Chapter 453 Support and Opposition

The elimination of the Champions League quarter-finals by Manchester City is a big blow to AC Milan, because it is difficult for them to compete for the championship in the domestic league and Inter Milan, and they are also eliminated in the Coppa Italia. Their only hope is to compete with Rome. Second in the league.

For AC Milan, the gap between the second and third in the domestic league is not big.

So after the Champions League was eliminated, AC Milan's season is equivalent to the end.

Maybe it's time to relax, though it's not what they hoped for.

On the contrary, as the winning side, Manchester City's Champions League journey is far from over, especially after defeating AC Milan, Manchester City has become the team with the greatest hope of winning the Champions League.

This can be seen in the adjustment of the Champions League odds by European bookmakers and British bookmakers. Manchester City's winning odds have been adjusted to a level of 1 to 2.

The Champions League quarter-finals are not over yet, six teams are still participating, and the odds of a single team 1 lose 2, you can imagine how loud Manchester City's voice is to win the championship.

This also has something to do with Manchester City's strength in the league.

"The Sun" analyzed, "Manchester City is too strong in the Premier League. They have not lost to Manchester United and Chelsea in several seasons. If they meet these two teams in the final, then they have a good chance of winning the championship. ."

Of course, the premise is to be able to enter the finals first.

On the second day, the two matches on the second day of the Champions League quarter-finals ended. In the end, Barcelona defeated Schalke 04 3-0 in two rounds, and Chelsea also defeated Liverpool 2-1.

In the end, the semi-finals were Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona.

Manchester City is in the second half of the game, the opponent is the La Liga giants Barcelona.

"This may be the Champions League final!" The Sun analyzed after the second day of the match, "If Manchester City can beat Barcelona, ​​then they will meet Manchester United or Chelsea in the final. In the past three seasons, Manchester City has not They have lost to these two teams, so as long as they beat Barcelona, ​​maybe they will be locked in the Champions League in advance!"

The supporters of Manchester United and Chelsea certainly disagree with this statement. They believe that "the league is the league and the Champions League is the Champions League". "Even if Manchester United and Chelsea have not defeated Manchester City in the league, it does not mean that they will lose to Manchester City in the Champions League final."

Then Manchester City supporters began to use various examples and game statistics to prove how much Manchester City has an advantage over Manchester United and Chelsea.

The two sides quarreled over the issue.

Various media have also discussed this... But in fact, Manchester City has to pass Barcelona first!

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After the Champions League quarter-finals were all over, the Premier League media sang praises for English football, because three Premier League teams entered the Champions League semi-finals.

"Manchester Sports News" expressed its opinion that European football has entered the 'Premier League era'.

"...A few years ago, there were three Serie A teams in the Champions League semi-finals, but at the time, no one called that season the Serie A era."

"However, this time is different. The Premier League's domination of the Champions League is no longer limited to the number of teams entering the semi-finals, but also lies in the tough and fast style of the Premier League, which overwhelms the delicate and softness of La Liga and the calm and tenacity of Serie A."

"Take the semi-finals as an example, the rivalry between Manchester City and Barcelona is definitely the most interesting. It depends on who has stronger skills, harder feet and better performance. Barcelona can be called the best way to play in international football. A finely crafted team, while Manchester City 'dominated' the Premier League for three seasons and reached the Champions League semi-finals, their attacking football and finesse have been recognised by many."

"In terms of club level, the most beautiful game in the world, in theory, will only happen between a limited number of teams. The first choice would definitely be the 'Clasico' Real Madrid vs. Barcelona a few seasons ago. It should be noted that a few seasons ago, Real Madrid had Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos, and Eto'o and Deco had Ronaldinho and his peak form. That Barcelona team is not the current Real Madrid and Barcelona. Secondly, it is the AC Milan team when Kaka and Shevchenko are in the game, and Pirlo and Inzaghi are still in play. Brigade collision."

"At the moment, the football that is beautifully played and more practical is all in the Premier League. Barcelona can't be said to be in decline, but it is still difficult for them to compete with the Premier League for the time being, so this season's European football is destined to belong to the era of the Premier League... …”

Obviously, the "Manchester Sporting" report praised English football and specifically mentioned Manchester City, who analyzed that it would be difficult for Barcelona to beat Manchester City.

This is not an analysis in favour of Manchester City, in fact, most of the media in Europe thinks so, with the exception of Catalonia, Spain, of course.

Wan Sheng thinks so too.

If the team met Barcelona before, Wansheng would be really scratching his head, because Barcelona is never a good team to deal with.

But it's different now.

Manchester City has matured from top to bottom, from inside to outside. Even if they meet Barcelona, ​​Wansheng dares to say that the team has a higher winning rate. More importantly, this Barcelona team has not really matured. Their key players -Messi, has not yet fully grown, he has just become the core of Barcelona, ​​and has not been able to completely replace Ronaldinho's lack.

Wansheng believes that the team will definitely be able to beat this Barcelona to reach the final.

————

Before the first leg against Barcelona, ​​Manchester City have one more league game to play, and that is the league with Portsmouth.

Manchester City has already won the league championship, and they don't need to hit any records. They don't care about the league at all, but the British media don't see it that way. They believe that Manchester City should pay attention to this game because their opponent is Portsmouth.

It makes sense.

Portsmouth is Manchester City's opponent in the FA Cup final, so this round of the league can also be seen as a preview of the FA Cup final.

But obviously, Wansheng does not think so.

"The FA Cup final is at the new Wembley Stadium, this game is at the Manchester Stadium, the venue is different, there is nothing to preview and not to preview..."

"Also, even if we beat Portsmouth today, the FA wouldn't hand us the FA Cup trophy, so...it doesn't make any sense at all."

Wan Sheng shrugged in disapproval.

The media who came to interview were naturally very dissatisfied, because then they would have nothing to report. At the same time, they also seized Wansheng’s words and believed that Manchester City violated the principle of 'fair play' and would not take the game seriously.

But even Portsmouth boss Redknapp doesn't think this will be a problem.

So far this season, Portsmouth are 11th in the league. This ranking has no hope of competing for European places and there is no danger of relegation. Therefore, the league is not important for either team, and the result of the game will not affect other Premier League football. team.

In addition, although the two sides are opponents in the FA Cup final, in fact, for Portsmouth, they have achieved their goal of the season - to hit the European arena.

Even if the FA Cup fails to win the championship, Manchester City already has the qualifications to participate in the UEFA Champions League next season. Portsmouth, which has entered the FA Cup final, will definitely be qualified to participate in the UEFA Cup.

The FA Cup championship is very meaningful to Portsmouth, but it is only a symbolic meaning of the championship, and there is no real benefit.

As a result...the two sides were friendly.

The battle between Manchester City and Portsmouth, which was originally called the 'FA Cup preview' by the media, turned out to be a friendly match.

After 90 minutes of contest, the two teams shook hands 2-2.

There were many wonderful scenes in the game, which were all individual performances of the players on both sides, but there was actually not much anger between the two teams.

After the game, a reporter grabbed the handle and questioned Manchester City for 'slacking the game', Wan Sheng said innocently, "Portsmouth performed very strongly, our players have worked hard, but in the end it was only a draw. "

This sentence made the questioning reporter almost vomit blood!

Manchester City are working hard?

Liar it!

Manchester City's lineup is full of substitutes, and there are even two young players in the reserve team, some of whom can't even say their names!

But Wansheng doesn't care so much. Manchester City's main focus is on the Champions League, followed by the FA Cup final. As for the tasteless, completely meaningless league, he won't let the team give its best!

————

After the league, the British media began to cover the Champions League.

Manchester City eliminated AC Milan and entered the semi-finals of the Champions League. They are about to meet Barcelona. The British media also hope that Manchester City can beat Barcelona, ​​so that two Premier League teams will meet in the final. That is the real 'Premier League era'.

Even the "Manchester Sports News", which supports Manchester United, used a large page to report Manchester United's victory over AC Milan, and launched a "prediction" for the match between Manchester City and Barcelona.

Although "Manchester Sporting" is a media that supports Manchester United, Manchester City also enjoys huge influence. They may not always report bad news about Manchester City. If they always fight against Manchester City, they will be boycotted by Manchester City fans. Not what a media wants to see.

There is no one in the world who cannot live with money.

This is especially true for the media. They make reports for more people to watch, not to help which team. Now they need to report the good news of Manchester City, and the "Manchester Sports News" also uses a lot of pages to report Manchester City, but there is no doubt that if Manchester City and Manchester United play, Manchester Sport will support Manchester United, just as the Guardian supports Manchester City.

Manchester City's official website, and published a large photo, to celebrate the team's performance.

They chose a photo of Wansheng and Morris hugging after the game, with the caption, "Make history, look forward to greatness!"

Wan Sheng was overjoyed when he read this report.

Anita was in his arms.

Anita has been busy helping her father manage the Dow Jones Company in the United States. Although her daily work is very busy, she still finds time to return to Manchester. The two are newly married and stick together very closely.

Looking at the news on the club's official website, Wan Sheng smiled and said to Anita, "Now we are looking forward to greatness, and we will create greatness in the future!"

Anita smiled.

"You're always so confident, like when you first met."

"certainly."

"However, that's what I like about you." Anita shyly put her head into Wan Sheng's arms.

Wan Sheng laughed.

The TV program is broadcasting a review of the Champions League quarter-finals, and the commentator is talking about Manchester City's performance, "... Wan Sheng led Manchester City to the Champions League quarter-finals, which is very meaningful for Manchester City, they are the first time in history. Reaching the semi-finals. Now, we can say that Wan Sheng is the greatest manager in the history of Manchester City, because they have never been so brilliant in their century-old history - winning the league title for three consecutive seasons, reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League, and the semi-finals , this may be something that Manchester City fans can't even imagine."

"Manchester City are on the rise now and we look forward to them doing better in the upcoming matches."

"Whether Manchester City can pass Barcelona is still unknown, but we believe that Wansheng as the head coach must be very confident..."

The TV screen shot is a close-up of Wan Sheng's smile. In the picture, Wan Sheng is smiling confidently, and then shakes hands with AC Milan coach Ancelotti. The two seem to be talking, and Wan Sheng's performance becomes a little surprised.

"Do you know what he said to me?" Wan Sheng asked, pointing to the TV screen.

Anita listens.

Wan Sheng smiled, "He said he wanted to win another Champions League trophy before leaving Milan, but unfortunately he lost here. Then I said, if you win the championship, maybe you won't leave Milan."

"So, I made the decision for you, and you should thank me..."

Anita burst out laughing after listening, she could imagine how the old Italian was feeling at that time.

————

In fact, many media in the UK do not want to see Manchester City's performance in the Champions League too good. The main reason is that three teams in the Premier League have entered the semi-finals of the Champions League, and the media are divided into different camps. When European competitions turned into domestic club civil wars, All the media began to support their teams.

Manchester City is also a special team because their opponent is Barcelona.

In order for the Premier League teams to meet in the final, Manchester City must defeat Barcelona. Compared with Barcelona, ​​they will of course support Manchester City as their own country. Therefore, many British media can only endure the feeling of vomiting blood and support Manchester City.

Whether they like it or not, it's time to cheer for Manchester City.

Manchester City met Barcelona with the responsibility of 'creating a meeting between Premier League teams in the Champions League final', so after training, a reporter interviewed Wan Sheng and asked relevant questions. They said, "Man City shoulders the hope of the entire English football. , will it be very stressful?"

Wansheng is in a good mood.

He laughed and said, "What you said is very interesting, but I don't think about English football. I'm just the head coach of Manchester City, not the 'head coach' of English football. I don't need to be responsible for the whole of English football."

"So, my team is only playing for the club, for the fans and for our honour. We don't represent the interests of English football and we don't have any pressure!"

————

Wan Sheng's words made the British media feel ashamed.

They reported that Manchester City 'represented English football' against Barcelona, ​​and Wan Sheng, the main character, said they only represented the club and fans, not English football?

So a new round of criticism against Wansheng began.

"...some of what this Chinese said is correct, we shouldn't let Manchester City represent English football, they don't have this qualification, they can't afford it! Even if Manchester City win three league titles in a row, their glory is only temporary. From In the words of this Chinese, we can hear that he is obviously not confident in playing against Barcelona, ​​maybe they will fall in the semi-finals."

"The dignity of English football is more important than victory or defeat! Even if Barcelona beats Manchester City to enter the final, I believe the other two teams will definitely beat it, and the final Champions League title will definitely belong to England, that's enough!"

"Obviously, compared to Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea are more giants, but it's a pity that it is Manchester City who play against Barcelona..."

In order to belittle Manchester City, some media even listed Chelsea as a 'big club', but before that, no one has ever admitted that Chelsea is a big club, as evidenced by the outright rejection of their G14 (European Football League) application two years ago, although now G14 has been disbanded, but it does not affect Chelsea's status in the hearts of the media - they are always just the 'upstarts' of the Premier League.

Now in order to set off against Manchester City, Chelsea has become a 'giant'.

Wan Sheng smiled. Facing the Chinese reporters who came to interview, he pointed to the latest newspaper and said, "Look at what they said, Chelsea is a giant? Haha, it's the first time I've seen them say that in years."

"Really interesting!"

"Looking through these British reports every day is like watching an entertainment show, they always find something to make you laugh..."

The Chinese reporters and colleagues who interviewed in that way also did not understand, why is Wansheng so happy to see the media slandering Manchester City?

Wan Sheng explained, "Before they said that Manchester City represented English football, they hoped that Manchester City would win, because if Manchester City won, it meant that English football had won."

"Then I said, we only represent Manchester City and the fans. That's how the English are, we represent English football, they want us to win, we represent ourselves, they don't like us. It's like without their support, we're sure It's like losing."

"But, I just want to tell them with victory, whether they are for or against, we will still win, win Barcelona, ​​win the Champions League!"

"That's our goal!"

Wan Sheng's expression became firm.

After that, he did not give any interviews, and focused on preparing for the battle.

The coaching staff began to constantly study the Barcelona game video.

After watching a large number of game videos, the coaching staff understands Barcelona's tactical style of play and some small details of the players' performance, and then can infer Barcelona's general starting lineup, main style of play, and even specific players and positions. Special attention, etc.

After completing these preparations, Wansheng began to consider specific targeting methods.

He put all the preparation on the game, and even Anita left Manchester a little bit. He only thought about one thing, and that was to knock out Barcelona in the semi-finals.

As long as they can do it, they can reach the final and usher in the Champions League champion! (To be continued ~^~)