*****

With a big wave of his hand, Rijkaard motioned for the midfielders to temporarily retract and avoid his edge.

At the same time, he also thought with palpitations, fortunately, this game sent the double back combination of Edmilson and Van Bommel, otherwise it would be really difficult to stop the counterattacking Valencia attack during this time.

He stood on the sidelines again, roared loudly at the players on the field, and waited until the players started playing the ball his way, then walked back to the dugout and sat down.

It was only then that he realized that his back was soaked.

The weather in Spain at the end of April is still slightly cooler, especially in cities like Valencia, which is close to the seaport, and the evenings are particularly cool, but Rijkaard's back is soaked with nervousness.

From another point of view, the Valencia attack line led by Ailo made him feel a lot of pressure.

And this pressure is something that he and Jose Mourinho's Chelsea have not felt, and it is strange for him.

He looked up and returned his attention to the pitch, watching Valencia's momentum and gradually feeling that it was a good option to defend first.

Anyway, the aggregate score is still one goal ahead of Valencia, as long as the score is held until the end of the game in the remaining hour, it is not unacceptable.

So there's no need to fight back quickly after conceding the goal, otherwise you will be troubled by Valencia with a counterattack.

In the match between Barcelona and Valencia this season, Ailo played an important role in the counter-attack and had to be defended.

After all, defense is what wins the championship.

And Rijkaard's six years at AC Milan also made him realize that defense is the foundation of the game, and only winning the game is the most important thing. Forget it...... When you win the championship, who cares about the process?

Of course, it doesn't mean that Rijkaard left Valencia to attack, he just told his players to focus on defending first and wait for Valencia's momentum to subside before attacking.

Barcelona have made achievements in attack, and they are not far behind in defense, and the overall retreat has made them more efficient in defence.

The essence of Dutch football is all about attacking and defending, and you can see a hint here.

Coupled with Valencia's disadvantage in numbers, there was no good way to face Barcelona who retreated as a whole, so the two sides returned to a relatively balanced state.

You go back and forth attacking and defending, but you don't have the chances to threaten the opponent's goal.

However, it is commendable that the home team's fans still chant "Valencia Anthem" to cheer on the team.

But it's also a little dull overall.

In Andy Gray's words, "When Valencia equalized, Barcelona began to fear conceding the goal and retreated to half-time, and the two sides reached a partial balance, so that neither side had the best ...... to score"

In this way, both sides used up the rest of the first half......

*****

When the home team's players returned to the dressing room out of breath, Flores had been waiting inside for a long time, and the tactical board was ready.

Flores looked at the players who were too physically exhausted, and knew that this game was very difficult, so he first clapped his palms and encouraged the players on the field, "Brothers, everyone played very well in the first half, and in the second half we have to continue to play like this, and we must give Barcelona continuous pressure, so that we can have a chance to score, otherwise we will be the ones who will be out......"

The players who were wiping their sweat with towels or changing into wet jerseys, after hearing Flores's words, subconsciously stopped what they were doing, clenched their fists and frowned instead, there was indeed no way back in this game.

"But the defense can't be ignored either, in the first half of the second half we need to be solid and then put into attack, and if we don't get anything in that time, we will gradually increase the firepower, David??"

Flores suddenly stopped and looked at Albelda.

Interestingly, David Villa and Albelda turned their heads at the same time.

Flore chuckled and shrugged, "My name is our midfield commander, ...... David."

Immediately, the players who were nervous just now let out a burst of good-natured laughter, and the tense atmosphere also faded a lot.

"David, you have to control the rhythm of the second half of the game, but the specific operation is still up to you, whether this game can kill Barcelona and enter the Champions League final is up to you!"

Albelda nodded movingly for Flores' trust.

He is a veteran who is not good at expressing himself, but he will use practical actions to prove that he dies for his confidant.

Then Flores explained to Elloh again, "Ai, it's up to you whether this game can kill the game, you are our super killer, but remember not to carry any pressure, otherwise it will backfire...... You know? ”

Arlo nodded vigorously, but in his heart he didn't agree with Flores's statement.

No pressure? Where will the motivation come from?

In ten minutes, Flores conveyed the tactical thinking of the second half, and then he used the last five minutes to cheer up the players, "Now I have followed everyone to this point, it is very difficult, we met Manchester United in the quarter-finals, Villarreal in the quarter-finals, Barcelona in the semi-finals, but don't forget...... Who we are now, we are the double champions of Spain! If we go one step further, we will have a good chance of becoming the first treble winner in the history of Spanish football!! ”

The first treble in the history of Spanish football!

That's a big honor!

Especially the three veterans who are over 30 years old, Canizares, Ayala and Baraja, their eyes lit up at the same time! Their physical form has started to decline, how honourable is it to be able to claim such glory in the second half of their careers?

For Iroh, the same excitement!

Because of this first, that is to say, in the strongest winger system, there will also be good rewards!

*****

The fifteen-minute half-time break passed quickly, and the final 45 minutes of the second leg of the semi-final began after a whistle from Collina.

Valencia's tactical execution ability is very good, although there is one less person on the field than Barcelona, but under the active running of the players, they are not at a disadvantage, but use the home advantage to take the lead in Barcelona's hinterland to launch a fierce attack.

Flores looked at the situation on the field and always felt that something was wrong, it stands to reason that Barcelona in the second half at least had to resist, right? This...... It's like opening your legs and letting the mermaid flesh.

But five minutes later, Flores understood Rijkaard's train of thought, and he was fighting back against Valencia's bent desire to overtake the score.

Because Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and Messi in the front court are all players who are good at speed, and Xavi, who is in charge of scheduling, is also the best player in the long pass and writing the www.biquge.info, so they are also quite handy to play.

Fortunately, Albiol's anticipation ability is good, and in a one-on-one defense with Eto'o, he bet on the right direction and defused the crisis, otherwise Valencia would have fallen into full passivity.

In the ensuing time, Flores stood on the sidelines and signaled the players to play steadily, and not to give Barcelona this chance to counterattack, otherwise according to the individual ability of Barcelona's three strikers, it is unknown whether they can defend the next time such an opportunity occurs.

So the two sides of the game returned to a relatively balanced state.

However, while equilibrium, this situation is extremely unfavorable for the home team Valencia, because they play less than one man in the 20 minutes of the game, and for such a long period of time, they have to play more with less and more to make up for the lack of numbers on the field.

Therefore, if this continues, it will be difficult for Valencia's players to hold on to the end of the game, and then Barcelona will be left to slaughter.

In addition, Valencia basically only used one set of lineups this season, and the main players in the team basically played 35+ games, such as Elo, David Villa and Albelda, who have reached 40+ games in the Copa del Rey, and physical fitness is a serious problem.

Sure enough, by the time the game entered the 70th minute, the running enthusiasm of the Valencia players on the field was significantly less than at the beginning of the second half.

*****

Rijkaard's observation skills off the pitch are very strong, so his ability to adapt on the field is also very good.

On the field, Valencia's running ability decreased, he drove out at a glance, quickly turned around, and shouted at Deco, "Adson, go warm up!" ”

Five minutes later, Deco replaced Edmilson, who was booked.

Rijkaard's intention to make this substitution is very obvious, that is, to start a counterattack while the fitness of Valencia's players is declining.

As a Dutchman, he has a fluid attacking blood in his bones.

After seeing Deco playing, Flores also realized the team's current disadvantage, so he also made a quick decision and called Viana and Rufitte over to warm up and wait for the game.

And it was during this time that Barcelona embarked on a comeback journey.

Baraha, who has always been known for his physical fitness, is also starting to be a little out of shape, and so is David Villa, who often retreats to his own half to get the ball.

However, with the help of his teammates, Iroh left him with only the task of attacking, and he is more physical.

It's a kind of trust, but it's also a kind of torment.

Now the team is one less and there is one goal off the aggregate, so he has to endure it.

In the 77th minute, Viana and Rufitte came on together, replacing Baraja and Aurelio, who were not in good shape.

Straight to the top of the forward position of Iello and David Villa, the whole shape has become three four two, ready for the last ten minutes of the desperate journey!

Seeing that the clock was about to reach 80 minutes, Valencia had not yet overtaken the score on the field, and the fans in the stands were getting more and more anxious.

Anyone who knows a little about the ball can see that Valencia is already at the end of the crossbow.

ps: Book friends 1668550381 two monthly passes, by the way, if you have time, remember to cheer with R&F and Guoan!