Starting from playing as a defensive midfielder for Real Madrid

After Barcelona was eliminated from the Champions League, there were no soft persimmons for Chelsea's remaining opponents.

Real Madrid, who are full of experience in key battles, Atletico Madrid, and Juventus, whose defensive capabilities have been upgraded compared to last season.

No matter who is drawn in the semi-finals, Chelsea is destined to fight two more tough battles that will test their will and ability.

But from the perspective of fans of the other three teams, they don't want to draw Chelsea in the semi-finals.

There is no way, Chelsea, carrying the aura of defending champion, has performed too well in the Champions League knockout rounds this season, and it has also put too much pressure on other teams.

A Paris Saint-Germain and a Bayern Munich. If the signing is better, they will both have the strength to enter the Champions League semi-finals.

However, the two teams met Chelsea in advance and were suppressed very uncomfortable on the scene. In the end, one fell in the Champions League quarter-finals and the other fell in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Just looking at the hard power displayed, Chelsea is undoubtedly the strongest team among the top four in this year's Champions League, and it is also recognized by fans as the strongest team, bar none.

This feeling is quite similar to the momentum of Barcelona in 2011 and Real Madrid in 2013 before entering the Champions League finals.

It was favored by almost everyone and was recognized as the favorite to win the championship. Moreover, the team's main lineup remained relatively intact at the end of the season, with no lack of strength.

Under the enthusiastic publicity of the English media, Chelsea seemed to have booked the Champions League championship in advance.

However, in the current Chelsea team, although the topic of defending the Champions League champions has always been discussed among the players, there is no bad atmosphere of impetuousness and complacency.

The team's coaching staff's perseverance and vigilance played a key role at this moment.

And the Chelsea players, who have been kept awake by their head coach for almost the entire season, are now unable to feel proud even if they want to.

After defeating Bayern, they entered a new round of preparation training non-stop, and even the rest time was arranged very nervously by the coaching staff.

In this fulfilling rhythm of training and life, all Chelsea first-team players have no time to think too much. They are just eager to continue winning until they finally get the two championship trophies they want most.

On April 16, the day after the Champions League quarter-finals, the draw ceremony for the Champions League semi-finals officially began with the expectations of fans around the world.

There are no pre-divided halves, nor are there any seeded teams.

After the Champions League quarter-finals implemented a random draw without avoidance rules, the semi-finals still followed the same draw rules to determine the fate of the four teams.

Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid!

Real Madrid vs Juventus!

The two teams from last season's Champions League final met again in this season's Champions League semi-finals.

Fans of Real Madrid and Juventus also believe that they have obtained the best draw results.

On April 26, the Champions League semi-finals will begin.

The teams that have made it to the semi-finals of this season's Champions League still have the last ten days to prepare, and before facing the Champions League battle, they still need to complete the final stage of the sprint for points in their respective leagues.

Among them, Chelsea's schedule is the most cruel.

They will play Manchester City first, then Tottenham, and then they will face the challenge of Atletico Madrid at home.

If Chelsea fails to survive this brutal schedule, it is very likely that they will miss out on two heavyweight championship trophies.

In just three games, Chelsea's final fate of this season's two-front battle has almost been decided!

The pressure was so great that many Chelsea fans began to feel nervous.

But the Chelsea team is still calm at the moment. Except for Mourinho, who attended the press conference before the game, no player was interviewed by reporters to express their views on the Champions League draw.

Mourinho, who participated in the pre-match press conference of the 34th round of the Premier League, was also "friendly" this time and did not refuse to answer questions related to Atletico Madrid.

Although he called on reporters to respect Manchester City, Chelsea's league opponent in this round, when a reporter asked him about his views on the game against Atletico Madrid, he still gave an answer.

"This is undoubtedly a huge challenge. Atletico Madrid has proven their strength in recent seasons. They are a very tough team. Playing against them is extremely draining of the team's physical and energy."

"I regret the result of the draw. It was not a good draw, but we have no choice but to accept it. It will be a brutal endurance contest."

"I don't think we will make any more rotations. The next three games are very important for us, and we have no choice but to move forward with all our strength..."

Mourinho praised all the opponents Chelsea will face in the next three games.

However, reporters at the scene were still skeptical about his statement that Chelsea would not rotate next.

After watching the press conference, many Premier League fans believed that Mourinho was letting off tactical smoke bombs again.

Chelsea may indeed not choose to rotate their main players against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid, but in the league match with Tottenham in the middle, Chelsea still has the confidence to rotate some of its main players.

It depends on whether Mourinho is courageous enough by then...

On the morning of April 17, the Chelsea team completed the last practice before the game as usual, and the Manchester City team also arrived in London in advance.

As time continues to pass, both teams have completed their final preparations before the game, and Stamford Bridge is also ready to usher in the "Premier League Finale" of this season in advance.

Near three o'clock in the afternoon, the main players of Manchester City and Chelsea completed their final pre-war mobilization in the locker room.

As the restless cheers of the fans at Stamford Bridge broke out, the live footage also showed players from the two teams following the referee team onto the court.

While the pre-match ceremony was in progress, commentators from various countries also seized the last pre-match time to introduce the starting players and formations of the two teams in today's match to the audience.

Fighting to the end of the season, both Manchester City and Chelsea also suffered inevitable injuries.

Chelsea's Bertrand still doesn't know the specific time for his comeback.

Maguire returned from injury before the war, but Mourinho did not include him in the starting eleven for this game just to be on the safe side.

Manchester City lost two absolute main players, David Silva and Kompany, in the Champions League battle with Real Madrid.

So today, both teams actually failed to return to their best strength and state.

But in terms of fighting spirit, neither team has compromised at all, and both are mentally prepared to give their best today.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the referee on duty blew the whistle to officially start the game!

Manchester City, playing away from home, took the lead in kicking off, while Chelsea decisively stayed in the midfield, preparing to compete with Manchester City in a physically exhausting midfield battle.

While Li Ang directed his teammates to quickly position themselves on the defensive end, he continued to observe Manchester City's midfield configuration and offensive play today.

After David Silva, the offensive soul of Manchester City, was injured and absent, Guardiola did not let Sane start and continue to play 433, but chose to play 4231 instead.

The two defensive midfielders Gundogan and Fernandinho remain unchanged, and Cesc Fabregas is still deployed in the center.

But in the right midfield position, Guardiola chose to trust Nasri, who has been reduced to a substitute at Manchester City this season.

Sterling's position has also retreated and he has not been on top of the striker, so Manchester City's five-midfield formation looks quite solid today.

Li Ang feels that Guardiola has returned to his previous tactical thinking of over-pursuing the thickness of the midfield and the sophistication of the team's offensive organization.

If this is the case, then Mourinho's decision to give up control of the midfield today and focus on quick counterattacks on both wings will hit Manchester City's fate again!

As soon as Li Ang retreated in the middle of the midfield, Chelsea formed a defensive position with three midfielders.

Once this style of play is implemented, Chelsea doesn't care whether Manchester City plays five midfielders or six midfielders, just concentrate on guarding the center and rib space.

And once Chelsea steals the ball in the midfield and backfield, whether it is Kroos, Leon or Matic, all three of them have a super high level of long passes.

This set of squatting style and the striker combination in the frontcourt make counterattacks a breeze.

Li Ang originally thought that Manchester City would not give Chelsea much room to counterattack today, just like when the two teams met for the first time this season.

But he did not expect that Manchester City, playing away from home today, would make the same old mistakes of the past few seasons.

But thinking about it from the perspective of the Manchester City coaching staff, Li Ang soon felt relieved.

Silva and Kompany were injured one after another, and Manchester City's strength on both offense and defense was greatly damaged. In addition, Manchester City just lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League, and it is normal for their morale to drop.

The team's hard power has declined, and neither the defensive core nor the offensive core can return in the league battle with Chelsea. It is probably impossible to control the field and solidly defend.

The team's morale is low, and if they want to restore the confidence of the players, they must naturally find a way on the offensive end.

Blindly focusing on defense and showing weakness will only further undermine the players' confidence.

So you can't blame Guardiola for being too bold in his tactical arrangements today, but he had to do this. Manchester City really had no way out!

Playing their most confident tactics and regaining confidence along the offensive road is Manchester City's last hope no matter how you look at it.

Morale is a very mysterious thing. Sometimes if you drink too much chicken soup and it doesn't work, then you really have to force yourself to perform at your best.

If you succeed, it is not impossible to counterattack all the way and make a comeback against the wind.

Lost...

That means no regrets!

After all, you used your best tactics to fight to the end. If you still lose like this, what else is there to say?

Li Ang thinks he has figured out Manchester City's tactical ideas and the team's ideas.

Since the old rivals want to go all the way on the offensive road, they must naturally fulfill their wish.

Don’t you just want to attack?

Chelsea directly gave up control of the midfield, and Manchester City could attack enough.

Press it, the higher you press it, the better!

The greater the defensive pressure on Chelsea's midfield and backfield players, the more threatening opportunities Chelsea's forwards can find on the counterattack.

Li Ang has no doubts about the ability of his forward teammates to seize counterattack opportunities.

He endured his temper and swept away the squatters in front of his own penalty area. Manchester City attacked resolutely, but Li Ang also used strong defense to drive his teammates to withstand Manchester City's offensive impact.

When technology can no longer determine the direction of the situation on the court, fierce physical confrontation has gradually become the mainstream tone on the court.

Manchester City does not have an advantage in this regard, at least when facing Chelsea, they have never had the upper hand in confrontation.

But driven by a strong sense of crisis, Manchester City's midfielders and frontfielders still bravely fought hand-to-hand with Chelsea's defensive players!

This was a competition and confrontation of courage, and the fierce rhythm of the game also made the supporters of both sides quickly hold their breath, barely daring to blink and pay attention to the changes in the situation on the field.

But such fierce competition and confrontation did not last too long.

Under the astonished gaze of many neutral fans, Manchester City, who were fighting so hard with Chelsea, showed their fatigue in just 10 minutes.

This does not mean that Manchester City's players are exhausted, but that the entire Manchester City team can no longer keep up with Chelsea's tough and fierce confrontation.

With the fast-paced confrontation before, Chelsea might be able to hold on for another 10 minutes, until the first half hour has passed.

But Manchester City has obviously reached the point where they need to take a breath. Let alone 10 minutes, they can't even hold on for 5 more minutes.

This is clearly not the Manchester City that neutral fans know.

Mourinho, who was watching this scene from the sidelines, shook his head insignificantly at this moment.

"Manchester City collapsed. They have been unable to fight high-intensity tough battles until now!"

Holland excitedly made a conclusion on the sidelines. Mourinho didn't quite agree with his point of view, but it was indeed a fact that Manchester City's entire team had physical problems.

If you do the math carefully, Manchester City has indeed played too many games this season.

Both domestic cup competitions in England have reached the late stages. The Champions League just ended a few days ago. In addition, the recent intensive Premier League competitions...

Chelsea dared to fight on four fronts last season, and Mourinho's greatest strength was the depth of his bench.

Manchester City's bench thickness and strength this season are good, but they cannot compare with Chelsea last season.

In addition, Guardiola's rotation in the early stages of the league was not large, and he relied more heavily on the main lineup.

Therefore, it is natural that Manchester City's overall state has problems until now.

Mourinho was a little happy and a little sad.

And just when he was filled with emotion, Cross had already received Li Ang's intercepted pass on the court and decisively launched a counterattack long pass.

Hazard, who unloaded the ball almost perfectly from the wing, advanced wildly.

However, when faced with Zabaleta's pursuit and interception, Hazard did not choose to force a breakthrough, but reasonably passed the ball back to Suarez who inserted in the middle.

The Uruguayan striker once again showed his excellent passing skills. A coquettish overhead pass allowed De Bruyne to easily get rid of Kolarov and get the ball down.

De Bruyne's final cross went straight to the back of Manchester City's penalty area.

Li Ang, who had been rushing forward after stealing the ball before, only now entered the live broadcast camera again.

He almost jumped up against Otamendi's defense and shook his head to attack the goal!

Bravo also made a save immediately, but Li Ang's lion's head flick was very powerful.

The football almost hit the outside of Bravo's palm, and finally flew into Manchester City's goal!

The entire Stamford Bridge stadium was boiling at this moment!

Li Ang slapped his chest and roared towards the bottom line!

Also rushing towards their third consecutive Premier League title!