Super Marshal

The Champions League final between Chinatown and Atletico Madrid has attracted worldwide attention.

Not only fans from all over the world are flocking to the game, but also many famous coaches have gathered in Lisbon to watch the game.

Among them are Spain national team coach Del Bosque and national youth team coach Lopetegui.

Both of them visited the hotel in Chinatown in the morning, but unfortunately, except for Gao Han and Cantarero, Zidane and the first-team players were nowhere to be seen, which surprised both of them.

"Where are the people?" Bosque asked in confusion.

It’s the Champions League final in the evening. Shouldn’t we stay in the hotel to recharge in the morning?

Cantarero and Gao Han looked at each other and laughed in unison.

"The club has arranged a travel activity. We all went out to relax. We will be back later." Cantarero replied.

This is the opinion of psychologist Dr. Steve Peters. He believes that players should not be too nervous before a game. If they stay in the hotel and everyone gathers together, it will further create this tense atmosphere. On the contrary, It would be better to simply organize a tourism activity and go shopping in Lisbon. As long as it is done in moderation, it will have the effect of regulating the players' psychology.

Both Del Bosque and Lopetegui were surprised, but they also knew that with Gao Han and Cantarero in charge, there shouldn't be a big problem.

Everyone knows that Gao Han is the best head coach in the world, and the team in Chinatown is also the most professional in the world.

Now that everyone has arrived, a few people sat down and chatted in the hotel's cafe. The topic naturally fell on tonight's Champions League final and the upcoming World Cup in Brazil.

Most teams participating in the World Cup have successively released their 23-man roster, but Spain has not yet announced it to the public because Del Bosque is still worried about the Champions League final and plans to wait until the game is over before making it public to avoid injuries.

"You should be confident, right?" Gao Han asked with a smile.

Del Bosque nodded, "Many times, even the head coach of the national team does not have the absolute power to choose the players he wants. We must learn to weigh and even compromise. You know this."

Gao Han understood, where does absolute freedom come from in this world?

"Then who do you plan to take with you?" Gao Han asked again.

"Cork," Bosque replied.

"Why?" Cantarero was a little surprised.

In terms of performance, Isco performed better than Cork, but Bosque chose Cork instead of Isco. This is indeed very surprising. Not only Cantarero did not understand, Lopetegui Also confused.

These players are all national players of the National Youth Team, and he is familiar with them all, and of course he knows Isco's strength.

Gao Han thought about it for a moment, then nodded and said, "For midfield balance, right?"

This sentence made Cantarero and Lopetegui's eyes light up and they suddenly realized.

Bosque also looked at Gao Han, smiled bitterly and shook his head: "You still understand me best."

Koke and Isco are about the same age, and their strengths are close to each other, but their characteristics are different. Koke will contribute more on the defensive end, but Isco's ability to take the ball and break through will be stronger, and he will control the ball. The requirements are higher.

In the Spanish national team, Iniesta, David Silva and Juan Mata are all players in this category. In comparison, Isco does not seem to be so urgently needed.

On the contrary, players like Koke are often better able to play a balancing role in the midfield.

As for Illarramendi, judging from his performance last season, he is by no means inferior to Busquets of Barcelona, ​​and is even better than Busquets on the defensive end. But it is a pity that Busquets, Iniesta and Ha Wei is the iron triangle of Spain's midfield. Even if he really needs to defend, Javi Martinez can also play as a defensive midfielder.

When selecting players for the national team, Del Bosque must consider on the one hand that the team's tactics are based on Barcelona, ​​and at the same time, he must also consider the sentiment of the fans in Catalonia.

"In the past few years, we have achieved extremely brilliant results, including the European Cup, World Cup, European Cup... We have won countless honors. I always believe that our players have created a Spanish football dynasty in their own way. , there should be a beginning and an end, and they also revealed their thoughts to me."

There are only twenty-three players on the roster. After bringing in veterans, naturally we cannot bring in other young players.

Before the game has even started, it is difficult to say clearly whether old age will make you stronger or youth will make you stronger. Maybe the veteran will perform better?

After all, the World Cup also attaches great importance to player experience.

Bosque's words were also understood by Gao Han.

Fans often only look at the results, because they are separated by a cold TV screen that is far away, but the head coach lives with the players, has flesh and blood and feelings, and has worked together to fight. It can be said that he is a comrade in life and death.

If professional football is a war without gunpowder, then the head coach is the commander-in-chief of this war.

I believe that no commander would casually abandon the veterans he has led for many years, right?

Therefore, Guardiola would rather resign than be ruthless and reorganize Barcelona.

Since the dynasty was established by them, they naturally have the right to end it with their own hands, not to mention that it is too early to say the end of the dynasty. After all, Spain only lost one Confederations Cup.

But Bosque's choice is still very courageous, because it may ruin his lifelong reputation.

From the time he coached Real Madrid, Gao Han has always known that he is an old man who values ​​​​love and justice.

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Del Bosque and Lopetegui were left to have lunch by Gao Han.

The players also came back at noon. They chatted with several Spanish players in the Chinatown team for a while before leaving. Chinatown began to rest and concentrate on preparing for the game.

While the players were resting, Zidane held a meeting with the coaching staff, Gao Han and Cantarero, mainly to discuss the upcoming Champions League final.

What Zidane means is that he hopes the team will stick to its own technical and tactical style.

"We should not blindly block our opponents, but should show our own level and talent to the fullest."

The French coach's statement was also affirmed by Gao Han. He also believes that blindly blocking against a team like Atletico Madrid can easily backfire because they are not afraid of blocking.

On the contrary, if Chinatown insists on its own style of play and strengthens midfield control, it will make Atletico Madrid even more disadvantaged.

Many people mention the difference between this season and last season in Chinatown, and they often mention the offense, thinking that Zidane's arrival has released the team's offensive potential and activated the team's offensive firepower, but this is only the result.

Fundamentally, Chinatown during Pochettino's era was mainly about pressing and pressing, and high ball possession rates were obtained by grabbing the ball.

However, there is often a problem with this kind of tactics. In order to maintain the effectiveness of pressing, the distance between players is often relatively small, which makes it easier for each other to defend and respond to each other. On the front line, the distance between the three players is often relatively small. Big, somewhat suspected of fighting on their own.

From the perspective of formation structure, a good formation should be well-ordered, which should not only facilitate penetration and advancement, but also ensure the efficiency of offensive and defensive transitions. In order to seize key positions on the court, players must maintain an appropriate distance between them. It can't be too big, because it will lengthen the passing distance and increase the chance of being intercepted, but it can't be too small, because too small will make it look crowded.

The problem during Pochettino's time was that the distance between the midfield and backfield players was too small, but the distance between the frontcourt and the frontcourt was too large. This was conducive to Pochettino's style of play, but the problem was also not a small one, that is, there was not enough creativity in the midfield. , Insufficient offensive firepower in the frontcourt.

As soon as Zidane took office this season, his first task was to reform the team's old problem. Starting from positioning to urging players to keep their distance, this is a big question.

If it is just a static drill, then of course there is no problem, but to do this in an ever-changing game is quite a test of skill.

Judging from this season's performance, Zidane is still very good in this aspect, which makes Chinatown's ball control ability second only to Barcelona in La Liga this season, and even second to none in European football. , and the team's offensive firepower has also been improved.

The three players in the frontcourt, Hazard, Firmino and Griezmann, scored 61 goals in the league in a single season. They cooperated more with each other and played more vigorously offensively.

"Simeone knows us very well, and I guess he must have been very well prepared, especially to contain our midfield. Our biggest problem in this game is still possession of the ball. As long as we can control the ball under Atletico Madrid's high intensity, If we press hard and control the ball, we can win." Gao Han said very confidently.

Zidane said that he wants to play pass control, which means that he will no longer arrange a double midfielder combination of Kante and Illarramendi, so the combination of Verratti and Isco should be a matter of course.

There should be no suspense about Hazard, Firmino and Griezmann in the frontcourt. Morata has indeed performed well in the Champions League this season, but after all, he is still too young. Zidane is more likely to regard him as a surprise player. Come and use.

With such a midfield and frontcourt combination appearing in the Champions League final, it can be said to be the strongest lineup in Chinatown. Coupled with the defense of Alex Sandro, Godin, Varane and Danilo, the goalkeeper De Gea, there is no suspense about Chinatown's starting lineup.

"I think there is another point worth paying attention to." Sergio Garcia reminded.

Everyone immediately looked at the data analyst in Chinatown, wanting to hear his opinion.

"That is to try to avoid giving Atletico Madrid frontcourt set-piece opportunities. You know, Ramos's head has been very bright recently."

Sergio Garcia's words made Zidane and others nod in unison.

In the final stage of the league, Ramos was in really hot form, scoring goals and assists continuously, helping Atletico Madrid win consecutively and beat Chinatown to win the league championship.

Without Ramos's sudden outburst, Chinatown would be the current league champion.

Chinatown also attaches great importance to the performance of this central defender, but set-pieces, especially those in the frontcourt, are indeed difficult to defend and can only be prevented by minimizing the number of players.

"Actually, there is no need to be too nervous. You know, this is a ninety-minute game. One half, or one hour, cannot determine the final result of the game. If you want to grasp it, you have to grasp the overall situation." Gao Han reassured.

As the saying goes, you can't make a fat man by eating one bite. If you want to eat your opponent in one bite, it is obviously impossible.

Don't talk about the past, even this season, Chinatown has lost consecutive games at the feet of Atletico Madrid.

Now in this Champions League final, if we play too hastily, it will be a bad thing.

Zidane looked at Gao Han deeply and nodded vigorously.

He understood what Gao Han meant!