The second match of the February 'devil's schedule' kicked off on a midweek evening.
At 7 PM, a well-dressed Huang Hao appeared on the sidelines of Park Stadium, and when Neil walked out, the Cambridge United fans in the stands were not friendly towards him, with many radical fans shouting at him, “Neil, go eat shit!”
“Neil, go eat shit!”
“Neil, hurry up and eat shit!”
Neil’s face instantly turned extremely ugly; he hadn’t expected Cambridge United fans to insult him so blatantly.
Sorry, Huang Hao was very polite to him now, but the fans were not so magnanimous.
Huang Hao sat on the bench, waiting for the match to begin.
Neil stood on the sidelines, biting his lip slightly, forcing a resolute posture.
Hmph, let the winds blow from all directions, I shall stand firm!
The Cambridge United fans cursed with increasing fervor, even chanting in unison with a cheerful rhythm, verbally abusing Neil.
“Neil, ooh-la-la, go eat shit, oh-hehe!”
When the starting players of both teams entered the field, hearing the overwhelming shouts of “Neil, go eat shit!” echoing throughout the stadium, the Cambridge United starting players almost burst out laughing, while the Aston Villa players were completely bewildered.
“The Premier League Matchday 25 is being fast-tracked this midweek, as the weekend is reserved for the FA Cup.
Today, sixth-placed Cambridge United will host eighth-placed Aston Villa.
Recently, Cambridge United's momentum has remained unstoppable, securing multiple big wins in a row.
If they win against Aston Villa today, they will enter the European qualification zone.
After a terrible start to the season, Aston Villa has turned around a situation that was once thought to be a battle for relegation.
Now, they can even contend for a European spot next season; this is a six-point battle for European qualification.
Aston Villa’s coach, Neil, has weathered a crisis of confidence, and his situation is… uh, what surprises us is, judging from the live audio, Cambridge United fans seem to be very unwelcome of Neil.
Neil had previously made many disrespectful remarks about Huang Hao in front of the media, criticizing Huang Hao’s player selection and tactical approach.
Now that Neil has come to Aston Villa, it seems he still hasn't escaped the past grudges.
Alright, let Neil bear the wrath of the Cambridge United fans; let’s get back to the main topic.
Today, Cambridge United’s starting formation is 3-5-2.
Goalkeeper: Oblak.
Defenders: De Vrij, Lovren, Van Dijk.
Midfielders: M'Vila, Kante, Mahrez, Tadić, Juninho.
Forwards: Vardy, Lewandowski.
Lovren, returning from injury, is starting today as arranged by Huang Hao.
Whether he can improve Cambridge United’s defensive strength will directly impact Cambridge United’s results in a series of tough upcoming matches and crucial battles!
Aston Villa’s starting formation is 4-4-2.
Goalkeeper: Friedel.
Defenders: Luke Young, Davis, Dunn, Shorey.
Midfielders: Petrov, Sidwell, Ashley Young, Milner.
Forwards: Carew, Agbonlahor.
Alright, the match is about to begin, let’s wait and see!”
After the match began, the Cambridge United fans' insults towards Neil temporarily subsided; everyone focused on watching the match and cheering for their team.
Although Huang Hao and Neil had past grievances, it didn't mean that a coach who didn't get along with Huang Hao was useless.
Neil, coaching Aston Villa, had put the team back on track.
With Petrov and Sidwell organizing attacks in the midfield, traditional wingers on the flanks, and two forwards, Carew and Agbonlahor, forming a classic tall-and-fast striker combination, supplemented by full-backs like Luke Young and Shorey who have stamina and can push forward to provide wide attacks, Aston Villa’s offensive system wasn’t particularly innovative.
However, they had honed some of the most basic and transparent tactical skills to a certain level, which led to a straight increase in their combat power.
While it couldn’t be said they could stir up trouble in the Premier League, they could at least secure a place.
Right from the start, Aston Villa organized an attack through the middle, with Petrov and Sidwell combining to push forward.
However, Cambridge United played a 3-5-2 formation, and even though Petrov and Sidwell’s passing was stable, 2-on-3 was still a disadvantage.
When Juninho actively ran and harassed them on the midfield line, preventing them from individually holding the ball for long, and pushing them to the edge of the dangerous zone, Kante also stepped up to press, while M'Vila waited for their charge.
Once Sidwell and Petrov dared to execute a pass-and-move combination towards the box, M'Vila would immediately step forward to intercept.
Sidwell was, after all, a defensive midfielder; he dared not push too far forward, fearing that if Cambridge United counter-attacked after a turnover, there would be no screen in front of his own defense, which would lead to disaster for the backline.
So, only Petrov surged forward, at most with a forward dropping back to link up, but M'Vila also kept a close eye on Agbonlahor’s position.
As for Carew, if he also dropped back, Van Dijk would decisively step up to defend; this was a defensive strategy adjustment for Cambridge United’s backline after learning lessons from the Tottenham match.
Petrov, seeing no good attacking routes or direct passing options, was forced to quickly pass the ball to the right flank under Kante’s pressure.
Ashley Young ran from the right flank to actively receive the ball; he possessed a precise cross, which was an important reason for Aston Villa to sign him.
As long as he wasn’t interfered with, his threat was indeed significant.
Mahrez immediately stepped up to press him closely.
Ashley Young then cut the ball towards the middle.
Mahrez followed him like a shadow.
Ashley Young saw M'Vila moving towards him and immediately delivered a cross.
The ball was sent into the center of the penalty area, and Norwegian striker Carew sprinted towards the penalty spot.
He was very fast, but Lovren had already anticipated the ball’s landing spot and was there first.
As Carew charged, Lovren headed the ball away first.
Carew could only stop and turn back, waiting for the team's next wave of attack.
Cambridge United’s offense today still primarily focused on the wings.
Having played most of the season in the Premier League, the players were already adept at both familiarizing themselves with opponents and adapting to the intensity of the matches.
On the crucial path to securing European qualification, Huang Hao began to emphasize unleashing the power of modern wingers!
In the 7th minute of the match, Van Dijk played a direct pass from the right side of the backfield to Tadić.
Facing Shorey, the veteran winger on loan at Aston Villa, Tadić appeared calm and collected.
When his opponent rashly pressed forward, he reacted later but with a sudden burst, pushing the ball towards the center.
He then dodged his opponent’s tackle, instantly creating distance between himself and Shorey.
Tadić then changed direction, dribbling the ball forward.
After he had advanced ten yards, Petrov and Sidwell in the center both moved towards him.
Although they weren’t fully committed to assisting on the wing, Tadić decisively passed the ball horizontally to the center.
Juninho burst out from behind Petrov.
Sidwell immediately moved back to the center of the area in front of the box.
Juninho made a diagonal pass, sending the ball to Mahrez’s feet on the left wing.
Mahrez began to dribble the ball forward, and his speed increased.
When he was still 10 yards from the 31-year-old England full-back Luke Young, Mahrez started to perform step-overs, his left and right feet alternating in feints over the ball, one, two rounds, performing dazzling step-overs while dribbling at high speed.
Seeing that the distance between them was only three yards, Luke Young immediately stepped forward to tackle.
Just as he stretched out his leg, Mahrez suddenly used the outside of his right foot to push the ball towards the center, and his body also changed direction while running at high speed!
In an instant, the two brushed past each other, and a gasp of admiration from the Cambridge United fans echoed through Park Stadium, praising Mahrez’s performance.
Mahrez, cutting inside, dribbled two steps diagonally into the box.
Center-back Dunn was a bit slow to react; his movement to intercept Mahrez seemed indecisive, perhaps distracted by Juninho’s forward run.
Mahrez then used the instep of his right foot to cut the ball in a straight line, and then suddenly accelerated, remarkably breaking into the penalty area, leaving Dunn’s tackle empty!
Mahrez, having cut into the penalty area, immediately set his left foot and took a shot!
He shot towards the far corner of the goal, but after shooting, he looked at the goal and immediately showed a disappointed expression.
The ball rolled out of bounds, about a meter wide of the far post.
Goalkeeper Friedel arrived at the far post a step later, looking relieved.
“Wow, what a shame!
Mahrez’s brilliant individual performance, his shot after single-handedly beating two defenders from the wing, almost pierced through Friedel’s defense!
When the Fleet Street media evaluated Mahrez, they once said that very few defenders in the Premier League can keep up with Mahrez when he’s dribbling at full speed, especially his skillful ball control and sudden changes of direction, which are always his sharp tools for shaking off defenders!
Therefore, when defending him, you must be patient and rely on zonal marking!”
After recovering from this wave of attack, Aston Villa began to patiently organize their offense.
Compared to other non-giant teams, their midfield indeed had a certain advantage; few Premier League teams could field two players in midfield with good offensive and defensive capabilities.
Petrov covered a wide area in midfield, running actively and tirelessly, while Sidwell was capable of both attack and defense.
They had the capital to play more patiently in organizing their attacks.
Especially with both full-backs, Luke Young and Shorey, able to push forward and support.
After nearly ten consecutive passes in midfield, Cambridge United’s attacking players also dropped back to participate in defense, putting pressure on Aston Villa’s midfield organization.
At this point, Aston Villa could no longer continue passing and organizing, and immediately accelerated their attack.
Shorey on the left was certainly not the first attacking option.
Petrov, facing a pincer attack from Kante and Juninho, cut the ball to the right and then half-turned, sweeping the ball behind him.
Sidwell, positioned behind the halfway line, came forward to meet the ball and released it with one touch, sending a diagonal pass with his right foot to the right side of the attacking third.
Ashley Young gritted his teeth and charged towards the ball, because Mahrez had already started moving beside him!
Ashley Young touched the ball before Mahrez, directly using the outside of his foot to knock the ball towards the right-of-center area in front of the box.
Agbonlahor stopped the ball there and turned, with M'Vila moving over to press him.
Agbonlahor used his speed and agility to push the ball to the right, then immediately dribbled into the penalty area!
He deliberately avoided M'Vila's defense, as if bypassing the key defensive area, which was also the best attacking area.
After breaking into the box, he then faced Van Dijk.
He repeated his old trick, pushing the ball to the outside and then going around Van Dijk, making Van Dijk unable to touch him.
However, this also meant his own shooting angle became increasingly narrow.
In a situation with almost zero angle, Agbonlahor forced a shot!
And surprisingly, the shot did land within the goal frame, but Oblak had already sealed off the angle at the near post.
As Agbonlahor's shot flew in, Oblak jumped and caught the ball with both hands.
Carew, who was lurking at the far post, gestured to Agbonlahor, indicating that his position was better and that he should have chosen to cross.
Agbonlahor raised his hand and apologized to Carew.
“Aston Villa’s offense also has its moments; Agbonlahor used his speed and agility to create a shooting opportunity, but it was very forced and ultimately posed no threat.”
Huang Hao, watching from the coaching bench, was calm and composed.
Aston Villa indeed had a very good opportunity just now; if Agbonlahor had crossed, Carew might have seized the chance to score.
Unfortunately, Agbonlahor did not possess such strong situational awareness.
Even though he was considered by Fleet Street to be a striker already exceeding the ten-million-pound mark.
But most English strikers were just like that; apart from the current Rooney, even Owen and Shearer were actually more like pure goal-scorers, not as well-rounded as the Lewandowski he had nurtured.