Chapter 128 Business mutual support and tactical attention

The 29th round of the 2016-2017 Premier League season ended with nine games. Chelsea ranked first in the league with 23 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses and 71 points.

Liverpool, with two games less, ranked second in the league with 18 wins, 6 draws, 3 losses and 60 points. Tottenham, with one game less, ranked third with 17 wins, 8 draws, 3 losses and 59 points. Manchester City, with two games less, ranked 17 With 5 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses, we ranked fourth with 56 points.

In terms of points, both Liverpool and Manchester City cannot afford to lose. Especially for Liverpool, they are already 11 points behind Chelsea with two games less. If they lose points in the make-up games and the league visit to Manchester City, Then the possibility of Chelsea winning the league championship this season will be greatly increased.

At that time, Liverpool will only have the FA Cup championship left to compete for.

But compared to the league championship that has not been won since the establishment of the Premier League, what is the FA Cup championship?

If possible, Liverpool hopes to win the league championship.

Of course, there is nothing to lose for Manchester City. They are ranked fourth in the league and have been tied with Arsenal, who have played one round earlier. If they lose to Liverpool at home, their Champions League seat for next season will be on the line...

The online dispute between Manchester's local media supporting Manchester City and the local Liverpool media seemed to be a replica of the eve of last week's home game between Manchester United and Liverpool, and fans later joined in.

Sterling and Milner, two players who swapped clubs, became the focus of the media.

Since Manchester City and Liverpool have no deep hatred, the two famous players did not join in the war of words.

On the contrary, the head coaches of the two teams praised each other and gave each other high hats. Those who did not know the situation thought that the two were long-lost brothers.

Even reporters couldn’t listen to many of the words, they were so fake!

As Liverpool's best player recently, Li Qing has naturally become the focus player of this focus battle. The overwhelming reports have made Li Qing, the person involved, feel a little elated.

This is a report from China, and it is even more disturbing.

Except for the domestic Manchester City fans who couldn't stand it, other fans were very happy to watch it and were all looking forward to this game.

Li Qing was at his peak when he debuted. He has represented Liverpool against Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United. He has contributed a total of 8 goals and 2 assists, which is equivalent to averaging 2 goals and 0.5 assists per game against the four giants. assists.

An average of 2.5 goals per game has made many fans yearn for him.

Will Li Qing perform well again at the Etihad Stadium?

Although Guardiola is mutually supportive of Klopp's official business, his tactics attach great importance to Li Qing. An average of 2.5 goals per game puts Liverpool in an invincible position. How to restrict Li Qing is the most important thing for Guardiola's coaching team. things.

However, after several days of study, Guardiola and his assistants shook their heads frequently. They realized that the team's defense was weak and that defending at home was equivalent to breaking an arm.

The team coached by Guardiola has always held high the offensive banner. How could it be possible to change the original intention of tactics when facing a 16-year-old boy?

After clearing his mind, the work efficiency of Guardiola's coaching team has skyrocketed.

Manchester City has David Silva, who ranks among the top three in offensive organization on the planet, and De Bruyne, who has unique assists, plus top scorer Aguero. Is there any problem in defeating Liverpool at home?

At 4 pm local time on March 19, Great Britain, Liverpool took a bus and arrived at the Etihad Stadium in eastern Manchester.

Compared to Old Trafford, the design of this stadium, built in 2000, is more fashionable.

Manchester City fans and Liverpool fans only have a competitive relationship, and there is no historical football grievance between Liverpool and Manchester United. Home fans rarely boo when Liverpool players ride on the bus.

Through the car window, Li Qing saw Manchester City fans outside the Etihad Stadium holding up slogans saying Liverpool defeated Manchester United.

"Manchester City fans are so interesting."

Arnold smiled and said: "We have no grudges with Manchester City, so we are relatively friendly, but... we will definitely treat them differently when the game starts... Who ranks us higher than Manchester City?"

"No matter what, the winner can only be Liverpool!"

Li Qing withdrew his gaze, his fists clenched and his fighting spirit high.

Arnold looked at Li Qing enviously, and his eyes lit up when he suddenly thought of something: "Li, you can score as many goals as you can."

"Why?"

Arnold said with a smile: "Secure the victory early, maybe I will have a chance to come on as a substitute."

Li Qing rolled his eyes: "Virtue."

…

The construction of Etihad Stadium is only more than ten years old, and its design is in line with modern standards. In recent years, the stadium has been expanded with funds from UAE owner Mansour, and the visiting team's locker room has also been upgraded, adding to the experience of Liverpool players.

The Etihad Stadium, which can accommodate 55,000 fans, was full an hour before the start of the game. Manchester City fans wearing sky blue jerseys and Liverpool fans wearing red jerseys were clearly divided.

Since this is Manchester City's home stadium, there are far more Manchester City fans wearing sky blue jerseys than Liverpool fans.

At the same time, the coaches of both sides of the game got the opponent's starting list. Guardiola frowned, but Klopp had a smile on his face.

Manchester City currently has a good lineup in the midfield and frontcourt, but the midfield and backcourt are somewhat deceptive.

Especially the two full-backs. The starting left-back is 32-year-old Clichy, the right-back is Fernandinho, who plays the main midfielder, and the 34-year-old Yaya Tou is the midfielder in this game. thunder.

Central defender Otamendi is often reckless, and Stones is too young. In Klopp's view, such a defensive system is difficult to suppress the offensive quartet composed of Mane, Firmino, Li Qing and Coutinho.

Klopp raised his eyebrows slightly when he saw Manchester City's offensive system. Manchester City's defensive players were cheating, and his side was not much better.

Except for Matip who is relatively reliable, Klavan and Klein have declined seriously this season. If Alexander-Arnold and Gomez were not too young, he would have wanted to use young players.

Time passed quickly, and it was before the start of the game in a blink of an eye.

Players from both sides walked to the tunnel one after another. The substitute players went straight to the court and went to their respective benches. The home team players stayed in the tunnel waiting to enter.

The two teams had many national team teammates, and they were chatting with each other. Li Qing had not been selected for any national team yet. He seemed a little bored, so he turned to greet the ball boy: "Hey, little brother, how old are you?"

The caddy rolled his eyes and said expressionlessly, "13 years old."

"so small?"

Li Qing was surprised.

The caddy said speechlessly: "You are only 16 years old, only three years older than me."

"..."

Li Qing then remembered that he seemed to be this age, laughed, and moved the palm on the other person's head.