The strongest winger

Chapter 471 The Semi-Final Begins

Although the two UEFA Champions League semi-finals were characterized by the European mainstream media as a "youth storm", the UEFA Champions League semi-final between Manchester United and AC Milan at home attracted more attention.

However, this is not necessarily a bad thing for the two teams of Valencia and Liverpool. Even a small mistake will be infinitely magnified under the situation of high attention.

After Mascherano threatened to beat Aiello and caused controversy, Liverpool players did not accept interviews with reporters at the request of Benitez. They focused more on the future first leg of the Champions League semi-final.

25号的晚上8点45分，也就是BJ时间的26号凌晨2点45分，曼联主场迎战AC米兰的这场2006-2007赛季欧洲冠军联赛半决赛首场比赛在老特拉福德球场率先开打。

After 10 and [-] minutes of competition, Manchester United finally took advantage of the home court to win the game, but unfortunately they allowed Kaka to score two goals at Old Trafford, which means that the visiting team AC Milan scored two away goals. This is a big hidden danger for the two-round knockout round.

However, what fans remember is not Manchester United's difficult victory in the game, nor AC Milan who scored two away goals, but the two protagonists of the three youth storms that have just been reported by European mainstream media.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and Kaka showed no signs of weakness, scoring twice!

In terms of excitement, Kaka's two goals are even more attractive.

In addition to Kaka's two goals in this game, Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick was completely different from Aiello's impression. He clearly remembered that it was Rooney who scored twice to help Manchester United win at home.

Has history changed?

Thinking of this, Aiello's confidence in Valencia winning the UEFA Champions League this season has increased a lot!

After watching the game, it was nearly eleven o'clock in the evening, so Ai Luo simply washed up and went back to his bedroom to sleep, because... it will be their turn to play tomorrow night.

You must keep your spirits up!
※※※

The distance between Manchester and Valencia is far or near, but for reporters, no matter how close or far, they have to fly across the sea to Valencia to report the Champions League semi-final in real time.

In the regular press conference before the game, Valencia, who played at home, was different from usual. This time, the general manager of the club, Caboni, participated.

On behalf of the club, he thanked Benitez for his contribution to the club.

The subsequent speech by Flores expressed his confidence in winning the upcoming Champions League semi-final.

The successive statements of the general manager and the head coach are also equivalent to the courtesy before the soldier.

The first round of the UEFA Champions League semi-final match at the Mestalla Stadium was naturally full of seats. What is different from usual is that the number of Chinese fans pouring into this game is more than the number of any home stadium this season.

Similarly, the number of Chinese journalists who came to the scene reached the highest number this season.

And there are countless fans waiting in front of the TV or computer. Those fans who were not football before are also paying attention to the first round of the UEFA Champions League semi-final kick-off at 2:45 am at this moment.

This is the starting list handed over to UEFA half an hour before the game.

The goalkeeper of the home team is still Canizares, while the back line is Moretti, Ayala, Albiol and Del Horno, while the midfielder is the strongest combination of Baraja, Albelda and Ballack, and the forwards are David Silva, David Villa and Aiello.

In this starting lineup, except for Moretti's adjustment to right back and Ayala's return to the starting lineup was a bit unexpected, the other positions were not different from usual.

Similarly, Liverpool also formed their strongest lineup, the goalkeeper is Reina, the back line is lined up, Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger and Riise, the midfielder is captain Gerrard, Mascherano, Harvey Alonso and Zenden, the double forwards are Bellamy and Dirk, the standard [-] formation.

When Andy Gray, the commentator of Sky TV, got the starting rosters of both sides, he first looked at Valencia's starting lineup, which was not different from what he guessed. This lineup is also the strongest lineup they can currently make.

As for Liverpool, there have been some changes in position, so he said into the microphone: "It seems that Liverpool, who are playing away games, still have the idea of ​​scoring away games. As we all know, Dirk Dirk is a very hard-working striker. He not only scores goals when he should score, but also often appears in key positions when the team needs to defend. Another striker, Bellamy, is also famous in European football for his speed. He is definitely a good counterattacker, but..."

As for why Andy Gray didn't finish his sentence, Bellamy may be a breakthrough point for Valencia to break the balance on the field.

Because... Bellamy had a hard time controlling her temper.

※※※

In the tactical deployment before the game, Flores had a request for the defensive players to let them provoke Bellamy unconsciously. Of course, enough should be done in this regard, and the referee should not leave it as a problem.

At the same time, Benitez also made a request to Bellamy, "Craig, you have to know the importance of this game. This is the UEFA Champions League semi-final. I believe the fans want to see your goals. Similarly, I also hope that you can pay more attention to how to send the ball into the opponent's goal during the game, understand?"

Bellamy raised her head in astonishment, looked at Benitez in front of her, and nodded dully.

Although he was a bit stunned, he was not stupid. If there was disharmony with the head coach at this time, he must be the one who lost the opportunity. Liverpool this season is a Buddha. Maybe they can win a UEFA Champions League after the end of the season. What a wonderful thing.

In addition to telling Bellamy to pay attention to his temper, Benitez also told Mascherano emphatically, because this game is when he proves himself, and the person he is responsible for marking is-Aiello!

The top scorer of the UEFA Champions League in the 2006-2007 season, or the player who can score the most goals in the five major European leagues this year.

"Don't worry, I will definitely prevent him to death!"

This is Mascherano's answer to Benitez, concise and direct!
※※※

This game was no different from the usual UEFA Champions League games. After a series of rituals that were repeated every game, the captains of both sides went to the center line near the sidelines to guess the ball at the referee.

In the end, Valencia won the right to pick a side and lost the right to kick-off.

For a while, the players of both sides occupied their sides, while the referee stood in the arc of Valencia's half, watching his watch, waiting for the kick-off time.

The commentators from various countries in the live studio are also making final preparations, waiting for the referee's whistle.

beep~~~~~
With the referee's whistle, the 2006-2007 UEFA Champions League semi-final match between Valencia and Liverpool at home was officially announced.

Liverpool took the lead, but they did not take advantage of the kick-off and quickly launched an attack. Instead, they passed the ball back to the core midfielder Xavi Alonso, and the team's formation spread out.

Under the coaching of Benitez, this Liverpool team controlled the ball more at their feet when they had no chance, so their ball-handling ability was not weak, and the Valencia players were not in a hurry to grab it.

For example, in the first round of the 1/8 final against Inter Milan, the chance of directly stealing the ball and making a counterattack is too small. You can't get fat in one bite, and the same is true for scoring. You have to slowly adapt to the opponent's defensive rhythm before you can kill with one blow.

Otherwise, if the counterattack is not successful, but the opponent seizes the opportunity to score first, then it will be troublesome.

After all, Bellamy's speed cannot be ignored. According to a detailed data released by the famous football research organization CIES at the beginning of the year, Bellamy's 0-meter speed is only 2 seconds behind Aiello, so he has to guard against it.

Therefore, Flores put Moretti, who is good at defense, on the right, and also sent veteran Ayala. Experience is a valuable asset for the team.

※※※

In the opening few minutes, neither side was in a hurry to use their housekeeping skills. They focused more on grabbing control of the midfield. In other words, they were testing each other. In the semi-finals of the Champions League, no one could afford to lose.

Although Valencia has a three midfielder, it is much better than Liverpool in controlling the situation, because Flores used David Silva in the midfield instead of the winger in this game.

If it is said that Baraja defends full-time, Albelda connects the midfielder, and Ballack is responsible for inserting and long-range shooting, then David Silva's role in the team is the offensive organizer.

Originally, Flores used David Silva as a pure winger, but because of Ballack's injury, Angulo couldn't use it, so he tried to put David Silva in the second striker and attacking midfielder. Unexpectedly, the effect is unexpected. Excellent vision and excellent reading ability of the game can often send deadly passes to David Villa and Aiello.

So in this crucial Champions League semi-final, although David Silva's registration position is the right winger, his actual position is the offensive organizer!
And with the change of David Silva's position on the field, Ai Luo's position also changed. He is no longer a pure left winger, and he has a lot of freedom in this game.

Speaking of this, I have to praise Mascherano's personal ability, one word is strong!
Wherever Aiello went, he followed, with or without the ball.

Similarly, Aiello was not tempered by Mascherano's defense when he was holding the ball. He was strong and had a low center of gravity and fast turning speed. He could make defensive moves at the same time as he made breakthrough moves.

Generally speaking, in the first few minutes of the game, both sides were testing each other. For both sides of the game, there is still a clear indicator. Valencia is the main attack, while Liverpool... is the main defense.

PS: Thank you Yechen for the monthly pass, it’s the last day, please ask for a ticket!
(End of this chapter)