The All-Around Center Forward

That night, Suker called Zorancic's assistant and had him fully take over the arrangements for the National Team's family accommodation with the logistics department.

Most of the National Team members' families had come to watch the matches, but accommodation in Europe was already expensive, and during the European Cup, it was ridiculously high, to the point where it was hard to find even ordinary hotels.

Those with good luck could find guesthouses, while those with bad luck could only stay in youth hostels.

Guys like Srna and Modrić were wealthy and could take care of their families.

But other National Team members, such as Vida, Strinić, and many substitutes, mostly played in Croatia and did not earn much, so they could not afford the expensive hotel suite fees.

Therefore, upon hearing that Suker had prepared hotel suites for their families, they were all incredibly grateful.

At the same time, Suker also transferred his physiotherapy team from Spain.

Suker also hired two more physiotherapists through Zorancic, bringing the total to three physiotherapists and a team now heading to Ukraine in full force.

With the financially powerful Suker joining the logistics support group, the entire Croatia team immediately upgraded to a top-tier team among all European National Teams.

After arranging all of this, Suker finally arrived at the meeting room.

Inside the meeting room, the players had already gathered, waiting to watch the first European Cup semifinal.

The TV was still in the pre-match prediction phase, with two Skeletips chattering non-stop.

But a tense atmosphere had already spread.

Germany vs. Spain!

This was truly a clash of titans, a battle of epic proportions.

Whichever of these two teams won would be considered normal.

Even Suker could not make a conclusion, as too many changes had occurred compared to the original timeline.

And this indirectly boosted Suker's expectations.

He was also very curious about what formation Germany would field.

And how Spain would respond.

Before long, the TV showed footage of the player tunnel, and the tension of the match immediately spread.

Soon, the starting lineups for both sides were confirmed.

Germany (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Neuer.

Defenders: Lahm, Hummels, Badstuber, Boateng.

Midfielders: Muller, Schweinsteiger, Özil, Khedira, Podolski.

Forward: Klose.

Spain (4-3-1-2):

Goalkeeper: Casillas.

Defenders: Arbeloa, Piqué, Ramos, Alba.

Midfielders: Xavi, Busquets, Xabi Alonso.

Forwards: David Silva, Fabregas, Iniesta.

"That's more like it!"

Seeing the lineup, Mandžukić clapped his hands and exclaimed excitedly, "Exactly! Just go for it! Don't back down!"

Germany fielding this lineup meant they were going for high pressing and physical confrontation.

And on the offensive end, the counter-attacking runs of Podolski and Muller on the wings were crucial, while Klose in front of goal could also play a key role in shooting.

While Gómez's performance in this European Cup was good, he still lacked a certain something compared to Klose.

Whether it was adaptability or other aspects, he was a bit lacking.

Reus and Toni Kroos were both excellent players.

But they were more inclined towards a technical style of play.

Germany starting Muller meant they didn't want to compete with Spain for so-called possession; instead, they intended to defeat Spain using high pressing + counter-attacks.

And Real Madrid had already demonstrated this style of play to the public more than once.

Against possession-based teams like Barcelona and Spain, one must employ high pressing, using constant pressure to disrupt the opponent's passing rhythm, while repeatedly attacking Spain's goal with frequent counter-attacks.

After being outmaneuvered by Croatia in the group stage, Löw finally started to become more stable.

As for Spain, they still fielded a false nine formation.

But there was no other way!

The Spanish National Team's current two forwards:

One, Pedro, was out of form!

The other, Torres, was even more out of form!

Rather than fielding two out-of-form forwards, it was better to go with a false nine formation.

"This match will be very intense!"

Modrić said softly.

The others nodded in agreement.

The match quickly began.

As they had anticipated, the game was very fiery and intense.

It was filled with confrontations and pressing everywhere.

Initially, Spain could withstand it, but soon, as Germany committed continuous fouls and intensified their pressing, Spain began to struggle.

"Spain is in danger!"

Srna said with a solemn expression.

With years of experience playing against Barcelona, he clearly understood when Spain would show signs of fatigue.

Sure enough, Spain's midfield began to narrow, becoming more compact.

But Germany's pressing remained ferocious.

These guys were fighting fiercely!

The match continued until the 31st minute.

At this point, Spain had higher possession, but no effective threatening attacks, whereas Germany was frequently launching dangerous counter-attacks.

Most crucially, Spain's midfield showed signs of loosening up, and their passing was no longer as precise.

Their frequency of passing errors was also increasing.

In the 37th minute, Alonso failed to release the ball in time on the wing, leading to him being surrounded by Muller, Özil, and Schweinsteiger.

Schweinsteiger poked the ball out, Özil controlled it, and Muller made a run into the channel.

Özil delivered a timely through ball forward.

Muller swept the ball across the goal, and Klose slid in to score.

Germany scored first!

Wow!!!!!!!!!!

A commotion erupted in the Croatia meeting room.

Germany scored; now Spain was in danger.

Suker, in particular, felt a surge of excitement.

These guys from Germany really had a chance to dethrone Spain, the European Cup champions from the original timeline.

In the second half, both sides switched ends and resumed play.

Neither side made any substitutions.

Germany, despite being in the lead, maintained their original pressing intensity, not allowing Spain a moment's rest.

In contrast, Spain's midfield became even more chaotic.

"Is it just my imagination? I feel like Spain's midfield passing is a bit stiff!"

Modrić said.

Rakitić shook his head: "It's not your imagination, I can see it too!"

"Are they having a conflict?" Dujmović suddenly spoke up, and everyone turned their heads.

Dujmović pointed at the TV and said, "Look at Busquets, he's completely refusing to pass the ball to Xabi Alonso's side; he's concentrating on giving the ball to Xavi to handle. Sometimes, Xabi Alonso is in a better position, but he still won't pass!"

Everyone turned to look at the TV.

They saw Xabi Alonso actually running towards the center.

His run immediately squeezed the space of Fabregas, who was playing as an attacking midfielder.

Their positions overlapped, making it even harder for Xavi to release the ball.

Not only that, but the defenders' methods of dealing with the ball were also different.

Piqué's passes were always on the ground, trying to find the defensive midfielder or switch to the wing, pushing forward in an organized manner.

In contrast, Ramos was making violent clearances with every kick.

He even once kicked it directly at Klose, earning a yellow card.

Seeing this, Suker blinked; "Are they really having a conflict?"

Suker looked at Casillas.

He was constantly shouting something, but without a close-up, Suker couldn't tell what he was yelling from his lip movements.

But the other Spanish players all looked furious; their eyes were fierce when looking at opponents, and equally fierce when looking at teammates.

Amidst the overall chaotic rhythm, Germany's counter-attack scored again.

Schweinsteiger's tackle in the backfield immediately launched a counter-attack.

The ball was passed to Podolski in front, who used his skill to go wide and get to the byline.

Feigning a cross, he faked a pass and cut back, sending a cross into the middle.

Klose failed to win the header, but Muller, who was behind him, cleverly jumped and volleyed.

The ball found the net again.

Germany 2:0 Spain!

Suker's mouth slightly opened; "They've definitely had an internal conflict!"

Arbeloa's defense was too aggressive.

This was a clear sign of losing composure.

Although he had lost his starting position at Real Madrid to Srna, he still possessed decent defensive abilities.

However, he hadn't been part of Mourinho's lineup last season, so his playing time was limited.

But his performance shouldn't have been like this.

He was falling for feints too easily!

This was completely a style of play born from losing composure; he was extremely irritable.

At this moment, the camera focused on Spain's coach, Vicente del Bosque.

Vicente del Bosque remained silent for a long time, then suddenly turned and angrily kicked a water bottle nearby.

For the usually calm Vicente del Bosque to be so agitated, something must have happened.

And Vicente del Bosque, turning his head, seemed to curse in a complaining manner.

Suker understood that phrase.

The first part was a Spanish national curse!

The second part, judging from his lip movements, was… Mourinho!

It was confirmed!

Spain had an internal conflict!

Suker grinned; this European Cup was interesting.

Two internal conflicts!

One, Netherlands!

One is Spain!

It just so happened to be the champion and runner-up of the 2010 World Cup!

The match finally ended.

In the final stages, Torres, who came on as a substitute, scored a goal, but it still couldn't reverse Spain's decline.

Germany defeated Spain 2:1 and successfully advanced to the final!

At this moment, on the TV, Löw was being interviewed.

"This was a difficult match. After the last defeat, we quickly adjusted our state, broke through many obstacles, and finally reached the final stage!"

Löw said sternly:

"We have returned from hell!"

Suker grinned, "What are you doing?"

However, for Germany, playing against World Cup champions Spain in the semifinals indeed felt like crawling out of hell.

Moreover, in this match, Germany already felt stronger than the 2012 Germany in the original timeline.

Swish!

Bešić stood up and turned his head, saying, "The match is over. Tomorrow it will be our turn. Everyone go back and rest, get enough sleep, and prepare for the big battle!"

Everyone followed Bešić, their hearts also a little nervous.

After all, the European Cup semifinals were coming.

Italy was not an easy opponent either.

Germany's victory over Spain to advance to the final became the new topic across Europe.

Some even compared this match to 'the demise of tiki-taka football'.

The once invincible tiki-taka football was now in a very bad situation.

At the club level, Real Madrid was pressing Barcelona!

At the National Team level, Germany also defeated Spain.

All of this seemed to tell everyone that tiki-taka football was a thing of the past, and they had found a way to counter it.

Tiki-taka football was a tactical system completed by Cruyff, combining the Netherlands' tactical system with Spain's characteristics, and it was very popular for a time.

And now, what broke tiki-taka football was high pressing under total football.

It began in the Netherlands and ended in the Netherlands!

It felt like destiny had come full circle!

Spain once again faced elimination in the European Cup, and the next day, news of internal strife broke out.

Although they were all rumors and the sources of information needed to be verified, combining them with the match itself, some problems could be seen.

However, Spain was stubborn and refused to admit anything.

But the day after the Spain National Team lost, the Spanish Football Association and the National Team officials jointly organized a meeting, inviting the representatives of Real Madrid and Barcelona for talks.

With this move, it would be fake if there wasn't a conflict.

The next day, at the Croatia National Team's hotel, in the physiotherapy room.

Five physiotherapists were giving the Croatia players muscle relaxation massages in batches.

The three physiotherapists invited by Suker arrived in Donetsk, a city in southeastern Ukraine, in the early morning and immediately began working.

With the addition of these three strong reinforcements, the workload of the two physiotherapists within the Croatia team was greatly reduced, and efficiency also increased significantly.

All starting players received physiotherapy massage for muscle relaxation, and some substitutes also needed to receive relaxation massages.

Now it was the last batch: Suker, Srna, Modrić, Rakitić, and Perisic were lying on the physiotherapy beds receiving massages.

Suker closed his eyes, enjoying the massage and relaxation.

With the massage, his leg muscles felt a sour and swollen sensation, but it quickly became relaxed again.

Srna couldn't help but let out a breath. He turned his head to Suker and said, "Did you call them?"

Suker asked, "Who?"

"Who else, our club teammates!" Srna said.

"If you're curious, you call them!"

"Am I sick!" Srna grinned, "Calling them now is just asking for a scolding!"

Suker rolled his eyes, "Then why would I call them?"

Srna, "At least they won't scold you!"

Suker was speechless.

Srna, "I heard that the Spanish Football Association and the National Team officials talked to the presidents of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Something definitely happened!"

Suker, "And it's not a small matter!"

Suker felt that Mourinho had stirred up a big hornet's nest this time.

Spain's elimination from the European Cup had no direct relation to him.

But based on Mourinho's actions, which led to the players being at loggerheads and even internal strife, this matter became serious.

If Spain was determined, Mourinho might be directly removed.

Florentino wouldn't be able to protect him either!

"It depends on whether the Spanish Football Association has made up its mind, but it's also very difficult to drive Mourinho away!"

Suker shook his head.

Mainly, there was no reason!

He had won eight throphy in two seasons, his achievements were outstanding.

They couldn't just fire Mourinho because the Spain National Team lost in the European Cup, could they?

That doesn't make sense!

Spain couldn't publicly admit the conflict, so they could only find another way.

So, Mourinho was being targeted, but driving him away also required a reason!

"Why do you want to drive Mourinho away?"

Just as the two were chatting, someone quietly asked.

Suker and Srna turned their heads and saw Rakitić, Modrić, and Perisic, these three guys, staring at them with wide eyes.

There was no hint of enjoyment in their eyes, just two words carved into them: 'gossip'!

"Want to know why?"

Suker raised an eyebrow.

Rakitić nodded vigorously.

Suker and Srna exchanged glances, and both stood up.

Srna walked over and pressed Rakitić down with both hands.

Suker, on the other hand, grabbed Rakitić's feet.

The two smiled, "We'll tell you slowly~"

"Huh?" Rakitić tilted his head, looking bewildered.

The next second, Suker roared, "Got him!"

After shouting, Suker lifted his foot and directly pressed it against Rakitić's crotch, rubbing vigorously!

Wow~~~~~~hahahaha~~~~~~ah~~~~~~hahaha~~~

Rakitić laughed and yelled, trying to break free, but he was held firmly by Srna.

"Let you gossip!"

"Let you be curious!"

Both simultaneously, "Let you eavesdrop!"

After a while, Suker released Rakitić's feet and clapped his hands.

Rakitić held his crotch tightly, staring at the two.

Suker: "Still curious?"

Srna: "Still listening?"

Rakitić shook his head like a rattle-drum.

Suker and Srna simultaneously turned their heads to Modrić and Perisic, slightly raised their chins, and made a nasal sound.

"Hmm?"

"Ha?"

The two immediately lowered their heads.

This gossip, better not to hear it!

All muscle relaxation was completed. With the addition of three physiotherapists, the Croatia players' condition was better ensured.

Today was match day. They would face Italy at 9 PM, so the whole day was mainly about training to maintain their condition.

At the same time, Bešić also gave more tactical explanations to help them understand the tactics better.

Italy still maintained a relatively old playing style.

Compared to other Leagues, the pace was also relatively slower.

However, Italy's chain defense was still not to be underestimated.

Suker and Srna, who had played in Serie A, were very clear about this point.

And for this match, Bešić prepared to use a different approach.

Although Croatia's own playing style could also counter Italy, it was too inefficient and consumed too much physical energy, so they planned to adopt a more concise method.

That was to add a number 10 position!

This was also an attacking formation with ball control, 4-3-1-2, which Bešić and Van Stoyak discussed.

Four defenders, three midfielders, one attacking midfielder, and two forwards.

Suker played as the attacking midfielder, which was the number 10 position.

At the same time, he connected with Rakitić and Modrić to form an attacking three-number-ten setup.

Vukojević played as a single defensive midfielder for the first time in this match. Although this increased defensive pressure to a certain extent, it also expanded their attacking capabilities.

Especially, Suker's various techniques would be thoroughly developed.

No longer confined to the wing, but with his offense radiating across the entire half.

If Italy wanted to use zonal marking against Suker, they simply wouldn't be able to catch him.

Suker could attack when advancing and control when retreating.

Cooperating with the other two number 10 players, they would tear apart Italy's chain defense.

This tactic, for the present, was considered a tactic of the previous era.

Before 2010, this tactic was very popular in Serie A, for example, Totti of Roma always played in this number 10 position.