The Godfather of Football

Cruyff was sitting in the stands at White Hart Lane, and Bache, who was known as Cruyff's spokesman, was sitting next to him.

The two of them were sitting among hundreds of Barcelona fans who followed the team to the away game. Some were stunned to watch this game, watching Tottenham Hotspur score one goal after another, and watching the Barcelona players one by one as if they were waiting. They were like lambs to the slaughter, unable to fight back. Even in the second half, they completely lost their fighting spirit and confidence.

"This is really a bizarre game!" Butch said with a wry smile when he heard Cruyff sigh.

The Barcelona fans who originally shouted loudly before the game started and vowed to compete with more than 30,000 Tottenham Hotspur fans in the away game were only active for more than a minute. Since Tottenham After Tottenham scored, they could no longer scream because they found that Barcelona had nothing to do.

"Maybe early tomorrow morning someone will suspect that this is a match-fixing!" Bach continued with a wry smile.

"Fixing?" Cruyff shook his head. He also looked depressed. He couldn't smile, not even a forced smile. "To be honest, Bach, I'd rather it was a match-fixing, because at least this would help." Prove that we are not a complete failure.”

Of course Bacchi knew this was not match-fixing, he was just curious, why did Barcelona lose so miserably in this game?

You know, a year ago, Barcelona was very impressive in sweeping Europa and winning the Champions League. In the past two or three seasons, Barcelona has always been the strongest and most successful team in Europe, but now everything seems to be Everything has changed.

"I still remember that a year ago, they were all saying that the only thing that could beat Barcelona was time. But just one year later, Tottenham Hotspur defeated Barcelona on the court, but it seemed to be completely effortless. I can't understand it." Bacchi kept shaking his head vigorously, and he also had feelings for this Barcelona.

Cruyff sighed deeply. This was the first time he sighed in the past hour. "This is a dead end, Bach. It turns out that we not only entered a dead end, but also We made an unforgivable mistake!”

"I don't understand!" Butch still shook his head. He found that when faced with this kind of thing, he could do nothing but shake his head.

Cruyff looked at Bacchi and thought to himself, if it were Guardiola, I believe that when he said it, the other party would understand that Guardiola can become an excellent head coach, and Bacchi can only act as his own mouthpiece. s reason.

"Those who think only time can beat us do it because they know Barcelona very well. The success of our team is based on our unique philosophy and on a group of outstanding youth players such as Harbin Wei, Iniesta, Busquets, Fabregas and Pique.”

Butch knew this, so he nodded.

"This group of players is full of loyalty and affection for the team. They will not switch to other teams. This ensures that Barcelona's fighting strength will last for a long time, but it is precisely because of the existence of these people and the team itself. The team’s unique ball control concept led the team into a misunderstanding, which was to create a tactical system that was most suitable for the team’s concept.”

"The result of this is that it is difficult for foreign players to adapt to Barcelona's tactical system. Our signings are more based on the team's own youth training, so a very strange scene occurred. We Our starting lineup is full of local youth training, and our bench is full of local youth training. It becomes difficult for us to accommodate and accept new blood from outside.”

When Bach heard this, he was very strange and wondered, "But we have achieved success in the past by relying on this method. We have won the Champions League. What is the problem with this? Do you want to say that this is wrong?" This is For the first time Bacchi expressed doubts about Cruyff's words.

But Cruyff was not dissatisfied, because Bach would ask this, proving that he was a normal person.

So, he nodded, "Yes, our success is precisely because of these. We introduced Robin van Persie to further strengthen the team's concept and system, but this brought us into a dead end and made us start to become Resting on our laurels has made our characteristics very singular.”

"I don't understand!" Butch was still shaking his head.

Cruyff shook his head and sighed again, "How many options do you think we have if we want to introduce some players?"

When Bachi heard this, he immediately understood. Yes, in the past few years, when Barcelona wanted to try to introduce some players, the analysis reports given by the technical department all pointed to the same trend without exception, which was to further consolidate The team's possession of the ball.

The simplest example is that everyone knows that Barcelona's center backs lack height and their defense lacks height, but the team never considers types like Kompany, Vidic, and Terry when introducing players. , a central defender who has excellent height control ability, but cannot adapt to Barcelona's ball control system in the backcourt.

Why would you rather use Mascherano to retreat as a central defender than introduce a central defender with excellent defense?

The reason is very simple, I am worried that I will not be able to adapt to the team's tactical system!

And just like in the center position, everyone knows that Robin Van Persie is a tactical fulcrum and his ability to break through dense crowds and high ball skills is not strong, but why not introduce Ibrahimovic, Llorente, Drogba, etc. What about the powerful center? The reason is also very simple. It is still the same sentence and cannot adapt to the team's tactical system.

Do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing?

"Butch, you must know that everything in this world is not static. It is evolving in a dynamic parabola. Where there are highs, there must be troughs, and when there are troughs, there must be troughs. Climax, he has a development pattern, the same is true for football, and the same is true for a team! "

"I'm beginning to understand a problem now. Ye Qiu has been selling people in the past few years. He has many purposes. On the one hand, he wants to cash out when the player's value is the highest, in exchange for the team's operating funds, and On the one hand, it is to maintain the freshness of the team and the team's continuous improvement, but more importantly, he wants to ensure the team's ability to resist risks."

"You mean to avoid falling into the monotonous dead end we have in Barcelona?"

For the first time, Cruyff expressed his approval and affirmation of Bachi’s words, “That’s right!”

At this point, he sighed again, because he found that he understood a little late.

“I wasn’t surprised when he sold Yaya Toure, but I was very confused when he sold Cesc Fabregas and David Silva. From a tactical point of view, Ramsey and Vidal are at least as good as each other. They will not reach the heights of Cesc Fabregas and David Silva in two years, and their characteristics are very different from those two players.”

"Also, on the front line, Robin van Persie, Cavani and Falcao are three different types of centers. In the defensive midfielder position, from Mascherano to Yaya Toure to today's Pirlo, they are also completely different. Three different types, he is always changing and adjusting, but he does not change aimlessly or adjust without a plan. "

"Either move the forwards, move the backcourt, or move the midfield. He will not move multiple key positions at the same time, because this can ensure that the overall strength of the team does not decline rapidly, and Ye Qiu looks at the players' share. The vision is indeed very sharp, and Tottenham Hotspur’s overall strength has always been at a very high level.”

Speaking of this, Cruyff felt a little ashamed because he discovered it too late, "We are now beginning to face a very serious problem. Xavi and Puyol are both old. When people get older, their mentality becomes looser, especially Players like them who have proven themselves and won countless honors, their fighting spirit is obviously not as good as before. Who can take their place?"

"In two or three years, it would be best if the problems of Xavi and Puyol can be solved, but by then Iniesta, Pique and others will also grow old, and new problems will come again, and if Xavi and Puyol If the issue of Puyol’s successor is not resolved, then all the problems will come up together and the whole Barcelona will completely collapse!”

Cruyff's words may be a bit exaggerated, and a complete collapse will not happen, but being defeated and replaced by opponents is possible, and it is very possible, because the current football tactics change every year.

"Don't we have any other options?" Bach found it puzzling.

Cruyff shook his head and smiled. This was the first time he had smiled since just now. He smiled bitterly, "Yes, but no one has the courage to make this choice, which is to break the existing interest structure of Barcelona. Breaking the team's existing tactical system, introducing fresh blood, using other types of players and tactical ideas to improve and perfect our current tactical concepts, and integrating them to evolve a new set of tactical ideas."

When he said this, Cruyff smiled again, "I still remember that my teacher once said that the success of a set of tactics can only last for one season at most. Facts have proved that he was right!"

In fact, what Cruyff said was the same as the self-attack Ye Qiu said to Eliza Moon before.

Perhaps anyone with a little foresight can easily understand the importance of self-attack, and can also clearly realize the shortcomings of the team, but the root of the problem is, do you have the courage and courage to attack yourself? determination?

Take Barcelona as an example. Their current problem is actually not difficult to solve. That is to reorganize the current team's tactical play and introduce more types of players. For example, introduce a player who can adapt to Barcelona's tactical play and at the same time command heights. An outstanding central defender, Ye Qiu, Guardiola tried to introduce Zygrinski in his previous life, but the reform failed after one season.

Also, introduce fresh blood in the midfield and try more types of different playing styles to make the team more diverse.

However, this will inevitably affect the interests of many players in the current locker room. For example, the introduction of a midfielder will inevitably reduce the playing time of the current three main youth training players Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets. And a large part of Barcelona's salary is linked to playing time. How to solve this aspect?

Also, introducing some other types of players and adjusting some other styles of the team's play, such as reducing ball possession, reducing cross passes and back passes, etc., will inevitably bring about the pain of reform and affect the team's performance. , there may even be a loss of stars. How to solve this?

You know, Barcelona is a membership club. Once the results are not ideal, once someone takes the lead to oppose, and the members decide to launch an impeachment, the chairman will have to bear huge pressure, so no chairman can accept such pressure and pain, so they all hope that the team can go on smoothly.

Many people say that Barcelona is getting slower and slower, which is reflected in their rhythm of controlling the ball. From this point, it is not difficult to see that the players are getting lazier and lazier, because they are unwilling to take risks, and then bear the consequences of losing the ball after the failure of the risk. They must engage in crazy pressing, and they want to win the game in the easiest way.

In other words, whether from the perspective of management or from the perspective of players, Barcelona has fallen into a dilemma!

Unless Barcelona can elect a chairman who can give trust and support to the head coach and is willing to bear the risks brought by this reform, and the so-called risks at this time are much higher than the risks when Guardiola replaced Rijkaard. At that time, the risks were more about continuation and improvement, but this time it is a drastic reform that will affect the interests and cheese of many people.

Is there no other way?

Bach's problem came to Cruyff's mind, but he soon realized that at least for now, he, the current Barcelona management and coaching staff, had no way out. All they could do was to try to continue Barcelona's current successful system, taking one step at a time and taking it slowly.

If Barcelona's owner was Ye Qiu, similar reforms would be too easy, but unfortunately, Barcelona's decision-makers were elected by fans and members, and they had to fight for votes just like a democratic government.

But there is a question, that is, how long can Barcelona's success last?

You know, if the direction is wrong, no matter how hard you work and how good you are, it will be difficult to succeed. To use a phrase on the Chinese Internet, a Mercedes on a muddy road will never outrun a Xiali on the highway.

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No one knew that in the stands of White Hart Lane, Cruyff and Bach would have such a deep understanding of this game. Perhaps Guardiola on the sidelines was also feeling the same helplessness as Cruyff, or perhaps he was not as profound as his mentor, but he felt helpless and frustrated now.

After losing two goals in the first 16 minutes of the first half, Barcelona stabilized the situation slightly, but was still firmly contained by Tottenham Hotspur. They could not play their own advantages at all, while the home team frequently used the targeted tactics arranged by Ye Qiu to threaten Barcelona's goal again and again.

Then Thiago Silva used Pirlo's corner kick in the 36th minute and headed in the third goal for Tottenham Hotspur, which almost sentenced Barcelona to death.

But this was not the most surprising thing. What really surprised everyone was that Tottenham Hotspur had nine shots and five shots on target in the first half, while Barcelona had only two shots, and neither shot on target. It seemed more like telling everyone that we also tried to shoot.

And Tottenham Hotspur got as many as seven corner kicks, followed by Barcelona once, and Tottenham Hotspur also converted a corner kick into a goal.

It can be said that in addition to the ball possession rate, Tottenham Hotspur completely defeated Barcelona!

In the second half, Barcelona completely lost their fighting spirit and will. Although the players tried their best to keep the team's ball possession time on the court, they did not invest much in the offense, because they all had to accept the fact that once they pressed forward, Tottenham Hotspur's counterattack would attack behind them.

Pirlo, Thiago Silva and Kompany's long passes threatened their backs again and again, making Barcelona's players bear huge pressure, but Guardiola was also hesitant between the two contradictory choices of pressing forward and defending behind.

He knew very well that pressing forward would have the possibility of scoring, but after pressing forward, the back would definitely be exposed. Tottenham Hotspur had enough ability and strength to play behind, but if they did not press forward, it was unclear whether the defense could hold, but the offense would definitely be greatly weakened, so he was also in a dilemma.

In this dilemma, the game could not give him too much time to think and analyze. In the end, Barcelona remained the same in the second half, just trying to attack after the start of the second half, but this offensive only lasted for five minutes, and then Tottenham Hotspur forced Barcelona to retreat again.

In the second half, Tottenham Hotspur also won 5:0 at home with two goals from Ribery and Messi in the 61st and 68th minutes respectively. Among them, Messi's goal was a corner kick from Pirlo, Kompany headed the ball, and Messi scored in front of the goal, and it was a free kick that won.

Five goals, three in open play, and two set pieces. Tottenham Hotspur's offensive means are very rich, and they were scored by four players. In addition, the will and fighting spirit of Barcelona players were completely disintegrated. This battle can be said to be a great victory.

Ye Qiu was very confident that his team could win before the game, but he did not expect that the team could win by such a big score. This was almost a decisive battle, so he was also very excited when the whistle sounded at the end of the game. He walked into the stadium and hugged all the Tottenham players and substitutes.

In this battle, Tottenham Hotspur has almost established its qualification for the Champions League final in advance, unless there is a terrible collapse in the away game a week later, but this possibility is almost negligible and very small.