super storm

Chapter 818 The Future of Real Madrid

Benitez started his career as a player and as a coach in Real Madrid. He has been a die-hard fan of Real Madrid since he was a child. Even at the press conference announcing the coaching of Real Madrid, he had tears on his face, making everyone feel his love and loyalty to Real Madrid.

From an emotional point of view, he is definitely the most suitable head coach for Real Madrid among today's famous coaches.

But professional football has never believed in tears, nor does it need too much emotion, even Benitez himself believes in this.

From the perspective of coaching philosophy, he is the least Real Madrid man, and some people even think that his football is the same as Capello.

Who is Capello?
He coached Real Madrid twice, won two La Liga titles in two seasons, but was fired after winning both titles.

The reason why Capello was fired twice is almost exactly the same, that is, no one in Real Madrid likes his football.

Real Madrid's football advocates gorgeous creativity full of imagination, and it is an offensive football like quicksilver.

Benitez is definitely a great tactical master, but in his football world, there is no creativity, no offensive football, only a rigorous and meticulous tactical framework, and the mechanical execution of the players.

As early as Liverpool's coaching period, everyone believed that Yang Yang was an outlier under Benitez's coaching.

But this is obviously an unexpected product of Benitez.

Before announcing the introduction of Yang Yang, what Benitez wanted was a scorer who could stably provide more than [-] goals per season. But after Yang Yang joined, starting from the second season, he shocked the whole world and made Benitez have to design the team's offense around him.

From 25 goals to 34 goals, and then to 44 goals in the third season, Yang Yang not only repeatedly subverted the outside world's impression of him, but also continued to break the tactical ceiling set by Benitez for him, making exceptions for him again and again.

As the Guardian once said, it was not that Benitez changed his stubbornness, but that Yang Yang was too strong, so strong that Benitez had to make a compromise, because he had never seen a player as strong as Yang Yang.

Now, at Real Madrid, the situation is still the same.

Yang Yang, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robben and Kaka, Benitez suddenly gathered a lot of talented superstars, and he seems to be a bit powerless, especially in the team's offense.

But from another point of view, Real Madrid needs Benitez very much now.

……

Florentino is an old football fan who has watched football for decades, and he knows professional football very well.

Around him, Valdano is also a brilliant European star, Zidane is a legendary superstar in European football, and Padessa and Butragueno of the Real Madrid Five Eagles, all of them are legends who have been selected into the Real Madrid Hall of Fame.

These guys also know a lot about professional football.

As early as when Florentino decided to return to the Bernabeu, he and his group of people worked out a set of rigorous plans. As a football club, apart from business and daily operations, competitive success is the most decisive.

How to be successful at the competitive level?

Then look at the most successful teams.

There is nothing to learn from Liverpool, except their players, and their dressing room.

On the contrary, it was the sworn enemy Barcelona, ​​a team that had completely changed the technical and tactical concepts of European football, and brought the deepest shock to Florentino and everyone under him.

Many people mention Barcelona and only mention their pass and control, but in fact, in the eyes of professionals such as Valdano and Zidane, the most important thing about Barcelona is not their pass and control ability at all, but Behind this ability, Guardiola created a high-position defensive system for this team, as well as their abundant physical fitness.

The strict high-position pressing and pressing defense system allows Barcelona to put more pressure on the opponent, grab the ball back in the shortest time, and at the same time ensure the stability of the team's defense. This is a new concept of combining offense and defense.

And abundant physical fitness allows Barcelona players to make more and more active runs on the court.

To a certain extent, defense and physical fitness are the key factors for Guardiola to improve on the basis of Rijkaard's team, and it is also the key factor for Barcelona to sweep the entire European football.

But for Real Madrid at that time, the best pass players in the world were in Barcelona, ​​and Real Madrid did not have a systematic pass control gene like Barcelona. Due to the objective laws of football, this made it impossible for Florentino to create a pass control team similar to Barcelona at the Bernabeu overnight.

This is impossible and unrealistic.

What should I do?
Step by step!
Barcelona's pass-and-control football consists of three parts, skillful pass and control of the ball, rigorous high-position pressing and defense, and physical fitness. The three major factors are indispensable, and physical fitness is not difficult to achieve.

Skillful pass and control requires excellent midfield pass and control players, but looking at the current European football, except for Valencia's David Silva, there is no player who can play for Real Madrid, and the Bat Legion's Elf King also failed to move to the Bernabeu in the summer of [-].

Looking at European football, there are not many defensive tactical masters. Mourinho and Benitez are the best among them. These two famous coaches are known for being good at building a defensive system.

So, the answer is obvious. Real Madrid gave up Ancelotti, and Benitez brought his team to the Bernabeu, taking on the task of building a rigorous defensive system for Real Madrid, and at the same time also shouldering the burden of sniping Barcelona.

The [-]-[-] victory over Barcelona in the away game was almost all scored in counterattacks. Real Madrid's ball possession rate in the whole game was only half of Barcelona's. It can be seen that Benitez's style of play has achieved initial success.

Next, it depends on Benitez's training of the team's backcourt and defense.

But neither Florentino, nor Zidane and Valdano will regard Benitez as the future of Real Madrid, or the Real Madrid they are looking forward to.

Benitez can't play that game, and many of Real Madrid's current players can't play it either.

…………

…………

Manuel Redondo sent Yang Yang out, and returned to the box after he got into the car.

Florentino urged him to strengthen his support for Benitez, because it is not yet the key to the success or failure of Benitez.

There are only two situations that can shake Benitez's coaching position. One is that the management feels that Benitez has been unable to achieve the management's goal, that is, it cannot help the team create a stable and rigorous high-position press oppression system.

Another is that he helped the team achieve this goal.

Although the latter is a bit cruel, this is professional football.

"To be honest, our current team's lineup configuration is indeed biased towards counterattack, which is not good for the league." Valdano said with a frown.

Before the injury, Kaka, Robben, Sneijder, and even Harvey Alonso were all counter-attacking players, which was also a helpless choice.

Needless to say, Kaka is one of the few superstar targets of Real Madrid. Robben and Sneijder are both staying in the team. Harvey Alonso is one of the best organizational midfielders in active service. Real Madrid has no choice at all, unless they poach someone from Barcelona.

This is why Florentino will never consider Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese is also a counter-attack player. After having a comprehensive player like Yang Yang, there is no need to introduce the Portuguese to increase the counter-attack elements in the Real Madrid team.

After all, the tactics still need to be executed by the players. Too many counter-attack players will be detrimental to Real Madrid's future transformation.

And everyone, including Florentino, Valdano and Zidane, agreed that Barcelona's tactics will be the development direction of football skills and tactics in the future, and will completely change the concept of skills and tactics in European football.

So why can't Real Madrid adopt a counterattack style of play?

The reason is very simple. This type of play works well in the Champions League, but in La Liga, all teams face Real Madrid with strict defense. How can there be a counterattack opportunity?
The two games against Osasuna and Athletic Bilbao are the best examples.

These opponents are considered victories if they defend zero to zero. How can they easily give you room to fight back?
Therefore, in La Liga, controlling teams have an advantage.

Of course, the ideal situation is to integrate counterattack and control.

This concept was proposed by Zidane, which is very attractive, but how to implement it, everyone is still figuring it out.

Thinking of this, Florentino turned to look at Zidane.

The special adviser immediately understood the meaning mixed in the chairman's eyes.

"I think you should reconsider my proposal, go to the first team and learn more experience, you are the future we are looking forward to." Florentino said earnestly.

Yang Yang is valued on the court, and Zidane is expected on the side of the court. This is the policy formulated by Florentino when he returned to the Bernabeu.

Zidane smiled wryly, "Let me think about it again."

"You've been thinking about it for half a year."

"But I'm not qualified to coach yet."

"Then take the test, and we will reimburse you the fee." Florentino pressed harder and harder.

Zidane is depressed, does he seem to be someone who can't afford the training expenses?

Both Redondo and Valdano pretended to be eating, but were actually laughing.

If this scene gets out, the whole world will laugh like crazy.

Is this still the Zidane they admire?
But on the other hand, it can also be seen that the relationship between Zidane and Florentino is extraordinary.

"The matter is so decided. Manuel arranges that you go to study with Benitez." Florentino said without doubt. After a pause, he looked at Zidane again, his tone softened, and he even asked for help.

"Our locker room now needs people like you to strengthen the communication between the coaching staff and the players."

Zidane couldn't say no.

From the day he agreed to serve as Florentino's special assistant, he knew that it would be a matter of time.

(End of this chapter)