The strongest winger

Chapter 470 Youth Storm
After the league match with Real Madrid, the whole team took a flight back to Valencia that night, because it was urgently preparing for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Liverpool on the second day.

The next day, reporters who followed the UEFA Champions League semi-final first-leg match at the Mestalla Stadium all came to the city of Valencia and began to arrange targeted interview tasks. However, well-known Chinese TV stations such as CCTV-5, GD Sports, and SH Sports from China have already arranged it a long time ago.

Like other European journalists who came to Valencia to cover the first round of the UEFA Champions League semi-final, they needed to re-customize the hotel, but at this time it was a bit difficult, because as early as after it was confirmed that Valencia had advanced to the semi-final, the Chinese or overseas students near Europe had already booked hotels and game tickets in advance.

They did not appear in the UEFA Champions League semi-final last season, and Valencia's last Champions League home game this season is naturally not to be missed.

According to the latest odds offered by the three major betting companies in Europe, BETFAIR, BET365 and William Hill, Valencia, which eliminated Chelsea, has surpassed Manchester United to become the biggest favorite to win the championship.

Among them, the BET365 odds bookmaker offered the lowest odds of 1 to 2, while the odds of the other two bookmakers were slightly higher, but they were also at the top of the other three teams that advanced to the semi-finals.

Ranked second is Manchester United, third is AC Milan, and the last is Valencia's opponent in the Champions League semi-finals-Liverpool, but if Liverpool is underestimated because of the odds, then it is not far from being eliminated.

After all, the Liverpool team can be said to be the most successful team recognized in England. In European competitions, it is basically relying on Liverpool alone to support the honor of the entire England.

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What Ai Luo didn't expect was that when he drove his Koenigsegg CCX Blade series to the parking lot of the training base on the second day, he encountered a lot of reporters.

With the previous lesson that Ai Luo got out of the car and rushed out of the encirclement, the reporter did not give Ai Luo any chance this time. After he parked the car, he surrounded the car directly.

This kind of behavior made Ai Luo speechless, so he could only accept the reporter's interview with a straight face.

What makes Ai Luo dumbfounded is that there are many Chinese reporters among them.

Why do the Chinese make it difficult for the Chinese...

Facing the reporter's question, Ai Luo's answer is nothing more than "winning Liverpool is a planned thing" or "I will try to score goals"

Of course, these are unable to meet the requirements of journalists.

Ai Luo had no choice but to speak his mind, "This season's UEFA Champions League has entered the semi-finals, which means we are only two games away from Athens, so why not win and advance to the finals? Actually, I would say that entering the semi-finals is already a very good result."

Looking at a group of reporters who despised him, Ai Luo could only spread his hands and shrugged: "Okay...my goal is to win the UEFA Champions League this season, are you satisfied?"

MD, do you want to be so perfunctory?

It's not easy to eat together!

The reporters could only roll their eyes when they heard what Ai Luo said in the interview.

Looking at a group of reporters who were sloppy, Ai Luo triumphantly pushed aside the reporters who were blocking him, and then walked towards the training base, humming the tune of "My sister rides on the bow, my brother will walk on the shore", leaving behind a group of reporters who looked at each other in dismay.

And Chinese reporters who want to laugh but hold back their laughter.

It is really incomprehensible!
Among them, the reporter of "Marca" gave a definition to the current Ai Luo. His clear reporter was quite high-profile in Ai Luo a year ago. No matter what time it is, I want to take the first place, but now...

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In fact, on this day, Ai Luo was not the only one who was blocked by reporters in the parking lot. Every player who came to the first team training base was blocked. Even Wang Xiaolei, who is now the second goalkeeper of the first team, was not let go. It was only because of his low level of English and Spanish that he 'escaped'.

After all the Liverpool players arrived at Valencia International Airport, the reporters who had been waiting for a long time at the exit surrounded them. For such a group of reporters, the players who had long been accustomed to living under flashlights did not have any discomfort. For example, Gerrard and Alonso, who are relatively good-looking, still pose from time to time to satisfy the reporters' shooting.

With such a relaxed Liverpool player, it felt more like a visit to Valencia than a match.

Of course, in the entire Liverpool team, one of the most striking is the former Valencia coach Benitez.

After all, Benitez contributed two league titles and a UEFA Cup title in the three seasons of coaching Valencia. At that time, because of his coaching, he left a valuable asset to the current Valencia team, including the use of Albelda, Baraja, Ayala and others...

Two years ago, Valencia and Liverpool played against Liverpool in the 2005 UEFA Super Cup. At that time, Aiello scored twice to help the team beat Liverpool coached by Benitez 2:0.

So the reporter mentioned this match very normally.

Benitez didn't pay much attention to that game. After all, it was a game two years ago. The team's main lineup framework is also different from that of two years ago. There is no reference value for the upcoming Champions League semi-finals.

"That was a game two years ago. For us who are about to fight, there is nothing worth referring to. The only difference is that we are the champions of the Champions League that year, while Valencia is the champion of the UEFA Cup..."

This season, when Benitez missed the league, League Cup and FA Cup, only the UEFA Champions League trophy is left, so he is full of confidence in this game.

"That is to say, in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final away at the Mestalla Stadium, it must be our Liverpool that wins..."

For Benitez, the local media in Spain were naturally very upset, but they did not refute it, because the result of the game is the best answer. You must know that Valencia has won the Champions League at home this season.

Then the Argentine international Javier Mascherano, who was loaned to Liverpool during the winter break of this season, also accepted an interview, but the interview he accepted was not the reporter’s initiative to interview him, but he took the microphone while the reporter was stunned, and said directly, "Number 9 of Valencia, I know you are very good, but I will beat you!"

As a result, Mascherano became the headline the next day: You are very powerful, but I will beat you!
Aiello put down the newspaper in his hand and looked at the person in the newspaper: Javier Alejandro Mascherano, the Argentine international who was loaned to Liverpool from West Ham United during the winter break of this season.

From past memories, Ai Luo knew that Mascherano was indeed a difficult character, but... Ai Luo who was reading the newspaper suddenly laughed.

But... this is our home field, and it's not your turn to play wild!

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Before the game, the mainstream media in Europe did not think highly of Liverpool because of the remarks of Benitez and Mascherano. They were generally optimistic about Valencia, which is neatly staffed and in good condition. This is likely to be their season to win the Champions League!
Not only the media recognized their strength, but even the three major gaming companies in Europe are very optimistic about Valencia's championship. They don't think that Valencia, which has won all at home, will suffer a defeat at home.

But in order to avoid being the target of public criticism, Flores is still very cautious. Although he was already happy at this time, he still said in an interview: "The odds offered by the three major European bookmakers do not mean that we will make it to the final. Otherwise, they would have collapsed. It should be noted that Manchester United and AC Milan are very strong in the semi-finals. AC Milan has Kaka, Manchester United has Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney. Not to mention, the five-time champions of the UEFA Champions League, they even reversed AC Milan to win the UEFA Champions League the year before. As long as the referee's final whistle is not blown, the result of the game is still very unpredictable..."

Subsequently, the reports of the mainstream media in Europe were placed in another semi-final contest.

Because AC Milan's away game against Manchester United was held one day earlier than the semi-final of Valencia's home game against Liverpool, in terms of attracting readers, this game should also be highlighted.

Of course, in addition to the reason why this game took the lead, that is the contrast between the key players of the two teams: Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo and AC Milan's Kaka.

Because a large part of the reason why these two teams can enter the semi-finals of the Champions League this season is because of the performance of these two players in their respective teams.

Needless to say, Kaka, in the second round of the UEFA Champions League 1/8 finals, he was riding a thousand miles in overtime. Whether AC Milan can enter the quarter-finals is still unknown, and the second round of the quarter-finals is the same.

Cristiano Ronaldo's role in Manchester United is even more so in Manchester United's team. In the case of losing to Rome in the first leg of the quarter-finals, if he hadn't sounded the horn of attack at home, it would have been difficult for Manchester United to slaughter Rome 1:4 at home, thus creating the largest score difference in the knockout round since the restructuring of the Champions League.

When the editor-in-chief of "The Times" was thinking of a good theme for the two UEFA Champions League semi-finals, he happened to see an oriental face, and his inspiration suddenly burst out like a spring.

AC Milan's Kaka is 25 years old this year, Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo is 22 years old this year, and Valencia's Aiello is 21 years old this year. After all, aren't they all young players?

So editor-in-chief William Rhys-Mogg has a good name for these two Champions League semi-finals: "Youth Storm!"

If nothing else, these three young players will have three points in European football.

(End of this chapter)