There are still some acquaintances of Pan Yi in this Lazio team, such as the two Italian internationals Immobile and Parolo.
In addition, there are some famous players, such as midfielder Luis Alberto from Spain, Milinkovic-Savic from Serbia, defender De Vrij from the Netherlands, and goalkeeper Strakosha.
Including their current head coach Inzaghi Jr., he is also very prominent among Serie A head coaches.
Generally speaking, Lazio's strength this season is still very good. They have also been competing for the top four in Serie A and hope to participate in the Champions League next season.
Of course, York City cannot relax when facing such an opponent, especially in the first round of the home game, which is likely to establish the situation for both sides to enter the final.
Of course, the Europa League semi-finals didn't start so soon.
There is a total of 2 weeks between the knockout rounds of the Europa League quarter-finals and the semi-finals, that is, the first leg of the semi-finals will not start until April 27.
In these two weeks, York City still needs to play 3 games, 2 of which are league games, and the more important one is the FA Cup semi-final with Southampton.
At this time, York City's advantage in winning the Championship in advance is reflected. Scaloni can completely adjust the players' playing time and use the best players to meet the most important games!
In an interview with reporters, York City boss Pan Yi also humorously said that since they "failed to avoid relegation" in the English Championship this season and accidentally rushed into the Premier League and won the English Championship, it is time to think about it. Two more championships.
This is not surprising to the media. After all, Pan Yi has only announced that he wants to win three championships this year, which seems to be very "humble" for him.
When talking about his team, Pan Yi also believes that it is precisely because the atmosphere within the team is very good now and everyone's morale is high. They have also entered the semi-finals of the Europa League and the semi-finals of the FA Cup, so he also believes York City is fully capable of winning both competitions.
"You always seem to have confidence in your team!"
"Of course," Pan Yi replied without thinking, "don't you think we are a Premier League team? Then what's so surprising about us winning the FA Cup and Europa League? I I have faith in my boys and they can win any game!"
And soon, in the 42nd round of the English Championship, York City immediately proved what Pan Yi said was true.
In this round of the league, due to the FA Cup, York City's league game was moved forward one day and they challenged fellow Yorkshire team Sheffield United away.
Sheffield United have fallen a bit behind in recent Championship games, but are still in ninth place and still hope to compete for Premier League qualification through the play-offs;
In addition, this is another Yorkshire derby, so of course I will fight you hard.
As a result, even though Scaloni was preparing for the FA Cup semi-finals and training for the Europa League, using most of the rotation, the result was a clean 3-0 victory over Sheffield United.
In the game, Huang Zichang and Kvarac Helia scored a goal each in the first 20 minutes, and Tomori took advantage of a corner kick in the second half to score a header.
After the game, Scaloni also emphasized again that York City's goal is no longer a team in Yorkshire, but the Premier League, but Europe!
——
York City played at home in the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton, known as the "Saints".
Southampton seemed very cautious in this game. After all, although they are a Premier League team, they are really no better than York City.
They have also struggled in the Premier League this season, hovering around 16-18th - which is near the relegation zone.
Isn't a Premier League relegation team theoretically on the same level as the British Championship champions? Maybe even worse.
Although the top priority is to avoid relegation in the Premier League, as a small and medium-sized team, now that it has the opportunity to reach the FA Cup semi-finals, it must strive for this rare championship opportunity.
Compared with Southampton's lack of offensive ability, their defense is relatively more stable.
The back line led by Japanese international Maya Yoshida and tall Dutch defender Huth conceded fewer goals than most teams in the lower half during the season.
Today they face York City's strong midfield control, and they are playing away from home, so it is natural to adopt a defensive counterattack.
For this game, Scaloni hid many main players in the previous league game against Sheffield United, but in this game he sent out the entire main lineup.
This lineup launched a fierce offensive against Southampton from the first minute at the West Siberian Stadium, especially the control of the three players in the midfield, coupled with the pressure of the front three, it even suppressed Southampton.
The full-backs on both sides stepped forward to assist, which also caused a lot of trouble for Southampton.
In the 30th minute, Leo and Kulusevski changed positions. After Kulusevski arrived on the left, he forced a break through the opponent's full-back and made a pass.
At this time, Baker was like a nail driven into the opponent's penalty area. He used his physical advantages to firmly occupy his position. After grabbing the first point, he headed the ball to the back.
De Jong, who had been wandering outside the penalty area and not receiving much attention from Southampton's defensive players, suddenly stepped in from the back row and grabbed the second spot. He didn't even stop the ball and volleyed directly.
Southampton goalkeeper McCarthy's sight was blocked by his teammates. When he reacted, the ball had already entered the net, 1:0!
After the goal, York City's offensive slowed down and their formation retracted slightly. It was obvious that they consciously wanted to allow Southampton to attack and not create a bus-breaking trend.
The latter had no choice. This was a single elimination round. After falling behind, they had no choice but to find a way out.
But doing so leaves York City with a lot of counterattack space in its own defense.
In the 51st minute of the second half, York City midfielder stole the ball. Leo used his speed to counterattack, and after a clever cooperation with Baker in the opponent's penalty area, he scored another victory, 2:0!
At this point, the game had completely lost its suspense, and York City finally defeated its opponent 2:0.
In another semi-final, the "King of the Thermos Cup" Arsenal also defeated their strong rival Manchester City and once again reached the FA Cup final.
This is the second consecutive year that York City has met Arsenal in the FA Cup.
In the last cup, Arsenal met York City, which was still a League One team. Wenger was a little careless and did not field the full lineup, and they lost.
This time they meet in the final, Wenger will certainly not take it lightly anymore.
In fact, Wenger is no longer qualified to do so.
On the one hand, York City's growing strength is on the one hand, but on the other hand, Wenger can no longer afford to lose, and his coaching position is about to be lost!
In this season's Premier League, with four rounds to go, Arsenal is already 16 points behind the top four teams.
In other words, Arsenal has already withdrawn from the competition for Champions League seats early and will miss the Champions League for two consecutive seasons!
This also made countless Arsenal fans angry.
If Arsenal hadn't reached the semi-finals of the Europa League and the FA Cup final, Wenger might have resigned early.
In other words, the Europa League and the FA Cup are now Wenger's last straw. If he can at least win one of the championships, he might still have hope of staying on the team.
It is precisely because of these causes and consequences that after the two semi-finals, major British media began to exaggerate the FA Cup final that will be held on May 20, believing that this is another contest between Pan Yi and Wenger. And it might be the last fight.
Of course, there is another chance for the two teams to meet this season, and that is the Europa League final.
If they can get past the two strong rivals Lazio and Atletico Madrid, they can really go to the Olympic Park Stadium in Lyon, France to participate in the final!
And compared with the FA Cup, Wenger will definitely pay more attention to the Europa League championship trophy.
This is not just a trophy, but more importantly, a ticket to the Champions League group stage!
The league is hopeless. If we can qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League, fans will not say anything.
Therefore, Wenger is bound to win the Europa League final!
——
Of course York City thinks so too, both players and fans.
This Europa League semi-final held at the West Siberia Stadium attracted 20,000 fans to watch the game - this was still limited by the size of the old stadium.
Of course, the new stadium is now under construction, and soon they will have a big stadium that matches York City's current results!
That is the home ground that belongs to York City, and that is the home of York City fans!
However, although Western Siberia is old now, it still has the reputation of being the devil's home stadium in England and Europe.
On the one hand, York City almost never loses at home, and every opponent who comes here is always proud to get a point;
On the other hand, York City's games always seem particularly exciting, and the fans are able to create a terrifying home atmosphere throughout the game.
"York City's game today is still very enthusiastic, but they actually had some bad news before the game."
Sky Sports' Lineker appeared in the commentary box "as scheduled": "According to the news we received before the game, Rice has some minor injuries and may not be able to participate in this game."
This was during the FA Cup semi-finals. Rice was kicked on the ankle during a challenge and was subsequently replaced by Barella.
Then he did not play in the league game against Bolton and was not even included in the substitute list, which made York City fans a little worried.
"But judging from the starting list we have seen now, Scaloni still puts Rice in the main defensive midfielder position, and still forms a three-midfield configuration with De Jong and Tonali. It seems that his The injury is not serious.”
Alan Shearer also nodded: "Scaloni studied under Pan Yi and has always been unwilling to let players take risks. Moreover, York City's bench is strong, so there is no need to take risks. If he can play, it means that the problem is not big. .”
Lineker said: "That's true, but Rice's role is still very prominent in York City."
"He can play as a defender. He has enough height and weight, and his defensive ability is stronger. To be honest, it would not be reassuring to let Barrera or Karlström take this position."
"In York City's tactical system, the midfield has always been a very important area of contention. We can also see that they must seize control of the midfield in every game."
"And with Rice at the back, whether it's Tonali or De Jong, they can better utilize their technical characteristics while defending and support the Trident's offense in the frontcourt."
Alan Shearer had to agree with Lineker: "That's true. It seems that today is because the game is very important, so Scaloni still hopes that Rice + Tonali + De Jong will be the regular midfielder. The field combination can perform stably and I don’t want to cause any surprises..."
While the two commentators were discussing, in the York City dressing room, Scaloni was also making final pre-war arrangements.
"In this game, the area we focus on is the midfield! They usually play as a lone forward. Immobile has a strong ability to grab points, but his ability to consolidate and break through is average."
"Alberto usually plays a second striker or attacking midfielder behind him. The latter has excellent skills and strong awareness. But if we can break the connection between their midfield and the striker, then Immobile is in front. Nothing will be done.”
"Our midfielders, especially Tonali and De Jong, you two need to retreat more, go back and forth, suppress their attacks from the two wings. When defending, you must focus on marking Immobile and at the same time control the second Placement. You have to build a wall in the midfield and don’t let the opponent easily pass through your defensive area.”
The players nodded seriously and agreed.
"Baker, in this game, try to pull DeVry out of the penalty area as much as possible, retreat as much as possible, and create space for our two wing cuts. Then the cuts on both wings must be ruthless and decisive. Don't hesitate. I trust you." Teammates, I believe that even if you lose the ball, they can get it back for you!"
"In addition, Alfonso and Militão, you need to be positioned further forward to help the midfielder suppress Lazio's wings, and at the same time increase our interception in the midfield. We have to control the midfielder in this game!"
"Remember the tactical coordination we practiced before? We have to play concisely and quickly, and don't fight with the Serie A teams. Once their defense is organized, it will be difficult for us to threaten their goal. We We must end the battle in the first half!”
Having said this, Scaloni looked at Rice, who gave Scaloni a reassuring look.
Rice is indeed injured, so it can be said that he cannot play the whole game, but playing half time is not a big problem.
Then, Scaloni's task for Rice is to exert his energy in this half of the game, and like the head coach said, end the battle at halftime! ——
The referee blew the whistle to start the game, and the visiting team Lazio kicked off first.
At the beginning, Lazio obviously played very patiently. The three lines were very tight, and they had a mentality that even if I don't score, I can't make mistakes.
In their 3-5-1-1 formation, in addition to Immobile and Alberto in the frontcourt, the five midfielders are actively fighting, and Parolo and Milinkovic are also frequently in the midfield. Look for opportunities to counterattack in the middle.
Of course, after they get the ball, they will avoid York City's midfield press and move it to the wings. The two wing-backs Basta and Lulic will also provide assists in a timely manner.
However, York City's defense on the two wings is very fierce. The two midfielders, including Tonali and De Jong, will often appear on the wings to participate in defense. In addition, the full-backs are positioned forward, which makes Lazio unable to play on the wings. come out.
Even if he occasionally passed the ball, Immobile could not gain even the slightest advantage in the confrontation under the close surveillance of Italian national team teammate Bastoni.
On the other hand, York City also stood firm in the beginning, with the idea of controlling the midfield and letting the game enter their own rhythm.
So in the first 15 minutes, York City didn't show much ferocious fangs, but when Lazio's offense was suppressed, they immediately began to prepare for a counterattack.
On both sides, Leo and Kulusevski often dropped back to participate in defense at first, but when York City got the ball and started attacking, they would quickly rush forward and disrupt the opponent's defense.
This kind of tactical coordination has already been clearly divided in York City's defensive and offensive system, and everyone knows what they should do when.
Rice played more like a libero in the midfield and backcourt in this game. Although he did not have many direct confrontations with his opponents, he relied more on his own consciousness to judge the opponent's passing route in advance. and intercept it.
Moreover, the tasks Scaloni assigned him today are relatively free, which is to allow him to be ready to attack at any time while ensuring defense.
Under this arrangement, Lazio played a little uncomfortable. In order to better control the ball, they could only let their defense line advance to meet the midfielder, especially the two full center backs.
When Scaloni saw the opponent's left center back Radu coming forward frequently on the sidelines, he couldn't help but smile.
This is exactly the effect he wanted!
In the 21st minute, Tonali intercepted the ball on the left side of the midfield and passed it back to Alphonso Davis not far behind him. The latter knocked it across to Bastoni, who took a few steps forward. Leave it to Rice.
Rice had already noticed the gap in front of him.
After he stopped the ball, he directly hit Lazio with a long pass.
The ball passed through the gap between DeVry and Radu very accurately, and Kulusevski came out from the diagonal stab!
He used his speed to catch the ball before Radu, followed the trend, pressed Radu with his body, cut into the penalty area, faced goalkeeper Strakosha's attack, calmly lobbed the ball, and scored, 1:0 !
After scoring, Kulusevski excitedly hugged his teammates who were celebrating for him.
The fans in the stands also burst into the warmest applause of the audience.
This applause is dedicated to Kulusevski who scored the goal, and to Rice who made the long pass and assisted!
When Scaloni saw the team's goal on the sidelines, he knew that the game was already under his control.
But he didn't dare to be careless, and kept reminding his players to be careful of Lazio's counterattack.
Especially in the few minutes after taking the lead, the counterattack during this period is the most deadly!
Sure enough, after falling behind, Lazio immediately launched a fierce counterattack, but York City's formation was flexible and orderly, relying on unremitting running and interception, repeatedly destroying Lazio's offense, and quickly survived this period.
As the saying goes, once the momentum is high, it will fade again, and then it will be exhausted. When Lazio's offensive gradually slowed down and the situation on the field gradually returned to a stalemate, York City once again showed its bloody fangs!
This time it was Baker. He took advantage of DeVry's lack of concentration during a counterattack. After stopping the ball, he made a two-on-one with Leo on the wing, broke into the opponent's penalty area, and scored, 2:0!
This was almost a goal that declared Lazio's defeat.
However, this is actually just the beginning of the disaster.
In the second half, although Scaloni quickly replaced the injured Rice with Barrera, York City's offensive became more and more fierce.
In the 60th minute, it was Varela who came on as a substitute and knocked on Lazio's door again with a long shot, 3:0!
In the 80th minute, Scamacca, who also came on as a substitute, beat De Vrij in the penalty area and hit the goal with a header, ending the massacre.
4:0!
Dark horse York City slaughtered Lazio at home!
After the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals knockout round, the headlines on the front pages of all media were basically this headline.
No one expected that a match that was thought to be at least evenly matched would turn out to be one-sided.
Throughout the game, Lazio's performance can only be described as tragedy. The players' performance on the court was not without effort, but they were never able to take the initiative in the game.
After the game, many commentators in Italy said that the biggest highlight of York City's game was their control of the midfield.
When Rice was there, his scheduling in the backcourt and the fatal pass that tore apart Lazio's defense allowed York City to firmly control the situation on the field. Entering the halftime break 2:0, Rice played a major role. without.
In the second half, the three midfielders composed of Barrera, Tonali, and De Jong were also both offensive and defensive, and they also beat Lazio out of breath.
Everyone believes that this York City team really has the ability to win the championship, and owner Pan Yi definitely did not exaggerate the facts!
Of course, the Italian media also targeted Lazio head coach Inzaghi.
They believe that Inzaghi's lack of contingency measures after the team fell behind is also considered a key factor in Lazio's defeat.
If he can be more decisive when trailing 0:1, or replace the poor Immobile at halftime and replace him with a midfielder to strengthen the control of the midfield, maybe this It won't be a disastrous defeat, maybe we can even get a goal back.
With Lazio's ability, if they don't lose much and return to home, it is entirely possible to counterattack York City.
But it was Inzaghi's hesitation that caused his team to encounter a bloody massacre at the West Siberia Stadium, which almost ruined all Lazio's hopes of promotion!
On the other hand, Scaloni made every substitution in an orderly manner, whether it was at the start or after taking the lead, and all substitutions were very targeted.
Tactics determine the outcome of this game, and York City deserves a victory!
"Being by Pan Yi's side, both players and coaches will improve their performance. Scaloni's coaching level in the past two years has been very much like Pan Yi's!"
Even the Italian media, no matter how unconvinced, have to admit this.
Of course, they will also happily express:
"Fortunately, Pan Yi is also the head coach of our Italian national team..."
(End of chapter)
