Chapter 707 Pot (Happy National Day!)
3:1, Manchester United won a great victory!
This is not bragging by Bruno and others, but an evaluation given by a Spanish media reporter at the post-match press conference.
Mourinho also said in an interview with the media: "This is a game worth remembering! At the press conference before the game, many media reporters were worried that this would be a scene where Spain's gorgeous football crushed England's rough football. I said, no, on the contrary, I think the game atmosphere between the two teams will be very good, and you also saw today, whether it is the result or the process of the game, it is indeed quite good."
Many reporters at the scene were embarrassed after hearing this, and they couldn't help but complain in their hearts: You won, of course you think everything is good, but what about Barcelona who lost? Ask the embarrassed Valverde next to you, does he think the atmosphere of the game is good?
Regarding this game, Mourinho said that the team won due to the efficiency of counterattack and Bruno was the key to the team's victory.
"I am very satisfied with the performance of the players. They played very well, trained very hard, and were very dedicated in the game. In order to win this game, each of us paid a lot. Everyone knows that it is never easy to play against Barcelona, especially at the Camp Nou, but we did a great job on the counterattack."
"I am very happy to see Bruno who can do everything. He is a player that I can't find any fault with. He always trains the hardest and plays the hardest. The three goals tonight were very beautiful."
"He scored a hat trick at Camp Nou, which I think is a good story, but I think he still has a lot of potential to tap. He is only 24 years old."
………………
However, in response to a reporter saying that Manchester United has secured qualification for the semi-finals, Mourinho does not think that the team has secured victory and the qualification to advance.
"The Champions League knockout rounds are two-legged home and away games, and there is still a second leg. At best, we can only say that we have seized the initiative, but we still have to be cautious. Barcelona is a team full of mysterious strength. Any team that relaxes a little may suffer a crushing defeat. Paris Saint-Germain led 4:0 in the first leg, but was reversed by Barcelona. This is a lesson for us, and we must remember the lesson of Paris Saint-Germain."
Paris Saint-Germain: Are you polite?
At the end of the press conference, Mourinho also thanked the Manchester United fans who came to the away game.
In the final stage of the game, a very small number of Manchester United fans sang the team song "Glory Glory Man United" in the Nou Camp, and their voices even overwhelmed the more than 90,000 home team fans, which shows the madness of Manchester United fans at that time.
………………
Compared to Mourinho's happy mood, Valverde felt very sorry for the loss. The Barcelona coach believed that the reason for the loss was that after taking the lead, the team played a bit safe and lacked passion for the game.
"We unknowingly slowed down our offensive tempo, and that cost us a lot."
Valverde also admitted that Bruno's condition was really good, which was the key factor in determining the final outcome of the game.
"There is no doubt that Bruno is the key to this game. He is the best player in the whole game. We did not find a good way to restrain him, which caused us a painful blow. The second round of the game is very crucial. We must think carefully. If we want to beat Manchester United away, we must first find a way to freeze Bruno."
At the end of the press conference, Valverde was asked about Yosi by media reporters. The Argentine striker's performance in this game was poor, which was in sharp contrast to his previous state of scoring consecutive goals in the league. It was also in sharp contrast to his opponent Bruno's hot state in this game. Therefore, many media were concerned about whether Yosi had any problems, such as injury or something.
Valverde said that Yosi had no injuries and was very healthy. As for his poor form in this game, it was nothing, as every player's performance had ups and downs, and it was impossible for him to be in top form in every game.
As for Ter Stegen who made a series of mistakes, Valverde comforted him and said that everyone could understand his mistakes.
"We have to accept it because it's part of football and a real team has to stay together whether it's winning or losing, especially at this time, we have to be calmer."
Valverde also did not give up hope of going away, saying the team still has a chance.
Not only Valverde, many Barcelona players publicly stated in media interviews after the game that the team has the ability to turn the tables away from home, including Ter Stegen who made a major mistake.
………………
Bruno also accepted an interview with reporters after the game: "I think it's too early to say we've advanced. The second round is still full of suspense and it's hard to say who will win or lose."
As for his hat trick in conquering the world's most difficult devil's home stadium, Camp Nou, Bruno smiled and said it was an honor: "Barcelona is a team with a glorious history. I am proud that I can score in such a game."
When asked by Catalan media about his match with Yosi in this game, Bruno smiled and said that Yosi is a very capable player, but he may not be in his best condition now.
"In fact, I never care about who performs better between me and Yosi. I care more about how to help the team win."
But it was obvious that Bruno's answer did not satisfy the Catalan media.
………………
Nightmare night!
The next day, Mundo Deportivo published the following headline on its front page.
In the report, Mundo Deportivo directly pointed the finger at Valverde, believing that the Barcelona coach had serious problems with his lineup and was completely defeated in the contest with Mourinho.
"The most obvious example is that Mourinho's first substitution occurred in the 80th minute, and two minutes later, Valverde used his last substitution, and at this time, the Manchester United coach still had two substitutions."
"Of course, this doesn't explain the problem, but it can prove that in this peak showdown, whether it is the head coach, the team, or the team itself, Barcelona has been defeated in all aspects!"
The second charge that Mundo Deportivo made against Valverde was excessive use of Yosi.
At the end of March, Yosi missed the Argentina national team's game due to pubic inflammation. After the club competitions resumed, Valverde let Yosi participate in all three club games, which made Yosi very tired.
"In this crucial match, Yosi played the entire game, had 39 touches, 26 passes, and was intercepted six times. These are definitely not the numbers a world-class player should have."
"Yoshi is already a 31-year-old veteran. After suffering an injury, he played four games in ten days, and started every game and played the full 4 minutes. As a result, he performed poorly throughout the game and was completely frozen by Luke Shaw."
………………
"Mundo Deportivo" also did not forget to create contradictions and conflicts between Bruno and Yosi.
"In the eyes of many people, Yosi has always been compared with Bruno, but in fact, Bruno is only 24 years old, 31 years younger than Yosi, who is 7 years old. The two are not from the same generation."
"When Real Madrid lost to Manchester United in the Champions League final last year, Raul said that it was a crime to regard 33-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo and Modric as saviors. But in Barcelona, Yosi, who will be 32 in just two months, is also regarded as the savior. This is absolutely sad!"
The meaning of "Mundo Deportivo" is very clear, that is: Barcelona needs to be rebuilt!
Barcelona needs to rebuild, and it has been said for several seasons. After all, Barcelona's real peak was during Guardiola's "Universe Team Era", when Barcelona won six championships and dominated the football world with its possession style.
If Barcelona, which won six titles in 2009 and three titles in 2011, relied on its overall strength at its peak and the strongest Yosi, then Barcelona's loss to Udinese led by Bruno in 2015 and its failure to reach the Champions League final showed that the team's overall strength was no longer as good as before. At that time, Xavi had left Barcelona and Iniesta was also old. The team relied more on the individual performance of the MSN combination of Yosi, Suarez and Neymar.
After 2015, while arch-rival Real Madrid won three consecutive Champions League titles, Barcelona has never achieved good results in the Champions League again. This is mainly because the "midfield duo" of Xavi and Iniesta aged and left the team one after another. Yosi had to be both a front-line scorer and an organizer, which was equivalent to one person doing the work of two people, which was a great drain on physical energy, and Barcelona could not get rid of the "Yos addiction".
But now, Yosi is about to turn 32 years old. Such a veteran can no longer shoulder the responsibility of being the core of a super giant.
The reconstruction of Barcelona cannot be delayed any longer!
………………
Apart from Catalonia being busy pursuing responsibility, the media around the world were immersed in praise for Manchester United, especially Bruno who scored a hat trick and once again led the Champions League scorer list!
Neither Manchester United nor Bruno took it seriously regarding the Catalan media's attempt to take advantage of their misfortune and deliberately create confrontation between Bruno and Yosi.
This is a common tactic used by the media.
When the team returned to Manchester from Barcelona, they received a warm welcome from the fans and received enthusiastic praise from the British domestic media. Bruno, in particular, who performed a hat trick, was almost made into a hero of the Premier League.
The reason is not hard to guess. The Premier League claims to be the best league, but in recent years it has been suppressed by La Liga in the European competition. Not only is it at a disadvantage in direct matches between the two sides, but it is also far behind La Liga in terms of European competition points. As for the European trophies won, it cannot be compared with La Liga.
This situation makes the Premier League very embarrassing.
This season, the Premier League has finally risen in the European arena. All four teams competing in the Champions League have advanced to the quarterfinals, and Arsenal and Chelsea are also very strong in the Europa League.
This gives the Premier League hope of returning to the top league!
Under such circumstances, the results of the quarter-finals are very important.
………………
The battle between Tottenham and Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals is a civil war. It doesn't matter who wins or loses. After all, even if the meat is rotten, it's still in their own pot.
Liverpool's opponent is the Portuguese Super League team Porto, whose strength is limited. If nothing unexpected happens, it is a foregone conclusion that the Reds will defeat their opponent.
Arsenal and Chelsea are competing in the Europa League, which is a good opportunity to earn points in the European competition, but the influence of the Europa League is far less than that of the Champions League. Moreover, the opponents of the two teams are not as strong as Arsenal and Chelsea, so the victory is expected.
In this way, the match between Manchester United and Barcelona becomes even more crucial.
Barcelona is the only La Liga team in the Champions League. If Manchester United can eliminate their opponent, La Liga will lose the chance to continue to score points in the Champions League.
This is very beneficial for the Premier League to regain the top spot as quickly as possible!
However, judging from past encounters, although Manchester United is not at a disadvantage in historical records, in the two recent encounters between the two sides, Manchester United lost very badly and at a very painful cost.
In the 2009 Champions League final, Manchester United, aiming to defend their title, faced Barcelona in the final, but was completely defeated 2:0 and had almost no chance of fighting back.
Two years later, in 2011, the two teams met again in the Champions League final. The Red Devils, who were already on the decline, were completely crushed by the peak Cosmos team and had no power to fight back. Especially during the game, Sir Alex Ferguson's red face and trembling hands broke the hearts of countless Red Devils fans around the world.
………………
Now, Manchester United meets Barcelona again, still at the Camp Nou, which is known as the devil's home stadium. Even though Manchester United is at its peak now, creating a record of 69 unbeaten games in the Premier League and maintaining 21 unbeaten games in the Champions League, Barcelona is equally strong.
In La Liga, Barcelona has gained an 31-point lead after 11 rounds, almost securing the La Liga title in advance; in the Champions League, Barcelona beat three strong opponents, Tottenham, Inter Milan and PSV Eindhoven, in the death group and advanced to the knockout stage as the group leader. In the round of 5, they defeated the former French Ligue 1 champion Lyon with a score of :.
With such an outstanding performance, almost the whole world believed that the invincible universe team was back.
Under such circumstances, no matter how optimistic a person is, he would not have thought that Manchester United could take away a victory from Camp Nou.
But the final result was shocking. Manchester United won 3:1 away from home, and the powerful Barcelona was defeated completely. The final result of the two-round knockout match was decided in almost just one game!
