Chapter 707 Pot (Happy National Day!)
3:1, Manchester United won a great victory!
This is not the boast of Bruno and others, but the evaluation given by a Spanish media reporter at the post-match press conference.
Mourinho also said in an interview with the media: "This is a game worth remembering! At the press conference before the game, many media reporters were worried that this would be a game of Spanish gorgeous football crushing England's rough football. Drama, I said, no, on the contrary, I think the atmosphere of the game between the two teams will be very good, and as you saw today, both the result and the process are indeed quite good.”
Many reporters at the scene looked embarrassed after hearing this, and couldn't help but curse in their hearts: Of course you think everything is fine if you win, but what about Barcelona who lost? Ask the awkward Valverde next to you if he thinks the atmosphere of the game is good?
Regarding this game, Mourinho said that the team won by the efficiency of counterattack, and Bruno was the key to the team's victory.
"I am very satisfied with the performance of the players. They played very well, trained very hard, and played very devotedly. In order to win this game, each of us paid a lot, and everyone knows that playing against Barcelona is never easy. It was easy, especially at Camp Nou, but we did a great job on the counterattack."
"I'm very happy to see Bruno who can do everything. He is a player that I can't fault. He always trains the hardest and plays the hardest. The three goals tonight were very beautiful. ”
"Performing a hat-trick at Camp Nou, I think this should be considered a good story, but I think he still has considerable potential that can be tapped. He is only 24 years old."
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However, for some reporters who said that Manchester United has locked in the qualification for the semi-finals, Mourinho does not think that the team has a guaranteed victory and the right to advance.
"The knockout round of the Champions League is a two-legged match at home and away, and there is also a second leg. At best, we can only say that we have seized the opportunity, but we still have to be cautious. Barcelona is a team full of mysterious strength. Any team that relaxes may suffer a disastrous defeat. Paris Saint-Germain's 4-0 lead in the first round was reversed by Barcelona. This is a lesson for us. We must remember the lessons of Paris Saint-Germain."
Paris Saint-Germain: Are you polite?
At the end of the press conference, Mourinho also thanked the Manchester United fans for coming to the away game.
In the final stage of the game, a very small number of Manchester United fans sang the team anthem "Glory Glory Man United" at the Nou Camp. The momentum even surpassed the more than 90,000 home team fans, which shows the madness of the Manchester United fans at that time.
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While Mourinho was in a happy mood, Valverde felt very sorry for the loss. The Barcelona coach believes that the reason for the loss is that after taking the lead, the team played a little safe and lacked the passion for the game.
"We unknowingly slowed down our offensive pace on the offensive end, which cost us a lot."
Valverde also admitted that Bruno's condition is really good, which is a key factor in determining the final outcome of the game.
"There is no doubt that Bruno is the key to this game. He is the best player in the game. We did not find a good way to restrain him, which caused us to suffer a painful blow. In the second round, The game is very crucial. We must think carefully. If we want to defeat Manchester United in the away game, we must first find a way to freeze Bruno."
At the end of the press conference, Valverde was also asked by reporters about Yossi. The Argentine forward's performance in this game was sluggish, in sharp contrast to his previous consecutive goals in the league, and his opponent Bruno's performance in this game. His fiery state also formed a sharp contrast, so many media were concerned about whether something happened to Yosi, such as being injured or something.
Valverde said that Yossi did not have any injuries and he was very healthy. As for the poor state of this game, that's okay. Every player's performance has ups and downs, and it is impossible to be in full form in every game.
For Ter Stegen, who made consecutive mistakes, Valverde gave comfort and said that everyone can understand his mistakes.
"We have to accept it because it's part of the game of football and a real team has to stay together whether it's winning or losing and especially at this time we have to be more clinical."
Valverde also did not give up hope of going to the away game, saying that the team still has a chance.
Not only Valverde, many Barcelona players publicly stated in interviews with the media after the game that the team has the ability to make a comeback on the road, including Ter Stegen, who made a major mistake.
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Bruno also accepted an interview with reporters after the game: "I think it is too early to say whether to advance. The second round of the game is still full of suspense. It is hard to say who will win and who will lose."
As for his hat trick to conquer the Camp Nou, the most difficult home stadium of the Devils in the world, Bruno smiled and said it was an honor: "Barcelona is a team with a glorious history, and I am proud that I can play in such a game. Proud of scoring a goal.”
When the Catalan media asked about the contest between him and Yossi in this game, Bruno smiled and said that Yossi is a player full of strength, but he may not be in his best condition yet.
"In fact, I never care who performs better between me and Yosi. I care more about how to help the team win."
But obviously, Bruno's answer did not satisfy the Catalan media.
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Nightmare night!
On the second day, Mundo Deportivo published such a front-page headline.
In the report, Mundo Deportivo directly pointed the finger at Valverde, believing that there were serious problems with the Barcelona coach's deployment and that he was completely defeated in the contest with Mourinho.
"The most obvious example is that Mourinho's first substitution occurred in the 80th minute, and two minutes later, Valverde used the last substitution quota, and at this time, Manchester United's coach still had two substitution quotas."
"Of course, this does not explain the problem, but it can prove that in this peak confrontation, whether it is the head coach or the team, or the team itself, Barcelona is defeated in all aspects!"
The second charge of Mundo Deportivo against Valverde is excessive use of Yosi.
At the end of March, Yosi missed the Argentina national team's game due to pubic inflammation. After the club competition resumed, Valverde let Yosi participate in all three club games, which made Yosi very tired.
"In this crucial game, Yosi played the whole game, 39 touches, 26 passes, and 6 steals. This is definitely not the data that a world-class player should show."
"Yosi is already a 31-year-old veteran. After suffering from injuries, he played 4 games in 10 days, and he started every game and played 90 minutes. As a result, he performed poorly throughout the game and was completely frozen by Luke Shaw."
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"Mundo Deportivo" also did not forget to create contradictions and conflicts between Bruno and Yosi.
"In the eyes of many people, Yosi has always been compared with Bruno, but in fact, Bruno is only 24 years old, 7 years younger than 31-year-old Yosi, and both are not from the same generation."
"When Real Madrid lost to Manchester United in the Champions League final last year, Raul said that it was a crime to regard 33-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo and Modric as saviors, but in Barcelona, Yosi, who is only two months away from turning 32, is also regarded as a savior, which is absolutely sad!"
The meaning of "Mundo Deportivo" is very clear, that is: Barcelona needs to be rebuilt!
The statement that Barcelona needs to be rebuilt has been said for several seasons. After all, Barcelona's real peak period was in Guardiola's "Universe Team Era". At that time, Barcelona once won the "Six Crowns" and let the ball control style suppress the entire football world.
If Barcelona, which won six titles in 2009 and three titles in 2011, relied on its overall strength and the strongest Yosi during its peak period, then the fact that Barcelona lost to Udinese led by Bruno in 2015 and failed to reach the Champions League final showed that the team's overall strength was no longer as good as before. At that time, Xavi had left Barcelona, and Iniesta was also old. The team relied more on the individual performance of the MSN combination of Yosi, Suarez and Neymar.
After 2015, when the arch-rival Real Madrid won three consecutive Champions League titles, Barcelona never achieved good results in the Champions League again. This was mainly because the "midfield dual core" of Xavi and Iniesta aged and left the team one after another. Yosi had to be both a front-line scorer and a retreat organizer, which was equivalent to one person doing the work of two people, which was very physically demanding, and Barcelona could not get rid of the "Yosi addiction".
Now, Yosi is about to turn 32 years old. Such a veteran can no longer take on the responsibility of being the core of a super giant.
Barcelona's reconstruction is urgent!
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Except for Catalonia's busy pursuit of responsibility, the media around the world are immersed in praise for Manchester United. Especially Bruno, who scored a hat trick and once again led the Champions League scorer list!
Neither Manchester United nor Bruno took the Catalan media's attack and the deliberate creation of confrontation between Bruno and Yosi seriously.
This is a trick that the media has always used.
When the team returned to Manchester from Barcelona, the team was warmly welcomed by the fans, and there was also a warm praise from the British domestic media, especially Bruno, who scored a hat trick, and was almost made into a hero of the Premier League.
The reason is not difficult to guess. The Premier League claims to be the first league, but in recent years it has been suppressed by La Liga in the European arena. Not only is it completely at a disadvantage in the direct confrontation between the two sides, but it is also far inferior to La Liga in terms of European points. As for the European trophies won, they cannot be compared with La Liga.
Such a situation makes the Premier League very embarrassing.
This season, the Premier League finally rose in the European arena. All four teams participating in the Champions League advanced to the quarterfinals. Arsenal and Chelsea are also very strong in the Europa League.
This gives the Premier League hope of returning to the throne of the first league!
In this case, the results of the quarter-finals are very important.
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Tottenham and Manchester City are in a civil war in the Champions League quarter-finals. It doesn’t matter who wins or loses. After all, even if the meat is rotten, it is in their own pot.
Liverpool's opponent is the Portuguese Super League team Porto, which has limited strength. As expected, it is a foregone conclusion that the Reds will defeat their opponent.
Arsenal and Chelsea are competing in the Europa League. Although it is also a good opportunity to score points in the European war, the influence of the Europa League is far less than that of the Champions League. Moreover, the opponents of the two teams are not as strong as Arsenal and Chelsea, so it is expected that they will win.
In this way, the battle between Manchester United and Barcelona becomes more and more critical.
Barcelona is the only seedling of La Liga in the Champions League. If Manchester United can eliminate its opponent, La Liga will have no chance to continue to grab points in the Champions League.
This is very beneficial for the Premier League to regain the first league at the fastest speed!
However, judging from the past encounters, although Manchester United is not at a disadvantage in historical records, in the two recent encounters between the two sides, Manchester United lost very badly and the cost was very painful.
In the 2009 Champions League final, Manchester United, who was determined to defend the Champions League, met Barcelona in the final, but the result was a complete defeat of 2:0, with almost no ability to fight back.
Two years later, in 2011, the two teams met again in the Champions League final. The Red Devils, who were already on the decline, were completely pressed to the ground and rubbed against the peak Universe team, and had no power to fight back. Especially during the game, the red face and trembling hands of the old Sir Alex Ferguson broke the hearts of countless Red Devils fans around the world.
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Now, Manchester United meets Barcelona again, still at the Nou Camp, which is known as the devil's home stadium. Even though Manchester United is at its peak now, creating a record of 69 unbeaten games in the Premier League and 21 unbeaten games in the Champions League, Barcelona is still strong.
In the La Liga arena, Barcelona has gained an 11-point advantage after 31 rounds, and has almost locked the La Liga championship in advance; in the Champions League, Barcelona beat Tottenham, Inter Milan and PSV Eindhoven in the death group, and advanced to the knockout stage as the first in the group. In the round of 16, they defeated the former French Ligue 1 overlord Lyon with a score of 5:1.
With such an outstanding performance, almost the whole world believed that the invincible cosmic team was back.
Under such circumstances, no matter how optimistic people were, they would not have thought that Manchester United could take a victory away from Camp Nou.
But the final result was shocking. Manchester United actually won 3:1 away from home, and the powerful Barcelona was completely defeated. The final result of the two-round knockout match was almost decided in just one game!