Chapter 378: Double Pressure, Double Progress
The much-anticipated clash between Chelsea and Bayern Munich was set to kick off on April 5th. On the same day, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid would also meet in their Champions League quarterfinal showdown.
The matchup between Manchester City and Real Madrid was another one that fans were eagerly awaiting, while Juventus had the best luck, drawing the relative "soft target" Benfica — effectively putting one foot into the Champions League semifinals.
As for the other six European powerhouses, there was no clear favorite — anyone advancing or being eliminated would make perfect sense.
Even for Chelsea, if they ended up being knocked out by Bayern, it wouldn't be a huge shock, though it would surely cause regret among many neutral fans.
But to call Bayern beating Chelsea an upset would be an overstatement; at most, Chelsea had a slightly better chance of winning on paper.
Overall, this year's Champions League quarterfinals promised to be immensely entertaining, filled with heavyweight clashes. Every team that reached the final four would have a legitimate claim to the title — the quality was that high.
Neutral fans were certainly in for a visual feast.
But for the clubs involved, it was pure suffering — they had to continue battling ferociously in Europe while also facing immense pressure in their domestic leagues.
None of the Champions League quarterfinalists had built a dominant lead in their respective leagues.
Chelsea and Manchester City were tied on points, seemingly heading for a direct confrontation in the final rounds of the Premier League.
Bayern Munich led Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga but only by two points — leaving no room for complacency.
Juventus were just one win ahead of Napoli in Serie A and would soon face them in a critical head-to-head clash.
Benfica wasn't even leading the Portuguese league standings, trailing behind Sporting CP.
Meanwhile, La Liga's three giants were tearing each other apart: Barcelona led with 72 points, Atlético Madrid was just behind with 70, and Real Madrid trailed with 69 — an unbelievably intense title race.
In short, every Champions League quarterfinalist was gritting their teeth and fighting for glory on two fronts, unwilling and unable to relax on either.
At this stage of the season, even a single moment of relief could cause the entire campaign to collapse — and no one wanted to face the consequences of a failed season.
But titles were limited. For some teams, success would bring glory; for others, a bitter, last-minute failure awaited.
In that regard, every elite team still chasing the double faced the same ruthless reality.
Even Chelsea, despite having arguably the strongest squad on paper, were no different — they too had to push forward on both fronts without faltering.
If Chelsea had any advantage, it was that, like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern, the vast majority of their key players had already experienced winning big titles in the past.
They had the invaluable asset of "success experience" — players who knew how to adjust their mindset during the final stretch of a season and maintain form under the highest pressure.
That was their true edge over other teams.
Indeed, looking at the recent form of Chelsea, Madrid, Barça, and Bayern, it was clear they were handling the immense fixture pressure better than the rest.
Despite the weight of expectations, these four powerhouses continued racking up victories in their domestic leagues, maintaining elite-level consistency when it mattered most.
Chelsea, after defeating Liverpool and enjoying a precious week of rest, returned to smash West Ham United 4-1, giving Manchester City no breathing room in the title race.
However, after the conclusion of Premier League Round 31, the international break arrived, causing headaches for all major European clubs but also offering a small window for final adjustments before the season's climax.
While Mourinho was fretting about the international break, his old rival Guardiola was praying that injuries wouldn't plague his players.
But as the saying goes, the more you fear something, the more likely it is to happen.
Both Mourinho and Guardiola hoped their players would get through the international friendlies unscathed.
Instead, both Chelsea and Manchester City suffered injuries to key players during national team duty!
When they received the injury reports, both managers cursed their respective football associations in unison.
Guardiola cursed the Spanish FA for their incompetence after Cesc Fàbregas, his midfield lynchpin, got injured during a friendly.
Mourinho, true to form, directed his fury at the English FA.
Guardiola had lost a midfield general, but Chelsea suffered an even harsher blow — two important defenders injured at once!
Harry Maguire twisted his ankle in an aerial duel, expected to miss at least two weeks, guaranteeing his absence for the first leg against Bayern Munich.
Ryan Bertrand suffered a thigh muscle strain — though no longer Chelsea's starting left-back, he remained a crucial part of their defensive rotation.
With Bertrand sidelined, Chelsea's left flank would now rely solely on César Azpilicueta.
If the Spanish full-back got injured too, it would be catastrophic for Chelsea's end-of-season preparations!
Losing two key defenders from two meaningless friendlies — how could Mourinho not explode in rage?
But at this point, beyond venting his anger with a few harsh words, there was little he could do. Complaints wouldn't magically bring Maguire and Bertrand back.
Forced into a corner, Mourinho had to experiment tactically — he started working with Kieran Trippier in training, helping him adapt to playing on the left flank.
With options running thin, Mourinho had no choice but to tap into internal resources.
He even considered using Li Ang — after all, when Li Ang had filled in at center-back previously, it had been a stunning success.
However, this time, faced with Mourinho's hopeful gaze, Li Ang could only repeatedly wave his hand and politely decline.
Though he was ambidextrous and possessed decent speed and dribbling, his crossing ability was average at best. As a makeshift full-back who couldn't deliver pinpoint crosses, he would be a liability.
If there were truly no other options, Li Ang could step up if needed — but since Trippier still had potential for adaptation, Li Ang felt Mourinho should avoid gambling on him.
Mourinho later admitted he had been overly anxious. Li Ang was incredibly versatile, but even he couldn't be expected to switch positions so easily at this level.
The fact that Li Ang had already performed admirably as a stand-in center-back had been a major surprise; expecting him to become a competent full-back was simply too much.
Fortunately, Trippier's recent performances in training at left-back were promising.
He wasn't just surviving; his ability to cut inside onto his stronger right foot and organize passes into midfield could even deliver tactical surprises at crucial moments.
After several training matches, Mourinho and the rest of Chelsea's coaching staff finally felt at ease and were no longer as tense as before.
With the left-back gap barely patched up, Chelsea didn't have much to worry about regarding their upcoming results.
In terms of center-back reserves, Chelsea were still very well-stocked. With Maguire temporarily sidelined, Terry, Gary Cahill, and even Zouma were all capable replacements.
Looking purely at center-back types and partnership chemistry, these three could all pair effectively with Thiago Silva without any issues.
On April 2nd, in the 32nd round of the Premier League, the center-back duo of Terry and Thiago Silva solidly held up Chelsea's defense without any problems.
Although Terry had spent most of the season rotating from the bench, his form remained steady, and his wealth of defensive experience made him highly reliable in key moments.
Thanks to the excellent performance of their central defenders, Chelsea secured a 2–0 clean sheet victory over Aston Villa in the 32nd Premier League round, raising their season win total to 27 matches!
With one game fewer played, Chelsea maintained the top spot in the Premier League standings with a record of 27 wins and 4 draws, leading Manchester City only by goal difference.
Manchester City closely trailed, holding the same points total with 27 wins, 1 loss, and 4 draws, sitting temporarily in second place.
City's resilience this season was incredible — even now, they were clinging tightly to Chelsea without letting up.
Moreover, they still had a golden opportunity to reclaim the top spot when they met Chelsea directly in Round 34.
Previously, it was Chelsea's direct win over City that cost them the lead in the standings.
If City managed to avenge that defeat, the Premier League title race could very well remain undecided until the final matchday!
Both teams still had a real chance of surpassing 100 points this season.
In Premier League history, title races decided on the last matchday had occurred before — but never had both title contenders cracked the 100-point mark simultaneously!
In terms of strength and intensity, this Chelsea vs. Manchester City rivalry was already the fiercest in Premier League history.
For neutral fans, this was a dream scenario. For the players of Chelsea and City, however, it was brutally exhausting.
Had their peak eras not overlapped, each could have easily built a league dynasty.
But fate had chosen to pit them against each other during this chaotic reshuffling of the Premier League's power structure.
And the throne could only seat one.
One of these teams would be crowned king; the other would be forced to swallow the bitter pill of being the "most successful failure" in Premier League history — remembered only as the ultimate runner-up.
A certain honor, yes, but an unbearably bitter one.
Before the decisive showdown between Chelsea and Manchester City in the league, fans' passion was first reignited by the approaching Champions League quarterfinals.
On the afternoon of April 5th, Chelsea's full squad set off for Munich. Li Ang returned once again to the Allianz Arena, a place he knew all too well.
In this world-renowned football stadium, Li Ang had built countless memories.
He had fought epic battles here with Real Madrid and had poured sweat and effort into matches with Chelsea.
Luckily, he had tasted victory here far more often than defeat.
Of course, he still remembered the painful loss with Chelsea at the Allianz during his first season with the club.
But now, Chelsea's strength against Bayern Munich was beyond question. Li Ang relished the chance to battle Europe's top teams and was far from satisfied.
Facing Bayern again at the Allianz, neither Li Ang nor his teammates ever considered settling for a draw and deciding it all back at Stamford Bridge.
They came here to win!
No matter how tough and resilient Bayern were at home, Chelsea intended to break them down.
That evening, after finishing their final training session at the Allianz Arena, a confident photo of Li Ang — flashing a victory sign with both hands — spread rapidly across the internet through Chelsea's official social media.
Seeing Li Ang boldly flash two victory signs, no fan thought it was just a casual pose for the camera.
Clearly, Li Ang was sending a strong message: he had full confidence in winning the match.
To display such confidence at Bayern's home ground — that took guts!
Naturally, his gesture quickly drew dissatisfaction from many Bayern fans and German sports media.
Still, given Li Ang's status as the reigning Ballon d'Or winner, the German media merely expressed mild disapproval, suggesting that he should show more "respect" for Bayern.
They refrained from harsher words.
After all, Li Ang's personal record against Bayern was overwhelmingly positive. Even during the previous heavy defeat with Chelsea, his individual performance over the two legs had been impeccable.
Faced with such a "Bayern nemesis," the German media were somewhat apprehensive.
They didn't want to become laughingstocks like the Catalan media, who, after trash-talking Li Ang before matches, inevitably ended up mocked by fans worldwide afterward.
Bayern supporters sensibly focused their energy on cheering for their team instead.
If Bayern won, they could taunt Li Ang afterward with full justification.
Otherwise, trash-talking now would only set them up for a humiliating embarrassment if Bayern lost.
Li Ang remained oblivious to the German media's and Bayern fans' nervousness toward him.
Having defeated Bayern so many times, he held a psychological advantage and slept well on the eve of the match.
After completing their final training session the following morning, Li Ang even took a few moments to answer questions from German reporters outside the training ground — a sign of his relaxed mood.
On the night of April 6th, under the dazzling lights of the Allianz Arena and the gaze of tens of thousands, Li Ang — wearing the captain's armband — led his Chelsea teammates onto the battlefield.
Looking across the pitch, he saw familiar faces everywhere.
Lewandowski, Ribéry, Robben, Müller, Thiago, Javi Martínez...
During the pre-match handshakes, Li Ang wore a bright smile throughout, greeting each old acquaintance with a knowing look.
His confident demeanor made countless Bayern fans watching at home feel uncomfortable.
But for Chelsea supporters, Li Ang's smiling confidence was exactly what they wanted to see before kickoff!
At 8:45 p.m. Munich time, the referee blew the whistle, officially starting the match.
At that very instant, Li Ang surged forward to meet Bayern's players as they advanced past midfield.
The night was cool, the lights were bright — it was, in every way, the perfect time for a victory!
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