Football: After listening to the advice, I became the strongest free man! - Chapter 345

c345 Reborn! “Four defensive midfielders rotate their positions!

After the group stage, Real Madrid won the final against Juventus.

Many people say that Zidane is a metaphysician, but in fact, I think he is a physicist. Zidane is too rational. Although he has some impulsive behaviors when playing football, he has played in the World Cup, European Cup, and Champions League finals, and he knows too well what the mentality of the whole team is at this time.

So, whether it was against Atletico Madrid last year or Juventus this year, Real Madrid was restrained in the first half, but they were the first to score.

So was Allegri’s choice wrong? Maybe he wanted to take the lead in the final and then defeat the opponent with tenacious Italian defense.

But let’s take a look at Real Madrid’s position first.

When Higuain dribbled the ball, 9 Real Madrid players retreated and did not force it. Carvajal in the lower left corner did not press forward, and Casemiro in the middle was ready to retreat in front of Varane and Ramos at any time.

Don’t underestimate these two people, especially Casemiro’s role is to assist defense and make up for the pot, not the traditional defensive midfielder who must intercept the ball.

Throughout the first 15 minutes, Real Madrid adopted a zone defense, focusing on watching Juventus’s off-ball receiving players and cutting off the passing routes.

So Real Madrid’s pressing was about pressing rather than robbing. Juventus couldn’t get through the midfield and could only pass back. However, Juventus quickly adapted and took advantage of Real Madrid’s opportunity to gather forces in the middle more quickly. The two wingers, especially the left side, frequently passed the ball to Sandro.

What about Juventus?

Juventus’ running routes and main passing directions in the first half. Red is the main running of the players, and green is the simple passing direction.

Mandzukic’s role is to suppress Carvajal and cut inside to form a double striker when Sandro advances.

Higuain wants to pull Ramos out of his defensive position. Dybala moves horizontally to pass and shoot. Alves on the right side does not go down to the bottom, but cuts inside more. The focus of the entire formation is on the left side.

This change of Juventus did surprise Real Madrid. And it was also very successful. The midfield grab and Pjanic’s long shot were both very good. However, Real Madrid successfully froze Dybala.

At this time, the ball was lost.

It was Ronaldo who cut inside, and the starting point of the entire attack was on the side of Dybala, that is, on the left side of Real Madrid’s center. Three or two kicks were given to Ronaldo’s feet, and this is not the point.

Please pay attention to Carvajal and Mandzukic in the lower left corner. The key point is here.

After Sandro pressed forward significantly, Juventus’ left side was empty. Mandzukic and Carvajal rushed to the front of Juventus at the same time.

Carvajal ran all over the court, rushed all the way from outside the screen, saw Ronaldo cut inside, and immediately ran back to the side to complete the overlap.

When the ball was passed back, please pay attention to the top of the arc. In addition to Mandzukic, where is there a Juventus defender?

What is the ratio of offensive players to defensive players in and outside the penalty area? In fact, if Mandzukic arrived in time, Ronaldo would not be so easy to shoot, because there was no one one meter around him. What about Khedira and Pjanic? They were all taken away by the Real Madrid players on the top of the screen, thinking that they were going to pass the ball to the back post, but they didn’t.

So I personally think that the credit for Real Madrid’s goal does not lie with Cristiano Ronaldo, but with Kroos who passed the ball in time, and even more with Carvajal who kept running over from outside the screen to respond, which is why Zidane relies on him particularly.

Another great thing about the first half is Juventus’s ability to respond.

After losing the ball, Juventus made two major changes. One is that Alves did not go down the bottom, did not pass the ball, and cut inside. He was to help Dybala attract defensive forces and liberate Dybala.

Second, Mandzukic no longer walked to the side, and did not take the ball. He passed it to Sandro, and then he entered the penalty area and played two points with Higuain. At this time, the goal came as expected.

This is the position of Juventus at the beginning. From here, you can see their defense line very clearly.

Finally, the first three central defenders are very close to each other, and they do not pull to the side or fill in the side. The three-back formation is not tiring for the defenders, but for the midfielders and wingers.

Khedira and Pjanic’s return to defense is very important, and Mandzukic’s restriction on Carvajal is also very important.

Please note that throughout the first half, Juventus’s defense line defended head-on, and the distance between the two lines was very good. Moreover, Juventus’ three-back lineup, when the ball was intercepted in the middle, Bonucci’s long pass was accurately guided, which was also an offensive means. In short, there are two key points for this back line:

1. Maintain a suitable distance from the midfield to facilitate forward grabs and long passes.

2. Always maintain a three-dimensional sense, and there must be depth.

But unfortunately, due to physical reasons, Juventus’s back line was too tight in the second half, too close to the goal, and the entire penalty area was given to the opponent. That’s why Casemiro scored a long shot.

Especially Pjanic, who couldn’t come back and lost his position, so Allegri made adjustments.

It’s not surprising to say that the second half was not surprising because of the objective bench depth and physical fitness.

It has to be said that due to the Italian economy and the overall appeal of the Serie A, Juventus’ bench depth is weaker than Real Madrid.

Allegri doesn’t have many cards to play. And Juventus’ defense is not young anymore.

Zidane is a big brother type coach, with an extremely brilliant career and rich experience in major competitions. He has a good grasp of the locker room.

He is also very emotionally intelligent, whether it is Bale’s return home or Morata’s coming up, this is reflected.

But I think Zidane’s emphasis on and meticulousness in physical fitness is one of the representatives of the new generation of coaches, and this is also the reason why Real Madrid has repeatedly fought tough battles this season and can exert more strength in the later stages of the game.

Zidane is very clear about the importance of physical fitness. Zidane, as a player, suffered from “mild thalassemia” which led to poor physical condition. Before the start of the 2016-17 season, Zidane had a comprehensive plan. One of the most important moves was to recruit fitness coach Antonio Pintus from Lyon to Real Madrid.

The training characteristics of this guy are that there is a ball in every action and every action emphasizes heart rate.

I won’t go into details here, we will talk about it when we have the chance.

Finally, when it comes to awards, Zidane missed the World Cup in 2006.

Buffon watched Zidane celebrate in 2017. I personally don’t like to say who won who, who got revenge, etc. … When players and coaches do this, we only respect them. Zidane retired with regret that year, and Buffon is now missing the Champions League… Maybe sometimes, imperfection is an important part of perfection.

This is football, beautiful but not perfect.

Juventus played very well in the first half. The score was 1-1, with a 46% possession rate, but Juventus had more shots and was more efficient.

On the other hand, Ronaldo only touched the ball for the first time in the 7th minute, and shot it away under pressure from the left wing. At that time, he didn’t look like he was going to dominate the game at all.

Ronaldo’s first goal was basically due to Real Madrid’s successful counterattack: Juventus’ attack was interrupted, Real Madrid quickly kicked the ball out, Ronaldo received the ball in the middle, passed it to the right, inserted, received the ball, and shot it cleanly. It was his 104th goal in the Champions League.

Mandzukic also scored an Ibrahimovic-style goal: received it in the penalty area, touched it, and volleyed it. Navas was standing in the middle and couldn’t make up for the tricky upper left corner at all.

In the first half, Juventus’ 3412 was successful. It was very obvious in the European Cup last year: the Italian-style 3412 can be changed to 532 or 352 at any time, with dense blockades in the middle, forcing Real Madrid to the two wings, and then compressing the flanks to find a counterattack. In the first half, it was very impressive.

But this trick suddenly didn’t work in the second half.

I don’t know whether it was because Juventus covered too much area in the first half and their physical strength declined, or whether Zidane really turned stones into gold. In short, he made adjustments in the midfield. Casemiro’s long-range goal in the second half seemed accidental, but it was inevitable. Because before that, Real Madrid had been bombarding Juventus for a long time – just 3 minutes before Casemiro scored, Marcelo had sent a beautiful cross from the left wing to find Ronaldo at the far post.

The goal scored by Ronaldo in the 64th minute perfectly reflects the layout of Real Madrid in the second half: Juventus was crowded in the middle, so Real Madrid stayed away from the front court, Marcelo and Carvajal inserted, Modric actively moved 35 meters away from the goal, from the left to the right, and then inserted and passed the ball, Ronaldo followed up, his 105th goal in the Champions League. Real Madrid led 3-1.

At this point, the game was actually no suspense. If it was not enough, Cuadrado’s red card sentenced Juventus to death: Of course, Ramos’s acting skills in that ball were also really good.

Marcelo cut inside, passed the ball easily, and Asensio scored the fourth goal, 4-1.

Juventus lost 2 goals in this group stage. Lost 1 goal against Monaco. Before the final, only 3 goals were lost.

Then, Real Madrid scored 4 goals in one game.

Casemiro/J Luo 3’s occasional magical ability.

For Real Madrid, Carvajal and Modric are the key to the wing; while Juventus’ Sandro and Mandzukic’s duo will determine the outcome of the wing. The problem here is: Real Madrid is almost habitually losing goals in this season’s Champions League; but at the same time, almost no team can stop them from scoring.

The real feature of Real Madrid in this season’s Champions League is an aggressive attitude and their almost fanatical desire to win. The incredible extra-time goal frenzy against Bayern and the bloodbath in the first round against Atletico Madrid are all like this. There is certainly Ronaldo’s fierce and decisive finish, but the more important thing is the wild enthusiasm brought by Marcelo and the never-ending physical strength of Real Madrid.

Zidane said Marcelo is very contagious.

In fact, he is a flame dancer. Is it his wildness that brings the flames to win, or Buffon and his shield wall that cool down Real Madrid’s attack?

I don’t know. Real Madrid has a slight advantage, 55% to 45%.

In the second half, Zidane’s real arrangement was powerful:

Marcelo actively joined in and responded to the attack; in addition to assisting Asensio’s goal, he, Ronaldo, Benzema and Carvajal often formed a four-man stance around the penalty area, and Modric’s large-scale deployment in the back row made Real Madrid appear to be in a siege state.

Real Madrid did not entangle with Juventus in front of the penalty area, but adopted a quick transfer, two-wing ball, and continuous cross-pass to the middle, which made Juventus’s middle stacking very headache. Once Juventus tried to counterattack, they were solved by the joint clamp of the sideline and the back waist.

Facing Real Madrid’s two ribs constantly kicking the ball left and right, Barzagli and Chiellini shoveled one and then another. After this formation, Isco’s advancement seemed meaningful.

So finally there was Casemiro’s long shot in the chaos, and Ronaldo and Asensio scored goals from the cross.

In fact, three of Real Madrid’s four goals came from short passes in the penalty area. Before Ronaldo’s goal, there was a continuous fire in the back and cross passes from both wings.

So Real Madrid defended the title.

There is only history that Zidane does not want to break, but there is no history that he cannot break.

If Ronaldo wins the Champions League, it basically means the fifth Ballon d’Or, and he is one step closer to the strongest player in history.

In fact, the 2017 Ballon d’Or has basically been locked by him. So, it is very likely that it will become: 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, four Ballon d’Or in five years.

It’s not that he is better now than before. But from 2014 to 2017, especially in the past two years, his career achievements are indeed soaring. He may not have become a better individual player but a better team member.

Three weeks ago, someone joked that Ronaldo seemed to have become a Vieri who could sprint repeatedly but his back-to-the-basket technique was not good enough. People who watch the game can’t help but notice that in 2017, Ronaldo’s ability with the ball is declining compared to his peak period.

Speed, flexibility, and skills are all declining. After all, he is 32 years old and can’t grow backwards.

But he is improving in some things: the positioning and step adjustment before kicking, the awareness of grabbing points, and the small skills after speeding up.

For example, before the first goal today, he quickly divided the ball, moved, received the ball and shot without adjusting. For example, the third goal today, he grabbed the spot and scored with one kick.

In the more than one year since 2016-17, he won the Champions League, successfully defended the title, and won the European Championship. He has changed a lot. He may not be better than in 2014, but he has become a player that Real Madrid and the Portuguese national team need.

At that time, Barcelona was beaten by Paris Saint-Germain. Everyone saw that no one in Barcelona’s midfield had the passing and control level of Verratti (Old White could only shine a few times). For the same reason, no one in Juventus’ midfield had the passing and control level of Modric, Aku, and Isco in the second half. As a result, the team collapsed at halftime. This is a problem of strength.

The whole world knows about Real Madrid’s tactics, but it cannot be defended. Basically, it is to advance to the front court through the fullbacks. After the running horse and Ronaldo involve the defense center, A Kuan moves to the other side and prepares to cross to Ronaldo in the gap. If there is no good opportunity, Modric will transfer again, and then do it again. This tactic can be realized. The midfielder must suppress the opponent technically, and the most important thing is the person to cross.

Ronaldo is the core of Real Madrid’s tactics. He completed the greatest individual performance in the history of the Champions League knockout stage. His off-ball movement and finishing are in the realm of perfection. This championship makes the famous Messi fan Zhou on Zhihu and the Hupu Messi fan Athens Emperor say that the king of football only relies on the ability to have the ball, and Ronaldo’s shooting is several levels behind Messi. The face can’t be more painful.

In the first half of the game, the two sides were evenly matched, and the tactics were extremely targeted. In terms of execution, Juventus even has a slight advantage.

Juventus seized the weakness of Marcelo and Toni Kroos’s weak defensive ability, concentrated offensive resources to press first, and used Sandro’s assists to quickly transfer the ball to the left side – this is the obvious defensive weakness exposed by Real Madrid.

Relying on the attack from the right rib, Isco was pulled back first, which caused the defense of Real Madrid’s forward line in the top of the penalty area to loosen, and then suddenly turned to the left side. At the same time, Mandzukic either pulled to the side or broke into the penalty area, forming two strong points with Higuain. The equalizer came from Bonucci’s long pass, and Sandro quickly crossed from the side.

At this time, Real Madrid’s three defensive midfielders could not protect the top of the arc and the penalty area at the same time, forming a good coordinated defense, and immediately fell into a dilemma:

1. If the three defensive midfielders did not retreat, Mandzukic and Higuain could directly face the Real Madrid defender in the penalty area.

⒉ When the defensive strength at the top of the Real Madrid penalty area was divided, Juventus’ midfielders got a particularly obvious opportunity to insert from behind. Pjanic had a very threatening shot in the first 6 minutes.

Juventus’s defensive midfielder Khedira pressed forward when attacking, providing a lot of support for Dybala and Sandro, but Juventus’ two defensive lines retreated too quickly and too deep. During the transition from attack to defense, once Real Madrid accelerated and made a quick transfer, Mandzukic could not return to his position, and Real Madrid could immediately capture the weakness of the Serie A’s defense in a local area.

That is, the defensive coordination between Mandzukic, Khedira and Sandro is not good.

Real Madrid spent the entire first half testing and consuming this weak side. In addition, Juventus’ defense in front of the penalty area was not well protected like Real Madrid. This shortcoming was solved by Real Madrid in the second half by increasing the intensity of the game and increasing the high-pressure pressing in the opponent’s 30-meter area.

The 4-3-3 of the Galaxy Battleship changed to 4-4-2, because Isco was reborn, forming a terrifying “four defensive midfielders rotating positions”:

a. Isco can retreat to the defensive midfielder to get the ball and organize, at this time Modric and Toni Kroos all pressed forward, forming two very effective ball holding strong points in the middle circle and 30-meter area. Juventus’ defense had to change from five defenders to four defenders to increase the number of defenders in the midfield.

b. Isco can switch positions with Toni Kroos and Modric. These three can play in the middle and can also support the assisting full-back Q in the ribs; the three can form an effective passing triangle and support Casemiro, forming an absolutely effective advancement.

c. Isco° has improved his running and defensive abilities, and he is like a more offensive Modric. These two and Toni Kroos strengthened vertical penetration in this game. Juventus’ forward line had to retreat collectively, weakening the counterattack’s support for Higuain. At 11 minutes and 11 seconds in the first half, Dybala’s foul on Toni Kroos is the best example. And Real Madrid’s first and second goals are directly related to Toni Kroos’ offensive penetration.

d. The fourth change has a lot to do with Toni Kroos’s position change. As long as he comes to the middle, Isco and Modric can boldly add troops to the two flanks to effectively penetrate Juventus. Ronaldo scored two goals, and it was Modric who stole Mandzukic, then decisively moved forward, and played a straight pass to Carvajal to complete the assist.