One hour after Sweden's 2:0 match against Ireland, the second group match of Group E was held in the city of Lyon.
And this European Cup finally ushered in the first strictly strong dialogue since the start.
One team is the Belgian team, one of Europe's top teams with many rookies, and the other team is Italy, a long-established team that has lost its prestige. The upstarts and the common people, the flames and the sea, the passion and the elegance meet on a narrow road at this moment.
The last time Belgium appeared on the stage of the European Cup was 16 years ago. It was not until a number of outstanding attackers such as Hazard, Lukaku, and De Bruyne have grown rapidly in recent years that the former European Red Devils became old players in the national team. Wilmots led the resurgence.
They once sat at the top of the FIFA national team rankings last year and their goal is to regain the glory of the 1980s.
In contrast, the Italian team, which has won four World Cup titles, has fallen into trouble in recent years.
If there are still stars in this Azzurri team, then only goalkeeper Buffon is still holding on.
The 38-year-old also set a new record of 974 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal in Serie A this season. The old and strong Italian captain also ushered in his fourth and possibly last European Cup trip in Lyon today. .
Of course, Pan Yi is also very concerned about this game.
Not only because these two teams will be Sweden’s next opponents, their latest tactics must be carefully studied;
It's also because there are former or current disciples of his in these two teams.
On the Italian side, since Milan's players such as Gattuso and Ambrosini have aged, De Sciglio is the only old subordinate in the team.
However, since the current Italian head coach Conte prefers to use a three-centre-back system, the defense is basically dominated by Juventus' four veterans (BBC + Buffon), and the wing-backs also prefer Candreva and Damian. ;
De Sciglio does not have a main position in this Italian team and can only be regarded as a relatively important rotation.
But it's different here in Belgium.
In addition to Chelsea's Hazard, Lukaku, and Courtois, Manchester City's De Bruyne is also the absolute main force of the team!
It can be said that Pan Yi prefers Belgium to win, both in terms of team strength and personal emotions.
But football is often not a game of pure data competition.
The more experienced Italy defeated the slightly immature Belgium!
After the start, Italy even had a slight advantage, but the comparison between the two sides on both offense and defense still made the game itself enter the rhythm of a "contradiction" early, with Belgium mainly attacking and Italy defending.
In the 10th minute, the Belgian team cooperated at the front of the penalty area. Fellaini responded with a header. Nainggolan followed up and fired a heavy shot. Buffon struggled to save the ball.
In the following period, Belgium continued to strengthen its control of the ball, while Italy dealt with its opponents through defensive counterattacks and counterattack opportunities.
Starting from the 29th minute of the game, Pellet sounded the clarion call for the Italian team's counterattack with a long shot, and the Belgian team's defensive loopholes gradually became apparent.
Three minutes later, Bonucci made an accurate long pass near the center line. Alderweireld accidentally hit the top. After getting the ball, Giaccherini calmly pushed the ball into the lower right corner of the goal to score, 1:0!
However, the Italian team had no intention of retreating after taking the lead. Candreva's long shot and Pelle's header relay both tested Courtois.
Facing the simple and clear defense of the Italian team, Belgium had an excellent opportunity to equalize the score at the beginning of the second half. De Bruyne crossed the middle and formed a one-man goal. Lukaku actually missed the ball in the face of the attacking Buffon. .
The Italian team, which escaped the disaster, almost expanded the score 1 minute later. Candreva passed the ball with a curve from the right, Pellet headed the goal, and Courtois did a Banks-like move. Save to get the ball out.
Since then, both sides have their own offense and defense, and the two coaches have also continued to mobilize their troops. Players including Carrasco have entered the battle one after another.
It's just that the Atletico Madrid youngster failed to realize his vision of a critical savior, and Origi, who replaced Lukaku, missed the equalizer one after another.
On the contrary, the Italian team, which was forced into a corner, took the opportunity to quickly counterattack. In the second minute of stoppage time, Candreva made a pass from the right, and the unmarked Pellet volleyed from the back to seal the victory.
In the end, the Italian team defeated Belgium 2:0, and their record of three consecutive European Cup debuts without a win came to an end.
After the game, the Belgian media and fans sharply criticized head coach Wilmots' formation:
"Does he only use 4-2-3-1? Hazard has almost no performance in this system!"
"Look at Lukaku, he is like a headless fly on the court. Is this the same super shooter who won the Premier League Golden Boot for two consecutive years?"
"De Bruyne was completely beaten by the Italians, but Wilmots didn't have any backup. At a tactical level, he was completely defeated by Conte."
"Why can't he even copy homework? How did Pan Yi use De Bruyne in Hamburg? How did he use Lukaku and Hazard in Chelsea?"
"Haha, we shouldn't let Wilmots be the head coach of the national team. He has no ability at all. Look at Conte. Before joining the Italian national team, he was the head coach of Juventus and was the Serie A champion. !”
"To be honest, we were deceived by the performance of the national team in the qualifiers, so we felt that Wilmots could lead Belgium's golden generation to win the championship. But in a team composed of Andorra, Cyprus, Israel, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Winning first place in the group really doesn’t mean anything.”
"Yes, if you want to win the championship, you must use a championship-level coach! What a pity that Pan Yi, who holds the instruction manual for Hazard and Lukaku, went to the Swedish team..."
"Look at Pan Yi, what card is in his hand, and what card is in Wilmots' hand? But the results are completely different. This can only be said that the gap between coaches is greater than that between people. The gap between pigs is even greater!”
"I can only say that it is a pity that our golden generation has not been matched with a coach at the same level as them! You know, we have been waiting for a full thirty years!"
…
Belgium lost to Italy, but Pan Yi became the focus of everyone's discussion. Maybe this is the top player in the world.
Of course, Sweden's 2-0 victory over Ireland was the main battlefield where everyone paid attention to Pan Yi.
As soon as the game ended, major European media immediately focused on it, especially the Swedish media, which gave extensive comments and analysis to this game.
"Daily News" said that Pan Yi fully demonstrated his coaching ability in this game.
Although the personal abilities of the Swedish team players are generally not as good as the Chelsea that Pan Yi led before, Pan Yi still put them together well.
"After only about ten days of exploration and research, Pan Yi and his coaching team seemed to have found the most suitable tactical style for the Swedish team."
"Although he is unable to play a controlled and technical football like Chelsea, Pan Yi still allows the tall Swede to have good midfield control and attacking firepower."
"From the opening attack to the combination of wing and center after Kulusevski was replaced, we all saw the offensive potential of this Swedish team. Whether it is Isaac or Kulusevski, Lusevski, their performance proves that Pan Yi’s vision is as vicious as ever!”
"After taking the lead, we also saw a defensive counterattack tactic with Pan Yi's characteristics. That is, it is not a passive and conservative defensive counterattack, but a more active, more active, more exciting and varied defensive counterattack. .”
"If senior fans can remember, Pan Yi has used such defensive counterattack tactics both in Milan and Hamburg. A very important feature of this tactic is the stable construction of the midfield and backcourt, and the ability to quickly pass through the midfield. Field, play teamwork in the frontcourt, create changes and opportunities.”
"If the previous draw with Wales in the warm-up match made us have doubts about Sweden's European Cup prospects, then this complete victory against Ireland made these doubts disappear."
"Yes, we see hope! I believe Pan Yi's team can qualify from the group and go further in the European Cup!"
"For no other reason than because our head coach is Pan Yi! This coach has just created countless records and miracles on the European continent!"
"He will lead Sweden to continue to create miracles that belong to him and to Sweden!"
The Irish Independent used a title called "Pan Yi Lets Ireland Go Home Early."
In this report, the reporter believed that Ireland did not play badly in this game, especially in the first half.
After withstanding Sweden's opening attack, Ireland used its midfielder's interception advantage to grab a lot of balls, hindering Sweden's midfield advancement.
Then Ireland got many opportunities to send shells into the Swedish penalty area, but failed to score.
But in the second half, when Pan Yi began to make targeted adjustments to the performance of both sides in the first half, the gap between the two teams at the head coach level became apparent.
The Swedish team replaced young player Kulusevski. While strengthening the midfield control, it also increased the pressure on Sweden in the frontcourt. At the same time, it also used the overload tactics on the left to attack the Irish right.
However, in the face of these changes, Ireland coach Martin O'Neill was unable to provide a timely response strategy. As a result, Sweden scored two goals shortly after the start of the second half.
At this time, Martin O'Neill woke up from a dream and ordered his players to attack aggressively, but it was too late.
Pan Yi, who is looking to the future, even removed the two biggest stars in the team, Ibrahimovic and Forsberg, and used defensive counterattack tactics to steadily finish the second half of the game, winning by three points.
It can be said that under the premise that there is no obvious gap in the strength of the players of the two teams, the tactics and on-the-spot command capabilities of the head coaches of both teams determine the final outcome of the game.
"Italy's 2:0 result against Belgium was a bit unexpected, but it also pushed Ireland into the abyss of death."
"In the next round, Italy and Sweden, which won, will face off, while Belgium, which lost, will have a life-and-death struggle with us. They will definitely fight us to the death!"
"After losing completely to Sweden, what confidence do we have to compete with Belgium, which is full of superstars? Then, we will compete with the Italian team, which has defeated Belgium and has high morale? Haha."
"Perhaps as we predicted before the game, the loser between Sweden and Ireland is destined to leave this European Cup."
"It can also be said that Pan Yi beat us home in his first official game with the national team!"
It wasn't just the media that praised Pan Yi's first performance as coach of the national team.
After the game, reporters from The Times immediately interviewed Mourinho, Ferguson and Wenger, who came to France to watch the game.
Although these three guys are considered to be in love with each other in the Premier League, they actually have a good relationship in private.
Later, when Wenger came to Old Trafford for the last time, Manchester United fans also sent him blessings. Of course, what made people even more touching was this scene:
Mourinho, the then Manchester United coach, took Wenger's hand and walked into the stadium, while Ferguson, who had retired, stood beside him with a gift to greet his old teammate and presented it to him as Arsenal coach. The gift of a trip to Old Trafford.
Then the two also recruited Mourinho to their side. Although the three people are of different ages, they have gone from fighting each other to admiring each other for more than ten years. Time has turned them from best rivals to best friends.
Mourinho also said that Ferguson and Wenger are my sweetest enemies and my best friends...
Now they watch the game together, both as coaches and as friends, to appreciate the performance of Pan Yi, whom they both recognize as the best head coach in the world.
All three said that the Swedish team played really well.
Mourinho said: "Pan Yi is still Pan Yi. Even if he comes to the national team, he is still the same him. So I am not surprised at all when he leads the team to defeat Ireland."
Ferguson also agreed with Mourinho's words: "In football matches, the head coach is really important, and Pan Yi has proven this time and time again. It's unimaginable if this group of great boys in Belgium were under Pan Yi What kind of football will be played under Yi."
Wenger believes that the Swedish team's tactical style is very eye-catching: "Pan Yi and his team found the tactics that best suit them and also found a way to restrain Ireland. Judging from the second half of the game, they They can definitely compete with Belgium or Italy, what they need is time to mature themselves and their tactics."
Regarding the qualifying situation of this group, the three head coaches all said that there is absolutely no problem for the Swedish team to qualify.
"If anyone says that Pan Yi's team can't qualify, then he must be stupid!" Mourinho still had his signature dismissive tone.
At least he feels that even if the overall strength of Italy and Belgium is stronger than the Swedish team, as long as Pan Yi is in the Swedish team, these two strong teams will not be able to secure Sweden.
"There is no problem qualifying. I believe Pan Yi can do this." Ferguson said, "But if you want to get better results, this is the biggest challenge for Pan Yi. Can he lead the Swedish team? How far can such a mediocre team go? I'm really looking forward to it."
Wenger was more optimistic: "I don't think we should discuss the Swedish team's qualification, because I even think they have a chance to win the championship! I believe Pan Yi has the ability to upset. Don't forget what he did when he first arrived in Hamburg. To win against Bayern. But this requires them to pay more, and it also requires Pan Yi to stimulate the team's full combat effectiveness as soon as possible!"
In addition to the three famous coaches in the Premier League, another heavyweight also expressed optimism about his national team.
That is the King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf!
In an interview with his country's newspaper after the game, he said that the team not only won, but also played with momentum and spirit.
He will pay attention to the game in every next game, hoping that Pan Yi can lead the Swedish team to go further and strive for the best results!
——
After the Swedish team played the first game of the European Cup group stage, they quickly returned to the manor to rest.
But they did not immediately start training for the second game against Italy.
According to the rules set by Pan Yi before, family members are allowed to visit the hotel after the game and stay overnight.
The training session the next morning was also cancelled. The players could rest until the evening before training began, and then their families would leave the station.
Many of the rules set up by Pan Yi are very tough, but after the game, letting the players' wives and girlfriends stay in the hotel is a very humane arrangement.
As for food and sex, Pan Yi believes that completely prohibiting this kind of behavior during the game is actually not conducive to the physical and mental health of the players, as long as the control is controlled properly.
This is somewhat different from the approach of Italy coach Conte.
He believes that "either you die or I die" on the court, so every player must maximize his or her potential on the court.
To achieve this, players must have sufficient self-discipline whether in training or in off-field life, which is also related to following good X-life rules.
Conte once said publicly: "I hope that when my players have sex, they can use the shortest time and the most energy-saving way, preferably with their significant other on top. X life, of course, the simpler the better , and preferably with their wives.”
Conte's move is undoubtedly to let the players devote more energy to the training ground and the competition field, which reflects his strict military management side, and his strictness has long been a label given to him by the outside world.
In his Italian national team, Chiellini lamented that Conte's training was too hard: "Conte is like a sergeant. Every training session takes a whole day. When you finish training, you I feel like I'm going to die. It's not that I'm tired, I really feel like I'm going to die."
When he coached at Chelsea in his previous life, the Blues players also had a deep understanding of it. Against the backdrop of a dense schedule, Conte still required his players to complete daily training.
It has to be said that Conte's strict military management created an elite division and made him the world's top coach.
However, he sometimes went too far and made his players uncomfortable.
In Pan Yi's previous life, players such as Diego Costa, William, and Hazard all complained about Conte, which was one of the reasons why Conte was later dismissed from Chelsea.
Pan Yi is not Conte, he chooses to be friends with players more.
After all, strictness and harmony are never antonyms.
Obviously, at present, the players of the Swedish national team still like Pan Yi's management model very much.
Be strict when you should be strict, and relax when you should be relaxed.
Is there any better way to relax than to live in harmony with your loved one after the game?
As the head coach, Pan Yi, of course, also needs to relax.
In fact, Valentina came to the hotel last night and harmonized with him.
The next morning, the two of them left the room together and went for a walk outside.
After all, this manor is in the woods, and the morning air is very fresh.
Walking out of the hotel, stepping on the flat bricks, you will see a lake.
Along the lakeside, shaded by trees on both sides, it feels like walking in a paradise.
Especially after walking deeper, even the roads are smooth gravel roads. There are no houses or cars, only trees and the sound of birds.
"This place is really quiet and beautiful!" Valentina couldn't help but praise, "You guys really know how to choose a place. It's really beautiful here, and it's so natural!"
Pan Yi smiled and said: "Look, isn't this much better than taking you to some beach for vacation?"
Valentina rolled her eyes at Pan Yi: "Can this be the same? I mainly think this is really good, you can do what you like, and you won't delay spending time with me."
Pan Yi sighed and said, "Isn't it because if I am with you every day, I will be squeezed dry by you?"
"Bah!" Valentina kicked her over, "Have you learned how to hit a target upside down? Who is the one who often doesn't have enough to eat at one time and needs extra meals..."
As she said this, Valentina herself couldn't help laughing.
But she does like it here.
For someone like her who lives in the city all year round, this kind of life in a mountain village is unique.
Away from the crowds of people, it seems like you are in a fairyland.
Looking at Valentina's smile, Pan Yi finally smiled and said: "This place is indeed very good. I hope I can stay here longer!"
I'm talking about living in this manor, but this is actually Pan Yi's expectation for his team.
After all, if you want to stay here for a long time, you must at least qualify from the group and go further and further in this European Cup!
(End of chapter)
