Chapter 843: True Goal
Speaking after the game, Rafael Benitez mentioned that the team's victory was a credit to the whole team, but he still did not talk about his feud with Liverpool at his press conference.
Dalglish said the defeat to Manchester City was not the end of the world, but his comments pale in the eyes of journalists - after the home defeat to Manchester City, Liverpool's gap to Manchester United remained unchanged at seven points, but they were close to third-placed Chelsea by just three points.
Manchester City are still seventh in the league.
With the win away at Liverpool, City are now on a nine-game winning streak in all competitions and are one step away from a ten-game winning streak.
However, they were then held to a 1-1 draw at home by West Ham United in the league.
Ten consecutive wins in all competitions were not achieved, and a six-game winning streak in the league was ended.
In the 28th round of the league, Manchester City's opponent is Aston Villa, who will return to their home stadium.
Rafa Benitez was very interested in this game, and he repeatedly asked his players before the game to prepare carefully and give their all in the game to win the opponent.
When Rafael Benitez took over Manchester City, his goal was to qualify for next season's European competition, which means that whether it was the Champions League or the UEFA Cup, as long as he could play in next season's European competitions.
But now, after a string of Manchester City victories, the table and points are rising, and Benitez is aiming for corrections.
The team's momentum is so good, there are still 13 points away from the top four in the league, you must know that the top four in the league can play in the Champions League.
So why not fight for a place in the Champions League?
Coincidentally, Manchester City's home league opponent is Aston Villa, who are currently fourth in the league with 52 points.
If Manchester City can beat them at home, they will not only add three points to themselves, but also give their opponents three points less, and maybe Aston Villa will fall from fourth place in the league because of these three points. If one team is missing from the top four in the league, there will inevitably be another team to fill in.
So who is it?
Benitez thinks it's his own Manchester City.
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Manchester City, who were held to a draw away by West Ham United in their last game, did not drop the chain at home this time.
Aston Villa in a short period of time has made both teams very familiar with each other.
Aston Villa and Manchester City both have very fast players, so this game turned into a speed frenzy again.
Ashley Young and Abang Lajo, both of whom challenged glory in terms of speed, were unsuccessful.
The two of them actively returned in defense, after all, only the two of them could barely compete with Glory in terms of speed.
But even so, Rongguang faced the two of them alone, and managed to score a goal in the game and assist a goal.
In the end, he helped Manchester City beat Aston Villa 3-0 at home to get back on winning path.
City remain unchanged from this win and are still seventh, although the gap between them and sixth in the league is closing.
In the 25th round of the league, Manchester City had just moved up to seventh, and they were five points clear of sixth-placed Everton. Now the two teams are only three points apart.
Immediately afterward, Manchester City met their opponents Middlesbrough in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Middlesbrough have only just met in the league. Locally, Manchester City beat Middlesbrough 3-1 at home.
This game is still their home turf.
Manchester City won comfortably as they beat Middlesbrough 2-0 at home. Glory scored both goals in the game.
Middlesbrough's mind is completely off this game.
After 28 rounds of league play, Middlesbrough are second from bottom with 26 points, and with 10 rounds left in the league, how can a team they want to be relegated waste energy in the FA Cup?
Middlesbrough didn't even field their strongest squad in this game, and most of the main players were put on the bench by them, or they didn't appear in the squad at all. For the Middlesbrough side, it is not worth wasting energy in the FA Cup, and even if they do win the FA Cup, it will mean little if they are relegated in the league.
The blow to the team from relegation definitely outweighs the benefits of going to Europe.
It's worth the cost.
Besides, even the FA Cup, which is known as a hotbed of underdogs, is not so easy to win, you can take it, where do you put teams like Chelsea and Manchester United?
They won't let a team like Middlesbrough win the title lightly.
If the FA Cup is replaced by the Champions League, then Middlesbrough may be able to give up the league and go all out......
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In any case, City's comfortable run to the last four of the FA Cup is a stark contrast to their fate in the Carabao Cup, where they were knocked out of the first game......
Reaching the semifinals is also reaching the semi-finals. Now it looks like Manchester City have a chance of winning the FA Cup. They are different from Middlesbrough, they don't need to think about relegation in the league anymore, their position in the league is very safe.
That way, they have plenty of motivation to pursue the FA Cup title.
Now everyone has discovered that Benitez's so-called European goal was actually achieved through the FA Cup. As long as he can win the FA Cup, his team will naturally qualify for next season's European competition, which will be much less difficult than going to the top five in the league.
Manchester United and Chelsea are still in the league for the league title and Champions League qualification, and they should not care about fighting Manchester City in the FA Cup......
So Manchester City are promising.
This is the analysis of the media and the masses, but in fact...... Rafael Benitez is no longer aiming for the UEFA Cup, he is now aiming for the Champions League!
Twenty-eight rounds of league play and Manchester City are now seventh with 42 points.
And fourth in the league is Aston Villa...... They now have 52 points, which is just 10 points more than Manchester City.
With City's current momentum, it's hard to say whether Aston Villa will be able to retain the top four in the league in the end.
And in the end, the competition is not simply the strength of the players, but also the overall strength of the team, which includes the thickness of the team's bench, and the experience and mental stability of the whole team in the sprint stage......
These will determine a team's final position in the league.
The problem for Aston Villa is that they have no previous experience of competing for a top-four finish in the league, which will put them at a loss at the last minute.
How can they match Arsenal's professionalism when it comes to fighting for a top-four finish in the league?
After the FA Cup quarter-final against Middlesbrough, Manchester City are about to face a tough league game.
They will travel to take on Chelsea.
This season Chelsea started high and went low, and in the first half of the season, they were at the top of the league. However, Scolari's side then fell into disarray, with Chelsea now second in the league but 10 points shy of top Manchester United, and their hopes of winning the league have become slim and they can only focus on Champions League qualification.
Champions League qualification is not very secure either, don't look at them now in second place. However, third-placed Liverpool are only three points behind them.
Add to that Aston Villa and Arsenal both in the background......
Also, of course, Manchester City can't be ignored.
Benitez's strategy is to pull down the teams that are higher in the rankings than Manchester City in the next matches.
Liverpool have already lost at the feet of Manchester City, Aston Villa have just lost their way, followed by Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United...... And, of course, Everton, the closest to Manchester City.
These teams will all meet Manchester City in the subsequent league fixtures.
Those games that Manchester City lost in the first half of the season, Benitez wants to get Manchester City back one game at a time!
It's not just Benitez's idea, it's glorious.
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In the away game against Chelsea, Manchester City and Chelsea both played their main forces, and Chelsea are clearly aware of the momentum of Manchester City now, and they dare not slack off.
Liverpool didn't have the slightest resistance to lose, which was really shocking.
Anyway, Liverpool is also in the top three in the league......
Before losing that game, they had the same number of points as Chelsea.
But Chelsea don't have any intention of thanking Manchester City for helping them get rid of Liverpool, because the next game is for them.
In the first half of the season, Manchester City lost at home to Chelsea, and Chelsea's manager at the time was Scolari.
And in this game, their manager has become Hiddink......
Hiddink arranged the tactics very cautiously.
He intends to defend first on his home turf and not give City any chance to counter-attack. Especially for glory, it really can't be given the slightest chance......
Liverpool's home game against Manchester City is something to be wary of. Originally, Liverpool had contracted its defense and did not give Liverpool a chance to counterattack, but how did Glory break the deadlock?
He found an opportunity in the penalty area, in such a small space, and scored from a very small angle......
It wasn't a chance at all before he shot, but it made him have a chance to score.
Such a player is really terrible, and he must be guarded to the death!
As a result, Hiddink developed a very well-thought-out defensive strategy for Glory, specifically designed to contain Glory.
Of course he knows that the rest of the players at Manchester City are also good and in good form, such as Berbatov and Robinho.
But obviously glory is the core of this team, and his form and table determine the state and table of this team.
As long as the glory can be contained, it will make Robinho, Berbatov and others not play as they should......