Handsome position is not easy

Chapter 103 Terrible opponent
The headlines of the next day's newspaper were almost all the words Mourinho said in the post-match interview, "We can beat Benfica to the ground", but there were also some pages that praised Young as the protagonist. The title of the second page of the newspaper is "The Troubles of Happiness - Porto's New Brain".

The following schedule is very intensive. On the one hand, it is to take care of Deco’s emotions. On the other hand, it is also to allow Young to recover from the exhaustion of playing the whole game. The rotation, and tried a variety of different formations, Young added up to only 10 minutes off the bench.

The players of the second team, led by Ricardo Costa and Pedro Oliveira, got the game time they had never imagined. Even Ibarra, who was almost abandoned by Mourinho, and Paredes also got the chance to start. Porto relied on weakening the midfield and strengthening the 4-4-2 formation on the wing. They beat Vasim 1:0 away and Setubal 4:1 at home.

Counting from Mourinho's entry into Porto, the Blue and Whites have won four consecutive league victories. After defeating their direct rival Benfica, they have also returned to the Portuguese Liga championship camp. The team's morale is currently high, and the media is not stingy Send more words of praise, although Mourinho is not interested in those afterthoughts, but it is still a good thing for Porto.

Originally there were some voices questioning why Mourinho didn't continue to start Young, but when they turned their attention to Porto's next schedule, everyone simply shut their mouths. After all, who is going to challenge Real Madrid in the away game? Before, they would choose to let the main players take a proper rest.

The reason why Mourinho stayed in the middle and lower teams of the Portuguese League against Vazim and Setubal is simple. Although in the second stage of the UEFA Champions League group stage, Porto and Panathinaikos and Sparta Prague only got one draw and one loss, but it is not impossible to advance.

Because UEFA canceled the Cup Winners' Cup, the current UEFA Champions League still inherits the competition system established in 1998, that is, the 32 teams in the first stage of the group stage decide the top [-], and then the [-] teams are The top eight will be determined through the second stage of the group stage, followed by the home and away knockout rounds.

It is not easy for Porto to make a bloody way out of the first group stage with Juventus, Celtic and Rosenborg. The overlords of the Scottish Premier League and the Norwegian Premier League are also extremely difficult. Da Costa I am still glad that the team did not enter the death group of Barcelona, ​​Liverpool, Roma and Galatasaray. Who knew that the two strong teams of Greece and the Czech Republic gave Porto a blow first.

At present, Real Madrid has won two games and ranked first in the group with six points. Sparta Prague is second in the group with one win and one loss. The advantage of avoiding the plight of being at the bottom.

Although the performances of other teams in this group except Real Madrid are almost pecking at each other, it does not mean that Porto can take advantage of it. In the next Champions League group stage, they need to play against Real Madrid first. Fight two games in a row.

Mourinho is not sure that he can steal too many points from Real Madrid, one of the two superpowers in Spain. If Sparta Prague can get at least three points from Panathinaikos at home and away in this case, Then Porto can announce in advance that there is no hope of qualifying.

The mess in front of Mourinho is like this. The predecessor Octavio did not win the easier game, so even if Porto broke his teeth, he had to bite Real Madrid twice desperately. I dare not write about the most difficult bone to chew, because at this time, in the eyes of Real Madrid, Porto is not even considered a bone, but a piece of Portuguese-style roasted tenderloin worth tasting.

However, what Porto and Mourinho need to face is not all bad news. In the home game against Setubal 4:1, Deco came back and scored two goals, officially announcing his successful return to the main lineup. So far, Porto's wounded barracks have been emptied, and the Nerazzurri can use their best side to prepare for the game against Real Madrid.

……

Deco has always felt a little uncomfortable in the training session. He is a little confused about Mourinho's thoughts. One thing about the group training mode made him feel very uncomfortable, that is, the little guy who was facing him in the group, Jan Rodriguez.

Since the day of the injury, Deco has been paying attention to the club's actions. He is very worried that he will lose his starting position due to his absence for one or two months. The top management expressed their gratitude for the trust they have always placed in them.

But who knew that Cheng Yaojin came out halfway, the little guy who was not in the eye actually played a very convincing performance, and even Deco himself expressed his sincerity after watching the match between Porto and Benfica. He thought that even if he was in Yang's position at that time, he probably couldn't do better than him.

Of course, if Deco, who is the second captain, is on the field, Porto's midfielder will not lose control of the ball in the first half. He understands the respective advantages of himself and his competitors. Waist, this is doomed that the styles of the two seem to be the same but are actually very different.

Deco's previous four years of experience in Porto have established enough prestige for him, which can be seen from the unreserved trust of his teammates on the field, but Young does not have this advantage.

With his excellent ability to read the game, Deco found that older players are usually only willing to give the ball to the young man when they can't open the situation. He also believes that Mourinho will not fail to see this point.

As long as Porto's head coach wants the midfielder to have enough control, he will not abandon himself to choose Young, and Chairman Da Costa will not allow Mourinho to reduce the playing time of the strongest player in the team, give up Possessing the ball to counterattack has never been Porto's mainstream tactics.

After figuring this out, Deco's chaotic thoughts also stabilized. He even regretted speculating on the little guy who came out of the Porto youth academy in an extremely indifferent way. Deco knew that he had nothing to do with the word "ball bully". No, he also wants to support the younger generation as much as possible, but who can continue to adopt a moderate way of thinking when the starting position is threatened?

Just when Deco made up his mind to have a good talk with the coach, Mourinho called all the Porto players together, and everyone in the coaching staff looked very dignified. Deco knew that it might be time to announce the start it's time.

"You should be very curious why there is not much time to prepare for the game. I haven't confirmed the squad for the match against Real Madrid. It's very simple. I have been waiting for news from Spain. You may not have paid attention to it. Real Madrid today To challenge Athletic Bilbao away, their personnel arrangement will directly affect the game with us the day after tomorrow.

Del Bosque's roster is very clear. Real Madrid will use a substitute lineup to fight against Bilbao.

If I were Bosque, I would think the same way. If we use the main force at home to kill us, we can continue to use the substitute lineup when we come to the Asantas Stadium. Barcelona's national derby will be played.

This is not good news for us. Real Madrid is arguably the best team in the world at the moment. Now they want to use the strongest lineup to win first, but we can't let Real Madrid do all the good things. It's over, the Bernabéu may turn into a hellish place, but there is still hope that we can get out of it unscathed. "

Mourinho is testing the reaction of the Porto players. He wants to see how many people are still fighting high, and how many people start to feel dejected when they hear the name of Real Madrid, so he deliberately weakened his momentum at the beginning. He usually does not So talk.

Porto veterans look very relaxed. After meeting all kinds of terrible opponents in the European war all the year round, they have become accustomed to Porto's weak position when facing top league teams. This does not affect their feeling of playing football. Most of the nervous players were promoted from the second team. The young people are not experienced enough, which is also in line with Mourinho's previous expectations.

"According to the scout's report, Raul, who has started consecutive games, is likely to take a break in the game against us, which also means that Real Madrid will not adopt their most lethal 4-1-2-1-2, my analysis Without Bosque's formation, Real Madrid is most likely to use 5-4-1, and he likes this stable formation very much.

There should be no change in the position of the goalkeeper. Although Casillas is only 20 years old, he has played for Real Madrid's first team for three years. It is estimated that Roberto Carlos, Karanka, Hierro, Elguera and Salgado are almost all big names on the famous side.

As for the midfielder, it is even more terrifying. Zinedine Zidane, Makelele and our Portuguese pride, Luis Figo, plus a relatively erratic Guti, we need to strengthen the midfield defense in a targeted manner. Both Zidane and Figo have the ability to tear through the defense in an instant, and there is Morientes who runs very strong without the ball on the front line.

In fact, I also have some doubts about the formation. There are too many players in the group of Real Madrid players who can swing in various positions. Although Bosque has always been very traditional, he often adjusts the formation according to the opponent in the league and the Champions League.

Purely by simulation and conjecture, I may be able to deduce a system similar to 4-3-3, but it is unlikely that Del Bosque will make such a risky move. Let me first analyze the technical characteristics of Real Madrid players. Others Only when the starting lineup comes out can we know. "

(End of this chapter)