Chapter 115: Fear of Insufficient Firepower

Chapter 115: Fear of Insufficient Firepower

Guidolin nodded in satisfaction after hearing Bruno's analysis. He took the conversation further, explaining to the whole team, "Some of you might be thinking: since we're already leading by three goals, why keep attacking? What if Benfica, who are desperate to attack, scores against us? That would complicate things. So, maybe we should just defend... I believe some of you might think this way during the second half, and perhaps even now."

Some players looked slightly uneasy—they were exactly the ones harboring such thoughts. It was a normal reaction; Benfica only had 45 minutes left, needing to score four goals against Udinese while maintaining a solid defense, a scenario few could believe possible. Such turnarounds are rare, especially in such crucial matches. So, rather than playing an open game against Benfica and allowing them to exploit spaces, retreating into a defensive stance seemed appealing.

"But that's not acceptable," Guidolin continued. "Why? Haven't you seen Benfica in the first half? Underestimating a team with no other options but to attack is a huge mistake. Benfica's downfall in the first half was underestimating our resolve. Are we going to make the same mistake in the second half?"

"No! That's why we continue to attack in the second half! Let's engage Benfica head-on. It doesn't matter if they score, as long as we keep scoring, victory will be ours."

"Right now, we lead by three goals. They need to score four to eliminate us. But if we extend our lead to four goals, then they will need to score five!"

"Attacking is the only appropriate strategy at this time."

Guidolin then turned to the tactical board and wrote a large "ATTACK" on it.

Facing a case of "insufficient firepower phobia," Bruno inwardly sighed but understood the sentiment. He remembered the times he watched Manchester United struggle, annoyed by having only one "target man" at the goal. Now, to think that Udinese had four "target men" at the goalkeeper position, it felt utterly hopeless!

——————

Meanwhile, in the home team locker room at Estádio da Luz, Jorge Jesus was also making plans for the second half. "I admit, I've been too conservative in this game," he confessed to his players, apologizing though his tactical choices in the first half weren't entirely flawed. To boost morale, he needed to take responsibility.

Blaming the players was useless and could even backfire, causing them to become disillusioned with their coach. "We should have been more assertive, not just hoping to defend for ninety minutes and then strike back with one counterattack."

"But it's not too late. If Udinese could come from behind with two goals in the second half of the first leg, why can't we?"

"So, we attack in the second half! Attack!! Keep attacking!!!"

"Remember, apart from attacking, we have no other way to advance to the semi-finals!"

Jorge Jesus clenched his fists and instructed his players, "Push the formation forward, full-backs need to assist aggressively... and most importantly, we must press them in the front, especially Udinese's number 18!"

"The wet field will make his ball handling harder; press him closely in the second half."

"Remember, it's not just André's job; everyone close to him must press."

"Press across the whole field, don't spare your energy, you've got nothing left to save!"

"Create pressure in their half; as soon as we intercept the ball, counterattack. Don't miss such opportunities."

"Be bold in attacking; don't worry about conceding more goals."

Jesus then wrote "ATTACK" on the tactical board, circled it vigorously, and punctuated the circle with emphatic jabs.

——————

As fans returned to the stands, they looked up at the sky; the rain was still falling, with no signs of stopping. Under the floodlights of the stadium, the bright lines of rain were clearly visible.

Although covered with raincoats, everyone's movements had soaked many parts of their clothes. Yet, nobody cared about this; they were all looking forward to the start of the second half.

The second half would surely see Benfica strike back; not to do so would be uncharacteristic of them. The key was how Udinese would respond—whether they would pull back and focus on defense with their substantial lead.

This was possible since a three-goal lead was generally considered secure, and most teams would opt for a more cautious approach.

Regarding whether Udinese defending would be good or bad for Benfica, there was a lot of disagreement among the fans, who discussed this while waiting for the players to re-enter the field.

Some argued that if Udinese defended, it would reduce the pressure on Benfica's defense, allowing them to push forward more aggressively and create more shooting opportunities. More shots would naturally lead to more goals.

Others felt that if Udinese focused solely on defense, Benfica would face a tightly packed "hedgehog," difficult to penetrate—a dense defense is a global dilemma.

Time flew amidst the discussions, debates, and arguments.

Soon, the fans in the stands saw the players from both teams re-emerging from the tunnel.

All discussions ceased as Benfica fans cheered for their players, and Udinese fans cheered for their team.

Neutral fans either kept quiet or shouted the names of the players they were interested in, like "Bruno! Bruno! Bruno!!"

——————

After changing into a dry jersey for the second half, Bruno quickly got soaked again as he assessed the condition of the pitch—more slippery than before.

He knew if Benfica intended to counter, they would strengthen their defense against him because as Udinese's playmaker, not restraining him would only create more opportunities for him.

And Bruno had no doubts about Benfica's resolve to rally in the second half, given Udinese had set a great example in their first encounter.

If Udinese could recover from a deficit with two goals, why couldn't Benfica make a comeback?

Was there a definitive way to solve this? Yes, by continuing to score, completely crushing Benfica's hopes of advancing.

Coach Guidolin was right; they needed to keep attacking in the second half.

"It seems that a fear of insufficient firepower isn't entirely a bad thing," Bruno thought, amused.

——————

As the game resumed, Benfica used their kickoff to launch the first wave of attacks towards Udinese's goal.

Udinese took a defensive stance, but Bruno instructed Di Natale and Muriel not to drop back into defense; they needed to stay forward, pinning back Benfica's defenders.

If Udinese's offensive players fully retreated, Benfica's players would press even higher, increasing the defensive pressure on Udinese.

Benfica's attack ended with Cardoso shooting over the goal, eliciting merciless boos from Udinese fans while Benfica's applauded Cardoso for his attempt—more out of encouragement for the attacking effort.

As Skufet prepared to kick the ball from the goal area, he saw Bruno signaling for it, so he passed it to him.

Bruno received the ball, and as Rodrigo pressed him, he passed it to Gabriel Silva on the flank. Then, turning to position himself, Rodrigo didn't follow, allowing Silva to pass back to Bruno.

Bruno controlled the ball, with Rodrigo behind and Salvio ahead, both too far to pose a threat. He advanced without rushing his pass, waiting until André Gomes charged at him before passing to Muriel on the flank, who easily bypassed Sequeira.

——————

After breaking past Sequeira, Muriel didn't push into the box but chose to cross immediately.

His pass wasn't aimed at the goalmouth, so it wasn't for Di Natale or Muriel but was meant for Bruno, who had surged from outside the box.

Bruno leapt high, heading the ball towards the goal. Unmarked, he nevertheless directed the ball slightly too high, sending it over the crossbar, leaving Benfica fans sweating with relief.

"Bruno Fernandes's header just over... such a pity! Yet again, Benfica's defense missed covering him. They were so focused on Di Natale and Muriel that they forgot about Bruno! Fortunately, the pass was high, forcing Bruno to use a header, not his strongest skill, otherwise Benfica would have conceded again!" the Portuguese commentator noted, reminding Benfica's players.

Benfica's coach Jesus was furious below, shouting at Rodrigo and Salvio, "What are you doing! Keep close to him, keep close!!"

Salvio gestured towards himself and then shrugged at the coach, asking, "Anytime?"

"Of course! From the moment he starts to play the ball, you keep close to him!" Jesus instructed before walking back to the shelter, his track jacket soaked through. He didn't care, quickly wiping the rain off his face before turning back to keep an eye on the field.

No more goals could be conceded...

(End of Chapter)

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