Chapter 178 Group of Death

PS: Thanks to the book friend "Silent Xiaoxi" for the 10,000-coin reward!

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In August, each team was preparing for the game intensely. The topics of the entire European football media, except for the later transfer, that is, under the preparation of each team, transfer, training, warm-up matches, etc. all appeared in the media. under report.

The same goes for the Spanish media.

Atlético de Madrid's transfer work is long over, but the news that they have just beaten Barcelona to capture the Spanish Super Cup has caused quite a stir in the media.

Various comments poured in.

Some media criticized Barcelona, ​​some media praised Atlético de Madrid, believing that Atlético de Madrid is stronger than last season, and some media believe that Barcelona is not playing well, 'unaccustomed to the soil and water', the word is used in In the case of Barcelona, ​​some Catalan media even criticized the cooperation between Spanish football and Chinese football.

"Atletico Madrid is a team invested by a Chinese company, Wansheng is a Chinese, Atletico Madrid also has a young Chinese striker Wang Qiuming, the Spanish Super Cup in China is almost no different from the Calderon Stadium. Atletico Madrid can win. Not surprising..."

This statement has been affirmed by Barcelona supporters.

Of course, it is too late for them to say that, the trophy is already in the trophy room of Atlético de Madrid, and the Spanish Football Association cannot let the Super Cup restart because of the request of the media.

For Atletico Madrid, the most important thing is to welcome the new season.

The start of the new season is the Champions League group draw.

Atlético de Madrid were the La Liga champions last season and qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League round of 32.

On August 26, the UEFA Champions League group draw ceremony was held at the Council Hall of the King Power Square in Monaco.

Before the start of the group draw ceremony, the chairman, general manager and head coach who came to the venue one by one representing the club entered the venue in turn. Interestingly, when Wan Sheng and Xiao Hill walked to the door together, they happened to meet the Manchester United head coach. Ferguson.

"So coincidental?"

Wan Sheng was a little surprised, and the reporter next to him was immediately excited. These two have a "great hatred", and it would be better if something happened.

Ferguson also took a moment, his smiling face suddenly cold.

Originally, after Wan Sheng left Manchester City and no longer served as the head coach, the two would have nothing to do with each other. After Wan Sheng coached Atletico Madrid, it had nothing to do with Manchester United at all.

But last season, Manchester United and Barcelona competed for the Champions League, and Wansheng intervened again, saying "Ferguson announced his retirement, Manchester United can win the championship", and then Ferguson announced that he would be able to coach for another two years, so Manchester United decisively lost to Barcelona.

Afterwards, many English media turned up Wansheng's comments, all of which believed that 'Ferguson should announce his retirement', 'he is old enough', and 'give opportunities to young people', which made Ferguson furious.

In Ferguson's view, there is nothing more abhorrent than this young Chinese face. Now that he meets Wan Sheng in the hall, Ferguson's mood can be imagined.

Ferguson knew that there were reporters next to him, so he didn't say anything. He just had a cold face, but Wan Sheng smiled. He came over and stretched out his hand and said, "I watched the Champions League final, Manchester United did very well, I really hope to be with you guys. into a group."

"Hula..."

This is provocation!

The reporter next to him was immediately excited.

Ferguson snorted coldly, didn't pick up the conversation, just clapped Wan Sheng's hand, turned around and walked into the venue.

Wan Sheng shrugged at the surrounding reporters, and said, "Isn't the British royal family awarding titles based on character? He is too dignified." After speaking, he walked into the venue.

The meeting between Wan Sheng and Ferguson was just a small episode. After all the staff entered the venue, the group lottery ceremony began soon.

According to the rules of the UEFA Champions League, the teams that enter the UEFA Champions League group stage will be divided into four grades. According to the rules of one team in each grade, they will be divided into eight groups from A to H, of which the top two teams in each group will be awarded The right to qualify and enter the knockout stage of the round of 16.

The seeded teams for this Champions League are Inter Milan, Barcelona, ​​Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal and Porto, and the second-tier teams are CSKA Moscow, Benfica, Manchester City, Valencia, Marseille, Shakhtar Donetsk and AC Milan.

Since Atletico Madrid has only participated in the Europa League once in the previous five years, the team only has UEFA points in La Liga. .

Atletico Madrid, which beat Barcelona to the La Liga last season, is actually only the third-tier team in the Champions League, which is also the inadequacy of the Champions League rules.

Wansheng was very dissatisfied with this.

When he entered the venue and the group draw ceremony had not yet started, he complained to the media reporters, "I don't understand what UEFA points are, but we won the La Liga championship last season, won the Spanish King's Cup, and just beat the Barcelona won the Super Cup, but Barcelona is a first-tier team and we are a third-tier team, which is totally unfair."

Of course, these complaints are useless. UEFA cannot change the rules of points because of Atletico Madrid's dissatisfaction.

It is still very dangerous for Atletico Madrid to be classified in the third tier, because the first and second tiers are strong teams. It can be said that which group Atletico Madrid is in will become the 'group of death'.

In fact, many media commented on the lottery group, "Atletico Madrid is an anomaly in the third tier."

Wansheng is complaining about the team's grouping. In fact, no team wants to be in a group with Atletico Madrid. There is no doubt that Atletico Madrid is very strong. From last season to now, they have beaten Barcelona four times. It proves that Wansheng, as the head coach, is not very old in the coaching industry, but he has a lot of experience in leading teams. He knows English teams very well, and also has rich experience in games with Serie A, such as AC Milan. His experience is in Coupled with the strong strength of Atletico Madrid, any team will have a headache.

But no matter what they thought, the lottery began.

Last season's Champions League summary and awards Needless to say, the first is that Real Madrid and Lyon met together.

This is interesting.

The two teams met for the third season, and it was only last season that Real Madrid broke the spell of losing to Lyon.

Spain's national sports commentator Fernandos Bob expressed sympathy for Lyon, "They either encountered Real Madrid or Barcelona."

After that, Porto collided with Shakhtar Donetsk. Shakhtar Donetsk is also a strong team. Some people think that this is also the 'group of death'.

Teams were drawn together. There were smiles and laments during the period. Finally, it was the turn of the third-level team draw. Powell, the guest at the scene, drew a name for Group A-AthleticMadrid (Atlético de Madrid).

The scene exclaimed.

In this Champions League group draw, the most concerned team is Atlético de Madrid. It is not that Atlético de Madrid has a strong strength, but they are placed in the third tier.

Atlético de Madrid dare not say that they are No. 1 in Europe, but the third tier certainly does not meet their strength evaluation, so their grouping has attracted much attention.

Bayern Munich and Manchester City were already in Group A before, and it is worth seeing the two teams meet, plus Atletico Madrid.

"Group A becomes the true group of death!"

Bayern Munich is a traditional giant in Europe. As the Bundesliga hegemon, Bayern Munich has always performed well in the Champions League. Not to mention the ability to compete for the Champions League, but it is not difficult to enter the quarter-finals and quarter-finals.

Manchester City is also worthy of recognition.

Since Wansheng led Manchester City to the Champions League in 2008, Manchester City's performance has declined the following year, but with the addition of a large number of stars, their performance quickly recovered.

City were successful last season as they finished third in the league and won the FA Cup.

The Premier League has always been known for its fierce competition. The Premier League ranks first and third in the Premier League, and their strength is actually similar. In addition, in the summer, Manchester City continued to spend a lot of money on acquisitions. The 'standard king' Aguero of 77.5 million euros does not need to talk much. The 24 million pounds Nasri is also a heavyweight transfer. In addition, Manchester City also introduced two new aids, Savage and Clichy, to make the lineup more complete.

Manchester City are definitely stronger now than last season, and they are even considered a strong contender for the Champions League.

Then, there is Atlético de Madrid.

In recent years, Atletico Madrid have only played in the Europa League, and have not shown their talents in the Champions League, but no one dares to underestimate their strength. Under the leadership of Wansheng, their competition with Barcelona and Real Madrid is the most powerful. obvious manifestation.

Atletico Madrid is also a favorite in the Champions League. Although their situation of winning the championship is not optimistic, their strength is recognized.

Bayern Munich, Manchester City, plus Atletico Madrid, one of the three teams will definitely be eliminated. The competition situation in Group A can be imagined.

The rest of the draw doesn't seem to matter.

The media began to discuss enthusiastically, and the head coaches of the three teams, who were the protagonists of Group A, looked a little ugly.

Manchester City coach Mancini never imagined that he would lead Manchester City to the Champions League, and he would encounter such a difficult challenge; Bayern Munich coach Heynckes only replaced Van Gaal in March. He took over Bayern Munich for the third time and led the team. Entering the Champions League is so dangerous.

Wan Sheng also had a gloomy face.

He didn't want to meet Bayern Munich at all. If his memory is correct, Bayern Munich appeared in the 2011-2012 Champions League final. That is to say, Bayern Munich will perform very well in this year's Champions League, although it has its own butterfly effect. , but he still did not want to meet such an opponent.

Manchester City?

Don't look at Manchester City's achievements, just look at Manchester City's stars.

Manchester City's lineup is so gorgeous. With such a team, anything can happen. If you play poorly, you may lose to a small club. If you play well, the giants can't do anything.

These two opponents...

Until he returned to Madrid, Wansheng was still thinking about the grouping of the Champions League, and Naples, who were the last to enter Group A, did not seem to be important. Wan Sheng scolded Powell, who represented the draw for Group A, half to death in his heart, and then simply smiled and shook his head, feeling that he was really asking for trouble -- when he learned that the team was in the third tier, he was actually ready to be divided. When it comes to the preparations for the group of death, the opponent is not Bayern, maybe Manchester United, not Manchester City, maybe Lyon, in short, no matter which team is difficult to deal with.

The most important thing is for the team to perform well.

As long as you work hard and deal with every game seriously, Atletico Madrid will be the team to qualify, no matter who the opponents in the group are.

Wansheng firmly believes!

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PS: Recommend a friend's "Song of Ice and Fire" fanfiction "The Legend of Bran of Ice and Fire", ISBN 1004647606, if you like it, you can go and see it~~(To be continued ~^~)