Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 638 The Ultimate Pragmatism in Football

Colombia's attack has undergone a qualitative change.

However, the Chinese team's defense was still relatively solid.

Gao Hongbo's strategy was very conservative, the opposite of Colombia's. With a two-goal advantage, the Chinese team naturally focused on defense, relying solely on Hao Junmin's link-up play and Shan Yongzhuo's attack.

All the other players pulled back to defend.

Without a doubt, Gao Hongbo deployed a formation similar to an 8-1-1.

Shan Yongzhuo was at the very front, with Hao Junmin positioned slightly behind as a connecting point.

The other players were mostly behind the midfield line.

When Colombia launched their attack, the Chinese team completely switched to an 8-1-1 formation, becoming even more defensively oriented than in the first half. The midfield and defense lines were no longer clearly defined, and it seemed as if all the players were pulling back.

This is the purest form of human wave tactics.

Gao Hongbo doesn't care about saving face. With the Chinese team leading by two goals, they need to make their defense airtight.

If the Chinese team's players aren't strong enough, then they'll make up for it with sheer numbers.

The Chinese national team completely abandoned the midfield battle. As soon as Colombia got the ball, they immediately retreated. Even if they intercepted the ball in their own half, they would kick it forward long. If there was an opportunity, they would look for Hao Junmin and Shan Yongzhuo to launch a counter-attack. If there was no opportunity, they would let the opponent continue to attack.

Victory is the most important thing.

China's extreme style of play made it difficult for Ivory Coast in the first match, but in this match, China performed even better and their defense was even tighter.

What Colombia didn't expect was that five minutes into the second half, after the Chinese team deployed this formation, they were completely bogged down in a quagmire.

Breaking through a tight defense is no easy task.

Although James Rodriguez's appearance greatly improved their attacking quality, the Chinese team completely abandoned the front and midfield. When Colombia had the ball, there were three or four players in the penalty area for a long time, and the area around the penalty area was also full of players.

When the ball reached the attacking third, it seemed like Chinese players were everywhere. Passing the ball into the penalty area wasn't particularly difficult, but once inside, it felt like a brutal battle in a rugby match.

Simply breaking through such a dense formation wouldn't actually pose a significant challenge for Colombia.

But the most difficult thing is that the Chinese team also has Shan Yongzhuo and Hao Junmin.

Shan Yongzhuo stood at the very front, like a thorn stuck in Colombia's throat. Hao Junmin and Shan Yongzhuo were a certain distance apart, standing in a position that made Colombia very awkward.

They cannot ignore Shan Yongzhuo, nor can they ignore Hao Junmin.

If Hao Junmin gets the ball easily and breaks through, then combines with Shan Yongzhuo, the team's backcourt will be in great danger.

The two center-backs, Valdes and Balanta, were completely tied up in the backfield by Shan Yongzhuo and couldn't get forward. Even Mesia in the central midfield couldn't get forward at all, as he was tied up by Hao Junmin.

Then, James Rodriguez found himself surrounded by the opponent's central defense.

With such an extreme playing style, coupled with the opponent's excellent form, Colombia was in a real bind, and their reliance on technique and teamwork became meaningless.

Now, we have to rely on toughness to have any chance of scoring.

Gao Hongbo was very satisfied with this situation.

In fact, this tactic was invented by Shan Yongzhuo.

In Shan Yongzhuo's words, it means: "Use all-out defense to drag the opponent's skills and strength down to the same low level as your own, and then use your rich experience in low-level football to defeat them."

Ok.

Gao Hongbo also admitted that his words were harsh, but they were indeed effective.

Of course, this tactic can only be effective against certain teams, such as Colombia, which does not have a strong, physically imposing center forward.

Against a team like Greece, which has two tall center forwards, or even a midfielder who can act as a center forward, this dense defensive formation won't be very effective.

This is why the second match was an all-out attack against Greece.

The game has now become like this: Colombia is constantly attacking, while the Chinese team is constantly defending. Colombia is the attacking side and seems to have the advantage, but anyone who understands football knows that the Chinese team has actually taken control of the game.

A two-goal lead in the first half was enough to sustain their extreme defensive approach.

Secondly, Colombia really doesn't have many ways to break through a dense defense.

To counter this kind of defense, what's needed is a tough, dominant center forward like Drogba at his peak.

For Colombia, the problems exposed by Falcao's absence became apparent at this point.

If Falcao were still around, Tiger Woods would be capable of solving problems in the penalty area through his individual toughness.

However, neither Ramos nor Martinez are the kind of players who can single-handedly end a game based on their physical strength.

In the 25 minutes of the second half, Colombia only had 4 shots, only one of which was on target and was easily caught by Zeng Cheng.

If the game continues like this, Colombia is likely to lose.

Colombian media were anxious, constantly criticizing the Chinese team for their opportunistic tactics.

Many media outlets in other countries share this view.

"This practice of using any means necessary to achieve victory should be resolutely resisted."

"Playing defensively from the start is undoubtedly the ugliest form of football."

"This is a serious setback for football."

"Utilitarian football should be boycotted!"

The media from various countries are making a lot of noise.

However, the Chinese media remained calm, saying that it didn't matter how the Chinese team played; the most important thing was to advance from the group stage, and to advance as the group leader.

This is the most important.

The Chinese team's tactics were indeed a bit shameless, but the best tactics are those that lead to victory. Many Chinese media outlets have begun to applaud Gao Hongbo.

Before……

Many Chinese media outlets simply believe that Gao Hongbo was lucky to have met Shan Yongzhuo and achieved his current success by relying on Shan Yongzhuo's connections.

But now it seems that Gao Hongbo...

There is still something.

Colombia's overall attack faltered, and the team began to show signs of frustration.

Seeing that the attack was not going well and no good opportunities were being created, Messia had no choice but to step up and participate in the attack, running to the outside to coordinate with his teammates.

then……

Martinez was dispossessed.

This time it was James Rodriguez who made the pass, poking the ball forward whenever he saw an opportunity. The angle and power of the pass were both good, but Martinez seemed to be distracted, and the two failed to develop a rapport.

Martinez didn't notice Du Wei rushing up from behind, and the ball was poked away by Du Wei.

Then, Zheng Zhi got the ball and made a long pass forward.

This clearance attempt was sudden, and it didn't even look like a proper clearance...

Mesia's forward run gave Hao Junmin an opportunity, allowing him to receive the ball and then charge forward.

"Zheng Zhi's long pass found Hao Junmin, and China launched a counter-attack!"

Commentator He Wei shouted excitedly.

(End of this chapter)