Chapter 850 Enemies Gather Together

Marchetti, director of the UEFA competition department, drew a blue ball that was second in the group, opened it and showed it to the guests. It was Inter Milan.

Inter Milan manager Aurelio's eyelids twitched a few times and he unconsciously glanced at Manchester United manager David Gill.

Although both Chelsea and Manchester United are difficult to beat, relatively speaking, Inter Milan still hopes to beat Chelsea, which is slightly weaker, rather than Manchester United, which has been in great form recently and also has Gao Xiaodong. Inter Milan knows Gao Xiaodong's terror best.

Then UEFA Secretary General Taylor took out a red ball symbolizing the first place in the group.

The Champions League championship is the highest honor a club can obtain. The draw for the knockout round was highly anticipated. When Taylor drew the red ball, everyone in the venue was staring at his hand.

Especially Manchester United CEO David Gill and Chelsea CEO Ron. Gurley was even more nervous, wishing he could snatch the blue ball from Secretary-General Taylor's hand and open it to see.

Taylor seemed to know everyone's urgent mood, but this guy did not open the blue ball immediately. Instead, he shook his hand in an exaggerated way and said: "Haha, the ball is so hot."

Everyone except Gill and Gurley laughed, knowing that Taylor was deliberately making fun of the rumors that UEFA used temperature to manipulate the draw results.

After cleaning the floor for UEFA, Taylor opened the blue ball. He took a first look, with a surprised smile on his face, and showed it to the guests.

"Ah! It's Manchester United!"

"God! It's really Manchester United!"

"Battle of Revenge!"

"I can only say Manchester United's battle for revenge! This is Gao Xiaodong's battle to go home!"

"Is this manipulation?"

"Chelsea is so happy!"

"Chelsea is already in the top 8!"

…

Managers and guests from major clubs in the venue were all talking, envious of Chelsea's good luck, and surprised that the enemies of Manchester United and Inter Milan were gathering together.

Manchester United manager David Gill had a constipated expression on his face. Although Manchester United was not afraid of Inter Milan, being drawn against Inter Milan really made him uncomfortable.

Inter Milan manager Aurelio was even more frustrated. Damn it, how good it is to beat Chelsea who are not in good condition. They are so tough and they picked the toughest one. It is really a leaky house and it is raining continuously.

Chelsea manager Gilley beamed and hurriedly reported the good news to Abramovich and Ancelotti. Such good luck came just in time. It could finally alleviate the crisis of Chelsea's devilish schedule. It is no exaggeration to say that Chelsea can basically prepare for a quarter of the game now. It's the finals.

At the Carrington training base, the Manchester United players in the tactical room also exploded.

"Nah! Finally, we've left the hardest part to fight!"

"A secret operation! It's definitely a secret operation!"

"You even shouted "hot" on purpose! Damn it, there is no three hundred taels of silver here!"

"How much money did Chelsea give to UEFA!!"

"Manchester United haven't had any easy signings in recent years."

"Actually, Inter Milan doesn't matter, just fuck them! Revenge for the Champions League! Haha, Xiaodong, I'm not talking about you!"

"Xiaodong! You are already from Manchester United, so don't show mercy to Inter Milan!"

"Stop complaining! The results are out! Prepare for battle!"

"If you want to win the championship, you have to defeat all the strong enemies! Damn it! It's so frustrating!"

…

Seeing that the players were filled with indignation and the old players were in a bad mood, Ferguson coughed and said, "Don't complain, everyone. Inter Milan is definitely not easy to play, but they should be afraid, not us. We are a bit unlucky, but that's okay." , Manchester United has never relied on luck. Besides, we had bad luck in the draw for the top 16, maybe we will have better luck in the draw for the top 8."

Ferguson's words were very calm and grand, and he didn't mean to complain at all. The players were very convinced, and everyone stopped complaining and began to discuss how to deal with Inter Milan.

Gao Xiaodong was the core midfielder of Inter Milan last season, and he has naturally become the target of consultation by Manchester United players.

Although Inter Milan is his old club, Gao Xiaodong is now a player of Manchester United, and everyone has his own boss.

I definitely know everything about Inter Milan’s strengths and weaknesses.

Gao Xiaodong believes that Inter Milan's players still have some strength. The reason why Inter Milan is playing so poorly now is mainly because the players are not adapted to Benitez's style of play. In addition, after winning the Triple Crown, the aggressiveness and fighting spirit of the main players have declined. Gao Xiaodong admitted that this was one of the important reasons why he left Inter Milan.

Ferguson listened carefully to Gao Xiaodong's comments and saw that everyone was still discussing in full swing. He interrupted his disciples and shouted: "No more discussion now. The Champions League knockout rounds are still two months away. Our focus now is After playing against Chelsea, I have to go back to the dormitory to sleep, and I have to train in the afternoon."

The players obediently went back to their dormitories to sleep, but Ferguson and members of the coaching staff did not even take a nap and discussed Inter Milan in the tactical room for two hours.

…

After the draw ceremony for the Champions League round of 16 knockout rounds, the entire world of football is discussing several interesting matchups that will begin in two months.

For any opponent, Lyon may be a good signing, but for Real Madrid, this has become a fateful tease. In the knockout rounds last season, the arrogant Real Madrid fell at the feet of Lyon and missed the quarterfinals. In the previous four encounters, Real Madrid had never even defeated Lyon. This time, the challenge lies in front of Mourinho. If he can overcome this hurdle, Mourinho will also create history for Real Madrid from the perspective of the Champions League.

Barcelona does not care about Arsenal as an opponent, although Arsenal is also very strong. For Barcelona fans, the one they care about most is that Cesc Fabregas will return to the Nou Camp. Is it a competition or a festival? For Barcelona, ​​it doesn't need to be so clear-cut. Arsenal will think they have drawn a dead draw because historically they have never beaten Barcelona. On the contrary, Guardiola's team will face it very easily, because they have an absolute advantage in terms of strength and psychology.

Although Real Madrid's match against Lyon and Barcelona's match against the Gunners were dramatic, it is no exaggeration to say that the replica of last season's final match between Inter Milan and Manchester United is the most important matchup in all the 16-to-8 games.

Inter Milan is temporarily ranked seventh in Serie A due to participating in one round of the Club World Cup. Manchester United is at the top of the list with an unbeaten record after 17 rounds. The two teams reunite this time. Inter Milan, which has lost Mourinho and Gao Xiaodong, wants to win again. It may be even more difficult for Manchester United.

However, the generals of Inter Milan are determined to fight to the death and are not afraid of Manchester United.

Moratti also said in a telephone interview from Abu Dhabi: "This is a very interesting draw. I think it is mainly for Manchester United, this is definitely the opponent they want to draw the most, because it will give them a chance to win." An extra motivation, some elements about revenge. It is normal for Inter Milan to meet Manchester United. As Inter Milan, you must be prepared to face all tough opponents. Although Inter Milan is not in a good state now, who will win? It’s still a little early for who loses, after all, the game won’t start until two months later.”

Inter Milan coach Benitez talked about this draw. He said: "Unfortunately, I don't have the energy to think about the Champions League now, because the most important game now is the Club World Cup. After that, the Champions League is the most important. It must be Say something? I think it's always interesting for the fans and the players to play on the pitch against the same Champions League final opponents we met a few months ago in Madrid. Manchester United is a great team and it's A difficult opponent that you don’t want to face, because teams with great managers and players in the Champions League are always difficult to deal with. Of course Bayern wants revenge, who doesn’t, but revenge on the football field is always difficult. Easy."

Manchester United manager David Gill denied revenge. He said: "We met a strong opponent. I think everyone is looking forward to this game now. I think this confrontation can bring people's memories back to the Bernabeu last year. Many People have also talked about revenge, but I don’t think there is so much revenge? I think the biggest impact that game gave us is motivation. The players who participated in that game are still in the team. They have all gone through that game. They wanted to get rid of the shadow of that defeat. Inter Milan's core Gao Xiaodong came to Manchester United. I think this is the key factor in determining the outcome."

Ferguson is very confident about playing against Inter Milan: "I think it is a good signing for Inter Milan. Manchester United has become stronger and stronger, and Gao Xiaodong is becoming more and more adaptable to the team's style of play. But Inter Milan is not in good form now. I think now is the best chance to eliminate Inter Milan."

Both Inter Milan and Manchester United are full of confidence, but judging from the odds given by bookmakers, Manchester United is more optimistic.

Barcelona and Real Madrid are the favorites to win the championship, followed by Chelsea and Manchester United, while Inter Milan is ranked 7th, even worse than AC Milan. This is enough to show how the outside world is not optimistic about Inter Milan's victory over Manchester United. Of course, football is round. Even without Gao Xiaodong and Mourinho, Inter Milan's foundation is still there, and with Benitez who is good at playing in cup competitions, it will not be easy for Manchester United to advance easily.