The techniques and tactics of a football game are complex and complex, but they are also simple to say.

It's nothing more than four words, promoting strengths and avoiding weaknesses.

There is no perfect team in this world, there is no perfect tactic, there will always be loopholes and weaknesses.

The head coach's tactical arrangements and personnel deployment before the game, to put it bluntly, is to cover up his own shortcomings, give full play to his own advantages, and use his strengths to attack the opponent's shortcomings.

Technically inferior to the opponent, no one needs to say this, Liverpool themselves know it.

Not to mention Liverpool, even in the Premier League, except for Arsenal, no team has the level to compete with European powerhouses at the technical level, and the tactics created by Wenger at Arsenal are indeed a big alternative to the Premier League.

Therefore, Liverpool can only rely on fighting, grabbing, encirclement and interception in this game.

……

The Olympic Stadium in Athens is not a professional football stadium.

Between the pitch and the stands, there is a wide track and field track, and there are two semi-elliptical areas behind the goal.

This is obviously quite bad in the design of a football stadium, because it can seriously affect the atmosphere of the game in the stadium.

However, for the two teams that can walk into this stadium and participate in this game, none of this matters.

The stadium has a capacity of nearly 70,000, but in reality only 63,000 people are allowed to enter.

British fans are notoriously fanatical, but AC Milan fans are equally unequivocal.

Judging by the size of the live stands, the two teams are roughly the same.

At the age of 38 and 331, Maldini is the oldest in tonight's final, as tonight is his eighth Champions League final, equalling the record of former Real Madrid superstar Gento, and he is the oldest non-goalkeeping player in the history of the Champions League final, which is also his third time as captain and the oldest captain.

In this regard, the media gave Maldini a very high evaluation, and the AC Milan legend hoped that in this monumental game, AC Milan could have the last laugh.

As they did two years ago, AC Milan still wore the white shirt, while Liverpool faced the game in red.

The referee is Van Del van Der from Germany, 43 years old, who has won one draw and two defeats in the past three times against Liverpool, and he has refereed AC Milan in five games, winning all five games.

This also made the Italian media quite excited, thinking that even the referee was on their side.

……

Coming back from the warm-up on the court, everyone was making their final preparations.

The coaching staff had already secured the starting line-up for AC Milan on their way back to the dressing room.

The goalkeeper is Dida, the backline is Jankulovski, Maldini, Nesta and Oddo, the midfield is Ambrosini, Pirlo and Gattuso, the double midfielder is Seedorf and Kaka, and the single forward is Inzaghi.

In fact, there really is no suspense in AC Milan's style of play.

Carlo Ancelotti's team really played like that smelly thing at the beginning of the group stage and the knockout stage, and no one could have imagined that a team that played so badly would be able to reach the final.

But that's the magic of the Champions League.

Whether Ancelotti is targeted or not, or he adjusts it by chance, anyway, from the quarterfinals and knockout rounds, AC Milan has relied on this Christmas tree formation to stabilize its position and go all the way to the final.

Of course, the outbreak of Kaka is also a crucial, indispensable factor.

Arguably, he was the key to AC Milan's journey to the final.

In this case, Ancelotti doesn't make too many adjustments at all, and he doesn't have the chips to adjust.

……

"In this game, I hope everyone can start a little bit more steadily."

Rafael Benitez was full of caution as everyone immediately thought of the Champions League final two years ago, when AC Milan scored less than a minute into the opening game in Istanbul, Turkey.

It was definitely the worst start to the Champions League ever!

"AC Milan are also looking for stability, and from their starting line-up, they must have guessed our tactical intentions, so they will do their best to control the ball and the tempo of the game, and we are just going to use our pressing and pressing to try to bring the game into the rhythm that we know best."

Liverpool's most familiar rhythm, needless to say, is fast!

Defend fast, attack fast, counterattack faster!

'I didn't want Crouch to start in the starting line-up for this game, it had nothing to do with him, but because I knew Carlo Ancelotti must have done a good job and he had a way to limit our attacking mode, so we had to change.

'Crouch will be our man of the match tonight, and Kuyt, you play as the centre-forward, Pennant starts on the right.

After a pause, Benitez continued: "Crouch is not playing, AC Milan's backline should be relieved, and the two wide players should take a more proactive approach, especially Jankulovski, Pennant needs to intersperse more behind him and create opportunities for crosses from the right. ”

Pennant nodded heavily, excited and thrilled to be able to start in place of Crouch in such an important game, but it will require him to be in better form on the pitch to repay the manager and prove himself.

Crouch was a little disappointed, but he accepted Yesterdam's ten-minute explanation, which was a tactical arrangement.

The manager is battling Ancelotti!

"Gerrard needs to expand his scope appropriately, especially against Pirlo's suppression."

"Yang Yang, I need you to be more active, Ancelotti will definitely lay down heavy troops on the right side, don't look at what he said before the game, I dare to be sure, one of the most important tasks of Otto and Gattuso in this game is to stare you to death, you need to be more flexible in the run, I believe you can do it."

There is no doubt that as long as you are not an idiot, you can see that Yang Yang is Liverpool's main attacker.

The so-called main attacker is to fight the enemy and have to defend.

Therefore, Yang Yang is the only player in the team who does not have a defensive task and only needs to focus on attacking.

His biggest mission is to score goals and find every opportunity to score.

Of course, Ancelotti will also make targeted arrangements, Otto and Gattuso are on this side, they are Ancelotti's killer weapon to lock Yang Yang.

Benitez did not make specific arrangements for Yang Yang, which is his trust in Yang Yang, and at the same time gives Yang Yang freedom.

As long as he can get rid of the defense of Gattuso and Odo, how Yang Yang runs, how he intersperses, and how he plays, that's his business.

Of course, it has to be on the basis of integrating into the team as a whole.

"Finally, good luck to everyone!" Benitez said solemnly.

When it comes to this kind of crucial final, sometimes luck is really important.

A goal ahead, a mistake that could have been avoided, maybe even a pass......

Who knows what will happen at the end of the game?

……

"Got Liverpool's starting line-up."

Tasotti walked briskly into the dressing room, freshly released roster in hand.

Ancelotti looked over and frowned.

"This cunning creature doesn't get on Crouch!"

Tasotti nodded, "This is a very bold choice, and it is estimated that they are also very controversial." ”

"Needless to say, Yang Yang is on the left, Otto can't go up at all, Gattuso has to pay attention at all times, Kuyt in the middle, Pennant on the right......" Ancelotti had words in his mouth, obviously deducing the matchup map of the game in his mind.

"Don't forget, there's also Gerald." Tassotti reminded.

Ancelotti nodded, his brow furrowed even deeper.

'Take a gamble, let go of the left flank, let Pennant cross, Nesta and Maldini take care of freezing Kuyt, Jankulovski is looking for opportunities to get involved in the attack, if we want to score a goal in the first half, we can't do it without a wing.

Tasotti understood what Ancelotti meant, and it was a trade-off.

Letting go of the left, Pennant will get more chances to cross, but Jankulovski will also have plenty of opportunities to get forward.

'Benitez's line-up is clear, he wants a draw, it's a 0-0 draw, and then we can push again in the second half, which is not good for us. Ancelotti analyzed carefully.

AC Milan's group of veterans will suffer more in the second half, so AC Milan will either control the ball and tempo, which will play more easily and consume less, or score first, shrink the defense, let Liverpool attack, and then play counterattack.

"Benitez has always been good at using odds, he played himself to death in the battle two years ago, but I didn't expect that two years later, he still has this kind of courage and determination, which is really admirable." Ancelotti smiled slightly.

…………

…………

As the two teams lined up and stood in two halves of the pitch, Liverpool's Steven Gerrard and Kuyt stood in the centre circle ready to kick off, which was the chance Liverpool had won when they had just guessed the edge.

Just now, Gerrard called everyone over and formed a circle, hoping that the team would try to rush at the opening time.

This is a consistent characteristic of English teams, and they have to start with momentum and frighten their opponents.

This trick may not seem new, but it actually works.

Gerrard was ready to serve, but Kuyt was slightly forward to get the ball back in the first place to avoid AC Milan's pressing.

With a whistle from referee Van Deel, Gerrard kicked the ball to Kuyt, and the Dutchman kicked it straight back.

AC Milan really grabbed quickly and rushed straight towards Liverpool's hinterland.

Xavi Alonso stopped the ball, adjusted quickly, passed to Mascherano and then to the left.

Yang Yang was still standing on the left side near the halfway line at this time, and after receiving a pass from Mascherano, Gattuso and Otto both pressed towards him at the same time, and he had to choose to pass back to Aurerio.

AC Milan's front-lineman pressed towards the Brazilian left wing-back for the first time, and Aurelio picked up the ball back to the middle of the midfield and gave it to Xavi Alonso.

The Spanish midfielder's header was given to Mascherano, but at this moment, Kaka actively stepped forward to press.

Mascherano made a mistake and the ball was stabbed by Kaka.

Thankfully, the ball didn't leave Liverpool's control, and Aurelio sent the ball back to Reyna from a long distance.

The Spanish goalkeeper stopped the ball with his foot at the edge of the small penalty area, and then slowly moved forward, grabbed ahead of Inzaghi, and passed the ball to Finnan on the right.

Finnan kicked straight forward and passed directly behind Jankulovski.

Pennant gave quick chase.