Benitez has not been having an easy time these days.
As the captain of the Red Army, Liverpool not only lost to Arsenal in the League Cup, but also lost very humiliatingly.
The Red Army lost not because they had not played against their opponents, but because there was heavy fog in Anfield that day.
The referee Atkinson on duty announced the cancellation of the game due to low visibility an hour before the game. A night banquet for a wealthy family was abruptly terminated, leaving 5,200 fans who had entered the venue in advance to shiver in the cold wind.
And the most embarrassing thing is that the head coaches of both sides are very dissatisfied with this.
Ge Tie protested with a green face: "This venue is completely suitable for games, but there is no way we can't influence the referee's decision. This is really disappointing! Because both teams want the game to proceed normally, and my little players have been gearing up for a long time. .”
Benitez, who was defeated by the Gunners with 3 goals at the Emirates Stadium, invited a group of Spanish relatives and friends to help out. Unexpectedly, he was spoiled by heavy fog. Naturally, the Red Army coach was very angry with Atkinson: "We have to respect The referee, but whether he likes it or not is another matter. I think we should have played normally. Atkinson told us that we can't see the different colors on the pitch, but you can see the goal clearly from the center circle. I am not happy with this decision. It’s amazing because the lads were training this morning in even worse weather conditions!”
In such a heavy fog, what is trapped is by no means a simple League Cup, but also the schedule of the two teams fighting on multiple fronts.
It was not until a few days ago that the Red Army was completely eliminated by Arsenal.
After the loss, the Red Army was still in poor condition.
Facing Blackburn in the last round of the league, Liverpool was scored by the opponent at the last moment and lost the game.
The Reds have only scored eight points in 10 away games this season.
Judging from the current record, the Red Army is already 16 points behind Manchester United at the top of the list. It is obviously not very realistic to recover points in the next 18 rounds.
But for the current Liverpool, it shouldn't be too difficult to win a Champions League spot.
Liverpool is currently ranked sixth in the Premier League, and its opponents are Bolton and Arsenal.
The three teams of Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United are far ahead and are no longer targets that the second tier can catch up with.
For this reason, Benitez said in an interview: "...I will not look at the standings. This is a complete waste of time! I would rather spend this time on more meaningful things, such as, How to win the next game.”
"I know there is still a certain gap between us and Tottenham in points, but if we want to win against our opponents away from home, we should forget about the standings and our opponents' points."
"Tottenham are a big deal this season and we've already seen how good they are at Anfield."
“We are fully prepared for our visit to White Hart Lane this time.”
Liverpool has always been a dragon at home and a worm on the road.
In the first half of the league, Tottenham Hotspur not only tied 2-2 with the Red Army at Anfield, but also showed dominance in the away game, even completely surpassing the home team.
Especially when Wang Xiaodong sang the Liverpool team anthem in an off-key and exaggerated voice, it even surprised the Red Army.
KOPs can't hate a young man who sang You'll Never Walk Alone at Anfield, even if he was Liverpool's opponent and helped the visiting team score a goal at Anfield. This time they visited White Hart Lane, and everyone in the Red Army worked hard to make the song "You'll Never Walk Alone" echo in the high air of White Hart Lane.
As the game approaches, fans are paying more and more attention to this round of Premier League focus battle.
...
On the other side, Wang Xiaodong, who had rested for two games, was also gearing up.
For more than a week, the Cats have been training at the training base, which has made Wang Xiaodong's feet and ball feel better and better. Although it has not reached the stage of rising the ball, Wang Xiaodong's legs are already very hot.
"Look, the next game is against Liverpool. I want to use this game to declare my confidence to all fans and let them know that Chinese players can also become superstars!"
Looking at the confident Wang Xiaodong across the table, Zheng Zhi's blood boiled with excitement.
At Shandong Luneng's press conference a few days ago, Luneng officially announced the news of Zheng Zhi joining Charlton.
Although this is not the most vigorous overseas study, it is the most dramatic and successful operation.
Looking back now, in the away game between China and Palestine in October, it was not just the Chinese team that won and qualified. On the night after that game, Dong Fangzhuo and Zheng Zhi's labor certificate applications were in full swing.
Dong Fangzhuo's application for a labor certificate is not news, but Zheng Zhi started applying for it at that time, but it was kept strictly confidential by the relevant people.
"If we hadn't started doing it in advance at that time, it would be really troublesome now." Zheng Zhi took a mouthful of sausage and smacked his lips.
According to the regulations of the British Ministry of Labor, football players applying for labor certificates must play a certain number of A-level matches for their country.
Although he collided with the referee in the AFC Champions League, Zheng Zhi missed several Asian Cup qualifiers and did not reach the 70% appearance rate. But the British Ministry of Labor is still very reasonable in this regard. They will look at the reasons why Zheng Zhi cannot play.
Since it is an irresistible factor such as suspension, and Zheng Zhi has also had a high appearance rate in the national team in the past few years, Zheng Zhi is not stuck in this aspect at all.
The personal problem was solved, but Zheng Zhi almost fell into the collective problem.
"Xiaodong, you don't know that our country's ranking has dropped again." Zheng Zhi shook his head and complained.
According to the regulations of the British Ministry of Labor, if the Chinese national team's average world ranking in the past two years is not within 70, neither Dong Fangzhuo nor Zheng Zhi will be able to apply for a labor certificate.
But coincidentally, just one month after Zheng Zhi and Dong Fangzhuo submitted their applications, the Chinese team's ranking dropped from 68 to 73. This also means that if Zheng Zhi applies for it late, it is very likely that it will not be approved.
Now after Luneng's official announcement, the work contract negotiations between Zheng Zhi and Charlton have also come to an end.
"How much did Charlton give you?" Wang Xiaodong asked casually after lamenting Zheng Zhi's "lucky".
"Haha, you can't compare with Dong, but it has set a record in China." Zheng Zhi said, and when he saw no one around, he stretched out two fingers.
"2? Two million?"
"Well, that's right, two million in two years." Wang Xiaodong was not an outsider, and Zheng Zhi nodded.
"It's really quite a lot." Wang Xiaodong also knew the approximate salary of domestic players here. Sun Jihai didn't even have this price at the beginning.
"But I will rent it out for half a year first and then transfer here."
"Then why is this?" Wang Xiaodong still doesn't understand the detailed operations involved.
"Of course it's the A3 league." Zheng Zhi shrugged, "Luneng wants me to help them finish the A3 league."
The A3 League, also known as the A3 Champions Cup, or the East Asian Club Champions Cup, is an annual cup competition organized by the East Asian Football Association in 2003. It is hosted by China, Japan and South Korea in turn.
Many new fans no longer know that this event has only been held for five times. This year's A3 was held in Jinan, Shandong Province. Luneng was the league champion in 2006. Naturally, they want to win the US$400,000 prize money on their own territory.
After listening to Zheng Zhi explain the trick, Wang Xiaodong also showed a look of realization.
Good guy, Chinese club owners can still live a good life!
"But I'm pretty good. Charlton bought me a player this winter. I feel quite lucky." Zheng Zhi said contentedly.
"Yes, I heard many fans call you the second 'Shunsuke Nakamura'. I have high expectations for you!"
Hearing Wang Xiaodong's teasing, Zheng Zhi laughed and said, "Xiaodong, don't make fun of your brother Zheng!"
"I'm crazy how many years older you are in terms of age. You are my senior in the Premier League!"
"If you ask me to say, 'The second Shunsuke Nakamura', I might as well be the second 'Wang Xiaodong'."
"Hahahahahaha~~~~" Wang Xiaodong burst out laughing when he heard Zheng Zhi's praise, "Okay, Brother Zheng, since you said so, you can come to White Hart Lane to watch the game in a few days, and I will pick up Liverpool for you. Take the wind!”
