Chapter 319 League Cup and Champions Cup draw!

English League Cup.

This event is a waste of time for many Premier League teams, but after defeating Fulham twice away in the League Cup and the League, Chelsea also reached the semi-finals of the League Cup. At this time, the remaining teams are Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and League One team Watford.

On December 10th, the League Cup semi-final draw ceremony was held at the FA headquarters in London.

Chelsea club coach Mourinho and assistant coach Clark attended the ceremony together. Although many teams only sent one staff member in previous draw ceremonies, this time it was the semi-finals that determined the championship, and the coach's personal presence could also show respect for the English Football Association.

"Of course I hope the team meets Watford. To be honest, I have only heard of the name of this team." A Blues fan said jokingly in an interview.

This is indeed the case. Compared with the other three top Premier League teams, Watford, as a League One team, is really inconspicuous. Almost every team wants to meet it in the semi-finals. In this way, the other two teams will have to fight in the semi-finals. This kind of thing is definitely something that these competitors would like to see.

Obviously, Mourinho thought so too, but when he unfolded the small piece of paper he had drawn, his face suddenly darkened---

Manchester United

Undoubtedly, Manchester United is the opponent Mourinho least wants to face in the League Cup semi-finals.

In this season's Premier League, Manchester United has almost no hope of winning the league title, but even so, they can secure a spot in next year's European Champions League. It is not easy to win the European Champions League for several years. It requires not only strength but also a lot of luck. Even if Manchester United gives up the league and devotes all its energy to winning the championship, it is likely to be eliminated midway. At this time, the League Cup, which is usually not optimistic about, becomes a kind of consolation, which is better than nothing.

Therefore, Mourinho is sure that in the confrontation between the two teams, Manchester United will definitely put in their greatest energy to win. Even if Chelsea can win, it will be a miserable victory. The Portuguese secretly cursed the English FA in his heart. He felt that there might be an inside story behind this draw.

Whether it is FIFA, UEFA or the English FA, it is well known that these organizations have some inside stories in the draw in order to develop their own football careers. Even if everyone knows that there are inside stories, no one really says it out. This is the reality, and Mourinho is somewhat helpless about it.

Sir Alex Ferguson was of course also present. At this moment, the aged coach was already drowsy in his chair. However, when he heard the commentator reading out the match schedule, he stood up with his eyes wide open in excitement.

It's not just Mourinho who doesn't want to face Manchester United, Ferguson doesn't want to face Chelsea either.

Decades of coaching experience have enabled Sir Alex Ferguson to make a very accurate assessment of a team. Although Manchester United and Chelsea tied 2:3 at Old Trafford last time, this score does not reflect the actual gap between the two teams, but looking at the entire game and the two teams' records, player configurations, etc., the old Sir knows very well that with Manchester United's current lineup that is short of players, it will be really difficult for them to win against Chelsea.

You know, Manchester United now has many injured players in the backcourt, and the performance of Gary Neville and Phil Neville is really unsatisfactory. They have even become substitutes. Because of the last game against Chelsea, the forward general Van Nistelrooy is still recuperating in the Netherlands. In this case, what can Manchester United use to compete with Chelsea?

At this point, Sir Alex Ferguson can only hope that Chelsea's "quadruple crown" declaration is just a smokescreen, otherwise, Manchester United may really become a commander without troops this season.

Apart from Liverpool coach Benítez who was very satisfied with the result, even the English League One team Watford was very dissatisfied. The reason for this team's dissatisfaction seemed a bit ridiculous to the other three teams, but it was true for them.

Watford, which drew Liverpool, is not happy because of the club's expected income.

Manchester United's Old Trafford can accommodate far more spectators than Liverpool's Anfield and Chelsea's Stamford Bridge. Therefore, if Manchester United eventually becomes Watford's opponent in the semi-finals, Watford will earn about 1 million pounds in ticket revenue, while if the opponent is Chelsea or Liverpool, it can only earn 700,000 pounds. These 300,000 pounds are very critical for Watford, which is in a very tight financial situation.

After the draw, Watford chairman Simpson said: "For a club in our position to reach the League Cup semi-final is like a beautiful fairy tale. Considering our stretched financial situation, it is a miracle. Although we have this income, our financial situation is still a big problem."

………

No matter how dissatisfied Chelsea, Manchester United or Watford are, it has no effect on the result. Chelsea still has to play against Manchester United both at home and away, and Watford still has to pay 300,000 pounds less than planned.

However, for the four major Premier League teams, the League Cup draw ceremony was just an appetizer. The next day, December 11, senior executives from each team flew to Switzerland to attend the draw ceremony for the UEFA Champions League knockout stage held there.

UEFA Champions League

This event is of great appeal to all European football clubs, not only because the trophy represents the highest honor for European football clubs, but also because it means higher income for the clubs. Almost every additional Champions League finals match can provide a club with at least 5 million euros in funds.

In modern football, money is always so attractive.

This year is really a fruitful year for English football, because the four teams participating in the Champions League, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, all advanced from the group stage, which means that four of the top 16 teams in the Champions League are Premier League teams.

This really made the English teams, which have always performed poorly, stand out. Many English media even began to claim that the European Champions League final would be a civil war between Premier League teams. For English football, this is definitely a matter of great joy for fans.

The teams that qualified from this year's European group stage are:

Serie A: AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus

Premier League: Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool

Bundesliga: Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen, Leverkusen

La Liga: Real Madrid, Barcelona

French Ligue 1: Monaco, Lyon

Portuguese Super League: Porto

Eredivisie: PSV Eindhoven

It can be seen from this club list that there are very few dark horses in the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League. Basically, all the teams that have reached this stage are top teams from major leagues. Of course, there are still weak teams and strong teams among them.

Teams like PSV, Porto, Monaco, Werder Bremen, Leverkusen and others are relatively weaker, while the other teams are traditional strong teams. Of course, there are also teams that do not conform to the general rules, and that is Chelsea.

Chelsea has not always been a traditional Champions League powerhouse, but it has to be said that European bookmakers are now offering the lowest odds for Chelsea to win the title, which has a lot to do with Chelsea's undefeated record this season.

However, although these bookmakers are optimistic about Chelsea, they do not want Chelsea to win the championship, because before the start of the Champions League, Chelsea's odds were very high. At that time, many fans bet on Chelsea. If Chelsea really wins the championship, many bookmakers will suffer losses.

It is worth mentioning that among the 16 teams that entered the finals, eight of the drawn teams have never won the championship.

The Champions League has been held 49 times since the 1955-1956 season, and 31 Champions League trophies have been won by the top 16 teams.

Real Madrid has won the most championships, with a total of the first Champions League title, AC Milan has won 6 championships, followed by Bayern Munich and Liverpool, who have won 4 championships respectively. There are four teams that have won the championship twice in history, they are Inter Milan, Porto, Juventus and Manchester United, and the other eight teams participating in the draw are teams that have never won the championship---

Of course, this also includes Chelsea.

………

The local media in Fulham have been talking about this matter in recent days.

A loyal Chelsea fan could not hide his excitement when he was interviewed by BBC TV: "We can't wait to know the result of the draw. I hope Chelsea will meet a weak team in the first round, preferably PSV Eindhoven or Monaco. Oh, yes, Porto is also OK."

"This season, I feel like I'm dreaming. Although the team made it to the knockout stage last season, I wasn't that excited at the time."

"We hope Chelsea can go all the way in the Champions League and I am very excited to think about it."

"We will let the whole of Europe know that as long as they meet Chelsea, their journey in the Champions League will end early." Before the draw ceremony, Wang Li said domineeringly when he was interviewed by Sky TV.

Before the live broadcast of the draw ceremony, Sky TV also made a special program to introduce the new Chelsea team to the whole of Europe. Many Chelsea players spoke on the spot to declare that Chelsea "dominates Europe".

In fact, that’s what they did.

"I can't wait to know the news about our opponent, because then we can focus on the game the day after tomorrow. Arsenal is not an easy opponent to defeat and we must make our best effort for it." Captain John Terry's words were sincere and it was obvious that the big English man was indeed concerned about the game the day after tomorrow.

"No matter who the opponent is, be prepared to lose." Chelsea newcomer Paulo Ferreira, who has never liked to appear in public in the media, said. The Portuguese defender has been in a good mood recently. After half a season of hard work, he finally stabilized his main position in Chelsea's defense.

This time, Joe Cole, who always likes to show off in front of the media, really spoke out. Facing the camera of Sky TV, he held up four fingers and said: "No matter who the opponent is, they will lose four goals at Stamford Bridge. This is my prediction."

Undoubtedly, this "4-0 prediction" is a joke, but the conscientious Sky TV staff still kept it. Perhaps such arrogant remarks can attract more attention from fans.

………

After the training ended that day, Wang Li said hello to everyone, then trotted back to his residence, turned on the TV, and sat on the sofa to watch the live broadcast of the draw ceremony.

Although Wang Li appeared calm in front of the media, he was actually very concerned about the results of the draw.

During the live broadcast, he saw coach Mourinho and club CEO Peter Kenyon, because the live broadcast gave a close-up shot of these two people.

Chelsea's record this season is so brilliant that even the commentator couldn't help but comment: "We should pay more attention to Chelsea's draw. No one in the Premier League can stop them from winning. I hope all the top teams can find opportunities."

Wang Li felt happy to hear the host praising Chelsea so much. After all, Chelsea's current achievements were all due to his indelible contribution. This was almost the same as praising him.

Even though the Taoist mental method that Wang Li practiced had some otherworldly meaning, he was still a mortal after all, and he would always have vanity.

After each ceremony was over, UEFA arranged for Chelsea to be the first to draw lots. The team's CEO Peter Kenyon stepped forward to draw Chelsea's opponent.

At this time, Wang Li, who was sitting next to the TV, was also a little excited. It was like a gamble. In fact, unlike Mourinho's idea, he still hoped to play against strong teams, such as Barcelona and Real Madrid. He felt that the most enjoyable thing on the football field was to trample on opponents such as the World Footballer of the Year and the Golden Boot Award winners.

Perhaps this idea is a bit extreme, but if you want to become the first superstar in history and surpass the achievements of your predecessors, you must go through this process. Wang Li now feels that the gap between his strength and that of ordinary players is too big. In football matches, there is a lack of loopholes for confrontation. It is only interesting to play when you can encounter football players who pose a threat to you.

It's just a threat.

Wang Li didn't think that there was anyone in this world who could kick better than him. The top Taoist martial arts he learned were all creations that pushed the limits of human beings. How could there be anyone better than him?

Yes, he still has this little confidence.

At this time, Peter Kenyon on TV had taken out a small piece of paper from the box.

"Real Madrid, Real Madrid, Real Madrid," Wang Li clenched his fists, widened his eyes, and said like praying.

At the same time, at the draw ceremony, Mourinho was also muttering in his heart: "Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Eredivisie, Porto is also OK"

However, when the host took the paper from Peter Kenyon and read out the name on it, Mourinho was dumbfounded. On the contrary, Wang Li, who was watching the TV, clenched his fist and waved it vigorously.

Barcelona

At this time, the whole audience burst into laughter of schadenfreude, and it was obvious that they thought this result was really interesting enough.

For Mourinho, this is really the worst outcome. When he was young, he worked as a translator in Barcelona. Even if we put this aside, in terms of strength alone, Barcelona is the team that Mourinho least wants to meet.

Ronaldinho, Puyol, Eto'o, Giuly, Deco... and even a super star Messi. In Mourinho's view, the current Barcelona is even more terrifying than the all-star Real Madrid. Meeting such a team in the first round of the knockout stage is definitely the worst result.

Chelsea faced Manchester United in the League Cup and Barcelona in the Champions League. The draw results even made many people present wonder whether the European Championship and the English Football Association had joined forces to suppress Chelsea's popularity.

You know, after Christmas, the FA Cup will also begin, Chelsea will face fighting on four fronts, and this draw result will make the situation even worse.

………

After Chelsea's opponents came out, Wang Li was no longer in the mood to care about other teams. He took out his cell phone and called Angela to tell her the news.

These days, although Rita occasionally came to Wang Li's place to spend the night, so that he was not lonely, but in fact, Wang Li always felt guilty about this matter, so he called Angela more frequently, thinking that this might make up for some of his guilt.

"Your opponent is Barcelona? Spain?" Angela's sweet voice came from the other end of the phone. Every time Wang Li heard this voice, he would feel tingling all over, but he liked this feeling very much.

"Well, I can go there. I've never been to Spain." Wang Li replied, then frowned and asked, "Annie, are you going back to London for Christmas?"

"Of course, I really hope time goes by faster."

After hearing the sweet words on the other end of the phone, Wang Li felt even more guilty. In fact, he didn't know how to face Angela or how to explain to him what happened between him and Rita. If he really had to give up a woman, he would definitely give up Rita, because after having sex with Rita, Wang Li realized that he actually liked this annoying little princess.

"Things will work out when the time comes," Wang Li couldn't help but pat his chest, thinking in annoyance.

Although Wang Li felt that hiding the truth was a very embarrassing thing, he had to hide it if possible under the current circumstances. However, he had decided in his heart to explain everything to Rita. If this woman chose to leave, he would still respect her decision.

With a head full of worries, Wang Li went to a restaurant next to the villa to have dinner, and then returned to his residence to continue practicing his internal skills. This kind of life has become his recent habit.

However, that night, Rita came to Wang Li's villa again.

This also made Wang Li realize that the decision in his heart and what he actually did were two completely different things. He simply didn't have the heart to confront this desperate Ukrainian woman, as that would definitely cause her great harm.

So, the next day Wang Li rushed to Chelsea's training match, and after 12 noon, a beautiful woman exuding femininity opened the door of the villa and walked out.

………

Appendix: This season's Champions League knockout match schedule (free)

1. PSV Eindhoven vs AS Monaco

2. Bayern Munich VS Arsenal

3. Real Madrid VS Juventus

4. Liverpool VS Leverkusen

5. Werder Bremen VS Lyon

6. Porto VS Inter Milan

7. Manchester United VS AC Milan

8. Chelsea vs Barcelona