Chapter 129: The Flat Boat and the Giant Ship

27 February, Wembley Stadium.

The sun was shining down from the Wembley Rainbow Bridge, and it was already close to five o'clock in the afternoon local time, the British sun had slowly set into the far horizon, and the Wembley lights had all been turned on, and the fans on both sides were sitting in the stands.

Before the game even started, the battle between the fans of both sides had already begun, with Manchester United singing, Southampton fans cheering one after another, and the stadium was already filled with enthusiasm before the game started.

The Carabao Cup is a game of weakness for many of the big clubs, but for many mid-table teams they have little hope of reaching the Champions League in the league, but if they can make a breakthrough in the cup, it will be a fairly successful season.

The same is true for Southampton, not to mention that winning the Carabao Cup will also seal a place in the Europa League, which has attracted more and more attention from many fans in recent years as UEFA has increased the prize money for the Europa League. In 2015, the winners of the Europa League will have an additional Champions League spot, which has led to a growing interest in the competition from many of the biggest teams that have been relegated to the Europa League, which has led to more and more competition, making the Europa League more and more attractive to fans.

Although it is not as good as the Champions League, the Europa League is also a way to participate in European competition.

The Frenchman Pierre, dressed in a suit, took the initiative to shake hands with Manchester United manager Carlo Ancelotti before the game began.

Overall, Southampton have been very good this season, and although they are still some distance from Group 1 in the league, Southampton are quite competitive in Group 2 and will be expected to finish in the top six by the end of the season.

Since Pierre took over Southampton this season, he has been able to put the team together quite well. One of his major changes to Southampton was to move Raymond from closer to the flanks to the centre, and the effect was immediate, with Raymond's pace and skill at his feet helping Southampton score on the counter-attack.

"If Manchester United beat Southampton, it will be their fifth Carabao Cup lift!" In the commentary seat, Andy Gray said.

'The two teams have met five times in the Carabao Cup, with two wins, two draws and one defeat slightly in the upper hand, and this is the ninth time in the history of the Carabao Cup that the Reds have scored the winner, having won the trophy four of their previous eight finals, and it is worth mentioning that three of them came in the most recent final. Southampton are playing in the Carabao Cup final for the second time, the previous one was back in the 1981-1982 season, but they lost to Liverpool in the final and finished second, and if Southampton can make a breakthrough in this game, they will lift the League Cup for the first time in their history!! Andy Gray took advantage of the fact that the players on both sides had not yet entered the stadium to give a background information about both sides.

By this time, the players of both sides were already waiting in line in the players' tunnel at Wembley Stadium.

The referee of this match is the famous English whistle Marina. The 46-year-old from Birmingham City has 16 years of experience in law enforcement, making his Premier League debut in 2004 and qualifying as an international referee in 2009.

After checking the table once, Marina greeted the captains of both sides, and then under the leadership of the referee team, the players of both sides slowly walked onto the court.

"The players from both sides are starting to enter and the 2016-2017 League Cup final is about to begin!!" Andy Gray took a deep breath and raised his voice and said, "Now let's take a look at the starting lineups of both sides. ”

"First of all, let's look at Southampton's starting line-up, and after two weeks of revisions, Southampton are on their toess and Pierre has naturally fielded his strongest squad. In terms of goalkeepers, Southampton still sent experienced Foster, and on the back line, Pierre sent four defenders today, from right to left, Soarez, Maya Yoshida, Stephens, Portland, the three midfielders are Romeu, Davies, Prowse, and the three forwards are Tadic, Gabbiadini and Raymond! Today, Southampton is still the 433 formation they have used this season, with three strong midfielders who can go up and down, both offensively and defensively! Southampton will be wearing their white away kit for this game. ”

"For Manchester United, Carlo Ancelotti also sent the strongest team, this is a final, neither side will let the trophy slip away from their eyes easily! De Gea is still Manchester United's starting goalkeeper, as long as the Spaniard is not injured, no one can take his place, on the back line, right-back Valencia, the center-back combination is Hummels partner behind, left wing-back Sandro! The three midfielders are paired with Herrera, Kramer and Pogba! In the front field, Di Maria and Juan Mata are on the left and right, and the center forward at the top is undoubtedly the best player in the Premier League and the most eye-catching striker in the world, Li Qingshan! ”

By the time Andy Gray began to read the starting lists of both sides, the players from both sides had already walked into the field and completed the pre-match handshake ceremony. Now it's the captains of both sides who flip a coin in the center circle to win the right to pick the edge.

In the end, Southampton's side won the right to pick the edge, while Manchester United won the kick-off.

A series of pre-match ceremonies were quickly completed, and Li Qingshan walked back from the middle circle.

Manchester United's players have taken their positions and are ready for the game to begin. Southampton's players, on the other hand, were in a huddle and they needed to cheer themselves on before the game began.

It's the final, and the final is a winner-or-loser. No matter how good Manchester United's previous record is, and no matter how many superstars they have worth tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, Southampton also has their own opportunities for 90 minutes a game.

Compared to Ancelotti sitting in the coach's box, Frenchman Pierre was a little nervous.

After all, Carlo Ancelotti has already won several Champions League titles, and the League Cup final is really just a pediatric for him.

For Pierre, the Carabao Cup final was one of the few finals in his coaching career.

The televised footage first gave a close-up of Ancelotti sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai platform, and then a close-up of Pierre standing on the sidelines.

On the TV screen, Pierre rubbed his palms, straightened his collar, and looked at his watch. His body movements had already exposed his psychological tension.

'Southampton met Manchester United in the final and are in an absolute weakness in terms of quality, so it's no wonder that the two managers have behaved so differently before the game begins. Carlo Ancelotti can be calm though, because his team has such a strong squad, an excellent record and a glorious history. Southampton is like the difference between a small boat and a giant ship. ”

"But sometimes, who can say that the little boat can't overturn the giant ship?"

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