My light shines on Arsenal

Chapter 171 Good Times
The Premier League matches in December are gradually coming to an end.

Arsenal have suffered successive blows in the Champions League and league, but their performance this season is still gratifying.

In daily training, the coaching staff can see that the players' physical fitness has indeed reached a low point, and their condition is not as good as before.

"Look at Santi." Bergkamp pointed to Cazorla in the training ground. "His movement speed has slowed down. He takes on too many tasks of handling the ball in every game. We have to be careful with him. body of."

Juan Lillo is a coach from Spain. He usually criticizes the fact that the Premier League does not have a winter break.

"Stupid schedule design. Do the football officials in this country think that the players are robots?" Lillo complained. "In Spain, the players will have a holiday soon. They can save their physical fitness for the second half of the season and adjust Condition. It's good for their performance and their careers."

"There is no such thing as winter break here, Juan." Chen Yao's eyes flashed with worry, "Santi, Anthony, and Olivier... they all transferred from other leagues. They're definitely not used to the pace of the schedule."

"Football is sports science." Lillo said, "It's not a game or a performance. If you don't let the players rest just to make more money, I don't see how far-sighted this approach is."

"To get two weeks off, you have to cut dozens of games or reduce the size of the event. It looks beautiful, but when it comes to reality, no one wants it."

Chen Yao shook his head helplessly, "Juan, we can only adapt. It is not that simple. In this country, the meaning of football forces athletes to not stop playing. The fans are not willing, the club is not willing, and the league is not willing."

"The lion of winter and the lamb of summer..." Lillo muttered.

Chen Yao burst into laughter. He knew that this was an evaluation of the English players and a mockery of this league without a winter break.

……

Shortly after the game against Real Madrid, the Premier League No. 16 round followed.

Arsenal face West Bromwich Albion.

Chen Yao maintained a moderate rotation rhythm for the team. He gave Santi Cazorla time to rest and sent Czech veteran Tomas Rosicky to start.

Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann also got time to rest, and given that neither of them have experienced a tight schedule without a winter break, Chen Yao started Zaha and Aubameyang, both of whom have experienced The experience of the English league will make it easier to deal with such an intense schedule.

In the midfield position, Marco Verratti also ushered in a long-lost starting opportunity.

At the same time, at right back, Dani Carvajal also started.

When he announced the starting lineup, Chen Yao could see the excitement on the players' faces.

Zaha, Aubameyang, Verratti and Carvajal were all four players he brought to Arsenal last season.

The performance of these players before coming to Arsenal was mediocre. Among them, Carvajal, who has the best background, is also a figure who can be abandoned at any time in the Real Madrid echelon.

Last season, they showed their talent in various cup competitions, but generally speaking, these players are still in the process of polishing their skills and awareness and adapting to the high-intensity league.

These players can be regarded as direct descendants brought up by Chen Yao.

But Chen Yao did not give them too many opportunities to play.

Even if he has the so-called system and the [badge] ability to help players grow rapidly, he does not think that violating objective laws is something that is helpful to players.

It's not that the more games you play, the better it is for the players.

Especially in a high-intensity, physical-confrontation event like the Premier League, it is a physical and psychological test for immature players.

Every time he thinks about this, Chen Yao can't help but think of the former Arsenal twins: Wilshere and Ramsey.

The interruption in their growth is not their problem, but the environment's lack of protection for them.

Now, Ramsey has recovered from injury and has not yet regained his form, and Wilshere is also in the process of recovering from injury.

There is still a chance, Chen Yao thought, there is still a chance for these two players to try to touch the height they could have touched.

He still hopes that his players can grow at an appropriate pace, find a growth path that suits them, and realize their potential.

——And now, he sees the desire for the game and the desire to win in the eyes of the players.

West Bromwich Albion are ranked tenth in the league. As a team aiming to avoid relegation, this season, under the leadership of Steve Clark, they look like they can achieve their season goals early.

Fans at the Emirates Stadium, who had not tasted victory for two weeks, made noise and cheers to encourage their team.

The effect of rotation on Arsenal is obvious, and the excitement among the players is high.

In the 6th minute, Arsenal launched a frontcourt attack.

If you look at it from an aerial perspective, Arsenal's formation is not evenly distributed, with a large number of people stacked on the right side.

On that side, there are Dani Carvajal who is good at setting up assists, Marco Verratti who shuttles between the center and the wing, and Theo Walcott, and Aubameyang will also Come closer and provide a node for catching the ball.

Chen Yao doesn't like neat lineup arrangements, and unilateral overload is his usual tactical arrangement.

His players have enough offensive awareness and desire to attack. Gathering forces on one side can not only bring huge pressure to the opponent's one-sided defense line, but also create space on the weak side.

Verratti flexibly lowered his center of gravity and passed the interception of West Bromwich Albion midfielder James Morrison. He quickly separated the side and Carvajal led the ball forward.

Walcott moved in a little, Carvajal took a few steps forward, and did a quick one-two with Walcott to get himself into a deeper position.

He has shaken off West Bromwich Albion left-back Glenn Popov.

Carvajal crossed the ball, and his passing footwork was much better than Bakari Sagna's. The ball spun towards the goal, and Zaha appeared there.

Unfortunately, the ball was too high and Zaha was unable to reach it. West Brom defender Jonas Olsen, a 29-year-old Danish central defender, pushed the ball out of the sideline.

West Brom's defense is shaky.

One minute later, Arsenal's corner kick was sent to the goal and was pushed out in the chaos.

West Bromwich Albion were unable to control the ball, and the ball returned to Arsenal's feet and continued to circle around their penalty area.

Compared with Santi Cazorla, Tomas Rosicki's football style is quite different.

Cazorla's dribbling ability is excellent and his balanced two-footed skills allow him to play on either side of the pitch.

Therefore, Chen Yao's request for Cazorla is to become the team's ball handler.

What he requires of other players is to handle the ball concisely, quickly and accurately, constantly running without the ball, and keeping the formation and offense always dynamic.

Santi Cazorla does not have this limitation.

Chen Yao allows him to carry the ball longer. A player who can carry the ball dozens of meters from any side of the court at any time can bring unexpected changes to the game.

That's not the case with Tomas Rosicky.

The elegant Czech midfielder still has the technical gene of passing and cutting in his bones. He does not like to dribble alone for too long, but likes to cooperate with his teammates in a lot of series.Now, Rosicky feels like these teammates are right up his alley.

He got the ball near the center circle, brought it forward, and distributed it to Verratti beside him.

Rosicky ran towards the penalty area on his own, and West Brom's defense shrank towards him. Steve Clark's defensive strategy was very clear. He did not want this highly creative midfielder to get the ball comfortably.

Verratti chose to dribble the ball himself.

He was facing James Morrison. Morrison was not a good defensive player. Verratti controlled his center of gravity very well. He dribbled the ball sideways, and Morrison tried to squeeze through, but failed. .

Arsenal's formation suddenly changed.

Maybe Arsenal's formation had been flowing and West Brom's players just didn't notice it in their tight defence.

Carvajal stepped in diagonally, and Verratti suddenly accelerated and squeezed past Morrison. Before the West Brom midfielder could grab him, Verratti had already distributed the ball to Carvajal.

Carvajal was not in a hurry to dribble the ball. He saw Verratti turn around and run to the other side of the court at the moment he was grabbed by Morrison. West Brom midfielder Youssef Mulumb ran back. Go, mark him, Rosicky was let go.

West Brom's combination of zone and man-marking is obviously not mature, and Arsenal's players are top-notch in the league in their offensive acumen.

The ball came to Rosicky's feet.

He made an exaggerated fake move, like a skating move, as if he was about to slide off the turf. The person who defended Rosicky on the edge of the penalty area was West Brom center back Liam Ridgewell. He was easily beaten by Rosicky. The ground passed.

Aubameyang, Zaha and Walcott all rushed into the penalty area.

Chen Yao likes this kind of offense, rushing threatening players into dangerous areas at the moment when the opponent's weakness is exposed.

He doesn't like constant conduct outside the penalty area. He knows that holding the ball for a long time is safer for his team, and the opponent will sooner or later reveal a flaw.

But what he prefers is to seize the fleeting opportunity and attack with thousands of arrows, bursting out the most powerful penetrating power and directly breaking through the opponent's resistance.

This is Arsenal's consistent style.

Aubameyang, Zaha and Walcott, these three players are not pure centers in name.

Eymeric Aubameyang may be considered. His characteristics, erratic movement without the ball, explosive speed and precise shooting skills, all make him like a poacher on the court.

As for Zaha and Walcott, in addition to being able to dribble past people on the wing, Chen Yao is also interested in developing their threats in the penalty area.

The three forwards instantly occupied shooting positions in the far and near corners and the central area of ​​the goal.

"Elegance." Dennis Bergkamp said with emotion off the court, "Thomas's technical style always reminds me of a person."

"You want to say that you are right?" Chen Yao raised his eyes.

"Ahem." Bergkamp coughed twice awkwardly, "It's not like I haven't discussed our style of play with Thomas."

"You are not exactly the same." Chen Yao said, "But Dennis, I admit, I like the style of geniuses like you... Football can be calculated with precision, but genius is always his charm."

Rosicky inadvertently knocked the ball with his heel, and his movement following the ball was very small. Even after he sent the ball out, West Brom's defensive players were still stunned and ready to steal the ball controlled by Rosicky.

The ball rolled to Walcott's feet. He took a step inside and passed the ball to Aubameyang with his left foot.

The Gabonese forward's acceleration put him one position ahead of all West Brom players in an instant. The linesman did not raise the flag and the ball was not offside.

He took a shot, but Ben Foster was helpless against the approaching goal.

Gorgeous goal, one to zero.

"We can trust the young players more." Lillo covered his mouth and said in Chen Yao's ear, "Their growth rate, oh my God, I must say, is scary fast."

"Of course they deserve more opportunities." Chen Yao hugged the assistant coach with joy, "Their potential is immeasurable."

"You try to protect them and let them grow in a gentler environment," Lillo said. "I think it won't be long before we start to reap the rewards."

West Brom were overwhelmed by Arsenal's attack.

Steve Clark had targeted arrangements for Arsenal's offense before the game, but he did not expect that Arsenal's starting lineup would not be Giroud, Griezmann, and Cazorla.

The delicacy of their cooperation has declined, but after replacing a group of young players, Arsenal's impact made it difficult for West Brom, who was not mentally prepared, to withstand.

In the second half, Arsenal scored two more goals.

Tomas Rosicki was the dazzling star on the pitch, forming a masterful partnership with Marco Verratti.

Verratti has taken on a lot of tasks in promoting the ball. Although he is still young, his passing rhythm is well controlled, leaving West Brom with few opportunities to counterattack, and allowing Arsenal to maintain control of the situation.

"I can guess what will be written in the newspapers tomorrow. An Italian with such an excellent sense of rhythm is Pirlo."

In the live broadcast of Sky TV, the commentator laughed.

Tomas Rosicky is the wizard in the frontcourt.

He used his ubiquitous connection and touches to unite Arsenal's frontcourt attackers, just like composing beautiful music, and used his fast-paced offensive to disintegrate the opponent's defense.

Flexible, young and energetic attackers are at home under Rosicky's organization.

Walcott and Zaha each scored a goal. In one-on-one situations, their ability is enough to break through the interceptions of most Premier League defenders. However, relatively speaking, Walcott is more comprehensive than Zaha. and more stable.

Zaha's performance also made Chen Yao understand why both Ferguson and Wenger were interested in this player.

Last season, Zaha still had many rough spots, but this season, with continuous training and tempering, Zaha's ability to combine man and ball has been greatly improved.

Under the right circumstances, perhaps he can consider Zaha's playing opportunities more than Griezmann, who is good at touching the ball, running and shooting.

Of course - Antoine Griezmann, this player's ceiling is more than that.

Arsenal defeated West Brom [-]-[-]. Amidst the cheers at the Emirates Stadium, Chen Yao suddenly realized that maybe this team had reached a new stage.

Their main players are mature and have a tacit understanding, and their substitutes are energetic and have endless potential.

Their tactical system took shape and the football they presented was pleasing to the eye.

They have unlimited hope, and the short trough will only arouse people's greater expectations.

This is their quality time.

(End of this chapter)