Chapter 347 The Blue Moon Legion’s counterattack!
In the previous few games, Ronaldo was in a position similar to a center forward, and the cooperation between him and the full-backs has been drastically reduced. He also cut inside less frequently than before, relying more on the judgment of the landing point and the support of the running position.
In a word, it is no longer possible for Ronaldo to frequently cut inside, sprint, and make big moves near the center and the front of the penalty area as before. He has the will but not the strength. So in a few games this season, you will feel that "this kind of ball would have been scored two seasons ago", and so on. There are more and more such words.
This game is slightly different. Of course, Ronaldo still wasted several excellent opportunities. But in terms of creating opportunities, this game is impeccable. Real Madrid quickly entered the rhythm at the beginning, and Marcelo, Ronaldo and Benzema almost knocked on Naples' goal with the first wing cooperation in the frontcourt. It was unexpected that Real Madrid attacked fiercely at the beginning.
But it was Napoli who scored first. Hamsik passed the ball to Insigne near the midfield. The latter did not make any adjustments and played a curved ball 25 meters away. Navas stood forward and could only watch the ball go into the net. The camera was given to Navas, who was a little disappointed but had to try his best to boost morale.
After the game continued, Napoli continued to press in the frontcourt, and Real Madrid tried to use a long pass to cross Napoli's midfield defense and launch a counterattack. Real Madrid's use of the full-backs on both wings is obviously different. Marcelo on the left is more likely to go down the bottom, and after cooperating with Ronaldo, he either crosses or shoots;
Carvajal on the right rarely breaks through to the position near the sideline, and rarely tries to shoot. He is more of a support point for the right winger to pass back and make a 45° diagonal pass. In theory, this kind of pass away from the bottom line and close to the goal will be much less threatening. In fact, the threat of Ronaldo and Benzema in the penalty area makes the 45-degree diagonal pass a killer for Real Madrid.
Benzema's header equalized the game thanks to this. However, the scene that changed the situation and direction of the game occurred in the 26th minute and a half. Without communicating with James, Ronaldo took the initiative to come to the right, and James slowly moved to the left and got closer to Benzema. This move was very clever.
-The corridor on the right was open, and Ronaldo ran to the middle to shoot, but it was too high, which was a pity;
-Ronaldo made a 45-degree diagonal pass on the right without stopping the ball, and Benzema hit the post one-on-one, but his luck was a bit bad. In addition, Ronaldo's pass was like Bale and Di Maria, no less than any midfielder;
-James' left foot could be used, and he began to frequently kick high balls on the left;
-Benzema was not only active in the middle, but also began to cooperate with the midfielders on the left. At this time, Ronaldo became a center forward.
Then in the second half, Ronaldo stayed on the left as a routine after the kick-off, and ran to the right to make trouble.
In the 48th minute and a half, Ronaldo passed the ball back after going down the bottom, and Kroos putted the ball into the hole; in the 53rd minute, Ronaldo ran to the middle, and after Benzema and James cooperated on the wing, the ball came to Casemiro's feet, and it was like Quaresma was possessed.
Nadal and the Real Madrid bench watching the game on the sidelines were shocked. So far, the overall situation of the game has been decided. Naples is not without opportunities. The 45-degree diagonal lob from the left created a great threat to Real Madrid.
Real Madrid's defense still has loopholes. The full-backs attacked too fiercely, and the two central defenders stood too far away, resulting in frequent attacks on the middle. Fortunately, Mertens did not seize the opportunity.
But in general, this is a Real Madrid that pays more attention to position changes and knows how to control the overall situation. Although Zidane failed to transform Real Madrid into a team that pays more attention to footwork, can always play dazzling cooperation in some parts, and plays a tiki-taka style, but from the overall layout, he broke the Real Madrid convention of over-reliance on personal ability, detailed position division, and little attention to formation adjustment.
Under him, Isco can play as a left winger, Ronaldo can go to the right, and Vazquez can occupy a starting position most of the time. These are all significant improvements. Kroos is a commander, Modric is a strategist, and Ronaldo is now more and more like a general.
He is not just leading the charge like before, charging back and forth, but more importantly, he can make some adjustments according to the situation, such as going to the right side that he doesn't like, such as taking on defense most of the time today, and occasionally messing up the situation in the center position. Benzema's fight in the front court is very scorching.
Casemiro is the barrier in the middle, Carvajal and Marcelo run up and down, and James Rodriguez works diligently. The whole Real Madrid gives people the feeling of being steady and ruthless, with a heavy sword without a front. In addition, Napoli's defense at the beginning was similar to 4-1-4-1, but in the first half, Real Madrid directly chose long passes, which basically made the 4 midfielders' defense line useless, and Real Madrid's position on the defensive end was more like 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1, and James Rodriguez was still used as a midfielder invisibly.
The advantage of the midfield is also a key to victory.
The game content shown by Napoli in this game reflects the style of a strong team. The players used the ball and passed the ball in an orderly manner to attack, which also made Real Madrid uncomfortable at some time in the game, but Hamsik, Zielinski and others did not do a good job of passing the ball directly in this game, which was not up to par compared to their performance in Serie A; otherwise, Napoli would never have led by only one goal in the first 20 minutes.
Another drawback is that I don't know why Napoli had to play the ball so fancy in this game, with a lot of coordination and trying to play in crowded places. They could obviously speed up and try to attack Real Madrid's defense directly.
As a fan who has always watched Serie A and likes Milan, the respondent hopes in his heart that Naples will make big news at the Bernabeu, and by the way prove that the Italian team is still the top in the world. But this is a pity, there is really a gap between our own strength and Real Madrid.
Real Madrid's momentum at home is also frighteningly strong. No matter how you control Naples or how you can drill it, or whether I can steal your ball when you are playing high, I will always hit your goal hard.
While watching the game, I kept sighing in my mind, when will my home team also have players like Modric and Toni Kroos? These two people perfectly control the midfield and continuously provide the frontcourt with opportunities when Real Madrid attacks. Delivering artillery shells, connecting the whole team, and running in and out, Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema repeatedly directly attacked the Naples defense in the frontcourt. People may only see their unrestrained display of superb skills, but I always marveled at Real Madrid in front of the TV. Strong midfield.
Napoli's strong performance in European competitions in recent years has also proved that this is an enterprising team. From the immaturity of losing to Chelsea in the 12-13 Champions League, to the unwillingness to be eliminated with 12 points in the 13-14 group stage, to the courage to play against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu this year, the players have changed one after another, but Naples has never changed. .
Even if my opponent is Team Cosmos, I will risk my life to defeat you. Football needs this spirit.
As for Arsenal's performance this morning... In the first half, the referee made it 1:1, and then in the second half, they swelled up and went out to pretend, and then they were beaten head-on and collapsed. They lost the ball in front of the penalty area and gave away another. This is standard rabble-rousing.
In the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, Real Madrid defeated Wolfsburg 3-0 at home and advanced with a total score of 3-2. In the first half, Ramos hit the header with a header. Ronaldo scored twice with an overhead kick in 87 seconds. In the second half, Ramos headed the ball into the center post. Cristiano Ronaldo completed a hat-trick with a free kick, taking his UEFA Champions League goals to 16 this season and rewriting his personal record of UEFA Champions League goals to 96.
Real Madrid lost the first leg away 0-2. Compared with the first round, Zidane only adjusted one position, Carvajal replaced Danilo, and Benzema recovered from his knee injury in time. Cristiano Ronaldo's 125 Champions League games tie Seedorf for fifth place. Wolfsburg coach Heijing remained unchanged.
Real Madrid has won all four home games in the Champions League this season, scoring a total of 15 goals and conceding no goals. The last time they faced a Bundesliga team was a 3-4 loss in the second leg of the 1/8 finals last season. They had previously won 4 consecutive home games against Bundesliga teams and were unbeaten in 12 consecutive games. In the last 13 official home games, 11 have scored at least 3 goals. Wolfsburg has advanced in all four previous European knockout rounds by winning the first leg.
The game was played in the rain. A moment of silence was held before the game for the deceased former Real Madrid player Felipe De Luis. Real Madrid fans hung a banner in the stands with the message "Three Arrows Hit Milan", referring to the 1985 UEFA Cup semi-finals. After Real Madrid lost 0-2 away to Inter Milan in the first leg, they came back 3-0 at home to advance.
After the opening, Real Madrid completely suppressed the opponent in the half court. Cross took a corner kick from the left, Ramos nodded the ball forward, and the ball landed on the far end of the crossbar.
Real Madrid took the lead in the 15th minute! Carvajal stepped into the frontcourt and intercepted Arnold's cross. After the pass was blocked by Arnold, he passed the ball again from the right corner of the penalty area and Arnold changed his line slightly. Cristiano Ronaldo pushed into the empty goal 5 meters away from the goal. .
After the restart, Real Madrid got the ball and attacked again. Modric sent the ball over the top, and Carvajal unloaded the ball from the right side of the penalty area and passed with his left foot. Vierinha struggled to get ahead of Ronaldo and hit the baseline. , Cross took a corner kick from the left, and Ronaldo's header from a small angle bounced into the far corner 7 meters away from the goal.
2 to 0! The difference between Real Madrid's two goals was only 88 seconds! Cristiano Ronaldo has scored at least 45 goals for Real Madrid for 6 consecutive seasons.
Benzema cut in from the left and shot a low shot from the edge of the penalty area and was caught by Benaglio. Draxler was replaced by Kruse due to injury. Gustavo's left-footed shot from 28 meters in front of the goal was shot over the crossbar by Navas.
Wolfsburg missed a good opportunity in the 38th minute. Schürrle broke through and passed a low pass from the left. Enrique, who was unmarked, did not shoot directly from the penalty spot. He stopped with his left foot and pushed the shot with his right foot but was blocked by Marcelo's leg and missed. Right goal post.
Arnold brought down Casemiro and was given a yellow card warning. He will be suspended for one game. Kroos passed the free kick into the penalty area. Ramos fought for the top. Benzema stopped the ball on the left side of the penalty area and his shot was blocked after hesitation.
The rain had not stopped in the second half. Ronaldo broke into the left side of the penalty area and fell to the ground. The Hungarian referee Kaushoy did not interrupt the game. Then Ronaldo hit the wall with a free kick 29 meters in front of the goal and missed. There was controversy in the 66th minute. Kroos took a corner kick from the left. Ramos's header hit the inside of the right post 7 meters in front of the goal. The ball flew near the goal line. Benaglio caught the ball behind him. , the referee Kaushoy ruled that the ball was not scored.
In the 70th minute, Ricardo Rodriguez took a corner kick from the left, and Dante's header was received by Navas.
Enrique fell to the ground injured and seemed to be dizzy, and Caligiuri came on as a substitute. Real Madrid took the lead in the 77th minute! Modric stole the ball and reached the top of the penalty area and was brought down by Gustavo. Gustavo received a yellow card and will be suspended for one game. He accused his teammate Arnold of poor defense, and the two had an argument. Cristiano Ronaldo took a free kick 25 meters in front of the goal and entered the lower right corner from the narrow gap between Naldo and Gilavoji.
3-0, this is Cristiano Ronaldo's 16th goal in the Champions League this season, second only to his record of 17 goals in the 2013-14 season, and rewritten his own Champions League quarter-final scoring record to 15 goals. He tied Messi's record with five hat-tricks in the Champions League.
Black Gold immediately replaced midfielder Gilavoji with striker Dost. Wolfsburg could advance by scoring one more goal on away goals. Ronaldo tackled Arnold and was given a yellow card. Benzema cut in from the left to avoid Vierinha, and his low shot from 12 meters in front of the goal missed the far post! Jose replaces Benzema. Bell cut into the penalty area from the left and shot a low shot which was scored by Benaglio. Varane replaces Modric. Real Madrid eventually advanced 3-2.
Real Madrid's success this season can be considered a near miss, but compared to its competitors in the "top three Western Super League", the biggest advantage of Galacticos is stability.
The performance of the midfielders is objectively speaking, it is only relative.
Stability in the midfield means continued good performance on both offense and defense. After Zidane took charge, he continued to trust Modric, Casemiro, and Toni Kroos in the Q-two midfield configuration (strictly speaking, a three-back midfielder), with Ronaldo, Isco, and Vázquez (forwards switching to midfielders). ).
Asensio has become a reasonable rotation player. Among them, the reuse of Isco and the regular starter to win Ronaldo are Zidane's very bold strokes.
Isco only took the initiative to change his playing style to be more suitable for the team's requirements (it's not easy to get the idea). Although Ronaldo is very talented and can form a strong immediate combat power when coming off the bench, in terms of offensive and defensive balance, he cannot beat Real Madrid. The midfielder plays a better bonus. Vazquez and Asensio have only rotated relatively few starts and have not yet experienced rapid growth. In fact, they are already ready to adapt to the requirements of the team.
The basic statistics of Real Madrid's back line this season. The season average of 1.08 goals conceded per game is compared to Barcelona's 0.97 and Atletico Madrid's 0.71. It can be said that the defensive performance is indeed not outstanding. What Real Madrid needs is long-term highlights. Ramos and Carvajal are the only regular starters.
, Marcelo can meet the requirements, Varane mainly has many injuries, Nacho mainly has problems with running-in and unstable position; Danilo has a lot of playing time, and his personal performance is difficult to meet the requirements of "long-term highlights", Cohen Tron has basically been given up by Zidane.
In the "six-point battle" between the top three, according to the order of battle, Real Madrid drew away from Barcelona and lost at home, while Atletico Madrid won away and tied at home. Barcelona had a home draw and an away win against Atletico Madrid. This season, both Real Madrid and Barcelona remain undefeated against Atletico Madrid. Xiangma finally won the league championship. The biggest advantage is that they lost less games, which is why it is said that there is no danger.
First of all, Zidane's analysis shows that in the past ten days, Zidane's pants accidentally tore twice without any force, directly advertising Ronaldo's underwear. According to our understanding, the brand of pants he wore was Versace. , so here’s a reminder that you need to pay more attention before buying this brand.
Then analyze the game itself.
Before the game, Manchester City's midfielder Yaya Toure was injured for many days, which had a slight impact on the Manchester City midfielder. However, Real Madrid suffered a greater blow during the physical examination before the game. Ronaldo was directly declared out of the game during the physical examination.
The absence of these two people had a certain impact on the offensive quality displayed by the two teams in the game.
Casemiro is the barrier in the middle, Carvajal and Marcelo are flying up and down, and Ronaldo is working hard. The whole Real Madrid gives people the feeling of being steady and ruthless, with a heavy sword without an edge. In addition, Naples' defense at the beginning was similar to 4-1-4-1, but in the first half, Real Madrid directly chose long passes, which basically made the 4-midfield defense line useless, while Real Madrid's position on the defensive end was more similar to 4-4 -2 or 4-2-3-1, Ronaldo is still used as a midfielder.
During the game, Manchester City set up a 451 formation, and there was a tendency to change to 4411 during the game. With Silva's injury, Manchester City changed to a 442 formation, and Real Madrid set up a 433 formation.
In the first 25 minutes of the game, Manchester City coach Pellegrini's idea was obvious. The frontcourt press forced Real Madrid defenders to make mistakes. Fernandinho made consecutive steals during this period. At the same time, the ball also successfully transitioned to De Bruyne's feet will pose a certain test to Real Madrid's defense.
The Real Madrid defender fouled twice near the penalty area and received a yellow card, indicating that Manchester City had certain suppression of Real Madrid in the first 25 minutes. However, Manchester City's free kick did not successfully challenge the Royal team. Kompany even tried to suppress Casemiro with a foul. But after 25 minutes passed, Real Madrid midfielders Modric and Kroos began to take advantage of passing, constantly passing the ball to resolve Manchester City's press. At the same time, Fernandinho's activity began to decline.
This is when Real Madrid began to take the initiative to take advantage of the ball possession, but facing Manchester City's comprehensive defense, Real Madrid did not show many methods, and Manchester City has been very patient with Real Madrid.
In the 25-40 minute period, every time Real Madrid lost the ball, Aguero and De Bruyne took the initiative to pull the main side and form a triangle with Silva, trying to pry open Real Madrid's right wing guarded by Carvajal. , the effect is not very obvious, but it can also be seen that the Real Madrid full-back is not very comfortable.
In the 40th minute, Silva committed a tactical foul but was accidentally injured, which directly led to his departure. This departure meant that the advantage on the left that Manchester City had begun to establish suddenly disappeared.
It is worth noting here that during the game, Clichy never stepped in to help the three offensive players put pressure on Real Madrid. Throughout the game, Clichy and Sagna did not have many offensive attacks, which shows that Manchester City is somewhat wary of Real Madrid's counterattack. It is also worth noting that Silva's injury was caused by a foul on Bell's tactical tackle.
In the last stage of the first half, Modric's master-level vision and magical outside-of-foot straight pass created many cross-court opportunities for Carvajal and Marcelo, but the quality of the cross was average and did not create a substantial threatening attack.
In general, Manchester City was more active than Real Madrid in the first half. After a period of discomfort, Real Madrid began to try to control the ball and suppress the rhythm. In this transition process, Modric and Kroos played a huge role.