Preparing for Saturday’s away match against Fulham, Huang Hao wasn’t entirely sure what tactics mid-table Fulham would adopt in tomorrow’s game.
If Roy Hodgson was bold and hoped to secure a home victory to avenge Huang Hao’s previous win against him, then Huang Hao’s winger tactics would have more room to shine.
On Saturday afternoon, after finishing the pre-match briefing, Huang Hao attended the pre-match press conference.
Facing questions from Fleet Street reporters, Huang Hao humbly looked forward to tomorrow’s match.
“In reality, we are just first-year newcomers.
It’s unrealistic for us to look ahead to Europe right now!
The teams at the top are all members of the BIG6.”
As Chelsea would be hosting Arsenal in this round, Fleet Street believed this was a good opportunity for Cambridge United to close the points gap, regardless of who won or lost.
Even if Chelsea drew with Arsenal, it would still benefit Cambridge United.
However, Huang Hao told the media:
“I don’t care if Chelsea can beat Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
This isn’t a knockout match.
All my focus is on Cambridge United.
We strive to improve ourselves and do our best.
Even if we ultimately can’t contend for a top-four spot, I will have no regrets.
And I believe Cambridge United already has the strength to contend for a top-four spot.
We have maintained a fantastic level of performance in previous matches.
Unless we ourselves become complacent, no one can stop Cambridge United from moving towards its goal.”
Huang Hao’s strong confidence greatly encouraged Cambridge United fans, and even Cambridge United players held a morale-boosting meeting on the bus before arriving in London the next day.
Captain Lewandowski boosted the team’s morale.
He knew the team faced a brutal and incredibly difficult schedule, but he firmly believed there was no mountain they couldn’t conquer!
At Craven Cottage, the afternoon sun was bright.
When Huang Hao walked in, Fulham manager Roy Hodgson had already been waiting for a long time.
This rather surprised Huang Hao, as he usually arrived early, but today Hodgson had arrived even earlier than him.
Hodgson waited specifically for Huang Hao here.
Upon seeing Huang Hao appear, he walked forward and proactively shook Huang Hao’s hand.
After they shook hands, Hodgson smiled at Huang Hao and said, “The final sprint of the League is about to begin.
Is Cambridge United ready?”
Huang Hao felt a bit strange and said, “Your enthusiasm seems to hide some conspiracy.
Fulham is at least stably in the mid-table, and now even has hopes of challenging for a Europe spot next season.”
Hodgson smiled and shook his head, saying, “This winter, the club only loaned Dacourt from Inter Milan.
I’m confident in taking a chance, but the club’s current philosophy is probably to be content with small gains in the Premier League.
As long as they can live peacefully and avoid relegation, they’ll think everything is fine.
After all, in the past few years, the owner’s large investments haven’t yielded proportional returns, so it’s understandable that he’s disheartened.”
Huang Hao patted his arm and said, “Don’t be so pessimistic.
Fulham can still achieve great things.
Relegation isn’t an issue this season, and you can secure this managerial position.
Take it one step at a time.
Simply surviving in the Premier League is not an easy feat.”
Hodgson said with a hint of meaning, “Is that so?
Why do I feel that surviving in the Premier League is a piece of cake for Cambridge United?
Perhaps for Cambridge United, contending for the championship is the difficult part.”
“It’s all the same, actually.”
After Huang Hao finished speaking, he hugged Hodgson again, then turned and walked towards the away team’s dugout.
The moment they turned, the warm smiles that had been on their faces a second ago suddenly disappeared, replaced by serious and solemn expressions.
Huang Hao sat down in the dugout.
He gazed at the empty stadium, and from Hodgson’s words, he confirmed one thing.
Hodgson intended to ambush Cambridge United at home!
Of course!
In his first season coaching Fulham, he not only led the team to safety from relegation, but he also led them to defeat Manchester United at Old Trafford.
If the team could enter Europe at the end of the season, it would be a significant boost to his reputation, his position in the team, and the support he received from fans.
Fulham was a small club; good birds choose their trees to perch, and good coaching results would certainly attract the attention of golden phoenixes.
As for the slightly pessimistic words he spoke, that was a velvet glove concealing a steel fist!
Huang Hao had a premonition that this match would be tougher than he imagined.
His relationship with Hodgson was good, but one scene that would never disappear on the football field was: loving and killing each other!
Whether players or coaches, once on the field, there was no room for sentiment, only slaughter!
As the starting players of both teams walked onto the pitch, Huang Hao seriously scrutinized Fulham’s starting lineup.
His expression became even more solemn; his premonition was not wrong!
Fulham was determined to defeat Cambridge United at home.
Judging by the characteristics and types of players in their starting lineup, the lineup Hodgson put out today was absolutely defense-oriented!
And they were all players with considerable physical strength.
As for offense?
Even at home, Huang Hao believed Hodgson would devise counter-attacking tactics.
After all, Cambridge United was the one more eager for 3 points!
Why wouldn’t Fulham comfortably play on the counter at home?
“Good afternoon, everyone.
The final three matches of the Premier League’s 26th round will take place today.
Sixth-placed Cambridge United will travel to London to challenge ninth-placed Fulham at their home ground.
Later in the day, we will witness this round’s highly anticipated match, the London Derby!
Chelsea will host Arsenal!
In the other 7 matches that concluded yesterday, third-placed Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw away by seventh-placed Aston Villa!
Manchester United dropped points again.
It’s highly likely they will be further distanced by both Arsenal and Chelsea, making their title prospects very bleak.
And Chelsea and Arsenal will face each other this round, so it’s clear whether Cambridge United can secure all three points against Fulham today will be a crucial step in their bid for a top-six finish!
Fulham has been in good form recently.
Veteran manager Roy Hodgson’s coaching performance has been quite good.
The entire Fulham team is now united, and they have fully accepted and support Hodgson’s coaching.
Alright, let’s introduce the starting lineups for both teams.
Fulham starts in a 4-5-1 formation.
Goalkeeper: Schwarzer.
Defenders: Konchesky, Hughes, Hangeland, Pantsil.
Midfielders: Murphy, Etuhu, Duff, Dempsey, Davis.
Forward: Zamora.
Fulham’s starting lineup is truly tough!
The players selected for the defense and midfield are all physically strong, with excellent tackling ability and endurance!
It seems Hodgson’s tactical arrangement today is very targeted.
Cambridge United starts in a 3-5-2 formation.
Goalkeeper: Oblak.
Defenders: Van Dijk, Lovren, De Vrij.
Midfielders: M'Vila, Kante, Mahrez, Tadić, Juninho.
Forwards: Lewandowski, Vardy.
Huang Hao still deployed a large number of main players today.
He planned that if the team could score first, they would immediately switch to a tactic of controlling the game’s tempo, then reduce consumption, and make early substitutions to let some key players rest.
However, upon seeing the starting lineup Hodgson put out, he couldn’t be optimistic at all.
Fulham’s defense and midfield were simply too tough!
When the match began, Fulham’s posture made Huang Hao so angry he wanted to curse!
The midfield line barely crossed the halfway line, never stepping into the dangerous attacking zone in the opposition’s half.
The two defensive midfielders, Etuhu and Davis, mostly operated around the center circle, and more often retreated to just outside the box.
Only Murphy was slightly more advanced in the center.
While it was called a 4-5-1, it was actually more like a 4-4-1-1.
Murphy would push forward behind Zamora to create opportunities, and Zamora had a bit more freedom, but he would still harass M'Vila or Kante when defending.
As for Fulham’s two starting wide midfielders, while called wide midfielders, they were essentially wide defensive midfielders because they were capable, could play across the entire flank, and had ample stamina.
Therefore, their defensive habits and abilities on the flanks were better at ensuring safety behind them than typical wide midfielders.
Dempsey and Duff’s tasks were simple: when there was an opportunity, either pass the ball to Murphy for him to dictate which flank to attack, or directly hoof the ball long to the front, letting the fast and physically strong Zamora find opportunities himself!
Their primary task, however, was to ensure the safety of their own defensive areas.
Fulham’s defense was impenetrable!
There were almost four players lined up across the defensive midfield line, and four players lined up across the edge of the box.
Murphy harassed in a deeper central position, and Zamora also marked around the center circle.
From the start of the match, Cambridge United easily dominated the midfield, but when they tried to push forward from midfield to create chances, Cambridge United encountered unprecedentedly tough defensive resistance.
In the 8th minute of the match, when Mahrez, on the flank, used a fancy flick behind his back to change direction and get past Dempsey, Huang Hao saw that Dempsey, after being beaten, did not chase Mahrez again.
Instead, he ran towards the area diagonally behind him, just outside the box.
At the same time, Davis, a defensive midfielder from the edge of the box, moved to cover the space in the box’s rib to prevent Mahrez from cutting inside.
Full-back Pantsil abandoned outside defense and guarded a crucial position at the edge of the box, preventing Mahrez from moving horizontally into the box.
As for him crossing, he could do as he pleased!
With two center-backs plus a defensive midfielder who had retreated into the box, Fulham formed a triangular stance to block Lewandowski.
If this still couldn’t curb the opponent’s wide crossing play, then Fulham wouldn’t have survived in the Premier League until today; they would have gone to hell long ago!
Because even the worst teams in the Premier League knew how to use wide crossing tactics; this common tactic, whether in attack or defense, was the most basic survival skill for Premier League teams.
Mahrez looked at the impenetrable defensive area, slowed down his dribbling on the flank, and then passed the ball back to the center.
He didn’t think there was any point in sending a cross into the box; he couldn’t even clearly see where Lewandowski was!
The ball, passed diagonally back to the center, had just been controlled by Juninho when Murphy from behind accelerated to press him.
Juninho withstood the pressing pressure from the opponent, and then had to face Duff, who had just retreated from the flank to defend in front of the box.
Juninho feinted with his right foot in front of the ball, then suddenly used his left foot to flick the ball and change direction towards the right side of the area in front of the box.
Although he broke through the gap in the pincer defense of Duff and Murphy, in the next second, Konchesky, who had retreated from the other flank to participate in defense, got to the ball first and controlled it.
Juninho felt quite helpless; two fists are no match for four hands, and even a fierce tiger can’t withstand a pack of wolves!