Chapter 491 The giants are all in decline, only Arsenal, who are obsessed with maintaining their top four, are still fighting!
Since Manchester City has drawn Atletico Madrid, the remaining two teams are naturally Real Madrid and Bayern.
Perhaps bad luck is contagious, Real Madrid was also the first to be drawn, and the order of the game was the same as Manchester City, home first and away later.
This stadium is also unfavorable for Real Madrid. After all, Bayern's fighting strength at its home court is obvious to all.
Few teams can take advantage at the Allianz Arena. Even Manchester City had a very difficult time at the Allianz Arena last season.
Although Manchester City finally advanced last season with the advantage of the aggregate score, they still lost to Bayern in the match at the Allianz Arena.
No matter whether you are a big club or not, Bayern, playing at home, is not afraid of any opponent. As long as they show their momentum, even a big club can inflict a tragedy on you. Barcelona has already experienced this!
This draw result is very uncomfortable for all four teams. Real Madrid may not want to face Bayern, and Manchester City does not want to play Atletico Madrid.
As for Bayern and Atletico Madrid, they are not absolutely sure of defeating their opponents.
Therefore, these two semi-finals were full of suspense and attracted heated discussions from countless fans.
"Real Madrid vs. Bayern, this is like a collision between Mars and the Earth!"
"Haha, these two are both top teams, and both advocate offense. The clash between them will definitely be very intense and exciting. I can't wait to watch this game!"
"Bayern's recent form doesn't seem to be very good, while Real Madrid is in high spirits, so I'll predict the score here. I think Real Madrid will advance to the final with a score of 4:3!"
"Real Madrid's schedule is not good. The home-first and away-later schedule is in Bayern's favor. Also, the injuries of several main players on Bayern's side should be recovered soon, and they will probably be able to catch up with the semi-finals, so I am a little optimistic about Bayern!"
"The wingers of both teams are ridiculously strong. The final winner will still depend on which wing is in better condition and performs better in the game!"
Real Madrid's wingers are Cristiano Ronaldo and Bale, both worth 200 million each, while Bayern's Robben and Ribery combination is even more famous.
In addition, there are some grudges between Ribery and Ronaldo because of the Golden Ball Award, so in addition to the strong confrontation between the giants, this game also has the plot of a top star taking revenge on another superstar.
These things combined make this game even more attractive.
After the draw results came out, Ribery immediately posted on Twitter: "It's time to take back what belongs to me!"
This tweet was accompanied by a photo of the Ballon d'Or. Anyone who knows a little about the inside story of the Ballon d'Or two years ago would understand what Ribery was talking about.
"What do you mean? The Ballon d'Or belongs to our Cristiano Ronaldo!"
"That's right, Mr. President won it with his own ability. What do you mean by something that belongs to you? Who do you think you are?"
"Looking at the scars on your face, you don't look like a good person at first glance. You don't even know how much you are capable of. Do you think you are qualified to challenge our CEO?"
Ronaldo fans who heard the news immediately flooded the comment section under Ribery's tweet.
"Haha, you dare to do it but not take the responsibility. In order to discredit Ribery's Ballon d'Or, you even changed the selection rules of the Ballon d'Or. Do you really think that everyone in the world is stupid?"
"That's right, some fans are just like their masters, so hypocritical!"
"I'm sorry, brothers. My dog is barking here without a leash. I apologize to you all!"
Soon, some Ribery fans and neutral fans launched a counterattack and started a big fight with Ronaldo's fans. Both sides cursed at each other to the point of despair! ...
Compared to the other side, the tension between Atletico Madrid and Manchester City is much less.
Neither of these two teams has a very deep foundation, and there are few historical records of confrontation, so there are no accumulated grudges.
Therefore, fans of both teams can calmly discuss the results of the draw and predict the performance of the two teams.
"Atletico's defense is excellent. Manchester City may not be able to take advantage of them when they meet them!"
"Yes, Simeone is very good at passing and controlling football!"
"But Manchester City have beaten them in the final before, so they should have some psychological advantage, right?"
In the Champions League final two years ago, the two teams facing each other were Manchester City and Atletico Madrid.
In that game, Atletico Madrid lost to Manchester City 0:2, allowing Manchester City to win the first Champions League trophy in team history.
However, the result of that game may not necessarily represent Atletico's true strength. After all, their main striker Diego Costa was injured and left the field just 9 minutes into the game.
Diego Costa's injury has caused great damage to Simeone's tactical arrangements, greatly reducing Atletico Madrid's strength, especially the threat on the front line has dropped sharply.
If Diego Costa had not been injured, it would be hard to say who would win in the end.
"Although Atletico Madrid has lost to Manchester City before, Simeone has a big advantage when facing Guardiola!"
Since Simeone coached Atletico Madrid, he has played against Guardiola's team twice, once in La Liga and once in the Champions League.
In the La Liga match, Simeone, who had just taken office, led Atletico Madrid to a 1:2 loss at home to the powerful Barcelona.
In that game, Atletico Madrid under Simeone has shown strong strength.
Although they lost the game, they were not at a disadvantage in terms of statistics. Their number of shots and shots on target were even more than Barcelona. It was a pity that they encountered the unstoppable Messi and were defeated by Messi's last-minute goal near the end of the game.
In the Champions League semi-final, Simeone's Atletico Madrid shut out Bayern in two rounds, eliminating the defending champions in a shocking upset.
But today is different from the past. Guardiola has now changed his team to coach and has a sharper spear in his hand.
I believe he can find a way to pierce Atletico's strongest shield!
…
After the Champions League draw ceremony, Guardiola immediately took Lin Quan back to Manchester City and began to study how to deal with Atletico Madrid.
Atletico Madrid's advantage lies in defense. Looking across Europe, few teams dare to say they can break through their back line.
It’s not to say that Atletico Madrid’s defenders and midfielders are so great. In terms of individual strength, there are many teams in the football world whose defenders are stronger than Atletico Madrid’s.
But the tactics Simeone developed for these people magnified their defensive capabilities and made it difficult for the opponent's offense to be effective.
So how did Simeone do it?
One word: run!
In La Liga and the Champions League, Atletico Madrid is known for its ability to run.
Their tactics are to resolutely implement on-the-spot counter-attacks and high-position pressing. Each player spares no effort to run all over the field, double-teaming and pressing the opponent's ball holder again and again.
Through active running, the 11 players on the field played the role of more than 11 people.
When other teams face Atletico, they usually have an illusion that the opponent has far more than 11 players, because Atletico players are everywhere, and they are always in the dilemma of being outnumbered.
Once Atletico Madrid forms a numerical advantage in a local area, the opponent's attack will naturally be difficult to be effective. Instead, Atletico Madrid will easily intercept the ball and launch a counterattack on the spot.
In La Liga, Atletico Madrid tops the list with 20 shutouts, and the number of goals conceded is also the lowest in La Liga so far.
Their defensive capabilities have been tested in actual combat.
Even top teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona will still worry about their offense when facing Atletico Madrid.
Guardiola is also troubled by this problem. He repeatedly studied the game videos of Atletico Madrid this season, focusing on watching the games in which Atletico Madrid lost, trying to find a solution.
Guardiola is studying Atletico Madrid, and Atletico Madrid coach Simeone is also studying Manchester City.
"Manchester City's wingers are too threatening, especially Lin Quan. This guy is more terrifying than Messi in 2012. I really don't know how to defend against this monster!"
Simeone still remembers the defeat to Manchester City at the Stadium of Light two years ago.
In that game, it was because of Lin Quan's goal that the balance on the field was broken, and Atletico Madrid's defensive counterattack tactics failed. They had to go all out on the attack, but ended up suffering another heavy blow and were defeated 0:2 by Manchester City.
Compared to two years ago, Lin Quan's skills have become more comprehensive and his experience has become richer. He is obviously more difficult to deal with on the court.
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"How can we restrict him?"
Although Atletico's defense is excellent, it is only for ordinary players. For players like Lin Quan who cannot be guessed by common sense, ordinary tactics may not work.
For a superstar like this, an occasional flash of inspiration could have a profound impact on the course of the game.
Therefore, when defending him, you must be extremely careful and cautious to ensure that you freeze him completely and don't give him any chance at all.
But how do we achieve this?
Guardiola feels that Atletico's defense is impregnable, while Simeone is also worried about the presence of Lin Quan in Manchester City.
Both sides are like a wolf with a stick, and both are afraid of the threat from the other.
All the suspense will be left until ten days later!
…
On April 17, the 34th round of the Premier League kicked off.
As the league draws to a close, the situation regarding the title race and relegation in this year's Premier League has become clearer.
Manchester City, who are at the top of the table, currently have 81 points, 9 points ahead of second-placed Leicester City. With only five rounds left in the league, this lead is a huge advantage.
The situation in the relegation zone is also clear at a glance. Aston Villa is at the bottom of the points list and has been confirmed to be relegated five rounds in advance.
The situation is grim for Newcastle, second from the bottom. With only 26 points, they are likely to get another relegation ticket.
Sunderland and Norwich are very close in points, one with 30 points and the other with 31 points. The gap between them and Crystal Palace, which is in 16th place, is quite large. The third relegation spot should be decided between these two teams.
Of course, Everton, Watford and Crystal Palace, which are ranked 14th to 16th, cannot guarantee absolute safety.
The points gap between them and the relegation zone is not that big. If they don't play well in the last few rounds and suffer consecutive defeats, while their opponents win consecutive games, they will still be in danger of being eliminated.
With little suspense in the championship race and relegation, the competition for this year's Champions League seats is exceptionally fierce.
Except that the two teams at the top of the list have a huge lead and are sure to get a place in next season.
There are five teams competing for the remaining two seats, among which Tottenham has a clear lead.
Tottenham, who currently have 65 points, have basically secured a spot in the Champions League as long as they don't let down in the last five rounds.
Following closely behind is Arsenal, who are determined to maintain their top four position. Their current points are 62, temporarily ranking fourth, 6 points more than fifth-placed Manchester United, and their advantage is quite obvious.
As for Manchester United, they currently have only 56 points and their hopes of getting a Champions League spot are slim.
As for the remaining West Ham United with 55 points and Liverpool with 52 points, they only have theoretical hope and are likely to miss the Champions League next season.
As for Chelsea? They had already lost sight of him in the first half of the league, and had lost hope of qualifying for the Champions League.
This season is definitely a season that will be hard to look back on for several traditional Premier League giants.
Except for Arsenal, the rest of the four giants have all been offline.
Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea have had worse records this year than each other. It is no wonder that they are being suppressed by Manchester City, after all, they really cannot beat Manchester City.
But they can't even suppress a civilian team like Leicester City and a team not considered a top club like Tottenham. This is totally abnormal.
This situation has never occurred in the past few decades. There is not even a traditional giant among the top three in the league!
Although these wealthy families have strong foundations, if they continue to consume like this, they will sooner or later collapse.
Now, after three consecutive seasons of failure, it is now difficult for Manchester United to attract top stars to join.
Three years ago, Manchester United was one of the most well-known and influential top clubs in Europe and even the world!
"The Premier League has really changed!"
"Yes, after Manchester City's sudden rise, it seemed as if all the luck of the big clubs was sucked away, and they fell into decline all of a sudden!"
"If this continues, the Premier League might really become another Bundesliga, and Manchester City would be the Bayern of the Premier League."
"It shouldn't be that serious, right? Although the big families have temporarily declined, their foundation is still there, and they may be able to make a comeback in the future."
"Just like Liverpool, although the record this season is not good, but Liverpool's strength is obviously getting stronger little by little. I believe that if they are given more time, Liverpool will be able to return to the throne sooner or later!"
"That's right. Manchester City's opponent in this round is Chelsea. Chelsea is playing at home, so it shouldn't be that easy for Manchester City to win, right?"
Although the Blues' record this season is not good, the Tigers are still there, and the influence left by Chelsea is still there. It is not easy to beat them at Stamford Bridge.
Therefore, many fans silently cheered for Chelsea in their hearts and watched the game with great expectations.
However, their dreams were shattered just five minutes into the game.
In the fifth minute of the first half, Lin Quan and Aguero cooperated. The latter received a through ball from Lin Quan in the penalty area and easily scored the ball, changing the score to 1:0. Just 10 minutes later, in almost the same position and with the same person, Lin Quan assisted Aguero again, allowing the latter to score twice.
This was not the end. In the 29th minute of the first half, Lin Quan took advantage of the opponent's wall to jump and made a low free kick, which went directly into the goal and changed the score to 3:0. There was silence at Stamford Bridge, and the usually crazy Blues fans were also silenced by the score.
They couldn't help but start to wonder: Is this really not Etihad Stadium, but Stamford Bridge? (End of this chapter)