As we all know, in today's world football, if you want to fight the strong with the weak, pressing from the top is one of the simplest and most effective methods.

Especially against traditional giants such as Real Madrid, without the cooperation of Barcelona's passing, actively pressing is the best way to contain them.

Jurgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund team has given a standard sample to teams all over the world.

The Mexican Tigers, a young and energetic team, are not lacking in tireless running.

At a press conference on the eve of the final, head coach Feletti was in the media spotlight.

The media is full of curiosity about the team that is participating in the Club World Cup for the first time and reaching the final.

"Real Madrid is a winning team, but no team is invincible!"

Pressed by the media, Feletti said calmly: "We have analysed Real Madrid in advance, we have seen their performances on many different occasions, and we know how to deal with them. ”

Ooh!

The words of the Tigers coach caused an uproar at the scene.

Many media believe that he is a sign of arrogance and contempt for the enemy.

Despite reaching the final, the team is worth only €70 million, and the media will not believe they can beat the mighty Real Madrid.

The grassroots counterattack will not easily appear on the final stage of the competition.

"The focus is always on football in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay. But let's be honest, Mexican football has reached a very high level and we reached the final by beating the Copa Libertadores champion. ”

Reasonable, well-founded, Feletti's bold remarks before the game caused a lot of sensation at the press conference.

When asked by reporters how they beat Real Madrid, the captain of the team, Pizarro, said: "We have shown our characteristics, we have shown our ability and we will use all our weapons to win the game. ”

'We know how strong Real Madrid are, but we also know what we can do. We know what their strengths are, but we also know how we can do them damage and we believe we can play a good game and win trophies. ”

In the face of the high profile of the Tigers before the game, Real Madrid coach Zidane was still calm and took Rossi to the press conference.

This is the first time that Rossi has attended a press conference with Zidane since joining Real Madrid.

"We're in great shape and it's important that the flight to Doha is much shorter than the last time we went to Japan for the Club World Cup."

Zinedine Zidane knows all too well how deep the impact of fatigue can be on players.

His evaluation of the Mexican Tigers is also only a few words.

'They're young, they're full of energy, and being in the final says it all, so hopefully tomorrow will be a good game.'

And Zidane's focus is on the referee team of this Club World Cup.

In the semi-finals, the opponent frequently fouled, and the referee turned a blind eye, which Zidane could not tolerate.

"A great game is inseparable from a good referee. Improving the level of punishment is a positive boost, both for the players on the pitch and for the fans watching the game. ”

Subsequently, the media shifted the conversation to Rossi.

This is his second appearance in the Club World Cup, and if it weren't for his move to Real Madrid, he would have won the Club World Cup twice in a row with Bayern.

But it doesn't matter anymore because he's in the final now.

[What do you think of the opponent Mexican Tigers?] 】

'The Club World Cup final and the Champions League final put me under pressure as well, against the CONCACACAF champions, who are champions at the same level as us, so I'm going to be in the best shape to win the game.

[Do you think you can still score in the final?] 】

'There's no striker who doesn't want to score and I'm no exception, but I value team honour more than anything else.

'We have a lot of players in the squad who can score goals, like our captain, who is in the top five in the team. So, in the final we will score, but it will happen to every player. ”

[What is the outlook for the second half of the race?] 】

"At the moment we are only thinking about how to play well in the final and not about anything else. Some say it's easy for us, but we'd be wrong if we thought about it that way. You all know the last time we played against Kashima Antlers in the Club World Cup, and that's why we have to give it our all. ”

On the day of the final, the 45,350-seat Education City Stadium resembles a jagged diamond that sparkles and sparkles in the night sky of Doha.

The players on both sides are still warming up, and the stadium is already full, which also reflects the importance that fans attach to this final.

In previous Club World Cup finals, the global audience was just 4%.

Except for the fans of both teams at home, fans in other regions do not seem to care about the outcome of the match.

In China, the Club World Cup will only be interesting if there are Chinese teams involved.

For example, the 2013 Club World Cup in Morocco and the 2015 Club World Cup in Japan have significantly increased the ratings because of the participation of Chinese teams.

Even higher than the final.

Although FIFA has had to modify the format several times, such as giving European teams the privilege of directly entering the semi-finals, and significantly increasing the prize money, hoping to increase the enthusiasm of European teams to participate.

This is tantamount to scratching the itch in the boots and does not essentially make the Club World Cup more attractive.

But in the two Club World Cup matches in which Rossi played, the ratings skyrocketed and became a phenomenal myth.

Just one person can outperform years of FIFA's reforms and efforts, which makes President Gianni Infantino laugh and cry.

Two hours before the game, the two sides announced their starting lists.

As expected by the coach of the Mexican Tigers, Real Madrid tried their best to prepare for the weekend league game, and tried to win the game in a blitzkrieg, and then changed the main players to rest.

In response to Real Madrid's 4-3-3 attacking formation, Feletti released a balanced 4-4-2 and pressed wildly towards Real Madrid's half from the moment the opening whistle blew.

The pressure of the Mexican Tigers is not a simple formation forward press, trying to break the ball.

They are targeted at pressing Real Madrid.

Feletti's threat to defeat Real Madrid is not based on enthusiasm and hard work.

In terms of tactical literacy, he has a certain strength.

The pressure of the Mexican Tigers is a blockade against Real Madrid's midfield.

That's right, not a single restriction, but a trio of Kroos, Casemiro and Modric.

In Real Madrid's tactical system, the three midfielders have a clear division of labor, controlling the attack and defense of the whole team, which is the lifeblood of the team's smooth operation.

Prior to this, many teams also limited Real Madrid's midfield, but only to one or two of them.

And the last man who is overlooked often becomes the key to turning the game around.

Now, the Mexican Tigers directly block Real Madrid's three midfielders, cutting off the link between the midfield, and Real Madrid can only transition to the front through long passes from the back.

Real Madrid's BBL combination in the forward line is not a center forward who controls the ball with height and body, and it is slightly difficult to face the tall central defenders of the Tigers.

Benzema dropped back to receive the ball several times, but was disrupted from behind by centre-back Diego Reyes.

In the first ten minutes, Real Madrid did not attack at all.

[As the Tigers coach said before the game, they have done a good analysis. 】

[At this stage, it is very difficult for Real Madrid to get the ball in the midfield, resulting in them having to make a long pass at the back! 】

[The Tigers are obviously prepared for defending long passes, and they didn't give Real Madrid's BBL too many chances! 】

[In the face of high pressing, see how Zidane responded? ] 】

From the very beginning of the game, Zidane could see that the opponent was deliberately targeting his own midfielder.

The opponent's youthful and aggressive running coverage largely limited the midfield's output.

He had to admire the wisdom of the coach opposite.

Use your own advantages to limit the advantage of the opponent's midfield as much as possible, in exchange for a balance between attack and defense.

This is a tactic of forcible five-five.

And this kind of tactic can play a big role in the first half when the team is full of energy.

But once the team falls into a physical bottleneck, it is a double-edged sword, and it hurts itself in turn.

This is clear to everyone.

However, with the increase in the number of substitutions and adjustments, the team has an extra guarantee in terms of physical fitness.

Is this a prelude to overtime?

Zidane, who calculated from the situation on the field, quickly discovered the true intentions of his opponent.

You know, after going to extra time, it's a matter of luck and fate.

Especially once it gets to the penalty shootout, the Mexican tigers of the "civilian team" will have a psychological advantage.

This is not only a forced five-five open, but also wants to win Real Madrid by half.

Zidane certainly won't allow that to happen, and he doesn't intend to make the game longer than 90 minutes.

Since the opponent wants to block the midfield, they use the width and depth of the pitch to spread their connections.

Rossi retreated to a midfield position to complete the tandem between midfield and front.

When he receives the ball, Benzema pulls back to meet it, and the full-back on one side presses forward quickly, giving more options for the next pass.

Real Madrid's passing and running cooperation, and after the tempering of last season and this half season, finally achieved a small success, and it was more than enough to deal with a mid-stream team like the Mexican Tigers.

The retreat of Real Madrid's two strikers allowed them to form a numerical advantage in midfield to break the Tigers' blockade of the midfield.

But it also weakened Real Madrid's attacking threat up front.

But is that really the case?

After Rossi and Benzema retreated, Bale would appear in the middle of the pitch.

Although he is not in his prime, the backline of any team in the world will never dare to take Bale's speed lightly.

And the Mexican Tigers, who were trying to draw the game, had to be cautious enough to send two players to interfere with Bale in the middle.

At the same time, Real Madrid's two full-backs actively stepped forward, turning into a winger, forming a trio of knives with Bale in the front, always facing the back of the opponent's head.

Real Madrid, after a quick adjustment, began to improve in attack.

Feletti also sincerely admires that Real Madrid deserves to be the Champions League champion, and the adjustment plan and the player's adaptability are simply too strong.

But he didn't show any uneasiness at this time.

Because he firmly believes that the team's current state can completely withstand all the offensive firepower of Real Madrid in the first half.

Yes, that's right, it's all firepower!

In the 11th minute, Bale's shot from outside the box was blocked by the goalkeeper.

In the 15th minute, Real Madrid crossed the ball from the side and was cleared by the Tigers central defender.

In the 16th minute, Benzema shot from inside the box went wide of the post.

In the 20th minute, Modric tried a long-range shot from outside the box and went over the crossbar.

Although Real Madrid is full of momentum in attack, the number of times they really threaten their opponents is very rare.

In order to strengthen the thickness of the defense, the Tigers even gave up on counterattacking.

When switching from defense to offense, many times the player's choice is to kick directly to the front court with a big foot.

If your own striker thinks he can fight, he runs a few more steps.

If you feel that this ball is hopeless, you don't want to take another step.

The Tigers won in the fact that the players did not let up in the front court, resulting in the first half of the game, and the two sides gave the fans the feeling of being evenly matched.

Being able to go back and forth with the Champions League champion Real Madrid in the game made many neutral fans instantly turn into Mexican Super League giants and become their fans.

Although this is a way of ridiculing and selling memes, it has to be said that the performance of the Mexican Tigers in the first half was eye-catching.

"Luo, hand me a bottle of water!"

"Water for you, towel for me!"

"Tony, I think your passing could be faster!"

"The pressure on the opposite side is urgent, but it's not without chances, Luka, you can try to dribble the ball more!"

"Gareth, their centre-backs turn slowly, you have to change direction, shoot when you have space!"

"Captain, they don't have the ability to counterattack for the time being, you don't have to always stay in the back, you have the opportunity to pull out and help us more!"

In the Real Madrid dressing room, the players commented and analysed the game in the first half.

The initiative of the opponent made them a little uncomfortable from the beginning of the game.

Later, after adjustments, there was some improvement in coordination, but the opponent's pressing was too fast, and he didn't give any time to think about passing.

"Now you know, why I usually be strict with you in training."

Zidane said in a sarcastic tone: "The opponent will not give you time to think on the pitch, unless you are Thibaud." ”

All eyes were on goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

The most relaxed in the first half was the Belgian goalkeeper.

And in the last five minutes of the first half, Real Madrid rubbed wildly around the Tigers in the penalty area.

Courtois, the team's goalkeeper, moved his position to the center circle.

This is a naked humiliation of the opponent, never attacking.

For this, Feletti did not have a trace of anger.

As long as he follows his original plan, then the Tigers' chances of winning the championship are greatly improved.

He seized the time to rest his players, rehydrate and prepare for the toughest test of the second half.

"Come on, it's time to test our physical strength and will!"

While applauding, Feletti said loudly: "The opponent must strengthen the attack in the second half, I don't expect anyone to work the attack, I just need to defend, drag them down, wear down their fighting spirit, and the victory will be ours." ”

(End of chapter)