If you are a brother, come and play football

Chapter 169 We, Arsenal, are invincible (Please subscribe)
After the New Year, Sampdoria displayed amazing fighting spirit.

Lu Deyang only made one appearance in the four league matches throughout January, yet they achieved a four-game winning streak.

They scored 17 goals and conceded 2.

This performance led Italian media to exclaim that Sampdoria was about to take the league title again.

Lu Deyang believes it's because his teammates are more self-disciplined.

Many players gain weight around Christmas, especially in this era where there are no restrictions on food and drink, and players are even allowed to smoke.

Some players party during the holidays.

This resulted in poor performance upon returning to the team.

Even if a team only has one or two players like that, they will drag the whole team down.

Sampdoria players do not have the habit of seeking revenge.

The team usually performs consistently, the locker room is harmonious, and there isn't much pressure.

Even if you eat and drink a little during Christmas, you'll recover quickly.

With one side almost back to its best condition and the other side in worse condition than before, this result is not surprising.

However, Sampdoria's stability was evident in their four wins and one draw in five matches in February.

Fleet Street believes Arsenal have no chance of winning in the next game.

However, such arguments clearly angered Arsenal manager George Graham.

In an interview with The Times, he said: "Our training has been excellent, and we have a chance against any team in the upcoming matches. I'm not a very serious coach because I think a good team doesn't need to be too serious, and Arsenal is a good team. The best news is that nobody is optimistic about us. The players can play without any pressure or mental burden. When we advance, the whole world will be surprised to find that Arsenal is stronger than they thought."

Lu Deyang had just arrived in London with his teammates when he saw his interview in the newspaper.

His impression of the coach, besides his unattractive playing style, also included the fact that he accepted a £500,000 kickback in 1995!
Proportionally speaking, Ten Hag might not have received as many kickbacks as he did.

Arsenal's management couldn't withstand the pressure and had no choice but to dismiss this veteran.

Bruce Rioch briefly took over Arsenal before being sacked, and the story that followed is famous: newspapers were filled with articles about who Wenger was.

The current Arsenal manager is more Italian than the Italians themselves; he's a staunch 1-0 coach, and the five veteran defenders led the team to a classic season where they overturned Liverpool's deficit.

Lu Deyang didn't think such an opponent would cause Sampdoria any trouble.

As an Italian Serie A team, Sampdoria is best at playing the kind of defensive style that relies on stealing a single goal.

Redondo stood by the window, glanced down through the curtains, and said, "I'm still not used to the atmosphere in England. The reporters seem to want to watch us 24 hours a day. We're not celebrities."

"That's Fleet Street."

Lu Deyang said with a smile, "They like to create an atmosphere to attract readers and then sell the news. But if you get into trouble later, they'll be happy to kick you while you're down."

"This is really interesting."

Redondo pursed his lips and said, "I've been reading recently and have some new ideas."

"what?"

"A virus targeting the rich begins to spread, and people on the Forbes list die one after another. In this battle royale, the rich who get the information first deliberately give money to others to make them scapegoats, only to find out in the end that it was a conspiracy against them, and that those who died were faked to trick them into giving money to the poor."

Redondo said.

Lu Deyang's eyes widened, and after a few seconds he gave a thumbs up.

That sounds pretty amazing.

The problem lies in its inherent plausibility. If a Kryptonian in a tight-fitting suit were to kill rich people according to a list, it would be more plausible than this.

However, it is rich in philosophical ideas and satire.

If the focus is on depicting human nature, with the rich resorting to any means to trick others into taking over their wealth, even going so far as to turn against their own relatives, it would have a Chekhov-esque feel to it.

"Read fewer serious books; it's not good for a person's thoughts to be too profound."

Lu Deyang picked up the remote and turned on the TV.

Jim Beglin is mocking Graham on TV.

The former Irish international exaggeratedly said: "Perhaps Graham thought his defense was unbreakable, but I want to remind him of one thing: if the two legs are tied and extra time is played, there will be penalties, and Arsenal's penalty-taking ability is definitely not as strong as Sampdoria's."

"He thinks highly of us."

Redondo said.

"Because he used to be a Liverpool player."

Lu Deyang said.

Redondo rolled his eyes hard.

No wonder.

The next day, Sampdoria borrowed Tottenham's training ground.

To Lu Qiuwang's disappointment, although he saw Gascoigne, the guy seemed to be drunk and his performance on the training field was not as good as his teammates.

I couldn't see anything from a distance.

3 month 6 day.

The entire Sampdoria team finally arrived at Highbury Stadium.

This stadium is very familiar to Lu Deyang.

Even if he wasn't an Arsenal fan, he often watched the team's games during that period.

Boskov was worried that the British questions would be difficult to answer, so he didn't let Lu Deyang go to the press conference with him.

Away game locker room.

"This stadium is even more dilapidated than those in Italy."

Vialli immediately complained.

I've seen shabby away game locker rooms, but I've never seen one this shabby.

"Because the stadium is their own and not shared with their city rivals, they don't need to worry about their situation in the away dressing room."

"Pagliuca said."

"Damn, it's so great to have our own stadium."

Mancini remarked.

"Do you know what it means to have your own stadium?" Vialli scoffed.

"It's better than renting the city hall."

Mancini said.

Lu Deyang nodded.

This is a major reason that has hindered the development of Italian football.

City halls in various places are exploiting teams too much, preventing them from building stadiums.

As Italian football teams earn less and less, even if they are allowed to build stadiums, they won't have the means.

Not every team can find an Arsène Wenger to help them stabilize their performance and pay off their debts.

Lu Deyang opened the system and selected the lottery.

[Your good brother Francesco Totti doesn't emphasize his loyalty, but he proves it with his actions. Even though he was tempted to transfer, he ultimately chose to stay at Roma. So, draw a player who likes to emphasize loyalty but immediately transfers away. Ding! You've obtained a single-match trial card for the first round of the 2009-2010 Premier League season, Arsenal vs. Everton: Cesc Fabregas.]

Loyalty and righteousness are the law!
Fabregas played exceptionally well when he was at Arsenal.

Especially in the 09/10 season, he scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists throughout the season, directly contributing to 38 goals.

At the time, he was also one of the top players in the Premier League for creating chances and scoring dangerous balls.

Everyone thinks he's a future Ballon d'Or winner.

However, his career declined after returning to Barcelona, ​​and Arsenal also lacked midfield creativity due to the transfer of important players.

Barcelona didn't suffer any losses. Fabregas himself paid for the transfer fee, and later made a profit by selling him to Chelsea.

This is a lose-lose transfer for both Arsenal and the player.

……

The conference site.

Graham became the main character today.

He told reporters, "In my opinion, some teams lack fighting spirit and the determination to win. Fortunately, my team is not like that. We don't guarantee that we will win, as that would seem arrogant, but today my team and I are ready to make our guests suffer here."

Parry, who was attending the press conference with Boskov, couldn't help but roll his eyes.

He didn't even bother to refute such remarks.

No matter how strong your team is, do you have Maradona?

Go ask Maradona and Van Basten if they would dare to say such a thing.
Boskov sat on the side with a smile, not in a hurry at all. Only after Graham finished speaking did he say a few words to the reporter.

Boskov said, "Our goal has always been the championship, but we will not underestimate any opponent."

Such remarks left the reporters quite helpless.

They want news.

Even if Lu Deyang doesn't come, it would be good if Lei Dong could attend the press conference more often.

……

"Let's go, let's go out and warm up."

Lu Deyang said with a smile.

Mancini didn't even hand the captain's armband to Lu Deyang.

Italian players don't see most British teams as a threat.

As soon as the warm-up began, the entire Sampdoria team was met with a chorus of boos.

After all, this is a stadium that applauds players for malicious fouls.

Before the professor, Arsenal was by no means a high-class, technically-minded team.

They are more like teams like Roma and Lazio.

"Do they think they can force us to a draw today?"

Mancini said with a disdainful sneer.

"Who knows, maybe they have other ideas," Lu Deyang joked.

If you absolutely have to say who Graham resembles, it's because he's someone else.

That's Mourinho.

His career certainly wasn't as illustrious as Mourinho's.

However, he always adhered to a defensive-oriented philosophy in his coaching career, and his results at West Ham and Leeds United were not very good, much like Mourinho at the end of his career.

Compared to his fellow Scotsmen.

Graham's learning ability is still quite lacking.

"Uncle Deyang, Uncle Deyang..."

Lu Deyang vaguely heard someone calling him and immediately turned around.

Upon recognizing Henry, he waved towards the stands.

"Mom, will we win today?"

Henry looked up and asked.

"Of course, Dejan has never lost!"

The princess nodded and said.

If British journalists had captured them saying "we" and it wasn't a London team, it wouldn't have caused much controversy.

It's no secret that the mother and son are Sampdoria fans.

"Adams has been in good form lately, and he says he wants to keep Dejan in check. What do you think of Jim?"

Martin Taylor asked.

“I think he might not have been sober when he said that,” Jim Beglin scoffed.

The two of them burst into laughter.

Adams had to wait until the professor started teaching before he could quit drinking.

He was also a notorious alcoholic.

As the players entered the tunnel, an Arsenal ball boy stared at Lu Deyang and asked, "Can I get an autograph?"

"Of course, I'll give you the jersey after the game."

Lu Deyang said with a smile.

The interaction here didn't look too good on the Arsenal players' faces.

"Both teams have made their final preparations. Arsenal manager Graham thinks they have a chance, but I don't think his team is as good as he says."

"Yes, Manchester United couldn't even hold their own against Dejan and Sampdoria, let alone Arsenal."

"Paul, why do you believe Manchester United is better than Arsenal?"

"There must be a reason why Dejan said that."

"Okay, let's take a look at the starting lineups for both sides."

Arsenal's 4-4-2 formation with two holding midfielders and two attacking midfielders:
Goalkeeper: Seaman
Defenders: Nigel Winterburn, Steve Boulder, Tony Adams, Lee Dixon
Midfielders: Paul Merson, Paul Davies, David Rocasl, Anders Limpa

Forwards: Alan Martin Smith, Kevin Campbell.

Sampdoria's 4-4-2 formation with two central midfielders:

Goalkeeper: Pagliuca

Defenders: Lanna, Wiljoward, Materazzi, Mannini

Midfielders: Ludjohnsen, Redondo, Parry, Dossena

Forwards: Vialli, Mancini.

"Today we saw Graham throw his defenders onto the pitch in an attempt to make things difficult for Sampdoria's attack, but he clearly doesn't understand what Dejan's attacking ability is all about."

"Yes, Mancini mentioned a name in an interview, the core of the attack on the wing, and I think that's the best summary of Dejan."

"The princess and her youngest son were seen in the stands again, which must have disappointed London fans who came to support Sampdoria."

At 6:05 p.m., German referee Aaron Schmidhuber blew the whistle to start the match.

Mancini passed the ball back directly, and Redondo noticed that Lu Deyang was moving towards the center after receiving the ball, so he moved to the wing himself.

He believed that the British wouldn't cause Lu Deyang any trouble, as Parry's cover was enough.

Lu Deyang was about to pass the ball when he realized that the British pressing was not intense at all.

The Arsenal striker, also named Alan Smith, is a target man who is over 1.9 meters tall.

Kevin Campbell is quite fast and very aggressive in pressing.

Lu Deyang spiked the ball, causing him to overshoot the mark.

Boos echoed through Highbury Stadium once again.

Anders Limpa rushed up, and Lu Deyang passed the ball across to Parry.

Parry immediately passed the ball to Dossena.

Paul Merson, who was matched up against Dossena, was an idol at Highbury Stadium, and wearing the number 10 jersey also demonstrated his status in the team.

Claimed to be a source of creativity, his playing style is also based on the cover of the center Smith.

However, his signature move is a 45-degree cross.

Lu Deyang only learned that there were such "Nine and a Half" sculptors in the world when he saw the information earlier.

He thought he was seeing Ashley Young in the later stages of Manchester United's season.

This English midfielder has some defensive ability, and Dossena didn't dare to break through directly. Instead, he dribbled the ball and passed it back to Parry.

Parry still passed the ball first. The world champion has been making more safe passes in the last two years.

It's because my partner is very strong.

Campbell rushed toward Lu Deyang.

Lu Deyang dribbled forward, and the black, fast guy behind him kept trying to reach out and pull at Lu Deyang's jersey.

click -

Lu Deyang suddenly dribbled laterally with his left foot, causing Campbell, who was leaning forward, to miss his target.

Boskov's eyes lit up when he saw Lu Deyang adjust his footwork.

Clearly, Londoners were not yet aware of the danger.

Adjusting your footwork while dribbling laterally is a very subtle adjustment.

However, Lu Deyang's adjustment did not require stopping the ball.

After running a few steps to the side, Lu Deyang immediately turned sideways and struck the ball with the inside of his right foot.

boom--

The ball didn't look high, but neither team could reach it. Its speed was just right, landing perfectly in front of Vialli who was making a forward run.

"Shove him!!!"

Graham then realized the danger and screamed desperately from the sidelines.

Winterburn wanted to get close to Vialli quickly but couldn't.

That was a perfect pass; Vialli didn't need to adjust at all.

This tells us that he didn't have time to get closer.

He was half a body length behind at an angle, requiring two steps to catch up. Even if his opponent didn't slow down, he couldn't catch up, even though he was a fast full-back.

Vialli dribbled the ball to the sideline of the penalty area and then passed it across.

The shot was a little too slow; the ball rolled past Tony Adams, leaving the Arsenal captain feeling hopeless.

He could have blocked it with his foot just one step faster, but he was just a little short.

The ball rolled past Adams and found Mancini. Seaman immediately lunged at Mancini's feet, and Mancini easily scored with a push of his right foot.

Arsenal's goal was breached just three minutes into the game.

This made Graham's declaration to defend Highbury a joke.

Arsenal fans watched the game unfold, unsure how to react, as their players hadn't even touched the ball before a goal was scored.

"Goal!!!!"

"Mancini!"

"Dejan orchestrated a classic Dejan attack, deciding when to launch the attack, passing the ball to the first receiving point, and then Vialli just needed to pass it across to Mancini."

"Sampdoria's attack showed the British what the fastest counter-attack speed is. From Dejan's pass to Mancini's goal, the whole process only lasted 6 seconds. The main reason is that Dejan's pass was too accurate. It was so accurate that Vialli didn't need to do anything else. He just needed to keep running forward, and he didn't give the opponent any chance."

"Sometimes I wonder how Dejan developed such a long pass ability. Maybe he's so precise with his long passes on the pitch that he can pinpoint them to the centimeter during training?"

Mancini immediately ran back, completely ignoring his good friend who had provided the assist.

He rushed all the way to the midfield, grabbed Lu Deyang's neck, and ran towards the sidelines, shouting at the camera, "See? This is the Sampdoria Boys, me and Deyang's duo."

Lu Deyang: ...

This name sounds like it belongs to a singer.

Yes, he's a Backstreet Boy.

But it's alright, at least he's not a poop-scooping boy.

He didn't have high expectations for Mancini's creativity either.

……

Graham stood there, his face burning with pain.

Before the match started, he said he would hold on for 90 minutes, or even 210 minutes.

However, the opponent scored just 3 minutes later.

This goal came very suddenly.

His team was completely unprepared and was still pressing forward to put pressure on the opponent.

He vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

Lu Deyang's distribution of possession in midfield took up a lot of their energy, which resulted in only two players on the defensive line.

However, the Scottish coach didn't know how to suppress Lu Deyang, who was controlling the tempo in the backfield.

Don't even mention trying to find a solution.

This was the first time he had ever seen a style of play where the ball was controlled and organized from the backfield.

Graham could only wave at the field.

Dixon walked to the sidelines and asked, "Any plans, boss?"

"Don't let that number seven get too comfortable when he passes the ball. Send someone up there to cause him some trouble," Graham said, putting his arm around his shoulder.

"Should we go up and tackle him, tackle him from the backfield?"

"Dixon asked."

"No, I mean have someone keep an eye on him. Let Limpa go up there, and whatever he wants to do, don't let him do it right away. Delay it a bit."

Graham said.

Dixon nodded.

He thought the coach was telling him to press forward.

Unexpectedly, it was Limpa who was pushed forward.

Then it has nothing to do with him.

Although he had never directly faced Lu Deyang, he had watched many of Lu Deyang's matches.

As a defensive player, he understood Lu Deyang's terror even better than the coach.

If he could stop Lu Deyang, would he still need to earn £1300 a week here?
Dixon went up to relay the coach's message, and Limpa also looked constipated.

As the only Swede on the team, he is indeed a foreign worker, but that doesn't mean he's stupid.

Merson doesn't usually play much defense, but he's been stepping up his defense all the way here.

Today I simply gave him this difficult task.

Limpa was very dissatisfied with Graham's decision, but he didn't express it.

Why? Because he's the only outsider on the team.
The ball restarted at midfield, and Smith passed it to Campbell, who immediately passed it back.

Paul Davis immediately passed the message to Merson.

In this respect, they are somewhat similar to Sampdoria, both relying on their left-wing players to receive the ball and launch attacks.

Dossena simply went to meet him.

Paul Merson tried to force his way through, but Dorsena didn't give him a chance to get going.

After two attempts, the Arsenal number 10 could only manage a backheel pass back to his own half. Dossena kept chasing him, preventing him from getting the ball, and quickly passed it to Davies.

Paul Davis flicked the ball with his left foot and immediately swung his right foot.

They were afraid of being dispossessed by their opponents.

The ball was delivered to a fairly accurate position, which is typical of British teams.

Alan Smith jumped in front of the penalty area to try and pass the ball into the box, but Materazzi jumped a full head higher and successfully headed the ball away.

"Brilliant! Materazzi has done a great job!"

"This young defender's body hasn't reached its peak development, but his jumping ability is stronger than many players, and coupled with his weight not being as heavy as those adults, he has a great advantage in jumping height."

"Yes, Materazzi is currently the player with the most headers in Serie A, but his success rate is only 65%. This is mainly because he lacks physical strength. Otherwise, with his height and jumping ability, this figure should easily exceed 90%."

"After all, he's only eighteen. It will take him a few more years before he becomes a reliable defender, just like Wilchoward is now."

Sampdoria's midfield continued to pass the ball around.

This made the Arsenal players a little scared.

Last time, it was Lu Deyang who suddenly launched an attack by crossing the ball.

Ultimately, they've never encountered a team like this before.

Even Barcelona's Dream Team didn't have a habit of holding the ball in the backfield for extended periods.

Cruyff's team preferred a layered approach, with teammates coming over to receive the ball, looking for opportunities to pass it forward, and the player who passed it continuing to move forward, thus relaying the ball to the frontcourt.

"Stay calm, don't rush, we've only conceded one goal."

Graham reminded them from the sidelines.

Scottish-accented English is also a unique feature in English League One.

It's safe to say that the British don't like the Scots.

However, Scotland always produces some coaches, and Graham is just one of the less successful ones.

Seeing that Sampdoria wasn't attacking, Graham had a somewhat absurd thought: it wouldn't be bad to let the opponent have the ball until the end of the game, at least it wouldn't be as bad as Manchester United's previous defeat.

It was only then that he remembered.

Manchester United's first leg saw Lu Deyang frequently launch long passes to initiate attacks.

Sampdoria has a habit of suddenly passing the ball from the backfield to the front, even more exaggerated than the long passes of English teams.

Thinking of this, he shouted again, "We must get back to our positions and not give them a chance. We're not in a hurry; the opportunity will come sooner or later."

Lu Deyang, who was on the field, was somewhat convinced when he heard the shout.

These coaches are really playing like they're in the lead when they're behind.

The key is that Sampdoria doesn't just get the ball in their own half.

Lu Deyang received the ball and moved to the wing. When Limpa rushed over, he immediately passed it across to Redondo and then quickly moved forward himself.

Redondo immediately made a diagonal pass forward, and Lu Deyang received the ball near the center and made a quick breakthrough.

The two players' wall-kicking coordination was quite excellent.

Paul Davis and David Rocasl rushed toward Lu Deyang almost simultaneously upon seeing this.

They are well aware of who poses the greater threat.

Lu Deyang, however, was not in a hurry at all.

He didn't even try to get past anyone; he just dribbled sideways with his left foot, waiting for his teammate to make a run forward.

He plans to let Arsenal fans get used to the dazzling teamwork before teaching the professor.

They didn't even look back.

Lu Deyang simply backheeled the ball while running.

The ball found Lanna precisely, and Lanna received it, flicked it with his left foot, and quickly broke forward.

The opponent's defense is concentrated on this side.

Sampdoria's attack was also concentrated on the left flank.

Lu Deyang ran forward from the left side of the midfield.

To his left front is Mancini, and to Mancini's left front is Lanna.

A very typical Sampdoria attack down the left flank.

After breaking past Lee Dixon, Lanna did not choose to continue dribbling down the wing, but instead turned and passed the ball to Mancini.

Mancini passed the ball to Lu Deyang without stopping it.

Paul Davis had just started his run and lunged at Lu Deyang when Lu Deyang, while still on the move, passed the ball back to Mancini.

Davis instinctively thought Mancini would pass to Ludjohnsen, but Mancini instead passed the ball to Vialli, who was standing with his back to goal on the edge of the penalty area.

This unexpected turn of events prevented him from immediately selecting a defensive target, and Lu Deyang charged directly past him into the penalty area.

Vialli then flicked the ball behind him with the outside of his foot, sending it past Adams. Lu Deyang, who had made a forward run, received the ball and successfully beat the offside trap, creating a one-on-one opportunity.

Snapped--

Without giving Seaman any time to react, Lu Deyang easily pushed the ball into the goal with the inside of his foot.

boom--

"Deyang!!!"

The away fans in the stands erupted in thunderous cheers.

It's as if Sampdoria is the true owner of Highbury.

Princess and her son jumped and danced with the Sampdoria fans, which made Arsenal fans watching on TV even more excited when the camera was rolling around.

"Goal!"

"Dejan Goal!"

"A Sampdoria-style team goal, the attack was naturally initiated by Dejan."

"When we focus too much on the individual strengths of Sampdoria players, we forget about the team's overall strength. Even before Dejan transferred to Sampdoria, they almost won the double."

"Barcelona has been lucky this season. As long as they don't face Sampdoria in the semi-finals, the two teams will meet again in the final. But this time, facing Dejan's Sampdoria, they have no chance."

"Highbury Stadium fell silent. The Englishmen had never seen such a magnificent attack before. A series of passes culminated in the goal. It was simply a beautiful symphony, with every movement so harmonious. Sampdoria had perfectly exemplified the meaning of team sport. It reminded me of Dejan's speech when he won the FIFA World Player of the Year award: Football is a team sport!"

is it beautiful?
Pretty!

Even Arsenal fans admit this.

The opponent's goal was absolutely beautiful; the short passing was fluid and quick, and they believed that no defense in the world could stop such an attack.

The through ball with its exceptional penetrating power was also a stroke of genius.

In addition to Lu Deyang's organization and orchestration, there was also Sampdoria's overall defense.

This match didn't feel like a Champions League quarter-final to Arsenal fans; it felt more like their opponents were showing off their strength and displaying their skills without restraint at Highbury.

British fans watching on television were equally shocked.

Only when Sampdoria plays against English teams do they have a more direct feel for the game.

Those familiar top-tier English teams had no chance against Sampdoria.

Whether it was Manchester United before or Arsenal now.

Even the Arsenal players reacted just like the fans; their heads were still spinning, and they had no idea how the goal was conceded.

"Alright, be careful."

Adams said.

As the team leader, he naturally had to step forward.

Boulder nodded and said, "Don't worry about us, Tony. I just can't think of a way to defend against them."

Tony Adams was also stunned.

The teammates certainly didn't lack courage.

However, this kind of close-range coordination made it very difficult for these defenders, who were used to the style of English League One, to work together.

Just like Paul Davis, he didn't even choose his defensive target properly.

This would never happen in League One.

After a few seconds of silence, Adams said, "There's nothing we can do but try to adapt. That's just the style of our opponents. We were able to beat Liverpool before and come back from behind to win the title, so of course we can beat them in this match too. We, Arsenal, are invincible."

Dixon nodded and shouted, "We Arsenal are invincible!"

But his mind was filled with questions.

He couldn't even stop Lana's dribbling attacks, so can he really stop Lu Deyang?
(End of this chapter)