Chapter 278 Ronaldo and Mourinho: The key to victory lies in Lin Quan!

"Dad, brother, why hasn't he scored a goal yet?"

Maria is not a professional football fan, so when she saw that the game had been played for half an hour and her brother Lin Quan had not scored yet, she suddenly became impatient.

"In a game like the final, it's not easy to score goals!"

Guardiola reached out to touch his daughter's head like he did when he was a child, but Maria knocked it away with a look of disgust.

Maria is 14 years old and is in the rebellious period of a girl, so she doesn't like her father treating her like a child.

Guardiola was a little embarrassed and had to put his hand on the head of his youngest daughter Valentina and stroke it.

Five-year-old Valentina was very happy to be touched by her father like this. A little girl of this age was still her father's personal little cotton-padded jacket.

"Yes, sister, you have to be patient. Atletico Madrid's defensive ability is very strong. In La Liga, it is difficult for Real Madrid and Barcelona to score goals when they encounter them!"

The 11-year-old Marius is a true football fan. He is deeply influenced by his father and brother and has been interested in football since he was a child.

Because he is Spanish, even though he currently lives in Germany, he often watches La Liga games on TV.

Because he was born and raised in Barcelona, ​​his favorite in La Liga is Barcelona.

As a Barcelona fan, he was very sad to see his home team lose the championship at home.

Because of this, Atletico Madrid's home draw with Barcelona left a very deep impression on him.

In Marius' view, his brother and Messi are players with similar styles. Messi performed very poorly when facing Atletico Madrid.

If Atletico Madrid uses the same method they used against Messi to deal with their eldest brother, then their eldest brother's performance may also be abnormal in this game.

"All right!"

Maria yawned out of boredom, then took out her mobile phone, took a photo of the court, and uploaded it to her Instagram account.

Maria was shocked when she opened her Instagram account.

The photo she uploaded earlier with Lin Quan was filled with tens of thousands of comments, and the number of likes exceeded 500,000.

This is a situation she has never encountered since she established her account.

However, after taking a look at the comments in the comment area, Maria was a little confused:

"Tell Lin Quan to save his energy and wait until the second half of the game when Atletico Madrid has no energy to explode again. They will definitely win!"

"Let Lin tell Pellegrini that when playing against Atletico Madrid, use 433. Manchester City must use the sharpest spear to pierce Atletico Madrid's shield!"

"Don't believe the nonsense upstairs. I suggest playing 352, with three central defenders and five midfielders. When returning to defense, it becomes 532, leaving no space for Atletico Madrid!"

"What the hell are you suggesting? Manchester City has never played with three central defenders. Aren't you looking for death by improvising?"

“That’s right, I suggest playing a variant of 433, and using 3-4-3 when defending, because this way you can have twice as many players on the wing, which can stifle Atletico Madrid’s counterattack from the wing.

When attacking, returning to 4-3-3 can free up De Bruyne and Lin Quan, and also free up space for David Silva on the wing, making full use of the width of the field to mobilize Atletico Madrid. "

"It makes sense. Such a formation can provide more protection when defending. The formation should be as narrow as possible when defending and as wide as possible when attacking. I feel that Atletico Madrid will be uncomfortable!"

Well, these fans regard this as a place to provide advice for Manchester City's final against Atletico Madrid.

Maria: “????”

What are these people talking about? I can’t understand a word!

Although she couldn't understand it, after looking at the number of people following her, Maria's mood suddenly became better.

Just by taking a photo with Lin Quan, her number of fans increased by more than 200,000 in just a few days, dozens of times more than before!

…

In a box at the Stadium of Light, Mendes and his two generals, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mourinho, were sitting in the box watching the game.

Since Mourinho left Real Madrid and returned to Stamford Bridge, his relationship with Ronaldo has declined somewhat.

There was a certain rift between the two. Mourinho believed that Ronaldo failed to help him control the situation in the locker room, while Ronaldo believed that Mourinho's tactics were dragging down his performance.

Moreover, he doesn't like that Mourinho always makes demands of one kind or another on himself, especially demands that he thinks are unreasonable, such as assuming defensive tasks.

As the co-agent of the two, Mendes naturally has to step in to ease the relationship between his two most important players/coaches.

He knew that Ronaldo was arrogant by nature, so he didn't start the conversation from Ronaldo.

Instead, he found Mourinho and discussed tactical issues with him to open up the topic.

"José, will the defensive strategy adopted by Simeone at Atletico Madrid become mainstream in football in the future?"

As a master of defensive counterattacks, Mourinho has always relied on defensive counterattacks to achieve success.

Simeone's high-pressing defensive counterattack is very different from the general passive defensive counterattack, which aroused some interest in Mendes. He wondered whether Mourinho could learn from Simeone's Atletico Madrid. Get something valuable.

"High pressing is indeed the current development direction of football. Atletico Madrid's success also proves that even if the team's lineup is not particularly strong, as long as the right tactics are used and the team works together, it can still overturn Rich family!"

Cristiano Ronaldo on the side looked a little unhappy when he heard this.

He felt that Mourinho was criticizing Huai. The season he left Real Madrid, Real Madrid's locker room lost control, which was completely contrary to what he said.

And his last words about 'overthrowing the wealthy' made Ronaldo feel even more humiliated.

Real Madrid was defeated by Atletico Madrid at home this season.

Seeing that Ronaldo's expression was not very good, Mendes quickly said:

"If high-pressing is so useful, can wealthy teams use this method?"

Most of Atletico Madrid's players are not outstanding, and only a few can reach the standards of the wealthy clubs.

However, with such a group of mediocre players, even the wealthy teams couldn't resist.

This must be the power of tactics!

Since this tactic is so good, wouldn't it be able to play a greater role in the hands of stronger giants?

"This is true in theory, but it is actually more difficult because big-name players are not as easy to manage as ordinary players. High-post pressing requires players to increase running distance and increase the energy invested in defense. Such requirements will be met by many big-name players. Considered unreasonable!”

Mourinho is somewhat exhausted from managing the dressing room of the giants. Even Chelsea, which he brought out by himself and has a lot of confidants, cannot completely control the dressing room.

Simeone's success in Atletico Madrid is not only due to suitable tactics, but also related to his status within the club and the team.

This Atletico Madrid almost relied on his own selection and construction, and then gradually brought it to the height it is today.

Therefore, Atletico Madrid players regard him as their godfather and treat him like a god!

When he says what he says at Atletico Madrid, not only do the players not question it, but they also try their best to implement his tactical arrangements.

Such authority is rare among head coaches of other teams.

For wealthy clubs, the authority of the head coach cannot be too great. If it is too great, it will be difficult to control.

Mendes is not a layman in football. Hearing Mourinho's words, he nodded to show his understanding.

He turned to look at Ronaldo, who had never spoken, and asked:

"Cristiano, you have played against Atletico Madrid and Manchester City. If you want to evaluate, who do you think is stronger?"

Ronaldo thought for a while and said:

"I think Manchester City is better!"

Mendes did not ask for the reason, but followed the topic and asked Mourinho:

"José, what do you think?"

Mourinho's answer was the same as Ronaldo's. He also felt that Manchester City was stronger.

"Since you all think Manchester City is stronger, does that mean that Manchester City will win the championship trophy?"

"uncertain!"

"Hard to say!"

Ronaldo and Mourinho spoke almost at the same time, and both of them were stunned for a moment after finishing speaking.

Mendes laughed loudly: "It seems that you all have similar opinions, but I still want to ask, why do you all think so highly of Manchester City, but think that Manchester City may not win the championship?"

Ronaldo snorted: "Because football is round!"

Mourinho said to himself that you have said what I said, so I will put it another way:

"A game like the final, which determines the outcome, is very contingency. It does not mean that a strong team will definitely win. Moreover, Manchester City is only stronger on paper, and its strength is very limited. If their tactical play is defeated by Atletico Madrid If it is restricted, then they may not be able to fully unleash their true strength!”

"As the best player and the best coach in the world, I trust your judgment. So, can you tell me who the person is that determines the outcome of this game?"

Unlike the previous question, Mendes actually already had the answer to this question.

Ronaldo looked at Mourinho, and their eyes communicated for the first time.

"Manchester City's No. 10!"

"Forest!"

The two again gave the same answer.

…

On the field, Lin Quan made a pass attempt on the wing.

This attempt was not a failure, but it was not successful either.

Although he passed the opponent's full-back, Godin, who came over from defense, scooped the ball out of the sideline.

The central defender's range of movement is really wide, and he can even move to the wing.

Lin Quan took a look at Atletico Madrid's defense and found that after Godin stepped forward to intercept, the full-back Juan on the other side shrank to the center, forming a new back line with Miranda, ensuring the safety of the goal.

Atletico Madrid marked the Manchester City players too closely in the frontcourt. Zabaleta, who was responsible for throwing the throw-in, couldn't find a good choice and had to throw the ball to the players in his own half, allowing them to successfully organize the attack.

This was a microcosm of Manchester City's many offensive attempts throughout the first half. It was not that they did not try hard to attack, but their offense seemed to have hit an iron wall and was bounced back.

When Atletico Madrid players are full of physical fitness, unless they can really play a concise and efficient quick counterattack, it will be really difficult to penetrate their defense.

In this case, the real threat is the opportunity to set the ball.

In the 37th minute of the first half, Atletico Madrid defender Miranda knocked down Aguero on the left side of the penalty area, who was about to receive the ball, and gave Manchester City a free kick that was not in a particularly good position.

This place is about 35 meters away from the goal. The distance is not too far and you can hit the goal directly.

But because of the angle, if you hit the goal directly, the possibility of being saved is very high.

After all, Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is no unknown.

"You coming or me?"

De Bruyne and Lin Quan stood in front of the football and discussed in a low voice.

"Do you think Courtois can save it if he hits the goal directly?"

Lin Quan gestured roughly where he wanted to play and asked De Bruyne.

De Bruyne and Courtois are teammates in the national team, and he must understand Courtois's saving habits at this time better than Lin Quan.

"It's hard to say, but I feel like he can save it. His saving movements are very smooth. Unless it's a blind spot, otherwise, the probability of being saved is very high!"

"Then come on, let's take a tactical free kick!"

Lin Quan gave up the idea of ​​hitting the goal directly. The angle of the goal from this direction was too small. As long as the goalkeeper didn't make mistakes, it would be difficult to score.

Lin Quan whispered to De Bruyne in a low voice, and pointed at the penalty area and the wings of the penalty area.

Nearby Atletico Madrid players could only hear fragments of the chat between the two, such as tactical free kicks and the inability to directly attack the goal.

But I couldn't hear the complete content of the chat between the two of them, but even if I heard it, I would most likely not understand it.

Because the two of them spoke German, only a small part of the content was said in English. The purpose...

"okay!"

De Bruyne doesn't know why Lin Quan has so many clever ideas.

But he quickly accepted Lin Quan's proposal and said he would fully cooperate with his plan.

So, Lin Quan left in front of the football and ran to the front of the penalty area, about three or four meters away from the top of the arc, just level with Atletico Madrid's wall.

Villa, a teammate of the national team, glanced at Lin Quan suspiciously, wondering what the other party was doing here.

Do you want to take a tactical free kick?

There are many Atletico Madrid players who have this idea, because Lin Quan's position is really good.

When most of Atletico Madrid's players were lining up in the wall and staying in the penalty area to mark other Manchester City players, preparing to fight for the top, he came to the edge of Atletico Madrid's penalty area alone, without any interference.

At this time, as long as someone can send the ball to his feet and let him take a comfortable shot, the threat will be much greater than Manchester City's direct use of this free kick to hit the goal.

Thinking of this, Villa subconsciously moved a step in Lin Quan's direction, preparing to intervene immediately and prevent Lin Quan from having a comfortable shooting opportunity.

Other players at Atletico Madrid also had similar thoughts. Even goalkeeper Courtois was distracted by Lin Quan.

At this moment, De Bruyne's free kick was taken.

But what everyone at Atletico didn't expect was that the ball didn't go to Lin Quan, but went directly to the goal!