Chapter 557: Bring Manchester United back to its original shape, unlucky Tottenham

"Dafengxian is not convinced by Emperor Lin!"

"Ibrahimovic is 35 years old this year, right? Why is he still in such good shape?"

"I thought he came to Manchester United to provide for his retirement, but he turned out to be Manchester United's thigh!"

"Including the goals in this game, Ibrahimovic has scored 4 goals in the first four rounds. This scoring efficiency is a level higher than other forwards in the Manchester United team!"

The fans were shocked by Ibrahimovic's outstanding performance, because it was simply not a performance for a player of his age.

As soon as many players reach the age of thirty, their condition will decline rapidly, and their various statistics will become worse than before.

And Ibrahimovic is obviously 35 years old, but he can still play a dominant performance, as if the person who appears on the court is not the 35-year-old Ibrahimovic, but the 25-year-old him. This is really incredible.

Although Manchester United was still one goal behind at this time, Ibrahimovic's goal still ignited the fire of hope in the hearts of many Manchester United fans.

Manchester United this season is different from last season. They have won three consecutive victories.

Victory can cover up all problems. During the winning streak, Manchester United seems to be a completely different team. The whole team is full of energy and determination, just like the Red Devils under Sir Alex Ferguson.

For Red Devils fans, reversals are their specialty. That Red Devils team staged many desperate counterattacks back then.

Mourinho was very courageous. Seeing that the team's momentum was rising, he decisively made substitutions at the beginning of the second half. Herrera and Rashford came on one after another. Manchester United vowed to win at the end of the first half. The momentum continues.

Guardiola just glanced at Mourinho in front of the Manchester United coaching bench and was not disturbed by the opponent's actions. He planned to observe the trend of the game first and then make adjustments.

Mourinho's substitutions had an effect. After the start of the second half, Manchester United quickly took the initiative on the field and frequently attacked Manchester City's goal.

Every Red Devils fan at Old Trafford is desperately trying to create momentum and cheer for the home team.

They are really eager to defeat their opponent and win this Manchester City derby!

Under the cheering of more than 60,000 fans at home, Manchester United's players seemed to be on fire, and their offense was getting higher and higher.

In the 59th minute, Rooney's shot hit the post and Manchester United missed a good opportunity to equalize the score.

Five minutes later, Ibrahimovic's volley refracted off the defender's legs and almost missed the post.

During this period, Manchester United's offensive was not only extremely fierce, but also full of threats. Manchester City's front door was full of turmoil and danger.

Guardiola couldn't sit still. He called Fernandinho and asked him to come on. He replaced Gundogan, who was extremely embarrassed by the opponent's offensive tactics. At the same time, he replaced David Silva and allowed him to play fast on the wing. Massane appears.

After the adjustment of these two personnel is completed, Manchester City's passive situation has been greatly improved.

With the interception and protection of Fernandinho and Kanter, the two defensive gates, the threat to Manchester City's defense is greatly reduced.

The emergence of Sane, a fast horse, also made Manchester City's counterattack more threatening.

In addition, Manchester United attacked fiercely for nearly 20 minutes from the beginning of the second half. The players' physical energy was greatly consumed and they needed to take a moment to relax.

The superposition of many factors caused Manchester United's siege on Manchester City to be resolved, and the two sides fell into a stalemate, eager to see that no one could quickly break the opponent's goal.

If this situation drags on, it will definitely be beneficial to Manchester City. After all, they are the leading side. As long as the time runs out, they can win the game.

But for Manchester United playing at home, this score is obviously unacceptable.

So, in the 81st minute of the second half, Mourinho used up his last substitution spot. He replaced a full-back with Martial, as if he was going to risk his life!

This time, Guardiola's adjustments were much more timely.

After seeing the opponent's move, he immediately asked Zabaleta to get up and warm up and prepare to play.

If you strengthen the offense, then I will strengthen the defense. If the four defenders are not good, I will play the five defenders. See if I can disgust you!

Mourinho was so angry when he saw the substitutions on Manchester City's side.

Guardiola is so despicable that he dared to use my tricks against me!

But he had nothing to do about it. When he was at Chelsea, he also tried to bring Spain's passing and possession tactics to Chelsea, but failed.

The price of failure was that midfielders such as De Bruyne were abandoned and were eventually forced to leave Chelsea.

I just didn't expect that after this guy left, he would be completely transformed when he arrived at Manchester City and transform into one of the strongest offensive midfielders in the world. This was really unexpected.

De Bruyne, who was talked about by Mourinho, had just been replaced by Zabaleta.

Guardiola kept him on the court for two more minutes before being replaced in the 83rd minute.

The purpose is to see if Manchester City's counterattack can score a goal after the opponent cuts off a full-back.

If you can score goals, then maybe you don't have to be so anxious to make adjustments.

But it is a pity that although there is one less full-back, Manchester United's defense is still very solid, and when the opponent's players are fighting for their lives, it is difficult for their own passes to penetrate the opponent's midfield.

In this case, it no longer makes sense to keep De Bruyne on the court. What's more, his defensive ability is not strong and he consumes a lot of physical energy. He is almost completely reduced to a decoration in defense. It is better to replace him quickly. Come down and let him rest.

In the later stages of the game, Manchester United's players were very anxious.

Ibrahimovic, Rooney, Fellaini and other players received cards for fouls one after another. Among them, Rooney's foul on Lin Quan in the 87th minute almost caused a conflict between the players of both sides.

In the stands, former Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson looked ugly.

In an interview with reporters before the game, he expressed that he was very optimistic about Manchester United winning at home, and he indeed came to Old Trafford with full confidence.

Unexpectedly, what awaited him was still a disappointment.

At this time, when he saw players from both sides pushing and shoving on the court, he couldn't help but shake his head.

Mourinho has done a good enough job and can be said to be the best coach he has done since he left office.

But this Red Devils still has a long way to go if they want to defeat Manchester City.

Forget it, didn't I also go through a lot of troubles and hardships from the ruins to bring the post-Busby boy Manchester United to the height it is today?

Give Mourinho a little more time and a little more patience!

Just as Sir Alex Ferguson was sighing, the dispute on the court finally ended.

Rooney, who committed a foul on Manchester United's side, and Pogba, who was too excited during the push just now, each received a yellow card.

On Manchester City's side, Fernandinho, who also made moves, also received a yellow card.

The referee calmed the dispute by giving fifty-fifty strikes to both players.

After the farce ended, Manchester United's counterattack momentum was suspended, and they never got any chance in front of Manchester City's iron-barrel defense.

Finally, at the end of the game, Manchester City defeated Manchester United with a score of 2:1 in the away game. While winning their fourth consecutive victory, they also ended their opponent's three consecutive victories and kicked Manchester United out of the championship group.

This game allowed the outside world to see the strength of Manchester City. Even if they lose a core midfielder like Kroos, their combat effectiveness has not been greatly affected. They are still one of the strongest teams in the Premier League and even the five major leagues.

As Chelsea was held to an away draw by Swansea in a later game, Manchester City took the lead with 12 points and temporarily led the standings.

Chelsea has 3 wins and 1 draw, temporarily ranking second with 10 points. Everton, which defeated Sunderland 3:0, came from behind and overtook Manchester United to temporarily rank third. Manchester United fell to third place, with the points between them and Manchester City The difference has been opened to 3 points.

But for Manchester United, there is not no good news.

Because Manchester United's performance was so poor last season, they did not play in the Champions League this season and could only play in the Europa League.

The opponents in the Europa League are naturally much weaker than the opponents in the Champions League.

Therefore, it is also a multi-front battle, and Manchester United's consumption is less.

If Manchester City consumes too much in the Champions League and accidentally overturns in the league, then their opportunity will come.

Of course, as a pursuing head coach, Mourinho will not give up even if it is the Europa League.

Manchester United has not won a championship for a long time. As long as it can win the championship, it doesn't matter whether it is the Europa League or something else, win it first.

The same principle applies to the FA Cup and League Cup!

If you can’t win a big Triple Crown, it’s not bad to win a small Triple Crown!

…

On September 15, the Champions League group stage officially started.

Manchester City sits at home to meet the challenge of Bundesliga team Monchengladbach.

The two teams had already met in last year's Champions League group stage, with Borussia Mönchengladbach being beaten to the ground by Manchester City in two rounds.

So this time they learned the lesson and put up a five-back formation to deal with Manchester City's attack.

The idea is good, but the effect is mediocre.

Aguero was in hot form in this game. In the first half, he scored two goals in a row with his head and kicks. In the second half, he scored another goal from Lin Quan's pass to complete his hat trick.

Lin Quan also scored a goal in the 72nd minute of the second half, stabbing Borussia's wounds again.

Everyone in Borussia Mönchengladbach was a little stunned. What is going on?

We put up a five-back formation and the opponent actually scored 4 goals?

Just when they were doubting their life, Jesus, who came off the bench, scored another goal, extending the score to 5:0.

Now, Borussia's players are even more depressed.

After the game, the Borussia Monchengladbach soldiers left the stadium in dejection and flew back to Germany without stopping to lick their wounds.

Manchester City is really a city that makes them sad, and if they can, they hope to never come again.

If Manchester City's 5-0 home victory over Borussia Monchengladbach was exaggerated, then Barcelona's 7-0 bloodbath against Celtic at Camp Nou was a bit cruel.

In this game, Messi and Suarez both completed hat tricks and were in hot form.

Iniesta also scored a goal. Since Neymar left the team, his condition has recovered and he sent an exaggerated 5 assists in this game.

Barcelona's recovery is a good thing for the fans.

After all, the most anticipated game in Group C is the peak showdown between Manchester City and Barcelona.

The stronger Barcelona is, the better this game will be.

"I can't wait to see Lin Huang and Messi play against each other again!"

"Yes, both of them have reached the top position in football. It is a great blessing in life to be lucky enough to see one of them play, and to be able to appreciate two such top players at the same time. Taiwanese sports, this kind of competition is simply rare!”

Lin Quan and Messi have almost the same skills, positions and styles. Fans have long liked to compare the two.

The outside world has been debating which of the two is stronger and weaker for many years, and every time they meet, there is inevitably a lot of hype.

This time is naturally inevitable!

However, the relationship between Lin Quan and Messi is quite good. The two of them compete with each other and learn from each other. There is no bloody fight for the first place as the fans think.

…

In this round of competition, among the four Premier League teams participating in the Champions League, in addition to Manchester City, the new Champions League team Leicester City also got off to a good start.

They cleanly defeated Club Brugge of Belgium 3:0 in the away game, taking an advantage in the battle to advance to the group stage.

Compared to Manchester City and Leicester City, the other two teams are not so lucky.

In Group A, Arsenal fell behind in just 30 seconds, but relied on Sanchez's goal to draw 1:1 with Paris Saint-Germain in the away game.

This game was full of excitement. In the last minute of the game, Verratti and Giroud had a conflict. The referee showed no mercy and expelled both men.

For Arsenal, this result is actually acceptable. After all, this is the opponent's home court, and on paper, Paris is stronger than them.

It is completely acceptable to get 1 point at the Parc des Princes.

But for Paris, this result is very painful. If they can't defeat Arsenal at Arsenal's home court in the next round, I'm afraid they will hand over the top spot in the group.

If you are not lucky and qualify as second in the group and encounter top clubs such as Manchester City and Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, the scene will be so beautiful that you will not dare to look at it...

Among the four teams, Tottenham is the most unlucky.

They were at home and lost to Monaco despite having every advantage.

In this game, Monaco's attacking midfielder's performance in seat B was eye-catching. Scouts from many teams were eyeing him and included him in their focus list.

Tottenham's loss in this game will be very detrimental to their subsequent fight for the right to qualify in the group.

Especially in the next game they will go away to challenge CSKA Moscow.

This is the very famous Devil’s home stadium in the Champions League!

And CSKA Moscow is not weak. In this round of games, they drew with Bundesliga powerhouse Bayer Leverkusen in the away game.

This shows that the four teams in this group are very capable and no one is weak!

It is indeed a death group!