The Godfather of Greenery

Chapter 404 Arsenal's Traditional Virtues
This is a match scheduled for noon.

The tee off started at 12:45 and ended at 14:41. The whole process took nearly two hours.

The attendance rate of White Hart Lane Stadium this season has always been very high. The stadium can accommodate up to 36200 people. The average attendance rate this season is about 35800 people. The motorized seats that were always left behind were all sold out this time.

Not only that, there were Tottenham Hotspur fans almost everywhere outside the White Hart Lane Stadium. At noon, the two major bars were full of people, and even the surrounding areas of the stadium were also overcrowded, because they knew that, This is not just a north London derby, but also a game related to next season's Champions League qualification.

Fans gathered outside White Hart Lane, or those stationed outside the Tottenham Hotspur fan shop to watch the live broadcast, or watching the game in the pub, only need to hear the cheers from inside the stadium , Immediately one by one shouted, one by one shouted.

Perhaps, they hope to use their shouts to help the team and give everyone more courage and fighting spirit to defeat this North London rival. Therefore, they will beat their hearts faster with every attack of the team, They sighed with every goal the team conceded, and then they cursed with every opportunity wasted.

"Tottenham Hotspur's recent performance is indeed a bit poor, even if they just slaughtered Wigan 6-0..."

Unlucky Andy Gray, because of this sentence, he was scolded by all the Tottenham Hotspur fans inside and outside White Hart Lane for nearly an hour. It was not until after the game that he said another sentence that he was scolded. They let it go.

"Arsenal is so lucky. If it wasn't for Tottenham Hotspur's bad luck and lack of chances, they would at least be able to score five goals in this game, and they could draw 2:2. Wenger's goal The team should be most grateful to God!"

The game was indeed very exciting. As always, the two teams with the most technical content and the most advocating smooth attack in the Premier League this season played a wonderful game, even for Tottenham Hotspur In other words, the absolute overwhelming advantage on the scene made them impeccable except that the final score was a tie.

It's hard to imagine that the final number of shots in the second half would be 12:0. Tottenham Hotspur played a crazy attack at home, creating a total of 12 kick opportunities, of which 3 hit the post, 4 Two shots on target, but only one goal, and Arsenal's two goals were in the first half, and they didn't even have a chance to kick in the second half.

This is why Andy Gray said that Tottenham Hotspur's performance was relatively average in the first half. It was not because Tottenham Hotspur was at a disadvantage, but because the team's ability to seize opportunities was obviously weaker than Arsenal's. The Gunners The counterattack frequently threatened Tottenham Hotspur's goal, and the existence of Adebayor brought a great threat to Thiago Silva.

The Brazilian central defender obviously has a sense of fear for a powerful center this season. Whether it is Drogba or Adebayor, he has no good or effective methods for the opponent. Usually, many teams play against Tottenham. The thorns all use the cooperation between Hangeland and Thiago Silva to exploit loopholes.

Everyone is well aware of this, Thiago Silva himself understands this, Ye Qiu is even more aware of this, but what he is even more aware of is that in the history of football, is there any defender who is not Abused?Which defender can guarantee that he will never make mistakes?
Any defender, even the tyrannical ones such as Cannavaro, Nesta, Samuel, etc., will be tortured to the point where he can’t find his way. The kind of iron gate that can’t make mistakes and will never be broken, It will always exist only in the imagination of some fans.

At least from Ye Qiu's point of view, Tottenham Hotspur's defense has improved significantly this season. The combination of Thiago Silva and Hangeland has shown its power most of the time. Among them, Hangeland's performance was relatively calm, but that was based on the fact that Thiago Silva shared some offensive pressure for him.

The possession rate in the second half was 61% and 1%. There is no doubt that the former is Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal is the latter.

"In the Premier League, there are really not many teams that can force Arsenal, who are good at possession of the ball, into such a mess. This season, only Ye Qiu's Tottenham Hotspur can do it, but it is a pity that some football matches I didn’t believe it at the time, as if the referee wouldn’t count the three weird goalposts into the score.”

"But we also have to admit that the two teams obviously went crazy in this game. Even in the last minute, Tottenham Hotspur still insisted on attacking, while Arsenal still didn't dare to attack. Careless defense, neither side is willing to easily give up the right to compete for the Champions League, and they are doing their best."

Andy Gray's words are not only sympathetic to Tottenham Hotspur, which has the advantage but failed to win, but also sympathy to Arsenal, because the Gunners' performance in this game is also very tenacious, more importantly Surprisingly, Wenger changed his 442 tactics to 4321 tactics for the first time in this game, further strengthening the midfield.

"We have just received the news that in another game at the same time, Liverpool beat Wigan 2-0 at home with goals from Steven Gerrard and Kevin Dirk. The gap between the Reds and the two teams has further increased Now it has been expanded to five points, and with three rounds left in the league, maybe Tottenham and Arsenal can only compete for the top four in the league."

Hearing this news, there was a sigh of relief on Haig Road where White Hart Lane is located. Obviously, all Tottenham Hotspur fans are regretting the final result of this game. If they can beat Arsenal If Na, the result might be different.

For the 2:2 draw at home by Arsenal, Ye Qiu expressed his disappointment in the post-match press conference, but he said that he was proud of the players' performance and thought that if the result of the game was more reasonable , that should at least be a victory.

"I don't think we have a problem now, on the contrary, I think we are playing very well, quite well!"

When the reporter asked if he thought Tottenham Hotspur had problems, Ye Qiu denied it.

"No matter what kind of opponent we are facing, we can create a lot of scoring opportunities, but sometimes football games are like this, when you have a group of opponents who are in front of the goal and want to save the score, everyone You can’t guarantee that you can seize every opportunity.”

"There is no doubt that we have the best midfielder, the best winger, and the best scorer, we just lacked some luck, so we had to accept a draw that should have been three points, and I I think Arsenal should be congratulated, they got a point that didn't belong to them!"

Wenger also counterattacked Ye Qiu's doubts. He believed that although Tottenham Hotspur took the initiative, they were not very threatening, especially in the last pass. Tottenham Hotspur lacked effective way.

"I tell my players that Van Nistelrooy's most powerful threat is in the penalty area, and we should find a way to prevent him from entering the penalty area. This is also the tactic we used to play against Manchester United in the past. I know how to limit Ruud van Nistelrooy better than anyone, so We did it!"

"Although Ruud van Nistelrooy also scored a goal in this game, he also missed many chances. I don't think we were lucky to get the draw. On the contrary, I think it is the result of all of our hard work. Proud of my players!"

And when the reporter asked about their confidence and fighting spirit in the team's competition for No.4 in the league, Wenger said confidently, "I can guarantee that Tottenham will start to fall behind because they are too young and They lack self-confidence, and the core players they rely on, Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy, have obviously declined in recent times."

This is also true. Beckham's performance does not necessarily decline, but Ruud van Nistelrooy's decline is more obvious. After all, he is not young, and he can play in such a state and scoring rate this season. It has a lot to do with Hotspur creating opportunities for him as a whole, and in this game he really has no other role except for one goal.

For example, he had very little interaction with Messi and Ribery. Later, Ye Qiu had to replace Arshavin as the attacking midfielder, linking the two flanks. At this time, Tottenham Hotspur's offensive came out in the second half. threatened.

But in this way, doesn't Tottenham Hotspur mean that two people are on the job and doing one person's work?

Ye Qiu gave a completely different answer from Wenger's to this question.

"I have to correct one point, the No.4 competition in the league will not happen to my team. Our goal is to be third in the league. I believe that whether it is Arsenal or Liverpool, they will make mistakes in the end. We will laugh." Last!"

But some reporters immediately reminded that Tottenham Hotspur met Chelsea in the last round.

Judging from the current situation, if Chelsea can win the championship early, the final round may be relatively easy, but Mourinho will definitely not let Ye Qiu go easily, so this is destined to be a deadlock, even if they win the championship If the suspense is left to the final round, then the match at White Hart Lane is bound to be even more tragic than today's match, because it will be related to the championship and Champions League qualification. belong.

Ye Qiu gave a very affirmative answer to this question, and answered confidently, "No matter who we are facing, we have enough strength and confidence to defeat them!"

Regarding Ye Qiu's self-confidence, the outside world has mixed opinions. After all, no one can say with such certainty what will happen to him, but whether it is Wenger or Ye Qiu, it is obvious that they will not say something discouraging at this time. Now they are all right. More confident than anyone else, even a little too much.

But sometimes, people really have to believe that the world is rotating.

Tottenham Hotspur played a UEFA Cup semi-final first leg at home against Sevilla on Thursday, and Asavin set up Van Persie for the only goal of the game , defeated Sevilla 1-0 at home.

Van Persie's performance in this game is remarkable, and the coaching staff also gave a high evaluation of his physical condition this season. If it is said that he was in Arsenal in his previous life, his body and injuries have become obstacles to Van Persie's progress and rise If it is the number one obstacle, then in Tottenham Hotspur, Van Persie obviously has no worries in this regard.

Not only that, the coaching staff has also made significant progress in strengthening his upper body strength, which can be seen from the fact that Van Persie has performed better and better since the second half of the game, and Van Persie has also become Tottenham's favorite To stab the most active player, Ye Qiu was even more determined to find a chance to help Van Persie.

Playing the UEFA Cup as a substitute, Tottenham Hotspur's main lineup challenged Middlesbrough away at the weekend.

French Scarface has also been very active recently, and he has also shown more and more excellent attacking power on the left. In this away game against Middlesbrough, he frequently created opportunities on the left after the opening, 12th In the first minute, he knocked on Middlesbrough's goal for Tottenham Hotspur, and it was Cesc Fabregas who assisted him.

Before the end of the first half, he transferred the ball on the left again. Messi ran to the center to get the ball and passed through. Ruud van Nistelrooy stopped the ball and hit the goal, continuing to expand the score for Tottenham Hotspur.

But not long after the start of the second half, Viduka took advantage of a counterattack opportunity to beat Thiago Silva with a header to get Middlesbrough back, but Ribery received a right-handed goal in the 73rd minute. Alves' oblique pass from the road, another victory for Tottenham Hotspur in the penalty area, 3:1!

In the end, Tottenham Hotspur defeated Middlesbrough 3:1 away.

Franck Ribery, who scored twice, has played an outstanding performance that is not lost to Ruud van Nistelrooy this season, and even his performance is not lost to Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo. The goals of the two in the Premier League are currently equal Sixteen goals, far behind Ruud van Nistelrooy, but Ribery created a total of fifteen assists for his teammates and achieved a very good double-double.

But this is not the number one assist leader in Tottenham Hotspur. Tottenham's best assister is Cesc Fabregas. He has created [-] assists for his teammates in total, which can be said to be the veritable assist leader in the Premier League.

Beckham's goals are not many, and his assists are only eight, but this has a lot to do with him joining the team after the winter break, and a very important statistic of Beckham is that he has a lot of key passes, because His duty is to transfer the ball in a wide range and hit the opponent's weakness, so whether it is a goal or an assist, there will not be too many, but the effect is very important.

Messi also scored [-] goals. Almost most of Tottenham Hotspur's offense came from the trident in the frontcourt, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ribery and Messi. Relatively few, but like Alves and Vargas are players with a lot of assists.

However, from another point, it can be seen that Ruud van Nistelrooy is currently out of tune with Tottenham Hotspur. His assists are only three times. Mu Hotspur's offense felt faintly held back by him.

Of course, it doesn't mean how strong Ruud van Nistelrooy is, but purely from a tactical perspective, Ye Qiu should really consider supporting Van Persie, on the one hand because of Ruud van Nistelrooy's age, and on the other hand because of tactical considerations.

It's just that since Ruud van Nistelrooy is likely to break the record of the Premier League's top scorer with [-] goals this season, Ye Qiu also feels a headache about how to deal with him, because now the Tottenham Hotspur fans like him very much, even Even the media felt that Tottenham's offense basically relied on Ruud van Nistelrooy.

This also made Ye Qiu have to think about the consequences. After all, if he rashly replaced Van Nistelrooy with Van Persie, it would be a big problem whether he would be able to take over smoothly in the end.

Tottenham Hotspur won the opponent, and Arsenal was not to be outdone. They also defeated Fulham 3:1. Wenger was not willing to show weakness at all, chasing the pace of Tottenham Hotspur, always watching With this North London mortal enemy.

This season's Champions League semi-finals gathered three teams, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.

But this also affected the performance of the top three in the league. Manchester United and Chelsea were tied after the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, while Liverpool lost 0:1 away to Chelsea in the first leg of the Champions League. Back to the league, the away game lost 1:2 to Portsmouth, the home dragon.

From the original five points to two points, the battle for the top four in the Premier League is becoming more and more fierce, and Arsenal is naturally more advantageous, because whether it is Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur, they must play in Europe. matches, while Arsenal only need to play in the league.

Three days later, Liverpool beat Chelsea 1-0 at home, and defeated Chelsea in the penalty shootout, sending the Blues out of the Champions League in a very tragic way, completing a very beautiful home counterattack, and once again entering the Champions League finals.

Tottenham Hotspur played with a full bench and lost to Sevilla 1:2 in the away game, but they successfully eliminated Sevilla with away goals and scored the only goal for Tottenham Hotspur. It was the Dutch striker Van Persie who scored one by one.

In the two-round match, Van Persie and Arshavin were the most eye-catching players on the offensive end of Tottenham Hotspur, and they also won the affirmation of all Tottenham Hotspur fans and the media, while the head coach Ye Qiu was interviewed by the media after the game At the time, he also repeatedly stated that the performance of Van Persie and Arshavin has the strength to play more games in the team.

At the same time, Ye Qiu is also optimistic about the prospects of the league, he believes that the team will be able to successfully advance to the Champions League qualification zone.

"I want to tell all the Tottenham Hotspur players and fans, don't think about other things, don't think about our opponents, we should believe in ourselves, as long as we perform well in the next two Premier League games. If we show our due strength and win, then all the pressure will be on our opponents."

In an interview with the media, Ye Qiu also repeatedly stated that Arsenal has always had the traditional virtue of losing the chain at critical moments. Wenger has lost the championship or lost games at critical moments.

"I believe that Arsenal will continue to carry forward their traditional virtues this time, while Liverpool will fall in a two-line battle. I have no doubts about this!"

Ye Qiu knew very well that relatively speaking, the challenges Tottenham Hotspur faced in the UEFA Cup were really not that great.

(End of this chapter)