The Godfather of Football

According to the data given by the pre-match authoritative organization, this Champions League final has caused a huge response and attention around the world. Even in the United States, which is known as a football desert, there are a lot of fans and non-fans watching this game.

In addition to the 85,000 fans who came to the scene, more than 20 million British people in the UK will watch this live broadcast, accounting for a quarter of the total population of the UK. In addition, more than 150 million fans will watch this live broadcast around the world, setting a new record in the history of the Champions League final.

Although a survey shows that China and Asia have provided a large number of viewers for the live broadcast of the final, in order to take care of global fans, UEFA still decided to schedule this game to kick off at 22:45 in the evening, and it will be the early morning of the 22nd after the end.

Tottenham and Manchester United were somewhat dissatisfied with the late kick-off time, because such a late game would definitely affect the performance of the players, especially for Tottenham's young players. However, Ye Qiu had no choice but to try every possible way to help the team resolve the situation before the game.

The kick-off was at 22:45, but at 20:00, half of the seats in the entire Luzhniki Stadium were already filled. From the distribution of the stands, the fans of Tottenham and Manchester United were clearly divided, with white and red distributed on opposite sides of the stadium, and the fans of the two teams also showed their talents.

Manchester United fans entered the venue early and organized a chorus of 10,000 people. They used singing to suppress Tottenham fans and boost the morale of the team and players.

But soon, as more and more Tottenham fans arrived at the stadium, they did not show any weakness.

All the Tottenham fans were seen holding a team scarf in their hands, and they were also holding some blue and white flags. When everyone was ready, they all raised their flags.

At this time, the TV live camera pulled a farther angle, and saw a vivid fighting cock standing on a round football in the stands where the Tottenham fans were, which was exactly the same as the redesigned team logo of Tottenham.

Everyone in the audience was amazed by the actions of the Tottenham fans, which was definitely organized before the game.

The chairman's stand was north and south, and the fans of the two teams were separated on the east and west sides. Tottenham was in the east and Manchester United was in the west. There was a large stadium and track and field stadium in the middle, but the fans of the two teams did not show any weakness and directly began to attack their opponents from a distance.

Insults, humiliation, personal attacks... typical characteristics of English fans, that is, they will do everything to attack the other side, but they are not without bottom line. Both sides will not do many things beyond the bottom line, but beyond that, you can attack the opponent unscrupulously, even personally attack them.

The big screen of the stadium is constantly playing the whole process of the two teams' players and coaching staff arriving at the Luzhniki Stadium. All fans can clearly see that the players get off the bus, walk into the player tunnel, and walk into the locker room. Everything is clearly presented to all fans, allowing them to understand the situation before the game.

But all this has happened for a long time. Now both teams are in the locker room, making final preparations, and the head coach is also making the final arrangements in time, waiting for the start of the game.

"This will be a fierce battle!"

"We can see the current tension between the two teams from a lot of details. Neither Ye Qiu nor Ferguson has announced the starting lineup for this game. This makes us completely unpredictable even now. What tactics will they adopt to fight against each other in this game?"

"In order to better explain this game with everyone, we specially invited famous European football professionals, Barcelona football godfather Johan Cruyff, and former Chelsea head coach, Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho."

"Hello everyone!"

"Hello everyone!"

Mourinho and Cruyff both spoke one after another, greeting the fans watching the live broadcast. Mourinho's tone sounded a bit stiff, which is also in line with his usual arrogant image.

"Both of you are well-known figures in the football world. I wonder what you think of this game? How do you evaluate these two teams? Or, who do you think has a better chance of winning? Come on, John, tell us first!" the commentator asked.

Cruyff hummed, "In fact, I mentioned this in my column early this morning. Judging from the cards, the difference in strength between the two teams is not big, and it is hard to say who will win or lose. Although Manchester United has won two consecutive games against Tottenham in the league, they played very hard in these two games. It can even be said that they won by luck, and Tottenham lost unfairly."

"Yes, so now many fans and reporters are vindicating Tottenham's two consecutive losses!" The commentator laughed.

"But I think that in addition to testing the strength and the head coach's on-the-spot command and arrangement, this game is also very important to test the players' psychological quality and ability to withstand pressure, and Tottenham is definitely at a disadvantage in this regard."

The commentator smiled again after hearing this, "I read your column before and you thought that a mature team should have an average age of around 25, but Tottenham Hotspur's current average is only over 22 years old. , you don’t think this is a reasonable young segment, do you?”

"Young!" Cruyff nodded. "Youth means lack of experience and lack of self-regulation. Of course, being young also has its advantages, that is, having drive and motivation. But in general, youth is a A double-edged sword, if used well, it can be invincible, but if used incorrectly, you will lose miserably!"

The commentator knew that Cruyff had a good relationship with Ye Qiu, and it was not difficult to tell from his few words that he actually preferred Manchester United, but he refused to say that he thought Manchester United had a better chance of winning the championship, so he did not force it. , turned to Mourinho.

"Jose, you used to be rivals with Ferguson and Ye Qiu, and I noticed in the news that you went to London to watch a Champions League semi-final not long ago. How do you evaluate this Tottenham team?"

"A very good team, there is no doubt about it, otherwise, they would not have been able to reach the final!" Mourinho gave his own opinion and judgment. If the opponents in this game were not Manchester United and Tottenham, It would be impossible for him to make an exception and agree to be the guest commentator.

"But as Ferguson said before the game, Tottenham Hotspur is, how should I say, not a very stable team. They have times when they perform very well, but there are also times when they perform very poorly. I think a very important issue is the midfield structure of this team.”

Cruyff heard this and interrupted, "Modric!"

Mourinho did not have a very good relationship with Cruyff, but they did not have as many conflicts as Ye Qiu in his previous life. He nodded and said: "Yes, at first glance, this player Modric seems to be in Tottenham Hotspur." He performed very well on the field and his ability is quite good, but for an event of the level of the Champions League final, his shortcomings are also quite obvious.”

"The same problem is with Beckham. Once Beckham comes on the court, Tottenham Hotspur's ball control and game control will definitely decline, because Beckham and Cesc Fabregas are both relatively direct players. Like Passing the ball forward instead of using both feet to control the ball, that's why Ye Qiu introduced Modric."

"But Modric's problem is also obvious. He cannot control the front trident, as well as Cesc Fabregas next to him, Mascherano behind him and the two full-backs who like to move forward, but he is not that kind. , I can’t control you, I just try to be the kind of player you are.”

After hearing Mourinho say this, Cruyff interjected again: "Yes, Modric reminds me of Riquelme. He is like an Eastern European version of Riquelme, and at the same time more modern. But both of them have one thing in common, which is that they must let the team play according to their rhythm so that their strength can be maximized.”

"Yes!" Mourinho agreed with Cruyff for the first time, "but if you play according to his rhythm and way, the threat of the front trident will be greatly weakened, and once you play according to his way When he comes to play, his lack of passing ability is exposed, so no matter how Ye Qiu chooses, the midfielder will be a problem!"

After hearing this, the commentator finally saw some professional skills and suddenly realized: "No wonder there are rumors in the transfer market that Tottenham Hotspur wants to introduce a midfielder. It is obvious that Ye Qiu understands this." It makes sense, so I want to recruit.”

"But I have a very strange question. Why did Ye Qiu want to introduce Modric in the first place?"

Cruyff chuckled, "In the eyes of many fans, transfer is a very simple matter. Bringing in players is a one-plus-one game, but as a head coach, he must clearly understand that signings are always It’s a double-edged sword, with good and bad aspects. I think the same is true for Ye Qiu’s introduction of Modric, and he was very cheap at the time.”

Mourinho nodded and said: "I think at that time he did have the idea of ​​​​renovating Modric, or letting Modric play as a substitute. But what he didn't expect was that Beckham was injured later. As a result, he has to let Modric play the main role, and the team is performing well, so he has no reason to adjust the main lineup.”

After hearing this, the commentator changed the topic, "So, you are all more optimistic about Manchester United? Doesn't Manchester United have no problems? Or, does Manchester United really have such a big advantage in winning the championship?"

Mourinho laughed, "Of course not. Manchester United's problems are also obvious. The players are aging. Giggs, Scholes and Gary Neville, who Ferguson relied on, are all too young, and Berba in the frontcourt Toff does not actively press and run, which is also a big problem for Manchester United, but relatively speaking, Manchester United is more mature."

"Actually, Ferguson had already expressed his tactical thinking before the game!" Cruyff took over. "If I were to guess, I believe Ferguson would definitely attack in the beginning, regardless of your arrangement with Tottenham Hotspur. No matter what tactics or ideas, I will directly attack you. Because you are young and because you have no experience, I will attack you directly, completely disrupt all your arrangements and ideas, and then slowly take care of you! "

"This is the most terrible situation for Tottenham Hotspur!"

Mourinho also nodded, "Both teams have strong offensive capabilities, but Manchester United's defense is better and their counterattack ability is stronger. And when you encounter a team like Tottenham Hotspur, you must not give up." The initiative must be to suppress him from the beginning, so I think whoever gets the start right in this game will be able to dominate the game!”

Cruyff also added: "Especially for Tottenham Hotspur, the start is very, very important. If you don't get the start well, any result may appear and happen. I believe Ye Qiu will also be able to realize this." a little!"

"He can realize that, but the players may not be able to meet his requirements. This is the biggest hidden danger for Tottenham Hotspur at the start!" Mourinho expressed his disapproval of Tottenham Hotspur with a relaxed look. Not optimistic about it.

Cruyff did not refute this.

Although football matches are full of unpredictability, in fact, many things are doomed long before the game begins. The key lies in how, as a head coach, you can clearly see the situation on the field and adapt to the situation to turn the team around. status quo and get out of trouble.

The atmosphere in the home team's locker room was tense. Everyone was looking at Ye Qiu attentively, while Ye Qiu was standing in the middle of the locker room, looking at his players. Many of the things that needed to be arranged had been arranged before.

"Next, I will announce the starting lineup for this game!"

Everyone in the locker room seemed very nervous and quiet. From the time they left the hotel, or even as early as they got up this morning, anyone could feel the tension in them, so they rarely spoke, even on weekdays. Franck Ribery, the most active player, has now become a dull man.

"Goalkeeper, Petr Cech; left back, Vargas, right back, Alves, centre-back, Hangeland and Thiago Silva!" This defense line is Tottenham Hotspur's The main defense line has no injuries, so it is not surprising to start.

But Arbeloa was still a little disappointed. He originally thought that the team would give him more opportunities in order to deal with winger Cristiano Ronaldo when they played Manchester United, but in the end Ye Qiu still chose Vargas and Alves.

"In the midfield, Mascherano is behind, Modric and Cesc Fabregas are starting!" Ye Qiu solemnly arranged, and when he spoke, he looked at Beckham. This time Beckham was his one variable in the game, and he revealed this implicitly before the game, so although Beckham was a little disappointed, he was not unhappy.

"The front three, Ribery, Robin van Persie and Messi!"

There are almost no surprises for the offensive players in the frontcourt. Except for injuries or rotations, the three players are usually starting, because they are the strongest guarantee for Tottenham Hotspur's offense.

After announcing the starting lineup, Ye Qiu looked at all the players seriously, "As I told everyone before, don't be pressured, don't be nervous. When we come here, we have no choice, there is only one way, then Just fight to the end!”

"What I want to remind everyone is that Manchester United must start with a rush attack. They want to contain us through a rush attack, but we cannot show weakness and play offense. We will not lose to any team, but I must also I want to remind everyone that we must stay focused, especially when defending, we must pay attention to the distance between our two sides! "

Cristiano Ronaldo's strongest offensive weapon this season is diagonal penetration. Manchester United uses the movement and pulling of Berbatov and Tevez in the frontcourt to create enough gaps and space for Cristiano Ronaldo. , let him penetrate his ribs diagonally.

With the strength of the Portuguese, as long as the distance between your defensive players on both sides is extended to more than fifteen meters, you will be almost fatal, because his impact speed is very amazing, and once he rushes into the penalty area, whether it is a ground ball or He can hit the high ball with ease. He is a very comprehensive and terrifying scorer.

"Also, I want to tell everyone one more thing. No matter what happens on the field or any accidents, we should not mess up or make mistakes casually. We must play the game completely at our own pace and cannot follow Manchester United. We We have to use our pace to bring down Manchester United, so that we have a chance to win!”

"Now, I'm standing here, standing among you. Wait a minute, I'm walking to the sideline, but I'm still with you!"

Ye Qiu stretched out his hand, and the players stood up one after another, walked to the middle of the locker room, stretched out his hand, put one arm around Ye Qiu, and hugged his teammates' shoulders, forming a circle. Their other hands were folded together in the circle, and everyone was close to each other, but no one spoke.

Even in the locker room, they could still hear the thunderous shouts from the fans coming from the stands outside. Although they couldn't understand it clearly, they all obviously believed that they belonged to Tottenham Hotspur fans. cry.

"We have been waiting for this day for a long, long time!"

"I hope that when you walk out of the tunnel, you can raise your head, look at our fans, listen to their shouts, and then tell ourselves in our hearts that we will not let them down because we are Tottenham Fever. Thorn, we worked hard to get to this stadium and participate in this final!”

"Opportunities are earned with so much sweat that we must not let them slip away from us easily. Reach out our hands and grab them. Then we will become heroes. After the game, we can still hold our heads up and face those fans who came all the way to Moscow to support us!"

"Guys, comrades, after you come on the field, pass every ball well, make every tackle, make every breakthrough, and grasp every shot. Don't let our careers leave any regrets. Do you understand?"

"Understood!!!" The players responded in unison!