Chapter 683: Determining Victory in the Second Half!
After successfully winning the Copa del Rey and the league title, Real Madrid did not rush to hold a celebration ceremony. Everyone's goal was very clear: to bring back the Champions League trophy from Lisbon!
They would first complete their recovery training in Madrid and then fly to Portugal three days before the match to begin their final training and adapt to the venue.
To provide the players with a comfortable resting environment, the club staff took the initiative to inspect the situation and ultimately chose a vacation estate located 3 kilometers from the final venue as the team's lodging location.
The beautiful surroundings and fresh air were refreshing, coupled with various ingredients specially transported from Madrid and cooked by star chefs, ensuring that every player could enjoy their favorite dishes.
Real Madrid was well-prepared, and Atletico Madrid was no slouch either. After the end of the 38th round of the league, Simeone took the team to a small town near Parla for training.
This was not only to avoid media and external distractions but also a tradition of the Bed Sheet Brigade. Before every major competition, they would come here to train in hopes of attracting good luck.
The first-ever local derby in the history of the Champions League caused a sensation throughout Spain. Coupled with Portugal's proximity to Spain, it was quite common for many people to visit there on weekends.
Therefore, the sensational effect of this final was even greater compared to previous editions. Not only were tickets hard to come by, but all hotels and apartments in Lisbon were also fully booked.
Many fans had to choose to stay in the surrounding towns of Almada and Cascais, which was also what the Portuguese authorities hoped for. After all, too many people flooding into the capital would stretch the security forces thin.
The soldiers of the Galactic Battleship flew to Lisbon ahead of time, and their families and friends would also arrive by club charter plane the day before the match. This time, Wang Feng's family and their two children would all be there to cheer him on.
Modric, Marcelo, and others were the same. Seeing this, Ramos felt quite envious. His girlfriend, Pilar, had just given birth to a baby boy, so she couldn't come to the stadium to cheer for him.
Speaking of which, Marcelo's love and marriage experience was quite similar to Wang Feng's. He met his wife, Clarice, when he was 16 years old, while Clarice was one year younger than him.
The two quickly fell in love. When Marcelo joined Real Madrid, Clarice was still in college. After careful consideration, she decided to give up her studies and accompany the Brazilian defender to Madrid.
"Marcelo is the one I want to spend my life with. When he said to me in distress that he didn't want to go to Spain alone, I made up my mind in my heart." Clarice later said in an interview.
Lu Yao also left her hometown at this age to follow Wang Feng to Milan. Compared to that, being able to complete her studies in Milan was considered very lucky.
"Simeone's team has encountered two failures in a row, but I don't think they will lose heart. On the contrary, they will fight even harder," Ancelotti said with a serious expression during the coaching staff's tactical discussion.
"High pressing and physicality, disrupting the opponent's rhythm, these are their weapons, and we often find it challenging to deal with such battles."
"And once they break the deadlock, they can immediately switch to a full defensive stance. At that time, it will be extremely difficult to equalize the score."
In a final where victory is determined, even a slight change in the situation will bring strong psychological feedback to the players, and even the experienced Real Madrid couldn't escape this.
"But playing this way will inevitably consume the players' energy rapidly. It's impossible to maintain it for the entire game. The threat in the second half will be much smaller than in the first half."
"No player can sustain high pressing for 90 minutes. This not only tests one's physical strength but also requires strong mental focus."
"So I think we should stabilize the situation after the start of the match, focus on solid defense, and not rush to attack, to minimize the risk of conceding goals."
Everyone nodded in agreement, and Zidane added, "In the second half, when Atletico Madrid's mobility and pressing gradually decline, we can take advantage of the situation to press forward, actively accelerate the pace of the game, and overwhelm the enemy in one fell swoop!"
"Yes, next, we and the players will propagate this tactic, especially emphasizing that we must not be impatient. Even if we concede a goal in the first half, we must maintain our composure and stick to the tactics!"
After setting the main tone, they began to discuss specific implementation methods. Ancelotti decided to use the more mature three-center-back system.
In the 1970s and 1980s, this tactic was purely offensive, but under the improvement and optimization of Barcelona and the Spanish national team, it became balanced in attack and defense.
The three midfielders were key factors. They had great connection and defensive pressure. Whether it was Modric or Khedira, they had this ability. At the same time, the wing advantages of Wang Feng and Bale were obvious.
Especially the Chinese superstar's ability to roam and retreat in defense to a certain extent strengthened the midfield interception and made up for the deficiencies, further enhancing security.
"The key is to confirm whether Diego Costa will start." Ancelotti rubbed his eyes. "He has the ability to be the biggest variable in the game."
In the crucial match of the 37th round of La Liga, the Brazilian was injured and had to leave the field. To some extent, this led to the final defeat of the Bed Sheet Brigade. It can be said that his role in the team was not inferior to Wang Feng's in Real Madrid.
Diego Costa not only serves as an important pivot in the attack, maximizing Atletico Madrid's threat, but also creates pressure on the defensive players through his running position, flexibly using various tactics to disrupt the opponent.
It can even be said that Atletico Madrid's performance with him and without him is completely different. By tightly holding onto the Galactic Battleship, they won both the league and cup runner-up titles, and the Brazilian's contribution cannot be underestimated.
It's no wonder that before the World Cup, Brazil and Spain fought fiercely for Costa's eligibility. Both coaches, Scolari and Del Bosque, even issued statements.
"At that time, his injury was certain and quite serious, otherwise Simeone wouldn't have replaced him at a critical moment."
"But after the match, facing reporters, the Argentine said that Costa was not seriously injured. Is it a smokescreen? In the final match of the league, nothing could be discerned. The Bed Sheet Brigade rotated all their main players."
Zidane said, "Neither our scouts nor the media reporters can give exact information. The entire Atletico Madrid is very tightly sealed off. I'm afraid only when the starting list comes out can we know."
"Well, in that case, we need to prepare for the worst-case scenario and assume that he is fully recovered and performs well."
Ancelotti said, "Ramos's character is too fiery. It's best not to confront Diego Costa directly and let him assist from the periphery, with Varane as the main defender."
After the coaching staff finished discussing the details, the whole team went to the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon for focused training, mainly focusing on tactical arrangements and familiarization.
To be prepared for any eventuality, penalty training was also arranged. The team hadn't experienced a penalty shootout for many years, but penalty training before every final was indispensable.
During this period, Ronaldo, Raul, Morientes, and other Real Madrid legends came to the scene, embracing each player and cheering them on.
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