The Godfather of Greenery

Chapter 37 Penalty Shootout
"The ship Ajax is on the rocks, if you love him, then fight for him!"

This is what the head coach Ye Qiu said to the players in the locker room before the Dutch Cup semi-final against Heerenveen in the afternoon of April 2000, 4. .

There is no need for too much exaggeration or too much motivation, all players can clearly understand the current situation of Ajax, because many staff they are familiar with have left, and some players they are familiar with have submitted transfer application.

To say that the wind and rain are turbulent is considered light, and if it is serious, it can even be said to be sinking.

Most of them are from De Tokmoster. Although Huntelaar is not in Ajax youth training, he loves this team deeply, and Abidal regards Ajax as his own. The first stop of his career, so no one wants to see Ajax decline, and no one wants to see the team he played for sink.

There was a drizzle in the sky, but the players no longer cared about these things. They shoveled when they should put shovels on the court, and fell to the ground when they should fall to the ground. No one has the extra energy to take care of the rain It doesn't matter whether he is big or not, whether his team uniform is dirty or not, and whether his hair is disheveled or not.

They were not alone, because Ye Qiu was with them from the beginning to the end, cheering them on non-stop.

After the two games of Eindhoven and Utrecht, everyone has clearly realized the tenacity of the Ajax second team. No one dares to look down on this youth team easily. On the contrary , In the eyes of many people, this second team is even more difficult and tenacious than the Ajax first team.

There is absolutely no need to doubt Heerenveen's strength. They can still rank second in the league at the end of the season, beating teams such as Feyenoord, Vitesse, Twente and Alkmaar. The ability to kill up.

The departure of Harris Huizinger during the winter break was a very painful blow to Heerenveen's already not-so-great offense, which made them completely lose their ability to continue chasing the pace of PSV in the second half. The gap between the two sides is getting bigger and bigger, but the defense of this team is very solid and unbreakable.

Ye Qiu was self-aware in his heart. The second team of Ajax could beat Eindhoven. The opponent's carelessness was a very important factor. To beat Utrecht, the opponent's head coach Mark Voight's blind confidence and trust Big is another important reason.

But now, in the face of Heerenveen, against a team whose offensive strength is not outstanding and relies more on defensive counterattacks to win, the Ajax second team has no way at all, and the whole game is completely suppressed by the opponent. Fighting, several counterattacks failed to work, but was almost counterattacked by the opponent's counterattack.

He is very clear that this game is the cruelest and most difficult game for the Ajax second team so far, except for the one in Eindhoven, but he kept shouting from the sidelines, reminding Players, adjusting the team's defense.

Yes, in such a game, it is impossible for him to take offense into account at all, and he can only let all the players concentrate all their energy on defense and stick to it to the end.

This is a very realistic choice!

The defensive strength of Ajax's second team is not bad. The defense line composed of Abidal, Kivu, Van Duyne and Heitinga is getting stronger and stronger. In addition, there are three midfielders who are both offensive and defensive. Players De Jong, Maduro and Sneijder, if the Ajax second team really wants to set up a tight camp, no one can expect to break through easily.

Moreover, after more than half a year, the players became more and more familiar with the overall defensive system from Rehhagel that Ye Qiu had arranged before, and the organization became more and more proficient. The combination of the two central defenders has also established a very good tacit understanding, which has made the defense of the Ajax second team very solid.

Against Eindhoven, this set of defense might not be effective, but against Heerenveen, Ye Qiu is still a little confident.

Continuing the tradition of the past few Ajax second-team games, De Tokmoorster’s home court was crowded with fans who came to watch. The club still adopts the strategy of free admission for members, and a total of More than [-] fans crowded the entire venue.

The Ajax fans concentrated all their hopes on the second team. Many of them even stood on the sidelines to cheer for the players of the second team despite the rain.

0:0 in the first half, their passion did not diminish because of this, and in the second half, they shouted even louder.

The fans yelled with all their might, and the players' performance on the pitch was no different.

All the players of the second team played their 12-point concentration on the court one by one, and they were always on guard against Heerenveen's offense, because they knew their own insignificance and the opponent's strength, and they also clearly realized that only once If you are negligent, the other party will be able to trample yourself to death.

Just as the head coach Ye Qiu reminded during the intermission, "If we want to win, then we can't even make a single mistake!"

Can't make mistakes, and take the initiative to help teammates to make up for mistakes, which has become the belief of players playing on the court.

They have completely forgotten the time, the score, and everything around them. In their eyes, there are only opponents!

They all follow the head coach's usual training arrangements, each step, each action, strictly demanding themselves, and they all follow the four standards of ball, space, opponent, and teammates. In addition, Ye Qiu is constantly on the sidelines. Adjustments and instructions, the Ajax second team showed a surprising unity in the game.

Even after 75 minutes, the physical fitness of both sides has declined rapidly, and many players have begun to run, but the Ajax second team can still maintain a good integrity. It was very compact, always facing Heerenveen's attack as a whole.

The rain finally stopped, but the game continued.

Ye Qiu stood on the sidelines, watching silently, constantly patrolling and observing the positions of the enemy and us.

"It's been 80 minutes!" Rick Link came over to remind him.

Ye Qiu looked at the artificial scoreboard on the sidelines, it was still 0:0, and the time indicated that it had been 80 minutes.

There are only 90 minutes left until the end of the 10-minute normal game time, but he does not feel relaxed at all because of this. On the contrary, he is getting more and more dignified.

He understands the truth that a person who travels a hundred miles can travel half a dozen miles!
"Yang, go and sort out the information. I want the penalty report of each of their players, as well as all the records of the opponent's main goalkeeper Hans Funk's penalty kick!" Ye Qiu urged with a serious face.

Rick Link frowned, "Do you think it will be dragged into a penalty shootout?"

Ye Qiu turned his attention to the assistant, and asked with a wry smile, "Do you think we still have a chance?"

Facing such a team that was already very good in defense, Ajax's second team couldn't find a chance in the whole game. Could it be that they were still counting on a comeback at the last moment?What capital and bargaining chips do you have?

Do you just count on this group of sixteen, seventeen, eighty-nine-year-old teenagers sitting on the bench?

"If we can score in the penalty shootout, we will win!" After Ye Qiu finished speaking, he readjusted his attention to the court.

Rick Link was understanding the meaning of Ye Qiu's words, and gradually, he understood.

Defeating Eindhoven and Utrecht made him and some people mistakenly believe that the second Ajax team has the strength to compete with the Eredivisie team, and they mistakenly think that the second Ajax team has the strength to compete with the Eredivisie team. Very strong, but in fact, the strength of the Ajax second team is relative to their peers.

Facing the second team of other teams, it is nothing for Ajax to beat the opponent 5:0. There is no chance of winning, but the problem is that they are now facing Heerenveen, who is currently ranked second in the Eredivisie.

If you divide the Eredivisie into a grade, Eindhoven is thriving this season. Heerenveen, Feyenoord, Vitesse and other three or four teams are very close in strength and bite very tightly. Even the Ajax first team met They don't have much chance of winning. It is conceivable that no matter how strong the second team is, can they beat them?
"I understand!" Rick Link nodded heavily, turned and left.

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"Eighty minutes, Bobby!"

In the chairman's stand of the second team, Van Prager exhaled heavily. He could clearly feel that the atmosphere in the stadium was getting more and more oppressive, especially the momentum and fighting spirit shown by the players on both sides.

"Yeah, there are still 10 minutes, and there is overtime." Bobby Harms looked a little tired, because he felt frightened from time to time in this game, and the strength of Heerenveen made this team sometimes can create some threats.

"If it weren't for Westerhoff's resolute introduction of Harris Huizinger, this game would probably be terrible!"

After hearing this, Van Prager smiled. He didn't expect that the 400 million dollars he spent would have such an effect. It was ironic to say it, "Do you think there is a chance of winning?"

"I don't know!" Bobby Harms shook his head, "If it's a top coach, he might be able to find loopholes in Heerenveen's tight formation and use them to attack, but whether the players of the second team can still attack? Then it's not clear."

"If you really can't find it, then simply defend, stick to the end, and drag it into a penalty shootout!"

"A penalty shootout?" Van Prager was a little surprised.

Bobby Harms chuckled, "I heard that Ye Qiu specially arranged targeted penalty kick training before the match."

Perhaps because he noticed something strange on Van Prager's face, Bobby Harms knew that Ajax has always advocated offense, so he added, "There are no good or bad tactics, only suitable or inappropriate. It depends on yourself, but also on your opponent."

Van Prager listened, nodded and said: "Don't worry, I understand, Bobby, with the strength and quality of the players of the second team, the possibility of winning against an opponent like Heerenveen is very slim, Ye Qiu's choice is correct!"

After a pause, he was still a little worried, "It's just that if you get into a penalty shootout, you can only depend on luck and the mental quality of the players. Is he really sure?"

Bobby Harms shook his head again, "Who knows? However, penalty shootouts don't depend solely on luck."

Van Prager looked at Bobby Harms, but the latter didn't say anything more.

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No one knows how much pressure Ajax's second team was under, but when everyone saw that at the moment when the whistle sounded at the end of the official game, Krul collapsed on the pitch because of his weak legs , everyone can deeply appreciate the hard work of this Ajax second team.

Van der Vaart also fell to the ground, his left leg was cramped, and he grinned in pain, almost crying.

This scene also made many shallow-eyed Ajax fans on the sidelines cry.

"Ajax! Ajax!! We are proud and brave Ajax!!!"

"Come on, boys of the second team, come on!!"

Amidst the shouts of the fans, the players walked out of the court supporting each other, which made many fans feel emotional.

This is a team that is united and full of combat effectiveness!

Ye Qiu quickly replaced Kurul with Rui. He originally wanted to replace Van der Vaart with Van der Rohe, but the latter insisted on continuing to play and refused to be substituted like this. This immediately made many fans feel uncomfortable There is an indescribable touch.

The second team of Ajax is defending with a tighter defense, and their physical consumption is not as good as that of their opponents. However, Heerenveen is a professional player and has an advantage in physical fitness and physicality. Therefore, when the two sides played in overtime, it was already a tie. .

Entering overtime, every player could hardly run anymore. In addition, the second team of Ajax continued to adopt a shrinking defense and did not dare to be careless. Therefore, although Heerenveen did not continue to exert pressure, Ajax The second team of the Knicks still built their own half as solid as gold, and insisted on not giving the opponent the slightest gap or opportunity.

In this case, the extra time failed to continue to break the deadlock on the field, and the two sides finally entered a penalty shootout.

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When the referee blew the whistle to end the extra time, Ye Qiu clenched his right hand and swung vigorously, but his expression seemed very excited.

Compared with the game, it is more certain for him to reach the penalty shootout because he is prepared.

If it was in a normal game, the possibility of killing Heerenveen would be very slim, but in a penalty shootout, it might not be possible.

"Boss, how do you arrange candidates?" The players all moved closer, and Keivu is the current captain on the field, and he will be in charge of communicating and contacting the referee soon.

Ye Qiu glanced at the players in front of him, and smiled confidently, "Don't be nervous, take it easy, we practiced penalty kicks before the game, remember what I told you, Hans Funk is best at hitting the right side, but His left side is weak, so I pumped to the left side in the first few rounds, don't think about it so much, don't have pressure!"

That's what I said, but who can really do it without pressure?
"Eric, how do you feel?" Ye Qiu looked at Abidal.

Abidal shook his head, "It's okay, I can't die!"

Ye Qiu smiled, "Do you dare to go up and kick the penalty first?"

As early as in the training before the game, Ye Qiu noticed that Abidal's style of play is relatively wild and his technique is relatively rough, but his feet are still very accurate. I guess this is because he has practiced a lot of shooting in the amateur league. There is a certain relationship.

A penalty kick is actually a contest between the kicker and the goalkeeper. The goal is so big, as long as you can not miss, the possibility of scoring is very high, and Abidal is a left-footed player, aiming at Hans Funk's left It is very appropriate to punish from the side.

"Why don't you dare?" Abidal agreed with a grinning grin.

After the 120-minute game, everyone's physical fitness is almost the same. Playing penalty kicks at this time is to test the psychological quality of the players on the one hand, and whether the technical movements will be deformed due to physical fitness. Abidal has good physical fitness , is a big heart, but a try.

"Hunterel will take the second penalty!" Ye Qiu arranged again.

The first two penalty shooters were one behind the other, and Ye Qiu obviously hoped to win both penalties.

"The third shooter is Wesley!" When Sneijder was practicing penalty kicks in the team, he had the highest hit rate, and Ye Qiu placed him in the crucial third place.

Three, four, five, these three positions are the most important in the order of penalty kicks, especially the third and fourth, if these two links are not played well, the penalty shootout is basically abolished, so Ye Qiu The fourth place was handed over to Kivu, who is also a left-footed general.

The fifth candidate is also very important. Ye Qiu chose van der Vaart. Although this player had a cramp in his left foot during the game, after learning about it, Ye Qiu decided to trust him and let him take the fifth penalty. .

Of course, if there are accidents in the first four penalty kicks, then the fifth one may not need to play.

After the order of one to five, the rest are basically not very important. Ye Qiu gave the sixth to Van Duyn, who is also a central defender, obviously just in case.

The remaining penalty shooters are basically arranged according to the results in penalty kick training.

After Ye Qiu made the order of penalty kicks, Keivu immediately went to the referee, submitted the list of penalty kicks, and began to negotiate on which side to take the penalty kicks, and at the same time drew lots with Heerenveen. order.

Ye Qiu took advantage of this period of time and handed a note to goalkeeper Stekelenburg.

"This is the data of the penalty kick records of the players in Heerenveen. At present, only 4 players can find the data. You should remember their penalty kick habits." Ye Qiu patted Stekelenburg on the shoulder heavily. , "The next step is up to you!"

Feeling the importance and entrustment of the head coach, Stekelenberg kept nodding, "Don't worry, boss, we won't let you down!"

"Come on!" Ye Qiu nodded encouragingly.

Watching the players walk slowly towards Heerenveen's half, Ajax took the lead in taking a penalty kick.

Heerenveen goalkeeper Hans Funke took the lead in standing in front of the already familiar goal line, and the first to step out of the Ajax second team was Eric Abidal.

After seeing clearly who it was, there was an uproar in the audience, and some fans even shouted, "Why not van der Vaart or Huntelaar? Why a defender?"

I believe that the same doubts are also in Hans Funk's mind.

But when Hans Funk saw Abidal set up the ball, he stepped back slowly, and immediately followed his mind. He threw everything out of his mind and concentrated all his energy on the dark-skinned Ajak in front of him. On the players of the second team of Sri Lanka.

(End of this chapter)