Chapter 34 The second round against Arsenal
The Gosho team came to London two days in advance to prepare for the high-profile Champions League semi-finals. In this second round, Arsenal was widely optimistic, but Wenger was not relaxed because Arsenal had a fierce battle this weekend. They drew 1:1 with their opponents in an away North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur. Because this game was related to the ranking of the table, the game was held. It was extremely tragic. Each side was sent off, and in the final stage, several players on both sides had cramps. Although it has been almost a season and the players' physical fitness is not very good, this phenomenon also shows how fierce the two sides are in this game.
In this game, Arsenal's Cameroon midfielder Song also suffered a little injury. Although it is not too heavy, he will definitely miss the second round of the game against Gosau, which has given Wenger a headache, but what makes him more a headache is who does the team rely on to attack the city now? It doesn't mean much to score 7 goals against Olympiacos. In fact, with Arsenal captain Van Persie leaving Manchester United this season, Arsenal's attack power has dropped sharply. There are many front-line players in the team, but none of them can shoulder the responsibility of attacking the core. Walcote and Albin are only suitable for wingers. Although Bella can play in the middle, his characteristics are more suitable for counterattack. In the tough battle, he needs a tall center to cover him to play well. If he is directly exposed to the opponent's heavy defense, he can easily lose himself.
Originally, Danish center Bentner was highly expected by Wenger, and his physical condition was also suitable for the core of the attack, but he never met Wenger's expectations. The center was very talented, but he had a grotesque temperament. He once clashed with his teammates and took off his short sports after scoring a goal in a game of the national team. Pants, revealing his underwear, these things have caused an uproar. His grotesque behavior also made him good and bad in Arsenal's performance, very unstable, and even Wenger loaned him several times.
In the home game against Gosau, Wenger wanted to take his fate in his own hands. He wanted to defeat Gosau, instead of winning a 0-0 draw by defending, so as to advance with the advantage of away goals. If you want to defeat your opponent, you must strengthen your attack. Therefore, Wenger thought about it. This game can only let Bentner start and partner with Bella. I hope he can play well in this game.
Looking at the list of players in his hand and comparing the strong Gosho team, Wenger sighed in his heart. Now is indeed the most difficult time for Arsenal. I hope to defeat Gosho, and then successfully win the first Champions League championship in the club's history in the final to get through this difficult life.
On May 1, International Labor Day, the second leg of Arsenal vs. Gosho began at the Emirates Stadium. Previously, the other set of duels had ended. Juventus lost 1:2 away to Manchester City in the first leg. In the second leg, they defeated Manchester City 2-0 at home and advanced to the finals first. This result made the English media very unhappy, and the hope of the English team's finals was dashed. They now place the hopes of the English team on Arsenal.
In this game, Wenger formed the traditional 442 parallel midfield formation. The only difference between the lineup and the first round is that he replaced Song with Bendner and played a double striker; while Lin Fenglei copied Wenger's tactics in the first round, and he used Ivano. Veitch replaced Cowdingho to start, replaced Ribeiro with Sanchez with stronger defensive ability, and also played the tactics of double midfielder and single striker.
Wenger looked at the formation of Lin Fenglei and couldn't help smiling bitterly. Is Lin Fenglei going to treat him in his own way? However, Gosau's use of this tactic seems to be more suitable than Arsenal. Their two wingers' speed and explosive power are not much worse than that of Walcorne, while their technical and individual combat ability are much better than that of Walcorne. In addition, Lima, which has good technical speed in the middle, and a body is as perverted as a beast and scored like a hemp. Center Egman, Gosho's counterattack will be quite terrible. Thinking of this, he is even more envious of Lin Fenglei. With the players in his hand, he can completely discharge a changeable lineup, and it will have a good effect, which will cause considerable trouble to his opponents, of course, including himself.
After the start of the game, both teams were very careful. Although Arsenal players wanted to strengthen the offensive, they were quite afraid of the counterattack against Gosho, so they did not dare to invest too much troops in the attack. Such an offensive naturally did not have much effect on Gosho's strong defense line. Bentner, who was highly expected by Wenger, performed averagely due to the long-term battle.
Gosho's attack mainly depends on the four players in the front court. It is difficult to get any good opportunities when Arsenal's defense is complete.
The scene in the first half of the game has been very dull. The only highlight is the 24th minute. Fabregas made a long pass in the backcourt and found Bella in the empty place. Bella decisively shot near the arc of the penalty area. The ball hit the goal post and popped out the bottom line. Lin Fenglei sweated coldly, but then, Antunović After Fablegas was entangled and the core of Fabregas was silent, Arsenal's offensive stalled.
After the start of the second half of the game, Lin Fenglei made the first adjustment, because if the score of 0:0 is maintained, it will be the Gosho team who will be eliminated. At this time, he regretted his impatience in the first round. If he didn't lose the ball, the Gosho team would be much more active in tactics. Lin Fenglei let Ivanovic and Antunović take turns to participate in the attack more. After making this adjustment, Gosau's offensive has obviously improved, because Antunović and Ivanovic are both players with strong ability to carry the ball and run. Their addition has added a point and a receiving point for Gosho in the front court. Arsenal's back line is suddenly a lot of work, and Gosho is even He continued to get several good shooting opportunities.
Wenger also made an adjustment immediately. He let Carrick and Fabregas move back a little to strengthen the defense in the middle. Because he also knows that the score is better for Arsenal now. In Arsenal's heyday, Wenger would not have adopted a defensive strategy, but now he is really useless and weak in attack, so he can only make such a choice.
Will Arsenal attack weakly? In the past, this sentence will definitely be regarded as a joke, but for the current Arsenal, this sentence is the best portrayal. Now they lack a stable scoring point. In the Premier League this season, they are often tied by the last few teams. Instead, their defense became good after two excellent defensive backs, Song and Carrick. Now Wenger is ready to hold on to the score.
After the retreat of Carrick and Fabregas, Gosho's offensive was strengthened. Avanzini, Horenstein and Lima frequently changed positions. Their flexible running position made Arsenal's defense more and more pressure. Even Albin and Walkot often had to return to their own half to help defend. Guard.
In the 75th minute, there was an accident on the court. When Walcourt retreated to defend Avanzini, in the face of Avanzini's fake action, he changed his center of gravity while running at high speed. As a result, he fell to the ground, covered his ankle and rolled up. The referee immediately stopped the game. Arsenal's The team doctor went on the court for a little examination and signaled Wenger to replace him. Wenger's face is pale. The last thing he wants to see happen is not an accident, but the result of the end of the season. Walvort is a player that Wenger relies on very much. This season, he has played almost all the Arsenal games. He is too tired. This time, his injury and Song's injury in the last game were due to physical strength.
Wenger had no choice but to replace Walcourt with Gibbs. Gibbs is a young player in England. He can play offensive guard and midfield sidelines. He has good defensive ability. Wenger also hopes to strengthen the defense of the side.