Midfielder Ruler

No one expected that Real Madrid would draw with Real Sociedad 2:2 on the road, and it would still be a two-goal lead.

This kind of loss of points hurts morale.

However, there is not no good news for Real Madrid. After the second round of the league, the two-week international match day begins. Public opinion criticizes their media attention as the international match day approaches.

Head coach Carlo Ancelotti also has enough time to study the Madrid derby after the international break. Atletico Madrid has significantly strengthened its lineup compared to last season. After two rounds of Super Cup competition, Atletico Madrid now has a qualitative improvement. Variety.

The most important thing is that Atletico Madrid's defense is strong and its offense can create an absolute threat.

With the departure of Xabi Alonso, our team has no reliable choice in the key defensive midfielder.

Khedira is injured, and Illarramendi can only be a substitute and cannot take on a major role.

Toni Kroos and Modric are both weak in attack and cannot stand up against Real Sociedad, let alone Atletico Madrid and Barcelona?

If ranked according to the order, Tang Zheng is definitely the best choice for the defensive midfielder. In the key games of last season, Tang Zheng served as the defensive midfielder. He can complete the defensive responsibilities while also taking into account the offense.

Using Tang Zheng as a defensive midfielder this season will have a huge impact on Real Madrid's offensive end.

Because Di Maria left, the overall offensive tactics have changed. James Rodriguez is not enough to take on the big responsibility. The frontcourt needs a dedicated midfielder like Tang Zheng.

Of course, Modric and Toni Kroos can also play in position, but the effect will definitely not be as good as Tang Zheng's.

But then again, in the Madrid derby, Tang Zheng can be used as a defensive midfielder, and one of Modric and Toni Kroos can be selectively removed depending on the status of the return to training.

Recently, Isco has been in trouble even though he has lost a stable chance to play. Spanish domestic media have also made strong comments, saying that Isco's condition is fine and there is no reason to make room for the popular James Rodriguez. Starting position.

In this way, Tang Zheng's retreat can also make room for the attacking midfielder, allowing Isco and James Rodriguez to roam in the midfield and attack, creating space.

After the second round of the 2014-2015 La Liga season, Tang Zheng took a flight to Shanghai overnight, and then transferred to Wuhan to participate in the national team's two international A-level games in September.

First, Wuhan faced Iran;

Then Xi'an faced Mali.

Both games are preparations for the Asian Cup in Australia next January.

Tang Zheng did not play the entire game on the two international matches. In the first game against Iran, he came on as a substitute for 30 minutes in the second half and assisted a goal to help the Chinese team draw with Iran 2:2.

In the second game played in Xi'an, Lippi started for 60 minutes. Due to technical and tactical reasons, Lippi did not cover much distance.

Obviously, Lippi, who is also Italian, accepted the advice of compatriot Carlo Ancelotti and tried to keep Tang Zheng in good health and prepare in the best condition for the Madrid derby after the international break.

Three days before the Madrid derby, Tang Zheng returned to the Valdebebas training base.

The next day, the teammates who participated in the French European Championship qualifiers returned to the training base for training.

Tang Zheng also learned from the team's tactical explanation that Madrid Derby will serve as a defensive midfielder. It remains to be seen who the specific partner will be.

Modric and Toni Kroos both look in good shape and led their respective national teams to win the European Championship qualifiers.

However, someone is destined to lose out in the selection. If nothing unexpected happens, the sacrifice is likely to be Toni Kroos.

really!

The day before the game, assistant coach Clement announced the starting lineup in accordance with team practice. Compared with the last round of the away game against Real Sociedad, the two full-backs have also been adjusted. Coentrao replaced Marcelo and Arbeloa replaced Ca. Wahar.

The double midfielder Tang Zheng partners with Modric, the three forwards Cristiano Ronaldo, Isco and James Rodriguez, with Benzema at the front.

※※※

The day before the Madrid derby, Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao 2:0 at home and started the 2014-2015 La Liga season with three consecutive victories.

Barcelona's victory also put some pressure on Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, especially Real Madrid. They drew 2:2 with Real Sociedad as a guest in the second round, which means that Barcelona is already five points ahead of Real Madrid in the first round.

Five points and two wins is not a big gap, but in the early stages of the league, this gap is very conspicuous.

On the day of the match, the Bernabeu Stadium was packed.

The fanatical atmosphere of the game also brought huge pressure to the Real Madrid players on the field. More than 20 days ago, Real Madrid lost to Atletico Madrid with a total score of 1:2 at home and away, missing out on the Super Cup championship, and even almost losing to Atletico Madrid at home... …

At the beginning, Real Madrid played very cautiously, and it was this cautious style of play that avoided Atletico Madrid's full-court pressure at the beginning of the game.

Tang Zheng can hold his own in the defensive midfield position and has excellent ball-handling ability. The ball seems to stick to his feet.

Want to steal the ball?

It can only be a foul!

Of course, Tang Zheng, who has a strong sense of position, is also well aware of the danger of losing the ball in his position. He rarely sticks to the ball too much and basically always shoots the ball with one kick.

Despite this, the referee's whistle sounded frequently.

Tang Zheng has a clear mind and can pass the ball quickly, but that does not mean that all players can do this.

Atletico Madrid players move fast, make big movements, and are highly aggressive. As long as Real Madrid players stick to the ball a little bit, they will quickly stick to it.

Either steal the ball or commit a foul.

Since the location of the foul is not a sensitive area, the referee often just blows the whistle and does not give a card at all, or even a warning.

Referee Velacos' soft whistle made Atletico Madrid players even more aggressive, so much so that Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti frequently came to the fourth official to complain.

"Uuuuuu——"

The Real Madrid fans in the stands also supported Ancelotti, making loud boos that were deafening.

But this impact on Atletico Madrid players is almost negligible. They still go their own way and press the Real Madrid players crazily.

Atletico Madrid players can organize effective offense after completing crazy defense. This is the core of Atletico Madrid and what Ancelotti is worried about.

Fortunately, Tang Zheng performed well in the defensive midfield position and did not give Atletico Madrid players any opportunities to take advantage of him.

Real Madrid did a good job in positional defense, but made fatal mistakes in positioning the ball defense.

Benzema defended a corner kick and was unable to see the ball. Thiago suddenly ducked in front of him and completed a header on the right edge of the small penalty area. The football rubbed the inside edge of the right post and flew towards the goal. The goalkeeper Casillas reacted quickly but was still unable to do anything.

0:1

The home team goes first, the away team goes last!

The fanatical atmosphere at the Bernabéu Stadium suddenly dropped to a minimum, with only the thousands of Atletico Madrid fans present hysterically venting the great pleasure brought by the goal.

Central 5 commentator He Wei looked at the facial expressions of the Real Madrid players shown in the broadcast and said worriedly: "Atletico Madrid, which is good at defense, took the lead in the tenth minute of the game when Portuguese international Thiago scored! The next game Very difficult for Real Madrid!"

Immediately, the broadcast showed Real Madrid coach Ancelotti, whose face was very ugly.

Before the game, I did think about the possibility of the home team conceding the ball first, but I didn't expect it to be conceded so early, nor did I expect that the defense with strong air defense capabilities would concede the ball in corner kick defense.

damn it!

The expressions of Tang Zheng and Cristiano Ronaldo who appeared on the broadcast screen were not much better. Barcelona was already five points ahead with one game in hand and two points behind Atletico Madrid. If Atletico Madrid finally won the game, Atletico Madrid would Both Racing and Barcelona extended their points lead to five points.

In addition, losing to Atletico Madrid at home will be very detrimental to Real Madrid's preparations for the next league game.

Because there is still the first round of the Champions League group stage of the new season. After all, the Champions League is more important than the league.

All kinds of pressure made Real Madrid players almost breathless.

Even top stars like Tang Zheng and Cristiano Ronaldo find it difficult to act freely under huge pressure, because the pressure created by the media and public opinion before the game is very high, and Real Madrid's results are not ideal, and their words are not tough...

※※※

The game restarted. Atletico Madrid, which was leading, did not retreat to the half-court to set up the bus. Instead, they continued to press throughout the game, catching the Real Madrid players who were eager to score and equalize the score by surprise.

Fortunately, Tang Zheng was focused on the game and made a perfect tackle to block the through ball passed by Koke to Mandzukic from the sideline.

"Oh oh oh——"

There was a loud exclamation in the sky above the Bernabeu Stadium.

Vice-captain Ramos was very grateful and reached out to pull Tang Zheng up. Without Tang Zheng's key interception, Mandzukic, who ran out of space, would have likely faced goalkeeper Casillas directly.

At that time, the consequences were disastrous.

Tang Zheng, who has not yet made any achievements on the offensive end in this game, appeared in the broadcast screen many times. The problem is very obvious, that is, Real Madrid's offense cannot pose a sustained threat to Atletico Madrid's defense, and even the defensive efficiency of switching from offense to defense is It was extremely low, which led to Tang Zheng's frequent appearances.

Real Madrid players on the court are not only burdened with competition pressure off the court, but also have to withstand pressure from their opponent Atletico Madrid players. The pass success rate of the offense continues to decline due to the large-scale scramble by Atletico Madrid players.

The attacking quartet composed of Cristiano Ronaldo, Isco, James Rodriguez and Benzema is a bit lost and cannot fully display the abilities commensurate with its worth.

If someone asked who behaved the most normally, 90% of fans would choose Tang Zheng.

It was Tang Zheng's outstanding performance that made Real Madrid so impregnable in positional defense.

The Real Madrid midfielder's personal ability can be said to be outstanding, but it is difficult to hold the ball under the crazy pressing of Atletico Madrid players, so the various offensive routines planned before the game cannot be used.

As Cristiano Ronaldo completed a hasty long-range shot that flew out of the baseline, the on-site director gave a close-up shot to Tang Zheng who was retreating from defense.

Central 5 commentator He Wei pondered: "Real Madrid's lack of Tang Zheng's series organization in the midfield and frontcourt has caused very obvious problems. Isco and Ronaldo are both very capable players, but they are not as good as Atletico Madrid players." His performance was abnormal under strong pressure. Cristiano Ronaldo is in great shape after recovering from injury. Benzema is isolated and helpless. Personally, I feel that Real Madrid must rely on Tang Zheng in offense. His ability to read the game and finish the game is impressive..."

In fact, Tang Zheng is also looking for opportunities, but the corresponding tactics arranged by his mentor Simeone before the game are very targeted and it will take time to crack them.

More importantly, timing!

The game situation is changing rapidly, and it is very difficult to seize the opportunities that appear in the blink of an eye, even if Tang Zheng is currently recognized as the midfielder with the strongest ability to create opportunities in the world.

In the blink of an eye, the game came to twenty minutes, and Real Madrid, who was lagging behind, had no time to control the ball and took the lead.

Therefore, the fanatical atmosphere at the Bernabeu Stadium has dropped significantly, and the Real Madrid players who are difficult to serve use this method to express their dissatisfaction with the Real Madrid players on the court.

Nearing the halfway point of the first half, the coverage area of ​​Atletico Madrid players dropped somewhat.

Slowly, Isco and James Rodriguez gradually organized some effective attacks in the midfield.

However, Atletico Madrid coach Simeone didn't look worried at all. He stood in front of the visiting team's coaching bench with his hands in his pockets, as if he was watching a game that had nothing to do with him.

Real Madrid's midfield and frontcourt offense is gradually becoming a threat, and Tang Zheng's position has certain conditions.

In the 24th minute, Tang Zheng, who came to attack the left rib, made a short-distance triangle pass with Cristiano Ronaldo and Isco who were retreating.

After attracting the defensive attention of Thiago, Gabi, and Juanfran, Tang Zheng suddenly passed the ball to the attacking right without stopping, and then suddenly accelerated from the left rib along the top of the penalty area.

Although Tang Zheng did not make any adjustments when transferring the ball over 30 meters, it was very accurate.

Arbeloa, who was running, took off the ball comfortably, paused, and then looked up into the penalty area.

This action is extremely confusing, so the attention of Atletico Madrid players in the third zone of Atletico Madrid's defense is almost entirely on Benzema entering the penalty area and Cristiano Ronaldo running towards the penalty area.

At this moment, Arbeloa suddenly used the inside of the instep of his right foot to sweep the ball towards the front of the penalty area.

Sikeira, who took off exaggeratedly, was stunned. He thought Arbeloa would pass the ball into the penalty area...

Atletico Madrid captain Gabi's attention was always on Tang Zheng, but Tang Zheng had already completely charged, and he didn't even stop pulling behind him.

Referee Velakos saw the running Tang Zheng stop the football with the whistle in his mouth.

The moment Tang Zheng stabilized the ball, he handed it to Cristiano Ronaldo who stopped suddenly. Gabi, who had obviously committed a foul, quickly released his hand.

However, the next moment, he regretted it.

With his back to the goal, Cristiano Ronaldo knocked the football across the path of Tang Zheng, who was accelerating forward.

Tang Zheng is tall and has long legs, so he led the ball into the penalty area.

When Godin saw Tang Zheng dribbling the ball into the penalty area, he was very anxious. Behind him, Benzema moved forward. He knew that Tang Zheng could not get the ball comfortably, so he tried to poke the ball at Tang Zheng's feet as he stepped forward.

Although Tang Zheng was over 1.9 meters tall, he was not satisfied with the frequency of his feet. He quickly moved the ball to the right with the outer instep of his right foot. It was already too late for Godin to stop his foot...

"Beep~"

The referee Velakos blew the whistle decisively and pointed his right index finger at the penalty spot.