Strategic wisdom of losing a giant

"Can you win even if you lose?" This sounds like a fan's self-comfort, but this page really exists in the strategic dictionary of giant clubs. For example, Inter Milan lost 1-2 to Juventus, which was the failure of a mortal enemy confrontation on the surface, but behind it may be the "optimal solution" made by the coaching staff with a calculator - using the price of a league game to exchange for chips in the Champions League.

When "giving up" becomes a tactic under intensive schedule, the player is not a robot. Inter Milan has only 2 games in Serie A this season, and has a strong ability to score and lose, but this also means that each game is consumed at high intensity. Faced with Juventus' defensive toughness, fighting hard may lead to injury or physical overdrawing of the main force, and the Champions League knockout round will be the real battlefield where "more money and more points" will be. Just like when playing games, the blood bar is bottoming out, the wise choice is to take a blood packet to retreat, rather than to have a boss with a residual blood.

"release" signal in the data

Looking at the details of the game, Inter Milan actually had a back-up: the forward core Lautaro was replaced in 60 minutes, and midfielder Barrera simply took a rest. In contrast, Juventus has fought for the final victory in stoppage time. This contrast is very similar to the academic master's "strategic abandonment" of the monthly exam, just to keep his efforts to sprint for the final exam. What's more subtle is the standings - after losing, Inter Milan still firmly sits second, and the gap with the top spot has not lost control, but it has brought about a precious respite.

The "time management" philosophy of the wealthy families

The football season is like a marathon, and top teams understand the art of "pacing". In 2017, a coach proposed: "Tactical victory wins for a while, strategic victory wins the overall situation." The season goal of teams like Inter Milan is never a single game, but to lock in Champions League qualification + impact on European competition honors at the minimum cost. After losing to Juventus, they can concentrate their firepower against their Champions League opponents, just like Tian Ji's horse racing - using a low-end horse to defeat the opponent's top-end horse, and then using a high-end horse to crush the rest.

Why do fans buy it?

Of course, this kind of operation cannot be used too much. But what fans see is long-term benefits: if a derby can be sacrificed to exchange for the Champions League semi-finals, the 90-minute depression immediately becomes "this wave is not a loss." Just like netizens joked about the Olympic strategy: "The moon is full, and football is too popular, it is not conducive to keeping a low profile" - the "pretending to die" of the wealthy team is actually a more advanced muscle show.

After all, football is not only a 90-minute contest, but also a microscope for club resource management. Next time I see the wealthy family "accidentally" failing, I might as well think about it: Are they playing a bigger game of chess?