I build a giant in the Premier League

Chapter 222: Entering the finals! Wenger has changed! Tonight, I believe you can create a miracle! [Subscribe]

Wenger has always felt that a head coach is like a lonely boxer isolated from the world.

Before every game starts, I isolate myself and make some important decisions independently.

Every head coach hopes to choose the best option in the game.

Many people feel that the players have invested a lot in the game and have prepared a lot.

But they always intentionally or unintentionally ignore the head coach's preparation and investment.

At least the players have teammates around them who can fight alongside them.

But there is only one head coach!
There have been several cases in European football where two head coaches have co-coached a team, but they all ended in failure.

Or to be more precise, not very successful.

Wenger's coaching career started very early.

The Alsatian made the transition from player to coach when he was 33 years old.

Aldo Platini, the father of the current UEFA President Michel Platini, was the director of football in Nancy. He invited Wenger to coach Nancy in 1984, which marked the beginning of Wenger's independent coaching career.

More than 20 years have passed, and Wenger is still full of love and passion for his job.

He even thought at one point that he might never get tired of it.

But recently, he has been a little shaken.

He came out of his house in Totteridge and wandered about.

First, he went to the barber shop he frequented most and got a haircut; then he went to his favorite record store, but didn't find any records he liked.

Finally, he came to the Cocorico Italian restaurant again.

He ate here, ordered a cup of coffee, and sat there for a long time.

He likes this place because it is the only restaurant that always plays his favorite jazz music.

In the past, after sitting like this for a while, he could easily relax.

But today, no matter how long he sat, he still felt annoyed and confused.

So he ordered another cup of coffee.

Italian espresso.

Just as the waiter brought a cup of hot coffee, a familiar figure sat down directly opposite Wenger.

"You are here, Arsene."

Arsenal vice-chairman David Dunn seemed relieved and looked at Wenger with a smile.

It felt like a scan.

Scanning Wenger for any unusual emotions.

Wenger was not surprised to see David Dunn.

The two men both lived in Totteridge and had known each other for many years, and they were very close friends.

"Did something happen in the team?" Wenger frowned.

David Dunn laughed, "Relax, my friend, nothing is wrong, everything is normal."

After a pause, David Dunn looked at Wenger with concern, "But I heard that you haven't been doing well lately."

"No, I'm fine." Wenger blurted out.

"We all feel it, Arsene, and we all care about you."

Wenger hesitated and nodded slightly, "Thank you, but I'm really fine."

"Annie told me that you've been suffering from insomnia lately."

David Dunn looked directly at Wenger as he said this.

The Anne he was referring to was Wenger's wife, Anne Brosterhaus.

The two got married last year.

After Wenger had a scandal with a waitress in this Italian restaurant that shocked the whole world.

They have been in love for many years and have a daughter.

"I know you, Arsene, you're not someone who loses your temper easily, but your attitude towards Anne just now was very bad, that's not you!" David Dunn continued.

Wenger hesitated for a moment before speaking: "You know, Anne has always been dissatisfied with my work, and it is difficult for me to find time to accompany her and my daughter."

"I work every day and often fly around the world to participate in competitions. Even when I return home, my mind may still be thinking about competitions and training. She has never liked me like this."

"We had a few words just now, but..."

When Wenger got to this point, he realized that David Dunn was questioning every word he said, so he couldn't go on.

He has never been one to make excuses for himself.

So much so that players said that every time he lost a major game, he would lock himself up for two or three days, and would only reopen it after finding an excuse he could accept.

"I want to get away from this damn, stressful, and energy-draining head coach position right now!"

Wenger finally spoke his true feelings through gritted teeth.

David Dunn understood that this was what Wenger wanted to vent most right now.

He is under too much pressure!
Or rather, it always has been.

Many people have always been puzzled by David Dunn's decision to hire Wenger from Japan to coach Arsenal.

It even seems unbelievable.

Many media and fans even made this matter mysterious.

Actually, there isn't that much mess.

Why did David Dein choose Wenger?

Because the two have been good friends for many years!

David Dunn was already very clear about Wenger's coaching level at the time.

It's just that others don't know.

The two first met back in 1988 when Wenger was still coaching Monaco.

They had a mutual friend who organized a party, and they both went, and that's how they got to know each other.

A guessing game was played at the time, and Wenger's sense of humor and wisdom left a deep impression on David Dunn.

After that, the two began to interact and established a deep friendship.

Instead of asking why Arsenal would take a risk by choosing a French coach to coach in Japan?
It would be better to ask why a little-known figure like Wenger dared to come to the Premier League alone to coach Arsenal, which was not very strong at the time?
Isn't this an adventure for Wenger?
He is the first foreign head coach in Arsenal's history.

At that time, Arsenal was not the only team that was interested in Wenger.

The reason is the same as why David Dunn chose Wenger.

He trusted Wenger and Wenger trusted him.

So, the two of them ran in both directions, trusting each other.

When Wenger took over, Arsenal was not the Premier League giant it later became.

At that time, Arsenal did not have much advantage over the two traditional giants Manchester United and Liverpool, let alone compared with teams like Leeds United and Newcastle, and was even inferior to them.

It was after Wenger took over the team that he carried out drastic reforms and reorganizations, helping Arsenal win the league and FA Cup double in his first full season.

Do you know what this concept is?

Ferguson, Mourinho, Benítez and others have never achieved this level.

Mourinho said he was also a double champion, but his cup championship was the useless League Cup, not the FA Cup.

Afterwards, Wenger's Arsenal entered a peak period and began to compete with Manchester United.

Wenger's coaching style is very popular with fans.

This honeymoon period reached its peak when the team won the championship undefeated in the 03/04 season.

But everything began to change again as the club built a new stadium.

Why did Ashley Cole leave Arsenal for Chelsea?
This transfer was criticized by countless fans, but in the end the players and the head coach were blamed.

But what David Dunn remembers is that Wenger roared at him after Ashley Cole's transfer.

"This will be the biggest regret of my coaching career, all for a mere £5000!"

"I'm Qutmadi!"

But this is not something that David Dunn can decide, but rather the group of old guys headed by Hillwood.

Many times, what fans and the media see and hear is just the tip of the iceberg that the club deliberately reveals.

In the past few years, Wenger had to ensure that the team was in the top four every year and qualified for the Champions League on the one hand, and on the other hand he had to face all kinds of accusations. It is conceivable how much pressure he was under.

Now, luck has turned.

After Russian billionaire Usmanov took over Arsenal, Wenger could finally let go.

But at this time, he was depressed to find that he had met an opponent who gave him a lot of headaches and was difficult to defeat.

Yang Cheng and his Bayswater Chinese!

Both are London teams, and both use a fancy passing and cutting style of play.

Yang Cheng's team is even more successful than Wenger's.

This puts enormous pressure on Wenger.

Even bigger than Mourinho's Chelsea before.

At least, Arsenal couldn't make big signings at that time, and Wenger could still find reasons and excuses.

But now?

So far this season, Arsenal's record against Bayswater Chinese is all losses!

So, before the Champions League semi-final even started, Wenger and his Arsenal had been sentenced to death.

This made Wenger extremely angry.

But there is nothing to do.

At this moment, his heart should be full of contradictions, uneasiness and anxiety.

We met in 1988 and hit it off right away. Now it is 2011, and 23 years have passed.

David Dunn thinks he knows Wenger well.

At the same time, he also knows football very well.

Wenger's current situation is actually what every head coach, every player, and even every person will experience.

Faith is shaken and even collapsed!
David Dunn has been working in football for decades and has seen many talented head coaches who shined when they first started out.

Some are fleeting, some can last for years, but no manager has ever been like Ferguson, who can shatter his past self and rebuild a new one time and again.

This not only requires great courage, determination and boldness, but also wisdom!
Just like Benitez.

Why did his final two years at Liverpool go so badly?

Because his faith was shaken.

He found that the coaching method he had been best at since his debut, the tactical framework that ensured the team's invincibility, was no longer useful.

At this time, everyone's first reaction is to reflect on themselves.

There must be something wrong with some link or some player didn't play well.

This is why Benítez treats Xabi Alonso like this!
Isn't it the same with Mourinho?

Now, Yang Cheng and Guardiola are both shining brightly, but in time, in a few years, they will definitely go through such a stage.

Their tactical decisions, their methodology, and the underlying logic of all their actions no longer work.

At this time, the test for the head coach comes.

Whoever can adjust faster and get through it will be transformed.

Isn't that how Ferguson came here?
This old monster has recently been forcing the top management of Manchester United and the Glazer family, threatening to restore Manchester United to its peak and demanding additional investment.

He wants to break down his past self once again and rebuild a stronger and younger Manchester United!
But Wenger is not Ferguson.

In other words, Wenger has never had the strong mental strength of Ferguson.

Wenger is like a humorous, elegant and calm French philosopher.

Such people are precisely the ones who are most likely to fall into mental exhaustion.

"Arsene, I still remember, a long time ago, you told me how to train a player."

David Dunn was silent for a long time, and finally spoke again.

Wenger was quite surprised and didn't know what his old friend wanted to say.

"You said at the time that when a young player enters the first team, he often needs to face a positioning problem and find the role he can play in the team."

"But this process is often full of unknowns. Not only the head coach, but even the players themselves don't know, so it's hard to control."

Wenger was silent.

This is a fact.

Just like Wilshere.

Now many people say that he is suitable to play as a defensive midfielder, but in the England national team, he also plays well as a No. 10.

He can even play on the wing.

So which position is he more suitable for?
Nobody knows!
We can only cross the river by feeling the stones and move forward step by step.

"There are also some mature professional players who, in the middle and late stages of their careers, often have to face the problem of transition, but they don't know where they should turn or how to turn."

When David Dunn said this, he looked at Wenger with a smile, "You said that as a head coach, you should be tolerant of these players who are in difficult times and give them more confidence and support for their poor performance."

"And what you can do to help them is to maximize their training intensity, let them repeatedly try to play different positions and different roles, and then help them find the direction of transformation faster."

Wenger suddenly understood what David Dunn meant, and his eyes lit up.

"Arsene, I don't know what you think or what you're going to do, but I'm still saying the same thing I said in 1996."

"As long as I am on the Arsenal board and as long as my words have any power, your position will never be shaken!"

When David Dunn said this, Wenger felt a mountain of trust and support.

Usually, these are what he gives to his players.

But now, David Dunn brings it to him.

It turns out that this feeling of being trusted and supported by others is really good!

Wenger was filled with excitement, and it took him a long time to calm down. He looked at David Dunn with gratitude in his eyes.

"David, I want to ask you a question."

"You said."

"Which is more important, championship or belief?"

David Dunn was stunned.

Obviously, he didn't expect that Wenger was actually struggling with this issue.

But if you think about it more deeply, this is indeed a problem that people like Wenger will be trapped with.

David Dunn thought of this and suddenly laughed out loud.

Wenger was baffled.

Is this question so funny?
"I'm sorry, Arsene, I just think you're like a child who's stuck in a rut."

Wenger still doesn't understand.

"This isn't a test in school, nor is it an interview in a company. Why do we have to choose between two options?"

"Can't we have both?"

Wenger was stunned.

"Look at Ferguson, how did he eliminate Manchester City?"

Without waiting for Wenger to answer, David Dunn gave the answer directly, "Defend and counterattack!"

"right?"

Wenger nodded.

This is true.

"Did he win the Champions League by relying on defensive counterattacks?"

Wenger nodded again.

"But look, is Manchester United conservative under his coaching? Apart from those few individual games, do you think he is conservative?"

It is generally recognized that Ferguson's Manchester United always adopts an aggressive offensive tactic.

But Ferguson won the Champions League precisely by relying on defensive counterattacks.

"I know, Arsene, that over the years, the demands of home attendances and your own tactical philosophy have constantly driven you to protect and strengthen this belief."

"But think carefully about your players. They have followed you for a season. Think about the hundreds of thousands, millions, or even tens of millions of fans out there. How many years have they followed you?"

"What you need to do now is not to worry about so-called beliefs or so-called championships."

"If you give up your beliefs, you may not necessarily win the championship. On the other hand, no matter how you win the championship, you can still stick to your beliefs. Is there a conflict between the two?"

"What you really have to do is to help your players find a tactic that you think has the best chance of defeating the opponent!"

"As for success or failure, it will be determined on the football field!"

“No one will deny you because of a failure. If there is, it is definitely not your problem!”

Wenger's eyes, which were originally foggy, suddenly became clear.

……

On the evening of April 4, at the Emirates Stadium in London.

In the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, Arsenal faced Bayswater Chinese at home.

Before the game, in the locker room.

All the Gunners players, including those who were not on the roster, were gathered in the locker room at this moment.

The players on the squad surrounded Wenger, while the players and employees in the stands surrounded everyone.

After 10 days of preparation, Wenger has instilled the tactics he wants to play into the players.

He no longer needed to make any further arrangements.

Now, all that is left is mobilization.

But Wenger's approach left all the players confused.

"Have you heard of the G14 Group?"

Everyone nodded.

Who who plays football in Europe has not heard of the G14 group?

"Then you must also know that the G14 Group actually has 18 clubs, right?"

Everyone still didn't understand what Wenger was going to say, but they nodded anyway.

"I know this past best. They were originally an alliance of 14 clubs that had won the Champions League. Each of them was a top team in their respective leagues and represented the most powerful force in European football at the time."

"Even UEFA is very afraid of them."

The players listened in silence.

Wenger has always been a very organized person.

Arsenal has great confidence in him.

"In 2002, four more teams entered the G4 group: Bayer Leverkusen from the Bundesliga, Valencia from La Liga, Lyon from Ligue 14, and us, Arsenal from the Premier League."

Wenger spoke slowly and leisurely.

"This has caused huge controversy not only in European football but around the world."

"The G14 group can only enter after winning the Champions League. Now they need to expand. Leverkusen has won the Champions League runner-up and is the current champion of three runner-ups. Valencia even reached the Champions League final for two consecutive years and won the runner-up."

"But why Arsenal?"

Wenger put just the right amount of emphasis when asking this question.

This immediately aroused the emotions of everyone around.

Because they all represent Arsenal!
These people's doubts are not only questioning Arsenal, but also questioning them.

"People said at the time that the best result of this Premier League team was the runner-up in the UEFA Cup and they only made it to the round of 16 in the Champions League. What qualifications do they have to enter the G14 group and stand in line with those Champions League champions and runners-up?"

"This is not just one or two people questioning, it's everyone, everywhere."

Wenger paused here to give the players enough time to digest and get angry.

"I don't accept this prejudice, but I have no choice. Our results are really bad. We haven't even won the Champions League, not even reached the final."

"So, I and the Arsenal players at that time were full of energy. We won the Premier League title with an undefeated record in the 03/04 season. We vowed to make everyone look at us and Arsenal with new eyes!" "We want all the fans who support us and Arsenal to stand up straight and shout out proudly."

"We, Arsenal, are qualified to stand on equal footing with any of the world's top teams!"

“We don’t lose to any team!”

The players' emotions had been fully aroused. They all clenched their fists and couldn't help but applaud for the head coach.

"In 2006, we reached the Champions League final and we went to Paris, France with a lot of confidence."

"Everyone knows that Arsenal had many French players and many players from Ligue 1. They and I were all trying to beat Barcelona at the Stade de France and win the first Champions League in the club's history!"

"but……"

Wenger shouted these two words with almost all his strength.

"We lost! We lost to Barcelona with the super geniuses Ronaldinho and Messi, we lost to Barcelona with Deco, Iniesta and Xavi!"

"There is no reason or excuse, we are just not as skilled as others!"

Wenger said this, raised his right hand, opened his palm and revealed five fingers.

"5 years!"

"Guys, it's been five years since the battle in France."

"Many people ask me, which Arsenal team is better, the unbeaten Arsenal team in 03/04 or the Arsenal team that reached the Champions League final in 2006?"

Wenger shook his head vigorously. "Today, here, I want to tell you that they are not!"

Everyone, especially the players around Wenger, opened their eyes wide, and their burning gazes were all focused on Wenger.

Everyone is full of eager anticipation.

"In my mind, the strongest Arsenal ever is you!"

“Maybe you are still very young, maybe you don’t have enough championships, and your unbeaten streak is not as good as before, but you are the strongest Arsenal in my mind, the Arsenal that I have spent countless efforts and energy to build bit by bit!”

Wenger became more and more excited as he spoke, and finally he opened his arms.

"I have been coaching for more than 30 years and have been involved in football for decades. In my heart, I have always had a dream."

"Arsenal was founded in 1886 and has a history of more than years. We have countless fans in London, the UK, Europe and even the world, and they have always had a common dream."

"And you, my players, and your predecessors, Henry, Bergkamp, ​​Vieira, Pires, Ljungberg, Campbell, Gilberto Silva... all of them, they have always had the same dream!"

All the players were already screaming with excitement.

"This dream is called Champions League champion!"

When Wenger said this, almost everyone in the audience had red eyes and nodded vigorously.

"We are only one step away from reaching the Champions League final again, and that is this opponent in front of us."

"They are so powerful, even unbeatable!"

"We have faced them several times this season and we have always failed, even badly!"

"But, tonight, my players, I believe you can create a miracle!"

"I still believe that you can accomplish what all Arsenal players wanted to do but failed to do in the past!"

"Fight for yourselves, for the Arsenal fans, and for the Champions League title!"

……

From the moment the Portuguese referee Pedro Proenca blew the whistle to start the game, Yang Cheng felt that Arsenal was different tonight.

In the past, the Gunners have always played a smooth passing and cutting style, and their style of play has always been relatively soft.

Therefore, in the Premier League, they have always been the punching bags.

But now, they seem to have returned to the 03/04 season, with everyone working hard.

Wenger's lineup tonight is also different from usual.

Goalkeeper: Lloris;

Defense: Clichy, Zielinski, Koscielny and Sagna;

Midfield: Muntari, Toulalan and Alexandre Song form a three-man defense, with Fabregas in front;

Forwards: Arshavin and Van Persie.

At first glance, this is a defensive counterattack style of play.

The starting lineup was completely beyond Yang Cheng's expectations, as well as everyone else's expectations.

When it comes to the game, although Wenger's team did not retreat to defend tightly, they did play very conservatively.

It's also very aggressive.

This is completely different from the usual elegant and relaxed passing and cutting style.

Wenger's team has always had a shortcoming, which is that they are very slow to get into position when switching from offense to defense.

This is an old problem.

Because Wenger requires players to keep their distance at all times.

It may not seem like a big deal on the field, but in fact the players run a lot and consume a lot of physical energy.

This is also the reason why Wenger's team always collapses in the second half of the game and why problems easily arise in the transition between offense and defense.

But today, Wenger completely plugged this loophole.

The frontcourt was left to Fabregas, Arshavin and Van Persie to attack.

Once the ball was lost, Montari and Alexander Song rushed to grab the ball, while Turan quickly took position to protect the defense.

It turns out that Wenger has always known how to solve his Achilles' heel.

It's just a matter of tactical choice.

Arsenal used this steady defense and counterattack tactic, coupled with the players' almost desperate style of play on the field, to hold off wave after wave of attacks from the Chinese in Bayswater.

The key point is that Wenger's team is different from Mourinho's Real Madrid.

They committed a lot of fouls, but they were not dirty, and they knew how to get cards.

In addition, the three defensive midfielders are all players with excellent defense and strong running ability, which immediately caused great trouble for the offense and organization of the Chinese in Bayswater.

In the first half, the two sides shook hands and made peace with the score at 0-0.

The Chinese from Bayswater completely controlled the ball and the tempo, but they just couldn't break through Arsenal's defense.

In the second half, the situation still did not change much.

In the past, Wenger's teams tended to collapse in the second half because their squads were not strong enough.

But now, Wenger has a strong lineup in the Premier League second only to Manchester City, and he does a good job of rotation.

More importantly, Wenger selectively gave up the 34th round of the Premier League for this game.

In the 33rd round, Wenger's team drew 1-1 with Liverpool at home.

At that time, Yang Cheng led the team to the FA Cup semi-final and defeated Bolton 5-0.

In the middle of the week, Bayswater Chinese beat Sunderland 33-2 at home in the 0rd round of the game.

And just this past weekend, Yang Cheng's team lost 0-1 to Liverpool away.

Wenger's team also lost 1-2 to Bolton away.

Both teams chose to save their strength.

Therefore, both teams are now in almost their best condition and their physical fitness is also very good.

Arsenal players gave their all in this game and fought to the death with the Chinese in Bayswater.

Yang Cheng made continuous substitutions and also constantly motivated his players.

He knew that he and the coaching staff had miscalculated.

No one expected that Wenger would adopt a defensive counterattack tactic.

This is really not like him at all!

What was even more unexpected was that Wenger's defensive counterattack was so good and the players fought so hard.

Just in the 86th minute of the game, when both sides were exhausted, Arsenal intercepted the ball in the backcourt.

Gourcuff, who came on as a substitute, received the pass from his teammate, did a Marseille turn, got past Modric who was pressing him, and made an overhead pass into the left side of the penalty area.

Van Persie was closely marked by Pepe, but he still rushed forward quickly, facing the falling football, and volleyed the ball with his left foot into the left side of the goal which was within reach.

Courtois reacted a little slow to this close-range shot, and the ball went in from his waist.

1 is better than 0!

The entire Emirates Stadium was in complete carnival!
Van Persie ran wildly to celebrate his crucial goal.

All the Arsenal players rushed out of the stadium frantically and chased after Van Persie.

All the fans in the stadium were cheering and singing for Van Persie!

This is definitely a golden goal!
"Arsenal's performance tonight was very strange, but also very moving."

“Every one of them tried their best.”

"Perhaps, in terms of strength, they are indeed not as good as the Bayswater Chinese."

“But in this game, they fought hard and scored a goal!”

"And Van Persie's volley at the crucial moment helped Arsenal take the lead in the first leg."

"This will be a very, very important initiative for the Gunners!"

"Especially in the second leg, they have to go to Wembley Stadium."

……

In the end, thanks to Van Persie's goal, Arsenal defeated Bayswater Chinese 1-0 at home.

Yang Cheng's team played very well, controlling the ball and the tempo, and made 23 shots, but the only thing missing was a goal.

Arsenal only had 7 shots in the whole game, 2 of which were on target, but scored 1 goal.

Yang Cheng really never thought that one day, Van Persie's volley would fall on him.

But what surprised him most was Wenger's transformation.

Not only Yang Cheng was surprised, but all the media and fans in the UK and around the world were shocked.

No one expected that Wenger would adopt such a conservative tactic.

Sky Sports commented immediately after the game, saying: Wenger used solid defense to get a one-goal lead in the first leg.

The Champions League broadcaster believes that from the entire game, Bayswater Chinese had the advantage in terms of talent and the situation. "Yang Cheng has every reason to feel aggrieved for his team. They performed better."

The Times also wrote an opinion article saying, "The conservative side has won!"

They were also very surprised by Wenger's transformation.

"When the whole world thought this would be a classic offensive battle, Wenger chose to betray himself. He used a more conservative defensive counterattack and successfully sniped the Bayswater Chinese at the Emirates Stadium."

Even the Independent, which has always been biased towards Arsenal, said in a post-match commentary that "Wenger chose between victory and football."

"This was a very un-Wenger Arsenal game!"

But the Independent also said that no matter how the outside media accused and criticized, no matter how the fans attacked and ridiculed, Arsenal still won a precious victory.

The lead in the first leg will give Arsenal an advantage in the second leg away game.

The day after the game at the Emirates Stadium, Manchester United lost 0-2 to Barcelona at home.

Ferguson's team did not play conservatively, they still wanted to fight with Barcelona, ​​but Guardiola's team scored two goals in a row and took away a 2-0 victory away from home.

This also means that Barcelona has almost one foot in the Champions League final.

But after the game, many media gave higher evaluations of Ferguson's Manchester United.

At the very least, the Red Devils Manchester United did not show any fear, but bravely rushed towards Barcelona's goal.

This also caused Wenger's Arsenal to suffer more criticism and accusations.

……

After the defeat at the Emirates Stadium, Yang Cheng still felt somewhat threatened.

Especially Wenger's transformation.

After returning to the Premier League, the 35th round of the game immediately arrived.

Since there will be a crucial battle in the second round of the Champions League in three days, Yang Cheng once again arranged the rotation and substitute lineup this time.

As a result, they conceded a goal at home within 7 minutes of the start of the game.

Wolves centre-forward Steve Fletcher broke the deadlock.

But in the 27th minute, Walcott equalized the score for the team.

In the end, Bayswater Chinese drew 1-1 with Wolves at home.

Chelsea beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at home.

Liverpool beat Newcastle 3-0 at home.

Manchester City beat West Ham United 2-1 at home.

Arsenal beat the Red Devils Manchester United 1-0 at home.

Wenger's team also made some rotations, but still adopted a defensive counterattack tactic and successfully defeated Manchester United.

Ferguson suffered two consecutive defeats.

After 35 rounds of matches, Bayswater Chinese have 28 wins, 4 draws and 3 losses, and have scored 88 points, ranking first in the Premier League.

Manchester City ranked second with 80 points.

Arsenal got 77 points and ranked third.

Liverpool also has 77 points, ranking fourth.

Manchester United scored 66 points and Chelsea scored 65 points, ranking 5th and 6th respectively.

With three rounds left in the league, although Bayswater Chinese have lost points recently, they still have an 3-point lead. As long as they can get a draw in the next round of the league, they can win the championship in advance.

As for the battle for the top four in the league, it has come to an end.

After Ferguson lost 0-1 to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, he had basically declared that Manchester United would miss out on the top four.

In this game, Wenger once again adopted a defensive counterattack tactic. It was obviously not because he was afraid of Ferguson's Manchester United, but because he adopted a safer and more confident style of play.

Everyone knows that if Manchester United wants to get into the top four, they must beat Arsenal in this game.

Wenger also took advantage of this mentality to control Ferguson.

In two consecutive games, they adopted this defensive counterattack tactic. Although it was not too ugly, it was indeed completely different from Arsenal in the past.

Wenger doesn't think there is anything wrong with this transformation of his team.

"Sometimes, we need to make a certain trade-off between style and victory."

But for Arsenal, Wenger still said that the team's overall tactical style will not change.

"We are still one of the most beautiful teams in Europe!"

……

May 5, Wembley Stadium, London.

In the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, Bayswater Chinese will face Arsenal at home.

Neither Yang Cheng nor Wenger made any adjustments to their starting lineup.

Both sides rotated and rested during the weekend league.

At the beginning of the game, the Chinese players of Bayswater took the lead and created continuous scoring opportunities, threatening Lloris' goal.

But the French goalkeeper performed very steadily and did not leave any gaps for the Chinese players in Bayswater to score.

Wenger once again used the three defensive midfielders, and the frontcourt was still the combination of Arshavin, Van Persie and Fabregas.

Yang Cheng learned from the experience and lessons of the first round and asked the players to play more patiently, continue to control the ball and the rhythm, while pulling back and forth and relying on passing and cutting to penetrate.

After the opening, the Chinese in Bayswater attacked very loudly and created many threats.

Afterwards, Yang Cheng saw that the team could not break through Arsenal's attack and immediately adjusted the offensive tactics.

Wenger's strategy is to use three defensive midfielders and Fabregas, four players to firmly suppress the midfield of the Bayswater Chinese.

Especially Modric and Toni Kroos.

He just refused to give them a chance to pass the ball.

Yang Cheng even asked Marcelo and Piszczek to move forward to the wing to play the role of receiving the ball and organizing the team.

From the 32nd minute to the end of the first half, the Chinese in Bayswater even suppressed Arsenal in their own half and gave them a good beating, but the Gunners withstood the offensive pressure from the Chinese in Bayswater and managed to keep the goal.

In the most threatening moment, Gareth Bale was even about to put the ball into the goal.

But at the critical moment, Koscielny still shoveled the ball out near the goal line.

As a result, the French center back hit himself on the pillar, breaking his head, and was carried to the sidelines for treatment.

This also made Yang Cheng feel the determination of Arsenal!
The first half still ended with 0-0.

At the beginning of the second half, Bayswater Chinese launched another attack.

After attacking for more than ten minutes, seeing that they had not been able to score, Yang Cheng immediately made a substitution.

Hazard replaced Matic to strengthen the attack in the frontcourt.

But Wenger's team still defended the midfield and backcourt tightly, leaving no gaps for the Chinese in Bayswater to attack.

After the 75th minute, Yang Cheng replaced Giroud to form a double center forward with Lewandowski.

Arsenal almost retreated across the board.

Even Van Persie in front and Benzema, who came on as a substitute for Arshavin, actively returned to defense.

By the 85th minute, the Chinese players of Bayswater even pushed goalkeeper Courtois to the center line frequently.

Both sides fought to the last soldier and until the last moment.

In the final few minutes, players from both teams continued to suffer from cramps, forcing the game to be suspended.

In the end, the Gunners relied on their tenacious will to hold off the massive offensive from the Chinese in Bayswater.

0 is better than 0!

After a full 90 minutes of play, the Chinese players from Bayswater still failed to score against the Gunners.

With the total score of 0-1, Bayswater Chinese were once again eliminated in the Champions League semi-finals!

Yang Cheng was on the sidelines, and when he heard the referee's whistle to end the game, he shook his head and sighed helplessly.

"We all tried our best!" Brian Kidd walked up to him, patted Yang Cheng's shoulder gently and comforted him.

Yang Cheng has even given up several league games just to beat Arsenal in the best condition.

But this gunner is outrageous!
"I even suspect now, are they taking drugs?" Yang Cheng felt unbelievable.

Is this still the same Arsenal team that has always been criticized for its soft style of play?

It's outrageous!

"Wenger has never been a pushover. When he coached Arsenal, they were always the dirtiest team in the Premier League, and they were also always the best defensive team."

Brian Kidd smiled bitterly.

"For Wenger, playing conservatively is just a return to old habits."

Of course Yang Cheng knew it, but he still found it hard to believe.

"In the past few years, he has always touted himself as the representative of gorgeous football. Has he been kicked in the head by a donkey? Or is there someone who puts pressure on him to do this?"

"That can only be the Arsenal management," Brian Kidd guessed.

But for things like this, if the person involved doesn't say anything, people outside will never know about it.

Yang Cheng sighed when he heard this.

Originally he was still thinking about the quadruple crown.

But now it seems that we can only strive for the treble.

For no reason, the championship was snatched away by Wenger!
It’s the fucking Champions League!

Out of politeness, Yang Cheng came to the visiting team's coaching bench and shook hands with Wenger, but he felt very uncomfortable in his heart.

"I'm telling you, Arsene, if you let Barcelona take the Champions League away from this stadium, don't even come to see me!" Yang Cheng threatened.

Wenger laughed when he heard this.

It turns out that winning feels so good!
Why didn’t I notice it before?
"Don't worry, Yang Cheng, Barcelona is much easier to deal with than you!"

Wenger seemed particularly confident.

But for some reason, Yang Cheng always had a feeling.

This old man has become a bad person!

More and more like Ferguson.

(End of this chapter)