LRAB The most central character in Chapter 46
The most central character in Chapter 46
So far, Monaco has played 18 rounds of Ligue 1 this season.
With 10 wins, 5 draws, and 3 losses, they have accumulated 35 points and are ranked second in the league.
Second only to Paris Saint-Germain, who have already scored 48 points.
In the Europa League, after their comeback victory against Tottenham, they successfully advanced to the knockout stage.
Just last night during the knockout stage draw.
Monaco drew Florence from Serie A.
But these are not things that Yardin should be worrying about right now.
He was currently with the coaching staff, gathered around the tactics board, discussing the upcoming training and match schedule.
"Boss, I think we should give up on this French League Cup match."
"After all, our league performance this season has been good. If we can maintain this, we can secure a Champions League spot."
"More importantly, they've also made it to the round of 32 in the Europa League."
"There's still the French Cup to play after the winter break."
"If we don't give up on the French League Cup, we'll be competing on four fronts!"
"With such a severe wave of injuries this season, I think we need to prioritize our priorities."
"The Europa League is definitely the priority, followed by the league."
"As for the remaining domestic cup competitions, I suggest giving up on one of them."
The data analyst explained Monaco's upcoming schedule pressures clearly in one go.
Upon hearing this, Yaldin tapped his fingertips on the table, his mind racing as he considered the options.
The Europa League knockout stage will not begin for another two months.
They have two games left, after which they'll go into the winter break, and the team will have a two-week rest period...
According to analysts, the focus right now should be on skipping this French League Cup match and putting it on the next Ligue 1 match in Round 19.
After a moment of contemplation, Yardin finally made up his mind and said, "Let's try playing half the game first. If we can win, we will; if not, we'll just give up."
……
December 16, 2015, 12 p.m. local time in France.
The French League Cup Round of 16 match officially kicked off at Bordeaux's home ground.
Monaco fielded a semi-first-team lineup, with Jiang Ming also included in the starting eleven.
As he entered the stadium with the team, Monaco fans who had traveled from afar stood up and applauded him.
We thank him for renewing his contract with the team and staying to continue playing with them.
Their opponent, Bordeaux, is brimming with confidence for this match.
These mid-table teams don't have to compete for European qualification or face relegation pressure.
Domestic cup competitions are their way of achieving results this season.
More importantly, Monaco had just lost a game at their home ground a month ago.
Only a month has passed, and Monaco has sent half of its main squad again.
If we follow the previous strategy, nothing will go wrong.
They took Monaco with ease.
But no one expected that the game would end in just the 8th minute.
Jiang Ming delivered a precise through ball from the middle.
Bernardo Silva successfully broke the offside trap on the right wing, received the ball, cut inside, and shot.
The ball flew straight into the far corner, leaving the goalkeeper nowhere in sight.
1-0!
Bordeaux were completely unprepared for this start and immediately launched a furious counterattack.
But they clearly hadn't watched Monaco's matches against Marseille and Tottenham.
Against this Monaco team, the more they push forward, the worse they will be beaten.
The 23th minute of the match.
Jiang Ming was in the middle lane when he was directly surrounded by three Bordeaux players.
He first turned around and glanced at the defender closest to him.
With the help of Luka Modric's "Clean Ball" module.
He could predict the direction and center of gravity of the opponent's impending attack directly from their movements.
Jiang Ming made a quick estimate and waited for the moment when the other party pounced on him.
With a gentle flick of the ankle, the ball was pushed to the opposite side of the opponent's center of gravity.
He turned around instantly.
They completely broke free from the three-man encirclement.
The three people who rushed over didn't even have time to react.
The player who rushed forward closest ended up colliding awkwardly with his own teammate.
"Wow! Jiang Ming actually managed to get the ball out despite being surrounded by three people!" Commentator Sun Chen couldn't help but exclaim.
"It was as if he anticipated the defenders' pressing!"
"The weakness in the three-man encirclement was precisely located!"
Immediately afterwards, Jiang Ming looked up at the front of the field and launched a precise long pass.
Mbappe on the left wing used his most familiar "stop-and-go" maneuver.
Stopping the ball two meters away would be considered a huge mistake by any other player, putting them at a disadvantage.
But for Mbappe, this is actually a huge advantage.
He accelerated with his feet, shaking off the Bordeaux defender who was marking him.
He went all the way down to the baseline and sent a triangular back pass towards the middle.
Cavaleiro, who just transferred from Benfica this season, had been plagued by injuries.
He returned to action in this match and just happened to make a run from the far post.
He volleyed the ball without stopping it and pierced the goalkeeper's defense with a powerful shot.
2-0!
"Too easy." Commentator Sun Chen couldn't help but shake his head.
"Bordeaux has fallen into a trap set by Monaco."
"Counter-attacks are Monaco's favorite style of play."
Jardim, watching the situation on the field from the sidelines, nodded to himself.
This game felt alright.
With a lineup consisting of mostly starters and substitutes, the team's performance in this way is enough to demonstrate its current strength.
Jardim couldn't help but wonder if the team had a deeper bench and hadn't faltered in the previous games, they could have maintained their peak form until now.
This season, they might actually be able to challenge Paris Saint-Germain for the Ligue 1 title.
Of course, the most crucial figure in the team right now is still Jiang Ming.
As soon as this kid came on the court, the team was rarely at a disadvantage.
Most of the time, he can turn the tide of battle by relying on his superb skills and extraordinary awareness.
Jardine even suspected that Jiang Ming might be using one of those cheat codes in a football game...
Thinking of this, Yardin shook his head again and chuckled, "How could such a thing be?"
In the time that followed, Monaco launched several more attacks.
Mbappe received the ball, cut inside, and shot, sending the ball flying into the stands as a punishment for the spectators.
Cavaleiro's close-range shot was brilliantly saved by the goalkeeper and went out of bounds.
Throughout Bordeaux, Monaco completely dominated the game.
The first half has ended.
Monaco went into the locker room with a two-goal lead.
Jardim gave each of the players who were leaving the field a high-five.
When they returned to the field in the second half, Monaco's lineup had indeed changed.
Jiang Ming, Fabinho, and Bernardo Silva were all substituted.
Jiang Ming actually felt that he still had enough stamina to play for another 20 minutes, and maybe even improve his rating.
Since he got Big B's Iron Man module, he has been much less fatigued on the field.
I used to be out of breath after playing half a game, but now my breathing is even after half a game.
But Jardim still insisted on substituting him, muttering, "This match isn't important, everyone get some rest."
Jiang Ming didn't say anything more and obediently sat back down on the bench.
Now all the Monaco players on the field are substitutes, including the goalkeeper.
"Monaco has used this kind of halftime substitution tactic many times this season," commentator Sun Chen couldn't help but sigh.
"They've gone to this extent to conserve the players' energy..."
Now it was Bordeaux's turn to recover, and they finally created quite a few attacking opportunities in the second half.
The 57th minute of the match.
Bordeaux finally found an opportunity through a short passing combination from a free kick.
After the kickoff, pass the ball to the far post first.
The player at the far post receives the ball, breaks through to the byline, and sends a cutback pass.
Diego Roan made a timely flanking maneuver in the middle.
He took a 1-0 shot without stopping the ball and successfully put it into the goal.
After that goal, neither side created any further decent chances.
The score remained 2-1 until the end of the match.
Ultimately, Monaco defeated Bordeaux away from home and advanced to the quarterfinals of the French League Cup.