The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 208 The Strikerless Formation and Dependence on the Forward Line
Griezmann also texted Gaio.

There was a sense of gratitude in his voice, "I was there at the time. If it weren't for the information you gave me, I might also be on this list of suspended players."

After the punishment was announced, Griezmann was extremely frightened.

The bans are almost always as long as a year!
Although it's just a national team ban, the psychological impact on young players can be enormous.

Gaião replied, "Play well at Real Sociedad, think about how to better integrate into the national team. Wanting to join the national team is just a goal. You need to refine this goal and see what your talent can bring to the team. I'll be waiting for you to play together in the national team."

While in Norway, where we're playing away against Norway U21 tomorrow afternoon, Griezmann was deeply moved when he saw Gaio's words.

It seems like there's a lot to say, but when it comes to the chat box, only one sentence remains: "Okay, thank you."

Gaio put this matter behind him.

Arrived in Madrid that afternoon.

Both sides held pre-match press conferences.

Before this match, Deschamps' image in the French media was not positive due to his shock defeat to Japan.

The media described his games as "boring" and "overly reliant on the forwards," among other things.

Didier Deschamps, who just celebrated his 44th birthday, responded.

"I am a pragmatist. I only care about the result of the game. The French team needs to win, not just put on a spectacular show."

A reporter asked him, "Are you thinking that you have to beat Spain at the Calderón Stadium no matter what?"

Deschamps shook his head. "I haven't thought that way. But we will absolutely not surrender without a fight. We know what we must do and what we shouldn't do."

The reporter then asked him about his possible tactics for playing against Spain.

Deschamps replied, "I want to stick to our usual style of play, but against Spain, you have to do a good job of defending no matter what."

This isn't a problem of you retreating to a defensive posture; it's a problem of Spain forcing you to retreat. What we need to do is create as many threats as possible while controlling the ball.

Fortunately, we have excellent players like Frank and Gay.

We won't fight for a draw; we'll fight for victory. Of course, a draw isn't a bad result either.

This is a group with five teams, and the result of our match against Spain will largely determine who advances from the group.

The reporter continued, "As the captain of the 1998 World Cup-winning team, can you compare this Spanish team with the French team from that era?"

Deschamps shook his head. "I refuse to make comparisons. I don't like making comparisons either. Frankly, can you judge which team was greater, the 1958 Brazilian team or the 1970 Brazilian team? Every team has its past, its own history, and its own glory."

The reporter then asked what the secret to the French team's success back then was.
Deschamps said, "Defense, not offense. Offense is the second step. You need all 11 players to have defensive duties. If one person is an exception, it will be difficult. If you only have 8 people defending, then you're in trouble."

The reporter continued Deschamps's words, saying, "From the outside, the problem with the French team's current slump isn't a defensive issue, but a problem with their star players. The French team is now without Zidane, without Djorkaeff, and without Deschamps, Lizarazu, and Thuram."

Deschamps smiled and shook his finger at the reporter, "But we have Gaio, Frank, and all the players we have."

Some players on the team do lack international recognition, and the French team also lacks players who can make significant contributions in international competitions.

Some of my players have made fewer than 15 appearances for the national team, and many players have come and gone from the national team in the past four years.

They are indeed lacking in skill. Generally speaking, to accumulate experience, one needs 40 to 50 international matches.

Furthermore, leadership skills are innate and can be enhanced through training and learning, but they cannot be created out of thin air.

In team sports, players around a person will naturally rely on that person and regard them as a leader.

It's not like you can just wake up in the morning and casually say, 'Okay, starting tomorrow I'll be the captain.'

A reporter suddenly asked, "So, will Gaio become the national team captain? He was the youngest captain in Bastia."

Deschamps answered confidently, "Gaio has all the potential to be captain. Let's wait and see."

the other side.

Spain's head coach Vicente del Bosque was also interviewed by reporters.

He said, "Since Deschamps took over, the French team has undergone significant changes, especially in midfield, where their tactics have changed noticeably."

However, nothing has changed for us, but one thing is certain: after winning the European Championship, we will strive for a brand new championship and a brand new era.

France's attacking strategy still revolves around the wing play of Gaião and Ribery.

He also mentioned the need to be wary of Gaião, saying, "Gaião is the greatest winger in the world. His dribbling skills are superb. The ball seems to be glued to his feet, no matter which direction it goes, it will eventually return to his feet. Defending against him is an extremely difficult task. But I believe in Alba."

Finally, there's the ever-present issue of the "strikerless formation."

Vicente del Bosque waved his hand, "I know what I'm doing. Even without a striker, we still managed to score nine goals, so our attacking power isn't bad."

Back at home, we'll play more aggressively, but our opponent is France, so we must avoid dropping points at home.

In this group, the two-legged match between Spain and France is like a two-legged final, very important, so I need to reconsider whether a strikerless formation is suitable for this game.

A strikerless formation.

In Spain's 4-3-3 formation, there was originally only one option for a single center forward.

But starting with the European Championship, Del Bosque gradually fell in love with the unconventional formation without a center forward.

Ironically, when Spain was without a center forward, their goal-scoring efficiency suddenly doubled!
Ultimately, they used this tactic to defeat all the other teams and win the championship.

In the previous group stage match in Minsk, Vicente del Bosque fielded a starting lineup of seven midfielders, with Cesc Fabregas playing as a false nine and Sergio Busquets filling in as a center-back.

Ultimately, they still managed to thrash Belarus on their home turf.

Many teams are trying to study and learn from Spain's tactics.

When Deschamps explained this tactic to his French players, he quoted Brazilian coach Mesez—

“You can’t wake up one day and suddenly decide, ‘I want to play like Spain.’ You have to make decisions based on the actual situation and the players you actually have.”

He knew that the basis for Spain's use of a strikerless formation was that they had too many talented midfielders.

Chelsea's midfield maestro Mata couldn't even make the 23-man squad; that's what makes Spain truly strong. (Evening.)

Giroud and Gaio shared a room. He said, "The media is quite interesting. They say Spain likes a strikerless formation, but we French can only rely on two wingers now."

Gaio nodded. "Pretty much. We definitely won't have many chances to control the ball tomorrow. Let's think about how to launch a counter-attack."

Today, when Deschamps was explaining the tactics, he also mentioned that the top priority tomorrow is defense; it's better not to score than to concede a goal.

Other people's strikerless formation is garbage.

However, Spain's strikerless formation stems primarily from its almost obsessive pursuit of possession in midfield.

Spain typically fields a midfield lineup of Fabregas, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Xabi Alonso, and David Silva.

When these six players make short passes in succession, the opponent can't even touch the ball.

So don't even think about attacking.

Being able to defend against it is already quite good.

The only thing that made Gaio feel a little more at ease was that he knew this was the last glimmer of Spain's red dynasty.

A new king shall be established.

The next day.

Spanish and French media outlets continuously hyped up the Spanish-French battle that night.

The two direct matches in the group stage are widely believed to determine who will advance to the next round.

When the entire French team traveled to the Calderon Stadium by bus.

The entire street had become completely noisy.

Fans wearing Spanish jerseys can be seen everywhere.

There were a few blue-clad French fans occasionally.

Gaio looked out the car window and saw the Calderon Stadium not far away.

This is Atlético Madrid's home ground.

He was thinking about Bastia's Europa League.

He will come back here in ten days.

Calderón Stadium.

The players are still in the warm-up phase.

The strains of "I Am Spanish" echoed throughout the stadium—

"I am Spanish, Spanish!"

Flags are flying high, and passion is overflowing!
Give it your all for Spain

Until victory comes again!

The entire stadium was submerged in red, with only a few French fans in blue jerseys visible in a corner of the away team's area.

They continued to wave their jerseys vigorously, trying to make their voices heard at the Calderon Stadium.

But all failed.

Completely drowned out by the cheers of the Spanish fans.

The broadcast camera panned to the stands.

Many prominent figures in the football world are watching the match tonight.

The camera immediately focused on Zidane.

As a French legend, and since he happens to work for Real Madrid on the other side of Madrid, it's convenient for him to come and watch the game live.

Subsequently,

The camera focuses on Tito Vilanova, the current head coach of Barcelona.

This man, known as the man behind Barcelona's dream team, took over the reins of Barcelona after Guardiola left the club in the summer transfer window.

His team leadership has been outstanding.

Today's Spanish team consists mostly of Barcelona players, who came to the stadium to support the team despite being unwell.

Wearing a scarf, his gaze was intense.

What he's particularly interested in in this match is whether Alba can withstand Gaio's attacks.

Alba was a player he personally signed from Valencia after taking over as manager.

Tito highly values ​​Alba and believes he will be the future guarantee for Barcelona's flanks.

There were other Spanish legends and other celebrities in the stands.

soon.

The players finished warming up and returned to the locker room to prepare.

"Let me emphasize again, you must prioritize defense, and you must stay in your designated defensive positions."

Deschamps repeated it over and over.

He appeared calm, but in reality, he was also experiencing inner turmoil.

This is his first tough match as coach of the French national team!
(End of this chapter)