Chapter 568: Sprint Towards the Championship!

Tottenham Hotspur defeated Porto with five goals at home, successfully completed a comeback, and advanced to the quarterfinals.

This battle did not surprise the media and fans. There was already a big gap in strength between the two sides. Before, they were worried, and they were just worried. They did not have the slightest doubt about Tottenham Hotspur's strength. Therefore, When Tottenham Hotspur defeated Porto, everyone felt relatively flat.

But Ye Qiu's remarks at the post-game press conference quickly spread throughout the world through the media. Some people thought that Ye Qiu's counterattack was very enjoyable, sharp and skillful, but some people thought that Ye Qiu's counterattack was very satisfying. These words were too harsh. After all, his team had already defeated the opponent by a huge margin. This in itself was a slap in the face to the opponent. Why bother to use words to stimulate Ferreira?

Jesualdo Ferreira said nothing at the press conference and left angrily. However, shortly afterwards, when he was interviewed by the Portuguese media, he told reporters that Ye Qiu was the person he saw. After all, he is the most ungraceful head coach in the world. He is completely unworthy of becoming a famous coach. He even gives the impression that he is a nouveau riche.

"Maybe I can understand that because he comes from a country full of nouveau riche!"

Originally, Ye Qiu had no intention of fighting back against Jesualdo Ferreira. After all, this kind of war of words was a complete self-degradation for him, but Jesualdo Ferreira's remarks stimulated him. He, so Ye Qiu immediately counterattacked.

"I don't understand what Mr. Ferreira means. If you want to talk about upstarts, I believe everyone can see it clearly. Who is going everywhere after winning, sarcastic and sarcastic opponents? I can even say that again. In one sentence, when Tottenham Hotspur plays Porto, I will give Jesualdo Ferreira the opportunity to play ten games. I will ensure that the tactical lineup remains unchanged. As long as he can win one more game, even if I lose, I will board in person. He apologized to the newspaper, and if I won, he also apologized for his remarks in the newspaper!”

"Originally I was not going to pay attention to this kind of person. To put it bluntly, he is completely unworthy of being my opponent. The reason is very simple. Everyone has seen it. When he wins a game, he publicizes it everywhere. Everyone, the whole world. I know that he beat me and Tottenham Hotspur, but it is natural for us to beat them. It is like stepping on an ant to death. I don't feel that there is any sense of accomplishment in this, and I don't feel that this kind of game has any sense of accomplishment. Nothing to be proud of.”

"The biggest difference between me and Jesualdo Ferreira is that he is as elated when he wins a game as if he has won a special prize, but we are different. There is nothing to be happy about when we win, but when we lose, It’s a disaster!”

Jesualdo Ferreira did not respond to Ye Qiu's challenge in person, but he also refused to apologize for his remarks, although many media, including those in Portugal, believed that in the war of words between all head coaches, Basically, they are targeted at individuals and teams, and there are few personal attacks, or even attacks on the opponent's nationality.

But when a reporter from the British Guardian asked him face to face if he dared to accept the challenge, he said he didn't have time.

"Mr. Ferreira, Mr. Ye Qiu said that the game can be arranged during the summer training period, and all the expenses will be borne by him, and he even allows you to recruit a lot of people this summer. As long as you can beat him, he will play in important games." The media publishes an apology to you, and in turn, he needs you to publish an apology in the newspaper!”

When he said this, Sean Yingger smiled and conveyed Ye Qiu's original words, "As long as Porto's head coach is still you, Jesualdo Ferreira, there will never be a chance to beat Tottenham again. Mr. Tottenham, what do you think?”

Jesualdo Ferreira responded by being so angry that he left early again, but he did not respond to whether he accepted the challenge.

Porto's management quickly carried out press and public relations, saying that Jesualdo Ferreira's remarks only represented him personally. Porto Club was not involved in the personal grudge between him and Ye Qiu, and stated that the team's The board of directors is paying close attention to the current situation of the team and the development of things.

Some Portuguese media claimed that Porto's board of directors had issued a warning to Jesualdo Ferreira, hoping that he would have time to engage in verbal wars with others instead of focusing his time and energy on the team, because The board is not satisfied with Porto's current results.

Although Porto reached the finals in the Portuguese Cup this season, their results in the Portuguese Super League are not ideal and they are currently ranked third in the Portuguese Super League. This is a disadvantage for Porto, which has always billed itself as a Portuguese Super League club. It is definitely not a good result, and many people even speculate that Jesualdo Ferreira will leave Porto's coaching position this summer.

Regarding Jesualdo Ferreira's predicament, some media in England and Europe have added insult to injury, thinking that he looks more like using Ye Qiu to promote himself, but unless he can lead Porto to win the championship at the last moment, Otherwise, all the talk will just make him look more like a clown.

Ye Qiu didn't put too much energy into Porto and Jesualdo Ferreira. His popularity faded quickly as it came, and he had always ignored such small people. , this time if some of Jesualdo Ferreira's remarks were not excessive, he would not pursue them fiercely.

After the second round of the knockout round of the 16th round, the draw ceremony for the Champions League quarter-finals was soon held at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. Tottenham Hotspur arranged for CEO Peter Kenyon to be present in person, but the good luck that Ye Qiu expected did not appear. Tottenham Hotspur drew Barcelona!

When the draw results for the quarter-finals were passed back, the coaching room on the second floor of the first-team training building at the Theobald Training Base suddenly became dead silent, and everyone sat in front of their desks.

Only Roland Shepas picked up the blackboard pen and walked to the blackboard at the front of the coaching room. On a schedule for March and April, Barcelona's name was written on March 31 and April 7 respectively.

Throughout March and April, Tottenham Hotspur's schedule was densely arranged. Although the team was eliminated from the FA Cup and League Cup, the schedule of the league and the Champions League alone was enough for Tottenham Hotspur to drink a pot.

The schedule clearly shows that Tottenham Hotspur will play three league games in March, against Blackburn, Stoke City and Portsmouth. The strength of these three opponents is not too strong, and Tottenham Hotspur is very likely to win the opponents, and the three games are basically played once a week, so there is not much pressure.

But the key to the problem is that starting from the home game against Barcelona on March 31, the away game against the Black Cats Sunderland on April 3, and the away game against Barcelona on April 7, and then the next league opponents are Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United. Although there is a week of adjustment time between these three games, in mid-to-late April, Tottenham Hotspur will play against the three major Premier League teams in two weeks, which is also very demanding.

If Tottenham Hotspur cannot eliminate Barcelona and stops in the quarter-finals, then the schedule will end here. The devil schedule of the league is not completely insurmountable, but if Tottenham Hotspur eliminates Barcelona and successfully advances to the semi-finals, then the opponent they will encounter will be the winner between Bayern Munich and Manchester United.

No matter which team they meet, Bayern Munich or Manchester United, on April 20 and April 28, Tottenham Hotspur will face the test of the Champions League semi-finals and the devilish schedule in the league.

So, the situation facing Tottenham Hotspur now is that it is hard to advance, and it is even harder not to advance!

The Premier League schedule has actually been arranged since the beginning of the season, but Tottenham Hotspur's luck is relatively bad. In the first round of the league, Tottenham Hotspur's schedule is very troublesome. In September, they encountered Manchester United and Chelsea in turn, but at that time they faced the Champions League group stage and were weaker.

As for the game between Liverpool and West Ham United, it was in August, so although the schedule at the beginning of the league was a big test for the team, in general, the pressure was not particularly great, but now the situation is different. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United take turns, and according to the current league points, if Tottenham Hotspur makes a mistake in these three games and loses points continuously, the championship will inevitably be affected.

In other words, they must do their best to win the three games and ensure that they win the championship in advance. However, in front of the three major opponents, they must also take into account the knockout rounds of the Champions League. This is definitely a huge test for Tottenham Hotspur this season, a devil's schedule in a devil's schedule.

Looking at the names of the top teams densely written on the schedule, everyone in the coaching room seemed very solemn.

Although Tottenham Hotspur is now the only one, as long as they make a mistake in the strong dialogue, as long as they can't bear the pressure and collapse during this period of schedule, Tottenham Hotspur's current lead will be quickly shortened, and even caught up by competitors such as Chelsea and Manchester United.

You know, after the winter break, Manchester United and Chelsea are obviously getting better and better, and Ancelotti's Chelsea is currently chasing Tottenham Hotspur the most. They have been eliminated from the Champions League, leaving only the league and FA Cup, and the strength of the opponents in the FA Cup is obviously much weaker than Chelsea.

In other words, Chelsea can concentrate all their energy on the league, but Tottenham can't. Not only can they not, but they have to face a devilish schedule in a row, which is simply life-threatening!

Not only Chelsea, but Manchester United's performance in the second half is also much better than in the first half. After they defeated AC Milan 3:2 away in the first leg of the round of 16, they returned to Old Trafford in the second leg and won 4:0 against AC Milan, which made the Red Devils almost the most dazzling team in this Champions League round of 16.

Ferguson has obviously adjusted the team's lineup and structure, especially with the integration of Las Diarra and Sneijder and the recovery of their status, coupled with the formation of the front trident, and the team's main lineup has no injuries, the Red Devils finally showed their true fighting power.

Such a Manchester United is not easily ignored by any team that aims to compete for the Premier League championship, because no one can guarantee that Manchester United will not catch up at the last moment, and no one can guarantee that the tragedy of so many past reversals by Manchester United will not happen to Tottenham Hotspur.

On the one hand, the schedule is so difficult, and on the other hand, the competitors have these advantages. Tottenham Hotspur is indeed in a very unfavorable situation. Everyone can easily feel the difficulties the team is about to face.

Ye Qiu walked into the coaching room. He received the news from Nyon earlier than the coaching staff. He also knew that the team did not have much luck in the draw this time. Barcelona, ​​the strongest team, was chosen. This is almost the second best match in football today. In a duel between two of the strongest teams, it was Lyon, who had good luck in drawing the lot, and actually won the French Ligue 1 Bordeaux.

This is equivalent to ensuring that there must be a Ligue 1 team in the semi-finals of the semi-finals. It is not an exaggeration to say that Platini takes care of Ligue 1.

Ye Qiu walked to the front of the schedule and watched Roland write down the name of Barcelona. He also circled the dates of the two legs of the Champions League semi-finals. If Tottenham Hotspur advanced, mid-to-late April would really be the date. A super devilish schedule, but if they don't advance, the team's losses will be considerable.

"Okay, everyone, don't look depressed. What storms have we not seen before?"

Ye Qiu smiled and clapped vigorously. Although his smile seemed a bit forced, all he could do now was smile, infect everyone and the players with a confident smile, at least make everyone more confident to face the situation. Face and welcome this stage of the race, because neither frustration nor regret can change everything.

"I think this kind of schedule is good for us, because the schedule is concentrated, we only need to adjust the team's condition, so in the next period of time, we need to be well prepared for Be prepared for this devilish schedule in mid-to-late April.”

Everyone knew clearly that Ye Qiu's words were more like cheering him up.

"To be honest, I don't have the confidence now!" Ye Qiu walked up to the coaching team and pointed at the schedule behind him, "Such a dense schedule with so many strong teams arriving at the same time is a challenge for any team. It’s a huge challenge, but I’m also very interested, because I just want to give it a try, at least give it a try and see if we can hold on!”

"Just like what was said in [Challenge Sunday], we have to fight inch by inch, game after game. Don't think too much, but we must also make a good overall plan!"

Ye Qiu quickly called Peter Brandt, who was in charge of the team's physical fitness, from the analysis center. All members of the core coaching staff gathered in Ye Qiu's office for a meeting and began to discuss how to deal with this schedule.

According to Ye Qiu's idea, in the next three rounds, which is more than half a month, Tottenham Hotspur's opponents are not strong. Blackburn and Portsmouth are playing at home, and they are playing away to Tottenham. Kecheng and Sunderland, in Ye Qiu's words, as long as the team maintains a certain state and can perform at an average level, even if there is a rotation, he is sure to beat the opponent.

Of course, defeating your opponent does not mean you can play well.

"You mean, use this period of time to adjust your physical fitness and condition?" Peter Brandt understood what Ye Qiu meant.

Ye Qiu nodded, "Is there any way?" A player's physical fitness and state are cyclical, similar to a parabola, with ups and downs. In the past, Tottenham Hotspur has mastered a complete set of methods to control player state. , Only in this way can we ensure that the team can play with strength and level in some key games.

"Mid-to-late April?" Peter Brandt thought about it seriously, feeling a little embarrassed.

"More than that, we will play Barcelona in the first round on March 31st. Try to win the opponent. I will think of a way in the away game!" Ye Qiu knew that his demands were a bit high. After all, players need to maintain their condition for such a long period of time, especially if they have the ability. The requirement to continuously challenge powerful enemies is indeed a bit high.

But the problem is that if the state declines and encounters opponents like Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United, the possibility of losing is very high, because except for Manchester United, almost all of these opponents are just waiting to work, especially Arsenal, North London In the derby, it is impossible for Wenger not to give his best, at least to get a win this season.

"All I can say is, try your best!" Peter Brandt also felt a lot of pressure.

After Ye Qiu heard this, he reached over and patted his old partner on the shoulder. He had partnered with Peter Brandt for so many years. He knew Peter Brandt's abilities better than anyone else. If he said he tried his best, that was it. There is no guarantee of success, but you never have to doubt whether he will give his best, because he will always give his best.

"I believe in you, old man!" Ye Qiu said encouragingly.

"I also believe in all of you!" Ye Qiu glanced at all the core members of the coaching staff present, "We have been old partners for many years. We have come all the way from Ajax, and we have met countless We have encountered numerous challenges, but we finally got here and are here today!”

"I believe that no matter what difficulties we encounter, we will be able to overcome them!"

Ye Qiu's words made all the coaching staff present nod, because they have created too much brilliance in the past many years, and now, they hope to continue to continue this brilliance.

Ye Qiu is a person who does what he says. Since Peter Brandt has to give full authority to the responsibility, he simply shares the power to decide the players' games, so that the analysis team can better control the players' physical fitness and performance. state.

So in the away game against Blackburn on the weekend, Tottenham performed very poorly in the first half. They tied with Blackburn 0:0 at home, and in the second half, Blackburn scored the first goal.

Seeing the team's unfavorable situation, Ye Qiu had to make substitutions in the second half, replacing Messi and Alves.

After these two players came on the court, they completely activated Tottenham's offensive firepower. Within half an hour, Falcao scored twice and Hazard scored the third goal for the team, helping Tottenham to reverse Blackburn 3:1.

This battle made Ye Qiu realize the team's dependence on the main players. Whether it is Messi or Ribery, or Fabregas and David Silva, Tottenham relies on them very much, and the thickness of the bench seems too weak.

But after the game, Ye Qiu said in an interview with the media that the next one and a half months will completely determine the ownership of the Premier League and Champions League champions this season. He also called on all Tottenham players in the interview.

"Let's launch the final sprint towards the championship!"