On the last day of January, Cambridge United hosted Tottenham at their home ground.
Tottenham's manager, Redknapp, arrived at the stadium with a scowl, likely due to Huang Hao's mocking words at the pre-match press conference, which had caused him to lose face.
Originally, he was just motivating his team and wasn't specifically targeting Cambridge United. However, Huang Hao indeed didn't directly confront him. For Redknapp, whose coaching career was quite ordinary and who had been in the football industry for many years but had since retired from coaching, only to return as an interim manager, Huang Hao genuinely couldn't be bothered to step on him.
But Redknapp probably didn't see it that way. After all, he had been in the game for many years. While he hadn't achieved much glory, he wasn't a nobody.
Today, however, he felt an unprecedented sense of frustration because of Huang Hao.
This young Chinese man truly lacked respect for elders.
Huang Hao, naturally, couldn't be bothered with Redknapp.
We are here to play football.
The Tottenham players walked out of the player tunnel with high spirits.
The North London powerhouse's performance had significantly improved this season. The club had clearly increased its investment in the transfer market over the past two years, and they were currently ranked fourth, hoping to contend for the championship with Manchester United and Chelsea.
The team's winter signings were highly praised by Fleet Street. John, a player Wenger also fancied, was now secured by Tottenham, which was a great morale booster in front of their rivals.
"Welcome to Sheikh's Estate Park Stadium for a Premier League match. This is the 24th round, with Cambridge United hosting Tottenham from North London. In their first encounter this season, Cambridge United managed a tough draw against Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Currently, Cambridge United ranks eighth, making them the best-performing promoted team."
Cambridge United has recently received good news: two key players, Ayu and Tadić, have both recovered from injuries and were included in Huang Hao's squad today. Their return is a huge boost for Cambridge United, especially given the frequent injury setbacks the team has faced this season. Currently, the team's injury list still includes defensive core Lovren and forward Ayu.
Alright, let's take a look at the starting lineups for both teams.
Cambridge United starts in a 3-5-2 formation.
Goalkeeper: Oblak.
Defenders: De Vrij, Van Dijk, Sun Jihai.
Midfielders: M'Vila, Kante, Mahrez, Tadić, Juninho.
Forwards: Vardy, Lewandowski.
Today, May is resting on the bench. Gotze, who had almost played every minute, also received a rest today to protect the young player. New signing Juninho is in hot form, and Huang Hao stated yesterday that he would continue to start him.
Tottenham also starts in a 4-4-2 formation.
Goalkeeper: Gomes.
Defenders: Kyle Walker, John, Dawson, Ekotto.
Midfielders: Lennon, Modric, Palacios, Bell.
Forwards: Crouch, Defoe.
When a team's overall strength is sufficient, the formation is merely a number. As long as the tactical core and team spirit are established and present, and as long as it's not an extreme and unbalanced tactic, it will be quite powerful.
Perhaps Huang Hao had not been influenced by academic training, nor had he inherited any particular style to uphold tradition, which made his coaching style appear more flexible, varied, and unpredictable.
He often caught opponents off guard. In the off-field battles between managers, although Huang Hao was not always ahead, he had at least never been particularly passive.
The match began with Tottenham kicking off. They didn't show a very aggressive stance after the kickoff; instead, they were clearly cautious.
After several passes in their own half, they launched an attack from the left. Bell dribbled down the left wing to the 45-degree cross zone and then delivered a cross.
This first cross was of poor quality; it was fast enough but lacked height, and De Vrij easily headed it clear at the near post.
The ball flew towards the wing. Juninho, who had dropped back to receive it, controlled the ball and, seeing Bell rushing back to challenge, short-passed it back to right-back De Vrij. By the time Bell turned around, De Vrij had already quickly passed the ball away.
He passed diagonally to M'Vila in the defensive midfield position. Today, Cambridge United played with two defensive midfielders. After several rounds of matches, M'Vila had fully adapted and integrated into the team, gradually becoming more flexible and comfortable.
M'Vila passed the ball straight forward as Defoe and Modric pressed him.
Kante, in the center circle, controlled the ball, turned, and then dribbled forward in the open space.
Palacios did not dare to easily step forward to intercept, as he needed to maintain the space behind him and his connection with his teammates in the defensive line.
If he were isolated, he would most likely be dribbled past by Cambridge United players in the midfield, or their defense would be breached by passing and movement.
Kante dribbled to the dangerous area, forty yards from the goal, and then passed the ball horizontally to Tadić on the right wing.
Tadić controlled the ball steadily and then dribbled forward. The full-back in front of him was the young Kyle Walker.
After Hutton missed several games due to injury, the young Kyle Walker successfully took his place.
It was precisely because Huang Hao confirmed that Tottenham did not have a full-back who could both attack and defend effectively, meaning the pressure on the wings was not great, that he steadfastly employed a two-wing cross tactic in this match.
Because Tottenham's wings could not withstand Cambridge United's attacks!
Kyle Walker adopted a steady, head-on defensive stance against Tadić. Just as the two were still two meters apart, Tadić suddenly kicked the ball powerfully to Kyle Walker's left and then accelerated sharply, overtaking Kyle Walker on his right!
Kyle Walker himself is a tall player, 186 cm, strong and well-built, while Tadić is the opposite, a smaller player. For Tadić's unreasonable, agile, and speed-based breakthrough style, as a traditional English defender, Kyle Walker simply couldn't withstand Tadić's impact.
"Tadić has broken through Kyle Walker! A clean and decisive run past the ball, Tadić's speed is too fast, but perhaps it's because Kyle Walker is too clumsy, which creates such a strong visual contrast!"
After Tadić broke past Kyle Walker, he cut the ball towards the box just before the byline. Immediately, defensive midfielder Palacios rushed towards him, while Lewandowski, in the center of the box, was already making a run to poach in front of the goal, with Tottenham's two center-backs flanking him from left and right.
There was no other way. As Cambridge United's scoring threat and the team's top scorer, neither John nor Dawson could single-handedly contain Lewandowski, so both instinctively moved to double-team him.
This resulted in Vardy, following Lewandowski, being left unmarked.
Tadić observed the situation in the center of the box and passed the ball with his right foot towards the penalty spot.
Vardy, lurking behind Lewandowski, followed up and met the excellent shooting opportunity created by Tadić. He pushed the ball with the instep of his right foot towards the bottom right corner of the goal!
Countless Cambridge United fans in the Sheikh's Estate Park Stadium stands were already preparing to celebrate the goal!
Because it seemed like there was no difficulty at all with this shot; as long as it was placed at a relatively tricky angle, goalkeeper Gomes would surely be powerless to save it.
But the entire Cambridge United crowd was dumbfounded the next second.
Vardy's shot rolled wide of the far post and out for a goal kick.
He himself found it hard to believe!
"My goodness! Vardy missed a certain goal! This is simply too bizarre, he shot wide! It was almost a 12-yard distance, no one interfering, no one blocking his view, Vardy's technique looked fine, but he just incredibly shot wide! Perhaps he was too focused on the angle. It seems that although his body has recovered, his match fitness still needs to be regained."
Darren and the other coaches sighed on the bench. Huang Hao pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow at his colleagues. He was also a bit surprised, but perhaps because he was mentally prepared, he didn't feel such a great sense of loss.
For players who have just recovered from injury, more tolerance and understanding should be given.
Moreover, Huang Hao was full of confidence in this match; he was not worried that Tottenham would cause Cambridge United trouble at the Park Stadium.
Cambridge United, having drawn with Tottenham in the first away match, and after half a season of integration and the arrival of strong reinforcements, was not weaker than Tottenham, even though the opponent was ranked fourth.
Opportunities would surely increase. Just based on Tadić's strong breakthrough past Kyle Walker, Huang Hao had no reason to worry about Cambridge United's offensive creativity.
Tottenham, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief, feeling lingering fear.
In the 7th minute of the match, Cambridge United switched to an attack down the left wing. Mahrez had just recovered from injury, and Huang Hao had spoken with him before the match. Mahrez himself had requested to play, wanting to start today, and Huang Hao granted his request, but asked him to reduce dribbling and breakthroughs during the match. This was because he had just recovered from injury, his match fitness needed time to recover, and his physical condition had not immediately returned to its best; he was merely able to play.
Frequent high-speed breakthroughs and changes of direction would put too much strain on his body, potentially leading to a new injury before the old one had fully healed. Using this opportunity to hone his team awareness and cooperation would only benefit him and certainly not harm him.
Mahrez was amenable, so today in the match, he didn't insist on performing at an outstanding level. Adapting and recovering more during the game would help him regain his form and reach his peak condition faster.
When he received Juninho's pass on the left wing in the attacking third and was caught in a pincer movement by Lennon and Ekotto, Mahrez controlled the ball in place, seemingly unhurried. When Lennon prepared to tackle from behind, a very alert Mahrez horizontally pushed the ball to his right, feigning an inside cut. Full-back Ekotto immediately moved inwards. The next moment, Mahrez passed the ball diagonally to the wing, into the space outside Ekotto's defense.
Kante, like a whirlwind, charged up from diagonally behind Mahrez.
John and Dawson, as traditional English defenders, possess strong frontal defensive capabilities but are slower in turning. It is precisely for this reason that Huang Hao was determined to play with both wings flying and central through balls in today's match. Knowing the opponent's weakness lies behind them, there's no reason not to hit them where it hurts!
When Ekotto sharply stopped and then rushed to the outside of the wing to intercept, he seemed closer, but Kante came up at full speed, actually reaching the ball a step ahead of Ekotto. Kante nudged the ball diagonally, charging directly into the space behind Ekotto. When Ekotto turned to chase back, he needed to restart, and could only watch Kante's back, feeling powerless!
"Cambridge United has once again torn apart Tottenham's right-wing defense! Let's see how Kante handles this ball!"
Center-back Dawson moved to block Kante's pass. He had only run halfway when Kante crossed the ball with his left foot. The ball he lofted perfectly cleared Dawson's head, making Dawson's attempt to jump and head it away unsuccessful. The ball seemed to have grazed his hair.
Kante, as a defensive midfielder, often makes people overlook his running ability and passing technique.
In the center, Lewandowski made a diagonal run towards the near post and headed the ball towards the goal. John, from the side, pulled and tugged, but could not shake Lewandowski's center of gravity.
Lewandowski charged diagonally and headed the ball towards the goal. Countless Cambridge United fans in the Park Stadium stands were once again filled with anticipation.
But the next second, they watched as the ball headed by Lewandowski went wide of the near post, and sighs of disappointment echoed through the stadium.
"My goodness! Lewandowski's close-range header went wide! Perhaps his run and the ball's landing spot were too close, and he didn't have enough time to fully execute the header, otherwise, this goal would have been a certainty!"
Although Cambridge United fans felt a bit disappointed, they still applauded Lewandowski.