Chapter 131: Advancing to the Top 8
Russia and Greece have played a total of 18 games in history, with Russia winning 11, drawing 4 and losing 3, scoring 35 goals and conceding 11 goals; In 12 matches in the tournament, Russia won 8, drew 1 and lost 3, scoring 22 goals and conceding 7 goals. With Russia dominating www.biquge.info all the way, Yachev is still very confident in this game. Coupled with the fact that Russia is now hopeless of qualifying, and the psychology of the players has all relaxed, such a state can still play a good result.
Regarding such thoughts, Hu Li could only say, "Yachev, your old man really thinks too much, Russia is out of the game without psychological pressure, and the Greek team also has no psychological burden." ”
For the Greek team, the Football Association and the fans have no expectations now, and to qualify in this group, for them to remember the impossible task, and it is an unrealistic fantasy to expect too much.
Hu Li insisted on replacing the main player with a substitute in the game against Russia. The reason is very simple: the first is to alleviate the physical fitness of the main force, and the second is to play well and badly to basically determine the first place in the group. The third substitutes also need to prove their ability, maybe this game will be a good goal battle, and it will be a good show for the fans.
It is said that Russia is a fighting nation, which is really not wrong, but why do you take away two duck eggs after two rounds of competition? The media commented that Yachev was too feminine, not like the orthodox Slavs, not like a fighting people, without boiling blood.
Who's to say it isn't?
Yachev himself knows his weaknesses, but as a manager who is not well-known and has no merit, he can mix in the current position, and that is not careful.
Knowing your weaknesses, but having no way to correct them, is the biggest pain point in life.
Yachev is desperate to prove something in this match.
He sent what he thought was all the main players, goalkeepers: Malafeyev; Defenders: Yevseyev, Xennikov, Bugaev, Sharonov; midfielders Smertin, Ismailov, Gusev, Roskoff; Forwards Blikin and Krzhakov.
The traditional 442 formation, a typical balanced battle formation, if this team can defeat the Greek team, Yachev will be happy to die. So this is the difference between a handsome man and a mediocre person. Yachev's set-up was destined to give the Greeks a winning signal.
At the press conference, the old man Yachev and Hu Liqiqi praised each other happily. Yachev praised Hu Li for bringing a breath of youth to the European continent, and Hu Li touted Yachev for being old and strong. When Yachev said that Hu Li was a master of tactics, Hu Li praised the traditional strength of Yachev's 442 formation, and the two defeats were just caused by too many external factors.
Who can't lift the sedan chair, the master of the sedan chair.
Later, even the reporters couldn't listen to it anymore, they had seen shameless, but they had never seen such a shameless person.
The press conference ended in an atmosphere of hello, hello, hello, everyone. In the end, Yachev patted Hu Li on the shoulder and left the press conference like a new elder.
After the start of the main game, Hu Li realized how boring the game was, the fans on the scene were not passionate enough, and the Russian fans were even more sad, and there were too few supporters on the scene. A game that has nothing to do with the direction of Group A, and the match between Spain and Portugal is indeed overcrowded. Portugal and Spain have three points each, and it is not an exaggeration to describe it as a battle of life and death today. Even today's football commentators can't muster the passion.
People are more popular than dead people, and you have to throw them away if you compare goods.
But even so, the Greek starters were full of energy to make a big difference. With Hu Li's recognition, these substitute starters, maybe there will be a good turn after today's game, a lesson from the past, look at Leicester City 7 people, according to the grapevine, Hu Li has planned a career development path, the key is to recommend the next home for them, this is not a job that ordinary managers can do. It is said that it is not a matter of business, hanging high, it is advantageous to get up early, and it is the right way.
Gumas as a traditional right-back, in terms of strength is still good, but because of Hebrew's excellent play in Leicester City, he has been on the edge of the defender and the forward, in Hu Li's words, as a defender you are qualified, but in the development trend of modern football, the position will become more and more blurred, if you can play multiple roles, multiple positions, then your value will be greater than others, become the panacea of the midfield and backfield, which will bring you huge opportunities, In the same way, only with more opportunities can you establish yourself in a certain position, to put it more bluntly, you need to have a few more stepping stones, knock on the door of your career, and make your career development different from others, so that you can become a real star, or a superstar.
Gumas remembers that conversation with Hu Li, and since then he has tried almost every position in central midfield, and he himself is happy to do so, because he does feel like he has improved a lot from a technical and tactical point of view.
As the captain of the Greek team, Zagorakis was able to start in the third game of the group stage, which fully shows that Hu Li agrees with him.
With Zagorakis on the field, it can be said that the Greek team is the anchor of the sea, and with Zagorakis on the field, his teammates are obviously more backbone, and they can implement the coach's tactical intentions more completely and smoothly. This is also the reason why Hu Li insists on using Zagorakis.
Frizas is the regular striker of the Greek team, but since Hu Li took office, the confirmation of the 451 formation has led to the absence of his main position. Professional footballers have to face a lot of helplessness, and just like now, Frizas's made him feel powerless. The Greek Football Association strongly supported Hu Li's coaching, and the 100% support of the starting main force made him dare not complain even if he complained. Today's opportunity to show himself on the big stage of the European Championships is something that Frizas will never miss.
After the opening, the Russian team attacked amazingly, and the players were very active and very excited. In the absence of pressure, the mentality of the players is really very relaxed, and the players in the midfield even play all kinds of actions that they usually dare not do, so for Greece on the defensive side, it is indeed more verifiable and guarded. Jennarkopoulos is in the back position, the pressure is very high, although there have been no major mistakes in defense, but Russia's several breakthroughs in the middle have been in danger, if Russia's Roskoff does not attack the middle, it may lead to the collapse of the entire defense line as long as the ball is divided on the side.
Roscoff was clearly aware of the problem, and in a few cases where he couldn't break through the middle, he consciously strengthened his interaction with the two full-backs, and the left and right full-backs of the Greek team blocked in time to finally stabilize in the storm.
It's not a way to go on like this, Russia's morale is too strong, and in the first 15 minutes of the game, the Greek team is completely in a passive defensive state, which is too different from Hu Li's tactical arrangement, and the players feel a little blinded. The captain of Zagorakis, who worked very the field, is also feeling powerless now. The capabilities of individuals do not shake the whole of Russia. Zagorakis has withdrawn to the middle to defend with Gianakopulos, and the Greek team has a back three on the field, which is not as good as retreating across the board and forming a solid iron bucket formation.
Under the command of Hu Li, the Greek team retreated on all fronts, and the Russian siege commanded the Greek team's half. In the face of the Greek team's iron bucket formation, Yachev had no choice but to hope that the players had a flash of inspiration.
The first half of the game came to an end under the attack of Russia on all fronts, and the score of 0:0 was not the end of the world, but Hu Li was indeed very satisfied, and the players implemented their tactical arrangements 100% and implemented them very well. The clarion call for a counteroffensive will be sounded in the second half, and the siege of more than 40 minutes is also a very big test for Russia's midfield. Although the physical fitness of the Russian team is excellent, after all, it is a wild attack in the half, and the attack of thunder and rain is also very demoralizing.
At the beginning of the second half, the Greek team launched a strong counterattack under the leadership of captain Zagorakis, showing a tough side in the midfield, and the confrontation became more and more fierce, in this case, Russia consciously slowed down the pace of attack, and the Greek team seized the opportunity to start a counterattack.
In the 55th minute, Giannarkopoulos stole Gusev, a long pass behind the Russian defender, Frizas countered offside and formed a single goal, Frizas gently pushed the right far corner of the goal, and the ball rolled into the goal mischievously.
In the rest of the game, Yachev was afraid that the players would have a fluctuation of thought, and asked Russia to defend on all fronts, and his intention was very clear, that is, he didn't want to lose too ugly.
In this case, what else did the Greek team worry about, so the Greek team replicated the first half of the game, and rehearsed the attack on the Russian half.
Russia's bucket formation was very effective, and the Greek team did not find a better chance in the second half, and the game ended up with a score of 1:0. The Group A match is officially over, and in the other game of Group A at the same time, the host Portugal defeated Spain 1-0 to finish second in the group, and they will face the first place in Zone B, either England or France, which is not a fuel-efficient lamp.
At this point, the group stage of Group A is over, the Greek team has won all three games and has 9 points, and Portugal has won three games and won two games with 6 points, and they will face the first and second places in Group B on June 24 and 25 respectively.
The next day, Group B upset, Switzerland beat France 1-0, and the Group B ranking changed, England ranked higher to face Portugal, France ranked second to face Greece, and the media was in an uproar.