A charter flight flew directly from Milan, Italy to Valencia, Spain.
Shortly after landing, under the leadership of Argentina head coach Cooper, Inter Milan players walked out of the airport pick-up port one after another.
Walking at the front, Cooper's face looked very complicated, with mixed emotions.
When he returned to Mestanha twice before, Valencia fans were very unfriendly to him.
The third time, Cooper could imagine that Mestanha would treat him in a more extreme way.
Don't even rule out throwing a pig's head at him.
Those years in Valencia are something Cooper will never forget.
Although he failed to win a single championship here, reaching the Champions League finals twice is the best proof of his coaching ability.
Not only that, no one can deny that at least half of the credit for Benitez's first league championship as coach must be attributed to Cooper, but this also made the grudge between him and Valencia even more entangled.
In this city, there are not only enemies like Jaime Otti, but also former favorites like Mendieta, Aimar, Ayala, etc. This makes him feel filled with excitement every time he returns to Mestania.
It's all very unpleasant.
But as a professional head coach, he has only one mission, which is to lead the team to win the game.
…
Cooper led Inter Milan to Mestanha twice, winning once and losing once, but he was the winner in the end.
The former was in the second leg of the UEFA Cup quarter-finals. With a 1-1 draw at home, Inter Milan challenged Valencia away. As a result, Cooper's team was forced to lose due to the disadvantage of goalkeeper Toldo being sent off with a red card.
They tenaciously maintained the score of 1-0 and knocked Valencia out of the competition.
The Bats had a whopping thirty-five shots in that game.
A year later, Cooper led Inter Milan to make a comeback again.
After narrowly losing 1-0 at home in the first round, Cooper was a guest at Mestania Stadium in the second round. Cooper once again used his best defensive counterattack, taking his defensive tactics to the extreme.
The final result was 1 to 2. Inter Milan lost the game, but with away goals, they eliminated Valencia with a total score of 2 to 2. Cooper had the last laugh again!
But the ball possession rate of 29 to 71, the number of shots from 3 to 27, especially Valencia's as many as 18 shots on goal, these data are enough to embarrass Inter Milan.
It can be said that Cooper used extremely conservative game strategies to win the final victory both times.
This not only allowed him to win the game, but also further deepened the hatred between him and the Valencia fans.
Especially Benitez.
As early as when the Champions League group stage draws were drawn, Benitez made it clear that Valencia would not let Inter Milan retreat this time and would avenge the past two years at home.
And the Cooper today is no longer the Cooper he was two years ago or a year ago.
After walking out of the airport, Cooper raised his head and glanced at the blue sky of Valencia. The sunlight shone on his old face, deepening the ravines on his face.
He is tired!
…………
…………
"Cooper's current situation is not optimistic."
At the same time that Inter Milan arrived in Valencia, the Bat Corps held a tactical preparation meeting at the Patna base.
Benitez conveyed his predictions to the players about the current situation of Inter Milan and the tactics that may be adopted in this game.
"The results are good, but the playing style is too conservative. This is not only my personal evaluation, but even conservative Italians can't stand Cooper's conservatism." Benitez spread his hands helplessly.
The players couldn't help but smile.
Italy is famous for its conservatism, but even conservative Italians can't stand Cooper's conservatism. One can imagine how desperate his conservatism is.
"As early as before the season, Vieri said that Inter Milan is a giant and should choose a more active style of play."
When Benitez said this, he pointed at the players, "This is a very positive signal. Even the players of Inter Milan can't stand Cooper, because he can't win the game with this style of play.
If you don’t win the championship, there is no hope!”
Su Dong was sitting in the audience. When he heard Benitez's words, he still agreed with him.
Every head coach has his or her own strengths. Cooper may have his own unique skills in coaching defense and targeted tactics, but he cannot win a championship just by relying on excellent defense.
From Valencia to Inter Milan, Cooper has stopped at the door of the championship time and time again. This is really no accident.
"According to the reliable intelligence we have received, Moratti has issued an ultimatum to Cooper. The team must play more actively. The president of Inter Milan wants to see a more aggressive team, otherwise, wait Cooper’s get out of class is over!”
When Benitez said these words, his face showed no expression, but it always made people feel sad.
The head coach is actually a very miserable character, especially someone like Cooper. The chairman above likes to point fingers too much, which is not a good thing.
"If I were Cooper, frankly speaking, when coaching this Inter Milan, I would definitely adopt a defensive counterattack, because this team is not suitable for playing offensive football at all, and the player configuration is not good at all."
"For example, in possession of the ball, their two defensive midfielders are Zanetti and Emre. The former is a strong player, but he is brave enough but not good at controlling the ball. Emre likes to dribble and break through personally. He is not a midfield organizer.
What a shooter and ball handler should do, and Recoba is also not suitable for the position of attacking midfielder. His breakthrough is very entertaining, but lacks efficiency. His desire for personal performance is too strong. Once the ball reaches his feet, the offensive rhythm
It will become very slow.”
"Another point is that their two centers Cruz and Vieri basically do not participate in defense, which makes their midfielders have to be under huge defensive pressure for a long time. How can they organize and plan calmly?
?”
"Also, both Cannavaro and Materazzi are slow, so Cooper rarely uses offside tactics. But once the defense moves forward, when encountering a quick counterattack, it is easy for him to move forward and behind him.
Create a gap."
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! The Valencia players listened silently.
Benitez studies every game and every opponent very thoroughly, which allows players to fully understand the opponents they will face before the game. If they encounter emergencies during the game, they can also deal with them easily.
More calm.
"Frankly speaking, I don't know if Cooper will adopt a proactive style of play, because I am not Cooper, but I think we can test our opponents after the opening and create some pressure on them."
When he said this, Benitez quickly asked Yesterdam to launch a tactical board, which had already drawn the possible lineup of Inter Milan. It was still Cooper's best four-four-two.
"Vicente should avoid Zanetti, retreat appropriately, and still get the ball on the left wing."
"Understood." Vicente nodded.
"Aimar, your task is to suppress Zanetti and Emre and put some pressure on them so that they don't dare to press on them."
Aimar raised his hand and made an OK gesture.
"Su." Benitez looked at Su Dong, "Materazzi and Cannavaro are both world-class central defenders. If they fight physically, you may not be able to take advantage. But in terms of speed and playing guerrilla, they are not yours."
opponent."
As he spoke, Benitez stretched out his hand in front and behind Inter Milan's defense and drew a circle in the air.
"This is your battlefield!"
Su Dong nodded solemnly.
"When you faced Lazio before, you performed very well against Stam and Mihajlovic. Now, facing Materazzi and Cannavaro, I believe you can also give your best.
Performance," Benitez encouraged.
After everyone heard this, they all turned their attention to Su Dong.
In the past two seasons, Valencia met Inter Milan in European competitions and lost both times.
Without exception, the reason for losing is due to the weakness of the forward line.
Now, the team introduced Su Dong, but met Inter Milan again.
Whether it's a mule or a horse, it has to be pulled out for a ride.
Is Su Dong okay? Can he solve the team's forward weakness?
Just look at his performance against Inter Milan!
"Everyone!"
At the end of his speech, Benitez clapped his hands solemnly, attracting everyone's attention.
"The next schedule is very tight, first with Inter Milan, then with Atletico Madrid away, then Real Madrid at home, Marseille away, and Barcelona again."
"This schedule is a huge challenge for us, but if we can overcome this devilish schedule, we will undoubtedly have an easier time in the rest of the season, especially the first half of the season."
"Whether we can achieve good results, or even win the championship, this schedule is the key!"
Benitez's words made the already dignified players feel the weight of this game even more.
Playing against Inter Milan is not only to get rid of the defeat of the past two years, but also to make a good start for the next devilish schedule.
Everyone knows that in such a schedule, once it is not handled well, it is common to lose again and again.
Once this kind of losing streak occurs, Valencia will have no hope this season.
Therefore, no matter what, Valencia must give its best performance against Inter Milan.
Su Dong sat below, feeling heavy in his heart.
The greater the weight of the game, the higher the expectations that Benitez and his teammates have for him, and the greater the responsibility on his shoulders.
This is also very normal.
The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility.
Just like in a team, when a team loses, the first person will definitely scold the star for his poor performance, because you are a big name.
Since you can receive praise when you win, you have to be scolded when you lose.
Su Dong understood this when he was at Sporting Lisbon.
And he also knew that he had to shoulder this responsibility.
Not only for teammates, for the team, but also for myself.
Unless he doesn't want to take his career further, otherwise, he must adapt to such pressure and learn to perform at his best under such high-load pressure.
