svetikya Chapter 81 The Real World
Chapter 81 The Real World
Ye Xian spent these two weeks of national competition in a state of constant anxiety.
This was Ye Xian's first time experiencing an international match day since becoming a coach, and also the first time he had felt this uncontrollable "pain".
There was no other way; when I was at the club, the players were around me every day.
Whether it's their competitive state or their physical condition, it's all "what you see is what you get," and Ye Xian can control their training intensity and match time.
But once I joined the national team, I was completely lost and couldn't manage anything!
National team coaches also have their own pressures, so they only select the best players to play in matches, and once they get their hands on them, they push them to their limits, regardless of how tired you are.
That's why many people are often completely exhausted after playing for the national team...
After this international competition day ended, Ye Xian received bad news!
There aren't any major problems with the forward line.
Rooney's England national team is quite strong, so he didn't get a chance to play.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal were the hosts of Euro 04, so this week's match was a friendly. He played half the game, and the intensity was average.
Drogba also came on as a substitute and was fine.
But something went wrong at halftime.
First up is Alonso.
At this stage, the Spanish national team could not really be considered a world-class powerhouse.
Inaki Sesz, who succeeded Camacho as the head coach of the Spanish national team after the World Cup, originally used the "Valencia kit" in midfield.
Apart from Joaquín, who plays on the right wing (and later went to Valencia), Vicente on the left, Albelda and Baraja in the middle, all come from Valencia.
The two defensive midfielders in the middle are not strong enough.
So when Alonso burst onto the scene at Everton this season, Inaki Sess was immediately impressed and brought him into the team, where he quickly became a starter!
The first match against Ukraine went well, but the second time, facing Northern Ireland's fierce attack, Alonso was injured!
The other one is Gravesen.
He has always been a key player for the Danish national team, so it was expected that he would play in two consecutive matches.
However, in the "Nordic Derby" against Norway, Gravesen collided heavily with Norwegian powerhouse Riise from Liverpool and was subsequently substituted.
After a thorough examination by Everton's team doctor, the conclusion was:
Neither of them was seriously injured, but they still needed to rest for about a week.
Looking at the medical examination report, Ye Xian's tightly furrowed brows relaxed somewhat.
That would affect at least two matches.
Following the international match day, there will be two matches per week.
They play Sunderland away in the third round midweek, and then Southampton at home in the fourth round at the weekend.
This is actually the "cancer" of the international competition day.
Its existence has made the schedule more intensive.
But since things have come to this, all we can do is think about how to deal with it!
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Thursday.
In the third round of the Premier League, Sunderland will host Everton at home.
Sunderland had a draw and a loss in the first two rounds, and they don't seem to be on the same level as Everton, who won both of their matches.
But Ye Xian did not dare to be negligent.
Because he can only field a weakened team today.
Besides Alonso and Gravesen, who are absent due to injury, Drogba in the forward line also looks a bit tired.
To avoid further problems, Ye Xian had no choice but to start veteran Kyle Campbell as the center forward, forming a new attacking trident with Ronaldo and Rooney.
Of course, the midfield poses a greater risk.
The Everton midfield trio featured Pembridge, Li Tie, and Gemmill today.
Pembridge is a Welsh international with a down-to-earth playing style. He's a hard-working workhorse, but his weaknesses are also quite obvious:
His ability to dribble in place and break free in tight spaces is mediocre, and his forward movement with the ball lacks variety.
Their short passing organization lacks imagination, their central penetration and passing are mediocre, and they rely more on crosses from the wings to complete the distribution of the ball, making it impossible for them to complete the link-up work in the midfield.
Gemmill, on the other hand, is Scottish. He is a standard all-around midfielder, but he is more defensive than creative, especially in terms of dribbling speed.
These two stood there with Li Tie...
It just feels like three clueless and grumpy people!
But this is the best combination Ye Xian can put together at the moment.
We can't just let those kids from U21 fill in; that would be even more impossible!
Today's opponent, Sunderland, has their manager Peter Reid fielding the 4-4-2 formation, which is most common in the Premier League.
Goalkeeper: Thomas Sorensen.
Defenders: Phil Bab, Joachim Björködl, Michael Gray, Stephen Wright.
Midfielders: Gavin McKen, Claudio Reyna, Thomas Butler, Jason McAdier.
Forwards: Kevin Kyle, Kevin Phillips.
There aren't any big names, but striker Kevin Phillips is quite sharp, having won the Premier League Golden Boot and the European Golden Shoe!
After the match started, both sides played very intensely and at a fast pace, but there were too many mistakes and the match was somewhat uninteresting.
Sunderland, on the other hand, naturally plays the traditional English style of play, often using long passes and crosses, so it's normal for them to make many mistakes.
For Everton, this highlights Alonso's importance to the team.
When he was not on the field, the lack of connection in the middle and the distribution to both sides reduced even the attacking threats from the two full-backs.
With Drogba absent and Kevin Campbell's physical strength diminished, Ye Xian's tactical options were further limited.
In the 32nd minute, Kevin Phillips capitalized on a mistake in Everton's own half to score and give Sunderland the lead!
During halftime, Ye Xian made some adjustments to the lineup.
Forward Radzinski came on to replace Ghammy, while Rooney dropped back to play as an attacking midfielder, and the formation changed to 4-2-3-1.
Such adjustments have an immediate and noticeable effect.
After the start of the second half, Everton's attack did indeed improve, and Rooney's passes began to create threats.
In the 63rd minute, Rooney delivered a through ball from the edge of the penalty area, which drew Ronaldo away from the right wing. Ronaldo then delivered a low cross into the box, where Kevin Campbell followed up and swept the ball into the net, leveling the score for Everton!
1: 1!
The game became very intense after that, with Li Tie, Pembridge, and Stubbs all receiving yellow cards.
To prevent any unexpected player losses, Ye Xian substituted Li Weifeng for Stubbs, who was under a lot of defensive pressure.
But in the 89th minute...
Sunderland midfielder Butler launched a long pass forward, where Kehl and Li Weifeng contested for the header.
Kyle won the first ball and headed it across, and Kevin Phillips ran onto it, burst into the penalty area, and unleashed a powerful shot into the net, putting the team ahead again!
2: 1!
This was a game-winning shot.
There is no time left for Everton to recover.
Sunderland ultimately secured a narrow 2-1 victory over Everton at home!
This gave the Black Cats their first win of the season, while also ending Everton's two-game winning streak.
Despite the loss, Everton and Yip Hin did not receive much criticism from the outside world.
After all, Ye Xian was short of soldiers and generals...
Moreover, Everton actually played quite well in this match; it was just that Alonso's absence caused some problems in the connection between the midfield and defense, resulting in a lack of smooth attacking play.
Ye Xian's adjustments at halftime were excellent, the game was brought under control, and he did indeed equalize the score through those adjustments.
As for conceding a goal in the final moments, that was beyond Ye Xian's control.
Through this defeat, local media in Liverpool realized that this might be the "real world".
Everton's current starting lineup is indeed very strong; it was personally built by Ye Xian during the summer transfer window.
However, the depth of the bench is indeed insufficient.
However, relying on just 11 players is definitely not enough to achieve good results in the Premier League.
So, is it reasonable to expect such a less-than-perfect team to be invincible throughout the entire Premier League season?
Want some peaches?
Even Manchester United and Arsenal can't do that!