Chapter 381: The world's number one right back in 47 seconds
Chapter 381 The world’s No. 1 right back in 47 seconds
Author: Ant who loves watching football
Chapter 381 The world’s No. 1 right back in 47 seconds
June 6, 2015, Berlin, Germany.
In the past few days, this German capital city has been flooded with countless fans.
These fans from Spain or the UK occupied the streets of Berlin. They could be seen waving flags and singing loudly everywhere.
Of course they are here for the Champions League final between Barcelona and Chelsea!
On the day of the game, the tense and exciting atmosphere of the final reached its peak. Fans from both sides were also at war with each other, making the German police feel like they were facing a formidable enemy.
After all, it can be said that there is no friendly past between these two teams, and they can even be said to be enemies!
The "Stamford Bridge tragedy" that occurred in the 2009 Champions League semi-finals can be regarded as an indelible mark.
Fortunately, there was no large-scale conflict between the two parties.
When it's time for the team to set off for the stadium, everyone's attention has also shifted to the game. When it's time to enter the stadium, those who haven't bought a ticket can only chase the bus and try to catch a few stars to satisfy their eyes.
.
Soon, a bus painted with the colors of the Chelsea team and a bus containing Barcelona players set off from the hotel where they were staying.
They were driving quickly on the road to Berlin's Olympiastadion in the suburbs. Along the way, they could constantly see the flags representing the two final teams flying backwards, and the stars of Chelsea and Barcelona were also displayed on the street billboards.
When the bus exited the viaduct and entered the street leading to the Olympic Stadium, countless fans seemed to emerge from the ground and swarmed up crazily.
Through the car window, they kept shouting the names of the head coach and players, and kept shouting various slogans to encourage the team.
The closer you get to the Olympic Stadium, the more fans there are and the slower the traffic.
It was so slow that everyone in the car could make eye contact with the fans outside the car.
Tonight, everyone, whether they are fans or players, has only one goal.
Leave Berlin with victory!
——
It was so lively outside the stadium, let alone inside.
It's still some time before the game starts, but the stands at Berlin's Olympiastadion are almost full.
More and more fans entered the stadium, and the scene became louder and louder. All kinds of songs and shouts gathered in the sky above the stadium, making this night particularly noisy.
When the players from the two teams walked out of the tunnel and entered the Olympic Stadium, the fans in the stands burst into loud roars, and the entire stadium seemed to explode.
At this time, the game has not actually started yet, and the players from both sides have to conduct the last training and warm-up before the game.
In the Chelsea fan stands, many fans even stood up and sang "Pan Yi's Song".
This song even overshadowed the team song from the Barcelona fans.
Pan Yi simply waved to the fans and began arranging the players' warm-up training.
Yesterday afternoon they came to Berlin's Olympiastadion for a training session and became familiar with the venue. Now they are preparing for the game.
The training at this time was very relaxed and the players didn't seem nervous.
Every player is very open, especially when it comes to shooting training, every shot just misses the target.
At first, Courtois would try to pounce, but in the end he simply put his hands on his hips and stood there watching them shoot into the dead center, making everyone at the scene burst into laughter.
Later, during the monkey training, Chelsea's skillful continuous kicks frequently made the stadium burst into cheers.
Such cheers even attracted the attention of the opposing Barcelona players.
Messi, Suarez and Neymar looked over to Chelsea frequently and nodded slightly.
For technical players like them, it is natural to see that Chelsea's seemingly simple monkey-walking training actually places high demands on the players.
The fact that Chelsea players can practice so skillfully shows that their technical level is generally very high.
This also made these three top Barcelona stars understand that today’s final will definitely be a head-to-head battle!——
After the pre-match training session, the players returned to the locker room to change clothes and prepare for the game.
After Pan Yi handled some things in the coaching bench, he also entered the player tunnel.
As soon as he arrived at the door of the locker room, Steve Holland caught up with him from behind and handed him a list of names.
"Barcelona's starting lineup is out."
Pan Yi stopped, took it and started reading.
There are of course eleven players' names in this list, and these eleven names are all very familiar to Pan Yi.
The goalkeeper is Ter Stegen, the four defenders from left to right are Alba, Mascherano, Pique, and Alves, and the three midfielders are Iniestan, Busquets, and Rakitic.
The front trident is of course Neymar, Suarez and Messi.
It was a standard formation, and there were basically no surprises among the personnel.
After all, it is now normal for Barcelona that Xavi, Pedro and others sit on the bench.
"There haven't been any changes," Steve Holland said. "I thought they would be like Real Madrid and come up with some weird formation like having Ramos play as a defensive midfielder to deal with us."
"He calls it staying the same to cope with all changes." Pan Yi said with a smile, "Aren't we the same?"
Barcelona's starting lineup today is the strongest, and the same is true for Chelsea.
In this duel, which represents the highest level of world football, it seems that any whole life is meaningless.
Of course, the fact that the starting lineup has not changed does not mean that there are no targeted adjustments in tactics.
Both sides have the best players in the world. In such a head-to-head competition, as long as a breakthrough is found in a subtle place, it is very likely to defeat the opponent's defense.
It just depends on which side’s tactics are more suitable and the players execute them better.
"Come on, let's go in, they are all waiting."
Pan Yi said to Huo Lan and pushed open the door of the locker room.
Inside, Chelsea's players were already neatly dressed and sitting in front of their seats, ready.
Every player felt an unprecedented sense of confidence when they saw the head coach walking in from the outside.
Under the leadership of Pan Yi, they have never been defeated in the Champions League so far.
Even in the knockout stage, there wasn’t even a draw!
In every game, they are able to defeat their opponents.
And these opponents are all European powers like Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, and Real Madrid.
It is precisely because of their impressive record in the past that they are able to take to the court with unprecedented confidence in every game.
Tonight will be no exception!
——
Affected by the fanatical atmosphere at the scene, the guests in the chairman's stand also looked very nervous.
Especially the senior management of Chelsea and Barcelona, who were sitting on either side of UEFA officials and many guests, were even more uneasy.
Everyone can see the anxiety and anxiety on the faces of Chelsea owner Abramovich and Barcelona chairman Bartomeu.
Needless to say, Abramovich has always wanted to win the Champions League, and it was also his biggest goal when he came to England to buy Chelsea.
Before today, Chelsea had reached the semi-finals of the Champions League many times, and even entered the semi-finals five times in six years, but failed every time.
In the 2007-2008 season, this time Chelsea finally defeated their old rival Liverpool in the semi-finals and reached the Champions League final for the first time in history.
But in the penalty shootout against Manchester United in the final, on a rainy night in Moscow, Terry and Anelka missed key penalty kicks respectively, and had no choice but to finish second.
This is the closest Chelsea has come to the Champions League trophy.
Then came the seven-year wait.
Now, Chelsea has finally reached the Champions League final again, and he finally has the opportunity to become the owner of a Champions League champion team. Can he not be excited or nervous?
Looking back at the final trip seven years ago, it can be said that Chelsea fought hard all the way to reach the final.
In 2008, Chelsea eliminated Olympiacos with one win and one draw in the round of 16, and faced Fenerbahce with one win and one loss in the top 8, with a final total score of 3:2.
In the semi-final against Liverpool, both rounds were tied at 1:1. In the end, Lampard, who had just lost his mother in overtime, withstood the huge pressure and scored a penalty kick to advance to the final!
At that time, the scene of Lampard pointing his hands in the sky, taking off his black veil, kneeling on his knees, and comforting his mother's soul also moved countless people.
Not to mention in the final, they had a tough draw with Manchester United and lost on penalties in the end.
But today is really different.
Different from the arduous journey seven years ago, this time Chelsea reached the final with overwhelming momentum and maintained a complete victory record in the knockout rounds!
This also gave Abramovich great confidence.
Therefore, in addition to anxiety and apprehension, Abu's face also showed a trace of expectation and excitement.
For Bartomeu, the current chairman of Barcelona, although Barcelona has won the Champions League four times, this is the first Champions League final for him as chairman.
In 2010, Rosell won the presidential election and Bartomeu became Barcelona's first vice president.
On January 23, 2014, Rosell was forced to resign early with two years left in his term due to many scandals caused by the Neymar transfer incident. Bartomeu temporarily succeeded him as the 40th president of Barcelona.
In other words, this season is actually only Bartomeu's first full season as Barcelona chairman, and it cannot be regarded as a formal chairman, but a "temporary worker."
So, if the temporary workers want to become regular workers and win the presidential election in the summer of 2015, they must show resounding results.
In the past year and a half, Bartomeu appointed Enrique as head coach and introduced key players such as Suarez, Rakitic, Bravo, Ter Stegen, etc. This also helped Barcelona end the La Liga season.
Later he won the La Liga title and the Copa del Rey double.
This is already a very good result for an ordinary team, but it is not enough for Barcelona.
Only by winning the most important Champions League can everyone be convinced, and the position of chairman will be certain!
Therefore, the Barcelona chairman, nicknamed "Big Hero", even feels more nervous than Abramovich at the moment!
Although Barcelona, which owns MSN, has been called the latest cosmic team by many, what they will face tonight is Pan Yi's Chelsea. How can he not be worried?
Everyone knows how strong Chelsea are this season. Even Real Madrid, which has Cristiano Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema, feels they have no power to fight back in front of them.
Of course, unlike ordinary Barcelona fans who are simply worried about the team's victory or defeat, Bartomeu is more worried about his position as chairman.
If he loses, he may lose this good job, and his efforts over the past year and a half may be in vain...
Just when Bartomeu was in confusion, a burst of warm cheers erupted in the stadium.
Immediately, an exciting entry music came from the radio, and countless fans in the stands screamed in unison.
The players from the two teams held the caddy's hand and, under the leadership of the referee, walked out of the player tunnel one after another, passed through both sides of the big ear cup placed in the middle of the tunnel exit, and slowly entered the court.
The scene immediately burst into a burst of extremely warm applause.
Sitting in front of the rostrum, they could easily see the players from the two teams standing in a row, especially the Chelsea players.
The goalkeeper is Courtois, the defense is Marcos Alonso, David Luiz, Terry, Gary Cahill, Azpilicueta, and the two defensive midfielders are Matic and Kante.
The frontcourt is Hazard, Lukaku and seat B.
After seeing Chelsea's starting lineup clearly, Bartomeu sighed.
No injuries or illnesses, the main force is used.
Barcelona on our side also has strong troops. Today is bound to be a real battle with real swords and guns. The outcome is really unpredictable.
"Luis Enrique, it's up to you." Bartomeu prayed in his heart.
——
Soon, the majestic Champions League theme song sounded over Berlin’s Olympiastadion:
"Don't kill Bayern, thank you Barcelona, you want to wipe out my factory~"
Then, with the whistle of Turkish referee Cakir, this world-famous Champions League final officially kicked off.
"Viewers, welcome to watch the live broadcast of the 2014-2015 UEFA Champions League final."
"We are now at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. The first one to kick off is Chelsea, who is wearing the blue traditional jersey. On the other side is Barcelona, who is wearing the yellow away jersey. This is because Chelsea has been drawn as the home team."
"The ball was quickly passed back to Chelsea's backcourt and started to be transmitted. Chelsea's opening today should be based on stability, and there is no intention of rushing to start the game."
"But we can also see that Barcelona's defense was very high at the beginning, as if they wanted to eat Chelsea in one breath. Chelsea's passing was very skillful, with continuous passes, which made Barcelona's first wave of pressing
It didn’t work.”
"Now the ball is passed to the left, to Marcos Alonso, and then to Matic. There is no chance, and it is passed back."
"Barcelona's midfield and frontcourt pressure was very positive in this game. This seemed to be Enrique's intention. Barcelona players, including Messi and Neymar, were pressing Chelsea players in the frontcourt."
"Let's take another look at Chelsea's pass. It was passed directly to the left and handed to Hazard."
"Okay, Hazard wanted to cut inside with the ball, but Alves blocked the way with his body, and the kick went too far."
"Barcelona got the ball, Rakitic made a long pass to the frontcourt, and Suarez grabbed the first shot."
"David Luiz's judgment was very accurate. Although he failed to grab the first shot, he steadily controlled the second shot. The ball returned to Chelsea's feet again, and he passed it skillfully."
"Barcelona's midfielders pressed forward again, and it seemed they didn't want Chelsea to have the ball easily."
"Ah, Barcelona stole the ball! Kante accidentally got the ball and was intercepted by Busquets. Then Iniesta got the ball and directly made a through ball, but it seemed that the force was a little too strong."
"Neymar rushed forward quickly and stopped the ball in front of the baseline, but Gary Cahill also defended in place."
"We'll see what Neymar does this time."
"The Brazilian chose to do it himself and wanted to break through Gary Cahill."
"Beautiful defense! Gary Cahill cleanly scooped out the baseline with the ball."
"The referee did not call a foul. Looking at the slow motion, it was a very accurate tackle, but it also gave Barcelona a corner kick."
"The penalty this time was also very accurate. Although it was the first time for referee Cakir to officiate the Champions League final, he has also officiated in major events such as the 2012 European Cup and the 2014 World Cup, so he has rich experience."
"This is the first corner kick of the game."
"Barcelona took a corner kick, and Suarez's header in the penalty area was sent to the back point. Iniesta stopped the ball and knocked it back without a chance."
"Alves suddenly stepped in and took a long shot!"
"Danger!"
"This long-range shot is of very high quality!"
"Dani Alves, the Brazilian star who is known as the best right back in the world today, scored the first threatening shot of the game for Barcelona shortly after the opening."
"It's only 47 seconds before the game starts! It's really too fast!"
"Alves suddenly rushed from the right to the center and hit the goal directly. The ball was slightly higher than the crossbar. If the ball can be suppressed a little more, this will be a very exciting goal."
"Judging from this ball, Chelsea's defense at the front of the penalty area has a little problem, and Alves' movement is also very smart, so that Hazard, who is defending against him, cannot keep up."
Alves' long-range shot completely aroused the passion of the Barcelona fans in the stands, and everyone was shouting at the top of their lungs.
Pan Yi, as usual, sat in the coaching bench and started to take out a spicy stick and bite it.
Scaloni next to him seemed a little nervous, and he was also surprised by Enrique's starting tactics.
"Barcelona's attack was a bit fierce today."
Although it is nothing new for Barcelona to adopt an attacking formation, the problem is that Chelsea's momentum this season is too strong. Many teams will be more cautious when facing the Blues, especially at the beginning.
But Barcelona seems to have no conservative plans today.
They pressed forward proactively from the start, taking advantage of their midfield and frontcourt advantages to pressure Chelsea, making it difficult for Chelsea's passing and receiving to operate smoothly.
This also resulted in Chelsea being unable to deliver the ball to the frontcourt after the opening game, and instead was given a good shot by the opponent.
"It's normal. If he didn't do this, then he wouldn't be Luis Enrique." Pan Yi said with a faint smile.
Pan Yi has been studying Luis Enrique for a long time and knows a lot about him.
As early as his player days, Enrique was a well-known figure in Spain and participated in three World Cups with Spain from 1994 to 2002.
He has comprehensive abilities and can play any position except goalkeeper. He is also a famous tough man, brave and good at fighting, with a sense of responsibility and an upright personality.
Of course, the most famous incident in his playing career was his direct transfer from Real Madrid to his arch-rival Barcelona.
This is a very big no-no!
This caused a huge melee between fans from both sides, which was no less intense than the Figo transfer five years later.
Or it can be said that Figo's transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid five years later may have a sense of "revenge" for the Real Madrid people.
However, Luis Enrique soon conquered Barcelona fans with his performance and became the team's captain.
From here we can see Enrique's big heart. After all, not everyone can withstand such great pressure.
After he takes charge, his teams will be subtly influenced by him. They are not afraid of pressure, not afraid of challenges, and dare to challenge any team.
And Enrique is now very familiar and understanding of his team and players, so he knows exactly what he should do.
Enrique knows better than anyone what Barcelona's strengths and weaknesses are.
What Barcelona is best at is attacking!
Moreover, he also knew very well that when facing Chelsea, it was impossible to defend at all. Almost all teams that defended died more miserably than anyone else in the end.
Therefore, when facing Chelsea, offense is the best defense!
Of course, Enrique is not ready to completely let go of the rivalry with Chelsea.
What he has to do is to interfere with Chelsea's passing organization on the one hand, especially pinching Kante's point, and on the other hand, he boldly presses forward and takes advantage of his abundant physical strength in the opening to create a threat.
At least for now, Barcelona is doing very well.
As soon as Kanter got the ball, Neymar and Suarez immediately pressed forward, and Busquets also took advantage of Kanter's preparation to get rid of him and suddenly stepped forward to steal it.
Judging from the coordination of the corner kick, Suarez's header flew to the back point, Iniesta protected the ball and knocked it back to the edge of the penalty area. Alves suddenly inserted his foot diagonally and took a long shot. Obviously, this was also Barcelona's pass.
Carefully practiced.
After all, the league has ended for more than ten days. In the past period of time, Enrique must have repeatedly practiced all the things that may happen in the game and the situations that may arise in training.
Even the possible countermeasures of the opponent may have been fully considered before coming up with countermeasures.
"Today will definitely be a difficult game. Let's all be patient." Pan Yi patted Scaloni on the shoulder, "Don't worry, this is not the first time I have faced such a difficult opponent in the Champions League final."
"Yes, you have participated in the Champions League final for the third time, and you even won the first two times." Scaloni looked a little sad:
"But, this is my first time. The first time is always difficult..."