Starting with saving Manchester United

Chapter 78: Searching for Barcelona's "Sailing Point"

The atmosphere in the Old Trafford press conference room was quite harmonious today.

With a score of 3-0 and an overall score of 5-1, even the deliberately difficult Catalan media reporters couldn't find anything wrong with it.

More importantly, Barcelona lost!

Moreover, the loss was anything but dignified.

Yang Fan also showed great sportsmanship and did not take further action to make things worse.

Several Catalan media outlets' questions already indicated a lack of confidence, and he stopped short of commenting.

Yang Fan gave Barcelona, ​​in particular, very high praise.

He even believes that being eliminated from the Champions League does not mean that Barcelona is not strong.

"Barcelona remains one of the strongest teams in world football!"

It can be said that after winning the game, Yang Fan showed great sportsmanship and gave Barcelona a very respectful performance.

The Catalan media reporters present were also very satisfied.

At least Yang Fan's assessment was giving Barcelona and them enough face.

However, not everyone likes to see such a harmonious atmosphere at the scene.

Especially the British media, who are eager to create big news.

The inhuman Sun newspaper only stood up to ask a question when the atmosphere was just right.

If Barcelona is so strong, why were they eliminated by Manchester United?

All the media reporters present turned to look at the troublemaker, and even many media reporters from Fleet Street joined in the commotion.

Yes, Yang, you praised Barcelona so much, so why did they still lose to Manchester United?

This was the first time the CCTV reporters had ever witnessed such a scene.

These British media outlets have dug a huge pit, forcing people to jump in!

"Do they usually ask questions like this?" a CCTV reporter asked Zhang Han quietly.

Zhang Han smiled demurely and nodded, saying, "That's considered mild."

Is this considered mild?

If they get really fierce—

Sitting on the main stage, Yang Fan stretched out his hands to signal the audience to be quiet before shaking his head with a smile in response.

The answer is very simple, just one sentence.

"Because we, Manchester United, are stronger!"

A burst of cheers erupted from the crowd!

This is exactly what the media reporters on Fleet Street wanted to hear.

The Catalan journalists were so ashamed they wanted to disappear into the floor.

That's so damn embarrassing!

So all that praise you gave me was just to praise Manchester United in the end!

Does that mean all the emotion I felt before was wasted?

And you damn British media, will you die if you don't make a scene?

Do you really have to do this just to get traffic?

The CCTV reporter was dumbfounded.

Was Yang Fan scammed?

Not like ah.

He was smiling quite happily.

But something just doesn't feel right.

"Miss Zhang, this is—"

"He's not a good person either." Zhang Han, like the British media reporters around him, kept laughing.

The CCTV reporter finally understood.

Even a small press conference can be a battleground, with all sides scheming against each other.

Yang Fan positioned himself in a position where he could both attack and defend.

If it weren't for the British media stirring things up later, he would have gracefully given Barcelona a way out after winning the game.

What if the media stirs up trouble?

One answer completely reversed the situation.

The CCTV reporter looked around and shook his head, saying, "In this small press conference hall, everyone is harboring dozens or even hundreds of schemes. Is this even a press conference?"

Zhang Han smiled but remained silent.

This traffic is money!

A CCTV reporter was given two opportunities to ask questions at the post-match press conference, an exception made for the event.

And it was placed last.

"Mr. Yang, hello. I am a reporter from CCTV in China. First of all, congratulations on leading your team to advance."

Yang Fan, in stark contrast to his previous attitude, became extremely polite, smiling and nodding in greeting, and even making a gesture of invitation.

"My first question is, just over two weeks ago, you suddenly became the manager of Manchester United, and there was a lot of criticism directed at you. But now, you have led Manchester United to a double victory over Barcelona and advanced to the Champions League semi-finals."

"This is an achievement that no one could have imagined when you took over Manchester United. How did you do it? What insights would you like to share with all the fans?"

Yang Fan sat on the stage, listening attentively to the questions from the CCTV reporter, thinking to himself: This really is a veteran CCTV reporter.

The problem remains the same old rigid approach.

The answers were all the same old routine.

Yang Fan thanked the Manchester United management, the fans, his assistants, the players, and the staff.

member----

In short, it's not just my achievement, but the result of everyone's joint efforts.

"Sharing my experience — I'm just a novice coach, so I can't really say I'm a coach yet. If I had to say something, I think it's about trying to be friends with the players and making them believe that I'm not there to discipline or control them, but to help them."

A round of polite applause followed; clearly, everyone felt that the question and the answer were rather uninteresting.

Or rather, it's not exciting enough.

"The second question, according to our latest news, is that tonight, countless fans in China are staying up all night to watch."

"Every move you make at Manchester United touches the hearts of countless fans in China. Now, you have led Manchester United to seven consecutive victories and into the Champions League semi-finals, leaving our Chinese mark on the highest stage of world football."

"Is there anything you'd like to say to the camera behind me, to those back home who support you and love football?"

Following the reporter's gesture, Yang Fan spotted a CCTV-labeled camera among the long array of cameras at the back of the seating area.

He first adjusted his posture, raised his head, and looked directly at the camera.

This time he used Chinese.

"Hello to my fellow football fans in China, I am Yang Fan."

"It's evening in Manchester, and I'm at UEFA's post-match press conference."

"First of all, I'm very grateful to everyone for staying up late to watch the game. Thank you so much."

"After 90 minutes of intense battle, Manchester United and I have secured our place in the Champions League semi-finals. I hope to share this joy with everyone tonight."

"Over the years, I've been just like everyone else, getting up in the middle of the night to watch the Premier League and the Champions League. I never imagined that one day I would be able to win a game as the manager of Manchester United and sit here to talk to everyone."

"This is the most crucial step in my life!"

"I will continue to make my mark in European football. I hope to find my place, the place of the Chinese people, on the highest stage of world football."

"I also want to say to everyone in China who loves and enjoys football: Please believe that more and more Chinese faces will appear on top European stages in the future. They can be players or coaches, or they can be analysts, photographers, team doctors —"

"We truly love football, we love Chinese football, and we strive to do our best in our respective roles."

"I believe that as long as Chinese football is on the right track, it will surely reap the rewards!"

When Yang Fan spoke, the CCTV reporters in the audience looked on with surprise.

He was in charge of sports and had interviewed many officials in the domestic sports field, so he naturally knew that the basic operation of those officials was to give a flawless, perfect answer in front of the camera.

But Yang Fan is only 25 years old and has just graduated from university.

How did he do that?

After speaking to the camera in Chinese, Yang Fan turned around and explained to all the media reporters present in English.

The gist of it is that he was saying a few words to Chinese fans in front of the camera.

Because it's the early hours of the morning in China, many fans are staying up late to watch the game.

Thank you to the fans, and giving back to the fans is never a problem, anytime, anywhere.

The press conference ended amidst enthusiastic applause.

Manchester United secured a resounding 3-0 home victory against Barcelona, ​​sending them back to Spain with a 5-1 win.

This news spread around the world at lightning speed, taking up prominent positions in major mainstream media outlets.

It even made the front page of many European media outlets.

Everyone was utterly shocked by the result!

Previously, the worst Manchester United team had already upset Barcelona at Camp Nou.

Now, at Old Trafford, Barcelona has suffered an even more crushing defeat.

Unlike before, this time the media almost unanimously praised Yang Fan and his Manchester United, believing that the Red Devils' 7-0 run...

A winning streak, and those wins were truly beautiful and satisfying!

Not only did British media sing praises, but media outlets in other European countries, including Spanish newspapers such as AS and Marca, also lauded Yang Fan and Manchester United.

Catalan media generally expressed more praise than criticism.

But public opinion has begun to criticize Martino and Barcelona, ​​as well as Messi.

"At Old Trafford, Martino's team has completely degenerated into a cross-play team!"

"Messi? Did he play in this match at Old Trafford? We haven't seen him!"

Everyone is dissatisfied with Barcelona and Messi's performance.

In its match commentary, L'Équipe also pointed out that the problems Barcelona faced in this game were not just about losing 0-3 and losing their chance to advance.

"The important thing is that in the last 20 minutes of the game, Barcelona on the field simply did not show the fighting spirit that a traditional powerhouse team should have."

"Barcelona's players are like zombies; they just appear on the pitch and pass the ball around perfunctorily."

L'Équipe believes this is the real problem Barcelona needs to solve.

Milan Sports Daily also believes that Barcelona's biggest problem is not its tactics, but the players' mentality.

Italian media used Manchester United as a positive example to compare with Barcelona.

"Before Yang Fan took over the team, Moyes' Manchester United was absolutely terrible. Their performance wasn't much better than Barcelona's in this match. How many teams did they lose to? How many humiliations did they suffer at home?"

"But look at Manchester United after Yang Fan took over. Every one of the seven games was a tough battle, and every opponent was very difficult to deal with. But Manchester United managed to hold on in the two-front war and even achieved a seven-game winning streak."

As an Italian media outlet, Gazzetta dello Sport has always championed tactics and strategy.

But this time they believe that changing the players' mentality is sometimes more important than changing tactics.

"What Barcelona needs right now is not tactical innovation, nor the signing of big-name reinforcements, but rather to find its own 'sail'!"

Manchester United eliminated Barcelona 5-1 on aggregate, a major upset.

The results of the other three Champions League quarter-final matches have also been released.

皇马虽然在次回合客场0比2输给了多特蒙德，但凭藉着首回合的主场3比0，以总比分3比2顺利淘汰了多特蒙德，杀进了半决赛。

However, Ancelotti's team did not advance smoothly; in fact, their progress was fraught with danger.

This has led many to worry about how far Ancelotti's team can go.

瓜迪奥拉的拜仁慕尼黑则是在首回合客场2比2战平巴黎圣日耳曼后，回到慕尼黑，以2比0的比分完胜大巴黎，以总比分4比2顺利晋级半决赛。

Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, defeated Chelsea 3-1 away in the first leg, causing a sensation throughout European football.

Then in the second leg, they defeated Chelsea 1-0 at home.

With an aggregate score of 4-1, Atletico Madrid advanced to the semi-finals.

Thus, the four teams that have advanced to the semi-finals are Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Atletico Madrid.

The match was played on the 9th, and the draw was scheduled for noon on the 11th.

But on the morning of the 10th, major European bookmakers had already begun updating their odds for winning the championship.

Manchester United is an upset among upsets, but their victory over Barcelona has brought both Yang Fan and the Red Devils into the spotlight, and their odds of winning the title have risen to 6.5, the lowest among the four teams.

Bayern Munich is the favorite to win the title, with odds of 2.4, Real Madrid is 3.0, and Atletico Madrid is 6.0.

Manchester United are still not favored, but they are now the only team in the Premier League to remain.

According to UEFA's previous arrangements, the four teams in the semi-finals will be randomly drawn after being shuffled.

Everyone is speculating: who will Manchester United draw this time?