The draw for the first round of the Champions League group stage of the 00-01 season is over. Blackburn were lucky to have been drawn in Group B, which was full of champions. Serie A champion Lazio, Czech First Division champion Spartak Prague, Shakhtar Donetsk in the Ukrainian First League.

If it had been a few years ago, Sparta Prague would have been very strong. It was the time when the golden generation of the Czech Republic was playing for Sparta Prague.

If you run into Sparta Prague at that time, if you underestimate them, you might be beaten by someone. But the current Sparta Prague has long been robbed of good players by European teams. The strength has dropped a lot.

As for the Donetsk miners, they are far less famous than the Kiev Dynamo.

At that time, Dynamo Kyiv had the strength to run rampant in European football, and that was because Dynamo Kyiv happened to have a large number of talented players. Including nuclear warheads Shevchenko, Rybulov.

But Shakhtar Donetsk ...... just a club in the Ukrainian First League.

As the last UEFA Cup champion and the current Premier League top team, Blackburn Rovers are still widely favored. The biggest problem is that Blackburn are new to the Champions League. And the head coach of Blackburn is a rookie in the Champions League, leading the team to the Champions League for the first time. In addition, George is only 31 years old, the youngest manager of any Champions League participating team now.

Therefore, after the draw, George still received a lot of questions from reporters.

George was in a good mood. Journalists' questions are almost always answered.

"My age?" George shook his head. "Young talent abounds. Why does a manager have to be seventy or eighty years old to do it? ”

George has become accustomed to the media always asking about his age.

As for George's doubts about playing in the Champions League for the first time, George was even more dismissive. "Last season was my first UEFA Cup and I won the UEFA Cup. Everyone has to take this step. I've never been afraid of challenges, no first time, no second time. ”

In front of reporters, George is full of confidence.

Even many of the players who have returned from the national team are very satisfied with this grouping.

But when George returned to England, his brow furrowed. Because the current Champions Cup schedule is so fucking bastard.

Blackburn Rovers had five Premier League games in September. But damn the Champions League, there are also three games scheduled for September. And the first round of the group stage, all six games, basically have to be played within two months. That is, it will be finished in early November.

After playing the first round of the group stage, there are still two second-round group stage games to play before the end of the year.

UEFA is simply a big bastard. It's no wonder that the Champions League has since dropped a lot. Otherwise, which club can stand it if it continues to play like this.

Blackburn Rovers are in September and have a total of eight games to play. It's almost a game every four days. It's a tough game.

However, seeing the players who came back, George felt even more helpless.

As Blackburn's results have risen, there have been more and more internationals in Blackburn's squad. And most of them have become the main force.

Needless to say, some weak countries in football, including Sun Jihai, Bellamy, Duff, and Reese are the main players of the national team. And it is the main force of iron fighting. Several of them are even the biggest stars of the national team. Every time the national team is called up, they are pioneers.

After Germany's European Championship victory, Riebeck was sacked and Worrall became the new coach of the German Tank. He began to carry out drastic reforms in the German team, and many young players began to enter the German team.

He also started to play as a regular player in the German team.

Two of the brightest players are Ballack at Bayer Leverkusen and Klose at Blackburn.

Although Ballack became a member of the national team very early, he did not become a main player until this year's European Championship. This time, with the arrival of Worrall, Ballack finally became the main midfield of the German national team.

It was also established by Worrall as the core of the midfield. At the age of twenty-four, Ballack finally became the core of the German national team.

And Klose is another rising star.

At just 22 years old, Klose has become one of the most recognizable strikers in the Premier League. Last season at Blackburn, he scored more than two dozen goals. He was even the best player in the UEFA Cup final. Therefore, Klose has also become a key striker promoted by Worrall after he joined the German national team.

Klose was excited when he returned.

Klose was so envious when he saw Ballack selected for the German national team. But two years later, Klose also became a striker for the German national team. And this time to the German national team, Klose can feel the importance of Worrall.

But George had a bitter face.

Klose is George's most relied on striker. Damn Worrall, it turned out that Klose played 90 minutes in the German national team.

There is also Rio Ferdinand, who went to the England national team this time and partnered with Campbell to become the main player in England's central defenders.

Besides these people, it's Blackburn's French gang. Blackburn have a lot of French players, almost half of the country.

The current French national team can be said to be composed of the French gang of the three major clubs. Juventus in Serie A, Arsenal in the Premier League and Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League. Speaking of which, Blackburn has the most French players, but the influence in the French national team is the smallest.

Juventus' Zidane, Thuram and Trezeguet are all French stars. And Arsenal's Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Wiltord also have their own status in France.

Only Blackburn Rovers are very embarrassed in the French team.

Miku and Pire, who should carry the banner of the Blackburn French gang, are not valued by the national team for various reasons. Miku is excusable, after all, there is Zidane, the Tianzun, who is in charge.

But Piret was purely because of his surname. Pire is not on the same page with the manager, so he is not taken seriously by the national team.

These two players who should carry the flag are in an awkward position in the French team, so the entire Blackburn French gang is very embarrassed in the French national team. Sagnol has Thuram in front of him, Blanco has withdrawn from the national team, and Gala is not strong yet.

Only Makelele began to replace Petit and became the main player of the national team.

Therefore, the Blackburn French gang, which has a large number of people, cannot find a few main players of the national team.

When Pire returned to the club, it was clear that he was very frustrated. Piret is in his prime and wants to play for the national team. At the moment, Pire's performance at the club is getting better and better. I also want to play well for the national team, but his situation in the national team has always been very embarrassing.

This made Pire very frustrated.

George shook his head. Klose was too excited, and George was not satisfied. Because Klose will be the main player of the German national team in the future, the task of the national team will become heavier and heavier. And now Piret is depressed, and George is still not satisfied. Because George was afraid that this sentiment of Pire's would affect his performance at the club.

As for the one who has not heard any news from the national team until now, it is Deco.

Deco is a big tragedy. Blackburn's current results can only be described as okay, but not enough to catch the attention of the Brazilian team. The current Deco has not yet thought of using Portuguese nationality to join the Portuguese national team.

Deco is now single-mindedly trying to get into the Brazilian national team.

When it comes to a national team match, each player thinks differently. When Blackburn didn't get good grades, he didn't have this kind of trouble. But now there are more and more troubles.

………… On September 7, Blackburn Rovers faced Charlton Athletic away.

Charlton Athletic is a club that was just promoted last season. The first three rounds are one win and two losses. It was only a win over Manchester City, who were promoted together, and then beaten 4-0 by Everton and 5-3 by Arsenal. Charlton's performance was extremely poor.

Charlton's biggest problem is their defence.

Their defense was like papier-mâché. However, due to the impact of the national team game, George still replaced most of the players.

The goalkeeper is still Cudicini, and Cudicini is very tragic because he is an Italian goalkeeper. The current Italian goalkeeper is a basket, and Cudicini has not been called up by the national team.

George fielded a group of veterans at right-back, Galla at left-back, and Blanco and Henning at centre-back. Berg.

In midfield, Hargreaves, McAllister, Deco and Hleb were in midfield. Up front, Didier Drogba and Davao are the team. Sucre.

George has put most of the players who have been affected by the national team on the bench. And the lineup looks like it's 4-4-2, but George's lineup for this game is 4-2-3-1. Hargreaves and McAllister were at the back of the field, while Dirk, Davao. Suker and Hleb are at the front. And Drogba is a single striker.

Davao. Suker is a little to the left, and Hleb is a little to the right.

Utilitarian football has gradually begun to infiltrate English football, and George doesn't know if it has its own influence. Anyway, in this game, Charlton faced Blackburn and retreated, leaving only the two strikers in front.

Even if the main squad wants to break through the dense defense, it is very difficult. With a substitute lineup, it is even more difficult to break down the dense defense.

However, although Blackburn Rovers had few main players in this game, they still played the football that George hoped for.

Davao. The two wings of Suker and Hleb were indeed unable to pull away from the opposing defense. Davao. Sooke is old and can't be fast. Hleb is still young and a little immature against the England defenders. But both of them are good at skill and can create a lot of free-kicks up front.

Blackburn took one of those chances.

With 79 minutes of the second half played, Blackburn Rovers won a free-kick in front.

Galla latched onto Deco's cross in the box to head in his first league goal of the season. It was a very difficult three points.

So much so that the media said after the game that Blackburn was lucky.

"Charlton Athletic, who defended very poorly, did a very good job defending. But it was a free-kick opportunity that was seized by Blackburn. Blackburn Rovers rotated most of their players for international matches. ”

George must have snickered. In such a situation, you can still get three points. ”

(To be continued)