Chapter 209 Leopard Ambush

"Friends, spectators, welcome to Old Trafford, Manchester, England."

"What we are currently broadcasting for you is the UEFA Champions League final of the 2002/03 season. The two teams are Real Madrid, a giant from La Liga, and Ajax, a team from the Netherlands."

"Both teams have a glorious history and a long tradition. Although Ajax fell for a time in the past few years, soon, under the leadership of the young Chinese coach Ye Qiu, this Dutch team The top teams came out of the quagmire and once again showed the strong combat effectiveness of traditional teams.”

"Last year, Ajax reached the Champions League semi-finals. Many people thought this team was lucky. But this year, Ajax's performance was even better than last year, reaching the Champions League final. And along the way, Ajax Jax defeated top teams including Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Juventus, AC Milan, Bayer Leverkusen, Barcelona and other top teams, which can be said to be full of gold. "

"Of course, as the strongest club in European football today with the most stars, Real Madrid's strength should not be underestimated. They are the most dominant team in the Champions League this season, and they have Zinedine Zidane in the team. , Ronaldo, Raul, Figo, Roberto Carlos and other outstanding superstars, the combat effectiveness of this team is extraordinary.”

"Also because both teams have extraordinary strength, the Old Trafford Stadium is full tonight. I heard that it is already hard to get a ticket outside, and scalpers have even raised the ticket price to the usual 20. More than 10 times, which shows the popularity of this game, and only 63,215 lucky fans can watch this game live in the stands of this stadium.”

While the on-site commentator was speaking, the starting lineups of both teams were displayed on the screen.

"Real Madrid's starting lineup today has not changed much. The goalkeeper is Casillas, the defense is Roberto Carlos, Helguera, Hierro and Salgado, and the double midfielder is Guti and Makelele. , the frontcourt is Zidane, Raul and Figo, with Ronaldo at the front.”

"Ajax has not changed much. The goalkeeper is Van der Sar, the defense is Abidal, Kivu, Lucio and Maicon, and the midfielder is Yaya Toure and Maschera. Novo Sneijder, the front trident is Robben on the left, Ibrahimovic in the center, and Van der Vaart on the right.”

"Both teams have obviously adopted their strongest lineups. Among them, Ajax has made some changes. This season's main core player Arteta was placed on the bench by Ye Qiu, and Yaya Tu was chosen instead. Ray, this Ivorian player is both offensive and defensive, and his defensive ability is better than Arteta, so many people speculate that Ye Qiu may use defensive counterattack tactics in this game!”

Following a series of crackling introductions by the on-site commentator, the players of the two teams slowly walked out of the player tunnel under the leadership of German referee Merck. The scene suddenly burst into overwhelming cheers, and the whole scene was very lively.

The players and the referee team walked to the court and lined up on the left and right. The ball boys stood neatly in front of them. The reporters and live broadcast agencies on the scene were filming quickly, while Ye Qiu and Del Bosque were They followed the team out of the tunnel one after another. The two met in front of the tunnel. After shaking hands politely, they each returned to their coaching seats.

"Today Real Madrid put on their auspicious white jerseys, and Ajax put on their away black jerseys. Both teams have worn these jerseys to win the Champions League, so many media have speculated before the game. , this is a battle between the Champions League hegemons, it will definitely be very exciting.”

"Merck, a German referee, has rich experience in law enforcement, and he is very strict and fair in law enforcement. Judging from many games, he has very good physical fitness and even runs more distances than the players. This makes him He can reach every corner of the stadium very quickly and accurately, and because of this, UEFA will arrange for him to referee such an important game.”

It was seen that Merck called the captains Hierro and Edwin van der Sar of the two teams over to guess sides. In the end, Real Madrid got the right to kick off, which also made the Real Madrid fans feel excited and cheered on the spot. one slice.

It was in this warm and tense atmosphere that the referee blew the whistle to start the game on time at 19:45, and everyone at the scene burst into overwhelming cheers.

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Yaya Toure, who was born in Africa, likes leopards very much, but it is not a cheetah, but an African leopard.

To Africans, cheetahs look like dogs and African leopards look like cats.

The African leopard is not as fast as the cheetah. It has a slender body and looks a bit fragile, but its teeth are very powerful. The cheetah is a bit bullying and shy of the strong. It dares to prey on some weak animals, but it can encounter stronger ones, such as bison. I dare not, but the African leopard dares to use these as food.

Another thing that people don't like about cheetahs is that they get discouraged easily. After a failed hunt, they always have to rest for a long time, but the African leopard does not need a rest. After a failed hunt, it will keep trying and persevere. The prey continues to charge.

But more importantly, cheetahs rely on savage chasing to kill their prey, but African leopards appear to be more intelligent, relying on ambush.

When the whistle sounded, Yaya Toure was like an African leopard, entering an ambush state. He patiently scanned the situation on the court, watching the Real Madrid players come and go, watching the ball fall to Figo's feet, while the Portuguese superstar went along the right road and entered Yaya Toure's ambush circle without any precautions.

Perhaps, in the eyes of the Portuguese superstar, he has outstanding personal skills and is not afraid of being entangled by his opponents. On the contrary, he likes someone to defend him closely, so that he can directly use his speed to pass his opponents and pose a threat.

But obviously, he has never encountered an African leopard like Yaya Toure.

When Yaya Toure quickly pulled out of the ambush state and pounced on his prey, he got close to Figo in the shortest time, just like a strong fighter with a professional boxer's physique, developed muscles, and strong and powerful legs. He firmly held Figo with his body and forced the Portuguese to lose his balance.

At the moment the loophole appeared, Yaya Toure kicked without hesitation and made a tackle.

The man fell to the ground, and the ball flew out of the sideline. It was a throw-in for Real Madrid!

Figo was hooked to the ground by Yaya Toure's thick leg, covered with grass debris. When he stood up, he waited for the Ivorian viciously, but Yaya Toure seemed unmoved. He looked at Figo and slowly retreated, as if he was going to enter an ambush again.

Salgado ran over, and the Real Madrid players quickly stepped forward, ready to use this throw-in opportunity in Ajax's half to launch an attack, and Salgado threw the ball directly to Figo, but this time Abidal firmly guarded Figo, and the latter quickly knocked back Salgado.

Just when Salgado was about to pass the ball to Raul, Yaya Toure, who was in an ambush, quickly moved forward. After successfully intercepting the ball in the middle, he quickly dribbled forward, and Ajax took advantage of the situation to launch a counterattack.

Yaya Toure dribbled the ball very fast, spotted an opportunity, and passed the ball to the left with a long kick.

Salgado had just joined the attack, and at this moment Robben was rushing forward along the left. He looked back at the direction of the ball and judged the landing point, but the ball was not passed very well, and Robben was a beat late to stop the ball.

This slowness allowed Real Madrid to return to defense quickly.

Robben was on the left side of the penalty area, and Hierro was in the penalty area, two people one-on-one.

The result was no suspense. Robben quickly broke through Hierro, pulled out a body position, and passed the ball with his left foot. It was a low ball.

Ibrahimovic used his body to block Elguera behind him when he was quickly advancing, but the latter was fighting with Ibrahimovic. When the Swedish center received the cross, he was disturbed from behind, and finally missed the goal when he tried to score. The shot near the penalty spot was not strong enough and was held in Casillas' arms.

"The first shot of the game came from Ibrahimovic of Ajax, and it was a cross from Robben on the left."

"We can see that Ajax did not seem to adopt a conservative tactic at the beginning. They played a bold counterattack and invested a lot of manpower. After going forward, they did not seem to be in a hurry to retreat, but actively launched their frontcourt pressing and the high-position defensive pressure tactics they are good at."

The ball was at Casillas' feet, but Ajax showed no signs of retreating. The defense line advanced to the midline and closely marked Real Madrid, making Casillas not know how to pass the ball.

Long pass? There was no commanding height in front, and the long pass was to give the ball to Ajax.

But short passes were not possible either. Ajax kept a close eye on Real Madrid's defenders. After all, they had three people in front, and three interfered with four, which could be done easily. Casillas did not dare to take this risk, so he finally chose a long pass.

Lucio stepped forward quickly and headed Casillas' long pass to Mascherano, who quickly knocked it back to Maicon on the right. The Brazilian right back controlled the ball.

Although Zidane was not far in front of Maicon, the French superstar obviously had no desire to press. He just stood in position symbolically and looked at Maicon, as if to say, as long as you don't go forward, I won't go up either.

But Maicon obviously didn't have such a tacit understanding with him. After taking a few steps forward with the ball, he quickly passed it behind him.

Van der Vaart retreated along the right side, turned quickly and cut inside after getting the ball, and quickly went to the middle to cooperate with Ibrahimovic, who pulled out central defenders Elguera and Hierro, and then Van der Vaart passed it diagonally behind him with his right foot.

Robben quickly rushed past Salgado and was about to take the ball to form a single shot. The linesman raised the flag, indicating that Robben was offside.

The Dutch Peter Pan originally thought that he was going to score a single goal, and was extremely happy. However, when he heard the whistle, he immediately shook his head helplessly, but he did not forget to give a thumbs up to Van der Vaart. This pass was indeed a beautiful one. Van der Vaart's right foot is now very skilled, so he is getting better and better at the right winger position.

The continuous attack made the Ajax fans in the stands shout very excitedly. They did not expect that the team would start so unrestrainedly, without considering the group of superstars in the frontcourt of Real Madrid at all. They took advantage of the start to launch a round of attacks on Real Madrid. Ye Qiu's courage really surprised and impressed everyone.

To be honest, no one can ignore Real Madrid's offensive combination of Zidane, Raul, Ronaldo and Figo, plus Guti behind him. If they are placed in front of the opponent's defense, who dares to say that he will be sure? Can it be defended?

But Ye Qiu's opening didn't seem to care about these superstars at all. Instead, he picked up Ajax's best and most powerful weapon in the past, attacking directly, using the attack to suppress Real Madrid's morale and guide them. The pace of the game.

From the beginning, the tempo was accelerated by Ajax, especially Ajax's pressing and pressing in the midfield and frontcourt, which made Real Madrid's group of stars feel very uncomfortable. They are used to possession of the ball.

You know, according to data obtained by Ajax from the authoritative organization OPTA, Real Madrid's ball possession rate is the highest among all teams in the Champions League. Their possession time is long, so Ronaldo, Zidane, Figo, etc. Talents have enough time to display their elegant ball-handling skills, and then they have time to slowly find loopholes and launch a penetrating attack with mercury flooding the ground.

But one thing that many people have not thought of is that Real Madrid commits an average of 12 fouls per game. Yes, you read that right, only 12. That is to say, on average, not counting substitutes, every game is fouled. One person only once.

Ajax has 18 times, which is half more than Real Madrid.

Maybe some people are wondering, what can be seen from the foul? Real Madrid have good skills and don't foul, can you care?

The rules of football have been refined and tempered for hundreds of years. Each of them is an iron law that has been tempered for thousands of times. For example, offside is definitely a great initiative that made football the largest sport in the world. There are also fouls, which are also worth studying. .

There are many types of fouls, and flagrant fouls must of course be curbed, but from a tactical perspective, some tactical fouls are essential for any team and are part of any head coach's defense.

Just imagine, when a team has just taken a breath and just controlled the rhythm, the defense suddenly commits a foul. It does not need to be serious, it just needs to stop the game. The referee will not give a card for such a small foul. , may not even give a warning, but can directly interrupt the opponent's rhythm and force the opponent to reorganize.

This is to get the maximum results at the minimum cost!

In the defense of football tactics, a very important concept is delay.

At the moment of transition between offense and defense, the most important task of the defender is not to grab the ball, but to delay the opponent's attack. On the contrary, the attacker must do everything possible to avoid the opponent's delay tactics.

Tactical fouls are undoubtedly one of the methods of delay, and they are also a very important means.

A very important reason for Real Madrid's lack of fouls is that they almost never stalk and rarely press and defend closely.

In the Real Madrid team, almost most of the fouls are concentrated on two people, Salgado and Helguera.

Maybe someone will say again, where is Makelele?

Ye Qiu feels that many fans like to elevate someone or put someone down. They like to imitate the media and label a player with a simple and easy-to-understand label, such as Makelele.

There is no doubt that Makelele is a very, very good defensive midfielder, but he is just a defensive midfielder. His specialty is positional sense and anticipation, which prevents him from covering large areas like other players. He used to be Celta Vigo's midfield organizer, so he has solid skills in taking and distributing the ball.

But don't think that Makelele is really like what the media said. One person supports Real Madrid's entire defense. That is a sneaky concept. He is indeed a very important member, but he is just one member.

It is precisely because of the pressing pressure of Salgado, Helguera, and even Raul, Guti and others in front that Makelele can steadily play a role in his area and position. Without these people With his pressing and running, Makelele's shortcomings will be completely magnified to the extreme, and in the end he will still be sprayed to death by fans.

This is a very simple truth. Football is a team sport, and Makelele is also part of the team. He needs his teammates to cooperate with him and help him to be able to exert his strength.

He is indeed a very good defensive midfielder, but he also has his own advantages and disadvantages. For example, as a defensive midfielder, he commits very few fouls, even fewer than right back Salgado and central defender Helguera. This in itself proves his characteristics.

And Ye Qiu's strategy in this game is also very obvious, which is to bypass Makelele and go to the wing exclusively.

It is not difficult to see from Real Madrid's foul situation that this team's defense is actually very weak, especially the group of superstars in the midfield and frontcourt, who almost do not actively participate in defense. If it is controlled by them If they play with the right game and rhythm, they can destroy any enemy with their offense.

But once they are unable to control the ball as they wish, once they are unable to play at the rhythm they are familiar with and exert their offensive advantages, then everyone will find that Real Madrid's midfield and frontcourt are almost undefended.

Ronaldo, Zidane, and Figo are all just symbolic in their positions and doing symbolic defense. This allows Ajax to pass Real Madrid's center smoothly every time they launch an attack. In the frontcourt, and in the middle, Ajax immediately moved to the wings and launched the attack from the wings.

No matter how good Makelele is, he can't cover the entire defense line. Ajax uses the two flanks that Makelele can't take care of, which is also the weakest link in Real Madrid's defense, especially the left flank where Carlos is, to launch a powerful attack directly, taking advantage of the opening to completely suppress Real Madrid.

Ye Qiu's strategy is very risky, but also very simple. After the opening, I will not focus on defending you. I will attack first and use the attack to strive to score first. As long as I can score first, I have plenty of chips to play with you.

As for the risk, it is also very big. If Real Madrid is counterattacked, or the personal ability of the stars is brought into play, Ajax will become more passive and the situation will be more dangerous.

But Ajax also has its own advantage, that is the whole.

Relying on the whole is always more secure than relying on individuals!