After the game, Lu Ling received a lot of congratulatory calls and messages. She had just finished talking to Lawrence Jr. when her phone rang again, and she pulled it out and said to Tim next to her, "It's like we've won the championship." ”

Tim was on the phone with his fiancée and shrugged when he heard her words.

The atmosphere was the same throughout the bus. The players are also talking to family and friends, while the players who are not talking to family and friends are making noise.

Lu Ling glanced at the name on her phone, and Tim noticed that she was staring at the phone and didn't answer, so she also glanced at it.

A few seconds later, Lu Ling still connected the call.

"Nick. ”

"Congratulations. ”

"Thank you. ”

"It's okay, enjoy your evening. ”

Lu Ling heard that there was another voice on the other end of the phone, a bit like a baby's cry, she pursed her lips and didn't ask anything.

"I will. Goodbye, Nick. ”

"Goodbye, Christine. ”

The call lasted for more than ten seconds. Lu Ling looked at the phone and shook her head, she was laughing, although she didn't know what she was laughing at.

"Mind if I ask why you're separated?" Tim asked suddenly, as he hung up the phone.

"I don't know. Lu Ling whispered.

"I understand. Tim smiled, thinking she didn't want to talk.

"No, you don't understand, everything is stupid, I really don't know. ”

Wembley is getting farther and farther away, the rainbow bridge is constantly changing colors, Lu Ling glanced back, in more than a month, they will come here again.

****

A day after QPR beat Newcastle on penalties to reach the FA Cup final, Tottenham Hotspur beat Manchester United at Wembley thanks to Harry Kane's extra-time goal.

The FA Cup final will be a clash between two London teams, QPR and Tottenham. May 27 at Wembley. The Premier League was long over by then.

Meanwhile, QPR, Tottenham and Manchester United have all skipped the 34th round of the Premier League due to their participation in the FA Cup semi-finals (which has resulted in two fewer games for the three teams), and the table has changed subtly.

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City pulled off an upset, losing 1-0 at Burnley, who had all but secured a relegation place, and Sean Dyche was proud of his post-match press conference. In this game, several main players of Blue Moon were absent due to injury or suspension, which caused an upset.

Everton, on the other hand, overtook Manchester United with a win over Stoke City for the time being. The current title race is:

1st place Manchester City 34 games 76 points

2nd place Everton 33 games with 74 points

3rd place Manchester United 32 games 72 points

Manchester City's surprise defeat gave both Everton and Manchester United an opportunity. Considering that Manchester United have two games to play in the game and will play Manchester City directly, Mourinho's Red Devils have now grasped the initiative.

Fourth-placed Chelsea continued their poor form in the race for the top four as they drew with Leicester City, although injuries Michy Batshuayi and Eden Hazard both returned in the second half, which was undoubtedly good news for Antonio Conte's Blues. Liverpool beat Watford and Arsenal beat Middlesbrough, so that:

Fourth-placed Chelsea have 60 points from 34 games

5th place Liverpool 34 games 58 points

6th place Arsenal 33 games 57 points

7th place Tottenham 32 games 54 points

8th place QPR 32 games 54 points

With two games in hand, the QPR is six points clear of fourth-placed Chelsea, and there is a theoretical chance.

The first game of the replay will kick off in midweek after the FA Cup semi-finals, leaving the QPR players with little to no respite.

During Monday's training session, Lu Ling felt that everyone was extremely tired, after all, after 120 minutes of fierce battles and penalties. In particular, she noticed that Pat was struggling to run.

And her worst fears soon happened. Towards the end of the morning training session, Pat fell to the ground after a corner kick.

A quick check by the team doctor determined that it was a muscle strain in the calf, which was not serious, but it was certain that he would miss Wednesday night's make-up game against Bournemouth.

Lu Lingtie's face was blue, and Tim's face was not good when he was beside her. Zixiang is still recuperating from his injuries.

They can only hope that the injuries of these two absolute mainstays will not affect the weekend's league game against Tottenham.

Lu Ling returned to the office and took out his notebook from the drawer. She wrote out the rest of the schedule:

4.2, Make-up Match, Away, Bournemouth

4.29, Round 35, Home, Tottenham

5.7, Round 36, Away, Chelsea

5.13, Round 37, Away, Leicester City

5.17, Make-up, Away, West Bromwich Albion

5.21, Round 38, Home, Stoker

After writing Stoke, she didn't write about her final game of the season at Wembley. She's really going to put all her energy into the league. These six races will determine the final ranking of the season.

****

At Dean Court, the Cherries, who had beaten Nicks, also caused a lot of problems for QPR.

However, in the second half of the second half, with a corner kick, left-back Alvaro Cruz from outside the box hit a powerful shot, and QPR was lucky to get the three points.

It was Alvaro's first career goal, and the Spanish boy replaced the injured Zixiang at left-back in this game, and the pressure was extremely huge, and he slipped to his knees in the corner flag area after the goal.

Lu Ling didn't breathe a sigh of relief until the moment the whistle blew at the end of the game.

On the south coast at the end of April, the weather was still cold, and she felt that her back was full of sweat.

On the other side, Nicks' Everton drew with Tottenham in the replay. The Toffees were unlucky to be sent off in the first half of the game, but managed to hold on to the 0-0 scoreline.

Everton had a chance of overtaking Manchester City at the top but are still one point behind Pep Guardiola's side, while United have a game less to play and are level on 75 points with Everton, with just one point separating the top three teams.

And this means to Lu Ling-

Tottenham fell behind QPR, and in doing so, QPR moved up to seventh place in the league, three points behind Arsenal (who won the replays) and Chelsea.

Moreover, the QPR has played one less game than both teams.

Perhaps, here comes the opportunity.

****

At a press conference on Friday, Lu Ling publicly complained for the first time about the Premier League's schedule:

'We played the FA Cup semi-final last Saturday and it was a miserable game. Then two days ago they played Bournemouth away. But our league game this week is still scheduled for Saturday! It's still 12:45 noon! We've asked for it to be moved to Sunday, but no one cares about the QPR time. ”

'So, we didn't train yesterday and we have to play the London derby after a day of training today. It's also not fair to Tottenham, who also play twice a week. I'm sure Mauricio (Pochettino) won't be satisfied either. ”

Back on the afternoon training ground, Tim patted Christine on the shoulder, "I saw what you said, it's been a tough period, our squad is weak, it's still too difficult for us to keep facing two games a week, tomorrow's game ......"

He didn't go on because he knew the manager wouldn't rotate.

Lu Ling frowned and did not answer.

Although the team won Wednesday's Premier League rematch, the overall form was extremely poor, with many players suffering from muscle fatigue and masseurs and physiotherapists busy.

An all-out FA Cup semi-final, followed by a week of double-ties, will have that impact on the current QPR.

The first season of personal coaching made Lu Ling realize a lot of things that she knew before but did not know deeply.

There are often teams in the league that look good, such as Southampton, Tottenham, Everton, Villa and Newcastle in certain seasons. They all had impressive performances, but they didn't make a breakthrough in the end.

The problem is all about the depth of the squad – you might be able to beat Manchester United or Arsenal in one head-to-head, but you can't keep all the players fit and fit for 38 league games plus a few cup games.

The really strong teams have a strong bench lineup, and if the main players are injured or out of shape, they can get through for the strong teams, but for the average mid-to-upper teams, it will be a season's Waterloo.

Last season's Leicester City faced a rare era of withering power, and it was their early exit from all cup competitions that they were plagued by injuries that led to the ultimate miracle.

Look at the current QPR, and even the current Everton, although they can still keep scoring points, they have shown a lack of stamina, which is the gap with the real giants - maybe just a little, but it is a chasm-level gap.

Lu Ling looked up at the sky.

She objectively knows that the chances of Nicks' team winning the championship are already very small, but why can't she see that her team's chances of competing for the top four are also very small?

Or maybe she could see it, and Nick could see it himself.

But they are still trying their best to fight.

Soccer is a damn sport. （dyhell！）

Until the last minute, it is not a complete opportunity, and it must not be given up.

****

On Saturday, just after noon, the sun was shining.

Before the game, the team doctor gave Zixiang and Patrick one last physical examination, and the injuries of the two have basically recovered, but they can only play for 30 minutes at most, and it is better to only play 20 minutes, otherwise there may be risks.

Chilean Vargas suffered an injury against Millwall that was slower to recover than expected, so a comeback against Tottenham is not a concern, and the games against Chelsea and Leicester are doubtful.

In the stands on Loftus Road, fans were still very excited about the upcoming match. It's another decisive tough battle, and if QPR can beat Tottenham, they will be temporarily tied with Chelsea and Arsenal on 60 points.

Can you fucking imagine a promoted team, a team that was the first to change managers at the beginning of the season, and a young coach at the age of 27, is now competing with Chelsea and Arsenal for the spot!

It is worth mentioning that the Blues and Gunners will go head-to-head tomorrow. If QPR wins this game himself, then tomorrow will be a day of profit.

Of course, fans are also worried about the team's injuries, especially the absences of Patrick and Zixiang. But when the on-site announcer read out that they were on the bench list, the stands burst into cheers.

Before the game, the media hyped the match, believing it to be a preview of the FA Cup final. And don't forget to look back at the epic encounter at White Hart Lane, where Kristen Lue won the first Premier League win in charge of the team, completing a hearty comeback slaughter 4-1 away (R68-72).

When Mauricio Pochettino walked over, Lu Ling could clearly feel the tension between the swords, which was very different from the first encounter. Tottenham's current race for the top four is very tough, with them two points behind QPR.

About half a year ago, when Lu Ling won Pochettino with a ruined strategy and temporarily retained her temporary managerial position, the Argentine advised her not to play the ordinary league as a Champions League match.

But in today's showdown, he himself may change his opinion.

This is also a do-or-die battle for Tottenham in the race for the top four.

****

“*！！”

Lu Ling jumped up from the coach's seat.

On the scoreboard, the home team fell behind 0-1, and Loftus Road was full of lamentation.

Tottenham were surprisingly low in the first half and Pochettino was extremely cautious about the game, completely ignoring the scene and holding on to the ball.

This is the absence of the golden left side of the QPR - Patrick, Yu Zixiang and Vargas are all absent, and it is too difficult to break down Tottenham's bucket formation with only Leon Ferreira flying up and down the front.

In a counter-attack by Tottenham in the 40th minute, Dilly Ali's through ball, which had been handled by mistake, was blocked by Mensah's shin guards, and it flew back to the feet of Tottenham midfielder Eriksen.

The Dane flew straight into the top right corner of the net with great precision from 35 yards and the ball flew into the top right corner of the goal like a missile, leaving Robert Green with no chance.

It's a stroke of genius, but it's also quite lucky. And the continuous offensive efforts of QPR in the first half ended up with a 0:1 trailing score.

I can't take it for a long time, that's it.

The current QPR can accept the absence of one main force, but two or three, it is too difficult. Not to mention facing Tottenham, who have conceded the third fewest goals in the league.

At half-time, QPR was down by one goal at home.

The atmosphere in the locker room was solemn.

The players looked a little nervous, including captain Nedham, who kept his head down and didn't speak. Sweat dripped from their necks to the ground.

Timothy Fosu Mensah looked up, "Boss, I'm sorry, I should have cleared that ball a little more decisively......"

Lu Ling nodded slightly, "It doesn't matter, Timothy, it's not your fault. Everything happened too fast. And if he had another 50 shots, he might not be able to score a hundred shots. ”

She was exaggerating, but it was necessary.

Lu Ling looked at the players and continued: "Everyone performed well in the first half. Remember the Battle of White Hart Lane? Remember when I said we had bigger goals this season?"

The players' expressions were more serious than ever.

'I want a Champions League place. She said.

Although, there had been discussions in the dressing room about the manager's ambitions and there were also suggestions that we should finish fourth, but when the 28-year-old Kristen Lue really said her goal, there was silence in the dressing room.

Tim was a little worried, would this be negative, would it bring more stress?

"I want it too. ”

In the silence, the beautiful boy, who had always been careless, suddenly looked up and said.

He and Tina looked at each other and smiled.

"I want it too. ”

"Who doesn't want to play in the Champions League......"

"Boss, we will try our best to ......"

Lu Ling curled the corners of her mouth slightly, she hoped that they could show all their strength and determination to play the next game as a Champions League final. It wasn't easy, but that's how she hoped. 166 Reading Network