Chapter 192: The big boss behind the scenes who influences European football
After scoring the goal, the football played by Atlanta could no longer be described as ease, it was simply done at will.
Their ability to pass the ball back in the backcourt is almost comparable to that of peak Barcelona.
Although only in the backfield.
No matter how fast and active Cesco, Abraham and Chen Xiaoliang are, it is impossible for them to use all their energy on high-pressure defense.
What's more, high-pressure pressing requires an entire front-line pressing group to cover and cut off the opponent's passing routes.
Compared to the more stable Uruguayan international Binha, Karsdorp on the right is much more active.
He also started to rush forward and steal the ball repeatedly.
I don't know if it was because the offensive soul in his body awakened, or if he felt that the mistake at the beginning was too bad and needed to be compensated, but he was like a winger, staying in the area between the opponent's half and the center line, trying to intercept the opponent's left pass.
Celik had been jogging for a while on the sidelines and started doing stretching exercises. He didn't know whether Mourinho was going to let him play or was hesitating again.
Anyway, Mourinho had a stern face and crossed his arms, and did not really let Forti ask the fourth official for a substitution.
Celik thought about it and decided to just stretch honestly.
Mourinho did feel a little shaken.
But it was not that he changed his mind about the "traitor", but that Karsdorp's recklessness just catered to his thoughts.
A wing-back frequently makes forward runs without paying attention to the defensive area behind him. This is an obvious loophole for any professional team of any level.
Football is a game of space.
From the 5th minute, Atalanta took advantage of Karsdorp's failure to return to defense and attacked the ball on the left, especially behind him.
Matic is not an honest man. The Serbian who has seen many ups and downs in the Premier League could not bear it any more. After Zappacosta passed the ball behind him again and Pasalic received the ball from the side and made a triangle pass to Malinovski, the shot went wide, Matic yelled at Karsdorp who was "late" at this time:
"Where's your position?! Where's your position?!"
Karsdorp turned his head expressionlessly and ignored Matic.
Mourinho saw it all, but he remained on the sidelines.
Falling behind is a fact. If we choose to push forward in the middle and front court in order to break the opponent's backcourt pass, the entire defense will be exposed.
Now Karsdorp is having a brain problem, and there will naturally be ways to deal with him after the game, but anyway, he allowed Atlanta to organize the ball to the frontcourt for attack.
As long as they attack, they can achieve an orderly transition between offense and defense and gain possession of the ball.
This is like a duel between two masters. One person deliberately shows off his flaws to his opponent, luring him to attack, and once he fights back, his flaws are exposed!
However, doing so is obviously risky.
A flaw that is shown off is still a flaw. Once it is seized by the opponent, it can still be a fatal blow.
In the 11th minute, Froule made a diagonal pass behind Karsdorp, and Ivory Coast striker Boga received the ball on the side and passed it to Pasalic in the middle. Pasalic saw that Matic was standing away from the middle in order to block the space on his team's right side, and dribbled directly into the penalty area.
Malinovsky roamed in the penalty area waiting for his chance.
The right wingback Hatebauer also pressed forward, and De Jong behind him also moved forward to Roma's half.
Gasperini was very satisfied. The team's performance today was absolutely perfect. They had clear plans, decisive transfers, and the attack was not at all sluggish.
Just like a roaming boxer, hit and then dodge, making sure you earn more points without getting hit.
As long as we don't concede a goal, 1-0 is the most practical score.
However, just as Boga ran back into the penalty area and Veretout was about to rush to Pasalic, the Atlanta midfielder heard someone shouting to him:
"back!"
After? Pass to the back post?
Just because of this moment of distraction, my buttocks and thighs seemed to be hit by a scooter, and my whole body fell backwards.
The Atlanta fans at the scene exclaimed "Woo".
Pasalic immediately fell to the ground and rolled over, but did not hear the referee's whistle.
"Pasalic's expression was very exaggerated, but those who are familiar with football games will know that such a hideous performance of rolling over after falling down usually means that the physical confrontation did not cause any substantial injury."
"When Pasalic was dribbling forward, Chen Xiaoliang retreated from the front court at high speed and rushed straight towards Pasalic."
"It was a tackle from behind that no one expected."
"Kill one person every 10 steps, and leave no trace in a thousand miles."
The game was dull except for an exciting moment right after the opening. Atlanta surrounded the opponent without attacking for most of the time, which made the audience who had been staying up late in the early morning drowsy.
He Wei was a stand-up commentator again, and it seemed that he also wanted to seize the rare highlight shots and show off them in order to ensure the ratings.
Veretout, who had rushed over, saw that the referee did not blow the whistle, so he immediately controlled the ball that Chen Xiaoliang had cleared and kicked it to Ibanez next to him.
Ibanez, who was criticized wildly by the media and fans for his mistake that led to the loss of the ball, was very careful and did not dare to make a blind long pass after receiving the ball. After all, this was one of the few offensive opportunities so far in the game.
Instead, Matic on the side yelled at him, reminding him that this was an opportunity to counterattack!
Ibanez woke up as if from a dream and immediately passed the ball to Matic.
The Serbian midfielder looked up and saw that Chen Xiaoliang, had already run towards the center line.
Why are you still hesitating? An accurate through ball is delivered!
Seeing that the referee did not make any comment and the game was still going on, Pasalic stood up and complained a few words before quickly retreating to the defense area.
Atlanta's midfielder Fruller came over to interfere with Chen Xiaoliang's receiving the ball.
The coaching staff had analyzed the situation before the game and found that this red Chinese player has good stamina, strong defense, accurate passing and fast speed. His few weaknesses are his average dribbling ability and ordinary ball-stopping technique.
When his teammates pass the ball to him, they tend to choose low balls which are easier to receive.
Therefore, more close interference is applied when receiving the ball, instead of directly stretching out the foot to steal the ball. This can prevent Chen Xiaoliang from receiving the ball properly and causing mistakes, thus creating opportunities for steals.
Atalanta's players have always had immense trust in Gasperini and his coaching staff.
The fact that such a dull civilian team was able to beat a number of well-known teams such as the two Milan clubs, Lazio, Fiorentina, and Roma and enter the Champions League four times in five years is enough to show how excellent their coaching team is.
The more this is the case, the more we must faithfully implement the head coach's pre-match arrangements and targeted details!
Fruler pressed his chest against Chen Xiaoliang's back and used his hips to support Chen Xiaoliang's body.
Chen Xiaoliang stuck out his butt and tried to push Fruler away.
But the Atlanta midfielder, with the generals and the whole army working together, is not so soft that he can be easily defeated by a single blow.
Chen Xiaoliang had no choice but to move forward to meet the ball. The moment the ball rolled in front of him, he kicked the ball into the air with the instep of his foot. Then he turned his back and leaned on Fruler's body like he was leaning on a pillar and passed by him!
Fruller was still trying to push forward to hold off Chen Xiaoliang, but he didn't expect that the sudden scene of the player passing the ball allowed him to be completely passed!
"pretty!"
"Frueller turned and gave chase!"
"Fruler pulled someone!"
"Fruler failed to hold on! Chen Xiaoliang's impact force after he ran was so strong that it seemed that his jersey was torn!"
"The referee made a gesture that favored the attack!"
"The other defensive midfielder De Jong comes over to press!"
"Chen Xiaoliang passed the ball to the left, and Abraham has already moved to the left side of the penalty area!"
"Abraham inverted triangle!"
"Sesco!"
"Oh! What a pity for this ball!"
"It hit the post and went wide. Cesco was too focused on angles!"
"But Abraham's inverted triangle shot seemed to be a little too powerful, and the ball bounced slightly on the grass, affecting the position of Cesco's foot when he shot."
"The threat from this ball, from defense to offense, was all thanks to Xiaoliang's running back and forth."
"What is B2B midfield?" After saying this, He Wei leaned back involuntarily.
"It's like what he is doing now, a midfielder attacking and defending back and forth between the two penalty areas!"
"In the latest issue of the German sports market website in February, Xiaoliang's value remains at 68 million euros, which is consistent with his valuation after winning the Kopa Trophy. This is also because Roma has no major games in the near future, including the next round of the European Cup, which will not be held until mid-April."
“But I believe that by the end of the season, it is very likely that this figure will increase significantly.”
"Among Asian players, the highest value in history is still set by Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean player Son Heung-min. In December 2020, his value once reached 90 million euros."
“He has been outstanding in the Premier League this season and is currently at the top of the goalscoring charts ahead of the likes of Salah.”
"But I believe that with Xiaoliang's current performance and development trend, if he stays healthy and Roma can continue to improve the team's performance through signings, it should be a matter of time before his value surpasses Son Heung-min's record."
Mourinho applauded on the sidelines to encourage his hard-working disciples, but it definitely did not include Karsdorp.
The referee blew the whistle, penalizing Frulela for a foul and gave him an additional yellow card.
Frule felt a little shaken.
Not only him, other defensive players had the same idea in their minds.
Didn’t they say that the kid from the Red Country couldn’t stop the ball?
So what was that just now?
Stop the ball, pick up the ball, turn around and dribble past the opponent. Is this not allowed?
Gasperini was also puzzled and called one of his two assistant coaches, the Dane Jens Bangsbo.
99.99% of the fans may not know this name, but he is definitely a "big man" who plays an important role in the entire history of football.
That’s right, he is the inventor of the famous “YOYO Physical Fitness Test”.
He wrote a professional book on physical training in 1994, which not only explained the scientific principles but also provided specific training methods.
Because it was so well written, the Danish Football Association distributed a copy to football clubs across the country.
But before that, Jens was already famous.
In the 1992 European Cup, Yugoslavia was disqualified due to the Balkan crisis. So, with 10 days left before the opening of the competition, Denmark was notified and invited by UEFA to replace Yugoslavia.
When the then head coach of the Danish national team, Arnesen, recalled this incident, he said that he was planning to renovate the kitchen at home at the time.
Half of the Danish national team's players are on vacation, while the other half are playing in the domestic league.
A huge problem lies before this team - how to make the players' physical fitness levels reach a uniform level and meet the standards for participating in such a major competition within 10 days?
At this time, Jens appeared.
He and his assistants developed a personalized physical training plan based on data analysis and the head coach's tactical requirements.
In the five high-intensity games in the next 16 days, although without the leadership of the then top player Laudrup, the Danish players still demonstrated superb physical fitness and tactical execution, and finally defeated the powerful German team in the final, creating a unique European Cup "Danish fairy tale".
Since then, Jens has become a legend in one battle, and his two ideas have been regarded as guiding ideologies by the football world:
First, low-intensity football physical training is meaningless, and high-intensity training should be the main focus;
2. Football physical training should mainly focus on ball training.
This is something that seems commonplace today, but it was he who pioneered it.
After that, he also participated in coaching in the club many times, helping the team build a better physical training system.
Over time, Jens has developed many loyal fans in the football world.
Especially the Mesozoic coaches headed by Guardiola and Nagelmans.
And Mourinho happens to be one of them.
“Great pianists don’t run around the piano or do one-finger push-ups next to it; they just keep practicing on the keys.”
This is what Mourinho once said about physical training having to be combined with ball training.
Before the game kicked off, Mourinho walked to Atalanta's coaching bench and not only hugged Gasperini, but also exchanged a few words with Jens.
At this moment in Atlanta, Jens's function is actually a physical trainer.
But given his fame, status in the industry, professionalism and salary requirements, it is really not justifiable to simply give him the title of "physical fitness coach".
Since there is already an assistant coach, Gritti, who is in charge of all matters, Jens is also an assistant coach.
"His technical moves are good, but compared to the stop and dribble just now, his physical fitness is what we need to pay more attention to. Gian, this is something we discussed clearly before the game," said Jens.
Gian is Gasperini's first name.
Gasperini nodded.
Obviously the old coach was also hesitant.
No coach or player is willing to let go of a big sieve like Karsdorp.
Mourinho's intention can be described as an open conspiracy, and Gasperini knows it very well. For a team that mainly relies on defensive counterattacks when it comes to an away game or faces a tough game, the transition between offense and defense is what they need most.
Keeping kicking your feet will make them feel uncomfortable.
But the problem is that no one can guarantee that the score of 1-0 can be maintained until the end of the game.
"Let's see. In terms of physical strength, they are no match for us."
Gasperini can say this because of Jens' arrival.
In the 23rd minute, Zappacosta, who stood out in this game because of Karsdorp's "excellent" performance, made a comeback. After a one-two with Fruller and dribbling past Karsdorp who was trying to steal the ball, he drove straight into the game.
Matic came over cursing to fill the position, and Zappacosta changed direction and cut into the middle.
Seeing that the three players in the middle had run out of space in the penalty area and Zappacosta was about to pass the ball, Matic had to reach out and pull them away, and took the initiative to commit a tactical foul and received a yellow card.
"We saw that there was pushing and shoving on the court."
"What's going on? I didn't see any unpleasantness between Zappacosta and Matic just now."
"There was a conflict between Roma players!"
"Matic grabbed Karsdorp's clothes and asked loudly, but Karsdorp was not to be outdone and pushed him away!"
Chen Xiaoliang ran over and pushed the two men away. Also running over were Smalling, Mancini and other players who were more prestigious in the team.
Mourinho watched all this, and Celik was almost done warming up.
Although Chen Xiaoliang was also very angry and wanted to scold Karsdorp immediately, he knew that this was a stadium, and an away game at that. Magnifying the conflicts within the team would only affect the morale and mentality of his teammates.
He looked at Mourinho, the two looked at each other, and Chen Xiaoliang shook his head.
"Make a substitution." Mourinho said to Forti.
Forti immediately walked to the fourth official and raised the card for a substitution, with Celik replacing Karsdorp.
The Dutchman walked off the field without saying hello to anyone and went straight into the player tunnel.
Barrage:
[It’s time to start, Catching the Traitor Season 4: Rome]
[In the first year, Mourinho made a lot of purchases. In the second year, Mourinho started to catch the traitor. In the third year, Mourinho took the release money and ran away. How come the traitor was caught earlier? ]
[Familiar taste, familiar insider]
[If Mourinho coaches the Chinese national football team, he will find 11 traitors on the field]
[He should have been substituted after the mistake and goal loss at the start of the game. What kind of professional attitude is this?]
[Just because Celik's arrival made them unhappy with the significant reduction in the starting lineup, they deliberately played badly? ]
…
Atalanta prepares to take a free kick, the game continues!
