Chapter 234: Blue and ck VS Blue and White VII


    *Fweeeeee*


    {The halftime whistle has been blown, bringing an end to a shocker of a first half}


    {It’s the Europa League Quarter Finals and Inter Mn leads Porto by 3 to nil}


    {I have to say, the scoreline is a bit surprising, isn’t it n?} Giuseppe asked hismentary partner, his voice being broadcast live to the world.


    {Very surprising… Inter Mn hit Porto with three back to back and Porto have been unable to respond}


    {This is a different side to the Porto team that sent Rangers packing just days ago}


    {I’m sure I’m not the only one asking myself this question, “What’s going on out there?”} n responded through the microphone, his voice also being broadcast live to the world.


    {If only I can answer that question, but I’m just as confused as you are} {The Porto head manager has a lot to do if he still has ns for this game, but personally speaking, I think this game is already out of their hands} Giuseppe intoned, his thoughts about Porto’s chances being made clear.


    {I have to disagree with you on that one Giuseppe}


    {This is football and Porto is not a team that is afraid to shock the world, but that depends on a lot of things and everyone has a part to y if that is to happen} n responded, disying a contrary opinion to his partnermentator.


    {If that is going to happen, then just like you said, we’ll have to see a different side of them in the second half, otherwise my opinion stands} Giuseppe said, not agreeing or disagreeing with his partner.


    {Absolutely, Giuseppe, for now, we shall take a fifteen-minute break and will be back for the second half} n said, ending their debate and their discussion all at once.


    As they stopped, the broadcast changed and adverts began showing on every TV broadcasting the match.


    … In the Porto locker room…


    The silence in the room was deafening as the Porto yers filed into the room and sat down with defeated looks on their faces.


    They didn’t even bother with drinking water or cleaning up a bit like they were so used to doing, but rather they just stared into the ground and into the distance withplicated gazes.


    Even Sergio Conceicao didn’t say anything for a full minute as he did not know where to start.


    Sure, his yers hadn’t performed exactly as he wanted and had beencking throughout the match, but it wasn’t like they did so purposely because they knew even more than him how bad it felt to lose in this manner.


    They were trying their utmost best but still ended up being massacred because it just wasn’t their day.


    This made itplicated for Sergio Conceicao as he didn’t know what to say first, but he opened his mouth anyway.


    He had a job to do and if he didn’t do it, an even worse result awaited them if they went back out just like this.


    “Ok guys, we are going to change our formation to the 4-4-2 diamond shape and Otavio will be moving from the right midfield to the center attacking position while Jason wille on for Sergio Oliveira and take the right midfield position,”


    “Luis will still be on the left while Danilo will be in the CDM position, the rest of you guys’ position will stay the same,” he first started by making adjustments to the formation and making the necessary changes.


    “We’ll also be changing from ying a possession-based style of y to a quick counter focused gamey,”


    “When we are with the ball, we pass the ball around and keep them away, don’t avoid passing the ball all the way back to Augustin if we must, the point is to not lose possession,”


    “If a chance appears, I want our wingers ready to burst through on the nks where our opponent is weakest and then cut in,”


    “If a teammate is open in the box, do not hesitate to send the ball to him, but if that isn’t the case and the box is overloaded with their defenders, slow down and wait for Wilson, Telles, or Otavio to arrive just outside the ball and send the ball to them instead,”


    “If they can receive the ball sessfully, I want shots… You shoot on sight, you shoot as soon as you see the goal, you shoot as soon as you find some space, hell you can shoot through them if the space doesn’t appear,”


    “Just make sure that there is always a shot flying at them at every possible moment,” Sergio Conceicao exined while constantly drawing on the board to show his yers a depiction of what he wanted.


    As he exined, he had unintentionally forgotten about their situation for a slight moment and this frame of mind affected the Porto yers who were now listening attentively with serious looks on their faces.


    “When we are not with the ball, I want you guys soaking up the pressure and I want everyone behind the ball but Tiqunho,”


    “Everyone else will stay behind the ball and give our opponents the impression that we are parking the bus,”


    “We’ll also not press them hard, but instead focus on diverting them wide and making sure they can’t stay in the center, and once they’re close enough to our goal, I want you guys tounch a heavy press and get the ball back by all means,”


    “While whoever is near the ball isunching a press and trying to get the ball back, the ones that are too far away from the ball to join in the press should get ready to receive the ball andunch a counterattack as soon as your teammates can retrieve possession,”


    “Everything after that is up to the way their yers are positioned, if they have yers in the middle, you take the ball down the nks and if they have yers on the wings, you go through the center,” Sergio Conceicao continued exining with the aid of all sorts of scribbles he made on the whiteboard.


    “Is that clear? Or do you have any questions?” Sergio Conceicao asked as he paused to take a breath after saying all that at a stretch.


    “Coach… You said that…” Wilson Manafa raised a hand as he asked a question about the game n that Sergio Conceicao answered.


    After that, the Porto head manager continued exining the game n and answering the asional question from his yers.


    In this manner, the halftime break passed by, and the yers soon headed back out to the pitch with more ease and more determination on their faces than when they hade in for the halftime break.


    Throughout the break, nobody had mentioned the fact that they were three goals behind their opponents and that all the tactics they were adjusting were unlikely to have any effect on the grand scale of things.


    Instead, they had simply listened with rapt attention to their manager as he made adjustments to their tactics like he would in any other game and simply went back out with the intention of ying ording to their given roles.


    Almost none of the yers harbored the hope that they could somehow make aeback and equalize or maybe even win, rather they just went back out to the field with the intention of ying football.


    No strings attached.


    If they lost, then they already had iting, and if they somehow made aeback, then wouldn’t that be a surprise?


    It was not exactly what one would call a professional attitude, but at this moment no one could me them if they knew that that was what the Porto yers were thinking.


    Thus the Porto yers marched through the tunnels, met up with the Inter Mn yers, and headed out to the fields with nary a smile on their face.


    There was nothing tough about anyway.


    On getting onto the green, the yers headed to their half of the field which was not the same as the first half since they had switched ces.


    It was Porto who would kick off the second half as Inter Mn had been the ones to kick off the game.


    {The yers are back out, refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready for the second half of this Europa League Quarter Final} Giuseppe’s voice once again boomed through the stadium as the match’s live broadcast was resumed.


    {After a surprising first half, Inter Mn lead Porto 3 to nil, but you don’t win a game at halftime}


    {Inter Mn still have at least forty-five minutes of exciting football to y if they are going to end this game with their lead intact as Porto will be looking to recreate Inter Mn’s first-half performance in a form of their own}


    {Do you think they have made any changes to their tactics in the first half break, n?} Giuseppe threw a question to his partner after giving introductory remarks for the second half.


    {Definitely. I believe that the Porto head manager would have made the appropriate changes to the game tactics, but we wouldn’t know until the second-half whistle is blown}


    {What we can see however is that there is a change in the line-up with Jasoning on for Sergio Oliveira}


    {I don’t know what shape the manager has arranged his team, but I agree with him bringing on the young winger}


    {He has very quick feet and quite the tricky sets of movement that would aid him in getting past the Inter Mn defenders and this should add more versatility to the Porto attack and should help them create more attacking options up front} n gave quite the interactive response to Giuseppe’s question, showing his skill in keeping the fans entertained even as he info dumped his opinion on them.


    {You’re right about that yer n, I hope for Porto’s sake that he can perform at the level required of him}


    {Porto could really use a miracle right about now!} Giuseppe answered back, putting into words all that the Porto fans were thinking as they watched the second half begin with depressed looks on their faces.