Although they won, the major media criticized Manchester City after the game.

Needless to say, the Sun is a tabloid newspaper that is good at creating gimmicks and frivolous news, and even big newspapers such as The Mirror, The Independent, The Guardian and even The Times have criticised City's performance in this game.

Among them, Miguel Delanei, a columnist for The Independent, wrote:

'Manuel Pellegrini's side shouldn't have to sacrifice the league for the Champions League, they don't have a big lead in the league table and Arsenal are five wins in a row and are just one win away from them.

'I don't think we can be too critical of the players on the pitch because they're just a bunch of substitutes.

However, Manuel Pellegrini is clearly in serious question, and he should not have put Sergio Aguero and Lin Quan on the bench at the same time, and the two should have at least one starter. ”

"Manchester City played like headless flies without Lin Quan and David Silva, and Yaya Toure seemed to want to take over the game, but his several poor performances almost caused the team to collapse."

"For Yaya Toure, Pellegrini will either let him play as a midfielder or limit his area of movement, don't give him so much freedom, not everyone can be a free man like Lin Quan.

Overindulging the players will destroy the team's entire tactical system, and Aston Villa's two counter-attacking goals in this game are inseparable from Yaya Toure! ”

After criticizing Manchester City, Miguel changed his tone and praised Aston Villa:

"Aston Villa's current record is not good, with two wins and four defeats in six games, ranking fifth from bottom in the Premier League.

But considering that they have played four giants in the first six rounds, and even won one of them, such a result can be said to be very impressive.

The top teams in the Premier League this season have struggled against Aston Villa.

If it's just an occasional event, it may be explained by chance.

But every one is so anxious, then it's definitely not accidental.

Perhaps, the teams in the middle and lower reaches of the league table can learn from Aston Villa and study how they deal with the giants, so that they may be able to fight against these giants in the league. ”

In fact, it is not necessary to say that many teams have already noticed Aston Villa's excellent results.

In the past, because of the gap in hard power, many small and medium-sized teams basically lay down and died when they encountered the giants at the top of the standings.

There is no way, the difference in strength between the two sides is too big, and their chances of winning are too small.

Instead of wasting physical strength and time on the giants, it is better to go shopping with those equally weak middle and lower teams, in that case, the probability of scoring points is greater!

But now, with Aston Villa leading up front.

There are a few other ideas in the minds of these teams in the middle and lower reaches:

If Aston Villa can push these giants into such a mess, why can't we?

Aston Villa, both in terms of lineup and style of play, there is nothing that cannot be replicated.

Their set-up is the same as that of a normal team, unremarkable.

The only difference is in their style of play!

As a result, the teams in the middle and lower reaches have begun to learn from Aston Villa's style of play and are ready to use this style of play against the big teams.

The spread of this atmosphere has made the wealthy feel panicked.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was the first to step up:

'The Premier League should not condone fouls, especially vicious fouls against players.

"If a lot of stars are injured due to a rough foul, it will not only improve the spectacle of the game, but also affect or even reduce the overall European points of the Premier League, which is not good for all teams!"

The European places in the Premier League are based on these giants fighting hard in European competitions, but if the players of the giants are injured by a rough foul in the middle and lower reaches of the league, then how can they go to the Champions League to earn points for the league?

Once the league's European results fall, their European places will also be affected, and the number of teams that can participate in European competitions will be reduced, and the cake that can be shared from European competitions will naturally be smaller.

This will not only affect the big teams, but also the teams in the middle and lower reaches.

Take a look at Ligue 1 and Serie A!

After their European results declined, the league's overall broadcast ratings declined, and the broadcast revenue fell very seriously, causing many teams to fall into financial difficulties and even have to go bankrupt and sell their teams.

Arsene Wenger wants to use this as a way to warn league officials and small and medium-sized clubs not to do such a damaging thing.

However, almost all minor and minor teams were dismissed by Arsene Wenger's warning.

"We know that Professor Wenger is a well-known coach and a big man, but please just follow your own team, don't dictate to us, we can decide how to play for ourselves, without outsiders interfering!"

The reason why I don't appreciate it is also very simple.

The big teams are high on top, and there is no need to worry about the team being relegated.

As for the middle and lower teams, they are in danger of relegation.

Once relegated to the Championship, the annual league income gap can reach tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of pounds!

That's an astronomical amount for small and medium-sized teams!

Because of this, almost every team in the middle and lower reaches is desperate to stay in the Premier League.

This is also the reason why it is so difficult for teams in the middle and lower reaches of the Premier League to play at the end of the season, when the team is facing relegation pressure.

No way, the income gap between the Premier League and the Championship is so big, for most teams, without the income of the Premier League, then they can hardly survive, since it is a matter of life and death, it is natural to have to work hard.

Although the coaches of other giants have also come forward to make appeals, it has had little effect.

Neither the FA nor the Premier League officials have made any statement.

They actually want the Premier League to be a little more intense, because that's the biggest selling point of the Premier League.

If the Premier League games do not have such fierce physical confrontation, it will be a major feature, and their overseas broadcast income will be greatly reduced.

Therefore, they will not take a public statement, but the concerns of the giants are also justified.

For those malicious fouls, they must be stopped and restricted, fouls are okay, don't kick people at every turn.

And the scale between this needs to be handled by the referees themselves.

……

After the match against Aston Villa, Manchester City returned to Manchester by bus.

They don't have time to pay attention to criticism and arguments because they are about to face the most important game of the Champions League group stage - home to Bayern Munich!

For this game, Manchester City is taking it very seriously.

Manuel Pellegrini even trained the team behind closed doors, forbidding all outside visits.

Obviously, he didn't want to divulge the team's tactical play, so as not to be known in advance by the scouts on Bayern's side.

On October 1, Bayern Munich arrived in Manchester two days ahead of schedule under the leadership of manager Pep Guardiola.

They were stationed at United's Carrington training base, but Pep Guardiola did not train behind closed doors.

His squad had a regular pre-match training routine and didn't seem to have devised any new tactics for City.

However, even so, Manchester City did not dare to be careless, and the team sent a number of scouts to monitor the opponent's every move.

This game is too crucial for them and Manchester City can't afford to lose!

Manchester City have spent a lot of money on a number of players this season, and if they can't qualify from the group, they will not only lose their money, but the whole team will become a laughing stock in football.

Although on the bright side, the only threat to them in the group is Bayern Munich.

But in fact, CSKA Moscow's strength is not weak, especially if the opponent's home stadium has the blessing of the winter buff, it will be very difficult to play.

The straight-line distance from Manchester to Moscow is more than 2,500 kilometers, and such a long distance can greatly affect the team's form even if the weather is not considered.

Add to that the weather and some off-field influences, not to mention Manchester City, even Bayern Munich are not absolutely sure that they will be able to beat CSKA Moscow away.

Therefore, if they want to qualify, they must play this game well, and they can't stop fighting hard just because their opponent is Bayern Munich.

If they surrender directly because Bayern is strong, then they will lose room for error, and if the future expedition to Moscow fails, they can almost be carried away.

Considering that Bayern Munich could also overturn in Moscow, Manchester City will need to secure four wins if they want to secure qualification.

They are now on just three points, with Plzen on the back of the storm and City will be assured of another win against them at home next time.

But even so, it is still only 6 points, which is half of 12 points.

Therefore, they have to fight to win both home stadiums, whether the opponent is Bayern Munich or CSKA Moscow.

If they can win Bayern in this game, then Manchester City will not only have the initiative to qualify firmly in their own hands.

It is even possible to finish first in the group!

If they win the group, they will be able to avoid the strong teams of other groups in the knockout stage, so that their chances of breaking into the quarterfinals will be greatly improved.

For Bayern, the situation is similar.

Manchester City are their biggest rivals in the group, and Bayern can't afford to lose.

Compared to Manchester City's schedule, Bayern's schedule is even more devilish.

They will play away in late November, in the cold and snow of Moscow.

This win is even worse than Manchester City!

However, unlike Manchester City's strict preparation, Bayern is full of confidence in this game.

They have already won the Champions League and as the defending champions they have enough confidence to face all the teams.

is as strong as Barcelona was swept out of the game by them, can a mere Manchester City still be overturned?

Although Guardiola didn't want to put pressure on the players, he couldn't stand it anymore when he saw the players treat their opponents so contemptuously.

"Stop!"

He called out to stop the training session and beckoned the players to come over.

The players didn't know why, but they still obediently stopped their training, walked to the sidelines, and gathered around Guardiola.

However, Robben and Ribery were standing outside, not caring much about what Guardiola had to say.

The two were clearly unhappy that Pep Guardiola had interrupted their training.

If it weren't for the fact that the other party was also a champion coach, they might not listen to each other, and they might just ignore each other.

Pep Guardiola noticed this, but he didn't say anything.

He has been at Bayern for a relatively short time and has yet to achieve anything worth mentioning.

And these players have been with Bayern for many years, and they have won the league title and even the Champions League.

Strictly speaking, they are the veterans of the team, and they are just newcomers.

Young players may still buy their own championship coaches, but not so many older players.

The temper of big-name players is not good, and if you want to convince them, you have to show your strength on the field.

Pep Guardiola knows this very well, which is why he takes this game so seriously.

This should be the first tough battle he has faced since joining Bayern.

If Manchester City can be won, it may not immediately win the support and trust of the players, but at least there will not be a crisis of confidence.

But if he loses to Manchester City, then Moyes's plight at Manchester United could be his case.

'I know a lot of you look down on Manchester City and think they can't be our opponents.

Although the Bayern players did not speak, the expressions on their faces proved it, and they really thought so in their hearts.

"But I want to tell you that we have less than 30% chance of winning tomorrow at the Etihad!"

The players' eyes widened and they all looked at Pep Guardiola, thinking:

Coach is he crazy?

Is he serious?

Bayern vs. Manchester City, the winning rate is less than 30%?

How can it be!

We were Champions League winners, they never even made it out of the group stage, and City fell at their feet in the Audi Cup two months ago.

Such a team can defeat the mighty Bayern!

Bayern's players expressed disbelief, even if it was Guardiola who said it, they were still skeptical.

"Hehe, I know you don't believe what I say, so I'll ask you a few questions."

Pep Guardiola had anticipated the reaction of his players and Bayern's players were proud.

They can't possibly admit they can't beat Manchester City.

This is the pride of the champions!

"Kroos, how do you think Manchester City are better than Werder Bremen last season?"

Kroos was stunned for a moment, but immediately understood, and he said seriously: "Manchester City is better than Werder Bremen!" ”

Pep Guardiola was very satisfied with his answer, so he asked Mandzukic again:

"Mandzukic, who do you think is stronger in these two teams?"

Mandzukic replied angrily: "Manchester City is strong!" ”

Guardiola nodded and continued to look at the third person:

"What do you think, Mueller?"

"Manchester City strong!"

……

Pep Guardiola then asked a few more people, and almost everyone thought City was stronger.

There is no doubt about it, how can Werder Bremen's cheap squad compare to Manchester City's multi-billion-pound luxury squad?

"Since you all think Manchester City are better than Werder Bremen last season, are you 100 per cent sure that they will beat Werder Bremen last season?"

Most of the players were already aware of what he was going to say, so they didn't open their mouths to answer, only Boateng honestly replied: "No, no!" ”

"Oh? Why? ”

"Because they have forests!"

Thinking of the scene of being played by Lin Quan last season, Boateng still has a psychological shadow until now.

The scene where he was shaken down by Lin Quan in that game was made into a gif and widely circulated on the Internet, which was a nightmare for Boateng.

Therefore, among all the players present, he is the one who recognizes Lin Quan's strength the most.

"Hehe, Lin is now at Manchester City, shouldn't it be more worthy of your vigilance?"

"It's still so difficult to play the weaker Werder Bremen, so why do you think you can beat Manchester City, which has been upgraded in all aspects, is it because you are the Champions League winners?"

Guardiola's expression became serious:

'I've won the Champions League, both as a football player and as a coach.

"So I'm telling you as a person who has come before that being a Champions League winner is both an honour and a curse.

"Since the Champions League was restructured, no team has successfully defended their title in this competition."

"If you think you're the defending champions and you look down on all your opponents, then I can tell you that we won't go far in the Champions League this season!"

Ask for a commuter pass!

(End of chapter)