Midfielder

This was the first time that Lin Yi and Riquelme faced each other head-on except for the handshake at the beginning. He ran nearly 50 meters. This was a natural feeling. From the moment Riquelme started to dribble the ball, Lin Yi felt the danger.

Fortunately, he was able to save the attack this time. After Lin Yi kicked the football away, he was pulled up by Terry.

Looking up at the slightly hunched Argentine, Lin Yi saw the other side of a midfield commander from behind his slow pace, with precise passing, keen sense of smell, and sharp breakthrough.

Maybe the guy's movements were not fast, but every step could make people feel his threat. Just now was a typical example. The Argentine had average explosive power, but he could always step on the rhythm of the breakthrough.

However, the corner kick of the Villarreal team did not pose an effective threat. It is really not effective for ordinary people to compete with a tough guy like Terry in headers. Guys like Fran who have been in the Premier League also know how powerful Terry is.

But in the subsequent games, Villarreal was obviously deliberately controlling the speed of attack, and when retreating to defend, they also paid attention to slowing down Chelsea's speed. It can be seen that these guys want to slow down.

Villarreal hopes to be as slow as possible, but Chelsea does not want to play with them. Mourinho is not used to playing according to the opponent's game rhythm, but before the end of the first half, Chelsea's advancement speed has been entangled in the midfield, and the opponent would rather commit a foul to drag Chelsea's rapid advance.

To keep a score of 0-0 and return to the locker room, this is what Villarreal has to do.

In fact, they really did it. Although Senna received a yellow card to stop Lin Yi before the end of the first half, compared with the embarrassment in the first thirty minutes, this foul is still worthwhile.

Although the score was 0-0, the fierce confrontation in these 45 minutes made many fans' palms full of sweat. No goals does not mean that the two teams are mediocre. On the contrary, the game can be said to be exciting.

The only person who felt unhappy was Lin Yi. No matter his own shot or blocking, he failed to penetrate the opponent's goal at the last moment, and the Argentine was not quiet, always threatening Chelsea's defense.

Lin Yi hasn't had this feeling for a long time. The opponent's defense has always made Chelsea's offense not smooth enough, and it can even be said to be a bit sluggish, especially in the last fifteen minutes of the first half.

"Knock!" When Lin Yi walked into the locker room, he could still hear the cheers of the Villarreal fans in the stands. Lin Yi was now furious for not completing the task assigned by Mourinho.

"Don't let anything outside affect your performance. You are too focused on competing with the Argentine."

Mourinho walked at the end, but he only said this sentence next to Lin Yi. The voice was not loud, but it was enough for Lin Yi to hear clearly. He saw clearly from the sidelines that Lin Yi was a little impatient when attacking in this game.

"I just wanted to score early, after all, this is an away game." Lin Yi retorted, but his voice was not loud. He knew that Mourinho was telling the truth. He really wanted to eat up the opponent in the first half.

"He is almost ten years older than you, so don't expect such a person with rich experience in the game to go all out to fight you just because of those boring reports. He knows better how to lead his team to win."

Mourinho was telling the truth. Although Lin Yi has experienced three Champions League baptisms and won the Premier League twice, this kid is only 18 years old. In some games, he has the heart to compete with the opponent.

With Keane and Vieira, although this kid won, in addition to Chelsea's overall strength surpassing the opponent, it was also because the opponent did not expect Lin Yi to be so terrible when he was ruthless and ignored his explosion.

And the opponent is basically a defensive player, and in a one-on-one situation, he really doesn't have the upper hand.

But this time, Lin Yi and Riquelme were in a positional competition. They were both the offensive core of the team, and Riquelme had experienced ups and downs. He didn't care whether his performance was eye-catching or not, but only whether he won or not.

Especially after finally entering the Champions League semi-finals, this guy's offensive organization became more refined.

The tempering of the years and the twists and turns of his career have made this Argentine genius understand what he should do on the court. Just like his performance in the first half, he could always peek at those opportunities that belonged to him.

And Lin Yi was a little too concerned about the competition between himself and the opponent. Although he rarely took the initiative to compete with anyone, he met such a midfielder who could also arouse his interest and was different from his type.

This kid inevitably had a little idea of ​​competing with the opponent, so his offensive kick in the first half was indeed very urgent. Mourinho let him get closer to the goal, and he also rarely contributed three shots.

It can be seen from this that this guy is a little anxious. He wants to eat up Villarreal in one bite at the Love Song Stadium, and he wants to let the other side see who is the winner in the battle between fast and slow in front of Riquelme.

However, Riquelme obviously did not want to play with Chelsea's rhythm. He still sorted out the overall operation of the team in his own way. Compared with Lin Yi, the Argentine was calmer.

"Calm yourself down, remember, our overall strength is stronger than the opponent, not to mention that this is the opponent's home court, there is no need to rush to eat up the opponent. If you want to keep a draw, it will only be disadvantageous to them."

"We have enough opportunities and ability to kill them when we return to Stamford Bridge. Even if we return to London with a score of 0-0 at the Love Song Stadium, it is not a disadvantage for us." Mourinho didn't say much, but every sentence was to the point, especially when teaching Lin Yi, this guy was always calm and didn't look like a living person.

"Okay, uncle, I know where my problem lies. I won't fight the opponent so hot-headed in the second half. Since they want to trip me up, I will also make them pay the price."

After being scolded by Mourinho, Lin Yi finally returned to his shameless state. This kid has always had a good mentality, otherwise he wouldn't be able to start a counterattack every time in a desperate situation.

This time was no exception. Mourinho woke him up. With his intelligence, he would always know how to play this damn game. "Damn it, I must shut up those noisy fans in the second half."

Mourinho's advice to Lin Yi to treat the game calmly was just a tip. After watching the first half of the game, he decided to change the tactics. However, he would not easily change players in the back line. He wanted to adjust the forward line. Anelka and Drogba's offensive combination was a bit tepid in the first half of the game.

At least they didn't have the sharp feeling they had in the Premier League, especially Anelka's interlaced running did not win the imagined space, and compared with Drogba's impact in front of the goal, he was far less fierce than the latter.

"Crespo, you replace Anelka. I hope you two can make full use of the crosses from the two flanks. Since the opponent chooses to defend densely in the penalty area, we have to fight them in the air."

Anelka must be unhappy about this substitution, but Mourinho's authority is there. Even if he is a little unhappy about being replaced, he has to accept it. This is the rule set by the Chelsea team.

No matter who it is, don't question the prestige of the head coach, otherwise, you will have to squat in the reserve team, even Lin Yi is no exception. Mourinho can treat these people equally. Ferreira was once demoted to the reserve team because of his temper. Even this direct lineage was treated like this, and others dare not easily make trouble.

Although Chelsea's bench still has people like Cassano who can take advantage of every opportunity, and heavy artillery like Lampard, Mourinho is still ready to use the double center forward tactic to impact the opponent's back line.

La Liga's air defense has always been weak, and Barcelona is often breached by set pieces. Mourinho wants to use Chelsea's air combat ability to create some trouble for the opponent, not to mention that there is Lin Yi behind them.

Moreover, after Arzu and Alvarez fought Drogba for half a game, their physical strength will definitely be depleted in the second half. Facing the double center forward, Villarreal's defense will definitely hate it.

Since it can make the opponent uncomfortable, why not do it? Mourinho has always liked to add insult to injury.

Replacing Anelka is not because this guy is not capable enough, but in this kind of game that requires a strong body to wade out a channel, his guerrilla striker is far less rough than Crespo.

Simple, rough, fierce, this is the way Mourinho told Crespo and Drogba to attack.

"The two wingers should try to send the ball to Drogba and others, cross the ball while pressing forward as much as possible, to form a numerical advantage in the opponent's penalty area and directly threaten the opponent's goal."

"Lin Yi, you should retreat appropriately to allow the two wingers enough space to penetrate, especially through balls that allow them to play their speed advantage. Try to give them more. Run, and we will have a chance."

After entering the locker room, Mourinho issued his orders almost without pause. Although he told Lin Yi that Chelsea would not lose much if they left the Love Song Stadium with a score of 0-0, he did not want to miss the opportunity to defeat the opponent. Winning is always better than a draw.

Moreover, Chelsea still had a chance to defeat the opponent. In the first half, Chelsea had at least twice as many threatening attacks as the opponent. Only Riquelme of Villarreal created two shots, and his threatening passes were killed by Chelsea's defenders. Terry was still confident against Fran.

Jose Mari's attack was also infinitely weakened by Carvalho's defense. Only Riquelme's attack was always Chelsea's biggest worry. Lin Yi's kick made Mourinho tremble.

After replacing Anelka, Mourinho also let Makelele, who had been running for half the game, return to the bench to rest. It was not that he did not trust this French iron waist, but he had a yellow card. Makelele would always be timid when facing Riquelme again and could not play his level. In this case, it would be better to change players. Anyway, Chelsea has enough spare tires in the position of midfielder, and Essien can also take his place.

For Mourinho's arrangement, Makelele expressed full acceptance. This guy is a standard team player, and the yellow card on him is likely to be used by the cunning Argentine. Before the end of the first half, this guy has been trying to trick him into committing a foul again. Fortunately, he did not fall for that guy's trick, but Makelele did feel that he became a little timid and could not let go of his movements when defending.

Essien's defensive ability is not weak, and he is physically strong. Maybe in the second half of the fight, he can successfully suppress Riquelme's attack. Even if he can't completely suppress it, he will create some trouble for the opponent.

"Tie up the opponent as much as possible. The game is only forty-five minutes. If possible, don't let the opponent get a free kick opportunity within thirty meters. You have all seen Riquelme's footwork."

Mourinho knew that if Villarreal was ready to fight Chelsea to the end, they would drag the game down like they did to Inter Milan, and then seize all the opportunities for set pieces.

This is the magic weapon for weak teams to survive in the game. When Mourinho was in Porto, he did this. Set pieces are attacks that can directly threaten the opponent's goal. I believe Pellegrini will arrange it this way.

And many people have seen Riquelme's free kick skills. Mourinho even asked Cech to observe some of the Argentine's free kicks this season so that Cech could know what to do.

But such precautions can only be taken to prevent trouble before it happens, and we can't really rely on Cech to save everything. It would be right if we can't give that guy the opportunity to show his footwork, and the fouls in front of the penalty area should be restrained.

As for the opponent's air attack ability, it's not that Mourinho indulges the opponent, but when fighting in the air, Chelsea is confident enough to kill some threats. It's really difficult for Villarreal to head the ball.

For Chelsea's substitutions, Villarreal must be at a loss, but even if they saw this scene after the halftime break, they could only express their helplessness and they couldn't stop anything.

Maybe Pellegrini can only envy and hate now, because his team can't make such personnel adjustments no matter what. Chelsea said that there is really no pressure, we have so many people.

After the 15-minute break in the midfield, Villarreal continued the tactical play of the first half, and there was no adjustment in personnel. In fact, it's not that they don't want to, but they really don't have anyone to change.

Players like Makelele can go back to the bench, and the most famous player on the bench of Villarreal may be Franco on the striker. This is not a player configuration of the same level.

However, Pellegrini can also smell the opponent's tactical intention from Mourinho's personnel matching, so he pulled Alvarez over to the sidelines to remind his defensive general to pay attention to the opponent's air raid.

Although such a warning can make Villarreal alert, it is completely different to understand how the opponent plays and whether it can be defended. Chelsea's double center forwards posed a threat.

Originally, in the first three minutes after the opening, Villarreal was still playing according to its own habits. Riquelme also sent a good straight pass to Fran in the middle, but Fran's shooting angle was a bit off.

However, such an action seemed to make the fans in the Love Song Stadium a little excited. They believed that after defending half the game, their team could still kill Chelsea here like the lore against Inter Milan.

But the cheers and applause of the fans lasted less than three minutes, and Chelsea suddenly moved.

Lin Yi's sudden retreat made Senna a little unresponsive. He was waiting for the boy to continue to attack his and Tacchinardi's defense like in the first half, but after the opening, Lin Yi did not continue to break through with the ball.

Instead, he suddenly retreated to the midfield and cooperated with Essien, who had just come on the court, to intercept Riquelme who was about to dribble forward.

Essien's strong body was like a wall. With Lin Yi's sudden retreat and interference, Riquelme was unable to adapt to the opponent's double attack for a while, and was accidentally poked out by Essien's toes.

Lin Yi quickly moved forward along the ball poked out by Essien. Tacchinardi was stunned and saw that after Lin Yi passed him, he accurately sent a very fast through ball to Robben, and Robben began to run wildly.

Originally, the two wingers had been causing trouble for Villarreal in the first half. Robben was already familiar with how to deal with Aruabarena. He didn't need to rely on feints at all, just pure speed breakthrough.

This time was no exception. Robben's sudden insertion on the wing prevented Aruabarena from getting in position in time.

But Aruabarena didn't give up defense and kept chasing behind Robben, trying to prevent this guy from cutting inside. But he forgot that Chelsea now has two center forwards, and Robben might not have to cut inside at all.

The Dutch Little Flying Man did not intend to play any tricks of cutting inside. After dribbling out an angle enough for his cross, he aimed at the Villarreal penalty area and made a very fast arc pass.

This pass was so comfortable that Aruabarena couldn't reach it even with his feet, and Robben even had time to aim accurately. Moreover, this guy's crosses have always been painful for the goalkeeper, who dared not come out to take them.

Arzu and Alvarez were basically dreaming of blocking Drogba and Crespo in the penalty area. Venta on the wing took the initiative to withdraw, but the aerial battle was still concentrated in the middle.

Drogba was disturbed by Alvarez, but he still got to the front point, but his header was punched out by Barbosa and failed to score directly, but this did not prevent Ribery from flanking at the back point.

Ribery also completed a difficult shot without the interference of Venta with a half-volley.

However, Venta's failure to interfere does not mean that this guy cannot block the ball. He used his back to block a bullet for Barbosa, but the ball bounced out and fell to the feet of Lin Yi who was advancing. Senna no longer cared about the foul at this time. He went up and made a flying tackle. He even planned to knock him over with the ball.

But Lin Yi didn't seem to plan to stop the ball at all. He didn't even plan to shoot directly because there were too many people in front of him. However, these problems could not stop this kid from passing the ball. He just poked it lightly with his toes.

Such an action was enough to send the ball to Crespo who was still in front of the goal. Is such an opportunity still a problem for a killer? Crespo didn't even turn around, and directly knocked it with his heel.

The continuous blocking and saving had made the Villarreal team's penalty area in chaos. No one acted as a savior at the last moment, and Crespo had already shaken his fingers and rushed to the corner flag.

One to zero, a goal that plunged the Love Song Stadium into silence, a goal that brought a smile to Lin Yi’s face…