The Godfather of Football

As the saying goes, a big reward will attract brave men.

Tottenham Hotspur has increased its investment in bonuses, and the players' performance on the court is also quite impressive.

On October 19, in the eighth round of the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur defeated Aston Villa 2:0 away.

In the third round of the Champions League group stage in the middle of the week, Tottenham Hotspur defeated Real Sociedad 4:0 at home.

On October 26, in the ninth round of the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur defeated Hull City 4:1 at home.

In the League Cup round of 16 knockouts, Tottenham Hotspur once again welcomed Hull City. This time, Tottenham Hotspur eliminated Hull City from the League Cup 1:0 at home with Neymar's goal, and successfully advanced to the quarterfinals.

In the tenth round of the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur challenged Everton away. With goals from Ribery, Messi and Ramsey, they defeated Everton 3:1, winning ten consecutive games at the start of the Premier League. At the same time, this was Tottenham Hotspur's 136th unbeaten game in the Premier League, and the entire unbeaten record was the best in the world.

In the fourth round of the Champions League group stage, Tottenham Hotspur challenged Real Sociedad away. Goals from midfielders Matic and Pogba helped Tottenham Hotspur beat Real Sociedad 2:0 away. Not only did they escape from Spain, but they also successfully advanced from the group with four consecutive wins.

Three days later, in the eleventh round of the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur won a difficult 1:0 victory over Newcastle at home.

After the game, Matic, who was elected the best player of the game, received unanimous praise and praise from countless media.

Since joining Tottenham this season, although Matic did not play many games, he was always trusted by Ye Qiu in key games. However, since Pirlo was injured, Matic has completely established himself as the team's main player, and with his outstanding performance, he has firmly established himself as the team's main midfielder.

But when he was highly praised and praised by the outside world, Matic said in a low-key manner during an interview with the media that he did not deliberately show anything, "I am just fulfilling the duties assigned by the head coach, that's all."

As for the differences between Chelsea, Benfica and Southampton, and now Tottenham, Matic did not comment on the first three teams. He just thought that after coming to Tottenham, he has made considerable progress in all aspects.

"When I was in Southampton, I looked more like a defensive midfielder who stayed behind, but after coming to Tottenham, our head coach Mr. Ye Qiu told me that he didn't like the kind of standing midfielder. He hoped to provide more movement and support, and I could take on more passing and transition from the backcourt to the midfield."

"In Southampton, these things were usually done by Nick Powell, and he did a pretty good job, but after coming to Tottenham, I began to take on such responsibilities. I am not unfamiliar with this responsibility, so my number of passes has always been high, but I think that as a midfielder, I must be responsible for everyone in the team, handle every pass carefully, and treat every defense."

But Matic believes that his biggest improvement, and also the most obvious, is defense.

"I used to give people the impression that I was tall and strong, but a little clumsy and slow. For a tall player like me, I am often passive in defense and easily get a card. But after coming to Tottenham, I found that everyone is very professional. They will train me specifically to help me improve my prediction of the ball and positioning. They will have special people to help me learn to use my body better. This has made great progress not only in defense, but also in offense and ball possession."

Matic's humble and low-key attitude also helped him quickly win the recognition and affirmation of Tottenham fans. Even many media believe that as long as Matic continues to maintain his current state and stability, even if Pirlo returns, it will be difficult to shake Matic's position in the team.

As the famous tactical analyst Jonathan Wilson said, Matic looks like a player with the potential to become a commander in the midfield and backcourt. He is very strong, has fine skills, and has a very strong running ability. He also has accurate passing and organization skills. He can adapt to the two roles of double defensive midfielder and three midfielders.

"We must admit that Tottenham's Matic is not exactly the same as the Matic of Southampton. In Tottenham, Matic's progress is very obvious. He has taken over the responsibilities left by Pirlo very well, and has played very stably and brilliantly. He is a crucial member of Tottenham's midfield and backcourt." Martin Samuel also commented in his column that as long as Matic continues to maintain the high level of the early season, he will even have the strength to be selected into the Premier League's best team of the season, because the Premier League giants are currently facing problems in the midfield. In addition to Matic, Tottenham's signings this season have all shown extremely high value, such as center forward Lewandowski. After joining Tottenham this season, the former Dortmund center forward continued his high-light performance. His cooperation with offensive players such as Messi and Ribery does not even need to be run-in, and is very skillful and smooth. This also reflects Lewandowski's amazing adaptability and learning and improvement ability.

There have been calls from the outside world, believing that after top European strikers such as Van Nistelrooy, Robin van Persie, Falcao and Cavani, Lewandowski is the next striker launched by Tottenham Hotspur. Now Lewandowski Wandowski's net worth has exceeded 30 million euros, and it has increased by 10 million euros in just over four months. The increase is also quite astonishing.

As for Tottenham Hotspur’s other big signing, Dutchman Stroman, his performance this season has also lived up to his worth, but when Matic and Lewandowski shined, In this situation, Stroman seems a little embarrassed, because he often swings back and forth between two positions, either playing as a midfielder or a midfielder, which is very contradictory.

This contradiction also caused Stroman himself to not perform at his highest level.

It has even become the crux of the players' bad mood.

…………

…………

Knock~knock~

"Come in!"

With Ye Qiu's agreement, Stroman opened the door of Ye Qiu's office and saw that Ye Qiu was not sitting at the desk, but sitting on the sofa in the reception area, seemingly playing with his mobile phone. He couldn't help but Want to laugh.

"Sit!" Ye Qiu put away his phone and pointed to the sofa next to him.

When Stroman sat down, he poured a cup of tea for the Dutchman.

Every time he saw Stroman, Ye Qiu couldn't help but feel that he really looked like Ruud Ruud, with his long face, and his build and posture were also quite similar to Ruud Ruud.

In fact, the players trained in the Netherlands are generally known for their solid basic skills and give people the impression that they are quite satisfactory. If you encounter someone with a slightly outstanding consciousness, such as the elegant Van Basten, the spiritual Bergkamp, ​​or Robin van Persie. , Van der Vaart and others can often become a generation of geniuses.

But more of them are more practical players, such as Ruud van Nistelrooy and even Robben.

If you look carefully at Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robben, it is not difficult to find that the use of technology by these two players is actually very simple and practical, without any fancy or creative elements. So watching them play, follow Robin van Persie and Bo When Gekamp and others play football, it's two different feelings.

It's like looking at the difference between Northern European players and Southern European players!

Stroman is a typical Nordic player with practical skills, so you can never expect him to transform into a player like Pirlo. He looks more like Carrick, and going forward That is to say, Scholes or Sneijder both take the pragmatic route.

But Stroman, like all Dutch all-around midfielders, seems to have almost no shortcomings, such as speed, technology, tactical awareness, teamwork, etc. He has almost no major shortcomings. His lack of defense is barely a weakness, but equally Yes, he doesn't have many impressive advantages. Perhaps his excellent overall view and accurate long passes are two of them.

Oh, and his amazing physical abilities!

"I heard that you used to play left midfielder at Sparta Rotterdam and Utrecht?" Ye Qiu asked casually.

Stroman was a little cautious and didn't understand what Ye Qiu meant by asking, but he still nodded, "After arriving at Eindhoven, I switched to playing in the middle. I also played in the middle in the national team!"

In the Dutch national team, Van Gaal's current tactic seems to be 433 on the surface, but in fact it can also be regarded as 4231. Stroman and another midfielder are holding back, and Sneijder is advancing. It's just the player's position and The coverage area is just different, but Stroman fulfills the role of connecting the past and the future.

He can use running and short passes to sort out the midfield, and long passes can bring out the threat from both sides, giving wingers such as Robben a pair of sprinting wings, and his interception and pressing abilities can make him a The biggest barrier in front of the central defender, but his biggest problem now is that his defensive awareness is not enough to be qualified for the deep position.

In the Dutch national team, Van Gaal arranged for him Krasi, De Jong, Van der Vaart and others. Among them, in the World Cup qualifiers in October, when the Netherlands defeated Hungary 8:1, the Dutch midfielder was Van der Vaart. A combination of Te, De Jong and Stroman, Van der Vaart replaced Sneijder's position, Stroman was responsible for the team's organization and passing, and De Jong took on more defensive responsibilities after delaying.

The Netherlands played very well in this game, and Stroman also played very well in the midfield, scoring one goal.

In fact, it is not difficult to see Van Gaal's dilemma from these aspects. He is not confident that Stroman will take the lead, because Stroman has the advantages and disadvantages of a typical Dutch midfielder, but at the same time, He is looking forward to Stroman's progress again, because this player is very malleable.

"You know? When I see you now, it reminds me of Sneijder!" Ye Qiu said with a casual smile.

But his casual words made Stroman a little confused. He and Sneijder were teammates and knew Sneijder very well. There was no way he could feel like Sneijder because the two looked like completely different people. Two different types.

Sneijder's left and right feet are excellent, but Stroman's right foot is of little use, and the two have different characteristics. Stroman is tall and strong, while Sneijder is shorter, but A very flexible one.

After seeing Stroman's puzzled expression, Ye Qiu chuckled, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about your style, but a situation that both of you have been in before!"

This time Stroman was relieved and listened silently.

"When I was still in Ajax, Sneijder did not play the attacking midfielder position like now. At that time, he was very comprehensive, with both offense and defense, and was also a comprehensive Dutch midfielder. At that time, his passing and back-up abilities were quite strong, but Bobby Hams and I felt that he had to make a choice."

Stroman listened silently. In his opinion, these things were like legendary stories, because Ye Qiu had a very respected status in Dutch football, and Bobby Hams was a legendary star of Ajax.

"You know, being comprehensive is a good thing. It means that a player is balanced in both offense and defense. This is often very pleasing in the modern football tactical system, but being comprehensive is often embarrassing, especially for some young players who have limited energy and have to work hard for the main position and to play in the game."

"So, they are often easily caught in a stalemate of whether to attack or defend. At the same time, they have been hesitating between offense and defense, which has delayed their room for improvement and ended up with a result that neither side is pleasing to them!"

Ye Qiu's words are very convincing. Stroman has also heard Van Gaal say such things. Van Gaal believes that the so-called comprehensiveness of modern football tactics is actually based on the comprehensiveness of fully exerting their own advantages and specialties, just like an offensive player, who often first plays the offense to a certain extent, and then considers defense, and then makes himself comprehensive.

This comprehensiveness is based on the fact that he is first an offensive player.

Many players who want to make progress in both offense and defense often end up being mediocre.

"Modern football tactics are a tactical system of division of labor and cooperation. You must first find your role in this system, and show enough ability and performance in your position, and then convince the head coach to adjust your tactical role for you."

Just like now, Tottenham Hotspur cannot tailor a midfield for Stroman because he does not have the qualifications.

But if one day, he develops to a certain extent and reaches a very high level, Tottenham Hotspur will accommodate him, just like the team often accommodates Messi and Ribery appropriately.

"I understand what you mean, boss!" Stroman is a smart man.

In fact, what Ye Qiu and Peter De Visser and others admire most about him is his intelligence. This player was able to play out of the Dutch second division and transfer to the Eredivisie. After playing for half a year, he was poached by PSV Eindhoven and soon became the main force and vice-captain of PSV Eindhoven. He was selected for the national team and became an indispensable member of the national team. He was soon appointed as the third captain of the national team by Van Gaal. This is inseparable from the player's intelligence and understanding.

If a player is rigid, he often has low adaptability.

"Boss, do you think I should be like Sneijder or Van Bommel?" Stroman asked with concern.

In the past period of time, Tottenham Hotspur's use of Stroman was largely a kind of inspection. Now it seems that the team has a very clear idea of ​​his positioning, and may have a whole set of plans, just like they have been tailoring training and improvement plans for Matic at the beginning of the season.

Ye Qiu laughed when he heard him ask this, "Do you think you can move and dribble flexibly in a dense defensive area like Messi, Ribery, Sneijder and others? Or, can you play a lightning-fast sprint speed like Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale? Or, can you be Van Persie?"

As he spoke, Ye Qiu laughed. At first glance, Stroman looked like Van Persie, but he was not as handsome as Van Persie.

After listening to this, Stroman shrugged his shoulders, a little embarrassed. It was obvious that he could do nothing, but he also understood that Ye Qiu meant that he should retreat.

"You know what? I think your greatest treasure is the field vision when playing football. You are much better than Van Bommel in this respect. You can read the game quickly and keenly find the most reasonable route to distribute the ball. In this respect, neither Van Bommel nor Cocu are as good as you!"

"Van Bommel actually no longer meets the needs of modern football tactics. You should not be Van Bommel or Cocu, but Stroman!"

"I understand, boss!" Stroman nodded heavily, he was greatly encouraged.

At least, being able to get such a high evaluation from Ye Qiu, he really felt that he had come to the right place in Tottenham Hotspur.

"But if you want to retreat, you must improve your defensive awareness. This is your biggest weakness!" Ye Qiu said very seriously, because this is a fatal injury for Stroman who wants to play an organizing midfielder with both offense and defense.

From the perspective of modern tactics, no one would be willing to equip Stroman with a hitter, just like equipping Pirlo with a Gattuso. From a tactical point of view, this is no longer cost-effective, which is why Ye Qiu chose Matic.

Stroman has no problem with long passes, short passes, transfers, organizing the midfield, and quick one-touch passes, because since Ye Qiu, the Dutch youth training has always emphasized the basic skills in these aspects, and Dutch players are naturally not lacking in tactical literacy, but only lacking in defensive awareness.

Ye Qiu firmly believed that as long as Strootman could improve his defensive awareness, he would become a top midfielder with excellent control ability and both offensive and defensive capabilities. This was also the reason why he decided to introduce this Dutch midfielder.

In fact, he and Matic were two of the two midfield treasures that Ye Qiu left for Mauro Tassotti, the future commander-level midfielder!