Liverpool made a triumphant return. When they returned to Liverpool and walked out of the airport, a large number of Liverpool fans greeted the return of the Red Army outside the airport!
The Red Army fans held their scarves high and sang songs, praising every player who appeared outside the airport. This made the players smile and feel particularly happy when they boarded the bus.
Qin Xiong returned home to look at Qin Ye, who was sleeping soundly, and then chatted with Sylvia for a while before going back to his room to rest.
Recently, Sylvia was also busy with official business. She and Qin Xiong's team were discussing new business. It was planned that in the autumn, Qin Xiong would launch a personal fashion brand, which included fashion accessories such as perfume and watches.
The next day, the European media focused on the news of Real Madrid's elimination from the Champions League after they were slaughtered by the Red Army. For a time, the other teams in the Champions League quarter-finals were in danger. Many of the managers of the teams said after the game that they did not want to meet Liverpool in the draw.
The 30th round of the Premier League on the weekend arrived as scheduled.
Chelsea of the Blues made their debut at Stamford Bridge and defeated the Hammers of East London and West Ham United 4: 1.
Manchester United followed up with a 3: 0 victory over Fulham at Old Trafford.
Liverpool made their last appearance at Anfield. Comain allowed a lot of the main players to rest and gave the substitutes a chance because in the next round of the league, Liverpool would welcome a double red with the Red Devils and Manchester United!
This time, the substitutes did particularly well. Portsmouth, who was at the bottom of the league, did not cause too much trouble for Liverpool at Anfield.
Liverpool defeated Portsmouth 4: 1 at home thanks to the excellent performances of Ryan Babel and Dirk Kuyt.
With eight rounds left in the Premier League, Liverpool led Manchester United by six points and Chelsea by nine points.
In the next round, Liverpool and Manchester United would compete directly against each other. Fleet Street claimed that the English derby would decide who the Premier League title belonged to!
If Manchester United could win in the next round, they would further shorten the gap with Liverpool to three points. In the last seven rounds of the league tournament, Manchester United had a high probability of overturning Liverpool with their richer experience and more mature mentality!
But if Liverpool could get out of Old Trafford unscathed, then Liverpool would not be far from their first Premier League title!
Liverpool prepared for the match in the middle of the week with a peace of mind. Everyone knew the importance of the next double red match for the league title. Now, on the one hand, they were conserving their energy, and on the other hand, they were rubbing their fists and preparing for a big fight!
On March 19th, the 31st round of the Premier League began.
Chelsea was the first to appear on the first day of the competition.
The Blues challenged Blackburn Rovers as a guest. After 90 minutes, the score was 1: 1, and Ancelotti was on the verge of being dismissed!
In this round, the Blues had a chance to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. As long as they got all three points, they would have a chance to shorten the gap with the top two teams. But Ancelotti screwed it up!
Fleet Street gloated over the Blues' misfortune and even claimed that Chelsea had been kicked out of the championship contender group!
Howard, the chief columnist of The Times, wrote: "Ancelotti screwed up again. After losing two direct matches with Mourinho, the Italian manager returned to the Premier League and led his team to continue their poor performance.
Breaking the deadlock in the opening six minutes made Ancelotti fall into his old conservative habit.
He still did not react in the second half of the game, and the Blues lost a good game. They were eight points behind Liverpool in the first game.
Ancelotti's on-field command for two consecutive games was problematic. The good image that he had built at Stamford Bridge for most of the season was almost burned to ashes.
As a "creative" manager, Ancelotti's starting lineup was quite innovative.
The French left wing, Malouda, was closer to the middle and formed the midfield with Lampard and Mikel. On the right wing, Kalu stood closer to the front and formed an attacking combination with Anelka and Drogba.
This arrangement caught Blackburn Rovers' weak spot — the Swedish defender, Martin Olsson's defensive zone was repeatedly attacked by Kalu, Anelka, and Ivanovic. Drogba's goal came from Anelka's breakthrough on this side. And Kalu repeatedly used his speed to tear apart the defensive line.
After Chelsea took the lead in the first half, he lacked the determination to "beat a drowning dog." Instead, he leisurely passed his feet. This was Ancelotti's first mistake of the game.
And Ivanovic's accidental injury completely disrupted Ancelotti's deployment. The Serb was good at offense and defense. He provided enough support for Kalu and Anelka on the right flank. But after Ferreira switched to the right flank, not only did he slow down the Blues' offense on this side, but he also made his defensive zone a key target for Blackburn Rovers.
In the second half, Allardyce aimed at the Portuguese's zone and let Diouf focus on attacking the Blues' right flank. This move had a miraculous effect. Blackburn Rovers' equalizing goal was Diouf's header after he overpowered Ferreira.
The lack of an effective response when the situation changed was Ancelotti's second mistake.
In the second half, Blackburn Rovers clearly increased their pressing and even some rough movements. The Blues' offense on the right flank was no longer sharp. At this time, Malouda was still guarding the midfield and not attacking from the left flank like he had in the previous few games. This caused Chelsea's offense to be at a disadvantage.
Anelka only played well for half an hour. After that, he was clearly not in form. The French striker's goal drought had lasted for a full ten games. But Ancelotti delayed changing his tactics. He endured until the end of the game before bringing on the young player, Daniel Sturridge. In fact, during the African Cup of Nations, Sturridge had been given consecutive opportunities to play, and the rookie striker had also produced good results. But now, Ancelotti was unwilling to trust Sturridge. The forever unchanging combination of Anelka and Drogba was too rigid.
In the Champions League defeat to Inter Milan, Ancelotti's move of replacing Ballack with Joe Cole was seen as a muddle-headed move. His overly aggressive mentality caused the Blues to lose the game.
And in this game, when it was time to strengthen the offense, Fatty Anelka delayed and did not make a move. Clearly, he was overcompensating and had fallen into a vicious circle of conservatism.
Although the boss, Abramovich, did not appear in the stands at Ewood Park this time, Abramovich, who had a livid face in the last game, would certainly find it difficult to smile this time.
It's true that Ancelotti brought 'beautiful football,' but the price of the increase in the number of goals is the loopholes in the defense. If this is a necessary price for 'beautiful football,' then Ancelotti is not good at tough battles, especially his shortcoming of being able to adapt on the spot, which cannot be ignored. "
Before the double red, Chelsea's loss of points allowed the Red Devils, Manchester United, and the Red Army, Liverpool to breathe a sigh of relief. At least the two teams could focus on the battle for the top of the table without worrying about Chelsea taking advantage of the situation.
Perhaps in Liverpool's eyes, Chelsea had indeed been kicked out of the championship group!
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