Super Marshal

Unknowingly, there are more and more international players in the Chinatown team.

After Carvajal was selected for the Spanish national team for the first time, Chinatown now has a total of three Spanish internationals. The other two are De Gea and Alba, Godin, Rakitic, Hazard and Aubamey. Yang has also been selected for the national team.

With a lineup of seven international players, Chinatown is not weak, and this is the result of selling four international players including Michu, James Rodriguez, Otamendi and Alderweireld.

In addition to the international players of the national team, there are also many international players of the national teams at all levels. Therefore, as soon as the national team match day arrives, the Chinatown training center immediately becomes empty and very deserted.

But in the conference room, the atmosphere was a bit solemn.

Two consecutive defeats at the beginning made Chinatown feel gloomy and depressing.

Especially compared with last season's turbulent start, Chinatown this season is too depressing and frustrating.

What exactly is the problem? How to solve it?

This is a difficult question facing the coaching staff and club management.

As a senior head coach, Gao Han knows very well that if Chinatown cannot solve this problem as soon as possible, then the results this season will not be good, let alone securing the top four in the league, I am afraid the ranking will drop significantly.

Of course, he also understands that it would be unkind to put the blame on the coaching staff, because four starting players were sold this summer, especially Michu and James Rodriguez, and the attack on Chinatown The impact is too great.

"Looking at the four games so far this season, our team has shown a very distinct characteristic, which is that it does not score when it is in power. In the first round against Hortense, we had a high possession rate and against Barcelona. In the first half, we were evenly matched with our opponent, and after conceding two goals, we even had an advantage on the field."

"In the most recent game against Sevilla, we also had an advantage, with a 63% ball possession rate. We won eight corner kicks and forced the opponent to pay 14 fouls and four yellow cards. But we only had six shots on goal, only one shot on target, one goal and five missed shots."

"Sevilla had very little possession, but they had 15 shots and nine of them were on target, so we should thank De Gea. If it weren't for his magical performance, we would probably have gained a victory in this game. A humiliating defeat.”

Technical Director Cantarero was the first to speak, and he pointed out the problems currently encountered by the club and exposed them mercilessly.

This is the tradition of Chinatown, and it is not the right thing to do to the person.

Head coach Pochettino didn't look good, but he also knew that what Cantarero said was true.

The problems the team is facing now are indeed very complex. They cannot create a threat on the offensive end, but they repeatedly make mistakes on the defensive end.

"What Carlos said is true, and our coaching staff has also conducted in-depth analysis."

Pochettino took Cantarero's words and continued.

"We believe that the team's current defense is relatively simple. Our midfield remains intact and our counterattack enthusiasm and efficiency are very high. Especially after the combination of Herrera and Rakitic, our midfield The blocking and coverage are better than they were last season, which is good for our defense.”

"The problem now is that neither Godin nor Miranda have played high defense before, and the cooperation between the two central defenders is not tacit enough. The interaction with other players on the team is still relatively unfamiliar, and there will inevitably be more mistakes. But whether in training or in games, we have reason to believe that as the season progresses, the defensive problems will gradually be resolved."

The high-position defense is very different. The team's overall formation is forward and backward, and the requirements for the central defender are also obviously different.

More importantly, Chinatown places great emphasis on the forward assists of the two full-backs. Carvajal and Alba are both typical full-backs who are strong in offense and weak in defense. Sometimes their positions are even further forward than the midfielder. The requirements for the central defender are obviously different.

Godin and Miranda are both newcomers, so it is normal for them to not adapt. Pochettino believes that they can gradually integrate into the team, which is also believable.

"The current problem is mainly concentrated on the offensive end. Pellet and Michu have many similarities. For example, they both have strong abilities to pick up and play the ball with their backs. They are both physically strong and can play in the frontcourt. The role of a fulcrum, but there are many differences. For example, Michu is a attacking midfielder and often retreats, but Pelle is a traditional Italian center and basically does not retreat."

"Pellet's dribbling ability is not outstanding, which makes him lack the ability to take the initiative to attack with the ball, so we can see that he has almost no dribbling on the court, but his frontcourt running is very active and his pressing ability is He is very good and plays a very obvious role as a tactical fulcrum, which is his advantage."

There are no two identical leaves in this world, and there cannot be two players with exactly the same characteristics.

Pellet and Michu seem to have similar styles, but in fact there are many differences.

"There is also midfielder. Last season, we had James Rodriguez. He was the best player in La Liga and even European football in passing the threatening ball. But this season, whether it is Herrera or Rakitic, Both are more comprehensive, but neither is as good as James Rodriguez in terms of passing the threatening ball."

"A combination of various factors led to us being able to control the situation on the court and suppress our opponents, but we were never able to straighten out the offense. As a result, the ball reached the frontcourt, but we were never able to create a threat."

Pochettino also felt very depressed about this, and even felt a little angry based on his tone.

After all, the team finally adjusted a smooth style of play last season. As a result, they sold four players in one go, causing the team to have to start over. Now the performance is not ideal, the fans are not happy, and the coaching staff A lot of pressure.

Gao Han is a head coach and knows very well that the problems the team is encountering now should not be blamed on anyone, including Pochettino, and he did not come to Madrid specifically to exert pressure.

He hopes to find a solution to the problem as soon as possible to help the team get back on track as soon as possible.

"I watched the team's four games this season, and I think the team's strength is still maintained well, which can be seen from three points."

After Cantarero and Pochettino expressed their opinions, Gao Han also expressed his views.

"First of all, our overall performance is still very good, and we are still good at creating numerical advantages in local areas in a short period of time, especially the forward penetration of the two full-backs, which is very sudden and effective; secondly, our frontcourt press and pressure It’s very well organized and that’s the tradition of our team.”

"The last point, and the most important point, is that our cooperation in a small area is very accurate, and the team has a tacit understanding. The newly joined Pellet is also a smart player who is very good at running. This is what the team has done. Very good."

"By doing these three things, I can confidently say that our strength this season is not bad, at least the foundation is still there."

Having said this, Gao Han looked at Pochettino, "Mauricio is right. Some of the team's problems take time, such as the tacit understanding of the players and the integration of defensive players. There are also some problems that require us to find solutions as soon as possible. , such as offense.”

"I would like to make an opinion. Pellet is a center who is very delicate with his feet. He has physical advantages. He is very good at holding the ball behind his back and playing with the ball. He has excellent running awareness and header ability. He should be actively used. The advantage allows him to hold the opponent's two central defenders and complete the ball delivery and ferrying role."

Gao Han's judgment was recognized by Pochettino. The Argentine head coach nodded and said: "You are right. He can play the role of a troublemaker in the frontcourt and also play a supporting role, so we will focus on the second The battle for landing points, as well as the line planning of the second attack in the back row to organize the offense."

"Rakitic and Herrera both have very good attacking abilities, and Aubameyang is very fast. We think both of these aspects can form a good interaction with Pellet."

"Don't forget, our two full-backs are very capable of assisting from behind." Gao Han reminded, "Using the wing to cooperate in a small area and then passing in, or cutting inside, are also very threatening offensive routines, and can also Play to Pellet’s strengths.”

"And in the small-scale cooperation on the wing, I think Hazard should be liberated."

"Liberate Hazard?" Pochettino thought carefully about Gao Han's words.

"Hazard is a talented player with strong personal ability and a very high one-on-one success rate. When Pellet suppresses the opponent's two central defenders, Hazard can play more threatening. When he When taking the ball from the left and cutting inside, he often attracts the defense and double-teaming of three or four players from the opponent, especially the right center back, who often rushes to intercept and the right midfielder will also actively double-team and cut off Hazard. route of the ball.”

"In this case, Alba stepped forward to attack, Rakitic and Herrera stepped forward to support, and Pellet's support at the front of the penalty area can all share Hazard's defensive pressure to the maximum extent. With his His personal ability, as long as he is given space, I believe he will surprise everyone."

When Pochettino heard this, he finally understood what Gao Han meant.

Liberating Hazard means organizing Chinatown's offense around Hazard, not center Pellet.

Gao Han's suggestion coincides with Pochettino and the coaching staff's idea of ​​​​planning the attack around the second position in the frontcourt and the back row.

Of course, Hazard is only 20 years old and is still very young. His dribbling and attacking abilities are indeed very strong and his success rate is very high. He was a famous dribbler in La Liga last season, but the next step after the dribble is often more complicated. It's not ideal, but if he is placed at the front of the opponent's penalty area, he can disrupt the opponent's defense and create a threat as long as he passes through.

What's more, Hazard is a very smart player and he will always improve.

Gao Han has always believed that for a genius like Hazard, he should be given as much space as possible within the tactical framework, allowing him to play freely and unleash his talent and talents to his heart's content.

If he was too young to be entrusted with a heavy responsibility before, then now, whether he is ready or not, he should be allowed to shoulder this heavy responsibility.

Neither Pellet nor Hazard are known for their scoring ability, so the burden of scoring goals falls on Aubameyang. Gao Han has always been very optimistic about this extremely fast player, and Cantarero also While sculpting his shooting ability, I believe there will be some improvement this season.

But the key is Hazard.

"He is a proud swan. What we have to do is to give him a lake instead of forcing him to turn into an ugly duckling." Gao Han advised Pochettino.

Not only him, Zidane is also very optimistic about Hazard. The French even asserted that Hazard is the player most promising to become a superstar in the Chinatown team.

Gao Han deeply agrees with this.

Therefore, liberating Hazard will be a key to opening the door to goals in Chinatown.