Chapter 1083 Tragic Hero

"Well done, Messi!"

pWhen Messi scored the equalizer, Prince William jumped up from his seat and shouted excitedly.

I've been holding my breath for so long, now I can finally let it out!

Not only him, but also many guests and fans supporting Southampton in the chairman's stand were shouting excitedly, and some were even dancing, celebrating that Southampton had equalized the score.

It was only the 31st minute and this was the Saints' third shot in the game, but it resulted in a goal. Their efficiency was no less than that of Atletico Madrid, which relied on defensive counterattacks.

Yang Huan also heaved a sigh of relief, shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Simone is probably going to be miserable again!"

From Master Huan's perspective, he can accept either Southampton or Atletico Madrid winning or losing.

But judging from the situation on the field, Atletico Madrid is indeed gradually losing the upper hand.

No one knew that the situation on the field had quietly changed without anyone noticing. It was not until Southampton equalized the score that everyone realized that it was going to be difficult to play against Atletico Madrid.

If Simeone's team can hold on in the first half, there is still great hope for the second half.

But now, Atletico Madrid couldn't hold on for just 30 minutes. This was not only a devastating blow to the team's tactics, but also a considerable blow to the players.

In this situation, what else can Simeone do?

Continue the attack?

Don't be ridiculous. The team has already consumed 30 minutes and it is already difficult to suppress the Saints. If they intensify the attack at this time, isn't it like lighting a light in the toilet, seeking death?

But if Simeone chooses to retreat, he will basically give up the game.

More importantly, does he have the confidence to hold on?

With one hour left, can his team hold on if they let the Saints take control of the situation?

"Ahem!" Bielsa sighed heavily.

Strictly speaking, Simeone and him can be considered as a kind of master-disciple relationship.

"As I said just now, Atletico's problem is that when they press in the middle and front court, they are a little disconnected from the back line."

Pochettino finally understood what was going on and admired Bielsa even more.

The master is a master after all, he always hits the nail on the head.

The main problem with the goal conceded just now was the defensive midfielder Illarramendi.

But it wasn't his fault?

not necessarily!

Because teammates such as Krychowiak in front have pressed forward, Illarramendi's position must also move forward, otherwise the distance will be widened, creating an obvious gap that will be exploited by Southampton.

What happened just now was that after Illarramendi pressed forward, he failed to defend the front, and Di Maria suddenly rushed up from behind and used his speed to create a time difference.

The defensive midfielder failed to reach the penalty area in time, Montoya was taken away from the defense line by the withdrawn Hazard, and no player could follow Di Maria in time, so the central defender had to come up.

But when Otamendi moved, Suarez followed.

The Uruguayan was too smart and cunning, and he blocked Jimenez when he was moving.

Jimenez lacked experience. Although he blocked Suarez's shooting angle, he could not prevent Suarez's pass.

In this situation, Di Maria and Suarez attacked with the ball, facing Otamendi and Jimenez who were hastily preparing for the match. It was a two-on-two situation, which was extremely advantageous for the attacking side.

If either Illarramendi or Montoya could retreat to the penalty area in time, with three against two, Atletico Madrid's hope of defending would have greatly increased, and it would not have been so easy for the Saints to score.

It should be said that Atletico Madrid's entire defensive formation is so tight that looking at today's football world, there are only a handful of teams that can be broken through.

In this game, Simeone also focused on the deployment and sent out all the main players. From a tactical point of view, he made almost no mistakes.

But the problem is that even if you don't make mistakes on your own initiative, the Saints still have the ability to force you to make mistakes.

Even with the fleeting loophole just exposed by Atletico Madrid's defense, probably only Southampton could seize it and quickly turn it into a goal.

Not even teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich can do it.

Thinking of this, Pochettino couldn't help but look at his teacher Bielsa with admiration.

Long before the Saints seized the opportunity, Bielsa had already seen the problems of Atletico Madrid.

In this respect, I am much better than him.

This not only made Pochettino admire him, but he also clearly understood that he still had a lot to learn.

Just as Pochettino was admiring him, Bielsa, who was sitting next to him, spoke again.

"Diego should stabilize the situation first. This goal is a big blow to the morale of the players. Their mentality will definitely be shaken, especially the young players in the team. They must stabilize themselves first."

Pochettino understood what Bielsa meant. The team's morale was unstable at this time. If the Saints scored another goal, Atletico Madrid would be in real danger.

It's one to one, so the Bed Sheet Army still has a chance.

Although the longer the time drags on, the more advantageous it will be for the Saints, at least there is still a chance.

If we lose the ball again, we won’t have any chance at all.

"But, given Diego's personality, I'm afraid he won't be willing to retreat just like that!" Yang Huan said with a wry smile.

Simeone is a very strong and tough guy. When he lost to Southampton in the Champions League final, he made a promise that he must return to the Champions League final and lead Atletico Madrid to win the championship.

In the past two or three years, he has been working hard towards this goal.

Now, the opportunity is right in front of him and the Champions League trophy is within reach. Will he give up?

It was at this moment that Yang Huan deeply realized that sometimes in order to get something, one must first learn to give up!

Atletico Madrid will have hope only if they give up the chance to compete for the Champions League, choose to retreat, stabilize the situation, play to their defensive strengths, and wait for Southampton to make mistakes.

But if we don't retreat and fight head-on, I'm afraid

As it turns out, Yang Huan still knows Simeone very well.

The Argentines have carefully prepared for this final for two or three years. How can they be willing to retreat like this?

Or maybe the players on the field were already playing with their heads turned and were completely out of Simeone's control.

Anyway, after losing the ball, Atletico Madrid launched a crazy counterattack and pressed towards Southampton.

This wave of fierce attack did yield a lot of gains. Atletico Madrid had two very threatening shots, but failed to get a chance to score. Instead, in the 38th minute, their physical strength declined and loopholes appeared in their defense.

Toni Kroos made a long pass and accurately found Suarez who successfully got out of the offside trap.

After getting the ball, the Uruguayan broke into the penalty area and had a one-on-one opportunity, and easily shot the ball.

The ball passed over Courtois' head and slowly fell towards the goal behind him in the desperate eyes of the Belgian goalkeeper.

Simeone on the sidelines covered his head tightly, as if he was trying to use all his strength to twist his head off his shoulders.

But even this act of self-mutilation failed!

2-1, Southampton reversed!

At this moment, the cheers from the Glory Stadium made Simeone and everyone in Atletico Madrid feel like going crazy.

No one likes losing.

Losing in the finals is what everyone hates the most!

They lost once, lost a Champions League final, so they learned from the pain, prepared carefully for two years, and made a comeback, wanting to make a difference, but they didn't expect that they would still lose!

Simeone even had an urge to vomit blood. He really wanted to ask God why this happened?

He and his team have done well enough, even to the extent possible, so why did they still lose?

Does this mean that Atletico Madrid will have to live in the shadow of Southampton for the rest of its life?

Simeone wanted to yell, "Fuck it, I don't believe this!"

But his reason forced him to calm down, because he knew that his team and his players were still waiting for him.

At this time, the team's morale fell to the lowest point. If Simeone, as the head coach, did not quickly adjust himself and help the team, Atletico Madrid would not just lose.

You might even lose your future!

One to two, this is a narrow defeat, regrettable and worthy of sympathy.

But if the loss is 1 to 3, 1 to 4, or even 1 to 5 or 1 to 6, that is called a complete defeat, a miserable defeat.

The worse the loss, the harder it will be for Atletico Madrid to turn things around.

Simeone is not that kind of woman who likes to fuss around, he can afford to lose.

Even if we lose this game, I will win sooner or later!

So, after a brief out-of-control moment, Simeone quickly walked to the sidelines, immediately yelling at the players and adjusting the team's tactics.

With no other choice, Atletico Madrid can only retreat!

This retreat basically announced that Atletico Madrid had given up the dominance of the game.

Unless Southampton makes a mistake themselves, it will be difficult for Atletico Madrid to win.

Therefore, when seeing Atletico Madrid retreat, Ancelotti's originally serious expression suddenly turned into a smile like a blooming flower. He finally had a feeling that he had won the game.

Serie A, La Liga and the Premier League have won another Champions League title!

In the stands, Pochettino was also sighing when he saw Simeone adjusting his tactics.

"A brave man cuts off his arm, Simeone is still Simeone!"

In this situation, how many people can accept failure like Simeone?

I'm afraid it's rare. Most of the time, it's like what happened just now, where people get carried away and fight for their lives.

Simeone is flexible and resilient, just like his Atletico Madrid team.

Bielsa also nodded. "This Atletico Madrid team still has potential to be tapped. Montoya, Jimenez, Jose Gaya, Illarramendi and others are still young and lack experience. There is also room for further improvement in tactics. In the long run, losing this game may not be a bad thing for Atletico Madrid."

After hearing this, Yang Huan laughed and said, "You are the consultant of our group. Please analyze this carefully with Simone."

Bielsa smiled slightly and agreed.

Although it is just one game, in such a strong dialogue, the problems of the team are often most exposed.

Therefore, Bielsa also grasped some of the problems of Atletico Madrid and wanted to have a good talk with Simeone.

Of course, Simeone may have been aware of some of these problems a long time ago, and he may even have kept them on purpose, but there may also be some that he himself has not noticed.

In any case, it is necessary to have a good talk.

Yang Huan was sitting in the stands, looking at Simeone in front of the visiting team's coaching bench, and he suddenly had a feeling.

Is it because the Argentine is not handsome enough and Atlético Madrid’s style of play is not flamboyant or beautiful enough, so they are destined to be tragic heroes and not leading men?

Although he is the boss, he is not God, so he doesn't know.

But he is willing to bet, no matter how much, he firmly believes that Simeone and his Atletico Madrid will succeed.

Because he couldn't see any reason for this Argentine or this team to fail!

It’s just a matter of time!