章 39: Neuer vs Lucas
After Werder Bremen conceded the goal against Bayern Munich,
Werder Bremen players appeared visibly annoyed. They become frustrated because Bayern had tear apart their defensive line with high-speed passing and receiving, relying on their superior individual skills and teamwork rather than capitalizing on Werder Bremen's mistakes.
Bayern increased the tempo of the game rapidly, causing Werder Bremen players to struggle to keep up and commit defensive errors.
Moreover, Bayern showed exceptional quality to seize opportunity, passing and breaking the defensive vulnerabilities in Werder Bremen's side and changing the scoreline.
On Bayern's bench, Heynckes expressed satisfaction upon witnessing the team equalize.
The season's training had paid off, as the players had grown more mature and stronger, showing good teamwork makes them even more stronger.
With their current form, reclaiming the Bundesliga championship trophy seemed well within reach, even against last season's champions, Dortmund.
Perhaps they could even achieve success in the Champions League this year.
On the visiting team's side, the conceded goal served as a wake-up call for Schaaf and his team.
They had planned to adopt a defensive strategy, but the early goal led to some relaxation in the players' mentality, resulting in a failure to execute the tactics strictly.
Realizing his mistake, Schaaf immediately shouted instructions to the players on the field, urging them to implement the pre-game plan.
Let captain fritz withdrew and become a defender with five defender formation, Most importantly midfielder also got back to maintain formation and closing the gap between defender and midfield.
They aimed to maintain a 1-1 scoreline, which would be an acceptable outcome given that the game only lasted 60 minutes.
After the allocated time, the result could be decided through penalty shootouts, where even Bayern's formidable prowess would be neutralized by the element of luck.
As expected, when the game starts, Werder Bremen established a pure defense formation, frustrating Bayern's offensive efforts.
The score remained 1-1 until the end of the first half. In the locker room, Schaaf acknowledged the players' first-half performance and admitted his own fault in not reminding them to retreat after the goal, resulting in the opponent's goal.
Although the players felt a bit embarrassed, they understood that it was primarily their responsibility.
Schaaf emphasized the priority of defending in the second half and provided tactical instructions.
He advised against directly passing the ball to Lucas as Bayern's marking is tight against him, you should look for Arnautovic for more, He reminds them against taking unnecessary risks in midfield, to avoid losing possession and quickly counterattack by bayern in the second half.
He encouraged the team to make long pass from the backcourt whenever a chance arose, with Arnautovic being the target to either win or interfere with the ball, allowing teammates time to defend.
These instructions had been discussed earlier among the players, but they struggled to implement them due to Bayern's pressure.
However, with Schaaf's renewed emphasis, the players become determined to execute the tactics in the second half.
The second half began quicklyy, with Werder Bremen maintaining their lineup while Bayern Munich made two substitutions.
Schweinsteiger, wearing No. 31, replaced Emre (No. 36), and Ribery (No. 7) came on for Shaqiri (No. 11).
Werder Bremen kicked off, but under the pressure from Bayern players, quickly lost possession as the ball circulated among their feet.
Consequently, the game seemed to revert to the familiar scenario of Bayern launching a relentless assault on Werder Bremen's goal.
However, this time, Werder Bremen's defense is significantly denser.
With 10 out of their 11 players in their own half, even Lucas retreated to defend the ball, leaving only Anautovic near the center circle.
Bayern's offense struggled to gain momentum and score against the densely packed defense.
Breaking through dense defenses is a challenge for every team.
While Werder Bremen can accept a draw and decide the winner through penalties, Bayern can not settle for it.
Consequently, Bayern intensified their offensive efforts, with even the defensive players joining the attack, leaving only Boateng at the back.
This created an opportunity for Werder Bremen.
In the forty-sixth minute of the game, Ribery's shot is blocked by a defender's body.
Werder Bremen's captain, Fritz, seized the opportunity, as Lucas and Arnautovic began their sprint towards Bayern's half, Fritz kicked a long ball forward.
Fritz's kick aimed not for a specific player but the vacant space in Bayern's backcourt.
Initially, Bayern players did not take the kick seriously as long balls posed minimal threat due to Neuer's excellent range.
Neuer, known for his extensive movements outside the penalty area, had already advanced beyond it, capitalizing on Bayern's advantage in this game.
Upon observing the ball's trajectory, Neuer anticipated that his teammate Boateng would retrieve it, so he did not rush back to the penalty area. Boateng, realizing the incoming ball, attempted to head it to his teammates behind him while in mid-air.
However, just as he leaped, an opponent of similar height sprinted towards him and took off almost simultaneously.
Both players jump from the same height, but Boateng's takeoff is from a stationary position, while the opponent had gained momentum. Consequently, Boateng helplessly watched as the opponent nudged the ball away from him by mere centimeters.
At that moment, another player quickly moved past the two in pursuit of the ball.
Simultaneously, Neuer, recognizing the danger situation, uses his long strides to reach the ball.
He and Lucas are both almost the same distance apart from the ball, but Neuer is further from the goalpost than from the ball, making it impossible for him to retreat in time.
If Neuer didn't aggressively run now and challenge for the ball, the opponent can gained possession and immediately take a shot, leaving Neuer unable to catch up.
Lucas is well aware of this as well. Thus, it became a race between the two who will reach the ball first.
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