Zhao Zhao, of course, would not wait until the actual halftime to make adjustments.
He had already turned his attention back to the system.
"The previous simulation clearly showed that the team collapsed after captain John O'Shea received a second yellow card, leading to a red."
"So this time, I'll adjust from that angle."
"You're going to get a red card? Then I'll just substitute you out!"
You consumed 1 simulation point and started simulating the rest of the match.
At halftime, you directly substituted captain O'Shea with substitute center-back Kone.
You instructed your players to focus more on defense, leaving only the veteran Defoe upfront to play counter-attacking football.
Because Sunderland displayed a more compact defensive formation at the start of the second half, Manchester United's attacking space was limited.
In the 55th minute, Manchester United launched an attack down the left wing. Martial received a pass from Pogba and attempted to cut inside and shoot, but he was timely blocked by Sunderland's defender Kone.
In the 60th minute, Manchester United defender Blind made a long pass into the box, but Pickford came out to collect it.
Neither side had many shooting opportunities.
In the 70th minute, Sunderland attempted to create a threat through a counter-attack. Defoe broke through on the right wing and crossed, but the ball was cleared off the line by Manchester United's defender Phil Jones.
Manchester United's Coach Mourinho realized that continuing to attack would risk a counter, so he began to bring on Fellaini, Luke Shaw, and others to strengthen the defense.
Manchester United effectively ran down the clock through ball control and passing. Although Sunderland was eager to equalize, they struggled to find opportunities against Manchester United's tight defense.
With the referee's final whistle, Manchester United defeated Sunderland 2-0 at home.
Match simulation ended. Current simulation points: 8.
"Amazing, haha!" Zhao Zhao laughed.
The effect of this simulation was even more pronounced.
It went from a crushing 0-7 defeat to a respectable 0-2.
More importantly, the team didn't concede any more goals in the second half!
"So, next, I can consider how to turn defeat into victory, because losing means getting fired!" Zhao Zhao thought again.
At this moment, the system prompt appeared again:
The match you simulated was lost. You can receive a one-week coaching knowledge training. The main lecturer for this session is Guardiola.
Guardiola continued to deeply discuss his high possession style of play with you. He emphasized quick short passes and movement among players to maintain possession and create attacking opportunities.
After losing possession, Guardiola would demand his players immediately engage in high pressing, attempting to quickly win back the ball before the opposing players could effectively organize an attack. He explained in detail the advantages and disadvantages of doing so.
Your tactical knowledge has improved.
"Then I'll try to see if I can defeat Mourinho's Manchester United using Guardiola's tactics!"
As Zhao Zhao's coaching level continued to improve, his confidence also soared.
This change was even noticed by Breswell, who was sitting beside him.
"Coach Zhao, what are you so happy about again?" But Breswell was clearly a bit puzzled.
For him, only about ten seconds had passed.
Manchester United's dangerous attack had just ended, and Sunderland was still in peril, yet Zhao Zhao, who was facing the risk of being sacked, was sitting on the bench smiling, which was truly baffling.
"Oh, nothing, as I just said, I'm thinking about how to defeat Manchester United!"
Zhao Zhao smiled at Breswell, then immediately and confidently began the next simulation.
You consumed 1 simulation point and started simulating the rest of the match.
At halftime, you directly substituted captain O'Shea with substitute center-back Kone, and at the same time, changed the formation to a 4-3-3.
You demanded that the players press high, including the full-backs assisting in attack, striving to quickly equalize or even take the lead!
67th minute...
78th minute...
88th minute...
The result of this simulation greatly disappointed Zhao Zhao.
With Sunderland going all out on offense in the second half, Mourinho actually chose to play defensive counter-attacking football.
Mourinho even substituted Ibrahimović and brought on the faster, more active Rashford, and this adjustment also had an effect.
In the second half, Rashford surprisingly scored a hat-trick by breaking through Sunderland's defense with three consecutive quick raids!
The final score was locked at 5-0, a big win for Manchester United!
"Damn it, my tactical knowledge improved, but I got an even worse result!" Zhao Zhao was really annoyed and a bit confused.
"No, one more time!"
"I don't believe it. I get stronger with every coaching course. There has to be a time I win!"
You consumed 1 simulation point and started simulating the rest of the match.
...
Match ended, Manchester United defeated Sunderland 4-1.
"Holy crap. Again!"
Match ended, Manchester United won 5-1.
...Again!
Still Manchester United winning, 3-0.
...
3-1, Manchester United wins. There's hope!
...
4-0, damn, how did I lose so much again?
...
6-0, my last bit of hope is gone!
...
Unconsciously, Zhao Zhao had used up his simulation points until only 1 remained!
This also meant that he only had 1 simulation opportunity left!
Towards the end, Zhao Zhao was actually like a gambler who had lost his sight, just wanting to win once, no longer paying attention to how many chips he had left!
"Damn it, is it really impossible to win today? Is this a system setup?" Zhao Zhao was already a bit exasperated.
"Coach Zhao, why has your face turned so ugly again?" Breswell was confused again.
This interim Coach next to him, his face kept changing from cloudy to sunny. Was he playing a face-changing trick today?
"Mr. Breswell, let me ask you a question." Zhao Zhao suddenly had an idea and asked politely, "If Guardiola were to Coach our Sunderland, would we have a chance to win against this Manchester United today?"
"What kind of question is that?" Breswell was stunned. "With Mr. Guardiola's level and reputation, how could he possibly come to Coach our team?"
"Just an example..." Zhao Zhao smiled.
Breswell, however, thought seriously for a moment and replied, "Mr. Guardiola's tiki-taka tactics are indeed very strong, but that requires player ability as support. With our current group of players, it would be a bit too much to ask them to perfectly execute Guardiola's tiki-taka style."
Zhao Zhao nodded slightly.
This was precisely the problem he had just thought of.
Because he was eager to win, he forced the newly learned Guardiola-style tiki-taka on Sunderland, and the result was a bit counterproductive.
"Moreover, Mourinho is a Coach who prioritizes practical tactics, and his defensive counter-attacking is world-class," Breswell added.
"Even if our players could barely manage a decent tiki-taka attack, with them already leading by two goals, Mourinho would put aside Manchester United's so-called 'big club' pride and simply retreat to play a resolute counter-attacking game."
"So the answer to your question is: if you can't disrupt Mourinho's thinking, or entice him to push his formation forward, it's really hard to win."
Zhao Zhao nodded again: "I understand."
In this situation today, it was necessary to change the strategy;
Otherwise, even if Guardiola himself came to lead the team, they might not win.
But the problem was, he only had one simulation chance left!
How should he make good use of this last opportunity?
Just as Zhao Zhao was feeling a bit helpless, the system prompt appeared:
The match you simulated was lost. You can receive a one-week coaching knowledge training. The main lecturer for this session is Mourinho.
"Huh, the instructor changed? And it's Mourinho, of all people?"
Mourinho excels at building psychological advantages for his team through media and public statements before matches. He shared his insights on this aspect with you.
He often studies the opponent's psychological state and uses rhetoric and strategies to influence the opponent's mindset, thereby gaining an advantage in the match.
You have gained some understanding of psychological tactics.
As Zhao Zhao absorbed Mourinho's psychological tactics, he also recalled the various "mind games" Mourinho had used against coaches in his previous life, which gave Zhao Zhao a flash of inspiration.
"Using Mourinho's methods to defeat Mourinho might actually work."
Then, he couldn't help but glance towards Manchester United's bench.
Coincidentally, Mourinho was also looking over, and their eyes met.
From Mourinho's classic, slightly smiling expression, Zhao Zhao seemed to see the other party contemptuously saying, "You rookie, stop struggling, just give up."
This once again ignited Zhao Zhao's fighting spirit:
"Simulator, activate!"