The Godfather of Football

"Director Zhang, the first half is over. All Chinese fans were looking forward to it. Tottenham Hotspur, who had high hopes, fell behind 0:2 in the away game. It is very, very regretful. What do you think happened in the first half? What? Is there any chance of a comeback?”

In the live broadcast room of China BJ CCTV Building, two commentators who are responsible for the Champions League commentary are making a summary after the first half. This is also a live comment and analysis for all fans across the country.

"I think there is still a chance for a comeback!" Director Zhang used his typical BJ accent and spoke slowly, directly stating his opinion that there is still a second half and everything is still possible.

"Do you think there's still a chance?" the host said with a hint of confirmation.

"Yes!" Coach Zhang nodded, "Actually, the problem in the first half was not that the team's strength was a problem, nor was it that Tottenham Hotspur were inferior to others. If we look at strength, it should be Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs lead 2:0, but the interesting thing about football is that it doesn’t look at your strength, but your performance on the spot.”

"Dortmund's on-the-spot performance in this game was quite good. Klopp must have prepared very carefully for this game. This is the Champions League's group of death, which brings together the five major leagues of the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1. The competition among the championship teams in the four leagues is very fierce.”

"Tottenham Hotspur is the team of kings in everyone's eyes and the number one favorite to qualify. Dortmund is also very powerful. Compared with Juventus, even the Ligue 1 team..."

"Montpellier!" the host reminded, this team is very, very unfamiliar to the Chinese people.

"Yes, Montpellier. Judging from the first two rounds, the French Ligue 1 team has very little hope of qualifying. If Dortmund wants to suppress Juventus and qualify from the group, it is best to go to Tottenham Hotspur." They made a fuss because they tied 1:1 in the second round, which means there is not much difference in strength between the two teams.”

"In this situation where the gap in strength is not big, if you want to be more sure of qualifying, Tottenham Hotspur is the key to their fight for qualifying in the group. The biggest suspense in a group of death is often not the results of each other's battles, but the success of the group. This kind of fighting spirit and strength are inspired by this very complicated environment where everyone hopes to qualify and everyone wants to qualify.”

The host couldn't help but nod after hearing this, "So I personally feel that Dortmund really performed at a superb level in the first half."

"Super level, absolutely super level. They almost suppressed Tottenham Hotspur without many chances. They even lost possession of the ball to the opponent. This situation has not happened to Tottenham Hotspur for a long time. I personally thought Dortmund’s first half was very, very perfect.”

"How do you say it?" The host also followed the words and asked.

"First of all, they have used their own characteristics very well and vividly. They can run and all the players can run. So we see that they have dominated Tottenham Hotspur from the beginning. We all know that, Tottenham Hotspur are very good at running, but they are obviously not excited enough in this game.”

"You mean, the game with Chelsea was too energy-consuming?"

"It definitely matters!" Director Zhang nodded without hesitation, "Usually the player's state is a parabola, with ups and downs, one high and one low. This is normal. So let's look at the weekend Bundesliga. Dortmund played badly, Klopp said with a smile after the game, it doesn’t matter, we did it on purpose.”

"At that time, many people felt that Klopp was talking nonsense, and some people deliberately suppressed the team's state!" The host also laughed.

"But looking back now, he did do it on purpose. He kept his strength aside and the team didn't try its best. They just waited for Tottenham Hotspur to come to the goal. For Dortmund, if you want To secure the right to qualify, they must do everything possible to score points from Tottenham Hotspur. They are not sure about the away game, so they must fight at home!”

After a pause, Director Zhang continued: "Also, in addition to being able to run, Dortmund's passing speed is very fast, and their ability to fight and strangle in the midfield is also very good. They dare to press forward, and through this high frontcourt Intense pressure and pressing force the opponent to make mistakes, and once the ball is captured in the frontcourt, they immediately launch a counterattack.”

"Lewandowski, Reus, Gotze and Kuba, the frontcourt attacking formation composed of these four players is very good and has many changes, especially Lewandowski, who took the first kick. Passing the ball and then passing the ball diagonally to both sides is the most threatening method for Dortmund’s offense.”

When the host heard this, he was also surprised, "I remember Ye Qiu once mentioned this point at the press conference before the game, but judging from the game process, Tottenham didn't seem to target Sexual defense of this.”

"I personally think that Ye Qiu may have considered that if he adopts targeted defense, the distance and space between his midfield and the back line may be compressed, which will affect the team's offense. We all know that the midfielder It determines the offensive flexibility of a team. If your midfield is suppressed, the offense will become less threatening."

"Another thing I think is that Tottenham Hotspur's players are not excited enough for this game. It probably has something to do with the continuous battles in the past. After all, the national team games and the game against Chelsea are all tough battles, and Dortmund, this A game is about recharging your energy. They have already made targeted preparations to restrain you, Tottenham Hotspur.”

"We all know that when you only have one goal, the way you think about the problem is very focused, and when you have many goals, then you need coordination. For a team like Tottenham Hotspur, "Fighting on multiple fronts leads to distraction, which is inevitable."

The host also expressed support for Director Zhang's remarks, "But I believe that all Chinese fans do not want Tottenham Hotspur to lose. After all, they are too strong in the Premier League and have been undefeated in 96 games so far. An impossible miracle."

"Yes, so Tottenham Hotspur are in a dilemma now. Their league performance is too good. They are too familiar with the rhythm and atmosphere of the Premier League. They are used to playing with the initiative, and this game's top At half-time, we suddenly encountered Dortmund. The Bundesliga team didn't care, they just came up and gave you a slap in the head. They were confused. "

"We must admit that Dortmund's entire pressing in the first half was perfectly arranged and can be called a textbook. I believe Klopp must have studied Ye Qiu's tactics. They are too similar. For example, Klopp said, I control the ball. The rate is around 55%, so Dortmund’s average ball possession rate per game is around 56.3%, which is very similar to Ye Qiu!”

"Also, one-touch passing and receiving, running without the ball, pressing and pressing in the frontcourt, etc. Even if you look at the offense, after stealing the ball, he looks for Lewandowski, Lewandowski stabilizes the ball, and the players behind him move in. "Does this remind you of Tottenham Hotspur?"

"Yes!" the host affirmed again, "So many people say that Dortmund is a rough version of Tottenham Hotspur!"

Director Zhang chuckled, "That is caused by the Bundesliga environment. Tottenham Hotspur can play such an effective combination of strength and technology in the Premier League. This is a very admirable thing in itself. Wenger is After how many years Vieira and others left, he tried to reorganize a team, but he never succeeded, but Ye Qiu succeeded! "

"Director Zhang!" The host thought for a while and then asked: "You said just now that there is still a chance. Do you think, judging from the situation in the first half, how Tottenham Hotspur should adjust in the second half? ?”

Director Zhang laughed, "I can't guess it. Ye Qiu's on-the-spot command is very, very good. He often has some unexpected ideas. And we all know that Tottenham Hotspur's analysis team is very professional. They will Give Ye Qiu some professional advice, and then the head coach will coordinate various situations and make decisions."

"But," Director Zhang changed the topic. If it was just what he said just now, then he would not be qualified to comment on this important event. "I think Tottenham Hotspur should first focus on freezing Lewando. "It's because Dortmund's offense often focuses on this point, relying on him to deliver the ball."

"As for the offense, I think with Dortmund's running style and the characteristics of Tottenham Hotspur, the degree of physical consumption is very critical, because we have all noticed that although Dortmund also attaches great importance to pressing and pressing, But they are poor at teamwork, and pressing and pressing are more about individual players’ investment.”

"Tottenham Hotspur's pressing and pressing is a bit like Barcelona's. It emphasizes the coordinated operation of the whole team. This way the physical energy consumption will be much smaller, so the later the time is, the more beneficial it is to Tottenham Hotspur. ”

"Well, thank you very much, Director Zhang!" A notice came from the host's earphones that the director was about to go into commercials. "We all know that Ye Qiu has always been praised by fans as an expert in on-the-spot command. Many people even think that he is the best on-the-spot command. An excellent manager, so we should have full confidence in him and believe that Tottenham's performance will improve in the second half and even have a chance to turn the situation around."

"I think there must be!" Director Zhang laughed after finishing speaking.

…………

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While fans in China who stayed up late to watch the third round of the Champions League group stage were enjoying the CCTV commercials, everyone in the visiting team dressing room at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund, Germany, greeted them with uneasy expressions. Here comes the head coach Ye Qiu who pushed in the door.

Just like other games, he was holding some data and information from the coaching staff and analysis team, but his face looked normal, without too much anger or dissatisfaction, which made many players feel worried. Breathed a sigh of relief.

None of them knew that Ye Qiu stood outside the players' tunnel for more than a minute just to calm down.

The team is lagging behind, and he knows that the players don't want to, so scolding him now will not have much effect. The most important thing is to stay calm.

"Let me first talk about the problems we encountered in the first half and what the team did not do enough!"

Ye Qiu walked into the locker room without any opening remarks. He walked to the middle of the players and everyone turned their attention to him.

"I said that when playing against Dortmund, the defense cannot be loose and must always be closely connected. Our two goals in the first half were almost the same, with the ribs shifting. This proves the tightness of our defense. We didn’t do enough, especially when the opponent was pulling and moving, we lost our response and defense!”

In fact, Dortmund did not get many good scoring opportunities in the first half. Although they performed well, it was more about pressing and pressing. In the first half, it was not so much that Dortmund performed too well and perfectly. It is better to say that Tottenham Hotspur paid the price for frequent mistakes.

Of course, it is undeniable that Dortmund did perform very well, but that was in terms of defense, pressure and pressing. They perfectly demonstrated what a team that is not as strong as its opponents, a team that is not as technical and tactical as its opponents, can do. To beat the good teams.

This was indeed an almost textbook first half, Ye Qiu had to admit it!

But all this is based on Tottenham Hotspur's own poor performance!

Ye Qiu's words were straight to the point, without any sloppiness, and pointed directly at the team's biggest crux.

"Yes, I reminded everyone before the game not to tighten the midfield and defense line because of the pressure and pressure from the opponent. This will affect our offense, but I have always reminded everyone not to tighten up the midfield and defense line because of the opponent's pressure. Pressure and pressing were frantic, and we still followed our usual style of play and rhythm, but we fell into the opponent's rhythm from the beginning. "

This is the most important reason why Tottenham Hotspur performed poorly in the first half and made many mistakes.

Once you lose control of the game and the ability to grasp the rhythm of the game, no matter how strong or outstanding you are, you will not be able to exert even half of your usual strength. This is just like what Tottenham Hotspur created. Like several massacres, they dominated the game situation and rhythm from the beginning.

Ye Qiu could even predict that if no effective adjustments were made during the halftime break, Tottenham Hotspur would probably leave Germany with a complete defeat this time, or even a massacre by Dortmund, leaving Germany in disgrace.

Don't think it's impossible, everything is possible on the football field.

"I don't plan to make substitutions now!" Ye Qiu said something that made everyone in the locker room feel relieved. "However, I want each of you to give me a commitment and guarantee. We have to make changes in the second half, otherwise Tottenham Hotspur will leave the Westfalenstadion in disgrace!”

In the football circle, unless a head coach encounters special circumstances, such as being behind by a big score in the first half, or a player being injured, etc., otherwise, he will not easily take down the starting player during the halftime break. , because that is not only a weakening of the head coach's authority, but also a great disrespect for the players.

Ye Qiu walked to the tactical board, where the assistants had already written Dortmund's position and formation diagram.

"First of all, it is best for all of you to remember that there is nothing great about Dortmund. Klopp's so-called tactics are actually things he learned from us. When it comes to pressing and pressing in the frontcourt, we are their teachers. , and besides high-position pressing and so-called quick attacks, what else can he do?”

Ye Qiu's words were not meant to disparage Klopp, but to dispel the players' fear of Dortmund. This kind of conscious attack on opposing players and head coaches is not uncommon in the locker room, and what Ye Qiu said is basically All above are true.

Dortmund's ability to attack in positional battles is indeed not strong, so the last half hour of the second half is often when Dortmund is most likely to have problems, because their physical decline leads to insufficient team control.

"Lewandowski was very active in this game. For both goals, he grabbed the ball in the frontcourt and distributed the ball to both sides. Reus, Gotze and Kuba came in behind to create threats. So, we’re going to kill this, you know what I mean?”

Thiago Silva and Kompany, as well as defensive midfielder Pirlo, all nodded and made it clear.

"I often say that the world is fair. If you want to gain something, you have to lose something."

"Dortmund's high-pressing system is excellent on the surface and runs smoothly, but the problem is also obvious. The four players in the frontcourt have to press the opponent's defense, and the two midfielders in the midfield must also follow suit. Otherwise, the midfielders must also press forward. There will be a disconnect, but the problem lies with their two centre-backs.”

As Ye Qiu clearly displayed Dortmund's frontcourt pressing position on the tactical board, everyone could clearly see that when the frontcourt pressed up, the two full-backs Schmelzer and Pisch Cheek will also move forward, as they will become the link between the midfield and the defense.

The reason for this is that the two central defenders Hummels and Subotic are both tall and slow to turn. Their high ball ability is good, but they dare not rush forward rashly, because once they press , they will encounter a more embarrassing situation than Barcelona. At least Barcelona's two central defenders are very capable of chasing back.

But Dortmund, once they are beaten behind, they only need one speedy player in front, and the two central defenders will be miserable.

Ye Qiu realized this in the first half, that is, there was a not very obvious disconnect between their double midfielders and double central defenders, and this disconnect basically appeared when Dortmund pressed forward in the midfield. .

If they can intercept the ball and launch a counterattack when their central defender and midfielder are out of touch, with the personal abilities of Tottenham Hotspur's two wingers Ribery and Messi, as long as one person appears in this area, it will almost be Just one shot and one shot will make it impossible for Dortmund to run away!

Logically speaking, it is not impossible to solve this problem. For example, arrange double midfielders to move widely to cover more areas, and at the same time allow both full-backs to provide adequate protection, plus the players' defensive positions and Coordinated operations can cover up this problem to the greatest extent.

But Dortmund's two full-backs obviously cannot provide effective protection, and the double defensive midfielders do not cover a large area, especially Kyle, the veteran, but the most important thing is Klopp, the young Bundesliga coach who advocates the running and gunning tactics, has always had obvious weaknesses in training defensive positions and coordinated operations.

At least, Dortmund's so-called pressing and oppression still rely more on the players' own input rather than the coordinated operations between the team, which is why Dortmund's physical fitness is difficult to maintain throughout the game.