The Godfather of Greenery

Chapter 129 The Price of Youth

When Ye Qiu led Ajax to defeat visiting Barcelona 2-0 at the Arena, the team became the only team among the three Eredivisie teams in the first round of the Champions League to score points and win up.

Eindhoven's competitiveness in the Eredivisie League is indeed very good, but it is relatively average in the European arena. They lost 1:4 to Nantes in Ligue [-] in the first round away game. The only goal Still in stoppage time, taking advantage of an opponent's inadvertent error, it is very sad.

Feyenoord visited Russia's Spartak Moscow in an away game. As a result, they were humiliated by their opponents 1:2 in Russia. They finally took the lead, but were reversed by their opponents with two consecutive goals. The result was indeed unsatisfactory. .

Hailed by the Dutch media as the only team that defended the dignity of the Eredivisie, Ye Qiu's Ajax beat the visiting Barcelona 2-0. There are complaints about the tactics, but it cannot be denied that this young team still maintains a strong competitiveness when facing even a strong team like Barcelona.

And that's exactly what Eredivisie teams have been lacking over the past few years.

In another matchup with Ajax in the same group, with Kirsten's goal, Leverkusen defeated Ligue 1 Lyon 0-[-] away, and Lyon's main midfielder Juninho Jr. He got a red card in the game and was doomed to miss the next game against Ajax at the Arenal Stadium.

This is undoubtedly helping Ajax in the dark!
Because the time of the two group matches was the same, Ye Qiu specially found the game video after the game, combined with the report of Ajax's scouts on the spot to spy on the military situation, and analyzed the Leverkusen situation together with the coaching staff. Every game, we have to find that Leverkusen is really a very balanced team.

Bundesliga teams are usually more pragmatic and focus on balance when forming teams, so Leverkusen is very good in both offense and defense, even in the midfield, players such as Ballack, Schneider and Ze Roberto They all have a good defensive awareness. At first glance, the entire team's tactics are mediocre, but their integrity is very strong.

Encountering such an opponent, not to mention Ajax, which is not as strong as Leverkusen, even the superior Real Madrid, as long as Top Muller does not make mistakes in tactics, the Galaxy Battleship wants to It is also difficult to gnaw away the opponent.

This also once again affirmed Ye Qiu's experience in building a tactical system, that is, the balance of offense and defense.

Any team that has achieved outstanding results, or even been recognized as a great team, must be a team with a balanced offense and defense. Even Real Madrid, everyone has noticed that they have a lot of talents on the offensive end. The contribution of their midfield defensive players to the team.

There is no doubt that Ajax will continue to move towards a balanced offense and defense like Bayern Munich and Leverkusen.

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Returning to the Eredivisie from the Champions League, Ajax soon ushered in Sparta Rotterdam at the Arena Stadium.

Ye Qiu made a rotation for this game, including Hleb, Huntelaar, Kolo Toure, Yaya Toure, Heitinga, De Jong and other players were eligible to start, and the ball In the end, relying on the fierce offensive in the first half hour, the team scored 3 goals for Sparta Rotterdam in one breath, winning 3 consecutive league victories with 0:6.

For a while, the entire Netherlands was amazed by Ajax's outstanding performance in the new season. The start of the 6-game winning streak was not outstanding in the history of the Eredivisie, but it was the best start for Ajax in recent years. What was rare was the powerful attacking power and dominance displayed by Ye Qiu's team on the field.

The fierce and irresistible offense and the unbreakable defense have made Ajax perform very well in the new season.

But there are also many people who feel that Ajax this season is a bit like Feyenoord last season.

Last season's Feyenoord League started off with 9 consecutive victories. They opened up the point difference from the beginning of the league in one breath, but in the middle of the season, their state declined rapidly, and then they lost points. Almost couldn't even keep the third place in the Champions League.

Ye Qiu also said in an interview with the media that Feyenoord is a lesson for Ajax, but he believes that the team's winning streak is due to every player working very hard to play, which is what the team deserves. of.

"I can't agree with any doubts about this achievement, because it represents the result of the hard work of me and my players, but we will not become blind and arrogant because of this, because the league has just begun."

In the middle of the week, Ajax ushered in the Ligue [-] overlord Lyon.

Without Juninho, Lyon's midfielder lost the most powerful organizer, coupled with two-line combat and running back and forth. After the rotation, Ajax, who was waiting for work, relied on Lucio at the Arena The goal, defeated Lyon 1:0, won the group's two consecutive victories, and temporarily ranked first in the group.

In another game in the same group, Leverkusen defeated Barcelona 2:1 at home, also winning two consecutive victories.

But just when Ajax was complacent, Ye Qiu's team encountered a tenacious attack from the home team in the seventh round of the league when they challenged Groningen away. 7 lose.

It was also Ajax's first loss of the season.

Time has entered October. After two weeks of national team matches, Ajax regrouped and immediately ushered in NEC Nijmegen. Ye Qiu's team once again played a fierce game at the Arena , 10:5 victory over the opponent, the iron-like facts proved that the defeat was just an occasional miss.

This game was recognized and affirmed by almost all the Dutch media, because Ajax controlled the situation of the game from the beginning to the end, scoring three goals in the first half and two goals in the second half. The players scored and Nijmegen was unable to threaten the goal of Ajax from the beginning to the end.

Schulde Mosso of the Kyodo Daily even spoke highly of it in his ball commentary. He believed that Ajax really showed the dominance that a winning team should have in this game. He believed that Ajax For the first time, the champion phase was played.

But just three days later, the team challenged Leverkusen away.

Ye Qiu has been studying this opponent for the past two weeks, even to the point of not going out, so he locked himself in his home in Amsterdam and De Tokmoster, and studied Leverkusen with his assistants.

Ajax got off to a good start. Van der Vaart's goal gave Ajax an early lead. The opening attack obviously caught Leverkusen by surprise, and Ajax was fast and full of impact. Leverkusen's unique style of play, high defensive system and other advantages have made Leverkusen suffer.

But the Bundesliga powerhouses quickly turned the situation around by relying on their rich experience and excellent overall strength.

First, after Ze Roberto cooperated with Argentine left-back Pulcente on the left, he assisted Ballack to shoot through Van der Sar's goal from the front of the penalty area and equalized the score. Working hard, relying on the goal of Berbatov who came off the bench, he just reversed the score.

In the end, Ajax lost 1:2 at the Bayer Arena!

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Goalkeeper Bout, the defense is Pulcent, Nowotny, Ramello, Sebetzen, midfielder Ze Roberto, Basturk, Ballack, Schneider, striker Kirsten and Neuville.

Ye Qiu, who was sitting in the office, looked at the roster in front of him. He really didn't think that the current Ajax has any qualifications to compete with such a group of players, because every player in this team The players are all superstars, and basically they are all in their prime.

He was not surprised by this loss. After all, in an away game, coupled with lack of strength, if you lose, you lose.

Frankly speaking, Ajax didn't lose well, they maintained their lead for half an hour, and once attacked Leverkusen very embarrassingly, which was enough to guarantee the dignity of Ajax, even if they lost in the end. After losing the game, the German media also unanimously gave Ajax a high evaluation.

But Ye Qiu still felt that he should reflect a lot on this match.

The first is in the formation of the team.

Leverkusen's truly threatening offensives are almost always on the left. Schneider on the right is more about organizing and passing the ball. There are not many one-on-one breakthroughs on the side. After all, the speed is not very fast, which belongs to that kind of typical wide-field player.

The left side of the pharmaceutical factory is a combination of Pulcent and Ze Roberto. There is no need to doubt the strength of the two. Ballack also likes to lean to the left now, plus another Turkish midfielder Bastu Erke, Leverkusen's left is very threatening, it can be said to be the source of offense.

Ye Qiu's calculations in this game were very loud. The right side was still a combination of Maicon, Sneijder and Van der Vaart, hoping to use the right side of the attack to suppress Leverkusen's left side attack, but Maicon Kong returned to Brazil on the national team match day to participate in the Olympic team match, running back and forth, and although he was replaced by Ye Qiu in the league, his condition was very bad.

The two goals conceded by Ajax were almost all Leverkusen's attacks from the left. This was indeed caused by Ye Qiu's tactical mistakes.

Perhaps, if Heitinga or De Jong is used, the defense may be stronger.

There is another problem that Ye Qiu noticed, that is, in the midfield, Ajax did a poor job of the connection between the iron triangle of Ballack, Ze Roberto and Basturk, or Not enough, especially after taking a goal lead, the restrictions on them are even worse.

Ye Qiu can understand the difficulties of players. Ballack is a player in the current tactical system of Leverkusen. His positioning is really strange. When defending, he is deep, similar to a midfielder, and has a strong personality. Interception ability, the style is a bit like Vieira, can attack and defend, but the body is as strong as Vieri.

The point is, one of Leverkusen's very important tactical routines is that Ballack split the ball to the wing, and then he rushes forward from the backcourt like a bull, sprinting directly into the penalty area to grab points or head the ball , this kind of role is a bit like that of Beckenbauer's free man back then, but it's not like it at all.

Just imagine, a player who enters the penalty area from the back without moving. He has height, strength, shooting and long-range shooting. How difficult is it for such a player to defend, so it is difficult for Ajax's midfielder to defend Such Barack.

So, not only did the players get killed by Leverkusen in this match, even Ye Qiu himself had to admit that he lost.

"There is no one worthy of fame!" Ye Qiu said to himself with a wry smile.

He actually thinks that the current Ballack should be the pinnacle of his career, because at this moment his characteristics are brought into full play. Even if he joined Bayern or Chelsea later, he may not be able to have the current environment. Pu? Müller is almost built around him to build team tactics.

Just as Ye Qiu was smiling wryly, someone knocked on the office door.

Bobby Harms approached with a pregnant belly, "It seems that you are really doing a serious post-match summary!"

Ye Qiu left the desk area and smiled, "The reason why some games are lost is more or less accidental, there is no reason at all, but some games are lost, if you don't find the reason, you will lose again next time."

The two sat down on the sofa in the reception area of ​​Ye Qiu's office. Bobby Harms had already sat down with his weight, and there was an obvious pop sound, and a large piece of the soft sofa immediately sunk, allowing Ye Qiu to Heart trembled.

"Take it easy, be careful not to sit on it!" Ye Qiu reminded with a smile.

Bobby Harms also laughed when he heard this, "It's the property of the club anyway, and if it breaks, it will break!" After speaking, he deliberately moved his buttocks, and sat down hard again with a poof.

Ye Qiu laughed, but quickly turned to Bobby Harms, "Bobby, what do you think of the match against Leverkusen?"

When it came to serious business, Bobby Harms was no longer kidding.

"The price of being young!" Super Bobby said his thoughts, "The main reason is that you are too young, it is the first time to participate in the Champions League, and you lack experience, especially in away games. The length of the Bayer Stadium is about 6 meters shorter than the Arena Stadium. , so you see that several long passes have passed directly!"

This is also a big disadvantage for away games, because UEFA and FIFA have a range of football field sizes, not fixed values, so different teams have different sizes, and it is entirely based on their own preferences. For example, Barcelona's Camp Nou is very big, and the Arenal Stadium is not small.

Just imagine, it is 6 meters shorter. If Kivu, Lucio and Van der Sar still make long passes according to their usual strength, it will be difficult for Robben and Van der Vaart to catch the ball in front, because the two penalty areas They are all fixed size, and the missing part is in the middle, which is the area that the ball crosses.

Experienced players will have some adaptation methods of their own. Because they have played a lot of games, they have accumulated experience and know how to pass more than 6 meters and how to pass less than 6 meters. That's why Bobby Hames has this kind of ability. statement.

"And we have to admit that Leverkusen is really strong. This team doesn't look like a third-tier team!"

Ye Qiu laughed when he heard this, "Many people also said that we don't look like a fourth-tier team!"

Ranking, this is absolutely nonsense, whoever judges an opponent based on this is a fool.

"After this game, I have gained a better understanding of Leverkusen. When they come to the Arena, I will definitely call them good-looking!" Ye Qiu said with high spirits.

"Have you found a way to restrain Leverkusen?" Bobby Harms asked with a smile.

I have been working with Ye Qiu for more than a year, and I have watched Ye Qiu grow and improve for more than two years. Among all the qualities of Ye Qiu, what Bobby Harms admires the most is Ye Qiu's self-summarization and learning ability.

Losing is not terrible. Who has never lost as a professional coach?Who hasn't suffered a fiasco?

But the problem is, after you lose miserably, you have to understand why you lost?Why did you lose?
Only by summing up this experience and filling in this deficiency through learning can you make progress, and this is precisely Ye Qiu's strength. After almost every game, he will summarize himself, no matter whether he wins or loses. Together with the coaching staff, sometimes hiding in the office by himself.

"According to the current ranking, the Leverkusen group has won three consecutive victories, and it is very likely to get the first place. We have two wins and one loss, while Barcelona has one win and two losses. Lyon is the worst, with three consecutive losses. If there is no accident , and the remaining three rounds are desperate battles, especially the last two rounds against Leverkusen and Barcelona, ​​which are even more critical battles!"

Ajax's next three group match opponents are away to Lyon, home to Leverkusen, and away to Barcelona. According to the current situation, the three games will be tough battles, because Lyon at least wants one now. Qualifying for the UEFA Cup and finishing third in the group, they still have a chance, although it is very slim.

When the time comes to play Leverkusen and Barcelona, ​​it is directly related to the group qualifying, and both games must go all out. Only by doing their best can Ajax have the possibility to stand out from the group stage.

Ye Qiu's ambitions are actually not that big, just pass the first round of the group stage and enter the second round of the group stage.

You know, there are 6 games in the second round of the group stage. Even if it stops outside the top 8, the Ajax club can still earn more than 6 million euros in direct income in these [-] games. For the current Ajax For him, this is definitely a lot of money, so Ye Qiu has always set his goal of participating in the second round of the group stage for the Champions League.

Of course, the management of Ajax did not give the team the Champions League target this season, but only hopes that the team can win the Eredivisie. The Champions League and the Dutch Cup are just extra points.

"Don't put so much pressure on yourself!" Bobby Harms was very happy to see Ye Qiu's fighting spirit, because people only work hard if they have the fighting spirit. good!"

Ye Qiu smiled after hearing this, nodded and said: "You are right, Bobby, so after I qualify from the first round of the group stage, I will completely let go of my hands and feet to play, but before that, everything must be ensured. The middle line is the main point!"

Hearing what Ye Qiu said, Bobby Harms smiled wryly. Should he say Ye Qiu is stubborn?Or does he have the will to fight?

Perhaps, it has both!

(End of this chapter)