Super Coach

There have always been many players who said that it was the defensive midfielder that completely collapsed the first phase of the Galaxy, because it was Makelele's departure that caused the disintegration of Real Madrid's overall offensive and defensive system.

But in Yang Cheng's view, this is somewhat incomplete. Makelele is an outstanding defensive midfielder, but he is certainly not to that level. Many players left Real Madrid because of him, which led to the collapse of the first phase of Galacticos and joining. Chelsea directly helped the Blues win the championship, so subconsciously I feel that Makelele is so amazing and great.

He is a defensive midfield superstar, but he has not reached that level yet!

In fact, Real Madrid has a position where the problem is more serious than the midfielder, and that is the central defender!

In Real Madrid, which has always been famous for its offense, the central defender has always been a thankless role. If you lose, it is your responsibility, and if you win, it is the attacker's credit. Moreover, the team's style tends to be offensive, which makes Defenders have always been under tremendous tactical pressure at Real Madrid.

If Real Madrid has been tight at the midfielder position due to Makelele's departure since 2003, then Real Madrid's personnel changes at center back can definitely be traced back to ten years ago, or even longer.

As the old captain Sanchis aged and lost his form, Hierro alone held up the banner of Real Madrid's central defender. However, Hierro is not a full-time defender. In fact, he was a midfielder known for his offense in the early stage. A field player, but later as his age increased, his position began to gradually move back, and Valdano transformed him into a central defender.

But Hierro's partner has never been fixed. Karanka, Kanbō, Julio? Cesar, Hergra...

The most beautiful tactical change in Del Bosque's career was in the 99/00 season. He asked Helguera to play as a central defender, responsible for coordinating the command of the defense, and playing a 532 three-centre defender tactic. This move made Real Madrid's defense stronger. Not only did they get out of the quagmire of almost being relegated in the league, but they also made it through the Champions League and won the 2000 Champions League championship.

But after Florentino came to power, he tended to be more aggressive. Superstars such as Figo and Zidane came to the team one after another, and the Zidane + Pavin policy pushed the team's tactics to abnormality. After that, Pavin, Ruben, Mejia, Woodgate, Samu Players such as El have become tragic roles for Real Madrid's center back.

In fact, sometimes we have to look at it this way. When he was in Mallorca, Campo was the most dazzling central defender star in Spain and was favored by countless professionals, but he fell in Real Madrid; He received a lot of criticism; Samuel had almost world-class performance in Serie A, but when he arrived at Real Madrid, he became a negative example.

It comes down to it. Real Madrid's problem is still a problem of team style.

Spanish teams have always advocated attack.

Real Madrid is one of the best, especially after frequently introducing superstars, aggressive attacks have become Real Madrid's label, but the price is that the team's offense and defense are polarized, without a buffer.

As early as when Yang Cheng decided to take charge of Real Madrid, he had already said something to Hitzfeld and Beckenbauer. This will be the biggest challenge of my career so far!

Why do you say that?

Because Real Madrid is almost riddled with holes. In addition to the goal line, the three lines of defender, midfielder and striker are extremely incomplete. Although there are Raul, Xabi Alonso, Guti and others, they can only rely on them. ?

Therefore, when Yang Cheng took over Real Madrid, he had already prepared the idea of ​​overthrowing the entire Real Madrid system and rebuilding the organization. The first thing he had to do was to establish an offensive and defensive system for Real Madrid.

That's why he said it. The reason why it will take at least two or three years to lead Real Madrid to re-emerge in Europe!

Ramos and Thiago Silva are the future of the team, but they cannot be used at all for the time being, so Yang Cheng must find a center back combination for Real Madrid, so he set his sights on the upcoming Relegated Juventus.

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Although it was just a display of new jerseys, Real Madrid is Real Madrid after all, and it still attracted many reporters and media.

Club President Florentino and Honorary President Di Stefano also came to Valdebebas in person to participate in this jersey display. Adidas also attaches great importance to this. They specially arranged for some male and female models to come to the scene and display them wearing Real Madrid jerseys.

But it is obvious that the real target of reporters' attention is not the new jersey, for them. Adidas designs a new jersey for Real Madrid every year, which is nothing new. They are more concerned about the news coming from Italy.

Mr. Yang Cheng, Mr. Yang Cheng!!

Can you answer a few questions for us?

After the jersey display ended, reporters immediately surrounded Florentino, Di Stefano, Yang Cheng and others, blocking them in front of the display stand, with microphones almost stuck in their heads. mouth, hoping that they can say a few words or confirm some rumors.

After Yang Cheng felt Florentino's eyes, he looked at the watch on his left wrist and nodded, I can give you 10 minutes!

The group of reporters below immediately cheered and gathered around one by one.

Florentino accompanied Di Stefano to leave first, but he turned back to look at Yang Cheng from time to time, sighing in his heart that the biggest superstar Real Madrid has introduced this season is Yang Cheng, even if it is imported Zidane, the introduction of Beckham and others cannot compare with him.

Mr. Yang Cheng, there is news that Real Madrid has reached a tacit understanding with Juventus. You plan to package and introduce World Cup Silver Ball winner Cannavaro and French defense core Thuram. Is it true?

Yang Cheng nodded, Yes, I am indeed very interested in them.

Juventus currently has a price tag of 10 million + 5 million euros. Do you think it is possible for these two players to switch to Real Madrid?

Yang Cheng nodded again, I can say with certainty. They belong to Real Madrid!

All the reporters were in an uproar. Is there any latest progress in the transfer?

Before they could react, Yang Cheng continued: We have reached a tacit understanding with Juventus and signed an agreement with the players' agents. I believe that in a few days, in our big team heading to Austria for training , you can see Cannavaro and Thuram!

Many reporters at the scene were quite surprised. After all, Thuram and Cannavaro were the two most outstanding central defenders in the World Cup. Although he is not young, he definitely still has the strength. Among them, Thuram was also chased by Barcelona, ​​but the core of the French defense switched to Real Madrid. This has to be said to be a major enhancement to the strength of Real Madrid's defense.

We let go of stars such as Carlos and Baptista and introduced defensive players like Cannavaro and Thuram. Does this mean that Real Madrid under your coaching, Mr. Yang Cheng, will become more balanced?

Yang Cheng smiled. You can say that, but I have to remind you that balance doesn't mean we don't attack!

I know very well what Real Madrid fans think, because I am a Real Madrid fan myself, so I can understand their mood, but I also know very well that the current Real Madrid want to play beautiful and sexy football all at once. Then It’s impossible. It’s also unrealistic. It takes time.”

Offense and defense are two indispensable ideas in football tactics. Blindly chasing offense and blindly chasing defense may lead to the team's failure, so we must be inclusive between the two, but I will never change my pursuit of attacking football.

What do you think will be the biggest change in Real Madrid under your coaching?

Team! Yang Cheng answered directly without thinking about it, I believe that football fans all over the world will see a Real Madrid that fights as a team, whether it is offense or defense. This is the trend of football. We must We have to say goodbye to the past era of relying on the individual abilities of superstars. Rediscover the team spirit of our Real Madrid!

Another reporter squeezed his head out from the crowd and shouted: Mr. Yang Cheng, Cruyff said in his column that Real Madrid is different from any team you have coached before. You will Encountered the Battle of Waterloo here. Do you have anything to say?

Well... I don't think I need to say anything because every team I've coached is different. Chemnitz, Kaiserslautern, Inter Milan and Liverpool, they're all different, but I've succeeded in them all, So I believe that I will also succeed at Real Madrid!

After a pause, Yang Cheng laughed, I remember that Cruyff said that Barcelona was his pride and the best interpreter of his football philosophy. So my biggest goal and wish when I came to La Liga was, It is to knock Barcelona off the championship and end Barcelona's dominance of La Liga. At the same time, I want to return all the humiliation they brought to us at the Bernabeu Stadium to them. We will repay last season at the Camp Nou Stadium. A revenge of one stone!

In last season's Bernabeu Century Derby, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3-0 in an away game. Real Madrid fans witnessed Ronaldinho's performance like a god. They were conquered by Ronaldinho, and Real Madrid also Completely lost the competition for the league championship.

If Yang Cheng's goal this season is to focus on La Liga, then the Derby of the Century with Barcelona and the La Liga championship are the two major battles he must work hard for, and his goal in the Champions League is a breakthrough.

He does not want his Real Madrid to continue to defend the top 16, he hopes to make a breakthrough in performance.

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After getting rid of the reporters, Yang Cheng ran into Piri as soon as he walked out. The latter handed him the phone numbers of Cannavaro and Thuram. Yang Cheng planned to have a good chat with them first to confirm that they were back. Team time.

But these things will definitely have to wait until noon, at least the second training session will start soon.

Like Yang Cheng's previous training sessions, each training session is still 90 minutes, there is still a lot of ball training, and the training intensity is still very high, which can always torture the players.

In the following two or three days, Real Madrid focused more on recovery and physical reserve training due to the incomplete player lineup. However, the team's transfers were still in progress, and Cicinho got his wish. joined Milan for 16 million euros, but Ancelotti still refused to let Kaka go.

Therefore, after Yang Cheng saw that he could not win Kaka and Ronaldinho. Work on bringing in another player.

However, he mostly left the transfer to Butragueno and Piri. He was responsible for remote control command, and all his energy was devoted to a more important job, that is, the team's Construction of the overall tactical framework.

This is not just a matter of Yang Cheng alone, Redondo, Benitez, Paul Bayer and others are all involved.

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According to traditional offensive tactics, a tactical framework consists of two elements, core and advancement!

After the lunch break, in the coach's office, Benitez seemed a little unclear about Yang Cheng's thoughts. At least he couldn't see how Yang Cheng would implement his tactical reforms at Real Madrid.

Advance, I have seen that David Silva and Mata's dribbling, Beckham and Xavi Alonso's long pass transfer can all complete the task of advancement. If it doesn't work, we can go forward. As long as the retracement route is centered around these points, there will be no problem with the team's offense, but where is your core?

This is not only the doubt of Benitez, but also the doubt of Paul Bayer, Redondo and others.

From Kaiserslautern to Inter Milan to Liverpool, Yang Cheng's tactics have adopted a very traditional formation model, which is to organize around the core and advancement. The most obvious one is Liverpool's Didier Drogba. An important core for Liverpool's advancement.

But Real Madrid currently doesn't see such a core. Neither Villa nor Raul are the kind of powerful forwards who charge forward. Negredo and Soldado are indeed centers, especially the former, but the problem is that they are still young, and it is too dangerous to attack around them.

When he saw everyone looking at him, Yang Cheng smiled slightly and nodded, acknowledging Benitez's suspicion. After thinking for a while, he said: Actually, from Inter Milan to Liverpool, I have been thinking about a question, that is, if a team does not have a core in the midfield and frontcourt, how to play?

After hearing this, Benitez and Paul Bayer couldn't help but frown. Because who doesn’t play the core in today’s football?

Liverpool's core is changeable, most of the time it is Drogba, but Robben and Ronaldinho also play this role, and even Gerrard, who is inserted in the back row, can be regarded as the core, so they have rich offensive methods. There are many changes and it is difficult to guard against them.

There are also many changes in Barcelona. For example, Ronaldinho and Eto'o, Giuly and Messi on the right also occasionally take on this responsibility.

The so-called core does not actually have to be a bridgehead like Drogba. If we want to understand it simply, it is a center, that is, a player who can catch the ball and pass the ball in the frontcourt, because such players generally have With excellent personal ability, after getting the ball, he usually hits the goal or makes the final pass, and the range to which he can radiate is directly linked to the player's ability, consciousness and vision.

Yang Cheng's Milan in his previous life had this obvious tactic. Pirlo retreated to organize, and Kaká acted as the core of the offense in front. His dribbling and passing after high-speed breakthroughs, as well as his own back-breaking, ensured scoring. Milan's attack.

The reason why Yang Cheng asked to buy Kaka was actually because his breakthrough in the middle could tear apart the opponent's defense, create chaos, and create gaps for the surrounding teammates. Of course, Kaka would not be the core when he came, because What Yang Cheng really wants is non-nuclear tactics.

There is currently a team in La Liga that is a typical offensive core team, and that is Villarreal.

Of course, different teams have different changes, and the core is not single. For example, Liverpool can spread four or five points in the frontcourt at most, which is why their offense is so terrifying.

But this is certainly not the scariest thing, because with a core, the opponent can limit your offense by restricting your core. So in theory, the core is a double-edged sword. Once it operates well, the offense will become smooth. , but once it is frozen, sorry, your offense will completely collapse.

Everyone who plays Villarreal knows to restrict Riquelme, that's why!

What if there is no core?

Theoretically speaking, an offense without a core will be more difficult to defend than an offense with a core, because you don't know who to guard, so without a core it can be seen as everyone being the core.

Strictly speaking, Liverpool is already very close to this level, because at that time, their offensive core was as many as 5 points, which means that almost the entire midfield and frontcourt can become the core, but more often, Liverpool still relies on To Drogba and other individual players.

What Yang Cheng wants to do now is not to tailor a set of tactics around these current players, but to build a set of offensive routines without a core, and then arrange tasks according to the technical characteristics of the players, so that the players can Play within a set of tactics.

No core? Benitez's eyes lit up, while Paul Bayer was thinking with a grimace. Obviously, they were all stung by Yang Cheng's words.

Is this possible? Redondo asked with a wry smile.

Yang Cheng nodded and smiled, Maybe, absolutely possible!

Benitez also nodded, Theoretically, the role of the core is to press and tear apart the opponent's defense. But if this responsibility can be assigned to every player, then the core will not exist. , or it can be said that everyone is the core.”

After a pause, the Spaniard shook his head, But this is impossible, because without a core, the team's offense will easily lose its direction, and the players will become at a loss for each other, which will lead to the complete collapse of the entire offensive tactics. bad.

The reason why the presence of the core on the court is necessary is because everyone will work around the core. For example, in Liverpool, when Drogba is on the court, they basically choose to surround Drogba as soon as they get the ball. to launch the offense, and Drogba is also the kind of player who can be at the front alone and can accomplish things that only two or three players can accomplish.

But just as Benitez finished speaking, an idea immediately flashed through his mind, that is, if every player in the midfield and frontcourt had outstanding football intelligence, they could find the opponent's defense line during running and transfer. Once someone finds the loophole, if others can unite and cooperate and immediately launch an attack around this player, then Yang Cheng's idea may become a reality.

Because aren’t Liverpool very close to that? ! .