Chapter 373 The “Tikitaka” trend set off by Barcelona

Chapter 374 The “Tiki-taka” trend set off by Barcelona

The three midfielders who remain on the team need to gain the trust of the new coach as soon as possible.

Vincent Iborra, who joined in 2013, will serve as the team's captain in the new season. However, the appearance rate of last season's captain Reyes (free transfer to Espanyol) was not ideal.

Although Iborra was the absolute main force in the league under former coach Emery (he played very few Europa League games last season), the team now has many options and everything has to start from scratch.

The Frenchman N'Zonzi, who secured the main defensive midfielder position last season, is Krechowiak's first choice partner in domestic and intercontinental competitions. As the first defensive choice in the midfield, his position will not be challenged. big.

Another 22-year-old Uruguayan youngster, Cristoforo, was almost reimbursed for the season last season. He still had some opportunities to perform as a midfield substitute last season. Facing an overcrowded lineup in the new season, he may be loaned to other teams for training.

Last season's captain and veteran Reyes moved to Espanyol on a free transfer, and Danish veteran Dehri will not return until January next year.

The only wing players left are Konoplyanka and Vitolo.

However, considering the tactical choices of new coach Sampaoli and the availability of many new players on the front line, there is not a shortage of personnel.

Moreover, Bitolo and Konoplyanka were the main players on the two wings last season, but Bitolo's characteristics are not in line with Sampaoli's past style, and his playing time in the new season may be affected.

Konoplyanka suffered a rather failed European Cup trip and needed time to regroup. Last season, he failed to show the highlight performance of the 2014-2015 season in the intercontinental arena, and he also played the main role in the league. Gradually reduce.

The main striker Gameiro moved to Atletico Madrid, and the veteran who had few playing opportunities moved to Swansea in the Premier League.

Sevilla invested a lot in rebuilding the forward line in the summer window.

Vietto, a former member of Argentina's national youth team, joined on loan from Atletico Madrid. Last season, he failed to perform as well as he did at Villarreal in the team.

But after all, he is still very young (22 years old). If he can rediscover himself in the 2014-2015 season in Sevilla, he may continue to play at the Pizjuan Stadium (Sevilla has the right to buy out).

Franco Vazquez joined from Palermo in Serie A for 15 million euros.

This price is equal to the price Sevilla paid for Negredo from Real Madrid in the 2008-09 season, and is also the highest price paid for a signing in the history of Sevilla. This shows that Sevilla has high expectations for the Argentine.

Vazquez has been the absolute core of Palermo in the past two seasons, scoring a total of 18 goals and assisting 17 goals. He may appear in the attacking midfielder or second forward position.

Ben Yedder, who transferred from Toulouse for 9 million euros, is an efficient shooter. He has delivered 15+ goals and 5+ assists in Ligue 1 in the past four seasons. However, considering his Compatriot Gameiro also didn't adapt well when he came to La Liga from Ligue 1.

Whether Ben Yedder can quickly conquer the Pizjuan Stadium remains to be tested in actual combat. The three new signings have their own characteristics and outstanding strength. Juan Munoz, who was promoted from the B team by Sevilla last year, may have a slim chance.

Leganes avoided the treacherous play-offs and defeated Mirandes 1-0 in the away game with Simanovsky's corner kick assisting center back Insua to score in the final round of La Liga last season. Garnes made a historic entry into La Liga with a second-place finish in La Liga.

In the same year that Getafe and Rayo Vallecano were relegated to the Spanish Second Division, the Madrid region welcomed a new top league team, the fifth in history.

Leganes and Getafe are geographically "neighbors", and their previous low-level league matches were somewhat like a derby.

However, since Getafe was promoted to La Liga, Leganes has not had many opportunities to compete with its neighbors, and this time it is finally a matter of pride.

In fact, until the end of last season, Leganes showed no signs of reaching the top flight. At that time, the other two promoted teams Osasuna and Alaves were at the top, and Cordoba and Zaragoza also had opportunities.

Leganes, who are good at defense, began to exert their strength at the end of last year and continued to have two four-game winning streak in the first half of 2016. The performance of winger Simanovski was particularly eye-catching.

However, in the sprint stage, an unexpected home loss to Uusca in the penultimate round (Leganés only lost two games at home last season) temporarily slowed down Leganes' pace of making history.

Then they ushered in a life-and-death battle against Real Oviedo, who was disorganized but still had a chance to upgrade with points.

Gabriel scored first, but within five minutes Oviedo got a penalty kick. Fortunately, goalkeeper Serantes, who had the second lowest goal-conceding rate in La Liga last season, saved the penalty kick and tried to keep the ball. The team took away three points on the road.

This is a crucial victory, because the previous third place Tarragona has closed the points gap to 1 point.

In the next two rounds, Leganes once again won consecutive victories, finally ensuring a direct promotion spot.

As the 61st team in the history of La Liga, it is not easy for Leganes to stay in the top league. Of course, there are also small town teams like Getafe, Eibar, and Villarreal. La Liga is tenable.

Leganes, a satellite city of Madrid, has a population of 200,000, 5,000 registered players (including men's and women's football teams), and 230 amateur teams, which are far more than Eibar and Villarreal.

A total of three clubs had previously failed to survive their debut seasons and never looked back.

The most recent case is the Andalusian team Jerez in the 2009-2010 season (it went bankrupt in 2013 and was relegated from the Spanish second division to three consecutive tiers. It has currently spent two seasons in the Spanish fifth tier league - Andalusia Regional Division). can be upgraded).

How will Leganes end in May next year? let us wait and see.

Asher Garitano may be the only coach in La Liga this season with zero top-flight coaching experience.

When he came to Leganes in 2013, the team was still in Group B of the Spanish Second Division (the third level league).

After successfully leading the team to promotion to La Liga, they successfully avoided relegation in the 10th place in the first season. Last season, they promoted Leganes to La Liga in one fell swoop.

Asher also won the best coach of La Liga last season for his outstanding performance. Leganes first relied on defensive counterattack tactics during their two seasons in Segunda División, and then Asher resorted to forwardless formations many times. Through this, the team achieved the largest goal difference and the best goal difference in La Liga Segunda División. After the home record, they successfully entered La Liga.

However, after losing several offensive rotation players in the new season, it is still unknown how much power they can exert in La Liga.

The veteran goalkeeper Pina, who has played for two seasons, moved to West Second Division Uusca on a free transfer in the summer window. Leganes loaned young goalkeeper Brunoli, who played for Sampdoria last season, from Juventus.

The team still has not found the No. 3 goalkeeper and does not rule out temporarily transferring him from Team B.

The main goalkeeper Cerantes came from the Barcalado youth training. After playing for Bilbao's second team for three seasons, he moved to Leganes in 2014 and gradually established himself as the main goalkeeper.

In the 2015-2016 season, he played 41 times and conceded 38 goals, averaging only more goals per game than Girona's goalkeeper Becerra. Unfortunately, he failed to win the best goalkeeper in La Liga.

However, the La Liga test that this Basque boy has to face is unprecedented for him. Last season’s Copa del Rey encounter between Leganes and La Liga team Granada, the result was 2-2 in two rounds (less goals scored away from home). ), the goalkeeper is veteran Pina.

The youngster Pablo Insua, who has renewed his lease from Deportivo La Coruña in the new season, and the captain Martin Mantovanni are still the best choices for the main central defender. The two worked together 35 times in the Spanish Second Division last season.

The new aid, 31-year-old Algerian international Mejani (joined on a free transfer), has rich game experience.

Although Leganes only has three genuine central defenders, coach Asher always likes to change the position of players. In addition, there are many players in the team who can play this position, so Leganes does not waste too much and Not rich in transfer funds.

The left wing was the Achilles' heel of Leganes' defense last season.

Two left backs, Ruiz (joined Cadiz in the Spanish second division) and veteran Soriano (joined the Spanish second division Huasca), both left in the summer transfer window. In this position in the new season, the team moved from Pele Real signed Marin on loan and brought in Diego Rico from Zaragoza.

Judging from the performance in the preseason, 19-year-old Adrian Marin is more likely to occupy the team's starting position, while 23-year-old Diego Rico has no experience in the top league and may start the season early. Substitute for a while.

Leganes' right wing has retained the configuration of last season: Victor Dias stayed on the team, and substitute Bustinza was bought out from Bilbao and signed until 2019.

Victor Dias performed well in the first round against Celta Vigo. In the 75th minute, he seized the opportunity in front of the goal and shot down to help Leganes win their first La Liga victory.

Although Leganes' midfield lineup is basically fixed during the Segunda División season, they still need experience in the top league.

New aid Ruben Perez played the main role in Granada last season. He was born in Atletico Madrid's youth training and has played 129 La Liga games.

The arrival of Ruben Perez is most likely to replace the defensive midfielder Albert Martin who has been with Leganes since the Segunda B Group season.

The other two main players last season, 27-year-old Sastre and 22-year-old Brazilian teenager Gabriel, have very stable positions.

The latter continued to be loaned to Lenegas from Juventus this season. He fully played the role of midfield organizer and attacker in the Spanish Second Division last season, and was also an important factor in the team's breakthrough performance.

The substitute for Leganes in the middle is David Timmer. Last season, Timmer contributed 2 goals and 2 assists in the critical stage of the first division.

The three-man attacking combination of Pena, Simanovsky and Omar Ramos who left the team scored a total of 29 goals last season (the team scored 54 goals).

In the new season, the left-footed wing combination of Simanovski and Omar Ramos who have stayed on the team will be Leganes' biggest weapon to show their offensive capabilities to La Liga.

Toni Dovale and the versatile Unia Lopez, who has just been loaned from Bilbao, will serve as their substitutes.

The two centers who played in the rotation last season, Guillermo (returned to Bilbao on loan) and Borja Lazaro (free transfer to Uusca) both left in the summer window.

Miguel Gredo, whom Leganes introduced from Sporting Gijon, is a bit out of tune with the team's overall style, and his flexibility and speed are slightly worse than the two who left the team.

The Venezuelan teenager Matese, who is on loan from Granada, although not as experienced as Guerredo, has an average left and right foot and has a speed advantage. He seems to be more adaptable to Leganes' tactical system.

The El Clasico is about to begin, and this battle for the top spot in La Liga has also been dubbed by many media as "international teams VS quasi-Spanish teams."

Last season, Real Madrid reached the top of both La Liga and the Champions League, but the international recruitment ideas continued to weaken the local elements of the Galacticos.

In contrast, Barcelona under Xavi intends to reuse the younger generation to regain the blood of the Bull Legion.

In the upcoming World Cup, Enrique, the "old friend of Barcelona", will naturally focus on Catalonia in his selection.

The Spanish national team is a long-standing strong team in European and even world football. It was officially established in 1913. In 1920, it appeared at the Antwerp Olympics to start its journey to international competitions. It won a silver medal in its first Olympic appearance.

Spain signed up to participate in the third World Cup as early as 1936, but had to withdraw due to the sudden civil war.

By the time they competed in the World Cup for the first time in 1950, the team strongly won the first place in the first stage group, but in the final round-robin of the semi-finals, they only finished third with 1 draw and 2 losses.

Spanish football has a slightly derogatory nickname of "laggards". The team is not weak on paper, but it always fails to have the last laugh in international competitions.

After winning the European Cup in 1964, Matador waited 44 years before being crowned again in the 2008 European Cup.

However, this time, relying on the "Tiki-taka" trend set off by Barcelona, ​​the Spanish national team took advantage of the situation and won the three major championships of the 2008 and 2012 European Cups, and the 2010 World Cup, becoming the first team in football to win three consecutive continental championships. .

The Matador dynasty fell into decline after 2013. The team failed in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup, then fell to the top 16 in the 2016 European Cup and the 2018 World Cup. It stopped in the semi-finals in the 2020 European Cup, and even failed in the 2021 UEFA Nations League final. The loss to France cannot be compared with the peak period in terms of performance.

At this stage, Spain is still in a period of renewal, and coach Enrique is the core of leading this new team.

Enrique of red and blue blood

El Clasico is all too familiar to Spanish national team coach Luis Enrique.

The 52-year-old Enrique has played for Real Madrid and Barcelona during his playing career. He played for Real Madrid for 5 seasons and won 1 La Liga championship and 1 King's Cup championship. After that, he joined Barcelona as a free agent in the summer of 1996.

At that time, he complained that he was ignored at the Bernabeu. After joining Barcelona, ​​Enrique became the darling of the Nou Camp. He once took off his clothes to celebrate after scoring Real Madrid's goal in the El Clasico. In 8 seasons with Barcelona, ​​he helped the team win 2 La Liga and 2 Kings. Cup and wore the captain's armband at the end of his career.

After retiring, Enrique first taught in the Barcelona B team, and then went to Rome and Celta Vigo to lead the team. He returned to take over Barcelona in 2014 and led the team to win 1 Champions League championship, 2 La Liga championships and 3 kings in 3 seasons. cup champion.

After the farce of Lopetegui's dismissal at the 2018 World Cup, Enrique was appointed to take charge of the Matador Corps, ushering in a new era of Spanish football.

As an old friend of Barcelona, ​​the tactics led by Enrique are also based on passing and controlling, pursuing offensive football with high ball possession rate and high pressure.

However, with the retirement of Xavi, Iniesta and other stars, Enrique's style of play has been greatly weakened, and the team often stagnated in the offensive third.

On the other hand, Enrique's employment is also controversial, and his more or less "light on Real Madrid and heavy on Barcelona" mentality has also been criticized by fans.

Nepotism or no one available?

Barcelona players are currently the focus of Enrique's recruitment. The midfield combination of Busquets and Pedri is rock solid. Another midfield spot may be given to Garvey, Koke or even Thiago.

On the defense line, naturalized player Laporte occupies the main force, while Barcelona's Garcia and Villarreal's Paul Torres will compete for another central defender position.

The forward aspect is more controversial. Morata is the obvious choice for the center. As for the wing players, the much-questioned Ferran Torres is still as stable as a rock. Another identity of this Barcelona winger is the boyfriend of Enrique's daughter. "Pro son-in-law", Enrique's re-appointment of Ferran was also labeled as nepotism.

Since Oyarzabal and Fati are injured, there are indeed not many options left for Enrique.

Real Madrid has one of the best players available for the Spanish team in this World Cup. The healthy Carvajal has a high probability of being selected, but Asensio, who is in mediocre form, is very likely to be abandoned.

Since Ramos bid farewell to the national team, the Real Madrid elements in the Matador Corps are gradually dissipating.

Number One Hits for "Group of Death"

Spain is in Group E of this World Cup with Germany, Costa Rica and Japan. This group cannot be said to be absolutely dead, but qualifying is not easy either.

The opponent in the first match, Costa Rica, had the feat of defeating the top three in the 2014 World Cup. The match against Germany will determine the team's promotion situation. Facing the Japanese team that also takes the same technical route, Spain will have a natural advantage.

Under normal performance, it is not a big problem to get the top two and qualify, and the promotion order is even slightly higher than that of the German team in the same group.

Of course, in terms of paper strength, Spain should lock in at least one of the top eight spots this year.

The Galician duo (Real Deportivo and Real Celta Vigo) have maintained strong league competitiveness at the end of the last century and the beginning of this century.

However, due to the lack of emphasis on youth training, Celta's foundation in the league is not very solid. In the first 45 years of La Liga, Celta only contributed 27 Spanish national players, the most famous of which is former Real Madrid full-back Salgado.

Russian famous star Mostovoi played in Celta's previous glorious era: he joined in 1996 and played until 2004. Together with national team player Karpin, he formed a midfield duo and led the team to the King's Cup final in 2001 (lost 1-3 to Real Zaragoza), and finished the 4th place in the league in the 2002-2003 season, the highest ranking in the team's history.