The Young Lion

Thanks to Thieves and Material Science Engineering for their rewards!

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On the day of the closing match of the Group B group stage, the headlines were overwhelming. Apart from Spain returning home, even though England was ignored in the pre-match interviews, it still became a hot topic of discussion.

The French are warning England not to abandon competitive sportsmanship!

The general meaning is that even if you have locked your qualifications, this is the European Cup, and you must go all out in every game, and don't let Croatia down.

Croatian coach Balic complimented Aldridge in a restrained manner, and the main tone of his speech was still on the inside, encouraging the Croatians to give everything in the game!

Fate is in their own hands.

The Swiss team still has hope of advancing, but the outside world is not optimistic about them at all. No matter how bad the French team performs, no matter how unsatisfactory the state is, the lean camel is bigger than the horse, and the background is still there. , and there will only be a very small probability that the second-rate team will be domineering over their heads.

The chaos in this group is centered on the fight for the second qualifying place. Croatia control their own destiny. As long as they beat England, they will advance to the quarter-finals.

If Croatia can't beat England, then the winner of the match between Switzerland and France will advance to the quarter-finals.

The more confusing possibility is that Croatia loses and the Swiss team draws with the French team. Then, the 3 teams have 2 points, which depends on the draw between the French team and the Swiss team, because the Swiss team and the Croatian team are in the first place. The first round ended 0:0, and the French and Croatian teams drew 2:2 in the second round. As long as there is a 1-1 draw and Croatia loses to England. France will qualify.

If it is really 0:0. Croatia still lost, and it may eventually develop into a competition for other conditions.

On the one hand, Fleet Street reminded the England team not to be hit by the French's aggressive method.

On the other hand, he spent all his time imagining the possible second place qualifying situation of this group.

There is a possibility that has been widely publicized, that is, this group may have a team that only scored 2 points in three games but advanced to the top 8 of the European Cup!

Fleet Street made the crowd laugh, and it must be funny that the English people who have nothing to do with themselves really hope that happens.

Aldridge has always ignored the media,

It didn't take long to prepare for the battle. Where there is time to change the strategic arrangement on the fly, this is completely different from on-the-spot command. The change decision of on-the-spot command cannot shake the foundation of the team.

June 22, Lisbon Stadium of Light.

After entering the field, Aldridge shook hands with Croatian coach Baric. Although the Croatian fans in the stands were nervous, they still responded favorably to Aldridge at this moment.

why?

Because England released the water!

23-man roster, England has carried out a 10-man rotation!

If Southgate does not retire from injury, I am afraid that England will make an 11-man first-team replacement!

The England team seems to be aiming at the knockout match with Greece in 4 days. After the final ranking of Group A was announced yesterday, the top 8 opponents of the England team were also announced at the same time. Portugal narrowly escaped death, Spain returned home, The England team managed to avoid the hosts on their way to the knockout rounds, but the Greek team should not be underestimated. Today, the England team has 10 players in rotation except for John Terry. As long as Croatia beats the England team, they will We can successfully advance to the top 8 as the second place in the group!

Aldridge is still standing on the sidelines, and the European Cup matches are frequent. If there is a big battle every three days, the physical fitness of the players will be very severe. To make full use of England's engineering ability, which is also based on physical fitness, the two group matches were victorious and the opponents in the same group had two draws in the first two rounds. It was like a godsend, and the main players of the England team got a Week time to recharge your batteries and wait for the battle with the Greek team.

Goalkeeper: James.

Defenders: Phil Neville, Carragher, Terry, Bridge.

Midfield: Dyer, Butt, Carrick, Joe Cole.

Forwards: Rooney, Alan Smith.

Except for Terry, all the substitute players in other positions made their appearances.

After the start of the game, although the England team still responded to the game with their mainstream tactics as the core, their efficiency was greatly reduced.

In the midfield, maybe only Rooney and Alan Smith's defensive running and large-scale interception and fighting are still optimistic.

Joe Cole, Dyer, Carrick, Butt, these four midfielders are combined, and the system is very clear. Butt defends the midfielder, Carrick sorts out the connection between the midfielder and Joe Cole on the left Road, Dyer moved forward to the right. Compared with England's main lineup, the wing collocation is reversed. On the main side, Beckham is on the right side, and Lampard is on the left, but when he inserts, he is in the middle of the penalty area.

The decline in defensive efficiency is due to the fact that the team chemistry of this lineup is not good enough. After all, there is a lack of tacit understanding for a long time. Secondly, the decline in the running and defensive ability of the players themselves is the most intuitive.

Therefore, although Croatia's strength on paper still cannot be said to have an advantage over England's starting players today, the team's chemical reaction and overall combat strength are slightly stronger than England's.

Another thing that has a decisive impact on the trend of the game is the fighting spirit!

England's substitutes also want to perform well, and their attitude will definitely not go wrong.

However, compared to Croatia's determination to fight to the death, it is obviously inferior.

Therefore, after the opening, the Croatian team put a lot of pressure on the England team's attack. The encirclement and suppression strategy of the England team's frontcourt was full of mistakes and omissions in the implementation, especially Joe Cole, Dyer's defense problem was relatively big, and Carrick was being faced by the opponent. The weakness of inexperience in the competition was also fully exposed during the impact.

If it weren't for Bart's calmness and repeated return to the penalty area to make up for the loopholes in the defense, the England team might lose the ball soon after the start of the game.

Carragher and Terry's partner also lack of understanding. Carragher himself has not played in the central defender position for a long time. Suddenly moved to the central defender position. It was such a fierce battle again, and there were many dangers in the cramped situation.

This is also different from Aldridge enabling Gerrard to play forward.

Defenders can't make mistakes.

Forwards have a very large fault tolerance rate and a higher degree of freedom. During the 90-minute game, they can find their own feelings, observe the situation, assess the situation, and self-adjust, but the defenders. One mistake within 90 minutes is fatal, two mistakes can be catastrophic!

Aldridge supervised the battle from the sidelines, frowning from the beginning of the game, obviously dissatisfied with the team.

Leaving aside the issue of defense, the offense is not ideal, because each of these substitutes wants to have their own performance and eye-catching performance.

Joe Cole, Dyer, and Rooney, these three either stick to the ball too much, or shoot when they get the ball.

The offensive system in the frontcourt is fragmented. After the offense hit the opponent's back waistline, there was not even a triangle pass. Strong burst, long shot, wave shot...

The situation on the field is really there are no tigers in the mountains, a group of monkeys fighting for supremacy!

Aldridge wanted to scold them, but he held back after thinking about it.

Rooney's four shots were not good opportunities. When he was able to pass the ball and then deal with the transition, he chose to force it by himself, but none of the shots hit the target.

If he was in the main lineup, he would not do this, because the players around him are all more famous than him, and he would not dare to do anything wrong.

In the 31st minute, the Croatian team advanced their offense to the middle of the penalty area in the England defense zone. Kovac, the core No. 10, made a back-and-forth pass with Pursau on the front line, playing a deep deterrent to the England team. With the idea of ​​filling in, the front of the penalty area was empty again. Kovac fired a threatening long-range shot. Goalkeeper James made a save, and the ball bounced in the penalty area was shot by Croatian striker Sokota.

Croatia scored! Sokota helped Croatia take the lead. At this time, the French team and the Swiss team are 1:1. Croatia is in a very comfortable situation. As long as the French team and the Swiss team are tied, the Croatian team will not lose. Give it to the England team, then they will lock in the second place in the group and enter the knockout round!

Aldridge tapped his forehead lightly with his clenched fist, and then boosted the morale of the team.

He felt a little helpless.

When James saved the long shot, he felt very stable before he touched the ball, but after touching the ball, it made people jump.

It cannot be said that this was an absolute mistake, it can only be said that he did not do his best in saving work.

This is England's blemish.

After the old goalkeeper Seaman left the national team, England's goalkeeper position became the biggest flaw.

In fact, Seaman's technical ability in other aspects is still top-notch except for the position exposed by the late stage decline that is easy to be used by opponents in history. Otherwise, he would not be Arsenal's famous defense five veterans. one.

However, the goalkeeper after Seaman.

The main and backup goalkeepers currently used by the England team, Robinson and James, are not strong enough to stabilize themselves in the upper middle and upper reaches of the first class.

To put it bluntly, they don’t have any outstanding advantages. What first-class goalkeepers can do, they can do part of it, but they are not outstanding. Others will not make low-level mistakes, but they occasionally make mistakes. Forwards get nervous, that is The nerve knife, the goalkeeper is nervous, that is the butter hand colander.

The hidden worry about the position of the goalkeeper is also one of the considerations for the Three Lions' tactical reform in this European Cup. It is necessary to advance the defense line to the opponent's half and reduce the number of opponent shots as much as possible.

After the Croatian team took the lead, they became utilitarian and wanted to hold on to the victory, so their offensive momentum was not so violent. After all, their position is very comfortable. Now they need two changes to eliminate them from the European Cup.

First, there was a change in the score between Switzerland and France.

Second, England equalized the score.

Both changes must be true at the same time.

The pressure on the England team has decreased and the situation has gradually stabilized, but the offense is still not ideal.

Aldridge didn't scold the players, but kept his face sullen, obviously dissatisfied with the team's performance.

At the end of the first half, the score remained unchanged.

After returning to the locker room, Aldridge did not comment on the team's performance, but directly reiterated the request from yesterday's pre-match preparation meeting. This time, he expounded in a very slow and heavy tone. Inside the locker room. The players on the field listened quietly. Don't dare to breathe, everyone knows that Aldridge is unhappy and dissatisfied.

It's just that this match has nothing to do with life and death, so it can't be said that there will be a violent outburst.

But if he continues to be dissatisfied, I'm afraid these substitutes will have little chance of getting a star in the next game.

In the second half, the two sides changed sides and fought again.

The England team looks a bit like a team on the field, but Croatia has a more aggressive attitude, and at the same time must avoid conceding the ball, the defense line shrinks and the midfielder rushes wildly. England's offensive team has limited ability to fight tough battles. It seems to have regained control of the midfield, but it is difficult to penetrate the offense into the opponent's dangerous zone. They lack a passer with pass penetration, or more.

Carrick is not as good as Scholes, Alan Smith is not as good as Gerrard, Dyer's cross from the wing is not as good as Beckham, Joe Cole's work is more delicate than Lampard's, but in the overall situation In terms of power and impact, he seems to be inferior to Lampard.

However, England's continued attack has been favored by luck.

The 63rd minute. Rooney failed to pass the ball with the opponent's defender, and the ball that was pushed out fell at the feet of Joe Cole outside the penalty area. He dribbled the ball horizontally, shot a long shot, and flew into the goal after being touched by the opponent's defender and changing direction!

Joe Cole equalized for England! It was a lucky goal, because it can be seen from the replay that this long shot would have missed the goal slightly if no one blocked it, but with the help of the Croatian It flew into the goal!

France and Switzerland are still 1:1, and Croatia is still second in the group in the real-time standings. However, they dare not gamble and dare not leave their fate to others for almost half an hour. If they maintain a draw, Switzerland and France Whoever scores the goal will enter the top 8!

Coach Baric is like a beast on the sidelines encouraging the team to counterattack!

The Croatians are fighting!

The English, it seems, are a little cowardly!

It was particularly evident that Joe Cole's defense was ineffective, and England's midfield was in danger when Croatia desperately pressed forward with a frenzied attack.

Aldridge kept signaling the frontcourt offensive players to back up, back up, and participate in the defense from the sidelines!

He doesn't care much about who gets second in this group, but he cares about the players' attitude towards the game.

Strategically, this game can be relaxed, but in battle, there can be no slack!

The England team retreated in an all-round way, and indeed they couldn't stop the opponent's posture. When it comes to the tacit understanding of the team's chemical reaction, England has no advantage in front of Croatia. Croatia was forced to a 2:2 draw by France. It can be seen that their overall battle The will and strength are still very good. If Trezeguet is whistled for handball, maybe they only need 1 point now to definitely advance!

The game ushered in a turning point in the 76th minute, the French team scored!

Henry finally broke out and scored his first goal in this European Cup, and after 8 minutes, the second goal followed.

At this time, the game between England and Croatia is still 1:1.

France leads Switzerland 3:1.

The Croatians completely broke the boat. In the 80th minute, Aldridge replaced Rooney with Gary Neville, allowing Phil Neville to fill in the midfielder and partner with Bart to withstand the pressure. Croatia also immediately changed players, and Balic withdrew Two defenders, replaced by a striker and a midfielder!

The Croatian army pressed the empty backcourt, and the England team got a good chance to counterattack in the 87th minute.

Alan Smith went to the meeting solo, and he dribbled the ball forward solo from 40 yards from the goal!

However, perhaps because Leeds United has not played as a striker for a long time, his shooting feeling is really terrible. After the opponent's goalkeeper abandoned the goal and ran out of the small penalty area, Alan Smith's hanging goal was outrageous. Flying out from above the beam, but from a position two meters next to the column...

Seeing this scene, Aldridge rubbed his forehead and sighed on the sidelines.

Helpless!

Croatia seized the time to attack. After 3 minutes, they made a cross from the side. The area in front of the goal was overcrowded. Carragher and James were inconceivably fighting for the ball at the same time. , the attack did not touch the ball, and the header did not exert force to clear the siege. The ball was unloaded in disguise and the ball fell into the small penalty area. In the chaos, Croatian striker Olic quickly swept the ball into the goal!

Aldridge lowered his head, feeling that he should be very angry and unhappy right now.

However, it felt unnecessary.

Unreliable goalkeepers and inexperienced defenders make mistakes, what is there to be angry about?

If England's main force made such a mistake, he should be furious.

Olic has become a Croatian hero!

The commentator shouted his name passionately, and the Croatian fans in the stands fell into a frenzy.

Croatian coach Balic still roared at the players on the sidelines like a beast, but this was the guidance and encouragement of victory.

He asked the team to return to defense, including all forwards, not to attack, and to prepare for the last substitution to delay time.

The England team has removed the arrow striker, and the offensive desire after kick-off is not too strong.

After the attack was frustrated and the ball was controlled by Croatia, Croatia began to fall from the backcourt. Alan Smith grabbed two shots and then died down. Time passed by.

The moment the whistle blew at the end of the game, Aldridge went to shake hands with Baric, congratulated the opponent's team for advancing to the top 8, and then turned his head and walked towards the player tunnel.

In another field, the French team was hit by a thunderbolt at the Coimbra City Stadium. The players stood on the field in dismay after the game.

Although the defending champion France defeated the Swiss team 3:1, after the Croatian team beat the England team in the final stage, the final ranking of this group was settled. The England team had 6 points, Croatia had 5 points, and the French team had 4 points. , the Swiss team scored 1 point, the defending champion France, after being eliminated in the World Cup group stage as the defending champion in 2002, was also eliminated in the European Cup group stage as the defending champion today, and missed the quarter-finals!

After the final match of the European Cup group stage started.

On the first day, Spain in Group A went home.

The next day, France, the defending champion of Group B, also went home. (to be continued..) ()