Star Coach

Atletico Madrid's schedule is not easy at all. After defeating Deportivo La Coruña, they will immediately play in the fifth round of the Copa del Rey.

Starting from the fourth round of the Copa del Rey, there is a two-leg system of home and away, with the lower-ranked team playing away first. Atletico Madrid met Granada in the fourth round and passed easily.

Now, they have to fight Valladolid for two consecutive rounds.

In the home game, Jiangshan made a substantial rotation of the lineup. Royce and Di Maria started the game. Jiangshan gave full trust to the two young wingers.

The midfielder is also a mix of young and old, with veteran Maniche partnering with young Gabi and two defensive players. Although Valladolid is a La Liga team, it is very difficult to win at Atletico Madrid's home court.

After the game started, Jiangshan's team took the initiative to attack. Royce and Di Maria took turns holding the ball, constantly threatening the opponent's goal.

The two of them rarely play, their style of play has not yet been fully understood, and their personal abilities are very strong. Facing Valladolid's defenders, Reus took the lead in tearing apart the defense.

Go straight into the penalty area, score, and score easily.

He has scored 3 goals this season and his performance is very eye-catching, especially in the last few games. He has frequently played as a substitute in the league and even started in the Copa del Rey. The threat is gradually increasing.

Di Maria also performed well and contributed an assist. Of course, he also contributed a yellow card. He kicked someone from behind and was unable to guard him. He directly kicked the opponent to the ground.

"Although this kid is skinny, he has a bigger temper than Aguero." Pochettino smiled. "Aguero often gets angry on the court. I didn't expect that this kid Di Maria also has such a character."

"Anger on the court is a good thing. As long as it is controlled well, it is the cornerstone of becoming a star. Di Maria's biggest problem is not his physical fitness, but his mental endurance. His mental strength is not very strong."

"No way? He trains very seriously and should be able to withstand the pressure."

"I hope he will continue to improve, otherwise it will be difficult for him to become the flag-bearer of the team. At best, he can only be a deputy and cannot be the leading player of a team."

Pochettino nodded and made a mental note. In the future, when looking for players, look for players with bigger balls. If you fall behind, it is understandable to kick people on the court!

The Copa del Rey match went smoothly. In the first round at home, Atletico Madrid already led 3-0. In the next round, as long as they don't lose a big score, advancing to the quarterfinals is not a problem.

"If we can win the domestic double this season, we will be very successful." Pochettino fantasized, "Real Madrid has been eliminated from the Copa del Rey, and there are also strong teams like Barcelona and Valencia. No matter what, , we have a great chance of reaching the semi-finals.”

Jiangshan did not deny that this season, as long as they win a championship, it can be considered a successful season. But Jiangshan's ambitions don't stop there, and the King's Cup championship cannot satisfy his appetite.

"If we can win the King's Cup, how about you directing all the King's Cup games next season?"

Pochettino's eyes widened and he licked the corners of his mouth involuntarily, "Really? Then you have to work harder."

"It's you who wants to cheer up. Didn't you see that I used your starting lineup in every Copa del Rey game?"

Pochettino shouted excitedly and almost gave Jiangshan a big hug, "Thank you, Coach Jiangshan. I finally know why Guardiola, Tuchel, and Simeone identify so much with you. You are really great." head coach.”

"Stop bragging about me and study your tactics carefully." Jiang Shan smiled, "In the next game, we will face Valencia, my former club. How are you going to win them?"

"This team is difficult to deal with. How about we play defensive counterattack?"

"Valencia is just an appetizer, the focus is still on the next game." Jiang Shan shook his head. After beating Valencia, they will soon face Real Madrid at home, another battle in Tianwang Mountain. "Valencia is just a group of people." Old man, you worry too much, take a long-term view."

Jiang Shan patted Pang Bo on the shoulder, "These past few weeks have been a very difficult time for us. Starting from Valencia, we also played against Real Madrid, Mallorca, the King's Cup, and the UEFA Cup match against Bolton. The players' health That’s the first thing.”

The games are frequent and rotations are better and more careful. Jiangshan has rich experience and is not too worried. As long as there are no major injuries, he can manage well.

Valencia, the bat team, started high and low this season and now falls to seventh place in the standings. The midfield and backcourt are seriously aging, and the team failed to make up for it in time.

The current team's main goalkeeper is still Canizares, the old man from the Jiangshan era. German goalkeeper Hildebrand's performance is unstable and he has been unable to seize the starting goalkeeper position.

In the defense, Albiol and Helguera were there when Jiangshan was in Valencia, and they are still there now, and they often start.

There are too many old men, and the team's explosive power is insufficient. Valencia's problems are already obvious.

In addition, among the frontcourt players, David Silva was poached by Jiangshan in the past two years, and the frontcourt is also weak. Now that David Silva is developing well in Milan, he increasingly feels that Valencia's lineup is thin.

At the beginning of the season, Valencia's seniors were full of energy and the team performed very vigorously, even occupying the top spot. However, as the season progressed, the problem of subsequent weakness immediately broke out.

Coupled with the constant changes in senior management, Valencia cannot develop stably. Villa and Mata, who have emerged in recent years, have been targeted by other teams, and the top management seems to be interested in putting them on the shelf.

Facing Valencia at home, Jiangshan didn't have much emotional foundation. He was not the head coach at that time, and the players who had a closer relationship with him, such as Mendieta, left the team early.

Now the relationship has faded, and old acquaintances say hello. They should win a few more goals.

Atletico Madrid tried the full-court tactic of pressing fiercely. Valencia could not resist. After more than ten minutes, the gate was lost.

Vidal's long shot smashed the gate of Valencia, and then the Madrid army entered the pass. Torres, Aguero and Sanchez fought for goals. The game was just 60 minutes old, and Atletico Madrid was already leading Valencia 5:0.

"The full-court tactic is really powerful." Pochettino was very excited. "Even if we face Barcelona, ​​which is a pass-control team, we have a 9-fold winning rate."

"Don't get too excited. This Barcelona is very weak. Rijkaard is about to be fired. There is nothing to celebrate if we beat them." Jiang Shan was very calm, chewing gum in his mouth. "Next season, Barcelona will be difficult to deal with."

At the end of the game, Atletico Madrid defeated Valencia 6:1 at home. Atletico Madrid blossomed in many places. On the Valencia side, Villa scored a goal to save face.

After the game, Jiang Shan took the initiative to find Valencia's striker Villa, "You are a great striker. Are you interested in joining us? With me, you can win the championship and become the striker of the national team."

"I..." Huluwa looked at the excited Torres and was a little envious. He has the ability, of course he wants to prove himself with the championship, Atletico Madrid? Why not?