《7:1, why is this! ?》?

The next day, The Sun did not report yesterday's game in detail, but used this rhetorical question as the headline of the sports edition. Even though Portsmouth had some problems from the inside out, and was even facing the crisis of relegation, but scoring 7 goals in a game was still too scary. You have to know that this is the Premier League, which is mainly based on physical confrontation, not the La Liga, which advocates technical football and offense. Scoring 7 goals is indeed scary enough. ?

Even though Chelsea wins by a large margin in almost every game, this score still attracts a lot of attention. Compared with Arsenal's 2:0 and Manchester United's 2:1 in this round, this score really stands out from the crowd. ?

"Last season, Chelsea was strong enough in the Latherne era. They tied with Arsenal at Highbury, letting everyone know that this 'pound team' should not be underestimated. Then Mourinho came to Chelsea and spent 100 million euros in the transfer market to buy many talented players. Now Christmas has just passed, and in the Premier League, Chelsea is the only team that stands out with a perfect record, overlooking all teams. Even the three traditional giants Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool have become foils."?

"Many people are studying the reasons for Chelsea's success. Even though they do have abundant funds, there were no superstars in Chelsea's lineup before the start of this season. Is it so cheap to win all the games, only needing 100 million euros? If so, why can't the superstar team in Spain achieve such results!?"

After this round of battle, The Sun did not praise Chelsea anymore, but raised the following question: As the coach of last season's Champions League, why was Mourinho successful? Why was Chelsea successful? Is it really just because of Mourinho? What magic does this Portuguese have that allows his team to achieve good results all the time! ? ?

These are indeed worthy of deep thought by all European football clubs. ?

In the latest edition of the Daily Sports, their writer analyzed Chelsea's lineup from various angles to find out the reasons for Mourinho's success. In summary, that is ---?

Strength, luck! ! ?

First of all, in terms of the back line, Chelsea already had a good defensive team in the Lasseter era: captain John Terry, Frank Lampard, and super substitute William Gallas.

The strength of these three players is beyond doubt. Even though Gallas is still a little immature, the defense led by John Terry is comparable to that of an average mid-table Premier League team.

Don't underestimate John Terry's ability. He is not only the captain of Chelsea, but his personal defensive ability is beyond doubt. Mourinho also has a very high opinion of John Terry.

"Terry is the best, better than Ferdinand of Manchester United, better than Nesta of AC Milan, and better than Campbell of Arsenal." Mourinho said without hesitation in the face of media interviews. "For me, Terry is undoubtedly the best central defender in the world. Of course, Sir Alex Ferguson will say the same thing to Ferdinand, and Ancelotti will say the same thing to Nesta, but that doesn't matter. From the first day I came to Chelsea, Terry has always shown a consistent high level, without any ups and downs, without any mistakes."?

Of course, it is not just Terry. Football is a sport for eleven people, and the defense in the backfield also needs the assistance of many other strong players. ?

This season, Chelsea has introduced the powerful Ricardo Carvalho, which makes the defense more stable. The strength of this Porto champion is absolutely outstanding. Although Paulo Ferreira, Thiago Mendes and other "parallel imports" are not outstanding, they can at least supplement Chelsea's bench depth. After all, not every transfer can be successful. ?

In the midfield, Mourinho was very lucky!

As early as last season, when Lasse was coaching Chelsea, he said bluntly in an interview with the media: "If we can find another left winger to cooperate with Damien, the two of them will definitely be very strong in their cross-position offense, which will greatly improve Chelsea's offensive ability."

This can be regarded as Lasse's prediction, but unfortunately, when he coached Chelsea, he failed to find such a player, but Mourinho found one. Arjen Robben performed very well in the European Cup, so he was called by Mourinho, and the cooperation between Robben and Duff did increase the firepower of Chelsea's frontcourt. ?

This season, Joe Cole and Scott Parker, who had not performed well in the midfield, have both experienced a breakout period. Although they are substitutes for Chelsea, the difference between the main players and substitutes is not too obvious in the current situation where Chelsea is fighting on four fronts. Even the "bench prince" Geremi has performed well every time he has played, which can only be attributed to luck. ?

And in the front court, Mourinho's luck is unstoppable! ! ?

Allen Wang!! ?

Before the start of this season, the reason why Mourinho introduced him may be just because the transfer price is relatively cheap and his strength is enough to supplement the bench, that's all. Of course, some reasons are also due to competition with other European football giants, especially the league rival Liverpool. ?

However, what surprised everyone was that this player, who was called the luckiest top scorer in the European Cup by the media and the top scorer with the least playing time in history, continued his "luck". After 20 rounds of the league, he has scored 44 goals and is the leader, which makes all the strikers in the Premier League and the world ashamed. In the Champions League group stage, he scored 10 goals in 5 games, which is also shocking enough.

This cannot be simply described as luck. Now almost all the top teams have set their sights on this black-haired boy who is less than 18 years old. At the age of 18, he can have such a terrifying efficiency in the Premier League. What about 19 or 20? According to the football lifespan of a normal football player, if nothing unexpected happens, I am afraid that when he reaches the age of 25, he may be able to play for a team on his own. ?

Although it sounds a bit shocking, Wang Li's strength has indeed been recognized by the whole world. ?

AC Milan's rising star Kaka? Manchester United's stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney? Or those superstars! ? In front of Wang Li's goal scoring efficiency, they are really not worth mentioning. ?

With this super striker who averages more than 2 goals per game, I'm afraid any team will perform well, let alone Chelsea, which is now full of stars! ? ?

Jose Mourinho is indeed strong, but his luck is also extraordinary. He succeeded in Porto last season and made himself known to the world. Now he is showing the world a super team that keeps breaking records. Who can stop Chelsea's strength! ? Maybe the Spanish media will say it is Barcelona or Real Madrid, but English fans will definitely not think so. Can the newly rising Barcelona really beat Chelsea? ?

Or maybe we should look forward to Liverpool in the next round of the league. ?

In the 21st round of the Premier League, Chelsea will challenge Liverpool away! ! This is also the January 1st after Christmas. In order to attract the attention of the world, the English Football Association conducts a routine match between the top three teams in the league and the 4th, 5th and 6th teams in the league. ?

Unfortunately, the powerful Chelsea was chosen. In fact, the focus of fans all over the world is on Chelsea. If it were Manchester United or Arsenal, the attention to this game would definitely be much less. ?

Perhaps to outsiders, this game is not a contest between the strongest teams in the Premier League, but from the perspective of English football tradition, it has too much connotation.

Liverpool vs. London, North vs. South, these two points are always the hottest topics in the Premier League, and as the first big drama of 2005, it will undoubtedly become the focus of global attention. At present, the hottest team in the Premier League is Chelsea, and although the Reds, who are in good form, cannot catch up with Chelsea's strength, their recent performance is also very good. ?

The highlight of this game is of course the two best midfielders in the world: Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. The conversation between the England captain and vice-captain is always so attractive. The beginning of the 2005 football war will be opened by this game. The duel between the two has become a "wonderful footnote" in the media.

Manchester, London and Liverpool, the grievances between these three major English Premier League football cities are never clear. Arsenal, which once represented London in the duel with Liverpool, was left behind by its city rival Chelsea this season, and Mourinho's team has therefore stood at the forefront of the North-South war.

Such a battle that subverted tradition was arranged on the first day of 2005. It can be regarded as a deliberate arrangement by the English Football Association before the season, but it was also somewhat unintentional, because they would never have thought that Chelsea would achieve such a brilliant record after halfway through the season, so brilliant that it could not be described as "standing out from the crowd", nor would they have thought that Liverpool would have won three consecutive victories before the New Year after experiencing a slump at the beginning of the season. The dialogue between the two teams at their peak, embellished with many historical grievances, naturally became the most appropriate opening drama of the New Year. ?

In the first half of the season, the Reds' performance was up and down, and obviously they could not compare with Chelsea, which was in its heyday. Moreover, the Reds have not changed the situation of being full of injuries. Benítez can only play with the same group of players, and these main players have played 5 games in the past 20 days. Even if facing the leader can stimulate their fighting spirit, the physical fatigue is difficult to offset by psychological stimulation.

But the Reds won their first three league games this season and have been unbeaten at home for seven games. In addition, in their historical record against Chelsea, they have 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss in the last five home games. At least the data shows that they are not fish on the chopping block. Even if Chelsea is very strong, it is not easy to beat Liverpool at home. Chelsea's strength has not changed, but the victory in this schedule will always make the team infected with some winning mentality, which is definitely not a good influence. In addition, the recent injury situation is also serious. It is not an impossible task for the Reds to defend their home dignity. ?

Now, the focus of fans around the world is: Can Liverpool stop Chelsea's winning streak?

For everyone, as long as Liverpool can get a draw, it is equal to victory. ?

………?

The 20-point advantage does give Chelsea enough capital to be proud of. Facing a tough Premier League team like Liverpool, the Blues still have a "must win" mentality. In an interview with reporters, coach Mourinho said in a roundabout way, "I believe that after this game, the gap between us and Arsenal can only be widened or maintained, and it will never be narrowed."

As the opponent's performance this season was too dazzling, Anfield was quite quiet before the duel. Liverpool's overall performance was very low-key. They did not act as arrogantly as in the last game. Head coach Benitez even said in an interview with Sky TV: "We don't care about the result of this game. The team is in good shape now. If we maintain this state, there will be good results. But the opponent is the first in the league, and they are now very difficult to beat, so I told my players to forget who the opponent is and play with a normal mentality."?

In contrast, Chelsea, who had to travel far to the north of England, seemed much more high-profile. England captain Frank Lampard was of course the focus of media attention. Since David Beckham stopped being the captain of the national team, he and Gerrard became the captains of the plus-minus. More importantly, they were the best midfielders on the planet. Facing the interview with the reporter, Lampard said bluntly: "I am very familiar with Steven. He is very strong. I feel that I am not as good as him, but I once told him that a team with only one player like him will never be considered strong."?

Lampard's meaning is very clear, that is, Chelsea will definitely be the winner of the game, because Chelsea "has at least one of the five best players in the world, and Wang Li is the best player in the world, no one", while Liverpool is not the case, Gerrard is already the best in Liverpool, so they can't beat Chelsea. ?

The media are of course also concerned about Chelsea's starting lineup in this game, and the goalkeeper position is the focus of attention, just because Chelsea has two goalkeepers. ?

Petr Cech and Thomas Clarke!!! ?

If at the beginning of the season, the 22-year-old Petr Cech could still say that he had secured his place as Chelsea's main goalkeeper, now he has to face the competitiveness of Thomas, because both of them have their own advantages in the goalkeeper position and have few flaws.

Thomas was still a little immature when facing the interview with reporters. He emphasized: "We have a good relationship. The coach wants us to take turns playing. This feeling is not bad, but this game has received too much attention, so the boss will definitely consider it carefully. Of course, I hope I can play."

Cech was relatively more stable. He did not talk about who would play, but talked about the reason for Chelsea's victory: "I feel that facing Liverpool, defense will not be a problem. What is important is to score goals, and then we can win. Every victory this season seems to prove this."

Of course, many Liverpool fans are dismissive of Chelsea's "arrogance". In their opinion, the Reds are currently performing very well and are likely to win at home. After 7 unbeaten home games, why can't they extend it to 8 games or even more! ? ?

Therefore, on the morning of January 1, many fans were already wandering around the streets of Liverpool to build momentum for the team. They all wore red home jerseys and kept shuttling between bars and shops, holding beer, team logos, flagpoles, banners, etc., waiting for the game to start. It was obvious that they hoped to cheer for Liverpool with their own strength so that the team could teach those annoying Londoners a lesson.

However, the world's attention will not change simply because of the will of Liverpool fans, and the odds of bookmakers also show the strength comparison of the two teams in the hearts of fans.

Almost all European bookmakers are optimistic about Chelsea. They directly closed the odds of Chelsea winning and only opened the odds of a draw and Liverpool winning, which are 1 to 2 and 1 to 4 respectively. There are differences in the pricing of each bookmaker, but they are also very small. Generally speaking, European bookmakers almost all bet on Chelsea to win. Asian bookmakers are very cautious in opening the odds of Chelsea winning, but it is only a pitiful 1 to 1.2, which means that after deducting taxes, betting on Chelsea to win can only bring very little income. ?

Of course, the focus of these bookmakers is more on the score. Many bookmakers believe that Chelsea will continue their big win. It is really difficult to stop Chelsea's winning streak, as Liverpool has performed well in recent games.

………?

Anfield was already full half an hour before the game started, most of whom were local Liverpool fans. Although the Blues fans who came with the team were rare in the empty stadium, there were about 3,000 of them. They kept cheering for the team in a corner of the stadium, shouting that they wanted to show Liverpool a lesson.

Clearly these are die-hard Blues fans. ?

In this game, Mourinho still arranged an offensive formation for the team. In fact, the Portuguese had already liked the offensive formation halfway through the first half, and improved the original 433 to make the lineup more suitable for Chelsea. Before this game, the new "zone attack tactics" was once again brought up by Mourinho. It is obvious that he still attaches great importance to this tactic. Judging from the game against Arsenal, this tactic is indeed very good. ?

………?

"Next is Chelsea's No. 21 player Alan Wang!"?

"Shh..."?

At this time, the players of both teams were entering the field. When the commentator introduced Wang Li, the whole audience suddenly burst into a neat and loud booing. Obviously, this was something that Liverpool fans had rehearsed long ago, with the purpose of affecting Wang Li's state. In the minds of the fans, he is undoubtedly the opponent with the greatest threat to Liverpool's defense. Although many Liverpool fans also like him, now they are in the battlefield of the Premier League, and of course their hearts will lean towards Liverpool. ?

"Alan, they are so enthusiastic!!"?

As soon as he entered the field, Damien Duff followed him from behind. He patted Wang Li's shoulder vigorously and pointed to the stands everywhere and said nonchalantly. ?

Wang Li smiled at the mocking boos in his ears, turned his head to look at the referee, and then raised his right hand high and extended his little finger as if in a prank. This action instantly made the entire Anfield stadium erupt! ! ?

The referee of this game was Riley. He was just discussing with the linesman about the matters after the game started. When he found that the atmosphere was not right, he immediately turned his head to look at the court. However, at this time, Wang Li and Duff were already running towards their own half of the court with their arms around each other.

He found nothing...