Chapter 999 The Professor’s Choice
The first leg of the semi-finals ended. In the two civil wars between La Liga and the Premier League, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 2:0 away. Messi scored a magical goal on his own. Manchester United defeated Chelsea 2:1 away, breaking the Stamford Bridge stadium for nine years. The unstoppable curse.
After the game, media all over the world were frantically reporting on Messi's feat of single-handedly defeating Real Madrid's two midfielders and four defenders. However, not many people paid attention to Gao Xiaodong's equally extraordinary performance in defeating Chelsea, passing and shooting. It laid the foundation for Manchester United's promotion; media all over the world are mocking Mourinho's disastrous defeat, but few people pay attention to the magical use of troops by coach Ferguson.
Of course, the British media's coverage focused on the semi-final between Chelsea and Manchester United.
"********" commented: In terms of on-the-spot command, Ancelotti was "completely blown away" this time. First of all, the substitution timing was late, and it took 70 minutes of suffering in the deadlock to react. Secondly, the substitution was inexplicable. It was understandable to send Anelka, but the one who replaced him turned out to be Drogba, who had been the biggest threat before, instead of the footman. Torres, who still feels bad, did Ancelotti really watch the game?
After this game, Manchester United won at Stamford Bridge for the first time since 2002, and Ancelotti's title of "Manchester United's number one nemesis" was no longer so shining. In the previous 9 Manchester United clashes with Ferguson, the Italians won 7 (including the Milan era), which was almost a one-sided advantage. However, as the saying goes, there is no winning general. This time, Ferguson let out a sigh of relief.
"The Sun" columnist Stephen Howard believes that Manchester United's victory comes from Ferguson's tactical arrangements and Gao Xiaodong's super personal ability. In the first half, Ferguson used his engineers to exhaust Chelsea, and in the second half, he replaced Giggs and Scholes to attack strongly.
Chelsea has the toughest midfielder in Europe, and it is difficult for anyone to take advantage of them. However, under Ferguson's ingenious arrangements, Chelsea's defensive intensity dropped in the second half. Manchester United used their experienced experience and skillful cooperation to quickly secure the victory.
Although Ferguson's tactical arrangements are very clever, Gao Xiaodong's super personal ability ensures the smooth implementation of Ferguson's tactics. There are some opportunities that only Xiaodong Gao can create, and some goals that only Gao Xiaodong can score without his passing and shooting. , it’s really hard to say whether Manchester United can break the curse.
While praising the Manchester United general, "The Sun" questioned Ancelotti's formation and substitutions: Drogba and Torres were locked in a one-on-one fight, and the two super centers failed to produce a chemical reaction, especially between the two. Once, he was slow to replace Bosingwa, and once he replaced Drogba, who was the biggest threat to Manchester United. Could such a substitution be the result of Abramovich's manipulation in the stands?
"Daily Mail" stated that although only 90 minutes of the game had passed, Chelsea was not completely without a chance, but judging from Ancelotti's performance in the Champions League, it would be too difficult for Chelsea to come back. Anshuai won two big-eared trophies in Milan in five years and is known as the Champions League master, but the jokes he made in the Champions League are also classic. In the 2003-04 season, Milan defeated Deportivo La Coruna 4:1 in the first round.
But in the away game, Deportivo suffered a 4-0 reversal. Ancelotti saw his opponent going crazy and had no choice; in the 2004-05 season final, the Rossoneri led 3-0 in the first half, only to be beaten by Liverpool in six minutes in the second half. Playing 3, An Pang did not respond in time to Benitez's desperate change; in the end, Liverpool's Istanbul miracle was achieved. Once was an accident, and twice it showed that the team coached by Ancelotti lacked toughness and blood, and It is difficult for a team that lacks resilience and blood to complete the important task of a great comeback.
"Manchester Evening News" believes that compared with Ferguson, Mourinho and others, Ancelotti's on-the-spot command is weaker. His strength is that he usually works hard and slowly builds a strong lineup. However, Chelsea's current lineup is going downhill, and signs of aging are everywhere. You can imagine how difficult it is for Ancelotti to turn the tide.
After playing the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals in midweek, Manchester United returned home and immediately went to the Emirates Stadium to challenge the Gunners Arsenal.
This game is the fourth-to-last round of the Premier League. If Manchester United can win Arsenal away from home, and Chelsea, which is 8 points behind, loses to its local rival Tottenham, then Manchester United can win the championship three rounds in advance and avoid another confrontation with Chelsea in the league. .
Manchester United is different from Chelsea. Chelsea is 8 points behind Manchester United in the league and lost in the first round of the Champions League. For them, there are only two games left this season. If Manchester United loses to Arsenal, Chelsea will definitely not hesitate in the next round. They have to fight against Manchester United at all costs, but Manchester United must consider the Champions League finals and FA Cup finals, so they hope to win the league championship at the minimum cost and devote all their energy to the Champions League.
If they want to win the league championship at the minimum cost, they must win against Arsenal, who are weaker and don't have much fighting spirit. Only in this way can Manchester United take the initiative in the game against Chelsea and can choose to win or lose according to the situation. .
Arsenal is 11 points behind Manchester United in the league and has completely missed the league championship. Their top four position is also safe. This game with Manchester United is just a battle of honor for Arsenal and has no practical significance.
However, Wenger is a perfectionist and a mysophobic person. In order to avoid being criticized by the outside world for such a meaningless game, he may not let Manchester United pass easily.
As Wenger's old rival, Ferguson knew this very well. Therefore, after returning from Stamford Bridge, Ferguson began to sing praises to Wenger on various occasions, "Wenger is a great coach, he has changed the world." The history of the Premier League.", "Wenger has injected technical content into the Premier League, and every Premier League fan should thank Arsenal.", "In the Premier League, only Arsenal can be as famous as Manchester United. Manchester United can win the championship trophy, and Arsenal Fans who can win.”
Ferguson is a figure in the industry, and his recognition and praise are also very honorable for Wenger and Arsenal. However, Wenger thanked Ferguson for the praise, but still said that Arsenal would strive to win this round of competition. Playing, not for other people, but for the purity of the game.
Of course, Ferguson would not be so naive as to think that just by flattering him, Wenger would surrender under his pomegranate skirt. The main reason why Ferguson did this was to paralyze Arsenal and Wenger after returning from London. On the second day, Manchester United conducted serious targeted training to ensure that they won Arsenal away from home.
Before the start of the 35th round of the league, Arsenal players and fans, who were determined to lose all four majors, were also in conflict. To win or to win? To fight or not to fight? This choice seems to be more difficult than life and death, because Chelsea and Manchester United are both Arsenal's mortal enemies. One is Arsenal's new hatred, and the other is Arsenal's old hatred. Every Arsenal person hopes that the two teams will die. Instead of winning the championship.
However, this problem was not difficult at all for Wenger, a professor with a doctorate degree. He quickly made the decision to stop Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium.
The players did not understand this decision. They thought that although they were mortal enemies, Manchester United had many more championships than Arsenal. It didn't matter if Manchester United had one more. But Chelsea was not only a mortal enemy in the same city, but also an upstart. They couldn't let them do anything. Ride on your own head.
The professor explained that this is Arsenal's best choice. If Arsenal loses to Manchester United, Manchester United's championship is certain. They choose to give up the next league game against Chelsea, and there is no suspense about reaching the Champions League final. Manchester United even has the hope of winning the Triple Crown. Chelsea will lose all four, and Arsenal will have no benefit; and if Arsenal defeats Manchester United, in order to ensure the league championship, Manchester United must fight to the death with Chelsea, and the Champions League will also fight to the death. In the end, even if Manchester United If you pass the test, you will probably be bruised and bruised. You may be able to win the league, but it will be difficult to defeat Barcelona in the Champions League. In other words, if Arsenal defeats Manchester United, Chelsea may not win the championship, but Manchester United will definitely be dragged to death. Arsenal breaks Manchester United's record of unbeaten championship (Arsenal once won the championship undefeated), lowering Manchester United's three goals. The hope of the championship has also earned a good reputation for fair play, so defeating Manchester United is most beneficial to Arsenal, has little benefit to Chelsea, but hurts Manchester United the most. So beating Manchester United is in Arsenal's best interest.
The players were convinced by the professor's analysis. Only then did they understand why the coach was called a professor. It would be a waste of his brain not to be a professor in a university, especially an economics professor.