Starting from playing as a defensive midfielder for Real Madrid

Chelsea's continued success in the league has indeed put a lot of pressure on Manchester City.

But even under the unfavorable circumstances of shorter rest time after playing in the Champions League knockout rounds, Manchester City still followed Chelsea and strongly defeated their opponent West Bromwich Albion in the 33rd round of the Premier League.

With one more game to play, Manchester City is still on the same points as Chelsea, but is temporarily ranked second in the Premier League due to a goal difference disadvantage.

They still have a good chance of winning the league.

In the next round of the Premier League, Manchester City will challenge Chelsea away. This is also the second direct dialogue between Manchester City and Chelsea this season.

If they win, Manchester City can take the initiative to win the championship back into their own hands, and then sit back and watch the make-up games between Chelsea and Arsenal.

But if it fails again, Manchester City's efforts this season will basically be in vain.

With one more game to play, they are still three points behind Chelsea, and there will be only the last four rounds of the league left.

Under such circumstances, even the most optimistic Manchester City fans may not imagine how they can overturn Chelsea's dominance of the Premier League.

So the next round of the league is almost the end of the season for Manchester City.

Success or failure depends on this. If they beat Chelsea, they have the last chance for redemption. If they lose the game, they will lose everything!

As for Chelsea, their fault tolerance rate for winning the championship is much greater than that of Manchester City.

There is no need to even fight to the death with Manchester City in the next round of the league. Both sides will lose.

They just need to strengthen their defense and get a draw, and then wait for the make-up game to find Arsenal, who are easier to deal with, and get all three points.

Saying this seems somewhat disrespectful to Arsenal, but that is the fact. Chelsea's winning rate against Arsenal is simply not too high.

Even if the make-up game is played at the Emirates Stadium, the entire Chelsea team will not have too much competition pressure.

In terms of mentality alone, Chelsea's main players are definitely more relaxed than Manchester City's main players.

However, no matter what views and imagination the players of both teams have for the next round of the Premier League, their main focus now still has to be put back into the Champions League first.

After the 33rd round of the Premier League, the war in the Champions League quickly reignited.

Chelsea, who had been the first to appear on the stage before, would appear later this time. On the evening of April 13, Manchester City took the lead and launched a life-or-death contest with Real Madrid in the second round of the quarter-finals.

Joining them in the final contest are Juventus and Benfica.

In the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Chelsea defeated Bayern 2-0 away from home, Barcelona 0-0 Atletico Madrid at home, Real Madrid drew 2-2 with Manchester City at home, and Juventus defeated Benfica 3-0 away from home. .

In general, only Chelsea and Juventus took the lead in this round of knockout rounds.

Barcelona's failure to win Atletico Madrid at home is considered a disadvantage. Atletico Madrid, like Chelsea, has never lost at home this season.

The same applies to Real Madrid. They failed to win against Manchester City at home and were conceded two away goals by Manchester City. They were in a similarly bad situation in the second round.

However, the public opinion environment before the game was just that the media acted according to the prevailing situation. Barcelona and Real Madrid failed to win the first round, but they did not lose anyway.

It’s hard to say what the final outcome of the two-round knockout round will be.

Li Ang told his teammates before the game that he was more optimistic about Real Madrid advancing tonight.

It's not because he blindly trusts his old club or doesn't like Manchester City.

As far as the matter is concerned, in the Champions League, especially in the quarter-finals, experience is often more important than the strength of the team.

Manchester City is very strong this season, and their transformation has been witnessed by many fans.

But they have never reached the semi-finals of the Champions League since they formed an army, and the Real Madrid they faced was the king of the Champions League who had achieved the great feat of defending the Champions League in the past few seasons.

Even if Real Madrid has not been able to win the Champions League in recent seasons, their experience in entering the Champions League semi-finals is too rich.

It can be said that the current group of Real Madrid players have encountered every situation in the Champions League knockout rounds.

In comparison, there are still too few players in the Manchester City team with experience in this area.

When it comes to a life-and-death battle, apart from other aspects, the mentality of the Real Madrid team must be more calm.

If Manchester City has reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in the first two seasons, neutral fans will now have more confidence in them.

Too bad they didn't do that.

Chelsea looked great when they won the Champions League last year, but they also experienced the pain of losing in the semi-finals last season.

Only by reaching the semi-finals, having the experience of fighting life-and-death battles with the top European teams, and experiencing the pain of falling in the final stage can we lay a solid foundation for reaching the Champions League.

So it's not that Li Ang underestimates Manchester City, but that Manchester City is indeed far behind in this regard.

After the game officially started that night, Manchester City, playing at home, quickly took the offensive initiative and launched a ferocious attack on Real Madrid, which was defensive first.

Judging from the scene, Manchester City formed a strong suppression of Real Madrid at the beginning of the game, and many fans also expressed their optimism about Manchester City's advancement online.

But throughout the first half of the game, Real Madrid kept the midfield and backfield defense compact and intact.

Manchester City's offense was lively, but they were never able to get a good kicking opportunity in Real Madrid's penalty area.

So it seemed that Manchester City played better and more proactively throughout the first half, but in Li Ang's view, this half-time draw had already revealed Manchester City's decline.

Real Madrid seemed to be playing passively, but their clumsy tactics in the half showed Ancelotti's wisdom.

In the away game, we will test out Manchester City's offensive firepower first, spend more time on the physical fitness of Manchester City's offensive players in the first half, and then use their strength in the second half to finalize the game!

This style of play has been used many times by Mourinho before when he was coaching Real Madrid. He first allowed Cristiano Ronaldo and Di Maria to conserve their physical strength in the first half to warm up, and then broke out to harvest the game in the second half. The effect was simply not very good.

Although Real Madrid is now without Di Maria, the right wing has been upgraded to Bale, who specializes in tough battles. The effect of counterattacks in the second half will only be more prominent.

Li Ang is more optimistic about Real Madrid's performance in the second half, and this is indeed the case.

As soon as the second half started, Real Madrid swept away the "slump" and decisively competed with Manchester City for control of the game in the middle.

In the first half, the Manchester City midfielders, who played more proactively and consumed more physical energy, seemed a little overwhelmed at this time.

As the game progressed, Real Madrid's advantage in the midfield became greater and greater. With more possession of the ball, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bell, who were counterattacking in front, naturally had more offensive opportunities.

At this time, Manchester City did not choose to shrink the formation appropriately to consolidate the defense, but chose to continue to play against Real Madrid.

Guardiola's tactical decisions are ultimately loyal to his tactical philosophy.

But the game situation doesn't lie, and Guardiola's choice ultimately cost his team.

In the 73rd minute of the second half of the game, Bell took Benzema's transfer ball and forced an overtake on the wing, and beat Kolarov, who was not quick to return to defense.

And after this, Manchester City's entire defense line was almost declared lost!

No one can stop the fast-moving Welsh wing king anymore.

Bell calmly reached the end of a wing, and his subsequent accurate cross also allowed Ronaldo to successfully deliver a fatal blow at the back of the Manchester City goal!

Otamendi was stunned when he saw Ronaldo almost "taking off" on his head!

Bravo's short wingspan also became his fatal flaw at this moment. He failed to save Ronaldo's ball towards the far corner of the Manchester City goal.

And this goal also plunged Manchester City into an abyss of panic!

Guardiola began to deploy his troops, and he replaced offensive players one after another. However, facing Real Madrid, which was determined to shrink its formation, the less and less game time at this moment has become a talisman for the Manchester City team.

Ancelotti used the most practical tactics to contain Manchester City's throat, and Real Madrid finally won the dawn of promotion under the united defense!

1-0, a score that is not safe enough no matter how you look at it, but for Real Madrid, a one-goal lead at this moment is completely enough.

Manchester City desperately attacked to the end, but until the referee blew the whistle for the end of the game, they failed to successfully open Real Madrid's goal.

The more experienced Real Madrid had the last laugh in this life-and-death battle.

Cristiano Ronaldo also successfully sent Real Madrid into the Champions League semi-finals with his 13th Champions League goal of the season.

Only the Manchester City fans who shed tears at home were dejected.

Before the game, the British media, who couldn't help boasting that Manchester City was about to defeat Real Madrid and enter the semi-finals of this season's Champions League, had no time to feel sad at this moment.

They very decisively placed all their so-called last hopes on Chelsea, the only player in the Premier League.

So much so that the other quarter-final match of the Champions League that night did not stir up much public opinion in England.

Of course, the disparity in strength between Juventus and Benfica is indeed difficult to arouse the interest of the media and neutral fans.

After watching the game between Real Madrid and Manchester City, Li Ang only glanced at the post-match news. After seeing Juventus defeat Benfica 2-0 in the second round, he didn't pay much attention.

Juventus' crisp victory in the two rounds can only be said to be a matter of course. Who allowed them to win the only big gift package in this year's Champions League quarterfinals?

So far, two seats have been confirmed for this season's Champions League semi-finals.

On the evening of April 14th, Chelsea, Bayern, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona all took the stage.

Chelsea, who is sitting at home, has sent out its entire starting lineup to prepare.

Bayern, who are fighting against the odds, will also face the end of their knockout round at Stamford Bridge.

The tone of this game was actually doomed from the beginning. Chelsea, with a two-goal lead, was in no rush to attack.

With the advantage of being at home, Chelsea took the stance of fighting a counter-attack from the very beginning of the game.

With no way out, Bayern also had no other choice. They could only put all their last hope on offense.

So a brutal and fierce offensive and defensive battle started directly at Stamford Bridge.

Tonight's Bayern was just like Manchester City last night. They attacked with all their strength from the beginning of the game, leaving no possibility for themselves to be conservative at all.

But Chelsea is not just defensive. Their counterattack is equally sharp, and they are always looking for perfect opportunities to kill Bayern in defense.

This makes Bayern's offense look more like a double-edged sword.

The tactics Mourinho deployed today are an outright conspiracy, which is to bully Bayern and have to go all the way on the offensive road.

The entire Bayern team also knows that Chelsea will counterattack, but do they have a way?

There is no way.

The pitfall of being two goals behind at home in the first round was too big. Bayern had to score at least two goals at Stamford Bridge if they wanted to advance today.

After completing this prerequisite, they still cannot concede the goal, so that they can get the opportunity to play overtime with Chelsea.

Under these conditions, Bayern's players are not under much pressure in the game.

The more anxious Bayern plays, the more calm Chelsea players naturally become.

Playing defensive and counter-attack tactics is the least stressful thing for current Chelsea players.

In the field they are best at, it can be said that no team in football can suppress them.

Bayern has worked hard enough on the offensive end, but throughout the first half, Chelsea's triple defense line strangled all Bayern's offensive attempts outside the penalty area!

Li Ang was very excited today. His sweeping runs at all costs helped Chelsea's defenders greatly reduce the defensive pressure.

Although this has resulted in him having few opportunities to play on the offensive end, his role on the defensive end is what Mourinho wants to see more.

As the score remained at 0-0 at the end of the half, the hope in the hearts of countless Bayern fans became less and less.

After the second half of the game started, Chelsea's tactics finally changed slightly.

Although in general they were still playing defensive counterattack, Chelsea paid more attention to the battle for control of the midfield in the second half.

To put it bluntly, Chelsea wants to expand their defense and let Bayern devote more energy to competing with them for the midfield.

Bayern is naturally unwilling to do so. If Chelsea really pushes out the defense, wouldn't all their previous offensive efforts be in vain?

One side wanted to push the defense line out, and the other side wanted to push the offensive line in. Neither side gave in. The confrontation near the midfield was extremely fierce for a while.

However, after the 60th minute of the second half, Chelsea once again adjusted their tactics and gave up competing with Bayern for control of the midfield. They decisively shrunk their formation and began to squat.

Bayern's players on the field had no time to think about why Chelsea had to change tactics like this. They were just eager to reoccupy the previously lost front.

However, after they subconsciously pressed forward and focused more on offense, their defensive holes in the midfield and backcourt became more and more obvious.

In the 67th minute of the second half, Li Ang assisted Matic in double-teaming defense against Thomas Muller.

Muller had no choice but to protect the ball and pass it across, but Kroos, who made the correct defensive prediction, intercepted the ball one step ahead of Ribery!

After a moment of observation, Cross took the ball directly and found Suarez who retreated from the frontcourt to support the ball.

Hazard and De Bruyne accelerated forward on both wings in tacit understanding.

But Suarez did not turn around and dribble in a hurry. Instead, he protected the ball with his back and waited for a while before passing the ball back to Li Ang who came forward!

Suarez's passing choice at this moment fully demonstrated his high football intelligence.

And just after a large number of Bayern defensive players' attention was attracted by Suarez's return pass, Li Ang, who received the ball, directly sent a long pass without stopping the ball!

The football drew a smooth trajectory in the air and landed accurately at the feet of De Bruyne, who was advancing forward.

Hazard also raised his arms high at this moment and made a diagonal pass into Bayern's penalty area from the wing.

De Bruyne almost sent a cross the moment Hazard made a diagonal run!

Boateng subconsciously quickly retreated to the penalty area next to Hazard, but he soon regretted it.

Because the cross ball sent by De Bruyne was not directed towards Hazard, but was passed slightly against the turf to the top of the Bayern penalty area!

De Bruyne deceived all Bayern defenders at the moment with his pass.

After Li Ang restrained Javi Martinez's defensive attention, he also slowed down and continued to advance.

Because Suarez, who is faster than him, has already taken the ball and broke into Bayern's penalty area!

The Uruguayan forward adjusted his steps and was about to shoot. Alaba bravely stepped forward to intercept.

But in the next moment, Suarez landed and smashed the ball, directly passing Alaba cleanly!

The South American forward's delicate foot skills are fully revealed on him at this moment.

Neuer abandoned the goal and attacked. Suarez did not panic at all when he saw this. He had already aimed at the angle and finally chose to push.

The football clung to the turf at a very tricky angle and passed Neuer's palm to save, and finally went into the far corner of Bayern's goal!

Li Ang raised his arms and shouted at this moment!

The entire Stamford Bridge stadium also burst into deafening cheers at this moment!

This round of knockout rounds is over!

Bayern will no longer have the slightest chance to become a stumbling block to Chelsea's defense of the Champions League this year!

The exhausted Ram stood outside his penalty area and covered his forehead in pain.

Muller stood in the midfield a little confused, and his partner Thiago's eyes were still full of anxiety.

The Chelsea team's celebration actually didn't last long, and the game quickly restarted, but the anxious Bayern players were becoming increasingly out of shape as they played.

The mentality of the thousands of Bayern fans present was even more divided.

But Mourinho chose this moment to continue to rub salt in their wounds.

After a substitution adjustment, Lao Mu directly replaced Gary Cahill and Van Ginkel, strengthening the defense in the midfield and backfield.

The fate of Kroos and De Bruyne further demonstrated the defensive determination of Chelsea's coaching staff at this moment.

Chasing three goals in the last 20 minutes of the game is an almost impossible task for Bayern.

But Bayern's players had no choice at this moment, and they launched an almost desperate offensive attack.

Suarez and Hazard have already taken their positions to the midfield, and behind them are five defenders and three midfielders!

Chelsea's luxury bus reappeared, and neutral fans who saw this scene cast sympathetic glances at Bayern.

And the game finally came to an end due to Chelsea's tough defense.

Two wins, two clean sheets, and a total score of 3-0 in both rounds!

Chelsea stormed into the semi-finals of this season's Champions League with an impeccable and overwhelming victory!

The other focus showdown of the night came to an end almost at the same time.

Atletico Madrid finally defeated Barcelona 2-1 at home and successfully won the last four semi-finals of this season's Champions League.

At this point, this season's Champions League semi-finals have been announced, and the next round of more brutal fighting is already waiting for all the top teams that have reached the semi-finals.

After the game officially ended, the Chelsea team naturally began to celebrate at home.

However, after Li Ang briefly hugged and celebrated with his teammates, he approached assistant coach Holland and asked about the results of Atletico Madrid and Barcelona on the other side.

"Atletico won? 1-0?"

When he learned that Barcelona had lost and was eliminated from the Champions League, Li Ang subconsciously thought that Atletico Madrid had suffocated Barcelona 1-0.

Holland explained to him and told him that Barcelona scored the first goal in this round, and Atletico Madrid scored two goals in the second half to complete the reversal.

Li Ang shook his head repeatedly after hearing this.

Barcelona was reversed, which sounds reasonable...

But Li Ang still felt a little regretful.

After all, compared to other teams, Li Ang still prefers to play Barcelona in the Champions League.