During these five days, Pan Yi has been letting players from the Italian national team practice offensive routines.
After all, Italy's next two opponents are not as strong as Germany. The Italian team is more about finding ways to get the ball into the opponent's goal.
However, when the game actually started, Pan Yi discovered that some things were indeed beyond his control.
That is - luck!
In the game against Mexico, Pan Yi made certain adjustments to the starting lineup.
De Rossi replaced Varela as the defensive midfielder, while Jorginho stood in Verratti's position, including the former "Shamat combination" of Balotelli and El Shaarawy on the front line.
And Italy's tactics on the court are also very different from the first game.
The offense is mostly initiated from the wing, with active running on the field. The forwards are high and fast, bombing in turns...
We can't say there's anything wrong with this tactic, but we just haven't been able to knock on Mexico's goal.
In this Mexican team, the most famous player is of course "Little Pea" Hernandez, but now he has gradually faded out of the mainstream and is playing for West Ham United.
Behind him, there were several powerful players who formed an attacking group with him, such as Losalo, who later went to Naples, Vela, the former Arsenal prodigy, Layun of Sevilla, etc.
Of course, standing in front of the Mexican team's goal is an old friend of the people of Dragon Country, the famous Hong Kong movie star...well, it's "Mexican Ng" Ochoa.
When facing the menacing Italy, Mexico also adopted standard defensive counterattack tactics.
The striker mainly relied on Hernandez's speed to launch counterattacks. With their style of play, Italy created many opportunities, but they were far less efficient than in the first game.
Chiesa Jr., Balotelli and Jorginho all missed a great opportunity, while Shalawi once scored a goal after picking up a leak in front of the goal, but was ruled offside.
One of the biggest reasons for this situation is that the opposite goalkeeper Ochoa performed too bravely!
This "World Cup Limited Edition" goalkeeper usually does not show off when he is in the club. At most, he can only be regarded as an ordinary goalkeeper in the five major leagues - not even the five major leagues, because Ochoa is now playing for Belgium. Japanese team;
But once the World Cup comes, Ochoa will immediately show his extraordinary form. It would be really difficult for him to get through without a fairy ball!
Take Balotelli's shot, it was only about ten meters away. Balotelli aimed at the far end of the goal, but Ochoa suddenly jumped over like a spring, and then used The tip of his finger touched the ball and blocked it from the baseline.
Encountering such a cheating goalkeeper, Italy really felt a little uncomfortable playing!
The first half ended in a score of 0-0, but Pan Yi didn't look very angry and sat quietly on the coach's bench.
"Italy seems to be back to what it was before, playing lively but inefficiently." Lineker commented with a frown on the commentary box.
"After Pan Yi took office, we have always seen a different Italian team. The crazy offense and ground passing cooperation when playing against Sweden, and the efficient and steady counterattack when playing against Germany... These are all what Pan Yi brought to Italy. Big changes coming.”
"However, in this game, we seem to have seen Italy again, with active running and fierce fighting, but without a particularly effective offensive method."
Alan Shearer on the side shook his head and said: "Italy still created a lot of opportunities in the first half. The players who started today actually played well, but they were just a little bit unlucky. And... Austria Joya is really too powerful!"
"I hope... there will be some changes in the second half." Lineker hesitated.
However, in the second half, not much changed.
Pan Yi changed two players shortly after the start of the second half. Scamacca replaced Balotelli, and then Parolo replaced Tonali, who was slightly injured in the first half. Continue the onslaught.
Italy constantly launched attacks from both wings, either hanging into the penalty area for Scamacca to compete for the top, or passing to the front of the penalty area for long shots. The tactics were relatively simple, but they played very resolutely.
Under this fierce attack, Mexico was overwhelmed.
In fact, they exposed a lot of flaws in the first half, but Italy's luck was not good, and the players' shots seemed a little impatient under Ochoa's superb performance.
Compared to the relatively well-known forward line, Mexico's defense line basically comes from its home league and is not that outstanding in terms of strength.
Although the two defensive midfielders, Porto's Hector Herrera and Real Betis' Guardado, were constantly filling in, the defense was still being torn apart by the Italian team's relentless running.
Finally, in the 70th minute, Italy's continuous attacks tore open Mexico's defense!
Jorginho took the ball from the wing, Scamacca and De Rossi jumped up at the same time to interfere with the opponent's defender, and the ball fell to Chiesa.
Chiesa took a shot without any courtesy at the first moment, and his close-range volley directly broke through Ochoa's fingers!
This ball is really too close, five or six meters away, and with such great power, it would only be possible for Ochoa to throw it out unless it stuns him.
And Chiesa also played the ball from a good angle, going straight into the upper right corner of the goal. The Mexican goalkeeper, who played so bravely, had no reaction at all.
"Chiesa is in great shape!" Lineker shouted excitedly, "He scored again!"
In this game, several players in the Italian frontcourt were very active in running, and Chiesa was even more active in running. His shadow can be seen almost everywhere in the frontcourt. This goal is the best recognition of his efforts. .
The Italian fans were even more jubilant, but...
Mexico equalized just five minutes later.
Mexico got a free kick near the center circle. Guardado passed the ball long. Jorginho, who was returning to defense, tried to pass the header back to the goalkeeper, but he used less force.
The ball was intercepted by Hernandez in the middle, and then Xiaowu dribbled the ball straight into the penalty area. Before Donnarumma struck, he shot a powerful and heavy shot, which hit Donnarumma before he could react.
After finally taking the lead, the opponent equalized the score five minutes later. Italian fans felt a little surprised.
After all, in the last game, Italy was beaten so hard by Germany without conceding a goal. As a result, Mexico scored in the only threatening attack in this game...
Isn't this a bit too shabby?
Pan Yi smiled helplessly, then sat on the coaching bench without any reaction.
The team had an absolute advantage and had countless scoring opportunities, but they only scored one goal in half a day. This seemed to have nothing to do with the coach.
Isn't the coach's tactics intended to allow the team to achieve such results on the court? As for whether to score or not, the coach sitting on the sidelines really doesn't have a good idea.
And his loss of the ball was due to an unexpected mistake. Where can Pan Yi go to reason?
Probably we can only try to reduce the use of Jorginho as much as possible...
As time passed by, Mexico even stepped up its attack.
After all, a draw is not particularly beneficial to them. If they draw again, they will have to defeat Germany in the last round if they want to qualify from the group!
If we can get three points against Italy, the final round of the group stage will be much easier to handle.
As a result, the Italian team gained more shooting opportunities, but Ochoa still performed superbly, once again using save after save to keep out the shots of the Italian forwards.
In the end, when the referee blew the whistle to end the game, the score was fixed at 1-1, and Pan Yi's myth of victory after taking office with the Italian national team was shattered!
The MVP of this game was naturally won by Mexico's goalkeeper Ochoa. He made 10 wonderful saves in this game, breaking the single-game record since the 1966 World Cup and giving Italy a taste of it. The helplessness of the Brazilians back then——
Some people seem to be born for the big scene, and Ochoa is undoubtedly an outstanding representative among them.
In terms of his club career alone, the Mexican goalkeeper is indeed not too outstanding, but the reason why he is able to occupy a place in the hearts of fans comes more from his "super" level performance in the World Cup.
In the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, although Ochoa entered the team roster, he did not get a chance to play and could only be regarded as a passer-by.
The 2014 World Cup in Brazil was the real starting point for his "super-god road". In the second group match, Mexico faced host Brazil.
Previously, the Selecao had faced teams outside of Europe and South America 17 times in the World Cup, and all had won without exception. It seems that the precarious Mexico has no way to resist the attack of five-star Brazil, and the three-pointer without pressure seems to be handed over.
If there's one person in Mexico who still has fighting spirit, it's Ochoa.
Against strong opponents, the goalkeeper is always the busiest one. If he is not careful, he may be shot into a sieve.
But in that game, Ochoa did not let himself become the background of the Selecao. Instead, he used shocking saves to make the Brazilian team an embarrassing foil.
In that game, Ochoa successfully completed 6 saves, almost single-handedly blocking Brazil's several must-goal opportunities and helping Mexico draw their opponent 0:0.
One of the saves was a very classic one. In the 26th minute of the game, Alves sent a well-placed cross from the right, and Neymar outflanked him to complete the header.
Even if you watch it repeatedly from all angles, this can be regarded as a perfect header. Neymar exerted enough force and used the remaining power of Alves' cross to hit a beautiful angle. The Brazilian fans in the stands even stood up. Get ready to celebrate.
At this moment, a not tall but extremely determined figure stood in front of the ball. Ochoa used a beautiful cross body dive to resolve Neymar's attack.
This save was similar to the "save of the century" when England goalkeeper Banks saved the world champion Pele. This also made Ochoa quickly become the number one celebrity on social networks. "Ochoa actually has 6 fingers on his right hand. He The gloves I wear are six-finger ones.”
Such a ridiculous joke actually spread on the Internet, and Ochoa had to personally refute the rumor: "No, I am like a normal person, I only have five fingers."
Four years later, after the match between Italy and Mexico, Ochoa also received praise from netizens around the world, and he was even described as the "Mexican Jesus."
A female singer from Mexico posted a photo of herself kissing Ochoa after the game and wrote on social media: "Marry me Ochoa!"
Some media also called Ochoa's ten magical saves the "Wall of Sighs."
Under such circumstances, no one would raise any objections to Pan Yi's formation.
After all, the goalkeeper opposite is a "Jesus", and Italy also scored a goal. Isn't it too much for you to blame the head coach?
At the post-match press conference, Pan Yi also spoke very calmly.
He said: "Mexico played very well and they also have one of the world's top goalkeepers. I'm not defending my players, but the luck was really not on our side today. We failed to qualify early, so I have to start preparing for the last one. It’s a game against the Dragon Kingdom!”
——
The draw with Mexico prevented Italy from qualifying early, and also made the situation in Group F a little more complicated.
In another match in the second round of Group F that was held later, the Germans vented all their grievances on the Dragon Kingdom. The 4:1 score also allowed them to regain some confidence.
Although the Dragon Kingdom lost, Wu Lei's goal in the 71st minute still created a new history, because this was the first goal scored by the Dragon Kingdom in the World Cup!
As a result, after the second round, Italy ranks first with four points, Germany ranks second with three points, Mexico ranks third with two points, and Dragon Country is at the bottom with only one point and is almost out.
But in theory, all four teams have a chance to qualify in the final round. Italy's situation is slightly better, but it still needs at least a draw to ensure qualifying from the group.
At the same time, the Italian media is also paying attention to the situation in Group E, because the two qualifying teams in Group F will compete with the top two teams in Group E in a cross-elimination round.
After Brazil was tied with Switzerland in the first round, they defeated Costa Rica 2-0 in the second round. They also had one win and one draw and accumulated four points, occupying a favorable position in the group.
Serbia lost to Switzerland 1:2, so Switzerland also has 4 points, while Serbia has 3 points.
Costa Rica, on the other hand, has completely lost its appearance as the dark horse of the last World Cup. It lost both games and was eliminated early.
"Italy still has to strive for first place in the group, otherwise it is likely to encounter Brazil, which will not be conducive to advancing to the World Cup!"
This is the consensus of the Italian media.
Of course, Pan Yi is well aware of this simple situation analysis.
To do this, Italy must ensure that they win the Dragon Country team.
Of course, Pan Yi has deep feelings for this team of his motherland, but he can't care about that much now.
Fortunately, under the leadership of Lippi, the Long Guo team has achieved a historic breakthrough of "scoring one goal" and "scoring one point" in this World Cup. Now there is no psychological burden to defeat them.
As for the biggest goal of "winning a game", let's wait until the next session!
Of course, even if the Dragon Kingdom loses to Germany 1:4, Pan Yi will not take this team lightly.
At least they managed to draw with Mexico!
Therefore, Pan Yi still has to convene a meeting with all the players to let everyone come out of the last draw and regain their spirits!
"Did you feel comfortable playing in the last game?"
At the beginning, Pan Yi asked this question.
The players looked at each other.
We've all been tied, can we still feel comfortable? This is a question...
"Ochoa's performance was great, didn't you say the same thing?" Balotelli said bravely.
In the eyes of the outside world, Bashen has always been a fearless type, but not in the Italian team.
He seemed to be naturally afraid of Pan Yi, a type who was calm and self-confident, and he was sincerely convinced by what Pan Yi said.
However, even so, he is already one of the few players on the team who dares to interrupt.
"Yes, Ochoa's performance was indeed great, but why did Chiesa score?" Pan Yi said with a smile, "This shows that as long as the opportunity is created well enough, the ball can always be scored, and he is not really The lock was opened. In fact, we wasted too many opportunities and were a little too anxious when shooting."
Hearing Pan Yi's words, many players were so ashamed that they lowered their heads.
Indeed, sometimes when the offense reaches the edge of Mexico's penalty area, some of them want to quickly complete the shot instead of organizing it carefully.
In fact, part of the reason for this is that after the three-goal victory over Germany in the first game, the Italian players were a little bit mentally distracted and always felt that they could eat their opponents in one bite.
"I don't want to blame you." Pan Yi sighed, "Yes, we defeated Germany. Many people think that we are already the favorite team to win the championship. But, is this really the case?"
The players shook their heads silently.
After defeating Germany, many of them are indeed thinking about winning the championship. After all, the defending champions cannot even make two moves at Italy's feet, so what other team can stop them?
However, the battle in Mexico woke them up.
In the World Cup, no team really gets it for free!
And Pan Yi also took the opportunity to instill value: "Winning a game doesn't explain too many problems."
"Now we, the Italian team, are a strong team, there is no doubt about this. But we still have many shortcomings, and we are not to the point where we can sweep everything with arrogance."
"So facing any opponent, we must work hard to play every game well. We should not belittle ourselves, but we must not be too arrogant!"
Pan Yi's words are very true, especially at this time when they were tied with Mexico.
If these words were said after the victory over Germany, some Italian players might sneer at them, but that is not the case now.
After all, despite trying their best, they still failed to defeat Mexico, which is only a second-rate team in the world.
"I have always believed that we can win the World Cup because we have the quality to do it."
"However, in the world of football, strength alone is of no use. It does not mean that all strong teams will definitely be able to get what they want!"
"However, as long as we can play wholeheartedly, concentrate on the game, and make the best of targeted tactics in every game, then we will have the greatest chance to compete for the championship!"
"Today's world football is an era where all the heroes come together. No one can be absolutely sure of winning the championship, and no team is so powerful that it makes people afraid. So, since all the strong teams have a chance...why do they win the championship? It can’t be us!”
"So, let us start against the Dragon Kingdom team, put aside our arrogance, and focus wholeheartedly on the game itself. Let us move towards the world championship step by step!"
With Pan Yi's passionate speech, the players' eyes gradually became fiery.
It can be seen that their small universe is on fire and is about to explode!
Pan Yi also nodded with satisfaction.
In fact, a draw or even a loss in the group stage is not entirely a bad thing.
In fact, in the history of the World Cup, almost no team that can win a complete victory in the group stage can eventually win the World Cup championship.
For example, Spain in 2010, including Argentina in the previous life of 2022, even started a winning streak after losing the first game and counterattacked to win the championship.
The reason should be that if things go too smoothly in the group stage, it will cause subtle changes in the players' psychology and create a feeling of pride within the team.
"A proud soldier will be defeated", this sentence is not said casually.
Those who struggled in the group stage but were able to finally break out of the siege had a psychological transformation after experiencing the test. With the idea of "risking death and resurrecting", they played better and better.
For example, in the 1982 World Cup, Italy qualified for the group stage with three consecutive draws and finally won the championship. In the 1990 World Cup, Argentina lost to Cameroon in the opening game and finally reached the final. In the 94 World Cup, Italy barely qualified for third place in the group but also reached the final, including Portugal in the previous life of the 2016 European Cup. Three consecutive draws in the group stage and finally winning the championship are all famous examples.
On the contrary, teams that perform extremely well in the group stage often stop around the semi-finals.
The reason is simple. A player's performance always has its ups and downs, and it also has a wavelike upward or downward trend.
Especially for strong teams, if the group stage has been at a climax, it will be difficult to continue this state until the end of a month. When they finally weaken, it will be the time to be eliminated.
What, you said that Pan Yi also won consecutively when he led Sweden in the European Cup?
Sweden was an underdog at the time, and was beaten hard in almost every game, through defensive counterattacks one after another. In fact, it couldn't be called that "exciting".
Now leading the Italian team, as one of the traditional strong teams, it is indeed necessary to prevent such a situation from happening.
After the draw with Mexico, the peak of Italian players' competitive status may come in the knockout stage, which will naturally be more beneficial to the World Cup finals through the knockout rounds.
Then, the third round match against Dragon Kingdom is the moment of verification.
Will Italy return as a king, or will it just languish?
What tactics will Pan Yi use when facing his home team and his former colleague, Italian coach Lippi? ...(End of chapter)
