Football: Starting from the Ronaldinho template

Chapter 374 Revenge at Old Trafford
On April 29th, Old Trafford was packed with people.

Fourteen years ago, this place witnessed a classic match when Arsenal was in its "Invincible Battleship" era.

在温格的带领下，自2003年5月以来未尝败绩，49场不败的纪录横跨两个赛季，包括36场英超、10场欧冠和3场联赛杯。

However, Manchester United ended Arsenal's unbeaten record in this match.

Of course, in the eyes of Arsenal fans, the process can only be described as dirty.

They believed that it wouldn't have been unreasonable for Ferdinand, Neville, and Van Nistelrooy to all receive red cards in that match, and that Rooney's red card was also obtained through a diving foul.

Otherwise, Arsenal would never have lost.

This also made them wonder if they would still lose in the Champions League final a few years later after the butterfly effect took place.

No one knows the answer.

But this doesn't change the fact that Arsenal players consider Manchester United their most hated team besides Tottenham.

"11VS14!"

At the north entrance outside Old Trafford, Arsenal players held up a banner mocking Manchester United's past reliance on referees for personal gain.

Pre-match press conference.

Mourinho is under immense pressure lately, finding that his previous ideas and expectations are difficult to realize at Manchester United.

It was as if countless obstacles were pushing him backward.

Looking at Manchester United's squad alone, no one can say they're bad, but their performance in the Champions League and the league this season has been disappointing.

They are more than 20 points behind Arsenal in the standings.

Yes, that's right. Because Manchester City has also won more than they lost this season, Manchester United is now far behind Manchester City by a lot of points.

Although Manchester United are only three points behind third and fourth place, namely Liverpool and Tottenham.

But the problem is that there are very few leagues left.

If they can't beat Arsenal at home, they won't be able to turn things around and finish in the top four to secure a Champions League spot.

difficult.

"Arsenal have already secured the league title, but that doesn't mean they'll let their guard down, because they're still chasing a record."

“We’ve finished them off once, so we’ll do it again at Old Trafford.”

"We and the fans are confident about this."

Mourinho's words have become less sharp compared to before.

What would he have said fifteen years ago?
This might prevent Arsenal from crying after the match.

Another conference room.

"I don't want to talk about past games anymore, but today we've come to Old Trafford to take away the victory."

Wenger only said this one sentence.

The atmosphere in the players' tunnel was tense just minutes before the match started.

Qin Ming seemed to be able to feel the hostile gazes of the Manchester United players beside him.

He recalled the story after the millennium, a bit of inside information he learned after chatting with Ian Wright.

After Seaman was lobbed by Ronaldinho in the 2002 World Cup, he seemed to develop a phobia of high balls.

Arsenal's air defense became weak from that point on.

Teams competed to torment Arsenal with high balls, and Bolton's powerful throws and physical challenges to the goalkeepers during corner kicks followed.

Arsenal's beautiful football back then was defeated by this kind of physical football.

The media euphemistically claimed that English football still has a place to exist.

In 2004, the Neville brothers traumatized Reyes, and later stated in their autobiographies that it was intentional.

Then Sunderland broke Diaby's leg, Cardiff broke Ramsey's leg, Birmingham broke Eduardo's leg, and Arnautovic seriously injured Debuchy with a tackle.

During that period, Arsenal was constantly ridiculed by other fans.

Evra said playing against Arsenal is like playing against a bunch of kids; once you get physical, they can't help but complain and cry.

Mourinho said Wenger is a failure expert and a complainer.

"Winning is the only thing that matters; nothing else matters. This applies not only to the world of football but also to the real world."

Ian Wright concluded by saying this to Qin Ming.

Qin Ming refocused his gaze, no longer letting his chaotic thoughts distract him, and looked up at the end of the players' tunnel.

There's nothing else to say.

Winning is all that matters.

A beautiful win!

Leading my spirited teammates out of the tunnel, the boos around me were like boiling water, buzzing and drilling into my ears.

Guessing which way Manchester United captain Valencia will win.

Qin Ming was lucky; he won the right to kick off. Before the match started, the Gunners gathered in a circle.

"Guys, they say playing with us is like playing with kids. Today we'll show them how kids play football!"

"Then let them go play in the Europa League!"

Qin Ming bent down, finished speaking, and extended his hand.

Two hands were placed on top of him. Qin Ming took a deep breath and shouted, "Three, two, one! Gunman!"

"Forward! Forward! Forward!"

Arsenal players seemed determined to unleash all the passion pent up inside them.

The match started quickly with the sound of the whistle.

"Today Manchester United opted for a forward line of Lingard, Lukaku, and Martial, and also used their most frequently used formation, 4-3-3. Did they drop back right from the start?"

"Is Manchester United being a bit too conservative?"

"Arsenal did not hesitate and decisively pressed forward to attack!"

Paul Dutton's voice was full of sarcasm.

The Red Devils, who once had attacking as their very core, now have to retreat and defend when facing them.

Only then can we seize that possible opportunity.

Mourinho ignored the taunts from Arsenal fans and the look that Pat Rice gave him.

He doesn't care.

He didn't care about public opinion or the media's denigration.

Realists care about nothing but victory.

Manchester United's compressed formation and extremely dense defense made it very difficult for them to penetrate.

After thinking for a moment, Qin Ming decided to open up the situation from both flanks.

They mainly create set pieces. Don't be fooled by Manchester United's giant lineup; their average height is higher than their opponents.

But the purpose of creating set pieces is not just for aerial balls, but also to create chaos in Manchester United's backfield, preparing them to score in the ensuing confusion.

"Dembele breaks past Ashley Young!"

"Professor Yang, who is not in his contract year, can't be compared to Messi and Ronaldo. No, wait, I wonder if his comparison will change next contract year!"

"Cut it inwards!"

Dembele cleverly chose the edge of the penalty area, which both deterred Smalling from committing a foul and prevented Pogba from tracking back.

Try kicking!
Just as Smalling stretched out his leg to block, Dembele made a cutback pass.

He squeezed through the gap between Matic and Pogba.

No one expected that Arsenal, who had already reached the penalty area, would choose to pass the ball away from the goal.

boom!
But the next second, a sound like shattering gold and splitting stone appeared.

The football then transformed into a cannonball, whistling through the air and hurtling towards the top left corner of Manchester United's goal.

Clang! The football was deflected by De Gea and slammed into the angle between the crossbar and the post.

and then?
Tens of thousands of fans craned their necks to look.

It bounced into the goal.

The referee pointed to the center circle, indicating that the goal was valid.

"It's in? It's in!"

"Arsenal broke through Manchester United's goal in their first attack after just 1 minute and 26 seconds!"

What is efficiency?

"That's efficiency!"

Paul Dutton was ecstatic, jumping for joy. He hadn't expected the goal to come so quickly; before the match, he had even worried that Manchester United might ruin things again.
Now he can finally relax.

After a brief silence at Old Trafford, the Arsenal players erupted in cheers, while Manchester United fans stared wide-eyed at the scoreboard.

Standing in front of the goal is De Gea!
He led the Premier League in saves this season and saved Manchester United countless times, yet he went down under Arsenal's first shot?

De Gea was also helpless.

At such a distance, it was scored at a ten-point mark.

And his teammates, knowing that Qin Ming is good at long-range shooting, how could they let him go to no one's territory?
This is ridiculous!

De Gea silently got up from the grass. He wasn't like Lloris, who would hurl insults at his teammates.

Even if he's facing a big-eared idiot who puts the ball into his own goal.

He would only sigh twice and continue guarding the goal.

In the corner flag area, Qin Ming pointed his index finger at the Manchester United fans who had been booing him incessantly before the match, signaling them to be quiet.

His performance has only just begun.

Arsenal's previous winless streak at Old Trafford became meaningless after his arrival.

Manchester United fans have never been treated like this before.

The boos were deafening, and the camera moved quickly, focusing on Ferguson.

The elderly man was chewing gum.

His complexion was much rosier than before. He was here today to witness Arsenal's defeat, not to see Manchester United humiliated by the Gunners and then return to London victorious.

But now, judging from the situation, Ferguson has fallen silent.

Neville, standing nearby, kept grumbling, "Get physical! Why are you being so cowardly? That's not our style!"

After obtaining his coaching license, he went to Valencia to work as a coach.

As a result, in 16 rounds of La Liga, the team only managed 3 wins and 14 points.

It's a total rip-off.

He knew he wasn't cut out to be a coach, so he switched careers and partnered with Carragher as a commentator.

Don't be fooled by how eloquently he speaks.

To avoid being mocked by Carragher today, I specifically took the day off to avoid talking about this match.

The reason given was, of course, to accompany Sir Alex Ferguson.

The game has restarted, and Manchester United did not collapse as people expected. Perhaps because they have lost to Arsenal so many times, even the unruly Pogba has become much more composed.

Twenty minutes passed quickly.

During the match, both teams traded attacks and defenses. Lukaku frequently drifted to the flanks, causing some difficulties for Monreal and forcing Kanté to cover for them.

At this point, Manchester United will take advantage of the gaps in the half-spaces to advance.

"Van Dijk is getting more and more consistent; he even managed to steal the ball while defending against two defenders!"

"Look at him, he didn't look at the football at all, but stared straight into Lingard's eyes. It's said to be his special technique!"

“The recently lauded Lingard missed a golden opportunity!”

As soon as Carragher finished speaking in the commentary booth, Matic desperately won back possession of the ball and passed it to Pogba on the side.

The latter took two steps and then shot from 30 meters away.

Bang! Pogba, considered by many to be a midfield template and one of the best players of the future, unleashed a world-class goal.

Cech was unable to make the save either.

Wow! Old Trafford erupted instantly, with countless middle fingers raised in the stands, all for Qin Ming.

"Something."

Qin Ming stroked his chin.

Pogba is indeed much more composed now than before, which can be seen from his hairstyle.

Could it be that my appearance has changed this guy?

It seems highly likely, and the football world will certainly be even more interesting in the next few years.

The seemingly forlorn yet still competitive Messi and Ronaldo, the rapidly rising Mbappe, and the prodigal son Pogba ignited a fire in Qin Ming's heart.

He loves the exciting world of football.

If he were the only one performing, it would be incredibly boring.

Stand in front of the center circle.

The chants from the Manchester United fans suddenly subsided a bit.

That figure, which seemed tiny to them, pressed down on their chests like a boulder, making it hard to breathe.

"The game has restarted!"

"We saw a smile on Sir Alex Ferguson's face, Manchester United's morale is soaring, but the tactics haven't changed, still mainly based on counter-attacks!"

"This Manchester United team's execution is much better than it was before the season!"

"Mourinho's arrival is by no means useless; on the contrary, he is constantly laying a solid foundation for Manchester United!"

Even Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher couldn't help but sigh.

However, the situation on the field remained unchanged. Arsenal still had a high possession rate and continued to dominate Manchester United.

Fake shot!

A basic attack baited out Matic's ultimate move.

Qin Ming dribbled the ball around the right side and suddenly curled a shot.

Smalling jumped up and realized it was a bit short.

Looking back, Sanchez was making a rapid advance and, before the ball even hit the ground, swung his right foot to shoot.

A close-range burst of fire poses a significant threat.

"De Gea made the save!"

"Oh oh oh!"

The commentator on site made a strange noise.

But before Manchester United fans could celebrate for even a few seconds, Morata ran to the ball's trajectory and scored on the rebound.

De Gea, who had just landed, seemed to spring back up and make another save.

The ball was saved in the incredulous gaze of Arsenal fans.

Old Trafford is so quiet you can hear the wind.

Bang! A dull thud broke the silence. De Gea, lying on the grass, struggled to his feet, but the ball had already blasted into the goal from above.

No one noticed that Qin Ming, like a ghost, quietly slipped into the restricted area.

"We're in the lead again!"

"Qin Mei scores her second goal, bringing her total to 48!"

"Old Trafford has witnessed a new chapter in history!"

Paul Dutton yelled.

After scoring, Qin Ming made a "four" gesture with his left hand and an "eight" gesture with his right hand, giving a bright smile to the Manchester United fans.

Wenger clapped lightly when he saw it.

He is not worried about the result of today's game. After coming so far to get to this point, Arsenal will not lose.

The "L" won't be carved on that wall either.

Just like before, with only "W" and "D" in mind, Wenger turned his attention back, called Kanté over, and gave him some instructions on some details.

There was very little time left in the first half.

We can slow down the pace, not fight Manchester United to the bitter end, and look for opportunities in the second half.

Moreover, Manchester United were eliminated early from the Champions League and FA Cup, leaving only the Premier League, so they must be full of energy.

Arsenal also need to prepare for the second leg of the Champions League semi-final in a few days.

Although they are leading Barcelona by a lot of goals, who knows what might happen?

The referee didn't give much added time in the first half.

The only condition for Ferguson's time was Ferguson; it would be difficult for others to receive such preferential treatment.

Beep!
A short whistle pierced the sky. Qin Ming felt a little regretful. He had just had a chance to break through Manchester United's defense, but Matic decisively pulled him down in a tactical foul.

But getting a yellow card isn't a bad deal.

(End of this chapter)