Chapter 746: The Knowledge of a Leader

"This was a very dramatic game. I originally thought we could maintain the good situation in the first half into the second half, but unfortunately, our opponents quickly adapted to our way of playing and we were defeated!"

When Klopp faced reporters' questions at the post-match press conference, he commented to the camera with a look of regret and frustration.

"The moment the game ended, it was like a disaster for us. We played very well and everyone worked hard to show their best in the game, especially in the first half. We completely controlled the game, but our outstanding performance lacked consistency and gave our opponents a chance to breathe at halftime.”

Klopp didn't speak quickly, even a little slowly, which showed that he was in a bad mood.

"I would like to congratulate Tottenham Hotspur and Ye Qiu. They are very good. Ye Qiu is also a very good head coach and a very good person. From this game, my players and I are very good." I’ve learned a lot and I don’t begrudge him because we’re not the same type of people, but I know he’s the best manager on the planet.”

"It is undoubtedly painful to lose the game in this way. At least I think it should be a close game, but the result is that our opponent won a victory at our home court. This It’s a pity, but this is football, we have to learn to accept it and say goodbye to failure!”

"I want to say that the game is over and we need to take a good rest and start again!"

Ye Qiu, who was sitting next to Klopp, also quickly accepted an interview with reporters. He also said gracefully that Dortmund caused a lot of trouble to Tottenham Hotspur during the game, and even made people feel that it was despair.

"I have told my players more than once to forget what we have achieved in the past, forget everything else, because every game may lead to failure, and no one knows what will happen after failure, and no one knows We are willing to taste the bitterness of failure, so the best way is to strive for victory in every game.”

"I'm very happy. We did a good job in the second half and turned the situation around. This is the credit of everyone on the team, but this game also deserves everyone's vigilance, that is, we are not invincible, and we must be serious. Treat every game.”

Ye Qiu did not hesitate to praise Franck Ribery, who scored a hat trick in this game and helped the team reverse Dortmund from the Westfalenstadion. He believed that the Frenchman has always been the best player and he never doubted this. a little.

"Has he entered FIFA's Ballon d'Or list?" Ye Qiu smiled at the reporter's question, "I think this is very normal. Yes, maybe he missed a period of time due to injury at the beginning of the season, but after his comeback, His performance was impressive and I don't think he should just be in the squad."

The reporter then asked a few more questions, including the situation of the death group.

"I want to reiterate one point again!" When Klopp was asked if he was confident in leading the team out of the group, the German smiled a little exaggeratedly, as if to show his confidence, "We are not just going to start from After qualifying from the group, we also hope to win the first place in the group. Who can say that we don’t have a chance?”

"I once told my players that the group stage can actually be regarded as the knockout round, which is just as cruel. If it is a two-round game, we have only finished the first round against three opponents. Against Tottenham Tottenham, we are temporarily behind 2:3, but we are experts in the second round.”

"Everyone knows that we are a team that gets more courageous as we fight. Playing in the knockout rounds is what we do best, and turning the situation around in the second round is also our strength. So in the next three games, we will strive to win. ”

"Including at White Hart Lane?" one reporter asked.

"Of course, this is only the first round, and it's not over yet, right?" Klopp laughed after saying that.

His remarks about playing the Champions League group stage as a two-leg knockout round are indeed relatively new, but in fact if you look at it the other way around, the group of death has already gone through three rounds, and Dortmund only has two away games next, one is Tottenham. Tottenham Hotspur, one is Montpellier, the latter can almost be said to be a guaranteed points game, and the home game against Juventus depends on Dortmund's own ability.

So to a certain extent, playing away at White Hart Lane is undoubtedly a key battle for Dortmund to stabilize their breakout situation. If they can win this Tianwangshan battle, the group qualifying situation will become very good.

In response to Klopp's provocation, Ye Qiu also responded in person.

"I said that we are eager for a team to beat us. For us, failure is a wonderful thing. Just like in the first half, we lost two goals, but we learned a lot. So in the second half we applied what we learned in the first half to our opponents, so we scored three goals!”

Ye Qiu's words made many reporters present burst into laughter, and Klopp couldn't help but smile.

"We are a team that gets stronger when it encounters strong players. We welcome any team, including Dortmund, to show the strength, determination and courage to defeat us, because we will use stronger strength, firmer determination, and more Amazing courage to prove our strength!”

"We are not afraid of challenges from any opponent, because all the teams that challenged us ended up in a miserable situation!"

The tit-for-tat between the two head coaches at the post-match press conference also made all the reporters and media present very excited. They just wanted to see such a gunpowder smell, because it was exciting and could make the fans feel excited.

For Tottenham Hotspur's 3:2 reversal of Dortmund away from home, almost all the media after the game put the credit on Ye Qiu, believing that it was Ye Qiu's adjustment during the halftime break that helped Tottenham Hotspur at a critical moment, leading the team out of the quagmire and making a key reversal.

When Tottenham Hotspur players were interviewed by the media after the game, they repeatedly emphasized that the reason why the team was able to reverse was because the head coach made targeted arrangements during the halftime break, especially Messi.

When the reporter asked about Messi's position and role changes in the second half, the Argentine mentioned that this was an intentional arrangement by the head coach during the halftime break, and he absolutely obeyed the team's arrangement. He also said that he was very happy to see Ribery perform a hat trick because he and Ribery are very good friends.

"I want to correct a statement made by many people. Tottenham's tactics are not ten players plus one Messi, but eleven players including Messi. I support the team unconditionally. As long as it is good for the team and can help the team win, it doesn't matter if I play as a defender. I'm serious!"

Messi obviously expected that after the game, there would be media hype about Ribery's hat trick, while Messi did not score a goal and even performed poorly in the first half, which gave the Argentine a shot in advance.

As for the news that Ye Qiu had mentioned retirement when a reporter asked, Messi said it was not new.

"We got the news in the locker room a long time ago. The boss never hid anything from us. He also told us that he would join us in the Stratford Stadium. I think that's great. As for the future, that's not something we should consider."

In fact, the team already knew that Mauro Tassotti would take over the team after Ye Qiu retired. This can be seen from his increasing control over the first-team training and daily affairs. Ye Qiu's purpose in doing this is to maintain the stability of Tottenham Hotspur.

To build a giant, it is not enough to rely on a period of glory. What is needed is long-term glory.

Just like Nottingham Forest back then, how glorious and invincible, but then? There was no then!

So, who still remembers Nottingham Forest today?

Ye Qiu chose Mauro Tassotti, in fact, also for the consideration of the players, because when he communicated with some players, he found that Roland Shepard's personality was more respected by the players, but the problem is that as a head coach, you can't be too close to the players and get along too well with them.

One of the most important reasons why Guardiola wanted to leave Barcelona was to get rid of the emotional ties in the Barcelona circle. It was like a company leader who could not have a good personal relationship with his subordinates, because that would make him feel embarrassed when dealing with some interpersonal relationships.

The same is true for the head coach. When you have a good relationship with the players, when you need to make a choice and arrange the players to start, do you have the courage to take down the player with whom you have a good relationship?

Just like Guardiola, he did not dare to take down Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol and others.

But the relationship between the head coach and the players cannot be too distant, and it is not good to be distant.

In Ye Qiu's observation, Mauro Tassotti did a good job in dealing with the relationship with the players. He was neither close nor distant, and handled business matters impartially, not personally, which made him respected within the team and able to calm down this group of players.

On the other hand, Roland Shepas is indeed very close to the players, and with the improvement and accumulation over the years, his ability in training and handling internal affairs of the team has also improved very quickly. Basically, he can handle all matters big and small, but he is not majestic enough, and he can't control the players at critical moments, and he is also a weak point in tactics.

So after Ye Qiu's careful consideration, Mauro Tassotti became the head coach of the team, and Roland Shepas assisted him. In addition, the coaching staff in the team basically stayed in the team, so there would not be a big problem.

From Liverpool's boot room culture that created the Red Army Liverpool that swept across Europe at its peak, to the inheritance of all the head coaches in Ajax's long history coming from the team's internal echelons, and Capello was also an assistant coach from Sacchi, etc., all these prove that the choice of the head coach does not depend on origin and qualifications, but on whether it is suitable.

Ye Qiu knew very well that after he left, the most important priority for Tottenham Hotspur was stability, and Mauro Tassotti could provide this stability to Tottenham Hotspur. Moreover, he had a very good tactical understanding ability, and he was very familiar with Tottenham Hotspur's system, so he was the best candidate.

But before the team officially announced it, no one in the players or the team would take the initiative to disclose this information.

This also led to the fact that after Tottenham Hotspur reversed Dortmund away, Ye Qiu once again became the focus and object of all newspapers and media hype. His on-the-spot response in this game, especially the adjustment during the halftime break, won everyone's applause and affirmation.

But in this way, the media also began to hype another thing, that is, once Ye Qiu left the team, what would Tottenham Hotspur do? Who could become Ye Qiu's successor?

I have to admire the European media. When they caught a piece of news and started to hype a piece of news, they immediately swarmed up, one after another, and hyped one after another. Some people even began to list the candidates for Ye Qiu's successor, such as Guardiola, Mauro Tassotti, Roland Schepas, De Boer, Adrianse and Laudrup, and some even thought that Mourinho was likely to change jobs.

It was like Ye Qiu also came to Tottenham Hotspur from Chelsea, so who can say that Mourinho is impossible?

For this reason, some reporters actually went to interview Mourinho. When the Portuguese was interviewed, he actually smiled and said that if Ye Qiu personally called him to invite him, he would seriously consider it.

So, soon, the news that Mourinho was going to take over Tottenham Hotspur spread all of a sudden, and many Tottenham Hotspurs protested, believing that the arrival of this Portuguese would change Tottenham Hotspurs' tradition of offensive football.

But soon, Mourinho said, "My football philosophy is not conservative, I am just more utilitarian, but I have always believed that if Tottenham Hotspurs' tactical style is a little more utilitarian, they can win more honors and championships!"

The Portuguese said this, and it immediately gave people a feeling that he really wanted to come to Tottenham Hotspur, but in fact, those who really know him know that this is almost impossible, unless, as he said, Ye Qiu personally called him and said some soft words, but would Ye Qiu be willing to do so?

Among the many candidates for Ye Qiu's successor, Adrianse was able to be listed among them because of his outstanding performance in Southampton. He brought this traditional Premier League team out of the offensive football style and was called the most offensive and Dutch-flavored team in the Premier League except Tottenham Hotspur.

Adrianse and Ye Qiu have similar tactical concepts. Both of them are from Ajax and have been influenced by Michels' all-out attack and defense. Their tactics and training levels are quite good. Therefore, Adrianse has become a candidate favored by many fans to succeed Ye Qiu. Moreover, it was Ye Qiu who recommended Adrianse to take over Southampton.

With this relationship, Adrianse has become a popular candidate.

So in the ninth round of the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur's away challenge to Southampton has become a test in the eyes of many people.

Not to mention, Adrianse played a fierce game with Tottenham Hotspur in this game. Both sides dedicated 42 shots throughout the game, of which as many as 12 shots were on target, but the two sides ended up in a 1:1 draw.

This game was almost an unreserved fast-paced offensive battle. Whether it was the fans at the scene or the audience watching the live broadcast on TV, they were all so excited that they shouted, but it only scored two goals.

Tottenham Hotspur had a total of 23 shots, but only seven shots were on target, while Southampton had 19 shots, five shots on target. Both sides played very well, with an average of one shot every two minutes or so, which shows how excited the fans were.

Tottenham Hotspur's young Belgian goalkeeper Courtois, who was loaned to Southampton, became completely popular in this game. He saved at least two must-goal opportunities for Tottenham Hotspur in the game. If it weren't for his high block and low catch, Tottenham Hotspur would definitely not have scored only one goal in seven shots on target.

But Cech's performance was not bad either. Although Southampton also scored a goal, Cech also resolved the Saints' multiple attacks. Moreover, his ability to command the defense of the back line made the Czech goalkeeper very much like a general, which Courtois did not have. But no one doubted that it was Courtois' outstanding performance that stimulated Cech.

Although it was a draw, it was also Tottenham's first draw of the season, and the winning streak was stopped, but Tottenham's performance still won recognition. At least no one could say anything about being forced to draw in this way.

Southampton is currently ranked fifth in the Premier League, even ahead of Arsenal and other teams. Adrianse is also famous. In addition, he has recently been linked to the title of Ye Qiu's successor, which makes the Dutchman have been promoted to the ranks of Europe's top coaches.

It is worth mentioning that Lucas Moura and Coutinho have performed very well in Southampton. Both Brazilian internationals have shown surprising progress and strength. Now one of them has become the offensive core of the Saints' frontcourt and the other has become the organizing core of Southampton's midfield, attracting the attention of many top teams.

On the contrary, the other two players, Chambers and Will Hughes, the former performed well last season, but this season is just average, while Will Hughes has been a substitute many times, scored a goal, but did not have an impressive performance.

This is not surprising, after all, these two players are not old.

After playing Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur went to challenge Norwich away with a lineup of all substitutes and young players.

This was the League Cup's round of 16 knockout match. Tottenham Hotspur defeated Norwich 2:1 away and successfully advanced to the quarterfinals.

Three days later, Tottenham Hotspur played at White Hart Lane. Although Ye Qiu was on the bench and Messi, Ribery and other main players were hidden, they still relied on Hazard's shot and two assists, Cavani, Phil Jones and Drogba's goals, and defeated Wigan Athletic 4:1.

In this battle, Ye Qiu obviously saved his strength, and the purpose was undoubtedly for the fourth round of the Champions League group match in the middle of the week.

This time, Ye Qiu wanted to give Dortmund a big surprise at home, to wipe out the humiliation and blow he suffered away two weeks ago.