The Premier League is the most commercial League among the Big Five Leagues. Although it has been somewhat weak recently, its investment in the transfer market is still unmatched by the Big Five Leagues.
The London Three, generally refer to Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham.
These three teams have all had their glorious moments at different times!
For example, Arsenal's unbeaten season!
For example, the iron-blooded Chelsea's dominance in the League!
Tottenham has never lifted the League title, but they are still a force in the Premier League that cannot be ignored. For any team that wants to win the Premier League, they must defeat Tottenham at White Hart Lane.
Today's Tottenham is in a period of restructuring!
With Bale's departure, Tottenham is also looking for its own path.
As for Chelsea, they are also in a period of restructuring.
The era led by Drogba, Terry, and Lampard has ended!
It also went through the awkward period of activating Torres.
Today's Chelsea plays with the Belgian forward Hazard as its core!
Hazard's ability is obvious to all; he is definitely the key to Chelsea's victories.
His powerful dribbling and shooting efficiency constantly bring victories to Chelsea.
In this situation, even if Mourinho does not assign Hazard defensive duties, other players have nothing to say.
After all, in their opinion, winning requires relying on Hazard.
Real Madrid can provide this environment for Suker, and Chelsea can also provide the same environment for Hazard.
"Suker, ah~~~"
Mourinho was in his office, looking at the scout report in his hand, and couldn't help but rub his brows.
The various data recorded in the report were the source of Mourinho's headache.
Although Suker's goals this season have decreased, his assists, successful dribbles, off-ball runs, and ball possession time have all increased.
It can be said that the Suker in Mourinho's hands was a big artillery platform, mainly engaged in attacking and destroying the opponent's command post, achieving a one-hit kill effect.
But the Suker in Ancelotti's hands showed a completely different performance.
There might be an issue of Suker's transformation, but it is more dependent on his versatility.
Mourinho placed the data on the table and subconsciously called out, "Faria, what are your thoughts?"
Stephen Holland, who was beside him, looked at Mourinho somewhat awkwardly.
Mourinho also came to his senses and couldn't help but grin, "Sorry! I'll adjust."
"It's alright, sir!" Stephen Holland didn't mind this. He knew that Mourinho and Faria had been partners for 13 years, but the latter had gone to other teams to be a Head Coach after obtaining his coaching license.
Currently, Stephen Holland serves as Mourinho's Assistant Coach at Chelsea.
"Sir, we can completely adopt the same strategy as defending Messi, arranging one more person to defend and interfere with Suker!"
Stephen Holland suggested.
Mourinho shook his head at this. "If Suker were so easy to limit, he wouldn't be a problem for the whole world. Remember, this guy has the ability to turn the impossible into possible. Don't look at Suker's low number of successful dribbles; if you see his success rate, you won't think that way."
"He never takes action without certainty. Once he prepares to dribble, he has already envisioned the shooting step."
"This is a very terrifying guy!"
Mourinho coached Suker for two seasons, and during these two seasons, Mourinho deeply understood Suker's powerful abilities.
At that time, he felt fortunate about it!
And now, he's having a terrible headache again!
"But Suker's goal tally has decreased a lot this season," Stephen Holland said.
Mourinho nodded. "You've noticed that too, which is good, but you should know that Real Madrid's overall goal tally has increased. The Welshman and the Frenchman have started to explode with goals, and most of these are assists contributed by Suker!"
"If all of these were converted into goals, then you would find that Suker's threat on the front line has increased a lot!"
Mourinho then made a vivid analogy: "If Real Madrid's overall team is the brain, and the front line is the body, we usually have the brain issue commands, and the body completes the actions."
"But Real Madrid sometimes shows a reverse performance, which is when the body makes decisions. This is where their ingrained tactical understanding comes into play, allowing them to subconsciously make various off-ball runs!"
"I must admit, it's a remarkable thing that Ancelotti could embed this model into Real Madrid players' bodies in just a few months."
"Real Madrid has many points that can threaten our defense, and we only have Hazard!"
Mourinho said seriously, "Hazard's performance is crucial!"
Stephen Holland also nodded in agreement.
Inside Chelsea's equipment room, everyone looked up at the television.
The television was showing the Real Madrid players arriving in London last night.
The camera gave Suker most of the close-ups; from any angle, he was the most anticipated player in this match.
After these shots, it quickly shifted to some of Suker's brilliant goals and assists this season.
There's no need to say much about the goals; Suker scored too many, so a few more or a few less didn't add much to the spectacle.
But in terms of assists, this made the Chelsea players grin.
Suker's assists would appear in various ways.
He could make effective passes with unconventional areas like his head, shoulders, thighs, and heels.
These all benefited from Suker's powerful ball sense!
In addition, when Suker made decisive through passes, those surgical-knife-like passes that tore open the defense were also a great threat.
"I always thought Suker only scored goals, but I didn't expect his passing and assists to be so good too!"
Oscar couldn't help but say.
This sentence made Lampard, who was beside him, shake his head: "He's always been like this, it's just that during the period you were paying attention, Suker gradually transformed into a role more inclined towards a scorer. Of course, during that period, Suker and Messi were competing for goals in La Liga, so any change that benefited scoring would be attempted!"
"This is also key to him scoring 60 goals in a season, but if you think he only plays like that, then you are greatly mistaken!"
"He is a truly versatile player. His dribbling serves its purpose; he dribbles when he should, and passes when he should!"
"And he has a holistic perspective on the overall game, which makes his passes appear in the most appropriate position."
Terry, who was beside him, also sighed, "We should be glad we didn't encounter the Suker of 2007. I always thought that Suker was at his strongest then."
Hearing this, Lampard couldn't help but grin.
At that time, Suker almost single-handedly led AC Milan to the Champions League title.
Although he had Kaka's help, Kaka had not yet fully exploded at that time.
After Suker left, Kaka gained enough tactical resources, and only then entered his breakout period.
Therefore, they unanimously believed that the Suker of 2007 was the most troublesome guy.
"Alright, no more talk about that, we should prepare to head to the stadium."
Lampard clapped his hands, signaling everyone to pack up.
Terry also patted Lampard's shoulder.
Due to a knee injury, Terry could not participate in the match, so he could only place his hopes on his teammates.
After the Chelsea players packed their luggage, they boarded the bus one by one, heading to the famous Stamford Bridge stadium.
On the other side, at the hotel where they were staying, the Real Madrid players also departed on time.
The football atmosphere in London is, needless to say, extremely lively.
Of course, the 'football hooligans' that Britain is famous for are also quite annoying.
Don't categorize all football hooligans as die-hard fans; they don't deserve those titles.
In fact, most football hooligans are simply hooligans, who, by leveraging the excitement of the match and their status as fans, wantonly vent their emotions and even cause sensory displeasure to others, yet still show no restraint.
Chelsea is a relatively new club; even now, their history of excellent performance is not that long, and they have not yet formed an organized and deeply rooted fan base.
Most of their fans are a patchwork of groups from here and there.
Of course, the composition here also needs to be questioned.
Chelsea has die-hard fans, fans who wholeheartedly love this team.
But more often, they are attracted by the fame, liking championships more than the team itself.
When they win, they will cheer and shout, just like other fans.
But once they perform poorly, they won't continue to cheer for these players; instead, they will curse them with the most venomous tone.
This atmosphere was surging at Stamford Bridge, and the reason was simple: Chelsea failed to meet their initial season expectations.
Mourinho had just taken office, and he wasn't given enough time. When the players' performance wasn't good enough, they were wantonly insulting them.
When Real Madrid players entered the stadium, they heard a lot of such voices.
These were mainly directed at newly signed players like Oscar and David Luiz.
"Trim your hair so you don't mishead the ball!"
"Fight! Bastards! Fight! We don't need cowards who can't fight!"
Of course, besides these, there were also cheers, but they were mixed together, and the insulting fans were very agitated, so their voices were louder.
Mourinho's personality would not tolerate this; he preferred to concentrate these conflicts on himself so that the players would not feel too much pressure.
But so far, the effect has not been very good.
Perhaps these Chelsea fans still respect Mourinho at the moment, so they haven't insulted him too much, still targeting David Luiz and Oscar.
However, this situation changed in the later stages of Chelsea.
Mourinho would still be scolded!
Of course, in addition to that, Suker also received a huge boo.
There was nothing they could do; Suker had taken away Chelsea's Champions League in the Champions League final, which made many Chelsea fans both love and hate him.
They loved that such a powerful player should belong to Chelsea and play at Stamford Bridge.
They hated that Suker had indeed snatched away their Champions League.
That was the closest they had ever been to the Champions League!
Whether it was morale, performance, or form, everything was perfectly aligned, but they failed to succeed.
The warm-up session ended, and both teams' players returned to the locker room.
Suker carefully wrapped his wrist with a bandage.
Although he wasn't injured, he still had to put on a show.
After a while, Suker had wrapped a thin layer around his wrist, and the team doctor next to him couldn't stand it.
"This won't provide any stability at all!"
With that, the team doctor took over and spent three bandages to firmly secure Suker's wrist.
Suker tried to twist it, and his wrist felt stiff and uncomfortable.
However, after all, it wasn't an ankle, so it was still acceptable.
Benzema, opposite him, showed his carefully wrapped bandage and smiled at Suker.
"We're the same!"
Suker rolled his eyes.
"Alright, this is the second Champions League group stage match, and our goal is still to get three points. Give your best performance, and remember! Don't be afraid to make mistakes; the most important thing is to dare to make a move."
After Ancelotti briefly finished speaking, Captain Ramos led the players out of the locker room.
At the player's tunnel, Chelsea players had already arrived.
Soon, both Head Coaches entered the field first.
As Mourinho passed, he nodded slightly to Suker and others, but showed no other reaction.
Suker also nodded slightly in response.
Both teams' players entered the field, and the starting lineups were as follows:
Chelsea (4-2-3-1):
Goalkeeper: Čech.
Defenders: Ivanović, Cahill, David Luiz, Azpilicueta.
Midfielders: Ramires, John Obi Mikel, Oscar, Lampard, Hazard.
Forward: Eto'o.
Real Madrid (4-3-3):
Goalkeeper: Diego López.
Defenders: Srna, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo.
Midfielders: Kroos, Casemiro, Kaka.
Forwards: Di Maria, Benzema, Suker.
"This is the second round of the 2013/2014 Champions League group stage match, with Chelsea home against Real Madrid!"
"This is also Mourinho facing his old club in the Champions League again after leaving Real Madrid!"
"Mourinho achieved brilliant success at Real Madrid. Although they eventually parted ways due to differing philosophies, it cannot be denied that they delivered excellent performances in those two seasons. As a Head Coach who understands Real Madrid, can Mourinho lead his team to victory against their opponent!"
"Similarly, as Real Madrid's new Head Coach, this match is also a test for Ancelotti."
In the camera, Ancelotti's expression was calm, but his palms were constantly clenching, appearing not so steady.
One is the former Head Coach!
The other is the current Head Coach!
It would be strange if fans and media didn't compare them.
Winning is fine, but if they lose, the rhythm and problems will be significant.
Therefore, Ancelotti also put a lot of thought into this match.
Thanks to Real Madrid's more complete and powerful lineup, he believed that Real Madrid had a higher chance of winning.
At this time, both teams' players had entered the field.
Real Madrid kicked off the first half.
Suker still warmed up by bouncing, and the camera was firmly fixed on him.
Suker's performance would present different situations in this match.
At the same time, the camera also focused a lot on Hazard.
As a recently rising star, Hazard's ability is beyond doubt; he can be said to be Chelsea's true key player.
However, when facing Suker, can Hazard deliver an equally excellent performance?
Can he outperform Suker in terms of performance? This is also something to look forward to.
Just as everyone was nervously waiting, the Referee stepped out of the center circle and blew his whistle.
Beep!
A sharp whistle sounded.
The match has begun!
Real Madrid kicked off first.
"Go, go, go! Press them!"
Hazard took the lead and quickly rushed over.
After the kickoff, Chelsea immediately began intense pressing.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, calmly passed the ball back. Only when Chelsea players entered their half did they begin to advance along the flanks.
The ball finally reached Suker's feet, but Suker did not choose to dribble past a player; instead, he passed it out with one touch, while continuing to pull wide to attract the attention of Chelsea players.
Ramires, John Obi Mikel, and Ivanović formed a triangular formation, constantly ensuring that Suker was within their encirclement.
Suker was not in a hurry about this; he just moved left and right casually.
And almost all of his passes were one-touch, with no intention of holding the ball.
However, Chelsea's systematic defense was still very strong.
When Kroos passed horizontally to Suker, the ball was touched by Lampard's toe, and it bounced up, becoming a half-volley.
The ball's height was roughly at knee level, which is the most difficult type of ball to receive.
Suker's body lowered slightly, bending his knees, and gently cushioning the ball with his thigh.
And when Ramires and John Obi Mikel rushed closer, he made a horizontal flick outwards, an La Croqueta-style pass, effortlessly and safely taking the ball away again.
When Kaka received the ball again, Real Madrid was still in possession.
"Damn it! A step too late!" John Obi Mikel was quite annoyed.
He watched the ball graze his toe; if he had been a step faster, he might have intercepted it.
Suker moved horizontally again, running directly to the center.
Suker's body was facing the front right, and he turned his head to look at Kaka.
Kaka immediately passed the ball.
Generally speaking, Suker would dribble in the direction his body was facing.
Chelsea players thought the same.
But Suker suddenly stopped, pivoted on his right foot, and at the same time, suddenly passed the ball to the left flank with his left foot.
The sudden change of direction caused Chelsea's defense, which was facing right, to suddenly freeze; there was almost no one on the left side.
And there, Marcelo surged forward at high speed, trapping and dribbling the ball, and from the sharp angle of the penalty area, he directly crossed the ball.
Benzema and Di Maria challenged for the header.
But the ball grazed Cahill's head and flew out of bounds.
"Oh~~ So dangerous! The sudden change of rhythm and transfer caused some problems for Chelsea's defense."
"We must be careful of Real Madrid's sudden attacking transitions; they are very good at tearing open defenses with this method!"
The English commentator said solemnly.
His gaze remained fixed on Suker, showing a deep sense of apprehension.
It may seem like a simple turn and pass, but it was how Real Madrid opened up an attacking channel and created a dangerous attack.
If Cahill hadn't been in excellent form, it would have been dangerous if Benzema had headed that ball!