Chapter 629 Trust

Just when Bruno was sitting here reflecting on himself, his teammates came in one after another.

Ronaldo wanted to talk to him, but seeing Bruno like this, he was a little afraid to come up and disturb him.

The first half was very suffocating, and everyone knew that Bruno had a problem with this, but the problem was that it couldn't be blamed on Bruno. The opponent's tactics were too powerful. What could be done?

Many people came in like Bruno, sitting in their seats with their heads down and not talking.

They experienced a first half of great joy and sorrow, and they really didn't know what to say.

Santos was the last one to come in, and many people looked up at their head coach. At this time, the person they could trust the most was still the head coach. They needed the head coach to tell them what to do in the second half, and even Bruno looked up at the head coach.

Although Santos once told him to play with his brain on the court, if the players themselves could solve any problem, what else did the head coach need to do?

He was a person in the game, and his overall consideration was not as thorough as the head coach on the sidelines. At this time, he was like a lost child, and he also needed the head coach to guide him.

Santos happened to glance at Bruno, and their eyes met in the air. Santos said nothing, his eyes naturally passed over Bruno's face, and Bruno also retracted his eyes.

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When Santos walked straight to the tactical board, the locker room was completely quiet, and everyone was waiting for him to make some adjustments to the team.

"The opponent performed better than us in the first half, so they deserved to be ahead." This was the first sentence Santos said, and it sounded like a euphemism to criticize the team. "First of all, I have to admit that I made a mistake. I didn't expect the French team to have such a tactic. This is not your problem, it's all my responsibility."

When he said this, he looked at Bruno.

"Next, let's adjust the tactics. Bruno."

Hearing his name being called, Bruno stood up and looked at his head coach with expectation.

"You play in the middle in the second half."

This sentence surprised everyone present, including Bruno himself.

In this game, Portugal played the 4321 Christmas tree formation. Although Bruno played as a front midfielder, his position on the field was on the left. If he is allowed to go to the middle in the second half, wouldn't that make Portugal's formation asymmetrical, or does Portugal have to change its formation?

"Your problem in the first half was that you were too far away from the opponent's penalty area and goal, so the threat was naturally much smaller. So in the second half, you are in the middle, so you can be closer to the opponent's penalty area. In this way, you can play your ability to pass threatening balls."

"But sir, I went to the middle, then the left..." Bruno felt that the problem was still not solved, and he spread his hands and asked.

Santos said without hesitation: "We will change the formation in the second half."

Then, Santos arranged the personnel adjustment. Quaresma came on as a substitute, replacing Joao Mario, and Portugal also changed back to the most commonly used 433 formation. Bernardo Silva, Ronaldo and Quaresma formed a front trident, Bruno played as a front midfielder, and William Carvalho and Moutinho formed a double back midfielder.

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After arranging the team's tactics in the second half, Santos turned around and continued to talk about Bruno's task.

"I noticed that they are getting more and more rude in their defense against you, and there are many small fouls. The closer you are to their penalty area, the more chances we have to get set pieces in dangerous positions. I wonder why we can't use our free kick advantage again?"

Bruno understood that by getting closer to the opponent's center and penalty area, he could complete the task of organizing the attack with fewer passes, and avoid being entangled with the opponent. At the same time, he could get a lot of threatening set pieces. Portugal has two top free kick masters, him and Ronaldo. As long as he uses set pieces to threaten the French team's goal a few times, they will naturally reduce the fouls on him, and the pressure on him will be reduced a lot. He will have room to move again. In the position close to the penalty area, a very small space for movement may bring about very different results.

This adjustment is really wonderful.

"Okay, I'll listen to you, sir." After thinking about Santos' adjustment intention in his mind, Bruno knew what to do, and he answered a little louder.

"Don't worry, I haven't finished yet." Santos made a calming gesture and continued, "When you are closer to the opponent's goal, it means you have more shooting opportunities. My advice is - if the time is right, then try a long shot boldly."

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Bruno nodded vigorously, he had no objection to the coach's arrangement. Long shots are indeed his important scoring method. As long as there is a suitable opportunity, Bruno will naturally not use it.

Santos was very satisfied with Bruno's attitude, and then he turned around and said to the players of the team: "I know that your performance in the first half is not your true level, and I also know that you must have been very suffocated in the first half. But it doesn't matter, all this will be reversed in the second half. We will attack in the second half..."

"I remember I said this before the game, but unfortunately we didn't do it in the first half. We must attack in the second half, there is no other way, if you still want to win the championship."

"I hope everyone can adapt to this quickly. Remember that this is the final, and we only have 45 minutes left."

"I heard that 100,000 fans came from Portugal. Do you want them to be disappointed after the game? We have been doing very well in this World Cup. You are their pride. I hope they will still think so after the game!"

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During the halftime break, many fans left their seats and went to places that sell drinks and food to replenish their energy so that they could continue to cheer for their team in the stands in the second half.

Of course, in order to prevent the fans of both sides from fighting after a disagreement, the security in these areas is also very strict.

Fortunately, not many people will bring the grudges on the court to the court.

Unlike the jubilant French fans, the Portuguese fans also seemed a little quiet during the halftime break.

They had a good start in the first half. They thought they could take advantage of the situation and kill the French team in one go. Unexpectedly, they had no chance in the subsequent games. They were suppressed by the French team and could not turn over at all.

The lead did not last long, and now the leader has become the laggard. Many people can't stand this psychological gap.

When the players from both sides ran onto the field, they interrupted all the activities in the stands, and everyone returned to their seats and sat down, waiting for the start of the second half of the game.

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Bruno counted and found that everyone was on the field, so he waved to everyone to gather around.

After everyone gathered around, he stood in the middle and said to his teammates: "I have an idea to change our poor performance in the first half, but I need your support and help."

"Just say it, Bruno, what do we need to do?" As Bruno's good brother, Cancelo always follows Bruno's lead.

"I thought carefully about the reasons why we didn't play well in the first half. I was marked by the opponent, which was a major factor. But our team was too far apart and we didn't run actively. I think we can do this..." He pointed at himself, "I am the center of the field, and there must be a few people around me. When I want to pass the ball, it should be easy to find you, and the distance should be short."

Bruno was not polite to them when assigning tasks. He was not humble at all and told them what to do in an almost commanding tone.

"No matter where I am, I should be like this around me, just like now." He pointed at everyone and himself. He was in the middle and everyone was outside, forming a circle.

This is very intuitive, and the teammates nodded.

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No one questioned whether Bruno was qualified to command them, nor did they question whether he was right to do so.

Bruno has conquered all his teammates with his stable performance in the past few years, especially when Portugal won the European Cup two years ago and the Confederations Cup last year, which made almost all Portuguese players know Bruno's strength and ability. Whatever he says on the court, everyone will listen, because he has never let them down.

This is trust.

"This will make it difficult for the opponent to defend. I hope everyone will pass and run quickly, and try not to let the ball stay at your feet for too long, because everyone has seen their tactics. Once the ball stays at your feet for too long, you will be pressed by them. In order to tear open their defense, we must be fast!"

He raised his index finger and said solemnly: "Remember, guys, we have to be fast in the second half!"

Everyone nodded.

"If you lose the ball, counter-grab it on the spot. Don't cherish your physical strength. We are behind now, and there is nothing to cherish." Bruno continued, "If you can't grab it, you have to interfere with them, and fouls are okay. Anyway, we can't let them hit our quick counterattack."

"This way our offensive pattern is a bit small, but it doesn't matter. As long as they are confused by us and relax their defense, we will immediately pass the ball and catch them off guard!" Bruno punched the palm of his hand.

"Good idea!" After listening to the whole plan, Ronaldo shouted.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's do it!" Cancelo also shouted.

No one else had any objection, so Bruno's battle plan was implemented.