My light shines on Arsenal

Chapter 264 A winter fairy tale ()

August 2014, 1.

On the first day of the New Year, the second half of the Premier League starts early.

For players who have been in the Premier League for a long time, it is important to learn to distribute their fitness throughout a long season.

Because this is a league without a winter break, while players in other leagues can recuperate in the coldest days, the Premier League teams still have to play games without any respite.

UEFA President Platini once said that England's players are "lions in winter and lambs in summer." This is not unrelated to the fact that the players have to participate in high-intensity games in the cold wind.

Not everyone is willing to participate in such a physically demanding event, and many players and coaches have proposed setting up a winter break.

But when such suggestions were actually put on the table for discussion, the owners of the Premier League's 20 clubs fell silent.

There is no doubt that if a winter break is established, it will inevitably reduce the Premier League’s income.

Likewise, this will directly shrink the assets of these club owners.

Therefore, both the officials of the Premier League brand and the various club owners have tacitly kept their mouths shut before the issue of the winter break became a substantive issue.

Therefore, Premier League players can only continue to fight in the mire of winter. In their hearts, this may be for honor and career, while in the hearts of others, it is just for profit.

……

Emirates Stadium.

In the first game of the new year, Arsenal's opponent was Cardiff City.

This was an easy game. Theo Walcott and Aubameyang each scored a goal to help Arsenal beat Cardiff 2-0.

Arsenal continue to top the rankings.

Kevin De Bruyne continues to start. His form has been hot recently. The Premier League Player of the Month in December is likely to be De Bruyne. His passing talent has left a deep impression on everyone.

At the end of the game, Chen Yao stopped De Bruyne.

"Kevin." Chen Yao asked him, "How is your physical condition now? Do you feel any discomfort?"

De Bruyne looked at the head coach and said quickly: "No, sir, not at all. I am in the best shape I have felt in a long time."

"Yes." Chen Yao nodded, "You have played frequently recently, and the Premier League does not have a winter break. We need to know your physical condition."

"It's no big deal." De Bruyne scratched his head and ran to the other side of the stadium excitedly, "Sir, I'll go talk to the fans again..."

"Go."

Chen Yao couldn't hear De Bruyne's last words clearly. He could feel that the Belgian was very excited. This was probably the happiest time since he became a professional player.

He rose to become the main player at Arsenal at a rocket-like speed and continuously provided wonderful assists. He had the coveted playing time and proved himself.

However, Chen Yao is still a little worried about De Bruyne's physical condition. De Bruyne is only 22 years old. He doesn't know how to protect himself like the veterans in the Premier League, and he has not been assigned as the main force in the long season. Physical experience.

It's time for De Bruyne to rest.

What he didn't know was that while De Bruyne was running, he also frowned slightly at the discomfort in his legs.

Maybe I was too tired, but I wasn't injured.

De Bruyne told himself that it is normal for football players to have slight discomfort and they just need to go back and rest.

There are still so many games on the upcoming schedule, and he cannot lose the opportunity to play because of the fatigue of these random things.

……

After the twentieth round of the Premier League was over, a streaming program suddenly became popular on the Internet.

AFTV host Robbie Lyle invited "The Independent" reporter Lu Ling to review Arsenal's performance in the past half of the season.

"Miss Lu has now become a celebrity on the Internet."

At the Kearney base, Juan Lillo was drinking coffee and looking at the screen with relish.

"Do you know her?" Dennis Bergkamp asked.

"I don't know." Juan Lillo shook his head, "But I'm not a primitive man. I play with my mobile phone."

"Oh, Juan, I didn't mean to mock you." Bergkamp scratched his head, "Why are you so humorless?"

"Who is she?" asked Antonio Pintus, who had just arrived.

Even in the dead of winter, Pintus was still wearing very thin clothes, and his lean muscles could be seen clearly at a glance.

"She is..." Juan Lillo frowned, "As far as I know, her relationship with the team started a season and a half ago. She posted some news on the Internet."

Immediately, Arsenal's assistant coach shook his head, "I don't know the specifics. I only know that her source of information at the time was very accurate, and she helped us sell Robin Van Persie at a high price. Maybe Dick will know the details better. .”

"Dick?" Antonio Pintus twitched the corner of his mouth, who is this? It’s a good name…”

"It's Dick Lowe, our transfer director."

"I see... I really need to get to know him."

Meanwhile, Dick Lowe sneezed in his office.

"Who is saying my name again..." The old gentleman muttered something dissatisfied.

……

In Robbie Lyle's show, the fat black man still showed his qualities as a host.

In this half-season, Arsenal's performance is pleasing to the eye. Almost all fans are blameless for the team's performance. Robbie Leal also lost the opportunity to hype up conflicts and create hot spots.

So, after a period of low traffic, he simply did what a normal fan should do and seriously analyzed Arsenal's prospects for this season.

It was a risk-free move for Robbie Leal to do this show when Arsenal had just secured the half-time championship, and he invited Lu Ling, who was regarded as the Arsenal team member by social media.

After the two people reviewed Arsenal's performance in the first half of the season in a friendly atmosphere, Robbie Leal suddenly asked: "Miss Lu, Arsenal won the half-season championship - do you think our team has hope of winning this championship?" Premier League title this season?"

"Robbie, you should know the answer to this question."

Lu Ling said with a smile, "No team that has scored 20 points in the first 51 rounds will deny their ability to compete for the championship. If we maintain the efficiency of the first half of the season, our points this season will exceed 90 points. This is almost certainly an achievement that can only be achieved by a Premier League champion." "Arsenal fans should not be as eager for a championship as they are now for a long time." Robbie Lyle laughed, "At the beginning of the season, we were worried about Arsenal's success. After a failed summer preparation, we would be left behind by our opponents in the new season. Fortunately we were not."

"Yes." Lu Ling nodded in agreement, "Not only were we not left behind, but we also achieved very impressive results in the strong dialogue. We defeated Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur... We only lost Gave Liverpool a ball."

"Our team's performance in the strong dialogue in recent seasons has not been optimistic, but this season, Arsenal is not afraid of the top six opponents."

"Yes, Robbie, this is a huge improvement." Lu Ling smiled, "So, I am confident that our team can become a strong contender for the championship this season."

"So." Robbie Lyle changed the topic, "Ms. Lu, what factors do you think will hinder Arsenal's championship?"

He shrugged, "I mean, after all, nothing is 100 percent in football."

"There are many difficulties that can arise." Lu Ling smiled bitterly. "Arsenal has been ranked first in the Premier League on Christmas many times in the past, but in the end they fell behind. And the time of falling behind was concentrated in January and February. .”

"Is this an accident?"

"Not necessarily." Lu Ling shook her head, "The middle of every season is a time when a team can easily deviate from the track. Players' physical fitness has reached a limit, the injury rate has increased, and tactics have been clearly analyzed by opponents... these will all happen It affects the team’s condition.”

"What about Arsenal this season?"

"As you said, Robbie, Arsenal's summer transfer process has not gone as planned. There are risks in many positions."

"For example?"

"For example, at the center back position, the partnership between Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker is very stable, but their appearance rate is too high. Once injuries occur, Thomas Vermaelen will Reasonable rotation can also be improved, what about Virgil van Dijk? His playing opportunities are concentrated in cup games, and we don’t know if he can thicken the defense."

Lu Ling continued, "In the defensive midfielder position, Jorginho is gradually getting into the shape of a starter. N'Golo Kante, we are very happy to see this player perform amazingly in limited opportunities. Chen Yao In the coach's system, the defensive midfielder not only needs to be able to get rid of the technical ability of the ball, but also needs to cover a large area, which consumes a lot of money. If there is a problem in this link, it will also be a huge blow to the team."

"And the frontcourt...Theo Walcott has produced one of the most brilliant performances in his career, but how long can this performance last? Moreover, Theo's style of play relies heavily on body and speed, and there are also quite a few Injury concerns, can Oxlade-Chamberlain and Riyad Mahrez share the pressure on Theo?"

"And..." Lu Ling was familiar with Arsenal's team configuration, "Forward position. We all like Olivier Giroud, he also scored a wonderful quasi-win in the last game. But Olivier's Efficiency has always been a concern for us. In the second half of the season, Arsenal cannot have more great opportunities, and we need Olivier to be more efficient."

"As for Pierre, he has excellent sense of smell and speed, but what if there is not so much space on the pitch for him to gallop? Or, the team's striker is injured, and Jamie Vardy has few opportunities. Can the third forward provide firepower for the team? We don't know."

After Lu Ling finished speaking, Robbie Lyle also frowned in cooperation, "It seems that we don't have the thickness of a championship team..."

"Yes." Lu Ling nodded, "I think we have to thank the coaching staff. Coach Chen Yao and his partners have led this team to gratifying heights. But these problems must also be solved. Schedule It’s already halfway through, and if at the beginning of the season we knew Arsenal would perform like this and would be satisfied, then from now on..."

"What's going to happen?" Robbie Lyle asked.

Lu Ling took a deep look at Robbie Leal and said, "Then from now on, Arsenal's failure will be even more unacceptable than at the beginning of the season."

……

Ten days later, January 11th.

Arsenal vs Aston Villa.

The ten-day hiatus seemed to have caused Arsenal's players to lose some form, and the increasingly cold weather also slowed the players into entering the rhythm of the game.

Chen Yao watched the game on the court with a blank expression. Arsenal played perhaps the dullest half of the season.

Facing the half-time champions of the Premier League, Villa players defended deeply near the penalty area and tightened the fence.

Arsenal easily had over 60% possession, but this did little to help their attack.

Chen Yao discovered that the attitude of the Premier League teams when facing Arsenal has undergone a significant change - they would originally try to win some opportunities to score points, but now they have completely responded to Arsenal with a weak attitude.

This means that if Arsenal wants to play a smooth and sharp offense anytime and anywhere, it will be more difficult, because the space on the court is deeply compressed, there is not enough area for players to pass and run, and there is no equal number of people created in counterattacks. A misplaced opportunity.

The score in the first half was zero to zero, with neither Arsenal nor Aston Villa scoring a goal.

In the second half, Chen Yao chose a more direct, but also less interesting strategy.

He replaced Olivier Giroud after halftime. Originally, Chen Yao believed that Giroud, as the high point and backup player on the bench, would be a good player in harvesting victory in the second half of the game, but now he must Let Giroud appear earlier.

Arsenal's playing style has become more direct, which is to send the ball to the frontcourt as soon as possible, and then use Giroud's height to carry out aerial bombing, or use Giroud as a fulcrum to find opportunities to hit goals in the penalty area.

In the 61st minute, Arsenal's frontcourt set kick.

Santi Cazorla's free-kick was delivered into the penalty area and Olivier Giroud headed it just inside the woodwork.

Villa's old goalkeeper Shea Given was still strong and took the ball away from the goal line. During the chaos in the penalty area, Laurent Koscielny shot a random shot into the goal.

Arsenal's 1-0 lead came particularly hard.

Chen Yao breathed a sigh of relief. It was always good as long as he could take the lead.

The Arsenal players were also happy for this goal. They felt that their condition was declining. This goal came with a bit of luck, but it was better than never.

However, five minutes later, Arsenal's defense made a surprising mistake. Jorginho tried to get rid of the ball in the midfield area, but kicked the ball to the feet of a Villa player.

The person who got the ball was the 19-year-old Villa winger Jack Grealish. He covered his head and rushed towards the Arsenal penalty area.

Grealish and Darren Bent played a one-two in the penalty area. Koscielny and Mertesacker tried their best to block their opponents, but Grealish still stumbled and converted the ball into a shot.

Fortunately, Szczesny was focused and took the shot.

The score of 1-0 was maintained until the end. Chen Yao was relieved, but he also felt a little worried about this victory.

Obviously, from now on, Arsenal will no longer be able to find themselves in a comfortable game situation.

If you want to compete for the championship, any game in the second half of the league will be a tough nut to crack.

Moreover, in February, Arsenal will face Liverpool and Manchester United consecutively. Those two games may determine the title of this season's championship.

After that, Arsenal will face Guardiola's Bayern Munich in the Champions League knockout rounds.

There is no room for error in every game.

Beyond winter comes warm spring, but winter is still cold and difficult.

　Happy New Year everyone!

　　Also, I have final exams in the next two weeks... I don't want to fail, so the updates will be a little unstable.

　　In addition, this book will most likely be finished in January, and it is expected to have about 1 words left. I have mixed feelings.

　　Anyway, that’s all for next year. Wish us good luck in the new year.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)