"They always say Belsa is a madman, but personally, I think he’s more of a genius."
On the Brazil Team’s bench, Chen Yu sat with Lopez, listening to his analysis of the game.
"He’s a disciple of Michels’s spatial theory, but he takes it to a more extreme level. On the surface, it looks like having three defenders would weaken the backline, leaving space for the opponent to attack on the left and right." Lopez was the Brazil Team’s technical advisor. He studied tactics for a living, so explaining these concepts was second nature to him.
He pointed to Brazil’s side of the field. "Look. If we try to play the ball out from the back and push forward, their three forwards and Belon form a diamond of four. They’ll immediately press us, forcing us to fall back on defense. It’s a proactive way to neutralize an attack—they kill it in the cradle before it can even begin."
"And this pressing is one of the core principles of his system. On defense, they press to stop you from advancing the ball on the ground. On offense, that group of four links up in a small area, with Belon organizing the attack. They also cut off short passing lanes to force a back-pass to the keeper. Most keepers these days aren’t great at playing the ball out, so a back-pass like that can easily lead to a dangerous situation. Just like now."
Chen Yu looked toward the field.
Just as Brazilian defender Edmilson got the ball and prepared to launch an attack, the group of four—Batty, Otega, Lopez, and Belon—immediately closed in.
Batty rushed forward to apply pressure, while two others positioned themselves to cut off his passing lanes.
With no other choice, Edmilson hoofed a long ball upfield.
"Got it," Chen Yu said with a nod.
Lopez continued, "Another key element is the wide midfielders, Sorin on one side, Saneidi on the other. In Belsa’s system, they have to push up to support the wingers on attack, then drop back into the defensive line to help cover gaps on defense. The demands on them are the highest; they’re required to sprint up and down the entire field for the whole match."
Chen Yu watched Saneidi sprint past right in front of him. ’He’s from Inter,’ he thought. ’Familiar face.’
"Then you have the defensive midfielder." Lopez’s gaze locked onto Redondo on the pitch. "This position is crucial for Belsa. He needs a player who excels at defending, someone like Simeone or Redondo, who can do the work of two men. After all, with only three at the back, you have to reinforce the defense."
Brazil and Argentina were old rivals, and when it came to the opposition, Lopez knew them like the back of his hand.
"That position originally belonged to Simeone. He’s the captain, the spiritual leader of the Argentina Team. Except for ’94, Redondo was always Simeone’s backup on the National Team. But he’s getting on in years, and Serie A is notoriously long and grueling. He’s been fatigued, and his form hasn’t been the best."
Chen Yu knew about that.
He had been there on May 5th, the day Inter clinched the league title.
He had a vivid memory of Simeone’s desperate sliding tackle for a goal-line clearance.
"And then?" Chen Yu pressed.
’As far as I remember, Redondo was always the one playing for Argentina.’
’And Redondo plays in Serie A, too.’
Lopez continued, "In the first group stage match against Nigeria, Belsa started Simeone. They were scoreless at halftime, so he brought Redondo on as a substitute. I think he was trying to replicate Argentina’s 4-3-3 formation from ’94."
"Redondo is a good dribbler and more creative when it comes to organizing the attack. In that match, he and Batty just clicked, which led to their narrow victory over Nigeria."
"Then came the match against England. For that one, Belsa chose to start Redondo over Simeone. Back in ’99, when Redondo made a brief return to the National Team, he had partnered with Belon for three friendlies, and the results were excellent. Most importantly, Redondo’s form was clearly much better, so Belsa picked him, and they’ve been winning ever since."
At this, he turned to glance at Chen Yu.
’To be in his thirties, tear an ACL, and still maintain this kind of form after recovering... It’s simply mind-boggling.’
Chen Yu understood the look in Lopez’s eyes. ’So this is my accomplishment too, is it?’ he thought.
"So why did you guys even bench Rivaldo?" Chen Yu retorted.
When the starting lineup was announced before the match, it must have given Belsa, along with all the media and fans, a huge shock.
This World Cup, any mention of the Brazil Team inevitably brought up the 3R. And just like that, for this match, the 3R had become the 2R.
They also made an adjustment, bringing on Big Ronaldo.
Chen Yu followed the Brazil Team closely, so he knew they usually played a 3-5-2. Juninho had been a starter during the group stage, but once the knockout rounds began, Scolari replaced him with Kleberson.
In this match, Kleberson was still starting, while Juninho had replaced Rivaldo.
Chen Yu was there yesterday when the lineup was announced internally, and he felt that Rivaldo’s expression seemed a bit stiff.
And it wasn’t just that. Chen Yu also noticed that both full-backs, Cafu and Carlos, were staying deep. With this setup, it was practically a five-man defense, a 5-4-1 formation.
They were straight-up parking a long bus in front of the goal.
Lopez smiled. "It’s all to strengthen our defense. We changed our formation during the group stage to solve the problem of not having enough defensive coverage in midfield. Bringing Juninho back is to bolster our playmaking from the middle, but we can’t give up our defense, so the only thing to sacrifice is our offense."
"So our game plan for this match is to guarantee our defense while gambling on Ronnie’s offensive prowess!"
Lopez gazed at Ronaldo, who was lingering up front, almost never tracking back. "Whether it’s Ronaldinho or Juninho, they have only one mission: get the ball to Ronnie. Then, we rely on Ronnie’s individual skill to score."
"We don’t need a hat-trick. All we need is one single moment of brilliance from him. One goal will be enough."
It was seeing Ronaldo’s current form that made Scolari decide to make such a tactical change.
Especially against a team with a stronger offense like Argentina.
Chen Yu understood. He couldn’t help but say, "But isn’t that a little too conservative?"
"It’s like having ten men defend and just gambling on Ronaldo scoring through his individual skill."
’To put it bluntly, that’s just turtling.’
Lopez laughed. "Joe, this is the World Cup. There’s nothing wrong with being a bit conservative. Why do the heavy favorites always get knocked out? Why are there so many upsets? Because you can never guess just how conservative your opponent will play, and you can never predict which way the ball will bounce."
Especially for weaker teams playing against stronger ones. Go all-out on offense?
They wouldn’t know what hit them.
The best choice is always to defend, defend with their lives, and rely on luck. Maybe they’ll get a lucky break, a moment of brilliance, and score a goal.
Even if they don’t score, they can fight for a draw. Getting a draw against a top team is already a great result in itself.
"Besides, Belsa is wild and imaginative with his tactical designs, but he’s too rigid. He always uses the same playbook: a little link-up play on the wings, then a cross. Sure, they finished first in their group, but they really struggled whenever an opponent parked the bus."
"Also, in the game against England, their three-man defense was completely exposed when facing a forward pairing like Heskey, who’s big and can provide flick-on headers, and Owen, who can make quick runs in behind. We just don’t have a player like Heskey, or we’d be doing the same thing."
As he spoke, Lopez’s tone carried a hint of frustration. He felt that while Belsa was capable of breaking the mold and innovating, his style hadn’t changed in years and had been completely figured out by everyone.
Chen Yu nodded thoughtfully. ’Another lesson learned.’
’But at this rate,’ he thought, ’this match is doomed to be a boring one.’
And that was indeed the case. Argentina dominated possession, constantly pinning Brazil in their own half.
But against a Brazil Team with a five-man backline plus two defensive midfielders, not even a god could find a way through.
The most threatening chances, conversely, came from Batty unleashing one powerful long-range shot after another from outside the box.
Other than those long shots, Argentina was completely unable to create any threatening attacks.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo simply spent half the match strolling around up front by himself.
The match was so dull that even the fans in the stadium fell silent.
Both Brazil and Argentina were packed with superstars and had an astonishing number of fans in Japan.
As a result, tickets for this match were nearly impossible to get. Tens of thousands of fans had paid to see an offensive spectacle. Instead, they got half a match so boring it nearly put them to sleep.
In a VIP box on the top level, Trapattoni had used his clout to get a private suite, watching the game with his assistant coach Pietro Hedin, Baggio, and others.
"See what they’re doing?" Trapattoni asked, turning to Hedin beside him as he watched the two teams head back to their locker rooms.
Hedin nodded.
The Brazil Team’s tactics were crystal clear: defend at all costs, then rely on Juninho in the center and Ronaldinho’s free-roaming role to supply ammunition up front to Ronaldo for quick counter-attacks, gambling on his individual talent.
Trapattoni crossed his arms. "To be honest, if Argentina had made it to the final, I was prepared to play the same way. I just didn’t expect Brazil to be even more extreme about it."
Italy’s strength had always been its backline, making it even more likely for them to park the bus.
Maldini, who was also watching, asked in a low voice, "So, will Argentina make adjustments in the second half?"
’Ronaldo is all by himself up front; he should be fairly easy to contain.’
Trapattoni shook his head. "He won’t. If Belsa made adjustments, he wouldn’t be the madman the football world knows him to be."
’Because he’s mad, he’s stubborn. There’s almost no flexibility. It’s always the same system. If they win, it’s because his tactics are genius. If they lose, it’s the players’ fault for not executing properly.’
Besides, from Trapattoni’s perspective, the more pressing problem for Belsa was how to score the first goal.
After a moment of contemplation, Trapattoni added, "I have a feeling our opponent is going to be Brazil."
Seeing both of them look toward him, Trapattoni sighed. "The Ronaldo of today... he really has no weaknesses. He’s just too good."
From what he’d seen in the first half, Argentina simply had no way to break through Brazil’s packed defense.
Barring a lucky goal, Brazil was guaranteed a 0-0 draw at a minimum.
And then, it would all come down to Ronaldo.
Football is a team sport played by eleven men, but sometimes, it’s also a one-man show.

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