Of course Portugal was not idle in those days either.
No team will take it lightly if they miss a final, let alone face a team coached by Pan Yi?
Compared with a world-leading coach like Pan Yi, Portuguese head coach Fernando Santos seems too ordinary.
Although he will be 61 years old next year, his playing career or coaching career can be said to be mediocre.
In the early days, he spent most of his time with some teams in Portugal and Greece. It was not until he started coaching the Greek national team in 2010 that he became famous.
He led the team to the 2012 European Cup finals and historically led the team to the knockout rounds of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Such results attracted the attention of the Portuguese, who succeeded Paul Bento as Portugal's new coach after the World Cup.
In the next two years, the European Cup was of course the focus of Santos' work. In fact, he did a good job. The winning rate of 68.75% allowed them to successfully break through the qualifying rounds and reach the main draw.
Now, he has led his team to the European Cup finals!
This was the second time in Portugal's history that they reached the finals. In the European Cup held in their home country in 2004, they lost to the Greek team in the finals, achieving the "Greek myth" of missing a leg.
At that time, the 19-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, who was not called "Little Ronaldinho", shed tears of sadness. I believe many fans still remember it.
That time, no matter Santos or Ronaldo, of course they hope to create history and make up for the regrets of all Portuguese people 12 years ago.
"It will be difficult for them to spy on the Swedish team's intelligence."
Assistant coach Valle reported: "Similar to the French team before the game, Pan Yi was a little bit mysterious, and all training was closed."
Santos smiled slightly: "I guessed it. He can tinker with something new every time, but of course he is afraid of being seen by them. Like the formation when playing against France, the fact is that it is very unexpected, and initially it was also unexpected.
It has received good results.”
Of course, Santos and Pan Yi also appreciate it.
Of course, in that world, what coach would not appreciate Pan Yi?
Peers know their peers best, and they naturally all know how difficult it is for Pan Yi to lead the team to achieve those results.
Especially that time he led the mediocre Swedish team to fight all the way out of the group of death and then reach the finals. It can be said that he amazed the whole world!
It also opened the eyes of coaches around the world, allowing everyone to see how Pan Yifou can make a team with average technical level fully utilize his tactical qualities and play his own style and level.
They also know whether Pan Yi's tactics are so far ahead of the world's football trends, and whether they are leading football tactics to make big strides forward.
Even Santos itself can get nourishment from Pan Yi's coaching philosophy and apply it to his own team.
Santos has benefited a lot from the players' triangle and four-corner coordination, running without the ball, full-backs' support from the waist, switching between center backs and full-backs, contact between center and wingers, etc.
Pan Yi led the team to play games, whether it was Milan, Hamburg, Chelsea, or today's Sweden. From time to time, I would take out the game videos and take a look, and I would get some new insights.
Then live and learn until you are old!
The 61-year-old Santos can be inspired by Pan Yi in this way, not to mention those young coaches who are in the promotion stage. They all regard Pan Yi as their idol and want to worship him.
.
Valais suddenly said: "Let me ask, are those rumors true? Pan Yi really has the mysterious power of the Dragon Kingdom? Did he use that power to defeat France?"
Valais is an old man in his fifties, and he does believe in those things.
"As far as he knows, young people in the Dragon Kingdom generally don't believe that. He thinks Pan Yi is just using it to fight a psychological war." Santos shook his head and said, "Are they also affected by that? Don't ask for attention.
Leave it all to your own preparations."
"No." Valais nodded in agreement, but he was not worried. "Then what should they do now? He feels like his eyes are dark."
Santos pointed to the midfield position where the tactical board was and began to express his views:
"Now they can guess Yidong Pan Yi's playing style through Sweden's previous games."
"Although they have a star like Ibrahimovic, they do not rely heavily on him on the court. In other words, Ibrahimovic's fulcrum and finisher in the frontcourt is just a part of their tactical system."
"And like other players, Forsberg, Isaac, Lindelof, Augustinsson...etc., if those players are singled out individually, their strength may not be said to be outstanding. But if they are combined together, they are definitely wrong.
Is it a misconception that all teams have a headache? This is also the characteristic of Sweden, which is strong team fighting ability!"
"And they have Cristiano Ronaldo, B seats, including Nani. They are fast, have good skills, have the ability to explode individually, and also have the threat of counterattack. That is not their advantage, and it is definitely not the focus of their prevention."
"So, when they are wrong, they should and will play team football to the extreme, especially whether they will organize a strong defensive network in the midfield and strengthen the control of the midfielder to block their effective passing.
, and prevent them from passing the ball upfield, especially from Ronaldo’s feet.”
"But they can also prevent them from doing that. Because Sweden's disadvantages are also obvious. The technical ability of their players is quite different from theirs. Therefore, they want to give full play to their ball control skills, speed and
Its flexibility improves the speed of passing and receiving as well as the speed of advancement!”
Valais nodded frequently after hearing this.
It can be said that Santos' words hit the target of the Swedish team's wishes.
After all, there is indeed a big gap between the Swedish team and the Portuguese team in terms of technical sophistication and quick passing and receiving.
Once both sides pick up the pace, Portugal's advantage will become more obvious, and the Swedish team will fall into a situation of frequent mistakes.
"In that game, they took the initiative to attack from the very beginning!" Santos said suddenly.
That made Valais a little surprised.
Santos's military use has always given people a stable but calm feeling. Pan Yi once said that he is not good at winning by surprise.
In previous games, Portugal has always been in a defensive and counterattacking position and has not often taken the initiative to attack.
But now that it's the final, Santos is going out of character?
"What Pan Yi is best at is dragging the game to their own pace. If he succeeds, it will be difficult for them to regain control," Santos explained.
Is this based on Portugal’s own characteristics?
In terms of the overall strength of the team, Portugal is actually not as good as France, Germany, or even Spain.
In other words, since Sweden can win against those teams before, it can do the same with Portugal.
Looking at Pan Yi's past tactical play, it is very common to suddenly exert force to control the situation and then hit the wrong leg.
Especially if you find the weakness of the wrong side and directly seize the enemy's loopholes to beat them up, the wrong side loses its energy and opportunity, and then the game from the east will enter Pan Yi's rhythm.
And once you get into Pan Yi's rhythm, it will be difficult to come back with a wrong leg.
"So, they must work out a set of specific steps and details for attacking after the opening. It is best to open up the Swedish team's defense line from the beginning and catch him by surprise!"
Santos said, and started discussing with Valle.
They all know that if they don't pay attention to the tactical details when playing against Pan Yi's team, then if they want to win, they can rely on God's blessing.
For example, if Cristiano Ronaldo scores a hat-trick, will he be a god?
——
After more than twenty days of competition, the European Cup has finally reached its most exciting moment.
Of the 24 participating teams, only two teams from the East are left, and from those two teams, another new champion in the history of the European Cup will be determined!
The whole world has turned its attention to Paris, to Saint-Denis, and to the Stade de France.
On the day of the European Cup final, the whole city was like a volcano erupting, with fans and reporters from far and wide gathering everywhere.
Coupled with the UEFA officials and staff who had already arranged and prepared everything there, the streets and alleys of Paris were full of tension and excitement before the European Cup finals, and it was very joyful!
No, joy.
Whether it is the Portuguese fans wearing red jerseys, the Swedish fans wearing yellow jerseys, the neutral French fans, or even the fans from the Dragon Country coming from afar...
Everyone was singing and dancing together, looking forward to the arrival of that football event.
That's not the true meaning of football, that can bring joy to people all over the world!
As for welcoming fans from all over the world, Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport and Saint-Denis Airport both ushered in the busiest day of the year.
That whole day, there were almost non-stop planes taking off and landing at various airports in Paris. Some of them were originally in France, or they had gone to watch football in other cities and were now diverted to Paris;
Some come all the way from their respective countries to support their national teams, whether they support Sweden or Portugal;
Yes, there are fans of Pan Yi from all over the world. They come here to see Pan Yi. Fans of the Dragon Country account for a large part there, and at the same time they are also supporters of the Swedish team.
Even though the airport staff and the city police department had made preparations early, they still underestimated the atmosphere of the finals.
From Saint-Denis to the whole of Paris, the atmosphere of the final soared like a rocket into the sky. The atmosphere of the European Cup final and the passion of the fans can be felt everywhere.
On the day of the final, major European bookmakers also offered the latest odds.
Portugal's winning odds are slightly ahead, reaching 2.75 to 1, but their odds of winning the wrong leg in the final of Sweden are not much lower than theirs, reaching 2.8 to 1.
The odds for a tie are 3.0 to 1. In addition, the odds for the winner in overtime are 6.0, and the odds for the penalty shootout are 5.0.
Such close odds prove that in the eyes of bookmakers, the final was a close contest!
That is basically consistent with the views of the media and fans.
In the eyes of most people, the Portuguese team's overall strength does have a slight advantage, and they are playing better and better under the leadership of Ronaldo and B. Their steady playing style is bound to cause the Swedish team to break the game and cause many problems.
Big trouble.
The most important thing is that the superstar Cristiano Ronaldo scored a goal in the semi-finals and showed a good state.
In such a crucial final that determines the outcome, the power of the superstar cannot be ignored!
As for the Swedish team, Pan Yi's formation is obviously still not the focus of everyone's attention.
At the same time, the central axis composed of Ibrahimovic, Forsberg, and Lindelof is also functioning better and better.
After successively defeating Spain, Germany, France and other powerful players in the elimination, the Swedish team is becoming more and more confident in the East.
Therefore, even if Sweden can defeat Portugal in the final and win the cup, I believe many people will not be surprised.
Not to mention that Sweden also has a world-class star Ibrahimovic!
It can be said that the two teams are even somewhat similar in terms of their personnel structure, that is, a few well-known stars come to fight with a group of younger brothers;
As for the Portuguese team, the "little brothers" in the Portuguese team generally want to be better than the Swedish "little brothers" in terms of strength and reputation.
After Portugal's first training session after arriving in Saint-Denis, head coach Santos also accepted an interview with reporters and talked about the upcoming final.
He said that the existence of Pan Yi made everything possible for the Swedish team.
"Because Pan Yifeng is a head coach who can improve a team's combat effectiveness by himself, they will not relax at all if they miss the Swedish team. He believes that his players also know this very well!"
"Their tactics? It has been banned for the tournament now, and the team has no secrets. The players are currently in good condition, and he will not make too many adjustments to the tactics."
"Pan Yi's tactics? In the past few games, the Swedish team has found a very reasonable set of tactics. They have scored a lot of goals and their defense is very solid. He doesn't think Pan Yi will do anything too unexpected.
Variety."
"As for the trend of the game, it is difficult to predict now, but Pan Yi is born as a head coach who pursues offensive football, and he has always given people the impression of playing proactive offensive football."
"When he was at Chelsea, they would often see that beautiful attack that was like mercury leaking out of the ground. It would be impossible for him to defend it."
"So he believes that in the final, they will definitely be able to see a Swedish team that attacks bravely because their head coach is Pan Yi!"
Santos also believed that either Portugal or Sweden would win the championship. He believed that both sides had the same chance of winning in that game, and no one could take advantage of the other side.
"After entering the finals, there is no easy game to play, let alone Pan Yi's wrong leg?"
"They are now thinking about how to enjoy the game. If they participate in the European Cup final for the second time, they want to play well and show everyone their desire to win the championship!"
Santos' remarks were graceful and measured, but did not show any signs of weakness.
And when Pan Yi saw such an interview report, he immediately understood Santos' intentions.
Santos seems to be bragging about Pan Yi, but he seems to want to put Pan Yi on the line and roast him. He feels that if Sweden does not play offensive football, it will not be able to live up to Pan Yi's reputation.
Is it because the Portuguese main force is unable to counterattack, so we are afraid that the Swedish team will also stay behind and not attack!
If everyone defends and counterattacks, with Portugal's current offensive capabilities, it will definitely not be worse than teams like Germany and France, and Santos is not sure.
Once Sweden presses forward to play, Portugal's forward counterattack speed can increase, and the characteristics of the entire Portuguese team can be brought into play.
In other words, Santos' words are motivating Pan Yi to attack him!
If it were another person, like a highly respected person like Wenger, who would be so praised by him, or he would really be shameless, and then start a false attack with them...
But who is Pan Yi?
He doesn’t do that!
The truth is winning!
"Hey, maybe he was wrong in one thing, that is, he won't stick to it in the game."
Looking at Santos talking on the TV screen, Pan Yi smiled and said to himself.
Although a team like Portugal focuses on counterattack, if I give the control completely away, it would mean letting the wrong team take advantage of me.
After all, the attack line composed of B, Nani, Cristiano Ronaldo, Quaresma and others can be said to be not inferior to any European team.
Therefore, Pan Yi asked whether he gave up possession of the ball premeditatedly, but whether he had to firmly control the wrong space, then control a certain game situation, and then slowly find opportunities to regain it.
At this time, the TV screen turned to outside the Stade de France.
There, there are already countless fans singing and dancing, preparing for tomorrow night's final.
Especially fans from Portugal and Sweden, who have traveled thousands of miles to come to Paris and Saint-Denis to support their country’s teams!
And Pan Yi can also guess that at this moment in Sweden, in Stockholm, and around the world, there will be countless fans waiting for the final to start just like those who came to Paris.
The difference is whether they are at home, in a bar, in a square, on various occasions, but whether their moods are the same.
Then cheer for the team you are passionate about and hope that your team can become the final champion!
Leading the team and satisfying the desires of the fans is undoubtedly the biggest wish of any head coach.
As the head coach of the Swedish team, Pan Yi, of course, wants to use the most reasonable way to defeat the wrong leg, so that all Swedish fans will get what they want!——
"Are you all ready?"
When Pan Yi's loud question came from the quiet locker room, all the Swedish players stood up and nodded in agreement towards Pan Yi. Their expressions looked very serious.
After all, rejecting the game will deny them the opportunity to create national history! It is obviously impossible to treat it completely indifferently.
"Then they are here!"
After saying that, Pan Yi, who was standing at the door of the locker room, opened the door of the locker room.
Everything that needs to be said has been said, now is the time for them to really fight!
As the door opened, the sounds of the closing ceremony outside suddenly flooded into the entire locker room, letting everyone feel the atmosphere of the Ye Chang finals.
The players, led by captain Ibrahimovic, walked out of the locker room one after another. Pan Yi and his coaching staff followed the team and also walked out.
During the whole process, no one communicated at all, as if they were all quietly waiting for the finals to come.
Soon, they arrived at the waiting room of the players' tunnel, where both sides lined up to prepare to play, and the Portuguese team members were already waiting here.
At the front of the queue was Portuguese team captain Cristiano Ronaldo. He first hugged Ibrahimovic and then said hello to Pan Yi.
He basically had no interaction with the players of the Swedish national team, so he couldn't communicate with the two biggest players like that.
But Pan Yi is different.
Although there are B seats and Cancelo in the Portuguese team now as his disciples, most of the players are at odds with Pan Yi, so he is considered to be his old partner.
For example, both Cedric and Fonte were unable to compete with Southampton in the Premier League, while Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe were both the main players of Real Madrid, and they also competed with Pan Yi many times in the Champions League;
The largest number of players in the Portuguese national team are from the top three of the Portuguese Super League. Sporting CP, Benfica and Porto have all played against Pan Yi's team in the past few years.
Even if you don't have plastic legs, who doesn't know Pan Yi?
Or in other words, which player doesn't want to know Pan Yi and have the opportunity to play under his wing?
Therefore, when Pan Yi entered the waiting room, he could not stop being greeted by voices, which shows his popularity.
"I'm a little rabbit, please be patient and don't fight too hard!"
Pan Yi walked up to Seat B and took the initiative to hug Yidong.
After hearing this, Seat B was stunned, then grinned, and hugged Dong Pan Yi tightly, saying: "Boss, although he wants to win me, he doesn't want to thank me. I want to thank you."
I, how can he stand on the stage of the European Cup final?"
What he said was correct.
Although he was also very mature in the timeline of his previous life, having made his first appearance for the Portuguese national team in 2015 at the age of 21, he had not been selected for this European Cup in the fierce competition before - of course, that was different from him.
It doesn't matter if I was a little injured at the time.
This also shows that he is not indispensable in the national team. After all, if he fails to contribute to the core players, the head coach will often give him a chance to recover during the competition.
But in that life, not only was Seat B not injured in the league, he also occupied a main position in the seven-time champion Chelsea and played a perfect season.
And he can play in the center or the side, but his versatility in Kedong has also been demonstrated in the Portuguese national team.
Under Santos, he often existed as a central midfielder, standing in front of William Carvalho with Renato Sanches, who had just joined the Bundesliga giant Bayern Munich for a high price of 35 million euros, as the frontcourt player.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani deliver cannonballs and can also sweep up in the midfield.
His advantage is that he is good at using good body flexibility and balance to complete technical movements. He is very capable of controlling the center of gravity under pressure. He can continuously accelerate after starting and make sudden turns while traveling, and he has strong ability to change speeds.
Although his personal defensive ability is not outstanding, Seat B takes the initiative to implement pressure awareness, and is better at grasping the opportunity to defend and miss the pursuit, which allows him to now firmly occupy the Portuguese national team.
A main position will also appear in the starting lineup for the final tomorrow.
Fighting for the country is always the ultimate goal of a football player, but being able to stand on the final stage of the World Series is something that many people only dream of!
So of course B is very grateful to Pan Yi for discovering and training him.
"Then I deserve it." Pan Yi patted Seat B on the back, and then exchanged a few words with Cancelo who was standing behind.
Unlike seat B, Cancelo has been a breakthrough player at Chelsea. Although his performance is good, he has not won the main position in the Portuguese national team for the time being.
Afterwards, Pan Yi returned to his team.
Now it's time to play in the final. Of course, they can't communicate for too long, and the referee of this game is already calling the players to come out.
When the players and coaches of the two teams walked out of the tunnel one by one, the entire Stade de France suddenly burst into overwhelming cheers.
They have been waiting for a long time!
As the two teams were preparing to line up to play the national anthem, Pan Yi returned to his visiting team's coaching bench. He turned his head and saw that Santos had already walked out of the field before the players and was standing in front of the home team's coaching bench preparing.
After the national anthem was played, another burst of cheers erupted from the audience, and then the players from both teams returned to their own half, dispersed their formations, and prepared to start the game.
At that time, Pan Yi took the initiative to walk towards Santos in front of the home team's coaching bench.
"I'm fine!" Pan Yi and Santos hugged each other gently.
Pan Yi felt that the old handsome man's body was somewhat stiff, and it was obvious that his mood was also a little nervous.
That's understandable, after all, there will only be one such event in a lifetime.
Moreover, unlike Pan Yi who often appears on big stages like the Champions League finals, for a coach like Santos who has previously coached in some teams outside the five major leagues, it is really a rare experience.
The two were not acquaintances, so they simply said hello and then returned to their respective coaching benches.
Almost at the same time, the captains, the two superstars Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo, had already finished guessing the side, and Portugal got the right to kick off first.