The Godfather of Greenery

Chapter 87 Warcraft
After half a year of adjustment and running-in, and Ye Qiu has also begun to familiarize himself with the rhythm and atmosphere of the professional league, this made him more fully prepared for Ajax's winter break training camp, which also made Ah Jax started the second half, and his state is obviously better than the early stage of the league.

In the knockout round of the Holland Cup, Ajax faced Groningen. As a result, Robben's outstanding performance and Huntelaar's efficiency helped Ajax beat Groningen 8-4 in the away game, making a good start in the second half .

In this game, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was affected by the beating incident before, did not appear in the squad list, but Ye Qiu played against Graf Sharp three days later in the 19th round of the Eredivisie League. , Arrange for the Swedes to start again.

Ibrahimovic showed a very good competitive state this time. In the game against Graf Sharp, he passed and shot, helping Ajax beat Graf Sharp 3:1 away.

A week later, Ajax returned to the Arenal.

Although he will go to England in the middle of the week to challenge Liverpool as a guest at Anfield Stadium, but Ye Qiu's season focus is still on the Eredivisie League, so this game is still playing with the main force, and the result is a 2-0 defeat at the Arenal Stadium William II led by Adrian Seymour.

Ajax, which is getting better and better, has shown a gratifying state and development momentum, especially this group of young players, which has given all Ajax fans hope, so that in this game After the game, many media have played the clarion call that Ajax will hit the league title.

In an interview with the media after the game, the head coach Ye Qiu also said very positively, "The Eredivisie championship will be a championship we are determined to win this season. I am full of confidence in my team and we will do our best. Let's fight for this champion who has been estranged from us for two years!"

"Yes, PSV and Feyenoord are very strong competitors, but we will not doubt ourselves because we are also a strong team, not worse than our competitors!"

With their opening three in a row, Ajax boarded a plane to Liverpool.

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I believe that true Liverpool fans will never forget the extremely sexy Red Army during the Evans period.

At that time, Liverpool played pleasing football, continuous small-scale cooperation and penetration, and imaginative personal ability, all of which made Evans' Liverpool a team that Red Army fans will hardly forget.

But it is a pity that Evans' team is destined to win only fans, but not opponents.

Evans' tragedy just told Ye Qiu one thing, that is, in the field of professional football, it doesn't matter whether you like to attack or defend, the important thing is that you have to find a way that can bring you Victory football, otherwise, even if your team conquers all the fans, you will only be fired.

Therefore, Ye Qiu's starting lineup at Anfield was obviously looking for a draw.

Goalkeeper Grimm, the defense is Abidal, Kivu, Lucio and Maicon, Heitinga is injured, Ye Qiu used De Jong in the league, Maicon played against Liverpool, let the Brazilian play right back.

The three players in the midfield are Keita, Gilberto Silva and Sneijder, and the front trident is still Robben, Ibrahimovic and Van der Meyde, even after the winter break , the performance momentum is still maintained very well, and now it is firmly suppressing Van der Vaart.

Houllier's formation in this game made many Ajax fans who came to the away game with the team full of embarrassment.

The goalkeeper is Westveld, the defense is Zieger, Hyypia, Henkoz and Babel, the midfielders are Litmanen, McAllister, Harman and Gerrard, and the two forwards It is the combination of Husky and Irving, one high and one fast.

Hyypia used to be William II's main central defender and performed well under Adrianse. After he switched to Liverpool, he was also regarded as an important factor for Adrianse's sluggish performance in the past two years, because he loves offense. After Adrianse lost the backbone of the defense, William II's defense became very fragile.

Unlike Hyypia, who was in full swing after switching to Liverpool, Litmanen was once reused after switching to Barcelona, ​​but soon lost his main position. This year's winter break had to choose to switch from Barcelona to Liverpool.

When Litmanen decided to leave the Nou Camp, because he was a free transfer, he was in contact with Ajax for a while, and even many media and fans were looking forward to the return of Finnish skaters to Arena Stadium, but Ye Qiu just asked a question from the management.

"We have Robben, Van der Meyde, Van der Vaart and Hleb, why Litmanen?"

Now that we have completely embarked on the rejuvenation route, is it meaningful to introduce Litmanen to put pressure on Robben and others?
In the end, the Finn chose to go to Liverpool, and this game was his first game on behalf of Liverpool.

Putting on the bloody jersey of the Red Army at home, looking at the group of young boys wearing traditional Ajax jerseys, Litmanen, who has just passed his 30th birthday, is very sad, because he knows that in this young team In the current team, there is no place for him, and there will be no more.

But he still walked to Anfield with a desire. For him, this was not only a game to prove his strength to the Red Army fans, but also a game for him to face the group of Ajax standing opposite him. It is a competition for the juniors to show their strength and maintain their qualifications as seniors.

"Ajax boys, here I come!"

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On the familiar wing, Litmanen raised his hand, kicked a mid-range ball from Harman, and came directly in front of him.

Before stopping the ball, he looked behind him and found that the Brazilian defender was already close. Litmanen smiled, stopped the ball with his chest, and made a gesture with his left foot to the right, tricking Maicon behind him into thinking that he was going to rush towards the boundary line. , the center of gravity shifted suddenly, but what I didn't expect was that Litmanen hit the ball with his right foot and turned from the left side.

Anfield Stadium has always been known for its lively atmosphere, so when Litmanen passed Maicon with his flexible and skillful skills, like a slippery loach, all the Red Army fans in the audience cheered cheers for him.

"Yari Olavi Litmanen~~~~~~"

Litmanen felt the special treatment he could hardly enjoy at Camp Nou as a fan of the Red Army. His heart was full of excitement and anticipation, but his movements were not slow at all. Counting his rhythm silently in his heart, this is the rhythm he is best at.

One, two, pass the ball!
Every professional player has his own playing rhythm, and Litmanen's rhythm has been with him for more than ten years, and he has already integrated this rhythm into his blood. With this rhythm, no head coach can change his rhythm.

one, two...

Just when Litmanen habitually thought that he was going to move the ball forward again, he did not expect that Maicon, who was thrown away by him just now and was obviously behind him, suddenly jumped in from behind at a very fast speed , which is somewhat similar to forcibly overtaking.

The Brazilian gritted his teeth and tried his best to catch up. When he wanted to pass the ball, he blocked the ball with his foot.

The man fell out, but the ball stayed!
beep! ! !
The referee blew his whistle, indicating that Maicon had fouled, and gave Liverpool a free kick in the front court.

McAllister came to the penalty spot, and almost all the tall players in Liverpool were stuffed into the penalty area of ​​Ajax, Hyypia, Henkoz, Heskey, Gerrard, and those who stayed in the backcourt Big guys like Chigurh, Babel, and Harman.

"Damn it, there are so many tall guys in the forest!" Ye Qiu saw so many tall guys in Liverpool on the sidelines, he really smiled wryly in his heart.

But this is also in line with Houllier's transformation of Liverpool.

If Liverpool during the Evans era is a bit like Barcelona who played sexy ball possession in the previous life, then the arrival of Houllier has completely transformed the ball possession genre during the Evans era into Mourinho's macho style , and he also attaches great importance to defense.

If Ye Qiu remembers correctly, this year's Liverpool should be a five-time champion. They won five championships, but all of them were cup competitions.

This is not surprising at all, because Houllier's team is to attack with defense and counterattack, and this tactical play is not obvious in the league, because Liverpool is also considered a strong team in the Premier League. It is difficult for them to defend against counterattacks, but in cup games, such defensive counterattack tactics are safer.

Ye Qiu is very aware of the strength of this Liverpool team, so he came to this game with a defensive counterattack in mind. Anyway, it is an away game, he can afford it, but as long as Liverpool makes even the slightest mistake, Ye Qiu will could swallow him.

McAllister's free kick was sent into the penalty area, and there was a mess here. Lucio held Hyypia with his body, took the first step, and headed the ball to clear the siege, but the ball did not fly far and fell to the outside of the penalty area. Gerrard's feet.

The Liverpool midfielder, who has been very eye-catching this season, got the ball and took a re-shot directly. However, under the interference of Gilberto Silva, the shot turned into an anti-aircraft gun and failed to hit the goal. .

Liverpool fans at Anfield all let out a sigh of regret.

But soon, the singing of Anfield Stadium sounded again, and Liverpool fans cheered for their team with their singing, which also made their players quickly regroup on the court and launched another wave of offensive.

Both Henkoz and Hyypia belong to the kind of high-end defenders. Turning, agility and speed are their weaknesses. Therefore, Houllier has always adopted a defensive method of retreating. The special central midfielder is placed in the midfield to protect the line of defense and further compress the 30-meter zone of one's own side.

In other words, minimize the chance of letting the opponent hit behind you as much as possible!
The advantage of this is that the defense is solid, but the disadvantage is that the offense is greatly weakened. The most famous ball possession flow during the Evans period has also disappeared, and instead relies more on Irving's quick counterattack. It is said that Fowler, another striker in the Liverpool team, is not reused by Houllier because he is good at guerrilla in the penalty area and has a keen sense of smell in front of the goal.

Fowler, whom Evans relied on, gradually lost his star power. On the contrary, his speed was better. Owen, who was not good enough in front of the goal, replaced him and became a big banner in Liverpool's offense. This is not a question of player strength, but the head coach Holly It is caused by the very different tactical styles of Hall and Evans.

Houllier's tactic is that I stay in the back line, please, attack me!
But now Ye Qiu has also lost his face, anyway, my life and death is to fight back, as long as anyone easily leaves his position and presses up, he will yell loudly, telling him to return to his position quickly, making it clear that the horses and horses are about to come. Anti-reverse.

I'm going to be on guard, Mr. Houllier, you better come!
At home, the morale of the fans is strong. Facing another Eredivisie team like Ajax, Houllier really has no reason not to come out to play, because he also wants to win the opponent at home.

But the problem is that the Frenchman himself knows very well that his most powerful tactic is to defend against the opponent's back and use Owen's lightning speed. The most threatening offensive weapon, what to do?
This is the turn of the Husky, who is 1 meters tall and as heavy as a tank, to exert his power.

"Pay attention to strengthening the defense on the side!"

"Be careful Litmanen and Gerald, be careful!"

"Bring up your spirits, everyone!"

When Ye Qiu saw that Liverpool was coming out, he went to the sidelines and kept shouting.

Liverpool has anti-countermeasures, that is, to play behind and take advantage of Owen's speed, but once they find that their opponents are not up to the mark, when they don't press out as they wish, they will choose to press themselves. At that time, their ball advancement was to rely on two full-backs to advance to the frontcourt and cross to find Heskey.

Lucio and Husky's Warcraft immediately became another highlight in this match.

Maicon pinned Litmanen, Abidal pinned Gerrard, Lucio stared at Heskey one-on-one, Liverpool's offense fell into a quagmire again, and they were still unable to open the situation. Moreover, they are actively pressing now, and they are ready to play at any time. You have to guard against the opponent's counterattack everywhere.

"It must be interesting for a master counterattacker to be counterattacked, right?" Ye Qiu was in a good mood.

On the contrary, Houllier, who is in front of the coaching bench of the home team, seems a little depressed, wondering if his heart can withstand the pressure at this moment.

Ye Qiu also admired the Frenchman, but now that he was the opponent, he had to deal with Houllier with all possible means.

"After all, Houllier's transformation of Liverpool has gone to extremes!" Bobby Harms shook his head and sighed.

Although Evans' style was soft and focused on offense and light on defense, Liverpool's small-scale coordination and penetration at that time, as well as the diversification of ball advancement, made their offense hard to guard against, especially with Jamie Reid. Knapp and John Barnes and other players of the technical genre have thoroughly sounded the clarion call for the technicalization of the Premier League.

Many people say that Arsenal's Wenger has completely changed the style of the Premier League, but in fact, before Wenger, there is another Evans who pays more attention to technology than him. The difference is that Wenger won the championship. And Evans dismissed get out of class disheartened.

"Houllier's Liverpool defense relied too much on Owen, and the positional battle relied too much on Husky. The whole team has a seemingly strict division of labor and cooperation, each with its own responsibilities, but this seems too mechanical and too simple. , once they're figured out, they don't change enough."

Ye Qiu glanced at Liverpool's bench, "If it was me, I would decisively go to Fowler at this time. In this kind of positional warfare, Fowler can play a more critical role. On the contrary, Owen, who has lost his speed advantage , also average!"

Irving really transformed into a striker with a sense of smell in front of the goal, that was later, and it has not yet reached that point.

This is what Ye Qiu has been avoiding all along. From the beginning of organizing the team's tactics, he diversified his offense at home. Arjen Robben was arranged on the left, and Van der Vaart was on the right. With Sneijder in the pass, Lucio in the backcourt, and Maicon on the right, Ajax has more means to advance the ball.

The only thing that is relatively poor is experience. Today's Ajax players are still young and need time to improve and polish.

Judging from the scene, Liverpool can be said to be gaining momentum without scoring.

Heskey is a tall, strong player with mediocre skills. He is not the type of player who can attack with his back, that is, he can get the ball with his back, but he can't turn around. He can only be regarded as a qualified center forward, but at the same time, he lacks the ability to grab points in the penalty area, which can be seen from the number of goals he has scored.

Ye Qiu remembered that he had seen a few jokes in his previous life.

Husky's scoring efficiency is not lost to the two legendary superstars. How dare you be a bad shooter with such a powerful shooter?

Huskey (England): 59 goals in 7 appearances.

Hiquita (Colombia): 68 goals in 8 games.

Chilavert (Paraguay): 74 goals in 8 games.

There is another one that is also very funny: What do you do when you see a Husky rushing to hit you?Hurry up and pretend to be a goal!

Although the joke is obviously spoofed by the fans, and Husky's tactical role is also very high, but at least this proves that the England high center forward is really not good at grabbing points and scoring goals. What he is better at is using his body to attack the opponent's defense. .

Facing such a player, Lucio is definitely easier to defend than Batistuta, so he can not only freeze Husky, but also split his hands to help the defense freeze Irving.

This immediately made it difficult for Liverpool's offense to threaten Ajax's goal.

From the first half to the second half, time passed quickly, but Houllier's team still failed to find a way to break through the Ajax goal, but the Liverpool players on the scene became more and more frustrated by the overwhelming momentum of the fans. Getting impatient.

Whether it is from the tactical level or the strategic level of the two-legged game, Liverpool has no reason to let Ajax retreat from Anfield, so they need to score!
As this sentiment spread rapidly, Liverpool's two full-backs, Babel and Zieger, also began to actively participate in the offense, which immediately exposed the counterattack loopholes in the midfield and backfield.

(End of this chapter)