Chapter 454 The curse of losing the crown if you touch the trophy
Chapter 454 The curse of losing the title if you touch the trophy
Author: Ant who loves watching football
Chapter 454 The curse of losing the title if you touch the trophy
"Dear spectators, welcome to the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy."
"What is being broadcast live for you now is the UEFA Champions League final of the 2015-2016 season, between Chelsea and Bayern Munich."
"Bayern Munich has won the Champions League five times in history. The most recent one was in the 2012-2013 season, led by Jupp Heynckes, and defeated Borussia Dortmund in the final to win the championship."
"Although Chelsea has only won the championship once, this time it happened last season! In other words, today Chelsea came to the San Siro Stadium as the defending champion."
"What's even more worth mentioning is that after Pan Yi took over at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea remained undefeated in the Premier League for two seasons, creating an unprecedented 76-game unbeaten record in the five major leagues!"
"And they have remained unbeaten in the Champions League for the same two seasons. This excellent record has also enabled Chelsea to win the European Super Cup, Community Shield, Club World Cup, League Cup, FA Cup, and Premier League this season.
Six championship trophies included!”
"If Chelsea can win today's Champions League final, then they will become the only seven-time champion in football history! This will also fulfill the promise Pan Yi made to his boss and fans before the season."
"As for Bayern Munich, they have also won the league championship and German Cup championship in the domestic arena this season. They also hope to win the Triple Crown this season."
"In the 2012-2013 season, Bayern Munich once completed a triple crown. I wonder if they can replicate such glory today?"
"Okay, the classic Champions League theme song has already sounded, and the game is about to start."
Amid the majestic UEFA Champions League theme song, a group of tall Italian models surrounded Maldini and Zanetti and came to the edge of the field.
Milan has always been a fashion capital, and of course it is rich in models.
And these two famous players from Milan also jointly placed the Big Ears Cup on the tall cup holder on the sidelines.
Soon, the live TV camera switched to the players tunnel, and players from both teams were already lined up in the tunnel.
Then, under the leadership of the referee team, they quickly walked into the court from both sides of the Big Ears Cup.
Whether it is Chelsea players or Bayern Munich players, they are all looking straight ahead, not even looking at the big ear cup, let alone touching it.
This is due to a "curse" in world football. It is said that no matter who you are, if you touch the championship trophy before the game, you will definitely miss the championship!
But when the players from both teams entered the stadium and started to line up, and the coaching teams of both teams at the end of the team also entered...
Pan Yi actually walked straight to the Big Ear Cup and touched it directly in front of 80,000 spectators!
The whole place was suddenly in an uproar.
The commentator also climaxed instantly:
"bumped into!"
"Pan Yi touched it! He touched the big ear cup!"
"As a professional coach, it is impossible for him not to know the curse of losing the championship when the cup is touched, but he still took the initiative to touch the trophy!"
"This move shows that today he just wants to see whether this curse is more powerful or his invincible Chelsea!"
"This also shows how confident he is today!"
"Pan Yi seems to be conveying a message to everyone, especially his disciples, that no one can stop him from winning the championship today, not even this curse!"
After touching the trophy, Pan Yi walked to the home team's coaching bench with a confident smile as if nothing had happened.
Guardiola took the initiative to greet him, and the two shook hands and hugged.
Then Guardiola whispered in Pan Yi's ear: "You are so cruel. Are you really not afraid of being cursed?"
As an excellent coach, Guardiola is also a psychological master, and he certainly knows the intention of Pan Yi's move.
But while doing so can express strong confidence, it is also a double-edged sword.
Because if the situation is not good during the game, some players may blame it on this.
Pan Yi smiled and said: "I am a materialistic warrior. I only believe in everyone's performance on the court."
Guardiola nodded, said nothing more, and the two of them went back to their seats.
Pan Yi is telling the truth, he really doesn't believe in these "magic curses" and the like.
Regarding this curse of "touching the trophy and losing it", the earliest case should be the 2004 Champions League final.
Monaco player Giuly touched the trophy when he stepped on the field. As a result, Monaco lost to Porto and achieved Mourinho's first Champions League.
Even more famous is the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul.
When entering the stadium, AC Milan's Gattuso and Kaká both touched the trophy.
At the end of the first half, AC Milan led Liverpool 3-0. Everyone is familiar with what happened next.
Liverpool scored three goals in a row in the second half and finally defeated AC Milan in a penalty shootout to win the championship.
Perhaps because of the results of these two finals, many players and coaches later did not dare to touch the trophy, and this curse was born.
But in Pan Yi's view, this is nothing more than a "survivor bias."
This is also a common logical fallacy, that is, only seeing the results after some filtering and ignoring key information.
Because everyone is spreading this "magic curse", as long as someone touches the trophy and loses, this impression will be further deepened;
But those who win by touching the trophy will be ignored intentionally or unintentionally.
For example, in the 2019 South American Copa Libertadores final, Flamengo's Barbosa touched the trophy before the game, but they eventually reversed River Plate 2-1 to win the cup.
In fact, this also includes the superstitions of many coaches and players, such as you must enter the field with your left foot, what color underwear you must wear, what kind of scarf you must wear, etc.
But the question is, if you can win if you follow these rules, then why do you need tactics and training?
I can only say that this can only give me a little psychological hint, and then I can perform better.
It can be said that in the green world, superstition is really not a sin, but poor performance is the biggest original sin.
Now, Pan Yi has the confidence to use his own results to break this curse!
In the face of absolute strength, any monster or monster is meaningless!
Before the game, Pan Yi also expressed this view to his players: "Victory is in your own hands, and it will not change just because you touch the trophy!"
Naturally, the players quickly accepted it - provided that the person touching the trophy was Pan Yi.
After all, in their minds, Pan Yi is God!
——
"Now that the players from both sides have stood on both sides of the court, let's introduce the starting lineups of both sides."
"Chelsea adopted the formation they are best at. The goalkeeper is Courtois, and the three central defenders in the defense are Ake, David Luiz and Van Dijk."
"The midfielder from left to right is Marcos Alonso, Hazard, Kante, Bernardo Silva, Azpilicueta, and the forward line is still Harry Kane and Lukaku
The combination."
"This lineup can be said to have no surprises. It is Chelsea's best lineup this season!"
"Let's look at Bayern Munich again."
"Guardiola used this game to eliminate the -1 formation that Bayern Munich used in defeating Real Madrid."
"The goalkeeper is Neuer, the back line is Alaba, Boateng, Xavi Martinez, Lahm, and the single defensive midfielder is Xavi Alonso."
"The front four will be Ribery, Vidal, Thomas Muller, and Robben from left to right. At the top is center Lewandowski."
"This is also Bayern Munich's strongest lineup!"
"It can be said that both teams today have very well-organized lineups. They will definitely give their best in this game!"
"Whether it's Chelsea or Bayern Munich, they are both world-famous for their powerful offensive power. Pan Yi and Guardiola have their own ideas in shaping their own offensive systems."
"It can be foreseen that today will be a wonderful offensive battle, and the fans are in for a treat!"
At this time, Pan Yi looked at the position of the Bayern Munich players on the sidelines and nodded slightly.
This was almost as expected.
Perhaps after two tough battles with Real Madrid, Guardiola has determined his core playing style of -1, so he will not do anything in the final.
The same is true for Pan Yi.
As the founder of the -1 formation, he is certainly very aware of the various changes, advantages and disadvantages of Guardiola's -1 variant.
The shortcomings in particular are the protection of the single midfielder and the relative weakness of wing defense.
In my own set, the two wing-backs and the wide center backs can gain advantage on the wing, and the three midfielders can also suppress Xavi Alonso's single defensive midfielder style.
Even if their Xavi Martinez steps up to form a double defensive midfielder with Xabi Alonso, Chelsea still have a numerical advantage.
Therefore, Pan Yi also chose not to mess around and directly used the formation that his players are best at and familiar with to face the enemy. Wouldn't it be beautiful?
Of course, Guardiola's -1 has another change, that is, the front four have retreated one to two squares, the two attacking midfielders have become central midfielders or even defensive midfielders, and the two wingers have also become
Become an avant-garde.
In this way, Bayern's midfielder can suddenly become five people, which can form a numerical advantage to suppress Chelsea's midfielder, and the defense is also denser, making it difficult for the opponent to break through.
But in this case, only Lewandowski is left on the offensive line, and constipation is inevitable.
Based on Pan Yi's understanding of Guardiola, he will definitely not do this, at least not at first.
When he is coaching, he is more insisting on his own football philosophy and his own ideas.
Defending is definitely not what Guardiola or Bayern Munich like. Even Bayern fans can't tolerate seeing a Bayern with an iron barrel formation!
So they would rather lose the game than press out.
Then, as the commentator said, this Champions League will unsurprisingly turn into an offensive battle.
What Pan Yi told the boys was to stabilize their position after the start and not rush to attack.
This is an opening strategy chosen from the perspective of "controlling unexpected variables".
If both sides start with a fierce attack, the defense will definitely be relatively empty when both sides are open and close.
In this way, as long as the offensive players on both sides with outstanding personal abilities perform well, it will not be a surprise for anyone to score.
In other words, it's a bit like luck.
As for Chelsea, who are superior in strength and condition, this is obviously not cost-effective.
Therefore, it should be a smarter way to stabilize the formation, withstand Bayern's wave of attacks first, and then make plans after dampening the opponent's energy!——
At this time, with the referee's whistle, the much-anticipated Champions League final finally kicked off.
Bayern Munich took the lead in winning the kick-off.
After Lewandowski kicked the ball to Thomas Muller from the kick-off spot, the latter passed the ball directly into the backcourt.
At the same time, the players in the frontcourt rushed forward quickly. Robben and Ribery on both sides were more like two sharp blades, heading directly towards Chelsea's goal.
The Blues also retreated quickly, especially the three central defenders who retreated directly to the front of the penalty area and immediately organized their defense.
Bayern's attack quickly crossed the halfway line.
Xavi Alonso took the ball and moved his kick to the left rib. Ribery received the ball and drove it towards the center.
Kanter followed closely to make up the position, but Ribery was very flexible and would break through Kanter's defense with just one movement.
Kanter extended his leg a little late, tripping Ribery to the ground, and the referee's whistle sounded immediately.
This was the first foul of the game, and Bayern Munich got a free kick opportunity in the frontcourt.
A set-piece opportunity was created less than a minute into the game. The Bayern Munich fans in the stands were extremely excited, and the song "Star of the South" suddenly rang over the San Siro Stadium.
At this time on the field, Ribery and Robben were standing on both sides of the penalty spot.
These two Bayern flying wings happen to have one right foot and one left foot, and can kick different free kicks.
However, the free kick was about 30 meters away from the goal, and it seemed unlikely that it would hit the goal directly. Therefore, Chelsea mainly defended Bayern Munich's tall players who entered the penalty area.
Unexpectedly, Ribery suddenly fired a fast curve ball with strong spin and went straight to the goal.
Courtois made a quick judgment and stretched out his hands to catch the ball.
But he didn't expect the ball to spin very strongly. Courtois couldn't hold on for a while and actually let go!
This sudden change caused a commotion in the entire penalty area, and there were even screams in the stands.
Lewandowski quickly followed up and missed the follow-up shot before everyone else, but Van Dijk flew to the ground and blocked Lewandowski's follow-up shot from the goal.
Only then did all the Chelsea fans in the San Siro Stadium exhale, and their tense nerves relaxed a little.
Courtois raised his hands toward his teammates apologetically, saying that the danger was caused by his own mistake. He seemed a little nervous.
Today, captain Azpilicueta, Kante, Van Dijk and other teammates on the field walked over to comfort him.
Pan Yi also clapped vigorously on the sidelines, encouraging everyone:
"Everyone is doing well, don't be anxious, take your time!"
This is the final, this is the Champions League final!
Even the most experienced players may have emotional fluctuations or make some low-level mistakes, let alone young players like Chelsea.
Courtois has always been regarded as a player with a "big heart", but he is only 24 years old this year, which is still very young for a goalkeeper.
What's more, the game has just begun, and sometimes the players' bodies are not fully relaxed, or they are a little tense mentally.
Therefore, encouragement is still needed at this time.
Pan Yi believes that these players under him can quickly adjust themselves and then quickly enter the game state.
Things like Karius's failure to recover from his mistakes probably won't happen...
At this time, Ribery had already run to the corner kick area.
But this time, when he took the corner kick, Courtois quickly rushed out of the goal, jumped high, and picked it out of the air before everyone else, without giving Bayern Munich any chance to threaten the goal.
The Belgian goalkeeper's attack also won him cheers from the audience.
Pan Yi also nodded slightly.
Courtois is like this, he will not be affected by his own mistakes, otherwise he will not become the most powerful contender for the "World No. 1" in the future.
The game continues.
Bayern Munich still does a good job both offensively and defensively.
Especially when Chelsea gets the ball, their four attacking midfielders and one center will fiercely press Chelsea in the frontcourt.
Chelsea started the game a little cautiously and focused on stability, so judging from the scene, it felt like they were being suppressed by Bayern Munich.
The Bundesliga giant uses its pressing pressure and active running to make it difficult for Chelsea to spread the ball, and mistakes often occur after two or three passes.
This is also the result of some targeted deployments made by Guardiola to Chelsea.
Everyone knows that Chelsea's midfield and backfield are very skilled in passing and controlling, and the three central defenders have strong ball-playing abilities, so Guardiola arranged for Lewandowski and Muller, and Vidal to play against the three central defenders at the same time.
The pressing action allowed Robben and Ribery to position themselves further forward, pressing against Kante.
This kind of almost man-to-man zone pressing, coupled with the fact that Bayern Munich players were relatively energetic at the start, gave Chelsea a real headache. It was difficult for the ball to even reach the frontcourt, let alone pose a threat.
However, because Pan Yi had already warned about the difficulties that would be encountered after the start, Chelsea players were also mentally prepared for this.
They are very well-organized in defense. Once they lose the ball, they immediately form a rigorous defensive layer and will not give Bayern Munich a chance to truly threaten the goal.
It wasn't until the 8th minute that Bayern Munich got another shot.
It was Lewandowski again. The Polish striker's long shot from 30 meters away from the goal was slightly wide of the goal.
After the goal kick was taken, it was scored by a Bayern player.
Bayern Munich left back Alaba suddenly moved forward, and Ribery dribbled the ball towards Chelsea's right rib. After attracting the attention of defensive players such as Azpilicueta, he suddenly moved back to the left.
Without thinking, Alaba made a pass with his left foot and sent the ball into the penalty area.
At this time, Robben quickly stepped in from behind, blocked David Luiz with his body, stopped the ball with his chest, and shot straight after landing.
The ball went straight to the goal with thunderous momentum.
As the fans in the audience screamed, Courtois once again made a wonderful flying save, blocking Robben's close shot from the bottom line. Bayern Munich once again won a corner kick opportunity in the frontcourt.
"Chelsea's defense was loose this time, and Courtois reacted very quickly. If he hadn't made a timely judgment, I'm afraid Robben's shot would have penetrated Chelsea's goal."
"It's ten minutes now and we see Bayern Munich continuing to put pressure on Chelsea."
"This will definitely surprise many people. Because no one would have thought that before the game, as the number one favorite to win the championship, and with the world's top coach Pan Yi sitting in, Chelsea would be suppressed by Bayern Munich at the beginning."
"Ten minutes into the game, Chelsea didn't even have a shot on goal. This is so surprising."
"Let's look at this corner kick from Bayern Munich."
"It was still Franck Ribery who took the penalty and sent it into the penalty area. Ake headed the ball to clear the ball, but the ball did not fly far."
"Xavi Alonso's long shot! It went slightly over the crossbar."
"Although we didn't score, these few attacks must have scared Chelsea fans into a cold sweat."
"Now Pan Yi should make strong adjustments as soon as possible to reverse the situation on the court."
"I wonder if he regrets touching the Big Ears trophy before the game?"
——
"As expected, Guardiola is really good at attacking."
Pan Yi stood on the sidelines with his hands behind his back and paused leisurely.
Of course, he was not as nervous as the fans. After all, such a scene was expected by him, and it could even be said to be part of his plan.
"Bayern Munich's pressing style of play consumes a lot of physical energy, and I'm afraid it won't last long." Assistant coach Arteta on the side analyzed.
Many teams did this when they played Chelsea, so Arteta also saw it clearly.
But the question is, does Guardiola know what Arteta knows?
This is precisely because of Guardiola's confidence in his team and his tactics.
In the first ten minutes of the game, Guardiola's tactics were based on restraining Chelsea's passing and controlling, and then seizing the opportunity to counterattack.
Bayern Munich's attacking group, headed by Lewandowski, has very high tactical execution. It is up to them to suppress Chelsea's three ball-playing central defenders, especially forcing David Luiz to find it difficult to pass the ball forward effectively.
At the same time, Ribery and Robben were positioned very high on the wings, almost following Chelsea's two full-backs, especially Azpilicueta on the right.
Captain Azpilicueta on the field today has always been good at both offense and defense. He can be said to be the representative of an all-around full-back. Dribbling and delivering the ball are both very important means for the team.
Therefore, today Robben is more active on the right side of Van Dijk, blocking the Chelsea center back's path to the right.
Azpilicueta has fewer opportunities to get the ball on this side. Marcos Alonso on the left is relatively slow and has average breakthrough ability, so it is difficult to create opportunities on both sides.
In the defensive midfielder position, Xavi Alonso initially pressed higher, mainly against Chelsea's Kante, which made Chelsea's midfielder unable to control the midfield as he pleased before.
Hazard and B in front of Kanter, because Bayern Munich's defense line is higher, the three lines are kept very compact, which makes it difficult for Chelsea's two attacking midfielders to get opportunities, and receiving and delivering the ball are not ideal.
.
In general, Chelsea's passing and controlling style of play was curbed by Bayern Munich's aggressive pressing.
In particular, Bayern's off-the-ball movement itself is very good. Each player can form a local double-team situation through large-scale movements, making it difficult for Chelsea to effectively pass the ball.
On the contrary, it was Bayern who counterattacked vigorously, and the threat became greater every time.
It should be said that Guardiola's opening tactics were very successful and the effect was obvious. Chelsea made frequent mistakes in passing and receiving.
It can even be said that if Bayern Munich continues to be suppressed like this, it will be a matter of time before they are scored.
Look at Lewandowski's two shots. If it weren't for Chelsea's defenders and goalkeepers, Bayern might have taken the lead.
Once Bayern scores a goal, Guardiola is likely to change his style of play, focus more on controlling the ball, loosen the pressure on the court, and allocate physical energy more reasonably.
In this way, they are ahead in the score again, and there will not be too many hidden dangers in terms of physical fitness.
This is Guardiola's overall consideration for this game.
Of course, as an old friend of Gua Shuai, Pan Yi already has a plan to deal with it.
"You two, stand back!" Pan Yi shouted toward the court.
He was calling out the two wing-backs Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso.
After adjusting their positions, they stood at the full-back position, while David Luiz pushed forward a little, forming a double defensive midfielder with Kanter.
At this time, Chelsea's formation changed into a four-midfield position that was different from the ordinary one. To be precise, it was a -2 formation.
In this way, Chelsea can accumulate more troops in the center and avoid Bayern's key attacks on its two wings.
Aren't you Bayern very good at grabbing it? Then come and grab it again now!
After Pan Yi finished arranging the first response of the game, he turned around and looked at Guardiola in front of the visiting team's coaching bench.
At this time, Gua Shuai saw Pan Yi's adjustment and happened to look over here, and his eyes immediately met.