Bayern Munich head coach Hitzfeld was sitting on the sofa in his office, frowning, watching the game video on TV. There were some scenes from La Liga games on the screen.
Valencia played against Atletico Madrid, against Real Madrid, against Barcelona...
Heathfield didn't know how long he had been watching before he reached out and rubbed his sore eyes, which were full of fatigue.
Over the years, he has been very thin and even getting thinner, which has made many people worried about his health.
He suffered from chronic stomach problems.
Bayern Munich's management also knows this and is very patient, but if there is still no improvement in results this season, Hitzfeld will have no choice but to sack him.
He was also mentally prepared for this and had even made plans.
If he is really dismissed from Bayern Munich, he will have a good rest and take good care of his body.
But before that, he must do his best to win for Bayern Munich.
Especially in the Champions League.
…
"This Sudong will be our biggest threat when facing Valencia!"
Sitting across from Hitzfeld is his right-hand man for many years, analyst Michel Henke.
He is eight years younger than Hitzfield and has been following Hitzfeld since 1989. From Dortmund to Bayern Munich, the two have cooperated all the way and can be said to have shared the joys and sorrows.
"Su Dong is indeed in trouble, especially for our defense. Our defenders have not performed well this season." Heathfield rubbed his aching eyes, closed his eyes to rest, and followed Michel's words in his mouth.
According to the words of L. Henck.
Bayern Munich's defense this season is not ideal. The main problem is that the defenders are playing very average.
During the winter break, the German media suggested the most to Bayern Munich, which was to sign a strong central defender, such as Bayer Leverkusen's Brazilian central defender Lucio, which could greatly improve the strength of Bayern Munich's defense.
But no success.
Nowadays, Bayern Munich's defense has a big problem. Veterans such as Lizarazu and Thomas Link are in greatly reduced form, and Robert Kovac, Kufuor, Demichelis and others are in relatively average form. This has become
The most serious problem for Bayern Munich this season.
"The biggest trouble now is that Valencia has an advantage on the wing, Vicente is in very good shape this season, Rufit has also performed well recently, and there is Su Dong in the middle, who is 1.95 meters tall and has an obvious high ball advantage.
Very impactful, and our four central defenders..."
Michel Henke did not finish, but he believed that Heathfield knew everything.
Thomas Link, Robert Kovac, Kufuor and Demichelis, Bayern Munich's four central defenders are all over 1.8 meters tall. There is a gap of more than 10 centimeters between Su Dong and Su Dong, and they are definitely in physical confrontation.
Suffer.
Today, Bayern Munich is in an awkward transition stage, especially the defense, which has many problems.
But the competition waits for no one.
"To be honest, I wonder if he is a prank from God? Otherwise, how could there be a center like Su Dong?" Michel Genk asked with a wry smile.
A center like Su Dong has really completely subverted the impression of people in the football world.
What type is he?
The answer is, all types!
Whatever type you like him to be, he can be that type!
Valencia needs him to hold up the opponent's defense, and he can hold it; Aimar is absent, and he needs to drop back to link up, and he can play the role of nine and a half; Vicente is absent, and the wing is not strong enough, and he can
Like Henry, he can pull to the left and use his speed and skills to break through opponents on the wing.
Even under Valencia's high-position pressing, Su Dong, the center, played the role of the first line of defense.
He is capable of everything and masters everything!
Hearing his right-hand man's evaluation of Su Dong, Heathfield opened his eyes and looked at the TV showing Su Dong wearing a Valencia jersey. He suddenly felt a little regretful because he could have signed Su Dong in the first place.
.
But he chose Roy MacKay!
The reason is simple. At that time, Ma Kai was the top scorer in La Liga and the winner of the European Golden Boot Award.
Although Su Dong performed well in the Portuguese Super League and won the UEFA Cup, the gold content was not enough.
Looking back now, I can't say that the choice I made at that time was wrong, but at least it is regrettable.
If God gives him a chance to start over again, Heathfield will definitely choose both without hesitation!
"With the characteristics of our central defender, it is difficult for us to completely freeze Su Dong, so we can only make fuss on the two wings." Heathfield watched the video on TV and expressed his thoughts.
"According to the information obtained by the scouts, Aimar is expected to continue to be absent. Then Valencia will definitely go on the wings. Vicente and Rufete will be important starting points for the offense. We must restrict them and reduce Su
East’s chance to get the ball.”
Michel Genk thought for a while, nodded and said: "Then midfielder..."
"Demichelis and Hargreeves, come on!"
"Both of them?" Michel Henke was a little surprised.
Demichelis can play both central defender and midfielder positions, and is a defensive player. Although Hargreaves also has certain offensive abilities, he is most eye-catching in running and defense.
Ballack is the unbeatable core of the team, and Ze Roberto is also the main midfielder. If Demichelis and Hargreaves both play, will the midfield lineup be too defensive?
The first leg is held at the Olympiastadion in Munich. Is it possible to play such a conservative game at home?
Heathfield did not answer, but sighed softly.
Michel Genk understands Hitzfeld's concerns, and he still prefers to focus on defense first.
A very troublesome aspect of the Champions League knockout round format is away goals.
Bayern Munich's defense this season was very problematic, and they almost failed to qualify in the group stage. In the end, they only finished second in a group, and then they met Valencia, who qualified first in the group.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! In such a cup competition, the schedule of first home and then away is a disadvantage in itself. If the home team cannot hold on and allows the opponent to score away goals, it will be quite disadvantageous in the away game.
"Sudong is Valencia's strong point. If we go head-to-head, we will definitely suffer. Even if we defend Sudong, there will be problems elsewhere, so we must start a strong sniper attack from the midfield, with the midfielders
running to make up for the deficiencies in the back line.”
To put it simply, it is the defensive numerical advantage that creates a local advantage.
"But in this case, the offense will be very problematic." Michel Henke reminded.
It cannot be said that Demichelis and Hargreaves have no offensive ability. The problem is that Bayern Munich adopts a four-midfield strategy, with Ze Roberto on one side and Salihamidzic on the other. Now they have won Saliha.
Mijic, Jean Demichelis, and maybe the defense in the midfield was stable, but the offense was sacrificed.
Heathfield's mouth twitched slightly, "Our central defender suffered a disadvantage when facing Su Dong. Do you think Valencia's central defender suffered a disadvantage when facing Ma Kai? What about adding Pizarro?"
After finishing speaking, Heathfield's face full of grooves, especially his deeply sunken eyes, shone with wisdom.
He is Heathfield!
…………
…………
Aimar finally didn't make it to the game against Bayern Munich!
This is really not good news for Valencia.
The Bats attack the iron triangle in the frontcourt, with Vicente on the left, Aimar occupying the middle, and Su Dong at the front. The three work together with division of labor and tacit understanding, which is the key weapon for Valencia's unstoppable success this season.
But when it came to the really important games, Aimar was injured and retired one after another.
He had already shown signs of coming back before playing for Barcelona, but even when he arrived at Bayern Munich, he still failed to come back because he felt that the muscle strain was not completely healed and he did not dare to take risks.
Aimar is absent, and Valencia players are a little regretful.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are both pretty good. After all, they are Spanish teams and are familiar with each other. Moreover, Valencia has a sufficient lead in La Liga, but it is different when facing Bayern Munich.
Two rounds of competition will determine who can enter the Champions League quarterfinals!
…
After playing Barcelona, Valencia quickly held a preparation meeting for the game against Bayern Munich.
Benitez conducted a comprehensive analysis of Bayern Munich's current situation and believed that Valencia has a chance in the away game.
Due to Aimar's absence, the Bats need to reorganize their midfield.
The double midfielder is not a big problem, and there is no suspense on the two wings, except for the position of the front midfielder.
Benitez decided to let Canobbio fill Aimar's position.
At the preparation meeting, Benitez explained the reason why he did this. He hoped that Su Dong could suppress the opponent's defense without any distractions.
"The central defender combination of Robert Kovac and Kufuor is not strong. As long as we can create opportunities, these two central defenders cannot trap Su Dong. We can score goals in the away game!"
Canobbio serves as the attacking midfielder, with Vicente and Rufete on the wings. Benitez still hopes to take advantage of Su Dong's advantage on the front line, because if Mista is used, it will basically be Su Dong.
Retracement.
Withdrawing the most threatening Su Dong, this is quite disadvantageous for Valencia who want to steal away goals.
Mistako has never been an efficient scorer.
Assistant coach Yesterdam also emphatically reminded Su Dong that he will definitely be heavily targeted by Bayern Munich during the game, which requires him to be mentally prepared to overcome difficulties.
"The knockout rounds of the Champions League can be said to be the tournament with the highest technical and tactical level in the world today. Although Bayern Munich is in a bad situation, they are a European giant after all. Kovac and Kufuor are both famous players in Europe. Facing such a team and defense,
There can be no carelessness."
Su Dong nodded, promising that he would never be careless.
He is not afraid of any opponent, but he will not be afraid of any opponent.
At Sporting Lisbon, he didn't have the slightest fear when facing the world's top central defenders such as Stam and Mihajlovic in Serie A. How can he be afraid of Kovac and Kufuor now?