Chapter 2330 - 592: Italy’s Tradition of Choosing Sides
But the two old guys are really awesome, they’re the type of players who get a mental boost during big games.
Especially Boulahrouz, who played the best performance of his career after being replaced.
He couldn’t block David Silva, but when close, he did cause Silva a lot of trouble.
Plus, with the Dutch players retreating deeply, Silva and Mata aimed at the center, but couldn’t find many opportunities, resulting in Spain once again having possession but no shots today.
"Everyone start warming up!"
Huang Kaiwen turned around and said.
The substitute players immediately took off their jackets.
Krul knew he had little chance of playing today, but still stretched methodically at the sidelines.
This is the advantage of authority.
Capello, in the stands, had his eyelid twitching.
His face felt a bit hot.
At that time, when England and the Netherlands team were playing extra time, Huang Kaiwen did the same trick. He had all the players warm up to hide his real intentions. After he made the substitutions, it turned out Huang Kaiwen changed the goalkeeper for penalty kicks.
Honestly.
At that time, even his mentality was affected.
If he weren’t so skilled, he might have cursed out loud.
But he had to admit that Huang Kaiwen played this move beautifully.
Now it’s finally Bosque’s turn to have a headache.
When the dead ball opportunity finally came, Spain immediately made a substitution.
Torres came on for Fabregas.
Huang Kaiwen made a corresponding adjustment, sending Strootman to the sidelines.
"Bouma is out, Flaar moved to the center, Kuyt is playing as a full back. Bouma’s performance was okay today, but one problem is he always turns a beat too slow. That one-on-one chance for David Silva in the first half was related to him."
"Yes, so when Huang Kaiwen saw Torres coming on, he immediately replaced Bouma. Huang Kaiwen is always decisive in substitutions, never waiting for problems to appear on the field before making a decision."
The substitutions by both teams had an immediate effect.
Spain’s offensive threat was raised by more than just a level.
Putting Bouma off doesn’t mean they can defend against Torres.
The uninjured Torres’s speed is top-notch on the front line, his explosive power can easily penetrate any defense. Even peak Ferdinand and Vidic were played to exhaustion by him, never mind this second-rate European defense line for the Netherlands.
Spain’s tactical tendencies also changed.
Previously, with four-six-zero, their wing breakthroughs accounted for a lot.
But now, they started shifting their tactical focus to the center.
To find Torres!
Whenever Spanish players advance to the front field, they immediately look for Torres.
The newly-substituted Strootman became a key figure.
Several midfielders and defenders, like him, couldn’t keep up with Torres’s pace.
While attempting to create offsides with the defense line, under the command of Van Bommel, the midfield began blocking Spain’s passing routes.
The versatile and young Strootman, having absorbed Spain players’ passing traits from the bench for 45 minutes, came onto the field as a disruptor.
He couldn’t intercept, but he kept running a wide range.
Preventing Spanish players from passing the ball promptly.
If a pass is delayed by a bit, the timing is missed.
This young "Beckenbauer" became the tulip wall.
Spain could toy with him using passes, but behind Strootman was the experienced Van Bommel, who once played for Barca; he even knew Xavi’s quirks inside out, so those little tricks didn’t work.
Another player with the same disruptive trait was Kuyt.
In the second half, the Netherlands team played mainly to mix up, "I may not attack, but you won’t enjoy the game either." The match entered a stalemate, and Torres had already been caught offside twice since coming on.
The pressure was on Spain.
They’re now two goals behind, and if dragged to the end like this, they’ll just watch the Netherlands team lift the cup.
Spain could only bravely start the offensive.
Xavi brought the ball past midfield, no one pressed him, and he sent a direct pass to Torres.
If someone approached, he’d pass sideways to set up a play, then get the ball and still go for a direct pass to Torres.
Alonso got the ball in the backfield and made a long pass directly looking for Torres, trying to use his power to crush through the Dutch defense.
This was a contest of resilience between both sides.
Both teams were gritting their teeth and persisting.
Especially for the defensive Netherlands team.
If one side relaxed even a bit, the consequence would be immediate.
The Spaniards kept trying, the more attempts there are, the more chances there are for the Netherlands team to make a mistake.
Xavi got the ball to the front field again.
Faced with Strootman’s pressing, he immediately spun in place to shake him off.
Van Bommel seized the moment to directly snatch.
Xavi cleverly didn’t make a full 360-degree turn, instead, he passed the ball to the advancing Alba without turning fully.
Alba quickly dribbled forward.
De Jong directly charged forward.
Alba made a lob pass, giving the ball to Silva.
Running quickly to the center.
David Silva carried the ball forward himself, passing it sideways while running.
Alba seized the space and kept running forward.
Torres received the ball and sent a straight pass.
The Netherlands defense line made a mistake; Heitinga lagged behind, failing to create offside, and Alba successfully got the ball and dashed towards the box.
Heitinga slid in for a tackle, and just as Alba screeched to a halt, Boulahrouz charged up.
Before the two could make body contact, Alba was already down on the ground.
The players from both sides exploded into commotion.
Xavi and Busquets were the first to run up with their hands out asking for an explanation.
Heitinga humbly put his hands together and said, "I didn’t touch him, I really didn’t touch him."