Xu Zhu's Successor's Football Journey

Chapter 178 The First Battle of the Premier League

The FA will satisfy the appetite of the fans. In the Premier League schedule, the opening game of the first round is Manchester United led by Sir Alex Ferguson against last season's champion Arsenal at Old Trafford.

This close match will undoubtedly become the focus of this round!

In the simple training in the morning, Chelsea players were also talking about this game.However, they are all of the gloating type, just like the current Bridget——
"I think the game in the afternoon will definitely be a draw. That's really fun. Of course, you know which game I'm referring to!" His funny expression made the teammates next to him burst into laughter.

For Chelsea, a draw between Arsenal and Manchester United is of course the best result. Although it is only the first round of the league, the real road to winning the championship has already reached a starting point. The points of each game are very important. , may affect the final championship ownership!

After the training in the morning, Mourinho's assistant Clark announced the list of players who will play this time: "Goalkeeper Cech, Thomas, defender Carvalho, Brigi, Ferreira, Terry, Gallas, Huth, forwards Makelele, Joe Cole, Lampard, Robben, Duff, Gremi, forwards Allen, Drogba, Gudjanssen, Mutu."

This 18-man roster covers almost all the main players of the team. It seems that Mourinho attaches great importance to this game. He wants to make a good start for the team in the first round.

Chelsea's game will start at four o'clock in the afternoon on the 14th. They will go to Birmingham, England's second largest city, to challenge Birmingham away.It takes at least an hour and a half to drive from London to Birmingham, so after lunch, Mourinho boarded the bus with the players participating in the game to participate in the first round of the Premier League.

For Chelsea, whose players have changed a lot this season, this game is a touchstone to test the strength of the team, and it is also a challenge for Mourinho.Throughout July, Mr. Abrasimovich still placed 7 million euros without hesitation to support Mourinho's transfer work. As for the effect, today's game may be able to see a lot.

This also puts more pressure on Mourinho!
In the bus, the players were doing their own things. Wang Li sat alone in the front row, admiring the scenery of the suburbs of London. He enjoyed this feeling very much, which made his mind calm.Before the game, this kind of peaceful state of mind can make him show more strength in the game, and he has a deep understanding of this.

However, Mourinho came over with a smile and patted him on the shoulder, "How is it, Alan, do you feel nervous now?"

Wang Li turned his head in surprise. In his memory, it was the first time that this cold-faced coach took the initiative to care about him, "Thank you, I don't feel nervous."

"Are you used to staying in Chelsea? Your home is in London."

"Yes, it's near the London Museum." Wang Libi gestured for Mourinho to sit next to him.

"That's very good. Is it because of this that you chose Chelsea?" Mourinho has always been a little puzzled by Wang Li's choice to join Chelsea. Emerging players like Wayne Rooney were also invited, but most of them declined outright.

Only players like Didier Drogba who have been playing in Ligue [-] are the ones who really want to join Chelsea.In his impression, young players like Wang Li are more yearning for giant teams like Manchester United and Liverpool. Moreover, it is said that this black-haired kid has been a pure Arsenal fan since he was a child.

"It's nothing, I wanted to go to Liverpool, but you know, Michael went to Real Madrid." Wang Li replied sincerely.

Mourinho nodded clearly, and then brought the topic to the football game, "This game is the first game of the new season. It is very important to Chelsea. The opponent is not a real soft persimmon. At least It is much stronger than that team a few days ago, so don't be careless."

Wang Li was stunned for a moment, his expression didn't change, but he burst into laughter in his heart, "It turns out that this cold-faced coach is so nervous, he is really cute!" ', although he thought so, he still replied: "I will try my best to help the team win."

After hearing what he said, Mourinho nodded again, a satisfied smile seemed to appear on his face, "Come on, the team's training time is too short, and the overall cooperation is not smooth, but I still hope you Goal in the afternoon game."

"Okay, boss, I'll do my best."

The two chatted about some other things in life, and Mourinho returned to the assistant coach, began to write and draw on the tactical board, and went back to consult Clark's opinion from time to time. It seems that the Portuguese is at least tactical On the other hand, listen to the opinions of others.

…………

On the bus, time passed quickly, and it drove into Birmingham in a blink of an eye. There are still about two hours before the start of the game, but many people wearing blue Birmingham home team jerseys have appeared next to the St. Andrews Stadium Fans, these fans scattered around the stadium, waiting to enter the stadium to watch the game.

Chelsea's bus drove directly into the St. Andrews Stadium from the side gate. After getting off the bus, the players dispersed, most of them went directly to the dressing room, and a few walked around the stadium, observing the situation. A historic stadium.

The St. Andrews Stadium was completed in 1906. It is located about 1.5 miles from the city center and is surrounded by commercial areas, residential areas, factories, etc. The geographical location is very excellent, so in Birmingham, the second largest city in England, Most of them are Birmingham fans.

It is said that this stadium only has more than 3 seats, but it once accommodated more than 6 fans to watch the game together.

However, this has nothing to do with Chelsea. About an hour and a half before the start of the game, according to the regulations of the FA, Mourinho had to attend the pre-match press conference.However, Mourinho does not have any favor with these reporters, even if it is to fulfill his promise, he will not answer the questions of these reporters.

"Chelsea will do their best to win this game."

After leaving these words, the cold-faced Portuguese walked out of the press conference, leaving only the lonely Birmingham coach Bruce.

'What an impolite Portuguese! 'At this moment, I don't know how many reporters in the venue cursed Mourinho at the same time, but unfortunately it didn't work, and they could only go to interview Bruce instead.

Facing the reporter, Bruce was very confident, "This summer, Izzet and Husky joined the team, which enhanced the team's offensive ability. The team is stronger than last season. Being more familiar will help the team's tactical coordination a lot. In addition to the frontcourt, we have also added some important players in other positions. After training in the summer, the team has matured."

"Maybe the Birmingham team has a big gap with their opponents in terms of lineup, but we are confident to play well. Although today's game may be difficult, we will work hard to pursue victory and make a good start for this season."

It can be seen that the former Manchester United captain is very satisfied with the current situation of the team.He was very polite and didn't mention Mourinho who had just left, and he just said some things about Birmingham.

In the player era, as the captain of Manchester United, Bruce was very arrogant, but in the coaching profession, he is still a rookie and needs to learn a lot of new things. Therefore, before he succeeds, maybe he chooses to keep a low profile. correct.

…………

At 5000:[-] p.m., the St. Andrews Stadium was full. Fans of the two teams entered the stadium early. Sitting in the southeast side of the stadium were Chelsea fans. There were about [-] people at a glance, but compared to the fans of the home team Birmingham It’s a far cry. In the stands of Birmingham fans, there are crowds everywhere. Many fans wearing the home team’s blue jerseys have the earth on the left face and the football on the right face, connected by a line in the middle—— - This is the team emblem of Birmingham, which dazzled the stands and all showed the excitement of the fans.

In a VIP box at the stadium, Mr. Abrahimovic also came to Birmingham. Next to him was the chairman of Birmingham, Goud. It seems that the two chairmen are looking forward to this game. For Abramovich, it may be possible From this game, we can see the coaching ability of the Portuguese he hired at a large price, and we can also see how much effect the [-] million euros spilled this summer have.

At this time, in the player channel, the two teams are ready to play. Today, the Chelsea players wore a pure black uniform, which is really rare. In the past, Chelsea’s away team uniform was white. Maybe this is why Murray Another change brought by Neo.

"Beep..."

Following the whistle of the referee Klattenburg, the players of the two teams began to enter the arena, the shouts of the fans in the auditorium gradually became louder, and the on-site commentator also began to introduce the starting lineups of the two teams.

This commentator seems to be very experienced. When he introduces the players, he pauses every time he says a name, waiting for the fans to shout or boo, "...The following is No. 16 Emil Heskey!... …Gasper Grünschall, the winger…Mike Taylor, the goalkeeper!…”

It seems that Husky, who has just transferred from Liverpool to Birmingham, is very popular with fans. In the entire Birmingham lineup, only he and goalkeeper Taylor are the most popular.

“……切尔西的阵容真是精英辈出，首先是中锋15号德罗巴和21号艾伦.王，中场8号兰帕德、10号乔.科尔、14号格雷米和4号马克莱莱，后卫……”

Obviously, this commentator is a pure Birmingham supporter. When he introduced the home team, he made a big noise, but when he introduced Chelsea, he just passed it. This made the Chelsea fans in the audience express their dissatisfaction neatly. The 'boo' sound, maybe the FA should consider using two commentators in the league, as in international competitions...

"Today, Chelsea formed a 433 semi-defensive formation. It seems that this Portuguese madman is still very conservative. Speaking of which, Chelsea's current lineup is really extravagant. The value of these players is even approaching that of Birmingham players. 10 times, if they lose this game, maybe Mr Mourinho will be very embarrassed."

"A world-class aircraft carrier was easily destroyed by a submarine. This is definitely the biggest joke in the past century. I really look forward to this scene happening soon!!"

After hearing the commentator's words, the players on the Chelsea field took a deep breath, and even the grumpy Makelele was about to blurt out a word starting with the letter "F". Fortunately, the referee didn't see it, otherwise the game hadn't started yet. It's a joke to get a warning or even a yellow card.

With the whistle of the referee, the game started. At the beginning of Chelsea, Drogba knocked the ball to Wang Li and ran towards the frontcourt. Wang Li knocked back with his heel and also inserted forward into Birmingham's defensive formation. middle.

The ball was tossed back and forth in the backcourt. When the Birmingham players got a little impatient, Joe Cole on the right side made a long pass and hoisted the ball to the frontcourt. Lampard squeezed away the defenders. After receiving the ball, In a disguised form, he flashed the pass space, poked his left heel, and the ball rolled towards Wang Li.

At this time, there were two defensive players beside Wang Li. Before the game, Bruce emphasized the need to take special care of the young player, so since Wang Li came to the frontcourt, there was always a Birmingham defender by his side.

No way, Wang Li could only run a few steps forward, jump up on the spot, and push the ball to the left, where Bridget was, and he had already advanced outside the penalty area on the left.

Brigi made a sudden run, threw off the defender, aimed at the incoming ball, and rubbed it hard on the lower edge. The ball was spinning, crossed a semicircular curve in the air, and fell towards the penalty area.

Birmingham's defender Cunningham has been sticking to Drogba since the beginning of the game. He knows that this big black man with a 'savage' appearance is absolutely proportional to his strength, so when Bridger made a cross, he used The body is leaning tightly on Drogba, trying to make him have no space to take off and grab the ball with his teammates.

It's a pity that Cunningham may not have thought about how his strength can be compared with Drogba, who is known as a "monster". When he reacted, it was already too late——
Drogba was in the crowd, shaking his body from side to side, squeezed away the opponents around him, jumped up vigorously, and headed directly to the goal! !

"Cross, Drogba, hit the goal!! Mike...it's Mike...he saves the ball over the line! It's a fluke, the Chelsea team made such an attack in the opening game and almost scored. Birmingham lads , but you have to be serious, if you continue to play like this, you will lose!" The commentator who was talking about aircraft carriers and submarines with great interest just now has begun to worry about the team...

In the first 1 and a half minutes, Chelsea gave Birmingham a bad start with a simple cooperation. There was a long cry from the audience, which already explained the mood of the Birmingham fans at this time——
Fortunately, the ball missed! !
(The 14000 words have been updated, I hope someone will give me a monthly ticket, I don’t want to enter the list, it’s good to rush to the scene)

(End of this chapter)