Chapter 048: Thigh Muscle Strain
Atletico Madrid's home defeat to Real Madrid was the result that the media had thought about before the game, but what they didn't expect was that Atletico Madrid at home would fall behind by two goals early, and the two-goal deficit failed to show the absolute ambition of equalizing.
The rest of the game was like a training match where Real Madrid controlled the tempo and then continued until the end of the game.
In the other match played at the same time, Juventus beat Monaco 1-0 at home.
Real Madrid's two-goal win at Atletico Madrid gave them some reservations, but with fewer league rounds, the Copa del Rey also reaching the final, and the league pressure at home to Malaga at the weekend, Ancelotti still has reservations in the league considering the possible changes in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.
Despite this, Real Madrid beat Malaga 3-1 at home.
Because Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both drew in this round, Real Madrid expanded the score again with three points at home, leading the second place Barcelona in the league by a full eleven points, and 13 points ahead of the third place Atletico Madrid.
With six league games remaining, it was only a matter of time before Real Madrid won the 2014-2015 La Liga title.
The remaining six league opponents are: Celta, Almeria, Sevilla, Valencia, Espanyol and Getafe.
In terms of strength, the teams that can pose a threat to Real Madrid are none other than Sevilla and Valencia, but from the perspective of the schedule, if Real Madrid can successfully qualify for the semi-finals of this season's Champions League, the away challenge to Sevilla and the home game against Valencia will be connected between the two Champions League semi-finals.
Of course, if Barcelona and Atletico Madrid drop points again in the next two league rounds, and Real Madrid win back-to-back games, then the next league games will be meaningless for Real Madrid, because the league away to Sevilla is the 35th round and the home game against Valencia is the 36th round, which is equivalent to saying that the two games are the penultimate and fourth round of the 2014-2015 La Liga season.
Once the league comes to the 34th round and Barcelona has a 12-point gap between Real Madrid, then Real Madrid has won the league title, so the next league can be used to train young players.
Closer to home, Real Madrid, who won the league at the weekend, were not complacent, and they put their heart and soul into the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, even if it was a two-goal away win over Atletico.
There is a saying that is very true, the lion fights the rabbit with all his strength, and Atletico Madrid is not a rabbit, so Real Madrid must take it seriously.
In the blink of an eye, the Champions League matchday is here.
Real Madrid hosts Atletico Madrid and Monaco hosts Juventus in the second leg of the 2014-2015 Champions League quarter-finals, which are getting closer and closer to fans who follow the Champions League.
An hour before the start of the game, the 83,000-capacity Bernabeu Stadium was already filled with 80% of the fans, and the frenzied atmosphere was beginning to emerge, and the remaining seats were filling up at a visible rate.
Players from both sides came to the court one after another, following the physical trainer to do simple warm-up movements.
As usual, Tang Zheng stepped forward to stretch his muscles, and suddenly, the moment he stepped forward with his right foot, he felt a trace of pain in the back of his right thigh, and his eyebrows were subconsciously raised.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who was in a group with Tang Zheng, asked suspiciously: "What's wrong, Don?"
"Huh?" Tang Zheng stepped away with his left foot, shook his head and said, "It's okay, I suddenly remembered something." ”
"What's the matter?"
Cristiano Ronaldo asked curiously.
Tang Zheng didn't think of good wording for a while, but fortunately, at this time, the voice of physical fitness coach Giovanni Mauri came in time: "Guys, stretch seriously, the season is coming to an end, people and negligence may bring injuries, every action must be in place, OK?"
“OK!!”
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Tang Zheng, who has not been injured in his career after several consecutive stretches, realized that he might have accidentally strained his thigh muscles, and he didn't want to tell the coach because Atletico Madrid was very strong.
Even if they beat Atletico Madrid by two goals away a week ago, they should not be underestimated.
Real Madrid can beat Atletico away from home, so why can't Atletico win the same way on the road?
Besides, the strain should rest for at least half a month, according to the schedule, Real Madrid's game within half a month is very important, Tang Zheng doesn't want to be absent, and he can't be absent!
The slightest misstep can lead to a season of hard work being wasted.
Damn the injury!
Therefore, in the next stretching exercise, Tang Zheng consciously controlled the strength and tried not to use the thigh muscles as much as possible.
However, Tang Zheng found it difficult not to use the thigh muscles, so he could only choose to no longer shy away from using the strength of the thigh muscles, but to work harder to make his feelings adapt to the pain of thigh muscle strain.
Forty minutes of warm-up time passed, and the players walked to the players' tunnel one after another, and James Rodriguez, who was almost left behind, curiously walked towards Tang Zheng, who was still stretching: "Hey~ Everyone is in, what are you doing?"
Tang Zheng withdrew his right foot and showed a trademark smile on his face: "Didn't Coach Maoli let us do it in place, I don't want to have a damn injury at this time." ”
"That's right. ”
James Rodriguez said enviously: "I really envy you that you haven't been hit by injuries since the beginning of your career......
But as soon as the words fell, James Rodriguez realized that there was something wrong with his words, and quickly changed his words: "I mean ......"
"Alright, alright. Tang Zheng smiled and patted James Rodriguez on the right shoulder, and said with a smile: "I understand what you mean, let's go in too." ”
Feeling the shouts on his face, Tang Zheng and James Rodriguez walked side by side to the players' tunnel.
Although Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid 2-0 away in the first leg, Carlo Ancelotti still paid special attention to the game back at home, and he made some reservations in the league at the weekend, and this game was even more important.
Ancelotti proved to be right, and Atletico, who were away to Real Madrid, showed a strong desire to win at the start of the game, and the same team that did not look like the same team last week.
Running at all costs, the determination to fight for every ball, Atletico Madrid players are often able to grab control of the football in the five-five scramble.
As the offensive and defensive core of Real Madrid's midfield, Tang Zheng had to expand his running area, which would have been a piece of cake for Tang Zheng before, but the strain before the start of the game made him not dare to exert his strength.
If the body is completely warm, you will not feel much pain from a thigh muscle strain, but if you exert too much force, the muscles that were originally slightly strained may be further torn and the injury will be aggravated.
Fortunately, Tang Zheng is not the only one in the Real Madrid midfield, and the running of other teammates is a good relief for Tang Zheng's burden.
In addition, after withstanding Atletico Madrid's three-board axe, Real Madrid slowly took control of the situation, and Real Madrid, which had two away goal differences, played unhurriedly, and the pace of the game became very slow under Tang Zheng's deliberate control.
Atletico Madrid's only possibility of turning the tables at the Bernabeu is to disrupt Real Madrid's rhythm of the game, raising the first and second gears to the fourth or even fifth gear, but Tang Zheng's excellent ability to read the game is aware of this, and he will always control the rhythm of the game when the pace of each individual game is to be improved.
Yang 5 commentator He Wei often gave praise at this time: "Tang Zheng is really getting more and more mature, playing very steadily, anyway, the first leg away victory gives Real Madrid a lot of choice, and there is only one choice left for Atletico Madrid...... But the game couldn't get up to speed, and Atletico couldn't find any chances to attack...... Seemingly...... Atletico Madrid's elimination is imminent. ”
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti As the game time passed, he slowly found that today's Tang Zheng did not seem to be as strategic as in the past, and the defense was reserved, and the free kick and corner kick attack were also actively involved, but the lack of long-range shots and active passes threatened the ball.
Thinking of beating Atletico Madrid by two goals away, a draw at home is also acceptable, but I didn't think much about it, controlling the rhythm of the game and stabilizing the game situation is also one of Tang Zheng's responsibilities on the field.
Long-range shots and passing can certainly be effective, but quantity is a matter of exchanging quality, and in order to prevent possession from changing hands, it is understandable to choose a more secure way to control the tempo of the game......
As a result, the score did not change from 0:0 at the beginning to the end of the game.
In the end, Real Madrid eliminated Atletico Madrid with an aggregate score of 2:0 with a 2:0 away victory in the first leg and advanced to the semi-finals of this season's Champions League.
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At the end of the game, Tang Zheng rarely did not celebrate with his teammates to advance to the semifinals of this season's Champions League, but returned directly to the locker room.
If it is other players, it may be difficult to notice, but Tang Zheng is a superstar of Real Madrid, and everyone is in the spot, so the on-site director will naturally not ignore Tang Zheng, because Real Madrid's home draw is directly related to Tang Zheng.
In other words, it is directed by Tang Zheng.
Looking at Tang Zheng who was broadcasting the screen, He Wei, the commentator of Yang 5, said curiously: "Tang Zheng returned to the locker room early?
In the end, I couldn't help but laugh: "Could it be ...... Is it that people have three urgency?"
Those fans who sat in front of the TV and were not willing to turn off the TV and computer couldn't help but laugh when they listened to He Wei's analysis......
Tang Zheng, who returned to the locker room, first took out the usual ice pack from the refrigerator and applied it to the back of his right thigh.
Although he didn't finish the match with all his strength, he can now feel the pain in the muscles in the back of his thigh, and if he doesn't apply ice to slow the pain, there is a good chance that the injury will worsen.
However, in order to avoid his teammates from discovering a game, Tang Zheng deliberately took a towel as a cover.
When his teammates returned to the locker room, they only saw Tang Zheng sitting there playing with his mobile phone, and then asked how to go back to the locker room in advance.
For the answer, Tang Zheng has already had a countermeasure.
Therefore, no teammates imagined that Tang Zheng was injured, because in their impression, Tang Zheng was a physically strong player who would never be injured.
However, muscle strains require rest and recovery, and continuous exercise will cause the condition to deteriorate, so Tang Zheng is thinking about whether he should communicate with the team doctor and then accept the team doctor's treatment.
Before the Champions League semi-finals, Real Madrid had three league games, and Real Madrid had to win all three games to win the league title early.
Of course, if Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both lose points, Real Madrid can also win the league title early.
But then again, Real Madrid have scored an astonishing 90 points in the last 32 rounds of the league, which is 10 points away from the 100 points record held by Real Madrid and Barcelona in the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 seasons, which means that to break the record, you must get 11 points.
With six rounds of league games remaining, eleven points would require at least three wins and two draws.
If the team wins the league early, manager Carlo Ancelotti will certainly not pay much attention to the rest of the league.
Ancelotti would prefer Real Madrid to win the Champions League and the Copa del Rey rather than the so-called record.
Real Madrid, who have made changes to their lineup, may not be able to break the league points record, especially if the team knows that they have an injury, they are more likely to abandon the league that won the league title early, and then go all out to prepare for the Champions League semi-finals.
It is undeniable that the championship is more realistic than the league points record, but Tang Zheng does not want to miss any records.
So after thinking about it, Tang Zheng decided to hide the thigh strain for the time being.
He believes in his body and can hold on until the end of the season.
By the end of the season, you can recover with peace of mind.
In the second leg of the other Champions League quarter-finals, Monaco drew with Juventus at home, and finally Juventus advanced to the semifinals of the Champions League again after 12 years with an aggregate score of 1:0.
On the second day of the Champions League, Barcelona defeated Paris Saint-Germain 2:0 at home and advanced to the semifinals of the Champions League with an aggregate score of 5:1.
Bayern Munich, who lost 1:3 to Porto in the first leg, played at their true level in the second leg back to the Allianz Arena, and the home team beat Porto 6:1 in the roar of the Bayern fans and advanced to the semi-finals with an aggregate score of 7:4.
The semi-finals of the 2014-2015 Champions League season were decided, and the semi-final draw was held in Nyon, Switzerland, the next day, at UEFA headquarters.
According to the schedule, the first leg of the semi-finals will be played on May 5 and 6, while the second legs will be played on May 12 and 13, with the winner of the semi-finals facing off at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, on June 6 to compete for the Champions League title this season.
Now that the draw has been out, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is starting to shift his attention to the league while preparing for the first leg of the 2014-2015 Champions League semi-finals.
Time flies by and Real Madrid travel to Celta Vigo at the weekend.
Ancelotti took into account that the opponent's strength is not strong, and Real Madrid's points advantage in the league is also quite obvious, so he made certain adjustments to the lineup, and Tang Zheng, who was silently recovering, was also within the scope of adjustment.
Compared with the usual initiative to ask for help, this time Tang Zheng did not take the initiative to ask for the starter.
In this regard, manager Carlo Ancelotti and other Real Madrid players were a bit surprised.
The teammates were very curious and looked at Tang Zheng, Tang Zheng had already thought of a countermeasure in his heart, he shrugged his shoulders: "The recent events have been very frequent, and I also feel a little tired, for the next Champions League semi-finals ......"
Tang Zheng's statement is well-founded, and he has indeed participated in a lot of events this season.
From the beginning of the season to the Club World Cup, then the Asian Cup, and then non-stop representing Real Madrid in the league, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, basically starting every game, playing the full 90 minutes, even the Iron Man will not be able to stand it......