Chapter 452: National Team Debut (Part II)
At the beginning of the game, Defoe caught a mistake at the back to score, but the Uruguayan players did not get themselves into disbelief because they were down by a goal early, but continued to play steadily under the shouts of Tavares, using the technology at their feet to push forward layer by layer, constantly encroaching on the Three Lions' position, and in this way putting defensive pressure on the England team.
If the arrival of Tavares has brought a technical and tactical boost to the Uruguayan national team because of the short time in charge, the veteran coach's efforts to build the team's temperament have begun to bear fruit. The coach emphasised tactical discipline and team football, abandoning the much-criticized brutal style of play in the past, and gave the whole Uruguayan team a new look, becoming full of energy and regaining a bit of the style of South American technical football.
It has to be said that this strategy of Tavares is very targeted. As Gascoigne, Paul Scholes and others aged and faded out, England's control of the game began to slip. In particular, a large number of foreign players have joined the Premier League and served as the organizational core of each team, which has deprived local players of the opportunity to practice, and gradually become accustomed to the role of a fierce player on the pitch rather than a commander. This change is reflected in the national team, which is that even if the overall strength is superior, it will be difficult for England to take the initiative in the game and turn the advantage of both sides into a victory.
In George's previous life, this issue had plagued the Three Lions. Germany was forced to draw by Trinidad and Tobago in the World Cup, missed the 08 Euro Championship finals, and was beaten by Germany 4-1 in the World Cup in South Africa is the most powerful evidence. However, whether it's Christian Eriksen, Macallen or Fabio Capello, their approach to the problem is to tackle the so-called 'double German problem', which is to find a way to make the most of the power of two world-class midfielders at both ends of the pitch in attack and defence, and in this way to strengthen England's control of the game, almost never thinking about other options.
Not so with George. Knowing that neither of them is good for dirty work, and with similar technical characteristics and not good at controlling the pace of the game, he chose the most unexpected and simple and effective solution: rotate Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard into the starting line, correct the underappreciated Carrick and make him the playmaker, and put another national team fringe man, Hargreaves, to take on the Three Lions' midfield defense and sweeping duties!
With Carrick and David Beckham on the side, England's control of the game is assured, starting HARGREAVES is a great way to put up a barrier in midfield to reduce the chance of being hit directly by opponents, and Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard, freed from heavy defensive and organisational tasks, can use their range of movement and skill to support the team from anywhere on the pitch!
The versatile midfielder, or B2B midfielder, is what Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard should be in on the pitch. If you let the "double de" take on the defensive or organizational responsibility of an entire team like Makelele or Pirlo, the effect can only be counterproductive!
Of course, George dared to deal with the issue of double virtue in this way because he lived in a much more relaxed public opinion environment than his peers like Erikson and McLaren, who called themselves "uncrowned kings" who could expose the shortcomings of their own government, but would never dare to provoke those who had deep backgrounds in their own countries. And George is precisely one of the key people who was put on the "must not be provoked" list by these reporters!
So, just because George can do something doesn't mean that someone else is equally capable of doing it. If Erikson or McLaren dare to defy the world's condemnation and press one of the "double virtues" to the bench like George, then they will be waiting to be sprayed with blood and body by these media who are good at rhythmic public opinion!
With Michael Carrick and David Beckham in control of the tempo of the game, as well as Steven Gerrard's wide range of runs and Hargreaves' tough interceptions in midfield, Uruguay's strategy of trying to control the tempo of the game did not work as expected. Obviously, Tavares, who had just taken over the national team coach, overestimated the overall strength of the Uruguayan team after the replacement, and did not expect George to solve the number one problem that has plagued England since Scholes retired from the national team so quickly!
The butterfly effect caused by George's crossing has certainly allowed stars such as Suarez and Cavani to land in European football earlier than in their previous lives and enter people's field of vision, making the Uruguayan team start to change earlier than in the previous life, but this does not mean that the overall strength of the current Uruguayan team is stronger than the one in the same period in the previous life. After all, Suarez's potential and talent have not yet been fully realized, and no matter how strong Tavares' coaching ability is, he will not be able to make the inexperienced and ungrown Cavani soar to the sky and become the mainstay of the team!
One of their own problems has been solved, but the strength of the opponent has not improved accordingly, and without the help of Lady Luck and the sudden explosion of players, England's advantage has naturally turned into a real victory!
In the 29th minute, Defoe and Wayne Rooney doubled the ball from David Beckham's long ball, and the scrambling Uruguayan player inadvertently cleared the ball to Steven Gerrard, who was ambushed outside the penalty area, who doubled England's lead with a trademark powerful volley. Subsequently, Rooney and Beckham also made contributions in the game, breaking through Carini's ten fingers and completely locking the victory!
Of course, the England national team, which has solved the problem of coexistence between Germany and Germany, does not mean that it can rest easy, and there is a dark cloud hanging over the Three Lions - the goalkeeper problem since David Seaman retired from the national team, even George, who has memories of his previous life, has not found a reliable candidate, and can only let Paul Robinson, who seems to be the most reliable, temporarily serve as the No. 1 goalkeeper. In any case, Robinson, who was the main goalkeeper in his previous life, helped Tottenham Hotspur finish fifth in the Premier League for at least two consecutive seasons in 05-07. Compared to the likes of Robert Green and Carson, his lower limit and ability are at least guaranteed.
Even so, Robinson's performance tonight shocked George and everyone watching the game into a cold sweat - in the face of Salayeta's unthreatening header, Robinson made a low-level mistake to save the ball and almost let the Uruguayans equalize by only one goal at the time!
Luckily, Robinson's low-level mistake didn't result in a goal conceded, otherwise there would have been a big question mark over whether England would have been able to get a big win today. After all, England's lack of ability to deal with tough battles and headwinds has become apparent with the fading of veterans such as Paul Scholes. If the goalkeeper is cheated in the game, the England team, whose morale has plummeted, may not be able to win Uruguay smoothly.
In the end, when the final whistle blew, England, who were not favored before the game, unexpectedly swept Uruguay by four goals and handed over an excellent answer sheet that was enough to dispel most doubts!