Chapter 130: Make a Difference in the League Cup

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Chu Zhongtian's two brilliant passes gave Metz the lead on the road, ending the first half with a score of 2-1, and when he returned to the changing season, he was praised by manager Fernandes and his team-mates praised him. It's no wonder that these people are so excited www.biquge.info because in such an important game, getting two away goals is almost equivalent to one foot in the round of 16 ahead of schedule.

Even if Metz loses the game, those two away goals will help them take the initiative at home.

With two away goals in hand, the half-time atmosphere in Metz was much more relaxed. Fernandes didn't make any changes, just asked the team to continue to review the tactics of the first half, build on a solid defense, and resolutely counterattack.

After the start of the second half, Metz continued to play at the same pace as in the first half, while Bayer Leverkusen significantly stepped up their attack and increased the tempo. This caught Mays by surprise. In particular, Ramirao's pressing in the midfield made Chu Zhongtian feel very difficult, and the German defender was tough defensively, and did not hesitate to use fouls many times to prevent Chu Zhongtian's passing and dribbling.

In the fiftieth minute, he received a yellow card for a foul on Chu Zhongtian's back. Despite this, he did not restrain himself because of the yellow card, and continued to infringe on Chu Zhongtian in defense.

In the 58th minute, Bayer Leverkusen pulled a goal back and it was their young star Keessling. After receiving a pass from Schneider in the box, he didn't get up and shoot at the first time, but used his footwork to shake off Traore's defense, and then shot with his feet, and the ball went around goalkeeper Wambi's ten fingers and hit the far post into the net.

The ball did have a bit of a shadow of Swede Ibrahimovic, although he only shook one person, while the Swede's ball at Ajax dribbled five people in a row.

The goal helped Bayer Leverkusen equalise and they saw hope of winning at home. The opponent has already scored two away goals, and if the opponent still wins the game at their own home, Bayer Leverkusen has no face, and it is a big matter to lose the first step in promotion.

Fernandes made a substitution twelve minutes after conceding the goal, and he stepped up his defence. For Metz, two goals away from home and a draw could not have been better. He is not greedy, he knows that greed is dangerous.

Replaced by the first captain Bobpiconi, he ran to Chu Zhongtian, Chu Zhongtian thought that the captain was looking for him to ask for an armband, but Bobicon actually came to convey the meaning of the head coach.

"Sir said, defend firmly. Even if it's a draw, it's good for us. After speaking, Bobpiconi patted Chu Zhongtian on the left shoulder and smiled at him: "You captain is doing a decent job, Chu." Keep up the work, do it well. ”

With that, he ran back to his defensive position.

Chu Zhongtian lost his mind and soon came back to his senses, and the Fernandes coach asked his team to pay attention to the defense, but he thought it was too early to be conservative - there were still twenty minutes to go before the end of the game. This time is enough for them to score another goal, and even if the opponent scores a goal because of the risky attack, the score is only 2:3, and Metz will still have a big advantage when they return to the home field.

So in the following games, as long as he has the ball, he will choose to cooperate with his teammates with short passes, instead of driving directly to the front like others, and let Ibisevic compete with the opponent.

In the seventy-third minute, when Ramirao was dribbling the ball forward with Chu Zhongtian, he shoveled Chu Zhongtian from the side, and Chu Zhongtian, who landed on the ground, rolled several times in a row before stopping, this action looked very harmful, although Chu Zhongtian himself was not actually injured, except for some pain when he fell to the ground.

The referee blew the whistle for a foul on Ramirau, but did not mean to draw a card, which caused the displeasure of the Metz players, and Ribery screamed to the referee: "This is a foul!" This is a clear foul! He had a yellow card before! ”

Ibisevic also came up and gestured to the referee to pull out the cards.

The referee shook his head, still not pulling out his cards.

Metz's players were disappointed.

"Ramirao beware, he already has a yellow card on him!" The German commentator said worriedly. "He's fierce defensively, but it's not reassuring to always play cards."

Ribery went up to pull Chu Zhongtian up and asked with concern, "How is it?" Injured or not? ”

Chu Zhongtian shook his head: "No." ”

"! This should obviously be a serious foul, even if it is a red card! After Ribery saw that Chu Zhongtian was fine, he began to complain again.

Chu Zhongtian shrugged: "Maybe the referee considered that he already had a card on him, and if he gave another card, he would be out of the game, so his subordinates were merciful, right?" ”

"That can't be like this, such tackles don't even give cards, so what kind of fouls do you give cards? Kick your leg off? ”

Chu Zhongtian glared at Ribery: "Don't talk nonsense, crow's mouth!" ”

Ribery smiled: "Just kidding, kidding......"

Chu Zhongtian looked at the veteran with pale blond hair and had a plan.

Some players are afraid of players who are rude and aggressive in defence because they are more likely to be injured against those players. But Chu Zhongtian was not afraid, not only did he not hide, but he also went up and took the initiative to "provoke" the other party. Thinking that Ramirao now has a yellow card on him, then simply let him be left with a red card.

In the next leg, the two sides returned to Metz's home stadium, although they had the advantage of being at home, but Promans and Menez estimated that they would still not be able to play by then, and the subsequent victory or defeat was still very difficult to say.

If this Ramirao can't play by then, it must be a big loss for Leverkusen, and he has lost a midfielder who can contain him in midfield, killing two birds with one stone, why not?

So in the next game, as long as Chu Zhongtian got the ball, he took the initiative to find Ramirao, and sometimes even deliberately slowed down the tempo, stopping and waiting for Ramirao to rush up to defend him.

He felt like he was dancing on the tip of a knife, luring the opponent to continue fouling him, but not really getting hurt, every time he dodged the opportunity to pinch the big advantage, and at the same time he couldn't fake the fall, otherwise the referee ignored it and lost possession, but it would cause a lot of trouble for the defenders of Mez.

Sometimes he will be pushed down by Ramirao, and he doesn't need to dodge such a foul, just let the opponent push down. Sometimes he will be "shoveled" down, the tackle action is too dangerous, and if he is not careful, he will be shoveled to the ankle, even if Chu Zhongtian is an invincible Achilles, the ankle is also a weakness, so he must hide.

Every time Chu Zhongtian was put down by Ramirao, the Metz fans would let out a burst of boos. And Metz's players, including head coach Fernandes, are trying to put pressure on the referee.

Ribery gestured to the referee, holding out one, two, three, four fingers, and finally stretched out all five fingers, then shrugged his shoulders and complained to the referee: "That guy made one, two, three, four, five rules!" You didn't even show a yellow card, what is that? ”

The head coach of Metz Jean. Fernandez approached the fourth official and protested the referee's decision: "According to FIFA's rules of the game, Ramirao should have been sent off at least three times!" Although he was a little strange about why Chu Zhongtian seemed weak in the confrontation, seeing that Ramirao with a yellow card had escaped punishment again and again, he didn't have time to study Chu Zhongtian's transformation, and just wanted Ramirao to play.

When Chu Zhongtian was knocked out by Ramirao for the sixth time, he heard the referee's whistle again, lying on the ground, he watched the referee run up, and at the same time stretched his hand to the pocket on his chest, he knew that he had succeeded.

"Ramirao fouled Chu again! Oh...... Oh! It seems that this time he will not be able to escape...... Yellow! He had already had a yellow card before! ”

The constant pressure from the Metz players finally paid off, and Ramirao was sent off for a foul on Chu Zhongtian and accumulated yellow cards!

Ramirao waved helplessly, then took off the captain's armband, handed it to Schneider, who came up to comfort him, and then turned and walked off the field. When he walked to the sidelines, he hadn't forgotten to look back at his target, Chu Zhongtian.

He didn't regret his foul on Chu Zhongtian, because during the time he continued to foul, the Mace team didn't have any decent offense at all, and Chu Zhongtian couldn't organize it at all, which showed that the foul tactics were effective for the core of Mace.

But if Ramirao knew that Chu Zhongtian deliberately showed weakness in the confrontation just to drive him down so that he would miss the next round, I don't know how he would feel...... With more than ten minutes left and one person missing, Bayer Leverkusen's game is difficult to play now.

As head coach, Skibe had to make a choice - should he replace a defender and bring on a player to strengthen the offense? Or conversely, take off an attacking player and replace it with a defensive player to solidify the defense and prevent another goal from Metz in the final moments of the game and completely collapse?

He didn't hesitate for too long for this decision, because soon Chu Zhongtian calmly launched an attack because he was unmarked in the midfield, and the Metz team played all the way to Bayer Leverkusen's goal, only in the end Jura's shot was saved by Bute.

Bout's brilliant save earned him the cheers of many Bayer Leverkusen fans in the stands, but it also made Skibe make a decision - to strengthen the defense!

He doesn't want to lose at home, which means that if the team wants to turn the game around in the next leg, they have to score at least two goals without making sure that the opponent doesn't score. Skipey couldn't guarantee his side would be able to do all of this away from home, so he chose to take the moment – starting with not conceding any more goals.

Bayer Leverkusen's ambitions at home were forced to defend because captain Ramirao was sent off. Metz began to press out and attack aggressively, but they didn't have much to do against a shrunken Bayer Leverkusen.

The suspense of the match changed from who would win to whether Bayer Leverkusen would really be able to hold on to the draw.

The answer was: "Yes, they held the onslaught of Mace!" ”

However, in the face of this answer, the players and fans of Bayer Leverkusen were a little unable to laugh - in their own home, they were forced to draw 2-2 by the opponent after scoring two away goals. Is this a good ending?

On Mace's side, everyone was smiling after the game. They know that they are one step closer to the round of sixteen.

Watching Chu Zhongtian wear the captain's armband on his left arm and celebrate the 2-2 draw with his teammates, the Chinese reporters in the stands were excited again. There was simply too much to hype about this game: wearing the captain's armband for the first time and playing as captain; In the competition, he used such technical moves as Marseille slaloms, which were not seen at all in the previous competitions of Chu Zhongtian; instigated all two goals for the Metz team and helped the team get two away goals, which was indispensable; The duel between the two captains - Chu Zhongtian vs Ramirao! In such a duel, Chu Zhongtian finally let Rami who defended him accumulate yellow cards and was sent off, and won a complete victory...... Of course, some reporters were excited, thinking why such an outstanding Chu Zhongtian couldn't play in the national team?

β€»β€»β€» Metz returned to France with a score of 2:2, and the local media were optimistic that the team would continue to move forward. Because the advantage of two away goals is just too great.

After returning to Metz, the team hosted Bordeaux, the opponent of the 25th round of Ligue 1.

Last season, Bordeaux did well to finish second, but this season they have had a bit of a bad time, losing 10 of their 24 league games and currently sitting in seventh place.

This season's Metz has a strong upward momentum, and it is a home game, so it stands to reason that Metz will not lose even if it can't win.

However, in this game, they lost to Bordeaux at their home stadium, the Stade Fortis Saint-Fort, with a score of 0:1.

The Metz team's unaccustomed two-front flaw was once again exposed. Basically, as long as the team has to play the UEFA Cup before or after this season, they will definitely play badly in that game in the league, and even if they win, it will not be convincing.

The game against Bayer Leverkusen made Fernandes realise that the future of the team in the cup competition is bright, after all, the UEFA Cup title is very attractive compared to the league title that is certainly not won. It's no wonder that this group of players is not motivated in the league, and when it comes time to play in the League Cup, they are motivated.

He has to make a choice, the UEFA Cup is in the knockout stages, a moment of negligence can lead to a season's tragedy, and they have to concentrate on the UEFA Cup unless they abandon the competition early. But who wants to give up the UEFA Cup so easily? Although this cup is not as good as the Champions League in terms of fame and level, it is also a European competition, and after the Cup Winners' Cup was cancelled, it is the second highest competition in Europe.

And what about in the league? Although Metz is currently third in the table and still has the qualification to qualify for next season's Champions League, who knows if the team will be able to maintain its current position as the season progresses, the players' fitness declines, and injuries increase?

Maybe, maybe not, Fernandez is not a wizard of the unpredictable, he has to make a decision before then, it is absolutely impossible for the team to fight on two fronts, and the only consequence of fighting on both fronts is that by the end of the season the team will collapse on both fronts.

This is not what Fernandez wants to see.

From Bayer Leverkusen's return to Metz to the end of the match against Bordeaux, Fernandes has been thinking about this for a long time, and in the end, Metz's loss to Bordeaux made him determined to specialize in the UEFA Cup and take all the gamble in this competition!

Anyway, the league is relegated without worry, and there is no hope of winning the championship, so it will remain in the top ten.

If he can win a League Cup, it will be good for him as a team.

Who doesn't pursue honor in football? If they could, who wanted a season of nothing and empty-handed?

Once the goal is set, the team's training needs to be adjusted accordingly, with more rotation in the league to ensure that they can play with the strongest squad in the UEFA Cup.

During training on Monday, Fernandes spoke to his players to announce his decision.

"Watching the last two games made me have a thought, but before I announce it, I want to think about the lads, what do you guys think. League Cup or League, which do you choose? ”

There are smart people in the squad who already know what the manager is up to, and there are others who look at each other and don't seem to understand why the manager asks that, and they are generally the more obtuse people.

Ribery was definitely a smart man, and he raised his hand and shouted, "I choose the champion, sir!" ”

That's a great answer, whether it's the league or the League Cup, the title is the ultimate goal for a professional footballer. So as long as you can win the championship, it's the same choice.

So which one has a better chance of winning the championship? It's easy to win the UEFA Cup, just make sure your team wins one game at a time. It's much more difficult to win the league championship, because even if you can beat your direct rival Lyon once, and beat two more times, that's already the limit, because Metz will only play Lyon twice in a season, you can't control the score of Lyon and other teams, even if Lyon loses to Metz twice, but finds it back against other opponents, with the current point difference between the two teams, it is impossible to reverse the championship. Of course, if Metz can manipulate the scores of other teams and Lyon, then this novel is a novel about professional football in Europe, but a novel about the professional football league in China...... Ribery started and the others followed suit: "I think the League Cup is more exciting!" ”

"yes, yes, we are not familiar with the opponents in the UEFA Cup, and it feels good to play. Compared to this, the league has lost its freshness for me......"

"As long as the league is not relegated, it's good to have a League Cup, so why not work hard to get a good result?"

Chu Zhongtian also said his thoughts: "I think we have more hope in the League Cup. ”

Seeing that everyone chose the League Cup almost one-sidedly, Fernandes knew that his choice this time was at least based on the support of the players, and now there was no need to worry about the team's motivation in the league competition.

Now it seems that the league before and after each League Cup has not played well, perhaps not only because of the lack of experience in two-line operations, but also because of the different attitudes of these people towards the game...... "It seems that you guys like the League Cup, so I declare that the team's next goal is to make a difference in the League Cup!" FernΓ‘ndez made his decision public, and no one was surprised, because that was exactly what they wanted.

What does it mean to have "deeds"?

In the football world, except for the champion, everyone else is considered a loser, and the loser can't be called "making a difference", right?

So, Metz is aiming for the UEFA Cup championship!

(To be continued)