The 4-0 defeat of Real Madrid at home, and the 8-0 aggregate defeat of the La Liga giants over the two legs, made Liverpool receive a flood of praise and praise in the following days, and even many fans came to Melwood in person to give the team a round of applause.

All the media around the world are also praising Liverpool for how they comfortably beat Real Madrid, one of the best teams in the world, in an epic victory, and everyone once again believes that Yang Yang is the first person in world football and the top superstar.

With the results of the Champions League quarter-finals draw, all eyes are once again on Liverpool and Barcelona, both of whom are touted as favourites to have the last laugh in this tournament.

Barcelona drew Bayern Munich, and the Bundesliga team was the team with the most goals in the knockout round of 16, first beating Sporting Lisbon 5-0 away, and then beating the Portuguese Super League team 7-1 at home, and the aggregate score was 12-1.

As for Barcelona, they beat Ligue 1 Lyon 1-1 away and 5-2 at home.

The fight between these two traditional giants is undoubtedly quite interesting.

As for Liverpool and Chelsea, this is already an old rival in the Champions League, and the matchup between the two Premier League teams is also full of highlights, especially Chelsea, who have not won in the strong dialogue this season.

Although Liverpool have a certain advantage over Chelsea, the Reds are still keeping a low profile.

Both general manager Rick Parry and head coach Benitez have repeatedly stressed in media interviews that Liverpool only cares about the next quarter-finals, Chelsea is a very strong team, and whether they will meet Manchester United after the semi-finals, this is not something Liverpool should care about at the moment.

But there is a saying that is very true, the tree wants to be quiet and the wind does not stop.

Liverpool want to prepare for the game, but the outside media and fans are paying a lot of attention to the upcoming double red meeting.

It was the third double red of the season, with Liverpool winning the first two and snatching a title from Manchester United.

Now, when we meet in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, we may also meet again in the Champions League.

But because of this, the upcoming game is even more weighty.

Both the media and the fans began to cast more deep meaning into this game.

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Liverpool to Manchester is not far away.

Despite the fact that the world's most prestigious double red meet took place at midday, Liverpool decided to take the bus to Manchester on the morning of the game, but the players still checked in to the Hope Street Hotel the night before the game.

In the early morning of mid-March, the weather in the northwest of England was still very cold, as if it felt like a big war was coming, and Liverpool had a drizzle since last night, which added a bit of chill.

Since the competition was held at noon, Yang Yang woke up in the morning and washed up, but did not go to the hotel gym to train as before, nor did he go out for a run, but sat in the hotel lobby for a while, and went out with an umbrella on a whim.

In the Liverpool team, he has always been a special one, not a privilege, but a habit.

For example, he has to work out on his own every morning, or go for a run at the gym, and sometimes even go swimming at noon.

Or, the night before each game, he will get a detailed information and data analysis of the opponent from Yesterdam, and the coaching staff will put these valuable materials into a USB stick and hand them over to Yang Yang.

Because of this, Liverpool's coaching staff does not restrict Yang Yang from going out much.

This is a kind of trust in Yang Yang.

……

From the Hope Street Hotel, go northwest, from Duke Street into Hanover Street, towards the docks, to Albert Pier, the whole journey is only about 1.5 kilometers.

Known as the home of Liverpool's heritage, the famous Albert Dock and the Beatles Memorial are two of the buildings that best represent the city of Liverpool and the city's illustrious past.

Early in the morning, in the drizzle, there was no one on the pier.

Yang Yang held an umbrella and looked out at several modern all-glass buildings on the opposite bank, the Liverpool History Museum and the city's cultural center, and then the ferry dock and the Titanic monument, Liverpool is the home port of the giant ship.

It's a very interesting conflict.

Ancient heritage and modern innovation are far from each other, connected by a quaint black iron bridge for pedestrians only.

After coming to this city for three years, Yang Yang has not come here many times, but he likes it very much.

Kenny Dalglish once told him that he should try to fit in with the city and appreciate the unique things that make this city, this team, great.

But three years have passed, Yang Yang is quite touched by this, but he still doesn't understand it.

He's not like Gerrard, who was born and raised here, and has been through everything from childhood to adulthood here.

There are many things that he doesn't feel as deeply as Gerald and others, such as the Hillsborough massacre.

He also regularly participates in club activities, but he always feels like a bystander, identifying and sympathizing with them, but he has never been able to empathize, because none of them have been experienced by him.

But he is still willing to fight for the city, for this group of people!

Because he's a professional player for Liverpool!

And at this moment, he stood on the pier, as if he felt the uniqueness of this city, this team.

He couldn't put it into words, as if he couldn't tell people what he'd been through in the last three years with Liverpool and how he felt about this team.

It was great, it was unbeatable, it swept the Europa, but it was also down, it was sluggish, and even now, it can't compete with teams like Manchester United and Chelsea.

Don't look at Liverpool's current glory, but everyone knows that this achievement cannot last.

Without enough financial resources and business foundation to support, Liverpool's current scenery is destined to be a flash in the pan.

Yang Yang will go, Xavi Alonso is expected to go, and maybe even Gerrard.

This is the cruelty of professional football, the sadness of Liverpool.

But before leaving, you have to leave something, like the Titanic monument on the other side that you can't see, and the Albert dock behind you...... Let everyone know that at least it was once so glorious.

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A round trip of three kilometers is just a short time for Yang Yang.

Back at the hotel, it was not yet time for the team to assemble for breakfast.

But head coach Benitez had already gotten up, sat in the lobby of the hotel and waited for him, and immediately called out to him as soon as he saw Yang Yang.

His red eyes were bloodshot, and Yang Yang was not surprised by this.

Those who know Benitez well know that this is a common occurrence as he often stays up all night studying opponents and tactics.

He even heard that he could lock himself in his room for days and nights in a row, and concentrate on studying the video of the game.

Yang Yang has only heard of two of this kind of coaches who are obsessed with good football, and the other is the Argentine madman Bielsa.

"You read all the materials last night, right?" Benitez asked straight to the point.

Yang Yang nodded heavily, "Look." ”

"Any thoughts?"

"Balotelli can blow O'Shea's side, and so can I." Yang Yang said confidently.

Yang Yang is no stranger to O'Shea, Manchester United's right wing-back, and he is sure enough.

Benitez didn't doubt it, but he clearly had other ideas, "It's nothing to play O'Shea, apart from you, I think Gareth Bale can do it too, and you should be very aware of his speed." ”

Yang Yang nodded, after joining Liverpool, Gareth Bale's speed has played very well, and he has played quite well in many games, leaving a deep impression on the media and fans.

Many people take credit for Yang Yang's credit, because it was he who appointed Gareth Bale to join Liverpool as his replacement, and the Welshman showed quite good quality and potential, compared to Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool can be said to have made a lot of money.

"What do you mean......"

"I'll put Crouch on the bench, and you'll still play in the middle."

Yang Yang frowned, which was obviously a bit unexpected.

Manchester United is different from Real Madrid, Manchester United's two central defenders Ferdinand and Vidic can be called the strongest in Europe, if Yang Yang plays central defender, it is not equivalent to wrestling with the two of them, this is not Yang Yang's strength.

Seeing Yang Yang's expression, Benitez nodded knowingly.

'Nemanja Vidic is right-footed, but at Manchester United, Alex Ferguson has always played him at left centre-back, flanking the attacking full-back Patrice Evra.

As soon as Benitez said this, Yang Yang immediately guessed his intentions.

Playing O'Shea's side, Liverpool has used it once before, and Inter Milan has also used it once, and Ferguson will definitely be mentally prepared.

O'Shea, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic are all slow to turn, which is a well-known time, and Vidic has Evra on his side, which is indeed an opportunity, not to mention that the Serbian centre-back has just won the best game against Inter Milan, and Liverpool to play in Vidic's place is definitely a surprise move.

Yang Yang admires Benitez's idea, in the past three years at Liverpool, his tactical literacy has improved greatly, but there is a problem with this move.

"How do you make sure Manchester United will do the way you want it to? Vidic is well aware of his weaknesses, so he generally doesn't move forward easily, just trying to avoid being beaten behind. Yang Yang voiced his suspicions.

Whether it's a team, a manager or a player, when you get on the pitch, you have to be deeply committed to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses.

Nemanja Vidic is a world-class centre-back, so he is well aware of his strengths and weaknesses, and Alex Ferguson is the top manager, and he is more aware of the problems and weaknesses of his players.

What's more, the combination of Ferdinand and Vidic is among the best in the world, and the characteristics themselves are more complementary.

In this case, Benitez's idea, while good, is difficult to work.

Unless, he's got another trick!