Super Marshal

March 20, noon, Munich Sebena training base.

In the head coach's office, Gao Han and the core coaching staff were sitting around the coffee table, skillfully brewing the fragrant tea brought from China. The white smoke was faint and the fragrance of the tea was overflowing, refreshing.

The TV hanging on the wall is playing the live broadcast of the football channel. On the other side of the camera is the hall of the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. Representatives of all the teams that have entered the Champions League quarter-finals are gathered together. The next step is about to take place. One stage draw.

Unlike the previous avoidance of teams from the same country, this time there are no rules for the draw.

In other words, any team may encounter seven other teams.

Among the eight teams that have entered the Champions League quarter-finals, there are three Premier League teams, two La Liga teams, one each from the Bundesliga, Serie A and the Portuguese Super League.

Judging from this top eight list, the strength of the Premier League teams is evident.

Therefore, after the top eight list was released, the topic of encircling and suppressing the Premier League once again spread in Europe.

Gao Han had no interest in this kind of thing. He took advantage of the rare breathing opportunity to adjust the team and recuperate. With a semi-main lineup, he won Bochum 3-0 away from home and took a further step in the Bundesliga.

The Bundesliga has played 24 rounds so far, and no one will doubt that Bayern Munich will successfully defend the title.

What is more exciting now is the Champions League. Many Bayern Munich fans are looking forward to the team completing a Triple Crown. After all, they have good luck in the German Cup draw this season.

And just tonight, Bayern Munich will usher in the 25th round of the Bundesliga, a home game against Karlsruhe, so Gao Han and the coaching staff can sit here easily and watch the live news.

"Look, David Gill looks a little nervous." Sergio Garcia pointed at the TV and laughed.

In the camera, the lottery ceremony has not yet begun. The representatives are all familiar with each other and chatting happily with each other. Gao Han is not sure from which angle Sergio Garcia saw that David Gill was nervous.

Thomas Tuchel laughed and said: "A few days ago, Ferguson was nervously accepting an interview and said that the last thing Manchester United wanted to encounter was a team from the same country. So, David Gill should be praying to God now. .”

Everyone felt funny after hearing this.

When Ferguson said this, it was in the 29th round of the Premier League, after Manchester United lost 4-1 to Liverpool at home. It was somewhat half-joking at the time, but Manchester United's strong dialogue this season is indeed not Especially ideal.

So far, Ferguson has played five games with the other top four teams. Against Chelsea, it was an away draw and a home win, and they won 3-0. However, against Arsenal, they lost 1-2 away from home, and against Liverpool, they lost 1-1 away. Two losses, one to four at home.

But what is interesting is that among the other top three, Chelsea, where Manchester United has a better chance of winning, was eliminated by Bayern Munich. Arsenal and Liverpool are both the victims of the Red Devils this season. Of course, Ferguson does not want to encounter teams from the same country.

"But to be honest, infighting in the Premier League is really possible." Buenaventura said.

Everyone thinks so. This has nothing to do with conspiracy theories. The main reason is that there are three Premier League teams in the top eight, so the probability is very high.

Gao Han didn't mind who was drawn, but said with a smile: "I guess, most people are looking forward to winning Porto in their hearts, while Porto is secretly saying that they are unlucky, because no matter who they meet, I'm afraid It’s hard to escape unscathed.”

With Porto's strength, if they hadn't luckily drawn Panathinaikos in the knockout rounds of the top 16, they wouldn't have made it to the quarterfinals, and the Portuguese Super League team should be very satisfied with the team's current results.

While Gao Han and his assistants were chatting wordlessly, the lottery ceremony on live TV also began.

The person who presided over this ceremony was still Secretary General Infantino, and the person in charge of the draw was still Bruno Conte, a guest in Rome, the final venue. It was still up to them to decide the next schedule of the Champions League.

Although Gao Han didn't particularly care, he was still a little nervous when it was time to draw lots.

The first team drawn by Bruno Conte was Atletico Madrid, who was drawn into the top half, and closely followed by the Gunners Arsenal from the Premier League.

"The showdown between these two teams is worth watching." Gao Han nodded and smiled.

Both teams are relatively young, and they both follow technical schools and their playing styles are not conservative. The game will definitely be fun to watch.

What's more, Heynckes and Wenger are both famous tacticians in Europe, so it will definitely be exciting.

The first team to be drawn out in the second game was Ferguson's Red Devils Manchester United.

"I hope it's Liverpool or Barcelona." Gao Han smiled mischievously.

These two teams are both the victims of Manchester United. No matter who is drawn, it will be enough for Ferguson to drink.

As a result, unexpectedly, Bruno Conte pulled out the ball, handed it to Infantino, and twisted it open.

"Liverpool!"

Gao Han and others all let out a wow, and then they all laughed again.

Ferguson should really buy a lottery ticket because of his luck.

"I should send him a text message to congratulate him." Gao Han laughed.

After saying that, he actually took out his mobile phone and sent a text message to Ferguson, just a few words, "Congratulations, you got what you wanted."

Soon, Ferguson sent him a text message back.

"I wish you better luck and win Barcelona."

Gao Han shook his head and laughed after reading the text message. Ferguson should be yelling at UEFA conspiracy theories now.

However, the three Premier League teams are all gathered in the top half, which is really unexpected. It is a bit like the suspicion that the top three are surrounding Atletico Madrid.

Among the remaining four teams, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, ​​Inter Milan and Porto, the most difficult teams to beat are undoubtedly Barcelona and Inter Milan. If you are lucky enough and win Porto, then you really should buy a lottery ticket.

The draw for the bottom half begins soon.

The first team to be drawn out in the third game was Bayern Munich.

"Who could it be?" Sergio Garcia seemed a little nervous.

Gao Han smiled calmly on the surface, but in fact he had a little expectation in his heart. If they were drawn against Porto, Bayern Munich would be under much less pressure and could concentrate on the next semi-finals.

In the live TV footage, Bruno Conte reached into the ball cylinder again, took out a small ball, showed it to all the guests and representatives present and the live TV camera, and then handed it to Infantino.

Infantino twisted his hands, opened the ball, took out a piece of paper, took a look at it, and turned it over with a smile.

"Porto!"

Wow! ! !

There was a cheer in the coach's office.

Even though Sergio Garcia and others have already experienced hundreds of battles, they still feel very lucky about this draw.

Entering the quarter-finals, you basically won't encounter weak teams. The only weak team was unexpectedly encountered by Bayern Munich. What kind of luck does this require?

The remaining matchup did not require a draw, as Barcelona met Inter Milan.

As soon as the lottery results came out, Gao Han quickly received a text message.

Ferguson asked in the text message: "How much money have you paid to UEFA?"

Gao Han laughed heartily when he saw this, and he could completely imagine Ferguson's inner depression and resentment at this moment.

How unfair this is.

Porto and Liverpool, this is simply a world of difference.

Bayern Munich drew this lottery, which can be said to be a walk to the semi-finals, right?

"I just wanted to put in some money, but why did we get drawn against Porto? I obviously wanted to play Liverpool more, so how could I be so unlucky? I'm so angry!"

After sending the text message, he burst out laughing.

As expected, Ferguson didn't reply for a long time. He must have been mad at Gao Han's words.

Finally, the Scotsman finally replied, "Be careful."

"Okay, I'll wait for you in the finals." Gao Han replied with a smile.

…………

…………

As soon as the draw results for the Champions League quarter-finals came out, media around the world went crazy.

If the media and fans were mentally prepared for the Premier League's head-to-head fights, then Bayern Munich was extremely lucky and was drawn against Porto, which undoubtedly shocked everyone.

Some tabloid media even said that this was UEFA secretly helping Gao Han reach the top again.

Europe's three major bookmakers also immediately changed Bayern Munich's winning odds after the results came out.

You know, Bayern Munich has been the most popular team to win the Champions League this season since the beginning of the season, and now it is rumored to be eliminated in the semi-finals, which undoubtedly puts the Bundesliga giant's odds of winning further ahead.

However, many media believe that Bayern Munich's draw with Porto does not mean that there is something fishy in the draw.

"From the beginning of the Champions League group stage to the knockout round of the top 16, Bayern Munich's luck has not been ideal. The group they are in is the strongest overall group in the Champions League group stage, and Chelsea is also the strongest in the top 16. The second team in the group, it can be said that before this, Bayern Munich's luck was not ideal."

German newspaper Bild believes that Bayern Munich was lucky enough to draw Porto.

Guardiola's Barcelona was drawn against Prandelli's Inter Milan. This was undoubtedly a very interesting game. Both of their teams have a strong imprint of Gao Han. Guardiola is Gao Han's disciple. Many Barcelona players have been cultivated and favored by Gaohan.

As for the relationship between Prandelli, Inter Milan and Gao Han, there is no need to say more.

The showdown between these two teams is undoubtedly quite interesting.

The most unlucky thing was Ferguson's Manchester United, who actually lost to the bitter host Liverpool.

Manchester United lost to Liverpool twice this season, especially this time just last time. The Red Devils lost 4-1 to Benitez's Liverpool at Old Trafford. This undoubtedly made everyone further aggravated. Pessimism for Manchester United.

Ferguson said in an interview with the media, "This is a very bad draw, both in terms of timing and opponent."

But Ferguson also said at the end that although the team is at a disadvantage, as long as everyone works together, Manchester United may not be incapable of competing with Liverpool, and may even reverse the decline of two consecutive losses this season.

Over the years, Ferguson's Manchester United has always been known for its resilience, and the Red Devils' magic also makes this team not to be underestimated at any time.

As for Gao Han, although he won the lottery for Porto, in an interview with Bild, Gao Han still solemnly stated that this was not good luck as the outside world said. Porto is a team with superior strength.

"They defeated Arsenal in the group stage and won the first place in the group. I can't believe it. Why do some people think that drawing Porto means they will be sent to the semi-finals?"

"I must remind everyone that Porto is a very tenacious and capable opponent. If we cannot go all out and concentrate on fighting, then we will probably stop in the quarterfinals and find it difficult to make any progress."

Before the game, he kept a low profile and did not underestimate the enemy. This is also in line with Gao Han's consistent style.

More importantly, he noticed something bad.