Chapter 152: We Have Ronaldo Too
The packed schedule was once again right in front of them. Aside from the 46 rounds of the First Division, the heavy workload from domestic cup competitions meant Swansea had to rotate sensibly.
The only thing giving Lynn a real headache was that he had no choice but to keep relying on Pedretti. This was the aftereffect of failing to sign Thomas Hitzlsperger in the summer.
On October 7, the second round of the Football League Trophy kicked off at the Liberty Stadium.
Defending champions Swansea welcomed the challenge of Third Division side Rochdale at home.
Dressed in a suit and leather shoes, Lynn walked into the Liberty Stadium and stood on the touchline. Today, he was fielding a very young team, so he had to supervise the match with a strict attitude.
The fans in the stands did not see many regular starters on the pitch, but they still supported the team with passionate energy.
When the starting players from both sides entered the field, Lynn looked at his disciples with eyes full of expectation and encouragement.
Goalkeeper: Glendor.
Defenders: Balitsch, Gabbidon, Albutches, Evra.
Midfielders: Pedretti, Poulsen, Kalunbel.
Forwards: Nelson, Badenberg, Cristiano Ronaldo.
After Swansea set up this young yet unfamiliar 4-3-3 formation, Rochdale approached the away match cautiously.
Once the match began, Swansea first built their defensive fence properly. Amid the cheers of the fans, this young team performed with great composure.
Albutches in particular had played poorly in the league three days ago, yet he had still been given a starting place today. Deep down, he was very grateful to Lynn, and he firmly told himself that he had to repay the manager's trust with an excellent performance.
After the first ten minutes passed, Swansea had roughly figured out the opponent's attacking and defensive posture, as well as their attacking habits. Once they confirmed there were no obvious flaws in their own defensive line, they began actively brewing and organizing attacks.
Lynn's tactical focus today was to defend well. The double pivot of Pedretti and Poulsen would ensure Rochdale found it almost impossible to move through midfield, while the attack mainly relied on the front four.
Horatio Nelson, Kalunbel, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Robert Badenberg as the lone striker.
After switching to right winger this season, Horatio Nelson had gradually found his rhythm. On the pitch, he relied on his polished left-footed technique to cut inside repeatedly, and his ability to create chances was growing stronger by the day. Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, still leaned slightly toward an "I'll do what I want because I'm happy" style on the left.
The Swans fans in the stands frequently applauded Horatio Nelson's brilliant inside cuts from the right. Cristiano Ronaldo also received some applause on the left. The occasional crosses he delivered were eye-catching too, especially his rabona crosses, which left many Swans supporters amazed.
Kalunbel's ability to organize play and create chances in the final third was also becoming increasingly prominent.
In the 32nd minute, Kalunbel dribbled past one of Rochdale's central midfielders in the front field, then distributed the ball to the right flank.
Horatio Nelson immediately cut inside. With his left foot, he controlled the ball and carried it inward in one smooth movement. After drawing the opponent's defensive midfielder into pressing him, he poked the ball to Kalunbel, who was charging forward, while Nelson himself sprinted straight into the penalty area.
Kalunbel wasted no time and slipped a diagonal pass into the empty channel in the box.
Nelson directly beat the offside trap and broke through Rochdale's entire defensive line. Then, near the edge of the six-yard box, he squared the ball across the middle.
The extremely quick Robert Badenberg rushed forward and lashed the ball into Rochdale's goal with ease!
"Swansea's little swans are dancing across the green pitch once again!"
Lynn kept applauding on the touchline. This attacking move from the team had been wonderful.
Kalunbel's threading pass, Nelson's inside cut, and his unselfishness were all performances that made the eyes light up.
After scoring, Badenberg rushed toward the edge of the stands and spread his arms, embracing the fans.
As he continued to score a respectable number of goals within limited substitute minutes, the fans had also begun to recognize his value in Swansea's squad and called him the super-sub!
After contributing a goal worth gold in the previous league match to help Swansea take a draw, Badenberg continued scoring today. He looked full of spirit, laughing wildly on the pitch, running with passion, and roaring without restraint!
After Swansea took the lead, Cristiano Ronaldo seemed eager to show himself on the left, which made him display his footwork even more than before.
In the 37th minute, he used consecutive stepovers to shake off Rochdale's wide defender before changing direction and breaking forward. His performance of beating two players in a row stirred up the Swans fans.
But at the edge of the penalty area, he dribbled into a dead end. In the end, he was forced to cross, but the delivery was overhit and flew straight beyond the penalty area on the other side. In front of goal, Badenberg gave Cristiano Ronaldo a completely baffled look.
Lynn watched from the touchline and kept shaking his head.
Cristiano Ronaldo had already started or come off the bench for Swansea more than fifteen times. As for his performances, they were good and bad by turns.
When he pulled off his tricks and produced a good result, he stunned everyone. When he messed it up, he still received applause and encouragement, but it did nothing for the team overall. Clearly, the latter was happening more often.
Lynn believed it was time to take the initiative and polish Cristiano Ronaldo's edges.
In the 42nd minute, Rochdale suddenly launched a strong wave of attack, seemingly wanting to catch Swansea off guard.
Seeing six opposition players rush past the halfway line and combine in the front field, Swansea's defensive line was clearly short on the flanks. Evra and Balitsch had both pushed forward moments earlier, and their recovery speed was slightly slow.
At this dangerous moment, Poulsen sat in the central area in front of the box, acting as a shield and forcing Rochdale to pass the ball out wide.
Pedretti, meanwhile, had already prepared for the opponent's pass and rushed toward the flank. When Rochdale's wide player controlled the ball and dribbled two steps toward the byline, Pedretti charged out from the diagonal rear and cleanly won the ball from in front of him with a sliding tackle!
When Lynn saw this from the touchline, he clenched his fist and roared.
"Brilliant! Benoît, well done! That's my good boy!"
Pedretti's tackle caused the opponent to stumble and fall, but the referee did not blow the whistle.
As the fans in the stands applauded Pedretti, Pedretti stood up with a face as calm as still water, controlled the ball, dribbled one step forward, and played a direct pass to Evra, who had turned and was running forward again.
Evra did not hold onto the ball for too long. Although Cristiano Ronaldo was also making a run ahead, he saw that the middle and the opposite flank had even more space!
So he decisively sent a diagonal pass to Kalunbel in the central attacking area.
As Kalunbel ran over to receive the pass, one of Rochdale's center-backs had already stepped up, trying to tackle him from behind.
Kalunbel met the ball and knocked it sideways against the direction of his run, stopped sharply, and turned, leaving the defender charging from behind to rush into empty air!
A beautiful escape.
After turning around, Kalunbel observed Rochdale's defensive line ahead of him.
There were chances everywhere!
The remaining center-back could only focus on marking striker Badenberg.
Kalunbel slipped the ball diagonally forward.
Horatio Nelson, cutting inside, sprinted into the penalty area at high speed with a huge amount of open space in front of him!
After entering the box, he pushed the ball forward with his left foot in stride and directly created a one-on-one chance.
Before the goalkeeper could come out, he shot low with his left foot. With the Rochdale goalkeeper unable to react at all, the ball rolled into the far corner.
"Swansea's whirlwind counterattack appears once more at the Liberty Stadium! A youth storm flashes through and destroys Rochdale!
"Swansea are truly full of hidden talent right now!
"Look at the young lads on the pitch. Every one of them has a special skill.
"Pedretti's interception was a textbook example. Kalunbel's first touch and turn showed a different kind of flair. After being transformed by Lynn this season, Horatio Nelson has unleashed unbelievable power!
"No wonder Lynn is loved and supported so much by Swansea fans. He has the magic touch to turn stone into gold!"
Nelson's face filled with surprise and joy as he sprinted around the pitch. He had not expected to score today. He had only wanted to do his job well, and the goal had come so suddenly!
In the end, he ran to the home dugout and hugged ball-control coach Guy Fawkes and tactical coach Eric Morecambe, one on each side.
During his transformation this season, both in team training and in his individual specialized training, the focused guidance from these two coaches had been indispensable.
As the manager, Lynn controlled the overall situation. It was impossible for him to personally handle every detail of each player's technical characteristics and individual attacking habits. Otherwise, what was the point of having so many coaches in the coaching staff? Were they just there to blow whistles and shout start and stop?
The first half ended.
Swansea entered the dressing room with a 2–0 lead.
The fans were happy, the coaches were happy, and the players were basically happy too. But Cristiano Ronaldo was gloomy.
When he sat in the corner of the dressing room with a depressed expression, Lynn walked over and sat beside him.
"Cristiano, what are you troubled about?"
Lynn asked softly.
Cristiano Ronaldo turned his head and glanced at Lynn, then silently shook his head.
Lynn continued in a low voice, "I know what's bothering you. You think your technical ability is stronger than everyone else's, and your performance has also been good. But everyone else has scored while you haven't, right?"
Cristiano Ronaldo turned to look at Lynn again. This time, he stared at him without looking away, his eyes full of confusion.
It seemed as if he was asking Lynn: how do you know?
It also seemed as if he was saying: what should I do?
Lynn gently wrapped an arm around his shoulders and said quietly, "I've always encouraged you to express yourself. That way, your talent won't be suppressed. But you still need someone to tell you how to become better, how to combine your talent with your strength.
"You have too many strengths!
"You're fast, your technique is good, you have many ways to beat a man, your movement is flexible, and you also have a certain level of physicality.
"Maybe precisely because you have too many strengths, you always want to show all of them in one match, one possession, one dribble—to destroy the opponent, please the crowd, and prove your own value.
"Sometimes, that actually makes you inefficient.
"Listen to me. In the second half, try simply using two of your strengths. First, your speed and explosiveness. Second, your sharp stops and changes of direction when dribbling. Don't try other ways of beating players. Your target is to score yourself or assist your teammates. It's that simple!"
Cristiano Ronaldo gazed into Lynn's calm, confident eyes, just like when he had looked up at Lynn at home when he was fifteen. Back then, Lynn had been just as full of confidence. Otherwise, he would never have appeared at his house with a massive contract.
He nodded hard, and his eyes became especially firm.
Lynn let go of his shoulder, patted it with one hand, and said, "Good. Think for yourself about how you should perform in the second half. Remember what I said. There's no harm in trying. Your road is still long. Don't be afraid to change, and don't refuse to listen to advice. In the second half, I'm looking forward to your performance making the Liberty Stadium erupt with screams loud enough to burst eardrums."
Cristiano Ronaldo could not help smiling. He gave Lynn a thumbs-up, and Lynn shook his head with a laugh before getting up and leaving.
Lynn then spoke to all the players, encouraging everyone to keep pushing in the second half.
When dealing with young players, Lynn always encouraged them to break through their limits.
Do not be satisfied with the result in front of you. So what if they were two goals ahead?
Just treat it as if they were two goals behind!
Keep fighting, keep competing, keep breaking through!
In the second half, Swansea returned to the pitch full of energy.
The two sides changed ends and resumed the battle.
Rochdale had suffered badly on their left side in the first half, where Horatio Nelson's impact had hurt them. In the second half, they became more alert in defending that side and increased the number of defenders there.
This, in turn, gave Cristiano Ronaldo a more relaxed attacking environment on his side.
In the 52nd minute, Cristiano Ronaldo received Poulsen's diagonal midfield pass on the left. After taking the ball, he directly knocked it inside against the opposing full-back. His speed and explosiveness showed their power.
With a change of direction and acceleration, he went straight past the opponent. After accelerating with the ball, he actually charged into the penalty area and created a one-on-one chance!
Cristiano Ronaldo was thrilled. Even he had not expected to create a shooting chance so simply.
He shot without the slightest hesitation!
Bang!
His shot struck the post and bounced back out.
The Swans fans in the stands felt regret for Cristiano Ronaldo, while Cristiano Ronaldo immediately showed an unhappy expression.
But it did not matter. Five minutes later, after Kalunbel and Poulsen played consecutive wall passes through the middle and reached the edge of the penalty area, Kalunbel drew Rochdale's defensive midfielder toward him, then slipped a diagonal pass into the empty area just left of the box.
Cristiano Ronaldo shaped as if he was cutting inside. After receiving the ball, however, he suddenly stopped, causing the covering center-back to rush into empty space and happen to pass right across his path.
Cristiano Ronaldo accelerated again and carried the ball into the penalty area. This time, facing the goalkeeper, he did not choose a violent blast. Instead, he calmly shot low toward the near corner.
The moment the ball darted past the goalkeeper's outstretched palm and into the net, Cristiano Ronaldo jumped up happily and roared at the top of his lungs!
The fans in the Liberty Stadium stands cheered and leapt with joy, happily singing together.
"We have Ronaldo too! We have Ronaldo too!"
Standing on the touchline with his hands on his waist, Lynn raised his chin slightly, smiling with proud confidence!