Chapter 894 He really looks like Messi!
On the training ground, Manchester City players were divided into two groups for an internal match.
One of the groups adopted a 4-3-3 formation, which is Manchester City's signature tactic, with Aguero as the center forward and Di Maria and Sanchez on the wings. This is also Manchester City's standard configuration, except that Aguero replaced Sudon.
The other group adopted a 3-4-3 formation, with Javi Martinez in the back line, Pepe and David Luiz on both sides, Hazard, Dzeko and Douglas Costa in the front court, and David Silva in the midfield.
Since it was an internal competition, Guardiola simply arranged two different tactical play styles, explained his ideas clearly, and allowed the players to play freely on the court, which greatly increased the players' enthusiasm.
The two groups of players played very freely and openly on the court, and no one showed any intention of holding back.
Everyone can see that this is a test for them from head coach Guardiola.
Whether it is new players or old players, they are all trying their best to leave a deep impression on the head coach in this game. It would be best if they can establish their main position during the summer training period to avoid having to play as a substitute during the season.
It was with this idea in mind that both groups of players played extremely hard.
Every player is trying their best to show themselves.
Needless to say, the players in the frontcourt basically try their best to play to their strengths as long as they get the ball.
This also made the game very exciting and won warm applause from the sidelines.
…
Su Dong did not participate in the game today, but stood on the sidelines with the coaching staff.
This also shows Su Dong's unique and transcendent position in Manchester City.
Su Dong and Guardiola are already very familiar with the players on the field, and the real target of their investigation is the newly joined players, such as Javi Martinez.
Long before he joined Manchester City, Guardiola had spoken to him on the phone and even met him in Spain, so Javi Martinez was very aware of Guardiola's positioning and planning for him, and he also wanted to try to change his playing style. After all, with his current characteristics, he cannot play the core of the team.
But if he can play well in the back line, as Guardiola planned, he will be the core of the team's defense, and his weight and status will be greatly improved. He is clear about this.
Since we already knew each other, Javi Martinez seemed to be very comfortable playing as a central defender. In addition, his own technical characteristics were in line with the position, so he played with ease. However, there was an obvious lack of tacit understanding between the two teams, which required more time to hone.
In the frontcourt, Aguero played the role of scorer in the 4-3-3 formation and performed well. His several threatening shots and goals were very distinctive. It can be seen that he is a very keen striker both in personal ability and in terms of sense in front of the goal.
I believe his joining will greatly enhance Manchester City's scoring ability, especially when Su Dong is absent.
With a stable substitute like Aguero, I believe Su Dong’s game pressure in the new season will be much reduced.
For example, in some not very important games, or when fighting on multiple fronts, Aguero can take charge on his own and avoid Su Dong fighting continuously, which would affect his form.
What really caught the attention of Su Dong and Guardiola were Eden Hazard and Douglas Costa.
There's not much to say about the latter, he's just a sticky ball player, a typical Brazilian breakthrough player.
It was Hazard instead.
"He really looks like Messi." Su Dong only watched him play for a short while and he could see his style clearly.
He is short in stature, has a low center of gravity, is very flexible, can stop and move suddenly, is excellent at changing speed and direction, is accustomed to adjusting with small steps, and has excellent footwork, all of which give Hazard excellent dribbling ability.
Especially in a small area, he can frequently dribble the ball out of the encirclement.
Just like at this moment on the court, every time Hazard dribbles the ball, he can break through continuously and cause chaos in the opponent's defense.
"But there is still a clear gap between him and Messi." Su Dong said quickly.
Su Dong has played football with Messi for many years and he is very clear about Messi's characteristics. After watching Hazard play, he clearly knows the difference between the two, especially the gap between Hazard and Messi.
"The most important thing is shooting and passing," Guardiola said.
"Yeah." Su Dong nodded.
Messi is a very special person, just like Cristiano Ronaldo.
Don’t ever think that this is some so-called bloodline theory or some other statement, it’s the fact.
Messi grew up in Argentina. When he was young, he received Argentina's youth training education, which gave him delicate footwork and outstanding combination of man and ball. He knows how to play to his own strengths.
After arriving in Europe, Messi received the most formal youth training in Europe, constantly improving the various shortcomings of Argentina's youth training, such as instability, and Messi's passing ability is also world-class.
This point is always underestimated by many people.
If Messi did not break through and just passed the ball, he would definitely not lose to either Iniesta or Xavi. He would definitely be a world-class passer, and he would pass the ball at high speed.
This is something that Hazard does not have.
Another thing is shooting. Messi has perfected his shooting skill in recent years, but Hazard can't see that yet.
The two have a lot in common, for example, they are not strong enough, not fast enough, and dribbling through depends on changing speed and direction and flexibility, but the problem lies in passing. Hazard's passing is far inferior to Messi's.
That is to say, after breaking through, Messi can keenly capture the gap and pass the ball, but Hazard cannot.
Sometimes, the media and fans like statistics, such as dribbling.
But in fact, what the head coach often considers is not the number of dribbles, but what the dribbles can bring. A dribbling on the wing is far less important than a dribbling in front of the penalty area.
Ten successful dribbles but no threatening passes after dribbling, and one successful dribble that can create a threatening pass. Obviously, the latter has greater tactical significance and is what the head coach values the most.
Therefore, the simple data is meaningless. What we really need to consider is the position of the pass and the effect after the pass.
Obviously, Messi is better.
Whether it is the position of the dribbling or the effect of the dribbling, Messi is better than Hazard.
"The most he can do is create threats in the flanks, such as the corner of the penalty area, and attract the defense's attention by dribbling the ball. His effect is far less sharp and comprehensive than Messi's," Su Dong analyzed.
Hazard looks more like a typical European technical genius, while Messi is the Europeanization of a South American technical genius, and is the type where one plus one is greater than two. Both of them play football very reasonably, but Messi has more delicate footwork and better feel for the ball.
This is actually also due to Messi's experience, which other players cannot learn or replicate.
Even if we find some more people, like Messi, who received youth training in Argentina or Brazil since childhood and then came to Europe when they grew up, it would be difficult to train a second Messi.
The same goes for Cristiano Ronaldo.
He has African ancestry, fast-twitch muscle fibers, is very fast, and has very developed muscles. He is in the Madeira Islands, and everyone knows that this is a transit point between South America, Africa, and Europe.
Maritimo was a gathering place for many Brazilian players, such as Pepe.
It was in this environment that Ronnie honed his skills. As he grew older and was honed by Ferguson, he found his own style of play, which is the current style of play, and reached its peak.
Don't underestimate Ronnie and think he is a powerful player, but in fact, his footwork is still very good.
The so-called difference is relative to a technical genius of Messi's level. Compared with other players, Ronnie's footwork is still very outstanding.
However, this slut likes to rely more and more on her body, speed, and explosive power to solve problems.
There is no way, because his African ancestry gave him amazing speed and explosiveness. Su Dong felt that in a few years, as his speed and explosiveness declined, Ronnie would probably transform into a scorer.
At least, it is impossible for him to go back to the age when he could dribble in fancy ways.
Character and achievements will not allow it, and neither will the muscles of the body.
There’s no going back!
If Messi and Ronaldo's unique experiences have given them a mixture of different advantages, then Hazard is a more typical European technical genius, who is intelligent but still seems to be quite conventional.
"How far do you think it can go?" Guardiola asked.
Su Dong shook his head. "I can't tell. However, I roughly guess that he will have no problem dealing with the Premier League and the Champions League group stage. But when it comes to the Champions League knockout stage, I'm afraid his effectiveness will be greatly reduced. The further back we get, the weaker his effect will be. He is still not strong enough to be the core!"
Guardiola laughed and said, "I think so too."
The so-called strength is actually the kind of strength that can lead a team to break through by one person.
Looking at the entire European football scene, there are only a handful of players who possess such strength.
Su Dong, Ronaldo, Messi, are there any more? Probably not!
Many people are saying that the Brazilian genius Neymar has such potential, and his potential is even greater than that of Hazard, because he has many things that Hazard lacks.
But for now, it’s just the three of them!
It's not that Su Dong and Guardiola have too high vision, but they have all experienced the Champions League and know the defensive intensity of the Champions League knockout stage. If your strength is slightly weaker, you will be exposed and useless.
Not to mention, if the head coaches who enter the Champions League knockout stage use targeted tactics, it will definitely be life-threatening.
Without absolute strength, who can lead the team to break through the opponent's defense? You know, on the football field, strength is the key.
Those nonsense things just won't work on the football field.
Therefore, Hazard's position in Manchester City was finalized after the first training match.
(End of this chapter)
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