"We have no other choice but to fight them to the end!"
In the home team's locker room, Simeone looked at the panting players in front of him and shouted loudly.
Simeone's voice floated in the locker room, but every player looked serious.
1:2, this is a very subtle score.
Only one goal behind, it seemed easy to catch up.
Considering that the opponent is Chelsea, the difference of one goal may be a world away.
But Simeone must continue to attack.
Not only because they were one goal behind, but also because Chelsea had already scored two goals at the Calderon Stadium, two valuable away goals.
At present, the Champions League knockout rounds still use the away goals system. Sometimes a key away goal may determine the outcome of the two rounds of the game.
For example, in last season's Champions League round of 16, Arsenal tied with Monaco with a total score of 3:3, but they were eliminated because they scored one less away goal than their opponent.
Now, Chelsea already has two away goals. Even if they don't score a goal in the second half of the game, this is a big advantage when they return to their home court.
After all, this means that even if Chelsea loses 0:1 to Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge, the Blues can still advance to the final.
Having said that, there is no team that can win at Chelsea's home court this season.
No, there are not even teams with a draw, Chelsea's home record is still a terrible victory!
Therefore, in Simeone's view, this second half of the game is already a decisive battle.
The way of the decisive battle, of course, is to continue the mutual stabbing game in the first half, using unremitting running and attacking to break Chelsea's goal as much as possible!
Of course, Simeone also knows that there are relatively high risks in doing so.
The reason is simple. Atletico Madrid's offensive system requires more physical energy.
Their players in many positions are not as good as Chelsea in terms of personal abilities. Therefore, in order to play a decent offense, they must run more, fight more, and defend more actively.
In such a fast-paced game, the physical exertion of Atletico Madrid players is staggering.
The main reason is that Simeone did not expect Pan Yi to be so tough.
According to his idea, when playing away games, Pan Yi should still take advantage of Chelsea's ball control advantage, then slow down the pace a little, control the ball at his feet and then organize the attack.
But Pan Yi came straight up with a 3-2-4-1 attack.
Moreover, when Atletico Madrid equalized the score, they obviously gained momentum and played harder.
If it were any other head coach, he would usually adopt a more conservative strategy in the away game, stabilizing his position first and then planning a counterattack, but Pan Yi did not.
He still let his disciples fight attack with attack.
It can be said that the first half finally turned into this kind of fast-paced offensive and defensive battle, which Simeone did not want to see.
This is the "conspiracy" that Pan Yi put on the table.
That’s why we’ll fight each other to see who’s physical fitness can last until the end!
And no matter which coach is there, Chelsea has always been the best physical team in Europe after having two great assistants in Pintus and Wolfat.
Their lineup is also the youngest among the top teams in Europe, and they have players like Kanter who can't run away. They can't be dragged down at all.
Looking back at Atletico Madrid, although they have always been known for being daring and hard-working, the human body has its limits after all.
Under the endless running and fighting, Atletico Madrid players will always show fatigue.
Take the famous Madrid derby Champions League final in Pan Yi's previous life. Atletico Madrid was taken away by Real Madrid because they lost their energy in fighting Real Madrid until the last minute.
Of course Simeone didn't know the existence of this game, but he knew how long his disciple could last.
But now, Atletico Madrid has no retreat.
"In the second half, we have only one way, continue to attack! We must try to equalize the score or reverse it within the first thirty minutes, or even the first twenty minutes!"
Simeone knows very well that if the fast pace of the first half is maintained, the team's physical fitness can only last 20 to 30 minutes at most.
Of course, this does not mean that Atletico Madrid will be completely unable to run after 30 minutes, but it is unable to maintain that level, and many aspects of offense and defense may not be done well.
No matter how high the technical and tactical level of a football match is, it must be supported by physical fitness.
Once there is no physical fitness, everything is like a moon in the water, a flower in the mirror, and it is impossible to achieve effective coordination. Sometimes even a technical move may be deformed.
But the problem is that if you can't score a goal in the first 20 minutes or 30 minutes, it will enter "Pan Yi time."
By the time……
——
"Atletico played very well today, but we were even better."
In the visiting team's locker room, Pan Yi first praised his opponents, but more importantly, he praised his own players.
The enemy is strong, but you are stronger. This is true strength!
In the first half, the ball possession rate of both sides was basically 50-50, which is not a very conventional comparison for the "stereotype" of Atletico Madrid or Chelsea.
After all, under normal circumstances, Atletico Madrid's ball possession rate will be lower than that of its opponents, while Chelsea will always be higher.
But today's data shows that Atletico Madrid had the courage to press forward and play against Chelsea, and they played really well.
In addition, the two sides are also very close in terms of passing success rate, both reaching more than 80%, which also ensures the smoothness of the first half of the game.
In terms of shooting, Atletico Madrid shot a total of seven shots in the first half, three of which were on target and one goal was scored;
Chelsea planned more shooting opportunities, reaching eight, with five shots on target and two goals scored.
In other words, in the entire first half, the two teams contributed a total of fifteen shots, and it only took three minutes on average to score a shot!
It was this fast pace and a large number of shots that made the entire first half of the game quite exciting. The two teams also showed the level expected of the top four teams in the Champions League.
In other words, this is the level of the top teams in Europe.
For Pan Yi, although he predicted that Simeone would uncharacteristically launch a fierce attack on him, he did not expect that Simeone's lineup could do such a good offense.
Maybe this has something to do with Pan Yi's time travel?
Since Guardiola can get inspiration from Pan Yi's tactics to develop his own lineup, Simeone, who is also a "ball fanatic", can do the same.
It is precisely because of this that Simeone fully utilized the characteristics of his players to form this set of offensive firepower with Atletico Madrid characteristics.
Here, the role of Griezmann has to be mentioned again.
Since Simeone bought Atletico Madrid from Real Sociedad, he has grown into a world-class star step by step, and has also developed from a wide player to a central midfielder.
Griezmann's playing style is also unique, and what is special about him lies in his unique technical characteristics in football.
Compared with other top attackers, Griezmann is limited by his physical fitness and does not have a strong confrontation foundation, but he can rely on his solid basic skills and excellent space transformation awareness to contribute to the team's offense.
His personal ball-holding ability is good, but he never sloppily wastes fast break opportunities.
As a frontcourt linker, Griezmann can firmly control the ball at his feet and distribute it reasonably to other offensive players.
As a finisher in front of the goal, his shooting accuracy and shooter's feel are outstanding.
In the penalty area, Griezmann not only has a fox-like sense of smell, he can find gaps in the opponent's defense and quickly insert them, but he also has top-notch shooting skills. His power is accurate, his ability to judge the placement and his reaction speed are very good. outstanding.
What is necessary for a top player is excellent physical coordination, allowing him to quickly stretch his body and try difficult side hooks when facing the ball. Although he is not tall and physically not strong, he can score goals without the ball in the penalty area. His characteristics.
Griezmann's final pass is also remarkable. When he was in the French national team, he often served as an organizer in the attacking midfielder position. His iconic kick and excellent spatial vision gave him great qualities. Stable threat ball conversion rate.
Also during his time at Real Sociedad, he was known for his excellent quick breakthrough ability, so he is also a reliable and threatening set-piece creator.
Atletico Madrid's Griezmann's playing style is mainly defensive and counterattack, and his ball and movement are never delayed.
On this basis, Griezmann's defensive attitude and ability to penetrate without the ball have been greatly improved under Simeone's training.
In addition, in today's offensive play, he also showed his ability to run horizontally and tear apart the defense in depth. With center Torres beside him to help him share some fulcrum functions, he also maintained Atletico Madrid's high-output kicking. Law.
This shows that as long as this smart French forward reduces unnecessary consumption on the court and focuses on his core competitiveness, he can always maintain a threat to his opponents on the court.
In fact, almost all of Atletico Madrid's most threatening offense in the first half came from Griezmann, and the Frenchman effectively connected the team's midfield and frontcourt, which should be said to have a very obvious effect.
"So, in the second half we have to force Griezmann to fight us."
After briefly analyzing the situation between the enemy and ourselves, Pan Yi looked at Kanter with a smile: "How about it, are you ready to have a good chat with your French fellow?"
Kanter nodded without hesitation, his eyes clearly shining with confidence.
He understood that the boss was telling him to keep an eye on Griezmann and limit his performance.
This is not the first time he has done this kind of work.
As the most powerful ball-grabbing machine in the Chelsea team, once there is an engine-type player in the opponent's formation that needs to be restricted, the task of shutting down the engine will be handed over to Kante.
As a teammate of the French national team, Kante is very familiar with Griezmann's technical characteristics, so Kante is also more confident.
"After such a fast-paced offensive and defensive battle in the first half, we all felt a little tired, and they were even more tired."
Pan Yi continued: "Griezmann, as the most important offensive core in Atletico Madrid's midfield, is responsible for more ball tasks, and his physical consumption will only be greater."
"So, N'Golo, your task is to entangle him so that he cannot get the ball comfortably. Even if he gets the ball, you must make him uncomfortable and make him spend as much energy as possible fighting against you. middle."
Seeing Kanter nod again, Pan Yi turned his attention to the other players in front of him.
"The second half is the real test. We have now scored two goals on the road, so Atletico Madrid will work hard to score and equalize the score. And we have only one goal, which is to further expand the lead."
"Based on their running distance and level of confrontation in the first half, the technical department has given me an estimated time, which is that they can maintain a high-intensity offense for up to 30 minutes."
"And we..." Pan Yi paused deliberately at this point and asked, "How long do you think you can hold on?"
"We can last the whole game, boss!" Captain Terry stood up and expressed his stance.
David Luiz also said: "Yes, we will definitely outlast them!"
The players all laughed.
Pan Yi also smiled: "According to the data, you can maintain the same intensity and play for another 40 minutes. Not much, just 10 minutes more than them."
David Luiz muttered: "10 minutes is already a lot. It's enough to have fun again..."
There was even more laughter in the locker room.
Pan Yi pressed his hand down, and everyone became quiet again.
"Considering that there are only 45 minutes in the second half, the extra 10 minutes of full capacity is indeed enough."
"But I hope to squeeze a little more and make this time shorter."
"In the second half, we have to speed up the game from the beginning, and we have to do it faster than in the first half. We will directly drag Atletico Madrid into the quagmire of a war of attrition, and then use our physical advantage to kill our opponents in one fell swoop."
"I know it will be very hard for everyone, but please believe me, our opponents are harder than us. When you feel that you can't move any faster on the court, then look at the opponents in front of you. They will be harder than you. Unbearable."
"And when they can't withstand it, we will score goals and expand the lead. At this time, we will slow down the pace and reasonably distribute our remaining physical energy."
"But by then, Atletico Madrid will find that they have no strength left if they want to counterattack again."
"Come on, everyone, let us win this game! As long as we really win the opponent away from home and return to our Stamford Bridge, they will have no chance!"
Everyone clapped and rushed out of the locker room shouting!
——
The two teams returned to the court.
The two teams exchanged venues and set up their lineups.
Amid the cheers of Calderon fans, the referee also blew the whistle for the second half of the game.
Atletico Madrid was the first to kick off, but Chelsea's overall formation was pressing forward quickly.
This is why Chelsea players are following Pan Yi's instructions and taking the initiative to keep the pace of the game full!
Atletico Madrid quickly passed the ball back, but Chelsea's overall pressure was also very fast. The attacking five in the frontcourt took the lead in forcing the Atletico Madrid defense.
This is the unique sense of oppression caused by the 3-2-4-1 formation when pressing.
With one center forward, two midfielders and two wingers, all of a sudden they come over, which puts a little pressure on the defenders of any team.
At this time, Godin got the ball, and after he passed the ball to Savage, Savage passed it forward with a big kick.
If he were any slower, Harry Kane would kill him!
And forcing the opponent to take big shots in this way is exactly the purpose of Chelsea's frontcourt pressure.
In the backcourt, Van Dijk grabbed the first spot and headed the ball back to the midfield, where Kanter took the ball.
"Kante has performed very well in the past two seasons at Chelsea. Today he formed a defensive midfielder partnership with David Luiz, which can be said to be both offensive and defensive."
"Look at the cooperation between the two this time. The ball came to Kanter's feet again, and then moved to the left."
"Gnabry got the ball and Felipe stepped forward to defend."
"Beautiful, Gnabry took advantage of the change of pace, flexibly got rid of Felipe, and cut inside with the ball."
"Gnabry hits the door!"
"The German's sudden long-range shot from outside the penalty area was of very high quality, but Oblak reacted quickly this time and was very focused. Obviously he had been paying attention to Gnabry's move and took it in time. Save the ball."
"Atletico Madrid took a goal kick and just passed the halfway line. Griezmann wanted to protect the ball, but it was directly destroyed by Kante who was defending closely behind him. The ball was passed to the back of the right and handed to Van Dijk. .”
"The ball is still at Chelsea's feet. Van Dijk takes it forward, passes it to Kante, and then passes it back to Van Dijk."
"Van Dijk, who played as right center back today, was very active and bold. Seat B ran out of space and Van Dijk passed the ball again."
"Seat B made a direct pass and Lukaku broke into the penalty area..."
"Oops, the last shot failed. Oblak performed bravely this time and saved Atletico Madrid once again."
"Since the beginning of the second half, Chelsea has shot two very threatening shots in a row."
Chelsea's offensive has been very fierce during this period, and Atletico Madrid's goal is full of dangers.
Atletico Madrid's offense often becomes sluggish right after the ball is handed over to Griezmann, the core of its offense.
This is because of Kante's pursuit of Griezmann.
Unlike some defensive players who spit out fragrance when marking people or make some small moves to affect the opponent's emotions, Kanter always wears a slight smile.
It just so happens that he is the most popular player in the French national team, and there are even some exchanges between him and Griezmann.
"You just keep staring at me like this? Stop staring. If this continues, my value will drop, and my salary will not be higher when the contract is renewed."
"No, my boss wants me to keep an eye on him."
"Let's do this. After the game, I'll treat you to dinner. I'll eat your favorite French food and go to the best restaurant in Madrid."
"real?"
"Really, when have I ever lied to you?"
"Uh...can I get a discount?"
"...that's okay too."
"The main thing is that my favorite food now is Dragon Country cuisine. Let me tell you, there is a Dragon Country dish in the restaurant opened by my teammate David Luiz that is particularly delicious, called Kung Pao Chicken... Wait a minute , I’ll steal the ball first!”
Then, Kanter pressed his body tightly against Griezmann, stretched out his foot, and intercepted the ball again.
After taking the ball away and passing it to his teammates, Kanter returned to Griezmann: "Where did you just say?"
"..." Griezmann was speechless, "Forget it, let's just play football..."
After the start of the second half, the two teams played at a very fast pace and exchanged offense and defense.
The game also continued the excitement of the first half, and was even more exciting than the first half.
However, what is slightly different from the situation in the first half when the statistics of both sides were almost the same is that in terms of the number of shots, Chelsea began to leave Atletico Madrid behind.
Take Lukaku at the front as an example. Although Atletico Madrid also sent captain Godin to guard him, Lukaku still got three chances to shoot.
Coupled with the shots from Seat B, Gnabry and Hazard, Chelsea had completed six shots in just ten minutes!
This frequency is even higher than in the first half.
If Oblak hadn't performed exceptionally bravely, Atletico Madrid's goal might have been breached again.
And what about Atletico Madrid's shot?
Still zero.
After Griezmann was firmly restricted, the impact on Atletico Madrid's offense was really too great.
Moreover, after constant close-to-hand combat with fellow player Kanter, Griezmann's physical fitness, which was not good at confrontation, also declined significantly.
Sometimes even if he can get out of space to pass the ball, his accuracy has dropped a lot, and he is often easily picked off by Chelsea players.
At this point, although Atletico Madrid and Chelsea seemed to be playing lively on the scene, and they seemed to be evenly matched in possession of the ball, the actual threat they caused was far different.
Faced with this situation, Simeone did not have a particularly good solution.
He can't just replace Griezmann now, can he?
This is tantamount to abolishing martial arts.
He can only hope that the players on the field can calm down in time, stabilize their position, control the ball, slow down the rhythm a little, and improve the success rate of the attack.
Especially Griezmann, for a star of his level, a flash of inspiration at a critical moment may change the situation on the field.
Simeone even thought of his Argentinian compatriot Messi.
Although Messi is one of his biggest enemies in La Liga, Simeone has never concealed his appreciation for Messi.
There is a famous scene when Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona, Torres scored, but Simeone looked expressionless.
The reporter asked him why he didn't celebrate, and he replied: Because I saw Messi warming up.
That's because, for a player like Messi, even though he may not have a lot of playing time, even though you may seem to have him completely locked in, even though he may be walking around and not getting the ball at all...
But as long as he gets the ball, as long as he suddenly starts dribbling or passing...
Maybe he can score a goal.
For Simeone, Griezmann is now his "Messi".
Perhaps it is precisely because of Griezmann that Simeone feels confident that he can play against Pan Yi.
Now, Simeone is waiting for Griezmann to burst out his real energy and help the team turn the tide!
(End of chapter)
