The Godfather of Football

"Perhaps it is really the Copa America in the summer and the increasing number of international players that have caused this group of young players at Tottenham Hotspur to still not find a suitable rhythm in the league, which makes them always slow to integrate into the game. !”

On October 1st, China's National Day, Tottenham Hotspur faced Aston Villa at home. In the 12th minute of the opening game, Tottenham Hotspur scored against Aston Villa and scored for Aston Villa. La's goal came from a counterattack from Agbonlahor.

When the opponent scored, Andy Gray felt a little regretful, because the goal was a counterattack from the left, aimed at Tottenham Hotspur's Alves on the right, and obviously the Brazilian right back The performance in this game was not very ideal. I was able to advance offensively, but I couldn't come back defensively.

"We have always said in the past that Tottenham Hotspur is a team that is very good at attacking from behind, but judging from their performance this season, their start was not as smooth as in the past. Against Arsenal, It was like this back then, and it’s still like this when we play against Aston Villa. This is really not a good phenomenon, it’s too slow!”

Ye Qiu didn't think so. He felt that the impact of the America's Cup on the team was more due to the three players Messi, Mascherano and Vargas. What's interesting is that these three players happened to be the left wingers. Among the three deep offensive lines on the center and right, Mascherano's performance since the beginning of this season has not been good and is not as stable as in the past.

Of course, this is a normal thing. Ye Qiu will not doubt his ability because of this, or even change his main position. After all, every player's status will have ups and downs, and it is impossible to maintain a high level of performance forever.

Ye Qiu felt that there was another aspect that affected the team, and that was that the team performed too well last season, especially in the second half. The team's offense at that time could almost be described as devastating.

But at that time, Tottenham Hotspur's offense was based on Ruud van Nistelrooy, but now it has to fully blossom. This requires a period of adjustment and adaptation, so Tottenham Hotspur plays some relatively wide defensive balls. The team can play very well, such as the second half against Arsenal, but that is because the Gunners' physical fitness has declined.

But once they encounter tight pressing and oppression, they become a bit chaotic.

Another point is the psychological problem. Last season's third place in the league made many players in the team feel mentally that they should be a strong team. Young players' minds are not mature enough and are easily affected, so once they With such thoughts, it is easy to overestimate or even underestimate the enemy.

Sometimes the players' emotions cannot be solved by Ye Qiu with a few words. They still have to rely on the players themselves.

Therefore, after losing the ball, Ye Qiu did not make any adjustments. Instead, he allowed the team to control the situation steadily, control the ball, and slowly advance forward. Aston Villa played Leo Coe in the middle of the midfield. The combination of Kerr and Gareth Barry, both players are defensive, so they pay great attention to pressure and pressing.

Therefore, the strategy adopted by Ye Qiu is also very simple. He constantly uses his skillful ball control and passing and receiving to put pressure on Aston Villa. At the same time, he also moves Beckham's position back. The overall formation looks a bit like It is 4231 configuration.

"David's role in the counterattack is indeed very obvious, but once it falls into a positional battle, especially an offensive battle, the effect will be greatly reduced!" Mauro Tassotti stared at the situation with a frown and shook his head.

Beckham's long passes are very accurate, but the problem is also obvious, that is, his effect is weakened in positional battles, especially when the opponent shrinks his defense. At this time, the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder The weakness of the lack of effective ball control points will be exposed, which is why Ye Qiu introduced Modric.

But even so far, the Croatian midfielder has not been able to integrate well into Tottenham Hotspur's midfield. Moreover, his timing of the ball and some shortcomings make Ye Qiu not very confident about him.

Just as Ye Qiu and Peter de Visser judged him before, if Tottenham Hotspur only wants to maintain the top four rankings in the Premier League, Modric will be a very good midfielder, but Now Tottenham Hotspur has Beckham, Cesc Fabregas, Messi and Ribery. The team's goal is to hit the championship and even the Champions League.

So, in this case, if Modric cannot change himself well and integrate into the team, it will be difficult for him to bring effective supplements and reinforcements to Tottenham Hotspur.

That's not to say that Beckham is completely useless, because there will be many, many counterattack opportunities in every game. Even if you are facing an opponent who is not as strong as yourself, the root of the problem is that there is an increasingly powerful player. Cesc Fabregas, who is mature and increasingly capable of long and short passes, will another midfield position be given to Beckham?

This is a matter of trade-offs for the head coach. After all, if there is an excellent ball handler in this position, then Tottenham Hotspur's entire midfield and frontcourt formation will be perfect in theory. By then, the ball will The team's entire offense will see a qualitative leap, especially with the trident in the frontcourt.

In the middle of last season, Tottenham Hotspur's performance was not good. Premier League teams generally adopted the strategy of pressing out and playing. They all wanted to score points from Tottenham Hotspur, and against Tottenham Hotspur The changes after the introduction of Beckham were unfamiliar, so Tottenham went crazy.

But now, the third place in the Premier League last season is too conspicuous. Now many teams adopt a defensive counterattack strategy when they meet Tottenham Hotspur, and the team's shortcomings and deficiencies are exposed.

Ye Qiu foresaw this in the summer, so he introduced Modric, but now it is difficult for him to win Beckham.

"There is no need to think about playing against Aston Villa as if it is the Champions League final!" After listening to Mauro Tassotti's words, Ye Qiu patted his shoulder with a smile, "Martin O'Neill, I've got him!"

After a little confusion at the beginning, Tottenham Hotspur gradually stabilized the situation and launched attacks on Aston Villa one after another, exerting pressure, and Aston Villa also felt very strenuous in defending Tottenham Hotspur's offensive trident.

Tottenham Hotspur's trident has no fixed routine. Van Persie, Ribery and Messi, and even Fabregas behind them, these four players can cross positions at any time and anywhere, can run and pull unscrupulously, and the trident are all left-footed players, who can switch left and right, and can also dribble the ball for their teammates.

This kind of play requires a high level of tacit understanding between the players, and these three players played together as early as when they were in Chelsea, so there is no need to say much about tacit understanding, and Ye Qiu has also consciously cultivated their tacit understanding in this aspect in the past, so their performance on the offensive end is getting better and better.

After a period of pressure, Aston Villa gradually exposed its weaknesses and shortcomings.

In the 37th minute, Fabregas got the ball in the middle and split it, Messi broke through one-on-one on the right and made a cross, Van Persie attacked Aston Villa's defense, pushed the ball in front of the goal and scored, helping Tottenham Hotspur to equalize the score, 1:1!

But in less than five minutes, Tottenham Hotspur broke through on the wing again. Beckham passed the ball to Vargas, and the Peruvian left-back quickly joined in, forming a two-on-one situation with Ribery on the left. Ribery got the ball on the left side of the penalty area and passed it low into the penalty area. Van Persie, who was unguarded, easily shot low in front of the goal, 2:1!

The whole reversal process was not dragged out at all, without any hardship or difficulty, but only easy passing and receiving. This is also the impression of the outside world on Tottenham Hotspur, that is, when this team finds the feeling, their offense is as smooth as flowing water.

Entering the stoppage time, Tottenham Hotspur got another chance. It was Van Persie's header in front of the goal, which was saved by the goalkeeper. Beckham took the corner kick, and Hangeland headed the ball. The goalkeeper saved the ball, but soon after, Messi picked up the leak in the crowd and shot it, 3:1!

In just ten minutes, Tottenham Hotspur broke through Aston Villa's goal three times, which made Martin O'Neill angry, helpless, and somewhat annoyed.

Especially in the second half, Tottenham Hotspur, who had regained their familiarity, launched a fierce attack on Aston Villa in one breath. Aston Villa was in a panic in front of the goal and was forced to shrink its defense, but it still couldn't stop Tottenham Hotspur from threatening their goal frequently.

In the 62nd minute, Van Persie suddenly pulled to the left to receive Vargas' pass. After getting the ball, he shook off the defensive player and knocked back to the penalty area. Ribery quickly inserted a single shot, and goalkeeper Carson attacked and knocked Ribery down.

The referee awarded a penalty kick and gave Carson a red card, sending him off the field.

Beckham personally took the penalty kick and scored, changing the score to 4:1!

Seeing the team's big win, all the fans at White Hart Lane were excited. Ye Qiu directly replaced Modric with Beckham who scored the goal. At the same time, he also replaced Ashley Young and Cavani successively, wanting to give the main players a chance to rest and save some energy. However, although Tottenham Hotspur firmly controlled the ball, they never scored again.

In the end, Tottenham Hotspur reversed Aston Villa 4:1 at home.

The day after the game, the outside world had mixed reviews on Tottenham Hotspur's performance.

First of all, they gave a very high evaluation to Tottenham Hotspur's offense, especially the front trident. They all believed that this combination would be the guarantee of Tottenham Hotspur's offense in the next five years, and they also believed that Ye Qiu had trained an extremely sharp attack combination.

But everyone felt that Tottenham's goal loss after the opening was unnecessary, especially the passivity in the opening stage, which made people feel that this would become a major hidden danger for Tottenham, and also said that Ye Qiu should work hard to overcome such problems to ensure Tottenham's combat effectiveness this season.

After eight rounds, Tottenham had two fewer games, and their four wins and two losses made them equal in points with Portsmouth, Blackburn and Chelsea, but Tottenham ranked sixth in the league with their strong offensive power, while Chelsea ranked eighth because they tied Fulham 0:0 at home this round.

After eight rounds of games, Chelsea's points were even with Tottenham, who had two fewer games, which was unacceptable to all Chelsea fans, and many reporters said that Mourinho's set had been figured out by Premier League opponents and there was no way to play it anymore.

Many media said that throughout the three seasons Mourinho coached Chelsea, his tactics have remained unchanged. Although Shevchenko and Ballack were added in the middle, Mourinho once tried to change to a two-forward tactics. , but soon returned to the 433 formation, always relying on the central axis left by Ye Qiu, without any change.

But it's obvious that Premier League teams have gradually begun to adapt to Chelsea's tactics. When the opponents have changed, if you don't change, it will naturally be difficult to play well, and the results will definitely be affected.

Mourinho responded to the accusations from the outside world. He believed that the team's poor performance was because they did not get the players they wanted. He wanted to get a wide player with excellent personal abilities who can deal with intensive situations. The winger broke the deadlock in defence, but he ended up with Malouda instead.

Mourinho's remarks also exposed the contradictions within the Chelsea team, especially what has been widely rumored by the outside world. Mourinho and Mendes are on the one side, and Pini Zahavi and Grant are on the other side. There are two factions. The power struggle is obviously heating up and is gradually coming to the surface.

Regarding Chelsea's internal strife, the media loved to hear Ye Qiu's thoughts, even wishing that Ye Qiu would make trouble for his old enemy Pini Zahavi. However, Ye Qiu remained silent and said that he would not intervene in any disputes at Chelsea.

In fact, with his arrival, Chelsea's situation has changed. Ye Qiu is not sure whether Mourinho will sack him, and he doesn't think it will bring anything to him whether Mourinho sacks him or not. The good thing is that sometimes changing coaches is like changing swords, and no one knows the changes it brings.

Three days later, Tottenham Hotspur challenged Steaua Bucharest on the field. Because they had some strength in the league, Tottenham Hotspur still went to Romania with a trident offensive lineup this time, and with Ribey With the goals of Li and Robin van Persie, they defeated the Romanian team 2:0 in an away game and successfully obtained the first three points of the group stage.

And when Ye Qiu led the team back to London from Romania, he received the news that Mourinho was dismissed.

On the way back to Theobald Training Base from Heathrow Airport, Ye Qiudu looked out the window.

The scenery along the highway flew behind him like a revolving lantern, but his eyes did not notice these scenery at all, but were more focused on his thoughts.

Mourinho is dismissed!

For Ye Qiu, I really don’t know whether this is good news or bad news, because to a certain extent, Mourinho’s departure is tantamount to letting Grant come to the forefront, which is a turmoil for Chelsea. .

At least, Ye Qiu didn't really take Grant seriously. This Israeli was fine on paper, but when it came to troop formation and on-the-spot command, Ye Qiu had worked with him for a while, so he really didn't think he had the skills. What can be done.

In his previous life, many people said that Grant took Chelsea to the Champions League final after accepting it, but they never thought about it, what kind of team did Chelsea encounter?

Needless to say, in the group stage, we met Olympiacos first, and then Fenerbahce in the knockout round. The opponent in the semi-finals was Liverpool, who was slightly stronger, but both rounds were 1:1. In the final, they also tied with Manchester United: 1: 1. In the end, they lost to Manchester United on penalties.

If you look at the performance purely, it seems to be a pity that they have all reached the finals. But if you look at the process, it is not difficult to find that among the top four of the Champions League, Chelsea is the least valuable. This is even worse than the next year. The season when Dink led the team to the semifinals was even less convincing.

Hiddink's Chelsea stopped in the semi-finals, which is a real pity. Grant's kind of luck is called luck.

Of course, Ye Qiu must also admit that Grant also has his own strengths, which is the typical Jewish tact. At least when Ye Qiu was coaching Chelsea, he was able to do well in the team, but Ye Qiu never From the beginning, because he was a member of Pini Zahavi's party, he was somewhat rejected.

There has been power struggle within Chelsea over the years, but Grant has always stood by Abramovich's side. Like Pini Zahavi, who is also Jewish, both men certainly have their merits.

But Ye Qiu is certain that their merits are neither on the football field nor in the position of head coach.

"Perhaps Chelsea can be eliminated from this season's Premier League championship list!" Roland said with a smile.

After hearing this, Mauro Tassotti looked at the frowning Ye Qiu, smiled, and said: "It's hard to say, Chelsea's strength is still very strong, but the internal battles in this team are too fierce at the moment, leading to internal friction. Seriously, now that Mourinho is gone, they can temporarily form a united front, which may actually stimulate the team's fighting capacity."

When it comes to the team lineup, Chelsea is still very strong. Whether it is in terms of player strength or bench thickness, Chelsea is undoubtedly ranked first in the Premier League, even if Ye Qiu is full of confidence in his Tottenham Hotspur , but still feel that his team is inferior to Chelsea, after all, Chelsea is more mature.

"When Grant takes over now, he must focus on stabilizing the team, and signings must be made during the winter break, so it is a bit early to say that Chelsea cannot win the championship!" Ye Qiu also said lightly.

"As the old saying goes, focus on playing your own game, otherwise it's all just talk!"

After a pause, Ye Qiu suddenly smiled and said, "We can't be Arsenal!"

As Tottenham Hotspur returned to London, the ninth round of the Premier League was ushered in without stopping. This time, Tottenham Hotspur challenged Benítez's Liverpool away, but this strong dialogue ended in a draw.

Ye Qiu and Benítez, the old enemies, are still evenly matched, but Tottenham Hotspur's old problem is still there. They lost the ball in the 12th minute of the opening, but soon after, Ribery scored twice to help Tottenham Hotspur reverse, but in the first minute of stoppage time, Kompany made a mistake in defending Torres and lost the ball again.

Considering that it was an away game and the opponent was Liverpool, 2:2 was also an acceptable score, so the outside world did not give the team too much blame, but just felt it was a pity, after all, it turned from the original three points to one point, and Ye Qiu also defended Kompany for this.

The team disbanded on the spot after the league, and each returned to their respective national teams to report. Some players who did not have national team competition tasks could rest for two days, and Ye Qiu planned to take advantage of the two-week league suspension period to complete an acquisition.