Chapter 334 The Sufferer
Manchester United coach Mourinho's choice was also forced. Manchester United was indeed in great glory under Ferguson's coaching in the past. The problem is that with the end of Ferguson's coaching career, Manchester United seems to have begun to pay back the glory it has gained in the past.
Not to mention the bad lineup, Ed Woodward, who is responsible for recruiting players, always buys players he doesn't like to use, and the post-90s players in the team are difficult to manage, especially Pogba, who is not only skinny, but also can't stand criticism. He gets angry with you if you say a little to him.
Next week is the second leg of the Champions League 1/8 finals at home against Sevilla, and the weekend is the Red Derby, which immediately gave him a headache.
In terms of the gold content level, the Champions League is naturally more important, but for Manchester United's tradition, the Red Derby is the most important.
Manchester United has a bad lineup and a poor bench depth. Obviously, it is impossible to play with all its strength in the two-line battle, so Mourinho has the idea of giving up one of them.
The league leader has been in very good form recently, especially the top scorer Li Qing. Even if they go all out against Liverpool at home, they can hardly win the game. It is even possible that if they go all out and lose to the Reds, they will lose to Sevilla.
Although Sevilla is only a strong team in La Liga, La Liga teams have always been the bitter enemies of Premier League teams and are very difficult to deal with. Otherwise, Manchester United would not have tied Sevilla 0:0 at the Pizjuan Stadium.
After a day of thinking, Mourinho decided to focus on the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.
Of course, it does not mean that he gave up the league against Liverpool at home. It can only be said that the focus is on the Champions League, and the home league against Liverpool is to do everything possible.
The first match of the 30th round of the 2017-2018 Premier League is the second round of the Reds meeting this season. This match is also the 200th match between the two teams in history. In the past, Manchester United had the upper hand with 79 wins, 55 draws and 65 wins, but Manchester United's performance against Liverpool in recent games is not good...
Old Trafford, which can accommodate 76,000 fans, was full. As the team with the most European titles in England and the team with the most top league titles in England in the past, the attention will naturally not be low.
Manchester United sent out the strongest lineup at present, goalkeeper De Gea, defenders Ashley Young, Smalling, Bailly and Valencia, double defensive midfielder Matic partnered with McTominay, forwards were Mata, Sanchez and Rashford, and Lukaku was at the forefront.
The main players of Liverpool who rested in the middle of the week were all out, goalkeeper Karius, defenders Robertson, Van Dijk, Matip and Arnold, midfielders Henderson, Wijnaldum and Li Qing, forwards Mane, Firmino and Salah.
The commentators and football experts who got the starting lineups of both teams before the game were not optimistic about Manchester United playing at home. After all, the league leader Liverpool has been in very good form recently. In addition to distracting Manchester United from the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals next week, midfielder Pogba is also injured and cannot play.
It is clear who is stronger and who is weaker.
It's just that Manchester United and Liverpool have been hating each other for a long time, and Manchester United fans will not easily admit defeat to Liverpool fans!
Li Qing is the most threatening player of Liverpool, so as long as Li Qing gets the ball, there will be a tsunami-like violent booing over the Old Trafford stadium.
The team coached by Mourinho is famous for its defensive counterattacks, which can bring the best game experience to the team with limited resources. Li Qing, who is in excellent form, is gradually disappearing in Mourinho's defense.
"Manchester United's defense is still very good..."
New England Sports commentator Jin Xiangkai had just finished speaking when the ball came to Li Qing's feet again. His sudden acceleration shook off the aging Matic, and McTominay lacked game experience and was not decisive enough to commit a foul at a critical moment. Li Qing directly faced Manchester United's entire defense line.
Smalling had no choice but to step forward to put pressure on Li Qing. Firmino decisively inserted himself diagonally behind him. Li Qing tiptoed with his left foot, and the ball flew into the air and flew to the empty space behind Smalling.
Bailey's game experience was not as rich as Firmino's. When his position was stuck, he pushed Firmino from behind. Suddenly, Firmino, who was swinging his right foot to shoot, lost his balance and fell to the ground.
The referee on duty, Anthony Taylor, was very clear in the stands and blew the whistle decisively. He pointed to the penalty spot with his left hand and took out a yellow card from his trouser pocket with his right hand.
Li Qing would not take a penalty kick, which was a non-technical thing. Salah, who took the penalty kick, scored in one fell swoop, helping Liverpool open the away game.
Mourinho, standing in the home team coach's command area, had no way out. The strength of the two teams was very different, and with the lack of top players, it was not surprising that the home team fell behind first.
In the 38th minute, Li Qing and his teammates played a series of wonderful two-on-ones. Matic and McTominay's slow turning characteristics were exposed. Li Qing, who broke into the penalty area, faked a shot and dribbled past the reckless Smalling. Facing goalkeeper De Gea, he chose a very calm low shot. The football went from De Gea's crotch and missed the net...
The score on the scoreboard changed from 0:1 to 0:2. Mourinho knew that the team was completely powerless at home.
However, 0:2 was not the final score of Manchester United's home court. In the second half, Rashford and Li Qing helped the two teams score respectively. The score of 1:3 was the result of the 200th battle between the two teams in history.
As Manchester City beat Stoke City 2-0 away, the points gap between Liverpool and Manchester City is still nine points. However, with only eight rounds left in the league, it will take a miracle for Manchester City to reverse Liverpool and win the 2017-2018 Premier League title.
Among Liverpool's last eight league opponents, the strongest was Chelsea. However, if no accidents occurred at that time, the result of the match between the two teams would not affect the final ownership of the league championship, because the second round of the two teams' confrontation was in the 37th round.
In addition, the only threats to Liverpool are Crystal Palace and Everton. Of course, they are only threats. As long as Liverpool does its best, there is no surprise in defeating these two teams.
The 30th round of the 2017-2018 Premier League season has come to an end. The focus of sports media around the world is on the second leg of the Champions League 1/8 finals that reignited the war in midweek.
The two games on the first match day of the Champions League are Manchester United VS Sevilla and Chelsea VS Roma. The five Premier League teams that have advanced to the Champions League last 16 this season have been eliminated by Juventus except Tottenham. Manchester City and Liverpool have already announced their promotion. , the third Premier League team that the English media expected to advance to the Champions League quarter-finals did not wait. Manchester United lost 1:2 at home to Sevilla. Since the two sides fought 0:0 in the first round, it was equivalent to Sevilla eliminating Manchester United as a guest. A minor upset was revealed.
Chelsea defeated Roma 1:0 at home, and the total score was 2:2. The home team Chelsea was able to advance to the quarterfinals by virtue of its advantage of more away goals.
There were no accidents in the other two quarter-finals. Barcelona easily defeated Shakhtar and Bayern eliminated Besiktas.
