The Godfather of Greenery

Chapter 258 Undefeated VS Undefeated
"Many people think that I am an idealistic and romantic Frenchman, but I am not!"

This is Wenger’s evaluation of himself when talking to his friends in private. He is a student of economics. His style is to compare every penny and maximize profits. The illusion the fans put on him.

But one thing is right, he is definitely a person with pursuit!

Before Wenger, Arsenal was a very rough team. They did not hesitate to use any kind of destructive style of play to stop the opponent's attack. This is a distinctive label of Graham's football, but Wenger from France does not respect it at all. This kind of tactical play, because he knows very well that the tactical trend in continental Europe is control.

Wenger still remembers how outrageous the situation of the team was when he first arrived at Arsenal.

The first thing he saw was the team doctor. Interestingly, among the so-called team doctors at Arsenal, there are only two real doctors, one is a dermatologist, and the other is an old man who has lost his teeth. , and the terrible thing is that these two people are both well-known in the football circle, my God, what kind of concept is this?
Players overeat and drink too much, their eating habits are seriously unreasonable, training is full of a lot of long-distance running, there is no targeted turn-back running and short-distance sprinting required for football games, and there is a serious problem with the discipline of the team. These are all placed in front of Wenger.

Drastic reforms?Or a gradual adjustment?Or stick to the rules?
Wenger is a very smart person. He knows very well that reforms always require bloodshed. That kind of reform that hurts muscles and bones will never achieve good results. For example, many people admire the French Revolution, but in reality In fact, who knows how many innocent people died in the French Revolution, how many mobs were mixed in, and people who took advantage of the troubled waters?

In a sense, the French Revolution was successful, but in terms of effect, it may not be.

Wenger's intelligence lies in the fact that he knows this very well, so he does not advocate the kind of change similar to the French Revolution, because he knows very well that such a change will only lead to the complete collapse of his team in the end, just like during the Great Revolution. Like France, the internal forces are unrestrained and incompatible.

He chose another gentler approach, that is, step by step.

As the oldest and most stubborn football club in the UK, but also one of the most traditional football clubs in the eyes of fans, Wenger chose to slowly implement his plan and slowly integrate his ideas into the club bit by bit. , because he knows very well that if you go too far, if the players refuse or the fans refuse, you will have to step down.

Wenger's adjustment allowed Arsenal to regain their combat effectiveness, but this is only the beginning, because in Wenger's view, his purpose is not only to bring more advanced training methods, more advanced club management experience, but more importantly The most important thing is that he wants to completely build Arsenal into his own team, that is technology!

The existence of veteran players such as Adams and Keown became Wenger's biggest obstacle, but Wenger held back his temper and did not touch them, because he knew very well that these people were in the club and had a decisive influence in the hearts of fans. But they are all old, and time is on their side.

Over the years, Wenger has successively introduced players from continental Europe, including Pires, Henry, Ljungberg, etc. The existence of these players has made Wenger's technicalization possible, but he is also very clear , The environment in the Premier League is not like that in continental Europe. The football environment here is very special, and you have to adapt to survive.

As a result, Vieira, Gilberto Silva, Campbell and other players with both skills and strength also came to Arsenal. I am very satisfied, because he is full of a balance of strength and technology, and also contains his exploration and adaptation to English football in the past few years.

Many people criticize Arsenal for playing too rough sometimes, and it is a red card team. Wenger is not disgusted with this, because he knows very well that this is the most English way of playing, and his team can win the most in the Premier League. In the case of a red card, he still played the most beautiful football in the Premier League, which means he succeeded!

After the introduction of Gilberto Silva last season, Wenger decided to liberate Vieira. At that time, he had a feeling that Arsenal in the new season would become very balanced and strong. The new stadium, so Wenger didn't make a lot of signings because he was very satisfied with the lineup.

Senderos, Clichy, Kolo Toure and other young players have arrived at Arsenal one after another, which means that Wenger's new round of rejuvenation is brewing and preparing.

In contrast, Manchester United, the Premier League's number one rival, lost troops. First, Beckham and Ferguson had a flying boot incident, and then Veron also left the team. The two midfielders left the team. David May and other veterans have retired one after another, and Manchester United's overall strength is in a state of decline.

Wenger was very ambitious at the beginning of the season and called out to do a big job this season, but what he didn't expect was that Chelsea turned out, and Ye Qiu landed in the Premier League with the halo of the European Champions Cup. Became the second champion coach to win the European Champions Cup outside of Ferguson in the Premier League.

What surprised Wenger even more was that after Ye Qiu came to the Premier League, he did not need to adapt at all. He seemed to be fully prepared. It was done very well, and in just one summer, an astonishing top team was formed.

Wenger once said that money can only buy mercenaries, not champions, but what Ye Qiu is doing now is to refute his words with facts. He seems to be saying that money cannot buy champions. Being a champion means that you are not capable enough, as long as you are capable enough, money can still buy a champion.

It's not just that Ye Qiu doesn't need to adapt to the Premier League, Chelsea also don't need to adapt to the Premier League, because although this Chelsea team is not as smooth and beautiful as Arsenal, they are very controlling. Hold down the opponent tightly, making the opponent powerless to resist, while they beat up wantonly.

Encountering such an opponent, not to mention the teams in the middle and lower reaches of the Premier League, even if they are as strong as Manchester United and Liverpool, they were severely beaten by Chelsea. Manchester United's 0:3 defeat at Stamford Bridge made the entire Premier League All shocked.

Arsenal's lineup is balanced and reasonable, but Chelsea's lineup also has no obvious flaws. From a purely tactical point of view, neither team has the slightest fatal loophole, and there are no obvious shortcomings that can be exploited. The final result can only be It's a real fight.

But Wenger's player lineup is obviously not as good as Chelsea, because in terms of personal ability alone, Arsenal is not as good as Chelsea.

Ronaldinho, Drogba, Deco, Lampard, Davis, Makelele, Maicon, Evra... The individual abilities of this group of Chelsea players are all excellent, and more importantly Yes, they have a very rigorous and orderly tactical system.

But Arsenal is not without advantages, that is their tacit understanding.

In the same rigorous and orderly tactical system, whoever has a better tacit understanding will naturally be able to display a better combat effectiveness.

In other words, Arsenal's biggest bargaining chip in this game is rigor, so they have to defend and counterattack!
And Wenger is also very clear that this game is of great importance and cannot be careless in the slightest. Arsenal can't afford to lose, because once this game is lost, it is likely to directly lose the efforts of the entire season. choose!

Therefore, in this game at Stamford Bridge, although Arsenal still played out their best 442 tactics, in fact, they were playing defensive counterattacks. Their opening was very conservative. Vieira and Gilberto? Silva didn't dare to leave the defense line for a moment, for fear that Chelsea would take advantage of him if he was not careful.

But even so, Chelsea still found a loophole in Arsenal's iron wall.

It was Edgar Davis again, and it was the Dutch wild boar's fast forward, entangled Vieira and successfully intercepted the ball and passed diagonally to the left. Ronaldinho used his personal skills to pass one-on-one on the left Losing Lauren, he passed the ball with one kick. Drogba's dry land in the penalty area was like pulling onions, and he was born between Toure and Campbell. The header blasted Arsenal's goal, 1:0!

This goal not only broke the deadlock on the field, but also gave Chelsea a huge boost in morale.

Ye Qiu, who also took a safe start to this game, immediately waved his hand, signaling the team to go all out and attack.

Wenger was forced to ask the three lines to shrink the defense and hold on to Chelsea's attack.

The scene suddenly turned into a one-sided situation. Chelsea controlled the game and launched wave after wave of attacks against Arsenal. Arsenal was too conservative and did not launch a good counterattack. This indirectly contributed to the Chelsea's arrogance.

But just when everyone thought Chelsea was going to score again, Arsenal launched a quick counterattack. Vieira stole the ball and sent a long pass. Henry pulled the ball to the left and quickly advanced.

Chelsea's defense retreated quickly, forcing Henry to the sideline as much as possible, but Bergkamp took the initiative to pull over to find cooperation. After the Dutch Ice Prince got the ball, he used his skillful foot skills to pass Makelele who was stuck. , A horizontal knock was given to Vieira who was plugged in after the goal. The sinner volleyed vigorously from the front of the penalty area and pierced Van der Sar's goal, 1:1!

The first 25 minutes can be described as a turnaround. Chelsea took the advantage, while Arsenal showed efficiency. The two sides drew a tie.

"In the first match between the two sides at Highbury Stadium, Arsenal were very embarrassed by Chelsea. Unexpectedly, the second meeting at Stamford Bridge, the situation became worse and worse. Arsenal only had one shot in the first 30 minutes. It can be said to be in a state of embarrassment, but after conceding a goal, Chelsea obviously did not dare to press hard again!"

Andy Gray also felt very helpless about this, "This is a game that no one wants to lose and can't afford to lose, because both teams have maintained unbeaten records this season, whoever loses the first game of this season A single loss may lead to a slump in the morale of the team, so to a certain extent, the coaches of both sides are likely to strive to defeat the opponent while ensuring a draw, and Ye Qiu is obviously more willing in this respect , so after the start, Chelsea played very aggressively and took the initiative, but after the score was equalized, he also revealed his true thoughts."

The situation in the first half ended at 1:1. Although the scene was fierce, there were no obvious highlights.

Arsenal played away and tightened their three lines to fight back. Although Chelsea had the initiative, they did not dare to push forward aggressively. Targeted, the offensive effect is naturally not good.

The two sides restarted the game in the second half. As soon as Chelsea came up, Davis hit a long shot, which almost pierced Lehmann's goal, but Arsenal still focused on defense, unmoved, and did not press out.

After that, Drogba headed the ball, Lampard volleyed vigorously, and Ronaldinho broke through Kolo Touré from outside the penalty area and created a direct free kick. Two good offensive opportunities, but failed to break through Arsenal's goal, Lehmann's performance in this game is very stable, there is no big problem.

In the end, both sides failed to score in the second half, and the 1:1 draw was finally maintained until the end of the game.

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The moment the referee Riley blew the whistle to end the game, Ye Qiu felt relieved, and the big stone that weighed on his heart fell. Although the result was a bit regrettable, the process was still satisfactory.

He adopted a prudent style of play, first gaining a foothold in the undefeated, and then striving to defeat the enemy. This has indeed weakened Chelsea's investment in the offensive end, causing the team's offense to fail to exert the most effective threat, but it has been proved that he The earlier concerns were valid.

Although Makelele has always been known for his stability, his condition was indeed not very good in the first game after his return from injury. He has to pay a certain amount of responsibility for the team's conceded goals, because he is the team's midfielder, and Bergkamp is the pass after passing him.

Another point is that Davis, Vieira plugged in later, and the Dutch Wild Boar obviously failed to keep up.

Although he was unwilling, Ye Qiu felt relieved that they could get a draw.

To be honest, against a team like Arsenal, you have to be careful all the time. Henry, a top killer, can kill you with one blow anytime, anywhere, plus a ghostly Bergkamp, Arsenal has the kind of strength that does not attack the whole game, but kills you when you attack.

"It's okay, the draw is not bad!" Ten Carter smiled and patted Ye Qiu's shoulder, also heaving a sigh of relief.

No one dares to take a whole year of hard work to take risks. Of course it is good to beat the opponent, but it is also good to keep the draw. Besides, Chelsea's game has not weakened morale, at least the home team has taken the initiative.

Roland submitted a piece of game data to Ye Qiu. Chelsea took 10 shots in this game, and as many as 7 shots were on target. The efficiency is not low, but either Lehmann performed well, or The opponent's defensive players interfere, in short, they are only close to the goal.

Arsenal got 5 shots and 2 shots on target, but this is not the key point. The key point is that they only had 1 frontcourt free kick opportunity, while Chelsea had 9 times, plus Arsenal only had 4 corner kicks. Chelsea had 13 offsides, Arsenal had 2 offsides and Chelsea had 4 offsides.

From these offensive data, it is not difficult to see that Chelsea's advantage is more obvious, and Arsenal's defensive posture is also fully reflected, so this game seems to be a draw, no one loses, but Chelsea clearly has the advantage.

Of course, this is the Stamford Bridge Stadium after all, and Chelsea are also unwilling to defeat their opponents.

After talking to the coaching staff for a few words, Ye Qiu walked to the coaching bench of the visiting team. He found Wenger sitting in the coaching bench of the visiting team, looking like he was in shock from the rest of his life, and he couldn't help feeling a burst of satisfaction in his heart.

Looking at the Premier League, apart from Ferguson, who else can push Wenger to this point?

"What a pity, I didn't get 3 points!" Ye Qiu smiled and stood in front of Wenger.

The Frenchman raised his head, his eyes sparkled, "I'm sorry too!"

"Stop pretending, your conservative mentality has been fully exposed!" Ye Qiu sarcastically said.

Wenger also sneered, "Then why didn't you attack vigorously?"

The two of them are exactly the same, and they have the same thoughts and calculations in their hearts.

Sometimes when you think about it, being undefeated is not necessarily a good thing, the pressure is too great!

Before almost every game, you have to think carefully about your undefeated record, and you have to worry about being defeated, because you have no idea what will happen after you are defeated?
Especially for Ye Qiu and Chelsea, it was completely unimaginable that maybe this newly reorganized team would collapse overnight, and the confidence and fighting spirit that had been built up with great difficulty would collapse overnight.

Ye Qiu can't afford to lose, and neither can Wenger!

"If there is a chance, I will definitely let you taste my fist!" Ye Qiu raised his right fist, shook it, and said with a smile.

"Each each other!" Wenger also tit for tat.

The so-called fist is attacking. In this match, both sides did not go all out to attack, and they were both a little depressed and unhappy.

But professional football is like this, there is no way to let you do whatever you want, you have to consider the overall situation, you have to consider the pressure from the management, the fans, and the players. in a moment.

"I wish you good luck, don't fall behind too early, otherwise the game of the Premier League will be boring. I'm going to carry on the undefeated game to the end, and we'll see who loses first!" Ye Qiu provocatively said confidently .

Wenger raised the corner of his mouth and sneered a little. He didn't say anything, but his attitude was self-evident.

In fact, a week later, in the 27th round of the Premier League, Chelsea once again beat Manchester City 1-0 in an away game, and Wenger narrowly beat Charlton 2-1. , are waiting for the other party to make a mistake.

Not only that, but in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, Chelsea beat Stuttgart 1-0 away and Arsenal beat Celta Vigo 3-2 away. Both teams made a good start and laid the foundation for advancing to the next round.

And because after the 27th round was the League Cup final on the weekend and the FA Cup in the middle of the week, Chelsea had no match tasks, and they got a total of 11 days of rest. Ye Qiu simply gave the first team two days off, and some of the main players even It is to get a 2-day holiday, so that the players can relax and adjust their mood.

The pressure of the undefeated record is too great, and sometimes it is really necessary to vent and adjust.

However, Wenger is not so lucky, they still have to play the FA Cup, no rest!
(End of this chapter)