Do You Want to Be Great?

After returning to the rented house, Gao Shen went to bed after washing up and hid in the tactical library. But instead of reading, he was thinking and reviewing.

Tonight's dinner brought him too much excitement, and he needed to digest it well. For him, Sacchi and Valdano could be described as giving a dimensionality reduction blow.

If nothing else, just their understanding of football was astonishing. These two seniors had accumulated rich experience over many years. They could easily reference which scene in which classic game in which year reflected a specific tactical thinking of a head coach. This was very, very remarkable.

Before Gao Shen and the others entered the box, the two were discussing the history of football tactics and their own understanding and views on football. And all of these were not something that Gao Shen could participate in; he only had to listen.

Some people may think, isn't this nonsense? No matter how well you speak, no matter how thorough your understanding, and no matter how many opinions you have, you will win if you have the ability. If you can't win, everything you say is useless.

That's the problem. From a short-term utilitarian point of view, this is true—winning is the final word. But who can keep winning? Which team can last forever?

Sacchi and Valdano have elevated football to a level of theoretical thought, as did Cruyff, and even later Guardiola. Moreover, Guardiola is not only thinking for himself but has been trying and practicing hard.

Everyone knows that the tactics of European football are always in rapid iteration, and some novel tactics emerge almost every year. Every two or three years, there will be eye-opening innovations, but behind these novelties and innovations, the entire football tactics are spiraling.

The development of science and technology has injected more fresh blood into football. Improvements in nutrition, kinematics, medical technology, and other aspects have brought the personal abilities of players to new heights.

Let's just say that now, a 30-year-old player is already considered a veteran. But next year, AC Milan won the Champions League with a group of grandfathers in their forties. After that, more and more veterans are extending their careers.

Maybe many people can't understand what kind of huge changes are behind this. Everyone knows that the peak period of a professional player is created by the simultaneous achievement of a certain height of body, technique, and consciousness. According to the current level, it is probably between the ages of twenty-five and twenty-eight or nine.

But like Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, they are not only precocious but also have very long peaks in their careers. This not only greatly improves the careers of players but, more importantly, many veterans will play better and better with age. At that time, the peak period of players may no longer be twenty-five or six years old; at the age of thirty their peak may have just begun.

To put it in the words of a joke from AC Milan now, it is a 30-year-old rookie. And all of this will bring about changes at the technical and tactical levels. Football tactics always start from a high starting point, follow a spiral upward trajectory, and climb to a higher starting point.

In this case, the theoretical research and understanding of Sacchi and Valdano is undoubtedly very precious. That's why both of their columns are so popular, even if the average fan doesn't understand them.

Every change is a new starting point for football techniques and tactics, and there will be rapid iterations. The top European leagues bear the brunt, changing and evolving all the time. Professional football today is an industry. What is an industry? To put it bluntly, it is the division of labor and cooperation.

It's the players, it's the office, it's the coaching staff. In the past, the information was not developed, and the player videos submitted by scouts to the club were videotapes. There have been news reports of clubs having so many player videotapes that the floor was overwhelmed. This is true.

But now? VCD, DVD, USB drives, CDs... It is estimated that in the future, data will be directly networked and synchronized globally. This is the revolution. With the development of science and technology, the research and analysis of games and players are also deepening, and all kinds of massive information are exploding exponentially, finally converging in the hands of head coaches.

The head coach is also human; how can he handle so much? Therefore, it is necessary to have one or even more professional data intelligence analysts. This is a division of labor. And just imagine, a head coach, in a sea of constant change, constant iterative innovation, and information explosion, how can he control his own direction? How can he keep learning and improving himself?

This requires bystanders like Sacchi and Valdano, and theory to guide the way. Of course, this does not mean that their theories and understandings will always be successful. On the contrary, it is likely that most of them will not be successful. But even if unsuccessful, such thinking is also valuable.

It's like Guardiola's dream team is great, but it doesn't mean that the teams of managers such as Ferguson, Pellegrini, Simeone, Mourinho, and Klopp in the same period are failures. They all have value.

Gao Shen thought about it a lot and finally thought about it all night. But he also wanted to understand a lot of truths. Old men like Sacchi and Valdano are really bad. In front of them, Gao Shen was like a primary school student, and they were university professors. But they opened a door for Gao Shen, providing material for learning martial arts. As long as you listen to me, you will definitely be the best in the world.

So, Gao Shen clearly knew that they were drawing a pie, but he still ate it with relish. Who doesn't want to be great?

...

Maybe it was too brain-burning last night, and the coaching staff meeting in the morning left Gao Shen listless. The players are still on vacation, but the coaching staff must plan according to the upcoming schedule.

The final round of La Liga is against Sevilla. After the final round, the team will set off for Paris to prepare for the Champions League final against Barcelona. These two games are related to two heavy championships, and no one is willing to give up.

Sevilla's strength is very good. Everyone knows that two-line battles are a nightmare for small and medium-sized teams because they cannot form a huge lineup. So teams like Everton and Villarreal have performed well in a single schedule, but two-line fighting is tough.

But Sevilla has done quite well in both La Liga and the UEFA Cup this season. It is especially worth noting that after they sold Baptista and Ramos last summer, after cost-effective signings this season, their strength has not declined but increased, and the management's operational ability has been very successful.

Head coach Juande Ramos is also famous for his coaching this season, and there is a trend of him becoming one of the top European coaches. The key depends on his next development. For Sevilla, the main thing to be vigilant about is their right flank.

Daniel Alves and Navas, this right offensive line is the strongest in La Liga this season, and Alves also locked the right-back of the season early on. It will be a tough fight at the Pizjuan Stadium, but the problem for Real Madrid is that this game must be won.

There is also the Champions League final three days later. "To be honest, let go of the kick; our defense is estimated to be difficult. In Barcelona's 3-3 draw with Sevilla, all three conceded goals were planned on the right side, and our left side is difficult to defend," Maqueda said worriedly.

He was talking about letting go and playing offense. How strong Alves and Navas are, no need for others to say; Gao Shen knows. If the combination of Felipe and Raul is still used on the left, the defensive problem is not big. But three days later, at the Stade de France in Paris, how will Real Madrid fight against Barcelona?

The distance between the two games is too close, and neither can be given up. All must be won. This is the hardest part. How to choose?

Gao Shen has gone through it several times in his mind; no matter how he arranges it, he finds that there are problems. Either it is not sure to suppress Sevilla's right flank, or it is likely to affect the Champions League final.

Robinho, Cassano, and Zidane can all play on the left, but it is difficult to hold down Alves. This kid is the core of Sevilla's attack, the right-back with the strongest attacking power, and his strength is superior.

On the contrary, on the right, there will be more choices: Cicinho and Abeloa...

Wait! Gao Shen suddenly thought of a question: Abeloa can play on both sides.

"What do you think if you let Abeloa play left back and push Felipe to the front?" Gao Shen asked suddenly. The left is mainly defensive, freezing Sevilla's right attack. The right is attacking, allowing Cicinho and Beckham to start as a partner.

Everyone was stunned. Let Abeloa play left back? Is this reliable?

Reliable! Absolutely reliable! Gao Shen clearly remembers that Abeloa's battle to become famous was not just playing on the left in Liverpool and freezing Barcelona's right winger Messi?

Navas and Alves have different characteristics from Barcelona and Messi, because Messi mainly cuts inside. But as long as Abeloa and Felipe cooperate well, plus the double midfielder, Gao Shen believes the problem will not be great.

The coaching staff looked at each other in dismay. Can this work?

After all, Arbeloa came from the right wing. Even if he changed positions, he only played in the middle in the youth team, but never on the left.

But the more they thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

"Just do it. When the players come back in the afternoon, let Arbeloa try during group training," Gao Shen decided decisively.

If it is really feasible, it will undoubtedly solve a major problem for Gao Shen.

As for the away game against Sevilla, Gao Shen did not intend to fight to the death with his opponent.

There is no way around it; the Champions League final is just three days later. At this time, going all out against Sevilla is not worthwhile, especially when winning the championship depends on Barcelona's results.

Therefore, Gao Shen decided not to pursue an intense match.

Although he agrees with what Sacchi and Valdano said, he is not yet at the level of pursuing greatness.

One must be pragmatic: ensuring a foothold in the Champions League is the most important thing right now. Idealism and greatness can wait.