Now that Tottenham's main goal for this season has been finalized, George will naturally focus on various resources in the upcoming Champions League quarter-finals - if he doesn't do this, he will waste time on the league battlefield. Tottenham's main force tried their best, but it was difficult to successfully solve the opponent PSV, and George's previous choice had no practical significance.
The impact of George's decision to focus on the Champions League on Tottenham was quickly reflected in actual combat - in the thirty-first round of the English match on April 2, they faced a team that was preparing for next season. European war tickets, Tottenham Hotspur's visit to St. Andrews Stadium encountered stubborn resistance from the home team!
In this season's round of confrontation, Steve Bruce tried to give George, his younger brother, a showdown, but was taught by George in turn. Steve Bruce understood the huge gap in strength between Birmingham and Tottenham, and realized that whether it was Birmingham, which is at an absolute disadvantage in terms of technical and tactical qualities and players' personal abilities, would have no way of defeating Tottenham under normal circumstances!
What's more, from the start of this season to now, Tottenham have not lost a single defeat in the British competition. Counting the fifteen consecutive unbeaten rounds at the end of last season, Tottenham have set an astonishing record of forty-five consecutive unbeaten league games!
Therefore, in Steve Bruce's view, it is not a shameful thing at all to ask the players to fully defend in this game and use a steel barrel formation to deal with Tottenham. And Bruce's arrangement also successfully caused a lot of trouble for Tottenham - because George has turned his focus to the Champions League and sent a large number of substitute players in this game, Tottenham's combat effectiveness has declined. Therefore, facing the iron barrel formation set up by Birmingham players, Tottenham naturally fell into trouble on the offensive end and basically failed to create several scoring opportunities!
It's not that these players are not capable, it's just that the physical fitness of veterans such as Mendieta and Darren Anderton has declined a lot compared to their peak years, and Villa and Ribery have not yet matured. It is difficult for San Antonio to rely on the individual abilities of its players to open up a breakthrough on the offensive end. Especially when the opponent puts on a defensive posture, Tottenham's lack of players with offensive ability and set-piece experts on the field is magnified exponentially!
Of course, Birmingham's insistent approach is not entirely unhelpful to Tottenham. For example, the substitute defense line composed of Dawson and Vermaelen will basically not be tested too much in this game. It only needs to be wary of the home team's occasional counterattacks; while Villa and Franck Ribery are highly motivated players. You can also recognize your own shortcomings and think about how to break the opponent's trick when encountering the Iron Barrel Formation again in the future.
In the end, after a full ninety minutes of fierce battle, Tottenham were unable to break through the iron barrel formation carefully built by Steve Bruce until the end, and had to accept the reality of a goalless draw with the home team!
In another game that ended later, Chelsea finally seized the perfect opportunity when Tottenham were tied with Birmingham at home and defeated Southampton, who were fighting for relegation, 3-1 at St. Mary's Stadium. The difference was reduced to two points in one fell swoop!
However, although George made the decision to stay in the Champions League and paid a heavy price for it, which reduced Tottenham's points advantage in the league to only two points, his choice also allowed Tottenham players to In the Champions League match four days later, he has enough energy to deal with PSV Eindhoven led by Hiddink!
George will never forget that when AC Milan, which was at its peak in the previous life, faced PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League semi-finals, it was once pushed to the edge of the cliff by this Dutch giant!
If Ambrosini hadn't been the savior at the last minute and scored a golden header to help the Rossoneri pass the danger with more away goals, then Eindhoven might have become Following Ajax in the 1994-95 season, this is the first Dutch team to reach the Champions League final in ten years!
Therefore, for this head-to-head confrontation with Eindhoven, George naturally attached great importance to it and decisively sent out the most effective lineup at hand!
Petr Cech, Stephen Carr, Ledley King, Vidic, Evra, Mascherano, Alonso, Basturk, Robben, Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier De Robba, this is Tottenham's eleven for this game!
Let’s look at Eindhoven. With Guus Hiddink's side riding high at the top of the Eredivisie table, leaving old rivals Ajax and Feyenoord far behind, the Champions League quarter-finals will see the man The former Dutch national team coach also used his main force - goalkeeper Xiurelio Gomez. The four defenders from left to right are Lee Young-pyo, Alex, Bouma and Oyer, and the midfield four are Park Ji-sung, Vogel, Van Bommel and Philippe Cocu, Dutch high center Heiselink and Brazilian striker Farfan partnered on the front line!
Although they lost two generals, Robben and Kežman, last summer, under Hiddink's careful training and dedicated collective combat strategy, PSV still showed amazing combat effectiveness - leading the league this season. Old rival Ajax, and successfully reaching the quarterfinals of the Champions League is the best evidence!
In particular, the midfield led by Philippe Cocu can be called PSV's strongest link. Although the Dutch international has long been far away from his peak period, just looking at his performance on the court, it is difficult to make people think that he is a thirty-five-year-old veteran!
The most commendable thing is that under Hiddink's careful arrangement, Cocu's talents on the offensive end have been maximized - Vogel, Van Bommel and Park Ji-sung, three extremely physical and unstoppable players from Eindhoven. The defensive scope expanded to the entire midfield, allowing Cocu to concentrate on organizing the offense in the midfield and keeping the entire team in order. In addition, Cocu's goal-scoring ability, which was hidden during Barcelona's time, also began to fully explode under Hiddink's arrangement!
Therefore, if any team dares to underestimate PSV's strength because the opponent does not have a top-notch star, then they will definitely suffer the consequences in actual combat and be taught by this Dutch giant!
Just like that, after the players from both sides took their places in their respective halves, the referee Rubeus Michel from Slovakia blew the whistle, announcing that the Champions League quarter-final round match at Philips Stadium had officially begun. !
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