Chapter 226: Offensive Football
At the end of the first half, Atletico led by one goal.
For the first time this season, Atletico Madrid pressed all the players through the half, and the game turned into a half-time drill. Atletico Madrid fans even had the illusion that the home team actually played the flavor of Real Madrid.
There is not a single fan who does not like such a change.
Atletico continue to win and the result is certainly a delight for the fans. But everyone wants the team they support to show their domineering spirit in the game, so that the opponent has no power to fight back. Last season, Real Madrid had that kind of style. Watch the city rivals win the league title and the Champions League in succession. Atletico fans are looking forward to the day when their team can have such a high-spirited moment, relying on sharp attacks to dominate the world.
In this first half, the fans in the stands witnessed first-hand the home team taking a crucial first step in that direction.
In the first half, Simeone's only dissatisfaction was that the possession rate was close to seventy, and only one goal was scored in the case of the opponent's goalkeeper bombardment, Wen Zhihao's play he saw in his eyes, impeccable, but the double striker has not yet entered the role in the new tactical requirements, Wen Zhihao has sent a lot of very penetrating back balls, but the response of the double striker is not enough.
Simeone is also difficult to do, and at the moment there are only those people available in the forward line. Griezmann and Correa's finishing ability is relatively reliable, but the opponent focuses on taking care of it, and the effect will inevitably be reduced. Gameiro and Torres have a lot of experience, but both are already in their old age, and their speed and fitness are tough injuries, and it is impossible to maintain the fitness to sprint at high speeds without stopping. As for Bietto, his form has been slump to the extreme this season. Only one goal was scored in the first ten rounds of the league, that is, the fighting power did not meet Simeone's requirements, and he gradually sat on the bench since November and had no chance.
However, Simeone's headache may be on the horizon, with Diego Costa set to be registered before the winter window closes and will be available to represent Atletico by February at the latest. Simeone's return to the strongest disciple of the past just before the start of the Devil's Race may be able to solve the current stubborn disease.
Simeone made changes up front in the second half, with veteran Fernando Torres coming on to replace Gameiro, who was not positive in the first half. Although Tuo Niu's impact is hard to compare with the peak, most of them have come off the bench this season. But he is more than ten centimeters taller than Gameiro, and the fulcrum effect is obvious, Simeone does not expect him to be able to destroy the withering and decaying, as long as he can fight for Wen Zhihao's back insertion, the tactical purpose will be considered successful.
Fernando Torres has the ability to get the ball back and Atletico's attack, although not as stormy as in the first half, is never lacking in excitement. Wen Zhihao focused on passing the ball to his teammates in the first half, and began to show his individual ability in the second half. The Getafe defenders were obviously ineffective, and the three of them were deployed in front of the penalty area, and Wen Zhihao was still able to easily break into the penalty area with a passing feint and a turn to lead the ball, and the atmosphere on the pitch was instantly hot, and He Wei was very excited to praise: "One over three!" Wen Zhihao enters the penalty area, single-handedly! Seal your chance to win! ”
Getafe goalkeeper Guaita stretched his arms to the limit and blocked the two bottom corners of the goal, but Wen Zhihao volleyed directly into the top right corner of the goal.
"Bang!"
A crisp collision was the most beautiful sound for the Getafe players. The goalpost blocked Wen Zhihao's must-kill goal.
Accustomed to seeing big scenes, Wen Zhihao shook his head and smiled, there will always be accidents on the court, and it is not uncommon to occasionally fail to score once or twice.
As long as the initiative is in your own hands, do you still have to worry about not scoring?
Good food is not afraid of being late. Wen Zhihao's goal came in the 63rd minute, a very imaginative point-grabbing hook. The attention of the opposing defenders was on Torres, Griezmann and Thomas, who were the masters of grabbing points, and everyone was stunned by Wen Zhihao's whim.
Including Simeone on the sidelines. When he high-fived his assistant, he sighed at Wen Zhihao's magic. Many times, Wen Zhihao's on-the-spot choice even feels non-mainstream to him, but the effect is unexpected.
Atletico deserved an all-round victory, but Juanfran made a mistake in the 80th minute, bringing down Molina in the box and giving away a penalty. Compared to Atletico's 15 shots on target and 63% possession, the 2:1 score is a bit flawless.
Simeone, however, was very excited after the game to declare that he had found a shortcut to make the team more dominant.
Combined with Atletico Madrid's on-field data after Simeone's change of formation, the media can naturally interpret Simeone's meaning.
The anti-counter-attacking system established since his arrival in 2011 may be gradually replaced, and attacking football like this one could become the mainstream of Atletico Madrid in the future.
Simeone, as a young coach who came to Europe from South America, although he was famous as a defensive midfielder when he was a player, the Argentine has a natural obsession with attacking football. Even crazier than sworn enemy samba football. After taking over Atletico Madrid, he chose to take defense as the foundation, but at that time, Barcelona's Dream Three Dynasty was at its peak, and Real Madrid also had Ronaldo, Kaka, Di Maria, Benzema and other big names. But now with the all-round Wen Zhihao, Atletico can also try to win by controlling the game.
Being able to have the conditions to take the initiative to attack, Simeone will definitely not be conservative.
And there's a forgotten killer in the team. Although Diego Costa's form has been in serious decline this season, Simeone is confident that he can turn a stone into gold and bring his lover back to the top. He has high expectations for the trident combination of Wen Zhihao, Antoine Griezmann and Costa.
Relying on the combination of MSN and BBC, the attacking firepower of Barcelona and Real Madrid once made the whole of Europe fearful. And the trio under his command are younger, especially Wen Zhihao, who is the attacking core of the trio, Simeone sees him as the future leader of Atletico Madrid - although Wen Zhihao has now shown a core temperament and is capable of playing an important role in the heart of the organization.
……
Simeone proved that he would make the team more dominant. The attacking formation of a single midfielder and two strikers tasted the sweetness for the first time, and in the next two games, the second leg of the quarter-final against Lleida in the Copa del Rey, and the away game against Eibar in the 19th round of the league, Simeone once again used this formation. The players have obviously adapted better than in the last game. With two 3-0s, Atletico Madrid extended their three-tier winning streak to nine, still fierce as a tiger, maintaining pressure on the top two in the standings.
In three consecutive games, Atletico had nearly 60% possession and made more than 400 passes in total. Although it cannot be compared with Barcelona, it must be admitted that after switching to attacking football, Atletico not only won the result, but also won the opponent without temper at all.
League pundits and media have predicted that Simeone-style attacking football will be one of the highlights of the second half of La Liga. At the same time, a question was raised, when it comes to the Champions League, where there is a real strong dialogue, does Simeone still have the courage to attack his opponent?