Football Feast, Starting From the Acquisition of European Clubs

   Chapter 77 Familiar Names

  Remorse, remorse, that's how Allardyce feels right now.

  I have already discovered the problem, why didn't I make adjustments earlier?

   Allardyce is gutted now.

   However, the loopholes must be filled as soon as possible, otherwise it will only get bigger and bigger.

   Fortunately, the semi-final of the League Cup is a two-round format, and a goal is not fatal.

   did not dare to hesitate any longer, and Allardyce immediately replaced Okocha, a midfielder whose physical strength had decreased significantly, with Barnes.

   Then let Djorkaf replace Okocha to play the attacking midfielder, and Barnes replaces Djorkaf to play the fullback.

  Yes, Allardyce did not replace Djorkaf in the end, and came up with a "best of both worlds" solution.

   However, the situation on the court at this time has been completely different after Cristiano Ronaldo scored a goal.

   Morale is something you can't see or touch, but it's really enough to change the trend of a game.

After    took the lead, Crystal Palace's players were in high spirits.

  Because, since Chen Ran coached, Crystal Palace has never been reversed after taking the lead.

   This kind of self-confidence accumulated through victories makes the team members run and fight even more joyfully, as if they don’t know they are tired.

   One and the other, Bolton's formation is getting more and more flattened by Crystal Palace, and now it has become difficult to think about the midfield.

   Allardyce was completely stunned.

what happened?

   It's good to be unchanged in the first half, at least Bolton still has the advantage on the scene.

  Why did Crystal Palace press Bolton to attack as soon as they changed in the second half?

   Looking back at his bench, Allardyce felt a chill in his heart.

   What level of the remaining pieces of material is, he knows too well, no one can reverse the current situation.

How to do?

   Relying on God?

   Allardyce was at a loss.

   In the stands, the media reporters were also speechless.

   They were still very active in the first half, and they all said that after Tottenham Hotspur, Bolton will soon become the second team to bring defeat to Crystal Palace.

   But the sudden change in the second half made them disappointed again.

   "What the **** is this Allardyce doing? Didn't he play well in the first half? What the **** are you changing?"

   "That's right. Isn't that Djorkaf a France international? Why did he collapse as soon as he went to Bolton?"

   "You don't even look at how old Djokovic is? At 35 years old, do you still expect him to be the same as when he was 25?"

   "Oh, it seems that this game is going to make the Chinese proud again."

   "It's fine. The League Cup semi-final is a two-legged game. It's not a big problem to concede a goal, just come back in the next game."

   "Hehe, the next game? You look at Bolton's current performance on the field, do you think they still hope to eliminate Crystal Palace?"

   "Don't be so pessimistic? The big deal is that Allardyce doesn't need that Djorkaf next game. Bolton played well in the first half."

"You, you are still too young. In the first half, the Chinese were testing Bolton's strength, so they shrank back and played defensive counterattacks. Now that he has figured it out, do you think he will give Bolton a chance in the next game? "

   "Yes, in the final analysis, Bolton is not strong enough. It seems impossible to expect them to stop Crystal Palace."

  Allardyce has been in the Premier League for so many years, he is definitely not incompetent.

   Seeing that the situation on the field was irreversible, he wanted to keep Bolton from conceding more goals and to keep the suspense for the second round.

   Allardyce simply replaced striker Kevin Davis with French defender Lavelle to strengthen his defense, and then pushed Djorkaf, whose defensive ability was worrying, to the forward position.

   That's right, in the face of the offensive of the British Championship team Crystal Palace, the Premier League team Bolton set up a bus.

  In this way, Bolton finally struggled to keep the gap of a ball until the end of the game.

  The first leg of the League Cup semi-finals, Crystal Palace beat Bolton 1-0 away.

  Chen Ran made a small profit of 500,000 euros.

   After the game, the media did not report much about Crystal Palace's away victory over the Premier League team Bolton.

  Because, there was a bigger upset that grabbed their attention.

   That is, in another League Cup semi-final, Arsenal, now in their prime, lost 0:1 to Middlesbrough at home.

   That's right, the team Southgate played for.

   "Gareth, it looks like we might meet your former club in the League Cup final."

   Seeing the overwhelming reports from the media, Chen Ran laughed and joked with Southgate.

   "I didn't expect Middlesbrough to beat Arsenal away. However, in terms of strength, Arsenal must be stronger. So, there is still the second round of the game, and everything is still hard to say."

  Seeing the excellent performance of the former club, Southgate's mood is a bit mixed.

   "I do hope that Middlesbrough can be upset to the end and eliminate Arsenal, so that the difficulty of winning the League Cup will be greatly reduced."

   Guardiola sat on the side and calculated the situation of Crystal Palace winning the championship, and stood decisively on the side of Middlesbrough.

   "But in that case, Gareth will have to face the old master."

  Chen Ran laughed, he also hoped that Middlesbrough would eliminate Arsenal.

  The 2003-2004 season can be said to be the peak period of Arsenal and its final glory.

   After winning the Premier League title this season, Arsenal started their own road to the four madness, and they are gone forever.

   "Don't worry, boss. Even if we meet Middlesbrough in the final, I will never show mercy."

  Southgate quickly patted his chest to show his loyalty. Although he knew that Chen Ran was making fun of him, he still had to have the proper attitude.

   "Relax, Gareth, of course I trust you 100%, you are the captain and assistant coach of our Crystal Palace."

   On the other side of London, Arsenal.

   Wenger was very angry after the team's upset loss to the underdog Middlesbrough.

   But unlike his old nemesis, Ferguson, he rarely shows it on the outside.

   At this time, he shut himself in the office and used his work to distract himself.

   When he saw the data of another League Cup semi-final match on his desk, Wenger discovered a familiar name - Crystal Palace.

   "That little guy's team has already reached the League Cup semi-finals?"

   For a while, Wenger thought of the little guy who had played against him twice.

   Since the start of the Premier League this season, Arsenal have been playing a triumphant song all the way, beating old rivals Manchester United and upstart Chelsea, leading the Premier League standings with an unbeaten record.

   Wenger is busy all day studying his opponents in the next round of Premier League games, and he also has to pay attention to the games between Manchester United and Chelsea. How can he have time to care about Crystal Palace, which is still in the Championship?

   Therefore, Wenger has not read the information about Chen Ran and Crystal Palace for a long time.

   However, the current League Cup report once again aroused Wenger's interest.

   (end of this chapter)