Chapter 62 Dortmund's Three Defenders

"I think you all know what this game represents!"

"We have no retreat! Either win here and hold Arsenal proud, or leave the Champions League!"

"I don't think anyone would choose the second path!"

Under the aggressive gaze of head coach Boss, everyone's eyes became solemn.

"The tactics have been laid out. Facing what may be the last game, I need you to perform adequately!"

After saying that, Boss clapped his hands and asked the players to walk out of the locker room.

On the other side, Arsenal also walked out of the locker room under the leadership of Lucky after a brief morale-boosting speech.

The two sides came to the player tunnel.

The atmosphere is extremely solemn.

The nervousness on the faces of the Dortmund players was visible to the naked eye.

"The fifth round of the 2017/2018 UEFA Champions League group stage is about to begin, Arsenal will play Dortmund at home!"

"For Dortmund, this is definitely a life and death battle. If they cannot win this game, there is a high probability that they will be eliminated from the Champions League."

"This may also be their worst season in the Champions League in recent years!"

"From the 2012-2013 season, Dortmund reached the Champions League final. When we thought that this Hornet showed great fighting potential, the departure of players and head coach caused big problems for Dortmund."

"Götze and Laiwan were poached by Bayern Munich respectively, and Aubameyang and Hummels transferred to Arsenal one after another for their Champions League dream!"

"Head coach Klopp has also left the Bundesliga. The once arrogant Hornet has declined at a speed visible to the naked eye!"

"And in this game, Aubameyang and Hummels were also present. I wonder how they would feel facing their old club!"

In the player tunnel, neither Aubameyang nor Hummels greeted their old teammates.

The other party didn't mean to say hello.

Both are grateful to Dortmund for their cultivation, but now they are their own masters, and what they need to do is to defeat Dortmund.

Neither Hummels nor Aubameyang joined Arsenal for money.

What they want is the Champions League.

For this reason, they cannot stop here.

Soon, players from both sides began to enter.

The starting lineups of both sides are as follows.

Arsenal (4-3-3):

Goalkeeper: Martinez.

Defenders: Bellerin, Jimenez, Hummels, Robertson.

Midfielder: Ramsey, Wilshere, Lucky.

Forwards: Aubameyang, Giroud, Mane.

Dortmund (3-4-3):

Goalkeeper: Burki.

Defenders: Schmelzer, Subotic, Papastathopoulos.

Midfielder: Guerrero, Dahoud, Shaheen, Bartra.

Forwards: Shinji Kagawa, Aubameyang, Pulisic.

Recently, a three-back tactical system has suddenly become popular in football. This three-back tactic was popular as early as last season, but was quickly replaced by a four-back system.

The reason is simple: the conditions for central defenders are too harsh.

If he is not a central defender who can take into account both defense and offense, and even has enough technical bonuses, he would not be qualified for this job.

In the five major leagues, many head coaches have also come up with this three-back system, and Guardiola was the first to experiment when coaching Bayern.

It is still sometimes used in Manchester City today.

Of course, this system is still in a state of research and development, so when facing Arsenal, it will not be used unless it is a headache.

But Dortmund showed it. This may be a big move, or it may be a dead horse being used as a living horse doctor.

Obviously, Dortmund head coach Bosz believes that normal tactics cannot shake Arsenal, so he can only find another way.

Place one more player in the midfield to increase midfield control and thereby increase offensive capabilities.

However, it is indeed too risky to adopt this tactic against Arsenal.

After all, Arsenal focuses on all the bells and whistles and the three-back system. Arsenal has collapsed more than once or twice.

However, Dutch head coach Bosch still follows Cruyinf's tactical configuration and builds a team based on total offense, total defense + passing and control.

In fact, unlike the future, football at this stage still believes that 'passing and controlling' is the best tactical system.

Especially in German football, when Guardiola used Bayern Munich to control the ball and killed the invincible Barcelona, ​​the entire German tank seemed to be in trouble.

They abandoned the previous hard-hitting system of fast break and fast play, and instead began to play needlework.

Even the head coach of the German national team Loew has begun to have this idea.

This also laid the foundation for the defending champion Germany to be eliminated from the group in the 2018 World Cup.

Facts show that German football is now taking a completely opposite path.

However, they don't know it yet.

After all, in today's football world, passing and controlling are the mainstream, and Mourinho's defensive and counter-attacking style is a monster.

It wasn't until Liverpool completely shattered the dream of passing and controlling with a seven-time champion that the football world finally woke up.

Players from both sides came to the field, and Dortmund took the lead.

With the referee's whistle, the game officially started.

When Dortmund kicked off the ball, they immediately took up their positions and began to pass and control, hoping to keep the ball firmly under their feet.

But Arsenal would not let them hold the ball so easily, and they started to press fiercely in the opponent's half from the midfield.

Especially in the opponent's three-center-back system, every time Arsenal pressed forward, it would put great pressure on the opponent's center-back.

Passing and controlling soon became difficult, and even when the center-back's passing channels were all blocked, he was forced to make a big kick to clear the ball.

The game had just started for 3 minutes, and Dortmund only controlled the ball for three minutes before Arsenal broke the ball.

After winning the ball, Lekai stopped easily and completed the return pass.

At the same time, Lekai turned his head and looked at the opponent's half. The three center-backs were slightly concentrated in the middle, and there was space available on both sides.

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However, this depends on the accuracy of the forward passer's footwork and the awareness of the running position of his own wingers.

And Arsenal just meets these two points.

"Dortmund lost the ball to Arsenal right after the start. For the traditional system, without the ball, their offense cannot be displayed!"

Dortmund is obviously used to playing slow-paced games in the domestic league.

This method is still used in the Champions League.

In the Bundesliga, no one will run to their own half to press, and the three defenders will not be under too much pressure, thus creating an illusion of a successful system.

But after coming to the Champions League, both Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain began to press frantically in the opponent's half.

Even APOEL learned Arsenal's high-pressure pressing when playing at home, and then seized the mistake of Dortmund's central defender and scored the equalizer goal, and finally got a draw.

The passing and controlling system is indeed very strong as long as it is played, and it is enough to watch.

But at present, there are obviously a few people in the football world who have mastered the method of passing and controlling.

Didn't you see that Guardiola is also slowly transforming and no longer playing pure passing and controlling tactics.

This also shows that this set of tactics can no longer survive independently.

After getting the ball, Arsenal was not in a hurry to attack.

Instead, they kept luring Dortmund to run out of the half court, trying to dilute the defensive density of the opponent's half court.

However, Dortmund also knew what Arsenal wanted to do, so they played very conservatively.

No matter how Arsenal lured, they rarely ran out of the half court to press.

Even if they ran out to press, they would retreat to defend at the fastest speed in the end.

Not to mention the tactical system, the Germans are very good at the rigor and discipline of the game.

Just like now, Arsenal was unable to lure out.

In the end, Arsenal tried to play on the wing.

But because the space was not large enough, the winger soon encountered the opponent's defense after advancing, and the ball was finally snatched back by the opponent again.

But Arsenal also turned on the counter-grabbing mode at the same time.

It was still high-pressure pressing, and it was still constantly pressing your three defenders, and finally the three defenders had to clear the siege.

Seeing this, the expression of Dortmund coach Bosz became solemn.

If the first clearance of the center back was an accident and a mistake, then the second clearance cannot be considered in the same way.

Arsenal was deliberately forcing the center back, so the three-back lineup was used by Arsenal.