Liverpool and Inter Milan sharpened their troops in Madrid for the upcoming Champions League final.
The European media gathered in Madrid, and voices from all sides rose and fell.
Fleet Street believed that Liverpool would beat Inter Milan to win the title. In addition to supporting the English team, they also believed that Liverpool had a big advantage in winning the title that Inter Milan could not compare to.
The Times released a forward-looking report before the Champions League final, titled: Experience will help the Red Army dominate Europe!
"Although Liverpool won the English top league title again after 20 years, in Europe, in the Champions League, Liverpool have a lot of experience in Europe.
But in the European arena, Liverpool could be said to be rich in experience, which was a wealth that Inter Milan did not have.
If it is an exaggeration to say that the five Champions League titles represent Liverpool's heritage, then from 2005 to 2010, this is the third time that Liverpool has reached the Champions League final! During this period, they have also reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, which is also quite eye-catching.
Gerard, Alonso, Carragher, the central players of Liverpool have achieved amazing achievements in the Champions League and have also tasted defeat in the final. Most importantly, they know how to face the final!
Oh, we can't forget stepping on the stage of the Champions League final for the fourth time. It is possible to become an unprecedented and brilliant superstar!
He is Qin Xiong.
He has won all three Champions League finals and has become the MVP after the game in all three finals. He is a superstar who has a decisive impact on the game. If he picks up the Champions League trophy at the Bernabéu, he will become the first player in football to represent four clubs to win the Champions League!
Driven by this achievement, Qin Xiong is bound to unleash all his passion and energy. We have reason to believe that in the final at the Bernabéu, Qin Xiong will shine brilliantly!
In contrast, Inter Milan has not tasted the Champions League title in its 40-year history, and in the past five years, Inter Milan has not shown a particularly strong performance in the Champions League. Although they have championship-level players like Snede, Eto 'o and Lucio, the team as a whole is still lacking compared to Liverpool. Of course, I think Mourinho's presence will allow Inter Milan to perform better on big occasions, but Liverpool still has the advantage!
.....”
The Italian media was looking forward to Mourinho leading Inter Milan to create a miracle and achieve the great treble at the same time!
May 22nd.
The day before the Champions League final.
The Liverpool manager, Comain, attended the pre-match press conference.
The reporters at the scene first asked him a topic that the media was very interested in.
"After six years, you and Mourinho meet again in the Champions League final. The last time you led Ajax to victory, does that give you confidence for this game?"
Kerman shook his head and said in a deep voice, "What happened in the past is history, and it doesn't help us much today. If I get confidence because of the victory of the Jax Empire last time, it will be blind, and it will not help us at all. In fact, it might even plant the seeds of disaster.
I am not Comain during the Ajax era, and Mourinho is not Mourinho during the Porto era.
Just as modern football is changing, so are the coaches.
I can only say that I am looking forward to tomorrow's game. It is a game that I look forward to being able to play against Mourinho's team again after six years. "
"Mourinho said that he would not launch a frontal attack against Liverpool, which means that Liverpool has to be prepared to deal with Inter Milan's defensive counterattack. Is Liverpool ready?"
Comain smiled and said, "The game will change rapidly. We will imagine all possible situations. This is my job. We are now ready for everything. We are just waiting for the game to start."
"Can you reveal tomorrow's starting list?"
"Sorry, I haven't made a final decision yet. There are one or two positions in the starting list that I have a hard time choosing. I need to think about it again."
.....
Comain naturally could not reveal the starting list before the game. With Mourinho's coaching experience and wisdom, he would certainly be able to see clues from the starting list. Of course, Comain could deliberately mystify and set up a smokescreen, but that was not his style in front of the media. He was not like a shrewd old fox, so he would not do that.
At Mourinho's pre-game press conference, he appeared extremely calm and composed.
"Previously, the British media thought that Inter Milan lacked experience in the Champions League, especially in recent years. Inter Milan's poor performance in the Champions League knockout stages. Will this affect Inter Milan's performance in tomorrow's final against Liverpool?"
Mourinho replied firmly, "This is not a problem at all. Inter Milan has proven this season that they can perform well in key battles. We are a team with a big heart. If Liverpool's experience was useful, why didn't they win the title in 2007?
They would also lose, and on the other hand, they would fall more often in the key matches of the knockout round. Would this kind of experience be of any help to them?
Strength and improvisation will determine the outcome of the game, that's all. On the contrary, if experience is decisive, then Real Madrid should have eliminated Liverpool, but Real Madrid lost completely. "
"There was news before the game that you would go to the Bernabéu after this final. Is this news true?"
"We're only talking about tomorrow's final now. I don't want to talk about anything else. If we want to talk about anything else, we can talk about it until next year because the media is always speculating about the future of the players and managers. I won't waste precious time on this."
"Has Inter Milan thought about how to restrain Liverpool? There is no doubt that Liverpool is the strongest offensive team in Europe this season. "
"You'll know tomorrow."
Mourinho maintained a serious and cautious low-key posture in the process of this Champions League final.
He did not make any bold statements, probably because he did not want his publicity to put pressure on the team.
Fleet Street was right about one thing. As a manager, Mourinho had to consider the huge pressure brought by Inter Milan's high expectations for the Champions League title, as well as the tension caused by the players' relative lack of experience in such a heavyweight final.
Therefore, at this time, Mourinho thought it was better to keep a low profile.
As for his own future, it had already been decided before this.
Florentino invited him to take charge of Real Madrid, which Mourinho was very interested in. Regardless of the result of the Champions League final, he would leave the position of Inter Milan manager after the final.
But he hoped to leave a strong mark for himself and Inter Milan in tomorrow's final!
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