My light shines on Arsenal

Chapter 138

Josh Kroenke sat in the best box at the Emirates Stadium and clapped his hands.

He looked back at Tim Lewis, who was sitting upright, "Tim, this doesn't seem to be what you said."

Tim Lewis nodded slightly, "Mr. Kroenke, believe me, in the first three games of this season, I have never seen the team perform like this."

Josh looked very interested, "Originally I wanted to see how the team struggled under pressure... But now, it seems that Manchester City is struggling under our pressure."

Even if Josh Kroenke is not well versed in football, he can see that Arsenal completely dominated Manchester City in this half.

The score of [-]-[-] shows that the defending champion has a high possibility of suffering its first defeat of the season at the Emirates Stadium.

"Tim, what's the goal you set for coach Chen Yao?"

"Ten points. He can't afford to lose a game."

"It feels like you just want to get him dismissed."

"You misunderstood me, Mr. Kroenke..."

"I'm looking forward to his performance." Josh smiled, "Invite him over for a drink after the game."

"As you please, sir."

……

During the halftime break, Chen Yao praised his players without hesitation.

The Arsenal lads looked relieved.

After losing three consecutive games, Chen Yao did not blame them too much, and the pressure of public opinion was also focused on the head coach, giving the players a chance to breathe.

Even so, every player is eager to win and get out of the quagmire of defeat.

"Jamie, how long can you last?" Lillo leaned over and asked Vardy quietly.

Vardy grinned and flexed his muscles, "I can still play a whole game, coach."

"Good boy." Lillo patted Vardy on the shoulder, "Just hold on a little longer."

Cazorla also came over and patted Vardy, "Jamie, you made us all feel more relaxed."

With Vardy's large-scale pressing, Arsenal had the opportunity to intercept the ball directly in the frontcourt and launch a counterattack.

The promoter of the counterattack is Cazorla, and for the Spaniard, it is much easier to break through the defense of double midfielders and four defenders and directly enter the penalty area from a high position.

"That's what I should do, Santi." Vardy laughed, "Your dribbling and passing are really beautiful, thank you."

Cazorla smiled shyly and bumped fists with Vardy.

Both new players are integrating into the team and building their own friendships.

Chen Yao pulled out the tactical board and emphasized some details. Other than that, he did not raise too many technical and tactical issues.

The halftime break was limited. After taking the lead in the first half, what Arsenal needed to do more was to recover and calm down.

Manchester City needs to think about how to reverse the situation during the halftime break.

Chen Yao is very sure that Mancini is not the kind of head coach who just sits back and waits for death.

The dignity of the defending champion will not allow Manchester City to surrender after halftime.

They will change, no doubt about it.

But this requires Manchester City to make the first move.

Moreover, Chen Yao also prepared a backup plan for Arsenal.

"End our losing streak." He patted the whiteboard. "I'm happy to be your head coach. No matter how long we can continue this journey, I hope we can win every win possible. Don’t leave yourself with any regrets.”

……

After the start of the second half, Manchester City indeed made changes.

Arsenal continued to press high, led by Vardy as always, and their physical fitness did not seem to be significantly affected after 45 minutes of high-intensity consumption.

Joe Hart's ball speed was faster. He didn't give Vardy a chance to get close and passed directly to Clichy on the left.

This was deployed by Mancini, and their speed of moving the ball stood in front of Arsenal's pressing for the first time in this game.

After Clichy got the ball, Walcott followed him. Cazorla and Vardy also formed a siege, leaning in from the other two directions to cut off his path to the ball.

Clichy took two steps with the ball, pulled it to the right, and passed it diagonally to Yaya Toure.

Vardy immediately ran towards Yaya Toure's lateral space, which was the line he crossed to Gareth Barry. In the first half, Vardy's interceptions at this position were successful.But Yaya Toure didn't give it to Barry.

Barry smiled at Vardy's back. He had been entangled with this guy for half a game, and now he finally had a chance to release some pressure.

It was Samir Nasri who dropped back to get the ball.

He suddenly appeared in front of Barry and Yaya Toure, forming a triangle with the two midfielders.

There was a brief chaos in Arsenal's marking system. Nasri suddenly received a pass from the left to the center, and increased the extent of his retreat. Sagna, who was originally following him, did not dare to push forward, which gave Nasri comfort. receiving space.

After receiving the ball, Nasri smoothly completed his turn and faced the Arsenal goal.

He quickly dribbled the ball forward, and after penetrating Arsenal's four-man pressing system in the frontcourt, the space in the middle and backcourt became much wider.

Be fast, be fast.

He remembered Mancini's instructions during the halftime break: Don't stay after getting the ball and immediately start the attack.

Arsenal's defense efficiency and arrival rate are very high. If the rhythm is slow, then they will have to face a difficult positional attack.

And now-

Gael Clichy pressed heavily forward, providing width to City's attack and forcing Sagna to follow him closely.

Carlos Tevez was received through the middle, lurking in Arsenal's backline alongside Aguero.

Their positioning makes it difficult for Koscielny and Mertesacker. It is difficult for the two defenders to block the position of the Manchester City forward at the same time, and they have to maintain a balance at a dangerous relative distance.

David Silva and Samir Nasri came to similar positions, forming a double attacking midfielder structure for Manchester City between Arsenal's two lines.

Chen Yao kept waving on the sidelines to signal the team to return to defense.

Jorginho made a prompt decision and came up to intercept Nasri.

As a defensive midfielder with poor speed and tackling ability, Jorginho is proud of his ability to predict on the defensive end.

Smart judgment and fierce fighting are his defensive habits.

Because Jorginho knows that if he retreats with others, the chance of him being thrown away by his opponent is too great.

After a season of experience, Jorginho's confrontation has basically adapted to the intensity of the Premier League, and he can also exist in the formation as a qualified defender.

Nasri dribbles the ball and Jorginho follows it.

He still remembers that Jorginho shoveled his ball away during the match last season.

Only this time it's different.

Nasri pulled horizontally to the left front with a wide range of movements, and then paused.

During the brief pause, Jorginho's prediction was wrong.

He moved decisively, took a shot, and then missed.

Between silence and movement, Nasri switched the ball to his right foot, pushed forward to the right, and shook off Jorginho.

Now, the only thing in front of him is Arteta who holds his position.

Nasri's drive forced Arteta to change his position, which gave David Silva space.

Crossing David Silva from the mid-range, Nasri immediately inserted into the penalty area, taking Arteta out of position again.

David Silva's release angle is clearly visible.

He passed the ball diagonally forward at a 45-degree angle, and Aguero, Tevez and Nasri fired three arrows at once.

Mertesacker knew he was one step late, and his turn was his weakness - he lost Tevez.

The German central defender can only take off and hope to pass the ball before it falls.

But he missed it, and the ball bounced on the floor in front of Tevez, and it immediately became a shot.

Szczesny blocked the near corner with his first shot, and the ball hit his calf and bounced outward. Nasri followed up and kicked the ball into the goal.

In the second half, Manchester City's adjustments were immediate.

After taking advantage of the time difference to break Arsenal's press, Manchester City's luxurious offensive line displayed terrifying power.

Two to one, the score returned to a dangerous range.

(End of this chapter)