There is a dream called football

The competition system of the Champions League is very special, so the third and fourth rounds are very critical. They have the same opponents, but the games are played at home and away, commonly known as back-to-back. Under normal circumstances, after the fourth round, the situation in the group stage is very different.

It's clear.

Li Qiao knows very well that Deportivo La Coruna is at its last glory at this time. If this team continues to be unable to survive in La Liga, it may even be relegated. Later fans will gradually forget about the once powerful La Liga champion Deportivo La Coruna.

Ya.

But at this time, Depor was really strong under the leadership of Javier Irureta.

Also a Spanish coach, Benitez has a very deep understanding of Irureta. He is the kind of footballer who has been playing in Spain all his life.

When I was playing football, I played as a forward. I never went abroad during my career, but after becoming a coach, I stayed in Spain all my life.

For such a person, some people may think it is old-fashioned and outdated, but Benitez sees the other side of the coin, which is the spirit of craftsmanship. Such a person will completely wear out a team's tactics.

Depor's lineup at this time was also very good, with Italian striker Pandiani and Spanish native Albert Luque on the forward line. In addition, their midfield core Belleron was very powerful.

Belleron's characteristics are very similar to Deco, or very similar to the later Xavi. He is a pure Spanish midfielder who is mediocre in confrontation, but his passes are very accurate. Benitez is actually very good.

I wanted to bring in Belleron, but then I bought Alonso.

When Iruretta led the team to Liverpool, almost all reporters in the city were out because the game against Deportivo was so crucial.

Liverpool unexpectedly lost to Olympiacos in the second round. If they lose again, they will almost be eliminated together with Monaco.

"Javier, do you think you can win Liverpool?"

Irureta just smiled. As we all know, Spanish people's English is very poor, and Spanish people don't like to speak English.

Remember, it is best not to use English when asking for directions in Spain, otherwise the other party may not pay attention to you even if they can speak.

However, at the press conference, Iruretta still couldn't hide, and there was simultaneous interpretation.

"What did you think of Liverpool's loss to Olympiacos?"

"Haha, I think it was an accident. If I underestimated Rafael because of this, then I would be stupid. He is a great Spanish coach."

"Would you stick it out at Liverpool?"

"I will stick to my football philosophy. The history of Spanish football is too glorious. I don't think I need to change anything."

"What do you think of Real Madrid's recent poor form?"

Iruretta smiled and shrugged, pointing to his simultaneous interpreter, "Is this thing broken? Why did I hear about Real Madrid?"

This is because there have been rumors that Iruretta is likely to go to Real Madrid. Real Madrid changed coaches too frequently in those years and could never find a suitable head coach.

"You heard me right, I'm asking about Real Madrid?"

"Well, I don't know, really."

Iruretta's expression amused the reporters at the scene, and no one bothered with it. After all, it was just a myth.

When it was Benitez's turn, the Spaniard just said that this was a life and death battle.

"Yes, for Liverpool, the life-and-death battle is not in the sixth round, but now. These two games are very important to us."

After the game started, Irureta broke his promise. Instead of playing Spanish beautiful football, he turned into a defensive counterattack.

Benitez knows exactly what his opponent is thinking, which is to score a point away from home and then overthrow Liverpool at home. In that case, the outcome is basically determined.

In his previous life, Li Qiao never knew where Deportivo La Coruña was so strong, but now he realizes that this team's offensive and defensive transition speed is too fast, even similar to that of the top teams in the Premier League.

This is no wonder, after all, it is a team that has won the La Liga championship, so it is definitely not a weakling.

After being unable to attack for a long time, Liverpool's defense also had problems. Italian Pandiani seized the opportunity to form a single shot. Fortunately, his shot missed.

But this shocked Liverpool fans into a cold sweat. It was so thrilling.

"Are you going to treat me like the Italians?"

Benitez was very unhappy, but he had played against his opponent many times in Valencia, and he was indeed a tough opponent that was difficult to deal with.

When the game reached 75 minutes, the opponent had used up three substitutions, and it felt like they were withdrawing their troops.

Benitez also gritted his teeth and replaced Li Qiao and Alonso.

"Is this the withdrawal of troops?"

"It seems that the head coaches of both sides agree that it will be a draw."

The on-site commentators didn't quite understand what Benitez was thinking. It stands to reason that the home game would have to be fought, but Benitez had his own ideas.

Because Spain is not an away game for Benitez, it is his hometown after all, so he dared to do this.

"Well, let's go to Spain for a decisive battle."

Li Qiao was sitting on the bench, feeling very unhappy. He remembered that in his previous life, Liverpool also struggled in the Champions League in 2004. It seemed that it was Gerrard's last-minute efforts that reversed the game. So what about now?

To be honest, Li Qiao feels that this Liverpool team does not have the strength to win the Champions League at all. Look at how young Porto's defense was last season, except for the goalkeeper.

As for this Liverpool, Hyypia is indeed old, and the full-backs are not as strong as Ferreira. The biggest advantage is that the team spirit Gerrard is still so strong.

Li Qiao wondered whether Liverpool would really be eliminated in the group stage this time.

At the end of the game, the score was 0-0. Liverpool had a dull draw at home. After the game, there was no "You'll Never Walk Alone" sound in Anfield. Instead, there were some boos, and the camera shone on Benitez's face for a long time.

The Spaniard left silently. There were many things that he couldn't explain, or it would be useless to explain them. He told everyone his tactics at the headquarters.

Then let everything be proven by results. Just like when Ferguson first came to Manchester United, his record was actually very bad, but he survived and later proved himself with good results.

Gerrard took the players to the kop stand to pay tribute, but the fans seemed a little excited. They scored 4 points in three Champions League games, which was a bit unjustifiable.

This is not a death group, but the most ordinary group. It seems that the team's results should not be like this.

Gerrard said nothing and just clapped silently. He didn't know what the coach was thinking, but Liverpool must win the next game in Spain.

Gerrard slapped his team badge and left Anfield.