69novels Chapter 70 The Ironclad Barrier Against Pressure
Chapter 70 The Ironclad Barrier Against Pressure
The match is about to begin, and the starting lineups for both sides are already displayed in the center of the screen.
For the away team, Tottenham, Hoddle fielded a 4-4-2 formation.
Well, as a fan of traditional English football, his preferred formation is really hard to guess!
Goalkeeper: Keller.
Defenders: Tarik, Gardner, Richards, Karl.
Midfielders: Etherington, Bunevcevic, Redknapp, Davies.
Forwards: Iverson, Sheringham.
Of all the players in this Tottenham team, Ye Xian is most familiar with Sheringham, who previously played for Manchester United.
The midfield includes Redknapp, partly because he played for Liverpool for many years.
Then there's goalkeeper Keller, a renowned player who represented the United States in four World Cups.
Interestingly, he participated in the World Cups from 90 to 06, the only one he missed was the 94 World Cup, because of a conflict with then-coach Milutinovic...
I don't recognize the others.
Davis and Richards are just names that are shared; they are not Dutch wild boars or Manchester City legends.
This is the standard setup for a mid-table team like Tottenham.
They have star players, but not many, and their playing style is relatively simple and direct, relying heavily on the performance of their star players.
For the home team Everton, Ye Xian naturally used the 4-3-3 formation that he had been practicing recently!
Goalkeeper: Cech.
Defenders: Grosso, Stubbs, Will, Alves.
Midfielders: Li Tie, Alonso, Gravesen.
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney.
This starting lineup only retains three players from last season.
The other eight players are all new players! Seven new signings plus one youth academy graduate.
This is also a point of contention for Ye Xian in the media – the changes are too drastic and too dramatic!
But Ye Xian knew that this lineup was the main lineup he had been carefully building!
Of the eight players brought in during the summer transfer window, only Li Weifeng seems to be yet to reach the level required for a starting appearance.
Big Head is still a bit too impulsive, his ball passing is slightly poor, and his communication skills are not very good either.
Therefore, Ye Xian still used the same Everton central defensive pairing as captain Stubbs and Scottish international Will, to ensure a solid defense.
However, Li Weifeng has been practicing very hard recently, and his English learning is gradually catching up. Ye Xian will give him more opportunities.
Although he is an assistant coach for the Chinese national team, Ye Xian does not show favoritism when dealing with the national team players.
The starting positions have always been held by the most capable.
Only by being fair and just will people respect you.
As for Li Tie's starting position, there is absolutely no problem with that.
Although their offense was a bit rough, their defensive ability was truly impressive and earned the thumbs up from both the coach and the players.
Besides, how bad can a player be if they're selected for the World Cup All-Star Team?
There's no need to elaborate on the other positions.
Not to mention that they will all become famous generals in the future.
Even if we put it in the original timeline, at this age and stage, their abilities would be enough to establish themselves in the Premier League.
Not to mention that in this life, they have undergone Ye Xian's very meticulous and targeted training, and their level has improved even further than before.
With the added support of advanced tactics and a positive team atmosphere, they create a lot of synergy, and the combined buffs make them even stronger!
"Everton's starting lineup is really young."
"Especially the forward line. Cristiano Ronaldo, the left winger, is only 17 years old, Rooney, the right winger, is only 16 years old, and even Drogba, the slightly older center forward, is only 24 years old."
"Our 25-year-old Li Tie is considered a veteran here, haha!"
"Of course, Coach Ye is only 25 years old. He is already the youngest head coach in the history of the Premier League and also in the history of the top five leagues."
"Perhaps that's why he prefers to use young players!"
"Let's see if Coach Ip can unleash a youth storm in the Premier League..."
Huang Jianxiang and Zhang Lu were chatting casually when the match on the field had already begun!
Ye Xian did not choose to launch an attack at the start.
Many of his players need to adapt to the pace and atmosphere of the Premier League, and so does he.
Despite having experienced the World Cup, the Premier League still has its unique atmosphere.
For example, Goodison Park stadium today.
Even before the match officially started, the stadium was already buzzing with excitement.
The die-hard fans in the stands stood up early, with no one sitting down to rest. Countless blue scarves were raised high and waved vigorously, the synchronized rhythm causing the stands to tremble slightly.
The cheering chants never stopped, and the loud team anthem resonated through every corner of the stadium, powerful, orderly, and deafening.
Even through the double-tiered stands and the thick air, you could clearly feel the burning passion of tens of thousands of fans united together!
That's amazing.
While fans at the World Cup are very enthusiastic, they tend to play their own game more individually.
Here, it's more like a "regular army," a tradition passed down for centuries!
Therefore, it does take some time to get used to this special and enthusiastic atmosphere.
This resulted in the game not being very intense for the first ten minutes or so, with both sides entering a stalemate.
Because Tottenham were not in a hurry to attack.
In Hoddle's traditional English tactical system, defense was always the top priority.
Today is the first away game of the league, so he will naturally be more conservative.
Tottenham's defense was quite good.
Their two holding midfielders, Bunevcevic and Redknapp, are both experienced veterans, with Redknapp having played for Liverpool for over ten years.
With their coordinated efforts, Tottenham's four lines remained very tight, leaving very little space exposed.
In attack, they rely on the runs of Etherington and Davis on the flanks to support their two strikers, Iverson and Sheringham.
In addition, Sheringham will drop slightly deeper to use his excellent playmaking ability to link up play in the midfield and attack.
Sheringham's ability to play for Manchester United and continue as an England striker until he's 40 years old speaks volumes about his skill.
Although his speed is average, his explosive power is weak, and his physical confrontation is not very good;
But thanks to his skill and football intelligence, he was able to win the Premier League Player of the Year award at the age of 35 and set the record for the oldest hat-trick in the Premier League at the age of 37!
Ye Xian was naturally very careful in his defense.
In particular, the three midfielders often took turns marking Sheringham, preventing him from comfortably receiving and passing the ball.
Everton's midfielders, including Gravesen, are all seasoned veterans of the Premier League, despite being only 26 years old. They are solid defensively and make reasonable passes.
Alonso excels in both offense and defense, and his experience as captain of Real Sociedad has made him more composed and reliable.
Li Tie, who is relatively lacking in top-level league experience, has a very good mindset and is not intimidated at all.
You can criticize Lao Tie's skills, but you really can't criticize his mental fortitude.
Back in 1997, in the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup.
The Chinese team faced a crucial match against Qatar on home soil.
At the time, Li Tie was only 20 years old. As one of the "Four Little Swans" of Jianlibao, he was entrusted with an important task and played as a single defensive midfielder in the 4-4-2 formation of head coach Qi Wusheng.
In the 21st minute, Gao Feng received a cross from Fan Zhiyi, taking a 1-0 lead and getting off to a good start.
Qatar launched a furious counterattack after conceding the goal, putting immense pressure on the Chinese team's midfield and causing Li Tie to make several passing and ball control errors.
Then, all 40,000 fans in the Dalian Jinzhou Stadium chanted in unison, "Substitute Li Tie! Substitute Li Tie!..."
Unexpectedly, Qi Wusheng actually followed public opinion and replaced Li Tie with Peng Weiguo!
At this point, the game had only been going on for 36 minutes.
For a young player who finally earned a starting position on the national team, being substituted so early amidst the cheers of so many people is a devastating blow.
What's even more ridiculous is that after Li Tie left the field, the Chinese team's midfield defense faltered, leading to a collapse.
Qatar ultimately defeated China away from home, effectively ending China's hopes of qualifying for the next round.
The article "Dalian Jinzhou Doesn't Believe in Tears" went viral online and became a landmark "tragedy" memory in Chinese football.
But looking at it today, isn't this just the result of so-called "knowledgeable fans" plus "coaches who have been held hostage"?
From Li Tie's perspective, he was not defeated by such a heavy blow.
He later became a key player for the national football team and successfully played abroad.
This in itself demonstrates his exceptional resilience under pressure.
Therefore, Tiezi adapted to the atmosphere and pace of the Premier League very quickly.
Within the first ten minutes, he had already made three steals in a row, ranking first in the entire game!