Super Coach

Yang Cheng can be said to be the head coach in today's football who best understands UEFA's thoughts. Perhaps even one of them can be crossed out.

All veteran football fans who have watched football for many years know that a large part of the reason why European competitions attract attention is the confrontation between the giants. Therefore, UEFA is happy to create a series of so-called grievances, such as Yang Cheng and UEFA is not the initiator of the grudges between Barcelona, ​​but it is definitely the driving force behind it.

Why do you say that?

In order to maximize profits, for gimmicks, and for more people to invest in this event.

In 2017, three Serie A teams monopolized the top four of the Champions League, and the final turned into a Milan derby. This obviously did not meet the definition of UEFA and the needs of marketing. After all, it became an Italian civil war and would lose some people. ball mí.

Last year, the final became dominated by second-rate teams such as Monaco and Porto. This caused the Champions League to encounter unprecedented cynicism, and even suspicion. It was believed that UEFA intended to target the wealthy teams in G4, but in fact, UEFA themselves are also very depressed because they don't know how much money they have lost.

This season, from the Champions League group stage draw to the current knockout draw, UEFA has really put in a lot of effort. Every team is analyzed by them, and every group must be carefully considered.

First, in order to ensure ratings and eyeballs, a highlight must be staged in each round, preferably a showdown between the top clubs; second, to avoid dark horses running rampant like last season, we must avoid strong and weak teams. to fight early; thirdly, in order to prevent a certain national team from monopolizing most of the spots, artificial difficulty must be created.

Of course, the third point must be left for last, such as drawing teams from the same country together, but this will have to wait until the top 88 knockout rounds.

Therefore, when you take these elements into account, plus the fact that the opponents in the top 16 knockout rounds will not be from the same country and the same group, and they must be the first in the group and the second in the group, you will find that there are actually only a few opponents. A team.

Before the whole lottery ceremony started, it was already obvious who would meet whom.

It seems that this year's Champions League round of 16 will be another showdown between giants! Beckenbauer shook his head and smiled.

Isn't it normal? Yang Cheng sat next to him and asked.

Beckenbauer nodded. In this season's group stage, the wealthy teams have recovered. This has led UEFA to make great efforts in the knockout rounds. From the first round of the knockout round, they will create some feasts for the wealthy teams. Let's start with a period of **, attract all the balls.

I have a hunch,

We will draw Arsenal! Beckenbauer said with a wry smile.

Although Arsenal has been without a championship for many years, no one can underestimate the strength of this team. Of course, Bayern is also a very powerful player. It is not certain who will win or lose, but among such top teams, The duel between them is always frightening.

Playing one more round or one less round is not only a nominal loss, but also a huge monetary loss.

On the contrary, those weaker teams will be arranged by UEFA to prevent them from encountering wealthy teams prematurely. They are afraid of being upset and worried that they will be upset again like last season, resulting in the final becoming A second-rate duel; secondly, a duel with huge disparity between strengths and weaknesses is not impressive enough.

The final draw seems to be going in the direction that everyone guessed. Liverpool once again coincidentally drew Barcelona. God knows how this group of guys can be so coincidental, it happens every time.

I'm a little tired of aesthetics! Yang Cheng smiled bitterly.

Who made you so popular this season? Beckenbauer laughed.

Barcelona is in La Liga and Liverpool is in the Premier League. These two teams can be said to be the four most popular teams this season. The other two are Chelsea in the Premier League and Inter Milan in Serie A.

No matter from which angle you look at it, Liverpool's encounter with Barcelona is far more exciting than any other matchup, and this game will definitely become the game that UEFA pays the most attention to.

From the perspective of a tournament organizer, they don't need to pay attention to who loses and who wins. They only need to be responsible for drawing these two teams together, which is attractive enough in itself.

But what makes people more uncomfortable is that every time UEFA has to flaunt how fair and open it is, making it clear that there is no silver here, so why bother pretending?

Even if I beat Yang Cheng, I wouldn’t believe it. He is drawn to Barcelona by chance every time.

Ferguson also guessed correctly, Manchester United met Milan, just like what Ferguson himself said, he had never met Milan before, and he was looking forward to it and very excited.

Inter Milan met Boertus, a showdown between the old and new kings; Bayern Munich also met Arsenal, as Beckenbauer said; Real Madrid met Juventus; Chelsea met Bayer Leverkusen; Monaco met Ein Hoven and Werder Bremen met Lyon, and almost all draws were not too unexpected.

I have a hunch! Yang Cheng said with a smile after the draw.

Huh? Beckenbauer was surprised.

No matter which team between us and Barcelona advances, they will meet Chelsea in the quarterfinals!

Beckenbauer was stunned for a moment, but the veteran figured it out immediately.

Mourinho and Barcelona, ​​avoiding itself is also a gimmick. If Liverpool qualify, then the same country will lose one Premier League team to enter the semi-finals, which is also in the interest of UEFA.

If Inter Milan and Chelsea hadn't both finished first in the group, maybe the two teams would have met early in the round of 16. This is why so many strong teams are desperately trying to compete for first place in the group. reason.

In this way, we are very likely to encounter the winner between Real Madrid and Juventus! Bayer also analyzed it and was familiar with UEFA's operating mode. The so-called draw can do anything. The guess is close to ten.

We'll get over Arsenal first! Yang Cheng said with a smile.

But on the plane back to Liverpool, he used his laptop to check the Premier League schedule for this season. He suddenly discovered that if Liverpool really crossed Barcelona and really met Chelsea, then they would play Chelsea consecutively in April. Play three games.

Two Champions League knockout matches and one Premier League match, this is simply fatal!

But Yang Cheng didn't know that the truth was more than that.

Played the first day of the league on the 26th | Went to Nyon to participate in the draw on the 27th. On the 28th, the team played at home and won the Saints Southampton. Liverpool played two games in a row in three days. Although with Yang Cheng's rotation, they pulled Ersson used a goal to help Liverpool cross the Southampton hurdle, but the team's state is still a bit worrying.

｜Month｜On New Year's Day, Liverpool played away to Portsmouth and drew a draw. Yang Cheng's team's overall state was obviously affected by the busy schedule, and their performance was very weak. Although they controlled the initiative in the game, they Kangfa scored.

|On March 3, Liverpool once again visited Norwich as a guest.

In the 88th minute of the first half, the home team took advantage of Vidic's mistake and then started a conservative defensive counterattack tactics, even defending to the death.

Liverpool tenaciously organized a bōbō attack, but were unable to break through Norwich's goal.

It seems that Liverpool is in trouble. Andy Gray was a little worried for Liverpool.

In such a dense schedule, any team will encounter various problems. After all, not every team can have a strong enough lineup to equip two or three Premier League teams like Chelsea.

All Premier League coaches know that the schedule before and after Christmas is very intensive and has a great impact on the second half of the league. It is a threshold that must be crossed to be qualified to challenge for the league championship.

Liverpool performed well during this period last season, but the winter break schedule last season was not as intensive as this season. After all, from February 26, 2014 to February 3, 2015, it was only 99 days. In a matter of days, the Premier League has played a total of league games. With such a dense schedule, even an iron man cannot endure it.

Chelsea is currently the most powerful. With their strong bench, the Blues continue to lead the league standings with an impressive record of victory in the Christmas schedule. Liverpool currently has 22 wins and a draw, but it is very likely that they will win 22 points and draw. Norwich suffered an upset, and if Yang Cheng cannot find a solution to the problem as soon as possible, Liverpool may suffer its second defeat this season.

Andy Gray's views also represent the thoughts of many people, because Liverpool performed very low throughout the game.

After 99 days of playing, every game is a head-to-head Premier League match. Even if Liverpool rotates, they still cannot withstand such a schedule, and rotations also have to bear certain risks. For example, Vidic's mistakes, if replaced As Hyypia, this mistake will not happen.

When the game jumped to 60 minutes, just when everyone thought that Liverpool should make adjustments, Yang Cheng did indeed make adjustments. He replaced Drogba, who was performing averagely, and put Ronaldinho in. On the left side of the team, Ribery was switched to the right side, and Ashavin played in the middle.

With Drogba removed, will Liverpool give up their attack?

Everyone thinks this substitution is puzzling. Drogba's condition is indeed average, but his contribution to the team cannot be ignored. You know, he has always been the frontcourt fulcrum that Cheng relies on.

But has Yang Cheng really given up?

Look for gaps in the opponent's defense and midfield! Be calm and patient!

This was the task Yang Cheng gave Xiao Luo when he came on the field, but he couldn't tell him what to do.

The Portuguese had several opportunities as soon as he came on the field. He could get the pass on the left and use him to attack the opponent's defense. However, it was obvious that the effect of this was not good because the opponent's defense retreated very deep and there was no Leaving too much gap for him to use his speed and technical advantages.

In just 0 minutes, he made three dribbling attempts to no avail. Liverpool's offense still looked chaotic.

It seems that Cristiano Ronaldo failed to bring much change to the game after he came on the field. Andy Gray is a little confused. Why did Yang Cheng choose to replace Drogba with Ronaldinho?

Is it too risky? Benitez doesn't like taking risks, he likes to take everything into account.

Yang Cheng nodded, Of course, but I have no choice, right?

After playing a game in 99 days, Robben, Gerrard, Davis, and Hyypia were all injured. Today's Liverpool can not make many changes for Yang Cheng.

He is a smart man, he will understand! After saying this, Yang Cheng walked to the sidelines again and waved to Xiao Luo to tell him to calm down, observe with his eyes more, and don't be anxious.

The biggest problem with this kid is that he gets anxious easily and becomes agitated easily, which makes him unable to see some things clearly.

Ronaldinho saw Yang Cheng's gesture, and after a season and a half of getting along with him, plus the progress he could feel himself, he had no doubts about Yang Cheng, and he respected this man who is still continuing to work today. urged his head coach.

Taking a deep breath, he stood on the left side and looked to the right. The two sides on the court clearly appeared in his eyes, from the opponent's back line standing at the front of the penalty area to the pressing Liverpool midfielder.

As Asavin returned to the center, Liverpool's midfielder began to take the ball. Murphy, Essien and A-Yala were more behind Asavin, and the opponent's midfielder defended the midfield in order to freeze Asavin. The line is pressed a little higher.

When Xiao Luo saw this scene, he couldn't help but have a vague outline in his mind.

Is this the gap the boss mentioned?

At this moment, he saw that Ashavin was disturbed after taking the ball and had to knock the ball back, but the opponent's defensive midfielder was not in position, so he simply ran directly from the left to the center, and moved the ball The area is exactly between the opponent's midfield and defense line.

Riise from the left cut inside and immediately ran forward, attracting the attention of the opponent's wide defender.

The ball returned to Ashavin's feet again, and a defensive player from the opponent immediately pressed up. However, Ashavin passed the ball directly to Ronaldinho's feet. The Portuguese was unguarded and turned around calmly. This time he immediately let the ball go to Ronaldinho's feet. The opponent's defense was in disarray.

The opponent's center back realized the threat of Ronaldinho taking the ball in this area and immediately attacked, but Ribery also chose to move closer to the center at this time.

The Portuguese caught the opponent's center back before he could get close and knocked the ball across to Ribery, who was cutting in from the right. The Frenchman immediately hit back and passed the ball diagonally behind the opponent's center back. The two immediately formed a one-two and hit the wall. Formula cooperation.

Norwich is dangerous! Andy Gray exclaimed.

Liverpool had a beautiful one-two, Ronaldinho took the ball, Abd Du Ding Ed11!!!!!!

The ball is in! Andy Gray couldn't help shouting, Cristiano Ronaldo completed a beautiful low shot in the penalty area, breaking through Norwich's goal and equalizing the score for Liverpool!

It's so beautiful! The opponent's center back realized the danger, but the Portuguese's short sprint was too fast. It's also their fault that they left their own area rashly just now, leaving a large gap behind them.

But there's nothing I can do about it. I can't grab him. From such a close distance, once Ronaldinho sprints up, there's no guarantee that he won't be directly penetrated. Moreover, his long-range shots are also very threatening. In addition, after Franck Ribery cuts inside, It takes some defensive pressure off him!”

This was a running movement in a small area. Norwich's solid defense collapsed with the cooperation of three Liverpool players!

The Liverpool players who followed the team to the away game all stood up from their seats after the team scored a goal. There was a burst of thunderous cheers in the stands, excitedly shouting for Cristia, the hero of the goal. No=Ronaldo’s name.

After Ronaldinho scored the Norwich goal, he was the first to react. He rushed to the sidelines excitedly and did a celebration of kneeling down, raising his arms and roaring, while Ribery, Ashavin and other players behind him were They rushed over one after another.

Yang Cheng immediately pulled these players over, Keep playing like this, remember, pull more, run more into gaps, pass more, cooperate more, be patient, do you understand?

The players nodded in unison, Understood!

Go and kill them! Yang Cheng patted their shoulders hard and sent them onto the court.

Naturally, the live TV footage could not miss this scene, and everyone saw Yang Cheng's on-the-spot command from this attack.

Yes, maybe Norwich's defense is a piece of iron, but even if you are on reinforced concrete, I will dig a hole in you!

The game restarted, and Liverpool were still actively looking for opportunities to attack. Ronaldinho, in particular, after tasting the sweetness, began to more actively observe the surrounding competition. He began to consciously move to target the holes in the opponent's defense. , which makes every run he makes more targeted.

He and Ribery are active between the opponent's defense and midfield. Norwich can not guard them and stand their ground, but they can choose to shoot from long range, break through with the ball, or cooperate. Norwich Will become very passive.

But once the ball is taken, they will actively attack the gap left by the ball, especially Ronaldinho and Franck Ribery. Both players have very fast short-distance sprints. They were right under your nose just now. But in the blink of an eye, they slipped away, unable to catch up, and not even given a chance to foul.

In this case, Liverpool seemed to have no forwards, but in fact the two wingers got more space to run and pull. Norwich's entire defense had to follow them, and it was impossible to defend them. live.

In the 86th minute, after Ronaldinho attracted two defensive players with the ball, he passed the ball to Ashavin. The Russian made a penetrating direct pass and passed the ball into the penalty area. After Ribery entered the penalty area, he directly With a late shot, he broke through Norwich's goal again and reversed the score for Liverpool!

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This score was maintained until the end, and Liverpool once again got what it wanted and scored 31 points.

Liverpool's state in this game is indeed very average, even bad, but they still won in the end, and they won because of Yang Cheng's excellent on-the-spot command. He replaced Drogba with Ronaldinho. It was indeed a A very good move that completely revitalized Liverpool's frontcourt attack.

When summing up after the game, Andy Gray couldn't help but admire Yang Cheng's substitution.

His on-the-spot command allowed Liverpool to continue to maintain pressure on Chelsea. Although this team is currently 53 points behind Chelsea, the league has just passed the halfway point. Who says Liverpool will definitely have no chance?

But what is certain is that Liverpool's schedule is more difficult than Chelsea's! ! .