Chapter 46 Van Gaal: I was tricked by Yang Hao!
On the evening of April 28, at the Calderon Stadium in Madrid.
In the 35th round of La Liga, Atletico Madrid will host Barcelona at home.
From the moment the opening whistle sounded, Van Gaal stood on the sidelines nervously.
He guessed that Yang Hao might win by surprise, but he never imagined that Yang Hao would be so bold as to attack Barcelona from the very beginning. This was definitely a rhythm of seeking death.
Who are Atletico Madrid's frontcourt?
Hasselbaink, Solari, Valeron and Aguilera.
But what about Barcelona?
Kluivert, Zenden, Rivaldo and Figo.
Just because of the star lineup in the frontcourt, Atletico Madrid can't play against Barcelona on offense.
But Yang Hao pressed forward, and was very resolute and thorough, with a determination that said, "If I can't score a goal, I will never retreat!"
Van Gaal also guessed that Yang Hao would attack Barcelona's left flank.
Before the game, he told Mourinho that Yang Hao was putting on airs. When he replaced Aguilera at Camp Nou and attacked Barcelona's left flank, it was obviously intentional and not accidental.
He is very sure that when Yang Hao returns to Calderon, he will definitely pay attention to attacking Barcelona's left side.
Therefore, he adjusted the position of Reiziger, who performed poorly at the Nou Camp, and moved the Dutch defender to the right center back, letting Puyol play as the left center back, hoping to use Puyol's versatility and the Spaniard's speed to suppress Atletico's right.
But he never expected Yang Hao to be so cunning.
How cunning is it?
When Atletico Madrid pressed forward as a whole, Aguilera followed Puyol in a way that was almost like a collision.
In the 6th minute, Belleron and Baraja completed a cooperation and sent the ball to Aguilera's feet.
At this time, the Atletico Madrid captain stopped the ball, turned around, dribbled past Puyol, and made a well-aimed pass.
Hasselbaink forced his way through De Boer's defense, followed up in front of the goal and scored the first goal for Atletico Madrid!
At the moment of the goal, the Dutch center forward rushed out of the penalty area almost frantically, running all the way and was cheered by the whole audience of Calderon Stadium. Countless people were shouting Hasselbaink's name.
Van Gaal stood in the visiting team's coaching area, looking at the cheering Atletico Madrid in the stadium with a very depressed look in his heart.
He knew that he was being plotted against.
The person involved is so confused that he himself didn't notice that he actually had no choice!
What made Van Gaal even more embarrassed and annoyed was that Barcelona had not yet fully adjusted. Atletico Madrid, having tasted the sweetness, began to launch high-pressure pressing and repeatedly tried to go to the right, forcing Cocu to actively return to defense. The entire defensive focus tilted towards Barcelona's left side.
But in the 11th minute, Pablo Garcia suddenly sent a long pass over the top to the left side outside the Barcelona penalty area. Solari caught up, stopped the ball, and sent a cross.
Hasselbaink was still trying to score in the penalty area, but this time De Boer finally got the first point and headed the ball out.
Zenden stopped the ball outside the penalty area, but before it could stop steadily, it was stolen by Belleron.
Spain's Zidane was too cunning. After stealing the ball, he passed it sideways.
Balaja in the middle followed up and shot the ball directly without thinking.
A fierce shot from the right side of the arc outside the penalty area once again penetrated Hespu's goal.
2 to 0!
At this time, the game had only been going on for 11 minutes.
Atletico Madrid's fast-paced and high-pressure pressing directly stunned Barcelona!
Whether it was the right side at the beginning or the left side afterwards, Barcelona was unable to cope.
The wing defense of the three-man defense system itself has flaws. Whether it is Reiziger or Puyol, when a right-footed player plays as the left center back, the wing defense is more thoroughly exposed.
It was only at this moment that Van Gaal truly realized that he had also been tricked by Yang Hao.
After scoring two goals in a row, Atletico Madrid gradually slowed down the intensity of their pressing, and Barcelona gradually stabilized its position.
The game returned to a balance.
But at this time, the Bed Sheet Army retreated and launched their best defensive counterattack.
…
2 to 0!
Yang Hao cheered secretly on the sidelines, especially when he saw the team gradually easing their offensive and retreating to play a defensive counterattack, he felt more determined and confident.
From the very beginning of the game, Van Gaal had no choice.
As Yang Hao said before, this looks like two games, but in fact it can also be one game.
Because they were too close.
At the Nou Camp, Van Gaal refused to replace Kluivert, Rivaldo and Figo even when the team was behind.
Did these three players perform well?
The performances of the three superstars this season have been decent, but in terms of that game, they were all average.
Then why don’t you dare to change?
Yang Hao guessed that when Van Gaal reached a settlement with them, they had an agreement with each other.
This is normal. Both sides should take a step back.
At this time, for the sake of harmony in the locker room, Van Gaal must ensure the stability of the playing time and positions of the three superstars.
Well then, the three superstars must play, and Rivaldo must play in the middle.
Barcelona can either play with two strikers or Van Gaal's 3331, with Rivaldo playing as the number ten.
No matter from which angle you look at it, it's the latter.
Maybe some people are wondering, can't we play with four defenders?
The answer is that Van Gaal tried to play 4231, or tactics similar to 4231, but the results were mediocre.
Whether it is the double defensive midfielder combination of Cocu and Guardiola, or other people replacing them, the performance is not very ideal.
Moreover, Barcelona's traditional gene has always been a single defensive midfielder, the number four position.
In addition, there is another problem. After the big reversal against Chelsea in the Champions League, Van Gaal and Barcelona have tasted the sweetness of 3331. Losing to Atletico Madrid can be regarded as an accident because they had already lost 1-4 in the first round.
In this situation, Van Gaal actually had no choice.
Barcelona actually has another regular left-back, the famous Sergi, who later retired from Atletico Madrid. However, this player has good offensive power and his defense is unforgettable.
The most typical example is the Camp Nou tragedy in November 1997, which shocked European football. Dynamo Kyiv, led by Shevchenko, defeated Barcelona 4-0 at the Camp Nou.
The cause of this tragedy was that Sergi frequently made forward runs, leaving a large gap behind him, and in the 47th minute he deliberately handballed, received his second yellow card, and was directly sent off with a red card.
But in the few years that Van Gaal has coached, Sergi has remained a key player and his defense has always been criticized.
Until this season, in the first dozen games, Sergi started every game, whether in the league or the Champions League, and played the full game. However, starting from the 10th round of the league, Barcelona ushered in a trough. From the 10th to the 15th round, they lost 5 games in 6 league rounds, including a four-game losing streak.
Sergi became the number one culprit for the team's poor performance. Since then, Van Gaal refused to use him again, and even preferred to let Bogarde play as a left-back rather than let him start.
It can be said that no matter from which angle you look at it, Van Gaal can only play with three defenders.
As long as they play with three defenders, whether it is Reiziger, Puyol, or even De Boer or Cocu, there will inevitably be problems defending the flanks.
Aguilera is right-footed but is also proficient with his left foot, allowing him to cut inside and shoot and pass.
The Atletico Madrid captain naturally became the key point that Yang Hao paid attention to.
When he was at Camp Nou, Yang Hao just tried it once and it worked wonders. In this game, he felt more confident and used it more boldly.
As a result, the opening was a blast.
…
The two sides were in a stalemate, and the score of 2-0 itself proved that Barcelona was at a disadvantage.
Especially after a long stalemate, Barcelona's offense has always been unable to do anything to Atletico Madrid.
This defensive formation of the Colchoneros has caused a lot of difficulties for Barcelona since Yang Hao's first game as coach. Later, with repeated competitions and the addition of Juanma Lillo and others, it has been constantly improved.
It is now considered a relatively stable defensive formation.
Being two goals behind and with their attacks fruitless, Barcelona played a little impatiently.
Throughout the first half, Barcelona's most threatening moment was in the 41st minute, when Zenden received a pass from Rivaldo, broke through Gaspar and made a cross from the left. Both of Atletico's central defenders could not keep up with Kluivert and could not get the ball.
In the end, Molina left the goal and confiscated the ball before the Dutch center forward, but he also collided .
Afterwards, Atletico Madrid began to launch counterattacks with purpose.
In the first half stoppage time, Belleron and Aguilera cooperated again near the right corner of the penalty area. Aguilera dribbled the ball into the right side of the penalty area and was tackled from behind by Puyol.
The Barcelona defenders really have no choice.
He is a right-footed player, but Aguilera always cuts in from his weaker foot, which really drives him crazy.
I committed a foul in a hurry just now.
Yang Hao watched from the sidelines and shook his head.
In 2000, a tackle from behind was not considered a serious offense. A few years later, it would have been a red card and a penalty.
Now they only give penalties but don’t give out cards.
Hasselbaink missed a penalty last time. This time, when he saw the old captain create a penalty, he immediately volunteered, hoping to take the penalty again to avenge his previous defeat.
After negotiating on the field, the players agreed to Hasselbaink's request.
The Dutchman calmly positioned the ball and scored in one fell swoop, giving Atletico another goal.
3 to 0!
Before the end of the first half, Atletico Madrid basically secured the victory!
This was something no one could have imagined before the game .
Everyone thought the previous 1-4 defeat in the King's Cup was an accident, a chance mistake after Barcelona fought on multiple fronts, but what about this time?
Over and over again, is that still an accident?
In just over half a month, Barcelona has lost three games in a row to Atletico Madrid. Is this a coincidence?
Van Gaal's face was gloomy the whole time, making it hard to tell what his mood was at the moment, but it was clear that he was not feeling well.
Because at another stadium, the leader Deportivo La Coruna lost 1-2 away to Celta Vigo.
Celta Vigo scored a goal in the first 4 minutes, but Juanfran received a red card in the 12th minute.
As a result, Deportivo La Coruña failed to win a game and gave up its lead.
But Irureta never imagined that their championship rival Barcelona would also fail in this round.
Barcelona missed a great opportunity to catch up with their rivals.
With only three rounds left in the league, Barcelona is still 5 points behind Deportivo La Coruna and has basically no hope of winning the championship.
