Super Marshal

"Mr. Scolari, why is Drogba being substituted for this game?"

"Drogba's condition is obviously better than Falcao's, why did you wait until the 70th minute to let him play?"

"Do you think Drogba deserves to be in the starting lineup more than Falcao?"

"Falcao's performance in this game is disappointing. Will it affect your trust in him?"

"Were you under any pressure from the management to use Drogba and Falcao?"

"I would like to ask, after this game, will you give Drogba more opportunities?"

…

At the press conference after the game, as soon as the media reporters met Scolari, they immediately asked about the main battle between Drogba and Falcao. A lot of questions were directed towards the newly settled player. Scolari rushed towards him, leaving the Brazilian coach a little confused.

So many people are asking, so many questions, how to answer them?

Gao Han, who was sitting next to him, smiled sympathetically. He could fully understand Scolari's mood at this moment.

In fact, Chelsea's loss in this game was not too bad, 0-2, and it was all concentrated in the first half. They also created several opportunities in the second half, especially after Drogba came on as a substitute.

As for the data such as ball possession rate falling behind Manchester City, there is no shame in it.

Not to mention the Premier League, in European football, only Barcelona can match Manchester City in average ball possession rate per game.

This group of media reporters are all smart people, how keen are their sense of news?

If it is reported after the game that Manchester City has won consecutively and Chelsea has lost away from home, there will be nothing new at all. Everyone is somewhat accustomed to this, so they must create surprises in the deadlock.

That is the shooter battle between Drogba and Falcao.

What a bad luck for Scolari!

In Gao Han's sympathetic eyes, Scolari became the protagonist at the press conference, but the Brazilian coach was not proud of it at all, because he felt like he was being roasted on a fire. The questions are extremely acute.

For example, media reporters will ask him what he thinks of this game.

“In the first ten minutes of the first half, we seemed to have the initiative, but in fact the game never went according to our rhythm. Every attack we made took longer to slowly organize from the backcourt. This gives the opponent the opportunity to set up defense calmly, and by the time we attack the frontcourt, it will be difficult to find space for attack."

"Yes, Manchester City's defense was organized very well. Both attacks relied on counterattacks. So I think Manchester City's victory in this game was more thanks to the more pragmatic defensive counterattack tactics they adopted."

Gao Han refuted the explanation from Scolari on the spot.

"Going on the counterattack does not mean that we played more conservatively. In fact, even in the first half, our ball possession rate, number of shots, pass success rate... Yes, especially the pass success rate, we were significantly ahead. Against our opponents, I think that was the key to us being able to score two goals.”

Pass success rate, this is definitely Scolari's scar.

After hearing Gao Han's words, the Brazilian coach's eyes twitched obviously, feeling helpless.

In fact, Chelsea's passivity in the first half was largely due to Chelsea's own fault. For example, in the second goal, Anelka ran together with Falcao during the counterattack. The French forward should have It was on the right, but it ended up occupying the center. This can only be said to be a matter of coordination between the two players.

Moreover, Chelsea did make many mistakes in passing and receiving in the first half, which led to many counterattack opportunities for Manchester City. If Chelsea's defense hadn't been good, I'm afraid it would have been more than just two goals.

Fortunately, after fighting back against Scolari, Gao Han took the initiative to ease the atmosphere.

"Of course, the game became more difficult in the second half. When Chelsea started to defend at full strength, it was difficult for any team to knock on their goal easily, especially after Drogba came on and was very active."

Regarding the performance of his own team, Gao Han said that most people played to their due level. Cristiano Ronaldo's brace did not surprise him, but he highlighted two players.

"Milner's performance in this game is very important. Twelve successful interceptions have shown us clearly his contribution to the team. He is a reassuring player. I think he is finding a suitable fit for himself in the team. Positioning, I believe he will perform better and better."

"Kompany's progress over the past more than a season is obvious to all. He is now very important in the defense, especially in the second half. After we made substitutions, he defended Drogba very successfully and froze Ivorian, I'm happy and proud of his performance."

"As I said before the season, Manchester City is a team determined to make a difference this season. We need a strong squad to support it, and every player will have a chance to play his role when he comes here. and contribution.”

Gao Han's last words were obviously to encourage the substitute players in the team, calling on them not to worry, everyone has a chance.

Drogba performed well after coming on in the second half. Gao Han replaced Javi Martinez with Vertonghen. On the one hand, he retained strength for the midweek game, and on the other hand, he also saw Javi Martinez defending Drogba. The difficulty.

After Kompany was moved to the center, he was very successful in defending Drogba, which completely silenced the Ivorian who was very active after coming on. Vertonghen's performance on the left was pretty good, not outstanding, but also Nothing wrong.

After Gao Han answered the media's questions, all reporters turned the topic to Scolari. The focus was on the main battle between Falcao and Drogba.

Scolari said that there is no difference between the main players and substitutes in his team, and there is no need to make a fuss about the outcome of a game.

"We are playing at the City Stadium in Manchester. Losing here is possible, and we have to know that it is impossible to win consecutively. Sooner or later we will lose, and I believe Manchester City will too."

"We put pressure on our opponents for a while during the game, but the offense was not smooth. We didn't find a good way to break the opponent's defense, so in the second half, I felt we had to make some changes."

Why did Drogba come on as a substitute?

Scolari's explanation for this is to better cope with the Champions League game in midweek.

"You know, we can't let one player play all the games. Drogba is not young. I think he needs to rest to recharge his batteries and make a better difference in the Champions League."

"Of course, Drogba was very active after coming on as a substitute. He put strong pressure on the opponent's defense. In fact, I think we should have at least scored a goal. Yes, it was the time Drogba made a diving header. But it's a pity that Cech is a very, very good goalkeeper and he was very focused the whole game."

As for whether he would consider re-arranging Drogba to start and replace Falcao, Scolari said that he would arrange the team's lineup and tactics based on the opponent.

"The performance of Drogba and Falcao so far has been reassuring. We have two top centers in Europe and they are both in good condition. I am satisfied with that."

Gao Han sat aside, but he almost stopped laughing in his heart.

Scolari said this on his lips, but in his heart he definitely wanted to scold the group of media reporters in front of him bloody.

That's not what Chelsea said when they lost the Community Shield at the beginning of the season.

At that time, they all accused Scolari of trusting Drogba and ignoring Falcao. But now, when Falcao's performance was sluggish, they all jumped out to defend Drogba.

Oh my God, you bunch of unscrupulous media reporters, can you please stop causing trouble all day long?

Gao Han didn't use the skill card in this game. The only time he thought about using it was after Drogba came on the field. He almost used it a few times, but then he thought about it. Anyway, he had two goals in hand, and it didn't matter if he lost one, so It's useless.

He felt very satisfied with defeating Scolari and Chelsea at a real level, but he also knew very well that this was not just a technical and tactical issue, but a matter of Scolari's formation.

Everyone knows that Chelsea is not as strong as Manchester City, and Scolari himself knows it, so his goal in the game is a draw. He was supposed to play defensive counterattack, and he was strictly defensive. This is the most pragmatic attitude.

But Falcao performed too well in the first five rounds of the league. Scolari had no reason to exclude him from this strong dialogue, and he did not have the courage, so he could only arrange Falcao Starter.

But the result is obvious, Chelsea's offense is difficult to create a threat.

The biggest difference between this game and the Community Shield Cup is that the Community Shield Cup is a warm-up match. Both sides are willing to fight against each other, so Falcao should start and score goals.

But now it’s the league.

However, this cannot be said to be Scolari's problem. Anyone in a situation like his would inevitably make such a choice, especially a relatively weak head coach like Scolari.

Therefore, many times, what fans see is only the result of the game, but there are many reasons for this result of the game. The technical and tactical level of the head coach is often not the decisive factor.

At the end of the press conference, Scolari also congratulated Gao Han and Manchester City very candidly.

"We failed to play to our own level in this game, but Manchester City played very well, especially in the midfield. The success rate of pressing and interception was very high, which made the game more complicated. They deserved to win."

But as for whether Manchester City will win all the way and successfully defend the title after winning this focus, Scolari said everything is still unknown. "The league has only gone through six rounds now, and Manchester City's lead is only three points. Now It’s too early to talk about winning the championship.”

"My thoughts are exactly the same as Scolari's." Gao Han firmly agreed with Scolari's judgment.

"I don't think one game can determine whether we can successfully defend the title and I would say our goal this season is not just to defend the Premier League."

"I said after last season's FA Cup final that we have the strength to challenge for the Champions League title, so this season, my players and I are very confident to challenge for the Champions League title, but this requires our efforts. Play every game well, stay focused at all times and devote yourself to the game.”

"I'm very happy that my players have done well so far this season and we are on the right path. I hope everyone can stop being arrogant and move forward."

At the same time, Gao Han also encouraged Scolari and commented that the Brazilian coach is one of the best coaches in the world.

"I believe that if he is given enough trust and coaching space, he is fully capable of succeeding in the Premier League."

Scolari also responded positively to the affirmation and encouragement from Gao Han.

The pair also had a drink in the City Stadium conference room after the press conference, in accordance with Premier League tradition.

Everything that happened at the Manchester City Stadium was watched live on television by a pair of Spanish eyes.