Football: Starting from the Ronaldinho template

Chapter 372 Encountering an Old Acquaintance in the Champions League Semi-Finals: A Third Consecutive Year of Blocking Barcelona
What does it feel like to run into an old acquaintance again?
Qin Ming thought it was pretty good. Messi's expression was indifferent, but Pique's face was gloomy as he whispered to Umtiti and Ter Stegen.

Just a few days ago, in a Spanish interview program.

"Arsenal want to sign all three of you?"

the host asked.

"Yes, the first one was Fabregas, in the summer before I went to Manchester United."

"Then Wenger wanted to sign me. At that time, Arsenal did not want a major conflict with Barcelona because they had already signed Fabregas, so it took longer than we expected for them to reach an agreement with Barcelona."

"Then Manchester United came along and said, 'Listen, we want you. Make a decision now,' so I decided to go there."

"After that, it's true that Wenger tried to sign Messi, but he didn't get a work permit. The good thing is that we eventually returned to Barça and played together again for the Barça first team."

Pique answered.

"So, what do you have to say about your opponent who hasn't been defeated in three years, and who even eliminated you twice?"

The host has no idea how Pique feels.

He wants sensationalism and buzz, so his questions are all quite pointed.

"Actually, I've always thought Arsenal plays a very pretentious game."

Pique's tone was somewhat unnatural.

He couldn't help but feel angry whenever he thought about the loss to Arsenal and how Qin Ming had humiliated him.

"Pretentious?"

Host Maris countered with a question.

"Yes, including their core players, they always try to attract fans with flashy and skillful methods, and sometimes they deliberately seek physical confrontations in order to get the head coach's favor."

Pique shrugged.

"Really? But Arsenal were nominated for the Fair Play Award, and they haven't committed any fouls yet."

Maris continued to stir up trouble.

"You don't need to explain to me. Everyone knows this, and there's no need for us to argue."

Pique interrupted Maris.

"Indeed, in terms of the number of fouls committed, Arsenal is number one in Europe, and Qin, whom everyone praises, actually has a lot of dirty tricks, such as this elbow strike."

Maris felt the hype had died down, so he released a video to confirm the facts.

Qin Ming has been elbowing others since the Bundesliga season, and even broke Rüdiger's ribs.

"I think the Laureus Awards organizers should reconsider whether it's appropriate to award the Best Male Athlete award to an athlete whose moral character isn't very high?"

"Moreover, we can list a long list of European matches where referees consistently favor Arsenal."

"Perhaps we'll never finish telling the story."

Maris and Pique discussed these individual clips one by one.

As the video went viral and spread rapidly, Qin Ming found his private account and posted a single sentence.

"The thief cries 'Stop thief!'"

If we're talking about who's the biggest thief in European football, it has to be Barcelona. Ever since their "godfather" took over, Barcelona has been profiting from the situation.

The referee's bias even prompted Drogba's famous quote.

It's a fucking disgrace!

That was no longer a match, but a farce of the century staged by referee Henning and Barcelona.

Although a long time has passed.

However, it still generates considerable discussion in the football world because Platini faces multiple charges, and Drogba recently stated angrily in a media interview: "If fairness still exists, Barcelona should be banned for ten years."

After understanding Qin Ming's meaning, Arsenal fans launched a counterattack.

They don't have a good temper.

People used to criticize Wenger, now they can criticize Pique, not to mention they're playing with a winning hand.

In the 24th minute of the match, Lampard delivered a through ball, and Drogba successfully broke the offside trap, gaining a near one-on-one opportunity in the penalty area. Marquez chased after him from behind and used his arm and body to pull Drogba down inside the penalty area.

According to the rules, what does pulling from behind, obstructing an attack, and being inside the penalty area equal?
That's equivalent to a penalty kick!

It was an indisputable penalty, but the referee made a clear, direct, and unambiguous mistake.

A video was placed outside the Emirates Stadium and played on a loop.

As Pique and the Barcelona players entered the field, the extreme fans in the North Stand were also chanting.

Shakira belongs to all of us!

"It all started in De la Rua, Pique was a green turtle, and your son is Wakaso!"

"You are gay!"

In a short period of time, the gunman composed a song.

De La Rua is Shakira's ex-boyfriend.

As for Wakaso, he was a Ghanaian defensive midfielder in Spain. He has since transferred to Alavés. The reason Arsenal fans are bringing him up is entirely related to Shakira's "Waka Waka" lyrics.

"Damn Pique, come out here and pay tribute to the champion!"

Immediately afterwards, slogans rang out again and again from the North Stand.

Pique, who once played for Manchester United, could naturally understand what was happening outside, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

Qin Ming still stood at the front with a half-smile.

"That was really satisfying to yell at!"

Morata said in a low voice, but as soon as he spoke, the noise outside stopped, making his words very clear in the players' tunnel.

Pique's lips twitched violently.

It's one thing for other people to criticize him, but even his national team teammates said the same thing.

Let's see if he makes things difficult for Morata when he returns to the national team.

"Let's go!"

Qin Ming waved to his smiling teammates and walked out of the player tunnel first.

Wow!
Arsenal fans immediately erupted in applause and cheers.

Then came the boos directed at the Barcelona players, along with those slightly insulting slogans.

"Today's referee is Dani Mekelli from the Netherlands."

"It's quite a coincidence that Arsenal won all the matches he officiated."

"So many Barcelona fans protested before the match, but in the end they couldn't change the result, and Mekelli still officiated the game."

"Alright, the match has begun."

He Wei laughed in the broadcast room.

On the sidelines, Valverde looked towards the pitch with a worried expression, as he had opted for a more conservative tactical approach due to the first leg being an away game.

This has also drawn criticism from some players.

He was also very helpless about this. The Barcelona he took over was not complete. Neymar's departure led to a significant reduction in the attacking power and threat of the forward line, which relied on the MSN trio. The team's ability to penetrate down the flanks was greatly weakened.

The club's subsequent record-breaking signings, orchestrated by Bartomeu, not only failed to fill the void left by Neymar, but also resulted in Barcelona accumulating massive debts. The midfield and defense also saw significant spending on underwhelming results.

As the head coach, he had no say in any of these player signings; he could only use whatever was available and force the poorly assembled lineup to gel.

He has also long been caught in the middle between the players and the management.

To lead the team to a 39-game unbeaten run across seasons and have a chance to win La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League is already a remarkable achievement.

of course.

"Hope" simply means they haven't been eliminated yet.

What will happen after today?
However, with a league lead over Real Madrid and a high probability of winning the Copa del Rey, if they can overcome Arsenal in the semi-finals, they could very well become treble winners.

Valverde looked towards the pitch and saw that Arsenal had opted for a high press today, and their actions were much more aggressive than usual.

It's clear they want to take the initiative this way.

Suddenly Valverde's breath hitched.

So fast?
Perhaps because he was too familiar with Bellerin, his former teammate, Monreal anticipated his long diagonal pass.

He pressed Iniesta decisively and, together with Kanté, intercepted the ball.

Kante passed the ball to Sanchez, who then laid it off horizontally without stopping. Qin Ming, who received the ball on the left side of midfield, looked up and saw Pique sprinting towards him, creating a one-on-one situation.

Not at all indulgent!
Qin Ming simply and directly pushed the ball forward, never even considering using fancy tricks to outmaneuver his opponent.

Everyone gets old.

Moreover, speed is not Pique's forte; he wants to use his body to block the position.

boom!
Pique, who was trying to use his body to block the position, felt a sharp pain in his ribs.

He was 192cm tall and weighed 85kg, and he was forcibly pushed aside like that?
He himself couldn't believe that in the instant he lost his balance, he grabbed Qin Ming's jersey.

However, Qin Ming, who had already accelerated, dragged him several meters on the ground.

A series of gasps of amazement echoed through the Emirates Stadium.

The photographer clearly understands what the fans want to see. The footage was replayed and magnified several times, showing Qin Ming's leg muscles exerting explosive power.

Snapped!
Qin Ming pushed away Pique's hand, and the referee walked over and showed Pique a yellow card.

"Actually, this is just a tactical area, designed to stop Qin Ming from advancing further, but..."

Paul Dutton laughed for a moment before continuing, "But Pique's foul was really not elegant. However, Puma should be happy to see this because their jerseys are of such high quality!"

"Well, Arsenal drew a crucial yellow card and a well-placed set piece in the 8th minute of the match!"

"I wonder if Qin can direct the storyline that everyone likes the most?"

On the court, Qin Ming noticed that his jersey was a bit deformed and rubbed the marks left on his neck.

"Is Qin alright?"

Morata asked nervously.

"It's alright, Osman, Alexis, you two come here."

Qin Ming called Sanchez and Dembele over to discuss free-kick tactics.

The whole world knows it.

Arsenal's free kicks are unusual, featuring not only a variety of strange tactics but also three-person relays that resemble circus acts.

It makes people hard to guard against.

Ter Stegen stood in front of the door, constantly adjusting the position of the human wall.

In less than three seasons, the player who scored the most goals against him changed from Cristiano Ronaldo to Qin Ming.

You can never be too cautious when facing your nemesis.

Qin Ming looked up at the Barcelona wall, and it was really hard to find tall players like Pique, Busquets, and Rakitic.

This is the opportunity.

Therefore, instead of having Sanchez or Dembele feint an attack, he decided to take the free kick directly.

Beep! ! !
The referee's whistle made countless people tense.

Qin Ming exhaled, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, he took a running start and curled the shot!
A sharp arc, accompanied by a muffled thud, ripped through the sky.

The strong wind generated caused Pique to feel a slight stinging sensation as he jumped.

I didn't encounter it!
He quickly turned around to look.

Ter Stegen recalled the fear of being dominated by Arsenal's number 10.

The football grazed his fingertips and slipped into the goal from the tenth corner.

"Yeah!"

The cheers of Arsenal fans swept through the Emirates Stadium like a red and white storm.

Barcelona fans stared in disbelief at the scoreboard.

That simple?
The game had only been going on for 10 minutes when Arsenal's first shot went in?
As Qin Ming ran, he raised his hands, signaling for the cheers to be louder.

"Damn Pique, come out here and pay tribute to the champion!"

I don't know who started chanting slogans again.

This statement is a tribute to Eto'o's remarks after being abandoned by Real Madrid and joining Barcelona to win the league title.

This made countless Barcelona fans so angry they felt like their vision was going black.

But no matter how they fought back, their voices didn't travel far before being drowned out by the gunmen.

Courtside.

Valverde comforted himself, thinking that conceding an early goal wasn't a bad thing, and as long as he could stabilize the situation afterward, then even if he had to go back like this.

They still have advantages.

If Messi can have a breakout performance and score a goal.
Valverde shifted his gaze and noticed Messi's head was down; he immediately sensed something was wrong.

He also knew that Messi was rather reserved.

But at times like these, you absolutely cannot remain silent; you must encourage your teammates.

the other side.

Wenger remained calm and instructed Kante to mark Messi closely, while Suarez was left to Van Dijk for defense.

Meanwhile, the pressing in the midfield and attacking third continued.

They gave Barcelona no chance, pressing them from start to finish.

This is Wenger's tactical design.

"coming!"

"Messi's consecutive dribbling was so cool, shooting directly from that distance?"

"That kick was a bit outrageous!"

Paul Dutton witnessed the football fly into the stands.

"Well done!" Qin Ming gave Kanté a thumbs up. Kanté had interfered with Messi at a crucial moment.

Otherwise, there's no way that shot would have gone wide.

Arsenal gradually took control of the game. Roberto was very active today. He usually likes to play with Morata and has developed a habit of getting excited when facing his former club.

Fabinho and others on the right flank repeatedly thwarted Iniesta's advances.

When he heard the Barcelona fans in the away stands booing him, he lost all hope.

He did come from Barcelona's youth academy, after all.

Not only were they abandoned by management, but they also received no respect whatsoever.

"Go for it!"

When Bellerin tried to break through using his speed, Monreal immediately closed in but didn't try to steal the ball; instead, he kept engaging in physical confrontations.

Bellerin's ball control isn't as refined as Qin Ming's.

Several consecutive touches were too large, causing him to lose control of the ball on the last touch, which rolled directly out of bounds.

Monreal whistled and clicked his teeth.

His smugness was undisguised; he had won more often than he lost when he faced Bellerin in the past.

Bellerin took a deep breath.

Returning to the Emirates Stadium, he wanted to prove himself right and that everyone should have the right to choose.

He dreamed of playing for Barcelona since he was a child.

It's simply about staying true to one's ideas.

Arsenal fans still respect him, after all, he left the team with a transfer fee, unlike Fabregas who lowered his price and threatened to strike.

Bellerin had made a beautiful defensive play earlier, and the fans applauded him.

Messi didn't have many brilliant breakthroughs because he was overworked and exhausted this season.

His playing frequency is much higher than last season.

Who told Valverde that Barcelona needed Messi to win?
After several unsuccessful attempts to break through defenses, Messi changed his approach and started helping his teammates organize and advance the ball.

But Arsenal's high-pressing tactics made Iniesta and his teammates very uncomfortable.

"The game became a stalemate, with Barcelona's formation pushing back and their possession rate continuing to decline."

"A goal could happen very soon."

(End of this chapter)