civilwarnovels Chapter 518 Football is a Game of Competing for Space
Chapter 518 Football is a Game of Competing for Space
On the evening of March 3, Longguo Changsha.
In the sixth round of Group A of the top [-] Asian qualifiers for the World Cup in Russia, the match between Longguo and South Korea officially started!
In the stands, more than 4 Longguo fans turned the entire stadium into a sea of red. Under the shouts of "must win" from all the fans, the whole stand is also amazing!
It can be seen that the current Longguo fans have really rekindled hope for this national football team!
They are still the staunchest supporters of the national football team in this crucial home game against South Korea.
Although there is only a slight hope of qualifying, the ticket sales for this battle are as hot as ever. Shortly after the sale opened on March 3, they were sold out.
In the hands of scalpers, the 180 yuan ticket was fired to 1280 yuan, which was turned up several times.On the Internet, some sellers even increased the price by as much as 10 times!
In order to welcome the game, Changsha Helong Stadium also specially renovated the conditions of the stadium. The turf was replaced as a whole, and the sand layer and drainage equipment under the turf were also updated.It is estimated that the renovation of the entire stadium has invested a total of about 7000 million yuan.
Five hours before the start of the game, a large number of fans gathered near the stadium.
Now that the game has started, the fans entering the stadium have created an atmosphere at home, shouting, cheering and singing one after another, and many people have put up banners cheering for the national football team.
However, Lippi and Pan Yi are also well aware of the gap in hard power between the two teams, and they should not be dizzy because of the excitement of the fans.
So although today's starting lineup is almost the same as the previous game against Qatar, a defensive-oriented strategy is adopted tactically.
Why do you say "almost the same?"
It is because the main goalkeeper Zeng Cheng has returned from injury, and in such a game that focuses on defense, Zeng Cheng, who plays more stably, has more solid basic skills, and better goal-line skills, is obviously a better choice than Wang Dalei.
Except for the change of the main goalkeeper, the other ten people have not changed, and they are still in a 4-3-3 position, but the positions of Wu Xi and Huang Bowen in the midfield will be further back, which is basically the same as that of captain Zheng Zhi. The above is a configuration of three midfielders.
On the two sides, Lin Liangming and Wu Lei's position is not as high as when they played Qatar, but closer to the midfield side, so this formation is actually more inclined to a 4-5-1, at the top There is only one Zhang Yuning.
Longguo coach Lippi and visiting team coach Stillik both stood in the coaching area from the first minute. Both of them observed the game solemnly, but their moods were completely different.
The strength gap between the national football team and South Korea needless to say.
In the current FIFA national team rankings, the national football team ranks 86th in the world and 9th in Asia.The South Korean team's world ranking is 46 places higher, ranking 40th in the world and second in Asia.
In terms of value comparison, the national football team is only a quarter of that of the South Korean team.
It can be said that even if the Longguo team cannot win South Korea today, it is reasonable.
But Stillik is different, and now he is under a lot of pressure.
It's like two coaches, one with a wealthy team and one with a relegation team. If the relegation team wins, the coach must be responsible, because your players are better than the other team!
For Stillik, there is only one way to win this game. Even if it is a tie, he will not be able to explain it when he returns home!
Not to mention that if they fail to win, South Korea will even fall to third place in the group, losing the initiative to compete for the top two in the group!
Therefore, the tone of the game has been set from the beginning.
That is, the Yongguo team wearing red jerseys has been focusing on defense from the beginning of the game, while the Korean team wearing white jerseys has launched a fierce attack on the defense line of the Longguo team from the first minute.
Due to the importance of this game and some grievances and grievances in the history of football between the two countries, today the game was played very fiercely from the first minute.
When the game progressed to the 10th minute, the Longguo team played a quick counterattack. After Lin Liangming and Huang Bowen formed a cooperation on the right, Zhang Linpeng quickly came up from the side. After receiving the ball, he went to the bottom line and delivered a quality kick. Very high cross.
Zhang Yuning in the middle of the penalty area quickly grabbed the first landing point and hit the ball, and a lion shook his head!
But unfortunately, the ball hit the post, bounced back to the penalty area, and was cleared by the defender Jang Hyun-soo of the Korean team.
After clearing the siege, the South Korean team pressed forward again and quickly launched a counterattack.
Lippi yelled a few times on the sidelines, and suddenly realized that his players could not understand Italian, so he took a step back and turned his head to take a look.
Pan Yi stood up from the coach's bench tacitly, walked quickly to the sidelines, and clapped vigorously.
This is to affirm the player's performance in the counter attack just now, and at the same time, it also indicates that the player should calm down and not worry.
"Don't retreat too deep, pay attention to keeping a distance, try to press the defense line out, and the midfielder must withstand it."
"Zhang Yuning! And you, Wu Lei! Lin Liangming! Keep pressing in the frontcourt, don't let them take the ball too comfortably, and block their attacks from the sides and sides!"
"I played well just now, and the distance between the three lines was maintained very well! Continue to play like this, control the rhythm, don't mess up, and pay attention to the defense protection."
"Everyone cheers me up and runs! Remember what we said before the game, space! Create space for yourself and let your opponent lack space!"
Modern football is essentially a game of fighting for space. All coaches' tactics basically revolve around how to use every inch of turf space on the field.
With such a concept, Lippi continued to instill in the national football players after he entered the national football team, and Pan Yi even explained the players in each position in detail, which gave them a clearer mind. concept.
Now, following Pan Yi's call, the players on the field have also received instructions and began to implement this tactical play more seriously.
When walking back, Pan Yi turned his head to look at Stillik. The German coach seemed a little impatient.
Especially seeing that the Longguo team played such a threatening counterattack just now, if it weren't for the help of the goal post, they would have fallen behind.
And a bit like their coaches, the mentality of the Korean players on the field seems to be undergoing subtle changes.
The main thing was that the ten-minute match seemed to be a bit different from what they had imagined before.
It turns out that there are more threatening attacks launched by the Longguo team!But I don't have any good opportunities.This made them start to get a little impatient.
"Their mentality is really not very good." Pan Yi walked to Lippi and said with a smile.
For this situation, he and Lippi had already talked before the game.
In the first round of the match between the two sides, the Longguo team fell behind by three goals in Seoul, but they caught South Korea by surprise at the last moment, chasing two goals in a row, and finally lost only 2:3.
In the end, although South Korea scored three points, the process made many Koreans feel uncomfortable.
Because what they have looked down on the most for decades is Longguo football. It is not a decent thing if they can't win easily!
In the next game, they still failed to go smoothly. After tying Syria and losing to Iran, domestic bad reviews also poured into the national team like a tide, which also put a lot of pressure on the head coach Stillik and the team's international players.
On the other hand, the Longguo team, although their performance was worse than that of South Korea, after Lippi and Pan Yi took over the team, they showed a clear rebound momentum. The 3:0 victory over Qatar is the best proof.
Looking at South Korea again, when they played against Qatar, they only narrowly won 3:2 at home.
Such a comparison makes South Korea even more unacceptable.
Regardless of whether it is to prove that it is better than Longguo football, to prove that it is the strongest team in Asia, or to qualify for the precarious top [-], South Korea must win Longguo, and it must be won happily!
Therefore, the South Korean team was a little impatient from the beginning of this game, and made a tactical decision to attack with all their strength!
Their formation is the same 4-3-3 but more aggressive.
Jin Xinyu, a high center forward who is close to two meters, started the game. The two wingers were Ji Dongyuan from Augsburg and Huang Xican from Red Bull Salzburg.
Among the three players in the midfield, one is Gao Mingzhi from the Raiyang team of Qatar, and the other two are long-established stars, also from Augsburg's Gu Zizhe, and he just played against York City in the FA Cup Yes, Ki Sung-yong from Swansea.
These six people formed the South Korean attack group, and they were overwhelmed from the very beginning, wanting to eat Longguo with one bite.
However, it is precisely because of this more impatient mentality that they do not play so smoothly, and they make more mistakes when cooperating in the frontcourt.
After all, in many cases, dealing with the players' mentality is more important than any skills and tactics.
On the other hand, the Longguo team deliberately decompressed before the game. The players were relatively relaxed.
In the 8th minute, after giving Jin Xinyu a chance to score a header, Lippi made decisive adjustments, allowing the team's defense to start pressing forward.
There are two advantages to doing this, one of which is to force Jin Xinyu as far away from the goal as possible.
It would be very dangerous for a tall and strong center like Jin Xinyu to stand in front of the goal and occupy a commanding height in the penalty area.
After pushing the formation forward, Jin Xinyu can only appear near the arc of the penalty area, and his power will be greatly reduced.
After all, his foot speed is slow, and the quality of his shots can only be said to be average. The farther away from the goal, the threat is naturally smaller.
Another advantage is that after the defensive line is pressed forward, the three lines can be kept compact and put pressure on the South Korean team in the midfield.
At the same time, after doing this, the defense line will also be more flexible. As long as the players maintain a good rate of presence, it will be difficult for South Korea to break through the defense line, and the Longguo team will also be more efficient in counterattacks.
It should be said that Lippi's adjustments are very targeted.
The South Korean team's subsequent offense seemed to be very powerful, but it was difficult to play a threat. Instead, they made mistakes repeatedly, and the more mistakes they made, the more impatient and impatient they became.
Looking at the Longguo team, as long as Pan Yi stood up and went to the sidelines, he was telling his players to keep calm and not to worry.
Or just let everyone maintain a good formation, and don't press all your brains because you are too excited to play sometimes.
Because he knows that the South Korean team is eager to attack and score goals now, and the pressure is on the opponent's side, so we should concentrate on defense and wait for the opponent to leak their flaws.
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"There are too many mistakes on our side."
The coaches and assistant coaches of the visiting team are also actively reporting the situation analysis and data on the court to Stillik. "If it weren't for the fact that Longguo players are not strong enough to seize opportunities..."
Without data, of course Stillik can see the current situation on the field, his face is already very ugly.
He is even secretly cursing why his luck is so bad now, just as Sun Xingmin was suspended for this game.
In fact, he didn't use Jin Xinyu often, and the South Korean team is not very used to using such high center forward tactics in recent years.
Take the lineup against the Dragons last time as an example. At that time, the tridents were Gu Zizhe, Sun Xingmin and Ji Dongyuan. Later, Huang Xican replaced Gu Zizhe.
Since Sun Xingmin was unable to play today, Stillik thought about letting Gu Zizhe play in the midfield, and then put Jin Xinyu in the middle, smashing a hole in the Dragon Kingdom's defense!
And this arrangement is also to maximize the offensive firepower of the current South Korean team in order to achieve the goal of taking all three points in the away game.
And judging from the scene at the beginning, it seems that the problem is not too big.
After all, in terms of personal ability and overall strength, South Korean players do surpass the Longguo team, not to mention Sun Xingmin who failed to play. A solid player.
On the bench, there is even Li Qinglong who played for Crystal Palace in the Premier League. It's just that he failed to play the main role after he transferred from Bolton to Crystal Palace, so his position in the national team was also affected.
In short, even if Sun Xingmin's lineup is so lacking, it is definitely enough for the Long Guo team.
But the fact is not the case.
After the opening three tricks, as soon as the Longguo team adjusted, Jin Xinyu seemed to lose his role in the frontcourt immediately.
Not only that, but the South Korean team completely forgot how to attack.
This is not surprising, some players want to continue to play cross tactics, let Jin Xinyu fight for the top, and then others will grab the second point.
But some players feel that crossing is ineffective, and want to pass and control from the middle, and let Ji Chengyong, Gu Zizhe and others who have technical advantages organize the offense.
In this way, the players' thinking is not unified, the cooperation is not smooth, and the mistakes naturally begin to increase.
At this time, Stillik, who was originally the head coach, should immediately remind his players to unify a tactic, but now he feels a little helpless.
What kind of tactics should be used?
Give up the cross?
But with a tall man like Jin Xinyu on the field, isn't it too wasteful not to pass?
Let him retreat and play a false number nine, he is not the material either!
Not to mention asking him to sprint and compete for speed with Long Guo's defenders. After all, he is not really Lukaku, the kind of 200-jin man who can cook soup!
But if the cross continues, Long Guo's tactics are too targeted now.
Not only has Jin Xinyu been controlled near the top of the penalty area, it is difficult to enter the more threatening area of the small penalty area, but on both sides of him, the two central defenders, Feng Xiaoting and Mei Fang, have been sticking to him, making it impossible for him to make a difference.
In fact, it also includes two wingers, the two full backs Jiang Zhipeng and Zhang Linpeng, together with the help defense of Wu Lei and Lin Liangming, made the South Korean team's kicking on both sides not so calm, and the accuracy was worrying.
"Damn it!" Stillik suddenly cursed.
In terms of historical record, he is of course far behind Lippi, let alone Pan Yi on the opposite side.
In front of these two world-class coaches, Stillik felt like a kindergarten kid, who had no secrets at all and didn't know how to deal with them.
At this moment, he could only vent his anger by cursing incompetently and furiously.
"Their goalkeeper is also doing very well. He has already saved two shots from us." The assistant coach said on the sidelines.
Of course he was talking about Zeng Cheng.
After being injured for three games, Zeng Cheng returned to the starting lineup again, and his performance was very stable, even better than before the injury!
In fact, apart from Zeng Cheng's professionalism that allowed him to actively treat and recover after his injury, he also felt the pressure of competition.
After Pan Yi entered the national team, he was very fond of Wang Dalei, who has a good ability to play the ball, and he directly helped him in the key battle with Qatar.
And Wang Dalei's performance was also very good, not only completely compared Yan Junling, but also threatened Zeng Cheng's position.
Fortunately, both Lippi and Pan Yi gave more trust to Zeng Cheng, a veteran of the country, and allowed him to start in this important game against the South Korean team directly after he recovered from his injury.
The pressure of competition, coupled with the gratitude for the trust of the coaching staff, made Zeng Cheng burst out with stronger energy today than ever before!
And with such a stable goalkeeper behind him, the Dragon Kingdom's defense naturally has confidence in their hearts and plays more steadily.
More than 20 minutes later, Longguo's defense has been very solid. The players are active in running and pressing, and they can quickly counterattack after stealing the ball. The offensive and defensive transition is very fast, forcing the South Korean team to return to defense quickly.
Although such a counterattack is sometimes not very threatening, it makes the Koreans very upset.
Because they wanted to kill the Dragon Kingdom wholeheartedly, but they were unable to break open the opponent's city, and at the same time, they had to be counterattacked by the opponent from time to time, which was naturally a bit uncomfortable.
An attack in the 25th minute can prove the current mentality of the Koreans.
They played a threatening attack on the road. Huang Xican cut inside to the middle, and after receiving a pass from his teammate, he volleyed directly from a long distance without observation.
As a result, the shot went over the goal and became a goal kick for the Dragon Country team.
Stillik patted his head straight from the sidelines.
He saw that Jin Xinyu in the penalty area had already reached his position, and Huang Xican could pass it to him. If he couldn't, he could take the ball and push towards the Longguo team's defense line by himself, and wait for his teammates to come up before creating opportunities. This is better than being alone Is the hasty long-range shot reliable?
Mentality!Still not in a good mood.Too urgent!
The goal kick from Zeng Cheng was quickly sent to the frontcourt.
After Zhang Yuning grabbed the first spot, the midfielder quickly planned an attack. After Wu Lei retreated to respond, he dribbled the ball and quickly advanced along the left rib. Wu Xi stepped up and pulled away the defensive player.
At this time, Wu Lei suddenly went inside and made a low pass to the penalty area with his right foot. Zhang Yuning grabbed the spot at close range in the penalty area.
"Danger!" Stielike was startled and shouted involuntarily.
At this time, more than 4 Longguo fans in the audience also exclaimed, as if they saw the birth of the goal.
"Longguo team has a chance! Zhang Yuning goes straight to the goal to grab a spot... and shoot!"
"what……"
"Korea goalkeeper Kwon Chun-tae made a flying save at a critical moment and blocked Zhang Yuning's shot to the far corner."
"Zhang Yuning looks very depressed. He has scored two consecutive good chances in this game, but it is a pity that one time was blocked by the post, and the other time was because the opponent's goalkeeper played well. He also feels very helpless about this."
"But we are also very pleased to see that the Long Guo team's counterattacks in the first half were very sharp."
"The South Korean team's current mentality is indeed a little unstable. This should be a point that the Longguo team can make good use of in the future. After all, our pressure is not as great as that of South Korea. We just need to play to our own level!"
"Many players ran over and touched Zhang Yuning's head to express comfort to him. This shooter who performed well in the Eredivisie was a bit unlucky in this game, and he was only a little short of scoring. Wu Lei's goal just now It was a beautiful kick, but it still didn't score."
"But from this scene, it can be seen that the atmosphere of the Long Guo team is really good now. Everyone is not complaining or anything, but encouraging each other!"
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Pan Yi also applauded vigorously on the sidelines, applauding the team's counter attack this time.
"Great game, keep it up!"
Wu Xi suddenly slipped in just now, reflecting the wisdom of this midfielder.
He not only took away a defensive player for Wu Lei, but also greatly enriched the frontcourt offense of the Longguo team.
In this way, Wu Lei has three options when he takes the ball. He can pass to Wu Xi, pass from the bottom, or go inside, cut inside and hit the goal or pass into the penalty area.
In the end, Wu Lei chose the last one, which is actually the most threatening one, and also formed a very threatening shot, but it was a pity that he failed to score in the end.
The space that Pan Yi has always emphasized in the team is fully reflected in the development of this ball.
If Wu Xi's edge hadn't been inserted at the time, the Korean team's defense would not have been too simple, because when Wu Lei took the ball, the Korean team's defensive players were already in place, and there were even two more.
But as soon as Wu Xi ran, the defensive players were pulled away, and more people's attention was also distracted. At this time, space was created for Wu Lei to make the next move.
This is what must be done in the counterattack, otherwise it will be too difficult to rely on one or two people alone.
After all, there is no Ronaldo in the Longguo team, but there is no Messi!
The same is true when defending, but the concept of "space" becomes a space to squeeze the opponent.
The defensive formation pays attention to interlocking. The trident in the frontcourt is the shield of the midfielder, and the midfielder is the barrier of the defense line. As long as the frontcourt withstands the pressure, the midfielder will be relatively more relaxed, and vice versa. , The midfielder is also a strong support for the frontcourt.
The three lines complement each other and are closely integrated to form a solid defensive position.
The Dragon Kingdom team has been doing well in the first half, which is the fundamental reason why the Korean team was unable to find opportunities in the Dragon Kingdom's backcourt.
As time went on, half-time arrived before you knew it.
0:0, the two sides temporarily shook hands and made peace, ending the first half.
But from the expressions of the players of the two teams when they walked off the court, it is obvious that the mentality of the two teams is completely different.
Many Longguo players walked off the field with a smile on their faces, talking and laughing among the players.
On the other hand, the South Korean players seemed more irritable and depressed. They all bowed their heads and walked quickly into the player tunnel, ignoring anyone's intentions at all.
Sun Xingmin, who was watching from the stand, also had a dignified face.
Of course, he can also see that the current situation is not good for him, and he understands better that it is because of the presence of Pan Yi on the other side!
As his mentor, Sun Xingmin understands Pan Yi's role in a team too well.
Now the South Korean team is playing all kinds of stumbling, isn't it because they are completely restricted in tactics?
He felt that way at Tottenham whether against Chelsea or York City...
But what can we do now?
He can only hope that Stillik can come up with a good solution to solve the current predicament... (End of this chapter)