Super Prophecy Master

Chapter 651 Undefeated Freeze - 73 games
The game between Millwall and Barcelona left the Catalan media speechless. They didn't know how to express it, because the result was too different from what they expected.

In the eyes of most Catalans, Barcelona is a much better team than Millwall. They are a noble European top giants, and their opponent is just a newly rising club, even if they rule the Premier League. The competition field, but the Champions League is different from the Premier League. Many teams that can sweep the league may not perform well in the Champions League because they lack experience in European competitions.

Of course, Millwall is also the defending champion of the Champions League, but the Catalans subconsciously ignore this, because they have to think about Barcelona winning, not what advantages the opponent has.

The result of the game gave them a heavy slap in the face.

Three to zero.

This score is tantamount to saying "Barcelona will have no chance until the second round". Without this game, just looking at the score, the Catalan media can still convince themselves, "Barcelona's offense is very good. Strong, three goals in a game is not out of the question."

But Millwall showed great efficiency.

So at the Nou Camp, Barcelona scored three goals, Millwall won't score?
The answer is sad.

So the Catalan media adjusted their firepower targets and quickly shifted to the team, but they would not criticize Messi who performed poorly, because Messi is the darling of Barcelona, ​​and even if he performs poorly, he can speak with his age For such a young player, it is normal for him to be out of form occasionally, and he is facing one of the world's most powerful midfielders.

The Catalan media's firepower targets are based on two aspects. One is that Ronaldinho's name is not on the squad.

In Barcelona after Christmas, Ronaldinho is almost forgotten. Many fans only know Messi and don't care about Ronaldinho, but now they think of Ronaldinho again.

"With Ronaldinho, the team's performance will definitely be more stable."

"Ronaldo won't be easily guarded to death!"

"In the semi-finals of the Champions League, Ronaldinho should be brought, even if he is sitting on the bench, he can still play a role."

"The current Messi is still too young, he should continue to use Ronaldinho!"

Another point of fire is on Rijkaard. There is no doubt that the responsibility for the loss must be counted on the head coach. There is a lot of criticism in public opinion, which puts Rijkaard under tremendous pressure.

Many Barcelona fans shouted the slogan "Rijkaard step down".

Under the circumstances of such public opinion, Rijkaard felt a little chilled, and was more sure of his decision--
The season is over, it's time to leave!
----

In the Catalan media's 'reflection' on the failure, the British media reported the game excitedly. Millwall's big victory over Barcelona was equivalent to England's victory over Spanish football.

The public opinion of the media has hyped the game to this extent.

Now is the time to harvest.

The British media praised Millwall and praised every player who performed well in the game. Braniff, Vardy and Livermore became the core players reported. Many media asserted: "These three players will become A strong contender for the Ballon d'Or this year."

The premise is that Millwall can win the championship.

Even though Millwall has won many championships, the Champions League is the most important thing. Without the Champions League, it is almost like a dragon without the finishing touch, only the shape does not have the charm, and it is just an ordinary painting.

It's different with the Champions League.

If Millwall wins the Champions League, they will take over all the championships that the English team can win. If there is no player in the team who wins the Golden Globe Award, the fairness of the award will be questioned.

This was already the case last year.

Last year, Millwall won the UEFA Champions League in major international competitions, but the Ballon d'Or was taken away by Kaka. Considering that AC Milan is the defeat of Millwall, the media's public opinion has already fermented.

Even if it is to maintain the authority of the award, the Ballon d'Or will belong to Millwall's players.

Braniff, Vardy and Livermore all have opportunities. Among them, Vardy is the most famous and scored the most goals, but he is the least favored. The only striker who won the Golden Globe is Shevchenko. , More goals do not mean more contributions. People with voting rights prefer to vote for midfielders.

Braniff has the best chance.

Livermore came next.

While analyzing by the British media, they also did not forget to report another match between Liverpool and Manchester United at home. This game is also very interesting.

Liverpool played very well, they were in the lead all the time, but at the last minute, Riise put the ball in the goal with a wonderful header.

This own goal ruined Liverpool's great situation.

1:1.

Liverpool's entire advantage was wiped out.

Manchester United's performance was mediocre. They had nothing to do with Liverpool's solid defense. If it wasn't for Riise's wonderful header, Ferguson would have scolded the Manchester United players to death. However, the Norwegian "made everyone accidentally score", and the whole game was almost useless. Manchester United pulled back from the brink.

"The Sun" put it clearly: "Stupid Riise let the Red Devils take the initiative."

The moment he saw Riise's header, a smile appeared on Ferguson's frozen face.

Riise played in place of Aurelio, who left the field early due to injury. Manchester United did not let him encounter too much trouble. He even had time to assist to the front of the penalty area and scored a strong shot.

But maybe the warm-up effect was not good. Before the end, in order to clear the ball in front of Carrick, the Norwegian headed C-Ronaldo's cross into his own goal.

The Guardian's report goes like this: "It was an unstoppable break and Riise, who could have cleared with his feet, erroneously chose to head the ball."

After that moment.

The fans who had held up their scarves and sang praises to the Red Army were dumbfounded. Reina, who could do nothing about the "wonderful own goal", turned his back and hugged his bald head in a daze, while Riise lay on the ground, Hide your face.

Such a mistake in such a crucial game made Riise feel ashamed.

It wasn't just an own goal, it was the end of Riise and Liverpool.

There is one year left on the contract between the two parties.

Riise is very dissatisfied with the status quo of not being able to play the main force. It was once rumored that Aston Villa and Newcastle intend to recruit him. Many media believe that "this own goal will make the veteran who has played for 6 years farther and farther away from Anfield. farther."

In an interview with Sky Sports, Ferguson said with a smile, "This is a game where there are not many opportunities for both sides. They had one chance in the first half, and we only had one chance. The same is true in the second half. This is a typical game. semi-final match."

The two goals of the two teams in the game were all caused by the opponent's mistakes. Wayne Rooney dribbled the ball in front of the penalty area and was intercepted by Dirk.

"Both goals were caused by mistakes. In fact, before Liverpool scored, we all had the initiative of the game. However, an away goal will play a decisive role in who can enter the final. However, returning The games at home will still be tough."

On the contrary, Benitez is very dissatisfied.

The Spaniard vented his anger on the referee Plautz, and exhausted the sarcasm, "I am really surprised that Manchester United failed to use free kicks and corner kicks to score. The referee's decision disappointed us, but it is not It was the first time, when he played Marseille in the group stage, that's what he did."

In the Champions League group stage, Liverpool lost to Marseille at home. It was Plautz who enforced the law, which also caused dissatisfaction among the Spaniards.

In addition to the unfavorable penalty for Liverpool, Proutz's 4-minute stoppage time in the second half also made Benitez unable to hide his anger, "There was only 1 minute stoppage time in the first half, but 4 minutes in the second half, it's hard to explain Clearly", then Benitez pointed the finger at a controversial penalty in the first half, "I clearly saw the Manchester United player pushing my team, right in the penalty area, I was surprised, he didn't have any express".

For Riise's own goal at the end of the game, Benitez did not blame him, "It's not the player's fault. It's really difficult to deal with that kind of ball bouncing in that area."

No matter how Benitez and Ferguson react, the result of the game has been fixed.

One to one.

This score is very uncertain. It is more advantageous for Manchester United to return to the home game. Liverpool has a disadvantage, but the hope of advancing is not small.

On the second day after the home game, some media asked Zhang Yang, "Which opponent do you hope to meet in the final?"

This is a difficult question to answer.

Zhang Yang didn't even bother to think about it, and said directly, "For us, any opponent is the same."

Is this about declaring the championship?

When the interviewer thought so, I heard Zhang Yang say, "Our goal now is to beat Barcelona, ​​which is very difficult. Although we have an advantage, the second round is an away game."

"For the finals, I think it is a good training ground. After the finals, the players will become different, and the whole team will also become different."

"That's what matters."

"I remember before the start of the season, I said that it is more important for us to participate in the Champions League to gain experience..."

Isn't this nonsense?

Media reporters have a feeling that their IQ has been humiliated, but they have nothing to do. If they go back to two years ago, they will definitely write articles to criticize Zhang Yang.

Now?

I'm sorry, Zhang Yang's reputation is too great, and his influence covers a wide range. It is completely meaningless to criticize Zhang Yang for no reason. On the contrary, his peers and fans will think that he is making a big deal out of a molehill, or deliberately find topics to hype.

This is what influence does.

----

In the last league game at the end of April, Millwall played against Arsene Wenger's Arsenal at home.

If it is placed in the middle of the season, the game will definitely become the focus of the Premier League, but it is of little significance so far. Millwall won the league championship ahead of schedule.

Arsenal ranks third in the league, four points less than No.2 Manchester United, which means that it is very difficult for them to catch up, but the difference between Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal is within three points.

The three teams have to compete for third, fourth and fifth in the league. If there is a game on the books, Arsenal will be very dangerous. The game is still more important to Arsenal.

The focus of the media on the game is also to see whether Arsenal can get points.

As long as Arsenal pass Millwall, they will not be under much pressure to rank in the top four, otherwise it will depend on the next two games.

This is where Millwall becomes key.

If Millwall sends a full main lineup, it will be very difficult for Arsenal to win an away game, but Millwall has already won the league championship, will they still play with all the main players?
The supporting media of Chelsea and Liverpool naturally constantly emphasize the 'spirit of fair play' and hope that Millwall will attach importance to the game against Arsenal.

Zhang Yang scoffed at this.

If Chelsea and Liverpool can play better, they don't need to look at the faces of other teams. For example, Manchester United doesn't care about the match between Arsenal and Millwall. Ferguson didn't say a word because it has nothing to do with Manchester United. Big.

Zhang Yang naturally wouldn't listen to the media.

The Millwall coaching staff has already arranged the game. All the next league games will be training grounds. It is also very important to give young players opportunities. Give young players more benefits!

So Millwall sent a substitute lineup, and the players who played in the Champions League last game were all rested, but the midfield led by Sneijder still has a certain strength.

But Arsenal is not weak, especially at the critical moment of competition for the league rankings, Dutch striker van Persie personally helped the team score two goals, and finally Millwall lost to Arsenal 1-2.

This loss has special significance.

Millwall has been undefeated in the league before, and even the media are reluctant to talk about "end undefeated", because it doesn't matter whether it ends or not. For a longer period of time, it will be difficult to be surpassed by other teams.

After Millwall lost to Arsenal, the league's unbeaten field was fixed at 73 games.

That's a pretty brilliant stat.

Zhang Yang said after the game, "73 unbeaten games is not bad. In fact, we don't care about setting records. Even if there is no record, we will think that we will play every game well."

This statement made Liverpool and Chelsea support the media depressed to death.

Millwall serious about playing?
If Millwall played seriously, they wouldn't have sent so many substitutes. There was a player in the game whose name the commentator couldn't even read. I found out that it was the Millwall youth team, who was added to the front line in winter. team players.

That's not a genius, but a player who can't really play the game and 'make up'.

The young player was a full-back. He played 53 minutes, touched the ball 50.00 times, was intercepted four times in the frontcourt, and his pass success rate was only [-]%.

At that time, the TV commentators smiled wryly, "Such a player can also represent Millwall...Maybe, after this season, he can return to the youth team, or transfer to a lower league for experience, but at this level Said, even in the British Championship, it is difficult to perform well."

This is a real review.

Zhang Yang will not talk about this, he is purely giving opportunities to young players. Millwall's youth training cannot be said to be a mess, but the situation is not very good.

In fact, there is no way.

Clubs tend to invest more money in the youth training system, but it is impossible to produce results in a short time.

Millwall's youth training is not good, a very important reason is the location, they are a team in the London area, and the location is not far from the city center.

Near the center of London are Chelsea, Fulham, Arsenal, Charlton, Queens Park Rangers, etc., many Premier League and Championship teams, and West Ham United are farther away from the city center.

Among them, Arsenal and West Ham United are famous for their youth training. Chelsea's youth training is also developing well. They started later but invested more. They have been poaching talents everywhere in recent years, but no matter how late they start, they are earlier than Millwall.

Therefore, Millwall's youth training has no advantage at all. Those surrounding talents have reported to other clubs' youth training early.

Millwall can only pick up leftover players.

Under such a harsh environment, it is strange that the youth training can cultivate talents in a short period of time.

(End of this chapter)