Whether it is from the game process or the game results, Chelsea's performance cannot be said to be bad. It is even better than when Scolari was coaching. The players worked harder and the team played more holistically.
.
This should have been a welcome change.
But the game was lost.
This is the first leg of the Champions League knockout round of the top 16. One to two at home, what it means for the entire knockout round, Chelsea fans know very well that if they want to reverse the away game, they will not see a miracle.
With Chelsea's current lineup and morale, how easy is it to create a miracle?
In the chairman's stand, Abramovich also felt the emotions and atmosphere of the fans at the scene, and he also felt sad.
In last season's Champions League final, Chelsea lost to Manchester United. This season he really had high hopes for Scolari, but...
Now it's better, I finally got Hiddink, but I encountered a shortcoming in the team's lineup.
As emperor and courtier, the tactics Scolari wanted to adopt did not work for Hiddink.
He wants to play four-three-three, but there are no outstanding wingers for him in the Chelsea team.
Even the defensive shortcomings are obvious.
But all of these are not the core problem. Chelsea's real problem is the age structure of the team.
Every player has his own career cycle, and so does every team.
Given the age of the Chelsea team, their peak period was actually last season, but Mourinho failed to handle the internal conflicts within the team and the start was weak. Abramovich immediately dismissed him.
Heartless?
It was indeed ruthless, but as soon as he turned around, Abramovich gave Mourinho a global limited edition Porsche.
This is Abramovich's style.
Mourinho plays conservative and ugly football, and is no longer able to handle the conflicts within the team. What is he left with?
Sure enough, after Mourinho resigned and Grant became the head coach, Chelsea made it all the way to the Champions League final.
Of course, some people will think that Chelsea's signing is better.
After losing to Manchester United in the Champions League final, this group of Chelsea players was hit hard.
Abramovich, Devize and the Chelsea management team all know very well that the team's entire peak period cannot last long, and they must produce results as soon as possible, otherwise, the Blues will face metabolism problems next.
No one knows how many years it will take for Chelsea to return to the top once it is reorganized.
Abramovich pinned his hopes on Scolari. He hoped that the team could play well, please the fans better, and bring more attendance to Stamford Bridge.
During the Mourinho period, Chelsea performed very well, but the attendance at Stamford Bridge was very low.
From the perspective of a club operator, this is not acceptable.
But who would have thought that Scolari would stretch his hips even more.
At this moment, sitting in the stands at Stamford Bridge, Abramovich reflected on the decisions he and his team made before the season, and he couldn't help but regret it because it was indeed hasty at the time.
Scolari has a great name and a really big card, but unfortunately, he has never proven himself in the top European leagues or the Champions League, so he messed up.
More problems are emerging at Chelsea now.
The problems Hiddink is facing now will continue to appear in increasing numbers for a long time to come.
What's even more terrible is that with the subprime mortgage crisis in the United States and the European debt crisis sweeping the world, the funds that Abramovich can use and the funds that can be invested in Chelsea have begun to be restricted.
To put it simply, he needs to slow down.
…
"Pieter, what do you think of Gao Shen?" Abramovich was no ordinary person after all. After exhaling heavily, he turned to consultant Devize.
Devize was also as disappointed as Abramovich, because Hiddink was highly recommended by him. In the end, he failed to win Naples at home. Although he will not be criticized, it is still a disappointing thing after all.
"Genius!" Devizer blurted out.
"genius?"
"Yes!" Devize nodded without any doubt, "To be able to bring out such a Naples at the age of 28, and to be able to stay calm in key games and play like this with the team led by Gus.
, he is definitely a genius!”
After a pause, Devizer explained: "As I said before, what Gus is best at is to identify the team's strongest point and plan around this point to defeat the opponent. Look at Gao Shen,
The same is true for him. Napoli's biggest advantage is physical fitness, so he worked hard with us and continued to tolerate the loss of the ball."
"With this determination, his achievements will never be low!"
Abramovich was a little surprised. He did not expect that Devizer would have such a high opinion of Gao Shen.
"His football is also very good," Abramovich said.
Devizer heard the boss's implication, nodded, and did not deny it, but also reminded, "With our current lineup, if he is to coach, he must at least recruit players in multiple positions."
When Abramovich heard this, he couldn't help but hesitate.
The funds he can use now are really much less.
But Chelsea's aging is inevitable. Carvalho has been injured again and again this season, and Drogba, Terry, Ballack and Lampard are all over 30 years old.
Can Gao Shen lead such a lineup?
…………
…………
Gao Shen walked to the side of the court and greeted his players one after another like warriors returning in triumph.
He hugged them one by one, smiling from ear to ear the whole time.
Everyone can see the excitement and excitement in his heart at this moment.
When Chelsea were drawn in the top 16 of the Champions League, everyone was pessimistic about Naples. But now, Chelsea have reversed 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. This is definitely great news for Naples.
It can even be said that Naples has already entered the Champions League quarterfinals with one foot.
Of course, we can't be careless in the second round.
Facing a famous coach like Hiddink, laziness and carelessness will become very fatal!
…
In the stands, fans at Stamford Bridge were leaving one after another.
Somewhere in the stands, Manchester City chairman Mubarak, consultant Brian Marwood, technical director Brian Kidd and others all stood up and watched the players hugging each other deep down the court until he led the players away.
After entering the players' tunnel, the three turned around and left Stamford Bridge.
The hotel they stayed in was not far from Stamford Bridge, so they walked directly there after leaving the stadium.
Along the way, they heard discussions and even arguments among the Chelsea fans around them.
Chelsea's performance has indeed improved a lot compared to before, but in the end it is still not as good as the sophisticated Naples. This is obvious, especially in the last thirty minutes, Naples almost overwhelmed Chelsea in improving offensive statistics.
Blues fans are quite convinced of Gao Shen in Naples, and even vaguely heard many people saying that if Gao Shen is allowed to coach Chelsea, I believe the Blues will have a better future.
"He is the best head coach in European football right now, and he is still young. He can definitely become our Ferguson!"
These words made Mubarak even more tempted.
Ferguson?
The one in Manchester is called Ferguson, the one in London is called Wenger!
On the way, after Mubarak asked Marwood and Kidd to go back, they immediately began to study the feasibility of inviting Gao Shen to coach at Manchester City, but both of them expressed that they were not optimistic.
"He has a very close personal relationship with Florentino. There is news that Florentino has been optimistic about Gao Shen since 2006 and has always maintained a very good personal relationship with him. This time Florentino will return to the position of chairman of Real Madrid."
Regarding the position, Gao Shen is the default candidate for the head coach."
"Moreover, Gao Shen himself has very deep feelings for Real Madrid and is inextricably connected, so..."
Mubarak was a little disappointed, but still did not give up, "Then let's think of another way."
"Even if we are facing Real Madrid, we must try our best to win the title at all costs!"
After returning to the hotel, Marwood and Kidd went to work, while Mubarak returned to the room and made a call to the leaders in the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East to report his thoughts.
"Is he really that good?" Mansour was doubtful.
Before, he specially met Mark Hughes in the Middle East. At that time, Mark Hughes also made fantastic remarks, but what was the actual situation?
Now the huge amount of money invested by the Abu Dhabi consortium in Manchester City looks like a joke, including Robinho.
"He is one of the best managers in European football right now!" Mubarak replied.
"I have heard of him. When Bayern came to Dubai for training this winter break, I met Bayern's management and heard them talk about him. It is said that Beckenbauer, Rummenigge and Hoeness all liked him.
We are very optimistic about him and have designated him as one of the two candidates for Bayern's head coach next season, and we are conducting final inspections."
Mubarak's heart sank when he heard this.
It didn't matter that there was a Real Madrid just now, but now there is a Bayern. What's going on?
Manchester City takes the lead to compete with these two giants!
Not to mention, in the summer, Chelsea is expected to change coaches, and Liverpool, Benitez may also be fired...
At that time, with the high level of popularity, Manchester City still has a damn chance!
Mansour, who was on the other side of the phone, saw that Mubarak was silent and smiled slightly, "Don't be nervous. Of course, many people are grabbing good things. This proves Gao Shen's strength and level, doesn't it?"
Mubarak nodded, "That's what I said, but..."
"We also have our advantages and opportunities." Mansour on the other end of the phone reminded, "You should seize the time to study it. If you are sure, I will arrange someone here to cooperate with you."
"Even if we can't hire Gao Shen for the time being, we must maintain a good relationship. There will definitely be opportunities to cooperate in the future. Do you understand what I mean?"
Mubarak nodded, "Understand, as they say, good head coaches are rarer than superstars!"
"Yes, we should pay attention to professional talents!"
"I see."
After speaking and chatting for a while, Mubarak hung up the phone.
But his state of mind was completely different from before.
Especially after watching Gao Shen's games, he had no feelings for other head coaches at all.
