European football has changed overnight, and the giants have different destinies In the early morning of January 25, Beijing time, European football staged a wonderful drama, with three important matches played at the same timeIt has attracted the attention of countless fans.
Bayern, Barcelona and Liverpool, three giant teams, compete in the Bundesliga, Copa del Rey and League Cup respectivelyThe results are different.
Bayern won hard-fought in the Bundesliga, closing the gap to the top of the table; Liverpool drew in the Carabao Cup and advanced to the final by aggregate score; Barcelona suffered a tragic reversal in the Copa del Reysaid goodbye to the road to defending the title in advance.
It was a crazy nightIt was also a night full of suspense and drama.
Bundesliga: Bayern narrowly beat Union Berlin to keep up with Bayer Leverkusen This is Bayern's 13th round of the season, which was originally scheduled to be played in December last yearBut it was postponed because of heavy snowfall.
Bayern lost unexpectedly at home to Bremen in the previous round, relinquishing the Bundesliga leader, seven points behind Bayer Leverkusen and with a game in hand.
So this game against Union Berlin, for Bayern,You have to win.
Union Berlin is a team that has just been promoted to the Bundesliga and is currently third from bottomFacing the pressure of relegation.
Bayern dominated the home field, with 72 per cent possession and 22 shots on goal10 of them hit the target.
However, Bayern's offense did not translate into effective scoringOnly one successful goal was scored.
It was in the 63rd minute of the second half, Bayern's center Kane was in the penalty area, the ball hit the left post and bounced back, Guerreiro followed up in time and hit the ball into the empty goalBroke the deadlock for Bayern.
Kane had a poor performance in this game, and in addition to the mid-post, he had an offside goal disallowed and failed to add insurance to Bayern.
Bayern won 1-0 but did not please the fans, their attacking efficiency was too lowAnd it didn't show the momentum to win the championship.
Bayern are still second on 44 points, but only four points away from Bayer Leverkusen at the top of the tableHopes of winning the title have not yet been dashed.
Bayern's next game will be away to Bayer Leverkusen on February 11, which will be a crucial battle in the Bundesliga this season, and Bayern must win this game to regain the lead, otherwiseTheir championship dreams will be shattered.
Carabao Cup: Liverpool drew with Fulham and qualified for the final on aggregate Liverpool have been in excellent form in all competitions this season, with impressive results in the Premier League, Europa League, League Cup and FA CupThe feat of quadruple crown is on track to be achieved.
In the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, they face Fulham, a team that has just been promoted from the Championship to the Premier League and currently sit second from bottomFacing the danger of downgrading.
In the first leg, Liverpool beat Fulham 2-1 away to give themselves an advantage in qualifying for the final.
In the second leg, Liverpool only need to draw or not lose too muchYou can successfully advance.
Liverpool played home advantage at homeIt didn't take long for the lead.
In the 11th minute, Liverpool's midfielder Kuansa sent a precise diagonal pass from the left, and Dias, after receiving the ball on the right, fired a beautiful volley into the near corner of FulhamOpened the door for Liverpool.
In the 28th minute, another Liverpool midfielder, Nunez, tried a long-range shot from outside the box, the ball hit the right post and bounced, Dias followed up with a follow-up shot and smashed the ball into the Fulham goal, but the goal was ruled offsideLiverpool were unable to extend the scoreline.
In the second half, Fulham showed a tenacious fighting spirit, and they did not give up the game, but stepped up their attackTrying to equalize.
In the 67th minute, Fulham's chance came when their right winger Wilson crossed from the right and Diop flanked at the back post and headed the ball into Liverpool's net to equalise for Fulham.
Fulham were unable to change their fortunes despite drawing with Liverpool in this game, who managed to qualify for the Carabao Cup final with an aggregate score of 3-2 against Chelsea, in what will be a Premier League clash of powerhousesLiverpool are expected to win their first title.
Copa del Rey: Barcelona were reversed by Bilbao, and the three major domestic competitions are emptyBarca have not performed well in domestic competitions this season, they were eliminated by Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup, missing out on the defending title, and also trailing Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in La LigaThere is little hope of defending the title.
Barca's only hope is to win the Copa del Rey, the tournament they are defendingIt is also the event they are most sure of.
However, Barça met Bilbao again in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey in a match full of suspense and drama, with the two sides playing to a 2-2 draw in 90 minutesThe game went into extra time.
In the 107th minute of extra time, Barcelona's back line made a fatal mistake, they made a short pass in their own half, and the ball was cut off by Bilbao striker Iñaki, who faced Barcelona's goalkeeper Ter Stegen in the penalty area, and a powerful shot hit the right post and bounced back, Iñaki did not give up, he quickly followed up and shot the ball into the net to complete the reversal for Bilbao3-2 lead over Barcelona.
Barcelona were desperately looking for an equaliser from behind, but their attack was not threatening and was caught off guard by Bilbao's counter-attack.
In the 120th minute of extra time, Bilbao's other striker, Nico Williams, received a pass from a teammate on the right flank, and he got rid of Barca's defense in the penalty area and fired a low shot into the far corner of Barça to seal the win for BilbaoBeat Barcelona 4-2.
Bilbao worked wonders in the Copa del Rey as they beat Barcelona twice in 10 days, once in the final of the Spanish Super Cup and once in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, where they used their quality and fighting spiritProven themselves to be a team to be reckoned with.
Barcelona suffered a major blow in domestic competitions, missing out on defending champions in the Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey, and behind Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in La LigaThere is little hope of defending the title.
Barcelona are facing a crisis of three major domestic competitions this season, and they can only hope for the Champions League, but their opponents are the mighty Bayern Munich, which will be a difficult challenge to see if Barcelona can bounce backIt remains to be seen.
This is the story of the overnight changes in European football, three giant teams, each with different fates, some happy and some sad, some successful and some failedSome are hopeful, some are desperate.
It was a crazy night, a great night, the charm of football and the cruelty of football.
Xavi lost his debut, and Barcelona lost 2 championships in 10 days! Fans are looking forward to the dawn of recovery, FC Barcelona has suffered a series of blows recently, from the double exit of the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey, to the loss of points in La Liga, to the heavy defeat in the group stage of the Champions LeagueThe team's form and confidence are at a low point.
Xavi took office, although there were some victories in the leagueBut there were still a lot of problems exposed in the big games.
How serious is Barça's crisis? Can Xavi lead the team out of trouble? This article will analyze and ** from the following aspects.
Barcelona's aging squad and injuries plague Barcelona's squad aging is an indisputable fact, the team's core players are all over 30 years old, such as Messi, Suarez, Pique, Busquets, Alba, etc., their form and fitness have declinedUnable to maintain a high-intensity pace of play.
And the performance of young players such as Dembele, Coutinho, Griezmann, etc., has not been satisfactory, and their adaptability and consistency need to be improvedUnable to bring enough firepower and creativity to the team.
In addition, Barcelona's injury troubles are also serious, and the team's main players often miss games due to injuries, such as Dembele, Suarez, Alba, Pique, etc., which has a great impact on the team's tactics and lineup.
Barca's tactics and style are also undergoing a shift, from Enrique to Valverde to Setien, the team has a different style of play, but none has gotten rid of the over-reliance on Messi,Nor did they find an effective tactical system that suited the team.
Xavi has tried to revive Barca's style of passing, emphasizing the position and movement of players, as well as quick passing and organisation, but this will take time and run-inIt also requires the cooperation and execution of the players.
At present, Barcelona's tactics have not yet formed a complete system, and there are many holes in the team's attack and defenseIt is easy to be seized by opponents.
Barcelona's psychology and confidence problem Barça's psychology and confidence are also a problem that cannot be ignored, the team often makes mistakes and collapses in important games, such as against Liverpool, Roma, Bayern, etc., these games have brought a huge blow to the team and fansIt also affected the morale and self-confidence of the team.
Although Xavi is a legend of Barcelona and has a wealth of leadership and coaching experience, he can't change the team's mentality overnight, he needs to give more trust and encouragement to the players, and he also needs to give himself more patience and confidenceto lead the team out of the predicament.
Barca's future and hopefully Barça's crisis is a complex issue, there are no easy answers, there are no quick fixes, and the team needs to improve and adjust in all aspects in order to regain its style and competitiveness.
But Barcelona is not hopeless, the team still has a group of excellent players, such as Messi, Ter Stegen, De Jong, Fati, etc., they all have excellent skills and abilities, but also have loyalty and love for the teamThey can be the backbone and leader of the team.
Xavi is also a coach with Barça's blood and philosophy, he has clear goals and plans, and he also has enough authority and charismaHe can be the soul and mentor of the team.
As long as the team and the fans can unite and support each other and believe in themselves, Barcelona will definitely be able to return to the topCreate brilliance again.