Chapter 7: The Most Fatal Flaw

This is a decision he made after staying up late last night reading that book by Beckenbauer, along with gathering some relevant professional tactical knowledge, and combining it with some tactical insights he had heard in his previous life

In the past, Ajax had strong and robust players, and although there were flaws in their tactical formation, they could rely on the individual strength of the players and the overall strength of the team to pressure their opponents, which masked the issues. However, now that a large number of star players in their prime have left the team, more problems have been exposed.

"Returning to the four-line staff?" Roland immediately sensed something amiss

Michels often said that, in the eyes of a head coach, a team is equivalent to a machine composed of 11 parts. Therefore, I believe it is necessary to make some adjustments to the division of labor among these components now, " Ye Qiu analyzed with a smile

However, the tactics drawn by Ye Qiu at this moment consist of four lines

This is what Beckenbauer referred to, as nowadays the vast majority of teams transfer the ball to the edge of the penalty area, entrusting it to the number 10 to organize play, concentrating heavy forces in the front line, while the backfield becomes a space

After Ye Qiu listened to his words, he nodded with a smile, "Returning to the four-line staff!"

While Kaleo Benhak thinks this way, Waters remains indifferent

The most lethal flaw in Ajax's 4-3-3 formation! Ye Qiu spoke almost word by word

Young people are indeed fond of empty rhetoric, speaking with great eloquence, but when it comes to practice, their true colors are immediately revealed

This involves people, team collaboration, tactics, and even various aspects of players' diets and daily routines before matches, making it a vast array of fields. No one can discern a winning pattern from such a massive amount of data.

Therefore, Ajax's 4-3-3 formation still consists of three lines: defense, midfield, and attack

In the past 6 matches, the B1 team of Westhof achieved an impressive record of 5 wins and 1 loss in the U16 A-level league, with the only defeat coming against the Feyenoord B1 team. They secured victories in all other matches, including a significant win of 5:1, making their performance truly remarkable

... ...

As soon as he walked into their small and messy office, he saw that Ye Qiu had arrived at some point, leaning over the desk and drawing something. When he leaned in to take a closer look, he realized that Ye Qiu was drawing a tactical map

In contrast, Ye Qiu's team has a record of 2 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss. For mid to lower-tier teams with poor youth training, this performance might be considered acceptable. However, the issue is that he is currently coaching the Ajax youth team, one of the top teams in the Netherlands, which makes this situation somewhat unacceptable

After subduing Westhoff, Leo Benhak looked at Ye Qiu with great interest. He began to find this young Chinese man somewhat inscrutable, as he could not fathom what Ye Qiu was actually planning to do

For small and medium-sized teams, such as those in the league, splitting forces to fight on two fronts may not necessarily be a good thing. Without sufficient bench depth and talent reserves, competing on multiple fronts can certainly lead to self-destruction. Therefore, top clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, and AC Milan maintain first-team squads that can be as large as 30 players to effectively manage multi-front competitions

Ye Qiu nodded with a smile, as he had long known that this fellow, capable of serving as the team leader for the B age group and having immersed himself in professional football at Ajax for so many years, must possess considerable tactical acumen. Now, he could immediately see that this was a defensive arrangement, quite impressive!

In this match, he observed that Adrian's team split into two groups, resulting in poor player performance

After watching the match footage, Ye Qiu confidently analyzed to Roland, "If this issue is not resolved, as long as the opponent seizes the opportunity, Ajax will find it very difficult to defeat their rivals"

If it can be said that a little over a month ago, everyone was still curious about Ye Qiu, then now, more than a month later, everyone has a rough estimate of his weight in terms of significance. The performance of the Ajax B2 team he leads is not outstanding; it can even be described as below average.

As for the forward line, Ajax, during their offensive plays, positions their wingers almost right against the opponent's defensive line in order to suppress the two opposing full-backs, while utilizing the active movement of the three midfielders to create connections.

Ajax's 4-3-3 formation can be strictly divided into three parts. The four defenders are self-explanatory. The midfield consists of traditional Dutch midfielders, characterized by strong tactical execution, active running, diligent defense, extensive coverage, excellent late-arrival attacking ability, and sound distribution awareness. They embody a balance of offense and defense, with the most typical examples being Rijkaard and Davis.

It is important to note that in the year 2013, the 4-2-3-1 formation was prevalent, to the extent that it could be said that almost every team employed it. The 4-2-3-1 formation is a four-line system, and many coaches, including Ferguson, Wenger, Benitez, and Mourinho, utilized this formation. Mourinho also employed a 4-3-3 tactic centered around the 4-2-1-3 formation during his time at Chelsea

You will surely pay a painful price for your arrogance!" Westhoff said through gritted teeth.

Maduro and De Jong are both players with exceptional tactical abilities, but their contributions to the offensive end are not very significant. On the contrary, I believe that Sneijder should have his potential in the offensive area further unleashed, allowing him to take on more responsibilities in organizing and making late runs into the attack. Therefore, I plan to make adjustments to the positioning in the midfield

Everyone knows that if one day Westhoff were to take power at Ajax, Ye Qiu would definitely be the first target of his purge, simply because this guy has repeatedly challenged Westhoff's authority.

It is akin to Waters' Ajax, who, in the first three rounds of matches, could sweep through their opponents with ease, even achieving one resounding victory after another. However, suddenly, they suffered a 0:2 defeat against Feyenoord at the Arena, experiencing a dual failure both in terms of performance and score.

However, in the year 2013, when Ye Qiu was present, the fast-paced style had become a trend in European football. As a result, a large number of traditional number 10 players, such as Zidane and Riquelme, were phased out, replaced by modern attacking midfielders like Kaká, who shifted the focus of organization further back to the defensive midfield position

However, Waters clearly did not see this point. He confidently accepted interviews with reporters after the match, believing that he had found the key to leading Ajax to victory. This season, Ajax has reached its best form and will launch a comprehensive challenge for the league championship

Recently, some players in Team B2 have begun to question Ye Qiu, claiming that his tactics are inconsistent, often changing from one day to the next. They also say that he places too much emphasis on defense, which goes against Ajax's attacking tradition. However, due to the club's discipline, no one dares to confront him directly. Yet, all of this has caught the attention of Leo Benhakker, who is puzzled by what this young man relies on to dare to challenge Westerveld face to face.

Player Van der Vaart of Team B1 plays in a position somewhat similar to that of a second striker. His position is quite flexible, but he often retreats before making runs into the penalty area. Therefore, the positions of Maduro and De Jong can impose certain restrictions on him

However, facing such a team, the traditional powerhouse Ajax could only manage a 1:1 draw away from home against their opponent

I want to present a league championship as a gift to the club's centenary celebration

Roland Shepas wants to cry, he really wants to cry

Experience can only be understood intuitively and cannot be conveyed in words. Some people are born with it, while others may never learn it throughout their lives; it is difficult to say.

Roland was completely taken aback by what he said

Therefore, in the field of football, despite the presence of high-tech assistance, the most important factor remains the most traditional one: experience

Stop keeping me in suspense, what have you discovered

If in mid-September Ajax was like a rat crossing the street, with everyone calling for its downfall, then by the end of September and the beginning of October, Ajax achieved two consecutive victories, particularly the 6:3 win against Willem II, which directly propelled Ajax to a new peak.

It was not until mid-October, after Ajax's home victory of 4:1 against Fortuna Sittard, that Leo Beenhakker once again brought up a wager made over a month ago during the meeting of De Toekomst, prompting everyone to suddenly recall the matter.

However, regardless of the circumstances, Ye Qiu has already left a deep mark of Waters. For Leo Benhak, Ye Qiu must not be allowed to remain. Eliminating Ye Qiu would also indirectly weaken Waters' authority

In addition to coaching Team B2, Ye Qiu is also analyzing the Eredivisie.

Certainly, it is not to say that Ajax's issues are easily identifiable by opponents; it also depends on whether the opposing coach can recognize the key problems, as well as whether the opposing players possess sufficient skill to exploit these vulnerabilities and create opportunities.

The so-called four-line formation has little impact on the arrangement of defensive players, but its effect on the midfield and forward positions, especially the midfield, is revolutionary. This is because it further divides the midfield line into two types: either offensive or defensive.

In other words, most tactics primarily consider passing the ball to the edge of the penalty area, handing it over to the number 10 player, who then organizes the passes to create threats. The area in front of any team's penalty box is often a densely defended zone, so the skills of the number 10 player are usually very refined and exquisite. However, this type of player often represents a slower speed and rhythm

Roland, after watching the match footage and listening to Ye Qiu's analysis, has become thoroughly convinced by his remarks

As for Ye Qiu's life and death, he has never taken it to heart

Nowadays, everyone believes that Waters has redeemed himself with this victory, proving his worth.

The Dutchman, who has been leading the team for less than six months but appears to have aged nearly a decade, is currently most troubled by the poor performance of the first team and how to further consolidate his power after gaining transfer authority, allowing him to become the most influential figure in the competitive realm of Ajax, surpassing individuals like Leo Beenhakker.

At dawn, Ye Qiu's phone pulled him out of the warm bed with his wife and summoned him to Detokmost.

Westhoff sat diagonally opposite Ye Qiu, his expression and tone filled with disdain and sarcasm. From the very beginning, he had never liked Ye Qiu, and ever since Ye Qiu openly challenged him, his dislike had escalated to outright loathing.

This inevitably reminded him of Moyes, the coach of Everton in the English Premier League in his previous life. At that time, many people were curious about Moyes's situation, as his team would have one stunning year followed by one disappointing year. When a reporter asked him about it, he revealed the key: it was the European competitions.

Retracting the positions of Maduro and De Jong not only enhances their defensive capabilities, safeguarding the area in front of our penalty box, but also further compresses the opponent's activity space in front of our penalty area, restricting their number 10, and even including B1 team's forward Van der Vaart

During the summer selection of a head coach, Ajax originally intended to appoint K. Adriaanse, who is now the head coach of Willem II. However, Adriaanse, who led his team to European competitions last season, declined Ajax's invitation in order to prove himself on the European stage. This ultimately led to the appointment of Waters, who was then the head coach of Ajax's under-18 team.

The "four-line score" mentioned by Roland refers to a method of dividing tactical areas, which was quite popular in the 1950s. At that time, the 3223 formation, known as the ancient divine formation WM among countless fans, was essentially a four-line score. It divided a team from front to back into four distinct areas based on their roles and cooperation.

"You are right, Mr. Westhoff, idle talk is useless; only practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. Therefore, what you are saying now is nonsense!" Ye Qiu retorted with a smile, "If you want to mock me or kick me when I'm down, I'm sorry, but please wait until you have actually defeated me on the court before you say anything!"

Therefore, Ye Qiu can now be almost one hundred percent certain that the withdrawal of the organizational focus is inevitable, and as a result, playmaking defensive midfielders such as Pirlo, Xavi Alonso, and Carrick will rise accordingly

I stayed up late last night watching the match footage of Feyenoord and Ajax, guess what I discovered

As an observer, Ye Qiu's team has had a lackluster performance over the past three weeks, with two draws followed by a recent victory, showing no distinctive features. Only Ye Qiu himself is aware that he is refining the team's new tactics and style. Therefore, even though Westhof's team has achieved three consecutive victories, he remains largely unconcerned.

Roland listened to his words and, upon examining his analysis chart, couldn't help but nod. Sacrificing two midfielders could indeed restrict Van der Vaart's performance. It is difficult to determine whether this is worthwhile, as Van der Vaart is the soul of Team B1. To defeat Team B1, it is essential to limit him.

This means that the elimination of three-line notation and the return to four-line notation is a trend

In at least the 6th round, the away team Vitesse failed to seize the opportunity, resulting in a 1:3 loss at the Arena Stadium. Waters' team finally broke free from a two-match winless streak and secured a victory

A glimmer of anger flashed in Westhoff's eyes; if it were not for the fact that a meeting was currently in session and everyone was watching, he would have certainly jumped out and torn Ye Qiu to shreds

This is also what I want to say to you! Ye Qiu did not back down and pushed the words back again

If the speed and rhythm increase, who can still be delicate?

A week later, when Ajax faced Willem II of Adrianse away from home, Adrianse, distracted by European competitions and struggling with the demands of competing on two fronts, managed to exploit Ajax's vulnerabilities. However, they simultaneously exposed their own issues, suffering a 6:3 defeat at home to Ajax

The current tactical environment in football remains an era dominated by traditional playmakers. Stars like Zidane, Rui Costa, and Miccoli are in their prime. Regardless of the team, there is a heavy reliance on the number 10 player for offensive progression, which consequently slows down the pace of the team's attack, as they position their playmaking efforts at the edge of the opponent's penalty area

He is a product of Ajax's youth training system, possessing a solid tactical foundation. Moreover, after his retirement, he spent many years at Ajax and the library, and he holds a coaching certificate himself. His professional knowledge is beyond question; otherwise, how could he have been appointed as the team leader for the B age group?

Roland listened and then looked at Ye Qiu, and indeed saw that his eyes were bloodshot and his tone was somewhat forceful, clearly indicating that he had not slept all night. This made Roland's perception of Ye Qiu change somewhat; at least this guy was willing to put in so much effort to win a match.

The first team won the match, and everyone at the club breathed a sigh of relief. At least the previously tense atmosphere surrounding De Tockmost has eased, and all discussions are centered around the first team

The entire city of Amsterdam has gone completely crazy

This was the first time Roland had seen Ye Qiu drawing a tactical diagram, and all his previous dissatisfaction was instantly swept away, replaced by curiosity. He leaned in closely to take a look and immediately noticed that this tactical diagram was significantly different from Ajax's traditional 4-3-3 formation.

Leo Benhak glanced at Westhoff, who looked at the composed and dignified veteran coach, managing to swallow his anger. However, his gaze towards Ye Qiu became increasingly venomous, clearly directing all his fury towards Ye Qiu.

Ye Qiu watched the match footage collected by the club at the first opportunity. This type of footage differs somewhat from television broadcasts, as the perspective does not solely follow the ball. Instead, it adopts a broader viewpoint, which ensures that more match content and information are captured in the footage, facilitating match analysis

The victor is a king, while the vanquished is a bandit; this has always been the harsh reality of football

In the tactical diagram newly drawn by Ye Qiu, both Maduro and De Jong are positioned further back, while Sneijder moves forward. It is evident that the two players behind are expected to take on more responsibilities for defensive interception and protecting the backline, while Sneijder is entrusted with the task of organizing the attack.

Football is a highly complex and systematic sport. Even in 2013, despite the advanced technology worldwide, it was still impossible to systematically and scientifically organize all aspects involved in football, thereby deriving a set of rules and methods that could guarantee victory.

In the first half, Ajax performed well, but in the second half, a critical mistake reoccurred

However, this is impossible for small and medium-sized teams, as the burden of salaries alone constitutes a heavy financial pressure

Alternatively, it can be said that returning to the four-line staff equates to a further refinement of the players' roles and responsibilities on the field

A week later, Waters' team traveled to VVV-Venlo, just as everyone was celebrating Ajax for encountering this relatively weak team during their difficult times. VVV-Venlo had entered the relegation playoffs last season, and had it not been for their final victory over Sparta Rotterdam, they would have been relegated long ago

... ...

"But if that's the case, you'll be one player short in the midfield. What will happen to the offense?" Roland discerned the implications.