As September arrived, the wheat in the fields turned golden. Luton seemed to be entering a season of harvest as well. Since the beginning of September, aside from being eliminated from the EFL Trophy and drawing with Tranmere Rovers in the first-round replay in the first two days, they had maintained a winning streak in the remaining matches.
The overall trend of the team was upward! Despite the dense schedule, Gao Bo's adjustments to the team's condition had a very good effect. Starting from the big win against Exeter City on September 8th, the team had achieved a four-game winning streak across all competitions!
On September 26th, in the last match of September, Luton welcomed Norwich City to their home ground.
Of course, Gao Bo's goal in this match was also victory, but due to the frequency of matches, he still made some rotations in positions.
In the forward line, Matt Schmidt got the chance to start in the league for the second time this season, and partnering him was Griezmann. In midfield, Drinkwater was rested, and Joseph N'Do replaced him. In the defense, the center-back partnership became Geoffrey and George Parker, with Sol Campbell continuing to rest. After all, the veteran was getting old, and Gao Bo had to save him. On the right back, Carl Jenkinson got the opportunity.
This was actually the reason why Gao Bo didn't prepare a large squad. If someone in the team didn't have the opportunity to play, then there would definitely be some problems within the team. The huge gap between the main players and substitutes last season actually made Gao Bo a bit stretched in many games.
One to zero! Luton's rotated lineup also secured a valuable three points.
Although the score of this game wasn't big, the process was convincing. Luton, playing at home, dominated the game from start to finish, and they eventually sealed the victory with a goal from Griezmann!
This goal best reflects Matt's aerial ability. Kevin Keane's cross was sent into the penalty area, and Matt headed the ball back to the edge of the penalty area. Griezmann then volleyed it directly with his right foot, and the ball hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced into the net! This goal made the Vauxhall stand, which had been waiting for more than seventy minutes, completely erupt.
Although there was only one goal in this game,
in fact, Luton had nineteen shots in the whole game, seven of which were on target. The reason why there was only one goal in this game was because of Norwich's united defense and their goalkeeper's excellent performance...
But no matter the process, the result was good. Griezmann's goal helped the team continue to bite at the top two in the standings.
Charlton and Leeds United had both won, so the team was still in third place. If they finished the season in this position, Luton would have to play in the promotion playoffs. Gao Bo didn't want to waste time in the playoffs. He hoped that the team could be promoted to the Championship as League One champions. So this ranking didn't meet Gao Bo's expectations, but he wasn't worried. After all, the league had just started, and after a bit of a twist at the beginning of the season, the team seemed to be on the right track.
....
On October 1st, the team ushered in another home game, but this time it was a Europa League group stage match.
The team will face Basel at home!
Currently, in Group E where Luton is located, Basel had a shocking result in the first round at home. They defeated AS Roma led by Ranieri, so Gao Bo did not dare to neglect Basel.
"Basel is an excellent team. They are very good at ground passing. The game with them will be difficult, but we hope the game can be played well!" At the pre-match press conference, Gao Bo seemed to value Basel very much.
Roma was not a weak team, Gao Bo knew this very well, and Gao Bo had never dared to underestimate Ranieri. Being able to defeat Roma shows that Basel is quite strong.
Compared to Gao Bo's caution, Basel's coach Thorsten Fink seemed a little frivolous at the pre-match press conference facing Luton: "Beating Roma puts us in a very good position, but I think this group will be a competition between Basel and Roma. If you want to win the first place in the group, you must score enough points against Luton and CSKA Sofia."
This was Thorsten Fink's true thought. He actually valued Luton very much, because he believed that Luton had the ability to win unexpectedly. So before the game started, Thorsten Fink said to his disciples with a very solemn expression: "We must pay attention to this game. If we want to win the first place in the group, the games against Luton at home and away will be key. CSKA Sofia does not have the strength to threaten us and Roma, and although Luton is in the third tier of England, they won the FA Cup last season, which shows that this team has considerable strength. We must not be careless!"
Thorsten Fink's expression was very serious: "Therefore, we need to score as soon as possible. As long as we are ahead, Luton will basically have no way to do anything. The timing of the first goal is very critical! If we can't score for a long time, then I will be worried about our defense. Luton's counterattack strength is very strong!"
Said German Thorsten Fink.
On the other side, Gao Bo was also making the final pre-match mobilization.
"This is a team that defeated Roma!" Gao Bo stood in the center of the locker room and said. As soon as he said this, the players' faces became serious.
Basel was not well-known, but they defeated Serie A team Roma two to zero at home two weeks ago!
"Everyone knows how we will complete the game. We have our tactics, and we also have our style. We have repeatedly strengthened these things in training, so I won't talk about tactics." Gao Bo raised his finger: "I will just say one thing. Basel is a team that pursues ground control. We can't let them enter their own rhythm. They like to control the ball in the midfield, so we will entangle with them in the midfield!!! Cut off the connection between their midfielders, so that their ball can't be passed, and break the game apart!!!"
"Be careful with set pieces, and try not to give them free kicks near the edge of the penalty area!!! Basel has several free kick masters, such as their number thirty, Carlitos, and Ngolo. The location of the foul must be controlled, and try to do it far away from the penalty area!" Gao Bo turned to face Kante and said.
Kante nodded, indicating that he understood.
"Of course, they may not be able to pass through the midfield so easily. In this game, we will still start pressing from the frontcourt and strive to complete the steal in the frontcourt!!!" Gao Bo raised his right hand.
"And after the steal..." Gao Bo suddenly put down his raised hand, "Counterattack!!! Destroy them!!!"
"The opponent is already waiting for us!! Now go out!! Kill them!!!"
Gao Bo opened the door of the locker room, and the players walked out with confidence on their faces.
The two teams met in the player tunnel, but there were no acquaintances between the players of the two teams. The players lined up in two rows, waiting to play.
It was drizzling outside. When the cheers of the fans in the stands suddenly rose, the players of the two teams had already marched onto the field in formation.
Gao Bo stood next to the coach's bench, watching the backs of the Basel players.
If you just look at the back, Gao Bo would have thought he was playing against Barcelona...
Basel's home jersey is also the same red and blue stripes as Barcelona, and speaking of which, it is no coincidence that the jerseys of the two teams are the same color.
(Barcelona Football Club) and FCBase1 (Basel Football Club), the abbreviations of the names of the two clubs are both FCB - On November 12, 1893, Basel Football Club officially announced its establishment. Six years later, Gamper, the owner and captain of the club, came to Barcelona and founded Barcelona Football Club here, becoming the founder of Barcelona's century-old glory. Gamper and Basel have a profound influence on Barcelona. When choosing a jersey for the new club, Gamper chose the same red and blue as Basel as the main color, so Basel in German and Barcelona in Catalan and Spanish have the same title: "Red and Blue".
And to some extent... the red and blue striped shirt was still copied by Barcelona from Basel...
Gao Bo squinted at Basel coach Thorsten Fink on the other side.
It's a pity, you are not the real Barcelona...
The German regarded Luton as their target for scoring points before the game, which made Gao Bo secretly happy.... The more Basel looked down on Luton, the greater the possibility for Luton to win three points at home! For Gao Bo, Basel was also his target for scoring points. From a strength point of view, Ranieri's Roma was of course the strongest on paper, so before the start of the game, Gao Bo had already decided to take all three points from Basel first, so that the team could occupy a favorable position in the standings as soon as possible.
Even if Basel is not complacent, they may not be able to win against Luton! Gao Bo had absolute confidence in his team.
A drizzle fell, and the Basel players felt a chill. The weather in September had already turned cold, and the rain always had a bone-chilling chill. Compared to Switzerland, the weather in England at this time made the Basel players feel a little uncomfortable.
It will be better to run once the game starts... Thorsten Fink also frowned. Since arriving here, the rain in the sky has been non-stop.
Compared to their opponents, the Luton players didn't feel anything. They were already used to this climate.
The two teams stood in their respective formations. After the captains of both sides completed a series of ceremonies such as the coin toss. The referee blew his whistle, and the game officially began!...