Chapter 775: It's going to go against the will of heaven!

The future of football is all here?

"What do you mean?" Klopp frowned, and a vague flash of inspiration came to his mind, but he didn't catch it.

"Yeah, Marcelo, what does it mean?" Simeone also realized it and took it seriously.

Although Tuchel did not ask, he also revealed a thoughtful expression.

The first reaction of the three was Southampton’s artificial genius plan that had been widely publicized by the media.

Could it be that this is also part of the plan to create artificial geniuses?

Bielsa looked at the three people in front of him leisurely and said bluntly that all three of them were his juniors.

But these three are all outstanding talents with extraordinary knowledge of football, so he is very interested in communicating with them, because communication can promote each other's progress.

"From ancient times to the present, football tactics are a game of strategy, a game of offense and defense, a game of wing and center, a game of strict positioning and smooth movement, a game of controlling the ball and controlling space..."

"As we all know, from the birth of modern football to the present, the development of football tactics has always been in a spiral upward way. Many people think that the driving force behind the spiral upward of football tactics is the mutual promotion and restraint of tactics, but in fact it is not!"

"Let's not talk about the distant past. In the 1990s, the technical attacking midfielders with slow tempo but strong ball control were very popular. But later, with the advent of the so-called new era of football, the classic attacking midfielders gradually lost their position and were replaced by modern attacking midfielders like Kaka."

"Then I want to ask, what is new era football? How do you evaluate new era football and football in the 1990s? What is the relationship between the two?"

Bielsa's question made the three opponents frown and fall into deep thought.

"They say holistic, but you have to know that football has always had the concept of holistic, from the moment when football tactics were invented, holistic has always existed, it is not something that has only appeared now."

Simeone was the first to nod heavily, he personally was also very skeptical about this.

Because he was once a world-class defensive midfielder, he knows very well that if it is really integrated, then this kind of integration would have appeared long ago, and it was even popular in the 1990s. Why is it only valued now?

Bielsa quickly solved the puzzle, "Because the players' running ability has improved!"

Just this simple sentence suddenly made Simeone, Klopp and others' eyes brighten, as if they had cleared away the fog that had been covering their eyes for many years. They could see clearly the scene in front of them and the distant future.

"With the advancement of science and the introduction of more high-tech into the football field, the physical fitness of the players trained is getting better and better, and their running ability is also a step up from the 1990s."

"Before, when you Zidane got the ball in front of my penalty area, I couldn't defend you. But now, I can't defend you alone. I put two people on the field. What? One of them will lose his position? It doesn't matter. I can run!"

"I used to be afraid of losing my position because I was worried that my players would be overexerted. But now, my players' physical fitness has improved, and more and more players can run. What am I afraid of? If one is not enough, I will send two. If two are not enough, I will send three. I will defend you to death!"

Isn’t this the case in reality?

At the beginning of the new century, the so-called beast waists represented by Essien, Gattuso, Makelele and others were very popular. To put it bluntly, they used running ability to curb the performance of technical players.

Because no matter how excellent the skills are, it is impossible to perform well under intensive pressure.

Even if Zidane was born now, he would be powerless in the face of such dense defense.

It can even be said that if Zidane was born now, he would not be able to become Zidane!

"This was the case with Rehhagel's Greece, Mourinho's Porto and Chelsea, Benitez's Liverpool and Ancelotti's AC Milan. So Kaka was able to replace Rui Costa as the main player, and Gattuso was indispensable."

"It is precisely because of the improvement in running ability that more rigorous tactics are needed to regulate the players and allocate their on-field responsibilities. So it seems that the tactics are integrated, but in fact, what is driving it is the improvement of the players' running ability."

After hearing this, Simeone and others kept nodding their heads.

Bielsa's words are indeed thought-provoking and insightful.

Improving players' running ability is indeed too critical and too important.

Just imagine, if the players in the 1990s ran an average of nine kilometers per game, then in the new era, with the promotion of scientific training and the improvement of players' physical fitness, the players' average running distance per game will reach 10,000 kilometers.

Do you know what this concept is?

This means that when two teams are playing against each other, the team that runs more can have almost one more person than the team that runs less, which is equivalent to twelve people playing against eleven people!

The effect is even greater than a red card!

More importantly, this active running not only brought about earth-shaking changes in the players' technical characteristics, but also completely overturned the entire tactical theory of the past when the players ran an average of 9,000 kilometers per game.

The reason is simple, this one-kilometer improvement means the team has a wider running coverage and a wider controllable space.

Many tactics and routines that were unimaginable when we were running nine kilometers per game are now completely imaginable and can even be used.

What is revolution?

This is revolution!

A revolution that happened on the football field, silently and ignored by everyone!

"Look at Barcelona again. Why is this team so phenomenal? Why is it able to dominate European football with such an amazing advantage?"

Speaking of this, Bielsa smiled proudly, because he has a deep influence in this team.

"The spiral upward development trajectory of football tactics has always been that the players' running ability has improved, and the tactics that focus on running have also improved accordingly. As the players' running ability has been promoted, this running tactic has also been rapidly promoted and developed."

"But scientific development has its bottlenecks, and so does the ability of players. So, gradually, the leaders will be caught up by the latecomers. When most of the top European teams have popularized it and everyone is on the same level, what will happen in the end?"

"The answer is that simply running will no longer satisfy these strong teams, so they will want to improve the quality and efficiency of the game while maintaining their existing running ability. Therefore, the emphasis on technology and awareness has once again been put on the agenda of the coaching staff!"

"So, let's look at it the other way around. Why is Barcelona great?"

"Because it is difficult for the players to make any further breakthroughs in their physical fitness and running ability, they have brought the players' skills and awareness, as well as the team's overall tactics, to an extreme!"

Simeone, Klopp and Tuchel all listened to Bielsa's words in amazement. They were really stunned.

They might even have an idea of ​​prying open Bielsa's head to see what's inside.

They also deeply realized Bielsa's uniqueness and finally understood why Guardiola had a sudden realization after a long talk with Bielsa and immediately promoted his ball control tactics in Barcelona after returning to Europe.

After all, he is putting into reality some ideas that Bielsa imagined but did not have the resources to try!

As professional coaches, they know better than anyone that the real core of Barcelona's entire tactical system does not lie in ball control, technology, or even the so-called youth training. Ultimately, the key lies in two aspects.

Pressure and transition!

And among them, oppression is the foundation!

What does oppression rely on?

Isn't it the stars like Xavi and Iniesta who run 11 or 12 kilometers in every game?

So, to put it bluntly, the most crucial foundation of Barcelona's tactics is running!

However, what makes them better than other teams is that they use running to promote stronger overall pressure and use technology to simplify the transition between offense and defense to the greatest extent possible.

Even Guardiola has said more than once that the key to Barcelona and Spain's so-called ball possession tactics lies in defensive pressure.

It was only at this moment that the three people present suddenly understood why Yang Huan chose them to be the head coaches of Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid and Hamburg.

Because all three of them have one thing in common, they value running!

It is precisely because they all attach great importance to running, and have used or are using this advantage to reach the peak of their careers, so they have a deeper understanding of Bielsa's words.

Especially Simeone.

"No wonder Master Huan told me that the team must be reorganized and a group of high-level players with strong plasticity and better technical abilities must be brought in!"

At first, he thought that Master Huan's idea was to improve the team's control.

But now it seems that it is not just that, but to allow Atletico Madrid to move further from relying solely on running pressure to the direction of Barcelona, ​​or even surpass Barcelona.

Just thinking about the earth-shaking changes that the midfield pair of Illarramendi, Koke and Isco have brought to Atletico Madrid this season is enough to make Simeone believe it all.

But having only one set of midfield is obviously not enough. It will only be meaningful if all three lines complete such a transformation!

Bielsa took in the expressions of the three and smiled. “I believe everyone has seen the data reported by the media before. Atletico Madrid players run an average of 11 kilometers per game in the Champions League. The La Liga players run a little less, but also more than 10 kilometers.”

Simeone nodded. Atletico Madrid had tested this data internally and it was very authentic.

"In the Champions League, Southampton's average running distance per player is 11.3 kilometers per game, and we can almost maintain this data in the Premier League. However, with the changes in our entire training system this season and the improvement of many concepts, we can even say that starting from next season..."

Simeone, Klopp and Tuchel all looked at Bielsa with wide eyes, listening carefully to his every word.

"…Our average running distance per game may exceed 12 kilometers!"

"Twelve kilometers?" Simeone was stunned.

It is one kilometer more than Atletico Madrid. Excluding the goalkeeper, there are ten players, which means it is ten kilometers more!

Oh my God, how is this possible?

"Is it true? Can the players handle it?"

"Yes, if we simply pursue average running per game, many teams can do it in the short term, but the physical exhaustion of the players and..."

Tuchel stopped talking halfway through because he immediately realized a key link.

That is what Bielsa said just now, the future tactics are all in this plan.

Could it be that...

Simeone and Klopp are also smart men. They realized it immediately and looked at Bielsa in amazement.

At this moment, the Argentine madman was no longer a human being in their eyes.

Instead, it was a golden being that fell from the sky!

Damn it, Southampton is going to be unstoppable!