It's full?

When Tassel's chief football reporter, Simon Barnes, walked out of the aisle and appeared in the stands at Stamford Bridge, he couldn't help but be a little moved.

Full stadium, which is really not an easy task for Chelsea, who have not had a good record in the past few years.

Especially considering that tonight's game is just an FA Cup semi-final.

Simon Barnes walked into the media area and met many old acquaintances as soon as he entered.

The first to greet him was Stephen Howard, the Sun's chief reporter.

"Hi Simon!"

"Hello, Stephen!"

Simon Barnes smiled and walked over to shake his hand, then looked around and pointed to the spot next to Stephen Howard, "There's no one here, right?" ”

"No, sit down!" Stephen Howard laughed.

As soon as Simon Barnes sat down, several people next to him immediately approached him to greet him.

In the circle of British football journalists, the most famous person is definitely Charlene Lahri.

Charlene Lahri's columns and self-media programs are already well-known in the UK, and her fame is no longer limited to football and sports, and now she has also begun to write some columns on current affairs.

If Charlene Laherry is the queen on top, then in the football journalist circle, Stephen Howard and Simon Barnes are both the second echelon under the queen.

They are not as famous as Charlene Lahri, but thanks to the huge influence of the newspapers they work in, they are also very famous, and any article can trigger reprinting and translation by media all over the world.

And thanks to the big platform, they have a better chance of getting some insider information that others can't.

"How? Have there been any recent moves from Chelsea? Stephen Howard asked casually.

Simon Barnes shook his head, "Chelsea are in a mess these days and it's hard to get concrete news. ”

Stephen Howard is clearly having this problem as well.

In the past, when old courtiers such as John Terry and Frank Lampard were still around, Chelsea had a good relationship with the media, such as Martin Samuel, who switched from The Times to the Daily Mail, was hailed as a close friend of Terry and Lampard, and a mouthpiece for Chelsea.

Interestingly, it was only after Martin Samuel left that Simon Barnes established the position of chief football reporter in The Times, but the relationship between the two is not bad, after all, they are both mixed in the circle.

"As far as I know, although the league results have steadily improved since Hiddink took over, it is no longer possible to compete for European qualifications, and there are too many bad debts left over from the Jose Mourinho era."

Simon Barnes whispered as he sorted out his things.

'So Chelsea's goal this season has been adjusted, from competing for the Champions League to winning the FA Cup.

Participating in the FA Cup will ensure participation in the Europa League, and now the winner of the Europa League can directly participate in the Champions League, in the Premier League and Champions League competition is so fierce, playing the Europa League is undoubtedly a good way.

Stephen Howard suddenly realized, "No wonder Hiddink was a substitute in the league before, but he played the main force in the FA Cup against Everton. ”

"yes, doesn't the FA Cup have a nickname now?" Simon Barnes chuckled.

"The fig leaf of the rich!" Stephen Howard laughed.

That's ironic, isn't it?

Once upon a time, the FA Cup was a trophy with the Premier League champions, nay, even more revered than the English top league champions, but now the FA Cup has completely declined into a fig leaf for the giants.

In other words, only a team like Chelsea, who has no hope of winning the league title, would want to compete for the FA Cup and avoid the embarrassment of not being crowned.

Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal have all been thinking that way this season.

Southampton, on the other hand, whether in the FA Cup or the League Cup, is playing as much as possible.

But even with all the substitutions and young players, the Saints still won the League Cup and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

One can imagine how strong the overall strength of the saints is.

"Is there any news on the Saints side of this game?"

This time, it was Simon Barnes who asked the question.

Stephen Howard nodded, "According to what I've got, it's still full bench and youth team." ”

When Simon Barnes heard this, he couldn't help but be a little moved, "Isn't this a bit too much?" ”

It's not a big deal to say that Chelsea's overall strength is not good, but in the end, the Premier League is traditionally strong, and this is Stamford Bridge, which is also a good knowledge of the Saints.

But even so, the saints are still on the bench?

Stephen Howard shook his head and sighed, "The Saints are now focused on the Champions League semi-finals, Inter Milan is a difficult opponent, and it is said that the team has offered a huge prize money to win the Champions League three times in a row. ”

When he said that, Simon Barnes understood.

At the end of the day, it's about money!

Winning the Champions League, with the Premier League's prize pool, plus the prize money of the tournament, Southampton will benefit at least 100 million pounds, and if you include matchday income, sponsors' commissions, etc., the income is even more lucrative.

And that's just the immediate income in the moment, and the potential income is a staggering amount.

But what about the FA Cup?

Even if you do win an FA Cup, how much money will you get?

That's a hundredfold difference!

So, in this case, a smart person knows how to choose!

But at this time, Stephen Howard changed his words, "However, I received the news that the Saints have also offered sky-high prize money for the FA Cup, which is said to be as high as 10 million pounds. ”

"What?" Simon Barnes jumped all over, "Ten million pounds? ”

His eyes were wide as if to say, I don't read much, don't lie to me.

Even if you win the FA Cup three or five times, the prize money may not add up to £10 million.

Would Southampton be willing to offer such a huge prize for such an unprofitable cup title?

The Saints are also different from the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal, who have already won the league title early and have another Carabao Cup title in hand.

But the latter teams desperately want to win a cup championship and avoid the embarrassment of not having a championship.

So, if the latter teams offered £10 million in FA Cup winning prizes, Simon Barnes wouldn't be so surprised, but the Saints......

"I can only say that Yang Huan has so much money that he has nowhere to spend it!" Simon Barnes sighed and teased with envy, "Why don't we go back and talk to Young Master Huan, give us a little, and we will sing praises for him in the newspaper every day." ”

Stephen Howard burst out laughing, "Why don't you go back and I'll relay it for you?" ”

"Okay!" Simon Barnes isn't welcome.

After a joking, Simon Barnes let out another mixed sigh.

"To tell you the truth, the saint's plot is not small!"

Stephen Howard nodded, "Strong teams and weak teams, not only look at the lineup, look at the strength, but also look at the temperament of this team, the same Manchester United, in the hands of Ferguson can win the championship, but in the hands of Moyes, a very important reason is that Ferguson has a winner's temperament." ”

"That's a temperament that has gone through thousands of victories, in the baptism of blood and fire, with one knife and one shot."

Simon Barnes agrees, "yes, without Alex Ferguson, Manchester United is no longer Manchester United. ”

At least judging from the period after Ferguson's retirement, Manchester United has long lost the domineering spirit of the Red Devils in the past, where is there still a little bit of the kingly style of the Premier League ruler?

This kind of domineering, this kind of style, is not something that any team can have if it says it wants, even if you introduce a strong superstar and build a good lineup, it is useless.

He has to rely on precipitation, accumulation, and the team to fight it out one by one, and build up one championship trophy after another.

As many people say, victory, is also a habit!

"Maybe we're lucky!"

Stephen Howard cleaned up his mood and smiled slightly, "We are witnessing the birth of a new dynasty in the world. ”

Simon Barnes agrees.

Almost everyone agrees that Southampton have reached a new peak this season, but everyone is also excited to see how long the Saints can continue under Pep Guardiola.

It is an inevitability that prosperity must decline.

However, Pep Guardiola's coaching philosophy is in the same vein as Bielsa, and it is also the manager who has the most thorough understanding of passing tactics in world football in the past and even in the next few years, and is the best at forming a stable tactical system.

With such a manager, entering a team like the Saints, the result is unimaginable.

"Ancelotti should be desperate now, right?" Simon Barnes laughed.

"Who's to say it isn't?"

Stephen Howard nodded and smiled, "I heard that this old Italian man has always been lazy and lazy, but recently, he has become a workaholic, and his personality has hardened, and it is said that his weight has dropped a lot." ”

"This season will probably be the most successful of his life!"

Isn't it?

The Premier League title is in hand, the League Cup is in the bag in February, the Champions League is in the semi-finals, and the FA Cup is also in the semi-finals.

If these four trophies are indeed obtained, then Southampton will complete an unprecedented Grand Slam this season, seven crowns!

Oh my God!

Simon Barnes couldn't imagine what kind of reaction all the fans in the world would give at that time, which was to send Southampton and Ancelotti directly to the altar.

Whether it is for professional players or professional coaches, such an opportunity is difficult to encounter once in a lifetime, and once encountered, who will easily let it go?

If you don't even work hard at this time, then when will you work hard?

When you think about it, it's unbelievable.

If it had been six years ago, when Yang Huan had just entered Southampton, who would have thought that the saints would be where they are today?

Even when the Saints were just promoted to the Premier League, it was hard for anyone who was optimistic about this team to imagine that the Saints could dominate the Premier League, right?

But now, before Southampton knows it, they have won the Premier League four times in a row, and dominating the Premier League has become a reality.

But the team's ambitions have clearly exceeded everyone's expectations, and they want to dominate not only the Premier League, but also European football and become the superpowers of world football.

As Stephen Howard said, it is a welcome thing to witness the birth of such a team.

While Simon Barnes was in awe, the players of both teams finally walked out of the tunnel at Stamford Bridge under the leadership of the manager.

In an instant, the audience cheered!

Is it for the saints? Or to Chelsea?

Who knows?