The second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals will be held in a week.
For the teams that have entered the quarterfinals, there is usually a weekend domestic league game between the two knockout matches.
And Chelsea is challenging Swansea away from home.
Swansea this season has lost the magic of last season, and the team led by Garry Monk can basically only fight for relegation this season.
But now their situation is better than Aston Villa, Sunderland and other teams, ranking 15th with 37 points, 7 points higher than the relegation zone.
This is also a common problem for small teams. Due to the relatively large mobility of personnel, the team lacks stability.
This is normal. If their results have been stable, they may not be considered a small team...
For this game, Pan Yi also made a significant rotation.
After all, despite leading Benfica by four goals, the Champions League is still more important than the league, and no surprises are allowed.
The second leg against Benfica will be played three days after the game against Swansea. If you relax your vigilance, there is a certain chance that the boat will capsize.
As for the league, what does it matter if we win the championship a few rounds earlier?
And Garry Monk, who was determined to score a point, would be successful. He set up a three-midfielder formation at home, preparing to defend to the death.
This tactic worked in the first half and successfully withstood Chelsea's attack, preventing the Blues from scoring.
But in the second half, as the players' physical exertion increased, Swansea began to be unable to hold on.
In the 61st minute, Cancelo assisted Gnabry and shot low into the left rib, breaking Swansea's goal and opening the scoring for Chelsea.
This goal completely destroyed the will of the Swansea players.
Chelsea's goals soon followed.
In the 65th minute, Lingard dribbled the ball and forced his way into the penalty area. After attracting the attention of the defensive players, he assisted Abraham to score.
In the 71st minute, Moses went down from the wing and made a pass. After assisting, Goretzka scored.
In the end, Chelsea defeated Swansea 3-0 away from home.
In the standings, due to the draw against Villa in the last round and Leicester City's winning streak, the point gap between Chelsea and Leicester City has been narrowed to 15 points.
What’s interesting is that in Leicester City’s recent games, the scores have all been 1:0, but they have defeated Watford, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Southampton...
This also shows how well they played this defensive counterattack tactic under the leadership of Ranieri.
They do not have the absolute strength advantage to crush their opponents, but they can still win!
This means that although Leicester City ranks second in the standings, their goal difference is only 24. This data is not as good as Tottenham and Arsenal who are behind them, and it is even worse than being ranked sixth. of Manchester City.
And what is the goal difference of Chelsea, who is ranked first?
It’s a terrifying 62!
This means that even if Chelsea and Leicester City end up with the same score, Chelsea can still win the championship steadily because the goal difference gap is really too big.
And now there are only 6 rounds left in the league.
This means that as long as Chelsea can win one of the remaining six games, it will basically guarantee the championship.
——
April 13, Stadium of Light, Portugal.
Pan Yi still has some memories of this venue.
The last time he came here, he led Hamburg to defeat Real Madrid in the 2013-2014 Champions League final and finally won the championship.
This was also the first time he truly won the Champions League trophy as a head coach, starting his championship journey in world football.
This time, he led Chelsea to challenge Benfica away from home, which was the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.
What Pan Yi didn't expect was that the opponent's head coach Vittoria actually formed a somewhat desperate formation in this game-3-2-4-1.
Yes, this is the formation "invented" by Pan Yi.
After everyone discovered that this formation is really suitable for strong teams, many giants in major leagues began to try it, including Benfica, the top team in the Portuguese Super League.
However, with the strength of Benfica's lineup, it is possible to defeat them in the Portuguese Super League. How dare you face Chelsea?
But actually this is understandable.
After losing 0:4 in the away game, any head coach needs to make a choice.
That is, after returning to the home court, should you be cautious and avoid another big score, or should you give it a try and strive for a chance to come back?
In other words, we can't say a comeback, after all, we have to hope for a miracle to happen; but it is also necessary to show momentum in front of the home fans.
Obviously, Vittoria chose the latter.
It's a bit risky though.
After all, who in the right mind would adopt this three-back style when facing Chelsea with such fierce offensive firepower from the wing?
Of course, Pan Yi was just a little surprised by Vittoria's choice, but he didn't take it too seriously.
After all, he created this 3-2-4-1 formation, and Pan Yi is very familiar with its advantages and disadvantages.
With the personal abilities of Benfica players, it is actually difficult to control this strong formation.
Yes, this formation depends on the player configuration.
First, the key to this formation is the swing position of the midfielder. Without a central defender with good foot skills like David Luiz, and a highly mobile full center back like Van Dijk and Ake, it is impossible to play the swing position of the midfielder. of.
Secondly, this formation has obvious defensive loopholes and relies on the continuity of frontcourt pressure to provide protection. Teams that cannot sustain and effectively press high up the pitch will not be able to play.
Also, this formation is not simple and unchanging.
Pan Yi's 3-2-4-1 is one set with the ball and another without the ball. It is not easy to imitate.
Especially when there is no possession of the ball, Chelsea's 3-2-4-1 will sometimes change to 4-3-3, sometimes it will change to 4-4-2, or 4-1 depending on David Luiz's position. 2-3-1.
The changes are very flexible. Basically, they are adjusted according to the opponent's formation and the situation on the field at that time. Sometimes they even rely on the players' on-the-spot movements.
It can be said that if there are not enough good and good all-round players, it will not be possible.
Therefore, what Vittoria presented is most likely just a superficial lesson...
The tactics were completely controlled by Pan Yi, coupled with Chelsea's huge advantage of four goals at home, which also completely relieved the psychological pressure on the Chelsea players and allowed them to play freely.
This group of talented young people can always play at a very high level once they can let go of their hands and feet to play!
Pan Yi also told the players before the game that this game will still focus on offense.
"Try to forget the result of the first game and just treat it as an ordinary game. Go and show your offensive strength!"
This greatly inspired the Chelsea players, who launched a fierce press against Benfica after the opening game.
And since Benfica also used an offensive formation today, both sides played very unrestrainedly.
Both sides are unrestrained, so it is obviously easier for the stronger side to score goals.
Less than five minutes into the game, Van Dijk pressed forward directly to the edge of Benfica's penalty area to exert pressure, interfered with Gaitan's pass and successfully intercepted the ball.
After passing the ball to Seat B on the right, Van Dijk still did not retreat, but decisively moved forward to ask for the ball.
After rushing to the right side of the penalty area to receive the pass from Seat B, he then passed the ball across to the center.
Harry Kane followed up with a push and sent the ball into the lower left corner of the goal.
Benfica goalkeeper Cesar was positioned to the right and was out of reach of the shot.
0:1, Chelsea leads away from home!
Another attacking goal after the opening kickoff!
And this goal almost declared the failure of Benfica's offensive policy.
After only playing for five minutes, we conceded the goal. Why should we continue to face Chelsea?
——
After Chelsea scored the first goal, their morale was high and they continued to attack Benfica.
Benfica also quickly organized a counterattack and formed a shot, but it was confiscated by Courtois.
In the fifteenth minute, Chelsea launched another attack.
Azpilicueta on the right and Seat B formed a one-two on the wing. Azpilicueta decisively inserted into the right side of the front edge of the penalty area, spotted the opportunity, suddenly kicked off and hit a goal. Heavy artillery blasted the door.
The ball went straight to the goal with lightning speed.
In the penalty area, Benfica's central defender Paul Lopez stood sideways to block the ball. When it was impossible for his body to block the ball, he stretched out his right hand to block the ball.
The referee clearly understood the situation and immediately blew the whistle to signal that Paul Lopez committed a handball foul and gave a yellow card and a penalty kick.
The Benfica players were so angry that they gathered around and tried to find an explanation from the referee.
However, the referee did not show any weakness and kept signaling to the Benfica players to step back. However, the emotional Benfica players still stepped forward to block the situation, so the referee took out the card again.
Both players Paul Lopez and Luison received yellow cards.
The referee also issued a warning that if he was surrounded again, it would be a red card immediately!
"Benfica players should stay calm at this time."
"According to UEFA's latest rules, the maximum penalty for besieging the referee is a red card, or even additional penalties."
"Their current actions are indeed a bit irrational. They received two yellow cards for no reason. This will also greatly weaken Benfica's defense."
"Of course, it's understandable mentally that Benfica players are so impatient right now."
"The total score is already 0:5 behind, and now another penalty kick has been awarded... Not only did the hope of a comeback vanish early, but there is also the possibility of another tragedy."
"It would have been okay if we lost four goals in the away game before, but today we are watching more than 60,000 fans at the Stadium of Light. Losing so many goals again will be a bit embarrassing..."
The Benfica players eventually dispersed.
They knew that if they continued to struggle, they would be the only ones who would suffer.
Of course, the main thing is that this handball is indeed quite obvious, and it would be wrong to continue the theory.
At this time, Chelsea's first penalty kicker Hazard stood at the penalty spot without hesitation.
After the referee blew his whistle, he quickly took a run-up and scored a goal for Chelsea in one fell swoop.
0:2!
The total score also came to 0:6.
It can be said that there is no suspense about the outcome of the game.
——
At halftime, the score was still 0:2.
Judging from all statistics, Chelsea is better than Benfica.
The ball possession rate is 70% to 30%, the passing success rate is 87% to 61%, the shooting rate is 12 to 1, and the shooting accuracy is 5 to 0...
This shows that Benfica really has no way to compete with Chelsea!
Strength doesn't allow it.
In the second half, when the team changed sides and fought again, Pan Yi asked the players to start counterattacks and not to press too hard.
The main thing is that the victory is already guaranteed and a lot of goals have been scored, so that's pretty much it.
It can be seen from the penalty kick in the first half that many Benfica players have become anxious and should stop teasing others.
However, Benfica's players seem to have completely lost confidence. Even if Chelsea shrinks their defense, it is still difficult for them to create good opportunities.
Instead, in the 75th minute, Chelsea instigated a counterattack after stealing the ball in the midfield. Seat B took the ball from the right and tried to break through but failed. He suddenly changed to cut inside. After first getting rid of the opponent's two defensive players, he started with an arc. The ball hits the goal.
The shot was blocked by the opponent's captain Louison, and the ball bounced back to the penalty spot of the penalty area. Harry Kane got the ball first and moved it to the left side of the penalty area.
Lukaku stepped in from behind and hit the ball directly with his left foot.
The ball hit the goal diagonally at great speed and got into the bottom of the net.
0:3!
In the end, Chelsea easily won this away game.
At the same time, they also defeated Benfica with a total score of 7:0 and successfully advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
——
The results of the other three Champions League quarter-finals are also gradually coming out.
In a Spanish civil war at the Calderon Stadium, the MSN combination misfired and Barcelona lost to Atletico Madrid 0-2 in an away game!
Since Barcelona defeated their opponent 2:1 in the first round and Atletico Madrid had to win to advance, they launched an aggressive offensive after the start.
In the 36th minute, Atletico Madrid broke the deadlock! Saul made a pass from the outside of his left foot from the right. Alves missed the defense and Griezmann scored with a header from 10 yards.
At this time, the total score between the two sides was 2-2, but Atletico Madrid already had the advantage of more away goals.
Atletico Madrid continued to press in the second half and expanded the score in the 88th minute.
In the counterattack, Felipe broke through to the edge of the penalty area and crossed Griezmann. Iniesta had no choice but to commit a handball foul, but he was only given a yellow card warning, which caused dissatisfaction among Atletico Madrid players.
Subsequently, Griezmann took a penalty kick and shot it into the lower right corner, 2:0.
In the end, with Griezmann's brace, Atletico Madrid eliminated Barcelona with a total score of 3 to 2 and advanced to the semi-finals!
In addition to Atletico Madrid's successful comeback, Real Madrid also reversed the game!
Losing to Wolfsburg 0:2 in the first round left Real Madrid with no choice but to attack at home.
Their strength advantage also allowed them to completely suppress Wolfsburg in the half after the opening game.
Real Madrid took the lead in the 15th minute!
Carvajal stepped into the frontcourt and intercepted Arnold's cross. After the pass was blocked by Arnold, he passed the ball again from the right corner of the penalty area and Arnold changed his line slightly. Cristiano Ronaldo pushed into the empty goal 5 meters away from the goal. , 1 to 0.
After the restart, Real Madrid got the ball and attacked again. Modric sent the ball over the top, and Carvajal unloaded the ball from the right side of the penalty area and passed with his left foot. Vierinha struggled to get ahead of Ronaldo and hit the baseline. .
Cross took a corner kick from the left, and Ronaldo's header from a small angle 7 meters away from the goal bounced into the far corner, 2-0!
The difference between Real Madrid's two goals was only 88 seconds! Cristiano Ronaldo has scored at least 45 goals for Real Madrid for 6 consecutive seasons.
Real Madrid continued to attack in the second half.
There was controversy in the 66th minute. Kroos took a corner kick from the left. Ramos's header hit the inside of the right post 7 meters in front of the goal. The ball flew near the goal line. Benaglio caught the ball behind him. , the referee ruled that the ball was not scored.
But Real Madrid still overtook the total score in the 77th minute!
Cristiano Ronaldo took a free kick 25 meters in front of the goal, and went into the lower right corner from the narrow gap between Naldo and Gilavoji, 3-0!
This is Cristiano Ronaldo’s 16 goals in the Champions League this season, second only to his own record of 17 goals in the 2013-14 season. It also rewritten his own Champions League quarter-final scoring record to 15 goals.
And this is his fifth hat-trick in the Champions League, which also ties Messi's record.
In the end, Real Madrid defeated Wolfsburg 3:0 at home and advanced to the semi-finals with a total score of 3:2!
The last strong dialogue, Bayern Munich VS Manchester City, also had ups and downs.
At the Allianz Arena, Manchester City actually turned the tables. De Bruyne and Aguero scored two goals in the first half, entering the second half with a 2-goal lead!
It's just that Bayern won 3:1 away from home in the first round. Now that the total score is 3:3, Bayern can still advance with the advantage of more away goals.
Manchester City continued to attack in the second half, but Bayern also took the initiative. In the 56th and 61st minutes, Lewandowski scored two goals in five minutes to equalize the score!
Soon, David Silva helped Manchester City surpass the score again.
But before the end, Ram kicked a world wave and locked the score at 3:3.
In the end, Bayern Munich eliminated Manchester City with a total score of 6:4 and advanced to the semi-finals.
This game is undoubtedly the most exciting of the four quarter-finals.
Not only did they score the most goals, both teams showed excellent tactical literacy and ability to switch offense and defense during the game, but they also showed amazing resilience and tenacious fighting spirit while chasing each other in the score.
Especially Bayern Munich, even when they were two goals behind, they played calmly and finally recovered the score.
From this, the semi-finals of this season's Champions League have been produced.
Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea! ——
Two days after the quarter-finals, on April 15, the draw ceremony for the Champions League semi-finals was held.
This time there were only four teams left and the draw was over quickly.
This time, the ambassador of the final organizer and Inter Milan star Serbian star Stankovic served as the guest.
When he showed everyone the slips of paper from the balls he drew the first two times, the situation of the semi-finals was revealed.
Atletico Madrid VS Chelsea, Real Madrid VS Bayern Munich!
The media and fans all said that this time Chelsea got a good draw again!
After all, compared with Real Madrid and Bayern, Atletico Madrid's overall strength is relatively weak among the top four.
But Atletico Madrid head coach Simeone said after the draw ceremony: "We once again met Pan Yi's team in the Champions League semi-finals. I hope we can succeed in revenge this time!"
It was exactly 2 years ago that Hamburg led by Pan Yi defeated Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals, and defeated Simeone in a very Atletico way-defensive counterattack.
It is worth mentioning that there were some conflicts between the two sides during the game. De Bruyne and Son Heung-min from Hamburg both ended the game due to injuries.
So this showdown between Chelsea and Atletico Madrid is quite eye-catching.
And because Atletico Madrid entered the semi-finals after reversing the elimination of Barcelona, many people also believe that Atletico Madrid also has a chance to defeat Chelsea, which is known for passing and controlling.
Chelsea draw representative Bruce Buck said: "In the semi-finals, no one is a weak team, and we must go all out."
But in terms of bookmakers, Chelsea is still favored.
Their winning odds are 2 to 1 (2.5 to 1 before the draw), while Atletico Madrid's odds have dropped to 7.5 to 1 (5.5 to 1 before the draw).
On the other side, Real Madrid's winning odds are 4 to 1 (4.5 to 1 before the draw), and Bayern's odds are 5 to 1 (5.5 to 1 before the draw).
——
"Boss, who do you think our opponent will be if we enter the finals?"
After watching the live televised draw ceremony, Arteta asked Pan Yi.
Pan Yi thought for a moment and replied: "Bayern."
"Why?" Arteta was puzzled.
The main reason is that the current Real Madrid team is indeed stronger than Bayern in terms of lineup, and the personnel on all fronts are also more complete.
The BBC combination of forward Cristiano Ronaldo + Benzema + Bale is at the peak of his career, and Modric + Kroos + Casemiro behind them are also excellent offensively and defensively.
Behind, Marcelo + Ramos + Pepe + Carvajal can be said to be good at offense and defense.
As for the goalkeeper position, after Casillas, who was in declining form, left the team, Costa Rican goalkeeper Navas, who was acquired from Hamburg, filled this vacancy perfectly and has become "the wall" in the minds of Real Madrid fans.
On the bench, Real Madrid also has some of the best stars in the world such as Ronaldo, Nacho, Isco, Jese, Varane, Kovacic and so on.
This is so perfect!
Compared with Real Madrid, although Bayern Munich's lineup can be said to be strong, it is still somewhat inferior overall.
The frontcourt attack group composed of Thiago, Vidal, Koeman, and Douglas Costa is of course slightly inferior to the BBC+ ceremony's three midfielders.
This is why Arteta expressed confusion.
Under normal circumstances, everyone should be optimistic about Real Madrid, including bookmakers.
"I still believe in Guardiola's ability. He can make up for the lineup gap between Bayern and Real Madrid." Pan Yi said.
Mainly judging from the two duels between Bayern and Manchester City, Bayern not only played with skills, but also played with rare spirit.
This is still very important for this Bayern team.
In Pan Yi's previous life, many people criticized Gua's Bayern for having insufficient skills and lack of enthusiasm, and playing "girly football".
But at least judging from these two quarter-finals, there is no such problem.
In both games, Bayern fell behind first, but took the time to equalize, overtake, and ultimately win.
This kind of Bayern is truly the most terrifying opponent.
As for Real Madrid, although they also reversed course and advanced, their opponents were only new Champions League teams like Wolfsburg.
From the side, this shows the instability of Real Madrid's performance, especially the difference between home and away games.
As for why this is the case...
We have to talk about their current head coach Zidane.
In Pan Yi's view, if there is anything slightly lacking in this Real Madrid team, it might be the "rookie coach" Zidane.
This season, Benitez succeeded Ancelotti at the Bernabeu and signed a three-year contract with Real Madrid.
However, in 25 games in charge of Real Madrid in all competitions, he only achieved 17 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses, ranking third in La Liga, and was eliminated from the Copa del Rey.
So in January, Real Madrid announced that Benitez would be dismissed and Zidane would take over as coach.
This Real Madrid star quickly stabilized the Real Madrid locker room after taking charge, and once won 12 consecutive games, closing in on Barcelona step by step in the league.
It can be said that Zidane has already shown a certain "metaphysical" temperament at this time.
This is because unlike everyone who often discusses Guardiola’s tactics, Mourinho’s defensive counterattacks, and Ancelotti’s choices...
Regarding Zidane, few people discuss his tactical characteristics.
But his Real Madrid can win!
As a result, the nickname "Qi Xuanzong" spread like wildfire.
But for Pan Yi, although the outcome of the game is partly due to luck or "metaphysics", in the end it still depends on the on-the-spot performance of both sides and the game of the coach.
At this point, Guardiola is obviously still stronger.
Moreover, in this life, Pep Guardiola, through Pan Yi, brought forward some of the tactics that he would only understand in the future, so Bayern will only be stronger than in the previous life.
"So I think our toughest opponent this season will probably be Bayern Munich."
After expounding his point of view, Pan Yi finally said.
Arteta nodded slightly, indicating that he understood what Pan Yi meant.
To be honest, when he was still a player, he imagined what it would be like to become a coach in the future.
His first choice is, of course, to stay at Arsenal and become Wenger's assistant;
And secondly, go to Guardiola and study under him for two years, which will definitely be helpful.
In fact, the relationship between Arteta and Guardiola has always been very good.
As early as one day in July 1999, a pre-season friendly match between Hertha Berlin and Barcelona was held in Berlin, Germany.
Arteta, who was still at Barcelona at the time, came on as a substitute for Guardiola when he was 17, and they have kept in touch ever since.
When Guardiola went to Bayern to coach, he also contacted Arteta, but at that time Arteta wanted to play for two more years.
Later, it was Pan Yi who found Arteta, so he became Chelsea's assistant coach.
In other words, if Pan Yi hadn't intervened, Arteta would have been Guardiola's man sooner or later.
So, for Arteta, it must be a very pleasant thing for Pan Yi and Guardiola to have a peak showdown in the final!
(End of chapter)
