Chapter 39: A Serious Setback
After the first Mid-Autumn Festival abroad, although there is no lively atmosphere in China, it is not bad to spend it with a group of friends. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ο½ο½ο½Uο½Eγ Although there are some things in the middle that make Yan Feng's mood not so high, after all, those things can't be considered by him.
Yan Feng temporarily pressed that thought, and instead put all his mind into training. There are some things that you can't change, so do your best and let yourself use better performances to help the team move forward as you want.
A few days later, Granada faced a tough opponent at home. A team that makes Yan Feng want to win more than Real Madrid and Barcelona - Atletico Madrid.
Last season, at the home of the Granada team, Yan Feng and his teammates were beaten by Atletico Madrid. In that game, Yan Feng scored one goal, but the overall strength was not as good as letting them score three goals by Atletico Madrid.
In that game, Yan Feng worked hard, but he was still powerless. Losing to the Mader Athletic team made Yan Feng very unwilling. This fiasco, Yan Feng has always remembered, and now it's time for revenge.
And another reason why Yan Feng wants to win very much is that Atletico Madrid ranked third in La Liga last season. If you can't win against Atletico Madrid and want to challenge Real Madrid and Barcelona, it can only be a dream. Therefore, this competition is not just about revenge. In Yan Feng's heart, it is a threshold that must be passed before challenging the status of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
"Brothers, our test has arrived. Atletico Madrid, who finished third last season and are still in third place, is the touchstone of our ceiling. Everyone must give it their all. Beyond them, we are higher in the sky. Before the game, Yan Feng actively instilled in his teammates the belief that he wanted to win the game.
Don't look at Atletico Madrid, who have been in the third place in La Liga in recent years, they were lucky to cross Real Madrid and Barcelona to grab the title in the 13/14 season.
Therefore, Atletico Madrid has always been regarded by the outside world as the strongest team in La Liga except for Real Madrid and Barcelona. To win against Atletico Badri, the pressure is still quite high.
"It's not easy to win against Atletico Madrid. We lost at home to them last season. This year there is no sign of any decline in their strength. β
"They are not as good as Real Madrid and Barcelona. To be honest, I'm not sure I'll beat them at home. β
"And do your best. It is estimated that the probability of a draw will be higher. β
"With the inertia of how often we draw now, a draw is really likely. β
Compared with Yan Feng's desire to win against Atletico Madrid, many teammates who experienced that defeat are not so confident.
The teammates seemed to be a little lacking in confidence, which made Yan Feng somewhat disappointed. However, he still does not give up the idea of revenge at home, and can only continue to encourage his teammates. "It's because we lost last time that we want revenge. We can't let the fans down. β
'We've had a couple of draws, but we're unbeaten in seven or eight. That means we won't lose at least. We're on our home turf and we have to fight. You have to believe in yourselves and we can win. Granada, win!"
"Hmm. Yan was right. We must not give up the belief in victory. We've all won Real Madrid, so why can't we win against Atletico Madrid?" Sandel agreed with Yan Feng.
"Yes. It's perfectly okay to win against Atletico Madrid. β
After Sandel came out to support Yan Feng's opinion, the other teammates also somewhat rose up their determination to win the opponent at home.
Yan Feng and his teammates finally reached a unity of thought. With a unanimous desire to win, Yan Feng believed that they could achieve the victory they wanted.
Compared with the player's desire to win, Alcaraz, as the head coach, was more defensive in the next pre-match arrangements and speeches. There is no strong desire to win like Yan Feng. In terms of tactics, Alcaraz is still good at defending and counter-attacking.
"In his home stadium, he has to defend and counterattack, doesn't this show that he lacks confidence? This is Yan Feng's thoughts on Alcaraz's strategic arrangement. However, he can't say anything, all you can do as a player is to cooperate with the manager and implement the manager's will carefully to create possible victories.
After a passing ceremony, the game finally began with the referee's whistle cheered on by the home fans.
The Granada team is still in the usual 5231 formation. Although the formation itself is a balanced offensive and defensive formation, it has become a defensive formation due to Alcaraz's requirements for the player's tasks and tactical style.
No matter how many ideas there were before the game, when it came to the official game, Yan Feng had to abandon any superfluous thoughts and devote himself to the game. He needs 200 percent of his input today. Facing Griezmann, who is known as one of the most contenders for the future Ballon d'Or after Ronaldo and Messi. Yan Feng, who is eager to win, can't be careless.
I don't know if Yan Feng's encouragement to his teammates before the game played a role, or Alcaraz's tactical arrangement was more right, from the start of the game, the Granada team did not lose to the Atletico Madrid team on the field.
The Granada team, which uses defensive counter-attacking tactics, naturally looks calmer, while the Atletico Madrid team, which is playing away, is not aggressive. So, in the first ten minutes of the game, both sides were trying, and the rhythm of attack and defense was also maintained.
Because the Granada team is now not a weak team in the eyes of other teams, but a strong team that can compete for Europa League qualification. This is also the first time that Atletico Madrid has come up, and it is not as aggressive as before.
After a lot of probing, Atletico Madrid began to exert their strength. After understanding Granada's defensive attitude, Atletico Madrid became more confident. The opponent's weak behavior has made their momentum unconsciously boosted.
"That's not the case with Granada. They weren't as powerful as they thought they were. Although it is stronger than last season, it is also limited in strength. They are not our opponents yet. β
The change in mentality began to constantly increase the aggressiveness of the Atletico Madrid players. Once they are ready to kick with confidence and confidence, then their attacking power becomes extremely threatening.
Atletico Madrid's offensive intensified, putting more and more pressure on Granada's defence. The good thing is that Granada are a resilient team right now and they can handle a lot of pressure. Even in the face of a strong attack like Real Madrid, they are not afraid.
Yan Feng is playing hard, and his teammates are all working hard, which allows them to withstand the increasingly strong attacks of Atletico Madrid again and again.
Of course, the Granada team is not without the ability to fight back. If you can't even counterattack, it's not a defensive counterattack, it's a rubbing on the ground. When Granada withstood the attack of Atletico Madrid, they had the opportunity and would attack resolutely. This effectively contained Atletico Madrid's attack, so that they could not attack without fear.
Another ten minutes passed, and Atletico Madrid failed to find the back of the net against Granada, and Granada's counter-attack also failed to score. However, in terms of the overall number of shots, it is Atletico Madrid who has the advantage.
Yan Feng is constantly trying to defend Griezmann, and occasionally comes forward to participate in the attack. However, due to concerns about the strong offensive ability of the Atletico Madrid team, Yan Feng always wants to keep Griezmann behind.
I don't know if Griezmann is not in good shape today, or if Yan Feng is stronger now. Yan Feng felt that he was no longer as struggling to deal with Griezmann as he was last time.
"Could it really be that the transfer rumors are affecting his state?" Yan Feng felt that this was possible, but he was still worried that Griezmann would suddenly break out. If Griezmann is allowed to come suddenly and then score, Yan Feng will never accept it.
But until the end of the first half, Griezmann did not show an unbeatable level. This allowed Yan Feng to really confirm that today's opponent was a little out of shape.
Antoine Griezmann, a key player at the heart of Atletico Madrid, is out of form, which is definitely great news. This made Yan Feng even more confident in winning against Atletico Madrid today.
0:0, the two sides shook hands in the first half.
In the first half, both sides showed a clear eye and were able to bring out their own characteristics. Although there were no goals, it did not bore the people watching the game. Whether it's Atletico Madrid's smooth attack, or the increasingly familiar passing control of the Geronda team, fans will appreciate it.
The second half became even more anticipated.
The Granada team, who did not fall too far in the first half, gave the home fans hope of winning.
'Compared to last season's defeat, we played a lot better today. In the first half, we didn't concede a goal, and in the second half, I started expecting our storm to break them. β
Looking forward to the second half, this seems to be the label of the Granada team right now. Since the Granada team basically used defensive counter-attacks, it was rare to score a strong goal in the first half. It was often in the second half, after everyone's fitness had dropped, that Granada would attack aggressively, and it often worked to be successful.
Although it has been a lot of equalisers in recent times, it will not affect the confidence of the fans in scoring goals.
Soon, both sides were back on the field. The second half began.
After coming out of the dressing room, the Granada team did not do much change. In the first half, Alcaraz thought his strategy was correct.
"You have to be patient. After the opponent has fallen, that's when we really fight back. β
This was highlighted by Alcaraz at half-time. The players agree. Because they have Yan Feng's in the formation, they can't die, but they don't have the opponent's formation. When everyone's physical strength declines, there is a guy on his side who can rush forward like the wind, and the opponent will often become difficult to parry. That's where Alcaraz's confidence in defending counter-attacks lies.
Don't give your opponent a chance until their physical strength is depleted. This is Alcaraz's strategic thinking.
Regarding this, Yan Feng agrees. It's just that for defending first and then counterattacking, Yan Feng feels that it is too unimpressive. Looking at the world, what team aspiring to the title has adopted this tactic?
In the second half, Yan Feng and his teammates worked hard, yes, to consume the opponent in various ways. Finally, 70 minutes into the game, and the players on both sides were experiencing varying degrees of physical decline.
It was only at this time that the Granada team began to kick off in earnest.
From the previous defense too much, to an active counterattack. Yan Feng began to cross with Costa and stepped forward to participate in the attack.
Costa's slow advance combined with Yan Feng's sudden advance, the two styles are constantly exchanging, which makes the Atletico Madrid team, which is used to the previous kind of defensive counterattack, a little uncomfortable.
In the 76th minute, after the Granada team defended an attack by Atletico Madrid, Yan Feng did not ask for the ball and rushed forward silently. Griezmann's more average performance today allowed Yan Feng to move forward with all his might.
Yan Feng stepped forward silently, and Costa also cooperated to move back to get the ball. After Costa took the ball, he gave it to Aslan on the side, and then he chose to lean into the middle to fill the gap after Yan Feng went up.
After Aslan got the ball, he quickly scored Samper, who was in charge of the organization in the middle. Samper took the ball and turned, faced the defense, a horizontal band, and then played the ball to Sundel, who was in front of him with his back.
Sundell leans back to the defender and moves forward to receive the ball. When he got to the football, Sandel didn't take the ball, but directly faced the football with a horizontal knock. Then, again, he jerked around the goal. He doesn't need to see if he'll be disappointed with his pass. He believed that Yan Feng would appear in that place.
Yan Feng did not disappoint Sandel, he appeared in time on the way to Sundel's horizontal pass. Yan Feng got the ball, but he immediately faced the defenders. It seems that the other party has not relaxed his vigilance against him from beginning to end.
However, it doesn't matter, Yan Feng didn't want to face the goal as soon as he got the ball. He didn't choose to force it either, because he wasn't fighting alone.
After Yan Feng dribbled the ball close to the opponent for a certain distance, he passed the ball diagonally. There was Sundel, who had turned around and made a detour.
Sandel successfully got Yan Feng's pass. Sandel ran diagonally with the ball and burst into the box, and the defender's follow-up prevented him from forming a single knife. Xander didn't have the speed of Yan Feng, so he couldn't use his speed to get rid of it. However, he has good ball control and does not concede easily. Sundell was approaching the edge of the box when he suddenly slammed the ball back with his heel.
Don't look at people, pass the ball with your heels. This isn't the first time Sandel has done this in a competition. Will he succeed this time?
The answer is yes. Yan Feng's tacit understanding with him, as well as countless drills, have long been familiar with these possible cooperations. Yan Feng reappeared at Sundel's destination.
This is also Yan Feng's follow-up, but the front does not give him much space to hit the door. It doesn't matter, though. Because Yan Feng's purpose was not to knock on the door by himself. It's another teammate, Aslan.
Yan Feng didn't stop the ball, ran forward and pushed the ball directly to the left corner of the top line of the penalty area.
"Aslan!"
Aslan did not disappoint Yan Feng. He shook off the defenders and quickly ran to roll the football. Single Knife!
Aslan led the football into the penalty area, faced the goalkeeper who wanted to attack but didn't dare, and fired a light shot into the right corner.
βGOAL!!!!! Aslan. β
1:0, Granada took the lead.
The whole stadium was boiling. Everyone has been waiting for this moment for a long time. Now that the goal has finally been scored, victory is already in sight.
After a round of excitement and celebration, the race resumed.
"Don't be careless. Be sure to withstand their counterattack. After the joy, Alcaraz calmly asked his team-mates to step up the defense.
After being scored, Atletico Madrid made personnel changes in the coach before waking up from a dream. In particular, Griezmann, who had been performing average before, began to become active under the scolding of their coach.
Atletico Madrid began to fight back with an out-of-the-box and offensive run to the highest point of the game. This made Yan Feng and his teammates feel great pressure.
No matter how much pressure there is, in order to win, they have to grit their teeth to support. They withstood the onslaught of Atletico Madrid with tenacity and tenacity.