Chapter 17 The momentum is like a rainbow

After scoring twice against Newcastle in the middle of last week, the Red Devils defense has scored 10 goals, becoming the strongest offensive defense in the 20 teams of the Premier League.

Evans and Evra contributed the most, with Evans scoring 3 goals and Evra having 4 goals. However, in the seven games in December, the Red Devils did not achieve a clean sheet in this game until Vidic's comeback. You know, the Red Devil's zero-smatched opponent dates back to a whole month ago, and the opponent was the weak West Ham.

West Brom has always performed poorly away from home, and this first half did not pose a threat to the Red Devils' defense. However, after strengthening the rush in the second half, the pressure on the Red Devils' defense immediately increased sharply.

Just a Lukaku makes the Red Devil's defense line in a hurry. Vidić and Evans are not enough. It takes Smolin to rely on the middle to barely work. Even so, Smoulin still did not suppress McOre, who almost made up for it and forced the Red Devils to defeat him. If his header was not blocked by the lint, whether there was Van Persie's final kill later was another scene.

After the game, Ancelotti specifically mentioned Vidic. It is true that after the return of the Serbs, the defense performance of the Red Devils has improved significantly, but he is not enough as the mainstay.

The Christmas campaign has always been the traditional stage of Manchester United expanding its advantage. Although the Red Devils have won two consecutive victories, the defense line problem has always been An Shuai's confidant. Last season's lead of 8 points was almost reversed by Manchester City. Of course, An Shuai did not dare to take it lightly. After all, the Red Devils' defense level has dropped a lot this season. They have been scored 3 goals by their opponents three times, conceded an average of 1.47 goals per game, 12 more goals conceded than Manchester City, and the average number of goals conceded per game is the worst among the top 10 teams.

In the two key games chased by Manchester City last season, the games against Wigan and Everton were lost due to loopholes in defense at the last minute. Although Manchester United are used to the reversal this season, they will still rely on Vidic's defense in the future.

Last Saturday, in the last round of the Premier League in 2012, the strong teams took the lead in winning. Manchester United beat the West Bromwich Albion 2-0, but Van Persie and his goal became the highlight of a mediocre game.

Manchester City and Norwich scored Meihuajianzhu in the match. If it hadn't been for Nasri's chaos, the Blue Moon would have won more comfortably. Arsenal gave a 7-ball feast for the second time this season, but the ups and downs are always the gunner's heart disease. The end is far away, and the New Year is approaching. The powerful people jointly staged the 2012 closing drama, condensing the first half of this season.

Towards the end of West Brom, Ancelotti at the sideline was still anxious. The news came that Manchester City kept scoring goals, but at home, Manchester United failed to secure the victory. But as long as the second goal is not scored, Manchester United's point advantage may be reduced at any time after the game.

Manchester United rotated in this game, Welbeck led the front line, and Shinji Kagawa returned, but the team could only rely on Mata to force McCauley to take the lead.

In most of the games, Manchester United failed to show the momentum of the previous games. Cleverley and Valencia were diligent, but their efficiency and creativity were insufficient. West Brom sent the little Warcraft Lukaku, and Manchester United's defense warned several times about this. Fortunately, Vidic was like a sea god needle in the defense zone, but it was still difficult for the ball to hit the opponent's half.

When the time slipped to the first minute of stoppage time, Van Persie, who came on as a substitute in the 66th minute, got the ball on the right side of the penalty area and ran horizontally, and then made a signature volley to hang the net. 2 to 0!

Ancelotti outside the court finally fell on his heart, hugging, laughing and jumping like a child. The goal at the last moment has long been the symbol of Manchester United. This half season has been particularly obvious, with 8 reversals in 20 league games, which is enough to make all opponents tremble.

Little peas and Van Persie are the reassurance of Ancelotti. Against the Magpie, the Dutchman scored the third goal to equalize, completely sinking the morale of the leading opponent three times on the spot. In the first half of the league, he broke the door many times in the team's adversity and turned the tide.

After scoring a goal against West Bromwich Albion, Robin has scored his 27th Premier League goal in 2012. So far this season, he has surpassed Mitchu with 14 goals to lead the scorer list. He also became the first player to win the top scorer of the year for two consecutive years after Shearer. Beba, who plays for Fulham, won the half-way best title for the fans, but the Dutchman may be the more powerful winner.

It was a firm belief in the ability of the Dutch that Ancelotti decisively sent him to calm the situation when the situation was unstable. After the game, An Shuai did not hesitate to praise Van Persie: "Robin changed the situation for us. When I sent him and Scholes, the game began to settle down. He is unbelievable. He changes the situation immediately after playing. Every time the ball reaches his feet, he can control it well.

Van Persie's goal should be remembered by Mata, who calmly scored the ball on the periphery after he failed to shoot. In addition to these two pillars with excellent ability and experience, there are also Evra, who has recently scored consecutive goals, Hernandez, who killed the magpie, and Carrick, who showed his general demeanor during the Christmas schedule.

Manchester United's midfield pass and control strength has gradually found a direction under Mata's performance. The defense line is full of mistakes before Vidic's comeback, but because there are winners in the three lines, the Red Devils can always rise up when they go against the trend and can't stop the strange soldiers in mediocrity, which has become the key to leading Manchester City by 7 points after 20 rounds. .

Looking forward to the New Year, Ancelotti is full of confidence: "We look forward to playing with Wigan (Tuesday) and hope we will stay active at that time. Phil Jones and Raphael will make a comeback. We let Hernandez take a break today, as well as Giggs, so we will have a lot of energetic players to play.

An Shuai also gave a good word to Shinji Kagawa, who was replaced in advance. It was Ancelotti who was not kind to his subordinates and favored the other that helped him gather Manchester United into an iron army. He said after the game: "We are only halfway to the championship now! I'm happier to have these players. They don't fall behind compared with any generation of players I brought in Old Trafford.

An Shuai's praise of his subordinates may make Mancini thorns in his ears.

Because it was after last Saturday's game that Manjo turned on a hairdryer and repaired Nasri, who was sent off when Norwich: "I am very disappointed with Nasri. He will pay for his behavior, although the referee's judgment is not correct..." By being dissatisfied with the referee, Mancini divided his anger towards Nasri. Second, but the insellect of the French midfield almost made the team suffer. In this case, it has been common in this half season.

Away against the canary, Manchester City had a good start. In just 4 minutes, Dzeko scored twice. The home team then pulled back a goal, but failed to stop the Blue Moon offensive, but Nasri got a red card before the end of the half, which almost destroyed the team's advantage. Fortunately, at the end of the half, the team had time to make psychological and tactical responses to the downs.

Even so, the score of 3-4 will never let Mancini, who pays attention to defense, be happy. Manchester City originally had one of the strongest defenses in the league, but after losing three in this game, the best defense has fallen to Chelsea and Stoke City. In the middle of the journey, the Blue Moon has destroyed the Great Wall from time to time, and the players have become the biggest obstacle to their own championship.

In terms of the team, Manchester City is the champion of the Premier League. Therefore, although the Tevez mutiny broke out last season, it still almost won the first place.

But at the end of this half of this year, the team lost the spirit of the Premier League championship last season, but frequently lost itself due to internal consumption. Sitting in the Golden Armor Corps, Mancini was not good at leading the army, and he was out of the Champions League, and all the members were dead.

After last year's Tevez, Balotelly has become the team's new "thorn": there is no lace outside the court, and there is no light in the field. Before Norwich, Manchester City's front line was collectively dumb, and Mancini lamented: "We deserve to win against Sunderland. We have about 23 or 24 goals, but we didn't grasp it." Toure said that Manchester City now has the undefeated Gunners, but the team has lost both home and away. "Fenggu said" has become a laughing stock.

Fortunately, in this round of Dzeko and Aguero, Mancini finally saw the strikers start. But when it comes to the pleasure of the attack line, the biggest winner in this round is Arsenal.

At the Emirates Stadium, the Gunners cooked a 7-ball package again this season after the League Cup against Reading. The team led three times, and the Magpie equalized three times, but did not stop Wal-Mart from hat-trick. The gunman's firepower was fierce in this game, and even Giroud, who rushed to the post, almost put on another hat. With the help of a 7-goal victory, the team scored 39 goals and ranked second after Manchester United; the goal difference was 18 and entered the top four, sweeping the embarrassment of winning Wigan before.

Wenger praised Walkot after the game: "What he played today is what I think he has. He will get stronger and stronger in the center position. He is determined to enter the penalty area and has a good shot. I hope he renews his contract. He belongs to Arsenal.

Van Persie last season and Wal-Mart in this season have become the leading leaders of Arsenal during the downturn.

Coincidentally, the two have the problem of renewing their contracts with the club, which reflects the embarrassment of the gunman's continuous reconstruction in recent years. Although scoring 7 goals in this game, the team still has mixed feelings. The opponent is three times behind and tied three times, showing that Arsenal's defense is unstable. If it hadn't been tortured to death by Manchester United at Old Trafford, the magpie last Saturday would not have been taken by the gunmen.

In addition to the big victory over the magpie, the shooter may also regret that he failed to kill the midstream and downstream opponents in the first half. It is precisely because of the loss of too many points on Villa, Fulham, Norwich and other opponents that caused the team to rise and fall in the first half to only rank fifth in points.

At the beginning of the new year, Premier League giants Manchester United officially announced the transfer of 20-year-old Norwegian striker Joshua King to Blackburn on its official website.

Manchester United said on its official website: "Manchester United's first sale in 2013 has been officially completed, and 20-year-old striker Joshua King has officially transferred to Blackburn." Manchester United also announced that Joshua King will sign a contract with Blackburn until 2015 and has a one-year extension, but the specific transfer fee amount has not been disclosed on its official website.

Joshua King signed a contract with Manchester United to join the youth team when he just turned 16 in January 2008, but he only played two games on behalf of Manchester United's first team in five years, and he was also loaned by Manchester United to Mönchengladbach, Hull City and other teams. Joshua King in 2012 At the end of November, he joined Blackburn on loan and scored two goals in eight appearances in the following games. His performance was quite good, which also made Blackburn's determination to buy it.

At the same time, the first game of the New Year also has a special meaning for Manchester United's midfielder.

For Manchester United player Carrick, this round of Manchester United's match against Wigan has a very special significance, because this is his 200th Premier League game for Manchester United, and with this game, the English midfielder who joined Manchester United in 2006 also equals his teammates in the league. Manchester United has been a 12-year-old Scottish midfielder Fletcher.

And in this meaningful game, Carrick's performance is enough to commemorate the game.

In the 67th minute, Carrick found Van Persie with a pass, who shot slightly higher with his left foot in the penalty area, which almost gave Carrick an assist in the game. According to OPTA data, Carrick sent up to three threatening passes in 69 minutes of the game, ranking first in the game.

In the post-match score of Sky Sports, Carrick scored 7 points second only to Van Persie and Hernandez, who scored two goals respectively, and the comment given to him by Sky Sports to "help Manchester United control the midfield" also accurately summarized the performance of the English in this game.

More than half of the Premier League this season, Carrick, who is in the defensive midfield, has received four league assists, which has equaled his number of assists in the whole season last season. In terms of the number of passes that better reflect the control of a midfielder, Carrick's performance even reflects a higher level--

In the first half of the Premier League this season, Carrick completed a total of 1,698 passes, ranking second among all players in the Premier League. At the same time, Carrick's forward passes were as high as 919, and no one in the Premier League players was out of the right, and Yaya Toure, who ranked second in the number of forward passes, also In total, only 785 forward passes have been completed, more than 100 less than Ka Shen!

Throughout 2012, Carrick, who completed 3,226 passes in the league throughout the year, is also the Premier League player who completed the most passes in 2012! Even the top midfielder Yaya Toure, Arteta and Lampard, who have the first week of the Premier League, can't compare with him!

This player, who is often underestimated by time, is actually the top midfielder of Manchester United and even the Premier League. However, Manchester United coach Ancelotti always has a correct assessment of the value of his disciples. In an interview with the media at the beginning of this season, An Shuai said that Carrick is the most important guarantee for Manchester United to win the championship this season. Obstacle.

Because of this, it is not difficult for Carrick to swipe the record on the appearance record now. So far this season, Carrick has made a total of 19 appearances for Manchester United in the Premier League, ranking second in Manchester United with Evra, second only to Van Persie, who has played 20 times. Carrick's 1734 minutes of playing time this season is even more than "General Van" in 1668 minutes, only more than Evra (1800 minutes) with the most appearances in Manchester United this season is slightly less!

With such data, Carrick's importance to Manchester United is self-evident.

You should know that Van Persie is the creator of Manchester United's goals this season, and Evra is the vice captain of Manchester United and the main force in the left-back position. He can keep pace with these two absolutely key players in playing time.

And Winesh Palmer, a columnist for the well-known British football website Thinkfootball, even pointed out recently that Carrick has in fact become an excellent successor to Scholes: "Harvey praises Scholes for 'having everything he deserves' But I think this evaluation also applies to Carrick. He is a real power, a textbook midfielder, and his increasing importance to Manchester United.

Even if you are repeatedly teased by the fans, how can you deny the indisability of this player who is always "low-key and gorgeous" to Manchester United!

Manchester United gradually stabilized, but another team from Manchester was in big trouble at the beginning of the new year.

Balotelly was absent from Manchester City's list for four consecutive games. The Blue Moon Legion's "Super Mario" seems to be about to be forgotten. Just after Manchester City's 3-0 victory over Stoke City in the last Premier League, Manchester City assistant David Pratt also claimed that Balotelly was due to "virus infection" He had to miss Manchester City's recent training and said that the Italian would return in the short term.

However, who would have expected that Balothely was exposed to the world again after a few weeks. It was not that he had some amazing performance in the Manchester City game. On the contrary, he actually "made trouble" again, and this time it was a direct physical conflict with head coach Mancini.

It was during the daytime training on January 3, British local time. In Manchester City's training for the FA Cup against Watford, Balotheli actually started directly with his "teacher" Mancini. The two confronted fiercely and pushed each other. Balotli directly grabbed Mancini's hand, while Mancho He was angry and wanted to push each other away, and the two sides wrestled together.

The Daily Mail said that under the persuasion of a team of Manchester City staff, the angry Balotelly and Mancini were finally pulled away.

The Daily Mail revealed that the reason for the feud between Mancini and Balotheli is because of the training. During the training, Balothely carried out a rough shovel for his teammate Sinclair (the Daily Mail reported that it was Clichy, and then renamed this person Sinclair). As a result, he was scolded by Mancini, but Balotelli, who was full of anger, did not accept Mancini's discipline. The angry Mancini pulled Baloelli's training vest vigorously and roared loudly.

This also completely annoyed Ba Shen. He also rudely started his own mentor. In this way, Mancini and Baloteli, a pair of masters and apprentices, fought together in front of all the players and coaches of Manchester City, and were finally pulled away. But Mancini, who was unrelenting, also shouted that Balothely would leave directly from the training ground.