Chapter 459 The Champions League is not satisfactory

Before Manchester United's home game against Benfica, Ancelotti issued a must-kill order: "We have won five consecutive victories. We must win this game and strive to qualify as the top of the group."

British media are also optimistic about Manchester United. Former Chelsea assistant instructor Ray Wilkins believes that no matter who is clear about the importance of qualifying, the Red Devils cannot be tripped by the same stone (3-3 Basel at home), but after 90 minutes of the game, Manchester United conceded a goal first, equalized and reversed the situation. In the end, he was forced to draw 2-2 by Benfica, who sent his opponent to the top of the table. At the same time, he also let Benfica qualify one round ahead of schedule.

Old Trafford booed in the 90th minute. The fans could only use boos to vent their dissatisfaction with the team's performance. In the three home games of the Champions League group stage, Manchester United only won one victory. No wonder the fans were dissatisfied with this. For the first time since Ancelotti took office, he heard boos from Red Devils fans.

After 5 rounds, Benfica and Manchester United scored 9 points. According to the rules of UEFA Champions League competition, if the two teams have the same score, the win-defeat relationship between the two teams is first compared; if the win-defeat relationship is the same, the number of goals scored between each other and the number of away goals between each other is compared in turn.

Manchester United and Benfica are both tied at home and away in the group stage, with a total score of 3-3, but Benfica scored two away goals, while Manchester United has only one away goal. Therefore, it ranks below Benfica after five rounds.

After Basel beat the Galatz Steels 3-2 away in this round, the points reached 8 points. In the last round, Manchester United will go away to challenge Basel. Due to Benfica's two games against Basel, no matter what the result between Manchester United and Basel, Benfica has decided to qualify one round ahead of schedule.

At the end of the group stage, Benfica will play at home against Galatz Steel, which is the weakest in the group and has lost all five games. There should be no big problem in winning, and he will win the top ten points in the group. If Manchester United wants to qualify as the top of the group, it must beat Basel on the road, and then hope that Galatz Steel will draw or defeat Benfica on the road. It is very difficult to imagine.

At present, Bayern has been confirmed to be the first in Group A round in advance; Inter has been confirmed to be the first in Group B; Benfica has been temporarily at the top of Group C; Real Madrid has been confirmed to be the first in Group D one round in advance; the current leaders of Group E and Group F are Chelsea and Arsenal respectively; the leaders of Group G are from Saipu. Luce's Greek Athletic; Group H, Barcelona should be able to qualify first in the group as long as it does not lose to AC Milan away.

Due to the principle of avoiding the same group and the registered team of the same football association in the draw of the Champions League 1/8 final, Manchester United is likely to have only five options if they are second in the group. Among them, in addition to the mysterious Greek competition from Cyprus, the other four teams (Real Madrid, Bayern, Inter and Barcelona/mi) Lan) are all top rich families.

That is to say, although Manchester United can qualify without losing to Basel away, if they can only qualify in the second place in the group in the end, and Arsenal and Chelsea occupy the top of the group respectively, Manchester United has an 80% chance of drawing the top giants!

Although some Manchester United fans wrote on Weibo, "Is it the first place in the group? Who cares? If you want to be the best team, you must defeat those excellent teams. Barcelona let it go!" But to be fair, after the retirement of Scholes and van der Sar, Giggs' physical condition is not enough to support him to play often, the state of Evra and Ferdinand has declined seriously, and newcomers such as Cleverley have been repeatedly attacked by injuries, if Manchester United really draws to Barcelona, I'm afraid it will be nine deaths.

And if they lose to Basel on the road, Manchester United will be out of the group! I'm afraid this is unacceptable to all Manchester United fans anyway. In a word, Manchester United has been forced to a dead end, and there is no way to retreat!

Benfica's away game against Manchester United in the Champions League group match is very important for both sides. Before the game, the two teams scored 8 points in Group C, and the winning side will occupy an extremely favorable qualifying situation. Before the game, people's attention was focused on Benfica's young midfielder Nicolas Gaitan, who has been attracted by Ancelotti, and this performance at Old Trafford is also an excellent opportunity for Gaitan to prove his strength.

Gaitan did not disappoint many people who were optimistic about him. The young Argentine player was one of Benfica's most threatening players in the first half.

After the opening, Benfica took the lead against the guest. In the 3rd minute, Benfica played a pass on the right side. Gaetan inserted into the Manchester United penalty area and passed the ball with his left foot. Manchester United central defender Phil Jones accidentally blocked the ball into his door, and Benfica got a fantastic start. In the 6th minute, Gaetan singled Evra on the right side, and the slightly embarrassed French veteran had to destroy the ball out of the sideline; In 15 minutes, after Gatan took the ball in the middle, he continued to push the ball without waiting for the ball to land. His superb ball control skills won a applause from the audience.

In the 19th minute, Gaitan passed the ball to Aimar in the penalty area with his heels behind his back. The latter failed to try, and the fans also marveled at Gaitan's inspiration. In the 30th minute, Benfica made a quick counterattack, and Gaitan beautifully stuffed the ball directly to the back of Aimar in front of the penalty area, and the latter formed a single knife. The momentum, but the "Joker"'s final shot was saved by De Gea.

In the second half, Manchester United, which was eager to win, attacked. Benfica was completely suppressed in the half, and Gaitan did not get too many opportunities to perform. In the 48th minute, Gaitan received a straight ball from his teammate. The left-footed arc ball in front of the penalty area was too straight and was scored by De Gea. In the 67th minute, Benfica coach Hesus, who was satisfied with a draw, replaced Gaitan to strengthen his defense, and Gaitan's performance at Old Trafford was also a perfect curtain call.

In the post-match score of Sky Sports, Gaetan also scored the team's second highest score of 7 after Aimar.

The 23-year-old Gaetan was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He just joined Benfica from Boca Youth of Argentina for 7.2 million pounds last summer.

Since coming to Benfica, Gaitan's excellent performance has attracted the attention of teams including Inter, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and other teams. Among them, Manchester United is the most sincere buyer, and Ferguson even sent scouts to keep an eye on Gaitan. Although he is currently placed on the left winger by the team, Gaitan is very comprehensive. His most familiar position is the offensive midfielder behind the striker. When the team plays a five-man midfielder, Gaitan can also switch to the right side. In this game, Gaitan poses a great threat to Manchester United on the right side.

Gaetan was very successful in his debut season in Benfica. He scored a total of 9 goals and won the "Most Breakthrough Player Award" in the Portuguese Super League that year. This season, he has scored 1 goal and 3 assists in the league, helping Benfica reach 24 points and tied for the top of the Portuguese Super League table with Porto.

In addition, Benfica's excellent record in the Champions League is also inseparable from Gaetan's performance. Before this game, he had contributed four assists and ranked first in the UEFA Champions League assists. When Benfica played against Manchester United at home in the first round of the Champions League group stage, Cardozzo's first goal was an assist from Gaitan. In this game, it was Gaitan's pass that forced Phil Jones to score an own goal, helped Benfica win a good start, and finally successfully took a point at Old Trafford.

It's not easy for Manchester United to get Gaitan. The Argentine just renewed a five-year contract with Benfica last month. Benfica set a £38.5 million contract clause for Gaitan, hoping to scare off many of Gaitan's suitors.

For the players themselves, Gaitan does not seem to have any plans to leave Benfica. In an interview with talksport, he said: "I'm very lucky to play for a team like Benfica. I'm very happy here. It's a great honor to be connected with Manchester United, but my wish I hope to complete my contract with Benfica, which is a great club. I know that Sir Alex Ferguson thinks highly of me, but what happened to the two teams in the group stage of the Champions League is when I am closest to Manchester United.

The appearance of Gaitan can't help but remind people of the Argentine "witch" Peron, who once played for Manchester United. Peron joined Manchester United in 2001 for 28 million pounds, but he did not adapt to Manchester United's tactical system during his two-year career, and finally had to leave Old Trafford to join Chelsea. The Argentine was also seen as one of Ferguson's defeats.

But Gaitan is completely different. This young player is more in a higher position, fast, outstanding and talented, which is a great addition to Manchester United, which is currently lacking in creativity in attack. Judging from the performance of this game, Gaetan is the person that Manchester United needs. He can not only create threats on the side with a flexible running position, but also send accurate direct plugs in the middle. He can completely occupy a place in Manchester United's midfield configuration and form a good chemical reaction with Li Yu, Hernandez and others.

Although his high value may make people worry about whether he will become "Beron's second", Gaitan is just 23 years old this year. His age is his biggest advantage, and he still has a lot of room for improvement. I believe he can be further improved under the ** of Lord Ferguson. Perhaps for Manchester United, Gaetan is their best Christmas gift.

After experiencing a nightmare-like start, the Red Devils seemed to have lost their usual domineering spirit in Old Trafford and looked very reserved on the offensive end. Li Yu, who was no longer on the first attack line, had no chance to perform in the first half of the first half.

But it was almost the first time to touch the ball in the game, and Manchester United changed the trend of the game on the 9th.

In the 30th minute, Manchester United organized an offensive on the left side. Li Yu suddenly inserted into the offside line and kept detouring. Like Inzaji, it made the opponent unpredictable. Nani sent a precise pass on time. Jia Lei made an offside and emptied Li Yu. Manchester United No. 9 shook his head and attacked the goal in an unmarked state, and the ball brushed the right post. Entering the net, although the opponent's goalkeeper tried his best to save, he was still out of reach.

From the slow motion, Li Yu slightly crossed half of the position at the moment when Nani passed the ball. This is Li Yu's 25th goal in the 25 UEFA Champions League matches on behalf of Manchester United. Although there are some offside suspicions, the goal is solid. There is also a point that Li Yu has always started quickly, which is likely to be a visual illusion!

Goal in the sports battle! Li Yu, who broke the goal gap, finally erased the cloud that permeated her face at the beginning, and the melancholy in her eyes was gradually shrouded in murder. From that moment on, Li Yu was completely resurrected.

After scoring the goal, Li Yu always felt carefully in the previous few games. She frequently retreated to her teammates behind her, and took the initiative to suddenly revitalize the previous dead team's offensive.

In the 31st minute of the game, Li Yuzhong withdrew the ball and took the opponent's two central defenders out of the penalty area. Manchester United's No. 9 received the ball and turned around and saw Mata quickly inserted. Manchester United's 9 hidden straight plug ball instantly tore open the opponent's defense line. Mata got a single shot. Unfortunately, the opponent's goalkeeper bravely defeated Mata. The shot came out.

Fighting again, Li Yu kicked more and more freehandly. Only 30 seconds after the start of the second half of the game, Li Yu caused the opponent's foul with a hit in the first half. In addition to showing off her footwork, she also showed her gradually overconfidence in the new position.

In the 50th minute, Li Yu took the ball in the penalty area. In the case of two defensive players grabbing, Li Yu hit the ball to Fletcher with his heel for the first time. The latter did not expect that Manchester United 9 could pass the ball in such a difficult situation. The reaction was slightly slower, wasting the opportunity to shoot directly on the penalty area line. Just a minute later, Li Yu passed two people in the left rib of the penalty area, and knocked on the outside of her right foot to find Mata, who had been in place. Unfortunately, the strength was slightly smaller and was destroyed by the opponent.

However, the state of the madman also makes Li Yu too confident in handling the ball.

In the 78th minute, Fabio passed on the right side, and Li Yu broke into the penalty area to face the goalkeeper. Because all the Benfica players pressed up to create an offside, Li Yu had enough time to unload the ball and then choose to shoot directly or pass the goalkeeper. However, Manchester United No. 9 used the most difficult way to deal with the ball. He faced the ball. He shot directly in the air, and the whole set of movements was elegant in one go, but he finally shot the ball high. Seeing that Li Yu wasted such a goal opportunity, Ancelotti couldn't help holding his head and sighing.

In addition, Li Yu had two goals that were blown offside. It is amazing that Manchester United No. 9 seems to have quietly completed the transition from a technical striker to an opportunity striker.

Since the 06-07 season, that is, five years ago, Cristiano Ronaldo has maintained a goal rate of at least one goal every two games at Manchester United. After joining Real Madrid, he even has horrible data of more than one goal in the season. But Li Yu, who is only one year and nine months younger than Cristiano Ronaldo, has completed Cristiano Ronaldo's record. Ferguson was forced to completely stimulate Li Yu's offensive potential when he was in office. After Ancelotti took office, he thought more about the overall problem. In fact, no matter who coached, Manchester United is actually walking year by year. On the downhill road, especially when the defense line needs a large-scale replacement of personnel, the young newcomer strategy adopted by Ferguson before retirement makes Ancelotti a little difficult to do.

Ancelotti's withdrawal of Li Yu's position is also a helpless move. It is completely impossible for Li Yu to be like Real Madrid. As long as she concentrates on the attack, especially in the absence of Rooney this season, Li Yu's withdrawal has become an inevitable choice.

Returning from the Champions League to the Premier League, all teams now know that Manchester United's once solid defense has a fatal weakness, that is, left-back Evera is afraid of the impact of speedy side players.

The explosive power of Xishan and the large-scale assists that still do not accept the old make the French veteran often leave a large area of open space for the opponent to step on the joint venture, so the left side of Manchester United has become the back garden of those speed demons to rush around.

From the moment he was abandoned by Manchester United, Obotan has been looking forward to the mobile phone meeting with his old boss all the time. He can prove his strength in front of his former teammates, which is obviously the best way to wash away the shame of being swept away by the Red Devil.

Before the French Flying Wings, he slowly said confidently: "Leaving Manchester United is never a good thing. There may be some regrets, but after Newcastle has had such an excellent start to the season, I don't feel any regrets anymore. Evra is my good friend. I called him before and said that I had been practicing in the gym for two weeks, so he had to be careful. When you leave a club, you will always have this idea. When you come back, you have to prove that you have become better, and I will do it.

When Obotan, dressed in a Newcastle jersey, appeared at Old Trafford as a visiting team player, the Manchester United abandoned the previous warning with his sharp side breakthrough to prove that the previous warning was by no means alarmist. Even though Obotan is considered by many to be a single-celled player with strong physical fitness, Evra is still There is nothing I can do about this speed demon overlord.

In the 19th minute, an acceleration on the right edge of Obotene's penalty area left Evra far behind, and then easily sent a cross near the bottom line. Vidic grabbed a hasty header in front of Demba Ba and rubbed the ball, but the ball fell to the foot of Laian Taylor at the back point. Taylor's vigorous shot was firmly confiscated by De Gea. In the 38th minute, Obotan received the straight plug from Demba Ba and carried the ball all the way to the bottom line. Evra could only chase behind him. If it hadn't been for Ferdinand's timely replacement, Obotan would have almost all the way to the small penalty area.

In the 42nd minute, Obotan sent a cross in front of Evra twice in a row. At that moment, Evra's defense was simply useless. Fortunately, the anti-aircraft turret composed of Vidic and Ferdinand performed very steadily and cleared the ball continuously.

In fact, it may be that young Fabio is more likely to make mistakes. Newcastle's attack in the opening stage is mainly concentrated on the right side of Manchester United. However, after Gutierrez's two consecutive one-on-one defeats against Fabio, Newcastle shifted the focus of the attack to the side of Obotene. As a result, they found that the so-called experienced and experienced Efra is much easier to deal with than the childish Fabio. Obotene's speed is almost accurate. The left defense of the crane can't help Ferguson sitting on the coach's seat.

In contrast to the awkwardness on the defensive end, Evra's performance on the offensive end is very good. In the first 7 minutes of the game, Evra sent a high-quality over-top long pass to the little pea, and the shot inside the little pea also formed a certain threat.

In the 55th minute, Evra quickly inserted it when Giggs encountered the bag. The Welsh veteran understood that he would send a straight plug. Evra skipped the last defensive player on the right side of the opponent** and sent a high-quality low pass to Ashley Young. The latter shot angrily in the far corner in front of the penalty area, and the ball brushed off the goalpost. In the 70th minute, Evra began to carry the ball from the left rib of the midfield, leaned her body against her opponent all the way to the penalty area, and completed an angry shot, showing her amazing confrontational ability and ball protection skills.

In the 83rd minute, Evra faced Sami Ameobi's corner kick, pulled out the arc ball on the back of his left foot at the edge of the penalty area, and the ball went straight to the upper left corner of the goal. Unfortunately, if there was a divine help, Krull flew and saved the ball out of the bottom line.

It's lucky that such a defense brought back 1 point away.