Chapter 1 The Corner of the Stands

In the corner of the stands.

A child pointed to the Czech penalty area and asked curiously, "Dad, why is that person wearing a hat?"

The man was slightly surprised, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "He's afraid of the cold."

In a Premier League match in 2006, Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech suffered a skull fracture, narrowly escaping death.

...

The game became increasingly dull.

Spain surrounded the Czech penalty area, frantically "passing the ball around."

Čech calmly directed the defense.

Morata and David Silva were frantically pulling and tugging.

Iniesta had to play the important role of organizing and connecting, because Isco's positioning was extremely similar to his.

"The defensive formation is too dense."

"Today's Czech team is very Chelsea-esque."

"The spacing between all players is maintained very well."

"The Spanish team still can't find a breakthrough! After losing Xavi, the Spanish team's passing and controlling system lacks overall rhythm changes!"

"Meaningless passes cannot threaten the Czech goal!"

....

24th minute of the match.

Spain forcibly accelerated in the frontcourt.

The ball quickly passed through the feet of Iniesta and David Silva, tearing apart the opponent's dense defense like steel wire.

Cazorla, pulled to the wing, gently lifted his foot and chipped the ball.

The ball eventually turned into a graceful arc, leaping towards Morata's head!

How could they waste a perfect opportunity created by three midfield masters?

"Morata's positioning is too good!"

"Perfect timing for the run!"

"Look at this ball!"

Morata, without using his feet, is simply a forward Bug.

The group of Bundesliga and Ligue 1 veterans on the Czech team couldn't keep up with his pace at all.

Spanish fans in the stands began to celebrate in advance!

...

Czech penalty area.

Morata leaped high and swung his head violently.

The ball swiftly slammed towards the lower left corner of the Czech goal.

Minaño's joy was overflowing.

Vrba nervously bent over.

Morata's header never disappoints!

Čech's right arm has aftereffects.

The entire Premier League is grabbing at this weakness to attack him.

But it's no use.

A burst of exclamations rang out at the Atlantic Stadium.

Čech slid to the ground with lightning speed, blocking the ball with his right foot at the goal line!

Morata patted his forehead and stomped his foot helplessly.

"Beautiful!"

"Čech used his crippled foot to block Spain's certain goal!"

"It's hard to imagine that a 34-year-old veteran is still constantly improving and correcting his weaknesses!"

"His only flaw is that he is not domineering enough to become the spiritual leader of the Czech team."

He Wei quickly nudged Duan Xuan.

Even if he's not domineering enough, he's still one of the top goalkeepers in Champions League history.

...

Livestream.

-【Čech is worthy of being the father of Arsenal's defenders.】

-【It's because the Czech players have good defensive positioning. Morata's attacking point was expected, so Čech's save wasn't that difficult.】

-【Čech is one of the people who understands the essence of "Mourinho's bus" best. The goalkeeper position has a wide field of vision, which makes it easier to direct the defense.】

-【Spain's passing and controlling isn't working anymore. Without Xavi, there's no change of pace. The opportunities they finally created can't get past Čech!】

-【This game is probably going to be a draw.】

-【The Italian team is much smarter! Without Pirlo, they directly abandoned midfield control and transition. They push forward when attacking and retreat to help the two old central defenders and Buffon when defending!】

-【Italy is currently behind Northern Ireland.】

-【You don't understand, this is Bosque's strategy: health-preserving football.】

....

Minaño paced back and forth anxiously.

The coaching staff inside and outside the field were busy relaying messages.

"Boss, if we qualify as the top of our group, we are likely to encounter Portugal... No, Belgium is also behind?"

Bosque smiled and patted the little assistant coach's shoulder: "Don't panic, do what you can control."

Minaño said: "What we can control at the moment... is winning the game at the lowest cost?"

Bosque nodded and sat back on the bench.

His coaching career can be described as perfect.

At the club level: he led Real Madrid to win two Champions League trophies, in 2002 he defeated Toppmöller's Leverkusen.

At the national team level: In the 8 years he coached the Spanish national team, his win rate was as high as 76.32%, and he joined hands with the peak of the Spanish dynasty to create the first team in history to defend the European Cup and the first team to win three consecutive international competitions.

The old man's current situation can be described as "ruining his reputation late in life". The shame brought by the 2014 World Cup was too heavy. This European Cup is his last journey before retirement.

Bench.

Diego Costa was bored.

He was sure that he would not appear in this game.

Because previous events have proven that his foot skills do not meet the requirements of the passing and controlling system.

Saúl, Koke, and De Gea were also kept on the bench.

"Lee, we at Atlético Madrid will soon have a new luxury stadium!"

"Lee, Atlético Madrid's training intensity is very high, La Liga's taxes are too heavy, our Old Trafford locker room has a massage pool..."

"We also have a massage pool!"

Li Kang nodded.

Then he turned his attention back to the field.

He couldn't help but wonder: if they encounter a team that is good at positional defense in the knockout stage, how should they use their teammates' characteristics to create threatening attacks.

....

The ball kept rolling in front of the Czech penalty area, but it was still unable to threaten the goal again.

Iniesta's long shots and Isco's horizontal and vertical penetrations were all blocked by experienced Bundesliga and Ligue 1 veterans.

What about David Silva?

Every time he gets the ball on the flanks, he is met by three Czech players.

A slower version of Messi is still not Messi himself.

There is no way to easily perform the feat of "suddenly exploding" and breaking through the defense in one go.

What about Morata?

He disappeared.

...

Atlantic Stadium, like a huge library.

The fans on both sides looked at the dull situation and regretted the price of the tickets.

The Czech team had several good counter-attack opportunities.

Rosický was always able to tear apart Spain's high defensive line with long passes.

That was the "football Mozart" who made a name for himself in Dortmund and Arsenal!

He once interpreted elegance and lightness in European football, but suffered from severe injuries.

Unfortunately, the teammates on the front line were too poor.

The strength of Necid and others is limited.

Even if they receive the pass, they cannot get past Ramos and Piqué's interception.

Even Piqué, who is distracted, can easily complete the block and disruption.

...

93rd minute of the match, the last moment of injury time.

Morata pulled out a gap outside the penalty area!

A well-rounded forward is hiding in order to unleash a big move.

Cazorla passed the ball over smoothly.

"Morata's run is amazing."

"The Czechs' attention has dropped, a good opportunity."

"Here it comes!"

Morata didn't stop the ball.

Aimed at the upper right corner of the goal.

Kicked the ball angrily!

Pa!

The moment the ball drew an arc.

Čech moved.

He predicted the direction of the shot, leaned sideways in the air, and blocked it accurately with his left fist!

The ball's trajectory was changed, hitting his teammate Sivok's head and bouncing into the net!

1:0!!!

"Oh no!"

"Own goal!"

"The Czechs defended for 93 minutes without being broken through by their opponents, but they were opened by their own people!"

"Morata! He created danger at the last moment and killed the game!"

"Three consecutive wins, Spain locks in the top spot in the group stage!"

Morata rushed to the corner flag area and patted his chest excitedly.

Cazorla and others excitedly surrounded him.

The players on the bench also stood up excitedly.

The referee looked at his watch.

Beep! Beep beep~

Then he blew the whistle to end the match.

Čech took off his helmet and comforted his teammate who scored the own goal.

He was very open-minded.

When he was a child, his family was poor and couldn't afford expensive ice hockey equipment, so he had to give up his dream and switch to playing football.

As a result, he won many honors at the club level.

Premier League clean sheet record.

Three Premier League Golden Gloves.

Premier League champion.

Champions League champion.

National team... even the Czech golden generation is always a little short.

This is his fourth European Cup.

At the beginning of the century, Čech, who was not sealed by the hat, was able to compete with Buffon for the world's number one goalkeeper.

....

Compared to the red flags waving wildly in the stands.

The Spanish coaching staff couldn't laugh.

Minaño said in a panic: "Boss... our opponent in the knockout stage is Italy!"

Bosque was smiling and applauding. After hearing the news, his expression remained unchanged.

"You must have a fearless heart."

"In this game, our Lee... most of the main players got valuable rest and adjustment time."

"It shouldn't be us who are afraid, but Italy!"

A moment later.

Li Kang and his teammates left the field and entered the player tunnel.

Morata was still being interviewed by reporters from all over the world.

"Luck is part of football. If Lee plays, the game will lose suspense earlier."

"Are you asking about the knockout stage? Hmm... I love Juventus... The Italian team has Juventus' defense and goalkeeper, but they don't have Juventus' forward."

....

Lille.

This city, famous for its seafood, has not become a blessed place for Italians.

Conte miscalculated.

He couldn't control his emotions and punched the turf wildly.

Buffon, Barzagli, Bonucci, and Chiellini sat on the bench with numb expressions.

Watching their juniors being ravaged by Northern Ireland.

"Poor little guys..."

"Okay, let's pity ourselves. In the round of 16, we may encounter Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, and Chelsea!"

"Čech was eliminated? Don't you want to say something?"

"What to say? Schmeichel's son has already won the Premier League!"

Every once in a while, the question of "who is the best goalkeeper in the world" will always spark fierce debate.

1996, Buffon and Schmeichel.

2004, Buffon and Čech.

2010, Buffon and Casillas.

2014, Buffon and Neuer.

......

That night.

The draw for the round of 16 of the European Cup was officially released!

Upper half A:

Switzerland vs Poland.

Croatia vs Portugal.

Upper half B:

Wales vs Northern Ireland.

Hungary vs Belgium.

Lower half A:

Germany vs Slovakia.

Spain vs Italy.

Lower half B:

France vs Ireland.

England vs Iceland.

...

The news quickly became a trending topic on the internet.

The number of comments, likes, and reposts soared.

-【What a hellish difficulty in the lower half? The strongest teams in Europe are all gathered together!】

-【What does this division mean? Don't you need to draw lots like the Champions League?】

-【In the knockout stage of major national team tournaments, you generally don't need to draw lots. Let me give you an example: if Spain defeats Italy, they will face the winner between Germany and Slovakia!】

-【If Spain breaks through, they will face the winner of France, Ireland, England, and Iceland. If they win all the way, they will reach the final, and their opponent will be the ultimate winner of the upper half!】

-【Spain is simply a hellish difficulty, they have to play strong teams all the way!】

-【From another perspective, it's a hellish difficulty for other teams to encounter Li Mingdeng...】

.....

Île de Ré, France.

Spanish base, tactical room.

Bosque asked all the players to attend the meeting.

A large screen projected a hot spot imaging map of the match against the Czech Republic.

"If we want to stick to the passing and controlling style of play, we lack speed and rhythm changes!"

"Eight of our attacks were disrupted by the opponent's simple lateral shifts!"

"Too slow, the opponent can always gain a numerical advantage on the flanks and cut off our passing connections."

"Although we侥幸(jiǎoxìng, luckily) won this game, it makes us feel like we are back in the embarrassing situation of the 2014 group stage."

"The two data points of ball possession and number of passes are meaningless in front of the score result."

"Italy's defensive system is far superior to the Czech Republic... What do we use to break through their goal?"

The screen switched.

The coaching staff began to review Italy's first two group stage matches.

Iniesta and Busquets looked at each other.

They had known it for a long time, but they didn't want to admit it in their hearts:

Perhaps... the fall of the peak Spanish dynasty was not only due to Xavi and the aging of the lineup.

But after a tactic achieves its ultimate success, it will inevitably be studied and overcome by the simplest and most effective methods.

...

Li Kang had finished watching Italy's game in advance.

He also saw two old friends in the video: Buffon and De Rossi.

Conte also showed his strength in terms of the roster: no Pirlo, no Totti, no Verratti, no Marchisio, no Balotelli.

Even the active purple-colored, green-colored, and red-colored players in Serie A could not be selected due to various injuries.

But that doesn't mean this civilian Italian team is weak. Conte's mature three-center-back system is highly compatible with Juventus' defensive team.

In God's perspective.

Slowly reviewing the details of the Italian team's game.

The shadows in the brain spread wildly.

In an instant, a three-dimensional map was formed.

3-5-2 formation.

Three center-backs rotating the ball.

De Rossi dropping deep, Parolo connecting.

Florenzi and Candreva's asymmetrical attack.

All the information flooded the brain.

...

A moment later.

The coaching staff happened to finish analyzing Italy's tactical system.

Cazorla and David Silva and others were apprehensive.

If they continue the lineup from the game against the Czech Republic, the Spanish team will definitely fall in front of the Italian team.

They may even lose completely.

Saúl and Koke frowned. They had played against Juventus in the Champions League on behalf of Atlético Madrid: this guy named Conte seems to be much stronger than Allegri.

Diego Costa yawned.

Isco turned to look at Li Kang from time to time.

Morata looked puzzled: The old central defenders and Buffon of the Italian team are different from those at the club!

Bosque tapped the table lightly and said seriously: "The one who should be afraid is Italy."