May 3.

The weather in Manchester did not give Mansour any face. When Mansour came into the stands and smiled and waved to the fans, there was drizzle in the sky.

The drizzle did not dispel the enthusiasm of Manchester City fans.

Since it was Manchester City's last home game this season, and it is possible that Manchester City will win the league championship ahead of schedule after this game, Manchester City fans showed almost crazy enthusiasm for this game. Tickets from regular channels have long been sold out. Tickets are even sold online to more than ten times the original price, but it is still hard to get a ticket. Some Manchester City fans who did not buy tickets simply hid at home and waited for the start of the game alone. Some ran to the bar and talked about the start of the game while drinking beer. Some gathered in the city square and watched the game through the big screen on the square...

The media's live footage recorded the lively scenes inside and outside the stadium without missing a glance. In the words of this game's commentator Martin Taylor, it would be an extraordinary game for Manchester City fans.

Lin Sen certainly knew that this was an extraordinary game.

The boss behind the scenes and the boss in front of the scenes were sitting in the stands at this time, and all the fans who were concerned about Manchester City turned their eyes here. Even fans who had no relationship with Manchester City would turn their attention here and another game at Anfield...

In more than an hour, the championship suspense may continue, or the championship suspense may end. Everything depends on the performance of Manchester City and Chelsea far away in Liverpool in the next short period of time.

Standing in the corner of the locker room, Lin Sen looked around at the group of people in front of him. This is his team, this is Manchester City.

Today's emotions do not need to be inspired. Everyone knows that they must give their all today.

Lin Sen's mouth showed a smile. He suddenly thought of when he had just arrived here, and when the season just started, he was also facing this group of people. Well, maybe there were fewer faces and more faces, but he was calm at that time, with a little cautiousness, from Malaga to Manchester City, from a budget of one million to a budget of two hundred million. He did the same job, but he had a different mentality.

“Tired?”

Lin Sen quietly waited for all the players to put on their sneakers and change their jerseys. When they looked at them, he suddenly asked.

"certainly."

"worn out."

...

The atmosphere is good, at least not solemn.

After spending a season together, the players have long figured out Lin Sen's temper and know when he can't provoke him, such as when he was tied by Standard Liege at home last time, but they also know when he can joke. For example, now.

"It's right to be tired." Lin Sen grinned, "Today's game is the 37th round of the Premier League, the penultimate round, plus the League Cup, the FA Cup, and the Europa League. You have played no less than sixty games in total. I feel tired when I sit on the sidelines, let alone you."

A chuckle suddenly came out in the locker room.

“Is it worth it?”

Lin Sen asked another question, it was still a very simple question.

"certainly!"

"worth!"

...

Of course it is worth it. No team is more tired than Manchester City this season. But no team is more tired than Manchester City. Manchester City has won a League Cup this season. Now, they are still pursuing the League Championship trophy and the Europa League Championship trophy, and so close.

"Is that true?" Lin Sen grinned, but this time he gave a question.

"If we lost this game today, if Chelsea won another game, if we lost the No. 13 game... then, do you still feel that it's worth it?"

The locker room suddenly became silent.

"You know what I want to say, don't you?" Lin Sen smiled and said indifferent to the silence of the locker room, and then his face turned up. "I have heard a lot of rumors, and I believe you have heard similar rumors, even if we finally lost to Chelsea in the league, we have already had a perfect season, and even if we only won the runner-up in the Europa League, we have made history..."

"Bad!"

Lin Sen looked at all the players, "I don't want to respond to these words, but here, I can tell you my thoughts. My thoughts are, these words are all bullshit! No one will remember who the second place in the league is! And no one will remember who the runner-up of the Europa League is! Only the champion! Guys! Only the champion will be remembered forever!"

"And now, the champion is right in front of us! At this time, any luck and excuses are bullshit! We just need to believe! As long as we want, we will definitely be able to do it! Because we have this ability! Because I believe you have this ability!"

...

Looking at Lin Sen, who was just gentle and looked fierce, now Brian Kid was a little stunned and excited. His eyes were looking at the players. At this time, the players' eyes were already glowing green.

How could a vicious head coach, his men, be a group of trembling sheep?

At this moment, Kidd seemed to see the figure he saw in another place in the city many years ago, and then he said silently in his heart.

"Be careful, sir."

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"...It's not difficult to understand why Manchester City fans are so excited today. In this round, Chelsea's opponent is Liverpool, and it's away games. The victory or defeat is really unpredictable. If Chelsea loses to Liverpool away and Manchester City can beat Aston Villa at home, then Manchester City will win the league championship this season one round ahead of schedule. You must know that the last time Manchester City won the top league championship was in 1968..."

Martin Taylor was still analyzing the possible results of this game for the audience, and at this time, the players from both sides had already walked into the stadium under the leadership of the referee.

O'Neal did not sit on the bench, facing the drizzle. From the beginning, he stood on the sidelines, wearing a hood on his head, and his expression was not visible...

The "grudge" between the Northern Ireland coach and Lin Sen is now well known to everyone in the entire Premier League, but in the pre-match press conference of this game, facing the intentional or unintentional provocation of reporters, both of them chose not to mention it, but instead focused more on the game itself. After being angrily scolded by Lin Sen for two months last time, I don’t know if it was intentional to avoid it, O’Neal never mentioned that matter again. O’Neal shut up, Lin Sen didn’t want to reveal the old scars. It was Manchester City who took advantage of it.

Of course, O'Neal became low-key, which also has the consequences of his record.

Aston Villa can be called a giant killer in the first half of this season. Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and other teams have suffered losses on them. It is not surprising that O'Neal is a little arrogant, but in the second half of the season, Aston Villa is basically paying off his debts, especially when he was beaten by Chelsea seven-to-one away game, and he has no face, so O'Neal naturally has no capital for pride.

However, as Lin Sen thought before the game, Aston Villa had no way out in this game. Facing the only home court in the Premier League that remains unbeaten, O'Neal can be even better, and even if he doesn't.

Unlike O'Neal who was standing in the rain, Lin Sen shrank to the coach's seat early in the morning, even his hands shrank into his sleeves, leaving only a pair of eyes looking at the stadium.

In terms of importance, this game means much more to Manchester City than to Aston Villa, but Linson has enough reason to be more confident. His team is better equipped, higher level and more skills, not to mention that he just put a buff on his team in the locker room.

This season, Manchester City was once restrained by a style of play, which is the traditional English 442, the traditional English 442, the first half of Tottenham, the 1-to-one with Aston Villa, and even the 1-to-3 loss to Bolton. The opponent played this way of play. In the second half, as Manchester City team's tacit understanding increased and their familiarity with the opponent's tactics, it gradually improved. In this game, Aston Villa still maintained this style of play.

The Norwegian striker Karu and the local striker Abanglaho are one high and one fast. The wing is Ashley Young and Downing two England internationals, while the midfielder Leo Cook and Barry are one offensive and one defense. With such a set of semi-gift midfield configurations, Aston Villa has reached the seventh place in the league now. If it weren't for their weak defense line, their results would have been better.

Such an Aston Villa gives Lin Sen the feeling that the Villarreal when he coached Atletico Madrid before, and that Villarreal finally reached the league runner-up position. In Lin Sen's view, the difference between these two teams is to exclude the difference in the head coach, from the perspective of the card, the biggest difference is the lack of an old monster like Pire.

A team like this that seems to be holding its breath in the game may start well or even amazing, but it is generally difficult to get to the end, because the league is a long-distance race, not a short-distance race. It can be held to the end in one breath, but it is impossible not to breathe in the long-distance race. It is this breath that Villarreal can go further, but without this breath, it becomes a thrust, and then it declines, and it is exhausted...
Chapter completed!