Li Ang looked at his watch in the technical area. The game had been going on for half an hour, and the score on the field was still 0: 0. The shooting ratio of the two teams was 8: 2. Parma's two shots, one was a direct free kick, and the other was a long shot. From this, it could be seen that Sporting de Gijón had the initiative on the field.
However, although Sporting de Gijón had the initiative on the field and were attacking fiercely, the score still did not change.
Parma's manager, Camigiani, was quite conservative in his tactics today. It was to defend steadily and counterattack. Or to be more thorough, it was to defend well first and not concede any goals.
Although it might be a little embarrassing to do so, after all, Parma was also a strong team in Serie A. Their current situation was very bad, but it was clear that Camigiani, who had just taken over Parma, was very clear. For the current Parma, not losing the game was the most important thing. It could even be said that even if Parma lost the second leg of the game and was eliminated, in the first leg, at home, the first game of the team that he took over, they absolutely could not lose. This was a game to stabilize the team's morale.
Therefore, Camigiani's tactics were very clear. They could be in a difficult situation, they could be passive, but they could not concede any goals. The whole team was devoted to defense. Unless there was a good opportunity to counterattack, everything was to be safe.
When a strong Italian team like Parma concentrated on defense, it was not easy for Sporting de Gijón to break Parma's "turtle shell."
Li Ang stood up from his seat. There was not much time left in the first half of the game. If the first half ended with a 0: 0 score and no goals after 45 minutes of attacking, it would be a blow to Sporting de Gijón's morale. It would make the players discouraged, and Parma's self-confidence would increase a lot.
The most direct goal of the first half of the game was to score goals!
Li Ang slowly walked to the sidelines. He did not make any gestures, nor did he whistle to call out a player's name. However, when the Sporting de Gijón players saw him appear on the sidelines at this time, they knew what to do: the coach was not satisfied with the team's long attack!
*****
Li Ang had told the players during the tactical analysis before the game that if the attack on the flanks did not improve, they should try to penetrate through the middle or try to cross the flanks and the middle to disrupt the Italians' defensive formation.
In the midfield, with Albertini absent due to injury, Modric took on more responsibility. He became Sporting de Gijón's actual metronome in the midfield. If Sporting de Gijón wanted to attack from the middle, Modric's passing and organization were crucial.
Carlos passed the football to Modric and let the latter organize the attack.
After Modric got the ball, he wanted to directly pass a long ball to Benzema in front. Before he received the ball, he was observing the situation in front of him. There was a gap there. However, when he received the football and looked up again, there had already been a change on the field. Parma's center back, Cannavaro, keenly captured the loophole and had already come up to fill the gap. This was the Italian defender's defensive intuition.
Modric knew that if he were to pass the ball according to the original plan at this time, the biggest possibility was that the football would be headed back by Cannavaro, and even the possession of the ball would be controlled by the Parma player. If it was not handled well, the opponent would have a chance to fight back.
Giving up his original plan, Modric controlled the football under his feet and dribbled two steps forward. After a feint, he wanted to pass the ball to Mata, but found that Mata had run too close to him and was a little far away. He looked to the left again. Ribéry was also very close to the front.
Modric immediately made a gesture, meaning that he needed to receive.
Mata, who was running in position, saw Modric's gesture and ran back to receive Modric. Along with him was Parma's midfielder, Bresciano.
Modric glanced at Bresciano, who was eyeing him covetously. He looked like he was going to pass the ball to Mata, but suddenly accelerated and dribbled the ball forward.
Mata was also very smart. He ran this way and the two men crossed each other.
Bresciano originally thought that Modric would pass the ball to Mata. At this time, he was taken aback. The Australian hurriedly left Mata and pounced on Modric.
And Modric was waiting for him. When he saw that Bresciano was brought over by him, he looked like he was going to continue dribbling the ball forward, but with a tap of the heel of his right foot, the football was passed to Mata behind him.
*****
This was Li Ang's Plan B for Sporting de Gijón.
The first plan was to fly together on both wings and use Ribéry and Mata's ability to break through on the flanks to seek an attack.
When the first plan did not work out, the second plan was decisively used.
The second plan was the side attacking midfielder tactic that Li Ang had tailor-made for Sporting de Gijón. To be precise, it was a side attacking midfielder tactic that was tailor-made for Mata.
In the past, excellent attacking midfielders such as Zidane, Rui Costa, Ronaldinho, and Riquelme had always been the core of the team's offense. Excellent wingers such as Overmars, Figo, Giggs, and Ljungberg were active on the flanks like sharp knives. In the past, the flanks and the middle were still two clearly separated areas of the field, each playing their own role. Therefore, there were those familiar and classic side attacking combinations.
Mata was a very intelligent player. He had the speed and passing of a side attacking midfielder and also the overall situation and good vision of an attacking midfielder. In fact, it was not only Mata, but also Ribéry. These players who were not very tall but had good skills and were agile at their feet were also included.
The flanks and the middle lane became a large area where they attacked and cruised. Breaking through the middle, passing long passes, cutting inside and shooting became their signature offensive nuclear weapons. Under this kind of tactical play, a new offensive position gradually gave birth to a new term — side attacking midfielder. The side attacking midfielder, who combined the advantages of an attacking midfielder and a winger, gained more tactical freedom than a traditional role. After receiving the ball on the flanks, they pulled the ball to the flank and the middle, constantly reading the opponent's defense during the horizontal dribbling, and at the same time completing the handling of the ball while leading their teammates to complete the run.
During Arsenal's most glorious double winning period, Pires already had some shadows of a side attacking midfielder. However, he did not really display the true essence of this tactic. It was now Li Ang's Sporting de Gijón that really made the term side attacking midfielder appear. This season, Mata had an outstanding performance in the side attacking midfielder position. Sporting de Gijón's set of tactics had attracted some of the Spanish media's attention to a certain extent.
However, it was clear that the matter on the Spanish side had not yet attracted the attention of the Italian side. Sporting de Gijón's change of formation had caught the Parma players off guard.
This China's manager had let the Italians, who highly valued tactical thinking, see for the first time his pearl-like brilliance of coaching talent.
PS: Second update. It's one o 'clock in the morning. I can't write the third chapter. I'm really sorry. I'm sorry everyone. During the recovery period after the operation, I can't sit for long and stay up late, especially not too late. I'm really sorry. Please forgive me.
I shamelessly asked for a monthly ticket. I'm really ashamed.
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