Chapter 104 FA Cup

As the oldest competition in England, the FA Cup has an appeal that cannot be matched by the League Cup.

Organized by the Football Association, it covers teams from the top ten leagues in England, with as many as 600 teams participating in the competition.

The winner of the FA Cup can directly qualify for the Champions League group stage next season.

With such a high gold content, it is one of the must-win events for the top and middle teams in the Premier League.

It can be used as a direct way for the team to enter the European competition.

Other lower-level league teams hope to increase their club's revenue through tickets and broadcasts.

Moreover, if you can upset a team higher than yourself, you will be known as the "Giant Killer".

Therefore, English league teams attach much more importance to the FA Cup than the League Cup.

During the New Year holiday, Rossi didn't go anywhere. He ran in the morning, went shopping, strength training, and took a walk. He arranged the whole day in an orderly manner.

On the afternoon of the 2nd, the team started training.

The opponent was the British Championship team Rotherham. In the first round of the league round-robin, Bournemouth won 1:0. Rossi did not play at that time.

But it doesn't mean that this game can be won easily.

In terms of physical fitness, the players of Rotherham, who were eliminated from the EFL Cup long ago, are in much better physical condition.

Moreover, with a series of winning streaks and undefeated honors, players' mentality will become lax and conceited, which are inevitable phenomena.

It is very rare to be unbeaten for more than 20 games. Arsenal's 49 games unbeaten is simply a gap that is difficult to overcome.

Eddie Howe has no blind confidence and must lead the team to surpass Arsenal's record.

He knew in his heart that losing would happen sooner or later.

How to adjust your mentality in time after losing a game is the key.

The training content is intra-team competition, which activates the players' game state through fast-paced confrontation.

This time they were going to Rotherham for a home game. In order to avoid fatigue, the team immediately took the bus to Rotherham after training.

Staying in a hotel at night allows players to have a good rest.

The team is nearby and has rented a stadium as a temporary training ground.

This series of operations shows that the club attaches great importance to this competition.

As the first game of the new year, Rotherham head coach Steve Evans also attaches great importance to it.

During the league match, Steve formed a 4-1-4-1 formation, hoping to use the defense to take away a point from the away game.

In the first 80 minutes, Rotherham's defense was very tenacious. They gave up the offense and were as solid as an iron barrel.

At the critical moment, Bournemouth captain Cook stood up.

At the 81st minute of the game, Cook received a corner kick from his teammate, got rid of the defense, jumped high, shook his head and scored the winning goal.

In this FA Cup match, Steve plans to continue using defensive tactics and strive for a draw.

The FA Cup competition system stipulates that any tie between the two sides in the first few knockout rounds will be replayed.

One more game will increase the physical fatigue of the players, which will bring greater pressure and impact to the top-ranked Bournemouth team.

England has entered winter, the weather is cold, and the players have to warm up for ten minutes longer than usual in order to get their bodies into game condition faster.

One hour before the start of the game, both sides announced the starting lineup for the game.

Rotherham use a 4-3-1-2 formation.

The full-backs mainly focus on the opponent's wing attacks, protecting the center and narrowing the space when necessary.

This is the defensive tactic adopted against Bournemouth's sharp attacks from both wings.

In the first five minutes of the game, the Bournemouth team had an absolute advantage, frequently moving on the wing in an attempt to open up the situation.

Wilson and Ryan Fraser took turns changing positions, constantly attacking the opponent's defense.

But Rotherham's defense was far more tenacious than they imagined.

They contracted the defense line near the front of the penalty area, and the two forwards had to participate in the team's encirclement.

Eddie Howe immediately saw that his opponent was aiming for a draw.

This defensive formation places high demands on the personal abilities of the forwards, because they must have opportunities to create scoring points during quick counterattacks.

But Rotherham's strike partnership has not scored as many goals combined this season as Wilson.

With such attacking power, it is difficult to break through Bournemouth's defense.

Moreover, Rotherham deployed as many as 6 members to occupy the space in the middle of the pitch. This was not so that they would be able to advance easily through the middle when attacking, but to prevent the opponent from penetrating in the middle.

But the huge space exposed on both wings became a target for Bournemouth to exploit.

Wilson and Ryan Fraser can easily push the ball forward here, try to cut inside or cross the ball.

The defensive pressure on their two full-backs continued to increase.

In the first 15 minutes, the Rotherham head coach saw that the team's defense was unstable and asked the three central midfielders to make large-scale lateral movements to fill the gaps on the wings of the formation.

This adjustment quickly achieved results. The active running of the midfielder can immediately form protection for the winger with the full-back.

If the opponent sticks to the ball too much, they will be attacked from both front and back.

Wilson was gradually restricted on the familiar right wing, and it was difficult to make easy passes like before.

Moreover, once the ball is carried for too long, the opponent's circle will quickly surround it.

Rossi also often went to assist. Because the opponent's defender and midfielder were very precise, the ball could not be passed at all.

His forward penetration will not play any role.

After Rossi received the ball, he immediately returned the ball to midfielder Ricci, asking him to organize lateral transfers and mobilize the defense to consume the opponent's midfielder's physical energy.

In the 30th minute, Rotherham's midfielder exhausted his physical energy too quickly due to frequent back and forth movements.

And after Rossi dropped back to join the midfield, the Bournemouth team's rhythm gradually accelerated.

boom!

O'Kane was in the midfield position and suddenly took the ball and passed it to Rotherham's left rib.

Prior to this, Bournemouth had moved the tight formation of the three midfielders back and forth a little loosely.

In addition, the players were already a little out of breath, and it was difficult for the right center midfielder to return to the defensive area for a while.

After Wilson took the ball a few steps, he saw Rossi coming to respond and attracted the attention of the central defender and passed the ball to him immediately.

After passing the ball, Wilson quickly moved forward into the penalty area. Rossi also used the instep of his feet very tacitly to pick the ball directly into the penalty area without stopping the ball.

The two cooperated very well, and they both grasped each other's movement and passing timing, and completed this exquisite one-two pass.

Wilson shook off the defense and volleyed directly into the ball.

A powerful shot that left the opponent's goalkeeper Adam Colin unresponsive.

0:1!

Bournemouth took the lead in the away game.

After losing the ball, Steve Evans was not surprised. He just pushed up his glasses slightly and chuckled: "That No. 14 has a very good ability to read the game. He must be restricted."

He rubbed his chin and thought for a while, then said: "However, we must first solve the midfield defense problem."

Steve walked from the dugout to the coaching area and shouted toward the court: "Pringle."

Taking advantage of the opportunity to score, Steve called him to the sidelines. After explaining the tactics in his ear, he sat back in the rest area.
Chapter completed!