitez saw the situation more clearly on the sidelines. He knew that it was not easy for the team to break through AC Milan's defense.

He has been thinking about the tactics of the second half.

Liverpool must score goals. Otherwise, they will definitely be eliminated, but while attacking, they must also pay attention to defense. This is not a "decisive attempt". If you don't pay attention to defense, there are so many outstanding players in AC Milan - Kaka, Pirlo, Shepchenko, and Girardino. Let them find an opportunity to launch a counterattack. If Liverpool's defense is not done well, it is almost equivalent to giving the opponent a goal.

This certainly won't work!

We must pay attention to defense when paying attention to offense, and Liverpool also must score goals... This is contradictory, so Benitez is also very upset.

Faced with the expectant look of the players, Benitez came up to emphasize stability, "We want to play more steadily. There are still 45 minutes left in the game, and it is not easy for them to keep the goal."

"You should pay more attention to Zhang's point. Pass the ball over and if there is no chance, start the attack from both sides. We mainly play on the side, Riser and Louis. You two should do more crosses, pay attention to Zhang's position, and Steven. You should also insert more."

Everyone nodded.

They understood what Benitez meant, which was to continue playing according to the tactics of the first half. At the same time, they added more long passes and high-altitude balls, and used the two men's ability to grab points to find opportunities.

This is the safest way to kick.

The one who competes with AC Milan is whether you can score a goal. As long as the team can score a goal first, the initiative will come back to your hands. Otherwise, AC Milan will find an opportunity to counterattack and score a goal, and the team will really have to perform last year's miracle to eliminate their opponents.

This situation is quite unfavorable to the team, but it is also their best choice at the moment.

In Anfield's visiting team locker room, Ancelotti is also explaining the tactics of the second half to the players.

He is quite satisfied with the current situation.

The team defended for a half, and this situation was very favorable. They had a ball advantage in their hands. Then the opponent had to choose an offense. They could steadily play defensive counterattacks, and while the defense was stable, they looked for loopholes in the opponent's defense line.

The tactical basis is still defense.

In Ancelotti's view, even if the team only relies on defense, it is possible to defend until the end of the game. They are AC Milan, the top team in Italy's defense. As long as the opponent's No. 13 is limited, Ancelotti does not think that Liverpool still has any ability to break through the defense. Unless the opponent is very lucky, it will not be difficult for the team to defend the goal.

......

Both teams did not make any major adjustments during midfield time. Just like fifteen minutes passed, the fans ushered in the second half.

Many media commentators expressed dissatisfaction with the first half of the game. When Liverpool met AC Milan, they should have been mentally prepared, but when such a boring game was really staged in front of them, they still couldn't help but say a few words.

Those neutral fans who watched the game were also very dissatisfied.

They bought tickets not to sleep at Anfield Stadium. They hoped to see wonderful games and goals.

But when the second half of the game began and when they saw AC Milan coming up, they shrank their defense and put on another defensive posture, they knew that their expectations had failed.

Many fans booed dissatisfied.

They are very dissatisfied with AC Milan's conservative tactics. Even the Italian media commentator who supports AC Milan has to admit, "Today, Ancelotti's tactics are a bit too conservative."

But he quickly said, "But for victory, it is necessary to be more conservative..."

Fans may not think so, but the Liverpool players on the court have the deepest experience. AC Milan's conservatism has caused them a lot of trouble. They hope AC Milan can let go of the game and it is best to play against them. However, obviously AC Milan on the opposite side does not think so, so their offense has been stubbornly blocked again and again.

Zhang Tiehan experienced the most clearly.

He was defended for dozens of minutes, and he was extremely impressed by AC Milan's defense. He had been observing AC Milan's defense and wanted to find the key to break through the defense, but he has not been able to find it yet.

AC Milan's defense is so tight!

Zhang Tiehan began to try to retreat and get the ball, which was also the only choice he could make at the moment, otherwise it would not be easy to get the ball.

When Zhang Tiehan did this, Stam and Nesta who were defending him had to separate one person to follow him.

Nesta came here.

As long as Zhang Tiehan is still in AC Milan's halftime, Nesta will keep up with him. As long as Zhang Tiehan arrives at a threatening place near the penalty area, Stam will make up for defense. This is AC Milan's defensive strategy against him.

But after the retreat, it became easier for Zhang Tiehan to get the ball.

After all, AC Milan's defense cannot cover all areas, from the center line to the penalty area. Their defense is not very tight. When Zhang Tiehan is here, he can easily receive passes from his teammates.

He usually chooses to pass the ball back, but after a few times, Zhang Tiehan found that cooperation with his teammates could not break through AC Milan's defense, so he began to try to dribble the ball by himself.

Since I can’t find a good opportunity, I will create it myself!

That's what Zhang Tiehan thought.

He began to dribble the ball frequently, and when he did this, Nesta felt helpless. He was on the periphery, but when Zhang Tiehan took the ball and led forward, it was difficult for him to really grab it by himself. The only thing he could do was harass him from the side and prevent Zhang Tiehan from moving forward smoothly.

But soon he discovered that he could do less than this.

Zhang Tiehan's explosive power is much stronger than him.

In terms of dribbling away, explosive power is very effective. Zhang Tiehan drove the ball forward and then started to run forward. He threw away Nesta's two positions in between two or three steps, and Nesta could almost only follow behind.

But after getting rid of Nesta, Zhang Tiehan still had to face AC Milan's tingling solid defense before the penalty area.

His choice is to pass the ball.

This is also the only and best choice. Facing the interception of several players, it is almost impossible for Zhang Tiehan to protect the ball, let alone find an opportunity to shoot.

But after a few times, Zhang Tiehan found that passing the ball was not good...
To be continued...