In the 31st round of the Bundesliga, Hamburg faced Wolfsburg at home.
This game is very crucial for both sides.
Hamburg must win to ensure its lead over Bayern, and Wolfsburg, currently ranked sixth in the standings, also needs to compete for the Europa League qualification.
But since Hamburg will face Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals four days later, Pan Yi still made a rotation in this game.
Wolfsburg, which was fighting on a single line, had no such concerns, and they sent all their main forces.
Forward: Olic.
Frontcourt: Perisic, Alexander-Arnold, Caligiuri.
Midfielder: Pollack, Gustavo.
Defenders: Ronaldo, Knoch, Naldo, Trasch.
Goalkeeper: Glenn.
But such a lineup seems unable to stop Hamburg at home.
They launched another violent attack on Wolfsburg's position.
In the 6th minute, Mitrovic received a cross from the left wing. He stopped the ball on his chest behind the penalty area and the shot was blocked by the goalkeeper. Then Lin Zhijian cut in from the right wing and shot a long shot, which was blocked by the goalkeeper.
In the 10th minute, Jansen's pass was blocked. The ball bounced out and Calhanoglu made a powerful arc shot from a long distance. Glenn reached the bottom line with one palm.
In the 12th minute, Wu Lei dribbled past Trasch with a left-wing dribble, broke into the penalty area and ejected from a small angle, but was also blocked by Glenn.
In the 16th minute, Paulinho passed the ball from the middle, and Wu Lei pushed the ball to the left rib of the penalty area. The ball hit the opponent and bounced back, hitting himself and popping out of the baseline.
Hamburg's continuous attacks finally bore fruit three minutes later.
In the 19th minute, Makoto Hasebe passed a long pass, Paulinho faked a shot and passed the ball. Wu Lei received a through ball from the left rib of the penalty area and calmly shot the ball into the upper corner of the goal, 1:0!
Although the visiting team players protested that Makoto Hasebe had fouled Gustavo before launching the long pass, the referee ignored it and the goal was valid!
After that, Hamburg's offense did not stop because of the lead.
In the 22nd minute, Calhanoglu made a free kick and took it himself, volleying high.
One minute later, Calhanoglu made a subtle through pass. Mitrovic shot a shot from the center of the penalty area, and the ball hit the crossbar and bounced out.
In the 27th minute, Mitrovic scored the ball, and Paulinho turned around at the top of the arc and missed the long shot.
In the stoppage time of the first half, Kjaer took a corner kick and headed over the top.
During the halftime break, neither side made any substitutions.
Hamburg still suppressed Wolfsburg and took the lead with this rotation. Pan Yi was naturally very satisfied.
So he is planning to let these people play right to the end and win more rest time for the main players.
As for Black Gold, since he was already the main force, now that he is lagging behind, he can only make some tactical fine-tuning on the existing personnel and try to regain the disadvantage in the second half.
But after the start of the second half, Hamburg became more and more courageous amidst the cheers of the fans and did not give Wolfsburg any chance.
In the 51st minute, Wu Lei made a diagonal pass, and Mitrovic took advantage of the situation to volley with his left foot, which was confiscated by the goalkeeper.
2 minutes later, Makoto Hasebe made a diagonal pass, Lin Zhijian volleyed from the right rib of the penalty area, and the ball hit the opponent's head and bounced out of the baseline.
In the 56th minute, Calhanoglu took a free kick in front of the penalty area. He took a shot and the ball went straight into the upper left corner of the goal! 2:0!
This kind of situation on the field, coupled with the two-goal lead, has almost announced that Hamburg has won these 3 points.
In the 59th minute, Wu Lei made a deep pass from the left wing, and Mitrovic's header was confiscated by Glenn.
One minute later, Wu Lei turned around and shot from the top of the arc, but Glenn also held him down.
In the 62nd minute, Lin Zhijian's right wing continuously got rid of multiple defenders and broke into the penalty area with a low shot that hit the side net.
In the 84th minute, Jansen made a pass from the left, and Mitrovic headed wide.
In the end, Hamburg won Wolfsburg 2:0 at home!
While scoring these precious three points, Hamburg also ended its bad record of three consecutive draws and finally won the game!
At the same time, Bayern's state has also improved. They defeated the bottom-ranked underdog Braunschweig 2:0 in the away game.
The simultaneous victory of the two teams also kept the point difference between them at 7 points.
However, there are only three rounds left in the league!
In other words, as long as Pan Yi's team wins Mainz away from home in the next round, regardless of Bayern's result, Hamburg will win the Bundesliga championship two rounds in advance!
But before that, Pan Yi must face an equally important game.
That is the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, against Atletico Madrid at home!
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Since it was determined that Atletico Madrid would be the opponent in the Champions League semi-finals, Pan Yi has not stopped studying this tough team.
Whether it is data research from Nagelsmann, business discussions with Guardiola, or my own study of "Simone's Mad Dog Tactics: Bandits Also Have Temperament" in the systematic tactics course...
Because Pan Yi had a hunch that this might be a severe test for Hamburg and him.
Simeone is able to use a seemingly retro 442 formation to gain a foothold in La Liga and the Champions League where there are many strong players. This reputation is definitely not in vain!
Their defense is indeed very strong, but relying solely on defense, it is difficult to pry open the goals of the weak teams in La Liga.
After all, although Atletico Madrid will show up when facing Real Madrid and Barcelona, they are a "strong team" in front of many teams and they also need to score goals.
If both are 0:0, how can they catch Real Madrid and Barcelona in the standings and gradually achieve a lead?
So Simeone actually has a good way of training his offense.
Pan Yi discovered that Simeone achieves the free transformation from the most stable shield (4-4-2) to the sharp spear (4-3-3) through the position changes of those all-round players on the field.
Simeone made adjustments to the movement lines and formation changes of players in various positions on the field during the ball period.
When the ball is in the midfield area, the midfielder on one side inserts into the midfield penalty area to form the center attack point of the third forward, leaving the side space for the fullback who inserts behind him.
At the same time, the midfielder on the other side penetrates forward to the central area to the top of the penalty area behind the forward (the midfielder position), occupying the entire width of the field with the two full-backs who inserted behind.
At this time, the two defensive midfielders pull away to the side, forming a triangular position relationship and passing line with the full midfielder (front midfielder) in front of them, and at the same time forming a triangular position relationship with the wide midfielder (front midfielder) and the full back on the same side.
And passing lines, on the defensive level, it can also avoid the opponent's quick counterattack by using the open position behind the full-back after losing the ball in the midfield.
As a result, the number of people participating in the attack in the frontcourt has been adjusted from 4-5 people in the original 4-4-2 formation to 6 people in the 4-3-3 formation, and the offensive power will naturally be greatly enhanced.
At present, after the 34th round of La Liga, Atletico Madrid has risen to first place in the standings. Naturally, they have conceded the most goals in La Liga, conceding only 22 goals.
In terms of goals, they also scored 74 goals, averaging two goals per game!
This is second only to Real Madrid and Barcelona in the entire La Liga, which also shows that Simeone's tactics are not weak in attack power.
Therefore, Pan Yi has been emphasizing to the coaches and players during the training and preparation meetings of the Hamburg team that while everyone is preparing for tough battles, they must also beware of Atletico Madrid's changing attacks at any time!
Otherwise, if the opponent suddenly changes their formation, if the Hamburg players are not mentally prepared, they may be caught off guard by Atletico Madrid.
After studying the data submitted by Nargelsmann and watching recent videos of Atletico Madrid, Pan Yi also discovered some points that were not mentioned in the system tutorial.
That is, this season's Atletico Madrid has abandoned the traditional "two wings flying together" mode in the offense, and instead adopted a "full-back pull-in" method similar to Pan Yi's use in Hamburg.
During the offensive phase of the midfield and wide areas, Simeone gave up the "ineffective" area of the weak side wing.
In the same way, the midfielder on the side with the ball moves forward to the center to form a three forward position. What changes is that the midfielder replaces the weak side midfielder to complete the forward penetration of the top area of the penalty area, and the position of the weak side midfielder is changed accordingly.
The retreat completes the protection of the weak side wing and maintains the vertical balance of the overall formation.
The weak-side full-back inserts diagonally forward into the rib area of the opponent's defense to form a de facto "double attacking midfielder", forming a "3-2" echelon attack point and side pass reception point in the middle.
At the same time, the defensive attributes of the full-backs and the "3-2" positional relationship formed with the double central defenders behind them and the double defensive midfielders in parallel positions are used to enhance the on-the-spot counterattack after losing the ball in the midfield area and stifle the opponent's counterattack.
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These changes are not found in the "original" Simeone, or in a normal timeline, Atletico Madrid would not use such tactics for at least a few years.
This also illustrates some subtle changes that Pan Yi's time travel has brought to the current world football.
He brought the most advanced tactical ideas, and these ideas were learned and applied to their own teams by coaches who are good at studying tactics.
This is true for Guardiola, and so is Simeone.
Of course, Simeone's trump card is defense.
After several years of running-in and adjustments, Simeone has equipped Atletico Madrid with the "ace card" it relies on for survival - high-intensity and systematic defense.
In the midfield and frontcourt areas, unlike the most popular high-pressing strategy in today's football, Simeone's team maintains the stability of the overall defensive formation as much as possible and always places the overall formation between the football and the goal.
The four players on the midfield line changed to a diamond position, slowing down the opponent's offensive progress by increasing the depth in the middle. At the same time, the entire team returned to their own half, completing the construction of a defensive system in the mid-low area.
In the midfield and backfield areas, the team's overall formation returns to the 4-4-2 formation or 5-3-2 formation with parallel positions, and the three defense lines always implement the principle of "between the football and the goal". p>
At the same time, the overall compression is carried out horizontally and vertically. The principle of zone marking is used to clarify the defensive area and respective movement routes of each player. Combined with the principle of assisting defense, supplementary position and substitution in each specific area, it is used to cut off the opponent's passing route.
And compress the opponent's vertical offensive space, maximizing your own natural numerical advantage as a defender.
While reducing the height of recovering the ball, the simplification of the transition from defense to offense and effective ball handling principles can minimize the threat of the opponent's high-position press.
These defensive tactics that belong exclusively to Simeone, coupled with his carefully selected players who can execute his tactics like "mad dogs", have made Atletico Madrid's strength rise several levels.
Objectively speaking, this season, Atletico Madrid and Simeone do have the subjective and objective capital to stand at the top of Europe.
It's a pity that in Pan Yi's previous life, they met Real Madrid in the final, whose resilience was no worse than theirs.
In this life, Pan Yi will find a way to block Atletico Madrid from the finals!
……
On the evening of April 24, Hamburg, People’s Park Stadium.
In the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, Hamburg's home game against Atletico Madrid is about to begin!
Amid the cheers of more than 50,000 Hamburg fans, the atmosphere of the game was suddenly ignited when the players from the two teams slowly walked into the stadium under the leadership of the referee team.
Flags waving everywhere, scarves waving, and hands waving all create an unparalleled atmosphere for this stadium.
And tonight's two teams obviously played with their full lineups.
Hamburg still adopts its best 433 formation.
Forwards: Son Heung-min, Vardy, Salah.
Midfielder: Kante, Casemiro, De Bruyne.
Defenders: Robertson, Rudiger, Van Dijk, Carvajal.
Goalkeeper: Navas.
And Simeone also faced Atletico Madrid's 442 formation.
This is also Atletico Madrid’s regular lineup this season.
On the bench, forward Adrian, midfielder Alda Turan, Diego, Jose Sosa, including defenders Alderweireld and Mario Suarez are actually all Simeone relies on.
of.
When these 11 people are unable to open up the situation for a while, Simeone will often adjust the lineup in a timely manner and combine it with his changing tactics to achieve his tactical goals.
Of course, when fighting tough battles, Simeone will still believe in the current lineup more.
And this was exactly what Pan Yi expected.
……
When the two coaches shook hands, Simeone still had the same expressionless face as before. After shaking hands, he immediately sat back in his coaching seat, not even bothering to say a word to Pan Yi.
Pan Yi didn't think much of it.
After all, the two sides have no friendship, and today is also the first time they play against each other. Their tactical styles are quite different, and it seems that there is really nothing to talk about...
Plus, isn’t that what Simeone’s character is like?
Go straight back and forth, no need to say any polite words.
This is before the game. If he loses, he will be unhappy and even skip the formalities of shaking hands with you.
His reputation as a bandit commander is well-deserved.
But when both of them sat back on their seats, ten minutes after the game officially started, Simeone couldn't help but glance at the home team's bench, his eyes full of admiration.
"This kid is really not simple." Simeone thought to himself.
Of course he had studied Pan Yi's tactics before today's game, and also studied Pan Yi as a person.
He also knows about Pan Yi's contribution during Milan's Triple Crown and what Pan Yi did after coming to Hamburg.
Simeone actually also admired some of Pan Yi's tactical innovations, and even incorporated some of Pan Yi's practices into his own set of 442, and made up for some flaws that he felt before but couldn't think of a way to solve.
place.
But before the face-to-face confrontation, Simeone's impression of Pan Yi only stayed here.
For many things, the most correct answer can only be obtained by on-site verification.
And the answer is: "This boy is indeed not simple!"
Judging from the tactics adopted by Hamburg today after the start, Simeone can see the difference between Pan Yi and other ordinary coaches.
Although tonight's game is Hamburg's home court, Pan Yi did not adopt aggressive tactics from the beginning like he did in the past. Instead, he started steadily and was not in a hurry to attack Atletico Madrid's penalty area.
This can show how cautious Pan Yi is about this game, and also how well he understands Simeone's tactics.
Everyone knows that Atletico Madrid's defense line has been called the strongest steel defense line in European football in the past year, but few people realize that Atletico Madrid's attack is just as good, and they can get into trouble if they are not careful.
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If Pan Yi is an experienced old coach, Simeone would think it is normal, but he is obviously just a young man under the age of 27.
The team was full of energy, the team's morale was high and it was a home game. Pan Yi was able to suppress his temper and test the start first, which is enough to show his character.
On Atletico Madrid's side, of course they also started with a defensive posture.
This is Simeone's traditional skill, he can switch back and forth between defensive combat and violent combat.
Simeone's intention is very obvious. He should first stabilize his position and see Pan Yi's background.
Pan Yi obviously worked hard. Although Hamburg did not press heavily, it did not allow Atletico Madrid's midfielder to get the ball comfortably.
For example, when Atletico Madrid captain Gabi gets the ball, Hamburg's Kante and Casemiro will attack him front and back, making it difficult for him to have enough time to judge whether to pass or dribble.
At the same time, Pan Yi also gave full play to the strengths of Hamburg's two wingers, pulling them closer to the sideline and using the width of the field to mobilize Atletico Madrid's two wingers.
Since Atletico Madrid's four midfielders frequently switch positions and responsibilities, once the two wide midfielders are transferred from their original positions, their connection with the two players in the center will weaken, which also makes their substitutions difficult.
The position has become much more difficult.
Simeone was obviously a little surprised by Pan Yi's move.
He really didn't expect Pan Yi to have such a deep understanding of his tactics and make such effective targeted deployments.
Of course, Simeone also had plans.
After all, he has led the team for so long, there will definitely be some coaches who will see the weaknesses in his style of play and target them.
This is the reason why he "stealed" from Pan Yi, because he found that Pan Yi's move of full-back adduction is really useful!
As a result, Atletico Madrid's two central midfielders, Gabi and Thiago Mendes, began to move to the side to support the two wide midfielders.
The two full-backs Felipe and Juanfran moved closer to the center to assist the defense in the middle.
At the same time, Villa on the forward line also retreated a little and stood in the attacking midfielder position to connect players from all directions.
In this way, the distance between all Atletico Madrid players is controlled within a reasonable range, and the space between personnel is not so large.
It can be said that both teams have worked hard on targeted tactics and did not leave any obvious space or loopholes for the other side.
The game was carried out in this stalemate and fierce state. Although Hamburg had the advantage in controlling the scene, no one was able to break the deadlock for a long time.
And this deadlock actually lasted until the end of halftime!
During this half, the two sides played very fiercely, with a lot of physical confrontation, and the crowd on the court was overwhelmed.
But since the battlefield is basically in the midfield area of both sides, there are very few shooting opportunities, so the scene is a bit dull.
This is actually a scene we often see in matches with Atletico Madrid.
If you can't break down their defense, you're going to be in a tough fight!
Halftime data shows that Hamburg and Atletico Madrid had the ball possession rate 73% to 27%, shot 6 to 0, passed the ball successfully 89.3% to 67.1%, broke through 17 to 4, and crossed 12 to 0.
The combined number of passes made by just two defenders Van Dijk and Rudiger was 114, which even exceeded the 99 passes made by the Atletico Madrid team.
Usually when Hamburg has such an effect, they have already taken the lead. The problem is that the scoreboard has never been rewritten.
Behind this, Atletico Madrid made as many as 10 steals, 8 interceptions and 13 clearances.
Facing Hamburg, which has the most control in Europe, Simeone's Atletico Madrid defense was tenacious and effective. After all, goalkeeper Courtois did not make a real save.
This also gave Pan Yi a little headache during the halftime break.
This situation is obviously what Simeone wants to see.
Get a draw in the away game, and then go to Atletico Madrid's Calderon Stadium to defeat Hamburg again.
So what should Pan Yi do?
"I think we can recycle some more and tempt them to attack us."
When walking back to the tunnel together, Nagelsmann suddenly said to Pan Yi.
"Huh?" Pan Yi was actually considering this method as well.
Now the competition between the two sides in the midfield is so intense that neither side has the tendency to push the war to the other side's hinterland.
But the problem is that Simone can endure such an ending, but Pan Yi can't.
If you cannot defeat your opponent at home, it will obviously be more difficult in the away game.
And what if Hamburg instead puts on a defensive stance?
Showing weakness to Atletico Madrid makes Simeone think he has a chance to steal one in the away game?
Nagelsmann added: "I found that the gap behind Gabi is one of the few small flaws of Atletico Madrid, but Koke next to him can always make up for this gap. If Simeone feels that he can beat us...
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Pan Yi took over with a smile: "Then he will probably send in the more aggressive Arda Turan. In this case, their ribs at the front of the penalty area are no longer protected, and then we only need one successful cooperation to complete it.
Goal!"
The two people looked at each other and smiled.
This is the tacit understanding between Hamburg coaches now!
Inzaghi, who was trotting up behind him, looked at his two smiling colleagues inexplicably and said with suspicion:
"You two, are you hiding something good from me again? Are you going to secretly eat ramen after the game?"