knife guard

Chapter 583

Sturdy nickname, sexy yellow jersey, romantic love song stadium, this is La Liga powerhouse Villarreal.

Villarreal and Hoffenheim have almost the same experience. In 1923, the small town of Villarreal with only 8000 people owned the team of the same name, Villarreal.Like Hoffenheim, Villarreal spent most of their time in the lower leagues after their establishment, until May 1997 ushered in a historic figure --- Fernando Roig.

Roeg, the owner of a toilet manufacturing company, shared Hope's love of sports and football.After announcing his purchase of Villarreal, Roig declared that he wanted to make the team a La Liga title contender.At the time the club was heavily indebted, the team was struggling to retain their second division qualification, and the pitch was bigger than Hoffenheim's Dietmar.Hope Field is even smaller, with a capacity of only 3500 people.

Ten years have passed, Roig's rhetoric has become a reality, and Villarreal has become a strong contender for the La Liga title and the semi-finals of the Champions League.The old Love Song Stadium has become a modern stadium that can accommodate 22000 people.

This similar experience gave the Hoffenheim players who rushed from Germany a very cordial feeling. They felt that they seemed to be fighting another self.

There are only two relatively high-end hotels in this small town. Hoffenheim stayed at the Palace Hotel. Villarreal is very small, and the Palace Hotel is only a 20-minute walk from the Love Song Stadium, which is very convenient.

The arrival of Hoffenheim made this Mediterranean town lively. In addition to the accompanying more than 4000 German fans, hundreds of reporters, and many Spanish fans who came to Villarreal from Valencia, most fans Everyone wants to witness the demeanor of the world footballer.Of course, there are also many enthusiastic Spanish girls who came to see the passionate handsome Li.

Since many of Li Huan's girlfriends were exposed on this Valentine's Day, besides Xiao Li Feidao, Li Huan has gained another nickname of "Sexy Son". The "Sentimental Son" came to the Love Song Stadium. Such a romantic thing is infinitely lethal to women. .

To the disappointment of the female fans, Li Huan has always lived in seclusion. Only when he went to the Love Song Stadium for training, the fans had the opportunity to see him. Fortunately, although Li Huan rarely came out, he never refused fans who wanted to take pictures and sign autographs. It was the fans who had to hide from the sight of the two deadpan bodyguards.

On the eve of the game, Rangnick and Manuel Pellegrini attended the press conference. Both of them were scholar-type coaches. The press conference was conducted in a mild and almost flat atmosphere, without the tension that Mourinho was present at. Case.

The head coaches of both sides expressed cautious optimism for this game.

Rangnick said: "The British say that we and Villarreal are a contest between two teams with no background, but it is precisely because of our lack of background that every victory we win is so great.

This is our first knockout match in the Champions League. We don't have any experience to learn from. Fortunately, there are two knockout matches. Even if we make mistakes, I have the opportunity to make up for them.So we are not afraid of knockouts,
Villarreal is a great team, well, they are as great as Hoffenheim, in 06 they reached the semi-finals for the first time in the Champions League, which is a great record, we hope to be like They are just as successful.

There will definitely be more difficulties in the away game, but we are on the state, we will not be conservative, and I assure the fans that this will be a very exciting game. "

Pellegrini smiled like a host, and said: "Hoffenheim and Villarreal are two very small cities. Generally speaking, it is difficult for such a team to enter the Champions League. The main game, let alone the knockout round. I think the most important thing for our success is to master the balance.

Balance is the most important thing in football, and only a team with a balanced offense and defense can win.Last season's champion was Manchester United instead of Chelsea, because Manchester United was more offensive and defensive than Chelsea.

We have Capdevila and Senna in the back line, Rossi and Pires in the frontcourt, this is our balance, Hoffenheim has no outstanding superstars except Li Huan, Ruud van Nistelrooy has not yet Fully integrated into the team, but their three lines of strength are very average, which makes them very difficult to deal with.This is also the key to their success.

It's going to be a tough game for sure, but we'll have the last laugh because it's at the El Eduardo.We have [-] fans behind us. "

After the head coaches of both sides spoke, they answered questions from journalists from various countries, and the press conference ended.When taking questions from reporters, the Chilean engineer revealed such information. He said that Villarreal would not make targeted arrangements for the current World Footballer. The enemy of the Spanish team in the game is the ball rather than the players.

The match between Hoffenheim and Villarreal was scheduled for the second match day. After dinner that day, Rangnick called the players together in the conference room of the hotel to observe the home game between Lyon and Barcelona. Marco was in charge of the video , Rangnick hopes that players can learn more about La Liga teams from this game.

Before the start of the game, all the Hoffenheim players felt that Barcelona would definitely win. Barcelona was at least stronger than Lyon, not to mention they had superstars like Messi, Eto'o, Henry, Xavi, each of them Everyone has the ability to rewrite the outcome of a game in an instant.

Even Li Huan can't remember whether Barcelona won or lost this game, but the elimination of Lyon is certain.He remembers that this season Barcelona won an unprecedented six crowns and won all the championships.

However, just 6 minutes into the game, Lyon scored a goal. It was an unexpected goal. Juninho took a free kick on the left side of the penalty area. Everyone thought he would pass the ball, but Juninho shot. , Valdez fell back and fell, fulfilling the little Juninho.

Seeing Juninho's free kick goal, the Hoffenheim players all looked at Li Huan. Juninho is also a famous free kick master. He became famous earlier than Li Huan, but now he is suppressed by Li Huan's little Li flying knife Living.

Li Huan rubbed his nose and said with a wry smile: "Don't look at me, I'm not sure about the ball in this position, I need the cooperation of the goalkeeper."

Everyone laughed. There are really not many goalkeepers who are as stupid and naive as Valdes.

Rangnick smiled and encouraged: "Actually, Li can try to shoot free kicks from different positions."

Li Huan nodded and smiled without saying a word. He is not sure about shooting from this position, but if the opponent's goalkeeper relaxes his vigilance, he will definitely not let it go.

At the end of the game, Henry equalized the score for Barcelona, ​​and finally the two sides drew one to one.But in the game, Lyon played even better, which can be described as brave, while Barcelona was in a mess. If it weren't for Lyon's poor ability to seize opportunities, Barcelona would never have retreated unscathed.

After watching the game, Rangnick immediately analyzed Lyon's tactics for the players through the video.

"I heard that Lyon had watched the video of Espanyol's victory over Barcelona last weekend over and over before the game. It can be said that Lyon played very smartly and targetedly. They hoarded 5 players in the midfield and cut off the connection between Harvey and his teammates. The contact between them forced Messi to leave the right to find the ball, and used Benzema to press Alves to dare not rush forward easily, which abolished Barcelona's strong right attack. Strengthening the steals in the center and front field successfully prevented Barcelona from being good at Penetration of short passes, widening the distance between Eto'o and the penalty area."

"Of course Villarreal is not Barcelona, ​​but they are also a team that likes to have the ball. We can learn from Lyon and use fast running to cut off the connection between Villarreal players. The Spanish team is not Like to pass the ball? We isolate them and let them break through. That's the key to whether we can win tomorrow."

Lannick spoke in high spirits, with a hint of passionate words, as if Lyon was in command of him, but Van Nistelrooy and Arshavin were hesitant to speak, because they had just joined the team and were unwilling to be like Li Huanhe. Eduardo to participate in the team's tactical design.

Rangnick did find a way to deal with the Spanish team, but he doesn't know that it is not an easy task to accomplish his intention, like in last year's Euro Cup, Russia faced Spain twice, they must know the Spanish team Weaknesses, and there is no lack of targeted play, but they were beaten by Spain twice.

When Rangnick watched the game between Barcelona and Lyon at night and studied how to deal with Villarreal, they did not expect that Pellegrini was doing the same thing, and they also learned from Lyon.

The knockout stage is different from the group stage. Everyone is very cautious. The other few games are also uneventful. Inter Milan drew with Manchester United at home. However, Inter Milan’s draw is ugly. They were beaten by Manchester United at home. They are weak in the Champions League It is already terminally ill, and even Mourinho can't change it.

Arsenal beat Roma 1-0 at home, but this is not much better than a draw. They still have to go to the Wolves to play the game. The only thing that can comfort Wenger is that they did not concede a goal.

Atletico Madrid drew with Porto at home, but a 2-2 draw with their opponents at home in the knockout round is already very bad. According to the calculation of probability, Atletico Madrid has only a 20.00% chance of qualifying.

At 45:[-] the next night, the four games on the second match day of the Champions League knockout round also kicked off. Hoffenheim continued their magical journey in the Champions League at the Love Song Stadium.

Villarreal's nickname comes from the songs of the Beatles, but the Love Song Stadium is not because of the love songs, but from the name of the neighborhood where the stadium is located.The Love Song Stadium is located in Labrador Square at an altitude of 50 meters. The beautiful Mediterranean Sea is just 5 kilometers away from the stadium. You can smell the salty and humid air of the Mediterranean Sea on the stadium.

Spain is close to the Mediterranean Sea. The temperature at the end of February was already above freezing, much warmer than Germany, and the weather was sunny. For Hoffenheim, which has just experienced two snowstorms, playing in such a stadium is like It's like coming to heaven.

The attendance rate of La Liga is not as high as that of the Bundesliga. The number of people in the La Liga Stadium is usually between [-] and [-], but today because of Hoffenheim, the number of people is full. The commentator at the scene said that there are at least [-] people outside the stadium. Fans without tickets.

There are still 10 minutes before the game starts. At this time, the players from both sides have just finished warming up and are going back to the locker room to change. The two commentators from the imperial court have already got the starting lists of both sides, and they are introducing them to the fans.Tao Wei from the Bundesliga and He Wei from La Liga are responsible for the commentary today.

“比利亚雷亚尔今天的首发阵容是守门员13号迭戈-洛佩斯，四个后卫/4号戈丁、20号弗恩特斯、21号布鲁诺、3号卡普德维拉，四个中场是7号皮雷、11号伊巴加萨、8号卡佐拉、19号塞纳，两个前锋是16号略伦特和22号罗西。

This is a four-four-two formation. Pellegrini is obviously practicing his balance theory faithfully. There are two full-backs, one is good at assisting and the other is good at defending. Four midfielders, two attacking and two defending. Even the two forwards are high and fast, one hits the air and the other hits the ground. "

He Wei, the commentator of La Liga, is proficient in business and has his own understanding of the team's tactics, which is much better than the other biscuits in the imperial court.

Although Tao Wei's ability is average, but because of Li Huan, he has studied Hoffenheim very thoroughly. While introducing the lineup, he is speculating on Rangnick's tactical arrangements today.

"Goalkeeper Hildebrand needless to say, as long as fans who like Hoffenheim know, this is the only fixed position. The four defenders are Ibetzberg, Compaq, Yaisler and Li Huan , Veteran Simunic was unable to participate in the game due to influenza, and Jaisle took his place. Compaq and Jaisle are relatively young, so I don’t know if they can block the impact of Llorente.

The midfielder is still a single midfielder Gustavo, and the two attacking midfielders Sarihovic and Arshavin. It seems that what Lennick said before the game was not a bluff. He will fight against his opponent today, but he did not play Eduardo. Instead, he played Sarihovic, obviously because he was worried about Eduardo's defensive ability in the midfield. Sarihovic is better than Eduardo in defense and better in offense than Weiss. He can make the midfield more balanced by playing.

The three forwards are Demba Ba, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Obasi. There is no problem with the two high center forwards Demba Ba and Ruud van Nistelrooy playing together, but why did they use Obasi again.The striker position is the strangest arrangement today. I don't know what Rangnick's idea is. After a while, the players will know the positions of the three of them when they come out. "

After introducing the lineup, the two commentators began to talk about today's referee, the Englishman Michael.Riley, they all believe that the British referee's enforcement of the game is beneficial to Hoffenheim, the Bundesliga's style of play is closer to the Premier League, and La Liga does not like too much physical contact.A British referee's penalty is obviously much more lenient.

Soon there was a burst of warm applause from the stadium. Under the leadership of the referee Riley, players from Villarreal and Hoffenheim came out of the player tunnel.

The players of the two teams applauded the fans in the stands as they walked towards the pitch. They seemed to be in good spirits, but the Hoffenheim players seemed a little nervous.

This is the first time for Hoffenheim to play in the knockout round of the Champions League, and La Liga is a team they have never officially played against. It is inevitable to have some nervousness amidst the constant chants from the fans of the visiting team.

It was Villarreal who kicked off first.

After the ball was passed back from the center circle, Hoffenheim's three forwards rushed across the half-court, putting pressure on the players with the ball.The midfielders and defenders are also on the premise. At this time, Rangnick's arrangement on the front line is also clear at a glance.It turned out that Van Nistelrooy was a decent center forward, while Demba Ba and Obasi separated on both sides and became left and right wingers.

At this time, even He Wei saw Rangnick's intentions, and he frowned and said, "Looking at Rangnick's starting lineup, his tactical purpose is not clear, he wants to attack and defend at the same time, the effect of Demba Ba playing as a winger Not necessarily better than Saviola."

Tao Wei said: "It is true that Lannick's arrangement today is neither fish nor fowl. If you really want to attack, you can send the strongest Eduardo. If you want to defend and counterattack, you can simply use double midfielders. This seemingly balanced lineup is probably also the most featureless and most Moderate lineup."

He Wei said: "La Liga teams are not afraid of such an uncharacteristic lineup and style of play."

One minute passed quickly, and the ball was still under Villarreal's feet. Hoffenheim fought aggressively in the frontcourt, but Villarreal's delivery was faster and more accurate, with only three The striker can't force them to open their feet at all.Instead, with a good and fast pass, Villarreal quickly poured the ball to Hoffenheim's half.

This situation did not come as a surprise to Hoffenheim. Among the three forwards, only Ruud van Nistelrooy remained in the frontcourt. Demba Ba and Obasi quickly followed up to defend, and played with the three midfielders of Villarreal. cutting.

There are three strikers when attacking, and five midfielders when defending, completely cutting off Villarreal's frontcourt offense and letting them fight on their own.This is the tactical requirement of Lannick last night.

And Villarreal is obviously very targeted today. They use Llorente to suppress Gustavo and the central defenders, use Rossi to contain Li Huan, and use Pires, Ibagaza, and Cazorla in the midfield. A quick pass penetrates, with the Senna in the rear a touch-up point.When you can't hit it, pass it back to him and let him choose the direction of attack again.

Hoffenheim's outflanking and cutting in the midfield is unfavorable in the Bundesliga. Even Bayern were cut to pieces by Hoffenheim's midfield, but they lost their effectiveness against Villarreal. Ray, Ibagaza, and Cazorla kept running, and the ball kept flowing between them. If it didn't work, they would hit the backcourt.

No matter how fast or fiercely Sarihović, Demba Ba, Obasi and Arshavin run, they cannot break the ball and can only passively chase the ball. It is just like last year's European Cup final between Germany and A replica of that game in Spain.

(End of this chapter)