On the fourth day back in London, the Chelsea squad travelled to Manchester for an FA Cup semi-final at Old Trafford, Manchester United's home stadium......
Liverpool.It was definitely a very uncomfortable game for Ferguson.One is the former king who was kicked over the throne by him but never died completely, and the other is the guy who rose up strongly before he could settle Arsenal, and by the way snatched the chair he and Professor Wenger were fighting for, and sat under the ass and didn't plan to get up.If the FA could have predicted that these two teams would have reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, they would have been willing to change venues.Manchester United fans will never come to the stadium or see the hated Liverpool, or even more hated Chelsea, reach the final in their homes.Similarly, the other half of Manchester's fans, the Blue Moons, will not pay for the box office of their rivals.It's a sad arrangement.Therefore, the attendance rate of this game is average, only about 60%.The Premier League title has been decided, and Chelsea can be confident in their quest for more titles.Similarly, the Liverpudlians have nothing to pursue, the Premier League and the Champions League have no chances, and the FA Cup must go all out.Therefore, this game is also considered by the outside world to be a game that must be a wonderful collision.The semi-final was set in the middle of two Champions League semi-finals, and if the game in Italy did not go well, it was believed that Chelsea would have made some reservations, but the 2-0 score away from home left the Liverpudlians without luck.Benitez was very low-key in his pre-match speech and interview, of course, he usually doesn't dare to mess with Jose.And Jose did not launch a verbal attack on Liverpool, he was busy on all fronts, and he did not have the heart to fight again in the "small" FA Cup.However, the low profile of the coaches of both sides could not hide the anxiety of the game itself and the intensity of the confrontation.Both sides tried their best to conceal their own preparations, and no matter how hard Fleet Street tried, there were no rumors of war preparations.After arriving in Manchester a day earlier, both sides were quickly moved into a dedicated hotel and a fully enclosed training ground.This time, Chelsea's family group did not move, only Wang Ai himself brought three old and three young people over, they participated in the pre-match preparation throughout the game, and also needed to watch the effect of Jose's preparation on the spot, as well as temporary tactical adjustments.Thus putting yourself in José's shoes and examining the wisdom and talent of this world-renowned coach.That's what really useful learning is.Drogba, Crespo, Joe Cole, Robben, Wang Ai, Lampard, Makelele, Ferreira, Del Orno, Terry, Gallas, Duff, Geremi, Cudicini, Maniche, Hutter plus a third goalkeeper.Petr Cech is injured, so Cudicini gets a chance to play, and by the way, the third goalkeeper has seen some light.Wang Ai was not sure if he would have a chance to play, Jose did not have him in the starting line-up, after all, Wang Ai played the full game for the first time at Chelsea five days ago, and his physical exhaustion was real.This exhaustion is not only physical, but also psychological.Wang Ai used to play within 70 minutes like Rui Costa, and his physical arrangement was clear, but this time he played 90 minutes, and the rhythm was a little chaotic.There are likely to be two Champions League games in the future, and the final opponent is likely to be the defeated Arsenal, which also means that the competition between Wang Ai and Henry in the league may be repeated in the Champions League final.It's too topical.It is believed that after Chelsea and Arsenal won their respective opponents, that is, in the second leg of the semi-final in a few days' time, UEFA will stir up the topic.In this regard, whether it is Wang Ai or Henry, they should be happy.Henry has not been idle recently, and at the same time that Wang Ai is about to get a contract with Coca-Cola, Henry has also made some gains in the mall one after another.Although Wang Ai and Henry are not friends, their agents are already very cordial and are imagining a beautiful next opportunity for cooperation.Schlapner, a low-level agent in Germany, has officially joined the circle of upper-middle brokers and can share more information and resources.Of course, Schlapner did not come for nothing, with the help of Wang Ai's identity and his previous influence in China, the resources he had in this "blue ocean" in China were also the envy of Henry's agent.Although they have a directory of large manufacturers and large enterprises, they will not take the initiative to find them.An international star like Henry is still reserved in the face of domestic enterprises in China.Therefore, if there is Schlapner pulling the strings, even if it is a share of the commission, it is also appropriate, and some brands that are not suitable for Wang Ai are not necessarily suitable for Henry, which is called resource sharing.At 5 p.m. on the 22nd, the two sides officially kicked off at the Theater of Dreams and launched a very fierce confrontation, with four yellow cards, which is rare in the Premier League, which is already known for its fierce confrontation.However, Wang Ai really didn't get a chance to play, and his teammates played quite well.The first goal of the first half was a set-piece by Liverpool that left Chelsea unprepared.But then, Chelsea, who were more prepared, more confident and of course stronger, still scored one goal each in the second half by Crespo and Drogba, thus advancing to the final with a score of 2:1, and by the way, sending Liverpool a season of "all four empty".Chelsea did not stop in Manchester after the game, having a hasty dinner before boarding the plane back to London.Compared with the Champions League, the FA Cup is just chicken ribs, the icing on the cake, and losing it will not make the boss angry.And if the Champions League misses in such a favorable situation, it will affect everyone's salary increase.After leaving Heathrow Airport, after the bus drove to the vicinity of Stamford Bridge, many teammates got off the bus in turn and went home, and the remaining few people such as Wang Ai and Robben who lived near Cobham continued to go home with the bus."
You Chelsea people are very friendly."
As he walked from the gate of Cobham to the village, the elder Mertesacker complained: "They don't know that Pell is my son, they just think I'm an academy coach!"
Frank Lampard actually greeted me when he got out of the car. ”"Frank is a very friendly personality and has a good relationship with me."
Wang Ai shrugged absently: "But you have to know that you are the father of the Arsenal player, eh?"
Maybe Cobham won't let you in, haha. ”Old Mertesacker threw his head behind his back: "I'm not going to stay until the final. ”Wang Ai looked at Zhang Yin again: "As a meritorious coach who has cultivated three Chinese footballers, Coach Zhang should be very calm, right?"
”Zhang Yin smiled bitterly: "What am I?"
At Lampard's level, he wants to change his nationality and he can be in office for 10 consecutive terms!
”Laughing all the way, approaching home in the night.()