Handsome position is not easy

Chapter 137 Smooth Progress ([-])

Silvino's words gave Mourinho a reassurance. Back in the first training session in Porto, he focused on observing the performance of several goalkeepers. Baier's state is indeed the best among the three. , the old goalkeeper finally succeeded in regaining the starting position. At the Franz Hall Stadium, his steady performance kept the goal open, and Porto also won the Austrian Vienna 1-0.

Although the main force failed to win a big victory, Da Costa said excitedly in the post-match interview that the team under Mourinho reminded him of the Porto team in Vienna that year, which was Mr. Chairman's favorite team. What I miss, in the 1986/87 season, Porto defeated Bayern Munich and won the European Champions Cup final here. That was the first time the dragon let out a giant roar on the top of Europe.

After returning to the home court, Porto ushered in the league rival Madeira Nationals. The media were generally not optimistic that the newly promoted polo team could score points at the Asantas Stadium, but the Nationals quickly scored a goal in the opening stage of the first half. This surprised many people.

Porto's players looked a little tired because they had just gone through a long journey and fierce European battle, but they still cheered up and started to counterattack. The front midfielder once again exploded with incomparable magic power, and the performance of the two of them even made Postiga and Del Rey seem redundant.

After the team broke out with tenacious mental attributes, the two assisted each other and scored a total of four goals. The third goal was the most exciting. Yang's horizontal half-high ball was sent to the middle of the penalty area. De Keshu spread his body barb and hit the goal. Porto Although the Madeira Nationals stole another chance to counterattack and scored another goal under the aggressive attack, Del Rey also added the icing on the cake to help Porto beat the Nationals 5:2.

Mourinho's tailor-made tactics for the dragon were executed vividly by the players, and Porto's temperament became more and more like the stubborn Setubal. With the support of the tower, it has become the mainstream thinking of the team's formation. Qualifications and team status are no longer so important. With the lessons learned from Baia and Deco sitting on the bench, players no longer dare to challenge the authority of the coach. up.

At the same time, Mourinho and the entire coaching staff began to put the tactical status of continuous high pressure to the highest level. The Madeira national team was the first victim. Porto's oppressive style of play made them breathless. , Deco and Young's seemingly easy four goals came in this way. Even the head coach of the Nationals complained in an interview after the game, claiming that his players had never felt so tired after a game.

In order to maintain this pressure, Porto's players must increase their running without the ball. On the surface, this seems to make them more likely to enter a state of fatigue, but this is not the case. Under Faria's training, this gang The youth army, whose average age has dropped a lot, has a lot of physical fitness, and Mourinho has also developed a very practical method to solve this problem.

It must be admitted that this is inseparable from the fact that he has been in the Spanish league for so many years. In order to ensure that the team will not be unable to play the whole court due to the fast-paced running, Mourinho began to let the players learn to How to take advantage of possession time to rest.

High-pressure presses and sieges will always rebound due to the actions of the opponent's defense line. When the players with the ball are looking for opportunities, these guys who are responsible for passing the ball and controlling the rhythm can relax their muscles slowly at a low speed. Midfield commanders like Deco and Young, and wide players who are not in the key attack direction can also take the opportunity to catch their breath. With this method, even if Porto and their opponents play desperate back and forth, the Blue and White Army can recover faster be quick.

Soon Porto will go to the Bofim Stadium to challenge Setubal. This away game is quite difficult for the Dragon. Porto, who scored one goal, could not bring home three points.

Back at home, the Blue and Whites ushered in the UEFA Cup match again. The Austrians, who were convincingly defeated last time, did not cause any trouble this time. Alenichev scored a goal in the second half and completely killed Against the hopes of the Viennese, Porto also successfully crossed the second qualifying round.

Porto will then need to go to Guimaraes again to find the troubles of Morelens. The Paque Almeida Stadium has caused many teams to stumble this season. Although the final result is that Porto won 1:0, but compared to In the game against Setubal, the dragon's victory this time is obviously more convincing.

Their opponent in the third round was Lens of France. This small club from the Pas-de-Calais province in northern France won the runner-up in Ligue [-] last season. Polish and African players are their killer weapons along the way, although It failed to help Lens qualify for the first stage of the UEFA Champions League group stage, but this can only be blamed on the poor luck of the Frenchman. After all, whoever meets AC Milan, Bayern Munich and Deportivo in the group will have to shake Three shakes.

What is commendable is that Lens actually scored two wins and one draw in the home game against these three big guys. Although they lost to Milan and Deportivo in the away game, they also managed to draw with Bayern Munich. It is really unusable Out of the group stage to measure the French team, under Mourinho's order, Boas took his scout team to France early to observe the recent performance of Lens.

Although the process of the game was somewhat tortuous, the goalkeeper of the Lens team gave Porto two big gifts. One was trying to use his fist to clear the high-altitude ball and he made an own goal. The cunning Del Rey saw the opportunity to steal the ball. Porto led 2-0 at the Asantas Stadium in the first half.

After discussing with Yang for a few words, Deco stood in front of the ball and prepared to take the penalty. The Brazilian's exquisite footwork once again educated the midfielders of the Lens team, letting them know that they should not give free kicks to the opponent at the front of the penalty area. , Porto can be said to have won the game without bloodshed, and the score of 3:0 basically declared that the Nerazzurri had already half-stepped into the fourth qualifying round.

During this period of competition, Porto's third-line battles can be regarded as frequent successes, firmly occupying the first place in the Portuguese Super League standings. Not to mention, the progress of the European War and the Portuguese Cup also meet the expectations of Mourinho and the club's top management.

The good atmosphere inspired Porto's players to burst out with more vitality. Da Costa has not seen Porto who has been fighting on the third line for half a season for many years and still has no signs of losing the chain. Mr. Chairman can't wait to exhaust himself in front of the media All compliments to boast about their coach.

(End of this chapter)