Chapter 379: Look at the game with a scout’s mentality

Today, a genius is still a genius. He has skipped a grade and been selected for the Japanese U-18 national team, but has not returned to Barcelona for the time being.

Imagine that five years from now, Messi, Suarez, and Pique will be 34 years old, Busquets and Rakitic will be 33 years old, and Alba will be 32 years old.

And 20-year-old young talents like Takehide Kubo are still "temporarily" drifting away. What should Barcelona do?

Then you can only count on the current purchases of Andre Gomez, Paco, Umtiti, Digne and Denis Suarez.

Umtiti replacing Mascherano and Andre Gomez replacing Iniesta are normal exchanges.

2) Control the ball

Barcelona is really about me, I control the ball and do whatever I want.

The basic principles of ball control will not change, but the opponents will.

The second round game against Athletic Bilbao was interesting because you couldn't tell how this team usually plays.

All the kicks in the 90 minutes were designed by Ding Kemao for Barcelona.

As many as 6 people pressed in the frontcourt, driving the ball to the feet of Umtiti or Ter Stegen, who were the least experienced; the back line did not retreat in the positional battle, tightening the three lines and compressing Barcelona's ball control space; although after all, Atlético Albao still lost, but Barcelona was tired of playing against such a team.

3) Messi:

Messi is 29 years old, and his way of playing has changed significantly compared to the previous two years.

In particular, the 45-degree cross from the right that was honed last season is extremely lethal.

People to watch: BBC, Modric, Asensio

1) Returning general

After Lucas Vazquez, Morata and Asensio are also back.

Loaning from Real Madrid means that the end of this road is unclear, because Real Madrid's purchasing power is too strong.

In the 2014/15 season, Lucas Vázquez went to Espanyol to play for a year. He performed well with 3 goals and 6 assists in 33 games.

So when he returned to the team last season, Benitez stayed as soon as he saw that the guy was good.

But if this was 2005, Lucas Vazquez returned to the team, found that there was an extra Robinho, and turned around and left;

If we look back at 2006, when we returned to the team, we found Ruud van Nistelrooy and Higuain, and turned around and left;

In 2007, I discovered Robben and turned around and left;

In 2008, one more Huntelaar and one more Van der Vaart left;

In 2009, Ronaldo Benzema and Kaka, Lucas Vazquez thought about it and it was almost time to retire.

So, the young guys from Real Madrid's youth training have caught up with the good times.

Morata entered the Real Madrid echelon at the age of 16, and Asensio was bought from Mallorca at the age of 19.

None of them are pure blood, but they are no different from Vazquez’s trajectory. When they returned to the team this season, they discovered that they themselves were big-name signings.

Compared with introducing big names, this thing can make Real Madrid fans happy, right?

2) Zidane

"What matters is fitness, and at this point, Zidane has the better prospect."

Last season, La Liga runner-up and Champions League champion, these results are impressive. But winning La Liga seems more difficult than the Champions League. In any case, there are not many smart players willing to be head coaches.

Because this business is too tiring and the income is not as high as that of first-line stars. It would be okay if it was Barcelona. Mr. Cruyff helped the club create a system from tactics to youth training, so the club coach only needs to click on the traditional option of "Inherit" , basically no mistakes.

But Real Madrid has no tactical system.

In short, Real Madrid's strategy is that if they face an opponent as strong as the Cultivator or Saru as a team, as long as they gather all the Saiyans who like to fight among themselves, they can still win. Therefore, the biggest responsibility of the head coach is , don’t let the Saiyans fight too hard among themselves, but on this basis, Zidane’s changes in tactics are worth looking forward to. It’s his second year, and it’s time to learn something new.

3) Cristiano Ronaldo

The reason is similar to Messi, but Ronaldo is 31 years old.

Unlike Messi, Ronaldo's playing style is very demanding on the body.

After the age of 30, the difficulty of accumulating muscle and losing fat increases year-on-year. Ronaldo will be 32 in the second half of the season. It is really difficult to say how long his current competitive status can be maintained.

Cristiano Ronaldo's strong character is a good helper, but he won the European Cup, which he had never won before. The 2018 World Cup should be a watershed in his career. Of course, with his character, it is not impossible to play until the age of 40.

People to watch: Griezmann, Koke, Saul, Felipe Luis, Torres

1) Positional attack

From now on, Simeone really has no good solution.

Since he took office in the winter of 2011, the team's data in the past four seasons has been poor:

2012/13: Goals per game: 1.71 Goals conceded per game: 0.82

2013/14: Goals per game: 2.00 Goals conceded per game: 0.66

2014/15: Goals per game: 1.76 Goals conceded per game: 0.76

2015/16: Goals per game: 1.66 Goals conceded per game: 0.47

What to see?

First, the average goals per game has gone from a slight increase to declining for two consecutive seasons; second, the defensive data has experienced a turn, but last season set a new low in goals conceded.

Why?

Atletico Madrid has transformed from a team that defended fiercely to a strong team.

But the sad thing is that this identity was not chosen by Atletico Madrid itself, but by its opponents.

Of the team's 63 goals last season, Griezmann scored 22 alone, accounting for 35% of the team's goals.

Counting further down, Torres, the second leader, scored 11 goals, and Koke and Correa each scored 5 goals.

In order to solve this problem, Simeone decided to introduce already trained players before the new season.

So he rented out Bietto and Oliver, and bought Gameiro and Gaitan.

In the first round of the league, facing newly promoted Alaves, Atletico Madrid shot 27-2.

Then it was tied 1-1. So in the second round of the league, facing newly promoted Leganes, Atletico Madrid controlled 64% of the ball. Then it was tied 0-0.

People to watch: Roberto Soriano, Musacchio, Pato

1) Positional attack

Villarreal were one of the most boring teams in La Liga last season.

They defend well, control the ball well, attack well, have a mediocre attitude towards the game, and have zero tactical changes.

The team is really strong:

The goal guarded by Asenjo, the center back partnership of Musacchio and Ruiz, the versatile offensive and defensive wing backs of Jaume Costa and Mario Gaspar, the versatile offensive and defensive Bruno Soriano, Roberto · Soriano, Terry Gross and other midfielders, as well as the versatile offensive and defensive Soldado. But it has no characteristics.

Last season, Villarreal averaged 2.08 goals per game (goals + goals conceded), which ranked second to last among all teams, only better than Malaga.

People to watch: Williams, Aduriz, Lequa, Muniain

1) Foreign aid

If you look at other teams, you will be surprised: Why are there so many foreign players? !

After watching Bilbao, you will be surprised: How come there are foreign aids! ?

Bilbao's first team has 25 players, and only one foreign aid is Laporte, a French national. Athletic Bilbao is a Basque team with extreme local protectionism and only allows Basques to enter the team.

Although Laporte is a French national, he has Basque blood in his body, so he was called up to the team at the age of 16.

It seems to be strict, but it is Bilbao who is in embarrassment.

Since the rules set by our ancestors no longer conform to the laws of the modern Jinyuan football market, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Bilbao to retain talents and introduce talents.

So the club made slight adjustments to the rules: children born in the Basque Country also meet the requirements for joining the team.

Inyaki Williams appears.

This young man with absolutely no Basque ancestry became the first black player in the club's history.

This young man with absolutely no Basque ancestry became the first black player in the club's history.

It has already emerged in the 2014/15 season. Last season, he scored 8 goals in 25 games in La Liga. If it were not for frequent injuries, it could be better.

These two young "foreign players", one behind the other, have reached the age where they are about to bear fruit.

In the new season, Bilbao will not make any signings except to tap internal potential. Adulis is already 35 years old. I am afraid they can only count on two young players to help the team break into a new world.

By the way, Laporte’s contract runs until 2020 and Williams’ contract runs until 2021. There is still a high possibility that the two of them can play a full season without being poached midway.

People to watch: Sisto, Guidetti, Orellana

1) After Nolito

When Nolito was injured last season, Celta had 2 wins, 1 draw and 6 losses (including Barcelona, ​​Atletico Madrid and Sevilla);

In the 9 rounds of La Liga after Nolito returned from injury, Celta had 5 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss (including Real Madrid and Villarreal);

why?

Celta is a possession-based team.

Likes to pin the opponent in front of the penalty area and then knock him down with his jab. The team also has the ability to swing punches and uppercuts, but only Nolito can use it. For example, while staring at the opponent with his right foot on the left, he walks laterally from the corner of the penalty area to the center, passing and shooting. This is called a core player.

However, the overall strength of the team is limited, so except for the 4-1 win over Barcelona at the beginning of the season, they lost all the other five games against the top three of Barcelona, ​​Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

But without Nolito's swinging punches and uppercuts, he could only hold his opponent down and not act like a gangster. When Nolito leaves the team this season, who will help Celta play rogue?

Sisto.

Compared with Tuoguituo, Sisto and Nolito have different characteristics.

He is right-footed and although he can pass and shoot, he still likes to lead by himself.

Lowering the overall development level is not a big problem, but changes in the core style are a big deal.

In the first game against Leganes, Sisto was substituted after 67 minutes of starting, and in the second round against Real Madrid, he became a substitute.

It seems that the core is not that easy.

The players currently lined up include Bongonda, Orellana and Daniel Vass. Of course, I am personally more optimistic about Giuseppe Rossi, who has just joined the team. Rossi was rented to Levante in the second half of last season and failed to help the team avoid relegation, but he is slowly regaining his form.

Skills can be seen in many details on the field. For a team like Celta that takes its time, it may be effective.

People to watch: Franco Vazquez, Kiyoshi Hiroshi, Sarabia, Vietto, Ganso, St. Pauli

1. When facing a strong team such as Real Madrid and Barcelona, ​​the team can go ahead and grab it because they have the motivation. But when encountering teams of the same level and weak teams, the situation is different.

The league is not a national team competition, and St. Pauli has to figure out the psychology of ordinary players.

2. Still no core.

The previous core of the offense was Franco Vazquez.

But Teacher Ba is still immersed in his own world of little tricks, and he is new here, so it’s hard to shout out.

Mariano and Vitolo, the old players who can play in the game, are dull. Only Ivora has a bit of domineering domineering, but his playing time is limited.

3. Once you encounter an opponent like Villarreal who puts down his body and treats you like a martial arts master from the frontcourt, there is really no good way.

After solving these three things, Sevilla can continue to be crazy.

People to watch: Juanpi, Honey, Sandro, Rosales

venezuela double star

As mentioned in the Villarreal section, Málaga was the most boring team last season, probably none of them.

This season's coach has been replaced by Juande Ramos, and everyone knows that he is very good at quarreling with himself.

When a path fails, Ramos will choose to try again.

So against Osasuna in the first round, Sandro's single arrow, the basic style of creating opportunities through a through ball of about 20 meters in the frontcourt and a flexible striker were indeed threatening.

But the problem is that not enough opportunities can be created.

Seeing that nothing could be done, he removed Keko, replaced him with Charles, and restored the center configuration. The team immediately started to play well.

Facing the Spaniards in the second round, they still used the starting lineup from the previous round. After playing for more than an hour, they were already 0-2 behind, so the flag was waved again: midfielder Recio was removed and center Charles was replaced. Scored 2 goals in a row and tied 2-2.

Last season, the Venezuelan youngster had 4 goals and 2 assists in 29 games.

The scene is really not pretty, but it is very tenacious.

Because everyone knows that Alaves is not a place to stay for a long time, and they all hope to attract the attention of big clubs through their performance on this platform.

Therefore, when watching Alaves’ games, you have to adopt a scout’s mentality.

It seems that the data is not bluffing, but as the season comes to an end, Juanpi's role in the team becomes more and more important, so that in the end, the combination of him and Rosales, two Venezuelans on the right, became The heart of Malaga's attack.

Juanpi has put on the No. 10 jersey this season, and I won’t go into details about its significance. But at the same time, Juande Ramos' position was also moved from the right wing to the midfielder.

The goal in the first round was scored after the team changed and Juanpi returned to the right.

When the starting right winger was replaced by Keko, right back Rosales also missed the game.

The right wing configuration that had been practiced for a season was dismantled. On the offensive end, only Juanpi was left with newcomers such as Honey, Sandro, and Keko. The burden must be extremely heavy.

But for Juanpi personally, if he can resist the pressure and perform as a core player, he will not be far away from landing a wealthy team.

People to watch: Oyarzabal, Willian José, Juanmi, Rulli, Inigo Martinez

Play football seriously

In the editor's opinion, Real Sociedad has not achieved results that are symmetrical to its own strength.

Under the leadership of Sakristan, the team's style that emphasizes possession of the ball has taken shape.

There are core players on all three lines: Inigo Martinez on the back, Illarramendi in the midfield, and Oyarzabal on the striker. In particular, Oyarzabal, who emerged last season, is eye-catching: he can burst, pass and shoot, he has star potential, and he is only 19 years old! (Born in 1997, he scored 6 goals in 22 games last season).

In addition, the summer negotiations for goalkeeper Rulli were also considered successful. Last season's main goalkeeper Rulli was on loan from Uruguay's Maldonado team. His outstanding performance attracted the attention of giants, including Manchester City.

In August, Manchester City first spent 4 million pounds to buy Rulli, and then rented and then sold him back to Real Sociedad for 6 million pounds.

Luli is only 24 years old. He has been performing like this for one or two years and is worth easily over 15 million. This business should not be a loss for such a complete lineup. Last season, he was only ranked 9th.

The most important reason is the team's attitude towards the game.

In the 31st/32nd round, the team won two consecutive games, defeating Sevilla 2-1 and Barcelona 1-0.

But what about other games around this time?

1-1 Levante (later relegated), 1-2 Eibar, 1-2 Getafe (later relegated).

People to watch: Sanavria, Castro, Musonda

mercenary

After Betis was promoted to La Liga, they have been quite able to buy people in the past two years.

The top teams in La Liga are still rich: Barcelona, ​​Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla. Most of the people who buy it are around 15 million euros, considering only the stars.

The teams in the middle can only spend money to buy people: Villarreal, Celta Vigo, Malaga, Real Sociedad, Valencia, Espanyol, Granada, Las Palmas and Betis.

Most of the people who bought it were around 2 million euros, just considering the stars.

Betis sold Black Tornado Ndiaye in the summer and invested more money to start signings.

After spending the transfer fee to buy 6 people (the total expenditure is about 20 million euros to 25 million euros), this is already considered a wealthy middle class in La Liga.

Moreover, before the end of last season, the team announced that it would replace the head coach with Uruguayan Poyet.

They are one of the first teams to set their sights on next season.

All this information indicates that Betis will make great changes in the new season. Unexpectedly, they lost to Barcelona 2-6 at the beginning and tied with Deportivo 0-0 in the second round.

The team has no intention of stabilizing in terms of formation or lineup. Isn't this still the way mercenaries fight?

Judging from the 0-0 match against Depor in the second round, Betis is still a bit scattered and is in the running-in period.

The first five rounds are the key to getting into shape. If there are situations and results, it may be out of control. If not, confidence will be frustrated and the prospect of relegation will be worrying.

People to watch: Boateng, Livaya, Vieira

Who ranks first in the La Liga standings after the first two rounds?

Las Palmas.

Beat Valencia 4-2 and Granada 5-1.

Indeed, these two opponents have big problems, but being able to score goals like this shows that the team is already in good shape.

This team is my favorite, mainly because of its high degree of localization.

From the time the team was determined to reach the First Division and started recruiting old players everywhere, it laid a foundation for stability and unity.

This is a team from the Gran Canary Islands. They go southwest from the Spanish mainland and have to fly almost 1,000 kilometers to Las Palmas.

As for the team's players, except for foreign players and goalkeeper Barral, most of them are of local origin.

In 2013, the veteran Beleron, who was born in Gran Canary Islands, returned. On the one hand, he uses his experience to lead everyone on the court, and on the other hand, he serves as a spiritual leader.