My light shines on Arsenal

Chapter 168 Cutting off the stinger
Jurgen Klopp stood on the turf at the Emirates Stadium and stamped his feet.

The feel of the turf was different from that in Germany, which reminded Klopp that he was facing a completely different opponent.

This is London, and his opponent is Arsenal, but in terms of the look and feel of the game, Klopp feels that he has experienced the taste of Dortmund's opponent.

The styles of the two teams on the field are not exactly the same, but they have many similarities.

High-intensity pressure in the frontcourt, offensive and defensive transitions with extremely short redundant time, and advocating simple and sharp quick counterattacks.

Klopp knows how demanding it is to build such a team.

Moreover, Arsenal's tactical style has characteristics different from its own.

Their players are not inferior to Dortmund in terms of passion and toughness, while at the same time retaining smart movement, deft skills and exquisite coordination.

Klopp believes that he is a figure who can lead the development of modern European football.

Sooner or later he will lead the team to the top of Europe and watch teams all over Europe imitate the football he plays.

however……

Here, at the Emirates Stadium, a team led by a coach who is even younger than him plays football that is not inferior to his ideal.

It seems that there is not so much time.

A sense of crisis hit Klopp's heart. He watched the game with a sullen face, thinking about his future.

He has worked hard in Dortmund for many years and finally built such a powerful team.

But Dortmund's resources are still too few.

In Germany, Bayern Munich is the eternal overlord. Even if they can seize the opportunity and win one or two Bundesliga titles, this fact cannot be changed.

Dortmund's financial resources also destined it to be unable to compete for the best players in Europe, and would also face the dilemma of core players being poached.

Today's team may be the strongest that Dortmund can build in the foreseeable past and future.

Maybe...leave here?

Go to a truly wealthy team and use exponentially more resources to build your ideal team?

Klopp scratched his beard and brought his thoughts back to the game.

That's all a thing for another day. This season, he will lead Dortmund to complete the bravest attack on the European championship.

……

The first half ended [-]-[-].

At halftime, both Arsenal and Dortmund managers expressed their determination to win the game to their players.

"I have emphasized the standings to you many times." Chen Yao said simply, "Only by winning this game can we retain the chance to enter the Champions League knockout rounds."

He glanced at his players and said, "Don't tell me any of you don't want to play in the knockout rounds of the Champions League."

"We want to continue participating in the Champions League." Zaha stood up enthusiastically.

He liked this situation very much. Dortmund's aggressive tactics left a lot of space, and Zaha got many one-on-one opportunities to face Dortmund's right back.

Zaha's number of successful dribbles in the first half was five, and he was one of Arsenal's high-speed counterattacks.

What's more, after Griezmann joined Arsenal, Zaha was pushed to the bench.

In most of the Premier League games, Arsenal's opponents did not dare to open up their posture and attack the Gunners.

Then, the tall Giroud and the agile Griezmann are better partners.

Their passing and cutting cooperation can be a good way to penetrate the opponent's defense in positional offense, and as their tacit understanding and cooperation accuracy increase, the upper limit of the power of their combination is difficult to estimate.

Zaha became a victim of the new system.

Most of the time Chen Yao uses him as a sharp knife to attack the wing when the opponent's physical strength is declining in the second half, or to put him on the field to suppress the opponent when they try to attack Arsenal's wing.

Zaha only plays 10 to [-] minutes in each game, and his tactical role is single, which makes him somewhat depressed.

He needs more opportunities to play, more time to hone his tactical role, and prove to the coach that he can do more.

He needs time.

Taking a step forward in the Champions League means that he has the opportunity to compete for more playing time.

Chen Yao could see what Zaha was thinking.

Before the start of the second half, he pulled Zaha aside and whispered encouragement, "Wilfred, continue like you did in the first half. I can see your performance."

"Besides..." Chen Yao gave some more instructions in Zaha's ear.

……

Neither Arsenal nor Dortmund flinched in the second half.

After Felipe Santana made repeated mistakes in the first half, he was scolded by Klopp at halftime. When he came back on the field, his attitude was obviously much more correct, and his positioning and concentration on handling the ball were improved. rise.

If the ball cannot be handled, Santana will not pass it out casually, but will return it to the goalkeeper and reorganize the attack.

like now.

In the 53rd minute, Santana made a fake move in front of Aubameyang and returned the ball to goalkeeper Weidenfeller.

Arsenal's frontcourt players pressed forward, and Aubameyang let Santana go and ran towards Weidenfeller to press the goalkeeper.

Weidenfeller quickly observed the situation. Aubameyang was approaching him, and Zaha and Oxlade-Chamberlain were also concentrated in the center.

Weidenfeller felt very relaxed, he was not afraid of such a scene.

He distributed the ball to the right, where Schmelzer was unmarked.

Zaha suddenly changed his running route. Originally, he ran straight to the midpoint connecting Weidenfeller and Subotic, but he did not appear there.

He ran a small arc, changed direction and stood on the line connecting Weidenfeller and Schmelzer, intercepting the pass from the Dortmund goalkeeper.

be cheated.

Weidenfeller felt cold.

Zaha was not too surprised by this steal. He remembered the arrangement that Chen Yao told him.

Weidenfeller has good goal-line skills and rich experience, but his foot skills are average, which makes it difficult for him to perform complex ball-handling behaviors.

Moreover, Klopp has a little tactical habit. He doesn't like to let the goalkeeper and the two central defenders make short passes. He believes that this is compressing his own passing space and making it easier for the opponent to press. .

Therefore, Weidenfeller's habit is to take advantage of the opponent's concentrated pressure to allow the full backs on both sides to create space, and then hand the ball to the wing as early as possible.

This is a more secure way to handle the ball, especially in this game, Hummels did not play.

The backcourt axis of Hummels-Gündogan, which Dortmund is most accustomed to, was opened.

Zaha dribbled the ball into the penalty area, Schmelzer was behind him, and Santana and Subotic were the only obstacles in front of him.

Aubameyang appeared in the penalty area. He ran back two steps to avoid being offside and waved anxiously.

Zaha glanced at Aubameyang. His gaze was fleeting, but the Gabonese striker understood the meaning.

Zaha wanted to do it himself.

Aubameyang is a little uncomfortable. He is a center. In a good receiving position, he feels that he deserves a shooting opportunity, not to mention that he also needs to earn better performance in the limited playing time.

When he was placed in AC Milan, Aubameyang would spread his hands and start walking, waiting until the chaotic attack was over to look for opportunities to miss.

But in Arsenal, Aubameyang dare not do this.

He looked at Chen Yao on the sidelines, and Chen Yao also looked at him and gestured.All right.

The Gabonese sighed helplessly, ran faster, and pulled Santana who was following him out of his defensive position.

Zaha's space suddenly opened up.

In the penalty area, Zaha's dribbling speed did not slow down.

Subotic is like a clumsy wall in front of the flexible Zaha. He knows that if Zaha breaks in again, it will be difficult for him to guarantee that he can guard against him.

He boldly ran forward and stretched out his legs, hoping to destroy Zaha's dribbling as soon as possible.

Subotic's risk-taking failed. Zaha twisted his body and knocked the ball to the right with his left foot. He then moved the ball with his right foot and cut it to the inside line, dodging Subotic's upward grab. Give yourself some space.

Zaha hit the goal and the ball passed Weidenfeller and also crossed the goal line.

Two to one.

"This damn..."

Klopp gritted his teeth. He admired oppression, but when faced with equally aggressive and sophisticated oppression, he had few ways to break it.

He needs good players - defenders, goalkeepers, who not only do their jobs well, but also have excellent vision and skills, and these players are rare in today's football world.

Klopp looked back at the bench, where Mario Gotze and Gundogan were sitting, looking at him too.

If these two players are deployed, Dortmund's midfield control can be greatly improved, but is it worth it?
After coaching in the Bundesliga for so many years, Klopp has figured out the physical limits of the players under his own tactics.

This tactic consumes too many players, and it is impossible for his team to maintain its form from the beginning of the season to the end of the season.

To this end, Klopp is also adjusting the team's rotation rhythm, and the price is Dortmund's state.

This season, they have not shown the same dominance in the Bundesliga as last season. Bayern Munich has recovered under the leadership of coach Heynckes, and the championship competition between the two teams is very fierce.

Klopp turned his head back.

It's still too early and one point from this game is acceptable.

Dortmund has ten points and Arsenal has four points. Even if Arsenal beat Real Madrid in the last round, their qualifying situation is still no threat.

He waved his hand, signaling Gotze and Gundogan to sit quietly.

Both players are quite fragile, so use them sparingly.

……

Arsenal players are excited.

On the court, Dortmund fell into passivity.

Arsenal's high press took advantage of the fact that Dortmund's core axis was not on the court and exploited their shortcomings to continuously attack.

Weidenfeller has never found it so difficult to play the ball. Arsenal's frontcourt players are very flexible in their movements.

They sometimes tightened their formation and forced themselves to kick the ball to the wing - this way of playing the ball is more reliable, but the opponent has already been prepared to press the ball holder when the wide players receive the ball, and Dortmund will be forced to play behind. Field organized the attack again.

They sometimes stretched their formation to intercept their own passes to the full-backs, and Weidenfeller could only pass the ball to the center backs.

After completing the pass, Santana and Subotic will face a difficult situation.

If Hummels and Gundogan are on the court, their passing and receiving cooperation can quickly advance to the frontcourt, but they are not the two players on the court now.

Dortmund's starting midfielder Nuri Shaheen is also an outstanding player, and Arsenal's defensive strategy against him is to mark him closely.

Marco Verratti's speed can keep up with Shaheen, his lower body is very stable, and his strength is not bad. He has been harassing the midfielder, denying him a chance to comfortably catch the ball and turn around.

Unable to organize an attack from the center or advance the ball quickly through the wings, Dortmund had no choice but to drive forward...

As a result, Dortmund was never able to organize an effective offensive in the second half. Royce, Lewandowski, and Perisic touched the ball very few times in the offensive third zone.

In the 66th minute, Klopp was finally ready to make a substitution.

It is not a bad thing to allow the main players to properly maintain their game condition in the double matches of the week. Three 10-minute periods are appropriate, and maybe they can win a victory.

Klopp held up his hat and prepared to walk to the bench. Next to him, Wilfred Zaha passed by like the wind again.

How could he still rush forward?

Klopp glanced back and saw Zaha dribbling the ball past his own player and knocking it into the middle.

Is this the first time?

Klopp was even a little excited for a moment. With such excellent speed and breakthrough ability, as well as a certain ability to press in the frontcourt, he likes this kind of player.

"Wilfred, over there!" Chen Yao waved his hand on the sidelines, signaling Zaha not to stand there stupidly after finishing the ball.

Every cell in Zaha's body was singing. He felt so comfortable playing in this game.

He doesn't like to move around in small spaces, and such high-tempo running is perfect for a 20-year-old young genius.

Even after running for most of the game, Zaha still didn't feel tired.

When he got the ball, he wanted to pass two more people.

Hearing Chen Yao's call, Zaha ran diagonally into the penalty area and went straight behind Subotic.

Aubameyang hesitated when he received the ball. He wanted to shoot directly. The angle was a bit tight, but he believed he could give it a try.

But he saw Zaha's movement.

Aubameyang himself has a keen sense of smell. He knows that if it were him, he would also insert into the blind spot behind the opponent, where the space shooter needs.

He needs to score goals, needs to compete for playing time, and needs to prove that he is a good striker.

So, Aubameyang... stuffed the ball behind Subotic.

But Arsenal's coach often told him that this is a team, and the discipline of the team is to share the ball selflessly.

Zaha came in from behind Subotic and was not offside.

He appeared on the ball path, then made a fake move, deceiving Weidenfeller, quickly caught the action, and pushed the ball to the center.

Aubameyang knocked the ball into an empty net.

Three to one.

"This is for you, Auba." Zaha ran to the excited Aubameyang and hugged him.

Klopp was silent for a moment, then waved his hand and told Gundogan and Gotze to sit back.

He didn't know what he muttered. Did he lose again?
Klopp doesn't like the feeling of losing, although he feels that every time he plays against Arsenal, he doesn't seem to take his opponent too seriously.

He always thinks about the league and Bayern Munich, and hopes to get rid of Arsenal at a small cost...

But is this opponent growing a little too fast?

After 10 minutes, the referee blew the whistle to end the game.

At the end of the fifth round of the Champions League group stage, Arsenal completed its revenge against Dortmund.

They move to six points, with Dortmund on nine.

In theory, the Gunners still retain hope of qualifying for the Champions League.

Klopp walked over and shook hands with Chen Yao. He felt the temperature of the young coach in front of him and whispered: "This is indeed a game that impressed me deeply."

(End of this chapter)