Chapter 36 I want to book a ticket to the quarterfinals of this season's Champions League [Plea
Chapter 36 I want to book a ticket to the quarterfinals of this season's Champions League [Please read on! ]
From a psychological perspective, Li Chen has Simeone under control.
Stubbornness, conservatism, and excessive pursuit of stability, all of Simeone's tactical flaws were exploited by Li Chen.
The game scene was so impressive that all the Manchester United assistant coaches were convinced!
"Do we need to make further tactical adjustments during the half-time break? Do we want to catch Atletico off guard again?"
Carrick was eager to give his suggestion.
But seeing that Atletico had changed the focus of its attack and that Llorente was organizing the game more, Li Chen rubbed his chin and shook his head.
"We have received enough surprises. Don't be greedy. No matter how Simeone makes adjustments, he will not give up further consolidating the defense... Don't be in a hurry. Wait for him to make a move and then see which backup tactical plan to use. Stay calm."
After receiving Li Chen's reply, Carrick nodded thoughtfully and said no more.
After shrinking their formation, Manchester United patiently dealt with Atletico Madrid and did not make any mistakes on the defensive end.
Cavani, who always actively returns to defense, also made up for Ronaldo's defensive shortcomings along the way.
He and Fred did a good job of limiting Atletico's offensive advance on the right.
In addition, Matic's defensive form was excellent today, and Atletico's combination of wing and center tactics often failed to reach Manchester United's flank area and were directly blocked and resolved.
When the referee blew the whistle to end the game at halftime, the Atletico fans at the scene actually breathed a sigh of relief.
This constipated attack scene really made them worried.
XJB made a pass from outside, but not only could the ball not reach Manchester United's defense, but Manchester United also seized the opportunity to launch several efficient counterattacks!
If it weren't for Oblak's superb performance today and his amazing saves, Ronaldo might have scored twice in the first half to help Manchester United end the game early!
Although Atletico Madrid fans have never been willing to admit defeat to their opponents when it comes to talking tough, they hate Ronaldo even more for repeatedly hurting the team.
But they also had to admit that they were scared every time Ronaldo took the ball and shot on the court today.
So much so that many Atletico Madrid fans started complaining in the stands.
They complained about the mediocre performance of their own defenders today, and also complained about why head coach Simeone did not make a more stringent defense plan against Ronaldo.
Is it really true that he only remembers the food and not the beating?
He's been done to by Ronaldo so many times. Even though the Portuguese striker is now in the twilight of his career, can't you "respect" his rich game experience and his damn sense of goal?
Simeone, who was being talked about by his own fans, couldn't help but sneeze twice when he returned to the player tunnel.
He did make some mistakes in his defensive arrangements today.
But to be honest, it's unreasonable to blame him entirely.
Looking at the global football scene, which club head coach would deploy a special man-marking tactic for a 37-year-old veteran who currently plays without the ball?
That's really luxurious!
The opponent is not playing with the ball, and if you send someone to mark him, he just happens to achieve the goal of helping his teammates create space for attack.
But your defense is actually lacking this kind of backup force. Wouldn't Sancho, who has the ability to dribble and break through, be delighted to see this situation?
However, this is correct in theory, but the reality is that Ronaldo's explosive performance gave Simeone and Atletico Madrid a loud slap in the face.
Simeone had no choice but to accept it. In the second half of the game, he could only make up for his loss and further strengthen his defense on Ronaldo.
Of course, while further consolidating the defensive system, he must also make adjustments on the offensive end.
Griezmann will definitely come on at the beginning of the second half.
For Atletico Madrid, he is not only a forward who can attack the city and capture the castle, but also one of the few ball-handling core players in the team's frontcourt.
Felix could have done that, but his poor performance today has worn out Simeone's expectations and patience for him.
So there was no suspense, at the beginning of the second half, Griezmann replaced Felix and was called on as a substitute.
However, Correa was not replaced by Suarez as Atletico fans called for. He remained on the field and acted as a troublemaker on the offensive end.
His fighting spirit and active running can ultimately help Griezmann create space for attack.
What Atletico Madrid urgently needs now is to push the offensive line forward to Manchester United's defensive hinterland.
There is really not much point in playing Suarez at this time. We don't have an advantage in the midfield. The last Suarez who has not recovered from his injury is just sitting in jail. It is better to let Griezmann play comfortably first.
Simeone's idea was quite correct, and the substitutions at halftime were timely.
But just when he was expecting Griezmann's performance to slowly tear open Manchester United's shrinking defense, Li Chen made a substitution right after him!
Cavani, who had been running actively in the first half of the game, was soon replaced by Rashford.
Ronaldo changed his position to No. 9 and Rashford played on the left.
At first glance, this seems to be just an offensive substitution to strengthen the counterattack.
But when he saw Rashford moving inwards and actively defending, freeing up Fred to mark Griezmann.
The Atletico Madrid fans at the scene couldn't help but hurled a series of Spanish curses at Li Chen!
Simeone couldn't help but swear!
In his opinion, Li Chen must have done a detailed study of Atletico Madrid's tactical system and substitution ideas before the game!
Otherwise, how could Manchester United have so smoothly strangled Atletico Madrid's offensive lifeline through tactical adjustments again?
Simeone finally guessed it right this time, but he still didn't think enough.
He also had no idea how thoroughly Li Chen knew him and Atletico Madrid.
If Koke could start the game normally today, Li Chen would definitely not use the man-marking tactics so early to try to limit Griezmann's performance.
But with Koke absent due to injury and Atletico's organizational changes in the midfield and frontcourt almost all relying on Griezmann alone, the tactical choices Li Chen has to make are much simpler.
Regardless of whether Simeone has any tactical backup plans, Li Chen is determined to suppress the performance of Griezmann, the core of Atletico Madrid.
If Simeone really relies on Carrasco, who is not in his prime, and Lemar, a glass man with a nervous knife, to break the tactical deadlock today, then Li Chen will accept it!
Simeone stood on the sidelines, his expression constantly changing. If there was a problem on the defensive end, he could make a lot of adjustments, and there were also several reliable midfielders and defenders sitting on the bench.
Can attack...
If he had Ancelotti's ability to adapt to different situations like the opponent on the offensive end, why was he defeated by Real Madrid twice in the Champions League final?
In the past, when he encountered difficulties in attack, he had a tactic of kicking the ball to a center forward, passing through the midfield and letting the center forward compete for the ball with Griezmann.
But now this trick is no longer useful.
The only ones left on his front line were ordinary-sized center forwards like Correa and Suarez, who were unable to gain any points in the duel with Maguire.
If Atletico insists on playing long passes, they will only die faster.
There is no choice but to continue working on the two flanks. Griezmann is being targeted by Fred, so Atletico's midfield penetration plan will be aborted.
Simeone, who couldn't make any adjustments on the offensive end, was silent for a long time.
The Atletico Madrid players on the field could not wait for the head coach's instructions and could only play the game according to the previous tactical deployment.
The Atletico Madrid that needs to make more changes on the offensive end is no longer the Atletico Madrid that neutral fans are familiar with.
Their defensive pressure and sharp counterattacks were of no use. On the contrary, they had to bear the pressure from Manchester United's quick counterattack!
After his time at Barcelona, Griezmann, whose mentality has gone through ups and downs, now plays more maturely.
But he is also getting further and further away from the third best player in world football between 2016 and 2018.
At nearly 31 years old, he obviously can no longer rely on faster speed and changes of rhythm to break free from his opponent's restricted defense like he did when he was young.
Not to mention that Fred strictly implemented the tactical plan arranged by Li Chen, and followed him relentlessly, trying to interfere with his ball organization.
Griezmann was really tired of being targeted by such a nimble opponent.
He needed the support of another teammate who could get the ball and assist, but when he looked around, the teammates with this ability were still sitting on the bench.
The French striker felt helpless and powerless.
Today's Atletico Madrid, like Griezmann, has entered a stage of declining capabilities. Unable to stop the trend, they can only try their best to slow down this momentum.
But the lost ability is gone after all. If it were the Atletico Madrid of the past, it would be able to rely on the impact and heading ability of Diego Costa, Raul Jimenez and Morata to solve offensive problems.
But now, Atletico can only struggle in vain while being targeted and restricted by their opponents. This scene made the Atletico fans at the scene more and more confused.
I can’t see the future direction of the team’s development!
They should continue to trust Simeone and make do with their current life.
Or should they burn their boats and start from scratch, completely overturning the team's entire tactical system to keep up with the so-called trend of technical and tactical development in football?
No one gave the confused Atletico fans a correct answer.
It was in this overall atmosphere of brewing disappointment that Atletico fans saw Herrera being forced to commit a tactical foul to bring down Rashford.
A quick counterattack by Manchester United was interrupted.
Herrera protected his defence from Rashford's onslaught of the ball, but he paid a heavy price for it.
A yellow card and a free kick opportunity in the frontcourt slightly to the left.
The Manchester United players on the field were happy to see Atletico's main defensive midfielder get a card.
And at Li Chen's wave of his hand, they calmly and actively stood in the Atletico penalty area according to the arrangement of usual training, exerting huge pressure on Atletico's defenders!
There is no doubt that Ronaldo and Maguire, who are standing in Atletico's penalty area at this moment, have become thorns in the eyes of all Atletico's defensive players.
They are indeed the two players with the most header threats in Manchester United.
Oblak did not dare to be careless and carefully directed his teammates to double-team the Manchester United players on the opposite side and not to cause any interference to his defensive vision.
After a while, the players of both teams started to confront each other suddenly in their interlaced positions!
Luke Shaw, with his arms lowered, also sent out this free kick in the frontcourt!
The football drew a beautiful arc in the air and fell straight to the back of Atletico Madrid's penalty area!
Ronaldo, pretending to make a header, stopped at the front point and looked towards the back point expectantly with other teammates.
The next moment, Lindelof jumped high at the back post and headed the ball past Atletico's left-back Reinierdo!
The Atletico defenders, dazzled by Manchester United's set-piece tactics, had not yet reacted to clear the ball.
Then we saw Maguire breaking away from Savage's defense in the middle of the midfield and completing a neat volley!
The football changed its direction again before it even hit the ground!
Oblak was helpless in the face of such a close-range shot, and could only watch the football go into the lower right corner of the goal behind him!
"Oh hoo! Harry Maguire! Maguire stepped up and scored a wonderful volley like a center forward!!! We were all fooled! Manchester United used an unexpected set-piece tactical arrangement to expand their lead!"
"God, I couldn't believe my eyes! It was Maguire who finished the shot in the middle of the penalty area!
What a beautiful volley! Maybe Maguire shouldn't have changed from a central midfielder to a central defender. If he had insisted, he might have become an alternative attacking star in football now~"
"It was a very beautiful set-piece tactical arrangement, Manchester United changed the score to 2-0, Atletico's defensive performance today was really bad!
Is this still the Atletico we know? Simeone may have to take responsibility for this. Falling two goals behind the opponent at the Wanda Metropolitano was perhaps a scene that all Atletico fans did not expect before the game..."
Maguire's volley goal made the entire Wanda Metropolitano Stadium filled with only the wild cheers of Manchester United fans for the next few seconds.
Li Chen couldn't keep calm this time. He stood on the sidelines, raised his arms high and cheered excitedly!
Of course there is an element of luck in such a goal, but if there had not been targeted practice in normal training, Manchester United would not have been able to seize such an opportunity!
More thorough pre-match arrangements, correct tactical adjustments, outstanding teamwork, individual performance and a certain amount of luck have led to Manchester United leading Atletico Madrid 2-0 at the moment!
Although there are still nearly thirty minutes left until the end of this game, the second round of the two teams has not yet started.
But neutral fans who have watched this game now actually have an idea in their minds.
It's hard to have suspense anymore.
Atletico Madrid lost 0-2 at home. When they go to Old Trafford for the second leg, facing Li Chen who knows their tactical thinking very well, what kind of waves can they make?
It's over!
It’s very difficult to turn the tables!
Li Chen, who was once again hugged excitedly by Carrick, clenched his fists, as if he had already firmly grasped the chance of advancing.
"I'm going to book a ticket to the quarterfinals of this season's Champions League!"
(End of this chapter)