Who made him play as a winger/attacking midfielder?

Chapter 21 Breaking the High-Post Defense: A Dazzling Star in the Nanjing Night Sky

Chang Huan replaced Perotti, and although his position appeared to be right winger, he was actually a right attacking midfielder.

Create opportunities through exceptional individual dribbling and ball control skills, one-touch passing, and long passes.

His fried meatballs were made with a seemingly casual yet exquisite touch.

Chinese fans at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center are getting increasingly excited, including many who came for Tottenham and are cheering for Chang Huan.

Once again, Chang Huan effortlessly dribbled past Dier and was brought down. PP Sports commentator Zhan Jun exclaimed, "Liverpool sold Chang Huan for 100 million euros this summer, which was a terrible deal! His footwork was too strong; many times, the only way to stop him was by fouling."

"Beep~"

Ma Ning blew the whistle.

Chang Huan took a free kick from the right flank of the attacking third.

The cross towards the left side of the penalty area landed a little too far back, and Juan Jesus had a hard time reaching for the ball to head it.

The football was slightly higher than the crossbar.

While goalkeeper Lloris was asking the ball from the caddie, Pochettino called Dembele to the sidelines for a private instruction.

In the fervent atmosphere, Tottenham intensified their attack.

Nainggolan and De Rossi led the midfield to provide physicality, while substitute striker Defrel pressed center-back Alderweireld.

Chang Huan and Sharavika passed the ball to both sides.

Tottenham have a knack for dealing with high-pressing defenses, and they are able to complete the ball distribution through the players' coordinated runs.

However, the preseason friendlies were generally a period of finding form, and the accuracy of consecutive passes was inevitably lacking.

The shift from offense to defense.

Roma also panicked when facing Tottenham's high press, making a mistake before the ball even reached Chang Huan's feet.

While their passing accuracy is lacking, they excel in their ability to win the ball back.

Fully implement Di Francisco's tactical ideas.

Possession of the ball changed hands repeatedly, and the fans in the stadium unleashed their passion, creating a frenzied atmosphere for the match.

Against this backdrop, the players were extremely excited.

Intense physical collisions, spectacular sliding tackles...

Chang Huan failed to receive the ball several times during transitions from defense to offense, and he knew he couldn't wait any longer.

Make a decisive deep reconnection.

That's often how football matches are; adding another passing lane can often make a stalemate much easier to break.

Nainggolan held off Alli's pressing and was considering whether to kick the ball forward when he caught a glimpse of a red figure waving his arms, calling for the ball.

He couldn't afford to look up and observe; he just needed to know that these were his teammates!

Dembele, who had been eyeing Lorenzo Pellegrini, paused for a moment when Roma suddenly had an extra point of support.

He only moved forward to meet the ball after it was passed to him.

Just then.

Chang Huan, with his back to the attacking direction, directly passed the ball to Lorenzo Pellegrini on the left.

"Oops!"

Dembele realized the situation was bad, but there was nothing he could do.

A person's movement speed can never match the speed of a football.

Chang Huan turned and controlled the ball, then dribbled past Lorenzo Pellegrini as he passed it to him.

Trippier hastily covered for Alderweireld, who also moved to the right to prepare for a defensive backup.

Chang Huan, having adjusted his footwork, swung his left foot about 35 meters from the baseline on the left flank.

A long diagonal pass sent towards the middle of the penalty area!

The live broadcast director switched camera angles according to the flight path of the football.

A red figure traversed the edge of the penalty area, using his chest to stop the ball, which was falling towards him, on the left side of the penalty area, and then adjusted his footwork accordingly.

CCTV-5 commentator Shao Shengyi shouted loudly, "El Shaarawy!"

Goalkeeper Lloris rushed out of his goal to intercept the ball!

Vertonghen's sliding tackle, two body lengths behind, had no effect. El Shaarawy unleashed a high-quality reverse shot with his left foot from the left side of the penalty area.

Lloris instinctively slammed on the brakes, but before his outstretched hand could fully extend to the left, the rapidly rolling football beat him to the ball, grazing the inside of the far post, crossing the goal line, and nestling into the snow-white net…

"pretty!"

"Chang Huan assists El Shaarawy to put Roma ahead 2-1!"

PP Sports commentator Zhan Jun was deeply moved.

The Roma fans at the scene unleashed their passion, while the Tottenham Chinese fans who hoped Chang Huan would perform well also gave him a round of applause.

Chang Huan deserves at least half the credit for El Shaarawy's brilliant goal!

After showing the Roma players celebrating their goal, the broadcast, as is customary, switched to the key player from the team that conceded the goal.

Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Vertonghen, Trippier, etc...

The Tottenham players could not hide their disappointment.

Pochettino couldn't help but look at Chang Huan, who was wearing the number 99 jersey.

Roma took the lead, and Chang Huan deserves the most credit for that.

He drew the defense's attention with a deep pass and immediately connected with his teammate to break through the high post defense.

The turn and catch were executed flawlessly, demonstrating a very solid foundation in the game.

The decisive diagonal long pass was accurate and perfectly timed.

This demonstrates a broad perspective, outstanding reading and competition skills, and decision-making abilities.

Trailing in the score, Tottenham are determined to intensify their attack in an attempt to equalize.

Son Heung-min is working very hard, seemingly wanting to prove something on Chinese soil.

Roma gave him one chance to score; they couldn't afford to give him a second.

By increasing restrictions on passing players, Tottenham's attacking quality has dropped significantly, with passes becoming more lateral and back passes.

Eager to equalize, Tottenham players were more focused on defense and didn't give Roma any decent chances.

Both sides had their chances of attacking and defending, and five minutes passed quickly.

When the ball went dead, Di Francesco walked to the technical area and gestured to the players to make a tactical adjustment.

Chang Huan switched positions with El Shaarawy, changing from the dominant winger to the non-dominant winger.

El Shaarawy is naturally good at cutting inside, and he's more comfortable playing on the left wing than on the right.

However, Chang Huan was used to kicking with his right foot, so he was somewhat unaccustomed to receiving the ball on the right flank or right side.

Just like in the previous match against Lyon at the Singapore National Stadium, his performance was limited under tight marking.

However, he is very intelligent.

Knowing what it means to do what one is capable of.

I won't blindly do things beyond my capabilities.

Despite the initial awkwardness, as the number of attacks increased, I gradually found my rhythm.

Compared to the dominant foot, the inverted foot poses a greater threat to the goal when receiving the ball on the right flank.

Although their long-range shooting ability is very low and their shooting power is just barely passing, ... the Tottenham players don't know that.

Roma launched an attack from their own half. Florenzi passed the ball to the right flank, adjusted his footing, and used the instep of his right foot to send the ball forward.

Son Heung-min and Ben Davis accelerated according to the passing route, quickly forming a pressing and tackling pattern with Chang Huan who received the ball.

Chang Huan remained calm and composed. He gently stopped the ball back with the instep of his right foot, paused briefly, and then quickly raised his left foot to touch the ball, forcefully pushing it forward with the instep.

He easily broke through the double-team of Son Heung-min and Ben Davis by using a deep-fried dumpling-like motion.

Chinese fans at the Jinling Olympic Sports Center instinctively let out a loud cheer.

"pretty!!"

As soon as CCTV-5 commentator Shao Shengyi finished speaking, Son Heung-min, standing to the side and behind, raised his right foot and thrust it forward, his toes landing squarely on the instep of Chang Huan's left foot, which was trailing behind.

Chang Huan, who was leaning forward, fell to the ground.

"Beep~"

Referee Ma Ning then blew his whistle, awarding Roma a direct free kick on the right side of the attacking third.

Son Heung-min, who committed the foul, looked completely innocent, clasping his hands together as if he were diving forward.

"Phew phew phew—"

Chinese fans in the stands already thought Son Heung-min's foul was normal, and when they saw him mocking Chang Huan's diving, many fans couldn't help but boo loudly.

"Damn you, Deadwood Shota! You want to ruin our genius, huh?"

"What are you pretending for, you little brat?"

"Diving! Your whole family is diving!"

Many fans even started cursing in anger.

Ma Ning is known for his sharp eyes, and said he saw it very clearly.

The slow-motion replay also proved that this famous Chinese Super League referee had excellent judgment.

Chang Huan took a free kick with his left foot, attacking down the right flank.

The ball landed a bit too deep, and was caught by the onrushing goalkeeper, Lloris.

Tottenham launched a counter-attack immediately with a throw-in.

Harry Kane received the ball, made a slight adjustment, and delivered a long, forward-angled through ball to the left.

Chang Huan was not as fast as Son Heung-min, who had previously formed the human wall, and his position was quickly widened.

Florenzi, who was covering, was experienced and made a physical challenge on the right. Chang Huan took the opportunity to make a sliding tackle from the side and intercepted the ball.

"In an era where regional boundaries are becoming increasingly blurred, Chang Huan contributes on both offense and defense. Which coach wouldn't like that?"

PP Sports commentator Zhan Jundao.

Son Heung-min turned to look at the referee, hoping for a penalty to be called.

Ma Ning made a firm ruling, stating that there was no foul on the ball.

Commentator Zhang chuckled and said, "Diligent players will always be valued!"