All-around center

Italy suddenly came up with a Christmas tree formation. Such a retro formation really shocked everyone.

It’s not that the formation is not good. After all, there is no absolute tactical theory in this world. The composition of the lineup affects a lot of tactical factors.

For example, if the former AC Milan were to pull out and put up a Christmas tree formation, they would still be able to play.

Even under special circumstances, it can play an unexpected role.

But the problem is that these Italian midfielders simply cannot match the real power of the Christmas tree formation.

This also leads to the fact that this formation is a bit useless.

Furthermore, can the defense really withstand it?

Besic silently looked at the Italian half of the stadium and their lineup. After a long time, he slowly exhaled:

"you are right!"

Besic sighed.

Van Steyak advocated keeping the pressure on and continuing to attack in the second half.

This is in line with Van Stryak's tactical thinking.

Besic himself is a conservative and defensive head coach. With Van Steyak by his side, he can provide him with some offensive functions and suggestions.

Previously, he didn't really agree with Van Steyak's tactical arrangement, but he still interrupted the attack for ten minutes and then made plans.

But looking at the current situation, Italy is seeking death, and Croatia has a chance to end the game in one fell swoop.

"I can't understand! I really don't understand!"

Italian commentator Alba Serreira almost went crazy.

What are you doing?

Under what circumstances, a retro Christmas tree formation was created?

Is this Italy's ultimate move?

This is a big trick to kill yourself!

In the Italian VIP room, all these Italian celebrities were also confused.

"Is Prandelli crazy?"

"Why a Christmas tree?"

"What kind of tactical adjustment is this? This completely breaks our offensive and defensive balance, right?"

Maldini couldn't understand it at all. Prandelli put up this tactical formation, which might hasten Italy's death.

Of course, the Christmas tree formation is indeed an offensive formation.

But this offense must rely on four powerful No. 10 positions!

But in Italy now, except for Pirlo, the other No. 10s are considered under-matched.

On the Croatian side, the three No. 10 positions, Suker, Modric, and Rakitic, are highly matched.

This is not a difference in the number of players, but a real gap in ability.

Once Croatia suppresses the midfield in turn, Italy is finished.

But it’s not without hope!

This can be regarded as a desperate choice. Once they have the advantage in the midfield and their offense becomes smoother, they will continue to threaten Croatia's goal and even use offense to offset the pressure of the defense.

But this hope is too slim!

"Believe them!" Maldini said solemnly, his face not looking good.

"We can only believe them. Even if we want to question it, it will have to wait until the game is over. Now we can only believe them and encourage them!"

Maldini was unsure.

But all we can do now is believe, there is no other way.

On the contrary, the morale of the Italian side is high, especially the forwards such as Balotelli. They finally have a chance to attack.

In the first half, their touch rate and number of attacks were so few that they felt extremely frustrated.

In the second half, after the tactical changes, they were able to bring a more impactful game.

Balotelli does have a problem with his head, but that doesn't mean he is willing to lose the game.

In fact, between the frustration of losing the game and the chance to give it a try, he would definitely choose the latter.

Pirlo and De Rossi both looked extremely solemn.

They did practice the Christmas tree formation!

But this is basically in the qualifying matches and warm-up matches.

As a classic tactic pioneered by Ancelotti in Serie A, this tactic was naturally included in the Italian national team's tactical library.

At the same time, with core players like Pirlo, Prandelli also has a certain degree of confidence in playing effectively.

What's more, in their drills, the results were good.

"Italy should have used this tactic in the qualifying matches and warm-up matches, and it worked well!"

"That's right! Otherwise they wouldn't dare to take it out!"

Suker and Mandzukic stood on the court waiting for kick-off, chatting.

Mandzukic turned to look at Suk.

"You know this tactic best, do we need to defend?"

Suk's answer was simple and clear.

"Defense ass! Fuck them!"

The drills for the qualifiers and warm-up matches hardly had much substantive effect.

If it was taken out urgently, it is probably because Prandelli was trying to cover up or reverse the reasons for the tactical failure in the first half, and at the same time he was forced to have no choice, so he took out this semi-finished product.

This tactic may be useful in qualifying matches or warm-up matches.

Because the intensity of the competition and the abilities of the opponents were not too strong, it gave them the illusion that they could do it.

But once they encounter a team like Croatia, which is ridiculously stable on both ends of the offense and defense, once the balance is pried off, Italy can only wait to be beaten severely.

Suk took a breath.

Croatia's tactics have not changed!

This means that the coaching staff also intends to use the offense to completely kill the game.

The first thing is to master the rhythm of the midfield.

Beep!

The whistle sounded.

The long-awaited call came out, and the second half of the 2012 European Cup semi-finals began.

"Up, up, up!"

Balotelli roared and rushed forward excitedly.

"You rushed too fast, come back! Tactical position!"

Pirlo yelled, as someone who is familiar with the Christmas tree formation, he knew very well that the Christmas tree did not play a high post press, but drew Italian defensive chains from the front court to offset the opponent's impact.

However, Balotelli was obviously disobedient.

He has been depressed for such a long time, and now he will definitely not be able to settle down again.

Balotelli rushed forward, and the other forwards also rushed forward.

Even the midfielders and midfielders had to raise their positions to avoid the front midfielder being out of touch.

"idiot!"

Pirlo said angrily.

De Rossi was even more indignant and said, "I told you, this guy has the worst discipline!"

Suker had just taken a few steps forward when he saw the Italian formation pressing forward.

"You dare to press me?" Suk's eyes were opened.

He immediately moved towards the middle.

With Suker retracting his position, Modric and Rakitic retreated to help the backcourt receive the ball.

After the two midfielders retreated, Croatia passed and received the ball in its own half without any pressure at all, and picked the ball out very smoothly.

"Damn it! What are you doing! It's too far forward. Pull back! Pull back!"

Italy coach Prandelli shouted anxiously.

In this position, once Suker breaks in, the Italian defense will be finished.

Balotelli is still chirping.

"Grab it quickly! Grab it quickly!"

Listening to the annoying voice, Pirlo finally couldn't help it, turned around and shouted; "I'm warning you! Shut your mouth!"

Balotelli immediately shut up.

Pirlo's status in the Italian national team is unusual. After other big players retired one after another, Pirlo and Buffon are the only two big players in the Italian locker room.

Even if Balotelli receives special care, he will still be in trouble if he angers Pirlo.

Moreover, these are still secondary.

The key is that Pirlo didn't pass the ball to him, which would bother Balotelli very much, so he felt unhappy, but decided to shut up.

Su Ke moved forward while retreating to observe his teammates' passes.

He returned to his familiar left side move.

The Italian midfielder also tends to Suker's side, especially their full-back Abate looked at Suker nervously.

Abate and Suk are the same age.

He is an authentic player produced by the AC Milan youth training.

But he did not enjoy the glory of the Milan dynasty.

After entering the first team in 2003, he was quickly loaned out for training, which lasted six years.

It wasn't until the summer of 2009, when Suker left AC Milan, that he was recruited back by the club, put on the red and black jersey again, and was able to play in the San Siro, fulfilling his long-cherished wish.

During the loan period, he watched Suker play as a substitute.

He also competed with Suker on the court. Looking through the wide players Suker blew up, Abate's name definitely appeared.

After returning to Milan, the club and the locker room are also full of Suker's traces.

Two years before Suker left Milan, many people remembered Suker.

This kind of remembrance meant that Suk's locker was not allowed to be used for a full year and remained empty.

It was not until Pato became the core that Milan handed over the No. 10 jersey and Suker's locker to Pato, which was regarded as a kind of inheritance.

Therefore, although Su Ke is the same age as Abate, in Abate's view, Su Ke is definitely a respectable and terrifying opponent.

"Suke is here!"

Pirlo roared.

Abate looked at Su Ke intently, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

Su Ke immediately turned around after receiving the ball, and Abate quickly approached.

At this moment, Suk looked up and looked towards the center.

"Transfer?"

Abate was afraid and still didn't dare to make a move.

Suk made a sudden dunk, and Abbate quickly retreated, blocking Suk's path again.

"Following?"

Su Ke was a little surprised.

But then Suk's feet moved horizontally again.

Su Ke's change of direction is not just once. Relying on his powerful explosive power and flexible body, Su Ke's continuous changes of direction are no less than the ankle terminator Kaka.

With only the second change of direction, Abarth failed to keep up.

Su Ke was half a body ahead, and at the same time he accelerated his feet and rushed out suddenly.

"Sukneche!"

Krausiewicz yelled.

At this time, Suker sprinted horizontally along the line of the penalty area. Mandzukic and Perisic put pressure on the back line to prevent them from interfering with Suker.

At this moment, Italy's defense is neither, nor is it.

boom!

At this moment, a figure slipped in front of Su Ke's eyes and used a fierce tackle to shovel the ball directly into the backcourt. Defender Bonucci immediately reacted and made a big-footed clearance.

Suk jumped up slightly and avoided the sliding tackle.

I saw De Rossi getting up from the ground, his eyes filled with fear and ferocity.

"I won't let you pass!"

Su Ke understood, but did not respond.

"Nice shovel!"

Pirlo gave a thumbs up.

De Rossi nodded, pretending to be relaxed on the surface, but inside he was extremely nervous.

Just now he was running back and barely releasing the shovel.

If Suker fell to the ground, in this dangerous position, a penalty might be awarded.

Fortunately, Suker did not do so, but jumped up and avoided his tackle.

But De Rossi knew that this kind of defense was lucky. After this time, Suker would definitely be more cautious next time.

We must equalize the score as soon as possible!

De Rossi felt urgent and turned his head to look forward.

Forwards! Come on!

At the same time, Italy's counterattack finally came out, and Balotelli dribbled quickly to the bottom of the rib area.

But he did not pass the ball in front of the goal, but chose to pass the ball in reverse triangle.

The ball landed near the penalty area line, and Montolivo volleyed the ball.

Ding!

Croatia's goal trembled.

The ball hit the goal firmly and bounced out.

"It's really dangerous!"

Klausevich was shocked.

This volley was still not pressed well enough, but Italy's counterattack still came out.

"Boys, you need to be more rigorous. Don't let Italy have a chance to breathe!"

Klausevich was anxious.

Winning this game will get you a ticket to the final.

In fact, in the 2008 European Cup, Suker and others were too young, so Croatia did not expect to win the European Cup.

At that time, Croatia was satisfied with entering the semi-finals.

Who would have thought that Croatia could go all the way and win the European Cup directly.

But this year is different!

Suker and his group of players have all reached their peak, and Croatia's performance in the games so far has been extremely outstanding.

Compared to 2008, Croatia is more likely to win the championship.

Therefore, even if the national team is not mentioned, they will set their sights on winning the European Cup again.

Klausevich looked at the court nervously. Although he knew that Croatia had some advantages, Italy was also a veteran European team, and they could not be careless at all.

Modric retreated deeper.

After Italy's counterattack, morale was obviously more vigorous.

This also made Italy's desire on the offensive end even greater.

He noticed that the entire front line was in a state of forward pressure, and even the Italian front line pressed the midfield forward to improve its position, and the back line had to improve its position as well.

In this way, the originally dense positions were pulled out of the distance.

At the same time, there were also some gaps for passing.

Modric turned his head to look at Suker.

As he expected, Suker was already cruising in the middle and on the left wing.

The direction in which Suker ran was the weak point of the Italian defense, which was constantly stimulating the Italian defenders to pay attention to themselves.

Move to the right wing to play offense?

Modric shook his head secretly.

Perisic is indeed a good player, but he does not trust Perisic enough.

At this moment, no matter how difficult it is, he wants to pass the ball to Suker.

Once the ball is passed, there is no need to create offensive space for Suker, he can solve the battle by himself!

Thinking of this, Modric began to receive the ball frequently and transfer, while turning his head left and right, and determining Rakitic's position again and again.

Rakitic will become the hub for him to pass the ball to Suker.

After several passes, Rakitic also understood that Modric's pass was very targeted. The Italians couldn't see it, but as a long-term midfield partner, Rakitic knew very well what Modric wanted to do.

At this point, Rakitic immediately retreated a few steps and got closer to Modric.

Swish!

The ball was passed as expected.

Rakitic received the ball sideways, and he immediately determined Suker's position, but did not pass the ball.

"Do it yourself!"

Modric yelled.

Rakitic immediately turned to face the attacker and started dribbling.

Seeing Rakitic rushing over, the Italian midfield defense line retreated a few steps and had no way to retreat.

"Press forward!"

Pirlo yelled immediately.

They wanted to cut off the ball from Rakitic's feet.

At the same time, they also blocked the passing channel facing the left.

To put it bluntly, it was to prevent Rakitic from passing to Suker.

At this moment, Rakitic looked at the encirclement that was about to be formed, and had no direction to break through. Instead, he poked the ball forward with his toes.

It was still a central axis advance.

But the difference was that this time Mandzukic took the initiative to retreat.

Mandzukic's retreat to receive the ball led the two Italian central defenders to shrink inward, and there was a gap in the rib area.

Mandzukic faced the ball with his back, and almost out of muscle memory, he rubbed the ball with the side of his right foot.

The ball was rubbed to the left rib area and rolled forward diagonally.

Swish! !

Suk turned 90 degrees and started suddenly.

Abate stretched out his hand to stop Suk.

But this time, Suk started at full speed. When he started, he also stretched out his hand and pushed Abate's hand away.

Abate staggered under the push, and when he looked up, Suk had already drilled into the left rib area.

"Suker!! Go in!!"

Klausevich exclaimed.

Suker appeared in the danger zone this time, and it was already within Suker's shooting range.

At this moment, the entire Donbass Stadium was filled with exclamations and cheers.

More than 50,000 fans in the stadium stood up almost at the same time, stretching their necks to look at the Italian penalty area.

Italian commentator Alba Cerrera paused, clenched his fists, and the hair on his body suddenly stood up.

Looking at the TV, his pupils contracted under the intense stimulation, and his heart was beating.

"God bless!"

Alba Cerrera could only pray to God at this time.

At this time, Suker raised his left foot.

Looking at the screen, Alba Cerrera jumped up suddenly: "This is a fake move!"

But Bonucci still rushed up to block it.

And Suker really stepped on the ball and directly dunked it to his right foot. At the same time, he poked the ball with his right foot and the ball went into the goal along the near post.

At this moment, Alba Cerrera seemed to have lost all his strength and sat down limply.

The corners of his mouth were bitter and his expression was painful.

But he still had to say to the microphone.

"Don't care! Don't give up! We still have a chance!"

In the 56th minute of the second half, Suker poked and scored, Croatia 2:0 Italy.