Chapter 404 UEFA Champions League Knockout

"Our defense line has a fantastic performance, which can be said to be unparalleled." Ferguson appraised sincerely after Manchester United defeated Arsenal 1-0 at home.

The muzzle of the Arsenal has been hot recently, scoring 11 goals in the last four games, breaking the embarrassing record that the number of goals scored by Old Trafford since 1984 has never reached two.

However, the steel defense led by Vidic did not let the opponent succeed. The Manchester United captain proved with his ruling performance that the battle for "the world's first central defender" is by no means Pique's one-man show.

In the face of Chamark, who has the reputation of "Europe's first air bully", Vidic gave full play to his header advantage. Arsenal's arrow figure did not take any advantage in high-altitude operations in the whole game.

Although the player who is mainly responsible for guarding Mark in this game is Ferdinand, the most threatening shot of the "Made Emperor" was resolved by Vidic.

In the 56th minute, Nasri shook Ferdinand and made a diagonal shot on the left side of the penalty area. Van der Sar saved the ball and got out. Chamark got the opportunity to make up for the empty goal at the edge of the small penalty area. However, Vidic, who had just been in the middle, suddenly shot out horizontally. While Chamark raised his foot, he sacrificed a shovel and blocked the ball out of the bottom line and bravely. It ruined Arsenal's closest chance to score a goal in the whole game. Considering that Manchester United finally won with only one goal, Vidic's key block is definitely as important as a goal.

OPTA's post-match statistics show that Vidic's performance in this game is extremely efficient, with 5 outs and 1 tackle, but only one foul.

Sky Sports commented after the game that Vidic was the defensive rock around Ferdinand. In the fan rating one hour after the game, Vidic got the second highest 7.6 points in the game, second only to the goal hero Li Yu.

In fact, Vidic's mediocre performance at the beginning of the season is largely due to the absence of his old partner Ferdinand. If it is not an injury, the golden combination of Vidic and Ferdinand are still the most stable defensive duo in the Premier League.

In the 12 games they played at the same time this season, Manchester United scored only 8 goals by their opponents, averaging only 0.67 goals per game and a clean sheet in 6 games. With Ferdinand's recovery from injury, Vidic, who regained his support, quickly recovered. In the best lineup in Europe in October and November selected by EMS, Vidic was shortlisted, and he was the only one in Europe who was comparable to Messi.

If Barcelona's overall strength boosts Pique to temporarily sit on the throne of "the world's first central defender", then Vidic's strong return will make Old Trafford still not be a well-deable family.

However, as the saying goes, Vidic's excellent performance has made him a celebrity in the transfer market again.

Manchester City, which is preparing to continue to spend a lot of money during the winter transfer period, is also focusing on the rock of its sworn enemy in the same city. Manchester City's management's evaluation of Vidic is "the best and most stable central defender in the Premier League" and plans to lure Vidic to join with a double weekly salary.

You should know that Vidic, who has just renewed his contract with the team for four years this summer, has a weekly salary of 90,000 pounds, second only to Rooney and Ferdinand in Manchester United. Manchester City's offer is tempting. However, from the perspective of personal development, Manchester United currently has an excellent record in the league and the Champions League, and has the momentum to restore the "Red Devil's Dynasty". Vidic has no reason to leave this stage to help him grow into a world-class superstar.

The captain of Manchester United said before this game: "If we can win the next two key games ( against Arsenal and Chelsea respectively), we will gain a huge advantage in the standings and be in a very favorable position in the competition for the championship. I think this is the most critical game this season so far, especially when you enter this stage in December, it is time for some teams to stand out, which is why this game is so important, not to mention that Arsenal is still our old opponent.

Now, Vidic's goal has been half completed. Next, Manchester United will visit Stamford Bridge to challenge another direct competitor to win the championship, Chelsea.

At that time, if the Red Devils can continue the good momentum of unbeaten in the league and even defeat their recent mediocre opponents, then regaining the league championship is just around the corner. In the face of such an opportunity, what reason does Vidic have to leave Old Trafford? You should know that at the age of 29 for the central defender, the peak has just arrived, and Vidic has a full opportunity to lead the team to start another "three crown" era.

A Premier League top battle that is not as exciting as expected. Manchester United has set a new unbeaten record in the club's history (132 years) at the beginning of the top league season to 16 games. The real kung fu of strong confrontation is reflected in: good tactics, excellent defense and always key figures coming forward.

In the last 11 competitions between Arsenal and their main championship rivals, Manchester United and Chelsea, only 1 draw and 10 losses scored 5 goals and conceded 23 goals, and still can't overcome this difficulty.

The confrontation between the home king of the Premier League and the away king. Previously, Manchester United had 4 wins and 1 draw for five consecutive times. Ferguson, the resourceful Ferguson still used Li Yu, who won five yuan in the last league, in the starting lineup, and insisted on the 451 formation that has been effective against the Gunners in recent years to make Rooney change to a shadow striker, and does not pursue the scene even if The home court also adopts a cautious and steady counterattack.

Although the possession rate is not as good as the opponent's, Manchester United still got more chances to score: Rooney lost the penalty, another shot was not strong enough, and Anderson and Nani each wasted a good opportunity in the penalty area. It can be seen that this tactical arrangement can effectively limit the ground battle of the gunners and find the flaws in the opponent's defense line.

To be fair, none of the midfielders have outstanding performance, but they all work very hard to compress the space for Arsenal to play, so that "they can't play well but make their opponents worse!"

The overall performance of this defense line is the best one this season. Rafal, who lacks experience, has also gradually matured, and did not let the opponent's most dangerous Nasri have any chance on this side.

Evra is easy to play, and the assists are in place and the defense is timely.

The two central defenders cooperated very well. Vidic fought for the absolute advantage of the high-altitude ball and "blocked" the gunner's "manufacturing emperor" Chamark. Even if the goalkeeper Van der Sar blocked the ball well, he was still able to make up for the goal in time to resolve the opponent's most threatening attack in the whole game.

Ferdinand's experience is very old and has a strong sense of location, and it is in place. It is a representative work of this season. At the beginning of the season, they lost points in the lead one after another, and the coaching team paid close attention to the defense and had a good effect. In the last three rounds, he was only scored once by his opponent, and only one goal was conceded in six group matches of the UEFA Champions League.

There are two "gunner nemesis" in Manchester United's formation. Rooney scored twice in the key battle of breaking Arsenal's 30 unbeaten games and 49 rounds unbeaten in his career, and made a "double kill" opponent at home and away last season.

The only regret of the team in this game is that he failed to achieve the "three consecutive penalty kills" this season, but the ball control and organization in the sports battle have played well. Li Yu broke through the door of Arsenal for the fifth time, and nearly three starters have won against the Gunners. Repeatedly scoring goals in this peak battle reflects its excellent psychological quality and good game reading ability. The time to follow up and enter the penalty area is very accurate, and the shooting technique is comprehensive.

For Arsenal, after the game, Wenger said that the poor quality of the turf affected the team's performance was just an excuse.

In horizontal comparison, compared with the midfielders and backfielders of the famous "old defense line" and "invincible season" after he took office, the gap is too big.

This is the fundamental reason why they have been unable to turn around in the confrontation with Manchester United and Chelsea in recent years. In the case of unsatisfactory offensive effect, the lack of defensive pressure resistance led to a complete defeat. It is not accidental that Old Trafford was awarded a penalty for the fifth time in the last eight times, which is similar to losing to Chelsea at the beginning of the season.

"Professor" should also summarize how to crack when the opponent implements stable counterattack tactics in the future, and cannot always fall under the same "threshold".

Polish goalkeeper Szesni, who played in the Premier League for the first time in this game, overcame the tension at the beginning of the game and has handed over more qualified answers. Koscielny and Squilach went all out and did not make mistakes. Unfortunately, Clichy established a breakthrough for the other side, and Nani made him busy fighting.

A lost ball was assisted by Nani at his feet, and he was awarded a penalty unluckily in the second half.

As the only contributor who is still in the team in the '03-04 season (Xiaofa only played three league cups this season), he is already going downhill, and Gibbs is also a "glass foot", and this position needs to be strengthened in the future. After the first 17 rounds, Arsenal have lost five games, two points behind Manchester United in one game, and the difficulty of competing for the championship is increasing.

However, the Gunners are now very well-organized in the midfield. The return of Xiaofa and Van Persie is expected to enhance their offensive firepower. They can only strive to gather momentum at home and prepare for a fierce battle with Stoke City and Chelsea. At the same time, it is hoped that Sunday's Blues can break Manchester United's unbeaten record and complicate the situation.

But before that, the Premier League giants have to wait for the knockout group draw of another event.

Before the knockout draw, which second-grade team did Barcelona coach Guardiola last want to touch?

The answer is not Milan's two heroes, but Marseille and Lyon, and the defending champion of Ligue 1 is even ahead.

"Although they are not particularly strong, I don't like to meet them," Gua Shuai said. After the lottery was announced, the "dislike" in Gua Shuai's mouth had come to Ferguson first. Does the Lord really have a headache for such an opponent? According to the Scottish character, no matter which league champion the opponent is, it is served by a sword in Old Trafford. The goal of the Red Devils is the trophy. In front of Manchester United's ambition, the champion in Ligue 1 is at best a stumbling block on the road to the championship.

Even so, Ferguson still showed cautious optimism after the draw. He said in an interview with Manchester United's official website: "Marseid is very good at home, especially their home atmosphere and incredible fan support. In the past two to three years, they have changed a lot, and I think the game will be very close.

At the same time, Ferguson also revealed in an interview that Manchester United's opponent was Marseille as early as the draw rehearsal: "Everyone thinks that we may meet one from Milan, because we have met many times in the knockout competition in the past few years. But we won Marseille during the lottery rehearsal, and the result was really like this.

Ferguson specially talked about Marseille defender Heinze and looked forward to his former general returning to Old Trafford to play: "I will be very happy to see him again."

On the other hand, Ferguson also recalled that in the 1999-2000 season, Manchester United lost away to Marseille in the Champions League group stage. That defeat allowed Manchester United to maintain an unbeaten record of 19 European games for three years. The Ligue 1 champion seems to be weak, but in the 07-08 UEFA Champions League group stage and this season's Champions League group stage, they defeated Liverpool away and Chelsea at home respectively. Ferguson will pay the same price once he underestimates the enemy.

Marseille is the only French team that has won the UEFA Champions League so far. Although the team's championship that season was confirmed by UEFA by playing match-fixing, their trophy has not been deprived. The memory of the Champions League is both sweet and painful for Marseille. Marseille's current coach Deschamps is a legendary star of the former Serie A veteran Juventus. Together with the French national team, he won the Hercules Cup in 1998 and the European Championship in 2002. There is still a relationship between the French and Ferguson.

In the 03-04 season, Porto led by Mourinho and Monaco of Deschamps met in the Champions League final, when Monaco was eliminated by Real Madrid in the semi-finals. At that time, according to British media reports, the final winner between the two coaches would replace Ranieri in Chelsea. As a result, the French lost to Mourinho, which not only made the latter a legend in the British Isles, but also passed the opportunity between Ferguson.

After Benitez left Liverpool, Deschamps was the nearest coach who was rumored to have gone with the Reds. After Hodgson moved into Anfield, the Frenchman passed the Lord again. I don't know if the collision opportunity after this draw is a compensation for the repeated missed dialogue opportunities between the two famous coaches.

Besides, it is also a good point for Li Yu to face her teacher again.

In terms of European bookmakers, Ferguson's team is obviously more favored.

Before and after the lottery results were announced, Manchester United's odds of winning the Williams Hill Champions League rose from 1-9 to 1-8, while Marseille fell from 1-1 to 1-1126. The gap between the two teams in the minds of the betting company can be seen.

The defending champion of Ligue 1 is currently only ranked 5th in the league table, and the competition for the title of Ligue 1 this season is even more fierce in the Premier League. If the Red Devils may be involved by their Premier League opponents when they visit the Verodomi Stadium on February 23 next year, then Marseille will not be much better. Three weeks later, on March 15, Ferguson will wait for Deschamps to visit at Old Trafford. At that time, even if the French try their best, I'm afraid there is little chance of blocking the Red Devils from the top eight.

Manchester, located in the northwest of England, and Marseille, located in the southeast of France, are less than 1,300 kilometers away in a straight line. At least the journey will not be the first difficulty faced by the players of the two teams.

In contrast, Manchester United has taken the lead in the schedule. With the extremely fierce competition in the Premier League this season, this is good news for the Red Devils in terms of saving physical strength.

It is worth mentioning that Chelsea and Arsenal, who are currently fighting with Manchester United in the Premier League table, the two cores of Drogba and Nasri, are engraved with the imprint of "Made in Marseille". If it hadn't been for the French Ligue 1 giants sending such a strong man to Manchester United's competitors, Ferguson's life would be afraid. I'm afraid it will be much better. For Manchester United, if they can naturally cut their opponents down, it can also be regarded as completing "revenge" in disguise.

The draw of the top 16 of the Champions League was announced. Manchester United against Marseille, Real Madrid in Lyon, and Chelsea, who drew Copenhagen, got the draw. Arsenal answered the words before the Wenger match and drew the "sign" of Barcelona, while other games left more suspense...

Just like last season's confrontation, the two teams play similarly, but Barcelona's personal ability and cooperation ability are stronger than Arsenal's. Last season, Barcelona eliminated Arsenal 2-2 away and 4-1 at home, with an obvious advantage.

Judging from the state of the two teams this season, although Arsenal has added Chamark and Squilaki, the team is in average condition. When Squilaki, the pillar of the defense, will come back, and the state after the comeback is still unknown.

And Barcelona's new lineup quickly run-in successfully in a few months. In fact, Arsenal's defeat against Barcelona last season was because they were unwilling to give up their previous style. Like Mourinho, they used contraction defense and waited for the opportunity to counterattack against Barcelona. If we learn a lesson and in another way, maybe Arsenal still have some opportunities, but will the idealistic Wenger make such a change?

The match between Chelsea and Copenhagen will not be as easy as it seems.

On the one hand, Chelsea has not recovered after Wilkins was fired by Abramovich. This does not seem to be a problem that Ancelotti can solve after class or not. In the next three months, it is still a question of how Abu will appease the team.

On the other hand, Copenhagen's combat effectiveness is by no means as bad as expected. In the group stage, Copenhagen drew 1-1 at home to Barcelona, and since mid-October, Barcelona has 12 wins and 1 draw in the league and the Champions League. The only draw is away against Copenhagen. However, Copenhagen was a league break before Chelsea, and how to adjust the state is a problem. Between Chelsea and Copenhagen, Chelsea must have a much bigger chance of winning, but if there is one of the eight games, this is the only chance.

Tottenham Hotspur VSAC Milan Judging from William Hill's odds, Tottenham Hotspur is slightly favored.

This season, this team's performance in the Champions League is indeed very eye-catching, but in terms of technical characteristics, AC Milan with better defense may be more suitable for the knockout.

Of course, AC Milan has been out four times before the finals in the past eight years, three of which are home and then away, and this time it is also home and then away, which is AC Milan's disadvantage.

In addition, from the attitude of AC Milan, the main battlefield of this season is also 6 points ahead of Serie A. Even the choice of Cassano introduced in winter does not take into account the Champions League (Casano can't represent AC because he has played the Champions League qualification before. Milan competes in the Champions League). Overall, any result of this game is possible, and it is not surprising who will be eliminated.

Among the four teams in the Premier League and the Champions League, Manchester United and Chelsea are both good good signings. Tottenham Hotspur is a winning match. After all, AC Milan is no longer at the top of the lineup. Only the sad Arsenal has its own bad luck in the Champions League knockout.