Chapter 221: Play football in the mirror
"Salihovic made a cross! Van Nistrui - crossbar!! What a pity! His header hit the crossbar!"
The fans in the Bernabeu's stands all breathed in, and they were all scared by Van Nistroy's header.
Everyone raised their hands and picked up their heads. Hoffenheim fans were regretful because of their regrets, while Real Madrid fans were afraid.
"It's really unexpected that it's not the home team Real Madrid that creates a threat at the beginning, but Hoffenheim! Hoffenheim!"
"Real Madrid should be careful. This Hoffenheim is definitely not easy to deal with! They have beaten Manchester United and Inter Milan last season, and this team has always been very energetic. What is the definition of vitality? It means not afraid of heaven and earth! Real Madrid may be an invincible giant for other teams, but for Hoffenheim, this is not the case!"
"Just just one minute and thirty-four seconds into the game, Hoffenheim almost scored! Van Nisstruy's header was very threatening! From this attack, we can see the characteristics of Hoffenheim. This young team was not scared by the name of Real Madrid..."
The commentators praised and highly praised Hoffenheim's performance.
Although Hoffenheim's boss is very rich, their training facilities are no less than any Bundesliga team, their management is very professional, and their starting point is very high. However, all this is not worth mentioning before Real Madrid. In this football world, Real Madrid is always the most special one. They are truly a giant. From the beginning of their birth to now, they have won more than 70 championships, and thirty-one of the top league champions alone, which is the most among the five major European leagues. Nine Champions League trophys are also the best.
Therefore, in front of them, Hoffenheim is an absolute grassroots. However, this group of grassroots who have never seen the world gave Real Madrid a warning at the Bernabeu Stadium.
Someone once said that - grassroots are such a group of people who ignore historical background and do not care about family concepts. They do not ask about the source but only care about the present. They do not believe in history but long for history. They believe that what they do is both part of history and recreation of history.
Yes, Hoffenheim ignores historical heritage and does not care about family concepts, because they do not have historical heritage and do not have any family status. Only when they do not care about these can they move forward, otherwise they will be entangled with family championships and so-called backgrounds. History is a thing of the past and is meaningless to them, but at the same time they also desire to create their own history and be remembered in the future.
Just like painting on a piece of white paper, it is precisely because the past was so pale that they can shed their pen and sweat today and write their legends and "history".
※※※ Although Van Nistruei's goal did not score, it greatly inspired the passion and fighting spirit of Hoffenheim players. Although I have said many words like "Real Madrid is nothing great" before the game, I still see it with my own eyes and let them understand it better - Casillas, known as "Saint Igor", will be hit by us without any response, and a world-class central defender combination like Pepe and Carvalho will not keep up with the rhythm when facing our offensive. A team like Real Madrid is really nothing great!
In the following game, Hoffenheim's morale was greatly boosted and they frequently launched an offensive to Real Madrid's hinterland.
But Real Madrid is not a vegetarian.
Mourinho obviously knows Hoffenheim very well - this is naturally. He has played against Hoffenheim twice, and it would be strange if he doesn't understand it yet. Although Hoffenheim's quick and direct style was officially established this season, the prototype was confirmed in their first season of promotion to the Bundesliga. Last season was a running-in period, and the shadow of this kind of football can also be seen.
Mourinho did not think about how to curb Hoffenheim's football. His countermeasure is to be quick and direct.
Yes, the style of Real Madrid he coaches is also a quick and direct way of playing, which is completely different from Barcelona's complex and gorgeous style. Mourinho's Real Madrid fully exerts their fast characteristics to the extreme.
Real Madrid did not show such signs in the previous two league games. The focus of everyone's attention is their defense line and the forwards wasted opportunities again and again. The media and fans think that Mourinho's Real Madrid is too conservative, while the forwards collectively suffer from "goal anxiety". Such Real Madrid still cannot escape the boos at the Bernabeu. Some fans even expressed dissatisfaction with Mourinho's main playing in double midfielders, believing that Mourinho is too conservative and negative, and this is not Real Madrid's football.
Just like Chu Zhongtian and Rangnick believe that this game with Real Madrid is an excellent opportunity to show Hoffenheim's football style to the world. Mourinho also positioned this game as a key node to reverse Real Madrid's recent poor image. The results of his hard work in the past few months since taking over Real Madrid will be shown in this game.
What are the characteristics of Real Madrid's football? This question is to be asked by the most hardcore Real Madrid fans in the past few years. I'm afraid they can't say it, because at that time Real Madrid changed many coaches, but never established their own style. Every time a coach comes, it brings something new. The result of these things being mixed together is messy.
After Mourinho came, he discovered the style that this team should really stick to, that is, fast.
Of course Real Madrid cannot play conservative football, because Real Madrid fans and Real Madrid directors will not agree. The passive and conservative Real Madrid is not Real Madrid. I think Capello led Real Madrid to reverse Barcelona and win the league championship, but was still kicked off the stage. Isn’t it because everyone thinks that Real Madrid led by him is not good-looking?
So Real Madrid's football is offensive football. But in the same way, Real Madrid's offense cannot be as gorgeous as Barcelona, and they cannot be like Barcelona. They have achieved the result of persistence in walking a path for more than 20 years. Of course, Real Madrid cannot calm down and slowly work for twenty years. The directors of Real Madrid club did not agree, and Real Madrid fans did not agree. Mourinho can only use existing resources as much as possible to create a football style that is most suitable for Real Madrid's characteristics. That is fast.
Real Madrid has many fast players, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Higuain, Ozil, Di Maria, Marcelo, and injured Kaka. They all have very outstanding speeds. Since they have so many fast attackers, isn't "fast" a natural style?
Real Madrid players are young, motivated, fast and skilled. Only in this style can they exert their maximum energy.
This also ensures that the offensive football from Barcelona is distinguished - no Real Madrid fan can tolerate others saying that their team was learned from Barcelona, learned to walk in Handan, and imitated the ball. So they will be happy to see that the football of their team is both adorable and different from Barcelona.
This game is such an opportunity. The Champions League is unique to Real Madrid. Showing new football in such a game can achieve the best results.
Van Nistrui's crossbar did not make Real Madrid too panic, but instead aroused their fighting spirit. As Real Madrid players, being threatened by a small team at their home court was simply a shame. How could they not fight back?
Of course they all remember how Mourinho asked them.
Real Madrid fans who were quite picky about Real Madrid's football before soon discovered that Real Madrid is different today. They are not conservative, aggressive, and attack one wave after another at the opponent's goalkeeper.
c. Ronaldo dribbled the ball and broke through the front of the penalty area and then shot a long shot. Not long after, Di Maria dribbled the ball from the right and also made a shot. Then Ozil made a wonderful pass from Higuain, and Higuain gave alms in the penalty area, and the football was saved by Nyema.
※※※Rangnick expected Real Madrid to play offensive football at his home court, but he did not expect Real Madrid's offensive football to be so sharp and fast. He was a little confused and thought he was watching Hoffenheim playing in a white away jersey.
The characteristics of the two teams are so similar... Hoffenheim's football is fast and direct, and Real Madrid's football is also fast and direct.
Hoffenheim quickly passed the midfield when attacking, and Real Madrid also quickly passed the midfield when attacking. Whether it is Ozil, Di Maria, or C. Ronaldo, everyone sprinted forward with all their might after receiving the ball. They rarely saw them spinning in the spot after receiving the ball, and then hesitated and observed for a long time, and kicked the football back in this situation.
Rangnick is not unfamiliar with this scene. Hoffenheim played this way in his first season in the Bundesliga. He did not even allow his players to pass back and cross, just to improve the team's speed.
Unexpectedly, Real Madrid did the same... Of course, he didn't know whether Mourinho made the same rules as him, but this Real Madrid football is indeed very familiar to him.
This game...is like kicking in the mirror!
※※※Real Madrid's fast football also surprised the Hoffenheim players on the court. Like Rangnick, they knew that Real Madrid would definitely play offensive football at home because they dared to play defensive football at the Bernabeu, and even Mourinho did not have the courage to play defensive football at the Bernabeu. But they did not expect that Real Madrid's offensive football characteristics were exactly the same as theirs, both simple and direct quick rushing. No matter who got the ball, they just kept moving forward. The other teammates cooperated with the rhythm of the players who took the ball, sprinted hard, and rushed up as fast as possible, forming an advantage in numbers in a very short time and the momentum of "surging".
These are Hoffenheim's football style in the Bundesliga... After Chu Zhongtian got the ball, all other players would rush forward with two full-backs, two full-backs, and two forwards. When they turned from defense to offense, this feature was fully demonstrated.
For a time, facing Real Madrid's fast football, Hoffenheim players didn't know what to do.
Their defense was a bit embarrassing and was scattered by Real Madrid's fast football. If Real Madrid hadn't had bad luck, or if Real Madrid's strikers still didn't bring their shooting boots, they might have fallen behind by fifteen minutes of the game.
In the Bundesliga, Hoffenheim's fast football is unique and alternative. Most Bundesliga teams are slow, and their fast football can easily break the opponent's defense. They actually lack the way to deal with football as fast as they do.
There is a statistic that in the Champions League, the passing speed is ten to fifteen percentage points faster than in the Bundesliga, which is enough to illustrate the difference between the two events. Hoffenheim's passing level has reached the average level of the Champions League, but their opponents in the league have not reached, so they are not used to it.
At this time, Chu Zhongtian stood up.
He first devoted all his energy to defense, and together with Sana, he formed a barrier in front of the back line, reorganizing the defensive line that was rushed by Real Madrid, so that everyone would not panic.
Then he began to look for opportunities to fight back.
The more Real Madrid's offense is, the greater the gap in their defense. Even if Mourinho puts a lot of effort into defense, there is no guarantee that there is no problem at all. There must be loopholes, it depends on whether you can catch it.
※※This is not the first time Ozil has fought with Chu Zhongtian. When Werder Bremen, he often played against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga. Bremen where he is maintained has a winning streak against Hoffenheim, so psychologically, he has an advantage when facing Hoffenheim.
In the first round of the new season, Hoffenheim broke the embarrassing record of losing in Bremen, and this incident did not affect him. Since he left Bremen, it had nothing to do with Bremen, and he would not pay attention to Bremen's news.
However, German media believe that Ozil's departure may be the reason for Bremen's failure, because they lack a clear-minded midfield organizer in the midfield.
Ozil, who became famous in the World Cup, must have missed Bremen fans very much. But now he has become the darling of Bernabeu fans. He has almost only used one league game, so he has allowed the picky Real Madrid fans to accept him. His calm command in the midfield does not look like a young man who is only 21 years old. His skills are outstanding and full of aura. Some Spanish media have even impatient to put the hat of "Zidane's successor" on his head.
In today's game, he started, facing his old opponent Hoffenheim who had never lost in the league, but he soon discovered that his old opponent became a little unfamiliar.
For Chu Zhongtian, beating Bremen certainly allowed the team and him to get rid of an embarrassing past that they could not look back on, but this matter did not really end. Ozil is Bremen's midfield core, and Bremen is completely different from him with him. Only by defeating Ozil can he completely defeat Werder Bremen.
Therefore, when Real Madrid was attacking wildly, he set his sights on Ozil.
He greeted Sana and went to Ozil himself, and Sana didn't keep an eye on anyone, so he just guarded the middle area at the front of the penalty area to protect the space behind him so as not to be caught by his opponent.
Hoffenheim won a corner kick, and the ball taken by Salihovic was pushed out by Pepe.
The football that fell outside the penalty area allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to ferry to the middle with his head. Ozil followed from the middle and stretched out his foot to remove the football in the air beautifully.
His action won applause and cheers from Real Madrid fans in the stands.
Seeing him get the ball, other Real Madrid players rushed forward with confidence and boldness. They put on their best posture - relying on speed to break down Hoffenheim's hastily retreated defense line.c. Ronaldo, Higuain, Di Maria, and Marcelo ran to the frontcourt from different directions.
"This is Real Madrid's attack! They are here again!"
"Hoffenheim's central defender is still in the opponent's penalty area. Now Hoffenheim players in the backcourt only have two full-backs and one midfielder..." The German commentator was worried about Hoffenheim. Real Madrid's attack was too fast. It only takes a few seconds to form a situation with less and more in half the court. Hoffenheim is in danger!
Ozil removed the football, stopped a little and landed directly under his center of gravity, so he needed to adjust it. He did not take the first few steps and did not waft the speed. His adjustment left a chance for Chu Zhongtian. He quickly leaned over from behind, seized Ozil's opportunity to adjust the football under his feet, reached out to grab his shoulder, and then grabbed the ball with his feet!
He doesn't have to cut off the ball. It's difficult to intercept the ball from behind and it's easy to foul. He just needs to delay Ozil's movements, so that Real Madrid's fast break cannot be hit, and give his teammates time to return to defense, even if he succeeds.
Ozil is very familiar with Chu Zhongtian's defense. In the Bundesliga, he encountered this Chinese player more than once. Therefore, when Chu Zhongtian just put his hand on his shoulder, he knew who was behind him without looking up or looking back.
His choice was to stop urgently, and at the same time, he blocked the football with his right foot outside his instep. Chu Zhongtian also braked quickly and used this emergency stop to copy Ozil's front and blocked his progress. As long as the opponent stopped, his defense would be half successful.
Ozil did not engage in many entanglements with Chu Zhongtian. The two seasons of the Bundesliga match made him know how powerful the one-on-one ability of the man in front of him was. He seemed to be able to guess what move he would do next, so as to prevent it in advance and cut the ball off.
Ozil raised his foot and passed the ball before his body's center of gravity had been adjusted!
He passed the football to Marcelo on the wing.
Generally speaking, you won't make any mistakes in passing like this, but this time he was wrong.
The football passed by, but it did not fall at Marcelo's feet, but was intercepted by Sana midway!
When Chu Zhongtian and Ozil were entangled, Sana had already given up the defense in the middle and ran to the side to support his teammates. He dared to give up the defense in the middle because he saw Chu Zhongtian returning to defense. He trusted Chu Zhongtian very much and knew that as long as he was entangled, it would be difficult for Ozil to get rid of it. Even if he could beat Chu Zhongtian, he could not escape the fate of being knocked down by Chu Zhongtian - Chu Zhongtian knew when to make a choice, but in short, he would never let his opponent run away successfully from him. Since he could not get rid of the ball, he had to rely on passing the ball. At present, there was no Real Madrid player in the middle, and Real Madrid players ran to the side, Higuain, C. Ronaldo, Marcelo and Di Maria were all pulling the side. The focus of the defense was obviously on the side.
c. Ronaldo and Marcelo are on the left, Higuain and Di Maria are on the right, Higuain and C. Ronaldo are both rushed too far and have arrived at the back line. They are handed over to the defenders, and they choose one between Marcelo and Di Maria, and he chooses the right one!
Sana, who intercepted the ball, passed the ball back.
He passed the football to Chu Zhongtian. Chu Zhongtian had already thrown Ozil down in this short time and rushed up again.
Chu Zhongtian, who received the pass from Sana, did not dribble the ball into the opponent's penalty area. He directly chose to shoot a long shot at the goal!
The football roared towards the goal. Casillas made a save this time, but he still did not touch the football. The ball flew out from the outside of the goal post and hit the advertising board, making a muffled sound.
"Oh! Hoffenheim's second threatening shot came from Chu!"
"Under Real Madrid's continued offensive, Hoffenheim was not intimidated. At least their captain did not. This powerful long-range shot was not only a warning to Real Madrid, but also a reminder to his players!" The German commentator praised Chu Zhongtian very much.
He Ping, a commentator of China Central Television, said more emotionally: "In the Bernabeu stadium, Chu Zhongtian is Hoffenheim's most dazzling star!"
In line with his words, he was a close-up shot of a TV broadcast. Chu Zhongtian appeared in the camera and was closely followed by the TV broadcast. His back number and name were very conspicuous against the blue jersey.
Chapter completed!