I AM the Football Star-Chapter 493 - 135: Italian Super Cup, Indigo Hunting Blade Boots (Part 3)
This way, the threat would never reach the back line.
Soon, San Remo launched their counterattack.
Canyes received the ball, passed it to Lam, and quickly moved forward.
Lam immediately passed it back to Canyes.
Because they were near the midfield, the opposing forwards weren’t pressing Canyes tightly, so Canyes easily got the ball and continued dribbling.
Only then did the opponents press Canyes.
Canyes passed the ball to Morici, who was there to support.
Morici passed back to Latu Yidi.
Latu Yidi made a straight pass, Lu Yang quickly surged forward, and San Remo’s attack shifted from the right to the left.
Lu Yang was moving at high speed, with the Side Road Fast Horse and Bell’s Outer Line Overtaking both in effect.
Juventus’s midfield was too late to defend against Lu Yang, so they could only send out their new right-back.
The full-back moved up to defend, leaning slightly inward to prevent inside cuts.
But this left a gap where the right-back originally was.
Lu Yang saw this open space and kicked the ball forward behind the right-back.
Fernandez moved to the left side of the penalty area.
Juventus’s right central defender quickly approached Fernandez.
Fernandez didn’t attempt to pass the opponent but instead kicked it to Morici, who was lingering near the penalty area.
Morici took a long shot!
Juventus’s backup goalkeeper made a great save, pushing the ball out of the baseline.
But in this attack, San Remo performed exceptionally well, achieving the effect Sotu was aiming for.
In fact, they even surpassed their original level of offense.
Truth be told, with the apparent disparity in strength between San Remo and Juventus, their attacks were challenging to execute.
However, thanks to Lu Yang and Canyes, the flying wingers surged forward, forming a five-man offensive group in the front, gaining a numerical advantage in local contests.
It’s not that there were more attackers than defenders locally, but the number of attackers equaled the number of defenders.
Typically, the defense side requires having more defenders than attackers in a local area to steadily restrict the opponent.
Once the numbers are even, the attacking side has the upper hand.
Especially with teams that have players who can take on opponents one-on-one.
In San Remo’s case, Lu Yang, Morici, and Canyes all possess this ability.
And indeed, that’s the case.
Bam!
The corner was taken, Lam successfully contested the header, but the ball hit Sogel in front, and Sogel was in an offside position.
This was a successful header contest but a failed header tactic.
Lam and Sogel overlapped in position.
This is something that shouldn’t have happened.
San Remo’s set piece tactics still need further improvement.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that set pieces are mostly about luck; they actually test tactical prowess significantly.
The level of tactical knowledge in many coaching teams, their utilization, and development of team tactics can be glimpsed through set piece strategies.
Take Manchester United, for instance. With towering players like Maguire, McTominay, Matic, Pogba, Cavani, and Rashford, along with several excellent passers, they still often come up short in corners and free kicks.
This is not due to player inadequacy.
In free kick tactics, there’s an undeniable truth: "height"!
Height equals threat level. This might not be accurate for certain individuals, but it’s absolutely precise in the broad context of free kick tactics. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
A team with height but few goals from free kicks either has attackers unwilling to dribble and only pass back or has an underperforming coach; there’s no third possibility.
...
"What does Coach Luo think?" asked Huang Jianjun in the broadcast room.
"San Remo’s offense has truly broken through; their changes are almost immediately effective," Luo Cheng began, "but the problems are equally clear; their defensive player coordination still has some issues."
"In this match, I dare say, if they continue playing this style, it’s only a matter of time before San Remo scores."
Huang Jianjun asked, "So you think San Remo will turn the game around and win?"
Luo Cheng frowned, "That depends on whether their defense concedes. San Remo’s attackers can score two goals, but whether they can limit Juventus to just one goal is the biggest suspense of this match!"
The next moment, the suspense was shattered.
In the twenty-seventh minute of the match, once again it was Manzuyovich who stood out.
This time, he took advantage of Canyes’s forward thrust and actively moved to the wing to receive the counter ball from a teammate.
Manzuyovich carried the ball down the field without much speed but steadily aimed toward the center.
Lam quickly tracked back but had no chance to press Manzuyovich with his body.
Rushing against a moving player can easily result in a foul.
Manzuyovich slowed near the penalty area, turned to lean on Palacios, then nudged the ball aside before Lam could challenge.
A Juventus midfielder following Lam shot from a distance, Areola’s view was blocked, failing to save the ball.
Juventus leads two to zero!
What does it mean to be versatile, what is a pivot?
Manzuyovich illustrated this vividly with a goal and an assist.
This goal, again, was due to an issue with Lam.
He was solely focused on following Manzuyovich, ignoring that there was someone behind him as well.
This is the plight of a defensive midfielder—caught between front and back, um... difficult!
Compared to situations faced by most center-backs, a defensive midfielder’s challenges are noticeably more complex.
