Chapter 326 The ambition of the small African team
Chang Sheng is very aware of Mazembe's strength and tactical style, so in this match, his opponent looks like a naked beauty in front of him, with no cover at all, and he can see clearly.
So Chang Sheng thought that this game should be very easy to win.
If it were Internacional, he might still be a little worried.
But if it is Mazembe now... then the final will be just a formality...
If nothing unexpected happens, the opponent should choose to hold on during the game and try to delay the penalty shootout. This is the only way they can possibly defeat Lazio.
Therefore, Lazio's preparations are naturally focused on how to break the opponent's defense if they want to defend it.
In fact, Lazio's coaching staff knows almost nothing about this team. They might as well know Seongnam Ilhwa, because at least Lazio has played with a Korean team in the summer and has a somewhat familiar understanding of the style of Korean football.
But this is Lazio's first experience with an African team.
Although Chang Sheng knows about this team, his understanding of this team is more through text, that is, media reports, rather than game scenes.
The only information the coaching staff has is the video of Mazembe's first two games in the Club World Cup.
They studied tactics, formulated countermeasures, and showed the players videos of these two games.
Generally speaking, for this kind of encounter, the preparation before the game can only go so far.
But everyone's mentality is very relaxed.
Because it is obvious that Mazembe and Lazio are not at the same level at all, and their strengths are very different.
You don't need to know too much information about the opponent, you just need to play at your own pace.
Everyone believes that as long as Lazio performs normally, it will be easy to defeat Mazembe.
Before the Club World Cup final, Chang Sheng simply gave his players a half-day off and asked them to go shopping in Abu Dhabi to see if there was anything they wanted to buy back as Christmas gifts for their families.
When facing the reporters' cameras, Lazio's players also smiled and felt very relaxed.
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What is completely different from Lazio is Mazembe's preparations.
Mazembe's head coach Ndiaye conducted closed training.
Interviews are declined and visits from fans are declined.
They are training hard on the training ground.
Naturally, the only goal for such hard work is to defeat the powerful Lazio in the Club World Cup final!
This is the ambition of this small Central African team.
However, their closed training was only ridiculed by the media.
Although when Mazembe reached the final, the media cheered for them.
But this time and that time.
In the eyes of the media, it is remarkable that Mazembe can reach the Club World Cup finals and break the tradition of European teams and South American teams meeting in the finals.
They are already winners.
But if they still hope to defeat Lazio, it is wishful thinking.
You know, how much Chang Sheng desires this Club World Cup championship?
His apprentice Guardiola has won six crowns, but as a master, he has not yet won six crowns. Wouldn't it be too embarrassing to tell him?
Therefore, Lazio is bound to win this championship.
Your African small team wants to take advantage of the tiger's mouth?
The tiger will swallow you in one bite!
Mazembe, who reached the final of the Club World Cup, is respectable, but he overestimates his capabilities. Because he starts to dream of getting more after reaching the final, it makes people feel a little... I don't know how high the sky is.
It is ridiculous that some media ridiculed Ndiaye for conducting closed training.
"Everyone can guess your tactical reaction to Lazio with their knees. What's the point of closed training? Will you be able to compete with Lazio then?"
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Time flies by quickly, and the Club World Cup final between Lazio and Mazembe is coming in the blink of an eye.
Before the game, Chang Sheng said to his players in the locker room: "Guys, we won five championships this year. We are still short of the last championship, which is the sixth championship. Although this honor is not unprecedented.
But this is still the honor we want to pursue. For this honor, we have gone through a whole year. During this year, we have faced various opponents, we have played many games, and we have experienced difficult times.
We have also enjoyed hearty victories. We have won the league championship, Italian Cup championship, Champions League championship, Italian Super Cup championship and European Super Cup championship... Now. This long journey is about to reach the highlight. The Club World Cup championship is for us.
It will be a good reward for our year's hard work. Now, let's get our reward!"
Chang Sheng's impassioned speech was quite good at boosting the team's morale. After he finished speaking, the eyes of the Lazio players changed. They all screamed and couldn't wait for the game to start.
Chang Sheng is very satisfied with the players' response.
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At the same time, in another locker room, Mazembe's head coach, Mazembe's ever-victorious opponent, did not do the same thing. He stood in front of his tactical board and talked with his players.
Likewise, I am listening to a person speaking. This person is the club's president, Katubi, who is making the final mobilization for his players.
At such a critical moment, he naturally has to take action personally. You must know that he is also the one responsible for giving instructions during the halftime break of every game...
"When we were training in a closed space, I heard voices from the outside world. They said, 'A small team from Central Africa actually wants to compete with Lazio for the Club World Cup. It is such a wishful thinking and brings humiliation to itself!'. So they expressed their disapproval of the situation.
Our closed training is ridiculed. Of course, everyone has the right to freely express their opinions, but everyone's opinions are also right and wrong. Obviously, what they said is wrong."
"You and I both know how much our opponents want to win the Club World Cup. Because as long as they win another championship, they will have six championships this season. In Europe, they call this the 'Six Crowns'
'. This is the highest honor. So they will definitely not give up this championship. What about us? But we also have a reason to win the championship. Because this will be the best gift we can give to the entire African continent! There has never been Africa.
Teams can win the Club World Cup, but they can’t even reach the finals! Whether it’s North Africa, West Africa, or those teams in South Africa... no team can do it! But now. We
We did it! We beat the mighty Internacional of Brazil in the semi-finals and we made it to the final! Why can’t we compete for this title, lads?”
"Our opponent, the head coach of Lazio, often said: 'I did not come to the final to win runner-up.' This sentence also applies to us. Since we have reached the final, why can't we win one?
Where's the championship? The game hasn't even started yet. The media is full of talk that Lazio will become the six-time champion. Do they take us seriously?"
"But it doesn't matter, we will prove it to them with actual performance on the court, so that they have to face us! We will use the championship to spread Mazembe's name throughout the world!!"
Katubi clenched his fists and roared at the top of his lungs.
And the Mazembe players in the locker room who had long been unable to restrain themselves all roared.
Then the players from both sides came out.
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In the first half of the game, as everyone knows, Mazembe did not choose such a stupid tactic to attack Lazio, but chose to defend.
Completely defend.
All their players retreated into their own half.
Even the forwards are no exception.
The purpose is to defend until the end of the game, until the end of overtime, and until the penalty shootout.
This is also the only way Mazembe can possibly defeat Lazio.
Chang Sheng was already prepared for this, and he asked the team to play according to the tactics they usually use against those teams that are stubbornly defending.
Make more large-scale transfers. Try more long-range shots and various through balls, and encourage players to break through with the ball.
Anyway, Mazembe basically has no counterattack power and cannot threaten Lazio's goal at all.
If possible, Chang Sheng feels there is no need to even play goalkeeper Handanovic.
From the beginning of the game, it was a one-sided situation. Lazio was bombarding Mazembe's goal, hoping to score an early goal.
As long as Lazio can score first, there will be no suspense in this game. Regardless of the recent goals, as long as Lazio takes the lead.
Therefore, Lazio's tactics and goals after the start of the game were all aimed at scoring goals.
Optimistic Lazio fans believed that within ten minutes of the opening, the little-known Mazembe would surrender and open their city gates to welcome Lazio.
Lazio fans, who pride themselves on being rational, are not so optimistic. They believe that Lazio can lead by one or two goals in the first half.
Including the players themselves think so. It may be difficult to score in ten minutes, but taking the lead in the first half should be no problem.
So they played as relaxed as they had in the previous games.
Even some... do whatever you want.
They felt that in the first thirty minutes, they could score a goal no matter what.
But thirty minutes later, the score was still 0:0.
Lazio had six shots in these thirty minutes, averaging one shot every five minutes.
This kind of performance cannot be said to be bad.
But there was no change in the score.
Only then did the Lazio players realize that the situation was not as simple as they thought.
The optimistic Lazio fans in the stands and in front of the TV also fell silent.
The commentators no longer say such good things as "Lazio performed so well", "Lazio has completely taken the initiative", "Lazio is in sight of a goal"...
They began to change their words and say, "Mazembe's performance is very tenacious!" "Mazembe's defensive tactics are quite successful!" "Mazembe's players have high morale and full physical fitness..."
Chang Sheng, who was off the court, also frowned.
He guessed the tactics correctly, and he also understood the team well.
But what he didn't expect was that this team's determination to win the championship was far more determined than he thought! (To be continued...)