Chapter 491: The giants are collectively in decline, only Arsenal is still fighting!

Now that Manchester City has drawn Atletico Madrid, the remaining two teams are naturally Real Madrid and Bayern.

Maybe bad luck is contagious, Real Madrid was also the first to be drawn out, and the order of the games was the same as Manchester City, first home and then guest.

This arena is also unfavorable for Real Madrid. After all, Bayern's combat effectiveness at their home court is obvious to all.

Few teams can take advantage of the Allianz Arena. Even Manchester City had a difficult time playing at the Allianz Arena last season.

Last season, although Manchester City finally advanced based on the total score advantage, they still lost to Bayern in that battle at the Allianz Arena.

No matter if you are a wealthy club or not, Bayern, playing at home, is not afraid of any opponent. As long as they show their momentum, even a wealthy club will cause a tragedy for you. Barcelona has already learned this!

This draw result is very uncomfortable for the four teams. Real Madrid may not want to play Bayern, and Manchester City does not want to play Atletico Madrid.

As for Bayern and Atletico Madrid, they are not absolutely sure that they can defeat their opponents.

Therefore, these two semi-finals can be said to be full of suspense, attracting heated discussions and discussions among countless fans.

"Real Madrid VS Bayern, this is like Mars hitting the earth!"

"Haha, these two are both top teams, and they both advocate offense. The collision between them will definitely be very intense and exciting. I can't wait to watch this game!"

"Bayern's recent state seems to be not very good, and Real Madrid is in full swing, so I will 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, and the schedule of first home and then away is good for Bayern. Moreover, several of Bayern's main players should be recovering from injuries soon, and they will probably be able to make it to the semi-finals, so I am a little optimistic about Bayern's move!"

"The wings of both teams are ridiculously strong. The final winner will depend on which wing is in better shape and performs better in the game!"

Real Madrid's wings are dominated by Cristiano Ronaldo and Bale's 200 million, while Bayern's Robben and Franck Ribery combination is even more famous around the world.

In addition, because of the Ballon d'Or, there is still some grudge between Ribery and Ronaldo, so in addition to a strong showdown between giants, this game also has a top star taking revenge on another super giant. plot.

These things combined make this game even more attractive.

After the draw results came out, Ribery immediately tweeted:

"It's time to take back what's mine!"

This tweet was accompanied by a photo of the Golden Globe Awards. Anyone who knows a little bit about the inside story of the Golden Globe Awards two years ago will understand what Ribery is talking about.

"What do you mean? The Golden Globe Award belongs to our Cristiano Ronaldo!"

"That's right, the president won it back with his own ability. What do you mean by something that belongs to you? Who do you think you are?"

"Looking at the scar on your face, you don't look like a good person. You don't even know how much you weigh. Are you worthy of challenging our CEO?"

Ronaldo fans who came after hearing the inquiry immediately flooded the comment area under Ribery's tweet.

"Haha, don't you dare to do it? In order to win Ribery's Golden Globe Award, even the selection rules of the Golden Globe Award have been changed. Are all the people in the world really fools?"

"That is, some fans really have the same virtues as their masters, they are extremely hypocritical!"

"Brothers, I'm sorry. This is my dog ​​barking here without a leash. I will apologize to everyone!"

Soon, some Ribery fans and neutral fans launched a counterattack and started a big battle with Ronaldo fans. Both sides cursed like hell!

…

Compared to the other side, Atletico Madrid and Manchester City are much less explosive.

Neither of these two teams has a deep foundation, and there are very few historical records of matches, so they have not accumulated any grudges.

Therefore, fans from both sides can calmly discuss the results of the draw and predict the game trend of the two teams.

"Atletico Madrid's defense is very good. Manchester City may not be able to take advantage of them when meeting them!"

"Yes, Simeone is very good at passing and controlling football!"

"But Manchester City has defeated them in the final, so there should be some psychological advantages, right?"

In the Champions League final two years ago, the two sides faced were Manchester City and Atletico Madrid.

Atletico Madrid lost to Manchester City 0:2 in that game, allowing Manchester City to win the first Champions League trophy in team history.

However, the result of that game may not represent Atletico Madrid's true strength. After all, their main forward Diego Costa was injured and left the field only 9 minutes into the game.

Diego Costa's injury and retirement caused huge damage to Simeone's tactical arrangements, greatly reducing Atletico Madrid's strength, especially the threat on the front line.

If Diego Costa is not injured, it is difficult to say who will win in the end.

"Although Atletico Madrid once lost to Manchester City, Simeone had a huge 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.

That time in La Liga, Atletico Madrid, coached by Simeone, who had just taken office, lost 1:2 at home to Barcelona, ​​which was in full swing.

In that game, Atletico Madrid under Simeone had already shown its strong strength.

Although they lost the game, they were not at a disadvantage in terms of statistics. They had even more shots and shots on target than Barcelona. Unfortunately, they encountered Messi who had no solution and were defeated by Messi near the end of the game. West's ultimate kill.

In the Champions League semi-finals, Simeone's Atletico Madrid defeated Bayern in two rounds, knocking out the defending champion and causing a huge upset.

But today is different from the past. Guardiola has now changed his coaching team and has a sharper spear in his hands.

I believe he can find a way to pierce Atletico Madrid's strongest shield!

…

After the Champions League draw ceremony, Guardiola immediately returned to Manchester City with Lin Quan and began to study how to deal with Atletico Madrid.

Atletico Madrid's advantage lies in defense. Looking at their defense, few teams in Europe dare to say that they can break them.

This is not to say that Atletico Madrid's defenders and midfielders are so powerful. In terms of personal strength, there are many teams in football whose defenders are better than Atletico Madrid's.

But the tactics Simeone developed for these people amplified 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 is known for its ability to run.

Their tactics are to resolutely implement on-the-spot counterattacks and high-position pressing. Each player spares no effort to run around the court, double-teaming and pressing the opponent's ball holder again and again.

And through active running, their 11 people on the field exerted the effect of more than 11 people.

When other teams face Atletico Madrid, they usually have the illusion that there are far more than 11 players sent by the opponent, because there are Atletico Madrid players everywhere, and their team is always in the dilemma of having fewer people than more people. middle.

Once Atletico Madrid forms a numerical advantage in a local area, it will naturally be difficult for the opponent's offense to be effective. On the contrary, if Atletico Madrid is not careful, it will be intercepted by Atletico Madrid and launch a counterattack on the spot.

In La Liga, Atletico Madrid tops the list with 20 clean sheets and has conceded the fewest goals 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 offense when facing Atletico Madrid.

Guardiola is also troubled by this problem. He has repeatedly studied Atletico Madrid's game videos this season, focusing on the games where 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 wing threats are too great, especially Lin Quan. This guy is more terrifying than Messi in 2012. I really don't know what to do to prevent this monster!"

Simeone still remembers the defeat to Manchester City at the Stadium of Light two years ago.

In that game, it was precisely because of Lin Quan's goal that the balance of power on the field was broken. Atletico Madrid's defensive counterattack tactics also went bankrupt, and they had to go all out to attack. As a result, they suffered another heavy blow and were defeated by Manchester City 0:2. hand.

Compared with 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.

"How can we restrict him?"

Although Atletico Madrid's defense is excellent, it is meant to deal with ordinary players. For players like Lin Quan who cannot be guessed based on common sense, ordinary tactics may not work.

This kind of super giant, an occasional flash of inspiration, may have a dramatic impact on the trend of the game.

Therefore, when defending him, you must be careful and careful to ensure that he is completely frozen and does not give him the slightest chance.

But how to do this?

Guardiola feels that Atletico Madrid's defense is impenetrable, while Simeone is also worried about the presence of Lin Quan in the Manchester City team.

Both sides are afraid of each other, and they are both afraid of each other's threats.

All suspense is left until ten days later!

…

On April 17, the 34th round of the Premier League started.

As the final stage of the league approaches, the situation of this year's Premier League championship and relegation is relatively clear.

Manchester City, the leader, currently has 81 points, 9 points ahead of second-place Leicester City. With only the last 5 rounds of the league left, this lead is a huge advantage.

The situation in the relegation zone is also clear. Aston Villa is at the bottom of the table and has been relegated five rounds in advance.

The penultimate Newcastle are in a serious situation. With only 26 points, they have a high probability of getting another relegation ticket.

Sunderland and Norwich are quite close on points, one with 30 points and the other with 31 points. There is a big gap between them and 16th-placed Crystal Palace. The third relegation place should be between these two teams.

Of course, Everton, Watford, and Crystal Palace, ranked 14th-16th, cannot guarantee absolute safety.

The points gap between them and the relegation zone is not big. If they don't play well in the last few rounds and suffer a losing streak, and their opponents win consecutive games, they will still be in danger of being eliminated.

While the suspense of the championship and relegation is not great, the competition for this year's Champions League seats is extremely fierce.

Except that the two teams at the top of the list have too big a lead and are sure to get a seat for next season.

There are five teams competing for the remaining two seats, among which Tottenham has a clear lead.

Tottenham, which currently has 65 points, will basically lock in a Champions League spot as long as they don't lose in the last five rounds.

Followed closely by Arsenal, who are in the fourth place. They currently have 62 points and are temporarily ranked fourth, 6 points more than fifth-placed Manchester United. The advantage is relatively obvious.

As for Manchester United, they currently only have 56 points, and their hope of getting a Champions League spot is slim.

As for the remaining West Ham United with 55 points and Liverpool with 52 points, they only have theoretical hope and there is a high probability that they will miss the Champions League next season.

As for Chelsea?

They had already found no such person in the first half of the league and lost hope of advancing to the Champions League early.

This season is definitely a season that cannot be looked back on for the major traditional giants in the Premier League.

Except for Arsenal, the remaining four major clubs have collectively dropped out.

Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea all have worse records this year than the other, and it's fine to be suppressed by Manchester City. After all, they really can't beat Manchester City.

But they can't even suppress civilian teams like Leicester City and Tottenham, a team that is not a wealthy team. This is completely abnormal.

This situation has never happened in the past few decades. There is not even a traditional giant in the top three of the league!

Although these wealthy families have a deep foundation, if they continue to consume like this, sooner or later they will be unable to withstand it.

No, 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 still one of the most well-known and influential top clubs in Europe and even the world!

"The Premier League has really changed!"

"Yes, after the sudden rise of Manchester City, the luck of several wealthy clubs seemed to have been sucked away, and they suddenly declined!"

"If this continues, maybe the Premier League will really become another Bundesliga, and Manchester City will be the Bayern of the Premier League."

"It shouldn't be the case, right? Although several wealthy families have temporarily declined, their heritage is still there, and they may not be able to make a comeback in the future."

"Just like Liverpool, although their record this season is not good, Liverpool's strength is obviously getting stronger little by little. I believe that given more time to them, Liverpool will return as king sooner or later!"

"Yes, Manchester City's opponent in this round is Chelsea. Chelsea plays at home, so it shouldn't be easy for Manchester City to win, right?"

Although the Blues' record this season is not good, they are still invincible. Chelsea's legacy from the past is still there, and it is not easy to defeat them at Stamford Bridge.

Therefore, many fans silently cheered for Chelsea in their hearts and watched this game with great expectations.

However, just five minutes into the game, their dreams were shattered.

In the fifth minute of the first half, Lin Quan and Aguero formed a cooperation. The latter received Lin Quan's through ball in the penalty area and easily scored the ball, rewriting the score to 1:0.

Just 10 minutes later, in almost the same position and with the same person, Lin Quan sent another assist to Aguero, allowing the latter to score twice.

It wasn't over yet. In the 29th minute of the first half, Lin Quan took advantage of the opponent's wall to take off a free kick and scored directly, rewriting the score to 3:0.

There was silence at Stamford Bridge, and the always crazy Blues fans were also silenced by this score.

They couldn't help but start to wonder: Is this really not the Etihad, but Stamford Bridge?