Red Rebels

Two days after playing Liverpool, they faced Aston Villa at home.

The performance of the latter this season is very different from that of the traditional strong teams in the Premier League. They are currently ranked 18th in the Premier League and deep in the relegation zone. But what is worse than them is Birmingham led by Steve Bruce. This team The team is currently ranked 19th.

Since they just had a bloody battle with Liverpool, Mourinho made an appropriate rotation of the starting lineup. Villa played as the lone forward, Ribery and Messi played on the wings, Aguero played as an attacking midfielder, and France Bregas and De Rossi serve as double midfielders, Lahm, Vidic, Chiellini and Maicon form the defense, and Casey Keller serves as goalkeeper.

This is also the first time Casey Keller has started in the league.

Despite four days of rest, the players still failed to recover. At the beginning of the game, they were beaten very embarrassingly by Aston Villa, who were the visitors. In the 43rd minute, Simon Davis scored for Aston. Villa took the lead and scored a goal and extended the 0:1 score into midfield.

During the halftime break, Mourinho scolded the players in the locker room and made adjustments to the situation in the first half. As expected, the team's performance improved in the second half.

In the 51st minute, Ribery received Aguero's through ball, successfully countered offside, and hit a curved ball on the left side of the penalty area, which hit the dead corner and restored the score, 1:1!

The French Scarlet Warriors have performed better and better this season, especially the savior who has been in danger many times at critical moments. These have made Ribery more and more important in Mourinho's mind, but Ronaldinho's performance is better than Ribery's. Berry is even better, which makes Ribery only compete with Ronaldinho.

After scoring a goal, Ribery played even more vigorously on the left, especially with Aguero in the middle. The two of them cooperated several times and almost helped the team score.

In the 58th minute, Ribery made another attack on the left and passed the ball to the center. Aguero, a big kid, just grabbed the ball before the opponent's central defender made a clearance and stabbed the ball into the goal. The defeat turned into a victory, 2:1!

Although they created several good scoring opportunities and Aston Villa counterattacked, neither side could score again. In the end, relying on Ribery's outstanding performance, they defeated the visiting Aston Villa. Scored 3 points.

While defeating Aston Villa, Liverpool lost 2:1 to Charlton in an away game, suffering two consecutive defeats. This also made people worried about the thickness of Liverpool's bench, especially with Louis? Garcia's injury completely ignited Liverpool's worries about the bench.

Chelsea defeated West Ham United 1:3 in an away game and successfully reversed their way to the top of the league standings. Manchester United defeated Arsenal 0:1 away with a goal from Quaresma, and Manchester City defeated the Heat 2:0. After this round, Chelsea finally achieved a reversal, surpassing Liverpool's 53 points with 54 points, reaching the top of the league standings for the first time this season, and ranked third with 51 points, followed by 48 points. Manchester United and Manchester City with 47 points.

However, the day after this game ended, Liverpool announced that they would introduce striker Bellamy from Newcastle for 5 million pounds. This was also a major signal for Liverpool to strengthen their striker strength. It is also said that Liverpool is also interested in playing in the UK. Crouch, who performed well in the Champions League, hopes to introduce this old player.

In addition, the Netherlands' powerful striker Kuyt is also in Benitez's plan. This player who can play on the left wing is known for his running ability and scoring ability. Benitez has injured each other between Luis Garcia and Irving. Finally, I hope to get Kuyt to strengthen the team's left wing strength.

…………When Liverpool announced the introduction of Bellamy, Mourinho gave many of the team’s main players a rare two-day holiday. This was a tribute to their difficulty in getting through this devilish schedule. I also hope they can take a good rest, recover and get back into shape for the next tight schedule.

While players including Kaká and Beckham are resting,

Young players including Ismail were involved in intense preparations, because two days after playing Aston Villa, the team ushered in the third round of the FA Cup.

This time the FA's schedule is relatively cheap. Although they are facing the Huddersfield team from League One, they are sitting at home and can wait for their opponents to arrive more easily.

However, for the FA Cup, Mourinho still arranged a lineup of all youth team players. A group of youth team players such as Ismail, Walcott, Michael Johnson, and Mikel all appeared in the starting lineup. .

Both the League Cup and the FA Cup are regarded by Mourinho as training grounds for youth players. Although they are against professional teams, the performance of the youth team players is not inferior at all. With Ismail's He scored twice and defeated visiting Huddersfield 2:1 at home, successfully advancing to the next round.

Walcott continued to perform well in this game. Although he did not score a goal or assist, his breakthrough and personal skills on the left were very good. In addition, his speed was also very eye-catching, and Michael Johnson and Mikel performed solidly, each with one assist.

After playing in the FA Cup, Mikel, Drogba, Essien and others all reported to the national team. They will train with the national team and participate in the African Cup of Nations in late January. This event will be Continues until mid-February.

For the African Cup of Nations, the coaching staff simply wishes that Ghana, Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire would all stop in the group stage. However, judging from the current situation, it is undoubtedly more difficult. The three teams participating in the World Cup finals are not weak. , especially Cote d'Ivoire, with the help of famous players such as Drogba and the Toure brothers, their strength cannot be underestimated.

After leaving three African players, the first leg of the League Cup semi-finals ushered in.

The opponents in the semi-finals are Blackburn Rovers, while the other two teams are Droylsden and Arsenal.

The Premier League was suspended for 2 weeks for the League Cup and FA Cup games, so Mourinho made full use of these two League Cup games to adjust the status of the players, especially the injured Beckham and Vidic. , and was even excluded from the game roster to focus on recuperating from injuries.

In the first round of the away game against Blackburn Rovers, Mourinho asked Ismail to serve as the lone forward, Ribery and Robben played on the wings, Kaká played as the attacking midfielder, and Cesc Fabregas and De Rossi served as the double midfielder. , Lahm, Curtis, Chiellini and Maicon formed the defense, and the goalkeeper was Cech.

Blackburn sat at home and frequently used their home court advantage to launch attacks from the beginning. Many players, including Kaká, had rested, their morale was high, their physical fitness had recovered well, and they played very well in the game. positive.

In the 30th minute, after receiving a cross from Franck Ribery and leaning against the defender, Kaka suddenly turned around and accelerated, eating up his opponent. After attracting a central defender to grab the ball, Kaká made a clever pass. behind.

After training in the game, Ismail's strength has improved a lot, especially his shooting skills in the game. He has improved significantly. He was forced to fight against the opponent's central defender and hit the goal from a small angle. The ball missed the goal. The post goes into the net, 0:1!

After that, Blackburn performed very tenaciously, especially in the midfield, making big moves frequently, which did not weaken the power of Blackburn at all.

Although the Premier League and the Football Association have severely cracked down on stadium violence, Blackburn's actions and harassment were within the allowed range. After all, it is impossible for any league to eliminate such harassment and petty actions, so Mourinho in order to prevent players from Injured, Kaka was replaced by Aguero at halftime.

After that, he controlled the rhythm of the game very well. Fabregas' performance was much more stable than before. Especially when facing the opponent's press, he seemed very calm and unhurried, and he handled the ball well. He controlled the game very well, and There were several good key passes that showed his progress.

The game ended with 0:1, Mourinho's team defeated Blackburn away.

After returning to Manchester, after a break, we went to Droyden to visit the Butcher's Knife Stadium and challenge Droyden away. This was also the second confrontation between the two teams this season.

…………… came to the Butcher’s Knife Stadium for the first time as a Premier League opponent and received a warm welcome from the Bloods fans.

Although the two teams are rivals, fans on both sides know very well that they are friends.

It can be said that no, Droylsden would not be able to achieve the results it has today. Their ability to climb to where they are today is entirely due to the help of .

Throughout the game, the fans at the scene only applauded and cheered without any boos. This resulted in the game being considered by the media to be the most civilized game of the season after the game ended.

But the fans are civilized, but that doesn't mean the players are civilized as well.

The day before this game, Liverpool defeated Tottenham 1:0 at home, Manchester City defeated Manchester United 3:1 at home, and Arsenal defeated Middlesbrough 7:0. Henry, Senderos and Robin van Persie and others A complete outbreak, coupled with Chelsea's 1:2 away victory over Sunderland, gave both teams no reason not to grab points.

Mourinho kept saying before the game that he would not show mercy just because his opponent was Droylsden, and Pellegrini even said that Droylsden hopes to qualify for a European competition. Therefore, we strive to score points in this game.

Both sides adopted aggressive tactics, and the players were very rude on the court. They were having a great time going back and forth.

Villa took the lead in the 12th minute. Messi made a low pass from the right to the near post, and Villa scored in the penalty area.

But Droisden did not give in at all. In the 25th minute, Forlan made use of Ashley Young's cross from the left. Dzeko nodded the ball in front of him. Forlan leaned on Vidic with his body and headed the goal. , but the angle was too right, right in the arms of Cech.

After that, the two sides engaged in offensive and defensive tactics. Droisden used the three-midfielder tactic to establish an interception area in the midfield. Kaká was under Mascherano's tight marking and did not perform much in the game. , and failed to continue to expand the score.

On the contrary, in the second half, De Rossi made a tackle and tripped Forlan. Although the Italian immediately pulled Forlan up in a friendly manner and the two hugged politely, the referee still showed the Italian that he had shown him the game. The second yellow card he received sent him off with a red card.

Mourinho didn't care about De Rossi's red card. After all, if Forlan hadn't been stopped at that time, the latter might have cooperated with Dzeko in the penalty area, and the goal would have been dangerous. However, after De Rossi came off the field, , Mourinho immediately made adjustments and began to counterattack steadily, while Droysden pressed forward aggressively.

However, Pellegrini's team failed to defeat at home in the end, and the score was still 0:1 until the end!

This also caused Droylsden to be overtaken by Arsenal in points, falling to 7th in the league.

Regarding the team's real-life confrontation during the game, David Pace explained his next plan to Xiao Yu in the simple box at Butcher's Knife Stadium.

"Remember the piece of land at the intersection of Greenside Lane and Market Street?" David Pace smiled from ear to ear, not considering that his team was lagging behind on the pitch.

"Where are you planning to build a new stadium?" Xiao Yu asked with a smile.

"Did you buy it?" David was very concerned.

David Pace nodded and said: "I bought it. I am currently planning it, but it will definitely not be as generous as you and Liverpool. I plan to build a stadium that can temporarily accommodate 35,000 people and can be expanded to between 50,000 and 60,000 people."

"That's great. I remember that there is a large shopping mall opposite, which is known as the future core area of ​​Droisden. It cost a lot of money, right?" Xiao Yu praised with a smile.

He had seen that piece of land, and the surrounding environment was good. It was used as a warehouse by others, but it had been abandoned for many years. After David Pace bought it, he tidied it up a little and prepared to build a new stadium. It is said that the name is still called Butcher's Knife Pitch. =半^FU##生-/;.{ban^fu][heng]

"Money is not an issue. You know, Xiao Yu, I just feel that the Butcher's Knife Stadium is really old. Even though it was repaired, it still hindered the development of the team, so I want to build a new one. This way we in Droylsden can have real matchday income."

Matchday income has always accounted for a large proportion of the club's income. However, Droylsden's facilities are poor, the stadium seats are few, and the facilities are not perfect enough. This makes Droylsden's income situation not good. David Pace's investment accounted for a large proportion.

Xiao Yu had reminded David Pace before that he should look for opportunities to build a new stadium. Only a new stadium can help Droylsden embark on the path of self-financing.

"Okay, David, if you need any help, please come to me, understand?" Xiao Yu smiled and patted David Pace on the shoulder.

When he bought the land before, Xiao Yu lent him part of it. Now that he was going to build a new stadium, Xiao Yu naturally had to have the money and strength to contribute. He promised to help him contact the Manchester City Council to obtain government funding support, and he also agreed. Lend him money.

David Pace has shares in Umbro, so Xiao Yu is not afraid of him running away. Besides, he knows very well what kind of person his friend is.

With Xiao Yu's full support, David Pace is very grateful. His new stadium plan can officially start planning. After all, it costs nearly 100 million pounds. Without Xiao Yu, a rich man, he would not be able to do it!