There's Okaka at the far post, a flicked header!"
"Beautiful!!"
"Watford scores an early goal!"
"A dream start! A perfect goal!"
"One-nil up against Liverpool, can you believe it?!"
"This is football!"
"Watford takes an early lead at home, Liverpool is caught off guard, it seems they weren't prepared for an early strike."
"Watford's two Midfielders, Doucouré and Chalobah, both pushed forward simultaneously, showing great attacking impetus, quickly piercing Liverpool's penalty area like two sharp knives!"
"They then formed a clever link, ultimately helping Doucouré find an opportunity for a header assist, and Okaka at the far post didn't waste the sure goal, successfully scoring!"
Seeing the goal go in, Okaka was ecstatic, rushing towards the sideline to embrace the Head Coach passionately.
Watford's Head Coach had put all his effort into motivating the team before the match; everyone wanted to secure an opening victory to lay a foundation for the season, boost morale, and achieve better results.
Klopp came to the sideline, pressing his hands down, signaling the players to remain calm, even though Klavitz beside him looked worried.
"Boss, we must quickly resolve the problem of Doucouré and Chalobah."
Klopp squatted by the sideline, deep in thought, searching for a solution.
The match continued.
Having conceded first, Liverpool pushed their formation forward, attempting to launch a fierce attack, but Watford's defense was excellent.
"Watford is employing a zonal defense, which is the most common defensive method used by weaker teams."
"It doesn't require player-to-player marking, so opponents can't exploit individual ability to break through."
In the 19th minute of the match!
"Driving forward with the ball, Henderson is trying hard to advance, but he's facing immense obstruction."
"Cleverley is well-positioned defensively, passing to the Left Flank, Wijnaldum receives the ball."
"Long pass to the Left Flank, finding Mane!"
"Breaking through along the wing, is there a chance?"
"One-on-one, he's past him!"
"But Chalobah's defensive cover was timely, clearing the ball, Watford's formation is very layered!"
"This is the zonal defense we just talked about; even if a player is beaten in a one-on-one situation, through reasonable zonal positioning, another player will immediately step up to cover, thereby preventing the opponent from creating chances."
"We all know that Liverpool's two wings are very strong, but whether it's Mane or Salah, unless they are in explosive form, after beating one or two players in such a confined space, it's very difficult to quickly beat a third in succession."
Instructor Zhan, as a Liverpool Fan, of course knew that Salah often performed brilliant one-on-two and one-on-three plays.
Mane also possessed such ability, but not in every match could both play so freely, especially since Watford had made targeted deployments to defend both wings.
With the wings shut down, the only way to break the deadlock was through the center, but Liverpool Fans looked at their own Midfielder and saw no attacking talent whatsoever.
"No one possesses the ability to advance; for a Midfielder, this is the most fatal flaw."
Time ticked by, minute by minute, but the situation showed no signs of improvement; Liverpool indeed held firm control of possession.
But... in the 30th minute of the match!
"Mignolet's short pass, to Wijnaldum in the center."
"Receives the ball, turns, tries to drive forward, Doucouré is pressing very tightly!"
"Physical challenge!"
"Wijnaldum stumbles a few steps, almost losing the ball."
"Passes back to Henderson, the power is a bit weak!"
"Oh dear, luckily Emre Can's defensive cover was timely, otherwise Henderson was almost dispossessed by Chalobah!"
"Watford's two Midfielders are young and energetic, and strong in physical challenges. If Henderson hadn't been steadily controlling the tempo in the Midfielder, Liverpool's Midfielder would have been completely overwhelmed!"
Instructor Zhan, looking at the current match situation on the field, couldn't help but sigh. Although as a commentator he had to remain neutral, he believed that at this moment, Liverpool Fans would feel more disappointment.
"From the real-time possession rate displayed at the top of the screen, we can see that Liverpool controls 69 percent of possession, a commanding lead."
"But in terms of shots on goal, the entire match has already been going on for a full 30 minutes, and there's still only Watford's opening shot."
"Liverpool finds it very difficult to bring the ball through the Midfielder line. Watford is very smart; they are willing to let you dribble and organize in your own half."
"But once you cross the Midfielder line, Chalobah and Doucouré will stride with their dark and strong long legs, launching a frantic strangulation."
Instructor Zhang also spoke up, saying that while his commentary might not be as professional as Instructor Zhan's, Instructor Zhang was absolutely first-rate in China when it came to tactical analysis.
"What surprises me a bit is that Watford's two Midfielders are in explosive form in this match."
"In the world of football, he who controls the Midfielder always controls the game!"
"Liverpool's Midfielder can't push forward, so Europe's top super trident upfront can't get fire support. I haven't even seen Firmino on the ball for a long time!"
Time passed minute by minute, and eventually the first half ended, with Liverpool still trailing zero to one.
The Liverpool Fans in the stadium were visibly restless, and the Liverpool Fans in the live broadcast room were even more confused.
"Are we just not in game form, or is this the current level of our Midfielder?"
"If we can't show our strengths against a slightly stronger Midfielder, then Liverpool shouldn't even think about competing for the title this season."
"I really don't understand Liverpool's actions. They finally bought a Midfielder, Keita, but he can only join the team in the next transfer window. How is Liverpool supposed to endure these 6 months?"
"To be honest, I miss Gerrard, I miss him like crazy!"
After the players returned to the locker room, there was silence. Klopp was still pondering countermeasures.
But no matter how he and Klavitz analyzed it, the conclusion they reached was: if no one could withstand the impact of Chalobah and Doucouré, Liverpool's Midfielder simply couldn't push forward.
"Boss, from the current situation, our Midfielder most skilled in physical challenges is Henderson."
"But he's playing as a Defensive Midfielder, you can't have a Defensive Midfielder leave his position to press high; that makes it very easy for the opponent to counter-attack."
"If you ask me, why not be a bit bolder?" Klavitz looked at Klopp, a hint of adventurous spirit in his eyes.
"Back at Dortmund, we did this kind of thing often. Coming to Liverpool, we should maintain our style."
Klopp was conflicted, he was hesitating.
But seeing the Midfielder's decline, he still decided to make an adjustment.
Lin Chen was sitting in the corner at this time; he didn't think he would get a chance to play in his first match.
Until Klavitz came to his side and put an arm around his shoulder.
"Lin."
"I'm giving you a chance, can you prove your strength to me?"
Lin Chen was startled at first, then nodded.
"Let me go on the field and give the Liverpool Fans a little surprise."
He paused, then Lin Chen spoke again.
"I promise it will be a surprise."