Chapter 40 Leeds Second Team Leeds United finally beat Lyon 4:0 at the Gerland Stadium. The French scored an own goal from their center back Mazzarri in the 76th minute. Although the knockout rounds of the Champions League are two-legged, after Leeds United defeated their opponents 4:0 in the away game, they could even return to home and lose to their opponents by three goals. The suspense of entering the quarterfinals of the Champions League has been eliminated. . After returning to England, Leeds United were welcomed by Leeds fans. They shouted "Champion, Champion" at the airport, expressing their desire for the Champions League trophy without reservation. Simon Grayson will continue to use rotation in the next games. He has now completely tasted the benefits. The most important thing is that Shaq can adjust his physical fitness through this rotation. After reducing playing time, his condition has improved significantly. , which is more important than anything else. In the last three Premier League games, Shaq has scored 12 goals. In this Champions League game, Shaq scored twice and had an assist in the away game. This is a solid proof of his recovery. Because there were four games to be played before Leeds United played Lyon at home, Simon Grayson had to arrange everything in detail. In the fifth round of the FA Cup on February 22, Simon Grayson let Shaq play the first half. Shaq scored another goal. Leeds United defeated Wolves 3:0 away from home. On February 26, Leeds United ushered in the 27th round of the Premier League. Simon Grayson arranged a lineup composed entirely of young players at home, and eventually lost to the "Red Army" Liverpool 0:2 at home. A belated third defeat in the Premier League this season. However, this defeat is within the tolerance of Simon Grayson. Next, Leeds United will play in the League Cup final. The championship trophy is right at hand, who wouldn¡¯t want it? ? If you want the championship trophy, you will naturally need Shaq and other old players to lead the team to fight for it. Young people still have too little experience, and the old players must be more trustworthy at critical moments. This time Leeds United¡¯s opponent in the League Cup final is Everton. Although the two teams are competing in the Premier League, the strength of the two teams is still not at the same level. Leeds United is the defending champion. Everton is only in the middle of the pack, and the "Young Guards" are also the defending champions in the League Cup. So Simon Grayson and the Leeds United team, as well as every Leeds fan, are still looking forward to this League Cup final and hope to complete the defense of the title. But even the boldest fans would not have predicted that the League Cup final at Wembley Stadium would turn out like this! When the game reached 40 minutes, Leeds United made a substitution. Simon Grayson replaced Shaq with teenager Campbell! Why! ? Because Leeds United is already certain to win! Although the game has only started forty minutes, Leeds United is already leading Everton 4:0. All four goals came from Shaq! Only 5 minutes into the game, Hoydonk dribbled the ball and attracted two Everton defenders to suddenly send a direct pass. Shaq, who was only being marked by one person, easily got rid of his opponent and ran to the passing route with a push. The ball flew straight into the lower right corner of Everton's goal 1:0! At the 21st minute, Leeds United took a corner kick from the right side of the frontcourt. Shaq soared into the air in the small penalty area in the middle, shook his head and scored 2:0! In the 26th minute, Shaq received a pass from Hoydonk in the penalty area on the right side. A light shot, the ball flew over the Everton goalkeeper's head and fell 3:0! 38 minutes. Leeds United got a chance to counterattack. Colm sent a direct pass to Shaq. Shaq ran 35 meters with the ball and shot into the far corner of Everton's left penalty area 4:0! After completing his "Big Four", Shaq received applause from everyone in Wembley Stadium. Even Everton supporters stood up and applauded. This loss was disappointing. No temper, no complaints! The strong have always been respected on the football field, and Shaq has obviously been the strongest in the past ten years. His brave performance can be compared with his peak, even his opponents will be defeated by him. conquer. Off the court, Simon Grayson asked Campbell to warm up when Shaq performed a "hat trick". The League Cup final, although it was not a big event, was acceptable. On the premise of ensuring victory, it gave young players It is still right for people to have some exercise opportunities. When Shaq completed his "Big Four", Simon Grayson made the substitution without hesitation! Campbell, who was waiting to high-five and hug Shaq off the court, looked at Shaq with eagerness and admiration in his eyes. He felt that he had never felt the responsibility he shouldered like this in any moment. He wasThe successor chosen by Jack, in the future he will definitely work harder! In the last few minutes of the first half, although Leeds United took the initiative in the game, they still failed to break through Everton's goal. But after the game entered the second half, Leeds United scored again. In the 67th minute, Hoydonk smashed Colm's cross from the left into the Everton goal 5:0! In the 76th minute, Colm started dribbling the ball from the left and brought it all the way to Everton's right penalty area. Finally, he succeeded in pushing the ball into the lower right corner of the goal, and the score was locked at 6:0! After the game, Simon Grayson said in an on-site interview with reporters: "Defending the League Cup is not yet a success. We have greater goals to achieve this season! Success? It is far from it! We have just Just hit the road! "Simon Grayson said something very tough, but in fact the "Young Guards" are still facing a little difficulty, and that is injuries! After the game against Lyon, captain Jonny Howson sprained his knee again and needed to rest for three weeks. The only spiritual leader of Leeds United was Shaq. In the game against Liverpool, young left back Joe Hicks also sprained his ankle. It takes four weeks to recuperate, but the impact of the injuries on these two people is still not big! Right back Chen Jinlong has a thigh strain and is out for a week. I will miss Leeds United's home game against Lyon. Fortunately, there is still 18-year-old right back Craig Richardson. Although this right back is young, his position in Leeds United is slightly inferior to Chen Jinlong. , but he still won 26 appearances this season with his strength. He was selected for the England team last year and has played 14 times for the "Three Lions". Now he is still working conscientiously as a substitute for the "Young Guards". Simon Grayson is so embarrassed. He just signed a new contract with him and his weekly salary was increased to 57,000 pounds! Although the three people currently in Leeds' injured camp have little impact on the team, Simon Grayson still has to be more cautious. After all, it is already late in the season, and the physical condition of the players has inevitably declined. What will be the result of your efforts in the end? It just depends on the team's performance in the remaining two months. Simon Grayson made a decision after discussing with the coaching staff. In the next 28th round of the Premier League, Leeds United will continue to adopt a rotation system to create enough rest time for Shaq and others. Making this decision really gave Simon Grayson, Harvey and others a headache, because after Leeds United lost 0:2 to Liverpool. Their lead over Arsenal in the standings has been reduced to six points. In the twenty-eighth round, Leeds United will be a guest at the Etihad Stadium. They will encounter the fourth-placed "Blue Moon" Manchester City in this round! Although Manchester City is no longer the protagonist in the transfer market in recent years, and the club¡¯s investment has been decreasing year by year, this team is still firmly among the top four teams in the Premier League. It has stars such as French midfielder David Andre, Brazilian forward Bifo, rising star midfielder Graham Ford, and Martial. Facing the powerful Manchester City, Simon Grayson dared to send a lineup of young players to challenge the opponent. It really takes a lot of courage. But it is such a truly young "Young Guard" that gave Simon Grayson and all Leeds United supporters a surprise at the Etihad Stadium! 14 minutes into the game, Manchester City, playing at home, opened the scoring first. Young Graham Ford took a long shot directly from outside the penalty area on the left and scored the ball into the Leeds United goal 1:0, Manchester City, playing at home, is ahead! At this time, the tone of the game was still what people expected, but the development of the game next made people stunned 18 minutes, just four minutes after Manchester City took the lead, John Allen hit the top of the penalty area After receiving a pass from Ashley Hood, he turned around and fired an angry shot into the upper right corner of the Manchester City goal 1:1 tie! In the 24th minute, Lens dribbled the ball to the bottom line of Manchester City's left penalty area. Suddenly he knocked the ball back with his heel. John Allen, who followed up, dribbled the ball horizontally and suddenly kicked the ball into the Manchester City team with his right foot. In the left goal Leeds United overtook 2:1! "Blue Moon", which played their main force, still did not panic after unexpectedly going from leading to falling behind. They still organized the attack tightly amidst the cheers of the home fans at the Etihad Stadium. But in the 31st minute of the game, misfortune befell Manchester City again. After Lens broke through, he sent a diagonal pass to Campbell. French center back Ben Deyemiya, who was marking Campbell, made a tackle in front of him. Although he blocked the ball, he accidentally "scooped" the ball directly into the lower left corner of his own goal an own goal!3:1, Leeds United¡¯s lead unexpectedly expanded! An own goal is definitely the most demoralizing way to score a goal on the court. Manchester City was completely stunned this time. They can accept being scored two goals by their opponents when they are leading. After all, the "Young Guards" "It's not a weak team. Even though the Leeds United team in front of us may only be regarded as the second team of Leeds, its strength cannot be underestimated, but Ben Deyemia's goal what's going on! ? 12 versus 10! ? In the remaining game time, Leeds United followed Simon Grayson's instructions and the whole team switched to defensive counterattack, using the solid defense to wait for opportunities to counterattack the opponent. Lens, Campbell, John Allen and others were not slow. , after two counterattacks, Manchester City was forced to take action. With insufficient offensive power, "Blue Moon" ended up losing 1:3 at home! Simon Grayson and his young disciples left Manchester happily with a victory