Chapter 206: Mourinho Can't Keep Calm Anymore!
This goal caught Chelsea off guard, and Mourinho on the sidelines finally couldn't keep calm anymore.
With a shocked expression on his face, once he confirmed that his team had indeed conceded, he angrily threw away the water bottle in his hand.
To hell with calmness!
I won't pretend anymore!
With a grim expression, he ran to the sidelines and roared at his players on the field, instructing them to continue executing their offensive tactics and to attack even more aggressively than before!
The reason Mourinho was so insistent on playing offensive football in this match was that he wanted to use the opportunity of facing Manchester City at home to prove to the world that he wasn't just a defensive coach; he could also play attacking football.
In his previous tenures with Chelsea, Inter Milan, and even Real Madrid, the most striking impression he left was his defensive strategies.
This led to a stereotype about Mourinho, making people think he only knew how to defend and not attack.
Although Mourinho always acted like he didn't care about these external evaluations, deep down, he actually wanted to prove himself to the outside world.
After all, his contemporary, Guardiola, who excelled at offensive football, received much more recognition in the football world.
This made Mourinho, who was always secretly competing with Guardiola, feel very dissatisfied!
So, from the first game of this season, he started trying to transform Chelsea's attacking system, even going as far as imitating the "false nine" tactics used by Barcelona and the Spanish national team.
However, his efforts seemed to yield no results, and Chelsea's attempt with the false nine formation failed.
This time, he intended to take advantage of Manchester City's significant absences and make them a sacrifice.
But once again, it seemed that this attempt was failing!
His team, despite their vigorous efforts to attack, couldn't seize the opportunities.
Instead, it was the opponent's counterattack that nullified Chelsea's lead.
The huge gap between expectation and reality was something Mourinho found hard to accept.
Could it be that the outside critics were right, and he really couldn't play attacking football?
Unwilling to accept such a result, he somewhat irrationally demanded that his team launch another attack on the opponent.
After yelling at the players, Mourinho began to make substitutions.
He took off the midfield general Lampard and brought on number 10 Mata.
He replaced the somewhat lost Schürrle after his goal with Willian.
These substitutions were all aimed at strengthening the attack, clearly showing Mourinho hadn't given up on offense.
On the contrary, after the substitutions, Chelsea's offensive would become even fiercer!
Mourinho knew very well that if Chelsea ended up being held to a draw or even defeated in this match, the media and journalists would use the most scathing words to criticize him, demeaning him and his team to nothing!
With his poor relationship with the media, he couldn't expect those guys to show him any mercy!
He could only rely on his own efforts and strength to break the stereotype the outside world had of him!
...
In the VIP box, Abramovich, who had previously been very satisfied with Mourinho's performance, was now so angry that he had the impulse to fire Mourinho.
This goal had erased all the good feelings he had just developed for Mourinho!
Mourinho really couldn't attack. Just look at how poorly Chelsea was playing under him.
Despite having so many excellent players in the front, not a single one of them could step up and play a role like Lin Quan from Manchester City.
Abramovich was furious. Over the years, he had spent a lot of money, bought a lot of players, and changed coach after coach.
But why hadn't Chelsea's attack improved?
Was it really because he hadn't chosen the right person?
He looked at the furious Mourinho on the sidelines and then at the number 10 player in the light blue jersey of Manchester City.
...
Mourinho's substitutions did have some effect.
Mata, unlike Lampard, excelled at organizing and passing, with great vision and a good sense of the bigger picture.
The contributions of the two to the team's offense were different. Lampard was strong in attacking, had a powerful shot, and was good at shooting from distance and attacking from behind.
But Mata was different. He didn't need to attack himself; through ball control and passing, he could help the team complete their attacks.
So, after Mata came on, it became more difficult for Manchester City to defend.
As a result, Chelsea's offensive gradually showed signs of improvement.
In the 77th minute, Chelsea intercepted the ball and launched a quick counterattack.
Mata, while moving forward with the ball, saw a gap in Manchester City's defense and quickly passed the ball to Torres.
Torres acted as a pivot, returning the ball to Mata, who had shaken off his marker.
Mata then passed the ball to Hazard on the other side.
After receiving the ball, Hazard began his dribbling performance. He first got past Yaya Touré and then Demichelis.
Unfortunately, his final shot was saved by Joe Hart.
Mourinho and the Chelsea fans at the scene all held their heads in frustration when they saw the ball didn't go in.
But soon, he applauded the team's effort!
Compared to the previous thunderous but ineffective attacks, this attack from Chelsea was much more threatening.
If they continued to play like this, scoring was just a matter of time.
However, they needed to be careful of Manchester City's counterattacks.
The two counterattacks at the beginning of the second half and in the 65th minute left a deep impression on Mourinho. He felt that the opponent's attacks might not be limited to just these two instances.
So, Mourinho called Mikel over, gave him some instructions, and prepared to substitute him in.
Sure enough, after Chelsea completed their substitutions, Manchester City launched another full-scale counterattack in the 75th minute!
However, this time, with the lessons from the previous two attacks, Chelsea's players were mentally prepared.
Just brought on, Mikel focused on marking Lin Quan, following him wherever he went, whether he had the ball or not.
Although Lin Quan hadn't been the one to finish the previous counterattacks, the attacks had started from him.
If they didn't keep him in check, who knew what Manchester City might do next?
Seeing that Mikel was marking him, Lin Quan quickly moved to the center, seeking cover from his teammates.
At this time, Yaya Touré was carrying the ball. Seeing Lin Quan approaching, he passed the ball to him.
Lin Quan did not stop the ball but made a direct through pass to Jovetić, then quickly ran forward to seek an opportunity.
In such continuous movements, Mikel really couldn't restrain him.
However, this guy had played for most of the match. How did he still have so much energy to run so extensively?
If he hadn't just come on and had fresh energy, he wouldn't have been able to keep up with Lin Quan's pace.
Jovetić, after receiving the ball, faced Terry's interception. With no room to shoot and the passing lanes in front of him blocked, he had to pass the ball horizontally to the left side.
However, this was not a good choice. Chelsea, who had been tricked once before, now marked Nasri very tightly.
Jovetić's pass was almost intercepted by Ivanović!
Fortunately, Lin Quan, sensing danger, appeared beside Nasri in time, allowing Nasri to pass the ball before being taken down.
Cahill immediately abandoned Negredo and rushed towards Lin Quan.
Lin Quan observed Cech's position, made a move, got past Ivanović's interception, and shot directly from about 26 meters from the goal.
The shot came suddenly, and Cech's vision was blocked by his own teammates, so he didn't see Lin Quan's shot at first.
But as a top goalkeeper, his reaction speed was incredible.
The moment he saw Lin Quan shooting, Cech made the right choice.
He pushed off hard to the right and jumped high, barely tipping the ball, which hit the crossbar with a bang and bounced out.
Chelsea fans at the scene almost stopped breathing, and soon Stamford Bridge was filled with the sound of gasps.
The shot was very dangerous. If Cech had been half a second slower, Chelsea would have fallen behind!
After making the save, Cech felt a layer of cold sweat on his back.
He looked at Lin Quan in the distance with some fear. This guy's shots were both strange and tricky, very difficult to defend!
Lin Quan shook his head regretfully. He felt confident when he took the shot, but Cech made an incredible save.
He had experienced the so-called "God-level reaction" firsthand.
If it had been another goalkeeper, the shot probably wouldn't have been saved.
Seeing Cech looking at him, Lin Quan gave him a thumbs up, praising his save.
Cech was stunned for a moment, not expecting such a gesture from his opponent. After realizing, he nodded in response to Lin Quan.
After this counterattack, Chelsea didn't dare to attack for several minutes.
Even Mourinho didn't blame his players for being conservative; he himself was also scared out of his wits.
Meanwhile, Mourinho was hesitating. Should he just let it be?
A draw would be acceptable. At least they would end Manchester City's eight-game winning streak.
If they continued to attack and got caught on the counter and conceded, it would be very hard for Chelsea to come back.
However, stopping the attack at this point would be humiliating for him.
So, Mourinho gritted his teeth and signaled the team to keep attacking.
In fact, his worries were unnecessary.
After the 75th minute of the second half, Manchester City's players began to show signs of fatigue.
In the 76th minute, left winger Nasri started cramping.
A few minutes later, the fullback also began cramping.
Chelsea's players, who had been wary of Manchester City's counter
Chelsea's players were initially wary of Manchester City's counterattacks. However, at this moment, seeing the opposing players gradually cramping up, they immediately realized they were out of stamina!
"In the case of Manchester City, the consequences of three consecutive away battles are beginning to show."
In the commentator's box, He Wei saw Manchester City's players starting to experience widespread physical bottlenecks and regretfully commented, "If there weren't so many injuries, perhaps there would still be hope of winning this game. Pellegrini could still make personnel adjustments to alleviate the team's physical problems. But now, they have too many injuries and can't make such adjustments."
Xu Yang nodded, "To achieve such results with this depleted lineup, I think it's already a good outcome for Manchester City. Now, with less than twenty minutes left until the end of the game, if they can hold on for these twenty minutes, perhaps they can leave Stamford Bridge with their heads held high, even if it's a draw!"
"Haha, Chelsea and Mourinho will definitely not let them off easily. Manchester City's players are out of stamina, clearly, this is Chelsea's opportunity to win!"
As soon as the words fell, Chelsea's attack began.
Taking advantage of their opponents' weakness, Chelsea's players didn't show any mercy just because Manchester City's players were tired.
On the contrary, they even wanted to seize this opportunity to score more goals and thoroughly embarrass the opposition.
Realizing that their players were experiencing fitness issues, Pellegrini quickly made substitutions.
Players who had previously warmed the bench now had a chance to play.
In the 79th minute, Manchester City replaced Nasri with Milner.
Milner had decent defensive abilities and strong running capabilities. Bringing him on strengthened Manchester City's defensive capabilities on the wings and maintained some counterattacking threat, which could pose a certain threat to Chelsea and prevent them from pushing forward recklessly.
In the 81st minute, Manchester City replaced Negredo with the 17th midfielder, Rodwell.
Negredo's fitness was not an issue, but the team needed to enhance their midfield interception ability, so they had to substitute him.
Two minutes later, Pellegrini replaced Nastasic with the young defender Boyata.
With this substitution, Manchester City had used up all three of their substitution slots, and they had exhausted all means to delay time.
In the final dozen minutes, the game had completely turned into a half-field attack and defense drill.
Chelsea launched a frenzied attack around Manchester City's goal, and Mourinho also used his last substitution slot, replacing a defender with Eto'o.
Eto'o was Mourinho's lucky charm, and the two had won a Champions League trophy together at Inter Milan.
Mourinho had great trust in the African leopard's abilities and hoped he would bring good luck.
However, Eto'o was already past his prime and proved ineffective after coming on. Not only did he fail to score, but he also wasted a golden opportunity in the 88th minute.
As the clock reached the 90th minute, it seemed like the game was destined to end in a draw.
In the final moments, the long-silent Torres stepped up!
In the 90th minute, just after Boyata, who had just come on, made a header, Joe Hart rushed out, leaving the goal empty.
Torres, risking injury, lunged ahead of Joe Hart and shot the ball into the empty net.
2-1!
After scoring, Torres excitedly ran to the sidelines, took off his jersey, and roared at the camera!
He had waited for this moment for too long!
Seeing Torres score the winning goal, Mourinho completely disregarded his image, turning to the stands and embracing the fans in celebration.
This goal completely ignited Stamford Bridge. Countless Chelsea fans wept tears of excitement as they embraced each other.
As the hero who scored the winning goal, Torres's name echoed through the stadium.
Over forty thousand Blues fans collectively shouted T9's name, thanking him for his goal in the final moments.
This victory was hard-won indeed!
They had thought they would easily win against the depleted Manchester City lineup. But unexpectedly, the game turned out to be so difficult. Manchester City's several counterattacks almost pushed Chelsea into the abyss.
Fortunately, luck was on their side, and they managed to score the winning goal in the final moments!
Lin Quan quietly walked towards his own goal, patted the shoulder of Boyata, who looked terrified after his mistake, and said to him, "Save the self-blame for later. The game isn't over yet, right?"
After saying this, he passed by the dejected Joe Hart and entered his own goal, retrieving the ball from the net.
With the ball in hand, he returned to the center circle and placed the ball on the kickoff spot.
After doing all this, he stood with his hands on his hips, looking towards the crowded Chelsea players celebrating in the corner.
He didn't urge them on, just quietly waited for the referee to blow the whistle to restart the game.
(End of this chapter)
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