Football: Starting from the Ronaldinho template

Chapter 365 Aiming for a Three-Peat in the EFL Cup!

After the start of the second half, Emery, who had previously coached Sevilla, saw his hopes of defending his Europa League title dashed, and the culprit was none other than Wolfsburg.

Emery looked at the pitch with a furrowed brow.

Arsenal's dominance is stronger than he imagined. Although Neymar seamlessly integrated into PSG's tactics at the beginning of the season, what was he doing at PSG?

Be the boss, win the Golden Globe.

This led to his playing style being rather individualistic, with him focusing more on showing off his skills than on organizing the attack.

His tactical role is quite different from his time at Barcelona.

On the other end, the young Mbappe had a tough time; he's the kind of attacking player who needs possession of the ball.

Moreover, young people are generally very hot-blooded.

He doesn't think he's weaker than Neymar. Just because he can't shake Neymar's position now doesn't mean he can't in the future.

Let's take a look at the players' stats!

"Qin attempted 7 dribbles and succeeded 6 times. Neymar attempted more dribbles, but his success rate was far lower than Qin's!"

"In last year's Ballon d'Or voting, Neymar ranked fourth. If Messi and Ronaldo's competitiveness declines in the future, then Qin will be his biggest competitor if he wants to win the coveted Ballon d'Or!"

Paul Dutton said.

In fact, 2018 was a year full of opportunities and hope for many players.

Because everyone knows that Qin Ming's national team strength is average.

If they can achieve something in the World Cup, such as winning it, then even if Arsenal wins three consecutive Premier League titles, it's hard to say.

Of course, this is on the premise that Arsenal cannot win the Champions League and other competitions to achieve a sextuple, and Qin Ming's statistics must also be limited to an acceptable range.

Otherwise, even if they lift the World Cup trophy, they still won't be able to compete.

The fact that the Ballon d'Or is biased towards the World Cup does not mean that the World Cup has an absurdly high weight, or that winning the World Cup guarantees the Ballon d'Or.

To know.

Since Cannavaro won the World Cup with Italy in 2006 and subsequently received the Ballon d'Or, it has never been awarded to a member of a World Cup-winning team.

For example, Spain won the World Cup in 2010, but the situation that year was very special. Inter Milan eliminated Barcelona in the two-legged semi-final of the Champions League to win the treble, and midfield maestro Sneijder was the absolute star of the Netherlands team to win the runner-up title for the first time in 32 years.

That year marked the first year that the FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d'Or awards were combined. Sneijder came in first in the media representatives' vote, but after including national team coaches and captains, he didn't even make the top three.

This also prompted UEFA to start selecting its own Player of the Year.

Spain's victory was due to their overall strength, especially the powerful midfield centered around Xavi and Iniesta. In the final voting, Xavi and Iniesta traded a significant number of votes.

This ironically benefited Messi, who ultimately won.

Germany won the 2014 World Cup, also thanks to their superior overall strength. The best performers in the team were Müller and Lahm, but their impact was limited.

That's why that situation occurred.

If this year's World Cup champion also fails to demonstrate the ultimate heroic performance of a player.

This refers to a situation where a single core player leads the team.

Then it's very likely that Qin Ming will get another one by taking advantage of the situation.

Neymar couldn't accept that situation. Although the Brazilian national team is not as good as before, it still has the qualifications and strength to compete for the championship.

The 7-1 defeat to Germany a few years ago was purely accidental.

If I can lead the team to victory and then beat Arsenal in the Champions League, even if we don't win the title in the end, the chances are still very high.

With that in mind, Neymar began his breakthrough.

Roberto, who was matched up against Neymar when he was at Barcelona, ​​is now highly focused.

However, Neymar's dazzling footwork still exposed his weaknesses.

After creating space, Mbappe also ran out of position, but Neymar chose to go by himself.

As a result, Van Dijk interfered with the shot, and it didn't register with power.

Cech made a save with one hand, got up, clenched his fist in celebration, and hugged and high-fived Van Dijk.

"Well done!"

Qin Ming also praised it from a distance.

He glanced at Mbappe and saw that his expression was not good; the young man had not yet learned to hide his emotions.

Cavani then offered the two a few words of advice.

As a champion of joyful football, he has always had a great personality. Even when he was just a tool player in Serie A, he still played well and earned the trust of the coach.

It was tiring in Greater Paris.

Unfortunately, they gave too much.

After the game resumed, PSG, having missed their chance, continued to push down the flanks as Arsenal exploited their advantage.

Alves was panting heavily.

Qin Ming finally found Marquinhos to cover, which caused a slight gap to appear in the rib area.

Morata also discovered it.

He moved ahead to make sure he wasn't offside, and the ball rolled over immediately afterward.

He made a move to dribble into the penalty area.

But when Kimpembe tried to cover, Morata passed the ball across to the left front.

Without stopping, Qin Ming followed up with a powerful shot.

The close-range shot was fast and powerful, leaving PSG goalkeeper Areola unable to react effectively.

The ball had already crossed the goal line when he fell to the ground.

"I said in the first half that it was only a matter of time before I scored."

"Arsenal extended their lead, but given that they are playing at home, the Gunners cannot let their guard down."

"The charm of the Champions League two-legged tie lies in the comeback against all odds."

Emery, who also considered this issue, decisively substituted Thiago Silva, as he originally wanted to give the veteran a rest.

It seems that without a stabilizing force in the backcourt, things still won't work.

PSG's defense noticeably improved after Thiago Silva, who had previously partnered with Nesta, came on.

A good center-back not only has strong individual skills, but can also influence the entire back line and even his teammates in front.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be called the cornerstone of the team.

The situation at PSG gradually stabilized, but Neymar seemed to have gone astray, so Emery made a tough decision and substituted Di Maria.

Argentinians tend to have much more stable personalities.

He linked up PSG's left flank, and his pass was decisive, allowing Mbappe to make several runs.

That impact was indeed something Monreal couldn't withstand.

However, with Kanté covering for him, he didn't pose a significant threat.

Ultimately, the match ended with Arsenal defeating Paris Saint-Germain 2-0. In the last 20 minutes, PSG played better and better, but Arsenal's defense had undergone a dramatic transformation compared to two seasons ago.

They managed to maintain the score.

After the game, Qin Ming exchanged jerseys with Cavani. He actually quite likes the Happy Family, but of course, he wouldn't be happy to be happy on his own.

The second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 will not be held until March.

Arsenal will face Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup knockout stage on February 19, a team they recently defeated.

Qin Ming scored five goals in nine minutes in that match.

Huddersfield Town, even against a half-rotated Arsenal side in the FA Cup knockout stage, seemed to have developed a Gunners phobia and didn't perform like a Premier League team.

Youngster Saka scored his first brace since joining Arsenal's first team.

This thrilled the little guy so much that he kept his jersey and gave it to Qin Ming as a gift.

A few days later again.

The EFL Cup final kicked off on time.

"The 2018 Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony will be held in Monaco tomorrow!" "We now know that Qin Ming, Nadal, Hamilton, Mo Farah, and Roger Federer have been nominated, and Qin Ming and Roger Federer are the most likely to win the Best Male Athlete Award."

"Qin Ming needs no introduction, everyone who watches the game knows him. Let me talk about Roger Federer."

"He made a strong comeback after suffering a knee injury, winning his fifth Australian Open title and his eighth Wimbledon title, and the Laureus World Sports Awards are more inclined to favor tennis."

Zhan Jun sounded a little regretful as he spoke.

Because football, as a team sport, cannot be compared to sports like tennis or racing, it tends to distract from individualism.

In 2015, Edwin Moses, president of the Laureus World Sports Academy and a two-time Olympic gold medalist in track and field, said: "Tennis, as the most professional sport today, deserves more respect and recognition."

He himself makes no secret of his love for tennis.

This is true.

Tennis players' names first appeared on the list of winners of the second Laureus Awards in 2001.

Safin.

Of course, Safin was far from being the "Tsar" at that time. In 2000, after winning his first Grand Slam men's singles title, he was awarded the "Newcomer of the Year" by the Laureus World Sports Academy.

In 2002, the Laureus World Sports Academy generously awarded the "Female Athlete of the Year" award to American tennis star Capriati, who had won the Australian Open and French Open women's singles titles the previous year.

This is also the first time a tennis player has won the prestigious Laureus Award.

After Serena Williams helped tennis retain its title of "Female Athlete of the Year" in 2003, no tennis players appeared on the list of winners in 2004.

But in 2005, a new era began.

2004 was the year Roger Federer was officially crowned king.

He then dominated the world of men's tennis for several years, and as a result, the Laureus World Sports Academy awarded him the "Male Athlete of the Year" award in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008.

He thus became the person with the most cumulative and consecutive awards in the history of the Laureus Awards.

No one has gone before.

After Roger Federer, the Laureus World Tennis Awards were carried by the geniuses Nadal and Djokovic.

Therefore, Roger Federer is a strong contender for the award this year.

"Alright, back to this match, Arsenal vs. Manchester City!"

"Having won the EFL Cup for two consecutive seasons, can they aim for a three-peat?"

"It seems Manchester City won't agree!"

Wembley Stadium was still very cold at the end of February, and Qin Ming was still wearing a long-sleeved jersey, but without gloves.

This was a relief for Manchester City fans.

Everyone knows that Qin Ming wearing gloves seems to have been buffed and often unleashes his inner power.

Manchester City's tactics have undergone a surprising change compared to their last encounter, with Guardiola taking the basic 4-3-3 formation to a whole new level.

De Bruyne suddenly launched a half-high ball towards the penalty area.

Aguero failed to get to the ball at the rim, but Manchester City went straight for the second ball, with Gundogan taking a shot from the outside.

A fake shot followed by a real pass to Sané.

Unfortunately, Schalke 04's talented player's shot hit the side netting.

Arsenal didn't give Manchester City a chance to control the tempo, immediately launching an attack from midfield, with Qin Ming carrying the ball and quickly advancing to the right.

The reason for not selecting De Bruyne is that Kyle Walker's positioning is too deep.

This guy has learned his lesson and knows he can't just blindly press forward, otherwise he'll get hit by a counterattack.

The cow's tail passed Gündoğan.

The Germans' defensive level was so-so, and Qin Ming still had the energy to send out diagonal passes.

Dembele received the ball and sprinted forward.

After overtaking Danilo on the outside, he passed the ball back to the edge of the penalty area.

Qin Ming passed the ball forward without stopping.

Otamendi thought he was going to shoot and was caught off guard, so he couldn't intercept it.

The ball came to Morata's feet.

Beep!
The referee's whistle blew after the linesman raised his flag.

"How can that be offside?"

Morata looked at the referee in confusion, thinking that if he were to nitpick, then he might have been offside.

The referee did not offer much explanation.

He didn't need to explain to Morata.

Qin Ming's attempts to negotiate yielded no results, so he could only accept the verdict.

He also felt that whether Morata was offside was difficult to define precisely.

However, considering that Morata is a repeat offender, the referee may have been biased and prejudicial, thinking that Morata was really offside.

It seems that the video assistant referee is quite useful.

Both teams created threatening attacks from the start, much to the delight of the fans in the stadium.

They love watching back-and-forth attacks.

A dull game of parking the bus or a defensive counter-attack might be more exciting the moment a goal is scored.

More often than not, the two teams ended in a goalless draw.

Manchester City played a bit conservatively in this match, something Qin Ming only noticed twenty minutes later.

Perhaps it's because they're currently in the championship?
Are you nervous?
This mentality somewhat affected the performance of Manchester City players, while Arsenal players' psychological advantage gradually became apparent.

In the 58th minute of the match.

Dembele crossed from the byline, the ball hit Otamendi, and a corner kick was won on the right.

A seemingly ordinary tactic caused Manchester City players to relax their guard a little when Fabinho ran toward Dembele.

Dembele suddenly passed the ball into the penalty area.

Qin Ming and Morata stood together, then separated to make their runs at the same time. Morata was lucky enough not to be marked.

He flicked his head at the near post and lobbed the ball towards the far post.

The Manchester City goalkeeper stretched his arm to its limit, like a giraffe trying to hook onto the leaves above.

Longer.

Longer.

But in the end, they couldn't change the course of the football.

Arsenal took the lead in the EFL Cup final.

Cheers erupted at Wembley Stadium.

Morata, in a very pretentious manner, imitated Cristiano Ronaldo, spinning in the air and landing while shouting, "Siuuu!"

Don't mention anything else.

This celebration is among the most iconic in football history.

He's really handsome.

The EFL Cup match still failed to turn into the goal-fest that fans had hoped for.

Arsenal defeated Manchester City 1-0, securing their third consecutive EFL Cup title.

The two teams continued to play aggressively in the second half, but the result of the fierce midfield battle was that neither side could easily advance.

The score was set the moment the whistle blew.

Qin Ming did not attend the celebration banquet that evening. He had to rush to Monaco to attend the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony. When he arrived at his hotel, he ran into an acquaintance.

Zhang Jike.

As a Grand Slam winner in table tennis, Zhang Jike was also invited to the Laureus World Sports Awards.

(End of this chapter)