Chapter 123 Keita

In advance, Seydou Keita, before he joined Ajax, I'm afraid no one would remember this name. Even in the early days of his transfer to Ajax, no one could tell the origin of this black player, but in the past season, he has gained a foothold in Ajax and has become one of the team's best players.

Speaking of the surname Keita, in Africa, especially in West African countries such as Mali and Senegal, it represents a prominent family surname, because from the 12th to the 17th century, it was the Keita dynasty that ruled West Africa, and even now, the Keita family is still full of talents, covering politics, music, writers and performers. The first president of Mali came from the Keita family.

Seydou Keita was born in a football family. His uncle is Mali's famous former top star Salif Keita. He became famous in Ligue 1 in the 1960s and helped Marseille win three consecutive Ligue 1 titles. He also won the African Footballer of the Year. After retiring, he opened a football school in the capital of Mali.

The famous Sarif Keita Youth Training Center is praised by the Malian people as the source of their country's football talents.

In Mali, football is called the king, because almost no one doesn't like to play football, whether it is a boy or a girl. After Keita's father passed away, he received training in the youth training school of his uncle Sarif Keita, and other talented players, such as Mohamed Diarra, were also trained.

Seydou Keita stood out among all the children who received training and became the best among them. So he left Mali and came to France and entered the youth training camp in Marseille under the recommendation of his uncle. He was 17 years old that year.

Many young people still grow up under the wings of their parents at the age of 17, but Keita had to leave his hometown and his relatives and come to a strange Europe. He didn't speak the language and had completely different living habits. He couldn't adapt to such a change and environment at all. He secretly hid in his bed and cried almost every night.

What's more important is that in the Marseille youth team at that time, many local youths who were trained together rejected this black boy from Africa, because they knew very well that he would affect their position and performance.

But what really changed Keita's fate was the 1999 World Youth Championship.

After joining Marseille for two years, Keita had almost no performance in the first team, because Marseille did not trust this black and strong African player at all. They felt that he had brute force and his personality seemed a bit unsociable. It was difficult for him to get along with his teammates. Such a player would hardly contribute to the team.

But when Keita proposed to represent Mali in the World Youth Championship, Marseille did not allow it, because in their opinion, a team like Mali would not be able to perform well in the World Youth Championship, and Keita was paid by Marseille, and they did not want their players to represent the national team.

On this issue, Keita inherited the character of his uncle, Salif Keita, and insisted on returning to his country to participate in the competition. He had a very bad relationship with Marseille for this. In the end, Marseille compromised and let Keita return to Africa to participate in the Nigeria World Youth Championship. Unexpectedly, this cup made Keita famous overnight. Together with Mohamed Diarra, he formed a strong midfield and led Mali to the third place. Keita himself also became the Golden Ball winner of the World Youth Championship.

But just when Keita thought that his fate would change because of this, Marseille was surprised by Keita's performance on the one hand, but on the other hand, he was dissatisfied with Keita's disobedience to the club's requirements, which directly affected Keita's situation in the club, causing him to perform poorly in the first team in the following season.

Marseille finally decided to give up Keita, and they began to find a buyer for Keita through their connections.

But what kind of team can a person who has no first-team performance and only the title of the Golden Ball in the World Youth Championship attract?

That period of time can be said to be the most confused and lost time for Keita in Europe. He was completely panicked about his future because he didn't know where he would go next? What kind of arrangement would he accept?

Unexpectedly, when he felt desperate and difficult, Ye Qiu called him for help.

"Are you willing to come to Ajax? Here, you will get the opportunity to prove yourself. You will become a first-class or even top star in Europe, because I believe you have such strength!" This is what Ye Qiu said to him on the phone at that time.

That was the only head coach who said this to Keita in his life. Even his mother never said this to him when comforting and encouraging him. So, at that moment, Keita decided to sell himself to Ye Qiu!

Coming to Amsterdam and joining Ajax, Keita quickly gained a foothold in Ye Qiu's team and became the team's main midfielder. His performance soon won everyone's recognition.

Among the three midfield players in Ajax, Keita's positioning is somewhat special.

If we divide the work in the ball control system, Gilberto Silva and Sneijder are the type who keep running to receive passes from their teammates and constantly create passes for their teammates. But after observing for a period of time, Ye Qiu found that this was not Keita's strong point, so he changed Keita's duties.

Now in Ajax's midfield system, Keita's role is more like a defender with a wide coverage area. From participating in the attack in the frontcourt, investing in on-the-spot counter-grabbing, to retreating to participate in the team's defense, Keita has enough contributions on both ends of the team's offense and defense, and many people say that Keita's running is a bit random.

There is no way to do this. Some players have enough awareness to complete [Let the ball keep coming to you], because they have excellent running and supporting abilities, as well as excellent passing abilities; but some players can only [I keep looking for the ball], and no head coach can make a player transform from the latter to the former in a short period of time.

Just like Chelsea's Essien in the previous life, he also had a lot of random running at the beginning, and through large-area coverage and running without hesitation, he made contributions to the team's offense and defense system. There is also AC Milan's Gattuso, who was also this type of player in the early stage, so many people said at the time that these two players were troublemakers.

But later, with the accumulation of game experience and the improvement of football wisdom, fans gradually discovered that both Essien and Gattuso were getting smarter and smarter. This is because they changed from constantly looking for the ball to letting the ball constantly come to you. The transformation between these two roles represents a kind of progress.

Originally, Yaya Toure was more suitable for the midfielder role than Keita in Ye Qiu's tactical positioning, because he could be a player who kept the ball coming to him, but he was too sticky to the ball, which was his shortcoming, and he was still young and his performance was not as good as Keita, so Ye Qiu finally chose Keita.

This is also a trade-off. No one is 100% perfect. If there are advantages, there must be disadvantages. The key is how a head coach can cover up the shortcomings of the players and dig out their advantages. This is the key for the head coach to improve the combat effectiveness of a team.

Keita is very grateful and admires Ye Qiu. He can have what he has today, can stand at the top of the UEFA Cup, can stand on the stage of the European Super Cup, and compete with top giants like Bayern Munich. That all comes from head coach Ye Qiu.

Therefore, when Ye Qiu scored the fifth goal of the game for Bayern Munich, he rushed to the sidelines and angrily scolded the players on the field for their shitty performance, even threatening them.

"If possible, I will replace all 11 of you!"

Ye Qiu's accusation cannot be said to be unreasonable. It is true that the physical fitness has declined, but the overall slackness of Ajax players after leading 3:0 in the first half is also the main factor, especially several players in the team, who are a little slack.

What kind of team is Bayern Munich?

It will be brilliant with a little sunshine. Even when facing Real Madrid, Manchester United, and other top European giants, Bayern Munich can suppress their opponents. Their fighting spirit and willpower are the best in the world.

For such a team, if you are a little slack, you will be gnawed to the bone at any time and anywhere.

Keita heard Ye Qiu's reprimand and a surge of anger surged in his heart. It was not directed at the head coach at all, but at himself and his opponent.

Not only him, the players of Ajax were also frightened by the coach and the fierce look. They all began to calm down, and began to work harder and harder to participate in the game, launching a round of counterattack and attack against Bayern Munich.

After the restart, Ajax played very resolutely, ignoring the loopholes behind them, and actively participated in the attack. This strategy of attacking instead of defending also achieved certain results for a while, and Bayern Munich was pressed back by Ajax again.

In the 83rd minute of the game, just over a minute had passed since Bayern's goal. Ajax's attack always remained in Bayern Munich's half, but with little effect.

Maicon played as a right winger, partnering with Van der Meyde in front. There were no Bayern players in front of the two, so Van der Meyde's position was more to enter the penalty area of ​​Bayern Munich, leaving a large area of ​​space on the right to Maicon.

When Van der Meyde broke into the penalty area, Maicon received a pass from Yaya Toure on the right and got the ball in the right corner of the penalty area. There was no one defending around. This was the effect of the local area's numerical advantage. Effenberg rushed over quickly, but Maicon looked up and looked at Bayern Munich's penalty area.

It was already a mess, crowded with Ajax and Bayern Munich players.

Sagnol, Robert Kovac, Kuffour, Hargreaves, Salihamidzic... Ibrahimovic, Keita, Yaya Toure...

So many players poured into the small penalty area, which suddenly made the situation there very chaotic, just like a pot of boiling porridge, and it was hard to tell what was what.

Maicon noticed Effenberg after getting the ball. He didn't plan to let the tiger get close, because he knew Effenberg's strength very well, so he got ahead of Effenberg and made a cross to the left side of the small penalty area in front of the goal.

Players from Bayern Munich and Ajax noticed this side. Bayern used their numerical advantage to firmly occupy the most powerful position in the penalty area, while Maicon's cross forced them to move back. As soon as they moved, their advantage would be weakened and their defense would have loopholes.

There is a saying that must be remembered. The key to grabbing points is not only height and physical confrontation, but also the prediction of the landing point, the occupation of favorable positions, and the observation of the surrounding situation. These also play a very important role.

When Keita saw Maicon passing the ball while it was still in mid-air, he already had a premonition and roughly guessed where the ball would land and where it would be. This ability is not surprising to Keita. The Ajax coaching staff is very familiar with this ability of his, so he has also scored many headers and received crosses.

When Keita realized this, he threw away Sagnol and got ahead of the Frenchman. He quickly rushed from the left to the small penalty area. Sagnol quickly chased back, and Robert Kovac He also kept retreating, and he also predicted where the ball would land.

But when Robert Kovac arrived, he found that Keita was one step ahead of him.

Don’t underestimate this step, because Keita arrived one step earlier than Robert Kovac, so when Robert Kovac arrived, Keita took advantage of his unstable center of gravity and made contact with his body to stop Robert Kovac. Kovac jumped up immediately, and he secretly made a small interference move, that is, he used his hands to interfere with Robert Kovac.

The Croatian central defender arrived, but he was unable to take off immediately. Instead, it was Keita. All actions were completed at the same time in an instant, and compared with Robert Kovac and Sagnol, he is the tallest. , and has the jumping ability and flexibility of typical African players, so he can jump very high.

Facing Maicon's ball, Keita made an obvious lingering action in mid-air. Seeing Kahn, he deliberately hit a touchdown ball. The ball was very fast. After touching Keita's forehead, he turned a ball. direction, and bounces up quickly after landing.

Kahn judged the direction and made a save, but he did not expect it to be a rebound ball. This kind of ball is very difficult for the goalkeeper to save.

In the end, Kahn watched the ball go into the goal behind him, 4:2!

Everyone in the audience was stunned and looked at this scene in disbelief. Kahn fell to the ground and became the foil and background after Keita scored, while the Ajax players rushed in frantically. restricted area.

After a brief silence, the entire Stade Louis II erupted with the most enthusiastic shouts since the start of the game.

"Brave Ajax, move forward fearlessly!"

"Bayern Munich, we are not afraid of you at all!"

"Come, brave warriors of Ajax, let us conquer Europe!"

Countless Ajax fans screamed in the stands. Maybe the European Super Cup is not important at all, but defeating Bayern Munich means something completely different, because this is the strongest team in Europe and the best team in Europe. The toughest team to play.

But the Ajax players used this game and this performance to prove their courage.

"We like to challenge strong teams. The stronger the opponent, the more excited we are, because it can prove our strength more!"

Head coach Ye Qiu's words still ring in his ears. No one can deny the success he has achieved in instilling the spirit of this Ajax team. He has rebuilt this Ajax team, which has been weak in the past few years, into a team that is more than just a team. It can win against weak troops, and at the same time it can fight tough battles and defeat powerful iron armies.

Ibrahimovic, who was called a softie in his previous life, has scored many goals at critical moments since joining Ajax, especially his outstanding performance in the UEFA Cup final. Who dares to say that the Swede is still the same as in his previous life. A weak player who gets frustrated at every critical moment?

Joining Ajax and playing around a group of teammates who are like wolves and tigers will make even the softest players become tough!

Ye Qiu clapped his hands happily after Keita scored. He was satisfied with Keita's performance. Although Mali's midfield performance in this game could not be said to be very good, the goal at the most critical moment in the end saved Alejandro's life. Jax, to avoid the possibility of Ajax being equalized or even reversed.

Both Heathfield and Ye Qiu were betting, and both of them were obviously risking their lives in betting, because they almost gave up defense in this game and all chose to attack. It all depends on who can win the bet. The players can support it until the end.

There is no doubt that Ajax has an absolute advantage as the game progresses!

But it is obvious that Hitzfield and his Bayern Munich are not a fuel-efficient lamp. After being scored again by Ajax, Bayern Munich quickly brought the ball to the center circle, and at the same time kept reminding the referee that the game It should start immediately.

Obviously, this iron army from the Bundesliga has also been aroused by Ajax's fighting spirit and anger.

Soon, Ajax's celebration was interrupted and the game restarted. Bayern Munich launched a fierce attack on Ajax. This time they launched a truly desperate attack, even central defender Kufuor They all pressed forward actively.

For them, losing is fine, but humiliating them is not something they can do even if they are beaten to death!

The way to restore dignity is not only to score goals, but also to fight until the last minute and second of the game!

In the 92nd minute of overtime, Bayern Munich scored another goal, taking advantage of Yaya Toure's excessive stick to the ball. After Effenberg intercepted the ball, he found Elber with a long pass. The Brazilian forward was in Ajax. After getting the ball at the edge of the penalty area, he instantly got rid of Kifu and volleyed directly through the Ajax goal again, 3:4!

But everyone knows that this was a goal that saved their face, but it is undeniable that Bayern Munich's performance was enough to win them respect and dignity, allowing them to leave the Stade Louis II with pride.

In the minds of fans, a game may not necessarily be about winning or losing. There is something more important than winning or losing, and that is dignity!