After being rejected, I became Shi Yijiao

Chapter 380 When You Hold MSN...

In fact, for the current Barcelona team, they really have some significant differences from the Barcelona under Guardiola a few years ago.

Although the overall structure of the two teams is not very different, for example, the midfielder is still based on Habaibu, but because of Harvey's aging, Rakitic is now used more as the main player.

But Enrique has some tactics that subvert the "traditional" approach.

This so-called "tradition" is the pass control that Barcelona has continued in recent years, or the "Tiki-Taka" style of play that is more widely spread among fans.

A very stark fact is that although Guardiola himself denies the title of "Tiki-Taka", it is appropriate to use the term to describe the passing style of the team under his rule. In fact, this is the most praised Barcelona. place.

The frequent and fast short passes that could only be seen in training in the past were copied by Guardiola to the top arena, and he used this to realize the ideal situation of "I play and you defend".

The problem is - if this is considered a "tradition", then this tradition has been partially changed since Martino; after Enrique took over, it has gone even further than what Martino did:
Because at this time he has the three big killers of MSN.

And when you hold MSN in your hand, what is the need to stick to "tradition"?
"I like to use the concept of 'possession time per minute' to recalculate almost all offensive technical statistics. This can also explain the biggest difference between Guazi Barcelona and Enrique Barcelona."

As Ancelotti said, he opened the laptop he brought with him, and Pan Yi hurried over.

Of course Pan Yi understands what An Pang said about "ball possession time per minute".

In fact, this is the most basic method of football data analysis, and many data analysts' analysis teams will also use this concept, including Chelsea.

But many teams don't care about it, thinking it doesn't make much sense.But Barcelona's situation can illustrate the significance of doing so.

A line graph is displayed on the laptop, which represents Barcelona's possession time per minute in these seasons.

It peaked in the 12-13 season when Guardiola finally stepped down, which was around 13 times per minute, and then fell off a cliff until the season after Enrique took office was close to the 11 times mark.

In fact, just looking at the ball possession rate and the number of passes, Barcelona is the first in every season, but if the two are combined to calculate the pass frequency, Barcelona has a considerable decline.

This is actually a bit weird.

Because since the birth of Guardiola, the meaning of pass control in football games has actually been popularized throughout Europe. Although not all teams are pursuing ball possession, "more and faster passes "It is a common pursuit.

If it is said that football is a big river, then when all the teams are riding the wind and waves along the river, Barcelona, ​​as the most forward ship, quietly played a "boat against the current".

In this season, Barcelona's number of passes per minute of ball possession time is lower than that of their old rival Real Madrid, and sometimes even lower than Atletico Madrid! (Of course Atletico Madrid's pass success rate is a bit eye-catching...)
This is where the ruthlessness of data analysis lies: many fantasies about the "cultural" level will appear very fragile here-if you play under the banner of "passing and controlling football traditions", you will play lower than Atletico Madrid. How can you say that you are sticking to "tradition"?
However, it is undeniable that Enrique's overall performance during his coaching period is still quite remarkable-at least now he has won the Copa del Rey and La Liga.

Moreover, the firepower output of more than [-] goals on the offensive end is definitely not up to the so-called "traditional defenders" to point out.

This also raises a new issue: how does Barcelona, ​​which deviates from "tradition", ensure its offense?
"The answer is simple. When you have MSN, too much pursuit of the pass-and-control system will only promote the rhythm and compress the frontcourt activity space, which will lead to the restriction of MSN's perverted offensive ability with the ball."

Ancelotti opened another form, which read "Barcelona Possession Time Shooting Ratio".

This is another way of statistics.

Any attack on the football field can be roughly divided into two steps: the first is to convert the possession of the ball into a shot; the second is to convert the shot into a goal.

The former focuses more on efficiency, while the latter focuses more on quality.So how to quantify the efficiency of "converting ball possession into shooting"?

It's very simple, look at how much possession time a team needs to form a shot, so there is the concept of "ball possession time shot ratio", the lower the number, the more frequent shots.

How is the Barcelona situation?
From Guardiola to Martino to Enrique, every time Barcelona takes a shot, it takes less and less possession time.

The change in this data can be understood as the more Barcelona play, the more "impatient", and the more they play, the more they emphasize "hurry up to form a shot".

Generally speaking, the result of forcibly increasing the number of shots is nothing more than "low quality, more attempts". When the accumulation of shots increases, the threat of shots will inevitably decrease.

However, Barcelona in the Enrique era has achieved both. This season, Barcelona has maintained the number of expected goals per shot in La Liga. Specifically, it is 0.158 expected goals per shot, which is ahead of all other goals. Team at least one grade.

A high number of shots combined with a high shot threat, the cumulative number of expected goals must be frighteningly high.

The total number of expected goals of 95.4 really beats all the teams in La Liga.Barcelona's "True Shot Conversion Rate" ranks first, and the number of goals has also exceeded 1.

With such data, of course, it is first of all due to MSN's amazing shooting efficiency.

Among all goals, MSN accounted for 82.57% of them; 603 shots were scored, and MSN accounted for 69.49% of them.

Unlike Real Madrid next door, which is still scoring goals like cutting melons and cutting vegetables most of the time, the BBC is almost dedicated to off the ball. The MSN combination in Enrique's hands is responsible for holding the ball in the frontcourt.

The three not only attack and shoot a terrible proportion of the team, but also reflect the data of dribbling and passing threatening balls.

The sum of MSN's "dribbling and one-on-one" accounted for 61.07% of the team's total. These high proportions are unimaginable in Real Madrid, where the ball-holding tasks are evenly distributed and the whole people seem to be soldiers.

If you really want to say that "total offense and total defense" is the tradition of Barcelona, ​​then from the data point of view, it is really hard to see that Enrique has any other traditions besides formation and possession rate...

"Of course, there is no such thing as the theory that three people conquer the world." Ancelotti began to operate and open some video files.

"Enrique's routine is to hand over the ball to MSN as soon as possible in the midfield. MSN gives priority to individual detonation on the spot, using a minimalist method to achieve offensive advancement, and then randomly fills in a player from the midfield after reaching the frontcourt. Realize "3+X" offensive investment."

"Look at this attack..."

Ancelotti has clicked on a video, which is a clip from this season's Barcelona game.

This is not a fast break, but it is played very concisely. The whole process is actually Neymar and Messi's two penetrating passes, and another player other than MSN actively runs forward.

But it reveals Enrique's thinking very clearly:

Neymar could have given the ball to Iniesta first at the start, but he didn't do that at all, but dribbled the ball directly between the two.

That is to say, Enrique gave the three great gods in the frontcourt enough room to play freely, and even between going it alone and the so-called "team football", he chose the former.

"Don't think this is just an exception. Such situations abound in Barcelona games this season."

Ancelotti opened another video.

In almost the same position, Neymar held the ball and succeeded in passing others, and finally distributed the ball, creating a threat of a shot.

"Enrique's offensive system combining 'MSN alone' and '3+X' is really difficult to defend."

"Look at this, when Neymar holds the ball from the side, he can completely control it and then pass it back, or pass it directly. These two points are not difficult for him to do."

"However, he insisted on bringing the ball out of the four-man double-team... It can only be said that Yigao is bold and the tactical board cannot fit."

"Then Neymar dribbles forward, with Messi next to him and Suarez on the left. Then who will take advantage of the huge space on the right? The answer is: whoever is here."

"Usually Rakitic is on the right side of the three midfielders, so Rakitic is also inserted very frequently; the reason why Rakitic is easy to use and can replace Harvey is largely due to his superiority. His running ability is too important for this minimal attacking system. Of course Alves does it very often."

"Look at this goal again..."

In the next video, although Rakitic did not touch the ball, his running position is still worthy of attention.

This is a typical Barcelona-style counterattack. Not many troops were invested. Messi held the ball and directly tied the opponent's back defense. Suarez finally scored the goal.

But at this time, it was Rakitic who plugged in with MSN and appeared in front of the goal. He even ran up from the back.

"Barcelona's midfield tends to play feints when attacking, but when they really have a chance, they can still score goals instead of relying entirely on MSN."

"Of course, MSN is mentioned here, especially Messi and Neymar's strong passing ability."

"They occupy the top two in the short pass list this season, so in positional battles, Barcelona often play some offenses that people don't know how to sum up no matter how they watch the video."

"Look at this goal, Atletico Madrid's defense has no problems, but Messi really found the penetration space, and Neymar can really be surrounded like that and pass the ball accurately..."

Having said that, Ancelotti couldn't help but smiled wryly.

In fact, Real Madrid's performance this season is not bad, and the BBC even scored more goals than Barcelona when they were fully fired.

But Barcelona relied on such a seemingly simple routine to score goals one by one into the opponent's net, then harvest points, and finally win the championship.

"So you're right. It's hard to completely defend against MSN. The most important thing is to cut off the connection between the midfielder and them."

Pan Yi, who had been quietly listening to Anshuai's explanation, said suddenly: "But what if the midfielder can't defend? After all, there are Iniesta or Xavi standing here."

"Haha, I have seen your defensive ability, I believe you will have a way." Ancelotti laughed, "If even you can't defend, then there is really no ball in this world that can defend them team."

Pan Yi also smiled and said: "I have another idea. If we really can't prevent it, then we should try to get in a few more of them, shall we?"

"I appreciate your thinking." Ancelotti laughed, then pointed to the laptop, "I just talked about their defense."

Of course, Pan Yi also studied Enrique Barcelona's defensive system.

Barcelona this season seems to still emphasize pressing, but the core idea has been changed to a parallel position.

In fact, compared to Guardiola, Enrique has already emphasized the overall formation on the defensive end.

Most of the time, he will order Neymar to actively return to the defense, adopt a 4-4 parallel defensive system, and put more emphasis on the midfielder's pressure on the steal.

It's just that although Enrique's defense all included the pressing in the midfield that was emphasized in the Guardiola era, the problem is that this pressing idea is completely different from Guardiola's usual "team pressure on the ball".

Guardiola's defensive thinking is to completely dismantle the formation. From this perspective, Enrique is also "anti-traditional".

And the effect of doing so is also very good.

In the past 2014-2015 season, Enrique reduced the number of goals conceded by Barcelona to only 21!
In the same period, Real Madrid conceded 38 goals.

Since the two sides were equal in the number of goals scored, it was precisely this number of goals conceded that led to the final La Liga champion being Barcelona instead of Real Madrid.

So Enrique's "anti-traditional" tactics are really good.

Of course, for Pan Yi, he also appreciates Enrique's approach, and he himself did the same.

After all, there has never been a law of nature that dictates which style a team must play, nor has any team with such a long history truly consistently adhered to a single style of play.

The so-called "always adhering to tradition" is just a beautiful rhetoric for believers. Putting aside the illusory ideals in your heart, and then looking at history in combination with public opinion, the final decision is that the truth of the wind is the record.

Now you talk about Real Madrid's earliest five consecutive Champions League titles, or the later Bayern dynasty, Ajax dynasty, or the more recent Milan dynasty. Do you care how they won the championship?
If the results are good, even if Barcelona is allowed to play defense and bus, if they win all the championships, only a small group of diehards will question it.

Of course, this is just an extreme statement. After all, if the team does not play well, it is still very unfriendly to neutral fans and it is not easy to attract fans.

What's more, Barcelona's current style of play is still very good-looking, and MSN's performances always give people a pleasing feeling, but Enrique is relatively more pragmatic.

"So how did you break through their defense?" Pan Yi asked after Ancelotti finished speaking.

Pan Yi is not only a good teacher, but also a good listener.

Therefore, An Shuai was talking endlessly, and Pan Yi listened quietly most of the time, and then only asked some questions.

And these problems are often the key to breaking the game.

Ancelotti obviously understands too.

"One, is to make good use of your high-altitude advantage, just like Bayern bombed them in the second round." He pointed to Barcelona's defense on the tactical board and said.

This is obvious.

Barcelona's air defense basically relies on Pique, and others are not very good.

As for Pan Yi's Chelsea, in the league, they once offered a high-altitude lineup full of big men, which is really handy.

"Of course, high-altitude bombing sometimes causes instability. At this time, it is necessary to find a way to make a fuss about Barcelona's midfield or wing."

An Pang's words are also very reasonable.

If playing a long pass is a stable means of scoring, then the world's top teams can just smash into the penalty area, but in fact it is not the case.

A truly strong team is often a combination of various styles of play, a combination of side and center, can punch and pass, so that people can't be defended.

"So, I suggest that you should do this..."
-
Ancelotti and Pan Yi are discussing tactics here, and Barcelona are not idle there.

"I heard that Ancelotti went to London. I suspect that he went to offer advice to Pan Yi."

Luis Enrique's hoarse voice rang out in the manager's office.

In the office, there is another person, that is, Barcelona's assistant coach Juan Carlos.

There are some documents scattered on the table and chairs in the room, and the computer on the desk is also playing the game video at Chelsea.

Obviously, Enrique is also seriously studying their last opponent of the season, and the most important one.

Of course, in Enrique's mind, this is also the most powerful opponent!
"When we played Bayern Munich at home, Pan Yi and his assistants were found in the stands. They should have seen our tactics a long time ago." Juan Carlos said, "Even if Ancelotti went to help Pan Yi, there shouldn't be anything new, right?"

Enrique shook his head: "After all, Real Madrid beat us in the league, and it was a complete victory. Ancelotti knows our weakness, so Pan Yi will definitely learn from it."

Juan Carlos doesn't think so much: "The whole world knows that MSN can't be defended, so they will cut our midfielder and grab our Busquets. I think we just need to take the initiative to shrink the formation and let La With Kittic and Iniesta withdrawing to protect Busquets, there won't be too many problems."

Everyone knows the interception ability of Chelsea's midfielder.

Especially Kanter, who faced Barcelona when he was in Milan, and made outstanding contributions, and finally helped the team defeat Barcelona.

This time when Chelsea is playing against Barcelona, ​​Pan Yi will definitely ask Kanter to cut off the connection between Busquets and his teammates in front.

As for Juan Carlos' judgment, Enrique had no doubts.

Busquets is the most inconspicuous and least famous of the midfield players in this Barcelona team, but he plays an extremely important role. It can be said that he is the metronome of Barcelona's offensive and defensive transitions.

Therefore, the protection of Busquets itself is a very important part of Barcelona's tactics.

Because of this, Harvey, whose running ability has declined in recent years, has gradually faded out of the main lineup, replaced by the younger and better running "group leader" Rakitic.

Of course, this Croatian is not just a famous "Mei Chuan", he is also outstanding in his own strength.

He is a versatile midfielder who can play almost any position in the forward line.

Rakitic also has a wide vision, he reads the game extremely well, has excellent passing ability, and throughout his career, he has always been an excellent assister.

Otherwise, how can he occupy a main position in such a star-studded team, replacing Barcelona's former brain Harvey?
"Actually, I am not too worried about whether our midfielders can cope with their pressing. I am most worried about the full-backs." Enrique said.

"It means... Alba or Alves?" These two are the main left and right full backs of Barcelona.

"Hard to say."

"Hard to say?"

"It depends on which side Hazard plays."

Juan Carlos understood.

Hazard, a good breakthrough player, has no reverse feet, and can indeed play in Chelsea's formation, whether it is a left winger or a right winger.

But what Enrique is worried about now is that neither Alba nor Alves will be able to prevent Hazard's breakthrough.

Enrique added: "Can you imagine Messi breaking through our defense? I feel that at least in terms of dribbling ability, Hazard is not much worse than our Messi."

"But..." Juan Carlos asked inexplicably, "I don't think he's in a good state recently? He hasn't scored or assisted. Moreover, his shooting ability is far worse than Messi's."

Enrique looked at his assistant, shook his head and smiled.

"Some players can't reflect their role through statistics. Let's say Hazard played Real Madrid. Although he didn't score or assist, it was because he was heavily marked by the opponent in the game. He Containing a lot of defensive power, it also consumed the energy and stamina of many Real Madrid players. How do you think Ramos played so fast?"

Juan Carlos was momentarily at a loss for words.

Awakened by Enrique, he really found that things didn't seem to be as some media and fans said.

They just stared at the goals and assists, but in the game, Hazard's possession of the ball and breakthrough, the impact and harassment on the opponent's defense were beyond the simple statistics.

"Of course, it's fine if there is only one Hazard. We can still get him through the zone defense. But the problem is, whether it is Bernardo Silva or Lukaku, it is very difficult to deal with." En Rick patted the table lightly, even a little angrily.

When he said this, he didn't seem to have thought that how many people were scolding him for having Messi + Neymar + Suarez at the same time...

"So what are we going to do?" Juan Carlos asked.

"If it really can't be solved, then it won't be solved." Enrique suddenly showed a strange smile:

"In a football game, as long as you can score one more goal than the opponent, you will win, right?"

(End of this chapter)