Bayer Leverkusen's 51-game unbeaten run ended, exposing Alonso's two major flaws, and if they are not corrected, it will be difficult to go to Real Madrid

Sports around the clock

2024-05-23 22:29Posted in Henan Sports Creators

In this morning's Europa League final, Bayer Leverkusen, who has been unbeaten in 51 games this season, finally lost 0:3 to the Serie A powerhouse Atalanta, which is difficult to cast a legend of unbeaten season, and also lost the possibility of winning the 'small treble' this year.

After the game, the famous commentator Zhan Jun attributed the reason for Leverkusen's defeat to the fact that the players were too young and lacked experience in the competition. But is this really the case?

Let's talk about an objective fact first, this is the second time that Leverkusen has hit the League Cup championship, last year Leverkusen reached the top 4 in Europe and lost the semi-finals, and the players on the field at present, except for a few players such as Grimaldo, all participated in last year's game, so Zhan Jun's lack of experience is obviously because he doesn't watch the game much and can't stand scrutiny.

The two failed attempts to win the UEFA Cup had one thing in common, that is, they both lost to Italian teams, in the 23-24 season, Bayer Leverkusen lost to Jose Mourinho's Roma, and Alonso lost by one goal in this master-apprentice duel, and was blocked out of the final by the opponent. Coincidentally, Alonso also faced Roma in the semi-finals this season, but unfortunately Mourinho was sacked as early as the winter break, and Alonso can only take revenge on Roma's new coach De Rossi.

If you take a closer look at the way Leverkusen lost in these two games, you will find that although Mourinho's Roma and Gasperini's Atalanta styles are different, the core of Alonso's loss is the same, that is, the opponent's 'counter-attacking style of play'.

Mourinho is well known as a typical anti-counter-attacking coach who is good at 'swinging the bus' and waiting for opportunities to sneak attack. Bayer Leverkusen were eliminated last year and had the best possession and shot statistics in both games, but Mourinho won by a single steal and a narrow victory.

As for Atalanta, although on the surface it seems to be a high-pressing, three-forward attacking style of play. But if you watch Atalanta's matches against Inter Milan, Juventus, and Liverpool, you will find that this team is actually very good at using their bodies, and when facing strong teams, they are essentially playing defense.

It's just that compared to Mourinho's old-fashioned counter-attack, Gasperini's approach is more modern. He took advantage of the tall and strong body of the Atalanta players, as well as the physical advantage of his young age, to press in the front court, take advantage of the opponent's mistakes to quickly launch a transition attack, and once the opponent advanced smoothly, he would use Italian defense, and the whole defense half court, the players stood deeper.

Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen lost to Atalanta in the same way, being overwhelmed and distracted by the opponent's bizarre kicking routine, while Inter Milan and Juventus are obviously more familiar with this style of play, so a four-goal victory and a fierce battle against the other side to win the Italian Cup.

Bayer Leverkusen coach Marcos Alonso, who can lead the team to break the winning streak of European clubs, is undoubtedly a talented young coach.

But, at least for now, he seems to lack an effective solution to the Italian anti-reaction.

Attacking, in the opposition's dense formation, it is difficult to find space to score.

Defense, in the opponent's 3 frontcourt players who are more than 190 and have obvious strength advantages, it is difficult to avoid mistakes when the ball is played.

This kind of performance may be able to cope with it in the Bundesliga, but if it comes to Real Madrid, which has countless tough battles every year, I am afraid it will be a little insufficient.

Fortunately, Alonso is young after all, and Mourinho and Gasperini, who are over 60 years old, are indeed a little younger, and there is still a chance for him to overcome these two shortcomings in the future.

Perhaps, the reason why God did not let him get a perfect undefeated 3-crown season so early is precisely to hope that he can get rid of impetuousness and seriously make up for his shortcomings in order to have a more brilliant future.

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