Unknowingly, it has been almost a year and a half since De Bruyne came to Hamburg.
Sometimes, he would still think of the first time he met Pan Yi.
De Bruyne, who was 21 years old at the time, had his eyes wide open. Hearing this young coach who was only a few years older than him but already famous, talking about his future, to be honest, he still had some doubts in his heart. p>
But after Pan Yi completely and clearly told him the team's future plans and ensured his core position in the team, De Bruyne was still moved and followed the coach of the Dragon Kingdom to Germany and Hamburg. No matter how optimistic he looked at this transfer, he could not have imagined that one year later he would become the Bundesliga's assist leader and follow Hamburg to the Bundesliga runner-up finish.
It can be said that this is the fastest progress in De Bruyne's career, and it can even be called a year of rapid progress.
Who would have thought that a year ago, De Bruyne was just a young player who couldn't play at Chelsea and was rented out?
And all of this is obviously thanks to Pan Yi, the head coach.
At the awards ceremony at the end of last season, De Bruyne said in an interview:
"Our boss has really helped me a lot. He knows what my characteristics are, what position I am suitable for, and what kind of help I can provide to my teammates."
"He is a very special football coach! He has a pair of unique eyes, and he seems to be able to see the uniqueness of each player."
"He can also tap out the potential and advantages of each player and combine them into a complete and reasonable set of tactics. I am happier than ever in Hamburg because under the guidance of Pan Yi, I have performed
Bring out the best in yourself.”
De Bruyne is definitely not blowing the coach's rainbow fart, this is really what he says from the bottom of his heart.
When he came to the team, Pan Yi customized a 4231 formation for him, and placed De Bruyne in the midfielder position as the team's core organizer to deliver cannonballs to the front. p>
This is his favorite position and the position he is best at.
He also gave his own answer to Pan Yi's trust in him: 16 assists in the season, winning the title of assist king!
Then, in his second season in Hamburg, after more reinforcements joined the team, Pan Yi decided to switch to 433 and asked De Bruyne to start playing on the right side of the three midfielders.
At first, De Bruyne was a little uncomfortable with it and didn't quite understand it.
We played well in 4231 and achieved good results. Why should we change to 433?
In response to the doubts raised by De Bruyne and many other players, Pan Yi also held a meeting to answer questions.
Under Pan Yi's explanation, everyone slowly understood and accepted it.
First of all, Pan Yi wants everyone to confirm the team's positioning this season, that is, Hamburg is now a strong team!
The 4231 formation is a formation that maximizes the role of the front midfielder on the basis of ensuring defensive intensity. However, in today's football, with the deepening of everyone's understanding of space theory, the frontcourt offensive methods are more diverse, including in-cutting wingers, wingers.
New roles such as midfielders have become more popular, which has squeezed the living space of the single front midfielder.
This leads to the fact that although 4231 is still widely used by mid-range teams and low-level leagues, its usage rate among wealthy teams has been declining.
The reason is simple:
Under the space theory, when attacking, we need to spread out the formation to make the court space larger. The most direct manifestation is the use of the wing space. When attacking, there will always be players active on the wing to widen the overall offensive width.
The task of widening the width is initially given to offensive players such as wingers or full midfielders, but the offensive players of strong teams are often very talented, so it would be a bit "wasteful" to only let them pass from the side.
In order to allow the offensive players to use their talents more, the "simple" task of hugging the sides to widen the formation is left to the full-backs.
It's a bit like Bayern's Robben or Hamburg's Salah. Their talents are definitely not just wingers. Players like them tend to move inward towards the center when attacking, occupying the rib space.
Leave space on the wing for the full-backs who move in behind.
If this adduction is not tight, the movement space of the front waist will be squeezed out. Think about the movement position of the traditional front waist and Robben's incision route. The two overlap in space.
Therefore, teams often choose to remove the attacking midfielder and add midfielders or forwards to occupy more court space, making the court larger and more space when attacking.
As the front midfielder gradually disappears, the 4231 that relies on the front midfielder naturally becomes less popular. This is why Kaka sighed in an interview after retiring: "The classic front midfielder has completely disappeared, and there will be no more
Position 10!"
Pan Yi made this judgment and decision based on his knowledge of the future football development trend and the characteristics of Hamburg's current lineup.
Behind every inverted winger there will be a full-back with strong assist ability to shoulder the task of widening the formation width during offense.
Now in Hamburg's formation, Robertson is behind Sun Xingmin, and Carvajal is behind Salah.
They can hug the sides to assist, and can also move in to defend. If they don't make good use of their abilities, it will be a waste!
Facts also proved that Pan Yi's decision was correct.
Hamburg has played incredibly beautiful football this season, almost invincible and invincible!
At that time, although De Bruyne understood Pan Yi's tactical thinking of why he wanted to switch from 4231 to 433, he was still not very clear about his new position.
So Pan Yi gave De Bruyne a small start and gave him a brand new term: "pseudo winger"!
Pseudo winger, mezz.
This word comes from Italian and is actually a combination of two words, mezza and winger, which means half winger.
This type of midfielder often appears in a three-midfield system with a single defensive midfielder. Their role is to penetrate deep between the opponent's back line and midfield defense line, occupying half of the area to connect the team's midfield and frontcourt.
.
In Pan Yi's 433 formation, when attacking, De Bruyne and another midfielder (Paulinho or Kante, they are not necessarily pseudo-wingers) will step forward to receive the ball in the ribs, and the two will
The winger will open up the space on the wing, and the two full-backs will step forward and become the defensive midfielders.
The result is that such a triangular passing route will be formed in any part of the midfield, making any marking player of the opponent isolated.
At the same time, if the player's running ability is very strong, the full-back, wing midfielder and winger close to the wing can also change positions to get rid of the opponent.
Therefore, a pseudo-winger needs to have certain abilities in offense, organization, and defense. Of course, organization is the main focus. And this is the biggest characteristic of De Bruyne.
Moreover, it not only isolates the opponent's midfielder, but passing the ball while standing on the side of the ribs also reduces the angle at which the player can pass the ball;
But compared to frontal passing, when standing sideways to receive the ball, you can pass the ball without much adjustment, and the passed ball will be easier for teammates to catch. This is also the advantage of the pseudo-winger role.
One.
In fact, in world football, the best players in the position of pseudo-winger, apart from Iniesta, Xavi, and David Silva of Spain's golden generation, the most representative one is Pan Yi who played in Manchester City in his previous life.
De Bruyne at that time.
In other words, Pan Yi has arranged for De Bruyne the most suitable position for him in the future a few years in advance!
Therefore, when De Bruyne relieved his inner doubts and became familiar with this position according to Pan Yi's guidance during training, he immediately felt great!
Compared with being squeezed by two wide players at any time in the attacking midfielder position, he is more comfortable playing as a pseudo-winger.
[To be honest, I have been using Yeguoyuedu to read and catch up on books recently. I can switch sources and read aloud with many sounds. yeguoyuedu is available for Android and Apple.]
He can move to the center of the midfield and continue to play the organizational role of the attacking midfielder, sending through balls to the forwards;
He can also play as a winger or midfielder to make passes;
He can retreat to his own side, launch long-range guidance from the backcourt, and pass long passes to the opponent's penalty area to pose a threat;
He can also plug in from the back row in the middle and directly attack the opponent's goal with sharp long-range shots!
In this way, De Bruyne discovered that his talents were truly fully unleashed!
For Pan Yi, he just used his experience of watching football in his previous life, combined with his systematic tactical knowledge, to use De Bruyne in advance according to the way Guardiola used it in the Manchester City era;
But for De Bruyne, he has found the biggest world of his own!
He knows very well that this is all because of Pan Yi, this amazing head coach is really amazing!
Not only De Bruyne, but all the players in the team seem to be moving forward on the road to stardom under Pan Yi's careful attention.
With their greatly improved performance, they have gradually become famous in European football, and have even attracted the attention of many wealthy teams.
This was unimaginable before.
De Bruyne is really grateful to Pan Yi for his trust and cultivation!
In return for the head coach, De Bruyne always gives his best in every game.
Every time he gets an opportunity, De Bruyne will move forward bravely, and he will never discount any tactical arrangements made by the head coach!
……
"Pass the ball over!"
At the People's Park Stadium, the match between Hamburg and Ajax had reached the 15th minute. De Bruyne shouted to Vardy in front.
10 seconds ago, De Bruyne was still standing at the back end of the center circle arc, which is the upper position of Hamburg's backcourt, and passed a long pass to Salah on the right.
Then he saw Salah dribbling the ball towards the penalty area, and when Vardy was already pressing the opponent's central defender in the middle, he realized the opportunity and moved forward without hesitation.
This is his mission! One of the responsibilities of a pseudo-winger!
After Salah took a step laterally, he kicked the ball into a semi-high ball, just over the head of a defender and to Vardy's side.
After Vardy used his body to block the opponent's central defender, he stopped the ball with his chest and tried to turn and kick to hit the goal.
But the opponent was already prepared, so Vardy immediately protected the ball.
At this moment, De Bruyne quickly moved forward and called Vardy.
More than a year of cooperation has made the two people very familiar with each other and have a tacit understanding. Vardy didn't think too much at all, and immediately pushed the ball gently and kicked it back to the right side of the top of the arc.
De Bruyne rushed over, and before the opponent's central defender Dunswell rushed over to block it, he shot without stopping the ball!
Vardy's pass was very comfortable, and De Bruyne's shot was also well shot.
The ball flew out quickly like a cannonball and directly hit the right side of the Ajax goal.
This is a classic hamburger-style cooperation, and it is also a concentrated expression of De Bruyne's advantage in the pseudo-winger position.
"goalllllllllllllllll!
”
"Hamburg opened the scoring! They led 1:0 at home!"
"Vardy responded in the penalty area and assisted teammate De Bruyne to score a long shot."
"This shot was very beautiful! De Bruyne made a very exciting start for Hamburg."
After scoring the goal, De Bruyne excitedly rushed to Pan Yi to celebrate, and Pan Yi also hugged his most proud disciple with a smile on his face.
With the home team leading, this game will be much easier to play.
To break the deadlock as soon as possible, this is also Pan Yi's request to the players before the game.
Obviously, Hamburg's players did not keep their head coach waiting too long.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
……
This Ajax team is actually not very easy to play.
Under the leadership of Frank DeBoer, they defend tenaciously, run aggressively, and have excellent overall combat capabilities.
They were able to almost win against AC Milan at home, and they also fought Hamburg until the 90th minute, which can prove this.
But teams that focus on defense are just afraid of being scored first by their opponents.
In the above two games, Ajax scored first, and then continued to shrink the defense and counterattack with a stable mentality. Only then will there be better progress and results.
Therefore, to deal with them, it is very important to score a goal first.
And now, Hamburg has done it after returning to their home court.
So, it's Ajax's turn to have a headache.
Moreover, Pan Yi is not prepared to give DeBoer too much time to think.
After celebrating the goal, Pan Yi waved to the players, indicating that they should continue to suppress their opponents and press the line tighter.
Now comparing the strengths of the two sides, Hamburg obviously has an advantage.
And today Hamburg is playing at home again, and now they are leading by one goal. Pan Yi naturally hopes that the team can go all out and directly defeat the opponent!
……
DeBoer's team also quickly made changes.
As Pan Yi expected, Hamburg's first goal disrupted De Boer's pre-match plan, and he could only press out and attack.
After three rounds of group matches, Ajax has only accumulated 1 point. If they continue to lose this round and Barcelona wins Milan at home, they will basically bid farewell to the top 16 two rounds in advance.
Therefore, defense no longer makes any sense.
As a result, the two teams began a fierce offensive battle.
But as mentioned just now, Hamburg's strength is dominant, especially the midfielder led by De Bruyne, which firmly controls the rhythm of the game.
Ajax seemed to attack aggressively, but they never gained a firm foothold and were never able to control the ball and rhythm.
The game has always been under the control of Hamburg.
Therefore, Ajax's offense is often thunderous and rainy, making it difficult to form a truly effective shot.
But burgers are different.
Their offense is always well-organized, the frontcourt is organized in an orderly manner, and the three lines are closely integrated and cooperate tacitly, so they can certainly pose a threat.
In the 24th minute, Hamburg once again pressed the defense through the midfield, with Kanter and De Bruyne already pressing into the 30-meter area.
After receiving a pass from Casemiro, Kante passed the ball straight to the front from the left side of the midfield. After Son Xingmin broke into the penalty area with his left rib, he kicked the ball horizontally and hit the goal.
But this time the shot was too straight and was blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper.
But burgers will soon make a comeback.
In just one minute, the Hamburg midfielder successfully intercepted the ball and the ball reached the right side of the midfield.
After receiving the pass from his teammate, De Bruyne controlled the rhythm a little and then sent a ground-to-ground pass to the right side of the front edge of the penalty area.
Salah ran inside, stopped the ball, volleyed with his left foot, and hit a curve ball.
Ajax goalkeeper Cilaisen made a fierce save and blocked the ball.
But the ball didn't fly too far. Vardy, who was standing in the middle and was about to grab the ball, headed it just a little bit, and the ball flew into the Ajax goal.
2:0!
The entire People's Park stadium is boiling with excitement!
In less than 25 minutes, Hamburg scored two goals!
……
Frank DeBoer is feeling very uncomfortable right now.
As a player, he was a famous defender, winning many championships on behalf of Ajax and Barcelona, and also represented the Dutch national team in more than 100 games.
But people’s memories of Frank De Boer probably come from the semi-finals against Italy in the 2000 European Championship.
In that game, Frank de Boer missed two consecutive penalty kicks, causing the Dutch team to be eliminated, and also made the Italian goalkeeper "Santordo" famous.
In fact, judging from this experience, DeBoer's psychological quality is not particularly good.
And now, he is indeed a little panicked.
In the first round of the group stage, when Ajax scored four goals against Barcelona at the Camp Nou, he was not so panicked.
Although they lost at the time, Ajax's performance was not very bad. Barcelona mainly won the game through the role of its stars. Well, it was Messi's performance that won the game.
But today, Hamburg does not seem to have a world-class superstar like Messi, but it gives De Boer a stronger sense of oppression.
He has never seen such a violent attack!
And now, his team has been pushed to a dead end.
If you want to qualify in the group, you must win the remaining three rounds.
This is very, very difficult for Ajax, but De Boer has no choice.
In the third round at home against Hamburg, he was defeated by the opponent in the 90th minute. This gave De Boer a little fantasy, thinking that he might have a chance to steal one from the opponent at the People's Park Stadium today.
But what he didn't expect was that from the first minute of the game, Hamburg suppressed Ajax with a crazy offensive.
And now that the half is just over, Hamburg is leading by two goals.
How to play this?
And the situation on the field has not changed at all.
Hamburg is still chasing after them, and they are still creating scoring opportunities.
Vardy shoots, De Bruyne shoots, Salah shoots...
The continuous offensive was like a violent storm. Ajax was overwhelmed and found it difficult to prepare.
DeBoer stood on the sidelines, unable to issue any more instructions.
He knows that this game no longer belongs to him or Ajax.
He is losing confidence, and so are the players on the field.
They no longer have enough courage to fight against their opponents at the People's Park Stadium, nor are they able to break out of this death group.
……
Everyone knows that after Hamburg leads by 2 goals at home, there will basically be no suspense in the second half of the game.
Sure enough, after the two sides changed sides and fought again, Hamburg scored two goals again, ending this one-sided goal battle with a score of 4:0.
In other words, they achieved a terrifying four-game winning streak in such a death group!
Beat Milan 3:0 away, beat Barcelona 2:0 at home, beat Ajax 2:1, 4:0 at home and away...
After four rounds of the Champions League group stage, the whole world was surprised to find that Hamburg turned out to be the best team in this super group of death, and also played passionate offensive football.
In fact, even if all the teams participating in the Champions League this season are compared, Hamburg is one of the best performers.
The other two teams that have won four consecutive games in the first four rounds are Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.
Bayern won 3:0 CSKA Moscow, 3:1 Manchester City, 5:0 and 1:0 Plzen.
Atletico Madrid 3:1 Zenit St. Petersburg, 2:1 Porto, 3:0 and 4:0 Austria Vienna.
Although they both won completely, compared with Hamburg's opponents, Bayern and Atletico Madrid were obviously less difficult.
Therefore, after the game, all the media praised Hamburg and Pan Yi, thinking that their strength has truly impressed everyone!
In another Group H match at the same time, Barcelona defeated AC Milan 3:1 at home.
In this way, the situation of group h will be clear.
Hamburg 12 points, Barcelona 7 points, AC Milan 2 points, Ajax 1 point.
Hamburg has secured the right to qualify for the group!
As long as they score 1-2 points in the next two rounds, they can basically qualify as first in the group.
AC Milan still has a slight hope of competing for another qualifying spot in this group, but they must win all the remaining two rounds, and Barcelona must lose two consecutive games.
This almost announced that Milan had actually been eliminated from the group.
This made many Italian media lament.
Who would have thought that the Champions League champions two years ago would now have a hard time qualifying for the group stage?
There is even a possibility of being at the bottom of the group!
Of course head coach Allegri is to blame for his hiring and formation, but why wasn't he replaced earlier?
The media immediately pointed the finger at Director Galliani, believing that it was his indecision that caused today's consequences.
If we had changed coaches after losing to Hamburg in the first round, maybe we wouldn’t be in this situation!
What is even more frustrating is that Milan is not only on the verge of elimination from the Champions League, but has also lost its position in the league.
After 11 rounds of Serie A, AC Milan’s results are 3 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses!
Ranking 11th in the standings with only 12 points, which is actually just one more victory than the 9 points in the relegation zone.
"Gazzetta dello Sport" lamented:
"In less than a year and a half, Milan has gone from a Triple Crown team to trash almost stuck in the relegation zone."
"In just this year and a half, Pan Yi's Hamburg has grown into a force that cannot be ignored in European football."
"Everyone with a discerning eye can see the key to this change."