Chapter 635 Visiting Marseille
Leeds have no time to celebrate their four-game winning streak as the much-anticipated Champions League group stage is coming, just mid-week after the game against Newcastle United.
The opponent is Marseille from Ligue 1. Marseille is a veteran powerhouse in Ligue 1. It used to dominate Ligue 1. In recent years, it has been ups and downs, and its performance has been good and bad.
But even so, Marseille is still a strong team in Ligue 1, and its strength cannot be underestimated. Of course, with Li Yi's cautious personality, he cannot underestimate it, let alone this is Leeds United's first Champions League match in recent years.
Li Yi concentrates on preparing for the game, and Marseille does not take it lightly. Although Leeds United has been away from the Champions League for a long time, Li Yi's reputation is there, let alone Leeds United's performance in the Premier League is so good.
In this tense atmosphere, Li Yi took Leeds United players on a plane to Marseille. In the first group match of the Champions League, Leeds United will be a guest at the Velodrome Stadium.
The Champions League, not to mention the Leeds United players, I have been away from the Champions League for a few years, Li Yi said with sigh and nervousness when attending the pre-match interview.
Speaking of which, the French media still have a good impression of Li Yi. Now the core French Ribery is trained by Li Yi. Valbuena and Lamy are also regular members of the French national team, and these three are trained by Li Yi. It can even be said that without Li Yi, there would be no three of them now.
After all, before being brought to Italy by Li Yi, one was moving cement at the construction site, one had just been kicked out by the club, and the last one was working as a gardener.
To be honest, up to now, not only France is grateful to Li Yi, but even the Italian media is grateful to Li Yi, because the group of people Li Yi brought up in Cagliari are now the mainstay of the national team.
In contrast, the Spanish side has no such thoughts, but the Real Madrid club itself has decided that Li Yi cannot be like in Cagliari, which is no wonder.
As for the current Leeds United, it is already a big player in international football. The players in the team have been selected for the national team one after another, and many of them have become the main force or even the core of the national team.
For example, Bell, the young Bell has been established as the new core of the Welsh national team, as is Modric, and the positions occupied by other players are becoming more and more important.
The English media obviously didn't buy into Li Yi's humility, but they didn't say anything. After fighting with Li Yi for most of the season, this group of people naturally knew that Li Yi was definitely not a coward.
This is actually reflected in Leeds United's starting list. Although Li Yi's starting list for this game has undergone a lot of rotation, the veterans Beckham and Owen are still in the team.
I know, you must be very nervous now, Li Yi said while looking at the disciples in the visiting team's locker room.
I'll tell you a way, don't think it's a Champions League, just think it's just a league, how we usually play in the league, and how we play this game, Li Yi said with a smile.
I have already analyzed with you before the Marseille strength match. They are at most the level of the second group of the Premier League, but we have already rushed into the first group, let alone that we are still the leader of the league.
So guys, don't think too much, go on the court and show your own strength, then the final victory will definitely belong to us.
Following Li Yi's words, the tension on the faces of the Leeds United players calmed down a little. Seeing this, Li Yi had already achieved his goal.
Appropriate tension helps players perform, and this tension can no longer be changed in words. When players are playing on the field and feeling the strength of their opponents, they can really understand what Li Yi means.
Soon, players from both sides walked to the pitch, and under the auspices of the Danish referee, the captains of both sides guessed coins. Unfortunately, Leeds United did not win the opening ball.
Marseille, who has the right to open the ball, quickly scored in the half of Leeds United. Speaking of which, Marseille has ups and downs over the years, but the Champions League experience is still very rich.
Besides, Marseille's strength is not weak. For example, Ben Alpha, one of the four little swans in France, the first wave of Marseille's attack was launched by Ben Alpha.
However, the first wave of attack does not mean the first shot. Ben Alfa's advantages and disadvantages are obvious. He has very good foot skills and outstanding dribbling. But because of this, he likes to control the ball under his feet.
This wave of offense was that he continued to dribble without passing the ball even though he had already broken through the Leeds United defender, only to be forced into the corner by the Leeds United substitute.
It stands to reason that it is impossible for Lyon to let go of a talented player like Ben Alfa, but this summer, Lyon did not prevent Ben Alfa from leaving.
In fact, this is very telling. It is even said that the then Lyon coach Houllier clearly stated that he is not optimistic about the future of Ben Alfa, which is one of the reasons why Ben Alfa was sold to Marseille.
Alpha is the most suitable one to use the flashy four words. It is said that the four little swans of the 87th generation are also a good mix of Benzema.
Therefore, all of this is Benzema's fault. Without that fate, he would dare to be as famous as football's number one culprit.
Compared with Ben Alfa's slickness, Leeds United's wingers are actually a lot more practical. In the seventh minute, Gareth Bell received the pass without any extra action, an acceleration wiped the defender, and then made a direct pass.
Owen is not tall, but he dares to fight in advance, not to mention that Marseille's back line is not very tall. The first altitude is Zubal, who is only 186.
Mandanda~~~ Beautiful save Owen's header was very good, and the ball went straight to the dead corner. Unfortunately, the Marseille goalkeeper saved better.
Two minutes later, Leeds United ushered in the first free kick of the game. This time Beckham did not take the penalty, and Bell stood in front of the ball.
In fact, Beckham can also take the penalty at this free throw point, but Bell has a very high free throw success rate in this position. Besides, Beckham has already made an agreement with Li Yi this season.
Of course, Beckham is also happy to help these juniors. Seriously, as a teammate, Beckham knows best about the talents of Leeds United players. It can be said that they are improving every day.
You're still young. After nearly ten minutes, the Leeds United players were no longer nervous at the start, but when faced with an opportunity, young players like Gareth Bell still didn't show their true level.
Regarding the situation on the field, Marseille was a little unacceptable, because Marseille had taken the initiative until now, but in fact it was Leeds United who completed the shot.