Among the top 16 of the Champions League, the team recognized as the weakest on paper is the Celtics from the Scottish Premiership.
And their opponent is precisely the defending champion Juventus.
I thought it was a guaranteed win, but it turned out that Juventus had a very difficult time.
Conte, who just took over as Juventus coach this season, has done very well in Serie A. Juventus is now 8 points ahead of the Milan duo behind him, with a clear lead. It also appeared relatively smoothly in the Champions League group stage.
Despite this, Juventus still has a lot of problems this season. Juventus is still in a period of transition between old and new players. Players such as Del Piero, Raul and Buffon are getting older, their physical condition is deteriorating, and they also have big problems with their physical condition. , frequent injuries.
In the first round away game against Celtic, Conte lined up a young striker combination of Robin van Persie, Yu Dabao and Dybala.
I thought it was a one-sided game, but in the end the two teams ended up tied 3-3.
Robin van Persie and Dybala each scored a goal, and Pirlo also scored a direct free kick. There was no problem with the team's offense.
But Conte's favorite three-back system suffered a big loss when faced with the straight-forward nature of British football.
Juventus fans were very dissatisfied with this game after being scored on counterattacks by their opponents twice in a row, and even at the last moment of the game, their opponents scored a goal from a corner kick.
After the game, many Juventus players were given extremely low scores by the media.
For example, Bonucci made many mistakes in the game, Diego was too sticky on the ball in the midfield, and Yu Dabao did nothing in this game.
Especially Yu Dabao, he was closely guarded by his opponents on the front line and had no chance throughout the game, which made many fans quite dissatisfied with him.
Some media even publicly criticized Yu Dabao, saying that he was just a direct descendant of Yunsheng and was not worthy of being Juventus' main player.
Carrying huge pressure, Yu Dabao endured it silently.
Until the second round.
This time Conte made a lineup adjustment, replacing the 3-4-3 lineup with a 4-4-2, focusing on solid defense.
Del Piero, who has returned from injury, partners with Robin van Persie on the front line.
But unexpectedly, not long after the game started, the Celtics took advantage of Juventus's unsteady footing and scored a goal first, taking the total score to 4-3!
Juventus is in danger!
In the following time, Juventus pressed forward across the board, but failed to score. The Celtics retreated across the board, hoping to maintain a one-goal advantage in the away game.
In the 75th minute of the second half, Conte made substitution adjustments. He replaced Del Piero and Robin van Persie, who had declined in physical fitness, and replaced them with Dybala and Icardi. He hoped that the two young Argentine forwards could make a difference. .
However, under the intensive defense of their opponents, the two still failed to make any breakthrough.
In the 85th minute of the game, Conte finally made up his mind and replaced Vidal with Yu Dabao.
This substitution had an immediate impact. Not long after Yu Dabao came on the field, the team got a free kick in the frontcourt.
Diego's kick caused chaos in the penalty area!
Yu Dabao suddenly came out from behind! Header for points!
The ball went in! ! !
At the end of the game, Juventus finally opened the goal account!
1 to 1! Yu Dabao's winning goal was so crucial!
With this goal, Juventus tied the total score to 4 to 4. They had three away goals!
In the last five minutes, Juventus retreated across the board, leaving only Yu Dabao alone in front.
In the end, neither team scored again. Juventus relied on the advantage of away goals to advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League!
After this game, all the Italian media praised Yu Dabao with one voice!
"He is Juve's lucky star!"
"Yunsheng's greatest asset to Juventus is this young talented forward from China!"
"Compared to Dybala and Icardi, Yu Dabao is Del Piero's true successor!"
A month ago, Yu Dabao was called a dog by the Italian media; a month later, Yu Dabao was praised to the sky.
This is the cruelty and charm of professional football.
After this game, Yu Dabao, who had been at a disadvantage in the competition, finally rose sharply in the hearts of the head coach and fans, surpassing the team's competitors Dybala and Icardi.
Del Piero and Raul also publicly praised him: "Yu Dabao is an extremely talented young man, and his future is limitless!"
Conte was in a good mood after reaching the quarter-finals. He made a bold statement at this time: "Juventus' goal this season is to defend the Triple Crown!"
Kong Erluzi is full of confidence and looks forward to using his outstanding results to get rid of the halo left by Yun Sheng.
This time there were many strong dialogues in the Champions League quarter-finals, such as Real Madrid versus Manchester United and Barcelona versus Milan.
And another powerful dialogue also has top ratings.
Arsenal VS Bayern!
At this time, Bayern did not yet have the title of "King of London", and Arsenal's Champions League record in recent years has been quite good.
In the Champions League last season, Arsenal reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, but unfortunately lost to Yunsheng's invincible Juventus.
In the Champions League last season, Arsenal reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League and was eliminated by Monaco, which was in full swing at the time.
This season Arsenal is making a comeback and aiming for the Champions League title!
But when Yun Sheng saw Arsenal defeated Bayern in the knockout round, he felt sorry for the professor.
In the parallel world of later generations, the Champions League champion this season belongs to Bayern, and now Bayern maintains super dominance both domestically and in the European competition. This season, even teams such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus are not as strong as Bayern. .
Especially Bayern's midfield strength is simply too strong.
The Robben-Ribery combination on the left and right can be called the strongest attacking combination this season; Toni Kroos, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Xavi Martinez are also in excellent form. Bayern's The midfield is impeccable.
Coupled with the defensive heroes such as Neuer, Lahm, and Van Buyten on the back line, this Bayern is simply perfect.
But even if the opponent is strong, Arsenal can't make too much concessions.
This season they have dominated the league, leading the Manchester City duo behind them by as much as 8 points. Wenger firmly spoke to the media!
"Arsenal, who are eight points ahead, will not make the same mistake again! This season's Premier League championship trophy belongs to the Gunners!"
What Wenger said was referring to the past when they were eight points ahead of Manchester United, but were eventually overtaken by Manchester United.
Arsenal are in stable form this season and they are full of confidence in competing for the championship!
In the Champions League, the professor also looks forward to the team's breakthrough.
Even facing the powerful Bayern, Arsenal is still full of confidence!
Before the first round, Arsenal captain Chen Tao faced the media with great pride.
"Our Arsenal team is in excellent condition and has high morale. No matter who our opponent is in this game, we are absolutely sure to beat them!"
