Football Feast, Starting From the Acquisition of European Clubs

   Chapter 68 and the first time for a Premier League team

   It is both an away game and a Premier League team, so Chen Ran naturally lined up a defensive counter-attack lineup.

   Center Tony

  Left midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo, right midfielder Ribery

   Midfielder Yaya Toure, Midfielder Modric, Midfielder Simeone

  Left-back Chiellini, centre-back Gareth Southgate, centre-back Vidic, right-back Maicon

   Goalkeeper Cech

   Walking into the Villa Park Stadium in Birmingham, Chen Ran found that the attendance rate of the stadium was not very high today, and the stands were sparsely seated.

   This is a pretty good sign.

   For Aston Villa fans, a midweek, ordinary, League Cup match against a Championship team is really unattractive.

   Even though Crystal Palace is currently top of the Championship and remains unbeaten, for these fans who are used to watching the Premier League, it is nothing but rookie chickens pecking at each other.

  Chen Ran sincerely hopes, David O'Reilly thinks so too.

  Unfortunately, this is purely wishful thinking.

   Able to create a young guard with one hand, although David O'Reilly has been criticized, his coaching ability is still very strong.

   David O'Reilly, who didn't pay much attention to Crystal Palace's opponent in this match, immediately became more vigilant after seeing the information collected by his assistant.

   Nineteen wins and two draws, and the unbeaten record of 59 points leads the data of the British Championship, which means that this Crystal Palace team has completely surpassed the teams of the same level.

   For this Crystal Palace team, he must now be treated like a Premier League team.

  These are the first reactions of David O'Reilly after reading the Crystal Palace information.

   To this end, he deliberately asked his assistant to find the video of the last five games of Crystal Palace and watch it again.

   Then, he started scratching his head.

  Fantastic, is this what a Championship team should look like?

  Why is Lao Tzu so unlucky, it's not good to touch anyone, but it happens to be the Crystal Palace?

  David O'Reilly was very upset.

   You must know that as a coach who once led Leeds United to the Champions League semi-finals, he came to coach Aston Villa not to avoid relegation.

   To compete in European competitions and prove himself once again is his goal.

   However, with Aston Villa's current performance, it is very difficult to rely on the league ranking to qualify for the European competition.

  So, David O'Reilly set his sights on the Cup.

   Compared with the FA Cup, which is more important to strong teams, the League Cup is undoubtedly less difficult.

   Therefore, this season's League Cup championship has long been designated as an important task next to relegation by David O'Reilly.

  This Crystal Palace must be killed.

   Originally, David O'Reilly wanted to make some rotations in this game to reserve some physical fitness for the next Premier League game.

   Now he has decided not to rotate and play with the main force.

   Then, Chen Ran was in Aston Villa's playing list and saw the exact same starting lineup as they did in the Premier League.

  Wow, Aston Villa takes Crystal Palace too seriously, right?

  Chen Ran curled his lips. He had been lucky before, hoping that his opponent would despise Crystal Palace because they were a Championship team.

   Now it looks like it's all in vain.

   Forget it, prepare for a tough fight.

   "Guys, all our previous achievements were achieved by the British Championship teams. It's hard to judge how much gold they have."

   "Today is the first time we face a Premier League team, and it is also a chance to test whether we are worthy of the Premier League. Do you have the confidence to kill Aston Villa?"

"Have!"

   Shouts resounded throughout the locker room.

   As the referee's whistle sounded, the game officially started.

   Although David O'Reilly attaches great importance to Crystal Palace, he is not like those Championship teams, who have to shrink back to defend at their own home.

  After all, Aston Villa is a Premier League team with strength and confidence.

   Therefore, relying on their own two excellent strikers, Aston Villa started to press the attack with all their strength.

The players of   Crystal Palace immediately felt the difference from the Championship game.

  Fast pace, everything seems to be accelerating.

  Whether it is catching or passing the ball, there must be no hesitation, otherwise, be prepared to be tackled.

   was not used to it, which made many Crystal Palace players seem a little chaotic at the beginning of the game, and made several mistakes.

   This was immediately seized by Aston Villa and attacked with a few threatening shots. Had it not been for Cech's bravery, the gates of Crystal Palace might have been breached.

  Fortunately, there are veterans like Southgate and Simeone in charge. They kept shouting and commanding, helping the team stabilize the morale of the team.

  After the opening twenty minutes, the young players of Crystal Palace finally got used to the rhythm of the game and began to show their sharp fangs.

   Under the cover of Simeone and Yaya Toure, Modric's long pass accurately found Ronaldo.

   Facing Cristiano Ronaldo of the Premier League team for the first time, I am very excited today.

   A series of dazzling fake moves, passed two people in a row, and then rushed the ball into the penalty area before the Aston Villa defender who came up to defend.

"boom!"

  Tony carried the Aston Villa defender, grabbed the spot abruptly, and smashed the ball into the goal.

  Unfortunately, Aston Villa's goalkeeper Sorensen was not a vegetarian either. He jumped, made a beautiful side throw, and dragged the ball off the crossbar with his fingertips.

   "Fxxxk!"

   Chen Ran on the sidelines was extremely regretful. If this goal was scored, it would be great, then he could play a defensive counterattack in a down-to-earth manner.

  Crystal Palace's very threatening attack also seemed to surprise Aston Villa's players. In the next game, their offensive strength was obviously weakened compared to before.

   David O'Reilly, who was also standing on the sidelines, reacted very quickly, and immediately ordered Aston Villa's two full-backs not to press so high, and to keep an eye on Ronaldo and Ribery around him.

  Unfortunately, Chen Ran, who saw all this in his eyes, sighed secretly.

  This David O'Reilly is really not a fuel-efficient lamp, and the response is too fast.

  Crystal Palace just used Aston Villa to press the gap left by the attack to make a counterattack, and he was immediately discovered and made up for it.

   In the next game, Aston Villa will still dominate the offense, but their midfield players have significantly reduced their participation.

   This has greatly reduced the pressure on Crystal Palace's defense, but at the same time, Crystal Palace's counterattack space is not as big as before.

  0:0 The score was maintained until the end of the first half.

   "Guys, you played very well in the first half. It turns out that you are no worse than those Aston Villa players. Let's continue to work hard in the second half to kill Aston Villa and eliminate the Premier League team!"

   "Kill Aston Villa!"

   During the intermission, Chen Ran did not make any tactical adjustments, but just gave the players another shot of blood.

   In the first half of the game, although the scene was passive, it was not without opportunities for Crystal Palace.

   Now, it's up to him and David O'Reilly to change first.

   (end of this chapter)