"This decisive battle will surely be decided in the second half!"
On the morning before the final, Real Madrid held a Tactical Preparation Meeting at Hongfu Hotel. Ancelotti got straight to the point, explaining his views and strategy for the final with absolute certainty.
"Simeone won't easily give us any more chances. What I can say for certain is that they'll definitely press from the opening whistle, using High Press to stop us from controlling the game, cut off our local passing lanes, and ultimately dismantle our attack. That's what they're best at, and it will also be the key to defeating us."
There was a saying in European Football: finals were never ordinary matches.
What did that mean?
It meant that in a crucial, winner-takes-all battle like the Champions League Final, no Head Coach would dare take risks.
Before the match, both sides would carefully consider and evaluate every possible problem that might arise for themselves and their opponents before finally formulating their strategy. Under such circumstances, surprises were unlikely.
Unless they came from individual player performances.
The more crucial the battle, the more it tested a player's individual ability and will to compete.
That was why players who shone on stages like the World Cup and European Cup were so highly sought after and became famous overnight.
Because shining on a stage like that could never be attributed to luck alone.
The Champions League Final was no different.
In terms of individual ability, Real Madrid were ahead of Atletico Madrid. So Ancelotti's task was to ensure that the team made no mistakes in its overall strategy and tactics, suppress Atletico Madrid's tactical system, and create the foundation for the players to display their individual abilities.
"What they're best at is using team-wide and localized pressing to cut off