Chapter 42: Victory by surprise

Thump thump thump!

With the sound of the city light rail whizzing past the viaduct, the bus carrying the Ajax second team emerged from under the viaduct, and what greeted them was the luxurious Philips Stadium in Eindhoven.

This is also the venue for this year’s Dutch Cup final!

The team arrived in Eindhoven last night, stayed for one night, and even went to the Philips Stadium to familiarize themselves with the venue.

In other words, they have been to this place for the second time.

After waiting for the traffic light at the intersection of the stadium, the bus turned directly into the player tunnel of Philips Stadium. Immediately, a group of Ajax fans who came from Amsterdam, wearing the team's uniforms, quickly greeted the bus. Give the group of young Ajax second team players an extremely warm cheer as they step off the bus one by one.

Outside the Philips Stadium, there were also countless sports reporters and football practitioners from all directions.

Because in half a month, the 2000 European Cup will ignite war on the soil of the Netherlands and Belgium. By then, Eindhoven's Philips Stadium will become one of the European Cup competition venues. Therefore, there are Many people also regard this Dutch Cup final as a warm-up before the European Cup.

Because of the European Cup, this year's Dutch Cup final has received a lot of attention. Coupled with the magical dark horse of the Ajax second team, this has undoubtedly attracted the attention of football media all over Europe and even the world. are particularly interested.

An Ajax youth team with an average age of less than 18 years old, led by a 25-year-old Chinese head coach, eliminated Eindhoven, Utrecht, Heerenveen and other Dutch giants along the way. , reaching the finals, which in itself is something full of gimmicks.

Even before the game, many media had been reporting on this matter, especially the magical record of the Ajax second team.

"The group of young people we are seeing getting off the bus are the Ajax second team. This is also the first time they have appeared in the live broadcast of the game across the country and even in Europe, because they have been in the past. The game is played in a dilapidated second-team stadium, but tonight, they will challenge the traditional Dutch team Feyenoord in this magnificent Philips Stadium!”

Outside the stadium, the on-site reporter of NOS, the Dutch national TV station responsible for the live broadcast of this game, was broadcasting the entrance of the Ajax second team players. They are the most prestigious TV organization in the Netherlands and the live broadcast partner of the Eredivisie.

"The one at the forefront is the head coach of Ajax's second team. In the past period of time, he has become the savior of Ajax. The 25-year-old head coach from China, Ye Qiu!"

"Following Ye Qiu is the current captain of the second team, the Romanian international centre-back Christian Kivu, and then the team's number one star, Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder, Klaas? Jan Huntelaar, Eric Abidal..."

"With the outstanding performance of Ajax's second team this season, this group of players has attracted the attention of some Dutch teams and even some European teams. Many people believe that with their outstanding performance this season, , many of them will appear in the first team next season, and some may also leave Ajax!”

The live TV picture followed the Ajax second team up and down the player tunnel, disappeared from the field of vision of the loud fans, and returned to the studio. Only then did all the Dutch fans find out in surprise that they were sitting in the national TV studio In the room, it was the football saint they respected so much, Johan Cruyff!

"Hello, John!" the host greeted with a smile.

"Hello!" Cruyff waved to the camera. He is a partner of the national television and is often responsible for relevant commentary. Especially in this European Cup, he is one of the most important guests. .

"I believe that at this moment, many people are wondering whether the current Ajax second team is really that magical? Or, is it possible for them to continue to be magical, John?" the host smiled. asked.

Cruyff is a product of the Ajax youth training and was once the head coach of Ajax. He is very familiar with and understands the traditional culture of Ajax. It is undoubtedly for him to comment on the current second team. very suitable.

"I remember that there is a saying in the football world that if you bring a group of players with strong skills together, you can turn them into a strong team. There are two very important factors in this sentence. One is to have There is a certain technical foundation and it must be integrated into an organic whole.”

Cruyff continued as the on-site commentators kept nodding.

"I am really surprised by the current Ajax second team. I started to notice them when they played PSV, and I followed and understood them in every game after that. I think This team has great potential and is very, very good. They are known for their sharp offense in the league, but in the Dutch Cup, when they encounter a team that is better than themselves, they adopt defensive or even defensive tactics. That is to say , this team can both attack and defend.”

"This is very, very rare!" Cruyff seemed to have a very high opinion of this team.

However, after a pause, the ball saint continued: "But this is the Dutch Cup final. We all know that Feyenoord is a very experienced team. They must have played against the Ajax second team before the game. After a very detailed and in-depth understanding, in this case, the Ajax second team is at an absolute disadvantage in terms of strength, tactics, physical fitness, experience, etc. "

"So, you don't think that Ajax's second team will go all out?" the host asked with a smile.

Cruyff shook his head, "It's not a big hope, but I think they have a chance. The key lies in how to win by surprise, just like when we played against PSV. I defend until you can't do anything anymore, and then I will counterattack. This is winning by surprise!" "

"But you also said that Feyenoord will have a very in-depth understanding of the Ajax second team, and how to disintegrate the Ajax second team's defense must be the focus of their tactics!" the host! said.

"Yes!" Cruyff nodded, "So this is the real difficulty for Ajax's second team in this game."

"It should be said that this team allows me to see something different in almost every game. This proves that head coach Ye Qiu and his team are always improving. Then I feel that if this game If they can continue to shine, then they have a chance to beat their opponents!”

The host smiled and added, "In other words, we must continue to win by surprise!"

"Yes, there is no other way!" Cruyff nodded.

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On the rostrum of the Philips Stadium, Ajax Chairman Van Praag returned to his seat with a bad expression after meeting with the presidents of PSV, Feyenoord and other teams. Bobby Harms and Leo Benhak were sitting next to him. Seeing him like this, they didn't dare to ask more questions. They could all guess what was going on.

PSV just won the league championship, and Feyenoord also qualified for the Champions League. Therefore, there is no difference in fundamental interests for the Ajax second team in this game, because no matter whether they lose or lose, If they win, they will all be able to participate in the UEFA Cup next season.

However, for Ajax, a championship will bring a completely different change to the team's current predicament.

"Don't worry, Ye Qiu should be prepared!" Bobby Harms advised.

Originally, Van Praag was not very reassured about Ye Qiu and planned to ask Bobby Harms to help him, but Bobby Harms rejected the proposal because in his opinion, going to the coaching bench would not only It cannot help Ye Qiu, but may bring unnecessary psychological pressure and interference to him.

"Feyenoord also attaches great importance to this game. I heard that they have been following the second team for more than a month!" Van Praag sighed. Ajax's support for the second team is still too little. , whether in intelligence or other fields.

You can't blame anyone for this, after all, Feyenoord is the first team and Ajax is the second team, which is different.

"We attach great importance to it, but sometimes, many things are subtle, and even Feyenoord may not be aware of it, so you see, the full-back they deployed on the left is Zongsa!"

Zongsa is a Polish international with excellent offensive ability and fast speed, but his defensive position is a problem.

"Van Marwijk obviously has enough confidence in his own strength, so he arranged Zongsa. Otherwise, he would have considered Graf, who has better defensive ability. Instead, it was Gejan on the right, who obviously wanted to target him. Van der Vaart, and there is also Bosvelt in the midfield, it is clear that he wants to defend from the right and attack from the left!”

Leo Benhak didn't understand Ye Qiu's arrangement, so after seeing Feyenoord's targeted arrangement, his first impression was that the Ajax second team's game had not started yet. I've already lost more than half of it.

But in Bobby Harms' view, that may not be the case.

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"We already have the starting lineups for both sides!"

“Feyenoord’s starting goalkeeper is Dudek, the defense is Dzongsa, Dehaan, Van Onderen and Gejan, and the midfield three players are Van Gastel, Counteman and Bosvelt. , Thomason plays as an attacking midfielder, and Cruz and Carew form a double forward, which is still Feyenoord’s usual 4-4-2 tactic!”

"The Ajax second team's starting lineup has made some adjustments in this game. The goalkeeper is Stekelenberg, and Ye Qiu has five defenders in one breath, including Abidal, Kivu, and Fandu. Because, Heitinga and Van Drew, the specific positioning arrangement is not very clear. The midfielder is Van der Vaart, Sneijder, De Jong and Kurul, and the forward is Huntelaar. It should be a 541 tactic!”

"John, after seeing the roster of Ajax's second team, what do you personally think?" the host asked Cruyff.

Cruyff is carefully studying this list of five defenders. It seems that they should continue to defend, and it has been made clear from the beginning that the coach and horse must defend, but will it be a smoke bomb? ?

"I can't guess!" Cruyff shook his head. He didn't know exactly what Ye Qiu was planning. If he was really smart, then it was probably a smoke bomb. But with five defenders, how was his offensive preparation? beat?

Of course, it is also possible that Ye Qiuji is limited by this. After all, he is only 25 years old. It is not easy to reach this point.

"Can't you even see through John?" the host asked with a smile.

Cruyff still shook his head, "Feyenoord's tactics are very simple and clear. They have obvious advantages in strength. The trident offensive combination of Thomasson, Cruz and Carew also has a tacit understanding, especially the deep-lying Tottenham. Ma Sen has performed very well this season, so they should continue to use their usual tactics with Zongsa, who is more offensive on the left, in order to open up the situation on the wing. "

"Judging from the cards of Ajax's second team, Shang Van Drew should also intend to strengthen the attack on the right. The combination of Van Drew and Kurul once performed well, but Ye Qiu didn't want to be too risky and aggressive. So I went to the back five and replaced Maduro. Sneijder and De Jong performed very well and deserved the heavy responsibility!”

After hearing this, the host laughed and said, "You mean, Feyenoord attacks from the left and defends from the right, while Ajax attacks from the right and defends from the left?"

If that's the case, then it's really a head-to-head confrontation, and there's a lot to be said for it.

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"Shangzong Sa?"

In the home team dressing room at Philips Stadium, Ye Qiu was not too surprised when he got Feyenoord's starting lineup, because whether Van Marwijk chose to play Zongsa or Graf, he still decided You must continue to follow the tactics you have practiced for a long time before the game.

Because he knew very well that this was the only chance for him and the Ajax second team.

"Okay, everyone, put away your envy and jealousy, wipe the saliva from your mouth, don't dirty the dressing room of Eindhoven!" Ye Qiu shouted, turning this group of people on Eindhoven Wen's spacious and luxurious dressing room attracted the attention of the country bumpkins who were astonished and shouted over.

He finally got to see what it meant for Grandma Liu to enter the Grand View Garden. Wasn't it just a matter of enjoying it with style? As for that?

Ye Qiu was standing in the head coach's area of ​​Eindhoven's home dressing room. In front of him was a white painted table, on which were placed a series of pre-match reports and the Feyenoord starting list that he had just received. He put one hand on the table and looked at the players in front of him who were paying attention sideways.

"It's the Dutch Cup final soon! Everyone, it's the Dutch Cup final!" Ye Qiu emphasized again and reminded him again.

"I hope all of you can understand what kind of game this is. I also believe that you should all be very clear about how much impact this game will have on your career. Therefore, I never I doubt your fighting spirit and desire to win.”

There is absolutely no need for mobilization in such a game, because no one will have the slightest hesitation about winning. Otherwise, wouldn't all their efforts over a long period of time be in vain?

"But what I want to remind everyone is that our opponent knows us very well. He knows how we will play. They have an absolute advantage in strength, and they just want to use this advantage. In addition, they are against us. His understanding will completely kill us on this highly anticipated stage!”

"But I would also like to remind you that we have defeated so many opponents in the past and were able to make the arrogant PSV fall at our feet. The reason why we have been able to defeat opponents one after another who are far stronger than us is , not only because we work hard enough, but also because we maintain an unbreakable organic whole at all times, and each of us can abide by the team's tactical discipline and serve the team!"

"So, I believe that today, when we step on this court, whether we can defeat our opponents depends on whether you can abide by our team's overall tactics. I want each of you to play every minute and every second of the game. We should always keep in mind that we are a whole, and only working as a team can help us defeat our opponents!”

After a pause, Ye Qiu looked at the serious faces of each player that were a bit inappropriate for their age, "Finally, I absolutely believe that you have the strength to make everyone think that we are on this field outside. Those who lost must be shocked and regret their own stupidity and mistakes!”

"I absolutely believe that you have strong enough willpower to withstand the pressure of this difficult game!"

"I believe even more that no matter how difficult the game is, no matter how bad the competition environment is, you will definitely be able to use your actions and your performance to interpret the spirit and tradition of Ajax and tell it to the world. The fans, we also represent the tenacious and invincible Ajax!”

"I will fight alongside you!"

Following Ye Qiu's last words, the players all stood up, clenching their fists excitedly and shouting, "Okay!"

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When players from Ajax's second team and Feyenoord's players, led by the referee, walked out of the player tunnel at Philips Stadium one after another, a burst of thunder erupted from the fans of both teams. Like applause and cheers.

There were even many fans who couldn't help but stand up and cheer excitedly for the team they supported.

Ye Qiu followed the team out of the player tunnel. He saw Van Marwijk taking the initiative to walk towards him, and he also walked over.

This is a courtesy between warring parties.

The two shook hands politely and said a few polite words to each other before returning to their own coaching areas.

The live TV footage gave Ye Qiu and Van Marwijk a close-up of each of them, and the live screen also gave an introduction with subtitles.

"If we look at the head coach's personal image, the young and handsome Ye Qiu is undoubtedly more popular than Van Marwijk. I just hope that Ye Qiu and his Ajax II team can withstand the pressure from Feyenoord!" The commentator couldn't help but tease the two head coaches with a smile.

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the referee looked at the time and blew the whistle for the Dutch Cup final that the whole Netherlands was watching, officially igniting the flames of the final!