Hero of the Penalty Area

Chapter 203 The Calm Leonardo (The first one, ask for a monthly pass!)

Leonardo's defensive strategy was successful, because until the end of the first half, Napoli could not score even a goal.

Now they only have forty-five minutes. During these 45 minutes, they not only have to win, but they must also win as many games as possible to end the suspense in the first round.

Obviously, this task is very difficult.

So at the end of the first half, when Naples coach Mazzari left the stadium, his face was very ugly.

Leonardo has a smile on his face.

At this time, the commentators also changed their minds one after another, praising Leonardo for his smart tactical arrangements.

After all, in front of Naples, which is known for offensive power, and in their home court, it is still great to not lose a goal in the first half.

"Inter Milan played 0-0 against Naples in the first half. For Leonardo, this is a good result. If Inter Milan finally draws Naples 0:0 away, it will be good for them to advance. The semi-finals are obviously great news."

"Leonardo's defensive tactics played a role. Naples did not expect Leonardo to perform such a thorough defense in the away field, lack of effective response, and was caught off guard. Now they only have forty time left. Five minutes, in these forty-five minutes, can Naples reverse this unfavorable situation?"

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In the home team's locker room, Mazzari was comforting the players, expressing sympathy for the team's failure to score in the first half.

"Unfortunately, we didn't score. Their tactics were a little bit beyond our expectations. But it's not a big deal. Isn't it dense defense? You know, what we are most afraid of in Naples is dense defense!"

At the same time, in the visiting team's locker room. Leonardo was full of spring breeze and was satisfied with the team's performance in the first half.

"For the entire first half, we didn't lose a ball. This is a good thing. In the second half we must continue to do this, at least at the beginning of the game. Once they find that they can't score a goal, they will become impatient. Get up. After all, this is their home court. Home court means advantage and huge pressure. If they can't take us at home, their fans will put tremendous pressure on them. At that time, it will be ours. Chance!"

"So continue to defend in the second half and wait patiently for the opportunity. We have already seen in the first half, how empty the defense line is when they are pressing on with all their strength. That is an opportunity we can take advantage of!"

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After consoling and encouraging the players, Mazzari began to tell them what to do in the second half. The football game is not just talking about it. It's not that who is the most eloquent, who can win and wants to win? It still depends on the strength of real swords and guns.

"I have been thinking about a question in the first half, and that is why Leonardo wanted his team to defend from the first minute of the game, even at the expense of completely giving up the offense. Forwards like Eto'o have a chance to be taken. Used as a midfielder. At this moment, I want to understand-they want to use such a tenacious defense to wear down our will. Think about it, guys. This is our home court, if we can’t What do you think about winning the opponent at home? Do you think the second round of the game is difficult? Do you think that the home fans will become your pressure at this time?"

Someone nodded, it was true. If the home game cannot be won, the second round of the game will be difficult to play, which is why many players walked off the court after the first half, and the expressions on their faces were not very good. They couldn't help frowning at the thought of the future.

"That's right, that's it. If we are delayed in scoring a goal, we will become very impatient, and there will be some mistakes and loopholes that we did not have. When we make mistakes, they will seize these opportunities... They are Inter Milan, they have a wealth of experience in the game, it is not difficult to do this."

"So to disrupt the opponent's arrangement, we should try to score early in the second half." Mazzari put up a finger. "This is one. Two, if we are really too late to score a goal, don't be impatient. We would rather be taken away by the opponent for a tie than for the opponent to take away a victory and an away goal. This is very important. ."

In Mazzari's view, the worst outcome he can accept is to be taken away by the opponent in a draw. The big deal is to treat the match to the Meazza Stadium as a final, a game is determined, as long as they do not lose at home, the two sides will still be on the same starting line.

"In the second half we can't continue to play like the first half. We have too much open space behind us, which can easily give the opponent a chance. And our physical strength will definitely drop in the second half. If the open space in the backcourt is too large, in the case of lack of physical strength It’s impossible to return to defense in time."

"In terms of offense, we should be more varied. We can't always pass through the bottom blindly... The opponent's two central defenders are still very good in air defense capabilities. Be more patient when getting the ball at the front of the penalty area... …"

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"I really didn't expect Naples to be able to score a goal in their own home court..."

"If Naples can't win the game at home and want to advance to the semi-finals, it will be very difficult."

"Yes, yes. Leonardo's move looks ugly, but the effect is surprisingly good..."

In the media gallery, reporters from all over the world were also exchanging their views on the first half.

As they were talking, the players from both sides played, and the second half of the game was not far from the start.

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In the second half, the two sides changed places to fight again, Inter Milan still defended, but this time the commentators stopped criticizing Leonardo.

This season, after Mourinho left, Inter Milan had some difficulties. After Leonardo took over, the team's performance improved. If you can reach the Champions League semi-finals, or even make it to the Champions League final for two consecutive years, it will undoubtedly be a boost.

So don't worry about whether the scene fits the image of a triple crown team at this time. On the football field, winning is the last word.

Leonardo continued to sit on the coach's bench, while Mazzari continued to stand on the sidelines.

The different performances of the two coaches seem to confirm the mentality of the two teams.

Leonardo looked like he was sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai, watching Naples continue to attack, but his goal stood firm in the storm. It seemed that after Inter Milan's goal, the Naples's painful expression appeared...

But six minutes later, he got up from his seat.

Wrong, it should be more accurate to say "jump"...

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Six minutes into the second half, Raul received a header from Chen Yingxiong in front of the penalty area, and a direct lob shot succeeded.

The football bypassed the fingers of Inter Milan goalkeeper Cesar and fell into the goal behind him...

"Ah! Beautiful! Naples finally scored! They took the lead in the 51st minute!"

"Raul! He scored his 71st goal in the Champions League! This is an amazing result! Now it seems that Naples got Raul from Real Madrid for free last summer, which is really a good deal. !"

"A beautiful direct lob! After the hero returned the football header to him, Raul did not make any adjustments. He just unloaded the football and then lob directly with his right foot! So full of imagination And inspired goals, so wonderful and cool! This is the Raul Gonzalez!"

After the goal, Raul made a signature celebration gesture of kissing his fingers. He himself did not expect that he would really be able to usher in a new life in Naples...and continue to write his ageless legend in the Champions League.

Mazzari let out a sigh of relief when he saw Raul sling the football into the goal.

But on the other side, Leonardo jumped from his seat as if he was on fire. I just sat firmly on the Diaoyutai, and now I'm in a hurry.

The score was equalized only six minutes into the second half, which means that Naples has 40 minutes to score more goals.

If you let them play out of form and feel, scoring two more goals in forty minutes is not a problem at all...

How to deal with it?

He doesn't have time here to be annoyed by Raul's goal, his brain is spinning at high speed, doing multiple-choice questions.

Immediately press out to attack and try to equalize the score as soon as possible?

This will not only bring both sides back to the starting line, but also get an away goal.

But Leonardo vetoed this choice without hesitation. In theory, this is a good choice, but in practice it is very difficult. First of all, you can't guarantee that you will get a goal right away when you push out. Secondly, if you press out to attack, there will naturally be space behind you. In case you have not been able to equalize the score, it will allow the opponent to expand the lead, which may not be too costly.

So continue to stick around and wait patiently for the opportunity?

Leonardo finally chose to continue the defense, but instead of patiently waiting for the opportunity, he waited for the opportunity to counterattack.

In fact, an away loss of 0:1 is completely acceptable for Leonardo's Inter Milan. Back at home, as long as they win a 2:0, they will be able to advance.

But Mazzari will not give up. Napoli has scored a goal and definitely wants to score more goals, because only one goal is won, which is not safe for Naples. They will certainly continue to attack, as long as this is the case, Inter Milan will have the opportunity to take advantage.

What he needs to do now is to stabilize the army and tell them to continue to defend, so that the players don't have a unified mind. Some people want to continue to defend and some want to come out and tie the score as soon as possible.

While Naples was celebrating the goal, Leonardo called the captain Zanetti loudly, told him his arrangement, and then asked him to pass it on to the other players on the field.

"Continue to defend and tell them not to panic. Then wait for an opportunity to counterattack, that's it!" He patted Zanetti on the shoulder and sent him back to the court.

Seeing Zanetti running on the court, Leonardo still feels a little proud of his calm decision so quickly.

This is his second season of official coaching, and he can have such qualities, which shows that he is really suitable as a head coach... After retiring from AC Milan, Leonardo has been scouting for AC Milan, but He feels that the head coach is the most suitable position for him.

He hopes he can prove his coaching ability in Inter Milan, a giant team.

How to prove it?

He also thought of the fans who sang "Mourinho's Song" on the side of the training court. Of course, it made people forget Mourinho and sang "Leonardo's Song"!