Chapter 472 League Cup Out

Although they lost the UEFA Europa League in the middle of the week, Manchester United are in good shape in the Premier League. Head coach Ancelotti asked the team to continue this momentum and win the game against West Bromwich Albion.

Manchester United scored 19 points in the last 21 league points, losing only 2 points. An Shuai said: "The players know the challenges they face. After the results against Tottenham Hotspur, they have a good momentum to continue, which is an opportunity to start a sprint in the league. However, West Brom is also in good shape now (he has won all the last three rounds and defeated Chelsea in the last round). We respect this fact.

The head coach gave instructions, and Manchester United's players responded one after another. Spanish goalkeeper De Gea even said that if he can't win the championship, he won't shave. My beard makes me and my girlfriend like it very much. I hope to stay until Manchester United wins the Premier League championship or the Spanish football team wins the Olympic gold medal. For De Gea's oath, The Sun joked and imagined that if neither of the two champions could get the result, the bearded image of De Gea was so funny.

Top star Li Yu also said that Manchester City's victory will be the best of Manchester United's so many Premier League championships. In the past competition with Arsenal and Chelsea, Li Yu helped Manchester United win four league titles, but he thought it was the most wonderful thing to beat Manchester City to win the championship.

"I think so," Li Yu said, "I don't want to talk about it too early. If we can win the championship over Manchester City, I'm sure it will be wonderful."

On April 30, Manchester United will challenge Manchester City away from home. Li Yu said, "In Manchester, you can feel the expectations and excitement of the players and fans for this game. This is the game you look forward to playing football, especially about winning the championship."

"In the past six weeks, we have achieved good results in the league, but Manchester City has performed very well this season. They are similar to us and can win some games even if they are in poor form. The last eleventh game of the season will be intense for both sides.

When it comes to the home defeat of the UEFA Europa League in the middle of the week, Ancelotti said that the poor state at home is a big problem: "We have had a bad season in Europe. We lost three goals to Basel, two to Benfica, two to Bilbao, and two to Ajax, which shows our problem. Maybe we need to make some adjustments this season and think about what to do when playing these games at home.

Former Manchester United star Gary Neville believes that today's Red Devils still have a lot to learn in the European game. For European football, the only way you can learn is to compete and start to learn some lessons. The head coach knows that Manchester United has some talented young players who will play for the team for many years. I think this year will be a step backwards before moving forward.

"The young players in our lineup will learn a lot from this season. In Europe, you need to pay special attention to details. In the Premier League, you may be punished less for making mistakes, but opponents in Europe are more efficient.

"I remember the situation when we were young players. This is what you must experience. After four years and three finals, the group's inability to qualify is a trough, but these are good experiences for young players. Over time, these will bear fruit. These young people are talented."

Li Yu also admitted that Manchester United's situation in Europe is not good and needs to be improved. I don't know what's going on. We didn't play well at home, which made the away situation very difficult. We know that we have the ability to advance, but the situation will be very difficult. Bilbao played very well, and our own performance should have been better.

"We lost at home in the middle of the week, but for our players, it is good to play the next game immediately, and we can correct our previous performance. And I personally feel that I am in good shape and enjoy my football very much.

Everyone knows that the Manchester derby on the evening of April 30 will be the Battle of Tianwang Mountain to determine the ownership of the Premier League champion. Both Ancelotti and Mancini have expressed their determination to win all the remaining games, but on the football field, you never know what will happen in the next minute.

However, before that, both teams had to work hard in the league. One side was catching up, but the other side wanted to maintain their advantage.

But after returning to the Premier League, the situation of the two teams has changed a lot.

In this round, Manchester United easily won West Bromwich Albion, which has been in good shape 2-0 at Old Trafford, while Manchester City lost to Swansea, known as "Premier League Barcelona", allowing Manchester United to return to the top of the league table after nearly five months. Manchester United's favorite and best reversal drama will be staged as scheduled! If the Red Devils can beat Manchester City away in the penultimate third round of the league, it can not only be a shame, but also directly sentenced the opponent to death!

In fact, even Ancelotti didn't expect Manchester City to lose. He said in an interview after the game: "Manchester City's loss is an extra reward for us. I didn't expect it, but it makes me very happy to be the leader, because only a few weeks ago, we were 7 points behind Manchester City. I hope this is a significant day. We have turned the situation around and the players have shown great counterattack energy and willpower. We won't get nervous. We have experience in winning the championship, and the team will keep moving forward. It's very gratifying to see this momentum.

There is a very important word in Ancelotti's words. Yes, it is "winning experience". Now that the Premier League has entered the white-hot stage, the psychological state of coaches and players will become a key factor affecting the trend of the championship.

As An Shuai said, the reason why Manchester United's team is "not nervous" is that they have been in a similar position many times before and know how to deal with the pressure brought by the championship. For Manchester City, although they have a more luxurious team, a coach Mancini who has won the championship in Serie A, and a large number of players who have experienced the test of the World Series, such as Silva, Aguero and Yaya Toure, it is another matter to compete for the Premier League.

The words of the former Manchester United goalkeeper Schmeichel may be used to explain the key role of experience in the championship competition. In an interview with Manchester United's official website, he said: "Whenever in March, April and May, radio and television are discussing the championship situation, which is a cruel thing, but it is inevitable. Whenever the media discusses the team's defeat, it seems to come to the end of the world. At this time of year, the players are under heavy pressure. The last thing you should do is to watch the headlines of the major news when you lose points, and put this pressure on yourself. Manchester United's advantage is here. If you haven't experienced this, you will easily believe what you see in the news. Manchester United have been in a similar situation many times. They know that even if they lose points, they know how to become champions, which is the decisive factor.

BBC commentator Craig's analysis said: "In these years, Manchester United can always find a way to get all 3 points in the case of playing well. This is the temperament of a championship team, but Manchester City can never do it.

Experience is exactly what Manchester City lacks, not only the players, but also the fans. After Manchester City conceded the ball in the 83rd minute, a Manchester City fan immediately cried at the scene, which can also reflect the great pressure exerted by Manchester United on Manchester City.

When Manchester United fans learned the news that Manchester City was lagging behind through the scoreboard, Old Trafford immediately became a sea of celebration. In addition to joy, the fans' faces were full of confidence that everything seemed to be in their hands. Because of the same plot, they were already in Chelsea, Newcastle, Arsenal, and Pu has seen that Manchester United's reversal victory in the league has become a habit for them.

In addition, the schedule is also a factor that cannot be ignored, and Manchester United still has an advantage in this regard. In the last 10 rounds, both teams had 5 home and 5 away, but the difference in the opponent's color was obvious.

Manchester United played against Fulham, Queens Park Rangers, Villa, Everton and Swansea at home; away against Wolves, Blackburn, Wigan, Manchester City and Sunderland. Among them, Fulham, Villa, Swansea, Everton and Sunderland have basically no desire. For Manchester United, the three away games against the relegation team and the focus battle against Manchester City on April 30 will be the final test on the road to the championship.

In contrast to Manchester City, they played against Chelsea, Sunderland, West Brom, Manchester United and Queen's Park Rangers; away against Stoke City, Arsenal, Norwich, Wolves and Newcastle.

Among them, Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle are all teams competing for Champions League tickets. Queen's Park Rangers and Wolves are relegation teams. Coupled with the championship rival Manchester United, Manchester City needs to be prepared for at least six games. Compared with Manchester United, Manchester City's biggest disadvantage is that it still needs to touch the two traditional top four members of Chelsea and Arsenal. The two teams that compete for the fourth place will not let Manchester City pass easily, and once there is any mistake in Manchester City, they will be immediately thrown away by Manchester United in the table.

The last time Manchester United topped the table dates back to October 1 last year, when Manchester United made an unbeaten start with 6 wins and 1 draw, and ranked first with the advantage of goal difference, but then drew with Liverpool and Manchester City beat Villa at home, making the Red Devils lose the top spot on October 15. .

Since then, although the Red Devils have also had the pleasure of temporarily climbing to the top due to the early kick-off time, they were all eliminated by Manchester City's victory after the end of the round. However, after nearly five months, Manchester United finally achieved a real overtaking against Manchester City in the 28th round. More importantly, they have adjusted to the best state for the league championship.

Although there was a 2-3 loss to Blackburn and a 3-0 loss to Newcastle in the middle of the season, the Red Devils then used an unbeaten record of 7 wins and 1 draw to dispel doubts, and the only point was to draw with Chelsea with three goals in a 0-2 away game. This time, I finally returned to the top of the list, which must be a great improvement for the morale of the whole team.

Just like the famous slogan "WeBelieve" played by Arsenal fans at the Emirates Stadium, Manchester United fans have enough reason to believe that the Red Devils will return to the top of the table after nearly five months of dormantry, and this time they will not take the lead. Make a hand. The glory belongs to Manchester United. We are the red teenagers. We are on the way to the 21st Crown!"

But on the court, you can never predict what will happen in the next game. Manchester United, which just shouted the championship slogan, was eliminated again in the European arena.

1 to 2! The total score is 3-5! Manchester United, which ranked first in the Premier League, was double-killed by Athletic Bilbao, the seventh-ranked in La Liga, and lost three consecutive European games for the first time in nearly 7 years! In the face of the powerful opponent, Manchester United did not show any aggressiveness to win in this game. Before Li Yu scored in the 80th minute, Manchester United only had two pitiful shots and no shots. The whole game was suppressed by the opponent. Manchester United was out of the European game in the most humiliating way!

Due to the 2-3 defeat at home in the first round, it is difficult for Man Lenovo to turn over in St. Mames, which is known as the "devil's home", but London's two heroes Arsenal and Chelsea have set an example for the Red Devils.

A week ago, Arsenal, which was seriously unorganized, almost reversed AC Milan after falling behind 0-4. A day ago, Chelsea, which was experiencing the turbulent change of coach, played the most bloody battle of the season, reversing Napoli 4-1 at home and advanced to the top 8 of the Champions League.

People have reason to believe that Manchester United, which has always been known for its tenacity, can also achieve miracles. However, the reality is cruel. Manchester United has no fighting spirit in this game. If Arsenal straightened up and fell down, then Manchester United knelt down and surrendered to their opponents!

You know, the Red Devils have only lost 10 games at home in the team's long European history, twice of which happened this season, and they lost to Ajax and Athletic Bilbao in a row.

In addition, in the case of home defeat in the first round of the European knockout match, Manchester United has never achieved a reversal in the opponent's territory, and this time is no exception.

In 2001, Manchester United lost 0-1 at home to Bayern in the Champions League quarter-out match, and also lost 1-2 away. Four years later, Manchester United lost to AC Milan with the same score of 0-1 in the eighth final. In addition, Manchester United's performance in visiting Spain is also very poor. Their last victory in the Iberian Peninsula is against Valencia, but they have only won 1 game in A Coruña in 18 aways, and the remaining 17 games are 8 draws and 9 losses.

In contrast to Atletico Bilbao, their past record against the British team at home is an absolute advantage, with only one defeat in the previous eight games.

The last time Manchester United visited St. Mames Stadium dates back to 1957, when Manchester United lost 3-5, but the Red Devils, who returned to Britain, eliminated their opponents with a clean 3-0 and a total score of 6-5.

This season, Athletic Bilbao finally waited for the opportunity to revenge. The 3-2 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford in the first leg made Belsa's team full of confidence. DeMarcos, the core of the midfielder, said in an interview before the game: "The coach has been emphasizing that no one is stronger than us. We can beat any team. . " DeMarcos' confidence has a reason, because at least in front of Manchester United tonight, Athletic Bilbao looks invincible.

Objectively speaking, if it weren't for the poor ability of Athletic Bilbao players to seize the opportunity, it would have been possible for Manchester United to lose six. The shooting ratio of the two teams in the whole game reached an amazing 21 to 4. Manchester United players did not show the slightest desire to win, whether offensive or defensive, neither I have the determination to fight back.

And in front of the delicately skilled Athletic Bilbao, Manchester United was even teased by their opponents repeatedly. In the 23rd minute, Amore Bieta made a long pass, and Lorent shot directly from the right side of the penalty area and scored. Ferdinand, who was not tight, could only see the ball into the net. In the 54th minute, Carrick flashed by the shovel on the edge of the arc of the penalty area, pulled the ball beautifully and shook Evans, and finally shook the fee continuously on the line of the penalty area. Dinand's back push shot was off, and one person exploded Manchester United's entire defense line. Carrick, Evans and Ferdinand, who were instantly petrified, could only be glad that the goal did not score.

In the 65th minute, Ilola's right cross was pushed out by Smarin. After the unguarded de Marcos stopped the ball in the chest, his left foot shot hit Raphael and deflected into the net, helping Athletic Bilbao lock in the victory, and in the first half, he missed an opportunity to make up for an empty goal... Although Li Yu's goal to save face was very wonderful. But it can't change the fact that the team did poorly in this game.

Everyone knows that the weight of the UEFA Europa League is not important, and everyone knows that Manchester United's desire to win the 20th league championship in the team's history is more urgent.

Now Manchester United has surpassed Manchester City by 1 point in the standings, and there are 10 rounds left in the league. The championship has reached a white-hot stage. Although the first trophy in Ancelotti's trophy showcase can no longer be the UEFA Europa League, he obviously emphasizing the league championship more.

Ancelotti said in an interview before the game that Manchester United would go all out to advance, but it can be seen from his starting lineup that he did not have much hope for a turnaround.

On the front line, Wilbeck and Hernandez were both hidden, with only Li Yu as a striker; midfielder Scholes took a break, and Cleverley, who replaced him, performed very badly.

When he fell behind 0-1, Ancelotti replaced Ferdinand and Carrick, the core of the midfield and backfield, and then withdrew Giggs. The intention was clear that he was going to stay for the league against Wolves on the weekend.

It is understandable to sacrifice the UEFA Europa League to protect the league, but this is by no means an excuse to give up the game without fighting.

Think about Arsenal. The Gunners lost 0-4 in the first round, and 11 players in the first team were injured in the second round. The reversal was much more difficult than that of Manchester United, but they still played blood and scored 3 goals in the half. Although they were only one step away from perfection in the end, such an exit is touching. How tragic it is this kind of departure. !

Look at the championship rival Manchester City. They scored 3 goals in a row when they fell behind 0-2 at home, and almost performed a miracle in the last second. Although they were also eliminated in the end, at least they worked hard for the victory.

Compared with the sworn enemy in the same city, Manchester United did not do its best in this game, which may seem very "wise", but how can such a "magic" performance be worthy of more than 800 Manchester United loyalists who went to St. Mames with the team? Whether the Red Devils can hold their 20th league championship trophy this season, they disappointed more than 500 million Manchester United fans around the world who supported them this night.