After the FA Cup, there is no time to celebrate the team's reach for the FA Cup final, and Liverpool will face the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against AC Milan.

This tournament can be seen as an early stage of the final.

No matter which country's sports media, they will use such words to describe this game, because the two sides are Liverpool and AC Milan, because the two sides played each other in the first leg 'no win', Italy, Germany, Spanish media, all believe that 'Liverpool and AC Milan will be more fierce than the final'.

This is a bit of a underestimation of the other two teams - Arsenal and Villarreal, but in fact, this is the case, not to mention the dark horse Villarreal, Arsenal and Liverpool, AC Milan compared to a lot of inferiority.

In the Champions League, Arsenal has always had a bad record.

They have already made history this year, you know, they have never won the Champions League, and most of the time in the Champions League will be eliminated before the round of 16, compared to AC Milan, who often reach the last four of the Champions League.

Let's talk about strength.

The current Arsenal is even difficult to compare with Liverpool, Liverpool's lineup is not Zhang Tiehan, or no worse than Arsenal, Arsenal can play so far, and the media has called it 'a combination of luck and miracle'.

So this battle between Liverpool and AC Milan has been followed by many, many people.

Everyone thought that this game would be an early stage of the Champions League final, even more intense than the Champions League final. Of course, the English media certainly don't say that, that's a bit of a underestimation of Arsenal, they're talking about the whole of English football, and the two teams in the top four are from England, which gives them plenty of reason to be proud.

In particular, Liverpool and Arsenal are in two games. They are likely to meet in the final – as long as Liverpool can beat AC Milan.

Arsenal and Villarreal met in the first leg, Arsenal achieved a two-goal advantage, and in the second leg, no one will be optimistic about Villarreal, and they really have little hope of creating a miracle, after all, they showed victory. It's a lot worse than Arsenal.

So Arsenal almost booked a place in the Champions League final.

The only thing left is Liverpool, and before the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals, almost all the sports media reported on the match between Liverpool and AC Milan in advance, and various analyses of the two teams played against each other frequently appeared on major pages.

Various professionals have also come up to analyze the two teams.

Cruyff, who has always been fond of criticism contests, wrote again, and his article began by defining this absolute -

"If I could turn back the clock, I'd like to watch this year's Champions League 16-8 tie again, because this round of matches has brought the biggest matchups in European football this season: Arsenal vs. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich vs. AC Milan, and the biggest event is Premier League champions Chelsea versus La Liga champions Barcelona. These three quarter-final sensations are comparable to the Champions League finals. And the brutality of the knockout format has brought Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Chelsea home. ”

'From a sporting point of view, it's a fair result, but Arsenal and Villarreal may have received less attention when they meet in the semi-finals, but luckily we have another conversation that could be seen as an early stage of the final: Liverpool take on AC Milan.

"I'm not trying to underestimate Villarreal's achievements in the Champions League this season, with a midfield engine like Riquelme, the 'Yellow Submarine' has really played at a great level. It's a pity that the stage where the Argentine star shines is not a big club like Barcelona. The same goes for his team-mate, Mexican goalscorer Forlan, who played for Manchester United. There is no doubt about the quality of the two in La Liga, and Villarreal is also one of the best teams in the domestic top flight, but I would like to stress that it is the "human" factor that prevents players like Riquelme and Forlan from standing at the top of Europe. ”

'Two years ago, there were two less eye-catching faces in the Champions League clash between Portugal's Porto and France's Monaco, with Porto winning the title under now Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho. In my opinion, it would be a shame for European fans that two teams like this reached the Champions League final. ”

"Last year, Liverpool came back from behind to beat AC Milan in the last minute to win the Champions League. Many no longer doubt the strength of the Reds in the Premier League, but it was luck that helped them make it all the way from qualifying to the final, and then took advantage of the Italian's negligence after leading 3-0 in the first half to win the title. ”

This is Cruyff's assessment of Liverpool, who created the 'Istanbul Miracle' last year.

This evaluation is quite bad, but it is undeniable that Cruyff has some truth in what he said, on the way to the Champions League last year, Liverpool barely encountered any strong teams except for Chelsea in the semi-finals, so they went all the way directly to the Champions League final.

However, he turned to talk about the current Liverpool, "Those are two teams, Liverpool have Zhang, this young German-Chinese young man, his goal efficiency has amazed the whole world, I have to admit that Liverpool now has the strength to compete with AC Milan head-on." ”

'At Anfield, the two teams are about to meet and I dare say this game will be more exciting than this year's final. I'm not a low-profile team, but they do have a certain gap with the top teams in the world. ”

"Whether it's Liverpool or AC Milan, I'm happy to see Arsenal as their opponent in the final, although I also hoped that this season's dark horse Villarreal can go further, but the strong midfield composed of Ljungberg, Reyes Hleb and others is insurmountable for the Spanish team, plus the Gunners' fastest killer in the goalscoring team, Thierry Henry, Wenger has put a group of young players under his command on the right track."

"Whoever is the protagonist of the final is there to complain, maybe the big club lost their form at a crucial moment, so whoever lifts the trophy at the Stade de France in Paris on 17 May will be eligible for that honour."

This is what Cruyff wrote before the Champions League semi-final, and it is clear that Cruyff prefers the match between AC Milan and Liverpool, and the match between Arsenal and Villarreal is only mentioned in passing, and his views are the same as those of the rest of the media.

But the 'by the way' game. It is also a Champions League semi-final.

Arsenal's clash with Villarreal was played a day earlier than the clash between Liverpool and AC Milan, and the result was surprisingly tenacious, as they scored a goal in the game and almost dragged the score to extra-time - the final time of the game. Villarreal may have taken a penalty and Riquelme was in charge.

As long as this goal is scored, the game will go to extra time.

But in the end, Riquelme missed the penalty under 'Maradona-like' pressure, and the media said after the game, "If Villarreal can't make it to the final, its name won't be remembered." ”

Riquelme had a sense of foreboding before the game, and this pessimistic sentiment was innate, even a trait of the Argentine player.

Riquelme only guessed the first half of the sentence correctly. His name will be remembered in history for his last-minute penalty, a mistake in the 48,000-strong Spanish city that was the first time a club had gone so far in the Champions League, and the significance of the mistake was comparable to that of Baggio in 1994, after a magnificent game, which ended in such a tragic end and then accompanied by a melancholy look. What a classic gorgeous Argentine way of dying.

About 60 percent of the city's population walked into the love song stadium on this night, and the club's flag hung on the balcony of every house. The mayor of Villarreal, Gatlis, visited the camp himself, and fans flocked to the stadium with a giant yellow submarine inflatable model, dotted with yellow all over the city...... The situation shows that "victory" is an irreversible historical trend in this battle.

However, this momentum is not motivation but pressure in Riquelme's pessimistic eyes.

For 89 minutes, Riquelme's expression was as stiff as marble. It was evident that Riquelme was under heavy psychological pressure, and he was seen dead by his opponent in the first leg of the encounter with Arsenal.

In the 90th minute, Riquelme's eyes flashed with a fleeting excitement that the penalty opportunity brought him. But he was still nervous. He kissed the football, then stood in front of the penalty spot and spat frequently, trying to release the pressure in this way, but he didn't dare to meet Lyman's cold gaze. Even Lehmann had judged the left side in advance, and he was still sending the ball into the arms of the German, of course, it was a ticket.

"The pressure, a pressure that was put on par with Maradona, led Riquelme to take a tender penalty from 12 yards," the Spanish media aptly commented. The fate of a team that has been waiting for 83 years is tied to his feet, and the 180-minute two-legged battle is compressed into the ball at his feet.

It seems that a qiē mission, a qiē detail, has become Riquelme's unbearable burden. He was like an overwhelmed engine that simply could not carry the ocean-going missions of the "yellow submarine".

Such a tragic lone hero naturally won sympathy, and Pellegrini said: "This is football. Riquelme was thought to have failed because he had taken that penalty. But his greatness lies in taking responsibility and it wasn't his fault that the penalty didn't go through. ”

Forlan was also defending him: "Riquelme's performance in the game earned the respect of others, even if Maradona made mistakes, it had nothing to do with his skills. ”

With Riquelme's penalty tragedy, this game, which was originally not favored, has become a classic to remember.

Because of this game, Villarreal, a small city named after the "town", became the protagonist of major sports newspapers in Spain overnight, which is inconceivable under the absolute domination of Real Madrid and Barcelona over the media, but Villarreal, a small team, did it.

Not because it was fortunate enough to be Arsenal's opponent and stained the Gunners, but because it beat the Gunners to the point where Riquelme missed a late penalty and won him more sympathy votes.

Le Monde said: "Endless suffering. Villarreal's greatest dream in history was shattered when Riquelme missed a late penalty. However, although the Spanish team's table was still defeated, who would have expected that Arsenal, who advocates attack, would be blocked and did not have a shot on goal? Villarreal had a steady stream of good shots on goal, and the 0-0 ending was unfair and it allowed a great team to experience the most unbelievable tragedy. ”

Daily Sport also lamented Villarreal: "There are always injustices in the world of football. A 1-0 score does not reflect the real situation. Spain's side had four chances and even one penalty; On the other hand, Arsenal has no temper at all, especially Henry, who was dressed in a yellow shirt with a Barcelona jersey, and he is completely missing in front of Barbosa! ”

According to As, Villarreal lacks nothing but luck, "the penalty that Riquelme missed in the final stages. There would have been a reason for Yiqiē to head towards the final of the European Champions Cup. If Villarreal's chances on goal are rewarding, today's celebration at the Love Song Stadium will be tango-style. It is a pity that Villarreal was awakened in the most brutal way from a wonderful European dream. ”

Marca found the result unacceptable: "Against a goalless Arsenal side, Villarreal struggled to score two goals and they were one step away from the Champions League final. Riquelme misses a penalty and Lehmann saves it to luck. Villarreal absolutely suppressed the Gunners in the game, so being eliminated seemed so unacceptable at this point! ”

Even Sky Sports England said after the game: "Villarreal had a chance to drag the game into extra-time. But Riquelme eventually became a sinner, and he made the Ballfield of Love Songs finally sing the Gunners' victory song. ”

In any case, Riquelme created the tragedy of football.

And where there is tragedy, there is music, and Arsenal had the last laugh, although they did not have a good table in this game, and although they did not score a single goal, they eliminated Villarreal to advance to the Champions League final.

No Arsenal player was willing to talk about the game after the game.

They are more interested in the final, and Arsenal's Spaniard Reyes has a look at tomorrow's match between Liverpool and AC Milan. In the end, he said that he wanted to meet AC Milan in the final. "It's going to be a great final!"

'I'd rather meet AC Milan than Liverpool in the final,' Reyes said, 'and it's going to be a great Champions League final and a big challenge for us. ”

'For me, getting to the final means a lot and it's the same for the team. We are all very excited and eager for the final. It's hard to describe how I feel right now, the dressing room is full of excitement, but no one is happier than Arsene Wenger. ”

Other Arsenal players were also interviewed. They also talked about their focus on Liverpool and AC Milan matches.

More players want to play against AC Milan.

'We want AC Milan because it's going to be a good fight.' Thierry Henry and Reyes have similar views, with few Arsenal players hoping for Liverpool.

This is a surprising situation.

In the media reports, the Liverpool players naturally knew the news, Zhang Tiehan complained, "These guys must be afraid of us!" ”

He could say so.

Not only in the locker room, but the night before the game, Zhang Tiehan also said to the media, "They are afraid of us, yes, look at the two meetings we have with them this season, they haven't even won a draw." I believe that if we meet them in Paris, it will be a boring final. ”

"Why? Because we won the Champions League with ease. ”

Zhang Tiehan's words annoyed many Arsenal players and fans, and the media supporting Arsenal also constantly criticized Zhang Tiehan for being arrogant, but in fact, Zhang Tiehan was not arrogant or anything, he still thought in his heart, 'This Nima is the first thing you provoke Lao Tzu'.

That's right!

Other Liverpool players think so, before the big game, those media support AC Milan, and it is okay to be optimistic that they can win, but Arsenal? What reason do they have to support AC Milan and say that 'the final against AC Milan will be a classic', doesn't that mean that playing against Liverpool is not interesting?

After all, the atmosphere between Liverpool and AC Milan was very calm before the game, and they quarreled with Arsenal first.

However, this did not affect the team's preparations.

On the day of the game, the whole Liverpool team did a simple warm-up in the morning, Zhang Tiehan felt that he was in good shape, and he was still very excited about the decisive battle with AC Milan today, this was his first time participating in the Champions League semi-finals, so the game that attracted the attention of the whole world made him very excited.

The good news is that he's in great shape!

Although he has just played in the FA Cup semi-finals against Chelsea. But there was a break in the league before, his form was basically not affected, and the game against AC Milan was today, and he felt that there was no reason for him to play badly, not only in form, but also in his heart he was looking forward to the game. As for other problems such as emotional problems, he has also had a smooth journey, and his relationship with Lola has always been very good, and Zhang Tiehan will not bring other problems into football.

In short, Zhang Tiehan is already looking forward to the game.

In addition to Zhang Tiehan, Liverpool's other players are also in good shape, Garcia, Reese and others have recovered from their injuries, Alonso is fine, and the players are in good physical condition. It also gives Liverpool more confidence in the game.

On the opponent's side, AC Milan's injury on the day of the game has also been answered, and it has been doubted whether Nesta, who will be able to play in the second leg against Liverpool, is still called up to the squad, but this does not mean that his physical condition necessarily allows him to get a starting position, and it is said that an hour before the game, the AC Milan team doctor will also diagnose Nesta to see if he is ready to play.

However, compared to Ambrosini who was left at home with a fibula fracture. Nesta, who has a groin strain, is much luckier.

Among the other players, Shevchenko, Kaka, Cafu and Maldini are not in the best physical condition. But there are no problems with the appearance, they have all been included in the squad separately, and due to the shortage of manpower, Ancelotti also brought the teenager Mazzolati to Liverpool this time just in case.

The game against Messina brought a huge disservice to AC Milan, in the shadow of injuries and attrition. AC Milan arrive in Liverpool to prepare for this game.

Kaka said he was confident in the game.

'It's definitely a world-class game, but every game is different and the quality of the home team has caused us some problems, but I'm still hopeful that Liverpool are not better than me,' said Kaka. The result in the first game was in our favour and it was difficult to stay the same for 90 minutes, but they didn't cause us any problems and we all believed we could get to the final. ”

Liverpool, who had just arrived at Anfield Stadium, responded quickly after hearing Kaka's words, and it was still Zhang Tiehan who stood up, "He said we didn't cause them trouble in the first meeting? So what are my two goals? We have a two-goal advantage and now we just need a 1-0 to knock them out and I don't understand what he means by the advantage. ”

"As for the final victory, I think it's too early to say anything, let's see you on the field!"

This was also the last interview before the game.

Soon the two teams warmed up at Anfield, after which the fans entered and the teams returned to the dressing rooms to wait for the game to start, standing in the tunnel waiting for the field to be played.

With the referee's signal, the two teams came on the stage to prepare for the game.

……

Carlo Ancelotti took the game very seriously, analysing the current scores and shapes of both teams, and he believes that Liverpool will definitely launch an onslaught at the start of the game.

It's a given.

In the first leg, with a score of 3:2, neither team suffered, AC Milan had a goal advantage, Liverpool had two away goals, but in the end, Liverpool was one goal behind, and they had to score a goal to ensure the advantage.

They will definitely take the initiative!

But in any case, AC Milan, which has a one-goal advantage in hand, has the initiative, and they don't need to fight hard with Liverpool, especially in the away game, the players are likely to be uncomfortable at the beginning, so Ancelotti's tactic is to pay more attention to defense at the beginning, and it is best to keep the goal to ensure that the goal is not conceded in the half, and AC Milan's advantage will be greater in the second half.

In this defensive tactic, defense is much more important than offense.

Even if AC Milan don't score, they can't let Liverpool score, this is the strategy developed by Carlo Ancelotti.

But he didn't have any confidence in his heart.

Liverpool's offensive ability may not be strong as a whole, but the opponent's No. 13 is still very sharp, and he can't guarantee that the team will be able to defend as much as possible if they will be able to defend the goal, but at least there are many chances.

He believes that there is more chance of defending the goal than not keeping it.

That's enough.

There is no strategy to win a football game, his side has a better chance, it is naturally worth fighting, and he has no reason to fight hard with Liverpool, so AC Milan chose to defend solidly first in the opening stage.

Ancelotti was right.

Benitez told his players to take advantage of the opportunity to attack aggressively from the start, and it was best to come up and score a goal to take the initiative back.

That was Liverpool's opening tactic.

Liverpool's formation today is 4231, Zhang Tiehan is at the front as a central striker, Alonso, Garcia and Reese are behind as a full-back, Gerrard and Carragher are combined as a back, which ensures defense, and again, the insertion of two full-backs Warnock and Josemi can also bring more support to the attack.

It's a balanced tactic.

Benitez believes that the key to the game is still the efficiency of the front, Liverpool and AC Milan are fighting to score, and it is precisely that both teams will be good at defending, which side can take advantage of the opportunity to enter in this tug-of-war of defense and attack, which side will have a great advantage.

In the last leg, Liverpool didn't take advantage of anything, but at least two away goals, and it also proved that his tactics were correct, and AC Milan to fight for efficiency, with Zhang Tiehan's efficiency in Liverpool is still guaranteed, they have the confidence to fight with AC Milan.

Other tactics may also have opportunities, but Benitez still believes in Zhang Tiehan more, after all, Zhang Tiehan's form is too good.

As soon as the game began, Liverpool took advantage of the home advantage and launched a fierce attack on the heart of AC Milan.

Zhang Tiehan is the only striker, he is in the front row of the team, his teammates can hand him the ball, and many times he will not even hesitate, this is not only Benitez explained, Liverpool players have long been accustomed to doing this.

However, AC Milan's defense has caused Zhang Tiehan a lot of trouble.

AC Milan focuses on defense, the two big defenders Stam and Nesta to defend Zhang Tiehan, they have no negligence in Zhang Tiehan's defense, Nesta Zhang Tiehan is already very familiar, the veteran Stam Zhang Tiehan is a little unfamiliar, he has only played with Stam once, and that time, Stam made a deep impression on him.

It's an intractable opponent.

But not only Staem, soon Zhang Tiehan realized the power of Italy's chain defense, AC Milan players used constant running, always able to stop between him and the football, as a result, for a long time, Zhang Tiehan did not even have a chance to get the ball.

Zhang Tiehan's point in the front court was blocked, and Liverpool's attack could not find the center, and the power of the attack was greatly weakened.

On the contrary, AC Milan took advantage of two counter-attacking opportunities and almost caused the goal.

Fortunately, AC Milan's focus is still on defense, their counterattacks are not many, and the attack is not too fierce, Liverpool still has a chance to breathe, and they also use a qiē time to find opportunities to break through the defense.

The two teams played out in the AC Milan half.

It's an extremely tough battle, and as one of Italy's top giants, AC Milan's defensive ability is definitely the best in the world, and when they concentrate on defence, it can have a huge impact on the opposition.

No team dares to say that they can score goals under AC Milan's full defense, Arsenal can't, Barcelona can't, and Liverpool's offensive ability is definitely a notch higher than the first two, their only reliance is Zhang Tiehan's efficiency, but most of the time, Zhang Tiehan is very guarded by AC Milan.

As a result, for a long time, Liverpool failed to break through AC Milan's defense and failed to find any good opportunities.

The game between the two teams seems to be bogged down in the mud.

Attacking, attacking is not good-looking, defending, defending is very tight, such a game makes people drowsy to watch, perhaps, the excitement of which can only be experienced by football professionals, but after all, the game is not very good-looking. (To be continued......)