As the oldest competition in England, the FA Cup has an appeal unmatched by the League Cup.

Organised by the FA, it covers 600 teams from the top 10 leagues in England.

The winner of the FA Cup will qualify directly for the group stage of next season's European competition.

With such a high gold content, it is one of the competitions that the middle and upper teams of the Premier League must compete for.

It can be used as a way for teams to step directly into European competition.

Other teams in the lower leagues are looking to boost their club's revenues through tickets and broadcasts.

Moreover, if you can upset and eliminate a team that is taller than you, you will be dubbed the "giant killer".

Therefore, the teams in the English league attach much more importance to the FA Cup than the League Cup.

During the New Year's holiday, Rossi didn't go anywhere, running in the morning, shopping, strength training, walking, he arranged the whole day in an orderly manner.

On the afternoon of the 2nd, the team began training.

Opposition was Championship side Rotherham, who won 1-0 in the first leg of the league round-robin with Bournemouth not playing at the time.

But that doesn't mean it's going to be an easy win.

In terms of physical fitness, Rotherham, who had already been eliminated from the EFL Cup, had a much better physical condition.

And under a series of winning streaks and undefeated honors, the mentality of the players will be loose and conceited, which is an inevitable phenomenon.

It is already very rare to be unbeaten in more than 20 games, like Arsenal's 49-game unbeaten streak, which is simply a gap that is difficult to surpass.

Eddie Howe has no blind confidence and must lead his team beyond Arsenal's record.

He knew in his heart that it was only a matter of time before he lost.

How to adjust your mentality in time after losing, that's the point.

The training content is intra-team matchup, through fast-paced confrontation, the player's game state is activated.

This time we were going to Rotherham's home game, and in order to avoid fatigue, the team immediately took the bus to Rotherham after training.

Staying in a hotel at night allows the players to have a good rest.

The team also chartered a field nearby, which was used as a temporary training ground.

This series of operations shows that the club attaches great importance to this competition.

As the first game of the new year, Rotherham head coach Steve Evans also takes it seriously.

In the league match, Steve lined up in a 4-1-4-1 formation and wanted to use the defense to take a point away from home.

In the first 80 minutes, Rotherham's defense was very tenacious, and they gave up the attack, and they were as solid as an iron bucket.

At the crucial moment, Bournemouth captain Cook stepped up.

In the 81st minute of the game, Cook received a corner kick from a teammate, jumped high from the defense, shook his head and scored the winning goal.

This time in the FA Cup, Steve intends to continue to play defensive tactics and try for a draw.

The FA Cup format stipulates that in the first few knockout rounds, the draw between the two sides will be replayed.

One more game will increase the physical fatigue of the players, and for Bournemouth at the top of the table, the pressure and impact will be even greater.

England had entered winter and the weather was cold, and the players warmed up ten minutes longer than usual in order to get their bodies into the game faster.

An hour before the start of the game, the two sides announced their starting line-ups for the game.

Rotherham United used a 4-3-1-2 formation.

Full-backs focus on marking the opposition's wide attacks, protecting the middle when necessary and narrowing the gaps.

This was the defensive tactic that was used against Bournemouth's sharp attacks on both flanks.

Five minutes into the game, Bournemouth dominated the field, frequently moving on the flanks to try to open up the situation.

Wilson and Ryan Fraser alternated positions and constantly attacked the opposition's defence.

However, the Rotherham team's defense was far more tenacious than they thought.

They shrank their defensive line near the edge of the penalty area, and the two men on the front line had to participate in the team's siege.

Eddie Howe could immediately see that his opponent was aiming for a draw.

This defensive formation requires a lot of individual ability from the strikers, as they must have the opportunity to create points when they counter-attack quickly.

However, Rotherham's striker duo have not scored as many goals as Wilson this season.

With such attacking power, it is difficult to break through Bournemouth's defence.

Rotherham deployed up to six players to occupy space in the middle of the pitch, not so that the attack would be fairly easy to advance in the middle, but to prevent the opposition from penetrating the middle.

But the huge gaps on the flanks became a target for Bournemouth.

Wilson and Ryan Fraser are here to easily get the ball forward, try inside or cross in the low

The pressure on the two full-backs was mounting.

In the first 15 minutes, the Rotherham head coach saw that his team's defence was shaky, and allowed three central midfielders to make up for the gaps in the formation by moving sideways in a wide area.

This adjustment quickly paid off, and the active movement of the midfielders was able to form a protection for the wing-backs in the first place.

If the opponent is too sticky, then he will be caught in the front and back.

Wilson was gradually limited on the familiar right flank, and it was difficult to get down the bottom cross as easily as before.

And once the ball is carried for too long, the opponent's encirclement will soon be encircled.

Rosie often went to pick them up, too. Because the opponent's defender and back two lines are very precise, the ball cannot be passed at all.

He stepped forward in the front line, and he didn't play any role.

After receiving the ball, Rossi immediately returned the ball to the forward midfielder Ricci, asking him to organize lateral transfers and mobilize the defense, so as to drain the physical energy of the opposing midfielder.

In the 30th minute, Rotherham's midfielder was too physically exhausted due to frequent back and forth.

And after Rossi dropped back to join midfield, Bournemouth's tempo gradually picked up.

Bang!

O'Kane was in a midfield position when he suddenly took the ball and passed to Rotherham on the left side of the ribs.

Prior to this, Bournemouth had moved back and forth a little loosely in a tight formation of the three midfielders.

Coupled with the fact that the players were already a little out of breath, it was difficult for the right midfielder to return to the defensive area for a while.

After Wilson took a few steps with the ball, he saw that Rossi was coming to pick it up and attract the attention of the central defender, passing the ball to him as soon as possible.

After passing the ball, Wilson quickly stepped forward into the penalty area, and Rossi also used his instep very tacitly to pick the ball directly into the penalty area without stopping.

The cooperation between the two is very tacit, and they both grasp each other's running positions and passing opportunities to complete this exquisite two-by-one pick-and-roll pass.

Wilson shook off the defense and met the ball and volleyed straight away.

A powerful shot left the opposing goalkeeper Adam Collin unresponsive.

0:1！

Bournemouth were away from home and took the lead.

After conceding the ball, Steve Evans was not surprised, just gently pushed his glasses and chuckled: "That No. 14 is very good at reading the game, you have to limit him." ”

He touched his chin and thought for a moment, and said, "However, we have to solve the problem of midfield defense first." ”

Steve walked from the rest area to the coach's command area and shouted toward the field, "Pringle." ”

Taking advantage of the gap, Steve called him to the sidelines, and after explaining the tactics in his ear, he sat back in the lounge.