Dirty Science and Abstinence

Author: Sanjingshou

On Monday afternoon, Real Madrid players appeared on the training ground one after another, conducting recovery training under the leadership of Pintus.

Just in the morning, the two teams submitted their 18-man roster for this group stage to UEFA.

On this list, Neymar, Mbappe and Cavani have all returned from injury.

This is not good news for Real Madrid.

After learning the news, Zidane held a coaching staff meeting in the morning to formulate tactics and personnel arrangements for the midweek game.

So far, Real Madrid still does not have a fixed lineup, but makes fine adjustments based on the status of the players and the situation of the opponents.

But most of the main players are still relatively fixed.

This time, Zidane has set his sights on Isco, who is returning from injury.

In the weekend league match, Isco came on as a substitute for Valverde. In 15 minutes of game time, he sent 3 threatening passes and performed well.

If Isco can cooperate with Rossi and Benzema in the attacking midfield position, Real Madrid may defeat their opponents at home and win the first place in the group.

But after Isco appears, Bell will inevitably sit on the bench. Real Madrid's speed in attack is lacking.

If the two play at the same time, although they can ensure strong offensive firepower and frontcourt advancement, their defensive shortcomings will be exposed.

There is another Mbappe on the opposite side with incredible speed, who is very likely to seize the gap behind Bell.

Zidane knows this, and the opponent's head coach Tuchel knows it even more.

Therefore, Isco and Bale can only choose one or the other.

After thinking about it, assistant coach Bertoni raised his hand and said: "I choose Bale. This is at the Bernabeu. We must attack. Only by defeating our opponents can we secure first place in the group."

His proposal was approved by most people.

Zidane said: "You are right, we need to score goals and win. But have you ever thought about how to win?"

The scene fell into silence.

Being given three goals in the first round was deeply ingrained in their hearts. When Zidane asked, they all hesitated.

Real Madrid wants to attack and no one can stop it.

And Paris' attack was equally difficult for them to resist.

How to stop Mbappe, Neymar and Di Maria taking turns to attack is the key to victory.

The assistant coach who just suggested that Bell start the game tentatively said: "Then...replace with Vazquez?"

Vazquez, who can play up and down, can ensure the team's offensive and defensive balance.

Moreover, in the first round, he assisted Rossi to score and helped the team get a goal back.

Zidane shook his head and said: "It's too conservative. And if I were Tuchel, I would definitely strengthen high-point protection. Heading offense is not our strong point."

Even if Ronaldo is in the team, he rarely scores with a header in open battles.

After thinking for a moment, Pintus said: "Then we can replace James with James. He can pass from the side and shoot inside."

Before Zidane could speak, Bettoni interjected: "No, he is too slow, and it takes too long to handle the ball. By the time we enter the penalty area, the opponent is already in a good position."

"And if our opponent leads in points, he will definitely retreat on defense. We will have very few opportunities to counterattack."

Efficient and fast counterattacks are Real Madrid's only weapon that can defeat their opponents.

Bertoni's words have been subtly affecting the people around him.

But Zidane was unusually calm. He walked to the tactical board and stood in a daze with his back to everyone.

The small conference room suddenly became so quiet that you could hear the sound of a needle falling to the ground.

Soon, Zidane drew the formation for the midweek Champions League match on the tactical board.

He closed the pen cap, tapped the whiteboard, and said with a smile, "I think we can try this formation."

In the afternoon training session, Isco put on the starting vest and started training.

In the case of double matches a week, in addition to recovery training and individual special training, the team only has a maximum of 7 collective training sessions to ensure that the players have enough rest time.

The training session is a match between the starters and substitutes.

What the substitute players have to do is to simulate the offensive tactics of Paris and let the starting players adapt to the rhythm in advance, so that when the official game comes, if problems arise, they can adjust themselves in a short time.

This is very important because it is difficult for the head coach standing on the sidelines to convey complex tactics to every player on the field.

Especially a passing and running team like Real Madrid is very prone to chaos.

This needs to be simulated in daily training so that players can absorb it as much as possible and make timely adjustments during the game.

The half-day training session gave the Real Madrid players a lot. They all returned to the locker room with great interest, singing and taking a shower.

"Lo!"

Isco suddenly burst in, startling Rossi.

"Will we have dinner together later?"

Rossi waved his hand and drove him out, saying: "I know, I know!"

Rossi was afraid of the filthy name of Sco, but to keep Ju's department safe, it would be better to drive him out first.

Eating is a small thing, but connecting with each other is a real thing.

Since Rossi joined, he has quickly integrated into the team in terms of tactical coordination.

But in terms of personal relationships, I keep some distance from my teammates.

This is not because Rossi is difficult to get along with, it's just that in the early days of joining, he kept a low profile.

As for why Isco took the initiative to find Rossi, it was because during the afternoon training session, the two were still not used to each other in the second half of their partnership.

Everyone knows that Rossi is now the core of the team's offense. If you want to get a starting spot, you must have a chemical reaction with him.

This season, due to injuries, Isco is no longer Zidane's first choice starter, which gives him a sense of crisis.

This time, he can start against Paris Saint-Germain and must seize this opportunity and perform well.

He also worked extra hard during the afternoon training.

The passing and running cooperation with his teammates still has a tacit understanding with each other, but it is difficult to find his shadow in the cooperation with Rossi.

After training, Isco reported this situation to Zidane and asked for help.

Zidane instead smiled and asked Isco to take the initiative to find Rossi, who might be able to explain it more clearly than he could.

In the match against Paris Saint-Germain, Isco started as an attacking midfielder.

But everyone knows that his passing organization ability is obviously not enough to shoulder the responsibility of the attacking midfielder.

In the training session, Zidane restored the previous team's -2 formation, allowing Isco, Rossi, and Benzema to flexibly intersperse to threaten opponents.

This is Isco's strength. During Real Madrid's two consecutive Champions League championships, he was so comfortable in this position that he forced Bale to the bench.

But in today's training session, the cooperation between him and Rossi was never as smooth as other teammates.

This is also what he wanted to ask for advice.

Although Isco became famous early, he is also the golden boy of Europe.

But in front of Rossi, Mr. Golden Ball, all golden boys are scum.

In fact, Rossi also noticed some problems during training, but did not speak directly.

"Isco, actually the coach wants you to focus more on the game. Do you understand what I mean?"

After hearing Rossi's words, Isco smiled sheepishly.

His girlfriend Sarah once mentioned on a TV show that she and Isco had sex almost every day. It was very intense.

If things go on like this, I feel like my body has been hollowed out.

"In the afternoon training session, we cooperated less in the second half. It was not because the opponent pressed fiercely, but because your concentration dropped."

"Facing a team with sharp counterattacks like Paris Saint-Germain, our defensive coverage must be very wide. It not only requires your ability to get the ball in the frontcourt and penetrate in a small area, but also requires you to interfere with the opponent when defending."

"How long can you support such a large amount of running coverage in the midfield?"

Isco, who was a little embarrassed, scratched the back of his head and said with a forced smile: "I understand. No wonder the boss asked me to come to you. You are famous for your self-discipline."

After hearing this, Rossi always felt strange.

Self-discipline means self-discipline. Why did it come out of Isco's mouth? It seemed like he was not a womanizer.
Chapter completed!