All-around center

Donetsk City, Donbas Stadium.

Germany defeated Spain to advance to the European Cup final, which brought the entire European Cup craze to its peak.

As their opponent, another finals team will be produced in this game.

Croatia vs. Italy!

In recent years, Croatia and Italy have rarely played against each other. They were basically not drawn together, and the knockout matches were basically not foreseen. The only games available for reference are some warm-up matches.

For this reason, there is not much data to support the trend and situation of this game.

But because of this, the fans' enthusiasm has become even higher.

Italy's star flavor has faded a lot. Since the decline of Serie A, the Italian national team is also in a state of change and needs to add fresh blood.

For this reason, Balotelli and other young players began to appear.

Now that Italy has reached the semi-finals of the European Cup, its competitive state has also been guaranteed.

But facing Croatia, which has never lost a game since the European Cup qualifying period, they still feel extremely pressing.

Italian commentator Aldo Serreira provided pre-match analysis.

He recounted Suker's statistics like a treasure trove, not only the European Cup data, but also the La Liga data in the past two seasons.

Obviously, as an Italian commentator, he is still paying attention to Suker's performance.

But with the emergence of these data, people will always feel a great sense of powerlessness.

Su Ke's statistics are all too perfect, with almost no shortcomings to speak of.

This is also the most difficult problem to limit Su Ke.

"From these data we can see what kind of player we will face in this game. I think for Italian fans, they still can't forget the super player who wears Milan No. 10 and is active at the San Siro Stadium. Forward, he is now our opponent and the Italian defense must limit him!”

Aldo Serreira said solemnly: "Only in this way can we win!"

It is unrealistic to defeat Croatia by bypassing Suker. He is still Croatia's core player.

Bypassing Su Ke is an attempt to deceive oneself and avoid the core issue.

If Italy wants to defeat Croatia, they have only one way to limit Suker.

Fortunately, even if Serie A declines, Italy's steel defense line still exists.

When it comes to defense, Serie A still does very well. They have a better chance than other national teams to make a plan to limit Suker.

The big screen rotates, and a moving picture overlooks the entire Donbas stadium.

The cheers of tens of thousands of Croatian and Italian fans can be clearly felt through the television.

The feeling of tension and excitement in the stadium also spread throughout the body.

The camera pans again, this time to the players' tunnel.

Croatian and Italian players have lined up.

They were on both sides of the tunnel, waiting silently to play.

The camera advances from front to back.

Under the camera, the faces of the players on both sides are extremely solemn, which can further increase the tension through this scene.

This is the European Cup semi-finals!

The next step is the finals!

If you don’t fight now, wait until later.

"In addition to Suker, the midfield confrontation is also extremely critical!"

Croatian commentator Krausiewicz said solemnly; "This game is also a big challenge for Croatia's core midfielder Luka Modric."

"He needs to deal with the pressure from Italian midfield master Pirlo during the game!"

"Since transferring to Juventus, Pirlo's joining has brought Juventus' overall strength to a higher level, and helped Juventus win the Serie A championship last season!"

"This is another Serie A championship trophy for the Bianconeri after they were relegated due to the Calciopoli scandal. It also shows the revival of the traditional northern powerhouse, Juventus!"

"Almost half of the players in this Italian national team are from Juventus."

“This is true for all teams in the five major leagues!”

"Similarly, the German team is based on Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, while Spain is based on Real Madrid and Barcelona."

"These teams have formed national teams based on their respective domestic leagues, ensuring combat effectiveness at all times, and for Croatia, our players are not inferior!"

Krawsiwicz said solemnly: "Although there is no support for the domestic league, the boys are playing for powerful teams. They will help Croatia play exciting games!"

At this time, in the player tunnel, players from both sides followed the referee's footsteps and entered the court.

The cheers suddenly rose!

Wow! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ——

Under fierce cheers, the European Cup semi-finals are about to begin.

The starting lineups of both sides are as follows:

Italy (4-1-3-2):

Goalkeeper: Buffon.

Defenders: Chiellini, Bonucci, Barzagli, Abate.

Midfielder: De Rossi, Montolivo, Pirlo, Marchisio.

Forwards: Cassano, Balotelli.

Croatia (4-3-1-2):

Goalkeeper: Subasic.

Defenders: Srna, Joel Luka, Lovren, Strinic.

Midfielder: Rakitic, Vukojevic, Modric.

Forwards: Perisic, Suker, Mandzukic.

"Both sides have come up with interesting tactical lineups, especially Croatia, which has made some significant changes compared to previous games!"

"First of all, Italy still played a formation of pulling back and organizing, with Pirlo hiding behind the three midfielders, which can not only ensure his ball control, but also make more in-depth use of the field."

"And Croatia's response is interesting!"

Klausevich blinked: "National team coach Besic put Suker in a more classical traditional No. 10 position!"

"The position of attacking midfielder has gradually been replaced by modern tactics. Many coaches have eliminated this relatively useless position in order to speed up the transition between offense and defense!"

"But Croatia played this formation in this game and it was very useful!"

"First of all, the No. 10 position can greatly increase Suker's running. range, enhancing his threat. "

"Secondly, Suker can shorten the distance with the midfield in this position, and Rakitic and Modric, the two No. 10 players, can also form a connection with Suker, so Croatia has gathered three No. 10 players in the midfield! "

"Finally, it is about the problem of Italy's backward organization. "

"Italy wants to hide its organization point in the backcourt, so that Pirlo can focus more on the rhythm of the game under the protection of his teammates. But Suker stands in the front midfielder position, which can directly threaten Italy's back line. Whenever Pirlo makes any mistakes, Suker can immediately steal the ball and directly pass Pirlo to threaten Italy's goal! "

"Besic is in the most critical position in Italy, hanging a sword of Damocles over Pirlo's head! "

In the Italian VIP room.

Retired Italian stars such as Maldini, Gattuso, Nesta, Totti, and Inzaghi all came to watch this crucial game.

And when they saw Croatia's tactical arrangement, they felt a little bad.

"The worst case scenario!" Nesta shook his head directly.

Suker appeared in the front midfielder position.

Just as the Croatian commentator said, the sword of Damocles hung on the most critical offensive and defensive hub of the Italian back line.

Through this sharp sword, Croatia can directly put pressure on Pirlo and the entire Italian defense line.

They are not afraid of Suker on the wing.

Italy probably had specific arrangements before the game.

But Suker is in the front midfielder position, directly facing Pirlo, which is very bad.

This will not only put pressure on Pirlo, but also keep Italy's back line in a state of tension at all times.

"This game will test Andre!" Inzaghi shook his head; "With Suker's ability, as long as Andre makes any mistakes, he will rush up and put pressure on him!"

"Not only Pirlo, but also the back pass in front needs to be careful. Once Suker intercepts it, it will be enough for us to drink a pot!"

"Croatia's tactical arrangement really hits our pain point!"

"How did you think of suddenly letting Suker play as a front midfielder?"

"But no matter what, it's really effective!"

Besic stared at the court.

The Sword of Damocles, also known as the sword on the neck, the sword of discipline!

This is a sword based on ancient Greek mythology, hanging over the king's head.

If Pirlo is the brain of Italy and the 'king' of their command system.

Then Suker is the sword of Damocles!

The cold tip of the sword, pointing straight down, points directly at Pirlo.

The Italian coach Prandelli rubbed his temple, looking at the Croatian lineup on the court, showing a headache.

Croatia's sudden change of formation caught him off guard.

Suker actually appeared in the attacking midfielder position, which was something he didn't expect.

Suker can play as an attacking midfielder, and he has played as an attacking midfielder before.

But this is a long time ago.

When it was still Milan, Suker and Kaka played as double attacking midfielders, implementing Ancelotti's Christmas tree formation.

But now, Suker is more active on the left wing.

Left winger or left midfielder, this is the position he plays most, so the sudden change of formation caused Italy a headache.

Croatia dared to put out this formation, which means they had practiced it before.

This is one of their tactical formations.

This also means that Croatia has not been kicked out too much in the game before.

Whether it is Germany, Portugal or Greece, they have not been able to come up with Croatia's bottom-line tactics.

However, Prandelli still believes in Pirlo.

Croatia wants to put pressure on Pirlo, but Pirlo is not so easy to be disturbed.

Moreover, with the increase of age, Pirlo has become more stable and experienced.

As long as he doesn't make mistakes, it's fine.

At the same time, in the stadium, the players of both sides have come to their respective half and set up their positions, and the game is ready to start.

In the first half, Italy took the lead.

Suker jumped in his own half, looking across the crowd and pointing directly at Pirlo.

Pirlo also looked up at Suker.

The two looked at each other from a distance, smiling at the same time, as a greeting.

Croatia's full-back, Strinic, also stared at the big black man in front, Balotelli!

Balotelli is a right forward, just opposite to him, the left-back, so his defensive task is very heavy.

Although Vukojevic will cover half of the field and interfere.

But after all, he is a single defensive midfielder and cannot keep an eye on Balotelli at all times. Therefore, Strinic knows that his solo performance in defense is more important.

Beep! !

The whistle sounded.

The whole game begins!

The whole stadium was roaring.

The cheers and whistles suddenly became intense, and at the same time, Italy in the stadium kicked off instantly.

"Press up!"

Suk yelled and quickly pressed forward.

However, when they press to a certain position, they no longer press.

As for Suker, he followed Pirlo closely.

Put pressure on Pirlo all the time.

He must let Pirlo know that he is by his side.

You can't make any mistakes!

You can't have any hesitation!

You can't make any passing mistakes!

Any mistake will be caught by Suker and Croatia and catch you off guard.

However, Pirlo was still steady and started to handle the ball smoothly.

"It's so easy!"

Suker pressed forward further, shortening the distance between him and Pirlo.

This time, Pirlo couldn't wander around.

The speed of his passing was obviously accelerated, and when he finished passing the ball and planned to run to the next open space to catch the ball, Suk followed closely.

Su Ke: Don’t even think about catching the ball after passing it.

Pirlo frowned, and he could only turn around and retreat.

After Suker saw Pirlo retreat, he began to relax a little.

The Italian offensive also started on the wing.

In the probing attack on the left wing, after Balotelli failed to dribble forward, he did not make a fool of himself this time, but passed the ball back steadily.

Montolivo received the ball and passed it directly behind Srna.

Before Srna turned around, he pressed De Rossi's chest with his hand to prevent him from starting.

At the same time, he took the lead in retreating, facing the falling ball, and directly knocked it to Vida in the middle.

"Great defense! Captain!"

After Vida transferred the ball, he immediately gave a thumbs up to Srna.

"Focus!"

Sirna said in a deep voice.

Italy is not that easy to play.

The ball is transferred to Croatia.

When Modric received the ball, Suker immediately took a few steps back, leaning against Pirlo, and took the initiative to seek confrontation.

He knows that Pirlo hates this kind of confrontation.

Sure enough, Pirlo began to prepare to intercept at any time.

But Su Ke resisted and refused to let the other party rush in front of him.

After several attempts, Pirlo found that he could not win the confrontation.

At this moment, Modric passed a kick to Rakitic, and Rakitic directly knocked it across to Suker.

Suker did not choose to stop the ball, but allowed the ball to pass in front of him. At the same time, he suddenly pushed back and directly pushed Pirlo away. He immediately used his explosive power to get rid of Pirlo directly.

Suker is simply too familiar with the chain defense.

When he was playing in Serie A, this kind of defense greatly suppressed his number of goals.

It took a long time for Su Ke to figure out this method of cracking the defense.

Chain defense is definitely the classic defensive foundation in defensive counterattacks.

This kind of defense is not about defensive hardness, but about discipline.

That is to say, one after another fills the position, constantly forming a chain of defenses.

Constantly weakening you, constantly suppressing you, until there is nothing you can do.

How to break the chain defense?

Among the lineups of the same level, La Liga is obviously not good, which means that the Latin team's foot skills cannot break through the layers of the chain.

When playing against Italian teams, teams from the Bundesliga and the Premier League obviously have some advantages.

This means that the kick cannot be too cumbersome, as it will be easier to prevent death.

The importance of speed is reflected at this time.

Not talking about average speed, but instantaneous explosive power!

After getting rid of it, use your explosive power to break through him before the chain defense takes shape!

Just like Suker is doing now, get rid of Pirlo and rush forward without hesitation.

"Stop him!"

"Can't keep up!"

"Pullback! Pullback!"

Italy's defense was in chaos!

Before their chain defense was connected, Suker walked in directly.

"I come!

Chiellini stepped forward to intercept.

But Su Ke had already fired angrily, and the ball was aimed directly at the far corner.

boom!

The ball was picked off slightly.

I saw Buffon leaping into the air and holding the ball firmly in his hands.

Suk grinned; "Is it too obvious?"

This shot has no angle at the near corner.

Moreover, Buffon's position is closer to the near corner, so Suk goes to the far corner.

Unexpectedly, Buffon predicted it.

He actually took the initiative to take two side steps and leap into the air.

The most important thing is that the ball did not let go and was firmly held in his hands.

"Buffon made a wonderful save. He predicted that Suker was going to go to the far corner, and he picked the ball cleanly in the air!"

"However, Su Ke's sudden escape from the attack still shocked Italy. Under such impact, Italy was a little helpless!"

Kraussiewicz nodded.

Although it was stopped, this was also a tentative attack in the early stages of the game.

If you stop me, you will be stopped!

After all, the offensive threat has been unleashed!

The most important thing is that Suk's sword began to show its power.

"If you want to play catenaccio, you have to play it simply, not too complicated!" Besic said; "So, I let Suker shoot directly when he has a chance, and the forward cannot pass the ball more than three times near the penalty area, and the third shot must be shot!"

"One shot after another, layers of pressure are applied to the Italian defense, thus transferring the pressure of the defense that can't catch up with Suker's explosiveness to Pirlo!"

"When the defense is under pressure, they will think about passing the ball quickly, and we will continue to press! When the ball cannot be passed, Pirlo needs to retreat further to respond. As soon as he retreats, our formation will press forward again and concentrate on pressing Pirlo!"

Van Styak; "However, they can also choose to directly pass the ball to our half!"

Besic smiled slightly; "So, we have Vukojevic in the half! His covering defense is enough to deal with this kind of pass. At the same time, I also told Vukojevic not to be afraid of getting a card!"