Watford's Coach, Walter Mazzarri, was certainly not an unknown.
The 56-year-old Italian Coach had previously managed many Serie A teams, including Sampdoria, Naples, and Inter Milan, and was very experienced.
In recent years, his favorite tactic had been a system centered around three center-backs.
If he wanted to attack, he might use formations like 3-4-3 or 3-5-2;
and if he leaned towards defense, he would deploy 5-4-1 or 5-3-2.
Of course, these formations would also be freely switched during actual matches depending on the situation.
After all, the wing-back positions were relatively flexible; they could drop back to become two traditional full-backs, or push up to become wingers or even wide forwards.
From Zhao Zhao's first simulation, Mazzarri was clearly very wary of Sunderland playing at home, which was why he used a very defensive 5-4-1 formation.
This was actually Mazzarri correcting himself.
In fact, almost all media and fans had not expected Watford to fall to this point, still fighting for relegation before the final round!
As early as the 33rd round, Watford had already reached 38 points, ranking as high as 10th!
But from the 34th round onwards, Mazzarri, who had been advocating an attacking style, continuously suffered bitter consequences.
0:2 Hull City, 0:1 Liverpool, 0:3 Leicester City, 0:2 Swansea…
Watford had suffered a bitter four-game losing streak!
Their points stagnated, and the team gradually slipped into the dangerous relegation zone.
Therefore, Mazzarri truly dared not take any more risks.
Playing away against Sunderland, he only needed 1 point.
Just 1 point, and he could lead Watford out of the abyss!
That's why he decided to release a smokescreen before the match and then use a conservative approach in the actual game to secure that 1 point.
Since Zhao Zhao had believed Mazzarri's words at this time, he adopted a relatively balanced tactical approach to deal with Watford's "attacking play."
This, instead, led him into the opponent's trap, and he ultimately lost the match.
This was actually similar to the battle between Zhao Zhao and Karen Gillan; both were matches where the opponent "parked the bus."
When facing such a defensive setup, if one doesn't attack fiercely and press aggressively in the opponent's half, how can one break through their defense and achieve victory?
If one pursues too much balance between offense and defense, it will lead to defeat.
And if they really lost like this, Sunderland's chances of relegation would greatly increase!
However, fortunately, Zhao Zhao was a man with a match simulator.
Just one try, and he could figure out Mazzarri's true intentions.
So, in the next few days, Zhao Zhao naturally had a clear idea of what to do!
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Match day arrived quickly.
At 3 PM on May 21, 2017, the 38th round of this season's Premier League, which was also the final round, saw all 10 matches kick off simultaneously!
This was a traditional arrangement for the Premier League, but in reality, only a few teams still had something significant at stake.
After all, the champion had already been decided, and two relegated teams had already been determined!
Even two teams for the Champions League had already been confirmed: Chelsea and Tottenham.
The other two spots would be contested between Manchester City with 75 points, Liverpool with 73 points, and Arsenal with 72 points.
As for Manchester United, they had already secured a Europa League spot early on…
Then came the more closely watched relegation battle!
Among the three teams currently in danger of relegation, Swansea hosting West Bromwich Albion, who had nothing to play for, was not worth discussing much; the focus was still on the direct confrontation between Sunderland and Watford!
The pre-match statements from both Coaches, and speculations about whether there would still be a fixed match, all made this game at the Stadium of Light full of talking points.
And today, there were even many fans from China who specifically came to the Stadium of Light to watch the match.
The reason was simple: this was the last Premier League match of the season, and if they wanted to see Zhao Zhao live again, they would have to wait another two or three months!
So, domestic travel agencies seized the opportunity to launch a "North England Tour + Watching Sunderland's Relegation Battle" package as a gimmick to attract domestic tourists.
And clearly, such marketing was very effective, which was why there were so many East Asian faces in the stadium today.
In addition, the number of female fans in the stadium today was also much higher than usual.
And these female fans were not just East Asian faces; there were also many with blonde hair and blue eyes.
After all, when it comes to the hobby of admiring handsome men, there isn't much difference between women from the East and West…
Amidst such widespread attention, today's focal point, Zhao Zhao, was currently in the locker room giving his final instructions to his disciples.
Since today was destined to be a tough offensive battle, the forwards were of utmost importance!
They not only had to bear the heavy responsibility of breaking through the opponent's defense but also needed to establish the first line of defense, applying high-intensity pressure on Watford's backline to quickly regain possession.
The reason for emphasizing this again before the match today was that Zhao Zhao had more specific requirements for them today, demanding more collaboration!
"After kickoff, you need to pay attention to blocking their central passing lanes, forcing them to play the ball wide."
Zhao Zhao pointed at the five chess pieces representing Watford's backline on the tactics board.
"Because they have three center-backs, you must coordinate well. Our three forwards will collectively cut off the passing lanes between the opponent's center-backs and defensive midfielders, leaving one of the opponent's full-backs free, forcing the opponent to play the ball to the other flank, which is Janmaat's side."
"Once the ball goes wide, the winger on that side, which is Khazri, you immediately press the player in possession, while the other two forwards cut off the passing lanes to the center, creating a local numerical advantage and establishing a strong pressing side."
"Then, it's about encircling the opponent with the midfielders, winning the ball back or forcing the opponent into a mistake."
"Why play to Janmaat's side? He's a bit older and slower, and his ball retention is a bit weaker, leading to lower passing efficiency. Mason on the other side is the opposite; he's young and can run, making him harder to control."
"Of course, we might fail to win the ball. But even then, the opponent can only advance along the flank, posing less threat, and our central and defensive midfielders will handle that."
Finally, Zhao Zhao said to Defoe: "You have the most match experience, so you will initiate the pressing. Only when the three forwards act in coordination can this tactic be maximized."
Defoe patted his chest: "No problem. I really like this tactic, and I believe my two younger brothers will do very well too!"
Borini and Khazri also smiled and nodded.
Under the leadership of an elder brother like Defoe, they had truly learned a lot.
And once all three of them indicated they understood, Zhao Zhao immediately activated the simulator again and checked the latest results.
Then he smiled and waved his hand:
"Alright, let's end this unforgettable season with a victory!"