At noon on the 20th, the match between Las Palmas and Espanyol kicked off.
At this moment, it is very close to Christmas.
There is already a strong Christmas atmosphere in and around El Prat Stadium.
There were colorful Christmas lights and Christmas decorations everywhere, and some fans even wore Santa Claus clothes.
But the Espanyol players on the field were not at all happy and relaxed about Christmas.
Maybe for the players of Las Palmas, winning or losing doesn't matter.
On the road, they have not won this season.
But against the Spanish players, without victory, they will have a bitter Christmas.
The Spaniards arranged a 433 attack lineup, while Las Palmas still used the 4231 formation that they are accustomed to and good at.
Las Palmas relies on Vieira and Araujo to attack in the frontcourt, and relies on the accumulation of numbers in the midfield and backcourt.
This style of play sounds simple, but it is very efficient in the game.
Vieira and Araujo have delicate skills and are very flexible. The close combat that the Spaniard is good at does not work well for them because they can hardly find a chance to fight physically.
After the start, Vieira taught the Spaniards a lesson.
The Las Palmas defender passed the ball towards Vieira.
Espanyol midfielder Diop swooped over, trying to intercept or destroy the ball when Vieira touched it.
Vieira didn't stop the ball. When the ball came, he flicked it and the ball passed between Diop's legs.
Vieira twisted again and easily got rid of Diop's body collision.
Vieira got the ball, and Araujo had already penetrated behind the defender at high speed.
Vieira immediately made a through ball and passed the ball between the two central defenders.
The two defenders saw Araujo running and immediately turned around to chase him.
But it's slow.
Araujo started early and was very fast. The defender had to turn around, but there was no time.
Espanyol goalkeeper Lopez anticipated the threat in advance. He rushed to the penalty area and almost hugged the ball at Araujo's feet.
This attack did not result in a shot, and the threat it created was really not small.
If goalkeeper Lopez didn't attack in time, it would have been a one-on-one goal.
In the 8th minute of the game, Vieira and Araujo passed continuously in the frontcourt.
Araujo stepped out of an angle and suddenly took a shot.
This is a cold shot.
Goalkeeper Lopez simply concentrated his energy from the beginning and flew to save the ball from the bottom line.
These two attacks by Las Palmas sounded the alarm for the Spanish defenders.
The opponent's two attackers are too flexible. They can shoot and coordinate with each other if given a chance.
If you look down on such a team, you may suffer a big loss.
Espanyol's defense was put to the test, and their attack was strongly intercepted by Las Palmas' five-man midfield.
The Spaniard is not a technically sophisticated team and plays a 433 formation. Their offense mainly relies on the wings.
Las Palmas' five-man midfield allows them to cut off the connection between the Spanish midfield and the wings.
In this way, the Spanish winger can only rely on his own personal ability to break through and defeat the opponent's defense.
Caicedo and Moreno on the wing have good skills, but they are not pure wingers. It is difficult for them to take advantage of the opponent's full-back one-on-one on the wing.
Many times, Caicedo and Moreno could only barely pass the ball to the center.
With such a low-quality pass, even Zhao Yang would find it difficult to complete a shot under the defense of two central defenders.
After the opening, the Spaniard's full-backs did not provide many assists. Seeing the disadvantage in the frontcourt attack, the two Spanish full-backs immediately increased the number of winger insertions.
Full-back assists are the essence of the 433 formation. In Barcelona, the role of the two full-backs is almost the same as that of the wingers.
With the full-back assisting, the Spaniard's wing has undergone many changes.
The full-backs and wingers can cooperate or break through alone.
Left backs Albila and Caicedo are old partners. Although they did not play in a 4-3-3 formation last season, there is still no problem in playing some coordination on the wing.
In the 11th minute of the game, the Spaniard finally created a threatening attack on the left.
Albila and Caicedo played a wonderful one-two on the wing. Albila rushed to the baseline and passed the ball across the penalty area.
When the ball is passed from the baseline, it is very comfortable for the forward to grab the ball, but it is difficult for the defender to clear the ball, and it may lead to an own goal.
Zhao Yang grabbed the spot due to the pushing and squeezing of the two defenders.
It was difficult to exert force, so Zhao Yang could only try his best to head the ball towards the goal.
Las Palmas goalkeeper Barras reacted quickly. He jumped up, stretched his arms lightly, and held the ball in his arms.
Although the ball didn't go in, it already threatened the opponent's goal.
The Spanish fans in the stands still encouraged the players with warm applause.
Zhao Yang also gave a thumbs up to the wing, indicating that the ball was passed well.
This shot was like blowing the clarion call to attack, and the Spaniards immediately began a fierce counterattack.
Right back Rocco also assisted in the frontcourt and cooperated with Moreno.
Moreno has been on loan and has not cooperated with Rocco.
Fortunately, Moreno has comprehensive skills and has played as a winger, while Roco's personal ability is also stronger than Albila.
Both Moreno and Roco can pass through each other's containment and break through from the wing alone.
In the 13th minute of the game, Moreno passed the ball and broke through the full-back of Las Palmas.
Before the ball completely crossed the baseline, Moreno caught up with the ball and passed it directly to the penalty area.
This time, the defender of Las Palmas thought the ball was out of bounds and was stunned for a moment. At that moment, Zhao Yang threw away the defender and went straight into the small penalty area to grab the ball's landing point.
Moreno's ability to catch up with the ball and pass it out is really surprising.
The speed and arc of this ball are very good. As long as you catch the ball, it will basically go in.
Just because of rushing the pass on the baseline, Moreno passed the ball into the small penalty area and was too close to the goalkeeper.
Goalkeeper Barras was focused, reacted quickly, and was very decisive. Feeling that the situation was not good, he immediately attacked to intercept the pass.
The timing of Barras's attack was just right. Zhao Yang arrived, and Barras also arrived. Zhao Yang headed the ball towards the goal, and Barras reached out to pounce.
The ball hit Barras's hand.
Snapped!
The ball bounced out.
Barras's hands shook, and his body almost fell back from the beating.
Zhao Yang landed and watched the ball being knocked out of the penalty area by Barras. He sighed. This goalkeeper has something. No wonder Las Palmas desperately poached him from competitors.
The fans in the stands all sighed.
Moreno passed the ball very well, and Zhao Yang moved just right to grab the ball.
It's just that Las Palmas goalkeeper Barras performed too well and ruined the Spaniard's chance to score.