NOVEL NEXT Chapter 183: 183
183. Big club Liverpool (2)
Ahead of the match, one expert expressed this opinion about the confrontation between the two.
[A match between Real Madrid, the most winning team in the Champions League, and Liverpool, the most winning team among English teams. The match between the two can be seen as a battle of pride between England and Spain.
A fierce battle is expected between Real Madrid, which emphasizes passing and individual skills, and Liverpool, which uses space counterattacks as its main weapon, and the consensus among experts is that Real Madrid has the upper hand.
However, there are many opposing opinions. Currently, Real Madrid's defense without Cannavaro is difficult to block Liverpool's offensive, and on the contrary, Liverpool's defense is one of the best in Europe.
If Real Madrid is to achieve a comfortable victory at home, they will have to break through Liverpool's solid defense.]
As critics say, Liverpool's defense is very outstanding.
This is because defensive organization is Rafael Benitez's strength.
In particular, his specialty is keeping the line space very narrow without giving space to the opponent, so watching them play makes you feel very frustrated.
People who see it are like this, but the people who actually deal with it must be appalling.
After allowing the equalizer, Benitez instructed his players to focus on Hoyoung.
And Hoyoung, who was in the first line, was truly impressed by Liverpool's defense.
'From the defense to the offense, everything is tightly packed. In particular, the defensive line is almost up to the third line.'
However, the cover play of goalkeeper Raina, who was quick enough to blindly aim for the space behind the defense, was great.
It was difficult to expect a score unless there was a machine-like kill pass and penetration.
But Hoyoung actually felt at ease.
Additionally, a feeling of excitement welled up from within my heart.
'Our turn has come.'
If you get tired, it's a disaster.
If the opponent uses 4-1-4-1 and plays two lines of defense, all you have to do is bring out what you have prepared accordingly.
So what was brought out was the 4-4-2 model.
[As expected, Real Madrid has prepared something again this time. Could it be that Woo Ho-young's thoughts went into this as
well?] [You'll have to watch to find out, but from the outside, there's no significant change, right? All that happened was that Woo Ho-young moved up to the first line and formed a top two with Raul González.]
In terms of the formation, it was like that.
The only thing that changed was the players' positions and spacing.
However, the play style gradually changed and became completely different around the 30th minute of the first half.
[The atmosphere in Real Madrid has completely changed. The ball, which was focused on Zidane in midfield, is gradually spreading out to the left and right.]
[That's right. A lot of the ball is being passed to Marcelo and Robben on the left and right wings.]
The two, who are good at dribbling, were sticking to the touchline and engaging in extreme side play.
The stadium was used so widely that Liverpool could not help but be embarrassed by the sudden change in play.
[Using a wider stadium appears to be an intention to spread Liverpool's line spacing left and right to force a gap. But the problem is that it can be obvious. Isn't it strange that we don't notice this much? However, it is questionable whether Liverpool's Benitez can be fooled.]
[The game is going very interestingly in the 32nd minute of the first half. I wonder who will emerge victorious in this invisible battle.]
'Are they trying to open up space in 4-4-2 and then try to penetrate the space behind the center when the defensive line collapses?'
Benitez is a tactician who wins through tactical organization.
I wasn't a fool who would quietly be fooled even after seeing a strategy that wasn't that difficult.
Benitez curled the corner of his mouth in surprise.
Then, he instructed the players and tried to change the detailed tactics again.
But that was then.
"…!"
'for a moment.'
What if this was aimed in reverse?
What if Real Madrid throws a bait and then counterattacks?
It was not an easy matter to think about.
Bernd Schuster was just a capricious old bear, but he had a smart young fox by his side.
'Woo Ho-young. If Schuster's interview is true, Woo Ho-young is a natural tactician.'
In that case, what needed to be figured out was Woo Ho-young's head, not Schuster's.
'Interesting.'
Benitez decided to wait and see what happened.
No matter how gifted a tactician Woo Ho-young was, Betitez was a veteran tactician with extensive experience, years of experience, and an outstanding brain.
It was not luck that led Liverpool to victory in the Champions League final four years ago.
He has been a director for 24 years.
He was also a famous general who led the revival of major teams such as Valencia and Liverpool.
On the other hand, Woo Ho-young was just a toddler.
'Let's see what kind of talent he can show.'
Benitez broadened his horizons and began observing the game from a macro perspective.
Then he hurriedly called Carragher and Gerard and gave them comprehensive instructions on what they should and should not do.
35 minutes in the first half.
The match took on an interesting aspect.
Liverpool changed their tactics to match Real Madrid.
Real Madrid brought out a customized tactic to match Liverpool.
Liverpool is observing this and keeping a close eye on it.
In this situation, the game went out of control.
Real Madrid, which had shown build-up from the side to the center, was unfolding a side-oriented build-up as if it had never been so.
By mobilizing up to 4-5 people from the default of 3, a lot of strength was put on the side.
[Marcelo on the left. He forms a triangular formation with Carlos and Woo Ho-young. They are completely turning the left flank into their playground.]
[But Liverpool responds passively. Spacing and alignment are still consistent and solid. I don't waver.]
[Benitez is penetrating Schuster's thoughts. I know it. If things continue like this, Madrid's tactics will likely fail. Or are they trying to cross-play?]
Real Madrid's offensive development went as the commentary said.
Once they had gained a certain amount of possession by passing the ball around on the side, they started pouring in an onslaught of attacks.
"there!"
"Look at the back space first!"
"If it doesn't work, post it to the nearest post!"
Real Madrid used cross play from the side to create a cross play.
There was one decent chance.
Cough!
It was Marcelo's cross that floated from the left to the center.
The exact landing point was near the goal post inside the penalty area where Hoyoung was standing.
And next to him was Martin Skrtel, a fighter-type central defender.
He jumped slightly behind Hoyoung and attempted to compete for an aerial ball.
"Where?"
Pow!
It was indeed excellent air power for a 191 cm tall man.
'He has great physical fighting and jumping ability compared to his size, but he is ahead of me in terms of physique.'
I thought that all I had to do was not lose in the psychological battle.
That was the reason why I jumped slightly later than Woo Ho-young.
Thanks to such efforts, he was not caught up in Hoyoung's psychological warfare and was able to properly participate in the aerial ball competition.
however.
Pow!
'… Why is it so hard?'
If there is a difference in physique of this size, it should be normal to take a picture and press it.
However, there was no feeling that Woo Ho-young was being pushed back much.
If I were not careful, I could have given away the ball in the air.
"Ugh!"
However, thanks to the cooperation of goalkeeper Jose Manuel Reina at that moment, we were able to make a perfect save.
"Phew…."
[While Skrtel is wasting time, Reina hurriedly runs over and hits the aerial ball outside the penalty box.] [
It's as if he had predicted what Real Madrid was going to do. Liverpool is thoroughly prepared for any situation. It may seem like a very boring game to the viewer, but everyone will recognize the performance.]
[And actually, this kind of game is also fun to watch in its own way. If you empathize with the manager and see the game from their perspective, you can sense elements of psychological warfare between them.]
Benitez's tactics ate up Real Madrid.
They were not caught up in the tactics shown by Real Madrid and maintained their own defensive organization.
It certainly seems that way so far.
[There are hardly any gaps. With 9 players so closely spaced, there is no way there will be space. Indeed, Benitez's soccer philosophy is clearly evident.]
A person who dominates space and lines.
Benitez's soccer was gradually coming back to life.
[On the other hand, Real Madrid's build-up is not working as expected.]
[It's not working out. I boldly changed the pattern to 4-4-2, but I think it was a handshake. It doesn't seem easy to break through Liverpool, who are playing a frustratingly stifling defense.]
38 minutes of the first half.
Real Madrid showed their wits and launched an onslaught, but all attacks failed.
In a frustrating situation to watch, some spectators booed Liverpool's camp.
But Liverpool remained the same.
He was not shaken by any wind and blocked Real Madrid from the outside.
For them, even achieving at least a draw would have been a huge benefit.
[This is unfortunate for Real Madrid. You can't rush in, but you can't go back empty-handed either. It would be nice if genius dribbler Woo Ho-young could try to break through with his outstanding individual skills, but to do so, he would have to get through 9 players.] [
Moreover, Mascherano is among them. If you think back to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the limitations of a simple solo breakthrough seem clear. Is it possible to mix Messi, Robinho, Ronaldinho, and Ronaldo in one body?]
In the end, it was Benitez who won the battle of numbers.
It was appearing that his magic was slowly suppressing that of the Bernabeu.
Benitez went one step further and found his opponent's weaknesses.
'see.'
That was clearly visible in Benitez's eyes.
It looks good now that Real Madrid has possession, but later I thought this would cause big problems.
'We're so focused on the sides that we're not even paying attention to the midfield. If we cut the ball by surprise, we can create a comeback goal with a space counterattack.'
A safe foundation has been laid.
If they surprise their opponent in this situation, Madrid will be devastated.
Benitez instructed Mascherano, who is skilled in tackling, to make a surprise ball cutting in the third line.
But the incident happened before that.
[Real Madrid changes the direction of attack.]
[This time, Ramos catches the ball on the other side and goes up directly. Robben and Zidane join him.]
The three of them rotated the ball and tore up the right flank.
The same goes for the left side.
Real Madrid took risks and attacked in all directions.
When one location is blocked, another location opens, and when two locations are blocked, an opening opportunity arises at another location.
[The idea seems to be that if Liverpool doesn't widen the gap in their defense, they will just tear it apart. With the end of the first half remaining, Real Madrid pulled out a secret move. It's as if a storm has struck the otherwise quiet stadium.]
[Then what should we do about the center? If the attack is not successful like this and the team is taken away, there is a very high possibility that they will be counterattacked.]
The center is abandoned.
Only Zidane remained in the center to attract attention, and everyone except him had moved out to the wings.
A situation that looks very precarious.
However, this was becoming an obstacle for Liverpool.
'Damn it. The entire third line is tied up because of one Zidane.'
Benitez's brow furrowed.
It was very embarrassing when the third line consisting of Riera, Alonso, Gerrard and Kuyt had to stop Zidane.
It was too inefficient to keep line 3 alive to prevent that one thing.
However, disbanding them might have resulted in the collapse of the entire defensive line.
No, it had to be that way.
And that will soon lead to the collapse of philosophy.
In other words, the core of the tactic was destroyed.
The biggest problem is that Alonso and Gerrard, the core of Liverpool's straight line, are becoming useless.
It was no different from a death sentence.
'Oh my…'
Benitez clenched his fists.
My palms were already soaked with sweat.
My lips felt like they were on fire.
'Where did it go wrong?'
Woo Ho-young.
It was never a trick.
And Real Madrid's attack was real from now on.
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