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In fact, before Rangnick came to him, or before the end of the season, Chu Zhongtian had thought about this question - if he wanted to transfer, what kind of team would he go to?

A big and famous team? A nouveau riche team that can offer him a sky-high contract? The mid-table teams that make European competition their biggest goal every year?

Either way, there is no category of "promoted horses" here. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

If a team attracts him and makes him want to join, what would it be?

Solid European qualification? Further, Champions League qualification? A good and stable fiscal environment? Ambitious club presidents, managers and team-mates? Or the fame and illustrious history of the team? And, of course, there are the core commitments.

But how to do the core, he has no specific ideas. He doesn't know what kind of commitment counts as a "core commitment".

He can only use Metz as a reference, and a man like Metz has given him a central position.

Until he met Rangnick today, he still had this doubt.

Because the first thing Rangnick said was: "I know that Hoffenheim is coming to you as a promoted horse, and you must be a little confused." What can we do to attract you? We can't play in Europe and we don't have a glorious past. But I promise you a central position. ”

Commitment to the core.

This can be regarded as a point that attracts Chu Zhongtian. But if it's just a mouthful of words, how can he believe it? Don't think he's a three-year-old kid who believes whatever others say. Many teams make a lot of promises when they recruit the players they want, but not many can be fulfilled afterwards.

What "we guarantee you a place in the starting line", "we guarantee you a minimum of 30 appearances per season", "we guarantee that the team thinks you are at the center"...... These are empty promises. The two mouths are put together up and down, and it's done. There is no cost at all, and the managers are also happy to use this way to win people's hearts - anyway, I want to promise you that after fooling you into the team, how to deal with you is my business, a four-year contract, you are not satisfied? If you don't accept it, give me a cold bench! Of course, not all coaches fool players into buying them just to get him on the bench, but at least when they promised to buy a player, the manager doesn't necessarily know if the player is suitable for his team, maybe it's suitable, then he earns it. The media and fans will shout that the head coach has a good eye for people and a good way to buy people. If the unfortunate player does not fit in with the team, then the manager will be saddled with the stigma of being "blind".

So the transfer is risky for both the player and the manager.

Until this player actually plays under you, you can never be sure that this player is your "real destiny", whether it will be suitable for your set of tactics, whether it will be successful in your team. The player's previous resume doesn't say much on this issue. Even if he is a world-class player, it doesn't mean that his adaptability is full of twenty.

Therefore, when Rangnick said to Chu Zhongtian, "I promise to give you the core position", Chu Zhongtian smiled. It's not a happy laugh, it's a skeptical laugh.

Rangnick could tell from his expression that Chu Zhongtian didn't believe his words. It doesn't matter, he knows that he just relies on his own words, if he really believes it, then that person must be a fool. A fool can't be a midfield commander, and he can't be the most important part of other tactical systems.

So he took out a disc and put it in the DVD drive of the laptop he was carrying.

"This is the highlight of last season's games for our team."

Rangnick showed Chu Zhongtian the footage of Hoffenheim's game last season.

Chu Zhongtian was not interested in the core commitment, but was still quite interested in the team's game footage - he wanted to see how the team that had completed the triple jump was playing.

Hoffenheim in the video is a very aggressive player and a follower of attacking football. It's a lot like Mace, but they're even crazier than Mace. Fernandes' attacking football is still a balanced 442, while Rangnick's attacking football is a more aggressive 442 because they only have one midfielder and an additional midfielder. The 442 in the diamond-shaped midfield is a rarity in world football, but this formation has maximized its effect under Rangnick's hands, and they attack sharply and attack wave after wave, leaving opponents breathless.

Both strikers are black, they are very physical, they are strong on the one hand, and they have the ability to threaten the opposition goal no matter who gets the ball, but they can also pass the ball to their teammates. The two wing-backs were more wingers than 'wing-backs', and they took turns sprinting up and attacking the opposition penalty area repeatedly. Even the midfielder frequently rushes up to participate in the attack, and it seems that this is not a full-time defensive midfielder, it should be the kind of midfielder whose offensive ability is stronger than defensive ability. The back four were also desperate to push forward, with the full-backs constantly providing assists from the back, and the precision of the offside position was insanely accurate.

This kind of football is quite beautiful, the pace of the game is very fast, and the players are beating the hearts of the spectators with wave after wave of attacks, making them and Hoffenheim excited.

Chu Zhongtian felt that this was one of the best football he had ever seen. Metz football is also very beautiful, but it is the kind of complicated and gorgeous beauty, while Hoffenheim's football is a straight-to-go and indomitable beauty. The beauty of both sides belongs to different styles, and there is no superiority or inferiority.

But...... After looking at it for a long time, Chu Zhongtian's eyebrows gradually wrinkled.

He thinks that this football is beautiful, but it is more than enough to attack and not enough to defend. Such a wide open and closed offensive football is of course beautiful, but it ignores the importance of defense, especially the frequent offside of the four defenders...... Lack of sanity, that's not the style of a team looking for a win. Offense can bring goals to the team, but you have to defend to win.

Chu Zhongtian understands this truth, doesn't this Rangnick in front of him understand?

When the video of the team's game started playing, Rangnick stopped staring at the computer screen, he kept watching Chu Zhongtian.

Chu Zhongtian wanted to know Rangnick's ability, and Rangnick was also secretly investigating Chu Zhongtian's ability.

When he saw Chu Zhongtian's brows, Rangnick himself laughed silently.

He knew what Chu Zhongtian had seen.

After watching the video, Rangnick asked Chu Zhongtian what he thought. Chu Zhongtian hesitated for a moment, but still honestly stated his opinion.

The offense is beautiful, but it's too offensive, and it's a bit unbalanced. Frequent offsides are risky. Even if Hoffenheim can score four goals in the game, they may be scored three goals by the opponent, which is too dangerous. It's okay to play two games at a time, it's too risky to play like this all season...... What's more, this is just a video of the Bundesliga game, and the Bundesliga and the Bundesliga are completely different, Hoffenheim played like this in the Bundesliga, and if they still play like this in the Bundesliga...... I'm afraid it's not far from relegation.

This is the general summary of what he said, and Chu Zhongtian also added a lot of polite "I think", "I think", "in my opinion", "my personal opinion".

Rangnick nodded as he listened.

"You're right, Chu. We had a good time in the Southern Regional League, finishing second in the league four games to go. In the second division, we spent 20 million on reinforcements, but it was not until the final round that we were promoted to the first division with the second place in the league. I can't give you a detailed description of what difficulties we've encountered, but I think you're so smart that you can see something from this standings. I've also taken into account the question of what might happen if we continue to stick to attacking football in the Bundesliga. We will score two goals against Bayern Munich, but we will also be beaten by Bayern Munich. Then determine the relegation spot early. This is not the first Bundesliga season for Hoffenheim that I want to see. ”

He looked at Chu Zhongtian.

"That's why I thought of you. You can change all that, Chu. Your presence will balance the team's offense a lot. I wouldn't choose passive and conservative football, that's not in line with my principles, Hoffenheim will continue to stick to attacking football in the Bundesliga in the new season, but with you, our attack and defense will become balanced, because you are a very balanced person, you can attack and defend. ”

As soon as he said this, Chu Zhongtian understood a little. In general, he is a figure who connects the past and the next. It is possible to command both the defense and the organization of the offensive. It's pretty much the same as what he did in Metz. It's just that there are four midfielders in Metz, and there is also a blue-collar defender named Promans next to him, who can share the pressure of the game for him and allow him to concentrate on organising the attack. So in Metz, he can barely be regarded as a character who connects the previous and the next, but more of the work is "connected" rather than "connected".

But in Hoffenheim, it's different. Because Rangnick has a midfielder set-up, and it's the Brazilian Carlos. Eduardo, known as "Little Ronaldo II", is the only one who plays at the back, and there is no figure like Promans around him to help him defend, and the two full-backs have a very limited contribution to the defense, especially the middle defense, maybe he is a pure offensive player, and usually does not defend at all.

Your own work is much heavier. In the game, you have to not only organize the attack, but also participate in the defense, because he will not have a Proman next to him to help him defend, so he has to do a lot of things himself.

But that shows he's important, but it doesn't mean he's the core.

Rangnick could see that Chu Zhongtian was a little interested, much better than before, so he continued: "Of course, my plan is more than that. Clear. Take 442 as an example - of course, I don't have to stick to 442, I can use whatever formation works well, I may also use 433 - I'm sure you have also seen that my 442 is not a 442 in a parallel position, nor a 442 in a double midfield, but a 442 like this...... "He took out a magnetic tactical board from his suitcase, and the tactical board also had eleven small chess pieces made of magnets, which represented eleven starters. Chu Zhongtian grinned when he saw his equipment, this workaholic really has everything ready...... Rangnick didn't notice the change in the expression on Chu Zhongtian's face, and he lowered his head to place his 433 formation on the tactical board.

The four defenders are positioned in parallel to facilitate offside, and the two forwards on the front line go hand in hand, which is different from Metz. In Metz, the two strikers are Ibisevic at the front, and Menez hides behind him as a shadow striker, so when the formation is reflected, the two strikers are one in front and one behind, staggered from each other.

In the midfield, it is indeed not a parallel position of a line, but a flat and long diamond, but it is not a strictly symmetrical diamond, the position of the two full-backs is slightly preceded, closer to the opponent's penalty area, and more aggressive, from this small detail Chu Zhongtian can see that these two full-backs probably do not like to defend very much.

The distance between the midfielders is very close to the opponent's penalty area, and they can either make a lethal pass or score by shooting themselves. It's not the classical midfielder, it's more in line with modern football – the midfielder has to be able to score goals, like Kaka.

Where do you stand? It's in a midfielder-looking position, but in this way, the distance between himself and the midfield is a little far...... Rangnick pointed to the chess piece in the lower back position and said to Chu Zhongtian, "You are it." He then pressed the piece with his hand and slid it over the magnetic tactical board. First it descended down to the middle of the two centre-backs.

Here he paused and looked up at Chu Zhongtian. Then he pushed the chess piece to move to the left, drew an arc through the ribs and then moved back to the starting position, paused, continued to move to the right, centered on the chess piece at the front waist, drew a semi-circular arc, passed the penalty point and then went around to the left, and circled back to the starting point - the back position. After another pause, he continued to slide down, this time to the right, making an arc back to the middle and finally back to the starting point.

It seems that Rangnick wrote an Arabic numeral "8" on the tactical board with a chess piece.

"Up and down, left and right, your range of motion."

Chu Zhongtian continued: "It's quite free......"

Rangnick laughed, "Yes, it's freedom." The maximum authority I give you is freedom. Retreat here when defending. He pointed to three points in front of the centre-backs, at the top of the box and on the ribs. You were here when you attacked. He pointed to three points in the front court that corresponded to the defense.

"But there are a lot of offensive and defensive ...... in a game"

"So you have to go back and forth like this. But I don't think you have a problem with your fitness and you can control the pace of the defense and the attack yourself. Rangnick further explained. Didn't you do that in Metz? ”

Chu Zhongtian nodded, he did this in Metz, but he didn't do it so thoroughly, after all, it was a four-midfielder, and in addition to himself, there was also a back waist.

He stared at the tactical board, watched, and a word popped into his head.

Free man?

But the free man tactics have long since died out in today's world football...... Chu Zhongtian's entire understanding of free men comes from two Germans, Beckenbauer (franz_beckenbauer) and Samer (matthias_sammer), which are the only two true "libero" in world football so far.

The Free Man was not the first of its kind in Germany, but can be traced back to the thirties of the last century, when the Austrian head coach of the Swiss team, Karl Brown. Lapuen has created a "goal-tethering" tactic where players in this position should be ready to bolt a goal that has been opened by a loose defender's mistake. There were two words in particular used to describe the position and style of play – fireman and sweeper.

Later assistant coach Helenio in Italy. Herrera enriched and developed this concept, organizing a "chain-style" defensive system. Due to the Turin air crash at that time, all the players of the Torino team were killed, and the Italian team, which was dominated by the Torino team, suffered huge losses, and the Italians had to adopt this way to cope with the situation. There is another defender behind the four guards, but he does not have to defend man-to-man like the other four, he is responsible for providing depth protection for his own defenders, and is always ready to assist in the defense, and has the power to exercise "freedom" in the defensive line, so it is very aptly called - libero (free man).

But such a "free man" is not actually free, because his only and most important freedom is to disrupt the opponent's attack, although he does not need to be specifically targeted at a particular opponent and is relatively free. Not to mention in Italy, where defensive football is so popular, once the team starts to counterattack, he can only stand on the sidelines. So he is just a "free defender".

The real "free man" appeared in Germany, but the embryonic form came in the 1966 World Cup final in Great Britain. Beckenbauer, who was not yet twenty-one years old at the time, was playing in the World Cup for the first time, and before that he had been replaced by the most famous sports journalist in West Germany at the time, Ben Beckenbauer. Hader described "Beckenbauer as our most valuable football talent since World War II" and his job is to play the offensive game. He was perfect in his first five games – scoring four goals and finishing third among top scorers in addition to being recognised as the best offensive playmaker.

However, before the final against England, German coach Schoen was in contact with West German coach Detmar, who is a FIFA lecturer. At Krammer's suggestion, after careful consideration, a slight adjustment was made to the team: use his own "playmaker" Beckenbauer to target the opponent's "playmaker", Bobby, who is known all over the world as "as long as you stare him to death, the England team will be finished". Charlton.

This trick worked very well, and the people who followed him "did not completely subdue Bobby, but effectively stopped his unstoppable attack, and people finally saw a man who could compete with Bobby. Charlton's counterpoint character appeared", which can be seen in the evaluation. If it weren't for England's sudden emergence of a "magical Hurst", the "substitute killer" who unbelievably scored the only hat-trick in the history of the World Cup final so far and the "third goal" that is still in the clouds, the result would still be difficult to say.

Later, this move allowed Beckenbauer, who "had a natural rebellion against the world", to see his future. After the game, while others were still frowning about losing the World Title, Beckenbauer began to think - I can go and focus on the opponent as a playmaker, so why can the free man only exercise his free power on the back line, and stay idle in the back when his own side is attacking? The libero can and must play a greater role than the scavengers, and since they are liberos, there is no need to stay in the backcourt after the team starts attacking, and there should be no time in adding one more person to the midfield attack, so that it is easier to penetrate the opponent's direction.

Then he made a bold assumption that if I stood on the back line as a trailing centre-back, I could see the big picture, see how the opponent was organising the lineup, and immediately judge which route to take to reach the opponent's goal. Once you've chosen your route, you're free to attack from the back line. In short, it should be like a chameleon that changes color every second, first the guards and scavengers organize defense, guard the city, and become an insurmountable barrier for the other party; In the blink of an eye, he broke into the midfield, crossed the hinterland, caught the opponent off guard, and turned into a sharp knife on the front line, unimpeded and unguarded flashing in the opponent's penalty area. Either cut in left and right, create space for your teammates, make clever passes, or look for opportunities to shoot with your feet...... That's what should be a free man's play.

In this way, a mature tactical concept was gradually realized in a genius among geniuses.

West Germany and Bayern Munich also swept world football with Beckenbauer's "free man". Bayern Munich won the West German Bundesliga in 1971-72, 1972-73 and 1973-74 and the UEFA Champions Cup in 1973-74, 1974-75 and 1975-76 for three consecutive years, and West Germany also won the 1972 European Championship, the 1974 World Cup and the 1976 European Championship runners-up (penalty loss).

But when Beckenbauer retired, German football could no longer find a qualified successor. Mateus had high hopes in the past, but his performance after switching to a free agent was very poor and disappointing. This time Matthias. Samer was born, and he took over the mantle of Julius Caesar as a new free man. In the 1994-95 UEFA Cup quarter-final against Deportivo La Coruna, Summer's first appearance as a libero for Dortmund made a name for himself.

After the game, Germany's "Sports Illustrated" commented with the headline "Nineteen years, Julius Caesar's return is too late": "The best tactical action taken by Sommer is like an excellent laparotomy, and German football will once again lead the world." ”

This has proven to be the case.

Borussia Dortmund, who had a new libero named Summer, became the leader of world football at the time: they won back-to-back German Bundesliga titles in 1994-95 and 1995-96, and lifted the European Cup trophy in the 1997 European Cup final, beating Juventus with Zidane. Germany, who were thought to have fallen in the ranks, surprisingly snatched the 1996 European Championship title. And this European Championship is all about Summer's individual performance...... Summerer himself was elected German Footballer of the Year in 1995 and 1996 and European Footballer of the Year in 1996, and is the second defender to win the Ballon d'Or after Beckenbauer.

However, after an injury in October 1997, fans could no longer see the "real libero" who shone on the pitch.

The last free man in world football has disappeared into history.

※※※ps,I checked the information when I wrote this chapter.,I also cited the original source of the information.,But because I don't know who the original author is.,There's no way to note it here.。

Thanks to the author of "From "Defender of Liberty" to "Man of Freedom" - Two Perfect Interpretations of Libero.

In addition, I would like to explain why I would like to devote a chapter to a long chapter to the "free man" who has disappeared for a long time. is because this title or tactics is of great significance to Chu Zhongtian's next career, and now the fans and friends who read the book may not know much about what a "free man" is, Gerrard, Barak and Mateus are definitely not called "free men", there are only two real free men in this world - Beckenbauer and Summer.

Of course, the tactical environment of today's world football is not suitable for the free man. But there is never a third free man is not all tactical fault, but because the free man has too high requirements for the player himself, there is no shortage of geniuses in this world, but the player who can become a free man must be a genius among geniuses. Beckenbauer was, so was Summer, and so far, no third has appeared. It is precisely because there is never a suitable candidate that the tactics have naturally changed, adjusted and evolved, so that the soil of free men is completely lost. But I always wondered if there really was such a genius comparable to Beckenbauer, and a manager with a vision for heroes, maybe there would be a third "truly free man"?

Since it's a novel, let me enjoy it once. I'm not the kind of top professional in professional tactical explanations, and there will definitely be mistakes and fallacies, so let's just take the words of a novelist and don't have to be true.

(To be continued)