Of the two teams in the 2021 China Football Association Cup finals, one wants to relive the dream of a double crown, and the other is eager to win the cup for the first time. In the end, Shandong Taishan team defeated Shanghai Haigang 1-0 and got what they wanted to win the Chinese Football League Cup double crown in the 2021 season. Although they have won the championship with zero titles, judging from the progress of the entire game, the two teams have their own advantages in the first and second halves. The adjustment of the Taishan team in the second half and the deep thickness of the bench determine the direction and result of the game.
In this game, the Taishan team once again offered a starting lineup of 3 center-backs. In the 2021 season, the Taishan team used a three-back formation for the first time in a game against the Haigang team. That game was a battle of Tianwangshan in the Chinese Super League Championship on December 19 last year. At that time, the Taishan team used a three-back lineup for the first time, and the effect was immediate. They won the game 2-0 and laid the foundation for the championship. In the subsequent games, although the Taishan team once again used the 3-back formation, they still returned to the traditional 4-back formation in the final stage of the Super League.
In the FA Cup final, when Taishan faced the decisive battle with Haigang again, Hao Wei once again used the 3-back formation to win another victory. Judging from the formations of the two games, Hao Wei determined that the 3 central defender was the most effective formation against the Harbour team.
However, before the game on December 29th, none of the Super League teams had seen Tarzan’s 3-back formation, so the Harbour team was caught off guard at that time. Let the Taishan team win the most critical battle on the road to the Super League. And when the three-back formation reappeared in this game, the Seaports coach Lecco already had a strategy to deal with it, as can be seen from the number of shots in the first half. Tarzan took 3 shots and 0 shots on goal. Although Haigang only took one shot, this shot was the only time the two teams shot on goal in the first half.
This shot came from a subtle cooperation. Oscar took a tactical corner kick from the right. When he received a knock back from Hu Jinghang, the regular defenders must have thought that he would play to the goal again, but Oscar made an unexpectedly low draw. The pass to the penalty spot strayed the entire defense line of the Taishan team. Yu Hai rounded around from the back point and started a low shot, but was blocked by the fast-reacting Wang Dalei with his leg. This is the closest time both sides have scored in the first half.
In fact, there were many free kick tactics in the first half of the harbour that were quite creative. Of course, this firstly benefited from the subtle footwork of Oscar, but the active running of other players was also indispensable. Oscar’s footwork brought the accuracy of the free kick, and the flexible movement of his teammates enhanced the confusion. It can be seen from this that Haigang did enough homework for free kicks and conducted targeted drills when preparing for the game. In this regard, they did better than the Taishan team in the first half.
Seaport slightly outperformed the seaport in the first half to retreat and disrupt deployment
In the 22nd minute of the first half, Haigang’s starting left center, Yu Hai, returned to the court after being injured, but was replaced by Li Ang after 4 minutes because he could not persist. This time the substitution became a turning point. In the 22 minutes before Yu Hai was injured, almost all of the threatening offensives of the harbor had something to do with him. Except for the goal that Haigang shot on the right foot, he finished the goal. In the 19th minute, Yu Hai assisted to the front of the penalty area and sent a wonderful pass of the Bayesian arc with his left foot. The ball accurately passed between the goalkeeper and the defender. It’s a pity that the teammates who followed up were half a beat slow, otherwise this would also be a great opportunity.
The injured passive substitution also disrupted the Haigang’s offensive deployment. Judging from the first 20 minutes, the Haigang’s battle is very dependent on Hai’s assists and crosses. Although Li Ang, who came off the bench, has a good footwork, he can’t make up for the role of Yu Hai, a winger, on the offensive end.
In the first half of the game, although the number of shots from the Harbour was less than that of the Taishan team, it was actually the Harbour team that had the advantage. They led by 57% VS 43% in possession. The only shot on target also came from the Seaports. The Harbor team is also well prepared on the defensive end, especially the high-altitude ball defense is very good. In the first half, the harbor played better. They controlled the scene of the game, played more adventurously and effectively, and formed a more advanced formation. The two sides are in the same 3 central defender formation. The 3 central defenders of the harbor are in the offensive organization and front insertion, which is more helpful to the team than the 3 central defenders of Taishan. The Tarzan team did not create a real scoring opportunity.
Hao Wei self-corrected in the second half and changed back to 4 guards
In addition to the arrangement of 3 central defenders in this game, Hao Wei has one adjustment that is surprising. In the starting lineup, Hao Wei put Xu Xin as a left forward and teamed up with Guo Tianyu to form a striker. Xu Xin, who was born in the midfielder, has never played in this position, and the effect after the opening is not ideal. After 20 minutes, the Taishan team’s striker made a fine adjustment, Moises topped the front, Guo Tianyu and Xu Xin separated. Xu Xin, who was pulled from the left to the right, immediately completed a shot outside the penalty area on the right with a beautiful fake shot and a real buckle, but it was a pity that he shot wide.
When the scene in the first half was not dominant, the Tarzan striker who returned from the locker room to the court became a double-high combination of Fellaini and Guo Tianyu. This pair of striker towers also did not achieve immediate results, and Tarzan did not seem to be able to do much on the offensive end. Hao Wei, who originally wanted to copy the winning lineup of the Chinese Super League’s battle for the Tianwang Mountain, finally did a strict self-correction with a substitution change after the adjustment did not work.
In the 63rd minute, Jin Jingdao and Qi Tianyu replaced Xu Xin and Liu Yang respectively. Zheng Zheng changed from the left center back to the left back. Ju Desong and Shi Ke partnered with the center back. Ji Xiang retreated to play the right back. The two sides of the midfield were handed over to Jin Jingdao and Qi Tianyu. At the same time, Fellaini also returned to the back. At the waist position, only Guo Tianyu was left on the forward line, and he returned to the more familiar 4231 formation.
The lore is not just luck, the thickness of the bench determines the game
In the 82nd minute, Jin Jingdao, who came off the bench, won a well-positioned free kick for Taishan before the penalty area. Zheng Zheng hit the crossbar with a shot, Yan Junling hit the ball to the outside, and Judson’s World Wave completed the lore. It was not luck to complete this lore, but the thickness of the bench. Jin Jingdao, who came off the bench, created a free kick, and the free kick fouled against Jin Jingdao was Yang Shiyuan, who came off the bench from Haigang.
Not only this point of comparison, look at the Taishan team bench, Wang Tong, Liu Binbin two internationals, former international Dai Lin, foreign aid Delgado did not get the opportunity to play. On the Haigang team’s bench, only the former international player Cai Huikang, who has been in serious decline, is on the bench. In terms of foreign aid, only Oscar and Mu Yi played the entire game. The Taishan team is the most well-equipped with foreign aid in the Super League, and the final lore is also from foreign aid.
It is no exaggeration to say that the thickness of the bench determines the game and even the probability of winning the FA Cup. Shortly after the start of the Chinese Super League championship competition, the international footballer Wu Xinghan was reimbursed for the season due to injury, but this did not slow down the pace of the Taishan team to win the championship. In contrast, Haigang, the main defender of this season, Wei Zhen, received a red card at the end of the second round of the FA Cup semi-final match against Shanghai Shenhua and missed the final. Although there are other central defenders in Haigang, Wei Zhen’s absence still damages the team’s strength and also reduces the on-the-spot adjustment of coach Lecco.
The thickness of the Taishan team’s bench gives the team more room for adjustment in the back hand. For example, Jin Jingdao and Qi Tianyu who came off the bench in this game were originally players with excellent running ability. When they played in the second half, they had an absolute advantage in physical fitness against the harbour players who had already played most of the time. In particular, Jin Jingdao, who has plenty of energy, runs more accurately and has a higher rate of placement. This also gives the Taishan team more opportunities to pass the ball forward in the middle.
From a comprehensive review of the game, the Taishan team won because the thickness of the bench is deep enough and the coach Hao Wei’s decisive command and dispatch ability and strong self-correction ability on the scene. (Yang Xixi)Return to Sohu to see more
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