On the evening of April 26, Spain, Calderon Stadium.
As Pan Yi expected, in the first game of the Champions League semi-finals, Simeone sent his best attacker at home to prepare to win Chelsea!
The formation seems to be a relatively standard parallel, but Griezmann's position on the front line will be later. He stands behind Torres and plays the position of a shadow forward.
This is when preparing to attack, Atletico Madrid will change to -1 at any time.
In the midfield, Carrasco and Saul, who are good at dribbling, also appeared. Together with Koke and Gabi, they formed Atletico Madrid's midfield four.
The defense is composed of the four defenders Simeone has used most this season, from left to right, Felipe, Godin, Savic, and Juanfran.
The goalkeeper position is Slovenian goalkeeper Oblak, who was bought from black shop Benfica for 16 million euros last season.
When he first came to Atletico Madrid, Oblak was the substitute for Spanish goalkeeper Moya and only played 11 times in La Liga.
However, in these 11 appearances, he got 7 clean sheets!
Therefore, this season, Oblak gradually secured his position as the team's main goalkeeper and began his amazing performances.
In fact, in addition to Atletico Madrid's tradition of "making outstanding strikers since ancient times," Atletico Madrid also has outstanding strikers one after another at the goalkeeper position.
From De Gea to Courtois, including the future Morocco national goalkeeper and Sevilla goalkeeper Bounu, they all came from Atletico Madrid.
And now Oblak is undoubtedly one of the best.
In Pan Yi's previous life, Oblak even won the Zamora Award (the Best Goalkeeper Award in La Liga) five times in six years! He also won the La Liga MVP.
And the one time he was robbed of the best goalkeeper award was Courtois who had transferred to Real Madrid at the time...
It can be said that Oblak is now also an important part of Simeone's defensive system.
Of course, unlike Pan Yi or Guardiola's requirements for goalkeepers, Simeone only needs Oblak to complete some simple passes with the defenders while ensuring the safety of the goal.
When kicking off the ball, just consciously look for specific players lurking in the frontcourt according to the tactical requirements.
After all, Oblak may be the goalkeeper with the best goal-line skills in European football, but he is not that good at passing, so he can only use his strengths and avoid weaknesses.
Facing Simeone's more offensive style, Pan Yi was also confident and responded with a more aggressive -1!
The one at the forefront is Lukaku.
Behind Hanhan, Harry Kane dropped back to play as an attacking midfielder, partnered by Hazard.
On both sides of them, Gnabry is on the left and seat B is on the right. Both of them are excellent dribblers.
The double defensive midfielders are Kante and David Luiz. Among them, David Luiz plays as a swing midfielder and can drop to the central defender position at any time as needed.
The three central defenders are Ake on the left, Van Dijk on the right, and Terry in the middle.
The goalkeeper is of course Courtois.
Simeone must have thought that Pan Yi would think that Simeone would use a defensive counterattack style, so he did the opposite and used an offensive style;
But Pan Yi had already thought that Simeone would think so, so he used an offensive style of play that could better deal with Simeone.
This is Pan Yi's prediction of Simeone.
Therefore, when Chelsea's starting lineup appeared on the field and showed a posture of wanting to compete with Atletico Madrid, Simeone was still a little confused.
This boy from the Dragon Kingdom defended against me two years ago, and now he attacks against me, right?
And soon, the players on the field were coming and going, and they were fighting together.
Less than a minute into the game, after receiving the ball from the right side of seat B, he used his excellent personal ability to get the ball past Felipe, cut inside, and then gave an exquisite through pass.
Lukaku chased after him knowingly. After throwing away the defensive player with a burst, he got the ball and formed a one-on-one shot, but his last shot hit the side netting.
Chelsea took the first shot of the game and posed a very big threat.
But soon, Atletico Madrid retaliated.
One minute after Chelsea's attack, it was Griezmann who retreated from the frontcourt, received a pass from the midfield and backcourt, and passed to the right.
Right back Juanfran quickly crossed the ball. Torres followed the edge of the small penalty area and hit the goal, but was blocked by David Luiz who returned to the penalty area.
After Atletico Madrid took a corner kick, David Luiz made another header to resolve the crisis.
This is the important role of David Luiz in this -1 formation.
When attacking, David Luiz has to help his teammates control the ball and cooperate in the midfield, and even often inserts into the opponent's penalty area to disrupt the situation.
When defending, David Luiz returns to the central defender position, and the formation will change into a preferred defensive formation. It has enough defensive numbers and can maintain a fairly high counterattack intensity.
This is the so-called midfielder's swing style of play, which places considerable demands on players at this position.
Fortunately, David Luiz can be said to be one of the best executors of this style of play. Even with this style of play, his sometimes slightly irritable defensive weaknesses can still be exploited by the greatest
Cover up to the maximum extent.
This time Atletico Madrid's attack was precisely because David Luiz retreated and formed a numerical advantage in defense. Torres still had to face David Luiz's attack even after he had gotten rid of several other central defenders.
Defensively, he was unable to face Courtois calmly and failed to hit the goal.
After these two attacks by Atletico Madrid, both sides had a threatening shot in less than three minutes.
The two teams fought fiercely, and the pace of the game was very fast.
Just a minute later, Chelsea struck again.
Hazard passed the ball from the left, and Lukaku got ahead of Savic in the middle. After getting the ball, he suddenly dunked and hit the goal directly from the edge of the penalty area.
The ball hit Godin and bounced out of the baseline, a corner kick.
Hazard took the corner kick himself, and all the tall Chelsea players entered Atletico Madrid's penalty area.
This also made the Atletico Madrid fans at the Calderon Stadium a little nervous.
Atletico Madrid is very good at attacking and defending set pieces, but their opponent Chelsea is also good at it!
I don’t know how many goals they have scored through set pieces this season.
Atletico Madrid players obviously know this too.
Therefore, they also followed the corner kick defensive tactics arranged by Simeone, first letting Griezmann get closer to the corner flag area to prevent Hazard from serving quickly and creating tactical coordination.
In addition, Atletico Madrid also arranged for someone to control the position of the near post and specially assigned a player to prepare for a quick counterattack.
Other defensive players are mainly active in the middle of the penalty area and are responsible for one-on-one marking.
But Chelsea played a coordination that they did not expect.
Hazard did not cooperate with the B seat closest to him, nor did he drive the ball near the small penalty area for his teammates to compete for the top.
He just gently picked up the ball, and the ball flew lightly to the top of the arc in the penalty area.
At this time, Gnabry, who was still standing near the midline and seemed to be just preventing the opponent from counterattacking, rushed up with a lunge and then volleyed directly in the air!
Godin, who was the first to wake up, came to block it, but it was already too late.
Gnabry's kick was very powerful, and the ball was like a cannonball. It hit the lower left corner of Atletico Madrid's goal.
Even if the reaction is as fast as Oblak's, there is no reaction at all!
0:1, Chelsea leads away from home!
“Goal!!!!!!!!”
"Gnabry, he helped Chelsea score the first goal in just five minutes!"
"Atletico Madrid seemed to have a problem defending this corner kick. They defended Chelsea's tall players tightly, but ignored the outside."
"Obviously, Chelsea have done a lot of practice in this kind of corner kick coordination. When Hazard passed the ball, Gnabry had already moved forward, and the ball reached the player, and finally he kicked a beautiful world wave!
"
"This unexpected offensive battle also had an unexpected start. We scored in five minutes, which allows us to look forward to the next game!"
On the sidelines, Pan Yi was already hugging Gnabry and others, celebrating the goal.
As for Simeone, he spread his hands helplessly.
He really didn't expect Chelsea to attack so fiercely, nor did he expect that the set-piece defense he was so proud of would be broken so easily.
Before this game, Simeone had been telling his players to be careful with Chelsea's set pieces, especially their coordination.
Personally speaking, when Simeone selects players that suit him, he usually tends to be tough and brave. In fact, competing for headers is really their advantage.
But the problem is that Chelsea didn't go to the sky at all, but came directly outside the penalty area to cooperate, and they shot so well...
What can be done about this?
"What should we do now?" Bogues, the assistant coach and Simeone's fellow Argentinian, asked anxiously.
He got fucked in less than ten minutes, which is not a good sign for Atletico Madrid's upcoming games.
In particular, the opponent is the powerful Chelsea led by Pan Yi, which is an even more ominous omen.
"Don't be anxious, stabilize your position first, and then attack." Simeone said solemnly.
Now he has no other better choice.
What else can we do if we fall behind at home?
Keep attacking!
Only by regaining the score as soon as possible can the next game, including the trip to Stamford Bridge in the next round, start!
After that, Simeone stood up.
He walked to the sidelines and shouted at the players on the court.
This bandit commander, who has always been famous for his passionate command, also curses people in all kinds of ways.
Atletico Madrid players, who had become accustomed to all this, calmed down on the court.
They began to move the ball more to Griezmann's feet, and Griezmann moved more to the right.
At this time, Chelsea players actively blocked Griezmann's passing route, leaving the other side free.
However, when Griezmann saw the opportunity to dribble the ball to complete the breakthrough towards the top of the penalty area, David Luiz with curly hair came out and made up for the seemingly open space.
Griezmann had no choice but to pass the ball back.
This is actually Atletico Madrid's first offensive style that Pan Yi mentioned in the pre-match preparation meeting, which is "attacking in the east and attacking in the west, holding the ball and cutting inside."
Since Pan Yi has instructed the coaching staff to convey this style of play to the players and take precautions against it;
In particular, David Luiz was asked to move forward to fill the gap, so Atletico Madrid's attack did not succeed.
However, when Griezmann passed the ball back to Koke's feet, Koke did not stop the ball, but directly lobbed it into the penalty area at an angle of 45 degrees!
At this time, Torres quickly stepped in and received the ball before Ake.
Although he was attacked by Chelsea's two central defenders, Torres caught the ball in the frontcourt and immediately took off his feet without hesitation and hit a high-quality shot, scoring a low shot from the front of the small penalty area!
1:1! The score is even!
The entire Calderon Stadium was immediately in a state of excitement!
Countless fans shouted Torres's name, like a roaring tsunami, sweeping across the entire stadium inside and outside.
Torres made his debut at Atletico Madrid 15 years ago and became the youngest captain in Atletico Madrid history.
Although he later left Atletico Madrid and spent many years in the Premier League before finally returning to Atletico Madrid in December 2014, he will always be the "own child" in the hearts of Atletico Madrid fans and his greatest captain.
His contribution to Atletico Madrid in such an important Champions League semi-final will certainly arouse long cheers from Atletico Madrid fans.
As for Torres, he chose not to celebrate the goal.
After all, he once played for Chelsea. Although his career at the Blue Bridge in those years was really not very good, out of respect for his old club, he just silently ran back to his own half after scoring.
This move also caused bursts of applause from the visiting team Chelsea fans.
After all, who wouldn’t love the handsome and friendly Torres?
——
"This Simone has evolved again."
After Pan Yi saw Atletico Madrid's goal on the sidelines, he shook his head slightly, but there was still a smile on his face.
"Atletico Madrid's attack seems to be a combination of the first style of play and the second style of play you mentioned, boss?" Arteta asked with a frown on his side.
"That's right." Pan Yi nodded, "When we attack in the east and attack in the west, we will immediately explode one after another at 45 degrees! In this way, we will inevitably find flaws in our defense."
"Yeah..." Arteta said thoughtfully, "We asked David to go up and fill the position, but it leaked out from behind. Only then did Torres seize the opportunity."
"Although Griezmann did not assist in this goal, his role was the greatest." Pan Yi pointed to Atletico Madrid No. 7 on the field:
"He is very active in running in the frontcourt, and his basic skills are very solid. He gets the ball steadily every time and basically never loses the ball."
"And after he gets the ball, he has a very good ability to break through with the ball and pass the ball to assist. Such a player is too comprehensive and a great threat."
"It is precisely because of him that Atletico Madrid can make such offensive changes. To be honest, in my opinion, Griezmann can even play in a deeper position or as an organizational midfielder."
In Pan Yi's view, Griezmann's characteristics are somewhat similar to his own Harry Kane to a certain extent.
They can also play as a center forward, as a deep forward, as a shadow forward, or they can retreat to organize attacks.
In the 2022 World Cup, Griezmann actually retreated all the way to the midfielder position, becoming a highlight of that French team.
It can be said that this Frenchman actually has great potential, it just depends on how the coach uses him.
As for why he couldn't play well as soon as he arrived at Barcelona... I can only say that maybe he didn't bring the instruction manual.
"So what do we do now?" Arteta asked.
"Don't worry, you have to believe in our players." Pan Yi said with a smile, "They still have the ability to draw inferences from one example and they should be more vigilant. Moreover, our formation today can guard against their forty-five
After all, there were three and a half central defenders who made the pass. The main reason is that Torres’ shot just now was so good..."
"Yes, our central defender is actually in place, but he just seized the little gap and hit the goal directly." Arteta shook his head and asked, "Now, what are we going to do?
Can you retract the formation a little and stabilize it?"
"No." Pan Yi said directly, "Continue to attack. Don't let Simeone think we are afraid of them!"
"Oh..." Arteta turned to look at Pan Yi, who looked very determined and even a little excited.
Arteta gets it.
This means that Simeone was very strong today, so Pan Yi was happy.
This leader of his just likes stronger opponents!
Since Atletico Madrid can attack so beautifully, Chelsea, who are already good at attacking, really have to compete with them!
——
Following Pan Yi's order, Chelsea began to press forward aggressively, engaging in a head-to-head confrontation with Atletico Madrid.
When it comes to Chelsea's offensive power, it is one of the best in the entire European football world. When they let go of their attacks, few teams in Europe dare to face them head-on.
What's more, they still have a more aggressive -1 formation today!
Atletico Madrid here had just equalized the score, and their morale was high, so they rushed forward with a roar.
As a result, the two teams with full firepower were overwhelmed at the Calderon Stadium, and the pace of the game was very fast.
This also made both the fans at the scene and the fans in front of the TV feel that the game was extremely exciting and extremely enjoyable.
[This is the Atletico I know? Is it wearing a vest? No need to pretend, you must be Barcelona or Real Madrid in disguise.]
[I thought I didn’t need to watch the Atletico Madrid game. When I got up, it was a zero-to-zero game. Fortunately, I insisted on getting up and watching it.]
[If you don’t look at who Atletico Madrid’s opponent is today, how could it be zero to zero? 】
[Yes, I feel that because of Chelsea and Pan Yi’s existence, even Simeone became passionate and started attacking! 】
[To be honest, with Atletico Madrid’s lineup, it would be too wasteful to have a bus. Torres, Griezmann, Carrasco, which one is the engineer? 】
[Isn’t Torres a defender? Manual dog head]
[That’s a Chelsea limited-edition defender. After changing to Atletico Madrid’s skin, he returned to being a forward! Didn’t you see how beautifully the goal was scored just now! 】
[Yes, although I am a fan of Pan Yi and Chelsea, I also hope that Torres scores. I will protect his smile...]
[Also, this is one of the few men who can approach Pan Yi in terms of appearance...]
However, although the two teams played very unrestrainedly on the field and frequently created opportunities, both sides were never able to break through the other's goal.
The main reason is that the goalkeepers on both sides are so amazing!
Courtois VS Oblak is simply a duel between the two most awesome goalkeepers in the world today.
He swooped here and side-blocked there, blocking many threatening shots from both sides.
In such a fast-paced and entertaining game, time flies by, as if in the blink of an eye, half-time is almost over.
When the fourth official raised the 1-minute stoppage time card, the two sides still maintained the previous one-to-one score.
But at this moment, Atletico Madrid was attacking and the ball passed to the frontcourt and a mistake occurred.
Gabi wanted to pass the ball across to Cork, but Kanter, who has quick eyes and quick hands, took the first kick and intercepted the ball.
After Chelsea stole the ball, they launched a counterattack on the spot.
Kante passed the ball from the center line to the left. Hazard reversed the offside and advanced forward. After receiving the ball, he glanced at Atletico Madrid's goal.
At this time, goalkeeper Oblak was positioned forward, a little far away from the goal.
Azar is a talented artist and is bold, kicking his feet without thinking!
The ball drew a beautiful arc, passed Oblak who was constantly retreating, and crashed into Atletico Madrid's goal.
"The ball has been scored again!!!!"
"1:2, Chelsea scored another victory at the end of the first half!"
"This is a long-range shot from Hazard about 35 meters away from the goal."
"Oblak must be responsible for conceding the goal. His position was too far forward. Perhaps because he saw that the referee was already looking at his watch, Oblak was a little unfocused."
"After he caught the ball high and blocked at least five very threatening shots from Chelsea, he finally made a mistake this time."
"When Hazard lifted the door, he realized the danger. At this time, he quickly retreated but it was already too late."
"Of course, this can't be entirely blamed on Oblak, because Hazard's shot was indeed a bit sudden. Oblak really didn't expect that Hazard would directly choose to hang the goal from this distance!"
"A fierce and exciting game, beautiful goals, this is definitely the most exciting half of the Champions League this season!"
With the referee's whistle, the exciting first half finally came to an end.
Everyone in the Calderon Stadium was still deeply immersed in the fast-paced offensive and defensive battle of just 45 minutes.
Many of them have never experienced a game in which time passes so quickly, as if a goal is scored in the blink of an eye, and the game is over in the blink of an eye.
Of course, as the lagging side, the nearly 50,000 Atletico Madrid fans in the stands have not yet recovered from the emotion of losing the ball just now.
Many fans were cursing, and some were shouting anxiously to boost the morale of the home team players.
One to two, the home team is one goal behind, which is definitely not a good thing for Atletico Madrid.
But as a fan, I still see the positive side.
That is, today's Atletico Madrid played very un-Atletico Madrid, even very Chelsea!
Being able to play against a team that is recognized as the strongest team in the world like Chelsea, and it was an offensive battle, made the Atletico Madrid fans at the scene very happy.
To be honest, what fan doesn't like to see beautiful football. It would be even better if this beautiful football is played by his own team.
Therefore, for today's game, apart from lagging behind the visiting team in score, Calderon fans really can't make any more critical demands on the team.
Immediately afterwards, the home team fans in the stands suddenly began to sing the Atletico Madrid team song in unison.
The deafening song poured down from the steep Calderon stand like a mountain.
This means that no one at Atletico Madrid has lost confidence.
They look forward to their team continuing to play at a high level in the second half of the game and then defeat Chelsea!——