Starting from playing as a defensive midfielder for Real Madrid

In a little more than a week from July 17th to July 24th, Real Madrid played three friendly matches in the United States.

Among them were the 4-0 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy and the 5-0 massacre of Guadalajara.

There was also a 2-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union's stable counterattack.

Mourinho practiced both tactics of flying together on both wings and quick counterattack.

Several major offensive and defensive stars in the team also performed quite well.

After Mourinho temporarily proved that a certain midfielder left the team, Real Madrid can still maintain a stable and strong firepower output.

Real Madrid fans finally calmed down.

And Li Ang's another Real Madrid preseason trip also received unanimous praise from the pro-Real Madrid media.

Originally, senior reporters in these media were worried that Li Ang would neglect to protect Real Madrid's midfield and backcourt because he was used to attacking forward.

But Li Ang quickly dispelled their concerns with his still stable defensive contribution and positive defensive attitude.

There is no need for Mourinho to explain too much. Li Ang himself has long known what his most important tactical task will be after returning to Real Madrid.

After all, Milan lacked offensive methods in the frontcourt last season, so Allegri designed an offensive routine in the midfield.

But Real Madrid has never lacked firepower.

Last season and the season before last, Real Madrid's output firepower surpassed Barcelona, ​​and it was the team with the most goals per game in La Liga.

In other words, the number of goals conceded was slightly more, and therefore some points were lost that should not have been lost. Otherwise, Barcelona's dominance of La Liga would have been overturned in the first two seasons.

So when Li Ang returned to Madrid before the start of the season, he felt very clear.

No matter how the outside media boasts about his rapid progress or that he has offensive potential that can be exploited, it is all nonsense.

He knew in his heart that he could gain Mourinho's trust and favor only because of his defensive ability.

And his current clear understanding and outstanding performance also make Mourinho very satisfied.

Three friendly matches, three starts, this is the reassurance Mourinho gave him, and it was also a clear message to the outside media.

No matter how the midfield combination is arranged in the new season, he and Alonso will firmly occupy the two starting positions.

The midfielders of Las Diarra, Shaheen, Altentop and Granero can only compete for positions in limited playing opportunities.

At least that's what Mourinho thought at the end of his training trip to the United States.

However, just when Psy was about to let go and further develop the "hard midfield trio", only two days after returning to Spain, my unlucky brother was injured in training.

Moreover, it was not a player in the Real Madrid team who injured him. It was him who strained his big hip when he pushed forward and shot too hard in training.

Li Ang didn't even know how to describe how fragile Brother Face's body was.

Looking at people who are tall and powerful, they get hurt at every turn.

He had read media reports before that after Khedira had a record of appearances on behalf of Stuttgart's first team, his highest number of league starts in a single season was only 24 games.

He didn't quite believe it at that time.

After all, being crisp at Real Madrid doesn’t mean that my brother, my face, was also crisp in Stuttgart when he was younger, right?

Now Li Ang is convinced.

Mourinho is also really pissed off.

No coach can withstand this kind of battle damage.

One of the main midfielders in the new season didn't even last until the official start of the league.

Who will he find to replace him now?

Shaheen, who overlaps with Alonso? Altentop who is not capable enough? Or Granero, whose aura is gradually fading?

Wait, it seems like I missed a midfielder.

When Mourinho was upset, he saw the two figures who were still practicing on the training ground through the office window, and his eyes were focused.

On the afternoon of July 27, in a friendly match with newly promoted Bundesliga team Hertha Berlin, Mourinho first activated the midfield combination of Alonso and Leonga Granero.

But Granero only stayed on the court for half of the game before being replaced by Altentop.

Thirty minutes later, Mourinho was dissatisfied and replaced Altentop with Nuri Shaheen.

Although the final result of the friendly match was Real Madrid's 3-0 victory over Hertha Berlin, Mourinho was obviously not very satisfied.

On July 29, after another day of training, Mourinho called over Li Ang, who was planning to practice for a while as usual.

"Are you very close to Kaka recently?"

Uncle Psy's direct question at the beginning made Li Ang stunned.

"Well, maybe it's because I stayed in Milan last season. I feel that Kaká feels that we can talk to each other quite well, and he has often chosen to stay and practice for a while recently, so I just talked with him. They practiced short passing together and got to know each other’s playing habits.”

Li Ang didn't quite understand Uncle Psy's intentions, but he still tried his best to explain to Uncle Psy the reason why he and Kaka walked in.

"I don't want you to explain the reasons for this. I just want you to tell me what you think about Kaka."

Mourinho rubbed his chin and simply took Li Ang's arm to let him enter the office with him and speak slowly.

After Li Ang thought for a moment, he answered truthfully.

"His competitive level has declined a bit faster than it was three or four years ago. After surgery last year, his speed advantage is no longer obvious. It may not be realistic for him to serve as the team's attacker again, and what about his scoring ability? I don’t think Kaka has an advantage over the forwards in our team.”

Li Ang pointed out Kaka's current shortcomings to Mourinho almost one by one.

With each item he clicked, the sadness in Uncle Bird's eyes seemed to deepen.

When Uncle Psy was almost telling Li Ang to shut up and go back to practice more, Li Ang's "but" came belatedly.

"However, if we don't let him return to defense too much and move his position slightly towards the rib area, I think his diagonal through balls and long-range shooting abilities should still be very useful."

Mourinho was interested at first, but after hearing what Li Ang said, his face suddenly fell.

Who doesn't know that it would be better for Kaka to focus less on defending and focus on passing and threatening the ball? .

Who doesn't know that by asking Kaka to move his position and occupying as little space as possible in the middle where Ronaldo cuts in, both of them can play more comfortably?

But his tactics naturally require that the midfielder must have a positive defensive attitude, and Kaka himself is not used to playing on the wing.

so.

"It's all bullshit!"

Li Ang listened to his boss's criticism, but he was not annoyed at all. Instead, he continued with a smile:

"Hey, I know you are worried about the new starting combination in the midfield.

Kaka's current body is not suitable for fierce fighting. If he returns to defense too much, it can easily lead to recurrence of injuries.

But what if, what if I come to wipe Kaká’s butt and provide him with defensive protection and competition for the ball.

When he attacks, he boldly and confidently presses his opponent in the thirty-meter area and sends threatening short passes. Or occasionally seize the opportunity to make a short-distance shot.

How should opponents deal with the threat of his former Ballon d'Or midfielder? "

Li Ang's words gradually made Mourinho's mind come alive.

But then Mourinho, who noticed something was wrong, looked at Li Ang suspiciously.

"Don't you want to sweep up the frontcourt and ignore the backcourt based on your position? You go to wipe Kaka's butt, and your teacher is alone in the back organizing, intercepting and defending?"

"Hey, boss, you can't be so slanderous. If I wipe Kaka's butt in front of me, why can't I wipe my teacher's ass? I wipe one butt, and I wipe both butts. Don't you believe that I wipe both butts? ability?"

Li Ang's words made Mourinho disgusted, and Uncle Psy quickly hit Li Ang on the head to signal him to stop talking about butt stuff.

"You can really wipe two... Well, can you really allocate your physical strength to take into account the defense in the front and back of the midfield?"

"I think there should be no problem. When the time comes, you can ask Angel (Di Maria) to help me return to defense and take care of me as much as possible. Even if the front is really unable to stop me, I can rush back in time to join my teacher in the central defense. Build a defensive line in front.”

Li Ang's final assurance moved Mourinho's heart.

However, at this moment, he did not directly tell Li Ang how he would arrange the starting midfielder in the future.

After sending Li Ang back to continue training, Mourinho originally wanted to deal with other things.

But when he thought about what Li Ang said, he felt itchy and finally started to deduce it directly on the tactical board in the office.

On the morning of July 30, before the warm-up match against Leicester City, Real Madrid held its final practice session.

In the previous trip to the United States, he almost only came on as a substitute in the second half of the warm-up match. Kaka had no chance to play against Hertha Berlin a few days ago.

In this training session, I got a training vest symbolizing the main team.

Li Ang didn't know what Uncle Psy told Kaka.

After the two had a conversation on the sidelines, Uncle Psy patted Kaka's arm, and then Kaka ran back to the training ground with a little excitement in his training vest.

"The boss still knows how to look at people, so I say he will give Kaka a chance in the end!"

Cristiano Ronaldo was holding his arms next to Li Ang and talking confidently, looking very shy.

Of course, Li Ang did not tell anyone that in his conversation with Mourinho yesterday, he provided suggestions for adding Kaka to the starting lineup.

People like Cristiano Ronaldo who have a good relationship with Kaka in the team may think that Kaka impressed Mourinho with his own efforts.

But Li Ang knows very well that this is a test for Mourinho. If he passes it, Kaka will naturally have a place in the new tactical system.

But if he fails the exam, Li Ang will have no choice.

Kaka didn't think too much about it. With Mourinho once again willing to give himself a chance, all he could do was work hard and then rely on his strength to become the starter again.

Although Kaka is still a little confused about Mourinho's request to put himself on the right rib position to perform main activities.

But now he doesn't care whether he feels comfortable playing football or not.

This is his last chance in pre-season training and he must seize it!

The group competition within the team began.

But today Mourinho chose to change his formation again.

The main lineup has changed from the previous four-two-three-one to a weird one, four-three-three?

Li Ang was moved to the central midfielder position, Di Maria retreated from the right to the left midfielder, and Kaka moved into the rib area of ​​the right midfielder.

Let's say this formation is 442, it doesn't look like it.

Because Di Maria did not play as a full midfielder on the left, Kaka did not completely pull out.

But it doesn't look like Di Maria's four-three-three after retreating to the midfield.

Because Kaka didn't go up front.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Higuain were both confused, Angel Di Maria was also confused, and Li Ang shrank his neck with some guilt.

"Damn it, I suggested that the Angels could go back to defend me more to relieve me of the pressure. Why did Uncle Psy just pull him to the midfield? There must be too much defense this time!"

Liang complained in his mind, looking at the current position of the main lineup, he felt more and more "familiar" in his heart.

However, the match started soon, and Li Ang didn't have time to go into details. He could only play for a while and see the effect.

After the match started, Di Maria was a little constrained in his new position.

After all, let him play as an attacking midfielder. This will allow him to play directly as a left center midfielder. If he retreats too much, he will lose his position on the defensive end if he is not careful.

And Kaka's performance in the new position is also a little "quiet".

Although he doesn't need to completely move to the side to go one-on-one with defensive players, he is actually more accustomed to staying in the middle.

In short, I feel awkward, Di Maria is awkward, and Kaka is awkward too.

In comparison, Li Ang and Alonso's performance was as stable as ever.

Li Ang saw that Kaka didn't behave for a long time, and decided to remind him again.

"Just drop back a little, don't need to drop too much, press into their defensive third, and look for opportunities to pass the ball to Cristiano and Gonzano (Higuain)!"

After shouting loudly to ask Kakado to pay attention to the movements of the two forwards, Li Ang also signaled that he was behind him to snatch the ball, so don't panic!

With Li Ang's timely reminder, Kaka quickly figured out Mourinho's intentions.

Don't let him return to defense too much and focus on looking for opportunities to pass threatening balls forward?

Kaka thought for a moment.

If the physical focus is just on attacking forward and mainly passing the ball, he will be fine.

If this is the case, Li Ang's defensive pressure will be heavy.

But seeing Li Ang's "don't worry, leave it to me" look, Kaka also made a decision while feeling grateful.

He wants to try this new way of playing. Even if he is not used to it yet, he has no better choice or opportunity!

Kaka, who was the first to take the initiative to change his thinking, immediately began to actively move around in his new activity area.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Higuain both move very well, especially Cristiano Ronaldo, who is even more powerful when switching from defense to attack.

He wants to seize the fleeting opportunity between offense and defense and successfully use the pass to open up the opponent's defense.

Then you can only concentrate, carefully observe the movements of the two forwards, and try to be consistent with them in thinking.

Then, when the opportunity arises, give enough advance threats to pass through!

Kaka quickly figured out his tactical positioning in his mind.

And soon, Li Ang used a short forward pass after a frontal interception, giving him his first opportunity to perform after his head was clear.

After receiving the pass from Li Ang, he turned around and quickly raised his head to observe. Kaka raised his foot and directly made a diagonal overhead pass!

At this moment, Higuain is still looking for an opportunity to get rid of Albiol on the substitute side, but Cristiano Ronaldo on his left has quickly got rid of Marcelo with his explosive speed!

Therefore, the diagonal overhead pass given by Kaka with sufficient advance and Ronaldo's movement directly cooperated tacitly.

It's just a pity that Ronaldo chose to hit the goal directly without stopping the ball. In the end, the ball missed the far post slightly, shocking the substitute goalkeeper Adan into a cold sweat.

"pretty!"

Li Ang couldn't help but cheer loudly when he saw the threat sent by Kaka.

Mourinho, who had been taking notes and observing the game on the sidelines, also flashed excitement in his eyes.

Kaká, who no longer has the powerful attacking ability in the past, still retains his outstanding passing skills and broad game vision with the accumulation of experience.

The threatening pass just now was fast and accurate, and it was very lethal.

No matter how much Kaka's long-range shooting skills are left now, it depends on his ability to send threats through the ball.

That's barely enough to serve as the main midfielder in the early stages of the season.

Mourinho continued to immerse himself in his notebook and take notes. At this moment, Kaka's confidence was greatly increased, and he did not forget to give a thumbs up to Li Ang behind him.

Kaká knew very well where the ball came from in this counterattack.

And as Khedira said when chatting with him before, it is really comfortable to partner with Li Ang to organize attacks in the frontcourt.

It's just pity for me, Angel, who has just discovered some ways to play as a central midfielder.

It was Brother Long's late protection and Li Ang's sweeping sweep that made him feel a little more at ease.

On the offensive end, his forward dribbling with the ball is very threatening.

With his offensive support and cooperation, Ronaldo is getting better and better on the left wing.

When Ronaldo cut inside and entered the substitute's penalty area with Higuain, Di Maria's smooth cross was even more threatening.

Li Ang was greedy after watching it a few times, and wanted to rush up with him to experience the addiction of attacking to the top.

But when he thought that Mourinho was on the sidelines, he finally chose to follow his heart.

Li Ang, who was sweeping the midfield at full speed, was almost wiping the butts of three people.

It is definitely unrealistic to maintain such a high-intensity sweeping defensive rhythm for a long time, but in just over ten or even twenty minutes, Li Ang can still barely do it.

There is no way, my body can be used, it is really useful, but I can run, eh~

Shaheen and Altentop, who were on the bench, felt numb when they saw Li Ang running across the field.

Did they want to compete with such a monster for playing time before?

Are you kidding me? They would be tired if they ran like this non-stop for twenty minutes, and they even had a hammer game!

The main team controlled the rhythm of the game on both offense and defense.

And Kaka also succeeded in sending a through ball before Li Ang had to slow down his physical fitness.

This time, Cristiano Ronaldo didn't waste any more opportunities. He stopped and adjusted with a powerful shot that directly broke through the goal guarded by Adan!

Mourinho also closed his laptop directly at this time.

He smiled with satisfaction.

Be happy for a while, and then continue typing. Brothers and big guys, today the foodie is shamelessly begging for a subscription~