August 28th, Beijing Bird's Nest Stadium).
"Hello viewers, this is CCYV5 Sports Channel, bringing you the upcoming Italian Super Cup match. I'm your good friend, Huang Jianjun! Sitting to my left is Luo Cheng, the famous football commentator for < Super Football >."
"Hello everyone, I'm Luo Cheng, and I'm very happy to be providing commentary for this match."
"Teacher Luo, what are your thoughts on this match? Juventus or San Remo, who do you think will win?" Huang Jianjun asked.
Luo Cheng smiled and took out a San Remo support sign, saying, "I'm the first San Remo fan in China to have been a fan for twenty years, of course I support San Remo."
"Of course, please don't think I'm being irrational; my support is actually based on sound reasoning."
"At Juventus, their star striker, the ' Prince of Zebras,' Ancarelli, is still recovering from injury. Meanwhile, the team's top star, Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Audi, is unable to appear at the Bird's Nest stadium because his eleven-year-old son suffered an injury during Juventus U13 training camp, breaking his arm in a fall."
"With the transfer of Juventus' former captain and defensive legend Bernulini to San Remo this summer, their defense has lost its commander. I believe San Remo will definitely score in this match!"
Luo Cheng's arguments were well-reasoned and his understanding of the enemy was profound. He was more like a Juventus fan for twenty years than a San Remo fan for twenty years.
Huang Jianjun, however, had a different opinion. "You can't compare them like that. San Remo had far more personnel changes this summer; they brought in so many players, it's not something that can be integrated all at once."
"Furthermore, although Juventus has lost three superstars, their center forward is still formidable. That Croatia striker Mandzukovic, is absolutely the most underrated player in Serie A, without a doubt! Looking at world football, he is one of the top ten most underrated stars!"
"He is fully capable of destroying any defense line single-handedly!"
"Furthermore, don't forget that Juventus is Serie A champion-caliber team, while San Remo only recently gained promotion to Serie B. Their future remains to be seen."
Luo Cheng immediately retorted, " Juventus are indeed the Serie A champions, but this match is more about testing the abilities of their new players and the team's new style of play. For them, this match is more of a warm-up than a real game."
"But for San Remo, this is an honor they desperately crave. The mental investment on both sides is extremely uneven, and I have more faith in San Remo's players who are hungry for glory."
The two sides traded blows, neither giving an inch, and the effect was remarkable.
And this is also the general consensus among fans.
This match generated immense buzz, creating a football frenzy throughout Asia.
The South Korea and Japan fans standing nearby were filled with envy for the domestic fans.
With the rise of the domestic economy, China has received more preferential treatment from major clubs and leagues in areas such as football matches, star player management, match times, and broadcaster supply.
This whole situation is all because of a minor Serie B player Lu Yang.
Are players really that influential now?
Immediately, the football associations of both countries contacted their players playing overseas, asking them to bring some matches from their respective leagues back to their home countries.
But the replies were almost all like, "What are you thinking, bro?", "Are you crazy?", "I'm just a small substitute", "I'm a human, not a god!", "Is this something a player like me can interfere with?", "Even my club president doesn't have this kind of power."
After some questioning, everyone discovered that, let alone Serie B players, even the main players of top teams in the Top Five Leagues, or even the core players of strong teams, did not have the right to participate in such matters.
Why is Lu Yang able to do it?
After this research, some veteran fans finally felt Lu Ge's power.
Playing football isn't scary at all.
What's frightening is that he also has healthy and equal exchanges with big names in their respective circles, such as Soto, Maniero, Martivni, Arthas, and Hans.
While they were discussing this, the competition had already begun.
In today's match, Juventus used their usual 4-2-3-1 formation.
However, there were significant changes in the personnel for the match, with four new signings, two substitutes, and one youth academy player making an appearance.
Juventus treated this match like a mock exam, aiming to identify and address their team's problems. Their goal this season is to secure their fourth consecutive league title and compete for the Champions League!
So they really don't care about an Italian Super Cup.
Juventus ' trophy room has so many trophies that it's almost overflowing.
Similarly, San Remo also fielded a brand new and bold lineup.
It was none other than the previously rumored 352, or rather, 3232!
The two strikers are Soguer and Fernandez.
The midfielders are Lu Yang (left back), Moric attacking midfielder), and Canyes (right back).
Defensive midfielders: Latuidi and Lam.
The three center-backs are Bernulini, Palacios, Mathias.
Fernandez's starting position in this lineup was not unexpected.
San Remo is competing on multiple fronts this season, and Fernandez and Baizami will take turns playing in various matches.
Compared to Baizami's explosiveness, Fernandez is better suited to team-oriented play, as he can perfectly coordinate with midfielders and forwards.
His presence means he won't be the highlight, but rather a supporting role.
However, Soguer's target man style of play also makes him unsuitable as a pure explosive striker; he is more suited to a supporting role.
Therefore... San Remo's attack will undoubtedly be more focused on the midfield.
Their main attacking force is the midfielders!
Lam's appearance in the defensive midfield position surprised many people.
Everyone thought San Remo bought a center-back, but it turns out they wanted a defensive midfielder?
Whether this transformation will be successful remains to be seen.
As for the center-back position, San Remo's former right -Mathias has moved to the right center-back position.
This is not good news for him.
On the one hand, the team changed formation, and he had to leave his comfort zone to adapt to a new position.
On the other hand, in the original 4-3-3 formation, his playing time might be after Canyes.
Therefore, even though he started this match, he was actually far less secure than Nagy, who was on the bench.
Nagy is over 1.9 meters tall and is a tall center-back, but because he is young, his speed and turning speed are not particularly slow, so he can also play as a right center-back.
The real reason Naggi was on the bench for this Nagy was probably because Soto hoped he could learn more from Palacios.
In a three-defender formation, the center-back's ball distribution is particularly important.
A center-back who can play the ball out is not easy to find, because playing the ball out means more than just good passing ability and footwork. It also requires a wide field of vision, an understanding of attacking and defensive positions, a big heart, and a certain amount of passing imagination.
Many center-backs have good footwork, but they often make mistakes when it comes to passing the ball. This is because they have poor vision or overly imaginative thinking, leading to rash and impulsive errors.
Center-backs who play the ball often struggle between creating attacking opportunities and making fatal defensive mistakes; a moment of carelessness can lead to conceding a goal.
It could be said that the things they need to judge are sometimes even more difficult and crucial than a striker deciding how to shoot.
After saying all that, I just want to emphasize how rare and uncommon it is for a center-back to touch the ball.
But the strange thing is that San Remo has at least two center-backs like that!
When Palacios played in Serie B, he was the team's playmaker center-back, possessing excellent passing ability and defensive command skills. When he partnered with Nagy, he dropped back to act as the playmaker, while also having a very strong ability to defend in secondary aerial duels.
When Nagy is not on the field, Palacios can be the one to contest for headers and tackles, and he is extremely strong in one-on-one defense. The role of commander and sweeper will then fall to Bernulini.
Bernulini... is probably one of Italy's best ball-playing center-backs, no weaker than Palacios!
This is why Soto dared to play a three-defender formation after Bernulini's arrival.
Because it exists!
Beep!
Less than ten minutes into the match, the referee blew his whistle and pointed to the center circle.
Goal stands!
The Black and White Army's fans erupted in cheers.
Juventus have scored!
In this goal, Juventus striker Mandzukovic demonstrated the power of an all-around center forward.
He orchestrated a series of one-two passes with the team's midfielders near midfield, bringing the ball to the edge of the penalty area.
He then feinted a pass and broke through, using the ball to change direction and enter the penalty area.
In defending this ball, Lam and Palacios were not in sync, with both of them pressing Mandzukovic at the same time.
Mandzukovic, however, deftly dribbled a Fried Meatballs between the two men.
Then, just as Bernulini's sliding tackle arrived, a powerful shot pierced through Areola's defenses.
The entire process was understated, without any hard contact or collision.
Juventus, the Old Lady, are displaying the flair of Serie A champions.
Old Tom stood on the sidelines, clutching his head. "How could this happen? This was our strongest defensive lineup! Even if we conceded a goal, it should have been from the flanks, not from the middle!"
Soto shook his head and said, "It's not a configuration issue. Our approach is correct; it's due to a lack of teamwork."
Old Tom asked, "You mean Lam and Palacios?"
Soto said, "No! The problem with this goal was in midfield. Latuidi and Lam made a mistake in their coordination. Lam hasn't adapted to his role as Destroyer in the backfield yet. He's still unfamiliar with the defensive midfield position, and he hasn't been fully unleashed."
Even though both are Destroyer, there is still a big difference between defensive midfielders and center-backs.
Lu Yang understood this deeply.
In the center-back position, no matter how fast you can run, you can't easily run out of your defensive range.
Because you are the team's last line of defense, a natural constraint that no center-back can deny.
Besides that, any player can theoretically be in any position on the pitch at any time... well, goalkeepers are an exception.
Lam played center-back from a young age, and when he was suddenly moved to defensive midfield, his subconscious instincts still told him to try his best to "occupy" the position.
Therefore, when Mandzukovic was connecting in midfield, Lam did not immediately move up, which forced the less mobile Latuidi to go up.
Thus, it lost its position.
The correct way to play this ball was for Lam to go up, with Latuidi providing cover, and then look for a suitable opportunity to double -Mandzukovic Mandzukovic passing lanes.
In this way, the threat will not even reach the back line.
Soon, San Remo launched their own offensive counterattack.
Canyes received the ball, passed it to Lam, and quickly made a run forward.
Lam passed the ball to Canyes with a backhand pass.
Because it was near midfield, and the opposing striker wasn't marking Canyes closely, Canyes easily received the ball and continued dribbling.
Only then did the opposing team force a tackle on Canyes.
Canyes passed the ball to Moric was coming to receive it.
Moric passes back to Latuidi.
Latuidi played a through ball, and Lu Yang quickly moved forward, shifting San Remo's attack from the right flank to the left.
Lu Yang moved at high speed, and the Flank Speedster and Bale's Outside Overtake took effect simultaneously.
Juventus ' midfield was too late to defend against Lu Yang, so they had to bring out their new right-back.
When the full-back moves forward to defend, he should move slightly inside to prevent the opponent from cutting inside.
However, this also left a vacancy in the right-back position.
Lu Yang spotted the opening and immediately kicked the ball behind the right-back.
Fernandez made a run and moved to the left side of the penalty area.
Juventus' right center-back quickly moved towards Fernandez.
Fernandez didn't try to get past his opponent, but instead passed the ball to Moric was lurking near the penalty area.
Moric unleashes a long-range shot!
Juventus' substitute goalkeeper made a crucial save, pushing the ball out of bounds.
However, San Remo performed exceptionally well in this attack, achieving exactly the effect Soto wanted.
They even... exceeded the original offensive level of San Remo.
To be honest, given the difference in overall strength between San Remo and Juventus, their attack will be difficult to launch.
However, thanks to the overlapping runs of Lu Yang and Canyes, they formed a five-man attacking group in the frontcourt, gaining a numerical advantage in local confrontations.
It's not that there are more attacking players than defending players in a particular area; rather, the number of attacking players equals the number of defending players.
Generally speaking, the defending team needs more defensive players than offensive players in a specific area to effectively limit the opponent.
Once the numbers are evenly matched, the attacking side has a greater advantage.
Especially teams with offensive players who can outmaneuver their opponents in 1v1 situations.
On San Remo's side, Lu Yang, Moric, and Canyes are all people who possess this ability.
And that is indeed the case.
Bang!
The corner kick was taken, Lam successfully headed the ball, but it hit Soguer in front of him, Soguer was in an offside position.
This was a successful header challenge, but a failed header tactic.
Lam and Soguer are in overlapping positions.
This should not have happened.
San Remo's set-piece tactics need further improvement.
Don't be fooled by the fact that set pieces seem like mostly lucky goals; they are actually a place where tactical skills are put to the test.
The tactical level of many coaching staffs, and the effort they put into utilizing and developing team tactics, can be glimpsed through their set-piece tactics.
For example, Manchester United, with a host of tall and strong players such as Maguire, McTominay, Matic, Paul Pogba, Cavani, and Rashford, as well as several excellent passers, has yet to achieve much from corner kicks and free kicks.
This is definitely not a problem with the player's ability.
It's important to understand that there's an undeniable truth in free-kick tactics: "Height"!
Height directly correlates with the degree of threat. This statement might not be accurate for a very few individuals, but it is absolutely precise when applied to the broader context of free-kick tactics.
A team with great height but very few free kick goals could be due to either their attackers being afraid to dribble and only passing back, or their coaching being incompetent. There's no third possibility.
"What does Coach Luo think?" Huang Jianjun asked in the broadcasting room.
" San Remo's attack has indeed improved; their changes have been almost immediate," Luo Cheng said. "But the problems are equally clear: their defensive players still have some issues with coordination."
"I dare say that if they continue playing in this style, it's only a matter of time before San Remo scores a goal."
Huang Jianjun asked, "So Coach Luo thinks San Remo will turn the score around and win?"
Luo Cheng frowned and said, "That depends on whether their defense concedes a goal. San Remo's attacking players can score two goals, but whether they can limit Juventus to only one goal will be the biggest suspense of this match!"
The suspense was broken the next second.
In the 27th minute of the match, Mandzukovic stepped up once again.
This time, taking advantage of Canyes's run, he proactively moved to the wing and received a counter-attack pass from his teammate.
Mandzukovic dribbled the ball at a fairly high speed, while also moving towards the center.
Lam quickly tracked back, but had no chance to get close to Mandzukovic.
Rushing to stick close to a moving player can easily result in being fouled by the opponent.
Mandzukovic slowed down near the penalty area, turned and held off Palacios before deflecting the ball to the side before Lam could press him.
Following behind Lam, the Juventus midfielder unleashed a long-range shot, but Areola's view was obstructed, and he failed to reach the ball.
Juventus are leading 2-0!
What does it mean to be omnipotent? What does it mean to be a fulcrum?
Mandzukovic perfectly exemplified this with a goal and an assist.
The problem with this play still lies with Lam.
He was so focused on marking Mandzukovic that he overlooked the fact that there was someone behind him as well.
This is the predicament of a defensive midfielder—front and back are like men, um... difficult!
Compared to the situation faced by most center-backs, the situation faced by defensive midfielders is clearly more complex.
Lam's processor will find it difficult to adapt to such high-load operation in a short period of time.
His CPU needs an upgrade.
In the 42nd minute of the match, San Remo launched another threatening attack.
The Bernulini was originally in possession of the ball, suddenly dribbled forward, and with a flick of the ball, changed direction and brought the ball directly to the vicinity of the halfway line.
Many people have never seen such an aggressive style of play from a defender.
But that's Bernulini's ability.
Some center-backs try to emulate Bernulini, but their choices are often poor, frequently leading to mistakes.
To reach Bernulini's level of effortless mastery, one would need to train for many more years.
Bang!
Old friends meet and kick each other.
Bernulini, under pressure from his former teammates, passed the ball out, a long pass to the right wing.
This pass demonstrated both skillful footwork and excellent vision; it was truly impressive.
Canyes controlled the ball, dribbled past several defenders, and advanced directly into the attacking third.
Before the opponent could press him, he made a superb pass, shifting the ball from the right wing to the left wing once again.
Wide-range ball movement!
Lu Yang, who was on the left, had also moved to the left winger position.
Fernandez made a diagonal run to the left, decisively reaching the byline.
Lu Yang took the opportunity to cut inside, but when facing the opposing defender, he passed the ball to Moric in the attacking midfield position, and then cut inside without the ball.
Moric received the ball and made a through pass without stopping it.
Soguer reacted incredibly quickly to the ball, immediately extending his leg for a dangerous shot whenever it touched the ball.
But... what is Moric known for?
quick!
His passing speed was extremely fast, and even though Soguer and he had excellent chemistry, neither of them could catch the bus.
Soguer stumbled and slipped right inside the penalty area, looking quite embarrassed.
But the next moment, another foot stretched out from the back post.
It was an indigo-blue soccer shoe with a pinkish hue, without a collar or tongue, and looked quite simple.
The sneakers don't have obvious bumps or segments; they look more like a single piece.
This style of football boot has never been seen before in the football world.
Is a very smooth surface actually detrimental to a player's control of the ball?
On the other hand, how can something so simple, devoid of any "design," demonstrate the "sincerity" and "thoughtfulness" of the sneaker manufacturer?
Finally, this bold use of color is simply too rebellious.
Shouldn't soccer cleats be predominantly black?
When did this flashy indigo color become acceptable for sneakers?
Don't the people who wear his clothes feel ashamed?
Oh... it's Lu Yang?
That's alright then.
He always manages to steal the spotlight in every industry and at every moment.
Just like now.
Bang!
Lu Yang cut inside without the ball, his toe lightly touching the ball that Soguer had missed.
The football changed its trajectory slightly and flew towards the goal.
The Juventus goalkeeper had already made his save attempt; how could he possibly change course midway?
They could only watch helplessly as the football fell into the net.
One to two!
San Remo pulled one back in the final moments of the first half.
"Oh! Lu Yang! It's Lu Yang! He's like a sharpshooter, delivering a fatal blow!"
" Juventus misjudged Lu Yang's attacking prowess."
" Canyes ' extreme run led to San Remo conceding a goal, but Lu Yang won't stop there. This time, his run was even more extreme than Canyes'; he appeared inside the six-yard box! Can you believe it!"
"He's a winger! In fact, many people initially thought that Soto's 3-5-2 formation was actually a 5-3-2, with Lu Yang and Canyes actually taking on defensive duties as wing-backs or even full-backs."
"But the result... Lu Yang was even closer to the penalty area than the left winger; he was absolutely insane!"
" San Remo's attacking style has yielded some results. Although they are still behind, scoring against Juventus is a success in itself!"
" Lu Yang's shoes have become the talk of the town. The replay of his goal has been repeatedly shown, and the shoes Lu Yang was wearing have attracted widespread attention from fans!"
"To be honest, this style of sneaker is so novel; I've never seen sneakers like this before. I think after this commentary, I might go and buy a pair like Lu Yang's!"
"This is HXLT's new flagship sneaker, the Hunting Blade!"
"These sneakers come in two colorways: the Indigo Hunter Blade worn by Lu Yang, and the Flame Hunter Blade, which will be available at HXLT stores nationwide next week."
"Now, this is also a pair of shoes that have been worn through the Juventus goal. Fellow football fans, you definitely shouldn't miss this super shoe that Lu Yang highly recommends!"
Huang Jianjun started advertising and reciting advertising slogans, because the broadcast of this game was also sponsored by HXLT.
During the intermission, Lu Yang's HXLT commercials will be played.
San Remo's future is uncertain, and the outcome of this match remains to be seen.
But the popularity of the Hunting Blade sneakers is already undeniable.
HXLT may have made the best decision of their brand career.