Super Coach

January 12, Camp Nou.

Although they lost their main striker Eto'o, Barcelona still relied on the outstanding performance of young players Bojan and Good Johnson to successfully beat the visiting Murcia 4:0 at their home court and win the title after the winter break. Two consecutive wins.

At the post-match press conference, as the head coach, Rijkaard accepted an interview with reporters on behalf of the team and was asked about Yang Cheng, Cruyff, La Bōlta and others, especially the recent Spanish media The world is buzzing about whether Barcelona will line up to welcome Real Madrid if they win the title early. Rijkaard gave his first reply.

If they can win the championship three rounds in advance, we will abide by tradition, but I believe that all our Barcelona players will not allow this to happen. It is too early to talk about winning the championship now, let alone winning the championship in advance!

The implication is that we at Barcelona have not yet admitted that you have booked the league championship. Why do you think you can win the championship three rounds in advance? Isn't this an insult to us?

Real Madrid's recent state is indeed not very good, and Yang Cheng has not evaded this at all, but his team still defeated Levante 4:1 in the away game one day behind Barcelona, ​​and continued to maintain a 12-point lead against Barcelona. Points lead.

After learning about Rijkaard's remarks, Yang Cheng laughed and did not directly fight back.

I suddenly thought, should I make a deal? It has to be agreed that all the main players must be there. But when we win the championship three rounds in advance and are about to line up to welcome it, some people deliberately use some means to avoid appearing in the game. Santiago Bernabeu!

When a reporter asked what methods he would use, Yang Cheng reminded with a smile, You can take the initiative to apply for a yellow card or a red card in the previous round, or ask the head coach not to put you in and out of the lineup, so you don't have to line up. Are you welcome?

A group of reporters suddenly exclaimed. Didn't Yang Cheng block the other party's last escape route?

At that point, Yang Cheng has found out all the original trump cards. Who else will have the nerve to use them again?

Many people have extended Yang Cheng's words and believe that there are indeed many players in the Barcelona team who are unwilling to line up to welcome Real Madrid. For example, Eto'o, when he won the championship with Barcelona, ​​he cursed Real Madrid as a bastard. , come over and pay tribute to the champion, which makes him extremely reluctant to appear on that occasion.

However, some people reminded Yang Cheng that saying these words at this time to express confidence is a good thing, but it may also be counterproductive, which in turn boosts the morale of Barcelona. After all, no Barcelona player is willing to accept the humiliation of his mortal enemy at the Bernabeu. .

Rijkaard should push his players in this way,

Don’t give up easily. Last season, Real Madrid was 14 points behind Barcelona, ​​but they were able to reverse it successfully. Barcelona also completed the same great comeback in the 2004-05 season. The head coach was still Rijster. This time, it was a great success for the Black Swans. A rare opportunity to reunite the team.

In mid-week, Real Madrid sat at the Bernabeu Stadium and defeated the visiting Mallorca 2:0. They eliminated Mallorca from the Copa del Rey with a total score of 3:2, and successfully entered the top 8.

In this game, Yang Cheng pushed him into the double forward position, partnered with Negredo, and performed well with every pass and shot. When interviewed by reporters after the game, Raul said, In my career, we have won I have been to all the championships, but I have never won the Copa del Rey. I hope to have the opportunity to lift this trophy for Real Madrid!

But after the draw results came out, Real Madrid's opponent in the top 8 knockout rounds of the King's Cup was Villarreal. This was not a good draw for Real Madrid. At least the strength of the Yellow Submarine should not be underestimated. On the 20th, Real Madrid ushered in a city derby and challenged Atletico Madrid away.

Atletico Madrid, a rival in the same city, has also invested heavily in the transfer market this season, which has had some effect. After all, the players introduced are all powerful stars, which has greatly improved Atletico Madrid's overall strength, but this improvement has nothing to do with the quality of the players. In direct proportion, Atletico Madrid's strength improvement is limited, and it is unable to introduce a Kaka like Real Madrid, and the team's offensive system will be turned upside down.

Seeing the performance of their rivals in the same city becoming more and more outstanding, Atletico Madrid, which is ranked between 5th and 9th in the league, feels somewhat unbalanced. Especially when the league points are getting bigger and bigger, they are even more unbearable. , wanting to take advantage of Real Madrid's recent poor situation and add insult to injury.

Real Madrid's current situation is indeed not very ideal. Cannavaro's knee injury has recurred, Xabi Alonso has just returned to the training ground, Beckham is injured again, and Helgra has been absent from the team for a long time, which makes Yang Cheng unable to play. The central defender position once again included the Brazilian combination of Pepe and Thiago Silva, with Ramos appearing on the right and Marcelo playing on the left.

The double midfielder formed the combination of Granero and Mascherano. Alonso did not start, but sat on the bench. Kaka played as the attacking midfielder, Raul played on the left, and David Gerva Arranged by Yang Cheng to go to the right, Villa served as the lone forward.

Although it still looks like 423, because Raul cuts into the ribs, it actually looks more like 442, but the position is already a cloud for the current Real Madrid. The key is to be able to cooperate smoothly and be able to create threaten.

At the beginning of the game, less than 1 minute later, Marcelo drove straight in from the left. After receiving the ball from Kaká, he went down to the baseline and passed Pablo's pass. Lau suddenly cut in from the ribs. I successfully made a sneak attack in front of the penalty area and opened the scoring for Real Madrid, 0:1!

After the goal, Real Madrid continued to launch a round of fierce attacks. Granero, who replaced Alonso in the starting lineup, appeared very stable in organization and passing. After all, he has adapted to the team's tactics for so long and knows his own goals very well. Responsibilities.

As early as during the winter break, Getafe had hoped to introduce this Real Madrid midfielder. Yang Cheng asked Granero for his opinion. After some exchanges between the two, Granero knew Yang Cheng's positioning for him. I also know that it will be difficult for me to shake the positions of Xavi, Alonso, and even Beckham for a while.

No matter what, I hope to stay at Real Madrid! Granero clearly told his coach.

Yang Cheng rejected Getafe and let Granero stay on the team.

In this game, Beckham was injured, Xabi Alonso was not very thorough, and Dela Red was in poor form recently. Granero finally had a rare opportunity, and he naturally tried his best to express himself. The best part is that he constantly distributes the ball to every teammate while sorting out the midfield.

Reasonably allocate the ball, this is what an organizer should do, who gets the ball where is more likely to create a threat, how to pass the ball to the most threatening player, this has a great impact on the organizer's passing vision and The ability to read the game is a big test.

In the 36th minute, after Granero got the ball, he passed the ball to the right. David and Silva took the ball and cut inside. The Spanish midfielder went from the right to the arc of the penalty area and passed behind him. Kaka followed. A kick to the goal and another victory for Real Madrid, 0:2!

In the second half, Granero made another through pass after getting the ball. The Brazilian forced a breakthrough through the middle and then to the left at the foot of Kaka. Villa dribbled the ball to the bottom line and knocked it back to Raul who came in behind. Real Madrid The captain followed up with a low shot to score the team's third goal.

After that, Yang Cheng replaced Mata and replaced Raul, further strengthening the speed of the offensive advance in the frontcourt. Real Madrid's offensive became more and more fierce, but Atletico Madrid was not to be outdone, and assembled heavy troops to fight, which effectively curbed Real Madrid's offense. .

In the end, Real Madrid took away a 3-0 victory from the Calderon Stadium with Raul's brace and Tenka's goal.

After beating Atletico Madrid twice in one season, Real Madrid were very excited. But in another game at the same time, Barcelona was not to be outdone. With Henry's goal, they defeated Racing Santander 1:0 at home and won the title. 3 consecutive wins.

Although he was a little disappointed that he could not further expand the lead against Barcelona, ​​Yang Cheng still praised the players' performance after the game. He believed that many players performed well and did not disappoint, especially the defense.

It should be said that Thiago Salva's performance has been getting better and better this season. In addition, Cannavaro's knee injury has not been completely healed in the past two years. After all, he is so old, so Yang Cheng also decided, The next focus is to let Thiago Salva and Peppedo work together.

As the team's head coach, he has already felt some crises within the team, such as the aging of Cannavaro, Thuram, Helguera and others. The team's metabolism is already imminent, unless Yang Cheng really wants to make himself The team will become an aging team like Milan. Otherwise, it will be inevitable to promote and cultivate some new players to take over!

Goalkeeper: Casillas; left back: Arbeloa; right back: Miguel Bingres; left center back: Thiago, Silva: right center back: Pepe: double midfielder: Xavi, Garcia and De La Red; left winger Mata; attacking midfielder: Guti; right winger Ozil; forward: Aguero!

In the conference room at the Valdebebas training base, Paul Bayer announced in advance the starting lineup and substitute players for the away trip to Villarreal for the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals knockout round.

In fact, this is not a secret, because three days after playing Villarreal, the team will return to the Bernabeu Stadium and meet Villarreal again. They will face off three times in a week, one away and two home. Knowing that the league is the top priority, in order to avoid the fatigue of travel, it is natural to arrange substitutes for the cup.

But Yang Cheng refused to say that.

After Paul and Bayer announced the roster, Yang Cheng spoke up. The first sentence he said was, I want all of you not to have a wrong way of thinking or self-comfort. That is the worst thing for losers. An excuse that is good at using is synonymous with cowardice!”

Many eliminated teams always like to protect themselves in this way. They will say that it is not a bad thing that we were eliminated from some dispensable cup competitions. This will give us more time to prepare for the rest. Competition, is this really what it is?”

What does it mean to be dispensable? Yang Cheng looked at the players, Is the King's Cup dispensable?

We haven't won this championship trophy for 15 years. Don't we want him?

Perhaps, you may think that Alonso is not playing, Mascherano is not playing, Villa, Kaka and others are not playing, this means that I want to give up the King's Cup. I tell you, it is wrong. !”

I never give up on any game. I always hope that my team can stay in all competitions and have the last laugh. The reason why they didn't play is because their battlefield is at the Bernabeu Stadium on the weekend. And the Love Song Stadium in midweek is your battlefield, no one is superior or inferior, only the division of labor is different!

I hope you can return to the Bernabeu with an excellent report card. I look forward to you having a good performance at the Love Song Stadium. Don't let me down, guys!

Yang Cheng's words did not resonate with the players because it was just a very ordinary explanation and mobilization, but the significance of him emphasizing this game is undoubtedly to increase the weight of the game in the minds of the players and let them know that the players and I are facing each other. The hope of the Copa del Rey that has been coveted for 15 years is pinned on you.

This is undoubtedly an encouragement!

However, many times, a game cannot be effective just by relying on the motivation and tactics of the head coach. At least the first round of the King's Cup at the Love Song Stadium is the best proof.

Villarreal's La Liga goal this season is to qualify for the Champions League. Frankly speaking, no matter how arrogant Pellegrini is, he cannot believe that he can reverse Real Madrid. That is Barcelona's grand ambition, not Villarreal's. Rael.

Therefore, Pellegrini's team sent out all their main players to play in the first leg against Real Madrid at home, which is enough to confirm that he attaches great importance to the Copa del Rey. After all, this is the closest cup championship to him, isn't it?

But he still underestimated Real Madrid's overall combat capabilities.

Real Madrid's substitute lineup is indeed not as strong as Villarreal. Although these players in the starting lineup sound star-studded, they are actually still young. When encountering the mature and experienced Villarreal, they will inevitably be at a disadvantage.

But at the critical moment, Real Madrid's defense withstood Villarreal's pressure. Real Madrid, who launched a defensive counterattack, was still awesome. The defense line consisting of Hueloya, Thiago Silva, Pepe and Miguel Reyes managed to keep Pellegrini's team clean at the Estadio delle Estadio in an unfavorable situation.

The Chilean engineer couldn't hide his disappointment after winning a 0:0 game. He said at the post-match press conference that Real Madrid's defense froze Villarreal's goal with an almost perfect performance. Offensively, 0:0 is a very reasonable score. He regrets it but accepts it.

In his comments on Yang Cheng and Real Madrid, Pellegrini said that this season's La Liga championship will belong to Real Madrid, but he refused to predict whether Real Madrid will win the championship three rounds in advance. After all, no matter whether it will or not, it will be Words that offend people.

Although Yang Cheng also had a good impression of Pellegrini's Villarreal, after returning to the Bernabeu Stadium, Real Madrid, who played their main team, relied on Kaká's brace and Villarreal's goal , defeated the Yellow Submarine 3:0.

This is almost an overwhelming victory. Although Pellegrini's team also sent out their main players to play, they are inferior to Real Madrid and Galaxy Battleship who are waiting for work in terms of physical fitness and competitive status. In the first minute at the Bernabeu, he completely controlled the situation of the game. Hagun Alonso, who started again, made two assists and his performance was very eye-catching.

But the better news came after the game. In Barcelona's away game against Athletic Bilbao at the same time, although teenager Bojan opened the scoring for Barcelona in the 35th minute, Llorente's header in the 78th minute Evened the score.

The rivalry between teams from Spain's two most nationalist regions ended in a handshake.

But this draw widened the points gap between Barcelona and Real Madrid to 14 points, which immediately attracted the attention of the media. After all, last season, Real Madrid also started to fight back from being 14 points behind.

Daily Sports, Mundo Deportivo and many other newspapers have called on Barcelona to do their best to resist, especially with the return of Eto'o, Yaya and Toure, which has given Barcelona confidence.

In mid-week, Real Madrid fought against Villarreal. With Raul's goal, Real Madrid defeated Villarreal 1:0, eliminated the Yellow Submarine from the Copa del Rey, and successfully reached the semi-finals.

But three days after this game, Real Madrid encountered Almeria's tenacious sniping away from home.

Only 6 minutes into the game, Felipe and Melo took advantage of a chance to advance, intercepted the ball and counterattacked, helping the winger Karuuche to successfully counter the offside and cut into the Real Madrid penalty area from Marcelo's left. The sneak attack succeeded and opened the scoring for Almeria, giving Real Madrid a sap.

Since then, Real Madrid has been unable to break through Almeria's goal. Although it has taken advantage of the game, it has always been difficult to convert the advantage into goals, which makes the team somewhat anxious.

In the 70th minute of the second half, seeing that they could not attack for a long time, Yang Cheng replaced David Silva with Guti to further increase the offensive pressure on Almeria, but there was still not much progress.

But what's worse is that in another game that kicked off at the same time as Real Madrid, Barcelona faced Osasuna at home. Rijkaard's team also performed poorly after the start. They had the advantage throughout the game, but they always Unable to break Osasuna's goal.

However, when the game reached the 83rd minute, Xavi's sudden shot broke Osasuna goalkeeper Ricardo's goal and scored the winning goal for Barcelona.

This is undoubtedly equivalent to pushing Real Madrid into a desperate situation!

If they lose to Almeria and Barcelona win Osasuna, the points between the two teams will be shortened to 11 points. This will undoubtedly make all Barcelona fans feel schadenfreude, and it will also make all Real Madrid fans feel sad. feel disappointed.

Of course, Yang Cheng also knows the urgency of the situation. Although he has a sufficient lead, losing a game will have little impact on Real Madrid's championship situation, but the more important impact is on morale.

The most important thing in a season's championship battle is to work hard. Once this momentum is contained, the impact will not only be three points, but the most unfortunate thing is that Negredo was injured before the game. Otherwise, this young player will definitely It is a great addition to the front line, but now... (To be continued!)