Chapter 62 Times Have Changed
It has always been difficult to produce wingers in Italian football.
On the one hand, it is because Italian teams all focus on defense and there is little space on the flanks; on the other hand, it is the tradition of Serie A.
They once had a saying that no matter how well they played on the wing, they still had to return to the middle to score a goal.
Therefore, in the few years, most of the players coming out of Italian football have been in the middle.
Especially the number nine and a half represented by Roberto Baggio, has led a trend.
But this does not mean that Italian teams have no flanks, but that their flanks place more emphasis on running, cooperation and defense.
Camoranesi is a typical Italian winger who is good at both offense and defense, has plenty of energy, runs actively, is very comprehensive, and has a high ability of tactical execution. No matter what task the head coach gives him, he can complete it.
However, such wingers are no longer very competitive in the Premier League, La Liga, and even the Bundesliga.
Times have changed!
Juventus' lineup is very strong. Take the midfield for example. From left to right are Nedved, Emerson, Vieira and Camoranesi. These four players form the most luxurious and powerful midfield configuration in the world.
Even Gao Shen thought at first glance that this was simply outrageous. Who could be able to defeat this?
But if you think about it carefully and deeply, it is not difficult to find that this lineup seems powerful and comprehensive, but it is actually mediocre.
Camoranes, Emerson and Vieira are all comprehensive and all-round. Even the biggest star Nedved gives people the first impression of being an iron man, brave and tenacious, but never of footwork and creativity.
So the question is, what does it look like when these four players form a midfield?
The simplest question is, if the opponent has a tight formation and the players have good execution, who among them can open a gap in the formation in a positional battle or a one-on-one situation, and thus break down the opponent's defense?
The answer is obvious, no!
When facing tight defense, Juventus usually only has two moves: keep pressing forward and forcing the opponent to make mistakes. It is like a battering ram, hitting repeatedly. Whether it can break open the gate depends on the strength of the gate.
In other words, it depends on how strong the opponent's defense is.
Another way is to directly look for a center forward, Trezeguet and Ibrahimovic are prepared for this.
But everyone knows that Trezeguet can't hold the ball, Ibrahimovic is too reckless, and Juventus' long passes are inefficient.
The midfield lacks creativity and sufficient connecting ability. The two center forwards have a small running range and are not strong in retreating and connecting. This makes Juventus' offense seem powerful, but in fact, it is very mechanical and lacks flexibility.
…
This profound analysis was actually collected from the tactical library, which contains the views and opinions of many tactical masters such as Wenger, Lippi, Ancelotti and Mancini on this season's Juventus.
But profundity does not just mean looking at other people's opinions, but repeatedly studying and verifying them, and after thoroughly understanding them, turning them into your own.
Now, he took the opportunity to express his understanding through chatting with Zidane and Beckham.
The two superstars on the opposite side were stunned because they were too surprised.
Does this sound like the kind of understanding that a 25-year-old rookie who just started coaching can express?
After Gao Shen's analysis, they all felt that Juventus was not that scary after all.
Not even scary at all!
As long as Real Madrid maintains a tight formation and does not make mistakes in defense, why should they be afraid of him?
After digesting Gao Shen’s words, Zidane suddenly thought of the second question.
"You mentioned tactics just now?"
Gao Shen nodded, "It's just like what I said about Camoranesi, times have changed."
The popular formations in the Premier League and La Liga now are 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1, but the three strong teams in Serie A, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan, are currently playing 4-4-2. Among them, Ancelotti has not yet taken out his famous Christmas tree, but under the pressure of Berlusconi, he adopts a double striker formation.
So here comes the question.
What are the advantages of 433 and 4231 as we usually understand them compared to 442?
The answer is midfield.
The 4-4-2 formation is actually not very suitable for controlling the midfield. On the contrary, this formation is more suitable for long passes, which is the one used in England, to quickly get to the front court.
But everyone knows that long passes are very inefficient. In recent years, the mainstream tactical trend in European football has been to control the midfield and place superior forces in the midfield, which will give you an advantage in both offense and defense.
This point reached its peak in the later Barcelona Dream Team III.
Ancelotti will lead AC Milan to win the Champions League next season by relying on the 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree. Seedorf and Kaka are actually midfielders. Together with Ambrosini, Pirlo and Gattuso, they can achieve effective control of the midfield.
The team that did the best in this regard in Serie A was Roma. When Capello was in Roma, he adopted a 3-6-1 tactic, with a total of six midfielders. But in Juventus, especially after Vieira joined this season, he had to adopt a four-midfield tactic.
This is just like the superstars of Real Madrid. Who can leave the superstars unused?
Vieira is here, and there is also Emerson in the team. Who can leave two world-class midfielders unused?
Add Nedved and Camoranesi, how can the lineup be arranged?
Get one in the frontcourt?
Should we take down Trezeguet, who has the best scoring ability? Or should we take down Ibrahimovic, who has the best singles ability?
Juventus’ problem is actually the same as Real Madrid’s superstar strategy: biting off more than it can chew.
This is what Gao Shen said before, the strongest is often the weakest.
…
After hearing Gao Shen's words, Zidane and Beckham looked at each other, unable to hide the shock in their eyes.
This was the first time for him to analyze an opponent in such a close distance, which was very different from previous tactical meetings.
In the past, they always thought that it was the team effort of the coaching staff.
But now it seems that Gao Shen really has something of his own.
Zidane exhaled heavily and smiled: "After listening to you, I suddenly realized that Juventus is not scary at all. I can go back and have a good sleep."
Gao Shen smiled and felt somewhat satisfied in his heart. After all, it was not easy to get Zidane's recognition.
"However, if you follow your idea and try to maintain a draw in the away game, you will probably be scolded even more badly after the game." Beckham laughed.
Gao Shen has led the team to five consecutive wins recently, but he was also criticized badly.
But he is also very stubborn and refuses to give in to the media. So far, he has not even attended a game press conference, causing Maqueda to suffer and be scolded as well.
Why?
The media vented their resentment about not being able to meet Gao Shen and scold Gao Shen in person on Maqueda, the tool used in the press conference.
"You can scold me if you want." Gao Shen was very casual. "We only have this little strength right now. If we don't play like this, how else can we play?"
Zidane and Beckham were speechless.
Superstars are arrogant, but not blind.
They know very well how powerful Real Madrid is. Otherwise, how could Zidane maintain such a good form and announce his early retirement while still having a contract with Real Madrid?
On the football field, everything depends on strength.
If you want to win, and win beautifully, then show your strength!
It's like Rijkaard's Dream Team 2 and Guardiola's Dream Team 3.
…
…
The next morning, Real Madrid held its last tactical meeting before the game.
After seeing off Zidane and Beckham last night, Gao Shen "stayed up late" in the tactical library, perfecting some of his ideas and thoughts, including how to effectively deploy defenses to address Juventus' problems.
As the head coach, Gao Shen must implement his tactics through the players.
In this game, Gao Shen emphasized high-pressure pressing, but it did not require players to run all over the field. Instead, they needed to pay attention to keeping the formation meticulous and orderly, and rely on the team's overall operations to defend.
If Juventus' attack is a battering ram, then the 4-2-3-1 that Gao Shen prepared for Real Madrid is equivalent to setting up a few more city gates. If you have the ability, you can knock them down slowly. Once you break one, I'll have the next one.
Ramos and Woodgate both have good mobility, while Trezeguet and Ibrahimovic are not fast players and even their running ability is not great. Trezeguet is a traditional center forward who completely relies on the midfield to pass the ball.
Therefore, Gao Shen can safely adopt high-position pressure.
But Gao Shen emphasized one point, which is to reduce one's own mistakes.
"I hope everyone understands that the Champions League knockout round is a two-legged, 180-minute match, not 90 minutes, so no matter how we play at the Alpi Stadium, it still depends on the second leg, which will be at our home ground."
"So, I hope you can be patient enough in the game and know clearly that our most important task tonight is not to concede a goal. As long as we can keep it, we will have an advantage when we return to the Bernabeu. I am confident that we can beat Juventus."
Gao Shen said it very affirmatively.
No matter how good the theory sounds, the key is to put it into practice on the court.
Tonight is the best opportunity to practice.
As long as he can hold on tonight, it will prove that Gao Shen's idea is correct, and he will be more confident in the next round.
Moreover, he also wants to use the first leg to better observe Juventus' situation.
There are many things that are not available in the tactical library and require Gao Shen to dig and explore on his own.
Gao Shen had thought about scoring an away goal, but the risk was too great.
Capello is known for his one-to-zero philosophy. As long as he is given a goal, he will defend more tightly than anyone else after returning to the Bernabeu. At that time, Real Madrid will be very passive and will have to press forward aggressively.
When facing a team like this, you really can't take any risks and you have to fight them to the death.
As for what the outside media and fans will say at that time, Gao Shen can't care about that.
He now has only one goal, which is to lead Real Madrid to continue on the path of the Champions League and La Liga.
