Chapter 368: Prepare to trample on dignity and reach the summit!
In the two league rounds after defeating Barcelona, Chelsea played all at home and won cleanly.
First is the visiting Wolverhampton. The team led by Dave Jones was no different in the first half. It seems that Wolverhampton did not make any major adjustments in the winter transfer window. On the forward line, it is still Miller and Harrison. Although the two of them cooperate very skillfully, the threat to Chelsea's world-class forward line is much smaller. In addition, goalkeeper Thomas had a good performance in the game, which made it difficult for Wolverhampton's counterattack to pose a threat.
In the end, Chelsea easily won 4:0 at home.
Just three days later, Stamford Bridge welcomed a new guest - Crystal Palace. The team is now ranked 19th in the league and has fallen deep into the relegation quagmire. The whole team is exhausted. The result of playing against such a team is self-evident. 5:0, Chelsea easily won another big victory.
In these two rounds of games, in the match against Crystal Palace, Wang Li came on as a substitute in the 7th minute of the second half, and scored twice in the following game. His performance was unanimously praised by the media.
However, Wang Li no longer cares about these. For Chelsea, the league is no longer important because the trophy is almost in hand.
It’s not that Chelsea has already won the league trophy, but the points gap between second-placed Arsenal and Chelsea is just too big.
After the game, Chelsea has 88 points, firmly sitting at the top of the league, while Arsenal, who is in second place, has only 66 points. While many media are still arguing about the Champions League, Chelsea has already reached this level in the league.
There are 20 teams in the Premier League, and each team has 38 games in a single season. Now, after 30 rounds of the league, Chelsea has accumulated 88 points and Arsenal has accumulated 66 points. That is to say, unless Chelsea gets less than 2 points in the remaining 8 games and Arsenal wins all of them, they will have a chance to win the league championship.
Obviously, this is very unrealistic and the probability is too small.
The game against Crystal Palace just ended, and many London media couldn't wait to interview Jose Mourinho and ask him how he felt about winning the league title.
"The trophy is very close to us. I think we can probably touch it, but we have to wait until the next round. Unfortunately, that is not our home ground. However, it would definitely feel good to win the league title at Old Trafford." In an interview with the media, Mourinho said: "I hope to hold the trophy in front of Ferguson. They are the top club in the Premier League, but they can only watch us win the championship. In addition, I also hope to bring the trophy to Chelsea before seeing Ancelotti, so that we can deal with them with all our strength."
It can be seen that the Portuguese was indeed very happy when asked about the league championship. The next game is very important for Chelsea, and the opponent is their arch-rival Manchester United. As long as Chelsea can draw at Old Trafford, the league championship will be in their hands.
This is indeed a good result for Mourinho. In fact, in the heart of the Portuguese, winning the championship at Old Trafford makes him feel more refreshed than at Stamford Bridge, because he can see the old Scottish man who "talked back to him" being humiliated, and this is the most important thing.
For Chelsea, winning the Premier League title seven rounds in advance is a great honor that is absolutely rare, and the entire club is looking forward to this match.
The next day's Fulham Post headlined 'Chelsea's League Championship' and claimed 'This is Chelsea's greatest season' -
"Everything is great for the Blues. This is a great season and in the next round at Old Trafford, we will be able to win the league championship trophy, which is the greatest honor the Blues have received in 50 years."
"…When those clowns in Manchester and North London were still talking about surpassing us, the Blues had already won the championship seven rounds in advance. This is the difference in will. We should thank Mr. Abramovich for bringing us all this. Of course, we also have to thank Mr. Mourinho for bringing the Blues to a new level."
"And Alan, his countless league goals make Chelsea unbeatable. We need him, always."
"Of course, there are also all the Chelsea players who have brought happiness and honor to the fans. Maybe ten years later, we won't feel lost for not having any honors, because in the club's showroom, there are all kinds of trophies, as long as you can think of the highest honor there will be. Yes, what we need is not just a championship trophy, but also the FA Cup of England and the St. Bledsoe Cup, which symbolizes the greatest glory."
In March, leagues across Europe have entered the final sprint stage, but the Premier League is the calmest. This is mainly because the Blues fans have begun preparing to celebrate the second league championship trophy in the club's history.
But London and Manchester in the UK were definitely not calm. While the Blues fans were cheering and celebrating, the Manchester United team was already on edge. For Sir Alex Ferguson, even if he could not win the league title this season, he could not let Chelsea win the title at Old Trafford. That would be a naked insult to Manchester United.
England's top club, winner of the treble in 1999, let their arch-rival team take the championship on their home turf. What could be more shameful than this?
Manchester United fans also tried their best to cheer for the team. They used various ways to attack Chelsea, making their players lose their form. The media in the north and south of England also stood up and attacked each other. For the media supporting Manchester United, this time it was a battle to defend their dignity, and they would not hold back.
Ferguson is definitely not someone to be trifled with.
The day after Mourinho was interviewed, Manchester United held a press conference. Facing many reporters, Ferguson cursed directly: "Is he dreaming about winning the trophy here? I will tell you the result now, you will definitely lose"
"If you are going to celebrate the championship, I suggest you wait until after the Champions League. Ancelotti is not easy to deal with. After the defeat at Old Trafford and the 0-3 loss at Stamford Bridge, I don't think you will get anything this year."
Obviously, Sir Alex Ferguson tended to get angry when he mentioned that Chelsea had a good chance of winning the championship trophy at Old Trafford. This result was absolutely unacceptable to Manchester United. Even though they did not perform very well this season, the honor of the giants should not be trampled upon.
"I don't care what their lineup is, what their strength is, or how good Alan Wang is, but Manchester United's dignity cannot be trampled upon. We will win at all costs. If he is still daydreaming, then I will get him."
It can also be seen from Ferguson's words that Chelsea winning the league championship trophy at Old Trafford is definitely not a result that Manchester United media and fans can accept.
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"The English League One champion... it brings back my memories of the past... No, now it's the Premier League champion." The gray-haired old Peter was holding a glass of wine and chatting with his friends in the bar. When he heard that Chelsea was about to win the championship in advance, he immediately fell into deep thought.
This expression has appeared on the faces of many elderly people in London. As early as when Chelsea swept the Premier League midway through the league, many people had already begun to recall the English League One championship 50 years ago.
For these old men, the top league championship is too far away from them, and many of them have even forgotten the situation at that time.
"It was the last round of the league. I was only 10 years old. My father took me to watch the game at Stamford Bridge. I held a lot of fireworks and ribbons. Everyone sang "Blue, Forward" together. I was very excited..."
In a "football bar" next to William III Road, a group of people gathered in the middle, listening carefully to old Peter recalling his experiences. For these young people in their 30s and 40s, they had only heard that Chelsea had won the league championship since they were young, but had never experienced it.
Although old Peter had no talent for storytelling, many people around him still shed tears unconsciously.
Chelsea, League Champions
In the past, these two words were too far apart.
But they are about to see these two words combined together, what an exciting thing it is. At least they have lived for so many years and supported it for so many years, and it is only the first time they see it. After a while, everyone sang the song "Blue, Forward" in unison. Although Chelsea's team song has been changed, for the fans, the depth of blue is eternal.
"Is Blue...Is..."
In London, especially in Fulham, this old Chelsea team song quickly became popular again. Fans use it to express their love for Chelsea, their feelings about the league championship, their nostalgia for the past, and their vision for the future.
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"When I think about the moment when the team won the league championship, my whole body trembles," said a 40-year-old police officer in formal attire to his colleagues in the office of Fulham Police Station. "It was really exciting. I have never seen such a scene since I was a child."
Sergeant Firth of Fulham Police Station was listening nearby, and he slowly followed the conversation of these junior police officers and thought back to the scene at that moment.
"What a pity, that's not at Stamford Bridge." Immediately afterwards, a newly arrived police officer said with some disappointment.
"It doesn't matter. It's the same at Old Trafford. Thinking about the expressions of those annoying Manchester United fans makes me laugh even in my dreams. Haha, it's really cool."
"That's true. What could be better than winning the championship at Old Trafford? Well, we'll be waiting at the stadium that day. I must get Alan's clothes this time. I failed last time. You know, that black-haired guy runs really fast." A big bearded man next to him said with some regret, holding a cigarette in his mouth.
"Haha, Tom, I asked him for an autograph last time, but it doesn't matter. What I want most is to touch the trophy. I've never touched it before."
"Just think about it, you are not a player. Even if you win the championship, you can't touch the trophy." The bearded man retorted.
…
Firth listened to the discussion of these police officers and felt a little moved. As the chief of police of Fulham, it was impossible for him to give all the police officers a day off to watch the game even on weekends, but---
"Okay, I've made up my mind," Fels slammed the table and shouted. The entire police station became quiet and all the police officers turned their eyes to Fels.
"On that day, half of the people can go to Manchester to watch the game." Seeing the stunned expressions on everyone's faces, Firth smiled with satisfaction and said, "Who will go will be decided by drawing lots."
A second later, the entire police station cheered in unison: "Yes, Sir!"
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When these Blues fans think about winning the championship at Old Trafford, their blood fills their heads. You know, in the past 50 years, the team has been suppressed by Manchester United and Arsenal, so they can't be arrogant in front of these fans.
But now, the situation is completely opposite.
Although Chelsea may not necessarily win the match against Manchester United, these Blues fans believe that Chelsea will not let them down again.
The team didn't disappoint them all season, did they?
With this mood, Chelsea's next game was even ignored by many Blues fans. Even though the next league game was still more than 10 days away, they had already begun preparing the props and items needed to celebrate the team's victory in the league championship.
Although Chelsea fans are looking forward to the team's first league title in 50 years, in reality, as club staff, it is impossible to focus all their attention on a championship that is sure to be won, especially head coach Mourinho.
After three rounds of the league, Chelsea welcomed Tottenham Hotspur at home on March 21.
This was the quarter-finals of the Football Cup. As the next match was not until early April and this match was a knockout match, Mourinho rarely fielded the entire main lineup in a match against a Premier League team. Except for the team captain John Terry who was suspended due to accumulated red cards in the FA Cup, Robben, Drogba, Duff and defensive midfielder Scott Parker who were sick all played, which put a lot of pressure on Tottenham coach Santini.
Facing the Blues' full main lineup, Tottenham were helpless and conceded three consecutive goals to Chelsea in the first half alone. With the support of his teammates who cooperated well with him, Wang Li's performance amazed the entire Stamford Bridge stadium. His continuous dribbling, passing and shooting left Tottenham's backcourt powerless to fight back.
However, Tottenham coach Santini was also able to take it easy. When there was no hope of winning, he switched from defense to offense, allowing the team to play a wonderful offensive battle with Chelsea, which even made the two teams tie in the second half.
In the end, Chelsea defeated Tottenham 4:1 at home and advanced to the top four. The rapid progress in the FA Cup, League and Champions Cup made all the fans cheer.
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After the FA Cup match, Chelsea turned their focus to the next round of the league. This is the first time the team has focused on the league since Christmas.
This is mainly because they will have a chance to win the championship in the next round, and their opponent is their arch-rival Manchester United.
This game is of great significance to both sides. Chelsea is fighting for honor, while Manchester United is defending their dignity.
This is how football matches work, any honor is built on the opponent's failure. If Chelsea had gone to Hampton a round later (Round 32 against Southampton) to win the championship, the feeling would have been much calmer. But it was the exact opposite at Old Trafford. Trampling on the corpses of the giants to win the championship is the most glorious thing.
I think everyone in Chelsea thinks so, even Wang Li thinks the same.
"I will score in the next game and the team will hold the trophy." In an interview, Wang Li said: "We have already agreed that we will return to Stamford Bridge from Manchester holding the trophy, across half of England. You know, this is very meaningful."
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“They are very strong.”
At the training ground of Manchester United's first team, all the first team players stood in a row. The always strict head coach Sir Alex Ferguson stood in front of the team and said seriously: "But this time, we must win. I will not allow any failure."
"Imagine if they lifted the trophy here and Old Trafford was completely trampled upon. It is unacceptable that this stadium, which has been filled with glory throughout its history, has been insulted in this way."
"Each of your names will be nailed to the pillar of shame. How will you face the numerous fans in the future?"
Normally, Ferguson is known for his strictness, but he rarely uses morale-boosting words to inspire the morale of his players. This time, the situation in the league has forced him to do so. In order to preserve the honor of Manchester United, even if the next game does not mean much to the team, he must do everything he can to win.
A draw is not acceptable, it must be a win
Having been eliminated from the Champions League and the League Cup, the season has come to an end for Manchester United, but that doesn't mean they can be trampled upon by anyone.
"Boss, we will try our best," captain Roy Keane stood up.
If we talk about which Manchester United players have the deepest feelings for the team, apart from head coach Ferguson, it would probably be veterans like Keane and Giggs. They have dedicated their entire careers to Manchester United and their love for the team comes completely from the heart.
Seeing the determined expressions on the players' faces, Ferguson felt relieved and continued, "Remember, all I need is a win to end in a draw. They can still win the championship. I don't want that to happen."
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