Starting With Real Madrid

There is a saying in Italian football: Defense never goes out of style.

At first glance, many people might scoff at this statement, but if you delve deep into the history of football's technological and tactical development, you'll find that this sentence is quite reasonable.

The world of football is always changing. Sometimes the wings are dominant, sometimes the centre is strong; sometimes it's a 4-4-2 formation, sometimes it's 4-3-3...

But no matter how the world changes, defense is indispensable on the football field.

Because the essence of professional football is winning and losing.

Some say that the 2006 World Cup was Italy's revenge for the European Cup that took place two thousand years ago.

In the European Cup of 2000, Germany couldn't rise to the challenge as their tactics were outdated; England, a perennial favourite, was absent; the golden generations of the Netherlands and Portugal both performed well, but in the end, it was Italy, which relied on defense, that made it all the way to the final.

However, Italy lost to France 1-2 in the final.

After a lapse of six years, the two teams met again in the World Cup final. Zidane was no longer the Zidane of yesteryears, but Italy remained as it was before.

Relying on an almost impenetrable defense, Italy, devastated by the Calciopoli scandal, went on to win the World Cup, lifting the spirits of Italian football.

Does this mean that Italian football will always be strong?

Not necessarily.

Over the years, Italian football has gradually declined, especially in youth training where the supply of talent has weakened.

Even at the tactical level, which Italy prides itself on, they have faced criticism.

Ancelotti's use of Pirlo in a deep-lying playmaker role was widely praised, but the 4-3-2-1 "Christmas Tree" formation he tried out was questioned and ultimately failed. The reason is simple: it causes a tear.

There is a complete separation between offense and defense.

This sparked heated debates as early as the European Cup in 2000 and continues to be discussed today.

Everyone knows the tactical impact when offense and defense are separated.

Being too stubborn and conservative can lead to another problem: player development.

Take the centre-forward position, for example. Italy mainly produces centre-forwards who can break through an opponent's defense, such as Toni and Iaquinta.

These types of centre-forwards spend most of their energy and stamina on breaking down the opponent's defense, which results in little or no contribution to defense.

This is the consequence of a tear between offense and defense, and tactics leaning towards defense.

Even in AC Milan's "Christmas Tree" formation, it was primarily the three forwards who went into attack.

It is well known that Italian football has reached a dead end. This was especially evident in the Champions League last season. Even winning the World Cup couldn't change this reality for Italy.

The key question is, what should be done?

...

The 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-2-1 formations are essentially the same, both utilising a five-midfielder configuration.

The former was originally developed to neutralise a "super 10" like Maradona, because a single defensive midfielder couldn't stop a superstar like him. Therefore, two defensive midfielders were needed.

And one more player was taken from the forward line.

Thus, in the beginning, the 4-2-3-1 formation was all about defense.

However, with the passage of time and changes in the football tactical environment, especially in Spain, where constant updates and iterations took place, the 4-2-3-1 has been given a new tactical mission different from the past.

"Defensively, it uses a comprehensive pressing system, with all lines moving forward together as close as possible to the opponent's goal to regain possession. That's the Dutch 'Total Football'."

This is also the origin of high pressing tactics.

But another issue arises. When a team uses high pressing, traditional centre-forwards like Toni and Iaquinta become redundant because they cannot provide the team with high pressing and pressure in the attacking third.

They can score goals, but they can't defend, support, make plays, or serve as a tactical pivot.

Such centre-forwards not only fail to help the team but also drag down the team's overall tactics.

As a result, all teams that play high pressing opt for a different type of centre-forward a support forward.

This type of centre-forward is very active on defense. When they transition from attack to defense, they immediately engage in counter-pressing. More importantly, they are adept at playmaking and creating space for teammates.

Yes, they may not score many goals, but their tactical role is significant, even indispensable.

...

Gao Shen spent more than half an hour meticulously going over tactical evolutions and the rise of the support centre-forward role with Pelle.

He wanted Pelle to fully understand the why and how.

"Actually, at Ajax, from Petterson to Ronald de Boer to Kluivert, these players weren't highly efficient goal scorers; only Kluivert was relatively better, and he was even called the epitome of the perfect centre-forward by Van Gaal."

"You can see that these forwards aren't known for their scoring efficiency, but more for being a pivot. Even players like Litmanen and Bergkamp have played the role of a support centre-forward, and they often played pivotal roles."

"Nowadays, support centre-forwards are all the rage. I used Negredo in that role when I was at Real Madrid, and Raúl's goal rate immediately increased. At Chelsea, Drogba was the best in that regard."

"When Benítez coached Valencia, he had Carew first, then Mista. When he got to Liverpool, he kept searching for a support centre-forward, such as Baroš and Crouch."

"At Barcelona, Rijkaard was always dissatisfied with Eto'o because Eto'o could score goals, but he never did well in support. Rijkaard was also looking for a support centre-forward."

"Of course, there are many other teams and managers who prefer this approach, particularly in the Netherlands and Spain. I can even say with absolute certainty that support centre-forwards will play an increasingly important tactical role in the future, just like Drogba's role at Chelsea."

Gao Shen's expression was firm as he spoke.

This is something he has witnessed and experienced firsthand.

If nothing changes, in a few years, who will want a centre-forward like Toni, Iaquinta, or Trezeguet?

Even someone as strong as Eto'o would need to move to the wings in a 4-3-3 formation, wouldn't he?

Diego Milito, Benzema, Drogba this type of centre-forward will become the norm.

Pelle certainly fits this direction.

Over the years, Pelle has been lost, never figuring out what kind of player he should become.

This is the first time someone has systematically and comprehensively explained the past and present of the support centre-forward to him, pointing out a clear path and direction for Pelle's career.

"Boss, what do you think I should do?" Pelle asked, his concern evident.

Gao Shen knew Pelle was moved and immediately smiled. "You need to become the core of our frontcourt attack."

Pelle raised his head in disbelief, looking at Gao Shen with a face full of surprise.

To use him as the core?

"The defensive task, as I just mentioned, involves counter-pressing immediately after losing the ball, wearing down the opponent's central defenders, etc. And when we regain possession and transition from defense to attack, you must quickly move to a favourable position and become our team's primary attacking point."

"After securing the primary point, teammates will support you from all sides. Your job is to distribute the ball wisely to your teammates. After completing this step, your next task is to support or score."

Through Gao Shen's explanation, Pelle clearly understood his role in the team's tactical system.

He also believed in what Gao Shen said about the future of the support centre-forward role. There were so many examples in front of him; he had no reason not to believe it, and he had no other choice.

For years, he had been hitting walls everywhere, never able to find his place.

He is tall and strong, with excellent footwork his advantages and the reasons why many coaches have high hopes for him, yet he has never been able to display them and has scored few goals.

Now, the path that Gao Shen has planned for him may be his way out.

Besides, Gao Shen is the head coach. If he assigns this role, how could Pelle resist?

"I understand, and I'll give it my best," Pelle assured.

...

Talking with Pelle was just the beginning. Gao Shen would then communicate with the coaching staff to arrange some targeted training programs for Pelle to help him familiarise himself with his new role as soon as possible. One drill frequently used by Ajax for training players came to mind.

Five vs. Three.

As the name suggests, five players play against three, with the five-man team attacking with the ball.

This seems unfair, right?

Don't rush to conclusions.

The five-man team is spread out, four on the perimeter and one in the middle, surrounded by three defenders.

To maintain possession, the middle player in the five-man team must not only move actively but also constantly observe the positions of opponents and teammates, pass the ball with one touch, and transition it out as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, the four players outside must also move actively to open passing lanes, preventing the three defenders from blocking the middle player's options.

This is a relatively rough training method, and the coaching staff still needs to adjust it based on Pellet's habits and technical characteristics. However, the overall training concept remains the same.

The purpose of this training is to improve Pelle's ability to handle the ball under high-pressure defensive situations. To a certain extent, this is a fundamental skill for a link-up forward.

When Gao Shen presented his ideas to the coaching staff at an internal meeting for discussion, both Carlo and Borrell provided several suggestions for revisions. Borrell, in particular, is an expert in this area, having spent many years immersed in Barcelona's system. He even had some knowledge of how Van Gaal trained Kluivert back in the day, so he was naturally more familiar with it.

As a result, Gao Shen entrusted the task to Borrell.

"Whether we can defeat Juventus depends on you, Rodolfo!" Gao Shen said sincerely.

Borrell and the others all responded with wry smiles.

Working for Gao Shen comes with a lot of pressure. 

But the speed of progress and the sense of accomplishment are equally rewarding.