Football: Starting with managing Manchester United

They boarded the club bus and arrived at Goodison Park in Liverpool.

Zhang Yang was the first to get out of the car.

Look up.

The stadium's exterior walls feature a huge, blue Everton crest, alongside murals depicting the club's history.

Zhang Yang didn't understand it at all.

Looking at the stadium, the combination of traditional red bricks and modern elements creates what's called the English cottage style.

It truly lives up to its reputation as the first stadium in Britain to have four complete double-tiered stands.

"Go to hell with you Manchester bastards!"

The noise attracted Zhang Yang's attention.

Liverpool is indeed known for its tough people; a fight broke out not far away.

"Manchester United and Everton should have a good relationship."

Zhang Yang muttered something, then looked at the team members, "Let Chris lead you to warm up, I'm going to the press conference first."

The reporter from The Sun reappeared, but the press officer didn't call on him to ask a question.

But from the gloating expression on the other person's face, and from the news reports from a few days ago, Zhang Yang knew that he had a lot of opinions about him.

Everton's manager, Robert Martinez, looks very strong.

Because he is bald.

"We still have a chance to enter the Champions League zone, as long as we can win all the remaining matches, so this game is very important."

"Manchester United? They are a historic team, but they're having some problems right now. I don't think they can win at Goodison Park."

"Zhang? My youth team coach said he's pretty good."

Robert Martinez's last words made the reporters laugh.

The youth team coach said Zhang Yang was not bad, which means that Zhang Yang is not qualified to coach a top team at all?

......

"Hey guys, listen to me! Their higher ranking doesn't mean they're better than us. You've found your rhythm this week, so all you have to do is play like you do in training, at your normal level!"

"Finally, now that nobody believes in us, we're going to prove them wrong!"

"Come on, Nemanja, give your teammates a boost!"

Zhang Yang pulled Vidic over.

"Brothers, you know I'm leaving at the end of this season. I won't stay in the Premier League to compete against Manchester United."

Vidic extended his right hand. "I had a fantastic eight years at Manchester United and I'm happy to fight alongside you all. Now I want to focus all my energy on playing well for Manchester United and leaving no regrets."

"You'll help me, right?"

"Come on, like before, three, two, one! Manchester United!"

"Victory is certain!"

Rooney, Carrick, and Shinji Kagawa placed their hands on it, and shouted in unison the moment they raised them.

The deafening roar was like rolling thunder, making Zhang Yang's eardrums ache slightly.

"Set off!"

However, he liked the feeling and walked out of the locker room with a wave of his hand.

When they arrived at the coaching bench, he put his arm around Chris Woods and said, "If we can win the game, we'll be only three points behind Everton, and we can overtake them in one game."

"That's not easy."

Chris Woods looked troubled.

"Chris, things are more interesting when they're not easy. Doing simple addition problems every day is so boring!"

Zhang Yang waved to the Manchester United fans in the away stand.

Even if these people don't trust him.

He walked to the coaching area and loosened his tie.

The match has already begun with the whistle blowing, and he has chosen a 4-4-2 formation as planned, with Phil Jones, Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra in defense.

They're all veterans, all trying to play it safe.

The midfield lineup of Valencia, Carrick, Kagawa, and Ashley Young is quite different from Moyes' starting lineup.

The two strikers are Rooney and Welbeck.

Zhang Yang's gaze shifted to Everton's half, where Stones, McCarthy, Barkley, and others were visible, indicating a strong Everton midfield.

But the one who deserves the most attention is Lukaku.

Short hair, beer belly, my name is Kaku, remember that.

Zhang Yang did remember it.

......

"The game has been going on for 30 minutes, and Manchester United has changed a lot from before. They are no longer mindlessly crossing from the byline, but are trying to control the ball in midfield."

Sky Sports commentator Nolan Bach sensed something was wrong.

Roberto Martinez's teams are known for their attacking prowess, and his first act upon taking over was to conduct a major player overhaul.

The mechanical and traditional English style of play from the Moyes era has completely disappeared.

Everton became a pioneer in leading the technical, possession-based style of play in the Premier League.

Manchester United, who are usually known for their aggressive and wide-ranging style, surprisingly showed weakness today.

Actively shrink the front line.

This resulted in a highly layered defensive formation.

"The four midfielders guarding the central area are making active runs and trying their best to cover the midfield and backfield areas. Vidic and others can also push forward at any time to form a multi-man attack."

"Everton struggles to get forward through the middle in attack."

"Barkley's advances in this area always ended with crosses and backheels."

"On the other hand, Manchester United launched several effective counter-attacks and were less physically exhausted than Everton. Rooney's shot from outside the penalty area just now almost gave Manchester United the lead."

Nolan Bach felt increasingly uneasy.

Technical style is one aspect.

Manchester United's spirit today is also a huge change from before.

It looks much more energetic.

After 35 minutes of play without a goal, Zhang Yang raised an eyebrow and glanced at Roberto Martinez next to him.

The bald man seemed a little anxious, urging the players to push forward.

It seems they want to establish an advantage before midfield.

"Our chance has come."

Zhang Yang took a breath, pointed at Shinji Kagawa, and said, "Stand in your position, don't run back and forth on the wing!"

This not only wastes space, but also affects Ashley Young.

Professor Yang's contract hasn't expired yet. If his playing time is taken away and he doesn't perform well, that would be terrible.

Kagawa Shinji gritted his teeth.

He had heard recently that the club was planning to clear out its players during the summer transfer window.

He has to try.

As things learned in training were constantly being incorporated into the game, Rooney suddenly realized that Everton wasn't so strong after all, and he felt quite relaxed as he didn't need to engage in frequent physical confrontations.

Again!

Roberto Martinez was very dissatisfied with the team's inability to break through Manchester United's goal after so long, especially given the change of coach and the resulting instability in morale.

Since Manchester United wants to play the coward, then beat them so they can't even show their faces.

Barkley made a risky through ball, trying to pass behind Vidic to find Lukaku making a run forward.

This center-back, who played for Manchester United for eight years, had already anticipated this with his extensive experience.

He didn't even need to challenge Lukaku; he simply moved laterally to intercept Barkley's through ball and then passed it to the open space he had spotted beforehand.

Shinji Kagawa was there.

Shinji Kagawa, who received the ball, saw the chaos in Everton's defense caused by their high press.

It looks like cheese.

There are many holes inside.

Time was running out... Shinji Kagawa felt his heart pounding like a countdown, urging him to pass the ball to the right area as quickly as possible.

A splash of red appeared behind Barry.

Without thinking too much, Shinji Kagawa passed the ball accurately to McCarthy before he could react.

Rooney's chubby face appeared on camera, and Manchester United fans held their breath in tension.