章 181: Mourinho's Complaint
After seeing the draw result, Guardiola's lips twitched slightly. Although the movement was small, the camera still caught it.
People from various clubs attending the draw ceremony saw the result and smiled knowingly.
UEFA really knows how to play the game!
They came up with such an interesting grouping.
But this draw was not a bad one for either Bayern or Manchester City.
The second team in Group D was the Russian Super League's CSKA Moscow, a team not particularly strong.
The only concern was that winter comes early in Russia. By October, it's already freezing cold and snowy.
In such conditions, European teams playing away games there in winter would find it very challenging.
However, if they were lucky enough to finish the away game against CSKA Moscow before October, they wouldn't have to worry about this.
The draw continued, and Owen then drew Basel into Group E, Dortmund into Group F, Zenit into Group G, and Ajax into Group H.
The fourth draw star was former Dortmund player Sousa, who quickly completed the draw, placing the fourth-tier teams into each group.
The final draw results for the Champions League group stage were:
**Group A:** Manchester United (Premier League), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukrainian Premier League), Leverkusen (Bundesliga), Real Sociedad (La Liga)
**Group B:** Real Madrid (La Liga), Juventus (Serie A), Galatasaray (Turkish Super League), Copenhagen (Danish Superliga)
**Group C:** Benfica (Primeira Liga), Paris Saint-Germain (Ligue 1), Olympiacos (Super League Greece), Anderlecht (Belgian Pro League)
**Group D:** Bayern Munich (Bundesliga), CSKA Moscow (Russian Premier League), Manchester City (Premier League), Viktoria Plzeň (Czech First League)
**Group E:** Chelsea (Premier League), Werder Bremen (Bundesliga), Basel (Swiss Super League), Steaua Bucharest (Liga I)
**Group F:** Arsenal (Premier League), Marseille (Ligue 1), Dortmund (Bundesliga), Napoli (Serie A)
**Group G:** Porto (Primeira Liga), Atletico Madrid (La Liga), Zenit (Russian Premier League), Austria Wien (Austrian Bundesliga)
**Group H:** Barcelona (La Liga), AC Milan (Serie A), Ajax (Eredivisie), Celtic (Scottish Premiership)
After the draw ceremony ended, the groups of death were clear: Arsenal's Group F and Barcelona's Group H.
Except for the teams drawn into these two groups, most other teams were relatively satisfied with their groups.
Among the four Premier League teams, Arsenal had the toughest draw, while the other three had relatively favorable groups.
Manchester United's three group opponents were all a tier below them. If it were Ferguson's United, advancing from the group stage would be easy.
But with Moyes, it's hard to say. He has no prior Champions League experience, and his lack of experience is his biggest problem.
Chelsea's draw was the best among the four teams. Apart from Werder Bremen, which might pose a bit of a challenge, the other teams were not a threat.
As long as Mourinho doesn't mess up, Chelsea's progression is unquestionable.
After the Champions League group stage draw results were announced, media from various countries reported on the matter.
Italian media sighed, feeling that AC Milan was incredibly unlucky.
This was their third consecutive season encountering Barcelona in the Champions League, as if they were destined to suffer at the hands of Barcelona.
In the 2011-2012 season, Barcelona and AC Milan were also in Group H. AC Milan lost one match and drew one against Barcelona.
After barely reaching the quarter-finals, they faced Barcelona again and lost in the quarter-finals.
Last season, Barcelona and AC Milan met in the round of 16. AC Milan won 2-0 at home, thinking they could finally turn the tide, only to be thrashed 4-0 by Barcelona at Camp Nou.
Now, facing Barcelona for the fourth time, AC Milan fans were exasperated!
Why always you? Do you just think we're easy to bully?
But Arsenal fans thought, "We have it worse!"
As the only team among the eight seeded teams that hasn't won the Champions League, they already garnered some sympathy.
And now they drew such a tough group?
Look at Arsenal's opponents: last season's Champions League runner-up Dortmund, Ligue 1 runner-up Marseille, and Serie A runner-up Napoli.
Even though Arsenal was the top seed, they were fourth in the Premier League last season...
After the draw, journalists interviewed Wenger, who maintained a calm demeanor:
"I have confidence in my team. We will definitely advance from the group!"
Wenger had reason to be confident. Since he took over, Arsenal had always secured a Champions League spot and advanced from the group stage.
Although the opponents were strong this time, Arsenal was not weak.
As long as they could win their home matches, they would have control over their fate.
However, the British media were not so optimistic. They believed that with Arsenal's current squad, they would likely collapse under the strain of competing on three fronts. They urged Wenger to spend money to strengthen the team.
If they were eliminated in the group stage due to stinginess, it would be a significant financial loss for Arsenal.
But after buying Özil, whether Wenger had any money left and how much was a mystery.
Anyway, Arsenal was known for operating on debt and surviving by selling their captains. Wenger spending millions on Özil was unprecedented.
Asking him to spend more would be difficult.
In Spain, both Real Madrid and Barcelona were satisfied with the draw results.
Barcelona's core Messi said in an interview that there were no easy matches in the Champions League. No matter which group they were in or who their opponents were, they would give their all.
Although he said this, reporters noticed that Messi's furrowed brow had relaxed, indicating his satisfaction with the draw.
Real Madrid's media, AS and Marca, focused on the matchup with Juventus.
The two teams had met several times in the Champions League, with Real Madrid particularly remembering the 1998 final.
That year, Real Madrid defeated Juventus to win their first Champions League title in 32 years.
Now, after another long wait, meeting Juventus again, Real Madrid hoped to change their luck by defeating them.
But it's not certain that Real Madrid could defeat Juventus. Since the new century, Juventus had consistently beaten Real Madrid in their encounters.
So, this time, it was a revenge match for Real Madrid.
Besides, Real Madrid's coach Ancelotti and assistant coach Zidane had both played for Juventus.
Their experiences at Juventus weren't pleasant. Ancelotti was insulted by Juventus fans for being overweight, while Zidane struggled to adapt to Serie A and faced doubts from Juventus fans.
This time, meeting again, with old and new grudges combined, the stronger Real Madrid might not go easy on the Old Lady.
Besides the death groups and strong matchups, the group featuring Guardiola's Bayern and Lin's Manchester City attracted a lot of media attention and interviews.
Faced with the media frenzy, Lin said in an interview, "This draw result is interesting."
His cryptic answer hinted at UEFA's manipulation.
Hearing Lin's words, the reporters laughed.
A father-son showdown with maximum drama? Even if it was scripted, they didn't mind!
German media had mixed feelings. They thought Bayern had a good draw and would easily advance as group winners.
But Dortmund, in the group of death, might struggle to advance without Götze.
As for Leverkusen and Werder Bremen, their chances depended on their performance.
Relatively speaking, Werder Bremen's draw seemed better. Apart from Chelsea, their other opponents weren't too difficult to beat.
Leverkusen, however, faced a tougher situation. They had a 30-70 chance against Manchester United, with a high probability of losing.
Their main competitors were the other two teams, both of similar strength. It would be a 50-50 battle to see who could advance.
After the draw, betting sites quickly published the Champions League odds.
Guardiola's Bayern was the favorite.
Although legendary coach Heynckes left, Guardiola, along with new signings Götze and Thiago, objectively strengthened Bayern's already stellar lineup.
With Bayern's core unchanged and players in their prime, they were naturally favored.
Next was Real Madrid.
Last season, Mourinho's Real Madrid was just a step away from the final. With Ancelotti's arrival and Bale's signing, Real Madrid's strength increased.
People believed that this season, Real Madrid might finally win their 10th Champions League title!
As for Barcelona, their aging squad and a new, relatively unknown coach made the outside world slightly pessimistic, placing their odds below their league rivals, at third.
Behind the big three were Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester United, fourth and fifth in the odds.
Chelsea had a strong squad and won the Champions League two seasons ago.
With Mourinho's return, they were expected to be even stronger and had a good chance of winning.
As for Manchester United, despite being fifth, they were far behind the top four.
There was little confidence in Moyes' Champions League campaign. The focus for Manchester United would likely be on the Premier League, possibly sacrificing the Champions League strategically.
Surprisingly, Manchester City's odds were sixth, ahead of last season's runner-up Dortmund.
It was believed that Manchester City had the potential to win. Their squad was strong; they just lacked Champions League experience and needed to gel as a team.
This evaluation was fair. Manchester City's issues were accurately identified.
Whether they could solve these problems depended on Pellegrini's capability.
After the draw ceremony, the Champions League group stage schedule was quickly released.
Manchester City would travel to play Czech First League champions Viktoria Plzeň on September 18.
Facing a relatively weak opponent in their first Champions League match was a good opportunity for Manchester City
to start with a win.
The team began preparing eagerly for the match.
After the draw ceremony, Lin and Guardiola briefly met and chatted before hurriedly flying back to Manchester.
A day later, the third round of the Premier League began.
Chelsea played first, narrowly beating Aston Villa 2-1 at home.
Aston Villa continued their penchant for receiving cards, getting five yellow cards to Chelsea's one.
Chelsea scored only one goal, while the opponent scored two.
But Chelsea still won, thanks to an early own goal gift from Aston Villa seven minutes into the match.
If not for that early gift, Aston Villa would likely have won.
Chelsea's performance was poor, not like a top team.
They had over 70% possession and 17 shots but only three on target.
The opponent, with half the shots, had four on target, one more than Chelsea.
Mourinho's famous counter-attacking style didn't work against a defensive Aston Villa.
Their pressing attack was ineffective due to Chelsea's lack of firepower.
Chelsea bought many forwards, but none were effective.
Their only goal came from a defender!
Mourinho couldn't help but cover his face in frustration.
Looking at his goal-shy forwards, Mourinho was almost in tears, missing Drogba.
If he had a usable forward, they wouldn't struggle to break down weak teams.
Mourinho was angry with the club's manager, Emenalo.
If he had brought Lin to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea wouldn't be in such a predicament.
Mourinho's complaints were justified.
The next day, in Manchester City's match against Hull City, Lin was in top form.
In just 35 minutes of the first half, he scored two goals.
Early in the second half, he completed a hat trick, his second since joining Manchester City.
In three matches, Lin scored eight goals, more than double Chelsea's entire team!
His outstanding performance vindicated Mourinho's judgment.
It also proved that Manchester City's owner, Mansour, didn't waste his money.
Given another chance, other teams would likely fight to spend that money on Lin!
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