章節 227: A Fateful Clash!
"Halfway Through the Season, Who Can Stop Manchester City?"
"Premier League's New Powerhouses, 16 Rounds Unbeaten, Breaking Records Again!"
"Hat-Trick Destroys Arsenal, Manchester City's No. 10 Dominates Walcott!"
"Wenger Eyes Attacking Reinforcements, Suarez Might Join the Gunners!"
After this round of the league, the British media went into full praise mode, showering Manchester City with compliments.
Manchester City had secured 14 wins and 2 draws in the first 16 rounds, breaking their own record for the best start in Premier League history. With their victory over Arsenal, they had clinched the halfway title with three games to spare.
Although there was still a long way to go before the season ended, there was no doubt that Manchester City had taken the lead in the title race. As long as they didn't slip up, their chances of winning the title were very high.
The Blue Moon was highly likely to lift its second Premier League trophy!
However, compared to the outside world's praise, Manchester City remained humble.
"Our team still has some weaknesses. We need to strengthen during the winter break," said club chairman Al-Fahim when interviewed by reporters, expressing the club's determination to bring in more players.
Coach Pellegrini shared this sentiment: "Yes, our squad depth isn't enough to handle multiple competitions. We need to continue strengthening."
In the summer, Manchester City had spent big in the transfer market, bringing in many players. Some of these signings had proven to be very worthwhile. For example, Fernandinho and Navas quickly secured starting positions, becoming key players for City.
However, some of the forward signings hadn't been as effective. Negredo was fine as Aguero's backup, sometimes even starting, but Jovetić hadn't had much playing time since joining Manchester City. This €26 million signing seemed like a bit of a waste.
Pellegrini wasn't looking for another forward; he wanted a playmaker. David Silva could play as an attacking midfielder, but he was more threatening on the wing, which was also his more familiar position. Therefore, Manchester City needed a true playmaker to free up Lin.
This was also the opinion of the club's owner, Sheikh Mansour. Even if Pellegrini didn't make a move during the winter break, the club would still step in and buy players.
Manchester City's outstanding performance in various competitions this season had made Sheikh Mansour very happy. He was never stingy with his money and was willing to spend whatever it took to make the team stronger and to advance further in all competitions.
As a result, even before the winter break, many stars were already being linked with Manchester City. According to sources, Manchester City had their eyes on key midfielders from Bayern, Real Madrid, and Barcelona. Once the transfer window opened, they would make offers that these clubs couldn't refuse.
The truth of this news was still uncertain, but the clubs involved seemed nervous. Usually, they would laugh off attempts by other teams to poach their players, but Manchester City was different because they had too much money.
In the past, Manchester City was just a wealthy upstart, but this year, they had been advancing strongly in both the league and the Champions League. With Lin joining Manchester City, everyone could see that the team was now capable of challenging for the Champions League trophy.
This meant that players who joined Manchester City could not only earn high salaries but also continue to pursue honors. This undoubtedly dispelled many people's concerns and greatly lowered the barriers to joining Manchester City.
At this point, if Manchester City made an offer that neither the club nor the player could refuse, the top clubs had reason to worry they wouldn't be able to hold onto their stars. There was no other option—Manchester City simply offered too much.
As a result, when their players were linked with Manchester City, these top clubs were filled with a sense of crisis, prompting them to start searching the transfer market for suitable replacements. This way, if Manchester City did come knocking with their checkbook, they wouldn't be left without backup options.
...
After the match against Arsenal, chairman Al-Fahim and coach Pellegrini hurried to UEFA headquarters to attend the draw for the 2013-2014 Champions League Round of 16.
This was Manchester City's first time reaching the knockout stage, so they were both very nervous, hoping they wouldn't draw a tough opponent.
However, this year's second-place teams weren't particularly strong. Juventus, the Italian champions, had been unexpectedly eliminated by a Turkish team in the group stage, failing to reach the knockout round. Among the remaining second-place teams, only Arsenal and AC Milan posed any real threat; the rest were relatively weak.
As long as Manchester City didn't have terrible luck, they were likely to get a favorable draw.
On the other hand, for Bayern Munich, who finished second in their group, this Champions League season would be tough. The group winners were all either top clubs or strong teams. Whoever Bayern drew would be a tough opponent. And, of course, no one wanted to face the defending champions in the first knockout round.
This made the coaches of the top clubs at the draw visibly tense. They all silently cursed Bayern for not playing well, forcing everyone else to worry.
At 7 p.m. on December 16th, the draw ceremony officially began. UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino, competition director Marchetti, and this season's Champions League ambassador Luís Figo were responsible for drawing the teams from the two pots representing the group winners and runners-up.
The eight group winners were Manchester United, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Atlético Madrid, and Barcelona.
These teams would enjoy the advantage of playing the second leg at home, a reward for finishing first in their groups.
The runners-up were Bayer Leverkusen, Galatasaray, Olympiacos, Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen, Arsenal, Zenit Saint Petersburg, and AC Milan.
As runners-up, these teams would play the first leg at home, which wasn't ideal. If they didn't perform well at home, they could lose their chance to advance.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Figo drew Manchester City first.
Seeing their team drawn, Al-Fahim sat up straight, and Pellegrini clasped his hands together, clearly nervous.
"Manchester City has been unstoppable this season in both the league and the Champions League. They're still unbeaten—who will be their opponent?" the host said with a smile. But the second-place teams weren't smiling. No one wanted to face Manchester City.
Marchetti reached into the pot of runners-up and pulled out a team. He opened the slip of paper and revealed the Arsenal crest.
According to UEFA rules, teams from the same country or the same group couldn't face each other in the Round of 16. So, this draw didn't count, and they had to redraw. The next team drawn was a green badge with white letters—Werder Bremen!
If Lin had been there, he would have recognized the team immediately—Werder Bremen!
Seeing this draw, both Al-Fahim and Pellegrini were momentarily stunned before sighing with relief.
Werder Bremen wasn't the weakest second-place team, but they weren't strong either. Plus, Germany wasn't far from the UK, so playing an away game wouldn't be too taxing.
For Manchester City, this was a very favorable draw!
The camera focused on Werder Bremen's coach, Thomas Schaaf. Compared to the relief and excitement on Manchester City's side, Schaaf's expression was much more serious.
Lin's team, huh? He couldn't help but smile bitterly. Was this UEFA's idea of a joke?
For Manchester City, this was an excellent draw. But for Werder Bremen, it was almost a death sentence.
"Damn, UEFA really knows how to stir things up, matching Manchester City against Werder Bremen!"
"If this isn't rigged, I'll eat my computer!"
"This is a great draw for Manchester City; they're basically through to the quarterfinals!"
"Yeah, Bremen's been pretty weak this season. They're not much of a threat to Manchester City."
"With Bremen's current strength, they'd struggle against any team. But facing Manchester City might be better—they're unlikely to go all out against Lin!"
"As a Bremen fan, I welcome Lin home!"
"Welcome home!"
Werder Bremen's fans still had a lot of affection for Lin. The team's decline had been ongoing for a long time. Last season, if it hadn't been for Lin and De Bruyne leading Bremen to second place in the league, they wouldn't have even made it to the Champions League.
This season, without Lin and De Bruyne, Werder Bremen had reverted to their previous form. They were now fifth from the bottom in the Bundesliga, just a step away from the relegation zone.
Under these circumstances, Werder Bremen couldn't afford to focus on the Champions League. They had to fight to avoid relegation.
This only made the Parrot Army fans miss their former stars even more. If these two were still around, the team's performance wouldn't have fallen so low.
...
The second team drawn was Barcelona, and their opponent was Arsenal.
Wenger's face immediately darkened when he saw this draw. He strongly suspected that UEFA had rigged it. Otherwise, why did Arsenal always end up facing Barcelona in the knockout stage?
The third draw paired Atlético Madrid against AC Milan.
This matchup was full of uncertainty. AC Milan was the strongest of the remaining six runners-up, while Atlético was one of the weaker group winners. With these two teams facing off, the result was difficult to predict, and both had an equal chance of advancing.
After that, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester United,
and Borussia Dortmund also had their opponents drawn.
PSG drew Bayer Leverkusen, and with their strength, they had a good chance of advancing.
Real Madrid drew Olympiacos, a matchup with little suspense. The Greek team was unlikely to pose a threat to Real Madrid.
Manchester United drew Galatasaray. This wasn't a terrible draw for United, but traveling to Turkey's "hellish" home ground would be a tough challenge.
Borussia Dortmund drew Zenit Saint Petersburg, a weak team that had made it through with the lowest points in Champions League history. Most people expected Dortmund to advance.
With only two teams left in the pot, everyone already knew the final matchup.
Still, Figo completed the formalities, drawing the last two teams.
The final matchup was Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich!
When this result was announced, the director immediately cut to shots of Bayern's coach Pep Guardiola and Chelsea's coach José Mourinho.
These two were among the most popular coaches in football, having faced each other many times in the Champions League and La Liga over the years.
Most people thought their rivalry would decrease after they left La Liga, but their fates seemed intertwined. Even after moving to different leagues, they were set to clash again in the first knockout round.
This result wasn't good news for either side. Mourinho's Chelsea and Guardiola's Bayern were the Champions League winners of the past two seasons. Both were also among the favorites to win this year.
But with them facing each other so early, one of these giants was guaranteed to be eliminated before the quarterfinals.
Mourinho and Guardiola's expressions showed their displeasure.
Mourinho's face turned livid as he glared at UEFA General Secretary Infantino.
The Special One had long suspected that the Champions League draw was scripted. Now, he was sure of it.
He could guess that this matchup was arranged by UEFA to boost ratings and generate buzz.
In past Round of 16 matchups, the games were often unbalanced and not very exciting.
But Bayern vs. Chelsea was different. These two teams were evenly matched and had a history of grudges.
Bayern seeking revenge against Chelsea for their defeat in the final two years ago, combined with the storied rivalry between Mourinho and Guardiola...
It was all so perfect for UEFA's marketing!
Guardiola's face was also serious. He had confidence in Bayern but didn't want to face such a strong team in the first knockout round.
Chelsea's defense was very tough, and with Bayern playing the first leg at home, the schedule wasn't in their favor.
Knowing Mourinho, he would likely set up a very defensive game plan at the Allianz Arena, aiming to counterattack.
If Bayern couldn't win at home, their chances of advancing after the second leg at Stamford Bridge would be slim.
The journalists and spectators knew the history between the two coaches, so when this matchup was announced, the room buzzed with excitement.
Other teams, especially the big clubs, were gleefully watching from the sidelines, eager to see these two giants clash.
For teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid, who were aiming for the title, this was a dream scenario. They didn't even have to lift a finger, and one of these strong contenders would be knocked out.
And even if the winner made it through, the brutal match would likely leave them exhausted, making it easier for others to beat them in the quarterfinals.
According to UEFA's official schedule, Manchester City would play their first leg at Werder Bremen's Weser Stadium on February 19, 2014.
The second leg would be at the Etihad Stadium on March 13.
Given the strength of the two teams, Manchester City could very well decide the tie in the first leg.
However, some fans believed that since Lin was returning to Werder Bremen for the first time since leaving, he might go easy on them.
And since Lin was Manchester City's attacking core, if he didn't go all out, Werder Bremen might not lose at home.
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