"Dear viewers in front of the TV, this is the CCTV Sports Channel, currently broadcasting the third round match of Group A in the European Youth Championship group stage, Italy versus England. This is a focus match..."
On TV, the host of the sports channel was announcing, and next to him, sitting impressively, was Luo Cheng.
In the past, most of these focus matches were covered by Chen Jun, the editor-in-chief of World Football News, as the special guest.
But since the rise of Super Football, Luo Cheng has replaced Chen Jun.
This also partly explains why these two can never get along, due to the clear competition and mutual replacement dynamics between them.
"Luo Cheng, which team do you favor in this match?" The host asked.
"Of course, I support the Italy National Youth Team," Luo Cheng replied confidently.
The host laughed, "Is it because of Lu Yang?"
Luo Cheng shook his head, "Not just that. Actually, I just returned from Italy yesterday. Our CCTV team has been stationed inside the Italy National Youth Team recently, documenting their training and so forth."
"I can responsibly tell everyone that the players of the Italy National Youth Team are a group of very talented young men, completely different from the players of previous Italy National Teams."
"This also reflects Maniero’s coaching philosophy. He is looking to discover and nurture true talented players. Whereas the previous overly procedural selection criteria and tactical system of Italy actually stifled the players’ creativity."
"This is also the reason why Italy, after the older generation of stars, lacked emerging stars from the intermediate generation."
The host nodded, "Which players in the Italy National Youth Team impressed you?"
Luo Cheng said, "Almost every one of them!"
The host was very surprised.
Luo Cheng added, "Of course, I’m not saying each player is perfect, but each one has unique characteristics. As long as they work well together, they can wield tremendous power."
"Of course, this also means there are chances they can be targeted. But I believe this is exactly where Maniero is bold."
"There are no perfect players, no players without mistakes, unless you don’t participate in the game. It’s normal for young players to have flaws, but if you bury their strengths to cover their weaknesses, it’s unacceptable. This was the previous tactical strategy of the Italy National Team."
"So in the past, Italy seemed stable, but in fact, it was weak."
"Now it’s different. Despite their many issues, now they appear clumsy, but they are getting better with each performance."
Then, Luo Cheng gave specific examples.
For instance, the Italian center-back pairing.
Pirola is tall and strong, very capable in one-on-one defense, strong in aerial duels, and when holding back in defense, he has some command and organization skills. His footwork is decent for a central defender, with some passing ability.
Basically, in the last two years, he’s had the potential to move to a top club.
But does this player have any weaknesses?
Yes, and they are quite lethal!
His turning speed is relatively slow, and he isn’t good at tracking back, making him easy to get exposed by top-tier pacey forwards.
This is why Pirola couldn’t become a main player for the Italy National Youth Team during the Calafi era.
Football is different from basketball.
In basketball, substitutions can happen frequently, so players’ weaknesses aren’t a big deal; if targeted, just sub them off. As long as the head coach’s tactical changes keep up, a player can be subbed on and off several times within minutes.
But football only has three substitution slots, so changes must be made cautiously.
So, if you field a player with big weaknesses, you must design specific tactics to cover those weaknesses.
This demands a very high standard from the coaching staff’s abilities and from the player’s game intelligence. Not everyone can utilize their strengths while avoiding weaknesses.
Moreover, even with thorough preparations, opponents still get a chance on the field to disrupt your tactical arrangements and exploit the player’s weaknesses.
Hence, over the long term, football tends to prefer using players without glaring weaknesses rather than those with distinct characteristics and shortcomings.
Especially in defense and midfield.
So whether Pirola can prove himself in top clubs in the future depends on whether he can overcome his turning and tracking back deficiencies.
Similarly, Jan Ram, this central defender, though quick and not bad defensively, the impact from not having enough height and physical strength is already quite evident.
Not strong enough, got physically dominated by the Polish central forward Pavovsky.
Not tall enough, lacking aerial defense ability, all being his fatal weaknesses.
Right back Canyes is strong offensively but weak defensively.
Left back Nikluci is balanced in both attack and defense but lacks standout strengths.
Defensive midfielder Cortino dislikes sweeping.
These players are all like this.
If you look only at their weaknesses, of course, they seem weak.
But if you only see their strengths, they are actually really strong.
...
Beep!
In the commentary, the main referee blew the whistle for the start of the match.
The match between Italy and England officially began.
The only good news for Italy in this match is that England’s midfield core injured himself during training while showing off his skills.
Although not serious, to be safe, his very professional and career-aware agent advised him to withdraw from this European Youth Championship, and he accepted the suggestion.
But considering that the player taking his place is Jesse Raisim, who performed exceptionally well against Spain in the last match, this might not be an advantage.
In many people’s eyes, Raisim is not a player inferior to the aforementioned midfield core.