Chapter 195 Exclusive first (guaranteed end of month)
For Liverpool and Basel, the day of judgment is November 12, which is still two weeks away. No matter how anxious they are, they can only temporarily focus on the league.
To win often is to think further. Valencia has already qualified ahead of schedule, and his goal is the second round group stage.
The UEFA Champions League at this time was different from the UEFA Champions League that everyone will be familiar with in the future, mainly in the competition system.
The reform of the Champions League competition system at this time was mainly due to the g14 league concept proposed by European giants clubs, which threatened UEFA's three major European competitions - the UEFA Champions League, the Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Cup.
In order to deal with the threat from the G14, UEFA had to reform the three major cups.
The result of the reform is the cancellation of the Cup Winners' Cup, and then each country's league can send one to four teams to participate in the UEFA Champions League based on the performance of their respective national teams in the European War. In addition, another round has been added to the UEFA Champions League.
Group stage, the first stage of the group stage consists of 32 teams divided into eight groups, each group has four teams, a double cycle of home and away games. After six games, the top two teams of the eight groups will advance to the next round.
In the second round-robin group stage, the third place will advance to the UEFA Cup. These 16 teams will then be divided into four groups by drawing lots to determine the eight top eight teams. After that, there will be a knockout round that will be upgraded along the way.
The purpose of this is to increase the number of participating teams and expand the influence and appeal of the Champions League. In addition, adding an additional round-robin group stage is mainly to increase the number of games played by the teams so that they can get more competition opportunities.
, earn more bonuses.
This will allow UEFA to gain support from more teams and compete with g14.
This reform has pros and cons.
Although it has expanded the influence of the Champions League, it has also increased the opportunities for many teams to compete, giving them the opportunity to win more prizes.
But the disadvantages are also very prominent.
First of all, the two group matches increase the number of games and increase the burden on the players, resulting in players lacking physical fitness and prone to various injuries. This is detrimental to the interests of the players and the team.
Secondly, there are two group matches. Although the participating teams have more opportunities to compete, the enjoyment of the games has declined. The group matches are lukewarm. It takes six group matches to determine the final places. However, the home and away knockout matches are
It only takes two games. Which one is more intense, has a higher level, and both teams are more committed, it’s self-evident.
UEFA's attempt to change the Champions League with two group stage formats has failed.
Therefore, the 2002-2003 season will be the last time that the UEFA Champions League will appear in front of everyone in the form of two group stages.
Starting from the 2003-2004 season, the UEFA Champions League will return to its previous format. Thirty-two teams are divided into eight groups to determine sixteen teams. These sixteen teams will not participate in the second round-robin group stage.
, direct home and away knockout matches.
This is the format of the Champions League that everyone is familiar with now.
To be honest, Chang Sheng doesn’t like the current competition system. The reasons are basically the above two points.
However, when Chang Sheng was just a fan, he was disgusted with this competition system, mainly because he felt that the two group stages made many games that should have been very intense become useless. Everyone calculated against each other, hid their strength, and could not lose.
Absolutely no risk.
There is no benefit at all from the double round robin group stage.
Now he is a head coach, as a head coach. He believes that the double round-robin group stage allows his players to play four more games. If it is only a home and away elimination system, it only takes two games to go from the top 16 to the top eight.
Competition. Now they have to fight each other for six games.
It's simply a waste of time and energy.
The players are already very tired. At this time, there are still six Champions League group matches to play, which greatly increases the possibility of players getting injured.
No head coach will like this format.
This is completely to make way for money, to make way for ratings, and to make way for sponsors.
Although I don’t like it, I still have to play within the rules.
So Chang Sheng is already thinking about how to play games during this period. He may have to rotate more frequently.
Because the second round of the Champions League group stage spans a winter break, from the end of November to the end of March. This period is one of the most fatigued and most susceptible to injuries for players.
Fortunately, this summer, four players were purchased to supplement the thickness of the bench.
If the lineup is still the same as last season, it may be a little stretched.
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After returning from Liverpool, Valencia defeated Espanyol 1:0 away from home in the eighth round of the league.
Starting from a 2-0 away victory over Atletico Madrid, Valencia has achieved three consecutive victories. However, this has not helped them secure the top spot in the league.
Because in this round, Real Sociedad also won. They and Valencia now have the same points, 20 points. Even the scores are the same. They defeated Villarreal 1:0 away from home.
After this round of league matches, it is the final round of the Champions League group stage.
But this has nothing to do with Valencia anymore.
Valencia, who used all substitutes, defeated Spartak Moscow 2:1 at home.
It is worth mentioning that Deco scored his first goal after joining Valencia in this game. In various competitions, he has contributed ten assists to the team, but has not yet scored.
ball.
Now that the first goal has come, I think there will be more goals coming in the future.
The Russian champion team, which was full of pride when the draw was made, failed to win a single game in this group stage and was eliminated with a humiliating score of zero points.
The other group match held at the same time was very intense.
Basel scored from the start of the game, taking the lead in the fifth minute and adding two more goals in the 22nd and 29th minutes.
Leading 3:0 in the first half.
At that time, the commentator said that this game had lost its suspense and Basel would advance to the second round group stage.
Unexpectedly, the situation suddenly changed in the second half, and Liverpool, who were forced into a desperate situation, broke out. They scored two goals in three minutes, making the score 2:3, only two goals away, which gave them hope of advancing.
In the 85th minute, Michael Owen scored the team's third goal and equalized the score.
In the following time, Basel returned to defense and stayed in the penalty area, while Liverpool pressed forward aggressively, bombarding Basel's goal and even the goalkeeper.
They only need one goal to eliminate Basel.
But until the referee blew the whistle for the end of the game, they were unable to score another goal...
In the end, after the draw ceremony, Liverpool, who was considered the favorite to qualify, maybe even the first in the group, was eliminated and could only play in the UEFA Cup as the third place in the group...
When the game ended, Liverpool's players couldn't believe it. They stood dumbfounded and stood on the field with no reaction.
Basel's players were ecstatic, running wildly on the pitch and cheering. The entire Basel home court turned into a sea of joy. Their cheers made Liverpool's downturn even more evident...
After all the group matches were played, UEFA conducted a second draw to select the group matches for the second round of group matches.
There are only four groups in the second round group stage.
Valencia was assigned to Group B. In the same group with them were Eredivisie champion Ajax, Serie A powerhouse Roma, and the traditional Premier League team Arsenal.
At the turn of the century, Dutch football was not as declining as it would be in the future, so the Eredivisie teams at this time were still very strong. The strength of this group was also very even, and it was hard to say who could advance from the group and who could not.
Especially in Valencia.
Everyone no longer dares to judge.
After the last group draw ceremony, Chang Sheng said something about a good draw, which attracted a lot of criticism. It turned out that what he said was the truth. For Valencia, it was a good draw. They were in the group stage
Five wins and one draw from six games, qualifying with 16 points.
Such a strong performance makes people very optimistic about their performance in the second round group stage.
The first round of the group stage will kick off on November 27th.
It's only been half a month since then.
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On November 6, in the second round of the Copa del Rey, Valencia challenged Alleghendi away. All the players in this winning game were substitutes.
He has won the King's Cup for two consecutive seasons. This season, he does not attach much importance to the King's Cup as before. This is also human nature. The King's Cup is no longer new to him or his team.
feel.
So now for Valencia, the Copa del Rey has become a training event for substitutes and young players.
It is also a good thing that substitute players who cannot get stable playing opportunities in the league can still have a chance to show themselves in the Copa del Rey.
Valencia, who came on as full substitutes, fought against Alleghendi for 120 minutes in the away game and tied 1:1. In the final penalty shootout, Valencia won 5:4 and advanced to the third round.
In the ninth round of the league, Real Sociedad played for the second time in this round. They had a fierce battle with Deportivo La Coruna and finally tied with 1:1.
This is definitely good news for Valencia, who will play the next day.
But maybe the news was too good and the Valencia players were too excited.
As a result, in the next day's game, Valencia was tied 1:1 by Real Betis at their home court.
The two teams still have the same score of 21 points...
They are really good brothers, sharing difficulties and sharing blessings.
If there is a draw, everyone will be drawn.
After this game, Chang Sheng scolded the players in the locker room.
Because of the great opportunity, Valencia failed to seize it, resulting in the fact that they are still tied with their opponents until now.
In addition to scolding him, Chang Sheng also announced that the next day's holiday would be cancelled, and all the players would go to Patna Sports City. He would give them a good tactical lesson.
The Valencia players, who were scolded by Chang Sheng, trained very hard in the following weeks.
Then they had a chance in the next round of the league.
The match between Valencia and Real Sociedad was held at the same time, and both teams were playing away from home.
Valencia, full of fighting spirit, defeated Osasuna 3:1 away from home.
Real Sociedad and Real Madrid tied 0:0 at the Bernabeu!
In terms of points, Valencia finally surpassed Real Sociedad and ranked first in the league alone!
Chang Sheng was very satisfied with the performance of the players. Because their game ended first, they were all waiting in the locker room for news about the other stadium.
When it came out that Real Sociedad and Real Madrid were tied, there was a burst of cheers in the dressing room.
The stress that had been building up for a week finally dissipated.
After being scolded by Chang Sheng, this team tried hard to prove themselves again.
This is the benefit of reputation [worship].
If Chang Sheng scolded the team in the past, it might even arouse dissatisfaction among the players.
But now, when most players admire their reputation, Chang Sheng scolding them will only motivate them and not make them have any bad thoughts.
They are willing to fight tooth and nail to win.
If Chang Sheng scolds them, they will feel the pressure because the head coach is unhappy.
In the cheers, Chang Sheng announced that he would have a day off tomorrow, and everyone cheered even louder.
Won the ball, completely occupied the first place in the league, and still have some time off.
What a triple blessing!
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ps. From May 1st to May 7th, there is a double monthly pass period, so if you have a monthly pass, be sure not to keep it until the end of the month. This month’s strategy is different from last month.
