Football: Invincible starting from krypton gold

Chapter 103 The last game before the winter break

On the third day after the match against Sevilla, the UEFA Cup and Champions Cup group stages were all over. The 24 teams that qualified for the UEFA Cup and the eight teams in the Champions Cup group stage were third.

In this season's European war, the two German teams Bayern and Stuttgart were eliminated in the Champions League. Fortunately, Bayern still got the third place in the group and entered the UEFA Cup. Stuttgart was even worse. They didn't even qualify for the UEFA Cup. In this way, the number of German teams participating in the UEFA Cup reached 4, namely Mainz, Leverkusen, and Hertha Berlin.The other 28 teams are 5 teams from Serie A, namely Livorno, Parma, Perugia, Palermo, Roma; 3 teams from the Premier League, namely Tottenham Hotspur, Blackburn, Newcastle United; 4 teams from La Liga, namely Sevilla, Espanyol, Deportivo, Valencia; , Heerenveen, Ajax, Feyenoord; Anderlecht and Bruges from Belgium, Celtic and Rangers from Scotland, Vienna from Austria, Kipdynamo from Russia, Rosenborg from Norway, Boles from Czech Republic, Partizan BlackRock from Serbia, Panathinaikos from Greece.

It is these 32 teams that will compete fiercely for the UEFA Cup.

On December 12th, at Old Trafford, the final venue of the UEFA Cup final, UEFA started the draw ceremony for the top 17 knockout rounds. The draw rules for the UEFA Cup knockout stage are to avoid opponents from the same group as before, and to avoid the draw rules of the same country before the top 32. After the top 8 are produced, they will be divided into upper and lower halves. At this time, there will no longer be any rules for the same country.

At the end of the draw, Mainz's luck was good for the team. The first opponent in the knockout stage was Blackrock Partizan from Serbia, while the other three teams from the Bundesliga, Bayern against Lens in Ligue 1, Leverkusen against Glasgow Rangers in the Scottish Premier League, only Hertha Berlin was less lucky, and their opponent was Newcastle United from the Premier League.Mainz's first knockout match will start on January 31. Because of the group points, Mainz will be home first and then away.

The time soon came to the match day between Mainz and Frankfurt. The match between the two teams will start on time at 7 pm.

For Mainz, the second in the standings is against the penultimate in the standings. Everyone thinks that Mainz should play very easily in this game.

that's the truth.

In the 90-minute match at the Opel Stadium, Mainz defeated the visiting Frankfurt 6-0. This was the final score. Chen Xiao was replaced early in the 63rd minute of the game, and within 63 minutes, Chen Xiao staged a hat-trick.

The match between Schalke 04 and Hertha Berlin, which attracted the attention of Mainz people, also came to an end. The final result also made Mainz very happy. The two teams drew 90 to 2 within 2 minutes, so Mainz recovered 2 points again.

In this way, the No.18 rounds of the Bundesliga are all over. Schalke 04 occupies the first place in the standings, Mainz is 3 points behind, and Bayern has surpassed Hertha Berlin by one point and jumped to third place.The end of this round of the league also means the official start of the 42-day Bundesliga winter break. It is a rare rest time for players, but it is also a busy time for clubs. Many teams will start a new round of reinforcements. Especially for Mainz, who are eager to replenish the depth of the lineup, the transfer during the winter break is very important.

After the second day with Frankfurt, Chen Xiao came to the club. The team will have the last assembly before the holiday. All the people stood in line. Klopp stood in front and said: "Guys, congratulations to everyone who is about to start a new holiday, and I wish you all a Merry Christmas in advance. Forget about exercising, because once the holiday is over, we will usher in an intense second half of the season, and the schedule for the second half of the season is very intensive, so I don’t want your lack of self-discipline to affect the overall arrangement of the team. Well, let’s dismiss everyone, the holiday officially begins.”

As soon as Klopp finished speaking, the scene was full of howling wolves.

Chen Xiao just wanted to leave and go back to pack his luggage. He has already booked a direct flight to Xiaguo Shanghai Stock Exchange tomorrow.

"Chen, wait a minute, come to my office, I have something to see you." At this moment, Klopp called to Chen Xiao.

After arriving at Klopp's office.

Klopp asked: "Chen, I heard Flood say that you don't want to renew your contract for the time being. Why? I don't want to hear the reasons Flood said. I hope you can tell me the truth. Don't worry, although I am the head coach of the club, I also came here as a player. If it is really your own choice, I will not stop you."

"Sir, I'm already 18 years old. I still want to grow more. The amount of money is not that important. In Mainz, I feel that I can get very little growth. I hope to go out and meet people and things outside. So I want to leave after this season is over." Faced with Klopp's inquiry, Chen Xiao thought about it and chose to tell the truth.Because Klopp is kind to him, he doesn't want to deceive Klopp.

"Well, I can understand what you mean. It is true that a small club like Mainz can't help you much. Don't tell other people what you said just now. I will notify the club after this season is over. But I still hope that you can bring some benefits to Mainz. I will stand on the club's side. There is one more thing to ask you to come here today."

Chen Xiao understood what Klopp meant, and hoped that he would not put pressure on the club to lower the price when he transferred, and Chen Xiao would not do so.

"Please speak."

"There is one less person in the team today, don't you see it?"

Hearing Klopp's question, Chen Xiaocai suddenly realized that he did not see Knight at the assembly today, and he thought it was strange at the time.

"why?"

"You know, Chen, he has been looking for the team recently to ask for a salary increase, and if he is not satisfied, he will transfer. This matter has been known to the outside world. You have also seen it in the last few games. His performance can no longer make him qualified for this position in the team, so he transferred. In the end, that is what I want to tell you. I hope you can remember that no matter what happens in the future, you will never forget that you are a professional player."

"I understand, sir."

(End of this chapter)