Football: Starting from the Ronaldinho template

Chapter 265 Everyone is striving for their dreams! A contradictory idealist! The Champions League semi-finals have ended.

Norwich, who had hoped to take a point at the Emirates Stadium after Arsenal's draw with Atletico Madrid, had their hopes dashed within the first ten minutes.

Cazorla changed the score with a powerful long-range shot from outside the penalty area.

Wenger, considering that the second leg of the Champions League semi-final was in three days, instructed his players to slow down the pace and conserve their energy as much as possible.

After all, being held to a draw in the first leg doesn't mean they're eliminated.

If he were to lose 0-3 or 0-4, especially if it was an away game, he would probably give up.

Norwich tried to emulate Atletico Madrid's high-pressing style, but they couldn't break down Arsenal's passing and possession game.

Not every team can use this tactic to stop the Gunners.

In the 62nd minute, Arsenal seized an opportunity, with Sanchez launching a counter-attack, making the score 2-0!

They ultimately maintained that score until the final whistle.

20 hours later at Old Trafford.

Leicester City's away game against Manchester United is an extremely crucial match.

Leicester City are currently 4 points behind Arsenal, and if they lose this game to Manchester United, the gap will widen to 7 points.

They will then be out of the title race.

If they draw with Manchester United, the point difference will reach 6 points.

Two rounds remain in the league.

Even if Arsenal loses two games in a row and the two teams are tied, Arsenal will win the title according to the goal difference rule.

Therefore, they must win today!

The match has reached the 85th minute.

The score was 1-1, with both goals coming in the first 20 minutes, scored by Martial and Vardy respectively.

Actually, Manchester United fans don't really want to win.

why?
They would rather Arsenal never win a title than win a single match.

The feud between Ferguson and Wenger has long been buried in the history of both teams.

However, they are currently ranked seventh, two points behind Southampton.

The Europa League qualification spots for the Premier League will now be filled by the fifth and sixth-placed teams in the standings, as well as the winner of the FA Cup.

If Manchester City wins the FA Cup, the title will be awarded to the next team in line.

Manchester United have a chance.

If Crystal Palace wins the title, they're finished.

It is better to rely on oneself than to rely on others.

The safest approach is to strive to get into the top six.

Van Gaal looked slightly worried in the footage; he is confirmed to be sacked next season to make room for Mourinho.

After all, Manchester United spent a lot of money last season, especially Qin Ming, whose transfer fee was half of the total. Martial, who was touted as the "new Henry," had a mediocre performance.

They didn't even reach half of Qin Ming's data.

"You did score a goal today, why didn't you show it sooner?"

Van Gaal had thought Manchester United had a great chance of winning the title this season.

Ranieri wore his favorite suit, a gift from his wife that had been worn for decades.

Even with careful maintenance, the signs of time are still visible.

He hoped the suit would bring him good luck.

On the pitch, Leicester City players were still fighting hard, to the point where they were fighting for every ball.

The Blue Fox miracle hasn't even begun, how can it end already?
After watching the video on TV, Qin Ming couldn't help but sigh that there is never a shortage of hardworking people in this world.

Injury time.

Kante intercepted the ball from a blind spot and poked it from Rashford's feet to Drinkwater.

The latter used a short-to-medium distance lob pass to find Shinji Okazaki, who was making a quick forward run.

The pass was exquisite, gliding over Fellaini's head and allowing Shinji Okazaki to get ahead of Blind and tap it to Vardy, who was positioned to receive it from the side.

Single sword!

De Gea, who was unable to travel to Real Madrid due to a fax machine malfunction, was on high alert.

But Manchester United's goal was still breached by a shot, and Leicester City scored a last-minute winner at Old Trafford!

A few minutes later.

Beep-beep-beep!
The moment the final whistle blew, Leicester City fans erupted in wild cheers.

They beat Manchester United.

A miracle was one step closer to them.

"The initiative is still in our hands."

Qin Ming gently applauded Leicester City. He was actually quite happy to have encountered such an opponent this season.

After all, the road to success can be too monotonous.

It's actually quite boring.

No?
Even if they lose to Manchester City, as long as they can beat Aston Villa, the championship is theirs.

The match against Manchester City is no longer crucial.

Therefore, Leicester City will not be able to win the Premier League title no matter what.

at the same time.

The already started match between Manchester City and Southampton has attracted the attention of many fans.

"Currently, Arsenal leads Manchester City by 5 points and Leicester City by 4 points!"

"."

"Guardiola's team just drew with Real Madrid at the end of April. Can they win today?"

"For them, they need to beat Arsenal in the next round, while Arsenal loses to Aston Villa, and Leicester City draws with Everton or Chelsea to win the Premier League title!"

"The conditions are very harsh!"

"."

"Congratulations to Manchester City for their 3-1 home victory over Southampton! They were unaffected by their Champions League commitments and easily secured the win!"

"The Premier League title race has entered its final stages!"

"However, what we need to focus on now is the Champions League semi-final in three days!"

The day before heading to Spain.

At the Kearney training facility, Qin Ming and his teammates sat in the restaurant, having their last meal before setting off.

"Atletico Madrid's league performance went smoothly without any surprises or player injuries."

For some reason, Monreal felt a little disappointed.

Don't pin your hopes on those things.

Qin Ming ate his favorite lemon roasted chicken and said, "Just do our best."

"Atletico Madrid's success today is not solely due to its tactics and techniques; there are other reasons as well."

Arteta explains football philosophy from a conceptual standpoint.

Barcelona's quick, agile style of play cannot be easily replicated.

Tall, strong, and versatile players will eventually return to the mainstream; this is Simeone's philosophy of modern and classic football.

Also, since the players' talent is limited, we should focus on understanding the key points.

Running without the ball.

Atletico Madrid players run more distances in training sessions than in a single Serie A match.

The abundant running also ensures that Atletico Madrid can immediately create a numerical advantage in local areas and launch a pressing attack when they lose possession.

They already experienced it in the first round.

"Everyone has their own philosophy, and we're not bad at all. We pursue beautiful football and use passing and movement to penetrate the defense."

Qin Ming's relaxed tone revealed a firm resolve.

“He really does look like you,” Pat Rice said to Wenger as he stood at the restaurant entrance.

Wenger smiled as he recalled the past. In 1998, in that locker room at Highbury, he used a holographic projector to show a seven-second animation of player movement, and the scene was astonishing, like high-tech stuff from outer space.

He was just as steadfast in his beliefs at the time.

Looking back now, I realize I was the last fantastical perfectionist, aesthete reformer, and Catholic among Premier League managers.

Qin Ming also seems to be developing in this direction.

"I have always admired people who don't just want to win, but are willing to win in a certain way."

"If a fan wakes up in the morning and thinks, 'Oh, there's an Arsenal game today, I'm going to have another great day,' then I'm willing to work for that."

"If we win the game, it means I must have done a good job; if we don't win, it at least means I tried my best to give everyone this level of experience and let them feel that they can see beauty."

Wenger repeated what he had said in his speech at Cambridge University that day.

Pat Rice smiled wryly: "But football is hardly a perfect sport."

What he meant was that the football field is not a place to pursue beauty. In a 90-minute match, the forwards chase the ball and the defenders chase the forwards, and 88 minutes are just boring chases and collisions.

Only in the final few minutes, when scoring opportunities arise, does football reveal its incredible, enlightening beauty.

The three players formed a triangle formation, creating a tiny gap that seemed about to open up a goal, when a leg unexpectedly appeared and cleared the ball out of bounds.

Football is more like destruction.

Therefore, in football, beauty is a rare thing, and the price of pursuing this rare thing is the unexpected.

For Brazil in 1970, it was like the Netherlands in 1974.

For Wilshere, it was the knee injury that had plagued him for two years, which he suffered against Norwich.

For Diaby, it was a serious injury caused by Dan Smith's tackle.

For Eduardo, it meant Taylor broke his leg.

Over the course of twenty years, Wenger tried to teach his players to paint with their feet, a practice that evoked both pity and anger at their lack of ambition.

This feeling is especially strong when people see that in this world, the virtue of sarcasm, which is no longer common, has become the safest and smartest way for everyone to live.

Because the modern value system is: as long as you can win!

Wenger felt this was somewhat sad, not for himself, but for the sport.

Workhorse-type players are being mass-produced like on an assembly line, leading to a prevalence of uninteresting, defense-oriented football.

It's not that it's bad.

Wenger believes that beauty remains a valuable goal in such an uncertain world.

Of course, this is his philosophy.

Arsenal can't always win, but they can always try their best to play well and be entertaining, so that even when they lose, they can lose meaningfully.

If the result has to be a loss, then Wenger might ask: Why not lose beautifully? Why not show yourself in the loss, instead of camping out in and around the penalty area for 90 minutes, not wanting to produce any beautiful moments?
Qin Ming saw Wenger at the restaurant entrance.

He recalled that during the summer transfer window this season, Arsenal did not offer the best deal despite being pursued by several clubs.

So why did he choose Arsenal?
Idealist.

He saw ideals in Wenger and heard hatred in the outside world's opinions.

But after spending the season together, he had a different feeling about Wenger. For an idealist, Wenger was living a more contradictory life.

Every weekend, Wenger, sitting in his coaching seat, looks like a reformer, an aesthete who hopes his powerful squad can both crush opponents and produce artistic passing combinations and a beautiful, fluid spectacle.

However, when Wenger switched roles to club manager, he became a rare pragmatist.

To ensure the smooth construction of a stadium that would allow them to compete with top clubs in the future, he orchestrated the sale of players like Henry, Nasri, and Vieira for the Arsenal.

Qin Ming had previously compared Wenger to other head coaches.

Mourinho has been one of Wenger’s biggest rivals almost every season.

On match days, Mourinho is a formidable pragmatist, managing the wealthiest clubs in his respective leagues.

Pulis, Allardyce, and Mark Hughes are all doubly pragmatic.

Knowing their team had a limited budget, they were looking for the easiest way to win on Saturday.

The later Ferguson can also be categorized into this type, scheming how to win at the lowest cost and how ugly he can play to win.

What about Guardiola?
His tactics have profoundly influenced the last two World Cups and have also achieved what Wenger failed to do in the Champions League.

His team is more aesthetically pleasing.

But this kind of beauty is based on having an unlimited transfer budget.

If Wenger wants to have the same financial resources, he has to let people go.

Wenger's ability to make the team play as beautifully as possible within limited financial resources is probably why you can always see fans wearing all kinds of Arsenal jerseys in Brooklyn bars and pubs around 10 pm on Saturdays.

Wenger is an artist who works every day.

Regardless of who the saint is, what the world remembers are the miracles they created, not the rituals they performed daily.

Of course, Qin Ming knew that this was just a football, and it was far from being that high-level.

In the end, football is nothing special: a game where a bunch of people gather on a green field and fight for the ball for two hours.

An excuse to go to a bar for drinks and sit in front of the TV shouting.

A refuge that allows ordinary people to temporarily escape from life and work.

However, as people pay more attention to it, its scope expands accordingly.

Many things in football go beyond pubs and stadiums, impacting London, New York, and the world, affecting the lives of ordinary people.

But Qin Ming truly admired Wenger from the bottom of his heart.

He believes that the greatest day of Wenger's coaching career was not the day he won a championship.

Victory is simple: raise the trophy high on the bus, and then gradually be forgotten.

However, across Europe, no club has been able to build a home stadium like the Emirates Stadium on its own.

This is a trophy, a championship trophy that can hold 65000 people.

The 49-game unbeaten run is Wenger's most famous achievement on the pitch, but this title is more like a fleeting glimpse compared to Arsenal's later long title drought.

After remaining unbeaten for over a year, Arsenal finally lost. Players like Van Nistelrooy were ecstatic after scoring a penalty, because the significance of that match transcended the game itself.

Looking back at that game, it's clear that no matter what a person becomes, they can't escape failure, gaps, and difficulties.

These principles apply to football, and they also apply to life.

The important thing is what happens after failure.

First you have to weather the storm, then you'll see the rainbow.

Perhaps it's more meaningful than Mourinho's "only winning" approach?

Qin Ming really learned a lot during his season with Arsenal.

The Calderon Stadium on May 4th.

Wow! Atletico Madrid fans erupted in deafening cheers, making the city of Madrid roar with excitement.

Simeone, wearing trousers more durable than those of Zidane and Guardiola, excitedly threw away his phone, which looked more durable than an iPhone, and directed Atletico Madrid's players like a conductor, setting the pace for the entire stadium like a drummer in a rock band.

Just now, Atletico Madrid scored the winning goal with a counter-attack.

2-1! ! !

Not long after.

The time and score on the electronic scoreboard were frozen in time.

Qin Ming stood calmly on the court; they had no regrets after all, fighting until the very last minute.

They even scored a goal that could be considered a beautiful one.

Qin Ming remembered that ball and turned to look at the sidelines.

Wenger built his own stadium and paid off the vast majority of his loans.

The various previous wounds are nearing healing.

This will be the first time since Wenger took charge that he has been able to compete in the same way as his rivals.

Without the economic constraints of the past decade, he was simply doing what a head coach should do.

I should also keep moving forward.

"The season isn't over yet!"

Qin Ming patted his teammate on the shoulder, and with a hint of sadness, gently hugged the professor.

(End of this chapter)