English League Cup.

The competition is a chicken rib for many Premier League teams, but after beating Fulham in the Carabao Cup and away in the league, Chelsea also reached the last four of the Carabao Cup, leaving Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and League One side Watford.

On December 10, the draw for the semi-finals of the League Cup was held at the FA headquarters in London.

Chelsea FC boss Jose Mourinho and assistant coach Clarke attended the ceremony, and although many teams had only sent one staff member in previous draws, this was the semi-final of the title, and the boss himself could show his respect for the FA.

'Of course I would have liked the team to run into Watford, and to be honest, I've only heard the name of this team.' In an interview, one Blues fan joked.

In fact, Watford is a League One side that is so unremarkable for the other three top teams in the Premier League that almost every team wants to meet it in the semi-finals, so that the other two teams have to fight in the semi-finals, which is definitely something that these rivals are happy to see.

Obviously, Mourinho thought the same thing, but when he unfolded the small piece of paper that he had drawn his hand, his face suddenly turned black - Manchester United!!

Undoubtedly, Manchester United is the last opponent Mourinho wants to face in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

Manchester United have little hope of winning the Premier League this season, and even so, a place in next year's UEFA Champions League is secure. And it is not easy to win the European Champions Cup for a few years, which not only requires strength, but also requires a lot of luck, even if Manchester United gives up the league and all its energy to compete for the championship, it is likely to be eliminated halfway, and at this time, this League Cup, which is usually not favored, has become a comfort, and it is better than nothing.

Therefore, Mourinho is sure that in the meeting between the two teams, Manchester United will definitely put the most energy into the victory, and even if Chelsea can win, it will be a miserable victory, and the Portuguese has secretly cursed the FA in his heart, and he feels that this draw is likely to have an insider.

Whether it is FIFA, UEFA or the FA, in order to develop their football careers, it is already a well-known thing that these institutions have some insiders in the draw confrontation, even if everyone knows that there is an insider, but no one really says it, this is the reality, and Mourinho is also a little helpless about it.

Sir Alex Ferguson was of course there, and by this time, the elderly coach was already asleep in his chair, and when he heard the commentary read out the matchmaking table, he stood up with wide eyes in excitement.

It's not just Mourinho who doesn't want to meet Manchester United, Ferguson doesn't want to meet Chelsea!!

Decades of coaching experience, so that Sir Alex Ferguson's evaluation of a team is very accurate, although the last time at Old Trafford, Manchester United and Chelsea played a 2:3, this score can not see the actual gap between the two teams, but looking at the whole game and the records of the two teams, player configuration, etc., the old Jazz knows very well that with the current Manchester United team lack of major generals, it is really difficult to win against Chelsea.

You know, now Manchester United has a lot of injuries at the back, Gary. Neville and Phil. Neville's performance was also really unsatisfactory, and he has even been reduced to a substitute, because in the last game against Chelsea, the frontcourt big man Van Van was also a substitute. Nistrooy is still recuperating in the Netherlands, so what will Manchester United do with Chelsea in this situation!?

At this point, Sir Alex Ferguson can only hope that Chelsea's 'quadruple' declaration is just a smokescreen, otherwise, Manchester United will really become a bare-bones commander this season.

In addition to Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez, even League One side Watford are very unhappy with the result, and the reasons for this team's dissatisfaction may seem comical to the other three teams, but for them it is true.

Watford, who were drawn to Liverpool, were not happy, and this had to do with the club's expected income.

Manchester United's Old Trafford can accommodate far more spectators than Liverpool's Anfield and Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, so if United end up being Watford's opponents in the semi-finals, Watford will have around £1 million in ticket revenue, compared to £700,000 if they switch to Chelsea or Liverpool, which is crucial for Watford, who are in a very tight financial situation.

Speaking to reporters after the draw ceremony, Watford president Simpson said: "It's a beautiful fairy tale for a club in our position to reach the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, which is nothing short of a miracle given our financially stretched situation. Despite this income, our financial situation is still a big problem. ”

……… No matter how much Chelsea, Manchester United or Watford are unhappy, it has no effect on the result, with Chelsea still facing Manchester United home and away, while Watford still have £300,000 less than planned.

But for the Premier League's big four, the League Cup draw was just an appetizer, and the next day, December 11, the top figures of each team flew to Switzerland to attend the draw for the UEFA Champions League knockout round.

UEFA Champions League!!

The tournament is a huge attraction for all European football clubs, not only because the trophy means the highest honour for European football clubs, but also because it means that clubs can earn more than 5 million euros for almost every additional Champions League final match.

In modern football, money is always so attractive.

It's been a bumper year for English football, because Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are all in the Champions League, which means that four of the top 16 teams in the Champions League are Premier League teams.

This really made the England team, which has always been poor, very popular, and many English media have even begun to claim that the UEFA Champions League final will be a civil war for Premier League teams, which is definitely a joy for fans of English football!!

The teams that qualified for this year's European group stage are:

Serie A: AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus Premier League: Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool Bundesliga: Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen, Bayer Leverkusen La Liga: Real Madrid, Barcelona Ligue 1: Monaco, Lyon Portuguese Super League: Porto Eredivisie: Eindhoven From this list of clubs, it can be seen that there are few dark horses in the UEFA Champions League to the knockout stage, and basically all the top teams in the major leagues have come to this point, of course, there are still weak teams and strong teams.

Teams such as PSV Eindhoven, Porto, Monaco, Werder Bremen, Bayer Leverkusen and others are relatively weaker, while other teams are traditional powerhouses, and of course there are teams that do not conform to the general rules, that is, Chelsea.

Chelsea have not always been a traditional Champions League powerhouse, but it has to be said that the odds offered by European bookmakers for Chelsea to win the title are the lowest, which has a lot to do with Chelsea's winning record this season.

However, although these bookmakers are optimistic about Chelsea, they do not want Chelsea to win the championship, because before the start of the Champions League, Chelsea's odds were very high, at that time, there were many fans betting on Chelsea, if Chelsea really won the championship, many bookmakers would have to suffer losses.

It is worth mentioning that eight of the 16 teams that made it to the finals have never won the championship.

The Champions League has been held 49 times since the 1955-1956 season, of which 31 Champions League trophies have been won by the top 16 teams.

Real Madrid have won the most titles with nine, including their first Champions League title, AC Milan have won the title six, followed by Bayern Munich and Liverpool with four titles each, four teams have won the title twice in their history – Inter Milan, Porto, Juventus and Manchester United, while the other eight teams in the draw are teams that have never won the title – including Chelsea, of course.

……… In recent days, the local media in Fulham have been talking about it.

Speaking live to BBC TV, a Chelsea fan couldn't hide his excitement: 'We can't wait to find out the draw and I hope Chelsea will face an underdog in the first round, preferably PSV Eindhoven, Monaco or oh yes, Porto. ”

"This season, I felt like I was in a dream, and even though the team made it to the knockout rounds last season, I wasn't so excited at the time.

'We want Chelsea to make it to the end of the Champions Cup, and I'm very excited to think about that.'

'We're going to let the whole of Europe know that just meeting Chelsea means their Champions League campaign is coming to an early end.' Before the draw ceremony, when Wang Li was interviewed by Sky TV, he said domineeringly.

Prior to the live broadcast of the draw, Sky TV also produced a special programme to introduce the new Chelsea squad to the whole of Europe, with a number of Chelsea players speaking live to declare Chelsea 'reigning in Europe'.

In fact, that's what they did.

'I can't wait to hear about the opponent because then we can play the game the day after tomorrow and Arsenal are not an easy opponent to beat and we have to give our best for it.' Captain John. Terry's words are very sincere, and it can be seen that the England big man is really concerned about the game the day after tomorrow.

"No matter who your opponent is, be prepared to lose." Chelsea newcomer Paul, who has never liked to appear in public in the media. Pacos Ferreira says the Portuguese defender has been in a good mood lately and has finally solidified himself in the Chelsea backline after half a season.

This time, Joe, who has always liked to be in the limelight in front of the media. Cole was a real remarker, pointing out four fingers to the Sky camera and saying: "Whoever the opponent is, they will lose four goals at Stamford Bridge, that's my prediction." ”

Undoubtedly, this 'four-to-zero prediction' was a joke, but the conscientious Sky TV staff kept it anyway, and perhaps such an arrogant statement would attract the attention of the fans more.

……… After the training on this day, Wang Li said hello to everyone, trotted back to his residence, turned on the TV, and sat on the sofa to watch the live broadcast of the lottery ceremony.

Although Wang Li was very calm in front of the media, he was actually very concerned about the results of the draw.

On live TV, he saw coach Jose Mourinho and club CEO Peter. Kenyan's figure, because the live TV broadcast specially gave a close-up of these two people.

Chelsea's record this season is so brilliant that even the on-site commentators couldn't help but comment: "We should be more concerned with Chelsea's draw, no one in the Premier League can stop them from winning, I hope the big teams can find opportunities." ”

Hearing the host praise Chelsea like this, Wang Li was a little happy in his heart, no matter what, now Chelsea's achievements have his indelible credit, which is almost no different from praising him.

Even if Wang Li's cultivation of Taoist mental methods is quite dusty, he is still a mortal after all, and vanity will always exist.

After the ceremony was over, the first draw arranged by UEFA was Chelsea. Kenyon stepped forward to draw Chelsea's opponents.

At this time, Wang Li next to the TV was also a little excited, this is like a gamble, in fact, it is different from Mourinho's idea, he still hopes to play against strong teams, such as Barcelona and Real Madrid, he thinks that only by stepping on those opponents such as World Footballer and Golden Boot Award is the most enjoyable thing on the football field.

Maybe this idea is a bit extreme, but if you want to become the number one superstar in history and surpass the achievements of your predecessors, you must go through this process, and Wang Li now feels that his strength is too far behind the average player, in football, there is a lack of that kind of passion for confrontation, and it is interesting to meet football players who pose a threat to themselves, and that kind of game is interesting to play - just a threat.

Wang Li doesn't think that in this world, there can be someone who can play better than himself, the top Taoist martial arts he learned are all creations that play the limits of human beings, how can anyone be stronger than himself!?

Yes, he still has that confidence.

At this time, the TV was Peter. Kenyon had already taken out a small piece of paper from the box.

"Real Madrid! Real madrid!! Real madrid!!! Wang Li clenched his fists, his eyes widened, and he said prayerfully.

At the same time, at the draw ceremony, Mourinho also silently muttered in his heart: "The teams in the Bundesliga, the teams in the Eredivisie, and Porto are also fine!" ”

However, when the live host took over Peter. After the name of the piece of paper in Kenyan's hand was pronounced, Mourinho was directly dumbfounded, and on the contrary, Wang Li next to the TV clenched his fists and waved it hard - Barcelona !!

At this point, there was a burst of schadenfreude laughter, and it was clear that they thought the result was funny enough.

For Mourinho, this is really the worst outcome, when he was younger, he also worked as a translator at Barcelona, even if this aside, just in terms of strength, Barcelona is the last team Mourinho wants to meet.

Ronaldinho, Puyol, Eto'o, Giuli, Deco ......, and even a superstar Messi, in Mourinho's opinion, this Barcelona team is even more terrible than the all-star Real Madrid, and meeting this kind of team in the first round of the knockout round is definitely the worst outcome.

The League Cup met Manchester United, the Champions Cup met Barcelona, and Chelsea's draw results even made many people present feel that this was not a joint effort by the European Federation and the FA to suppress Chelsea's limelight.

You know, after Christmas, the FA Cup clash is about to begin, and Chelsea are about to face a fourth-tier battle, and this draw is even worse.

……… After Chelsea's opponents came out, Wang Li was in no mood to care about other teams, and he pulled out his mobile phone and dialed Angela to tell her the news.

These days, although Rita occasionally comes to Wang Li to spend the night, he is not alone. But in fact, Wang Li has always felt a little guilty about this incident, so he has more frequent calls with Angela, and he thinks that this may make up for some of his guilt.

"Your opponent is Barcelona? Spain? Angela's tired voice came from the other end of the phone, and every time Wang Li heard this voice, he would feel numb all over his body, but he liked this feeling very much.

"Well, I can go there, I've never been to Spain." Wang Li replied, frowning and asking, "Anne, are you going back to London for Christmas?" ”

"Of course, I wish time had passed sooner."

Listening to the sweet words on the other end of the phone, Wang Li felt even more guilty, in fact, he didn't know how to face Angela, how to explain to him the matter between himself and Rita, if he really let him give up a woman, he would definitely give up Rita, because after having a relationship with Rita, Wang Li found out that in fact, what he liked was this greasy little princess.

'The boat will go straight to the bridge! Wang Li couldn't help patting his chest and thought boredly.

Although Wang Li felt that concealing it was a very embarrassing thing, but in the current situation, it was natural to hide it, but he still decided in his heart to make everything clear to Rita, if this woman chose to leave, he would still respect her decision.

With a lot of distress, Wang Li went to a restaurant next to the villa for dinner, and then returned to his residence to continue practicing internal strength, which has become his recent habit.

However, that night, Rita came to Wang Li's villa again.

This also made Wang Li find that the decision in his heart and the real thing are completely different, he can't bear to have a showdown with this desperate Ukrainian woman, which will definitely cause her a lot of harm.

So, the next day, Wang Li rushed to Chelsea's training match, and after 12 noon, a beautiful woman with a feminine body opened the villa and walked out.

……… Attached: This season's Champions League knockout match table (free) 1.Eindhoven vs Monaco 2.Bayern Munich vs Arsenal 3.Real Madrid vs Juventus 4.Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen 5.Werder Bremen vs Lyon 6.Porto vs Inter Milan 7.Manchester United vSAC Milan 8.Chelsea vs Barcelona

(To be continued)