Chapter 27: Tough Malaga
"Playing against Malaga, what do you think?"
Yang Hao directly put his biggest problem in front of Juanma Lillo.
Parales went out to make coffee for the two of them and provide logistical support.
Although the two had just met in the morning, they hit it off immediately and had a great conversation. Moreover, Yang Hao was in urgent need of someone to discuss things with. In addition, he had recognized Juanma Lillo's abilities in his previous life, so he had no reservations.
In Juanma Lillo's view, this is more of a trust.
All head coaches, including Lillo himself, often choose to use acquaintances when looking for assistant coaches.
This is an experience summarized by countless people. Use what is familiar rather than what is new.
Even if you have to use strangers, it will take some time to adapt.
Someone like Yang Hao came directly and without reservation. Even though Juanma Lillo knew that Yang Hao was in need of help, he still felt trusted in his heart.
People always like to be trusted, needed and relied upon.
But Lilo hid all his inner thoughts and ideas, and remained calm on the surface.
"Malaga is a very special team. You might say they're weak, but they're not. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia, and even Deportivo La Coruna have all suffered at their hands this season, and they've also had some classic matches against teams like Real Betis and Real Oviedo, with three or four goals."
Lillo then changed the subject, "But if you say he's strong, he doesn't seem to be strong. We lost 2-4 to Valladolid, 1-4 to Rayo Vallecano, and 0-1 to Alaves at home. These games didn't look very good."
"How do you put it?"
At the end of the conversation, Li Luo was a little troubled.
"Against the top teams, they are capable of fighting and are very tenacious. Against the teams in the lower relegation zone, they can also be very strong and attack resolutely. The only problem they have is against the teams in the middle of the standings..."
Hearing this, Yang Hao smiled and continued, "It should be said that they often have a very difficult time against teams with good defense, especially after conceding a goal. They rarely turn the game around."
Upon hearing this, Lillo immediately frowned. "As far as I can remember, there hasn't been a comeback after falling behind. The best game was probably the away game against Real Oviedo. We fell behind twice, equalized twice, and then..."
"Another point is that after they took the lead, they were rarely reversed, only once against Deportivo La Coruña."
The offensive power of Deportivo La Coruña is unquestionable. They are currently the team with the second highest number of goals scored in La Liga after Barcelona.
But you have to know that Barcelona has superstars like Rivaldo, Kluivert and Figo.
It can be said that Malaga should not feel ashamed at all for being reversed by Deportivo La Coruña.
"Now that you mention it, I think this team is at a disadvantage when they fall behind against teams with good defense, because they are best at counterattacks. Whether it's Catania or Dario Silva, their biggest threat comes during quick counterattacks."
A very important reason why Real Oviedo was equalized is that their defense is similar to that of Atletico Madrid, or even worse than Atletico Madrid, which is a big problem.
At this moment, Li Luo had basically guessed what Yang Hao meant.
"Do you want to attack, create a goal, then switch to a defensive counterattack and force Malaga to press forward?"
Yang Hao nodded. "That's right. When they are forced to give up counterattacks and take the initiative to attack, our most threatening offensive opportunity will come, right?"
When saying this, the first player that came to Yang Hao's mind was Torres.
He is still in the youth team. Yang Hao wanted to transfer him last time, but he was not there, so the matter was temporarily put aside.
Torres is best at attacking the defense head-on. In this regard, it is estimated that any defender in the world would find it difficult to stop him. However, after the injury, his speed and explosiveness have obviously declined a lot.
Without speed and explosiveness, his original shortcomings of lacking technical refinement were exposed.
From Liverpool to Chelsea, he made another very wrong choice, because what Chelsea needed at the time was a center forward like Drogba to take on the shortcomings of midfield passing.
But what about Torres?
What he needs is his teammates around him to create opportunities for him to attack head-on.
It is easy to imagine how awkward Torres' move to Chelsea was.
At present, Hasselbaink is still in the first team, so Torres is not needed for the time being.
"Your idea is good, but it's a bit risky," Liluo warned.
"That's normal. Given our current situation, it's definitely impossible not to take some risks."
The simplest point is that Malaga also knows Atletico Madrid's current situation. Will they adopt a steady defense and counterattack tactic at the Calderon Stadium?
This is very possible.
Because Atletico Madrid just beat Barcelona 4-1.
Lillo understood what Yang Hao meant, but he still had to continue to raise his own question, which was Atletico Madrid's ability to run in the frontcourt.
He is good at 4231 and high-pressure formation, so he knows very well that the most important thing in high-pressure formation is running.
"To be honest, Atletico Madrid's current forward running ability cannot support such a tactic."
Lillo said it bluntly because it was the truth.
On the football field, the most important thing for a player is not his body, not his skills, not his fame, but his physical fitness.
Without physical strength, you have no right to say anything.
But what is the current situation of Atletico Madrid?
Solari is better. Hasselbaink is not active in defense. Belleron is slow and technical. He is not good at defense and has a small running range. Aguilera is older and has been fighting continuously.
In this situation, is it crazy to want to rely on this group of players to play high up the pitch?
Yang Hao was very clear about what Li Luo listed.
He has always said that Belleron is not suitable for him, because this classic number ten attacking midfielder is far from his tactical requirements, and what Yang Hao wants is a modern midfielder and attacking midfielder.
But now, Yang Hao has no choice.
"As you said, Joaquin Peró knows we are aiming to avoid relegation and that we will definitely want to win at home, so he will most likely adopt a defensive counterattack tactic and wait for us to press forward."
Juanma Lillo spread his hands, nodded, and said, "If it were me, I would definitely do the same!"
"But precisely because of this, we need to score this goal first." Yang Hao said very confidently.
After hearing this, Juanma Lillo couldn't help but think carefully about what Yang Hao meant.
Malaga is a tough opponent as they must win 4 out of 6 league games, but which of the other 5 teams is not tough?
If Atletico Madrid fails to beat Malaga at home, the morale accumulated from their victory over Barcelona will dissipate again.
This is the overall situation!
Judging from the specific details, if Atletico Madrid wants to win a game, they must score a goal, so they will have to press forward sooner or later. It is better to press forward earlier than later.
At least, the initiative of the game is in our own hands.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but begin to understand Yang Hao's choice.
This also allowed him to understand Yang Hao more deeply.
Although he is young, he sees things very clearly and thoroughly, getting straight to the point.
"Think of a way. I'll give you two training sessions. Try to develop your high-pressure pressing, even if it's just to get a head start or a goal."
After scoring
The game is changing rapidly, and we must be prepared for multiple situations now.
"The two training sessions were a bit intense, and the players may not be able to do well," Juanma Lillo said with difficulty.
Yang Hao didn't say anything else, but just looked at him, as if to say: You must have a way, use your brain and think about it!
Juanma Lillo felt Yang Hao's gaze and gave a helpless smile. "I realized I'm really on your pirate ship. This salary is not easy to take!"
"After the team avoids relegation, you will also receive a generous bonus." Yang Hao knew that he had agreed, and he also laughed.
Relegation?
Easier said than done.
But since Li Luo has accepted the job and has a very pleasant conversation with Yang Hao, and now has Yang Hao's confidant and entrusted him with an important task, there is no reason not to rack his brains for him.
"Should we have recovery training this afternoon?"
Yang Hao nodded.
Generally speaking, recovery training requires at least two training sessions.
The next step is to adjust.
Yang Hao had discussed with the coaching staff before and should be able to spare two training sessions for Juanma Lillo.
But time is very, very tight, and we have to race against time.
"Okay, give me both afternoon training sessions tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, and I'll figure it out. Also, I might need to take some more time to explain to the players the details and key points of pressing and the tactical goals the team wants to achieve."
"Okay, I'll arrange it." Yang Hao agreed readily.
Juanma Lillo thought for a moment and then said, "As for me, it's not difficult , but the most important thing is that you can convince the players. Whether in training or in the game, their cooperation is needed, especially that troublemaker and Valerón."
Not to mention Hasselbaink, Belleron's willingness to defend is not strong either.
"Our team's entire organization and offense revolve around Belleron, this will not change," Yang Hao reminded.
This is also the team's overall strategy.
"It's natural, he played very well against Barcelona ."
"That's no problem. As for the players, I'll take care of it for you."
If it were three days ago, Yang Hao would definitely not dare to give such a confident answer, but now, he dared.
…
Juanma Lillo is the kind of person who does what he says.
Since he had promised Yang Hao, he had to prepare it immediately and didn't even have time to drink coffee.
The same was true for Yang Hao. When he saw Parales coming in with a cup of coffee in one hand, he immediately asked him to call Belleron over. He had to communicate everything with the player as soon as possible.
There is not much time left for Atletico Madrid.
Atletico Madrid must win this game against Malaga at all costs.
Only in this way can the team have a chance of avoiding relegation.
