Football: Starting from the Ronaldinho template

Chapter 231 Another defensive midfielder for Arsenal! League progress! Another match against Chelsea!

After finishing the first leg of the EFL Cup with Manchester City, Arsenal immediately faced Stoke City in the 22nd round of the Premier League.

Previously, Arsenal eliminated Stoke City in the EFL Cup quarter-finals to advance to the semi-finals.

However, due to their match against Manchester City, Arsenal will be fielding a full-strength squad and will have to rotate their players today.

Qin Ming has started in several consecutive games, but he wasn't even included in the squad this time, so he didn't go to Stoke with the team and instead stayed at home in London to rest.

"Full time! Arsenal 0-0 Stoke City!"

"Without a key player, and with Sanchez and Cazorla rotating in today, Arsenal's attack is no longer sharp. Walcott, Campbell, and others are unable to form effective combinations with Giroud!"

"This allowed Stoke City to hold Premier League leaders Arsenal to a draw at the Britannia Stadium with a strong defense!"

"At the same time, Manchester City defeated Crystal Palace 4-0, reducing the point difference between the two teams from 5 to 3!"

"And Leicester City's narrow 1-0 victory over Aston Villa—if someone had told me at the beginning of the season that Leicester City, this newly promoted team, had a chance to win the Premier League title, I would have thought that person was crazy!"

"But the fact is that even with Arsenal and Manchester City giving their all, they still couldn't pull away from Leicester City, who were neck and neck with them!"

"."

Qin Ming turned off the TV and went to the balcony, where he fell into deep thought as the cold wind blew through him.

He then made a phone call, which was answered in a second.

"Qin! What made you think of calling me?"

Gustavo's deep voice came through.

"Luiz, have you ever thought about coming to Arsenal?"

Qin Ming got straight to the point.

Yesterday, Wenger spoke with him about transfer targets.

Clearly, signing only Basel midfielder Elneny in the winter transfer window is not enough to satisfy people.

In Wenger's view, Arsenal's defensive midfield needs to be strengthened to fully unleash Qin Ming's attacking talent.

Kirkland currently has enough coverage area, but in terms of physical strength, there is still a visible gap compared to those beastmen.

After negotiations between Xhaka and Kanté failed, Wenger turned his attention to Wolfsburg.

Gustavo.

Last season, Qin Ming shone so brightly in the Bundesliga, partly due to his own abilities and partly due to the support of his teammates.

Both are indispensable.

People may only remember De Bruyne, who created countless wonderful opportunities for Qin Ming with his threatening passes.

But they forgot about Gustavo's tireless defense behind Qin Ming.

During the summer transfer window, Wolfsburg almost completely replaced their central axis with the money from selling their two key players. Gustavo was never at his peak, so he was gradually relegated to the bench.

But can the Brazilian be a good rotation player at Arsenal?

Currently, Arsenal's starting defensive midfielder is Coquelin and Ramsey, while the substitutes are veterans Arteta and Flamini, neither of whom are, frankly, physically imposing.

If Arsenal can sign Gustavo, the pressure on them in the second half of the season should be much less.

Therefore, Wenger made an offer to them and hoped that Qin Ming could use his personal connections to persuade Gustavo.

This is a good thing for both sides.

After all, playing as a substitute at Wolfsburg is definitely not as good as playing at Arsenal.

Moreover, given Arsenal's current injury situation, Gustavo will have many opportunities to play, and perhaps he can shine one last time before leaving the top five leagues.

"To be honest, I plan to leave Germany next year, possibly to return to the domestic league, or maybe to Türkiye."

"But since you've put it that way, I'll seriously consider it."

Gustavo also fondly remembers the days when he fought alongside Qin Ming, and occasionally reminisces with Rodriguez about those glorious years.

"Then I'll wait for your good news," Qin Ming said with a smile.

He understands Brazilians quite well; Gustavo and Olic are similar, both being passionate people.

Neither of them wanted to disappear into silence.

So Olic left Wolfsburg for Hamburg, who had just been relegated, to continue his pursuit of honors in the 2. Bundesliga.

Gustavo, on the other hand, won numerous honors with Bayern Munich, including the Bundesliga title, the German Cup, the German Super Cup, and the Champions League, and later won the Bundesliga and Europa League titles with Wolfsburg.

"He will come," Qin Ming murmured to the night sky.

The thought of Gustavo protecting him and Kirkland covering him made him feel that the second half of the season would be even more interesting.

"Manchester City and Leicester City also have the Champions League."

His voice gradually faded into the winter night.

The Guardian: Arsenal right-back Mattia Debuchy has been loaned to VfL Wolfsburg, and the club has signed midfielder Luiz Gustavo for a €1000 million transfer fee (excluding add-ons).

Gustavo's transfer was finalized six days before the 23rd round of the Premier League.

Qin Ming also met Gustavo, who had been cleaning up his messes for the entire season.

"Louis! Long time no see!"

He gave her a warm hug.

"Qin, I can't be happy when I think of you, because every time I team up with you, I have to suppress my offensive desire, but you have to know that I am a Brazilian player."

Gustavo deliberately made a pained expression.

"Come on, Louis! You're 33 years old this year. Do you still expect to be able to handle both offense and defense like you were 25?"

Qin Ming was very casual when interacting with his old teammates, saying, "Let's hurry up and integrate into the team, we have a lot of tough battles ahead!"

"Haha! But to be honest, when I partnered with Andre before, he always couldn't control the ball, which made Ricardo and me very uncomfortable. You are better in this aspect."

Gustavo breathed a sigh of relief.

He thought that after Qin Ming joined Arsenal, he would be like those proud young players, looking down on his former teammates.

But now it seems that Qin Ming hasn't changed; he's still that enthusiastic young man.

"Don't compare me to Andrei," Qin Ming said, raising his chin.

Schürrle was forced to transfer to Wolfsburg because he couldn't stay at Chelsea, and Wolfsburg even thought Schürrle could replace them.

Actually?

Perhaps Schürrle was not used to the intensity of the Premier League.

But true strength lies in making others adapt to oneself.

"If only we could bring Ricardo over here too." Gustavo missed their left flank group.

"Arsenal doesn't have that much money right now."

Qin Ming shrugged.

Rodriguez now costs at least 50 million. Arsenal just spent over 100 million six months ago, so spending another 15 million in the winter transfer window would be quite good.

Since Gustavo has just arrived, he naturally cannot play matches yet and needs some time to adapt and integrate.

Therefore, in the 23rd round of the Premier League on January 24th.

Wenger has chosen the strongest lineup currently available.

Emirates Stadium.

"Mr. Wenger, Chelsea previously sacked Mourinho and appointed Guus Hiddink as the Dutch manager. What are your thoughts on this?"

The Sun reporter immediately stirred things up.

It is well known that Wenger and Mourinho are at odds, with their feud spanning more than a decade and reaching a point where it is irreconcilable.

However, since Qin Ming joined this season, Arsenal has broken many curses. For example, they have never won against Mourinho's Chelsea.

"Being a head coach is not an easy job."

Wenger did not make any sarcastic remarks.

In fact, Mourinho addressed this issue just before his dismissal, when he was being ridiculed by reporters.

"As far as I know, some clubs haven't won the league title in 12 years, but they've always had the same coach."

Wenger was also very angry when he first heard it.

But he wouldn't take advantage of Mourinho's misfortune and retaliate against him at this time.

This is his philosophy of life.

"Actually, you and I both know that winning a championship is very difficult. Once you win a championship, defending your title is even more difficult."

"Why hasn't any team been able to successfully defend their title recently? When you're in a league where your level is far superior to other teams, winning the title becomes very easy. You can win it two, three, or four times in a row without much trouble. You can do that because the other teams are far inferior to you."

"But this is something that is hard to find in top leagues. You have a lot of competitors, just like in the Champions League, there are too many teams that can win the title."

Wenger also said something on behalf of Mourinho.

Of course, perhaps he was trying to explain himself away, saying that in terms of team achievements alone, he is not as good as Mourinho, given the number of championships he has won.

the other side.

Newly appointed manager Guus Hiddink told reporters that the team is on the right track and that the previous draws against West Bromwich Albion and Everton will not affect their match against Arsenal today.

They will take three points from the Emirates Stadium and restore the fans' confidence in them.

Half an hour later, in the players' tunnel.

Qin Ming felt a little regretful that he didn't see Mourinho.

With the end of the Special One's second stint at Chelsea, and given Manchester United's current predicament, Van Gaal is not far from being sacked.

Therefore, it is highly likely that Mourinho will remain as manager of Manchester United.

A quick glance at the Chelsea players revealed that Ramirez had been sold to the Chinese Super League, while the rest of the key players remained largely unchanged.

Hazard's form is also poor.

With the league already halfway through, he has only managed 6 goals and 8 assists, a dismal record.

It's likely related to the incident involving the female team doctor.

"I wonder if Hiddink can keep the Chelsea players in check," Qin Ming thought to himself.

He recalled that many years ago, Hiddink was appointed to take over Chelsea in a time of crisis, and he successfully saved the day, finishing third and qualifying for the Champions League.

Furthermore, the Dutch head coach has a wealth of honors.

He won 6 Eredivisie titles, 4 Dutch Cup titles and 1 Champions League title at PSV Eindhoven.

He also coached Real Madrid and the Dutch national team.

"The Premier League Round 23 match between Arsenal and Chelsea has begun!"

Let's take a look at the starting lineups for both teams!

"There's nothing special to say. Arsenal just made some signings, bringing in two defensive midfielders, but neither of them are in the squad today!"

"As for Chelsea, they seem to have tightened their purse strings!"

At the Emirates Stadium, the two teams have already faced each other twice this season, in the Community Shield final and the first league match.

Chelsea not only lost to Arsenal, but were also thoroughly humiliated in the process.

Therefore, when they visited the Emirates Stadium, they launched a fierce attack from the start, which was completely different from the Chelsea under Mourinho.

The camera is focused on the sidelines of the court.

Hiddink's figure in a suit reminded people of nine years ago, when Essien covered his face and knelt down to weep after the final whistle at Stamford Bridge, Drogba roared at the camera, and Hiddink turned and left.

"Hiddink is very good at handling dressing room issues. When he coached South Korea in 2002, he hung a portrait of Yi Sun-sin on the training ground and instilled the idea that 'every game is like the Imjin War.' During his first stint as Chelsea manager, Drogba was punished for complaining about the intensity of training, and Lampard was internally suspended for being one minute late."

"This is how he described football: the essence of football is not tactics or physical fitness, but the precise manipulation of human nature!"

"Under the combination of psychology and military-style management, he has been able to lead his teams to certain achievements, whether it is the national team or the club!"

"Here it comes! Mikel fouls Qin Ming. Chelsea are playing very aggressively today!"

tough?

Actually, using dirt is more appropriate.

How did South Korea beat Italy in 2002?
Strangling out the midfield.

Park Ji-sung closely marked Totti, cutting off his connection with the attacking third, resulting in the Roma prince only touching the ball 28 times throughout the match.

On the flanks, Ahn Jung-hwan and Lee Chun-soo took turns attacking Panucci, who left the field in the 82nd minute due to exhaustion.

How did Chelsea end up in that situation against the Dream Team Barcelona in 2009?

The central triangle of Drogba, Ballack, and Mikel increased Xavi's pass interception rate to 47%.

They demanded that Ashley Cole and Malouda abandon crosses and focus on exploiting the space behind Alves, creating controversy surrounding a red card and a penalty.

"Damn it!" Mikel roared, throwing a punch after shoving Qin Ming down.

This year marks his 12th year at Chelsea, where he has followed the Blues from their peak to their trough.

Before the match, Hiddink had them watch the two games they lost to Arsenal in the conference room, and see the relentless ridicule from the outside world.

That's how emotions were stirred up.

"John, you don't have to do anything today. Just shut down Arsenal's number 10 and make him tremble with fear whenever he gets the ball!"

This is what Hiddink said to him.

Qin Ming adjusted the position of his shin guards, ignored Mikel's provocation, and silently stood up.

He could feel the passion of the Chelsea players.

But after being hyped up by Mourinho so many times, no matter how accurate Hiddink's understanding of human nature is, it cannot change the essence of football: it's about ability.

Qin Ming, nicknamed "Ivanovic," decided to use the Serbian as his breakthrough point.

Ivanovic shivered.

He was thoroughly outplayed in the previous two matches.

Things should be better today with Mikel's help, right?

However, he overlooked the fact that even if Mikel was strong, that was six or seven years ago.

No one can withstand the power of time.

Moreover, Arsenal is playing at home, and the referee for this match is Mark Clattenburg.

The Hunter of the Rich and Powerful.

That's his nickname.

His labels include Alzheimer's patient, law enforcement standard amnesiac, and random application of standards.

But his rulings were very strict today.

Because both teams are powerhouses.

Of course, if it were Manchester United instead of Arsenal wearing red jerseys.

He might even ignore Mikel's tackle on Qin Ming.

In the 23rd minute of the match.

Qin Ming spun around in place and started moving. Just as he was about to shake off Mikel, the latter grabbed Qin Ming's jersey.

(End of this chapter)