Chapter 1263: Defending Against External Threats, Stabilizing Internal Affairs (Part 2)

Now… Lu Yang has become that Becher’s, but his strength far surpasses Becher’s, and his professional ethics are slightly better as well.

Lu Yang will pursue personal interests while appropriately considering Barça’s performance issues.

And he won’t disregard the team’s interests like Becher’s did.

Back then, Lu Yang’s role now requires Mateo, Mebarak, Ortiz, Hernandez and others to play.

After the last game, they might have realized this.

Their biggest task now is… to appease Brother Lu!

Knock knock!

Lu Yang knocked on Gudiola’s office door.

“Coach, I have some opinions I want to discuss with you,” Lu Yang said.

“Come in, should I make you a cup of tea?” Gudiola surprisingly had Taibai Flower Tea, and Lu Yang surely wanted a pot of it.

Then the two chatted while drinking tea.

“What are the components that make up a football team’s combat power? How do these components relate to one another? Furthermore, how should we evaluate a head coach’s position in modern football?” Lu Yang immediately delved into a sensitive topic.

A coach is like a dog, that’s Barça’s prevalent view at present.

“It should consist of the players’ ability, the team system, and the head coach,” Gudiola responded. “Many people like to talk about formations when discussing football, but actually formations are merely expressions of the team system and head coach’s will. They’re not unimportant, but they’re not fundamental.”

“These three should complement each other.”

“The players’ abilities are the most direct factors in solving problems and deciding the outcome of a match. This aspect gains the most attention, and Real Madrid has perfected this approach.”

“They frantically pile up stars, and everything else takes a backseat to accommodate the stars’ performances. Anyone who assembles the world’s top eleven players into a team, even if there’s a slight imbalance in offense and defense, will end up with a formidable result.”

“This is the ultimate expression of individual heroism, essentially based on the theory that no two leaves in the world are completely alike in football representation.”

“On the other hand, Netherlands football’s all-out attack and defense, along with Barça’s current extreme possession football, follow the team system route.”

“Star players have unstable performance and fluctuate significantly. There isn’t guaranteed chemistry between them. While a group of ordinary players continually collaborates, their chemistry can match that of star players. That’s the advantage of system football.”

“They might not keep the same players together indefinitely, but they can mass-produce players of the same type and style, consistently adopting the same style of play.”

“Like industrial product parts, replace what’s broken. This is the football revolution brought by industrial thinking, which to some extent obliterates players’ personalities and can be called industrial football.”

“Both approaches are excessively extreme, and that’s when a third entity needs to intervene… the head coach!”

“But, exactly because they’re between the two, their energy is hugely underestimated!”

It’s evident that Gudiola felt indignant.

There are many styles of head coaches.

Some are skilled at developing young players into stars from scratch.

Some excel at combining stars to achieve a greater-than-sum effect.

Some are proficient in analyzing opponents’ weaknesses, pre-match targeting expertise.

Some have a knack for rapid adaptation, making instant adjustments with immediate effects, commanding the situation!

Overall, a head coach is essentially a coordinator!

A thought within star player football and system football.

Is this thought important?

Some people say even a dog can do it.

But the truth is, when football enters an era of star and system competition, and most major clubs no longer lack stars and systems, what everyone is really competing on is who thinks more and whose thoughts are more advanced.

The head coach is the last ruler in the golden era of football!

Above players and team systems!

Not because they are more important than the former two, but because their slower development compared to the former two enters into competition later, becoming the final puzzle piece deciding strength.

Lu Yang spoke at this moment: “Since you understand that system football is essentially industrial football, where players have significant interchangeability, then you should realize Mebarak may be much stronger than Pirola, but their performance won’t differ greatly due to the team’s system boost.”

Confrontational words!

Lu Yang didn’t want anyone stabbing him in the back when he was playing upfront.

System football’s greatest power lies in the system itself, rather than any individual player.

Gudiola shook his head: “By saying this, you underestimate Barça. Barça is not entirely system football, as they’ve already found their balance!”

Mateo is the thought within Barça’s system football.

His existence is the biggest reason why Barça might not need a head coach.

Under normal circumstances, teams follow the system to resolve battles.

If the team can’t resolve it, then let Mateo step forward and solve it with his personal skills.

No need for a head coach as a mediator, star player football and system football have seamlessly merged together.

This kind of Barça truly doesn’t require a head coach anymore.

Of course, Mateo is still a bit young at the current stage, so they still need someone like him who can sometimes integrate into the system and sometimes showcase star player personal skills as a secondary core.

“I certainly know that,” Lu Yang said, “but at least Mebarak is nothing special in this system, isn’t he?”