Champion’s Heart

After the game, Zhou Yi was surrounded by reporters. As the best player in the game, he deserved such attention.

When asked if the result of defeating Real Madrid in an away game was a bit surprising, Zhou Yi nodded: It's a bit indeed. We thought it was good to get a draw at first. But I think it's normal to win in the end. After all, we also have the strength in this area. The strength gap between us and Real Madrid is not so big that they can beat us as long as they play at home. It is normal to have wins and losses. Our recent form is indeed good.

What he said was not modest, but no one would accuse him of being arrogant when he said it. He is the best player in the game, and he is qualified to say so.

A reporter asked Zhou Yi to predict Dortmund's performance in the Champions League this season. Zhou Yi shook his head repeatedly: I'm not a magician. How can I predict this kind of thing? I can only say that we will do our best to strive for a good result in this competition. It's further away...

Is it further than last season? the reporter who asked the question asked.

If it's possible, why not? Zhou Yi answered accurately.

Sun Pan had a meal with you before the game. Did you have any communication about Real Madrid? Did he provide you with some information about Real Madrid? Chinese reporters are most concerned about the relationship between the two Chinese players. of interaction.

Zhou Yi smiled: His biggest help to me was to treat me to a meal. I can only win this game thanks to his generosity, haha!

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Although Zhou Yi said that it was normal for Dortmund to defeat Real Madrid in an away game, in the eyes of many people, this result was quite unexpected. Everyone thinks that Mourinho's Real Madrid is very strong. After going through the running-in in the first two seasons, this season has reached the final moment of results. This team has already won the King's Cup and the league championship before, and is just short of a Champions League championship. Everyone hopes that Mourinho can repeat his glory at Inter Milan in Real Madrid.

Therefore, everyone has high hopes for Real Madrid's performance in the Champions League this season.

In fact, Real Madrid is indeed very strong, but unexpectedly, in the strong dialogue of this group, Real Madrid was defeated and was double beaten by Dortmund at home and away!

This result really made many people think. First, I didn't expect Dortmund to be so strong, and second, I didn't expect Real Madrid to still fail to perform convincingly at home.

It seems that this group of death does not live up to its name. The strength of the four teams is not similar.

After the game,

Media in Madrid reported that Mourinho suffered a crisis of confidence and said that Florentino was considering a coaching change. Some media also reported on the internal conflicts of Real Madrid, saying that there are constant struggles between player factions...

In short, if you win, there will be no problem; if you lose, everything will be a problem.

Leaving Real Madrid in a mess, the Dortmund team returned to Germany with the victory and the joy of qualifying from this group early.

In another group match held at the same time, Manchester City was tied 2:2 by Ajax at home.

This result caused Dortmund, who had four wins and 12 points from four games, to qualify from this group early, because Ajax, who ranked third, only had four points. With two rounds left in the group stage, it was no matter what. It is impossible to surpass Dortmund's points. Dortmund qualified from the group of death ahead of schedule. The death group that was supposed to be indistinguishable until the last round turned into a journey to heaven for Dortmund...

And they not only qualified from the group early, but also won the first place in the group early. With four wins from four games, Dortmund has 12 points, while Real Madrid has six points with two wins and two losses from four games. In the last two rounds of the group stage, even if Dortmund lost, Real Madrid won both. The two teams have the same points, but the winning-losing relationship between them is that Dortmund completely suppressed Real Madrid and won both games against Real Madrid. With this winning-losing relationship, even if the two teams have the same points, Dortmund will be ranked. In front of Real Madrid.

So this also means that no matter how the last two rounds play out, Dortmund will be the first in this group.

Klopp does not need to pay too much attention to the next two Champions League group matches. Instead, he will focus on the domestic league and try his best to catch up with Bayern Munich, which has nine wins and one loss in ten league games.

Thanks to Bayer Leverkusen, they handed Bayern Munich their only defeat so far this season.

This has somewhat affected Bayern Munich's rapid pace on the road to winning the championship.

Now after ten league rounds, they have 27 points with nine wins and one loss, while Dortmund has 23 points with seven wins, two draws and one loss.

The four-point gap is not an insurmountable chasm.

Qualifying first in the Champions League group stage two rounds ahead of schedule did Dortmund a big favor. If they are to fight with three other opponents in the group of death until the final round, then they may have to give up certain games, and the mentality of the whole team players will also change. They will definitely care more about qualifying for the Champions League rather than The outcome of a game in the league.

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On the afternoon of November 10th, Dortmund challenged Augsburg away from home.

Klopp rotated the lineup in this game. He replaced some of the main starting players who had a hard time with Real Madrid in midweek, but Zhou Yi was not rotated.

He still went to the away game and helped the team defeat Augsburg 3:1.

He was replaced by Klopp in the 66th minute and completed an assist in the game.

The following days would have been a severe test for Zhou Yi.

Because he has to travel back and forth tens of thousands of kilometers in a week.

After the game against Augsburg, he and Yang Muge set off from Germany the next day and rushed back to China to participate in the top ten Asian World Cup qualifiers when the Chinese team played Qatar at home on November 14th.

After playing this game, he will fly back to Germany as soon as possible to participate in the Bundesliga match between Dortmund and Fürth at home on November 17.

Within a week, traveling to three places, covering more than 10,000 kilometers, and playing three high-level games is a severe test for any player's physiology.

But now, Zhou Yi doesn't have to go through such a toss, and Klopp doesn't have to worry that he will lose this main core that he absolutely cannot lose.

Because before, the Chinese team has informed the Dortmund club that the Chinese national team will not call up Zhou Yi to participate in the Chinese team's home World Cup qualifier against Qatar.

The Chinese team also sent the same notice to Schalke 04, Atletico Madrid and Siena.

They all told them that the Chinese international players in the team would not be called up to participate in the game against Qatar.

This certainly made these clubs relieved, but at the same time they were also a little confused - why was the Chinese team so reasonable this time?

Everyone is engaged in football, and they have all had contact with the Chinese team and the Chinese Football Association before, so they naturally know how important the right to qualify for the World Cup is for this country.

Originally, the clubs were mentally prepared to lose their main players, but they still couldn't help but complain about this stupid schedule - after all, at this time, except for Asia, no national team games were scheduled in the world, and there was no need for European leagues. To make way for the national team competition, it will be carried out normally. Club teams simply do not consider being affected by national team matches at this time.

Asia, on the other hand, arranges such a World Cup qualifying match on a day that is not an international A-level event. Who do you think European clubs can accept?

These people are all the main players of their team. Who wants to have their starting lineup injured for nothing? And this delay is not just about one game. Continuous traveling long distances in such a short period of time will have a great impact on the players' physical fitness and condition. After all, there is jet lag.

In fact, European clubs don't quite understand that the Chinese team has recruited these players back. They don't even have time to prepare for the game. What's the point of playing such a game? What kind of performance can the players perform before they get over the jet lag? As long as they are not injured, they have completed their mission...

But now it's better. The Chinese team announced that it will not recruit four overseas players, Zhou Yi, Sun Pan, Yang Muge and Guo Nu, to participate in the World Cup qualifiers.

This worry no longer exists, but the clubs are beginning to wonder why the Chinese team is not recruiting players - they can't understand recruiting players, but they still can't understand if they don't recruit players...

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He Ying was the only player who was called back to participate in the national team competition. He even returned to China a week in advance to prepare for this game.

Because in Barcelona, ​​he still can't play in the game. Since he can't play in the game, what else is he doing? He simply applied to return to China early to prepare for the national team competition. Barcelona was reasonable, or they didn't pay much attention to He Ying at all, and they agreed as soon as he applied.

He Ying can't play in Barcelona now, but his mentality is quite good. He no longer feels anxious and angry about it.

In Barcelona, ​​he concentrated on training and saved his condition for the national team competition.

As for the future? Wait until next January to decide. (To be continued.)