Chapter 345 Reborn!

Chapter 345 Reborn!

After the group stage, Real Madrid passed the test and ushered in the final battle with Juventus.

Many people say that Zidane is a metaphysic, but in my opinion he should be a Neo-Confucian. Zidane is too rational. Although he has had some impulsive behaviors while playing football, he has played in the World Cup, European Cup, and Champions League finals, and he knows very well what the psychology of the entire team is at this time.

Therefore, whether it was against Atletico Madrid last year or Juventus this year, Real Madrid held back in the first half, but they were the first to score.

So was Allegri's choice wrong? Maybe they wanted to get the upper hand in the final and then use the tenacious Italian defense to defeat the opponent.

But let’s take a look at Real Madrid’s position first.

When Higuain dribbled the ball, Real Madrid's nine players retreated and pressed hard. Carvajal in the lower left corner did not press, and Casemiro in the middle was ready to retreat in front of Varane and Ramos.

Don't underestimate these two, especially Casemiro's role is to help defend and make up for the pot. He is not a traditional defensive midfielder and has to intercept the ball.

Throughout the first 15 minutes, Real Madrid adopted a regional defense, focusing on keeping an eye on Juventus' off-the-ball players and cutting off passing routes.

Therefore, Real Madrid's pressing is pressing but not grabbing. Juventus couldn't get through when they reached the midfield, so they could only pass back. However, Juventus adapted quickly and quickly took advantage of Real Madrid's opportunity to gather forces in the center. The two wingers, especially Sandro on the left, frequently gave the ball to Sandro on the left.

What about Juventus?

Juventus's running routes and main passing directions in the first half. Red is the main movement of the players, and green is the simple passing direction.

Mandzukic's role is to suppress Carvajal while cutting inside into the two forwards when Sandro drives forward.

Higuain wants to pull Ramos out of his defensive position. Dybala moves laterally to deliver the ball and hit the goal. On the right, Alves doesn't go deep, but cuts inside more. The center of gravity of the entire formation is on the left wing.

This change from Juventus did surprise Real Madrid. And it was also very successful. He grabbed points in the middle and Pjanic's long shots were very good. However, Real Madrid successfully froze Dybala.

At this time, the goal came.

It was Cristiano Ronaldo who cut inside, and the starting point of the entire attack was on Dybala's side, which is the left side of Real Madrid's center. Three or two kicks were given to Ronaldo's feet, and this is not the point.

Note Carvajal in the lower left corner, and Mandzukic. The point is here.

After Sandro pressed heavily, Juventus left the left wing empty. Mandzukic and Carvajal rushed towards the Juventus goal at the same time.

Carvajal ran all over the court, rushing all the way from outside the screen. When he saw Ronaldo cutting inside, he immediately ran back to the wing to complete the set.

When the pass is returned, please pay attention to the top of the arc. Apart from Mandzukic, where is there a Juventus defender?

What is the ratio of the number of offensive players to defensive players inside and outside the penalty area? In fact, if Mandzukic arrived in time, Ronaldo would not have been able to score so easily. There would be no one around him. What about Khedira and Pjanic? They were all taken away by the Real Madrid players at the top of the screen. They thought they were going to pass to the back, but they weren't.

Therefore, I personally believe that the credit for Real Madrid's goal lies not with Ronaldo, but with Kroos who distributed the ball in a timely manner, and even more with Carvajal, who has been running outside the screen to assist. This is why Zidane particularly relies on him. reason.

Another great thing about the first half was Juventus' adaptability.

After conceding the ball, Juventus had two major changes. First, Alves did not go down, cross, and cut inside. His purpose is to help Dybala attract defensive forces and liberate Dybala.

The second is that Mandzukic stopped walking to the side and did not take the ball. He gave Sandro a kick and entered the penalty area to tie Higuain at two points. At this time, the goal came as promised.

This is the position of Juventus at the beginning. From here, you can see their defense very clearly.

In the end, the first three central defenders are very close to each other and do not pull wide or cover the side. In fact, the three-back formation is not tiring the defenders, but the midfielders and wings.

The return defense of Khedira and Pjanic is very important, and Mandzukic's restriction on Carvajal is also very important.

Please note that throughout the first half, Juventus's defense defended head-on and the distance between the two lines was maintained very well. Moreover, Juventus' three-back lineup, when the ball is intercepted, Bonucci's long pass is accurately guided, which is also an offensive method. All in all, there are two main points for this defense:

1. Maintain a suitable distance from the midfield to facilitate forward grabbing and long passes.

2. Always maintain a three-dimensional sense and must have depth.

But unfortunately, due to physical reasons, Juventus's defense was too tight in the second half, too close to the goal, and the entire outside of the penalty area was given to the opponent. That's why Casemiro's long shot scored.

Especially for Pjanic, he couldn't come back and lost his position, so Allegri made adjustments.

The second half was not surprising because of the objective depth and physical strength of the bench.

It has to be said that due to the Italian economy and the overall attractiveness of Serie A, Juventus's bench depth is weaker than Real Madrid.

Allegri doesn't have many cards to play. And Juventus's defense is not young anymore.

Zidane is a big brother-type coach with an extremely brilliant career and rich experience in competitions. He knows the locker room well.

He also has a lot of emotional intelligence, which is reflected in both Bale's return to his hometown and Morata's coming up.

But I think Zidane's emphasis on physical fitness and meticulousness are one of the representatives of the new generation of coaches, and this is also the reason why Real Madrid has repeatedly fought tough battles this season and is able to exert more strength as the game progresses.

Zidane is very aware of the importance of physical fitness. When he was a player, Zidane suffered from "thalassemia mild" and his physical condition was poor. Before the start of the 2016-17 season, Zidane already had a comprehensive plan. One of the most important moves was to recruit fitness coach Antonio Pintus from Lyon to Real Madrid.

The characteristic of this guy's training is that there is a ball in every movement, and every movement emphasizes the heart rate.

I won’t go into details here, but we’ll talk about it when we have the opportunity.

Finally, when it comes to awards, Zidane missed the Hercules Cup in 2006.

Buffon watched Zidane celebrate in 2017. Personally, I don't like to say who won who, who took revenge, etc... We only respect players and coaches for doing this. Zidane regretfully retired that year, and Buffon is now missing the Champions League... Maybe sometimes, imperfection is an important part of perfection.

This is football, it’s beautiful, but it’s not perfect.

Juventus played well in the first half. The score was 1 to 1, with a 46% ball possession rate, but Juventus shot more and was more efficient.

In turn, Ronaldo touched the ball for the first time in the 7th minute and was flanked on the left wing and shot away. At that time, he didn't look like he was going to dominate this game at all.

Ronaldo's first goal was basically attributed to Real Madrid's successful counterattack: Juventus' attack was interrupted, Real Madrid quickly kicked the ball, Ronaldo received the ball in the middle, passed to the right, inserted, received the ball, cleanly A shot. 104th individual goal in the Champions League.

Mandzukic responded with an Ibrahimovic-style goal: receiving it in the penalty area, clicking, and volleying an overhead kick. Navas was positioned in the middle and couldn't make up for such a tricky upper left corner.

In the first half, Juventus' 3412 was successful. It was obvious in last year's European Cup: an Italian-style 3412 could turn into 532 or 352 at any time. The center was intensively blocked, forcing Real Madrid to move to the wings, and then compress the wings to find a counterattack. The first half was exciting.

But this move suddenly didn't work in the second half.

I don’t know if it’s because Juventus covered too much area in the first half and their physical fitness declined, or if Zidane really has the Midas touch. In short, he made adjustments in the midfield. Casemiro's long-range goal in the second half seemed accidental, but it was inevitable. Because before that, Real Madrid had been bombarding Juventus for a long time - just 3 minutes before Casemiro scored, Marcelo had already sent a beautiful cross from the left wing to Ronaldo at the far post. .

The goal scored by Cristiano Ronaldo in the 64th minute perfectly reflected Real Madrid's layout in the second half: Juventus was concentrated in the middle, so Real Madrid stayed away from the frontcourt, Marcelo and Carvajal stepped in, and Modric actively mobilized 35 meters away from the goal. , from left to right, passed in from behind, and Ronaldo followed up, scoring his 105th goal in the Champions League. Real Madrid leads 3-1.

At this point, there is actually no suspense in the game. If that wasn't enough, Cuadrado's red card sentenced Juventus to death: of course, Ramos's smooth acting was also really good.

Marcelo cut inside and passed the ball easily. Asensio scored the fourth goal, 4-1.

Juventus conceded 2 goals in this group stage. Conceded 1 goal against Monaco. Before the final, only 3 goals were conceded.

Then, Real Madrid scored 4 goals in one game.

Casemiro/JRonaldo 3 occasionally have magical abilities.

For Real Madrid, the side of Carvajal and Modric is the key; while the duo of Sandro and Mandzukic of Juventus will determine the outcome of the wing. The problem here is this: Real Madrid are almost habitually conceding goals in the Champions League this season; but at the same time, few teams can stop them from scoring.

The real characteristic of Real Madrid in this season's Champions League is an aggressive attitude and an almost fanatical competitiveness. The incredible overtime goal spree against Bayern and the bloodbath against Atletico Madrid in the first round were all the same. Of course, there is the fierce and decisive finish of Ronaldo, but more importantly, the wild enthusiasm brought by Marcelo and the never-ending physical strength of Real Madrid.

Zidane said Marcelo’s charisma is contagious.

In fact, he is a flaming dancer. Will it be the flames brought about by his wildness that win, or will Buffon and his shield wall cool down Real Madrid's offense?

have no idea. Real Madrid has a slight advantage, 55% to 45%.

In the second half, Zidane's real arrangements were:

Marcelo actively intervened and responded to the attack. In addition to assisting Asensio with the ball, he, Ronaldo, Benzema and Carvajal often formed a posture of four people surrounding the penalty area, while Modric was in the back row. The large-scale dispatch put Real Madrid in a state of siege.

Real Madrid did not struggle with Juventus in front of the penalty area. Instead, they quickly moved, played the ball from both wings, and constantly passed the ball to the center, which caused a headache for Juventus's center stack. Once Juventus tries to counterattack, they will counterattack under the combined pressure of the sideline and the midfielder.

Faced with Real Madrid's two ribs constantly kicking the ball from left to right, Barzagli and Chiellini tackled one and then another. After this opening of the battle, Isco's advancement became meaningful.

So finally there was Casemiro's long-range shot, and Ronaldo and Asensio's passing goals.

In fact, of the four goals Real Madrid scored, three came from short passes in the penalty area. In front of Ronaldo's goal, there was a continuous fire from behind and crosses from both wings.

So Real Madrid defended their title.

There is only history that Zidane does not want to break, and there is no history that he cannot break.

If Ronaldo wins the Champions League, it basically means the fifth Ballon d'Or, and he is one step closer to the strongest player in history.

In fact, the 2017 Ballon d'Or has basically been locked by him. So, it is very likely that it will become: 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, four Ballon d'Or in five years.

It's not that he is stronger now than before. But from 2014 to 2017, especially in the past two years, his career achievements are indeed soaring. He may not have become a better individual player but a better team member.

Three weeks ago, someone joked that Ronaldo seemed to have become a Vieri who could sprint repeatedly but his back-to-the-basket technique was not good enough. People who watch the game can't help but notice that in 2017, Ronaldo's ability with the ball is declining compared to his peak period.

Speed, flexibility, and skills are all declining. After all, he is 32 years old and can't grow backwards.

But he is improving in some things: the positioning and step adjustment before kicking, the awareness of grabbing points, and the small skills after speeding up.

For example, before the first goal today, he quickly divided the ball, moved, received the ball and shot without adjusting. For example, the third goal today, he grabbed the spot and scored with one kick.

In the more than one year since 2016-17, he won the Champions League, successfully defended the title, and won the European Championship. He has changed a lot. He may not be better than in 2014, but he has become a player that Real Madrid and the Portuguese national team need.

At that time, Barcelona was beaten by Paris Saint-Germain. Everyone saw that no one in Barcelona's midfield had the passing and control level of Verratti (Old White could only shine a few times). For the same reason, no one in Juventus' midfield had the passing and control level of Modric, Aku, and Isco in the second half. As a result, the half-time collapse was a problem of strength.

The whole world knows about Real Madrid's tactics, but it cannot be defended. Basically, it is to advance to the front court through the fullbacks. After the running horse and Ronaldo involve the defense center, A Kuan moves to the other side and prepares to cross to Ronaldo in the gap. If there is no good opportunity, Modric will transfer again, and then do it again. This tactic can be realized. The midfielder must suppress the opponent technically, and the most important thing is the person to cross.

Ronaldo is the core of Real Madrid's tactics. He completed the greatest individual performance in the history of the Champions League knockout stage. His off-ball movement and finishing are in the realm of perfection. This championship makes the famous Messi fan Zhou on Zhihu and the Hupu Messi fan Athens Emperor say that the king of football only relies on the ability to have the ball, and Ronaldo's shooting is several levels behind Messi. The face can't be more painful.

In the first half of the game, the two sides were evenly matched, and the tactics were extremely targeted. In terms of execution, Juventus even has a slight advantage.

Juventus seized the weakness of Marcelo and Toni Kroos's weak defensive ability, concentrated offensive resources to press first, and used Sandro's assists to quickly transfer the ball to the left side - this is the obvious defensive weakness exposed by Real Madrid.

Relying on the attack from the right rib, Isco was pulled back first, which caused the defense of Real Madrid's forward line in the top of the penalty area to loosen, and then suddenly turned to the left side. At the same time, Mandzukic either pulled to the side or broke into the penalty area, forming two strong points with Higuain. The equalizer came from Bonucci's long pass, and Sandro quickly crossed from the side.

At this time, Real Madrid's three defensive midfielders could not protect the top of the arc and the penalty area at the same time, forming a good coordinated defense, and immediately fell into a dilemma:

1. If the three defensive midfielders did not retreat, Mandzukic and Higuain could directly face the Real Madrid defender in the penalty area.

⒉ When the defensive strength at the top of the Real Madrid penalty area was divided, Juventus' midfielders got a particularly obvious opportunity to insert from behind. Pjanic had a very threatening shot in the first 6 minutes.

Juventus's defensive midfielder Khedira pressed forward when attacking, providing a lot of support for Dybala and Sandro, but Juventus' two defensive lines retreated too quickly and too deep. During the transition from attack to defense, once Real Madrid accelerated and made a quick transfer, Mandzukic could not return to his position, and Real Madrid could immediately capture the weakness of the Serie A's defense in a local area.

That is, the defensive coordination between Mandzukic, Khedira and Sandro is not good.

Real Madrid spent the entire first half testing and consuming this weak side. In addition, Juventus' defense in front of the penalty area was not well protected like Real Madrid. This shortcoming was solved by Real Madrid in the second half by increasing the intensity of the game and increasing the high-pressure pressing in the opponent's 30-meter area.

The 4-3-3 of the Galaxy Battleship changed to 4-4-2, because Isco was reborn, forming a terrifying "four defensive midfielders rotating positions":

a. Isco can retreat to the defensive midfielder to get the ball and organize, at this time Modric and Toni Kroos all pressed forward, forming two very effective ball holding strong points in the middle circle and 30-meter area. Juventus' defense had to change from five defenders to four defenders to increase the number of defenders in the midfield.

b. Isco can switch positions with Toni Kroos and Modric. These three can play in the middle and can also support the assisting full-back Q in the ribs; the three can form an effective passing triangle and support Casemiro, forming an absolutely effective advancement.

c. Isco° has improved his running and defensive abilities, and he is like a more offensive Modric. These two and Toni Kroos strengthened vertical penetration in this game. Juventus' forward line had to retreat collectively, weakening the counterattack's support for Higuain. At 11 minutes and 11 seconds in the first half, Dybala's foul on Toni Kroos is the best example. And Real Madrid's first and second goals are directly related to Toni Kroos' offensive penetration.

d. The fourth change has a lot to do with Toni Kroos's position change. As long as he comes to the center, Isco and Modric can boldly add two wings to effectively penetrate Juventus. Ronaldo scored twice. It was Modric who stole Mandzukic, then moved forward decisively, and played a direct pass with Carvajal to complete the assist.