Maxa: "Uh... uh... I thought when I announced the lineup, you guys would be the ones getting cursed out. Who would've thought that Mr. Handsome and Coach Kai would end up taking all the heat instead?"
Yes.
Why was Maxa the one announcing the lineup?
Because Triguera was still leading the squad in adapting to the new formation.
This formation was completely tailor-made for the current players.
You could also say the club specifically bought players for this system.
Even the players themselves were shocked by how quickly they adapted to it.
Of course, the premise was that they trained together with Kai.
Before Kai joined the sessions, the players actually struggled badly with the formation.
Mainly because there were simply too many variations to it.
Without a commander directing things, if one player switched into a 4-3-3 shape, another turned it into a 4-5-1, and someone else became a 3-2-5, wouldn't the whole thing become a fucking mess?
In the early stages of learning a new formation, when the players still don't fully understand it, that's when a commander becomes the most important.
Viana is a good player, but his strength mainly lies in his talent.
His leadership ability, both on and off the pitch, was lacking.
Kai liked this role.
And he could do it too.
So the outside world's criticism of Kai becoming the tactical core was completely wrong.
What they should really be asking is why Kai became the core of this team in the first place!
Kai: "Matthäus, drop deeper. You need to be ready to become the left center-back at any moment."
Matthäus: "I don't want to play center-back. I want more involvement in the game."
Kai: "Our build-up mainly starts from the center-backs. Depending on the situation, the center-backs can also launch long passes. Are you saying you can't pass?"
Matthäus instantly fell in love with the role.
He had played center-back before, and it was exhausting and miserable.
But the center-backs in this system were completely different. Once Matthäus dropped back, the back three turned into a back four.
The ball moved constantly between the four defenders before being distributed to both sides.
Cristiano Ronaldo combined with Viana, while Quaresma linked up with Kai.
If nothing opened up, they recycled possession again.
The defenders were basically playing like midfielders, and the best part was they barely faced pressure from opposing midfielders.
It felt fucking amazing.
Old players love football like this.
Relaxed, yet heavily involved.
This was Van Gaal-style U-shaped circulation football!
Kai: "Viana, after Matthäus drops deeper, you need to retreat a bit more too."
Matthäus: Please explain clearly—where exactly am I retreating to?
Kai: "Cristiano Ronaldo's ability to escape pressure in midfield still isn't enough. If we use the standard core-style buildup there, then Cristiano Ronaldo and I will combine together. Drogba will also drop deeper depending on the situation."
Viana was very happy, because this allowed him and Ronaldo to rotate positions on the left side or push through the middle with support from Drogba and Kai.
Whenever the ball was on the left, that became the attacking core.
The key point was that he didn't need to run himself to death wasting stamina anymore.
Kai: "Deschamps, after Matthäus drops back, you need to stay slightly more central. You're the gatekeeper of our defense. But don't put too much pressure on yourself. The defenders behind you are strong, and the support comes quickly. All you need to do is delay."
"Stay steady. You don't need to fight people head-on. We defend through positioning. As long as you can buy us time, that's already a successful defense!"
Deschamps: "Don't worry!"
No need to wrestle opponents physically, just block passing lanes and delay attacks. This style suited veterans perfectly.
Besides, Deschamps was never a physical monster to begin with.
Kai: "Quaresma, you need to drop deeper too. Deschamps' interceptions will often go directly to you, so you'll need a huge amount of touches. We need you to launch one-man attacks down the right side. Your flashy football can't just stay in the final third."
"Dribbling, penetration, through balls, cutting inside to shoot—you have endless options. As the core of our offense, your mission is to break the opponent apart by any means necessary!"
Quaresma: "Don't worry, leave it to me! I'll dribble from the back line if I have to!"
Kai: "That won't be necessary."
Quaresma: "?"
Kai: "You're the core of our attack. We can't let you waste energy doing dirty defensive work in the backfield. That'd be too much of a waste."
Quaresma grinned from ear to ear.
This was the art of speaking.
The key thing was, everyone completely bought into it, because Kai wasn't just talking bullshit.
He made Viana retreat deeper, and Viana truly became the core of the left midfield.
But in reality, Viana also indirectly gave up the right to shoot in the left attacking area, and that authority shifted to Ronaldo.
He made Quaresma drop deeper, handed him almost the entire right flank, and gave him the hardest and most exhausting responsibilities—yet Quaresma was still thrilled about it. To him, this was the responsibility of the number one star.
He restricted Matthäus' attacking freedom, but framed it as "controlling the initiation of play."
For stability, he basically cut Deschamps off from offensive duties and counterattack ball rights so he could focus purely on defense, and Deschamps still felt like Kai was thoughtfully protecting an older player.
As for the younger players, they didn't need sweet talk.
"Fonte! Spread wider. You need to create space for Matthäus! But don't drift too early, or we'll leave gaps in the connection!"
"Barzagli, be decisive when fouling. With Quaresma handling the right side, you don't need to push up so aggressively anymore. Once there's space behind you, it becomes the opponent's playground. Be more cautious."
"Terry, your recovery speed is great, but don't dive into tackles too easily, or you'll completely lose the target afterward. The first mission of our back line is to lose ground steadily, then steal the ball! We don't need to win the ball directly from their feet. Our goal is to delay, delay, and delay again!"
"Drogba, drop deeper! What the hell are you doing standing in the box? You need to pin defenders down. You need to give me and Viana a pivot point to play off!"
"Cristiano Ronaldo, why are you standing still? Charge! Keep attacking their defense from the left side. Whenever Viana or I pass you the ball, I expect you to have already eaten their right-back alive! That's your entire purpose for existing!"
"Schmeichel, come further out. The defenders will pass back to you constantly. If you stay too far away, the opponent might intercept. Your footwork is among the best of any goalkeeper. If you can't do it, nobody can!"
In this way, players all across the pitch constantly rotated positions, yet everyone clearly understood what they were supposed to do.
The formation looked chaotic from the outside, but in reality, the tactical map inside everyone's heads was becoming clearer and clearer.
…
August 31st, the first round of the Portuguese Super League.
Last season's Portuguese Super League champions, Boavista, kicked off the opening match and comfortably secured their first win, continuing the momentum from last year's title-winning campaign.
Porto, led by Mário Jardel and Deco, crushed their opponents 4-1.
Jardel scored twice, while Deco contributed a goal and an assist, fully displaying his core-player qualities.
Benfica had lost veteran João Pinto, but their "red spirit" still carried them forward. Nuno Gomes carried over his excellent form from the European Cup, recording two assists and one goal to help Benfica narrowly defeat Vitória de Guimarães 3-2.
The top three teams from last season's Portuguese Super League remained stable and strong.
Now everyone's attention was focused on Sporting Lisbon, who had finished fourth last season.
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