Chapter 284: Intentionally?

With Atletico Madrid's championship moment just around the corner, the club has also begun to prepare for the championship celebration.

There are five squares across the city, and in a very short period of time, after the watershed moment of the league season at the weekend, the club's top management arranged to decorate all of them in the red and white tones that are typical of Atletico Madrid.

Atletico's high-profile plan to win the title will naturally attract some people's attention and dissatisfaction. "World Sports" satirized in a very bitter tone that Atletico Madrid has been smashed by a sense of superiority, and will inevitably be happy and sad, and the last two rounds will fall short.

Although the media in Madrid has a good starting point, they are objectively worried about this, and it is inevitable that the club's fanfare will affect the team's mentality.

In response to such reports, Atletico president Andreas Perezzo came out in support of the team at the right time: "We have good, experienced players and great managers. We have full confidence in Coach Simeone's control and the self-regulation of all the players. Such a statement is completely unfounded, and of course, it cannot be ruled out that some media outlets have bad intentions. ”

At the same time, Perezzo also revealed an important message, this arrangement is not only for the league title, if the team can achieve an unprecedented treble, there will be an unprecedented citywide parade to share the glory moment with all Madrid fans.

According to Perezzo's treble expectations, Atletico are only one of them. The Champions League and the Copa del Rey still need to break through two hurdles in a row, and Real Madrid in front of them is a difficult hurdle.

Atletico still face a lot of difficulties.

In the coming week, the most important task is not only to secure the league title early, but also to play the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals and lay the foundation for qualifying for the final.

As with the home-and-away order of the Champions League semi-finals, Atletico Madrid still has a home-and-away schedule.

In the fourth Madrid derby of the season, not to mention that the players on both sides were numb, even the commentators were disgusted when they saw the rosters of both sides - so bored that they were about to vomit.

The media has always liked the new and hated the old, and they are eager to present something different.

Before the game, when he got the starting list, the commentators of all parties swept their eyes and suddenly showed an extremely surprised expression, and their eyes regained their brightness.

Spanish commentator Garcia's eyes flashed with excitement and curiosity, saying: "The two sides really came as a surprise from the starting line-up. This derby is destined to be different. It's understandable that Real Madrid don't send Bale, after all, his glass man attributes can easily be injured in successive high-intensity derbys. What I can't understand is that Atletico Madrid's starters did not have Wen Zhihao and Griezmann! What the hell is going on?! It's all the semi-finals, did Simeone decide to give up the Copa del Rey temporarily? ”

Of course, He Wei didn't know the specific reason, and seeing Wen Zhihao sitting on the bench, he felt a burst of worry, and his voice was much lower.

"Wen Zhihao is actually a substitute! It's been a rare occurrence throughout the season and if he's fit and in good form, there's no reason why Simeone shouldn't let him start. Wen Zhihao has never been in the line of fire with minor injuries. ”

He Wei's words made the hearts of Chinese fans feel like fifteen wooden barrels of water, and they are nervous.

Xu Yang was also a little more optimistic, and said: "He Wei should be too worried, if Wen Zhihao is seriously injured, he will definitely not be able to hide it from all the media, and we did not receive news in this regard before the game." And he just provided two assists in the league last weekend, which is not at all like a sign of physical concern. Please relax He Wei and the fans in front of the TV, I believe this is a tactical arrangement that Simeone deliberately made and made a surprise move. ”

Xu Yang's view is not accepted by most fans - unless Simeone doesn't want the treble, how much risk it would have to take to remove Wen Zhihao.

But at the thought of the possibility that Wen Zhihao might suffer another serious injury, fans were not even in the mood to watch the game.

In the barrage comment area of the post bar, forum and webcast room, people kept asking: "What's wrong with Wen Zhihao?" "Is Zhihao injured? Don't make a big deal! ”。

However, none of the explanations, including those of the supernatural powers, can give a clear answer.

The broadcast camera cut to the bench from time to time, Wen Zhihao and Griezmann talked happily, and Simeone also stood in front of his seat calmly.

Wen Zhihao did not play, and Atletico reverted to the simple and direct style of play of previous seasons. Simeone made a 4-4-2 formation, with Koke at the heart of the midfield, which was Wen Zhihao's on-field role. Veteran Torres and Costa pair up front.

Simeone's drastic change of formation did not bring about a collapse, but made Real Madrid very uncomfortable. The coaching staff focused on how to prevent the connection between Wen Zhihao and Antoine Griezmann. Such a change of formation made Real Madrid lose the focus on defense all of a sudden.

While Zidane's side controlled the overall situation, it was Atletico who created more of a threat. Costa and Torres are well-rounded. Carrasco and Gaitan, who don't have many appearances, have been fully activated. The pair were very aggressive, with Carrasco cutting inside wide and Gaitan's trademark lateral dribbling in front of the penalty area.

Atletico didn't have many chances on the ball, but the counter-attacks were quick and lethal, keeping the Real Madrid back line in a state of high tension.

Garcia quickly forgot about Wen Zhihao's absence from the field, because although Atletico Madrid changed to a simple and direct style, the threat did not diminish in the slightest: "Wen Zhihao is not playing, Atletico Madrid play more like they used to be." Perhaps Simeone did want to be surprised, but it must be admitted that the venture was a success. Defensive tenacity and sharp counterattacks are Simeone's magic weapons to press the bottom of the box. But...... Will Real Madrid be in trouble in the second half? ”

Zidane looked at the situation on the field and was silent. Simeone's risky move was something he didn't expect either.

Atletico's final start was not announced until half an hour before the game, and he was caught off guard by Simeone again, and it was too late to change his tactics temporarily.

He only explained to the players on an interim basis that Atletico Madrid's two core players did not start, and it was beneficial to attack with all their might and score early goals.

In the first half hour, Real Madrid's attack was fruitless, and it had actually lost the strategic initiative in the game.

"Qi Dan, do you need to change it?" The aide asked Zinedine Zidane for advice.

Zidane touched his bald head, then put his hand in his pocket and said, "The other party is waiting for us to change first." At such times, whoever moves loses. ”

Zinedine Zidane knows that he has lost to Simeone in terms of tactical arrangements, and now he can only hope that Ronaldo will use unconventional means to break the game.

In fact, he also has a backhand, but compared to Simeone, he is not bold enough. Or rather, he's not as crazy as Simeone.

Simeone can play Wen Zhihao as a substitute, and he doesn't have the courage to keep a healthy Cristiano Ronaldo out of the starting line-up.