Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

164 – Dios del Futbol

164

Football before the 20th century and football in the 21st century are vastly different.

Even within modern football, the game has changed significantly from the 2000s to the 2010s.

However, despite the changes in trends and eras, one thing that remains consistently important in modern football is pressure.

Of course, pressure was important in the past as well.

But in modern football, where tactics are rapidly evolving, the pressure system has also developed rapidly, differing significantly from the past.

In the past, pressure was synonymous with coaches like Jose Mourinho and Diego Simeone, who would drop their line and wait for the opponent to enter. They would then apply strong pressure to win the ball and launch a quick counterattack.

However, modern pressure is different. It’s more proactive and aggressive.

If we had to compare, it’s closer to the proactive pressure employed by coaches like Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, rather than the passive pressure shown by Jose Mourinho.

It’s evolved from passive regional defense to man-marking, and from waiting at a low line to applying pressure aggressively at the highest possible position.

The rise of pressure positions and the refinement of systems has not only changed defensive tactics but has also brought about changes in overall football tactics.

This is inevitable, as the opponent’s pressure line has become higher and more refined, making it impossible for players to play as they used to.

Modern pressure tactics have developed to the point where it’s not just about having exceptional technique or being able to break through pressure.

As a result, the central axis of tactics continues to shift downward.

The role of the central striker, once the axis of tactics, has moved down to the second line, and the era of central attacking midfielders like Kaka, Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Baggio, Francesco Totti, Juan Roman Riquelme, David Silva, and Alessandro Del Piero has unfolded.

And as pressure tactics continued to evolve, the central pressure grew stronger, and the axis shifted to the sides, where pressure was relatively weaker.

This has led to the era of side attackers who excel at cutting in from the sides, represented by wingers like Messi and Ronaldo.

However, even this has been pushed back by the refined pressure, and the axis of tactics has shifted downward once again.

The era of the so-called “half-space” midfielder, who breaks through the central midfield, has arrived.

Led by Kevin De Bruyne, players like Sergej Milinković-Savić, Paul Pogba, Ángel Di María, Bernardo Silva, and Isco have made great contributions as midfielders.

However, by the mid-2020s, even this role was pushed back by the advanced pressing system, and the defensive midfielder emerged as the team’s most important link.

In modern football, a defensive midfielder cannot survive by just defending well. It’s no longer an era where you can be a good defensive midfielder just by defending a lot.

To become a good defensive midfielder like Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo, Arsenal’s Declan Rice, Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić, Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich, PSG’s Marco Verratti, and Manchester City’s Rodri, you need to possess both build-up ability and pressure-resistance ability.

It’s no longer surprising that the defensive midfielder records the most ball touches in a game. Moreover, as they are positioned right in front of the final defensive line, they cannot lack defensive contributions.

In the past, defensive midfielders had to provide a lot of defensive support and run a lot, and now they need to add build-up ability and the ability to break through strong pressure to become a top-notch defensive midfielder.

Then, what if a center-back takes on the role of a defensive midfielder?

If a center-back can not only defend but also take charge of the team’s build-up like a defensive midfielder and even possess an unbelievable pressure-resistance ability, what would happen?

That’s what’s happening at Barcelona now.

In modern football, one of the most important factors is numerical superiority in certain situations, and if one player can take on the roles of both defensive midfielder and center-back, they can’t lose in numerical battles.

Even if Barcelona’s players have declined, they’re not players who would be pushed around by others, and with an extra player, the game wouldn’t be difficult.

However, as with everything in life, there’s a price to pay for Barcelona’s numerical superiority.

That is, a numerical disadvantage in defensive situations.

Until now, Barcelona’s overwhelming possession rate and individual athletic ability have covered up this weakness, but those who know it well are aware of this fact.

“Our excellent analysis team has thoroughly analyzed Barcelona’s weaknesses, and it will be proven in the game. We’ll find the answer as we always do.”

Therefore, Dortmund’s coach, Fabian Börnemann, declared confidently at the media day before the first game that he would actively target Barcelona’s weakness in defensive situations where they lack numbers.

But despite everyone knowing this fact, there’s a reason why no team has been able to properly exploit it.

Si intentas compararlo en evidencia quedarás

If you compare him to other players, you’re making a fool of yourself

se regatea a todos justo antes de marcar

His dribbling surpasses everyone and scores a goal

oooh JU JITAE, dios del futbol…marca un gol!

Oh—Jujitae, the god of football, scores another goal!

The “Dios del Futbol” chant, which used to echo at Camp Nou as Messi’s anthem, has revived as Jujitae’s anthem after a decade, shaking Camp Nou once again.

“More! Louder!!”

“One more time!”

The enthusiastic chant of the Culés, filling Camp Nou, is a nickname for Jujitae.

“Ju! Ju! Ju!”

Dortmund, who employed a counter-attack strategy against Barcelona, excluding the two center-backs, clashed fiercely.

In reality, Dortmund’s strong pressure was effective, and they successfully intercepted Barcelona’s pass in the early stages of the first half, creating a scoring opportunity.

The accurate pass to Dortmund’s speed star, Marcus, was intended for him, but Jujitae, who sprinted from afar, reached the ball first.

[Wow, Jujitae is incredibly fast!]

[It’s Jujitae again! He’s not inferior to Marcus, the fastest player in the Bundesliga! No, he’s even faster!]

[Come to think of it, he had a good record against Dortmund during his 1860 Munich days!]

[That was Dortmund’s planned play. They sent an accurate pass to Marcus, but Jujitae caught up to it. His physical abilities are unbelievable!]

Marcus’s defeat in the speed competition broke down Dortmund’s counter-attack strategy from the start.

Furthermore, Jujitae’s low and fast cross in a corner-kick situation even led to a lucky goal, hitting Madrid Murcia’s knee and shaking the net.

“This is crazy. Get back in line! We’re warriors! Don’t be afraid and fight! Fight, you fools!”

After the match, Director Fabian Borneemann chose to fight back instead of giving up.

And it was a perfect misjudgment.

Juzi Tai, who was energized by the cheering crowd, was running wild like a madman.

From the back, Juzi Tai caught the ball and pretended to make a long pass, then suddenly dribbled past three players and kicked the ball into the penalty box.

Destiny Kosiso, who had finally debuted, barely touched the ball with his toes, but it hit the goalpost and went out.

However, it was enough to excite the fans.

“Joo! Joo! Joo!”

Juzi Tai raised both arms to the cheering crowd, who became even more enthusiastic and loud.

The Dortmund players didn’t give up, but—

[Oh, Dortmund. You’re being crushed in the first leg at Camp Nou. Barcelona scores their fourth goal in the 34th minute.]

[Fabian director covers his face and sits down, looking defeated.]

[In the 36th minute, Juzi Tai, who had shown an overwhelming performance with one attack point, is substituted. The Barcelona fans give him a standing ovation.]

The result was one-sided.

4:0, Barcelona’s victory.

“Barcelona wins the Champions League quarterfinals with an overwhelming score!”

“Is this a sign of their championship? Barcelona dreams of a treble!”

“Barcelona secures the Super Copa de España title! What’s next, the Copa del Rey?”

“Is this the beginning of Barcelona’s golden era? They’re on the verge of achieving a quadruple!”