Red Rebels

564 Angels and Demons

On November 21, the Red Rebels traveled to Greece as guests to challenge AEK Athens.

Since the Red Rebels had already determined the first place in the group in advance, Mourinho arranged for many substitute players to play in this game. The goalkeeper also arranged for a young player from the youth team to start instead of Chris Taylor.

In the 33rd minute of the game, during a very sparse and ordinary attack by AEK Athens, the goalkeeper of the Red Rebels, who was starting for the team for the first time, made an inexplicable mistake and cleared the ball directly to the opponent's forward Sessa. at your feet.

As an opponent, Cesar would definitely not show mercy to the Red Rebels' mistakes, so he scored the leading goal without hesitation.

Afterwards, AEK Athens took advantage of their home field advantage to frequently threaten the Red Rebels' goal. Fortunately, the back line composed of Thuram and Chiellini performed solidly and protected the penalty area. Otherwise, I am afraid that this game would have only been in the first half. Create a big score.

At halftime, Mourinho was not very satisfied with the performance of the young goalkeeper and encouraged him in the locker room, hoping that he could perform in the second half.

The Red Rebels equalized the score at the beginning of the second half. Walcott used his lightning speed to tear through the defense of AEK Athens in a counter-offside move. After single-handedly entering the penalty area, he passed the goalkeeper and pushed and shot. Empty goal succeeded, 1:1!

Speaking of this goal, we have to mention Cesc Fabregas's assist!

When it reached the 48th minute, Fabregas moved to the right to get the ball. Seeing that no one was marking him, he immediately dribbled forward with the ball. Facing the left back of AEK Athens, he made a beautiful heel touch, and his body He suddenly turned around and slid past the opponent like a loach, completing a beautiful pass before assisting Walcott's goal.

After that, Fabregas performed very well. He made a beautiful through ball in the middle and assisted Ismail to score another victory. However, before the end of the game, the goalkeeper was nervous and caused the opponent's long shot. He took a shot and was missed by Cesar in front of the goal. The make-up shot was successful and the final score was fixed at 2:2!

Although it was a draw, Fabregas became the best player in the game with his outstanding performance.

When being interviewed by the media after the game, when asked about his back-heel dribble, which was exactly the same as the dribble completed by Redondo in the 2000 Champions League between Real Madrid and Manchester United, the Spanish teenager seemed very shy.

"Yes, I watched the video of that pass. It was amazing. It was so natural. It was hard for me to imagine that he would appear on a defensive midfielder, so I kept practicing it over and over again in training, but on the court This is the first time I’ve used it, and it feels great.”

"Redondo is a very good teacher. He is the coach of our club and has given me a lot of help. He told me a lot of details and principles about the defensive midfielder. I am very grateful to him. He made me understand that the defensive midfielder can also be Playing so artistically, he is my idol, but I don’t think I am Redondo II, he is unique!”

"Michael Johnson lost to me?" Fabregas completely lost his shyness and replaced it with a smile. "No, I don't think so. We are very good friends, but the relationship between us is inevitable. There is competition, and I don’t think I’m better than him. He has his strengths and I have mine. Mr. Mourinho just chooses who will play based on the opponent.”

However, even if Fabregas tries his best to admit it, the improvement he has shown in the game is indeed greater than that of Michael Johnson, especially his transformation since this season.

It also makes people see a mature and stable Spanish midfielder. Whether it is offense, organization or defense, Fabregas's progress is very obvious.

Although Michael Johnson has made great progress, he has begun to lag behind Fabregas in the competition. However, as Fabregas said, this Red Rebel youth training youngster will not admit defeat at all. He is eager to pass more Good training and condition will change Mourinho's idea of ​​organizing the midfielder.

After this game, the theory that Cesc Fabregas inherited Redondo's mantle was widely circulated in European football. However, at the same time, in the Argentine League in South America, Redondo II had already made a conclusion. That is Fernando Gago.

Boca Juniors' Fernando Gago and River Plate's forward Higuain are the two most outstanding performers in Argentina this season, especially Higuain, who has EU nationality and performed well at the same time. , Higuain became famous in one battle with his outstanding performance in Boca's match against River Plate.

There are currently many teams chasing Higuain and Gago, which makes these two players more and more famous in Europe. Currently, many wealthy clubs including Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Chelsea, etc. are linked to these two players. , making everyone speculate that their stay in Argentina will not be too long.

After playing in the Champions League, the Red Rebels returned to the league and challenged Newcastle away from home.

As a traditional powerhouse in the Premier League, Newcastle's recent performance has been ups and downs, with good and bad year after year. This has been the case in recent seasons. Last year, they almost reached the UEFA Cup, but now they have fallen behind. Near the relegation zone, the situation can be said to be quite bad.

Newcastle's offense is quite bad this season, but their defense has been good, especially in the last two rounds. First, they drew with the powerful Manchester City 0:0 in the away game, and then they drew with Arsenal 1:1 in the away game. This makes Magpie fans look forward to the home game against the Red Rebels.

St. James' Park has never been a fuel-efficient stadium. The Red Rebels also expected the difficulty of this game. In particular, Newcastle, who are eager to change the current situation and bounce back to the forefront of the league, will definitely give the Red Rebels a hard time at home. Creating trouble.

Head coach Rhodes publicly stated at the pre-match press conference that the Red Rebels are very strong, especially the team's offensive ability. On the other hand, Newcastle will be difficult to compete with the Red Rebels, so in this game he Every player needs to be dedicated to their duties and implement their own tactics.

In fact, Newcastle's players did not disappoint Rhodes at all. From the first minute of the game, they deployed a very tight iron barrel formation in their own half. They were not conservative, but they deployed heavy troops in the midfield and in the frontcourt. Martins, the black lightning, was left behind, making it clear that the horse and carriage were meant to fight back.

After the rest, the Red Rebel players were determined to win against their opponents. Especially after learning that Manchester United drew 1:1 with Chelsea at home, the Red Rebels were even more eager to widen the score again.

Mourinho did a lot of work before the game. He clearly told the players that he wanted to win.

But at the beginning of the game, Chris Taylor's mistake completely disrupted Mourinho's tactical arrangements.

Martins, a Black Lightning who joined Newcastle at a high price and was labeled as a parallel import, made a tentative long-range shot from outside the penalty area after the opening without any substantial threat, but it was very Chris Taylor, who was obviously too nervous and his movements were a bit stiff, knelt down and bent down to hug the football tightly, but then strangely let the ball slip away from his crotch and slowly roll into the goal.

At this moment, even the Newcastle fans in the stands of St. James Park found it incredible, because they did not expect that such a shot actually resulted in a goal.

Chris Taylor fell to the ground. He could clearly feel the eyes of his teammates looking at him full of doubt and distrust.

Yes, the English teenager can indeed use his youth as an excuse, but he cannot hide that he is not mentally qualified enough to shoulder such a heavy responsibility. He made an unforgivable mistake.

This mistake not only caused the Red Rebels to fall behind at the beginning of the game, but also greatly damaged the morale of the Red Rebel players. Even Mourinho on the sidelines was so angry that he slapped his forehead hard and looked up to the sky with a sigh. He felt helpless and depressed at this moment.

Martins' shot was not powerful and the route was very direct. Chris Taylor had already determined the position, but he made such an incredible mistake. This is really unbelievable.

At this moment, Mourinho must have thought about changing the main goalkeeper.

But looking at the Red Rebel youth team, there are almost no goalkeepers who can replace Chris Taylor. Mourinho can only hope to select a replacement from the youth team.

It should be said that as the team's third goalkeeper, Chris Taylor can play in some cup matches from time to time. His performance in the reserve team and youth team is good, but the first team is a completely different world.

From a professional point of view, Chris Taylor's physical fitness is good and his basic skills are quite solid. However, his mental fitness is not enough, which makes his performance always good or bad. In one game, he even acted like an angel and a devil. Community, this is absolutely fatal for a goalkeeper!

As a goalkeeper, there are three important factors that must be possessed. One is concentration, which is especially important for goalkeepers from wealthy clubs. After all, top teams are stronger and are likely to suppress their opponents throughout the game, allowing them to play normally. There are not many shots, and there are even fewer threats. Only by concentration can we ensure not to concede the ball.

Second, the psychological quality must be strong enough. Every goalkeeper must make a judgment at the moment the opponent makes a move. This requires high psychological quality. According to statistics, goalkeepers who are hesitant are often easier to When goals are conceded, it is those determined goalkeepers who are more likely to succeed.

Finally, if you want to become a top goalkeeper, stability is a must. An unstable goalkeeper is not trustworthy at all. This is why it is always difficult for Dida to be among the top goalkeepers.

Only with these three elements, coupled with excellent goalkeeping skills, can we create an excellent top goalkeeper. Otherwise, no matter how excellent the goal-line skills are, he will not be able to concentrate. Concentrated, not mentally strong enough, not stable enough, still a weak hand, untrustworthy, and embarrassed for big responsibilities.

This is the problem with Chris Taylor. Otherwise, his skills and physical fitness definitely have the potential to become a top goalkeeper.

Of course, Mourinho’s judgment on Chris Taylor does not mean that he cannot become a top goalkeeper in the future. After all, everyone will improve. If with age and experience, Chris Taylor will become a top goalkeeper in the future. If Taylor can get rid of his current problems, he will still have a chance to become a top goalkeeper in the future.

Someone once said that the peak state of a goalkeeper is generally between 25-35. Currently, Chris Taylor is only 18 years old and has a long way to go. What kind of achievements he can achieve ultimately depends on him.

But it is obviously impossible for the Red Rebels to give him such a test field again!

Although there was a mistake and a goal was conceded, Chris Taylor's subsequent performance was still good, blocking several Newcastle shots, but he was unable to save the team from losing again.

1:0, Newcastle defeated the Red Rebels in an upset at home, and also pulled the Red Rebels from the league leader's position.

As Martin Samuel said in his column after the game, it is unfair to put all the responsibility on Chris Taylor. However, it must be admitted that he committed such a call only 2 minutes after the start. The incredible mistakes had an indelible impact on the team. Coupled with Newcastle's tenacious defense, the Red Rebels were kept clean for the first time this season.

"From the time Casey Keller was injured to now, Chris Taylor has proven in many games that it is difficult for him to assume the position of the main goalkeeper of the Red Rebels. After all, not everyone is Casillas, Buffon and Che. Hey, not all goalkeepers can challenge a top club at a young age."

"Compared to talented goalkeepers such as Casillas, Buffon and Cech, more goalkeepers have learned from constant mistakes and mistakes. Chris Taylor is only 18 years old, and he is required to suddenly bear the responsibility. It is unfair to take on the heavy responsibility of the Red Rebels, so I think the best way for the Red Rebels at present is to introduce a capable goalkeeper as soon as possible during the winter break, otherwise, the consequences will be disastrous!"

This is also the evaluation of the Red Rebels by the European mainstream media.

After playing Newcastle, the Red Rebels took a week's rest. Mourinho selected another 17-year-old goalkeeper from the youth team to challenge Liverpool away from home as Chris Taylor's substitute.

However, in this game, Chris Taylor performed steadily. Although he made a few mistakes, fortunately he did not make a big mistake. Instead, after the team took the lead, he made a few mistakes when facing Liverpool's attack. A wonderful save, and the Red Rebels relied on Ronaldinho's goal to defeat Liverpool 0:1 away from home.

After this game, Chris Taylor was greatly praised by the media, believing that he had survived the slump in the previous round and was resurrected in this round. However, the Red Rebels did not dare to affirm the words of these media. , because these media are like this. When they perform well, they become gods, and when they perform poorly, they are garbage. It is very realistic!

And during the game, the goal guarded by Chris Taylor always gave people a feeling of insecurity and uneasiness, as if it could be breached at any time. It was very scary and terrible. This also made the Red Rebels Don't dare to invest too many troops in the attack.

After this crucial battle, Mourinho immediately requested the Ministry of Commerce to finalize the goalkeeper transfer as soon as possible!