Chapter 808: Chapter 197: Playing Football for Peace, the European Cup Opening Match!

This year’s European Cup in France, Italy unfortunately ended up in the same group as the France Team.

The European Cup here hasn’t been restructured yet, with only sixteen teams making it to the main tournament, divided into four groups. The top two teams from each group advance, making the final eight, then the final four, the final two, and finally the championship.

Smooth and clean.

Group A consists of France, Portugal, Italy, and Russia.

Rankings are ordered accordingly.

Basically, France and Portugal are also the two most favored teams to advance from this group.

Group B consists of Germany, Poland, Wales, and Switzerland.

Germany’s draw is even better than France’s, as they are almost certain to advance from this group.

Group C consists of England, Belgium, Ukraine, and Greece. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Group D consists of Spain, Netherlands, Scotland, and Sweden.

These two groups generally have a significant gap in strength between the first two and the last two.

But this doesn’t mean the advancement situation will necessarily match the paper lineup.

The so-called upset is when the weak defeat the strong.

Each major tournament has its share of such occurrences.

In football, the dominance of strong teams isn’t as overwhelming as in basketball.

"Our main competitor should be Portugal!" Maniero began to analyze, "Portugal previously had the so-called golden generation, but as those players retired, currently the only one who can hold the stage is the former Golden Ball Award winner, a member of the Galaxy Battleship, Real Madrid’s right winger superstar Daniela Madeira!"

"Additionally, Barça’s right-back Nelson Canisio is also a rising star for Portugal; he is strong in attack but weak in defense. Partnering with Madeira, they can almost create an effective Portuguese corridor on the right flank!"

"Of course, our Italy left-back Praxedes is extremely strong in both attack and defense and won’t be easily penetrated by others. From this perspective, our match against Portugal could be the most powerful right flank offense versus the strongest left flank defense in this European Cup - a battle of spear and shield!"

"If it really comes down to it, our left midfielder, or even the defensive midfield, will need to lean toward Praxedes during defense to help suppress Portugal’s right flank corridor."

"By the way, Portugal’s center-back Kellep Laveran is also very strong. As the main center-back for Real Madrid, he is a formidable player. His style is similar to Talista from Serie A, tough attitude and unabashed methods, one could say somewhat dirty. This presents a severe test for our front-line players."

"Against speed, he can swallow Perrotta alive. Against toughness, he can restrain Ancelotti. I believe our match against Portugal mainly depends on whether our front line or their right flank can break through first."

Everyone nodded.

Portugal’s technical and tactical level isn’t very high, yet they have very strong stars in each generation carrying the team forward. Thus, in recent years, they’ve maintained a high ranking in world football.

But they’ve barely experienced any explosion of talents, so they rarely win any major tournament honors.

However, the so-called low-level tactical ability is only relative.

In fact, when it comes to technical and tactical aspects, simpler strategies can sometimes benefit a team’s performance.

Because if your tactics are slightly complex, the team might not be able to handle them.

Moreover, the greater risk at a higher level is... complex tactics often don’t allow mistakes, usually exposing your real purpose through many foreplan steps, and with many links, it’s easily disrupted.

Elite head coaches can often analyze the opponents’ tactics, thus inform their players about the opponents’ likely changes and their objectives.

This way, on the field, these players come well-prepared, gaining the upper hand in various confrontations.

But simple tactics, with very clear objectives, aren’t afraid of being seen through.

I am going to make crosses and head the ball; if you dare, take all the high balls away.

By contrast, Italy belongs to the former, with slightly complex tactics that make attacks easily disrupted, causing the offense to stall once frequently disrupted.

While Portugal’s tactical approach remains relatively simple.

So is there any tactics independent of high-end and simple tactics?

Yes.

Recent Manchester United serves as a strong spokesperson for this school of thought.

The rival city’s head coach Gua Gualong excels in studying opposing tactics and pre-emptively counteracting, but when facing Manchester United, he watches ten minutes of their game and lets everyone train as usual.

Because as strong as Gua Gualong is, he cannot decipher what Manchester United aims to play, making it impossible to predict their next move.

This no-move defeats having a move, instilling awe in Gua Gualong, leading him to express this awe vividly by claiming a five-to-zero victory in the subsequent city derby.

Kicking blind jaguar style!

"As for Russia, we shouldn’t have too much trouble; their most noteworthy player is the Arsenal player, right winger Olic." Maniero began the analysis of the second team, but this time quickly moved through.

Because, compared to Portugal, Russia’s tactics are much simpler.

Crosses, headers!

These are their major assets.

They therefore hoard three big center forwards on the front line.

But physique is one thing, ability is another.

This big center forward isn’t just about being tall and strong.

Wolf King Perrotta is a big center forward, but besides headers, he is versatile in other aspects as well.