Football: A late bloomer, starting with Leicester City

Chapter 200: Continuing the tactical arrangement of the strong attack, the battle of the deer is about to begin (please vote for me)
  This was undoubtedly a very happy day, but when he woke up the next morning, Chen Yufeng quickly calmed down and devoted himself to his additional training.

During this period, the progress was pretty good. His physical fitness had reached 79 points, which was a relatively adequate value.

However, training must not stop. Stronger physical fitness means a higher fault tolerance rate.

He must be prepared for the possibility of overtime.

They will play Portugal in the semi-finals. If they advance, they will face the host France. Neither of these two opponents will be easy to beat.

Whether it's the offensive firepower on both sides or the defense in the midfield and backfield, these are two very top teams on all lines.

To defeat them requires not only the united efforts of the team, but also individual flashes of inspiration!

This role may be Hazard, it may be De Bruyne, or it may be himself!
  When the time came to the night of July 7th, Mr. Wilmots conducted the last team mobilization meeting and tactical settings.

"Pepe of the Portuguese team is injured for this game, which is good news for us."

"But the central defender pairing of Bruno and José Fonte cannot be underestimated. I hope everyone can pay attention to them."

Wilmots pulled up the tactical board and guessed the formation Portugal might use, "[-], it might be a diamond position, but it might also be parallel."

"They will use the star player Cristiano Ronaldo's restraint to attract our defense to him, and then use Nani and Mario's forward penetration to try to create a threat."

"This is the tactical play they have been using from the group stage to today, and it is impossible to give up."

"For us, the coordination between the midfielder and the defender must be good. When the opponent's midfielder pushes forward, he can return to his position in time to complete the supplementary defense."

"In addition, their left back Guerrero is also worth noting. This is a defender with a strong ability to advance forward and assist. We must be vigilant about his position."

Having said this, Mr. Wilmots showed a smile on his face, "However, a better way is of course to let Chen Yufeng restrain him to death and not dare to let him advance."

"I believe Chen Yufeng has this ability, and I believe everyone can give him enough support."

"This detail is what I want to say. We cannot not go out and play just because we are afraid of Portugal's comprehensive strength and team cohesion."

"We have to understand where our strengths are and then maximize them."

"So, this game is still a strong attack!"

Wilmots knocked on the table and said: "We must use the team's suffocating firepower to break through all their methods!"

"If you lose the ball, use a strong attack to get it back! If you score a goal, then beat them until they collapse!"

"Come on! Boys!"

After talking about these small instruction requirements, Wilmots went on to talk about some details. These are some clips that he and team analysts extracted from game videos.

This meeting also lasted for a long time, lasting more than two hours.

The players walked together in groups, preparing to return to their rooms to rest.

"Time flies so fast, I feel like we haven't been here long." Azar sighed as he walked.

"Yes, we came here in early June. Counting the days, a month has passed." Lukaku agreed.

"and……"

Hazard added: "We have actually played five games, and I actually don't feel much yet."

"Perhaps because every game is very difficult, everyone doesn't think about these five games together." Chen Yufeng spoke up at this time, with a wry smile on his lips.

Whether it is the three group matches or the two knockout rounds that have already been played, they have played very hard.

Regardless of the big score, they have indeed been on the verge of life and death many times.

The Portuguese side stumbled with a small score, gritting their teeth and fighting all the way.

In fact, their side also stumbled, risking everything to survive. After finding their offensive rhythm, they won many big-scoring games.

"Tell me, if we can really win the championship in the end, how happy will we be?"

Lukaku asked, seemingly unable to imagine the scene, "This is a feat that has never been accomplished in the history of this team."

"Don't think about that now, take it one game at a time, and then think about the next step after getting over Portugal." Chen Yufeng shook his head and reminded.

Everyone chatted for a few more words and returned to the room to rest.

Tomorrow at [-]:[-] p.m., they will face the Portuguese team, which is on the verge of winning the championship, at the nearby Bordeaux Stadium.

That must have been a tough game.

But now, after so many difficulties and obstacles, what reason do they have to be afraid?

Keep moving forward, everyone wants to see how far their golden generation can go.

…………

On the other side, the Portuguese team rushed to Bordeaux from their base city early.

Just after boarding the chartered flight, head coach Santos was giving some final tactical emphasis and instructions before the plane took off.

It doesn't make much sense to talk about these things before the game. It's better to let the players write it down today, then think about what to do and how to do it well overnight, and then put it into practice on the court tomorrow.

"Belgium's offensive firepower is very strong, but we don't need to worry too much." Santos first gave the players a boost of confidence, and then said: "The big victory they achieved was just through consecutive goals in a short period of time, beating the opponent to the limit. Crash and then keep chasing the win until the end of the game.”

"I believe we will not collapse. Everyone's psychological quality is very strong."

After simply saying this, he raised the tactical board and continued: "But necessary precautions must be taken."

"Mario and Silva, your main task in the first half was to assist in the defense. The pressure on you two is not small. You must pay attention to assist the full-backs to restrict the two sides of Belgium."

"Remember? We were on the defensive in the first half and then turned on the offensive in the second half."

"Belgium cannot attack for a long time, and their players will definitely be anxious. At this time, we have to go out to fight and create some threats and opportunities when they are not prepared."

"This is a team with a bad mentality. If we can score first, or if they fail to score, they will reduce their threat a lot. Do you understand?!"

Seeing the players nodding, Santos continued to turn the tactical board in his hands, also telling some details.

As for the team's offensive routine and assisting defense, it goes without saying.

The players themselves are top players, and they have competed for five more games in this tournament. They definitely know how to do it.

At this last moment, it is just a matter of fine-tuning some strategic ones, and there is no need to modify the tactics.

If you make rash changes, there is a huge risk that the opponent will seize the loophole and start a devastating start. This is a taboo in terms of technology and tactics.

"I believe you can do it, come on, boys." In the end, Santos also clapped his hands and encouraged the players.

"come on! Come on!"

"Rush rush!"

The Portuguese players responded a few times, then closed their eyes and rested, waiting for tomorrow's game to start.

…………

July 7, Grand Stade Bordeaux.

The final moment of the European Cup has arrived, and the scene is already heated.

During this time, many people who were not fans of Belgium and Portugal poured into the city, planning to pick up some tickets and sneak into the stadium to witness the birth of the first European Cup final ticket.

Among them, there are many fans of Ronaldo. As one of the most influential athletes in the world, his number of fans is still very large.

More people, in fact, may be fans of other European Cup participating teams, just want to watch a wonderful game and feel the atmosphere.

"Dong dong dong! Dong dong dong!"

Two hours before the game, there were many fans beating gongs and drums outside the stadium, exaggerating the atmosphere of the game in advance.

Looking around, there were at least close to [-] people crowded in the surrounding streets, waiting for the game to start.

More than half of them do not have tickets, but they will still feel the atmosphere nearby and watch the game in the square and bars.

It would also be a good feeling if they were close enough to hear the cheers after a goal was scored.

"The Belgian team! Must win! We will overthrow the Portuguese team with our powerful frontcourt offensive organization!"

"Without Pepe and the others, what else is there! José Fonte and Bruno will never be able to resist Chen Yufeng and Hazard!"

"No, they couldn't even withstand Lukaku's charge!"

"Hahahahaha..."

Before the game, fans from both sides were already quarreling here. The scene was very heated, and there were even small-scale group fights.

Some mounted policemen from the city of Bordeaux quickly dispatched, riding tall horses and carrying batons to maintain order and separate the fans on both sides.

However, if a person can be separated, the mouth cannot be sewn shut.

"Don't be too arrogant, we have Cristiano Ronaldo! Do you have any superstars?"

"Cristiano has won more championships alone than your entire team combined!"

"Even Nani may have won more championships than everyone else on your team!"

"It's just that we didn't meet any strong opponents in the knockout stage, so we were a bit disappointed."

"Look at your weak patchwork defense! What are you using to resist our offensive line!"

"The only team they met that had some quality was Italy, and they lost that game [-]-[-]."

"..."

Fans from both sides refused to give way to each other and spat at each other.

This is actually a manifestation of nervousness. Each of them is worried about this game, so they want to use verbal suppression to boost their momentum first.

This kind of thing will also radiate to the court later, making the game very intense.

Not long after, the buses of both teams drove into the parking lot of the Bordeaux Stadium, and the final preparations and press conference before the game were about to begin.

The battle for this European Cup is about to begin!
  (End of this chapter)