Super Marshal

On March 16, the Saint-Germain training base in the western suburbs of Paris.

At the end of the morning training session, Gao Han and his assistants went to the restaurant to have lunch, and sat in front of the TV at 11:30 punctually to watch the UEFA draw live.

According to UEFA’s practice, the UEFA Champions League draw will be conducted after fifteen minutes, followed by a rest, and then the UEFA Cup draw. The two major cups are the quarter-final knockout draws.

In the UEFA Champions League after the last sixteen knockout rounds, there were a total of two knockout rounds in the Europa League. Paris Saint-Germain first eliminated Trabzonspor of Turkey with a total score of 8 to 1. The total score of six to one in the two rounds eliminated Belgium's standard Liège and successfully reached the quarterfinals.

Among the teams that entered the quarter-finals of the Champions League this time, La Liga has the strongest limelight. All four participating teams have reached the quarter-finals, occupying half of the country. The remaining four teams occupy two seats in the Premier League, Manchester duo, Serie A And the Bundesliga each have one seat, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich.

According to the rules of the UEFA Champions League draw, this time the eight teams will be shuffled, and the draw will be re-drawing and fighting against each other. Without the principle of avoiding the same country, all teams are likely to meet. Therefore, it is very likely that La Liga teams will meet.

"How do you feel now?" Zidane asked with a smile, sitting beside Gao Han.

Others heard it and thought it was funny, but they were really curious, what would it be like to get cold?

"If you want to answer in a high-sounding way, then I will definitely say that I am very satisfied with the team being able to go to this day, so no matter who the opponent is drawn next, no matter whether the game is won or won at the end of the game, I can accept it completely, so now I don’t care at all or who I will get."

Gao Han responded to the assistant coach's questions with the same tone he used to deal with media reporters. His serious expression made everyone present amused, and this answer was indeed too high-sounding.

"What if it's not so high-sounding?" Zidane asked again with a smile.

Gao Han said, "Then I will definitely say that the seven teams in the Champions League quarter-finals are really strong!"

At the end, the assistants burst into laughter.

But this is true, because Chinatown is definitely the weakest among the top eight teams, so no matter who is drawn, it feels very strong. This is understandable.

"Mr. Gao Han, I am a reporter from the Paris Saint-Germain newspaper." Sergio Garcia also came to join in the fun, "I would like to ask you, out of the seven teams, which team do you think your Chinatown draws the most? possible?"

Gao Han frowned and looked like I was very upset, causing everyone present to laugh again.

"Can I not answer?"

"No, you must answer."

"Ok, I most hope to draw the La Liga team."

"Huh?" Everyone suspected that they had heard it wrong.

La Liga team?

Barcelona is recognized as one of the two strongest teams in the quarter-finals. Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are also very strong, and both are regulars in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. They are secure in the quarter-finals. Isn’t it alright? Is your brain so funny?

"Look, don't you, you all suspect that my brain is broken, because according to your thinking, I should choose Inter Milan, right?" Gao Han felt funny himself.

"Then why not Inter Milan?" Zidane asked curiously.

The situation of the Serie A league has declined in recent years. Inter Milan can be described as a unique player. It has successively sold a number of leading stars, plus a group of backbones such as Adriano, Cannavaro, and Cambiasso. After getting old, Inter Milan's strength is not as good as before.

Although there are currently core main players such as Hamsik, Bonucci and Marchisio, and Prandelli has also cultivated local rookies such as Thornton and Balotelli, the overall strength of the Nerazzurri is in the Champions League. The quarterfinals are still weak.

Of course, Moratti has not invested much in recent years, but the team has raised a lot of money in the new stadium project, which is expected to be completed within a year. Once the new stadium is put into use, Inter Milan will usher in a new period of rapid development.

But judging from the current situation, Inter Milan is still in a dormant stage, and the strength is at best the quarter-finals.

On the other hand, Barcelona, ​​Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Manchester United and Manchester City do not need to say. After Bayern Munich fired Klinsmann, they hired Heynckes. This season, their strength has skyrocketed. The fronts have performed very well, plus the team left by Gao Han, at least the semi-finals.

Therefore, it is not surprising that everyone does not understand Gao Han's thoughts.

"I know that Inter Milan is relatively weak among the eight teams. Chinatown may not have the same strength when encountering Inter Milan." Gao Han's words were also recognized by everyone present.

"But you forgot one thing. Chinatown is just a new team in the Champions League. It has not even played in the Europa League before. It lacks the experience of dealing with different league team styles. Inter Milan's defensive ability is superb. Serie A tactics. Rigor will definitely pose a fatal threat to Chinatown."

Gao Han's words made everyone nod their heads involuntarily, it was true.

In terms of strength alone, there may be a fight, but Chinatown is too inexperienced, and Italy's style restrains La Liga, which is well known. Chinatown is young and immature, and it is probably not enough to draw Inter Milan.

"Although I am reluctant to admit it, I have to say that if Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Manchester City are drawn, Chinatown will basically have very little hope of qualifying. Instead, Barcelona, ​​Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid will compete with each other. Zhongzhi knows the bottom line, I think it can be a fight."

The Champions League knockout matches are definitely more difficult to play than the league, but they know each other well, and they are more confident in dealing with them. Pochettino’s formation will also be more confident, so Gao Han thinks that playing La Liga teams has a better chance of winning. .

Of course, the odds of winning mentioned here are only the difference between 10% and 20%.

Anyway, for Chinatown, these seven teams are like towering mountains, especially the two mountains of Manchester City and Barcelona, ​​which are comparable to Mount Everest and insurmountable.

"Then you'd better pray to win Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid, if it's Barcelona..."

Before Zidane's voice was over, the draw on live TV began.

UEFA Secretary General Infantino still presided over the draw. After he took the stage, he introduced the eight teams that reached the quarter-finals first, and took a short time to review the just-concluded round of 16 knockout.

After entering the lottery ceremony, Chinatown was the first to be drawn.

When the lottery guest Breitner drew the result, even the team representatives on the scene were a little surprised.

Everyone knows that this is an alpine team. After being upgraded year by year, it not only reached the Copa del Rey finals this season, but also reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League. This was achieved by selling four absolute core players in one summer. , Which shows the strength of this team.

But soon, everyone changed from surprise to cheer.

Because Breitner's second team drawn out is Barcelona.

This time it was Zidane's turn in front of the TV, covering his mouth, watching the TV with wide eyes in disbelief, and then at Gao Han, who had a wry smile on his face.

Who would have thought that Chinatown would win Barcelona? These are two teams with a big difference in strength. Barcelona can be regarded as the natural enemy of Chinatown. In the three seasons in Chinatown, they have never beaten Barcelona. , Not even a draw.

Now it's in the Champions League again, playing Barcelona, ​​with no chance of winning.

Gao Han also shook his head straight and sighed heavily. The draws of the other groups were no longer what he cared about.

Bayern Munich won Atletico Madrid, Manchester United had the best luck, Inter Milan, Real Madrid beat Manchester City, and in the subsequent draw, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid, together with Chinatown and Barcelona, Was drawn to the lower half, that is to say, the winners of the two duels will meet in the semifinals.

"Too depressed, isn't it?" Sergio Garcia shook his head and smiled bitterly. "I ran out of luck before, but now it's unlucky."

Everyone feels so, Barcelona and Manchester City are the teams that everyone is least willing to meet.

On the surface, Gao Han always said that he is satisfied with the team's current results, even if he stops in the quarter-finals, it is already a windfall, but he still has some thoughts, if he gets a hit again and enters the quarter-finals. ?

Judging from the results of the current lottery, the possibility is really slim.

But he soon calmed down, nodded and smiled: "Actually, Barcelona is not completely without weakness."

"Left back." Sergio Garcia has followed Gao Han for many years, knowing his character well.

Now that the result of the draw is obvious and cannot be changed, then we should work hard to find a way to defeat the enemy.

"Abidal is planning to undergo a liver transplant. After selling Maxwell, Guardiola has always had two options on the left~www.readwn.com~ One is Puyol’s position and the other is Adrian. Jarno, but no matter which one, the left side is Barcelona's fatal weakness."

It should be said that these two players are not Barcelona's choice on the left, but are forced to act as a last resort.

"We know that Guardiola must know that he will definitely be prepared." Makelele analyzed.

Gao Han nodded, "Yes, but from the perspective of last season, Guardiola didn't have many methods. It is his strategy to use offense instead of defense. In European football, there are not many teams that can hold Barcelona's offense."

After a pause, Gao Han continued: "With Barcelona's play style and lineup configuration, the holes on the left will always exist, but not any team can attack it, but as long as it can hold the seven inches of Barcelona. There may not be no chance of winning, I believe Pochettino must also be very clear about this."

The problem on the left side of Barcelona has been exposed since last season. This summer, due to transfer budget issues, failed to strengthen on the left side. Abidal and Adriano continued to be retained. However, after halfway through the schedule, Abidal's condition relapsed. , Which exposed the crisis on Barcelona's left.

Pochettino has played so many games with Barcelona in two seasons and he must be aware of this.

So, the next step is to see if he can make good use of this.

This can be said to be the only hope for Chinatown to be upset again.

However, Pochettino should not have a headache for the Champions League quarter-final knockouts now, because he is the first to bear the brunt of the weekend against Real Madrid, at the Bernabéu Stadium, how can he ensure that the team retires completely.

After the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals draw ended, the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals draw also began. Paris Saint-Germain drew Alkmaar of the Netherlands, and the possibility of qualifying for the semi-finals is very high.

(End of this chapter)