Football: Starting from the Ronaldinho template

Chapter 368 Will Arsenal's story never end? The boos at the Allianz Stadium

After finishing the Premier League season, Arsenal faced Brighton in the FA Cup quarter-finals, easily winning to advance to the semi-finals where they will face Tottenham.

The other two teams to reach the semi-finals are Chelsea and Manchester United.

Just then, news broke in the football world that Barcelona president Rosell had been arrested by Spanish police for allegedly laundering money in Neymar's transfer, according to a video of him.

This has plunged Barcelona's off-field image and management into crisis.

Other clubs were also affected.

Kearney Training Base.

Wenger stood on the sidelines watching his players train.

He knew better than anyone the difficulties they would face in breaking the Champions League title defense curse and aiming for a sextuple.

London was still a bit chilly in April.

He put on a big cotton coat over his suit, but still felt chilled all over, so he zipped up the coat and tucked his neck into the flannel collar.

He gripped the elastic drawstring hidden in the pocket of his cotton coat tightly with both hands, which gave him a strange sense of security.

His mind was filled with thoughts, yet he felt completely blank as he silently watched the running players.

He has a long history with Arsenal.

There's the helplessness he felt when Toure knocked him over on the training field, the embarrassment of Henry snickering when he unknowingly threw away his food tray, the surprise of discovering that nine-year-old Wilshere was a promising talent, and the arrogance he displayed when he fiercely threatened the linesman 17 years ago.

Two years ago, I watched a Wolfsburg match and discovered Qin Ming, who perfectly embodied my philosophy and played beautiful football; that feeling of genuine joy came from the bottom of my heart.

But actually during that period.

He was already completely absorbed by the club structure he had built, and was too busy to have much time to flirt with Arsenal.

While the world is praising Arsenal, Kicker offers a different perspective.

It's not directed at the team.

It's not about the architecture.

"The era of one great manager controlling every part of a club is over. The burden is too heavy for one person, and the view of the managerial role is changing."

“Like Tottenham chairman Levy, who is in charge of the club’s recruitment and talent acquisition, they can ensure that when appointing a new manager, they don’t have to start from scratch and rebuild.”

“Swansea City’s Jenkins used to manage the team in the same way, and that’s the template Arsenal needs.”

“They already have a complete structure to support Wenger’s work, but in the future, what you want to see is a structure where the sporting director and head coach take full responsibility.”

This is what they said in their Kicker column.

Arsène Wenger manages both player recruitment and team management, holding both the roles of sporting director and coach, a feat unparalleled among today's Premier League and European giants.

Today's trendsetting clubs have complex structures, with each member fulfilling their role and working together to prevent a situation where one's loss affects the entire group.

But Wenger himself is the framework, the synergy and cohesion of Arsenal.

This situation arose because, after former vice-chairman Dunn left office, the club was unable to find someone with comparable abilities to Dunn in player recruitment and transfer negotiations.

This forced Wenger to move from the familiar field of coaching to the unknown field of management. Given his dedication to football, he would certainly give Arsenal his all.

The club should clearly bear the responsibility for this.

Wenger felt his palms warm and his gaze refocused.

He wasn't naive enough to think his story with Arsenal would never end.

Because he has seen a lot clearly in the past two years.

"I've always said that there's a love story between the head coach and the club. The head coach has to act as if the love story is going to never end, but he can't be so stupid as to actually believe that it will never end."

"This relationship could end at any time, but you have to act like it will last forever."

Wenger recalled what he said at the 20th anniversary celebration of his time managing Arsenal.

His prestige at Arsenal is now at its peak, even stronger than during the Unbeaten season, as Arsenal have won the Champions League.

The significance of the team's first-ever Champions League title is self-evident.

Any idea that management wants him to leave in order to increase their influence is extremely dangerous and impossible to implement in public.

He's close to being Arsenal's God.

Firing or forcing him out would trigger fan riots, strong dissatisfaction among key players, and condemnation from global media.

He knew these things better than anyone else.

Perhaps he will leave Wenger's side to signal the end of training. In fact, he is different now than before. He has shed the burden of being a defender and is now enjoying football itself.

So there's absolutely no need to worry about the future.

Qin Ming took some time to visit the "Wall of Honor," which was covered with countless "W"s, a sight that was pleasing to the eye.

He is probably the person outside of Wenger who understands the club's intentions in "removing Wenger."

He didn't have many thoughts on this. Just as the professor thought, no one could make him leave the get out of class unless he himself wanted to retire gracefully.

If the professor wants to leave in the most glorious way.

Instead of the disarray that followed a prolonged recession a few years ago.

He will respect the professor's choice.

Every dynasty has its cycles.

Qin Ming muttered to himself as he turned and left.

The eyes of the world's football community are on the Allianz Stadium.

In the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals here, the opponents are Bayern Munich and Arsenal.

The two teams have a long history of rivalry and grudges.

Around 2010, Arsenal frequently faced Bayern Munich or Barcelona in the Champions League knockout stages, and the results were predictable.

Arsenal have not won a single game.

But now the situation has reversed. Arsenal has faced Bayern Munich and Barcelona several times, giving both teams a hard time.

Bayern Munich had three different coaches between 2014 and 2018.

Guardiola, Ancelotti, Sagnol, and Heynckes.

Jupp Heynckes, the veteran coach who once led Bayern Munich to a treble, has come to the rescue more than once.

He served as Bayern Munich's head coach in the 1990s, and subsequently returned three times in 2009, 2011, and now.

The aging knight's final expedition.

After Italian striker Carlo Ancelotti was ousted by a power struggle among Bayern Munich stars, Jupp Heynckes used forceful tactics to suppress players like Lewandowski and Ribery.

In his first week in charge, he canceled all commercial activities for the team and recalled reserve team players Süle and Kimmich to the starting lineup.

The internal strife was quelled in just 72 hours.

Ancelotti also felt wronged, and recently, when talking about his experience at Bayern Munich, he said it was like a meticulously crafted palace drama.

On the surface, it appears glamorous, but underneath, it's turbulent.

In Milan, Real Madrid, and Chelsea, the top management has the final say. There's a clear and straightforward relationship between the head coach and the owner.

But Bayern Munich is different. With Rummenigge, Hoeneß, board members, and shareholders, many people can make demands on you.

Anyone who has worked knows how tiring that is.

What's even more troublesome is Bayern's locker room.

Don't assume that just because players are playing well on the field, they will be convinced by the head coach.

Bayern Munich's "Star Committee" model has a long history, and players like Robben, Ribery, Müller, Hummels, and Boateng are not ordinary players.

When Qin Ming stood in the players' tunnel at Allianz Arena, he heard a cacophony of boos even before he went outside.

"It seems Bayern fans have a lot of opinions about you."

Morata, standing nearby, quipped.

Everyone knows that the story between Qin Ming and Bayern Munich is like a dramatic one.

He left because he was banned from entering the cafeteria. Nobody cared at first, but who knew that a year later, Qin Ming would snatch the Bundesliga title from Bayern Munich in Wolfsburg.

They also rejected Bayern Munich's offer during the subsequent summer transfer window.

In the past two years, Qin Ming has received more and more honors, which has made Bayern fans more and more frustrated, and over time it has turned into hatred.

How could he possibly give Qin Ming a friendly look?
Ribery, Müller, and others standing nearby looked embarrassed, and Qin Ming glanced at them before looking away.

His best friend in the Bayern reserve team was Højborg, but that guy had already gone to Augsburg, where he is now Wu Lei's teammate.

He wasn't very familiar with this group of Bayern players.

So there's not much to talk about, just focus on playing well.

Heynckes walked over and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Congratulations on winning the Laureus Award. It's not only an affirmation of you, but also an affirmation of football."

Qin Ming replied politely.

Wenger crossed his arms and smiled, but did nothing.

He not only understood Qin Ming's technical skills, but also Qin Ming's personality. He knew that although Qin Ming seemed easygoing on the surface, he was actually quite proud inside.

It's impossible for him to return to Bayern.

"The match has begun!"

"While Bayern's ability to control the game is not as good as before, Heynckes can always deal with various situations in the most reasonable way, and it is very likely that they can create the treble again!"

"Let's see how Qin Neng, who almost joined Bayern Munich, performs!"

the narrator said.

The boos at Allianz Stadium had long been replaced by cheers.

Today, Bayern's attacking lineup consisted of Ribery, Lewandowski, and Müller. Robben, due to his age and injury problems, was relegated to the bench more often, used as a substitute surprise weapon.

Meanwhile, the midfield consisted of a defensive trio of Thiago, Javi Martinez, and Vidal.

They might want to play more conservatively at home, withstand Arsenal's early offensive onslaught, and then unleash their attacking power in the mid-to-late stages.

Qin Ming received the ball near the center circle and was not immediately surrounded or intercepted.

Bayern's tactic is to sacrifice some space in exchange for greater defensive density.

Similar to Klopp's choice.

It just goes to show that German coaches are indeed alike; their tactical thinking is the same.

The problem is that Liverpool couldn't stop them.

Can Bayern Munich do it?

Bayern Munich fans at the Allianz Arena witnessed the epitome of beautiful football in the first twenty minutes.

His elegant footwork combined with his superhuman physical abilities.

In return, they received Bernat, the Bayern Munich full-back, and Javi Martinez, who received an early card.

Two yellow cards made Heynckes' gray eyebrows twitch.

The impact was absolutely insane. If it weren't for that incident, Qin Ming would have stayed at Bayern Munich.

So what will Bayern be like?

Countless Bayern Munich fans, Guardiola, Ancelotti, and Bayern players have dreamed of this.

Perhaps it wasn't Arsenal that rose to prominence.

Perhaps Bayern Munich has already broken the curse of defending the Champions League title, going from dominating the Bundesliga to dominating the whole of Europe.

Even now, despite Bayern Munich fans' dislike of Qin Ming, they are still incredibly excited about every transfer rumor circulating during the summer transfer window.

Unfortunately, I never heard the news I longed for.

The 29th minute of the game.

Sanchez collided head-on with Vidal and fell to the ground, before sweeping the ball to Qin Ming.

Snapped!
Javi Martinez was caught off guard by the side-turn pull-back.

With a yellow card on his back, he dared not commit another foul and could only let Qin Ming leave.

At the same time, they pinned their hopes on Hummels and Boateng.

The two center-backs, ranked third in the "4-4-2" formation, pressed forward simultaneously.

Not only did they expose Morata outside the offside line, but they also blocked Qin Ming's path forward.

Then, an unbelievable scene unfolded at Allianz Stadium.

Qin Ming's sudden change of pace accelerated, causing the two to turn sideways and lower their shovels.

The scene is strikingly similar to the legendary double shovel strike by Cannavaro and Maldini.

"The football under Qin's feet will never stop spinning!"

Paul Dutton's roar shattered the silence.

Qin Ming staggered forward, regaining his balance after a few steps, and then catching up with the football after a few more steps.

Behind him lay Hummels and Boateng, both lying on the ground.

Neuer has not yet returned from a foot fracture injury, as he needs to prepare for the World Cup rather than rushing to play in the league.

Bayern Munich's current goalkeeper is Ulreich.

Facing the 182cm tall goalkeeper, Qin Ming performed two stepovers, pretending to break through from the outside, but actually used his right foot to sweep the ball across.

He smoothly bypassed Ulreich and slotted the ball into the empty net.

He then looked at the now noticeably quiet stands, put his index finger to his lips, and gestured for everyone to be quiet and just watch his performance.

The Bayern Munich fans, provoked, immediately erupted in deafening boos.

Qin Ming wasn't one to back down easily; he wouldn't remain silent even after being booed.

However, he still smiled happily upon seeing this scene.

"Beautiful!"

"Bayern held on for almost thirty minutes, but the overall strength of the players... well, it's not good to say it that way, but the overall competitiveness of the Bundesliga is indeed not as good as that of the Premier League!"

"Bayern Munich rarely spends huge sums of money to bring in players!"

"Arsenal's strength on paper is now unmatched by Bayern Munich!"

Paul Dutton said.

The camera didn't focus on Qin Ming celebrating; instead, it panned across the faces of the Bayern players.

Unbelievable, incredulous. A variety of expressions represented a variety of emotions. Even though they were prepared, they still felt Qin Ming's crazy impact firsthand.

I still doubt myself.

Because Qin Ming has shed his naivety compared to four years ago, and has become so powerful that he is unfamiliar to them.

Heynckes rubbed his temples on the sidelines.

Is Bayern Munich the greatest club in history?

This matter is highly controversial, but Bayern Munich should be the most ridiculous club since the millennium, without exception.

A genius was let go because of the cafeteria problem.

Ten Hag has really done a lot of harm. Heynckes really wants to go back to that summer and kick Ten Hag out of Bayern's reserve team.

Don't you know the saying, "Leave a way out for others"?
Even if we assume Qin Ming doesn't want to leave, there's no need to be so forceful.

Unfortunately it's too late to say anything now.

When the game restarted, there wasn't much time left in the first half, and Bayern wanted to break the deadlock.

But Ribery's performance was less than satisfactory.

Arsenal went into the dressing room with a 1-0 lead.

(End of this chapter)