Manchester United thought that Stoke City would play a defensive counterattack, but they still didn't expect that Stoke City would completely put down their bottom and set up an iron bucket formation, and it was an airtight one.

In fact, for a team like Stoke City, there is no face in front of Manchester United, reaching the FA Cup final for the first time in a century, and the desire for the title is even stronger than Manchester United.

However, Pulis also understands that the gap between them and Manchester United is too far away, and it is almost impossible to win, and the only hope is to drag it out until the penalty shootout, so after the semi-finals, he is ready to set up a bucket formation and practice for a long time.

Stoke City's relegation in recent seasons has relied on defense, and now after more than a month of polishing, the iron bucket formation has been built very perfectly, and even if Manchester United bombards indiscriminately, it is impossible to penetrate Stoke City's defense.

Ferguson's face showed a solemn look, after Stoke City reached the final, although he repeatedly emphasized not to underestimate the enemy, but he also felt that the FA Cup championship was stable, but now it seems that it is not so easy to gnaw on the hard bone of Stoke City.

If you can't break through the door of Stoke City in 120 minutes, you have to shoot a penalty shootout, and if you really hit a penalty shootout, it has nothing to do with strength, just who has better luck.

Ferguson is absolutely unacceptable to play a penalty shoot-out with Stoke City, Manchester United must score as soon as possible, the later the goal, the more confident the opponent will be, and the more difficult it will be to play.

"Long shots!

Ferguson came to the sidelines and shouted to Gao Xiaodong and Scholes.

In fact, Ferguson didn't shout, Gao Xiaodong and Scholes had already begun to shoot from a distance, but without the manager's orders, they couldn't shoot casually.

Gao Xiaodong's long-range shot is Manchester United's killer weapon, and many deadlocks this season have been opened up by Gao Xiaodong's long-range shot.

In fact, Scholes also has a good long-range shooting ability, and in the year he won the championship in 08, it was his long-range shot that eliminated Barcelona.

But Scholes is now three years older, less explosive, less long-range shots, and more playmaking.

Now that Ferguson has given the order, not only Gao Xiaodong will hit when he has the opportunity, but Scholes has also begun to look for opportunities to shoot.

Gao Xiaodong's long-range shot is Manchester United's killer move, and Stoke City will certainly not be unguarded, but Pulis did not mark Gao Xiaodong, but only blocked and harassed Gao Xiaodong when he got the ball.

This kind of defense has little impact on Gao Xiaodong, the main thing that affects the quality of Gao Xiaodong's shots is Stoke City's iron bucket formation, there are too many people inside and outside the penalty area, and Stoke City's players are tall, Gao Xiaodong is difficult to find space to shoot, and most of the long shots after the opening hit the players and bounced out.

If Gao Xiaodong's shot is threatening, Stoke City's defensive circle must be expanded outward, Gao Xiaodong hit the player several times, and did not even give Stoke City goalkeeper Sorensen a chance to save, Stoke City continued to shrink and open his mind to let Manchester United attack.

Gao Xiaodong and Scholes took turns to shoot a few shots, but found that the effect was not good, and wasted the opportunity to attack, Scholes said to Gao Xiaodong: "Xiaodong! ”

Stoke City cowered in his 30-meter area, and no one forced him, and Gao Xiaodong and Scholes could even talk and chat.

Gao Xiaodong nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go down the side." ”

Scholes said: "Okay, try to make more crosses. ”

In fact, at the beginning of the game, Manchester United passed many times on both sides, but the players of Stoke City were tall and big, and the cross effect was not good, and then it should be a strong penetration, which was not good, and then shot from a distance, to see that it still had no effect, and had to continue to cross.

After Gao Xiaodong pulled to the wing, Rafael dragged behind to prevent Stoke from counterattacking, and Gao Xiaodong and Valencia attacked from the right.

Valencia is characterized by speed, but lack of technical refinement, lack of ability to break through in small spaces, Rafael and Valencia have similar characteristics, so against Stoke City's iron bucket formation, Manchester United's right side has done little.

But Gao Xiaodong is different from Rafael, he has skills and body, and has a strong one-on-one breakthrough ability, Gao Xiaodong faces a lot of defenders in the middle, and the ability to break through can't be played, but there are few defenders on the side, left back Wilson can't deal with Gao Xiaodong, and left forward Etherington has to come over to help defend, so that Valencia has the opportunity to cross the bottom.

Although Valencia's ability to cross under the bottom is average, but Stoke City's left side was penetrated, and he made many crosses in a row, and also passed a few good balls, but Stoke City's defensive efforts were really very good, Valencia's crosses were almost all cleared by defenders, Rooney and Hernandez occasionally got one or two shots, and they were not able to form much of a threat under the interference of the opponent.

Gao Xiaodong was a little dissatisfied with Valencia's cross, because the kid's cross did not change at all, "Valencia!

Listening to Gao Xiaodong's shout, the next time he crossed, Valencia passed a ball on the ground, but the ball was kicked out by the defender before it reached the small penalty area.

Valencia then passed the ball and was cleared again.

Gao Xiaodong was speechless about Valencia, this kid is too upright, he is not flexible in being a man and playing football, he didn't bother to shout Valencia anymore, so he simply broke through the cross to the bottom line.

Don't look at Valencia's bottom cross is very easy, that is Gao Xiaodong to do the involvement, almost attracting a half-person defense, Valencia does not have this ability, Gao Xiaodong needs to break through a person's defense and then cross, the effect is not better than Valencia.

After more than 30 minutes of play, Manchester United had almost 80 percent possession and 20 shots on goal, while Stoke City had not yet had a single shot on goal, but only four of Manchester United's 20 shots were within the frame of the goal, and there was not a single chance to score.

Ferguson frowned on the sidelines, unsure of how to crack Stoke City's bucket formation.

Long shots, set-pieces, crosses, breakaways...... Manchester United have exhausted all the tricks, but they just can't break through the door of Stoke City, and now it is only ten minutes before the end of the first half, and if there is no change, it will be difficult to find the goal in the first half.

Seeing the two central defenders Ferdinand and Vidic doing nothing near the center circle, Ferguson's eyes suddenly lit up, and he thought to himself, since Stoke City had even given up attacking, what was the point of keeping two central defenders in the back, so he simply pushed to the penalty area and used it as a striker.

Much of the reason why the previous cross didn't work was because United lacked a high school striker, with Wayne Rooney and Hernandez being too short to head the ball, and it might have worked wonders if Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic had been in the box.

Ferguson was more cautious, calling Nemanja Vidic over first and letting him head into the box, leaving Rio Ferdinand behind.