Handsome position is not easy

Chapter 170 Preparing for the Celtics
Following Mourinho's footsteps, the Porto fans at the Asantas Stadium set off waves of crowds. They were not stingy with their enthusiasm for the head coach who helped the dragon return to the Portuguese Super League. After walking around the field with the players, coaching staff and many club staff, Mourinho, who was dizzy from the loud sound and shaking beams of light, finally felt a little tired.

Fatigue was just a thought at the beginning, but it sent signals to the whole body within a few seconds. Mourinho was very uncomfortable with this feeling. He often ran laps with the players in training sessions, and his physical condition was always maintained very good. Maybe ecstasy does make people weak in the waist and legs.

The celebration ceremony finally came to an end. Mourinho stroked the half-wet suit on his body, and felt that it would be better to go back to the office and change into dry clothes.After sending the kids home, the players, coaches and their wives set out again for the party, which lasted until late at night at the reserved restaurant.

……

There are other important games later, so Mourinho only gave the players two days off. As for himself, he took his wife and children to Setubal for a day and then returned to Porto, the first time in his life. This championship did not go to Mourinho's mind, his mind has drifted to the upcoming UEFA Cup final.

Before that, Porto still needs to settle two Portuguese Super League games. Except for Vitor Baia, who doesn’t need to consider physical issues, he didn’t even take any of the main players to the next away game. In Ferreira’s Real Madrid At the Tower Stadium, the lineup composed of pure second team and youth training players suffered a defeat. Porto lost 0:1 to the home team.

Immediately after returning to the Asantas Stadium, in order to protect the honor of the home court, Mourinho still sent several players from the bench. Wazim, who was on the verge of relegation, thought that the Blue and Whites would release some points after winning the championship early. Water, they got a fantastic 2:0 start in the first half through a mad attack, but Porto was not discouraged by it.

Candido Costa and Capucho, who were replaced in the second half, made contributions one after another. Two simple inside cuts helped the team equalize the score. Seeing that the three-pointer was hopeless, Wazim quickly retreated to defend, but Murray Neo didn't want to shake hands with them, and the Setubals gave Jankauskas the last substitution. The Lithuanian seized a chance in stoppage time and scored the game-decisive goal. Porto 3:2 Vazim, the Blue and Whites won another victory.

During the two league games, Porto's main players have been doing targeted training for their opponents in the UEFA Cup final. Faria and the team medical team are doing their best to help them recover from the fatigue of the whole season. , At the same time, in order to maintain the state of the game, Mourinho has been selecting physically strong second-team players to play their imaginary enemy, the Celtics who have dominated the Scottish Premier League for a century.

Because UEFA put the final venue at the Olympic Stadium in Seville, Mourinho adjusted the training time a week in advance according to the real-time temperature in Porto in order to allow the players to adapt to the local weather in Spain as quickly as possible. Porto's players are in very good condition, and Costinha and Nunovalente have also been allowed by the team doctor to come back.

Because Postiga received a red card in the second leg of the semi-final against Lazio, the young Portuguese striker will miss the final. After Mourinho has confirmed that he will continue to use the 4-4-2 diamond midfield formation, who will play? To replace him becomes a big problem.

Under normal circumstances, Lithuanian center Jankauskas would be the best candidate, but Mourinho gave up this choice after careful consideration. As the first substitute in the center position, Jankauskas has the longest rest time and is physically fit Strong and unafraid of any physical contact in the game, his header is also a tactical adjustment point for Porto when they want to get out of trouble.

When all adaptation options point to one person, it seems that he has become an established candidate. Mourinho believes that the more suitable Jankauskas is to play against the Scottish team, the more certain the opponent will be that the Lithuanian will be the starter , In this way, it will be in the hands of the Celtics.

In other words, as long as Jankauskas makes his debut, what awaits him is the highly targeted tactical arrangement of the Celtics. The Scottish giants will never lack tall and strong central defenders. The mainstay of their defense is Bard. The quarter-finals and semi-finals of the Fed Cup were extremely good, and it can be said that the forwards of Besiktas and Boavista were completely locked.

This 1.9-meter-tall French African-American central defender is very good at handling high-altitude balls. It is difficult for Jankaskas to take advantage of him, so Mourinho intends to do the opposite. A few strikers with more balanced abilities were inserted in the defensive line. Veteran Capucho played well with his head and kicks. The young right midfielder Marco Ferreira also often played the role of shadow striker in training. The two of them One of them should bring a lot of surprises to the Celtics.

As for the other striker, Del Rey's position is absolutely unshakeable. He is affectionately called the "Brazilian Ninja" by Porto fans because of his true nature as a fox in the penalty area. Dominating the outcome of the game, he is naturally the point where the 4-4-2 formation is at the forefront.

Porto's coaching staff had a disagreement when discussing the candidates for the diamond-shaped four midfielders. Villas-Boas had just returned from Glasgow, Scotland's largest city. Strengthen the strength of the midfield. On the premise that Deco and Costinha are determined to start, he suggested that Maniche and Alenichev be two strong wingers to consolidate Porto's "waist".

But the chief assistant coach who replaced Mourinho to direct the semi-finals of the second round didn't think so. Brito directly took out the data of Porto's game against Lazio, proving that the overall defense did not weaken when Deco and Young were on the court at the same time, but instead controlled the ball. After the rate increased, the Blue and White Army successfully suppressed the opponent's counterattack.

Faria chose to support his old buddy. He also took out Young's physical data report. The success rate of the teenager's one-on-one defense is not high, but he is second only to Maniche in the rate of supplementary defense. Ya raised a question that made Mourinho vigilant. If there are Del Rey and Marco with more dexterous attributes on the front line, then two players who are good at passing the ball in the midfield will create more opportunities.

Mourinho was not in a hurry to make a choice. He didn't want to judge the pros and cons of these players' starters too subjectively. The problem now is the ownership of the right midfield position, which is handed over to Young, who is better at passing and controlling the ball. Still able to attack and defend Alenichev, who is physically strong, Mourinho is going to use the state of the two in the last training session before the game to help make the final decision.

(End of this chapter)