When the referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half, the players from both sides walked back to their respective rest areas.
The players of New Manchester United were all gasping for breath. In this fast-paced scramble, their energy had been consumed very quickly, yet they still had not found much of a way through. They were forced to constantly follow their opponent's rhythm.
"Our team still lacks a core player in midfield who can hold onto the ball!" Ethan murmured to himself.
Smith was decent, but in reality, his technique was not outstanding. He used to play as a defensive midfielder and had plenty of stamina, but asking him to organize and direct the team's attack was simply beyond him.
However, in the current New Manchester United squad, he was the most capable of filling that role. If it were Makinson, even getting the pass to the right spot would probably be an issue, though Makinson's defensive ability was quite strong given his robust physique.
In Ethan's previous life, Manchester United's "coreless" tactics had reached their peak, with the whole team constantly tearing open the opponent's gaps through exquisite off-the-ball movement and creating chances to defeat them. But that had been created by Ferguson through years of constant updates and refinements.
Looking at the current New Manchester United, the players' individual abilities were too weak, and their understanding and implementation of tactical movement were insufficient. When things went smoothly, New Manchester United could play some delicate combinations, but once they encountered a tenacious opponent like Glossop, they were easily led by the nose.
If a player who could control the tempo appeared in midfield at this time, the course of the match would be completely different.
"Although my understanding of professional football tactics isn't deep, I can see that Glossop suppressed New Manchester United's performance throughout the first half. If Steve can't think of a way to solve it, I'm afraid this match will turn out badly!" Derek also looked full of worry.
Aside from anything else, just looking at the New Manchester United players now, they were clearly showing signs of excessive physical exhaustion. Especially Carl Makinson and Darren Lyons. The former had been running all over the pitch and had consumed too much energy, while the latter was older, already 32, and since New Manchester United had not been scientifically managing his training intensity, his form and stamina could not be maintained.
This was another major drawback of a small team!
If even Derek could see the problem, Bruce, who had been standing on the sidelines the whole time, naturally could not have missed it.
But just as Ethan said, in this situation, the best way was to bring on a player who could control the tempo, steady their own rhythm, and then slowly use their overall advantage to wear down the opponent. But where would New Manchester United get such a person?
As the rest time passed minute by minute, Bruce remained standing outside the rest area. The players sat inside, quietly waiting for the head coach to come over and explain the second-half tactics.
"Richie!" Bruce suddenly shouted toward the substitutes warming up on the pitch.
Richie Wellens was a bit surprised but quickly ran over, looking somewhat excited. "Sir!"
In the rest area, Evra's face darkened.
Since his brilliant performance in the match against Arsenal, he had received consecutive starts and had been performing very well. Lately, he had been constantly asking Lyons for advice, and after every training session, he would add some extra training tasks for himself. He did not dare say his progress was huge, but it was at least satisfactory.
However, his performance in the first half was indeed not great, as he had not been able to make use of his strengths at all.
Was the head coach going to substitute him off?
In the distance, Roy Williams had an excited look on his face because, according to convention, once Richie Wellens came on, the full-back position would definitely go to the more defensively solid him.
"You watched the whole first half, so I won't say much. You're going on in the second half to play left midfield. Remember, don't worry about anything else. Use your speed to attack the opponent's defense. I'm giving you absolute freedom across the entire left and central areas of the front line!"
Bruce's words left Richie Wellens shocked.
This was placing the entire bet for turning the situation around on him alone.
The other players had also received Bruce's signal and gathered around.
"Patrice!" Bruce called out.
Evra braced himself and squeezed out from between Lyons and Makinson. The latter two both patted the unlucky fellow's shoulder and head comfortingly. Obviously, everyone thought Evra was being substituted off for the second half.
"Can you still do it?" Bruce asked unexpectedly.
Evra's previously dead heart reignited with the fire of hope. "Sir, I... I can!"
"Can you run continuously for the entire second half?" Bruce asked again.
Evra nodded without a second thought and said with absolute determination, "I can!"
Bruce suddenly pulled him to his side. Since he was a full head taller than Evra, he leaned down slightly. "Good. Patrice, you will continue as the left-back in the second half. You should know our current situation. I don't have many choices, so I can only place the responsibility on you!"
Evra's body trembled slightly. "I... what should I do?"
"Richie will attack the opponent's defense, and you will coordinate your runs with him. Do you remember how Coach Cassel taught you to coordinate your runs during training?"
"Yes, I remember!" Evra clearly had a deep impression of that training.
"Good then, Patrice, you run just like that!" After saying this, Bruce gave Evra an encouraging punch to the chest.
"Alright, guys!" Bruce clapped his hands, signaling everyone to pay attention. "We were suppressed by the opponent in the first half because they deliberately raised the tempo. Then we'll give them what they want. In the second half, we'll focus our attack on the left flank. Once you get the ball, don't overthink it, just pass it to the left, to Richie."
After speaking, Bruce pointed to Richie Wellens. "Richie, you are our attacking core. You have plenty of energy now, so you need to run more. Use your speed advantage and run as much as possible. Wherever you see a gap, run there to pull the opponent's defense and create space and opportunities for your teammates behind you. Understand?"
Richie Wellens nodded heavily.
"Darren, I'm sorry, you'll have to rest in the second half. I can see your stamina is almost gone. In the second half, we need to compete with the opponent's speed, so I can only say I'm sorry!" Bruce walked up to Lyons and shook his hand.
This veteran had performed exceptionally well this season, perhaps even having the best season of his career. Although it was only the North West Counties League Division Two, it was clear he still had some ability.
"Stephen, you move slightly to the right to coordinate with Frank on the right-side defense. Carl, you need to look after the left side. Once Richie and Patrice have both pushed up, you must close the back door for them. Got it?"
The several people assigned tasks immediately nodded in unison.
"Alright, guys, there are still 45 minutes left. Let's go out there and flatten the opponent, and then we'll be the champions!" Bruce vigorously encouraged the players as he sent them onto the football pitch.
Glossop were clearly surprised by Richie replacing Lyons. From the very little information they had gathered about New Manchester United, Richie and Evra had never partnered before, and now they were being sent out together?
But soon after the second half began, Richie used his speed to find space and sent in a cross. Jonathan's header grazed the crossbar and went out, giving the Glossop players a cold sweat and telling them that his arrival was meant to settle the score!
Unlike the first half, which was mostly a tangle around the center circle, from the start of the second half, both teams threw their forces onto New Manchester United's left flank. Obviously, they also saw that both Richie and Evra were the type of players who were strong in attack but weak in defense.
However, because Carl Makinson had received specific instructions from Bruce, he was always there to cover for the two after they pushed forward, preventing Glossop from tearing open a gap on the left. Even if they broke through once or twice, Gary Turner intercepted them in time and neutralized the threat.
Just as Glossop could not break through New Manchester United's defense, New Manchester United also could not shake off Glossop's defense. The two teams were like needle against needle, perfectly matched.
Richie Wellens' speed was very fast, but his technique was just like most English amateur players, very rough. Once he received the ball, it was hard for him to control it and turn it into a threat, so it was easily disrupted or stolen by the opponent.
Evra ran back and forth time and again, but it was difficult for the ball to be passed to his position from Richie or Smith. Even when they occasionally noticed his run, the passes basically failed to reach Evra's feet.
Without Lyons, the power of Evra's forward surges lost a lot of its impact.
But perhaps because of this, after Evra made several attempts and New Manchester United had wasted nearly twenty minutes, Glossop began to slightly neglect their defense of Evra.
Smith's diagonal pass was late again and was intercepted by the opponent's full-back, who cleared it with a long kick.
Despite running nearly thirty meters for nothing, Evra still gave his teammate a thumbs-up, though he was gasping for air.
In Manchester's humid climate, even breathing was more taxing than usual, let alone constant running.
"Damn it, continuing like this isn't the way!" he thought to himself as he slowly ran back toward the defensive half.
Just then, Makinson tackled the opponent's pass out of bounds, resulting in a throw-in.
"Richie!" Evra called out as he saw Richie coming toward him with no one around.
"What's wrong? Patrice, out of energy?" Richie asked with a bitter smile.
"Continuing like this isn't the way. Even an iron man couldn't hold out."
"Then what do you suggest?" Richie leaned in closer.
Evra leaned over, and the two whispered in each other's ears for a while.
"Will this work?"
"Come on, mate, Coach Cassel also said that when necessary, movement and tactics can be adapted on the fly. We don't have to strictly stick to the training routine, do we?"
Richie hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.
Evra immediately raised his right hand toward Jonathan in the distance, who also raised his hand in response and then clenched his fist. That posture seemed to say, as long as you can cross it, I can smash it into the goal.
In fact, Evra had indeed delivered many good crosses to Jonathan in recent matches.
Glossop's throw-in led to a cross, but it was headed out of the box by Danny Collins, landing at Makinson's feet. He immediately passed it to Smith.
Smith looked up and saw Richie, Jonathan, and David Bell all starting to run forward in the front court, with Evra also running along the left flank.
This is an opportunity! Smith thought.
(To be continued.)