Episode [511]: Opportunity to Defend the Champions League Title
Leeds United defeated Sheffield Wednesday 4-0.
This was beyond the expectations of many people, but they are still ranked second in the Premier League.
They defeated Chelsea 4-0. Not only did they not narrow the gap with Chelsea, they are now two goals behind Chelsea.
Therefore, Leeds United actually lost this round.
There are only two rounds left before the end of the season. It is still difficult for Leeds United to surpass Chelsea. They must be ruthless, and they also hope that Chelsea will have problems themselves.
The last two rounds are like this, Chelsea plays Liverpool away and Chelsea plays Sheffield Wednesday at home. Leeds United plays Fulham away and Manchester City at home.
Therefore, in terms of schedule, Leeds United has an advantage.
Chelsea's opponents in the last two rounds were very strong. Although Liverpool's performance this season is poor, it is super strong and defeated many strong teams, including Red Devils Manchester United, Gunners Arsenal and White Rose Leeds United. , is a typical example of robbing the rich and giving to the poor.
Therefore, it is still somewhat difficult for Chelsea to win against Liverpool.
As for the Sheffield Wednesday team, they have the strength, but they are afraid that Sheffield Wednesday's chairman Cramer will speak out and directly attack the Chelsea team.
Fulham is not strong on Leeds United's side and should be able to win this game. The opponent in the last round, Manchester City, still has some strength. After all, they have introduced a lot of powerful players this season, including former Leeds United player Yaya Toure.
Therefore, for now, it is really hard to say who can win the Premier League championship this season.
However, the English media are still more inclined to Chelsea. After all, based on the current form and the team's upcoming schedule, they are more optimistic about Chelsea. Who said that Leeds United's opponents are not only Chelsea but also Sheffield Wednesday?
Of course, many people think that Sheffield Wednesday will not let Chelsea go. They are going to compete for the Champions League qualification next season. They will definitely not let Chelsea go, absolutely.
So, Leeds United's chances are actually better.
At this time, there were naturally some winter melons on the wall falling on both sides, but Zhong Cheng didn't care about it.
After all, whether Leeds United wins the championship has nothing to do with these people's predictions. If Leeds United wants to win the championship, they can only rely on their own efforts. They have got the points and goals they should get. Only this season can they win the final championship.
Now Zhong Cheng has to put the Premier League game on hold for a while, because he is about to face a life and death battle. That is the second leg of this season's Champions League semi-finals, Leeds United versus Inter Milan.
In the first round of the match between the two sides, Leeds United lost 1 to 2, and now they are at a disadvantage. However, this disadvantage is not enough to give Leeds United no chance. Even Leeds United's current points score is actually quite large.
In this game, Leeds United can decisively defeat Inter Milan with just one score to zero.
Inter Milan's head coach Jose Mourinho said at this time: "This game is relatively difficult for us at Inter Milan. Our opponent Leeds United is very strong, and they are here. At home, they only need one goal to turn the world upside down. Our goal in this game is not to concede a goal, and our Inter Milan team wants to reach the final!"
That's what Jose Mourinho thinks.
Yes, Jose Mourinho is now unleashing Inter Milan's tactics, which is to defend.
Of course, Jose Mourinho is also planning a counterattack. Those who blindly defend will only be passively beaten, and they must fight back.
Zhong Cheng didn't believe that Inter Milan would really stick to it. Obviously these were all lies.
Zhong Cheng will naturally not let Jose Mourinho succeed, but Leeds United will definitely carry the offensive banner in this game. Otherwise, Leeds United will be finished in this game. Anyway, the Inter Milan team will definitely not attack immediately. Now they are mainly playing safe.
Zhong Cheng said this when facing reporters: "This game is very important. I believe that everyone knows our Leeds United team's goal this season, which is to win the Premier League championship this season. Now that we have reached this position, I will definitely not give up. In this game, we will definitely go all out to win the opponent!"
Leeds United fans also think so. Leeds United must defend the UEFA Champions League this season. This is their most important task.
Only if they defend the UEFA Champions League title and become the first team to achieve this ambitious goal after the Champions League was restructured, will they be truly a world giant.
Now Leeds United fans are waiting for such an opportunity. They all hope that Leeds United can achieve such an ambitious goal. Leeds United needs a championship and needs to defend the UEFA Champions League title.
Zhong Cheng also said: "I know this game is very difficult, but we will not be afraid, because we already have a firm goal in our hearts, and we are very confident in ourselves. At our home court, we Leeds United will definitely beat Inter Milan, we only need one goal and that’s enough!”
Zhong Cheng's words made it very clear. Leeds United only needed one goal in this game. After scoring a goal, the Leeds United team's status and tactics will undergo earth-shaking changes.
Therefore, defense is very important for Inter Milan, and it must not allow Leeds United to score the first goal. Otherwise, Inter Milan will be completely passive in this game.
Now the outside world is predicting this game, but this game is really difficult to predict. There is an answer in the end. Many people are still optimistic about Inter Milan. After all, the curse of winning the defending championship is quite powerful. No one thinks that Leeds United can break this curse. Leeds United is still too young. Too much.
Yes, there are more and more reports about this game now, and countless people are waiting for this game. This competition is really amazing, attracting the attention of tens or even hundreds of millions of people.
Now everyone's attention is focused on the Crown Stadium, the home of Leeds United, because this game will be held here.
There are still very, very many fans who came here today. In addition to the fans of these two teams, there are still many neutral fans. There are a lot of tourists who came to this game. They are not fans of any team, not even fans. They come here to feel the atmosphere, and they come to experience the cultures of different countries.
Therefore, the whole world is really paying attention to this game.
"Hello, viewers and fans! This is BBC Sports, and I am the Mark Lawrenson you are familiar with!" BBC Sports broadcast this game live, and their commentators are now in place. , is explaining this game.
"Hello, audience friends and fans friends! I am the Eddie Gray you are familiar with. Today I will partner with Mark to explain this battle of the century for everyone!" Eddie Gray said.
The fans at the scene and in front of the TV can't wait now, this game is about to start.
The live shots were capturing celebrities in the stands. To be honest, there were quite a few. For example, Zidane, Platini and others were all present in the stands.
Platini, as the president of UEFA, actually attended this game. The main reason was because they wanted to inspect the Crown Stadium. After all, this is the final venue of next year's UEFA Champions League.
So, they showed up here, and it was like a finals, and the atmosphere was very intense.
Fans from both sides are singing the team anthems of their respective clubs and cheering for their own clubs. In this game, they all want to win because they all want to reach the final of the UEFA Champions League.
At this moment, Zhong Cheng walked out. All the Leeds United fans stood up and welcomed Zhong Cheng with thunderous applause. The outsiders at the scene were all shocked. Do Leeds United fans respect and love Zhong Cheng so much?
The Leeds United fans at the scene cheered enthusiastically, shouted loudly, and chanted Zhong Cheng's name. Zhong Cheng was really treated like a king here.
Zhong Cheng exchanged greetings with Jose Mourinho and then returned to his seat.
"Okay, the players from both sides are about to take the field. At this time, we will use this time to introduce to you the starting lineups of both sides today!" BBC Sports commentator Andy Gray immediately said loudly.
"Okay, now let me introduce to you the starting lineup of today's visiting team Inter Milan!" Mark Lawrenson said.
Today’s visiting team Inter Milan’s starting lineup is as follows:
Away team: Inter Milan, head coach: Jose Mourinho, formation: 4-3-3
Goalkeeper: Julio Cesar
Back four [from left to right]: Javier Zanetti, Lucio, Walter Samuel and Maicon
Midfield three [from left to right]: Wesley Sneijder, Thiago Motta and Cambiasso
Three forwards [from left to right]: Samuel Eto'o, Diego Milito and Goran Pandev
This is Inter Milan's starting lineup today. To be honest, this is one of Jose Mourinho's main lineups. This is a lineup he often uses. Moreover, there are quite a lot of changes in this lineup, and the formation can also be changed. 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1 and other formations can all be changed. Jose... Mourinho knows this very well.
It can be seen from this lineup that Jose Mourinho still has great ideas for this game.
"Next, let me introduce to you the starting lineup of today's home team Leeds United!" Eddie Liu said immediately.
Today’s home team Leeds United’s starting lineup is as follows:
Home team: Leeds United, head coach: Zhong Cheng, formation: 4-1-3-2
Goalkeeper: Zhong Zheng
Back four [from left to right]: Patrick Evra, Kompany, David Luiz and Walker
Single midfielder: Sami Khedira
Midfield three [from left to right]: Gareth Bale, Ozil and Cristiano Ronaldo
Two forwards: Lewandowski and Edinson Cavani