The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 211 Learning How Real Madrid Plays Against Barcelona

Bridge decisively pointed to the penalty spot.

Penalty kick!

The French players were ecstatic.

They swarmed around Bridge, shouting and yelling.

Shhh!
The Calderón Stadium erupted in boos, clearly indicating that Spanish fans did not believe it was a penalty.

Bridge stood by his decision, repeatedly waving for the French players to stay away from him.

the other side,
With Villa absent, Xabi Alonso was Bosque's first choice for penalty taker.

but,

Fabregas, however, approached Alonso and said, "Let me take this penalty."

Alonso frowned, wanting to say that he was the number one penalty taker, but considering Fabregas' current situation.

He nodded anyway.

Alonso thought that perhaps Fabregas was just trying to prove himself as an excellent false nine.

At Barcelona, ​​Fabregas competes with Messi for the false nine position, and he admits he is at a disadvantage in the competition.

In the Spanish team, Fabregas is the only choice for the false nine position, but his scoring efficiency is not very high.

Even in Spain's 4-0 victory over Belarus, Fabregas failed to score, while winger Pedro scored a hat-trick.

In chaos.

Referee Bridge gave Deschamps a yellow card on the sidelines, as his outburst had really annoyed the fourth official.

In the stands.

Zidane and Morientes, two Real Madrid teammates, one supports France and the other supports Spain.

Zidane couldn't help but say, "With this goal, the game is basically over."

Morientes laughed, "It looks like the French team might have to play in the playoffs."

If Fabregas beats Lloris at the penalty spot, Spain will extend their lead to two goals.

For the ever-composed Spanish team, a two-goal lead effectively means three points are in hand.

That's why Zidane said that.

All the players stood outside the penalty area, leaving Fabregas alone to face Lloris.

Fabregas didn't look at Lloris, his eyes were fixed on the ball, and various ways to score a penalty flashed through his mind.

In the semi-final of the 2012 European Championship, Spain and Portugal went to penalties.

Fabregas took the fifth penalty for Spain, and his shot towards the bottom left corner of the goal hit the post and bounced into the net. The angle was perfect, and the red number 10 became a national hero.

What about tonight?
drop!
Bridge blew his whistle, signaling that it was time to begin.

Lori stared intently at Fabregas.

call!
Fabregas took a run-up, and then, just like in the European Championship, he chose to shoot into the bottom left corner of the goal.

However, compared to the extremely tricky penalty he took at the European Championship, Fabregas' shot this time was much less accurate.

The football was neither fast nor angled particularly well.

Lloris guessed the right direction and easily dove to save the ball, pushing it out of the goal.

He then got up again and caught the ball in his arms before the Spanish player could take a follow-up shot.

"Hugo!"

Koscielny shouted Lori's name at him as he lay on the ground.

That shot saved him.

It also saved the French team.

As Ribery walked past Fabregas, he whispered, "Thanks."

Fabregas ignored the scarred man.

He smoothed his hair, his face ashen, but his heart was filled with complex emotions.

Alonso patted him on the shoulder without saying anything more.

The other teammates comforted Faker.

As I walked past the substitutes' bench.

Deschamps yelled at Gaião, "Run more, and if you don't have a chance, try to create some set-piece opportunities."

Gaio nodded.

With Giroud's height advantage, set pieces are indeed a good opportunity for them; the goal that was just disallowed came from a free kick.

The game starts again.

Despite a slower pace of attack in the final minutes, Spain maintained complete dominance over France.

The French team played very frustratingly in this half.

Sunset Cafe Bistro.

The Bastia man remarked, "Deschamps has absolutely no idea how to use Gaio."

"This kind of play, which allows the opponent to mark Gaio so closely, is a complete waste!"

Bertrand and others watching this half were indeed annoyed.

Deschamps' tactics were a failure.

If nothing changes in the second half, then the game is basically over.

drop!
The halftime whistle came from the television.

The TF1 commentators were also saying, "Let's see how Deschamps adjusts his tactics for the second half during halftime."

"Beltran, add more wine!"

When it was time for a break, the fans also began to relax; some went to get more drinks, while others went to the restroom.

Some people have been holding back for a long time.

Now we can finally be free.

However, they felt that watching Deschamps' tactics in this first half was like holding in their pee, making them feel uncomfortable.

If it weren't for Gaio.

They won't miss a single second.

Player tunnel.

Gaio and Giroud walked together, and Giroud shrugged, "It's a bit tough to play."

Gaio nodded. He couldn't do anything about the situation; as soon as he got the ball, two or three people were marking him.

A Spanish player, not a Ligue 2 player, can be let pass easily.

In his few attacks, Alba rarely fell for his moves.

If they fail to get past Alba quickly, Spain's right-wing defense will quickly move into position.

This is also why Gaio was somewhat invisible in the first half.

On the way, I smiled helplessly at my teammates; everyone was having a tough time in this half.

Holding out is too difficult.

Enter the locker room.

Deschamps was already waiting, and saw that almost everyone had arrived.

He didn't talk about the first half, but immediately said, "I met with Zidane before this game and asked him how Real Madrid was going to face Barcelona."

The players were all listening.

In recent years, El Clásico in La Liga has become a top-tier event in Europe and even the world.

They knew it all along.

Barcelona dominated Real Madrid, but Mourinho managed to hold on.

"He told me that being timid and cowardly would only lead to death, while being brave might offer a glimmer of hope."

Deschamps' gaze swept over everyone.

"So I decided to learn from Mourinho in the second half. We've practiced this in training, taking the initiative from all sides!"
You all know that this is a game we cannot afford to lose!
We're behind now, so we have to go all out with a 4-2-3-1 formation. I want you to push our defensive line from our own penalty area all the way to midfield and even the Spanish half!

The locker room was silent except for Deschamps' voice.

Deschamps paused, his gaze intense. "Can you do it?"

"no problem!"

All the players shouted; they didn't want to lose, not even away from home.

Deschamps' expression softened slightly. "Fàbregas missed that penalty, which gave us a chance. In the second half, we took the initiative and attacked. The right flank where Gaião was located was the area where their defense was strongest."

"so,"

Deschamps pointed at Gaio and continued, "Gaio, keep the pressure on the right wing. As long as they don't send extra players to mark you, just go ahead and dribble past them. Don't worry about losing possession. Just keep winning the ball up front! Put your body into it!"

Gaio nodded. He knew that in this situation, all he could do was to restrain Gaio.

And, look for opportunities to break through.

Deschamps then turned to Ribery and said, "Frank, Gaio has taken on most of the defensive pressure, so you will be our main attacking threat."

Furthermore, Spain's only weakness lies on their left flank!
Arbeloa is the weakest link in Spain's defense; you shouldn't have any problem taking him down one-on-one, right?

Ribery patted his chest, "No problem, right? Leave it to me. As long as the middle can keep up, I'll give them plenty of opportunities."

Deschamps nodded and said, "I need another passer, Valbuena, warm up early in the second half."

He then pointed to Gonalons and said, "You and Cabaye switch positions. You move up, run more, and don't worry about your stamina. I'll find an opportunity to bring on Valbuena."

"it is good!"

Gonalon nodded.

Deschamps went on to explain many more issues in detail and very clearly.

In summary, the second half saw them take the initiative completely!
We can't stay passive like this anymore.

In fact, after this half, Deschamps realized that most of the French players now play in the Premier League and are not very adapted to high-intensity defense.

Letting them charge ahead and exert pressure might actually help them adapt better.

After all, that's how they play in the Premier League.

In the current French national team, six of the starting eleven players are from the English Premier League: Giroud, Cabaye, Evra, Koscielny, Debuchy, and Lloris!

There are four players in Ligue 1: Gaião, Matuidi, Sakho, and Gonalons.

Ribery plays for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

After Deschamps finished speaking, he told the players to get some rest for the last few minutes.

soon.

Time is up.

As the players walked out of the locker room, Deschamps shook hands with each of them at the door, offering encouragement.

When it came to Gaio, Deschamps said, "Always remember, you are the only explosive point. Be decisive in crucial moments, don't be afraid of making mistakes, and don't be afraid of conceding goals!"

"Ah."

Gaião understood that Deschamps wanted to develop him into a core player, and nodded firmly. As a core player of a team, mentality is very important.

He had lived two lives, and his time in Bastia had given him considerable experience.

boom!
Boom boom! !
As Gaio followed his teammates into the Calderón, the cheers and songs of the Spanish fans remained unchanged.

Forward! Forward! Spain!

Red is the color of my faith.

Whether at the peak or in the trough

I will go to the end with you.

My country, my love.

Neither side made any changes to their lineups, and both players stood in the center circle.

drop!
Referee Bridge blew his whistle.

The second half of the game begins.

Giroud passed the ball back, and Gonalons, who had moved up, passed it to Ribery first.

Ribery didn't hesitate either. Facing Arbeloa's defense, he simply went for it!

After receiving the ball and facing Arbeloa, he slowed down slightly, inducing the opponent to adjust his center of gravity.

He then quickly flicked the ball with the inside of his right foot to change direction, followed by an accelerated breakthrough.

In a single exchange, Arbeloa was completely outmaneuvered by Ribery's sudden acceleration.

Hey!
Spanish fans raised their drums; they recognized Ribery, whom they considered the biggest star in the French team.

A Ballon d'Or level player.

Alonso and Busquets covered this side to prevent Ribery from making further runs.

However, Ribery's extremely fast pace adjustment and low center of gravity make him exceptionally good at dribbling past opponents in tight spaces.

The entire French team has said that only Gaio can surpass Ribery.

Ribery made a sudden stop, causing Busquets to stop as well. Ribery then flicked the ball with his right foot and headed straight for the byline.

Busquets simply couldn't keep up.

In terms of physical attributes, he is completely outmatched by a pure winger like Ribery.

Busquets tried his best to keep up.

Bang!
Ribery delivered a cross, and both Giroud and Ramos rushed towards the ball, but neither of them managed to touch it. The ball was passed a little too close to the goal and was caught by Casillas.

Saint Casillas launched a quick attack.

The ball was thrown to Alonso, who then launched a long pass that connected directly with Fabregas in the attacking third.

However, when he received the ball, Koscielny had already closed in on him, constantly harassing him from behind and preventing him from turning around.

Fabregas didn't hold onto the ball, passing it to Xavi who was following up.

but,

After Xavi received the ball, Cabaye immediately closed in and aggressively challenged for it.

Xavi circled around, found an opening, and passed the ball out.

The Spanish players quickly noticed the change in the French team; they stopped playing deep defense and instead aggressively pressed forward to win the ball.

Several Premier League players are very used to this physical pace, which makes the Spanish players, who are used to a more technical style of play, feel somewhat uncomfortable.

For a time,

Possession of the ball has changed hands again.

The ball came to Gaio's side, and Gaio saw that there were three people on the right wing again, so he passed the ball across to the middle.

Matuidi transitions to Ribery on the left flank.

Ribery once again charged at Arbeloa as soon as he got the ball.

With a sudden acceleration, a sudden stop, and then another sudden acceleration, Arbeloa was starting to struggle to keep up.

Seeing Ribery about to shake him off again, Arbeloa, in his desperate pursuit, threw himself off balance and launched a flying tackle.

Bang!
The football was tackled out of bounds.

however,
Arbeloa, however, fell to the ground and did not get up, so he quickly reached out his hand.

drop!
The referee blew his whistle, signaling Evra to delay the kickoff, and he ran to Arbeloa's side.

Arbeloa clutched his knee and said, "I think I'm injured."

He looked pained.

The team doctor entered the field.

Vicente del Bosque looked grave on the sidelines. This match had already seen the loss of David Silva, and now they were going to lose another right-back?

Unfortunate news arrived.

The team doctor gestured for a substitution.

Arbeloa couldn't hold on.

The veteran coach turned to his assistant coach and said a name, "Juan Forlán".

Deschamps' eyes lit up when he saw Juan Forlán.

Juanfran is an attacking player who was converted from a winger to a full-back, and Ribery could easily dominate him.

Deschamps saw an opportunity.

Taking advantage of the moment when the opponent made a substitution, he gestured to Ribery to increase the intensity of the attack.

Ribery nodded.

He knew that with Gaio suspended, it would be his turn to punish Spain!
The ball is kicked out.

Ribery was marked closely by Alonso and could only pass the ball back.

France had one of their few opportunities to organize an attack.

After several passes, the ball returned to Ribery's feet, where he once again demonstrated his top-class dribbling skills against the newly substituted Juanfran.

With a shrug and a change of direction, he shook off Juan Fran.

Ribery glanced at the middle lane.

Giroud didn't have many good opportunities under Ramos's close marking.

Bang!
But he was determined to spread the word.

This ball.

Instead of passing to the middle, a long pass is made to the right wing!
Gaio!

(End of this chapter)