Chapter 508: Don't Give Him a Chance!
As the second half began, Chelsea indeed intensified their offensive, but Manchester United had anticipated this and fortified their defense. For a while, they couldn't even cross the halfway line and were forced to hunker down in their own penalty area.
This certainly looked bad from a spectator's perspective, but compared to the result, looking bad was a minor concern. This season, United had rarely played such unattractive football, but when they decided to do so, it was with a "results first" mentality.
The only difference from before was that in the past, Hazard was the spearhead of the counterattack, possessing exceptional speed and individual skill. Sometimes, he could solve problems on his own.
However, Chelsea did not dare to push too far forward because United's counterattacks were also highly threatening. Rashford and Mbappe were both experts at counterattacking. Thus, even when Chelsea attacked, they maintained sufficient defensive strength. Several times Bruno looked up with the ball, found no good opportunities, and had to pull the ball back, passing it around until Chelsea's defenders and midfielders retreated. This often led to forced long-range shots or simple crosses that Azpilicueta, Christensen, and Rudiger could easily handle. Harry Kane did not get many decent chances, though Rashford and Mbappe occasionally created opportunities with their quick footwork.
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Most of the second half saw Chelsea besiege United, who were dead set on defending. United's rare counterattacking chances were weak. Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge continuously cheered for their team. United's fans, numbering only about 2,000, were drowned out by the Chelsea supporters' cheers.
The only consolation for United's fans was that their team hadn't conceded another goal despite Chelsea's relentless assault. The score remained 0-1. Losing by such a narrow margin wouldn't be disastrous for United's fans, but the players on the field, especially Bruno, were always looking for counterattacking opportunities.
Bruno was constantly searching for any potential counterattack. As soon as he saw an opening, he would pass the ball forward, relying on his teammates to capitalize on it. Unfortunately, so far, no scoring chances had materialized.
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As the game entered the 70th minute, Chelsea still led 1-0. Chelsea switched to a defensive counterattacking strategy, giving United more space in midfield. Conte no longer prioritized restraining Bruno in midfield. Chelsea's tactic was to defend the final third tightly, preventing any passes or shots from easily penetrating their defense and then look for counterattack opportunities.
If Chelsea pressed too hard to tackle Bruno, it could disrupt their defensive formation. The essence of their defense was to allow United more possession to keep their lines tight and compact, minimizing defensive gaps.
For Bruno, although he had more freedom in midfield, he faced a formidable defense. Finding opportunities against such a well-organized defense was challenging. He had to get closer to Chelsea's penalty area, disrupt their defense, and create opportunities by breaking their formation.
He signaled to Kante: "I'm moving forward."
Kante waved in response: "Go ahead, I'll cover you."
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Rashford, unable to find a good crossing opportunity on the wing, passed the ball back to the middle, where Bruno was running toward it with Matic close behind him. Bruno didn't control the ball but used his left foot to pass it to Kante behind him.
This was Bruno's usual passing style recently—quick and without stopping to adjust. Matic, cautious after receiving a yellow card earlier for fouling Bruno, followed him closely but did not risk a tackle.
After passing the ball, Bruno ran a loop and returned, while Kante passed the ball to the other side. Mbappe, receiving the ball, decided to cross but hit Rudiger's leg, causing the ball to deflect.
This deflection introduced an element of surprise, changing the rhythm of the game. Chelsea's defensive formation shifted, as they prepared to counterattack.
Conte's strategy was defensive counterattacking. After Rudiger's block, Chelsea's attackers surged forward to capitalize on the opportunity.
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Kante, anticipating this, rushed towards the ball and intercepted it before Hazard could reach it. Hazard raised his hand, signaling a foul, but the referee ignored him. Kante, unable to adjust the ball, volleyed it to Bruno.
Matic saw the ball coming and rushed forward, but Bruno, facing the attack, used his left foot to direct the ball to Mbappe on the right. Matic, unprepared, couldn't intercept the pass, and Mbappe received it in the box.
Mbappe's shot was saved by Courtois, with Christensen heading the ball out for a corner under pressure from Harry Kane.
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"Don't give him a chance!" Azpilicueta shouted to Matic as they prepared for the corner, referring not to Mbappe but to Bruno.
Matic shrugged: "I rushed to defend as quickly as I could. How else can I not give him a chance? That pass was unexpected!"
Azpilicueta acknowledged the difficulty, understanding the heavy burden of marking Bruno. Instead of continuing the argument, he focused on defending, positioning himself next to Bruno as instructed by Conte to prevent Bruno from heading the ball.
Bruno had shown a marked improvement in his heading ability in recent years, frequently scoring in the league. The corner was directed to the far post, where Maguire's header went just wide, hitting the side netting.
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Bruno felt that his position on the edge of the box wasn't close enough and signaled for an even more advanced role. As a free agent on the field, his job was to disrupt the defense with sudden movements and passes, creating brief moments of chaos to capitalize on opportunities.
Bruno's understanding of a free agent went beyond limited "freedom." His role was to destabilize the opponent's tight formation by pushing forward and creating chances through passes or dribbles, even if it meant earning free kicks.
As United attacked, Bruno roamed just outside the 30-yard area, coordinating with teammates. When he saw an opportunity, he surged forward to disrupt Chelsea's defense.
Matic and Fabregas marked Bruno closely. When the ball was passed to Bruno, Fabregas rushed up while Matic prepared to intercept a pass. Matic quickly checked the positions of United's players to anticipate Bruno's next move. Judging by his position, a pass to Mbappe seemed most likely, so Matic positioned himself between Bruno and Mbappe.
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