Chapter 43: Chapter 245: Advance to the next round of the Champions League, and the opponent in the quarterfinal
Although the League Cup is less valuable than the League Championship and FA Cup, everyone at Manchester City is very happy to win the team's first championship of the season.
At Wembley Stadium, they reached the podium for the first time.
Since many rounds of the League Cup were played by substitute players, they were indispensable for winning this trophy.
So Lin Quan proposed that they come up to raise a toast. This proposal was supported by his teammates.
The substitute players were flattered. Surrounded by the main players, they excitedly lifted Manchester City's first championship of the season!
…
After winning the League Cup, Manchester City did not delay in London and returned to Manchester without stopping.
They have two home games next, the FA Cup home game against Stoke City and the Champions League home game against Werder Bremen.
These two games were played so close together that there were some differences of opinion within the Manchester City club.
Some people think that the FA Cup should be strategically abandoned and go all out to attack the league and Champions League.
Compared with the FA Cup, the league championship and the Champions League are obviously more important.
And the FA Cup is not like the League Cup, which can end immediately.
Counting the game two days later, they have to play at least three games to win the championship.
And these three games happened to be interspersed between the league and the Champions League, which made them very embarrassed.
But not everyone thinks they should give up on the FA Cup. After all, they have already reached the quarterfinals and are only three games away from the championship.
If you give up now, wouldn't all your previous efforts be in vain?
"Stoke City is not strong. Even if we don't field a full lineup, we may not lose to them."
"Yes, we have a huge lead in both the Champions League and the league, and have a lot of room for error. If we can win the FA Cup, then we hope to achieve the Triple Crown this season!"
This so-called mini-treble obviously includes the League Cup.
Generally speaking, the triple crown of the five major leagues refers to the league, cup and Champions League. These three championships are very valuable. It is very difficult to win these three championships at the same time. Therefore, the number of triple crowns of the five major leagues is not large. .
Pellegrini thought seriously about the differences of opinion among the assistant coaches.
They defeated Werder Bremen 4:1 away from home in the last round, with a three-goal difference and four away goals.
So in the next game against Werder Bremen, as long as they don't lose more than 4 goals, they will definitely advance to the next round.
So, should we consider the FA Cup first and play more conservatively against Werder Bremen?
Pellegrini couldn't make up his mind, so he decided to publicly solicit opinions from the players in the next day's training match!
After all, whether the game is tiring or not, the players themselves have the most say.
Faced with the questions raised by Pellegrini, the substitute players had a firm opinion, that is, they must fight to the end.
Among the main players, players represented by veteran players such as Kompany and Yaya Toure believe that the focus should be on the league.
They are a bit overwhelmed by this intensive schedule and are worried that injuries during the game will affect this year's World Cup.
Pellegrini had a general understanding of the players' opinions, so he looked at Lin Quan, who had not expressed his opinion:
"Lin, what do you think?"
Lin Quan doesn't have the same worries as other veteran players. He has the talent of being immune to injuries and doesn't need to worry about injuries.
As for the physical exertion, he feels pretty good now. Although he is a little mentally tired from the continuous games, it is still within the tolerable range.
Just like those substitutes said, if you give up now, wouldn't all your previous efforts be in vain?
So he said: "I think we should compete for this championship!"
After seeing Lin Quan's statement, De Bruyne immediately stood up to support Lin Quan:
"I support it too!"
Those in the Spanish Gang naturally followed Lin Quanwei's lead, and they also expressed their support for the FA Cup championship.
Aguero has a very good relationship with Lin Quan, and he also stood up to support Lin Quan at this time.
As for the young players on the team, after receiving Lin Quan's support, they were all excited. They surrounded Lin Quan like they were their own big brothers and supported Lin Quan's decision.
Cross silently observed the reaction of the Manchester City players, taking it all in sight.
Lin's voice and influence in Manchester City are greater than he expected.
After hearing Lin Quan's words, several veteran team members showed disappointed expressions on their faces.
In a competition like the cup, it becomes more difficult as you get to the back because the remaining teams are all strong teams.
Although there are only three games, these three games are fierce battles, and you have to shed your skin to win them all.
If he fails midway, he will really lose his wife and lose his troops.
However, the majority of people supported Lin Quan, and it was useless for them to oppose, so they simply did not speak.
"Although I support continuing to play in the FA Cup, I think the physical exertion of the main players is too great. Before reaching the finals, we should use as many substitutes as possible to compete!"
Just when everyone thought the matter had been settled, Lin Quan spoke again, attracting everyone's attention.
"Lin, according to your wishes, don't you still have to give up the FA Cup?"
When Kompany heard Lin Quan's words, he doubted his ears.
If you send all the substitutes to play, is there any difference from giving up the FA Cup?
You can't really expect to win the championship with a group of substitutes, right?
"Haha, of course not, because I will take action!"
Lin Quan immediately stated his plan. Before reaching the final, Manchester City used the substitute lineup for the remaining two games of the FA Cup, but Lin Quan would start the game to give the team a guarantee.
In this case, their main players can get enough rest, and they will not be beaten by their opponents because of a group of substitutes.
If it really doesn't work, a few main players can be prepared on the bench. If the team really can't beat the opponent, they can be replaced in the second half.
In this case, Manchester City is enough to deal with the vast majority of opponents.
"The method is feasible, but it will consume too much physical energy on you. Are you sure you want to do this?"
Pellegrini actually didn't agree with Lin Quan's plan in his heart, because he was worried that Lin Quan's full-scale participation would cause injuries.
"No problem, if you really can't hold on, I will take the initiative!"
Pellegrini nodded. Since Lin Quan said so, it was hard for him to say anything else.
So, when arranging the starting list for the next day, Pellegrini put Lin Quan in.
The commentators had strange expressions on their faces after seeing Manchester City's starting lineup.
"To be honest, I can't understand Manchester City's starting list!"
He Wei shook his head. Most of Manchester City's players were substitutes, and then they put their absolute core Lin Quan on the court. What does this mean?
Since they have a full substitute lineup, it means that they are giving up the FA Cup.
But letting Lin Quan start, it doesn't feel like giving up.
This kind of formation raises the question of whether to give up or not. Can't you give me some warm words?
"Maybe Pellegrini has his own unique understanding. As for the effectiveness of Manchester City's formation, we can only wait until the game starts to verify it!"
Xu Yang also didn't understand Manchester City's intentions, but he chose to believe first and then question.
In fact, even with the bench, Manchester City is very strong.
In addition to Lin Quan, they can also have Negredo, Jovetic, Nasri, Xavi Garcia, Demichelis, Milner and others on the field.
If Fernandinho is not suspended, there will be a Brazilian iron waist in the defensive midfielder position, and the lineup will be stronger.
In this game, Lin Quan's partner on the front line was Spanish teammate Negredo.
Negredo has always been Aguero's substitute, but he and Aguero are not the same style of center.
He is tall and has the ability to take the ball with his back and make plays. When Manchester City needs a fulcrum in the frontcourt, he is usually chosen.
But in most cases, the front two are Lin Quan and Aguero, a small and fast combination.
The combination of Lin Quan and Negredo, one tall and one fast, started relatively few times at the same time.
Although Negredo did not start many times, he played a lot.
Negredo has played 32 games on behalf of Manchester City this season, including 22 league games, 4 League Cup games, 3 FA Cup games, and 3 Champions League games.
If he had not played so many times, he would not have been selected for Del Bosque's Spanish national team.
Negredo seemed very excited to be partnered with Lin Quan.
"Lin, just be optimistic, I will perfectly assume the role of the frontcourt fulcrum and make the ball for you!"
Before the game started, Negredo said confidently.
However, after the game started, Negredo's first confrontation with the opponent's defender ended in failure.
"Bah, it doesn't count this time, I'm not ready!"
Lin Quan reached out and pulled Negredo up from the ground. The latter spat out the grass clippings he had eaten and said unconvinced.
Lin Quan glanced at the opponent's tall black central defender, and then at Negredo.
He was pessimistic about Negredo's prospects of single-handedly challenging the opposing defender!
This is indeed the case. Negredo was completely at a disadvantage in the confrontation with the opponent's strong central defender. Not to mention that the role of the fulcrum did not play a role, but it also became the opponent's breakthrough point.
Fortunately, the opponent's offensive tactics were very crude. Ground penetration could not penetrate Manchester City's midfield, and it was not easy to defeat Manchester City with long passes and lobs. The game soon fell into a stalemate.
Seeing that the team was unable to play effectively in the middle, Lin Quan decisively took the ball to the wing.
There are two outstanding players in Milner and Nasri on both sides of the wing. If you cooperate with them, it will be easier to achieve results.
Stoke City players are very wary of Lin Quan. Among the 11 Manchester City players on the field, his threat is far higher than the others.
So for Stoke City, guarding Lin Quan is basically half the battle.
In the 23rd minute, Manchester City completed the cooperation on the left. Lin Quan received Nasri's pass and cut inside with the ball but was brought down by the defender.
Lin Quan was very happy that the opponent was willing to give him a free kick.
However, this position was not very good. The free kick he took was not blocked and was slightly higher than the crossbar.
But even so, Stoke City's goalkeeper was still startled. The football's flight path left and right almost made him surrender.
"Pay attention to the position of the foul and don't give the opponent a good free kick opportunity!"
Hearing the goalkeeper's shouting, the Stoke City players felt very embarrassed.
It is already difficult to guard Lin Quan, but it is even more difficult not to foul.
But they also know the consequences. If they continue to give him free kick opportunities, they might actually lose the ball.
Therefore, they specially sent a defensive midfielder to keep an eye on Lin Quan, restricting his passing and receiving, and not giving him any space to start.
Lin Quan has been targeted by opponents more than once or twice, and he has long been accustomed to this.
Since the opponent sent someone to keep an eye on him, he would take the initiative to retreat, take out the opponent's back waistband, open up the opponent's formation space, and create opportunities for his teammates.
Seeing Lin Quan leave the front line and run to the midfield to become Manchester City's midfield commander, Stoke City's midfielder looked at his head coach with a bit of embarrassment:
Coach, should we continue following this situation?
Stoke City's coach gritted his teeth and made up his mind: Follow!
Forget about him playing midfield, even if he goes to be the goalkeeper, you stand in front of him and stare at him!
Lin Quan was a little happy when he saw the opponent's midfielder still following him.
He passed the ball to Garcia and tried to run forward.
Here we go, this guy's retreat to the midfield is indeed a lie!
Stoke City's defensive midfielder became energetic, and when Lin Quan retreated, he also retreated, controlling the distance from Lin Quan, and at the same time, he was ready to destroy his ball.
However, Lin Quan's running forward was just a cover. He took two steps and then suddenly retreated.
At the same time, Garcia's pass also came to his feet.
Taking advantage of the opportunity before the opponent could get closer, Lin Quan sent a through ball.
The ball was not passed to forward Negredo, but to midfielder Jovetic.
Jovetic was in an open position at this time. After receiving Lin Quan's pass, he took a long shot directly.
This shot was of high quality, but unfortunately it was a little too high, and the football missed the crossbar and flew out of the baseline.
Stoke City escaped!
"Pay attention to people and don't miss them!"
Stoke City's head coach was very dissatisfied with this goal. He believed that the players' lack of concentration gave Jovetic the opportunity to advance and attack.
Moreover, defensive midfielder McKellen did not properly mark Lin Quan, giving the opponent a chance to pass the ball.
In short, many problems were exposed in this defense. If these mistakes cannot be corrected in time, Manchester City's ability to seize opportunities will sooner or later lead to catastrophe.
However, it is easy to say but difficult to do.
McEachlan further shortened the distance between him and Lin Quan, and was almost inseparable from him!
However, getting too close may not be a good thing, especially for an extraordinary player like Lin Quan.
In the 42nd minute of the first half, Lin Quan took the initiative to retreat and receive Demichelis' pass.
The moment the ball came to his feet, he made a Cruyff turn, easily brushed past McCachran who was too close, and strode towards Stoke City's half with the ball.
Without one defensive midfielder, Stoke City's defense in the middle showed holes, giving Manchester City a chance.
After Lin Quan and Jovetic completed a one-two against the wall, they dribbled the ball into the penalty area and sent the ball into the goal with a light shot.
Manchester City scored first and temporarily led Stoke City 1:0.
After the goal was scored, the Manchester City substitutes breathed a sigh of relief.
They all puffed up their chests proudly: We are so good, even the substitutes can defeat the opponent's main players!
They are playing more and more relaxed and their performance is getting better and better.
On the contrary, it was Stoke City. They were eager to equalize the score and launched a crazy attack. However, they exposed greater flaws and were beaten by Manchester City several times.
In the 55th minute of the second half, Milner's goal sealed the victory for Manchester City.
In the end, Manchester City eliminated Stoke City with a score of 2:0 at home and entered the FA Cup semi-finals.
However, their luck seemed to be not good. Manchester City was drawn against Arsenal in the semi-finals.
With Arsenal's desire for the championship, this game may be difficult to play.
However, the substitute players are already very happy to have made it to the semi-finals.
Regardless of whether they can get past Arsenal, they have proven themselves this season.
Even if he can't stay at Manchester City next season, he should be able to find a good place to go.
After the game, Pellegrini gave the team a day off.
Three days later, they continued to face the challenge of Werder Bremen at home.
Lin Quan was placed on the bench for this game.
Although he assured Pellegrini that his condition was fine, Pellegrini felt that Manchester City had a great advantage in this game and would not need Lin Quan to play unless absolutely necessary.
The opponent's considerations were reasonable, so Lin Quan no longer insisted and sat on the bench to watch the game with peace of mind.
Although the team has little hope of promotion, after coming to the away game, Werder Bremen did not play conservatively at all.
In this game, they chose to play against Manchester City, and Manchester City naturally supported this choice with both hands and feet.
Therefore, after the game started, both teams played very unrestrainedly and scored an exaggerated number of goals.
In the 13th minute, Kompany scored with a header to help Manchester City lead 1:0.
In the 20th minute, Werder Bremen scored a goal from Peterson during the counterattack, and the score became 1:1.
Just two minutes later, Manchester City scored another goal, De Bruyne completed the goal with a free kick.
Like Lin Quan, De Bruyne put his hands down after scoring and did not choose to celebrate, even though this was Manchester City's home court.
The offense of the two teams in the first half was not over yet. In the 38th minute, Manchester City fouled in the penalty area and gave Werder Bremen a penalty kick.
Captain Fritz personally took action and rewritten the score to 2:2 in one fell swoop.
At this time, the total score between the two teams was 6:3, and Manchester City still held a three-goal lead.
Judging from the current state of the two teams, it is obviously difficult for Werder Bremen to come back.
However, even so, the Parrot Legion still did not give up, they chose to continue the attack!
In the 67th minute, Werder Bremen scored another goal. Arnautovic used his strong jumping ability to overpower Kompany and headed the ball into Manchester City's goal.
However, before that, Manchester City had scored two goals in the 48th and 55th minutes.
At this time, the score on the field has become 4:3, and Manchester City has one more goal difference.
After that, the offensive firepower of the two teams gradually flamed out, and the Parrot Legion tried their best. As the game was coming to an end, some players even suffered from cramps.
Faced with a huge strength gap, the Parrot Legion relied on their tenacious fighting spirit and unyielding spirit to score three goals in the away game, almost evenly matched with Manchester City. This won them the respect of Manchester City fans.
After the game, Manchester City fans stood up and applauded to express their respect for their opponents.
Although they failed to complete the miracle of reversal, they used their actual actions to prove the strength of the Parrot Legion!
This is a respectable team!
After defeating Werder Bremen, Manchester City broke the team's record and broke into the Champions League quarterfinals.
In other games, Bayern drew with Chelsea 1:1 away from home and eliminated Chelsea 4:1 in two rounds to enter the quarterfinals.
Manchester United defeated Galatasaray 1:0 at home and advanced to the quarterfinals with a total score of 2:1.
Arsenal lost to Barcelona 0:3 in an away game. They suffered a double defeat at home and away and missed the quarterfinals.
Atletico Madrid swept AC Milan 4:1, also beating their opponents at home and away, and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Real Madrid defeated Olympiacos 3-0 at home and easily advanced to the quarterfinals.
Dortmund lost an upset 1:2 to their opponents at home, and advanced to the quarterfinals with a total score of 5:4.
Paris Saint-Germain defeated Leverkusen 2:1 and got the last ticket to the quarterfinals.
At this point, the list of the top eight has been released, which are Manchester City, Manchester United, Bayern, Dortmund, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Paris.
La Liga, with its three teams, stands out among the rest and is worthy of being the first league.
Both the Bundesliga and the Premier League have retained two places, which is considered satisfactory.
Serie A was completely destroyed, but Ligue 1 still retained a spark of fire.
After the list of top eight was released, the draw ceremony for the top eight of the Champions League was quickly held at UEFA headquarters.
The first one to be drawn was Real Madrid, and their opponent was Paris Saint-Germain.
The second one to be drawn out is Manchester United, and their opponent is Bayern Munich.
The third one to be drawn is Atletico Madrid, and their opponent is Dortmund.
There are two teams left at the end, and you know the result without drawing.
Manchester City will face Barcelona in the quarterfinals!
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