Ultimate Demon Sword

Chapter 201 Four consecutive victories, qualifying ahead of time
The Copa del Rey is over, and Atletico Madrid can relax a little bit.Except for Villarreal who is currently ranked sixth in the next game, it is considered a neither strong nor weak opponent.Back-to-back opponents Karabakh in the Champions League and Deportivo in the next round are completely nothing to worry about.After three games, there is another half-month intermission between international competition days. Compared with the devil's schedule of double-match and strong opponents in the previous week, it is like a super benefit.

The schedule was easy, and Simeone finally had time to solve the problems found in the previous game.Atletico Madrid's biggest problem at present is offense, and the biggest obstacle is that Griezmann's state is far worse than last season.Previously, Simeone's arrangement for the two forwards was still based on Griezmann, and Wen Zhihao was more about passing the ball and assisting the offense.But the results proved that the efficiency output of the two was completely opposite. Griezmann only scored two goals in the third-line battle, while Wen Zhihao scored eight goals and one assist in the third-line battle.In other teams, they can definitely have the beautiful data of the tactical core position. Simeone has been thinking about whether to give Wen Zhihao an appropriate burden these days.

During the two consecutive days of training, Simeone consciously asked Wen Zhihao to strengthen his personal attack. He observed the goal as soon as he got the ball in a dangerous area. Before, Wen Zhihao had always observed his teammates' running positions after taking the ball. This was the instinctive reaction of playing as a midfielder for a long time.Now Simeone is deliberately letting Wen Zhihao be a little more alone.Since he can score goals, he should naturally take greater responsibility.

However, to Simeone's slight disappointment, the initial idea was not successful.Griezmann's desire for the ball is very strong, but Wen Zhihao is not a person who eats alone regardless of the interests of the team. Simeone communicated with Wen Zhihao alone after training. He told Wen Zhihao that as a striker, he can be selfish, which is fine.But the answer he got made him speechless: "Boss, I think this is very good. I like to lead everyone to score together to win the game. Besides, I have scored a lot of goals!"

Simeone couldn't laugh or cry for a while, he had never seen a player like Wen Zhihao.The other young players wanted to work alone, and were always reluctant to pass the ball, but Wen Zhihao seemed to have a natural sense of teamwork.Simeone felt that what he was talking to was a 27-year-old mature veteran who had been fighting for a long time.

Boggs joked with Simeone behind his back: "Diego, he actually rejected your offer, haha! But his performance, I can only say that he is low-key enough!"

Simeone smiled: "Take your time. Some habits are engraved in your bones. He is an excellent commander on the field. I asked for it because of the situation. When Costa can play the game, there will be no such problem at all. But before that, we can't afford to wait and have no capital to dig holes. We can only try to change from the existing lineup."

……

In the tenth round of La Liga, Atletico Madrid sits at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium to welcome the challenge of Villarreal.Atletico Madrid is still slightly stronger than their opponents.In the first half, Wen Zhihao assisted Correa to give Atletico Madrid the lead. Before the end of the half, Wen Zhihao accurately picked a pass and accurately found Correa, the right midfielder. The latter scored from a small angle. Atletico Madrid almost ended the suspense in only half-time.

Simeone made a very special adjustment in the second half. Griezmann was replaced by Augusto Fernandez, a midfielder who had just recovered from his injury and returned from the last Copa del Rey. Atletico Madrid's lineup changed from 4-4-2 to 4-5-1. Wen Zhihao was regarded as a single arrow in front!
Everyone said that they couldn't understand this number, and they didn't understand what Simeone wanted to do. The only possibility was to stick to it.

But is it necessary to face Villarreal?

The two-goal lead at halftime gave Simeone room for trial and error. Atletico Madrid's offense in the second half almost turned into Wen Zhihao's speed show. Although they had several good opportunities, the opponent took the initiative more often.Bacca pulled back a goal for Villarreal in the No.801 minute. At the final stage, Atletico Madrid relied on all-out defense to hold on to the victory.However, Atletico Madrid, who were like two teams in the first and second half, was questioned not small.The Madrid media even insinuated Simeone in front of Simeone at the press conference for his incomprehensible substitutions and self-defeating martial arts.Simeone hit back at all those who thought the same with one sentence: "This is a new tactical attempt. The situation in the second half proved that there is still room for improvement, but no matter what you say, we are the winning side in this game. The truth that the winner is king will be reflected in the standings."

These words caused a thousand waves with one stone, but Simeone quickly devoted himself to the preparations for the fourth round of the Champions League.The chance of qualifying two rounds ahead of time is close at hand, he doesn't have time to pay attention to these lip-smacking experts, and what the media say, will he not be able to figure it out?

Reporter, the wind is falling on the wall.This is the consensus of all marshals.

……

The interval between the league and the Champions League is only two days, and the players didn't even get enough rest before they went into consecutive games. Fortunately, it is not difficult to win Qarabag at home, and Simeone can have room for rotation.

Wen Zhihao played 10 minutes in the game against Villarreal, and he did a lot of sprinting in the second half, which resulted in high muscle fatigue.Simeone followed the advice of the team doctor and did not include him in the 18-man roster, completely giving Wen Zhihao two days off.Wen Zhihao was not happy at first, but Simeone deliberately put on a serious face and warned: "You have done enough, take a good rest, it is as important a task for you as scoring a goal—if you don't want to miss the next important game due to injury."

Of course, Simeone knows the potential impact of Wen Zhihao's absence on the offense, but it does not mean that Atletico Madrid's offense cannot function completely without Wen Zhihao. It is nothing more than slowing down the rhythm and playing according to the routine of last season.Simeone communicated with Griezmann alone for a long time in the last training before the game. In fact, the central idea is that Wen Zhihao does not fight this time, it is up to you.It doesn't matter if the state was poor before, you can't lose the chain at the critical moment!

The dramatic turning point in the game was that Qarabag was the first to score in the away game. No. Michel's goal in 40 minutes showed the attitude of the visiting team to fight to the end.

This goal was like a basin of cold water pouring down on the head, which woke up Atletico Madrid who was careless and lucky. In 6 minutes, Thomas' world wave announced that Atletico Madrid began to counterattack. Griezmann sealed the victory with one pass and one shot within 3 minutes, proving his value at the critical moment.

The physical confrontation between the two sides in this game was very fierce, and there were two red cards on the field. For Atletico Madrid, the price other than victory was that Savage was sent off after two yellows turned one red in the final stage, and the other card was given to the opposing midfielder Pedro Enrique.

However, Atletico Madrid can bear this price completely, because another strong dialogue that ended almost at the same time, Roma beat Chelsea 3-0 at home.Atletico Madrid, with 12 points in four consecutive victories, has an eight-point advantage over Chelsea, which is third in the group, and has already qualified from Group C two rounds ahead of schedule.Atletico Madrid's next biggest task is to face Roma with 10 points, consolidate their first position in the group, and lay a solid foundation for the knockout round of the sixteenth.

In the next round, Atletico Madrid will have a direct dialogue with Roma at home to compete for the six-point battle for the top spot in the group. It will determine whether the two sides have a potential advantage in the order of home and away in the first round of the knockout round, which will affect the difficulty of the two teams in the knockout round.

PS: Early watch, good morning everyone!
(End of this chapter)