Chapter 498 Saul’s flash of inspiration, Manchester City’s mad dog tactics

As early as Atletico Madrid took the lead in completing the substitutions, everyone's eyes were already on Manchester City.

The two Manchester City players who had warmed up previously have now completed their warm-up and are listening to the guidance of head coach Guardiola on the sidelines.

"It looks like Manchester City will make substitutions soon!"

De Bruyne and Son Heung-min were already dressed and changed all their equipment, waiting for the fourth official on the sidelines to hold up his sign and enter.

Originally, before Aguero shot, Guardiola had not decided who to replace with De Bruyne.

As a result, I saw that Aguero missed such a good opportunity. Since you are so unlucky, it is you. Come down and rest!

In fact, Guardiola originally planned to replace Fernandinho.

Fernandinho was arranged to play to protect Kroos.

In the second half, the opponent's physical energy consumption was almost the same, and the intensity of harassment against Cross was greatly reduced. There was no way to continue to threaten him, so it was of little significance to continue to keep Fernandinho on the court.

But he also feels that this is risky, because although Atletico Madrid's physical energy is consumed a lot, it is not completely exhausted. At least their players have not yet suffered from widespread cramps.

Therefore, Guardiola plans to observe and decide not to replace Fernandinho for the time being.

As for Aguero, first of all, the team's subsequent tactics have little need for him, so keeping him on the court has little meaning.

Secondly, he had been injured before. With the victory or defeat decided, Guardiola was worried that his old injury would relapse, so he let him rest in advance to prepare for the next fierce battle.

After using up two substitutions, Guardiola called Fernando's name again and asked him to warm up too.

Originally, Fernando felt desperate after seeing Guardiola replace two offensive players, feeling that he probably had no chance to play.

However, unexpectedly, Guardiola didn't know what kind of medicine was sold in the gourd, so he named him again.

He didn't think much and rushed out quickly, fearing that Guardiola would regret it if he was a second too late!

"Man City are preparing to make substitutions again?"

Seeing Fernando come out to warm up, the commentators all cast concerned glances.

Now is not the era when a team had five substitution places. Now there are only three substitution places. Compared with a few years later, the current substitution places are undoubtedly more valuable, so the major teams have The head coach will be very cautious when making substitutions and adjustments.

This is to avoid using up all the substitution places too early, which will result in you having no cards available when unexpected changes occur in subsequent games.

"No, isn't Fernando a defensive midfielder? But Manchester City already has three defensive midfielders, why do they need to replace them with a defensive midfielder?

Could it be that Guardiola wants to play four defensive midfielders? "

After the narrator finished speaking, he was amused by his own words.

He has been commentating on games for so many years, and has seen five-back and even six-back formations, but four defensive midfielders?

I’ve never seen this before!

If Lin Quan knew what the commentator was thinking, he would probably laugh at his lack of knowledge.

On April 28, 2019, in the penultimate round of the Premier League.

After Guardiola took the lead with Manchester City, he decisively replaced three defensive players to form a 541 formation. When defending, Stones retreated to the back line and Jesus retreated to the midfield. , the overall formation became 640!

With such an ultimate invincible conservative formation, Manchester City defeated their opponent 1:0 in the away game and scored precious three points!

Although Guardiola admires offense very much, this does not mean that he is a pedantic person.

The main reason why he made such an extremely conservative decision was that the battle for the Premier League title that season was unprecedentedly fierce. Liverpool was chasing closely behind Manchester City, and the two teams were only one point apart.

And in the league that ended the day before, Liverpool slaughtered Huddersfield 5-0 at home, surpassing Manchester City by 2 points in the standings.

So Manchester City must win that game and absolutely cannot accept any other result.

Therefore, after Aguero scored the only goal of the game in the 63rd minute of the second half, Guardiola immediately made substitution adjustments and replaced all three offensive players including Aguero, Sterling, and Sane. Replace.

Don't attack in the remaining time, just set up the bus to defend the goal.

As for replacing Sane with Jesus, because he is comprehensive on both offense and defense, fast and can play a considerable role in counterattacks, Guardiola put him on the field to give Manchester City a hint of counterattack. Strength, so that the opponent throws a rat weapon and does not dare to besiege them.

The outside world doesn't understand Guardiola, so they are surprised by this.

Simeone frowned involuntarily when he saw Fernando warming up.

What kind of plane?

Do you, Manchester City, still want to show shame?

We are already helpless with three defensive midfielders. If there is another defensive midfielder, it will be a shame!

Atletico Madrid's offensive ability is not outstanding. Torres is old, his condition has declined, and he has long lost his courage.

Although Griezmann has great potential and good offensive ability, he is not a forward after all, and his offensive ability is relatively average.

If Atletico Madrid is allowed to play the kind of quick counterattack they are familiar with and not get too entangled with the opponent in the midfield, then Simeone will still have some confidence.

But Manchester City did not give them such an opportunity, causing them to fall into a bitter positional battle. To be honest, Simeone had no good way to attack this kind of attack and could only rely on luck!

Seeing the game time passing by, Manchester City's defense was still airtight, and Torres was guarded by Van Dijk, making no mistakes at all.

As for Griezmann, he was locked up by Kante and had no room to perform.

In this case, who can stand up?

Simeone's eyes finally fell on a young player. He was Atletico Madrid's right midfielder, Saul, wearing jersey No. 17!

In the 73rd minute of the second half, just when Manchester City was about to make its third substitution, Atletico Madrid launched an attack.

Oblak handed the ball to the right back Juanfran, who avoided Son Heung-min's grab and passed the ball forward to Saul who dropped back to receive the ball.

Saul handled the ball very beautifully. He moved in advance before his teammates passed the ball, took the initiative to retreat, shortened the distance with his teammates, and also got rid of the defensive players behind him.

This bought him time to handle the ball. Before De Bruyne could catch up, Saul predicted the opponent's movements in advance, pulled the ball very beautifully and turned around, avoiding De Bruyne and completing the match. De Bruyne's breakthrough.

There was a space in front of him, Fernandinho immediately moved toward him, and De Bruyne was also chasing after him.

Saul dribbled the ball along the wing while observing the position of his teammates, as if he wanted to pass the ball to his teammates.

Seeing his move, Fernandinho subconsciously moved a step towards his passing line.

However, it was this step that gave Saul a chance.

He kicked the ball forward hard and sprinted along the wing, throwing away Kolarov who had not yet completed his position. A few seconds later, Saul, whose speed had increased to the extreme, was in Manchester City's half. The field caught up with the ball!

At the same time, Torres, Gabi, Griezmann and others in the middle were also running towards Manchester City's penalty area at high speed. Atletico Madrid finally hit the counterattack speed they wanted!

"That's it!"

Simeone couldn't help but stood up from the coaching bench, clasping his hands and staring at the goals of Saul and Manchester City without blinking!

Saul and the ball at his feet are getting closer and closer to Manchester City's goal.

What would he choose?

Is it an inside shot, or is it a pass to a teammate in the penalty area?

Facing the opponent's quick counterattack, Manchester City's defenders did not panic. Van Dijk in the penalty area was directing his teammates to set up the defense line.

The goalkeeper Navas is closely watching every move of his opponent, constantly moving his feet to choose the most suitable position.

At this time, Saul has become the focus of everyone's attention. Countless fans can't help but stand up and even hold their breath.

Atletico Madrid's counterattack this time is different from the past, and it smells dangerous.

Because Rudiger was impatient and worried that he would make a mistake if he rushed forward, when Saul gradually approached the penalty area, Van Dijk personally stepped forward to intercept him.

Seeing Saul face off against Van Dijk, the Manchester City fans at the scene couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

This big defender from the Netherlands is like a stabilizing needle on the court. Just seeing him makes people feel safe.

At the same time, Atletico Madrid fans couldn't help but worry.

Manchester City's defender seems to be very strong, with a very high success rate in one-on-one defense. Forwards from major teams rarely take advantage when facing him.

Saul was also very aware of the strength of his opponent. He wisely did not choose to duel with Van Dyke, nor did he try to get rid of Van Dyke.

Instead, he used the inertia of Van Dijk's interception to move the ball laterally. Before the opponent could adjust his body's center of gravity, he suddenly shot a cold arrow and shot a long shot from outside the penalty area.

The timing of this shot was perfect. Navas was adjusting his position, and his sight was slightly blocked by the tall Van Dijk for a moment. As soon as he finished adjusting, he saw the ball flying over.

He immediately flew to save the ball, but was still half a beat too late, and saw the football roaring into the net.

After Saul was sure that the ball had been scored, he rushed to the sideline excitedly. However, the Atletico Madrid players were even more excited than him. They were like a pack of hungry wolves, excitedly rushing towards the hero of the goal and throwing him at him. He fell to the ground and celebrated wildly.

On the sidelines, Simeone waved his arms excitedly, his heart filled with joy.

"Saul has done a great job!"

"This youngster, who is only 21 years old, actually scored against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium!"

"This goal is very crucial. It not only narrows the point difference between the two teams, but also allows Atletico Madrid to get a valuable away goal. This makes Atletico Madrid's prospects of promotion become brighter!"

"Here, I have to praise the young player Saul. He may not be that famous, but he definitely should not be underestimated. Every choice he made in the attack just now was the best choice. Even if it were Lin Quan, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to do better than him!"

"Yes, I think after seeing his performance in this game, Del Bosque should consider whether to recruit this young player to the Spanish national team!"

Saul's goal made the commentary booths of major TV stations boil with excitement. A one-sided game is definitely not as exciting as a game full of ups and downs and suspense.

Moreover, Manchester City is too strong, which makes many people sympathize with and support Atletico Madrid from the perspective of the weak.

Therefore, the commentators' reaction to Saul's goal was obviously greater than the previous times!

Spain's coach Del Bosque was in the stands at this time. As the European Cup approached, he began to appear frequently in major stadiums to closely inspect the status of the main players of the national team.

As the core of the Bullfighting Legion, Lin Quan was naturally the focus of his investigation.

In addition, Atletico Madrid also has many international players, so Bosque will naturally not miss this kind of game.

After seeing Saul's goal just now, Del Bosque's eyes lit up.

This young player's performance is very good. It seems that he can be given a chance to try out for the national team.

Spain has always been known for its strong midfield, but with the departure of many veterans such as Xavi and Xabi Alonso, Spain's midfield strength is also declining.

After the 1985 golden generation retires, if there is no new blood added, Spain's strength may fall off a cliff.

Therefore, the emergence of young midfielders like Saul makes Bosque very happy and willing to give them a chance.

On the sidelines, Guardiola looked unhappy.

I was ready to make a substitution, but the opponent actually scored!

Forget it, it doesn’t matter, let’s continue with the substitutions!

Guardiola immediately used up the last substitution, replacing center back Rudiger and replacing him with Fernando.

Seeing this substitution, fans and commentators were stunned!

It’s actually a 4-back midfielder! ?

However, Manchester City's lead was reduced to one goal, and the opponent also had an away goal.

What is the point of Manchester City strengthening its defense at this time?

Maybe Atletico Madrid is satisfied and ready to withdraw its troops!

Guardiola doesn't care whether the opponent wants to retreat, and he doesn't care what Atletico Madrid wants. He didn't send Fernando to play for defense!

Soon, the fans and commentators at the scene were dumbfounded!

Fernando, who was substituted, actually appeared in the forward position!

They rubbed their eyes vigorously, wondering if there was something wrong with their eyes.

Why does Manchester City's defensive midfielder support the front line?

What kind of new ship strategy is this?

Can the lower back still be used like this?

Fernando had no time to pay attention to the doubts from the outside world. He closed his eyes and recalled the coach's instructions before going on the field.

"You don't need to think so much. After you play, you just need to remember one thing. Act as a spoiler and grab whoever has the ball. Just grab it like a mad dog!"

I took a look at the game time on the big screen, it was the 77th minute of the second half!

Are you going to grab the ball like a mad dog?

Boss, don't worry, I promise to rob them until they can no longer take care of themselves!