svetikya Chapter 84 What kind of strange move is this?
Chapter 84 What kind of strange move is this?
This scene was indeed unexpected.
Wearing the number 10 jersey, Alonso is widely regarded as the best passer in Everton's squad.
But how come the ball went directly out of bounds when the kickoff was started?
This mistake is just too outrageous!
That's completely beneath his standards!
What's even more absurd is that there wasn't a single Everton player available to receive the pass in that position.
After the kickoff, Drogba, Ronaldo, and Rooney all stood still and did not rush into Arsenal's half.
Then Alonso's "pass" flew diagonally to the left side of Arsenal's backfield and went out of bounds.
This is more like a way to get out of a tight spot!
Did they resolve the situation right from the start?
This left everyone completely baffled.
Huang Jianxiang was speechless for a moment, and after a brief pause, he was full of doubt:
"What kind of tactic is this? Deliberately giving up possession at the start? Impossible! I've never seen anything like it! Wasting possession and giving the opponent a throw-in opportunity—this completely defies conventional tactical logic!"
The fans in the stands were also bewildered, and murmurs rose and fell among them.
In previous matches, Ye Xian placed great importance on the tactical design at the start of the game, and would even use the opening kick as an opportunity to launch an attack.
But to hand over possession of the ball so easily is truly baffling.
"Maybe it really was Alonso's mistake... Did he not sleep well last night?" Fans could only think of another, less far-fetched direction.
Meanwhile, Wenger, standing on the sidelines, showed obvious confusion on his refined face.
He crossed his arms, his brows furrowed, and stared intently at the arena.
He has been a coach for nearly twenty years and has seen countless opening routines.
But he had never seen a tactic where the ball was deliberately kicked out of bounds or the player deliberately interrupted their own offensive rhythm.
Confused, puzzled, and unfathomable.
But was this really a meaningless mistake?
Wenger subconsciously felt that neither Ye Xian nor Alonso were likely to make such a basic mistake.
But he really didn't understand—until ten seconds later.
Just as Ljungberg was about to calmly throw the ball out of bounds in the attacking third, the entire Everton squad suddenly erupted!
Everyone pressed forward.
Next to every Arsenal player ready to receive the ball, there was an Everton player closely marking them, ready to intercept.
That's right.
This is a new tactic that Luis Enrique has been frequently employing at Paris Saint-Germain since 2025.
Traditionally, players kick the ball long to find a focal point in the attacking third. However, Enrique deliberately kicked the ball out of bounds, which seemed like a voluntary transfer of possession, but in reality, it was an opportunity to push the entire team's defensive formation forward.
In this way, Paris Saint-Germain was able to launch a high press directly in the opponent's half, pushing the pressing line to the front and completely disrupting the rhythm of the opponent's backfield passing and control system.
Paris Saint-Germain used this tactic successfully in the semi-final against Bayern Munich and the final against Arsenal in the 2025-2026 season.
Influenced by this Champions League champion team, several teams also adopted this opening tactic in the upcoming 2026 World Cup.
Today, Ye Xian simply copied this tactic.
Of course, he had his own considerations.
If you try to compete head-to-head with Arsenal on foot, you obviously can't win.
In a normal live ball situation, Arsenal's passing and control are extremely fast, and they can flexibly change formations and make runs at any time, making it difficult for the defending side to accurately match up.
However, after deliberately kicking the ball out of bounds, the rhythm of the game was forcibly stopped. All of Arsenal's players' running momentum, passing rhythm, and attacking coordination were disrupted, and they could only stand still and reorganize.
During this precious pause, Everton players were able to perfectly execute their tactical positioning, with everyone firmly in their defensive formation, each player accurately locking onto their assigned opponent, creating a tight and flawless defensive line.
Arsenal players were also facing this situation for the first time and seemed a bit at a loss – of course, this was a tactic from more than 20 years in the future, and they had never seen it before!
As for why it was kicked out of bounds instead of the baseline or something like that?
This is because the ball in the backfield is a highly unstable form of possession in modern football.
The receiving player often needs to receive the ball with their back to the goal or handle it hastily, which easily leads to passing errors or being forced to pass back to clear the ball.
Enrique capitalized on the psychological and technical pressure of this phase, forcing the opponent into a cycle of passive clearances from the outset, while Paris's attacking players seized the opportunity to intercept the ball.
The same is true now.
Seeing that all his teammates' receiving points had been shut down, Ljungberg hesitated for a long time before finally throwing the ball.
It was thrown to Vieira, who came over to catch it.
He was the strongest and looked the most stable.
But the instant the ball flew out, two Everton players rushed forward.
Li Tie and Gravesen.
Gravesen used his body to firmly block Vieira, deflecting the opponent from the most comfortable path to get the ball.
Li Tie, on the other hand, is a quick and agile attacker.
Possession has returned to Everton!
But this time, it was completely different from the kickoff.
At kickoff, all Arsenal players were in their own half, while Everton players were on the other side.
At this point, attempting to break through directly through coordinated attacks would be extremely difficult.
But now, every Everton player has penetrated Arsenal's half and is well-prepared!
The instant Li Tie won the ball, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney, and others who were defending against Arsenal players on the other end started to accelerate with nitro boost!
As usual, Li Tie passed the ball to Alonso, who was running close to receive it. Without hesitation, Alonso made a low, through pass that instantly pierced through Arsenal's entire disorganized defense!
Cristiano Ronaldo surged forward like lightning, perfectly receiving the ball and bursting into the penalty area!
Facing the onrushing goalkeeper Seaman, the 17-year-old Portuguese boy calmly slotted the ball into the far corner!
Goal!
In the first minute of the match, Everton scored an early goal!
1: 0!
Goodison Park stadium exploded instantly!
The cheers pierced the sky, the sea of blue people surged wildly, and tens of thousands of fans stood up, roaring, clapping, and jumping. The deafening sound swept through the entire stadium!
The Everton players on the field all rushed towards the coaching bench and celebrated wildly.
Everyone knew that this goal was the perfect result of Ye Xian's bizarre tactic.
During the tactical preparation meeting, when Ye Xian told Alonso to kick off, he deliberately kicked the ball out of bounds, everyone thought they had misheard.
It was only after Ye Xian patiently explained that I could barely understand.
But it was still too ahead of its time! Everyone was skeptical.
Until today, when this tactic was actually implemented and achieved remarkable results, everyone was truly convinced!
"Boss, you're amazing! You even came up with such a bizarre idea!" Cristiano Ronaldo rushed over and hugged Ye Xian tightly.
Ye Xian tried his best to remain calm:
"Everyone needs to be careful. Arsenal is a very strong team, and Wenger is very clever. This tactic might only work once; it won't work against them again. Focus on defense first!"
At this moment, the broadcast camera focused on Wenger again.
The professor's face was now filled with confusion...