Among the major European media the next day, numerous newspapers reported the result of the match between Sweden and France.
Of course, the focus of each media report is different.
"Sweden defeated France 2:0 and met Portugal in the European Cup final! 》
This is a relatively decent headline from The Times. It describes the content of the game and then explains the final outcome, that is, Sweden and Portugal will compete for the final championship!
"This is a final that will definitely create history!" Is it Pan Yi or Ronaldo? 》
This report from L'Equipe focuses on Sweden and Portugal, the two teams that have reached the European Cup finals.
No matter who wins the championship, it will be the first time in the history of his team. In other words, there will be a new European Cup champion this year.
This is a bit like before the 2010 World Cup finals. The two teams that entered the finals, Spain and the Netherlands, had never won the championship before, so that game was also called a history-making battle.
The biggest contributors to these two teams reaching the finals are generally considered to be Cristiano Ronaldo for the Portuguese team and Pan Yi for the Swedish team.
Between these two people who have countless fans around the world, who can eventually lead the team to become the king of Europe?
This is undoubtedly a highlight of the finals.
"Pan Yi reappeared as a famous coach and defeated Deschamps tactically"
As a local newspaper in Sweden, "Svenska Dagbladet", of course, sang the praises of this semi-final.
They believe that when the team's strength is completely inferior to France, Pan Yi adopted a swing formation tactic that is not common in international competitions and made more targeted adjustments to France. This is the reason why the Swedish team won this game. The key to the game.
"Some people who were still questioning Pan Yi before the start of the European Cup must shut their big mouths now."
"They believe that Pan Yi's success at Chelsea is largely due to the support of the owner, which allows him to buy any player he wants."
"But in the Swedish team, it is obvious that Pan Yi cannot select and get the players he wants. His team only has Weinblum, no Kante; only Lindelof, no Van Dijk; only Guidetti, there is no Hazard..."
"All we have is Ibrahimovic! But such an mediocre team has been built into a winning team by Pan Yi using flexible tactics!"
"From Ireland, Italy, Belgium, to Spain, Germany, and France, Pan Yi has led our national team and has defeated almost all the best teams in Europe!"
"In the process, we also saw a team that became more mature, more confident, and more motivated."
"The only thing standing in front of us now is Portugal led by Cristiano Ronaldo. We also believe that Pan Yi will be able to overcome this difficulty and eventually win the championship!"
"But no matter whether he wins or loses in the end, based on everything Pan Yi has done so far, he can even compete for the best head coach in the history of the Swedish national team!..."
"Behind Sweden VS France is the duel between Eastern magic and African witchcraft"
As soon as you look at the title, you can tell that it is a product of The Sun.
In their article, they vividly described the details of the "magic return to war" between the two sides.
It started with a famous midfielder of Guinean origin in the French team who found a wizard, and then a handsome oriental coach in the Swedish team also found two eminent monks and immortals. The two sides finally had a fierce battle in the stands of Marseille. contest.
In this battle that was invisible to ordinary people, the mysterious magic from the East finally won.
After all, the Swedish team has an absolute advantage in terms of quantity and quality.
This advantage was also reflected on the field. The Swedish team players were obviously more motivated than the French team, and finally scored two goals and won the game.
Another twist in the fight occurred during the intermission, when the venue management asked the Swedish monks and Taoist priests to leave the stadium.
But obviously, this approach did not affect the outcome of the battle.
According to some Afro-French fans in the stands, even in the second half, they could still feel a powerful force coming towards the stadium from all directions.
"It's Qi. This must be a kind of Qi! Everyone in the Dragon Kingdom has Qi!"
"My feeling is more like magic. I even feel the flow of chakra."
"There is no way our witchcraft can withstand such a powerful force! We are really in trouble!"
In this regard, "The Sun" even conducted a study on the Buddhist and Taoist systems of the Dragon Kingdom, and concluded that it is indeed a bit too bullying to let these two powerful branches of magic work together to deal with witchcraft. Got it!
As for the fact that these two Eastern systems do not seem to be the same system, they also gave their own explanations:
Buddha is the Tao!
——
"TMD The Sun is so talented! If I hadn't been a party involved, I would have almost believed it."
Pan Yi put down the newspaper and laughed.
"What are you laughing at, my sun?"
Valentina, sitting opposite him, asked curiously.
"My Sun" is a famous Italian song, and the famous tenor Pavarotti often sang it.
Valentina, who is also Italian, jokingly used it to refer to her lover.
Of course, this is also because of the lyrics in this song, which are actually quite appropriate to describe Pan Yi:
"Ah, your eyes are shining, like the sun is shining brightly..."
Pan Yi curled his lips, handed the newspaper in his hand to Valentina, and asked her to read it by herself.
Soon, she also covered her chest and laughed like a barbell.
Pan Yi stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth, which was today's breakfast.
Sitting outside the open-air balcony of the Manor Hotel for breakfast, enjoying the direct sunlight in the morning, the temperature was neither cold nor hot, just right and very comfortable.
Like every game in the past, after playing France, they returned to the base camp overnight, and the players' families were also allowed to visit the hotel.
However, by noon today, the family members will have to leave, because starting from the afternoon, the Swedish team will have a tactical preparation meeting and a closed training session.
In other words, starting from today, Pan Yi will start preparing for the final against Portugal!
After Valentina finished laughing, she asked Pan Yi: "Since your Eastern magic is so good, will you still use it against Portugal?"
Pan Yi shook his head: "No."
"Why?" Valentina laughed again, "I think the effect is very good. Do the Portuguese don't believe in this kind of thing?"
"Some people should believe it. I see that Benfica and Porto also deal with these things every day. It seems that Ronaldo has never heard of such beliefs..."
"Then why don't you continue?"
"My extras saw that the effect was very good, so they raised the price." Pan Yi shrugged, "Their current quotation is 1,000 euros per hour."
"..." Valentina was speechless, "Then why not go grab it!"
"So, let's just play a serious game with Portugal. The money we spend might as well buy you food."
Valentina came up and scratched Pan Yi's nose: "You're so good. Speaking of which, are you ready to deal with Portugal? I think a team like them is not easy to play."
In terms of absolute strength, Portugal is certainly not as good as France.
But Portugal has one thing that France does not have, and that is they have Cristiano Ronaldo!
The Swedish team itself can understand how much a superstar-level star can play a role in a team, because they also have Ibrahimovic!
Such a team, when all players can be united around this superstar, can often burst out with amazing energy.
Are you just saying that the Argentine team was absolutely strong in the 2022 World Cup in the previous life?
Most of their main players are also scraps from wealthy clubs + mid-range players from the five major leagues.
But with Messi as the core and the unprecedented unity of the team, they were able to finally defeat many powerful enemies and win the Hercules Cup.
This principle also applies to the Portuguese team.
In addition, the Portuguese team's journey to the finals was also bumpy.
In the group stage, they were placed in Group F with Iceland, Hungary, and Austria, which logically speaking was not too difficult.
But first they lost 1:1 to Iceland, then 0:0 to Austria, and finally 3:3 to Hungary. They actually had three draws in a row!
If not for Cristiano Ronaldo's brace against Hungary, Portugal might not have even been able to qualify, let alone reach the final.
Even if only the top two in the group could advance in previous years, Portugal's third place result in the group would have caused them to be eliminated early.
But that's the way football is.
In the 1982 World Cup, Italy also drew all three games in the group stage. After qualifying, it also advanced to the final, and finally defeated West Germany to win the championship.
In the 1994 World Cup, Italy scored 4 points with one win, one draw and one loss, but the four teams actually scored the same 4 points, and Italy only finished third in the group.
It can be said that if the competition system at that time did not allow the third place in the group to have a chance to qualify, Italy would have been kicked out long ago.
Such a sluggish start did not affect Italy's subsequent journey. In the knockout rounds, Baggio began to show off his power, and he almost single-handedly brought Italy to the final.
Although they lost to Brazil on penalties in the final, considering Italy's original status as third in the group, this result was considered a perfect counterattack.
(Hey, why are they all Italy?)
The same is true for Portugal this year. After qualifying from the group, they fell into a relatively weak half.
The quarter-finals with Croatia may be their toughest test.
The two teams played until overtime and it was still 0:0. As a result, in the 117th minute, Quaresma's winner eliminated the tenacious opponent.
(Hey, why does Croatia have to play 120 minutes every time?)
Then in the quarterfinals, Portugal faced Poland with Lewandowski, and once again had a tough battle.
This time, they were tied with their opponents within 120 minutes, and then survived through a penalty shootout.
In the semi-finals, Portugal faced the big dark horse Wales, but they played relatively easily. With the goals of Nani and Ronaldo, they eliminated their opponents and entered the final.
Valentina said that teams like Portugal are not easy to play. In addition to the factor of Ronaldo, judging from the experience of previous years, it is often easier for such a bumpy team to accumulate status and strength. In the end, It broke out again.
Today's Portugal cannot be said to have done it on purpose, but at least their state was not fully developed at the beginning, and then after two hard battles in the knockout rounds, they seemed to have adjusted to a climax against Wales.
The same is true for Cristiano Ronaldo. His goal in the semifinals will definitely make him confident and perform better in the finals.
As you can imagine, once a team with such a superstar breaks out, it will be a nightmare for all teams!
Pan Yi nodded and touched Valentina's hair to express his appreciation.
This woman, after spending a year in York City, her football knowledge has increased a lot.
"So, you teach me how to play Portugal?" Pan Yi said with a smile.
"How do I know?" Valentina spat, "I only know that you must know something."
"That's fine, then don't worry about me." Pan Yi pulled Valentina into the house, "Let's go, let's do some morning exercises while there's still time!"
——
In the afternoon, the Swedish team began their most important tactical meeting in preparation for the European Cup finals.
Pan Yi needs to go through this meeting to clearly let all players know how the game is going to be played.
Then in the next few days, we will practice and run in around this set of tactics.
"The Portuguese team's playing style is very unique. I hope all of you can clearly understand their playing style. Only in this way will we be more confident in defeating it!"
Pan Yi's words made many people present nod.
Indeed, if you want to defeat an enemy, you must first know where the opponent's strengths and weaknesses are, so that you can avoid the opponent's strengths and attack the opponent's weaknesses.
"Portugal's characteristics are very obvious. They are a representative team of the Latin style in world football. They have outstanding personal skills and have a superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo!"
While speaking, Pan Yi's eyes were always turning on the players.
He could see that everyone was very attentive and listening very carefully.
Because they finally reached the final again, they hope more than anyone else to create a new history of their country's football.
"A sage named Lu from our Dragon Kingdom once said that the most dangerous places are often the safest places."
"This sentence is also very suitable for Portugal. That is their strongest point, which is actually their greatest vitality. Their strongest point is precisely their weakest link!"
When he said this, Pan Yi moved his body so that all the players could see Portugal's tactical formation diagram that had been drawn on the tactical board behind him.
On this panel, a 4-1-3-2 formation is drawn, and this is also the formation most commonly used by Portugal in this European Cup.
"I understand." Captain Ibrahimovic walked to the tactical board and pointed at the forward position. "Their biggest lifeline you mentioned is Cristiano Ronaldo. Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly the sharpest weapon of the Portuguese team, but as long as we control Without this weapon, Portugal will be unable to make any noise."
"Yes, and no." Pan Yi said with a smile, "Cristiano Ronaldo is indeed very powerful and is their strongest point. But we don't need to pay too much attention to him in this game."
As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the conference room.
Everyone around the world knows that you have to guard against Ronaldo when playing against Portugal, just like you have to guard against Ibrahimovic when playing against Sweden.
And now Pan Yi says there is no need to pay attention to Ronaldo? ? ?
What kind of medicine is he selling in his gourd this time?
How did they know that Pan Yi knew it well.
Judging from his previous experience, after Portugal entered the final, Ronaldo was actually a bit exhausted.
After a long and almost full attendance in the 2015-2016 season, C Roma came up to participate in the European Cup. In fact, his physical condition was not in the best condition.
Ronaldo even has hidden dangers of injuries.
Especially his left knee, which has almost become Ronaldo's "Achilles' heel".
This area is the biggest injury that has plagued Ronaldo in recent years. It first appeared when he was playing for Manchester United.
In the 2013-14 season, Ronaldo even played with injuries most of the time. The main problem was the patella injury in his left knee. He almost missed the World Cup in Brazil because of this.
In the past two seasons, Ronaldo has also suffered from knee discomfort many times, but he has not been injured for a long time.
In the European Cup, although Portugal, led by Ronaldo, made it all the way to the finals, Ronaldo's body was still too heavy.
Before playing against Wales in the semi-finals, Ronaldo suddenly stopped training at the Portuguese national team's training ground. Instead, he walked straight to the sidelines and sat down on a chair. He held his left knee. , seems to be feeling uncomfortable.
For a long time, the Portuguese rested on the sidelines and kept covering his left knee. Considering Ronaldo's history of left knee injuries, many people speculated that he might have a recurrence of his old injury.
But Ronaldo finally appeared on the field, played the full 90 minutes and scored a goal, which made all Portuguese people feel relieved.
Pan Yi knew that Ronaldo was already overwhelmed at this time.
In a previous life, Portugal played the final against France.
During a scramble during the game, France's Payet bumped into Ronaldo, and soon Ronaldo was unable to continue the game due to an old knee injury and was eventually replaced.
It stands to reason that Payet's collision was not particularly exaggerated, but precisely because Ronaldo had old injuries, he was unable to withstand such an impact, which became the last straw for him.
In fact, during the half hour he was on the court, Ronaldo had no outstanding performance.
For a player who plays injured, it is bound to be difficult for him to exert 100% of his ability, especially a player like Ronaldo who is known for his speed and impact.
This is Pan Yi's basis, that is, in the final, Ronaldo is not the most threatening player - regardless of whether he will eventually leave the field injured.
Of course, Pan Yi will not tell everyone all this "prophecy".
What he told everyone was just an analysis of Ronaldo and prediction of his physical condition, and then he concluded that he was not in the best condition.
"The most noteworthy thing about Portugal is their simple combat style." Pan Yi began to elaborate on today's key points.
Unlike Spain, Germany, or France, Portugal is not considered superior in terms of overall player personal ability. During the game, the team does not blindly pursue possession of the ball. Especially in the knockout stage, its ball possession rate is lower than that of its opponents.
But why can they make it all the way to the finals? Luck is certainly not enough to explain it.
First of all, the Portuguese team's offensive technical quality is higher, the team's passing ability is better, and there are more long passes. The team's dribbling breakthrough ability is strong, and the individual dribbling breakthrough success rate is high. The team's shooting efficiency is average, but they take more shots, which also results in goals being scored.
Second, the Portuguese team's defensive skills are extremely aggressive. The team averages more steals per game, and the proportion of frontcourt steals is similar to that of the backcourt. Entering the knockout stage, the team's number of clearances has increased significantly, and the number of clearances in the frontcourt is slightly lower than that in the backcourt. The team's tackle technique is used reasonably, with a large number of tackles and a high tackle success rate.
Third, the Portuguese team’s offensive tactics emphasize simplicity and speed, and focus on set-piece coordination. Seventy percent of the team's goals are launched in the midfield. These goals are mainly launched in the midfield and assisted from the right.
In addition, more than 80% of the team's goals are completed in the penalty area. The team is well prepared for corner kicks and often relies on well-planned tactical corner kicks to create opportunities for Ronaldo to score headers.
Fourth: The Portuguese team’s defensive tactics emphasize numerical advantage and are good at man-to-man defense. The team's defensive behavior in the front and backcourt is relatively balanced, with slightly more defensive behavior in the backcourt than in the frontcourt.
The team attaches great importance to the first defensive behavior, and the tactical thinking of "defend immediately after losing the ball" is fully reflected.
When defending as a whole, the defense line retreats further to gain a defensive numerical advantage; when defending locally, man-to-man defensive tactics are used.
"Maybe their performance is not outstanding and the game is relatively dull, but such opponents are the most terrifying."
Portugal's way of playing in the European Cup also reflects the pragmatic and concise style of coach Fernando Santos.
But this style, from a tactical perspective, is very suitable for leading the team to compete with opponents in international competitions.
And Fernando Santos is not static. In fact, the Portuguese team has made many position adjustments since the group stage.
At the beginning, they used a parallel 4-4-2 in the group stage, but the player combination and overall performance were not as ideal as expected. In particular, center back Carvalho was already stretched beyond his capabilities, right back Vierinha was insufficient defensively, and midfielder Muti Neo and Gomez's playing style is slow, which slows down the fast break speed of Nani and Ronaldo.
Due to this situation, when entering the knockout stage, Fernando Santos made slight adjustments and first changed the formation to a diamond-shaped 4-1-3-2.
Then the center back and right back were replaced by Fonte and Cedric, who also played for Southampton, and the midfielder began to use the young and running Renato Sanches, as well as the more capable link-up player who performed well at Chelsea. Bernardo Silva.
Meanwhile, William Carvalho continues to serve as a defensive midfielder, with Joao Mario moving to the left.
After fine-tuning, the team became more and more mature in controlling the game scene and resisting pressure, and continued to use this formation until the finals.
"Any team that wants to resolve Portugal's tactics, one way is to press out as a whole and press the opponent. They will eventually reveal their flaws under the pressure and pull of the opponent. In other words, before they can launch a fatal counterattack, Knock them down!"
"The other way is to lower your posture, stabilize the defense first, let Portugal come out to attack, and then counterattack their counterattack. This tactic is relatively stable, but it may not necessarily work because Fernando Santos will not be so It’s easy to be fooled.”
When talking about this, Pan Yi used a tablet computer to show a short video on the big screen, which was a clip of Chelsea's Champions League final against Bayern.
"Just like this game, I will adopt a compromise approach. I will not press the opponent or withdraw the defense, but will strangle in the midfield."
"In doing so, we will not cause too many gaps in the defense because of the overall pressure, nor will Portugal become wary because we are too deep."
"In terms of position, we need to shrink the distance between the three lines and reduce the area of control. This can ensure greater defensive intensity in as little running range as possible!"
"Also, everyone must keep a distance of within 10 meters..."
As Pan Yi talks about it, many players will admire the design of this tactic from the bottom of their hearts.
Attacking while defending, defending while attacking, it can be said that it is very suitable to play against a team like Portugal.
Moreover, this style of play itself is also very suitable for the Swedish team.
After all, if you ask the Swedish team to press the entire court and compete with their opponents for possession of the ball, to be honest, it is difficult to do so.
Not every team is Barcelona and has Hababermei!
And in terms of defensive arrangement, they can all feel that this kind of defense can ensure that the Swedish team does not miss the goal to the greatest extent as long as they do not make fatal mistakes.
On this basis, as long as the tactics are implemented in place, it will become very possible to patiently find gaps in the Portuguese defense and try to score their goal.
Of course, this also requires all players in the Swedish team to maintain a good team level, keep a good distance from their teammates and conduct fan-shaped defense against their opponents as Pan Yi drew on the tactical board.
In this way, there will be no chaotic scenes, otherwise in the end, instead of tormenting the other party, you will torment yourself.
And as Pan Yi just said, Portugal's strongest point is Cristiano Ronaldo, but this is also their weakness.
Once Cristiano Ronaldo performs poorly or even leaves the field injured, they will lack an important attacking point in the frontcourt, and their counterattack speed will have to rely on Nani alone.
Under such circumstances, the Swedish team is less likely to be opened up by their quick counterattacks when defending.
As for Pan Yi’s past life memory, substitute forward Edel who scored the winning goal in the European Cup final...
To be honest, he probably only exploded once in his life, but this time, he happened to appear on a major stage like the European Cup final.
Before that, he was a big parallel import in the Premier League; after that, he was still no one cared about.
So Pan Yi naturally has a countermeasure for this, which is to send someone to polish him up so that he can continue to be ordinary...
(End of chapter)
