Although York City won the FA Cup, Pan Yi did not arrange too many celebrations.
He just announced on the day after the game, in front of all the first-team players at the training base, that the 1.8 million pound bonus for winning the FA Cup final last night would be distributed to each player's account. It also immediately aroused cheers from the players.
Money and honor, who would want too little?
Of course, the total bonus for winning the FA Cup is not just this. The 1.8 million is just the bonus for winning the championship final.
For example, winning in the semi-finals will earn you £900,000, and winning in the quarter-finals will earn you £360,000, including previous bonuses for each round that Pan Yi has already distributed to the players.
All the promises Pan Yi made before have now been fulfilled.
League promotion and winning bonuses, as well as FA Cup winning bonuses, both bonuses are cashed out the day after the game.
Now, there is only one Europa League left!
The Europa League final is scheduled for the evening of May 20, at the Parc Olympique in Lyon, France.
While awarding bonuses, Pan Yi also motivated the players. If they win the Europa League, the team will become the first non-top league team in the history of European football to win the Intercontinental Triple Crown and go down in history!
In addition, Pan Yi also promised that all Europa League winning prizes will be distributed to the players, which makes every player very excited!
Europa League champion! Enter the Champions League! More bonuses! A virtuous cycle.
The only troublesome thing is that Atletico Madrid is waiting for work, while York City has just gone through a tough battle in the FA Cup.
However, Scaloni seems confident about this Europa League final!
He assured Pan Yi on behalf of the players: "Boss, you led the Hamburg team that was about to be relegated to the Champions League final and won the Triple Crown. So why are we afraid of Atletico Madrid today?"
Even Atletico Madrid was defeated by Pan Yi that year, which also gave Scaloni a lot of confidence.
If Scaloni can beat Wenger, of course he can also beat Simeone! ——
Simeone is of course a very capable head coach.
Since he became the head coach of Atletico Madrid in December 2011, he has been with the team for almost seven years and has led the team to win several heavyweight championships, including the La Liga championship.
You know, it is a difficult challenge for every La Liga team to win a championship from the wealthy Real Madrid and Barcelona, and Simeone did it.
He led Atletico Madrid to compete with Real Madrid and Barcelona, also known as the "top three of the Western Super League". This is really not easy.
Under his coaching, Atletico Madrid showed a strong fighting will, and ferocity and iron-bloodedness are their labels.
However, one of the criticisms about them is that their playing style is too defensive, which makes them not very enjoyable to watch.
Whether in La Liga or this season's Europa League, regardless of the strength of the opponent, Simeone still uses defensive counterattacks in most cases. Then he steals one in the frontcourt and then stops, making a 1:0 and then returns from get off work. Home.
The second leg of the Europa League semi-final against Arsenal was a typical example.
At that time, they had already won a draw on the road as they wished, and then they still used Simeone's usual 4-4-2 formation at home.
The goalkeeper Oblak and the back four are Lucas Hernandez, Godin, Gignes, and Thomas Partey - the one who later played as a defensive midfielder at Arsenal. Simeone asked him to play this time Right back to strengthen the defense.
The midfield four will be Vitolo, Saul, Gabi and Koke, and the front two will be Griezmann and Diego Costa.
In the injury time of the first half, Atletico Madrid took the lead to score. Griezmann sent a diagonal pass from the right side of the frontcourt, and Diego Costa carried Bellerin from the left and volleyed in the penalty area, 1:0!
Then the game entered a rhythm familiar to Atletico Madrid. In the end, Atletico Madrid maintained a 1-goal advantage and entered the final.
Therefore, it can be expected that this Europa League final will be like the FA Cup final, another contest of contradictions and shields.
However, York City is the spear this time and Atletico Madrid is the shield!
——
When the final started, from the first minute of the first half, Simeone was directing from the sidelines.
The coach with this character would sometimes roar at the court to get the distracted players to move; sometimes he would squat there alone and quietly watch the development of the situation on the court.
The starting lineup he sent out today is basically the same as when he played against Arsenal. He just put Thomas Partey back in the midfielder position, forming a four-midfielder with Saul, Gabi and Koke, and let Croatian international Fu Salico went to play at right back.
But no matter how he adjusts, the overall tactical idea will not change, which is to rely on defense and rely on counterattacks in the midfield and frontcourt to score goals - even if the opponent is only a British Championship team.
Simeone has always been cautious, and today is the final, of course, even more so.
York City can defeat Arsenal and Ajax, which is certainly not an easy feat.
Some people will be fooled by the appearance of York City's "English Championship team" and underestimate the opponent, but Simeone will not.
More importantly, he knows that this is Pan Yi's team!
As we all know, as long as it is related to the name "Pan Yi", then this team will definitely not be simple...
Therefore, Simeone is very cautious in both formation and on-the-spot command.
In sharp contrast to Simeone, Scaloni stood in the pocket not far away.
He is quite relaxed today.
This was mainly due to the fact that from the beginning of the game, the situation on the field was firmly in York City's hands.
De Jong's organization in the midfield is as stable as ever, and the offensive power of the front trident is as sharp as ever, and the defense line carefully built by Scaloni did not give Atletico Madrid's two star forwards too many opportunities.
In the 15th minute, Scaloni also saw the scene he was most looking forward to: York City scored!
Under the surging offensive, Atletico Madrid finally lost some of its secrets.
Baker received De Jong's long pass from the backcourt, headed the ball into the penalty area, and Leo hit the horse and scored! 1:0!
At this time, Godin's slow speed seemed a little helpless in the face of Leo's impact, and Atletico Madrid's goalkeeper Oblak was unable to save Leo's shot that was already close at hand.
Scoring first against a team like Atletico Madrid is undoubtedly very beneficial to the situation, especially since most of the possession of the ball is still at your feet.
After that, York City played more patiently, always using Baker as a frontcourt bridgehead, and frequently attacking Atletico Madrid's defense with two wings.
This made Simeone's team exhausted. They found that the individual abilities of York City's frontcourt players were so outstanding, and coupled with their tacit cooperation, they were really difficult to mark.
And when Atletico Madrid finally gets a chance to counterattack, York City will start to actively steal from the front court.
Even if Atletico Madrid advances into the midfield, they will immediately be defended layer by layer by De Jong, Tonali and Barrera, and finally the back four.
This caused Atletico Madrid's attacks to be repeatedly frustrated, while York City always suppressed Atletico Madrid on the scene. Even if Simeone made frequent adjustments, York City's advantage was still unable to be shaken.
"Atletico Madrid was obviously helpless in the face of York City's ball-control style. They might be able to stop it by committing frequent fouls, but York City has several players who are very accomplished at set pieces."
"In the 8th minute, Tonali's goal kick already made Atletico Madrid break out in a cold sweat, so we can see that they don't dare to foul easily in their own half!"
"It's really difficult for Simeone. They don't dare to foul, so York City's passing and receiving are smoother. It's harder for Atletico to restrict them, so Atletico Madrid can only be beaten!"
In the commentary box, Lineker said with a smile.
York City's situation is now better than in the FA Cup final. As a York City fan, he is of course happy.
“In England, it’s hard to see a controlling style of play like York City’s. In my impression, apart from Pan Yi’s Chelsea, there is only Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal… but York City’s tactics are more aggressive than Arsenal’s. It's more direct, more lethal, and the pace of the game is faster." Alan Shearer also said.
"Yes, look at the FA Cup final between Arsenal and York City. York City played a defensive counterattack at that time, but their counterattack was very sharp. They took advantage of Arsenal's loopholes and beat them up."
"Today, the two sides were reversed, and York City became the main attacking side. But we can see that Atletico Madrid's counterattack was not successful at all!"
Lineker continued with a smile: "That's because York City's frontcourt has a strong sense of counterattacking on the spot. Look, once they lose the ball, no matter whether Baker, Leo, Kulusevski, or behind De Jong and Tonali will actively participate in the counter-attack, which makes Atletico Madrid's advancement particularly difficult."
"That's right..." Alan Shearer was just about to analyze something more, but immediately pointed to the field, "Look at this steal! Rice intercepted beautifully, and then passed the ball to De Jong, who immediately took off. , the ball passed to the right to Kulusevski!"
Kulusevski directly faced the opponent's Fossaliko, and deftly made two beautiful fake moves in succession. The movements were very fast, Fossaliko was deceived, and Kulusevski suddenly led the way. The ball cuts inside.
"The referee blew the whistle and Fossaljko committed a foul. He pulled down Kulusevski near the corner of the penalty area. This was an obvious foul and the referee showed him a yellow card. York City got another one. Opportunity for a set piece in the frontcourt!”
"Who will take the penalty? Tonali, De Jong, or even Alphonso Davies..."
On the court, several York City players stood at the penalty spot.
They discussed it for a while and decided that Tonali would take the penalty.
Recently, his scoring rate from free kicks is quite high. If the foot wind is relatively smooth, let him do it.
And Tonali didn't refuse. He gently put the ball on the lawn, stepped on the turf a few times with his feet, took a few steps back, and stood still!
Everyone's attention was focused on Tonali alone.
Tonali took a deep breath...
The moment the referee blew the whistle, he ran up and kicked the ball.
The ball soared rapidly, sliding out a strange trajectory in the air, circling around the jumping human wall, and then falling rapidly.
Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Oblak judged the ball's path correctly, but the ball went into the blind corner of the goal beyond his outstretched hands to save, 2:0!
The route of this ball is really difficult to judge!
"In the 35th minute of the first half, York City took advantage of Tonali's direct free kick and scored another victory! They were already leading Atletico Madrid 2:0!" Lineker said.
Alan Shearer also said: "Yes, judging from the game situation, Atletico Madrid was in a passive position and conceded two goals in a row in the first half. You can imagine the huge blow to the team's morale. I don't know what happened on the sidelines. Did Simeone expect to encounter such difficulties today?"
Lineker smiled and said: "Simone must have done his homework. He knows York City's abilities. But Atletico Madrid are now used to counterattacks. It is really a bit difficult for them to compete with York City players for possession of the ball. Reluctantly.”
"And the condition of York City players seems to be particularly good today. It may be affected by winning two consecutive championships. And I also heard that Pan Yi gave all the game bonuses to the players, which will also greatly increase The fighting spirit of the players.”
"Today they showed strong personal ability in the game, coupled with their high intensity in executing tactics, this allowed their team to show a very strong dominance on the court."
"Based on the level of Atletico Madrid, they have actually been defeated in the Europa League, which is why they can reach the final. But Simeone may still have not expected that today's opponent in the final will be so strong! Could it be that they are so strong? Is this the power of money…oh honor?”
At this time, Tonali was already on the court with his players celebrating the goal in the York City fans' stand area.
The melodious team song of York City also sounded in the huge Olympic Park stadium.
All York City fans sang the team anthem in unison. They were using this method to express their support for the team and their excitement for this goal!
"A team from England's second tier league has incredibly defeated strong opponents many times and reached the final. Although today's final is not over yet, they seem to have taken control of everything."
"De Jong, Baker, Kulusevski, Leo... they were all unknown young people before, but through Pan Yi bringing them to York City, they let the whole world see their strength clearly!"
"Pan Yi has single-handedly created a passionate young guard. The rise of York City is bound to bring a breath of fresh air to the Premier League next year!"
——
In the first half, both sides entered the halftime break with York City leading 2:0.
Obviously Simeone made adjustments to the team during the break. At the beginning of the second half, he changed the formation to 4-2-3-1.
Diego Costa bursts forward and Griezmann plays as an attacking midfielder behind him to better control the midfield.
This change did allow Atletico Madrid to win some ball rights in the midfield battle with York City after the start of the second half, but York City, with two goals in hand, played in no hurry.
They took their time with the ball, slowing down the pace and slowing down again.
Of course, this does not mean that York City is so slow, but it is slow and fast, and it is always staring at the opponent's loopholes.
Once Atletico Madrid reveals even the slightest opening, York City immediately seizes this opening and the entire team's speed will immediately more than double!
This is the most typical attack method of York City, which starts very fast!
Especially around 60 minutes into the second half, Atletico Madrid's left back Lucas Hernandez received a yellow card after a foul on Leo, which also made his defensive actions on the field a little scary. The hands are afraid of the feet.
And Scaloni waved the flag, making De Jong move more to the right, including center Baker, and right back Militao also frequently pushed forward, just to hit this spot!
This made York City's right-side attack very fierce, wave after wave, frequently threatening Atletico Madrid's defense.
Seeing this situation, Simeone had no choice but to use another substitution to replace the French left back who was weak on the left and right.
However, there was no full-time left back on his bench at this time - in fact, Lucas Hernandez often played as a central defender - so he had to use Montenegro's central defender Savic to make a cameo.
As a result, Atletico Madrid's backcourt defense has indeed stabilized, but its ability to assist from the wing is almost gone.
As time passed bit by bit, York City still firmly controlled the situation on the field.
Atletico Madrid's only few counterattacks were all eliminated after entering York City's half. On the contrary, York City's several offensive frenzy almost broke through Atletico Madrid's goal.
With Griezmann hitting a desperate long shot from outside the penalty area in the last minute of stoppage time, this season's Europa League final is finally over!
2:0, York City once again won a deserved victory!
They won the Europa League!
Lyon's Parc Olympique stadium has completely transformed into a sea of joy for York City fans.
This is because the team they support has become the only non-top league team in the history of European football to win the Europa League!
At the same time, they are also Triple Crown winners!
No one can question the gold content of York City's "Little Triple Crown", just like no one can question York City's strength.
After all, they defeated many strong teams on their way to winning these three championships!
At this moment, York City fans are the happiest people in the world!
When the team bowed out, the reporter quickly found Pan Yi and asked the boss to make an outlook for next season.
After all, everyone is looking forward to what surprises York City's trip to the Premier League next year will bring to fans.
Moreover, they will also directly participate in the Champions League!
It is also unheard of for a newly promoted team to directly play in the Champions League after promotion...
But Pan Yi humorously said that since York City is a new team in the Premier League, of course the first consideration when arriving in the Premier League is to avoid relegation.
As for the Champions League, so be it! Entering the group stage is already a success for York City!
All the reporters said one after another, I believe you, you are such a bad boy!
At the beginning of this season, Pan Yi also talked nonsense about avoiding relegation in the English Championship. However, he managed to survive. Not only did he win the English Championship five rounds ahead of schedule, he also won the FA Cup and Europa League. , became the Triple Crown Champion!
This Pan Yi can really win the Triple Crown wherever he goes...
Therefore, the reporter kept asking questions, hoping to get Pan Yi's true thoughts.
In the end, Pan Yi could only smile and say: "Let's talk about next season next season."
"Don't forget, in addition to being the owner of York City, I am also the head coach of the Italian national team."
"And this summer, the 2018 World Cup in Russia is about to begin."
"So, my brain just doesn't have the ability to skip it and think about next season just yet."
"Let us forget everything first and enjoy a wonderful World Cup!"
