Arsenal's luck in the Champions League group stage draw in the new season was similar to last season. The strongest opponent they met last season was the Eredivisie runner-up. It was the same this season, but the Eredivisie runner-up had changed. It was no longer PSV Eindhoven, but Ajax.
The other two opponents were the Swiss Premier League champion, Thun, and the Czech First League champion, Sparta Prague.
With the UEFA's advocacy of "poverty alleviation" in the Champions League, the competitiveness of the Champions League group stage became more and more polarized. It was common for strong teams to be guaranteed a spot in the top 16. Arsenal looked similar this season. After all, under the current Champions League draw system, it was too difficult to create a super group of death.
The Times carried out a preview of the Champions League season after the Champions League draw results. The favorites to win the title were still the traditional powerhouses, and Fleet Street thought that the teams that could really win the title were rare. These teams all had elite player groups.
The Premier League's BIG4 group naturally had the possibility of winning the title, and the probability was not low.
Fleet Street made a rough inventory of the strong teams from other leagues.
The first to bear the brunt were the three strong northern legions from Serie A.
AC Milan: With Andriy Shevchenko, Inzaghi, Kaka, Pirlo, Maldini, and other world-class star players, they were the favorites to win the title. They were the favorites to win the title! Last season's defeat in Istanbul was just an accident. It did not mean that AC Milan's strength had declined.
Juventus: The Bianconeri led by Capello had top players such as Nedved, Ibrahimovic, Trezeguet, Del Piero, Thuram, Cannavaro, Buffon, and others. Juventus's overall strength was also a powerful force that could not be ignored in European football.
Inter Milan: The team composed of elite players such as Adriano, Cruz, Figo, Samuel, Zanetti, and others was the weakest team in Serie A. However, in the European football world, Inter Milan's resources were definitely among the top!
The two heroes of La Liga were still the favorites to win the title.
Real Madrid: Even though Figo is gone, Galactica still has Ronaldo, Zidane, Raúl, Beckham, Casillas, and other superstars who can decide the game on their own!
Barcelona: Barcelona, led by the strongest superstar in European football, Ronaldinho, was definitely one of the favorites to win the championship. Ronaldinho's superb performances on the field again and again overshadowed the star players around him. However, this did not mean that Eto 'o, Deco, Puyol, and the other star players were not good enough. It was just that Ronaldinho was too outstanding!
Among the German teams, only Bayern Munich still had the traditional impression that they had a chance to win the championship. If Werder Bremen and FC Schalke 04 could win the championship, it would be a miracle that would shake the world.
Even so, Bayern Munich's competitiveness among the top teams in Europe had significantly declined. With only one superstar player, Ballack, in the team, the German tank still had to rely on the whole team to advance towards victory. However, on the football field, was it rare for one person to ruin the efforts of 11 or more players?
As for the French Ligue 1, which was the least competitive of the five leagues, due to the government's policy to suppress "elitism," even a team tyrant like Lyon was not recognized as a favorite to win the championship, not to mention Monaco and Lille. The competitiveness of the Portuguese Super League and the Eredivisie was also declining. It was a recognized fact that the last tier of the top leagues was about to become the talent training base of the top leagues.
The curtains of the new season's Champions League had opened. The battle between teams, individuals, and elite groups rose again. After nine months, who could defeat all the heroes in the world and stand at the top?
.....
Qin Xiong lived in Sylvia's house. The old house did not bring him any discomfort. Instead, he felt very warm.
George was becoming more and more sensible. She had arranged everything in an orderly manner for her independent life, which made Qin Xiong admire her.
Sylvia had to go to school during the day, while Qin Xiong went to the North Sea Beach to train. On the way to the North Sea Beach, he felt like time and space had been reversed. It was as if he had returned to the time when he had just arrived. At that time, no one on the street recognized him. He could quietly and freely look at the scenery and enjoy his private time without being disturbed.
Later, as his reputation soared, he began to be greeted by passers-by. Some people would ask for his autograph and photos. Sometimes, he would be followed by some fans. Young female fans boldly asked for his contact information and so on.
Now, he was out on the street alone again, jogging and training, and practicing his skills on the North Sea Beach. Probably no one thought that he would come back here, so even if there were passers-by who stopped to watch, they were not sure if it was the China player who had brought great joy and pride to all the Ajax fans in the city.
At noon, when he went to Ward Street, it caused quite a stir.
The fat man, Dekoizer, hugged him affectionately. When the former landlord, Rutmansen, heard that Qin Xiong was in Amsterdam for a holiday, he took the initiative to invite Qin Xiong to stay in his apartment. He also claimed that the apartment that Qin Xiong had lived in had not been open for rent.
The scholarly Peter said enthusiastically to Qin Xiong, "I thought I would see you at the end of this month. I didn't expect you to come back to see us now."
Arsenal and Ajax were in the same group. The first round of the group stage between the two teams was at the end of September, at Ajax's home ground.
Qin Xiong came to Amsterdam to visit them and bought them some small gifts. He originally just wanted to chat with the three old men and leave, but he did not expect the people around him to recognize him. They would not swarm to block Qin Xiong, but there were still requests for autographs and photos. Some passers-by on the periphery excitedly took out their mobile phones to call their relatives and friends.
"Guess who I saw?"
"Qin Xiong!"
"That's right! It's Qin Xiong who walked out of our Ajax! "
"Yes, he's back. He's at the place where he used to live. He's very familiar with the boss here. They're chatting! I'm queuing up to see if I can get an autograph. It would be great if I could get a jersey. "
"Son, don't worry. I'll definitely help you get his autograph!"
Qin Xiong patiently signed autographs for passers-by and satisfied their requests for photos. He was actually very surprised. When he returned to Amsterdam after more than a year, there were still many local Dutch fans who remembered him and supported and loved him.
After all, he was the most recent achievement of Ajax's peak glory. To this day, when Ajax fans recalled the great achievements of that season, the first image that came to mind was Qin Xiong's goal to kill Porto in the Champions League final. They could not forget the Chinese player who repeatedly stepped up to create miracles for the team at crucial moments. There was no doubt that although he only played for Ajax for a short season, he was already the iconic star player of Ajax's era!
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