I AM the Football Star

To be precise, ninety percent of the effect of tacit understanding can be replaced by tactical positioning.

Messi, Harvey, Iniesta, Busquets, they certainly can’t be recreated, and their playing environment is also hard to replicate.

But the strongest aspect of Cosmic Barcelona might not actually be the endless tiki-taka ball control.

It’s the ’infinite interchange’ behind the endless ball control!

Both ball control and interchange aim to create a local superiority of numbers with more attacking fewer.

But most ball control teams find that passing does not achieve this effect, or it is very difficult.

The higher the level of the team, the harder it is for ball control to find flaws.

But interchange can!

This point might not have been fully grasped by Guardiola at Barcelona.

But when he was at Bayern, he actually had some realizations. This can be glimpsed from his decisive abandonment of Manzhu and repeatedly placing Lewandowski on the bench to seek more possibilities.

It wasn’t until he arrived at Manchester City that Guardiola basically fully confirmed his idea. He found the point that even Cosmic Barcelona itself didn’t understand why it was so strong and really built a Cosmic Manchester City!

But unfortunately, superstar players, especially those with strong position tags and personal styles, affect the infinite defense switch. Therefore, Guardiola rejected this type of player.

But at crucial moments, his team always fell short of the highest honors due to a lack of such absolute superstars or a flash of brilliance that belonged to geniuses or the accidental synergy of many geniuses.

This is the biggest difference between soccer and basketball.

The random nature of soccer far exceeds that of basketball.

The chance of Jordan missing when taking a high hanger shot against a five-man block is roughly the same as the success rate of Mei Luo taking a long shot from outside the penalty area against a good defender.

The dismally low shooting percentage in basketball translates to a sharpshooter in soccer!

After the dinner ended, Lu Yang immediately called Sotu: ”Did Gudiola contact you?”

Sotu was not surprised, as he was also preparing to tell Lu Yang about this: ”Yes, he has a lot he wants to discuss, even citing a recent match in Barcelona. I feel like there are many common topics we can talk about.”

”But I find it hard to keep up with the conversation, because much of what you previously mentioned, I know and try to apply, but I still can’t grasp the reasons and development trends.”

”So I didn’t talk too much with him. I thought that next time he calls, we might as well have a discussion group together. Talking with him is very fruitful; on the tactical level, this guy has some good stuff.”

Lu Yang nodded: ”It’s good that you didn’t talk too much. Next time he calls, just tell him to come for a face-to-face meeting after Barcelona gets eliminated from the Champions League.”

Sotu: ”Okay... wait, you said... Barcelona gets eliminated? They are so strong this season that the Argentine Emperor is about to be deified! Their chances of winning the Champions League this season are among the top three, and their next opponent is...”

Lu Yang interrupted: ”It’s no use. This year’s Barça schedule is without many surprises. Barça encountered the dark horse; reaching the semifinals is not difficult. Manchester United caught Juventus, both are league leaders, and whoever advances is a tough opponent.”

”Bayern and Paris Saint-Germain are battling it out, both being league leaders. Even though the Bundesliga and Ligue 1’s competitiveness may be slightly weaker, it means they have a better preparation state.”

”AC Milan is facing the Blue Army Chelsea, newly assembled under the lavish Golden Yuan. Izalelt and Gutierrez are reenacting the Serie A superhero derby! But compared to the others, these two don’t rank high in the league. AC Milan currently ranks in the top four, same for Chelsea.”

”They and the previous champion teams show obvious disparity. Also, whether Chelsea beats AC Milan or AC Milan beats Chelsea, they are indirectly beating Real Madrid.”

”After Barça reaches the semifinals, the opponent will certainly be the winner between AC Milan and Chelsea!”

”This is the best draw for Barça, but... the style of these two teams actually restrains Barça, and it’s difficult for Barça to progress further if they meet!”

Lu Yang analyzed endlessly for a while, leaving Sotu completely confused.

Brother, why not you schedule this year’s Champions League fixture?

If you’re this good at analysis, should you buy a few lottery tickets?

A villa by the sea!

”Are you saying Chelsea and AC Milan are stronger than Barça?” Sotu was a bit skeptical. This season’s Barça really has momentum, whether in the league or the Champions League, they have overshadowed Real Madrid, and the advantage is becoming more apparent.

”You can’t put it like that. Strength is another matter, but Barça is restrained by them! Barça is not yet complete at this stage. Their chain interchange and ball control pressing still have room for improvement.”

”But most importantly, they currently lack a super central forward who can score miracle goals in tough matches! Without solving this issue, Barça will always have a flaw. Especially against defensive expert teams.”

”Chelsea has Zuka Felish, the youngest Champions League-winning coach, with unparalleled achievements in defense. And AC Milan is a Serie A team, with Praxedes at the helm, the Serie A’s inherited defensive prowess won’t be lost.”

”Barça can still play against other teams, but against these two, they absolutely can’t win without being in full form. Especially AC Milan!”