Team Spirit

Chapter 168 (1 words, please subscribe) Crushing Rome, battling in West Asia, and taking down that invincible Arsenal team.
Sky Sports: "The Premier League is undoubtedly the best league in the world! League One second-placed Dartford beat Serie A first-placed Roma!"

Fans' Treasure: "Red can't beat green! Dartford thrashed Roma 5-1, one foot in the Europa League quarterfinals!"

The Echo: "Lu Kai celebrates his goal with a sweeping shot in tribute to Batistuta, Ashley Young dodges bullets and performs a London ballet!"

Bild: "Fierce attacking power! Lukay, Drogba, and Gilardino, three quick-fire strikers, have all scored four goals in the UEFA Cup! Tied for first place!"

Gazzetta dello Sport: "Gilardino is a god descended to earth; his name belongs to Milan!"

Tuttosport reports: "Moggi says Gilardino should join the Italian national team, and joining Juventus would make his dream come true!"

According to the Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport: "Giallorossi fans are extremely dissatisfied with the team's performance, and if they cannot bring the team a championship, Capello is prepared to be sacked!"

Italian media quoted Lu Kai's post-match comments on Gilardino: "He was a darling and an outcast. He was pursued and exiled. He gradually lost his footing in Parma, but regained respect at Dartford and won even more respect in Rome!"

"This is yet another impressive silhouette in the history of Italian football; I would call it a lucky silhouette!"

The last time I saw such a moving image of a person's back was when Roberto Baggio missed a penalty.

The next truly moving sight was Beckham's retirement.

Baggio on the left, Beckham on the right, and Gilardino in the middle!
Without a doubt, Gilardino, with three goals and one assist, won the Man of the Match award.

Watching him excitedly give the interview, Ashley Young couldn't help but feel envious: "To be honest, Gilardino's playing style still makes me a little scared."

Ten Hagh: "What are you afraid of?"

Ashley Young: "Afraid of shortening my lifespan."

Three goals, one a lucky break and two stolen, none of them were scored with real skill.

Is Gilardino playing football on loan?

You're unlikely to encounter this kind of ball repeatedly in your life.

When I was young, I scored all the easy goals; now that I'm older, all my shots are for fun.

March 13th to March 20th.

Dartford have won three straight League One matches.

They finally secured the top spot in League One.

This can be considered as giving Rome some face.

Unfortunately, within a week, the positions of the two sides reversed.

Roma suffered a series of defeats in Serie A and were finally overtaken, dropping to second place in the league.

March 25th, the second leg of the UEFA Cup Round of 16.

Green Penguin Stadium.

In the presence of 6,000 Green Gunners, Dartford drew 1-1 with Roma.

Despite Totti starting the game and scoring a goal.

But then came the brilliant shot from veteran Gascoigne after coming on as a substitute.

Roma finished with one draw and one loss, and were eliminated.

March 27th, the 39th round of English League One.

Dartford beat Derby County 2-1 at home.

Lu Kai deliberately drew a yellow card in the second half of the game, which caused a conflict between the two sides.

Lu Kai was severely criticized by some media outlets after the match.

You, the top team in League One, are beating the 22nd-ranked team in League One, and you actually resort to despicable means to prevent them from equalizing the game. This is truly unbecoming of a top team.

April 1st, the first leg of the UEFA Cup quarter-finals.

Dartford will host Valencia, nicknamed "The Bats".

Despite the fact that the opponent's key winger, Kily Gonzalez, was sidelined due to a serious injury.

But center forward Mista was in red-hot form and scored the winning goal.

They defeated Green Guns 1-0.

After the match, Spanish media outlets exclaimed, "La Liga is the best!"
They also listen to Jay Chou.

In a media interview, Alfred complained about the schedule: "I know everyone thinks we're a free win, and that's how we've been all these years."

"Whether we face a strong team or a weak team, they all treat us like an easy win, because even the weakest team is stronger than us."

"But this year it's really gone too far."

"Look at the opponents UEFA has assigned us!"

"Let's not even mention Bundesliga powerhouse Dortmund and Dutch giant Feyenoord. What's going on with Roma, the top team in Serie A, and Valencia, the second-placed team in La Liga?"

"Are we really playing in the UEFA Cup? This is clearly the Champions League!"

Alfred's rant sparked a lively discussion and garnered knowing smiles from everyone.

Indeed, they have the worst draw in this year's UEFA Cup, without a doubt.

This is not only reflected in the UEFA Cup, but also in the FA Cup.

"Shit! Why is it always them? Are these the only two teams in England?"

"A moment of silence for Green Gun!"

"It looks like we're going to be knocked out of both the UEFA Cup and the FA Cup this week! Dartford are about to face their darkest hour!"

Dartford's FA Cup semi-final opponent is none other than Arsenal's Gatlin!

Dart's volleyball was also very effective, even eliminating Arsenal in the EFL Cup.

But that was only at the beginning of the season, and Arsenal had only fielded a young squad.

That match was essentially a gift from Arsenal to Dartford.

And once Arsenal get serious... so far, they haven't lost in the Premier League!
As the season draws to a close, the reputation of "the invincible Arsenal" has spread far and wide.

With five rounds remaining in the Premier League, they remain unbeaten in the league.

After playing Dartford in the FA Cup semi-final, if they win another league game, they could lift the Premier League trophy four rounds early and be crowned champions!
"No, you Arsenal being number one in the Premier League is awesome, but do you think our Dartford being number one in League One is just talk?"

"Is the person upstairs crazy? The top team in League One is not worthy of being compared to the top team in the Premier League! Besides, they won the title undefeated!"

"The guy upstairs is such a Reds fan! You guys just won the Premier League unbeaten, don't mislead others, okay? You're talking like you've never lost! Do I need to remind you about the EFL Cup?"

Red Gunners fan: "The EFL Cup can be considered a competition? Isn't that a special tournament created by the FA for Sino-British friendship? Otherwise, how could Lu Kai have won for three consecutive years? Barcelona B could achieve the same result!"

Green Gunner fan: "The Barcelona fan upstairs is acting like a brat, can't he go to a Spanish football forum?"

Barcelona fan: "Fine, fine, I'll stop pretending. Arsenal and Dartford are both rubbish! What unbeaten title win? They can even lose to Dynamo Kyiv!"

This blow struck a nerve with Red Gunners fans, as they suffered two losses and one draw in their first three Champions League group stage matches, losing to Inter Milan and Dynamo Kyiv respectively.

A day later, even greater sorrow followed.

Arsenal suffered their fourth defeat of the season across four competitions.

I've already told you to be careful around these four things, but you just won't listen.

Well, that's it. In the Champions League quarter-finals, they managed a draw and a loss, losing to the "Golden Flash" Chelsea!

This shattered Arsenal fans' dream of a treble.

Even if I become a double champion, I won't be happy.

With heavy hearts, Arsenal and Dartford faced off in the semi-final.

In the previous league match, Dartford won 3-0 against their opponents, and Lu Kai voluntarily received a yellow card.

……

At Highbury Stadium, 45,000 fans had been waiting for a long time.

Dartred and Asengreen meet again, a fateful encounter.

The former was eliminated from the Champions League.

The latter is on the verge of elimination from the UEFA Cup.

Both are also ranked first in their respective leagues.

For a moment, people were somewhat dazed.

Arsenal is still the same Arsenal, but Dartford is no longer the Dartford of the past.

Two London strikers have surprisingly dominated the English first and second divisions.

It's true that England's football stars are all coming from London!

Arsenal's starting lineup is:
Aliadire, Bergkamp

Pires, Vieira, Gaspar, Ljungberg
Ashley Cole, Campbell, Chloe Toure, Lauren

莱曼
-

It looks like a 4-4-2, but it's actually a 4-2-3-1. Bergkamp would drop back when playing, roughly equivalent to an attacking midfielder.

Henry sat on the bench; he had a minor injury.

Youngster Aliadière played in Henry's position today. This player has helped the team achieve quite a few victories this season, making him look like a rising star.

Gilbert Silva was unavailable for the squad due to injury. He is the starting defensive midfielder, and Gaspar will play in his position today.

Apart from that, everyone else is a key player on the team.

This lineup can be considered quite complete.

However, Dartford's pre-match tactical analysis meeting highlighted these two players.

After Modric and Ten Hag set up the meeting room, Lu Kai explained while showing the PowerPoint presentation: "The 4-2-3-1 formation actually places very high demands on the lone striker."

"Passing, stopping, shooting, speed, physical strength, positioning, and jumping ability are all very demanding. Arsenal only has one player, Henry, who can perfectly meet all these requirements."

“Aliadiere is clearly not capable of becoming its replacement.”

"So in terms of performance, he's not good at receiving the ball and can't get into dangerous areas. Even when he is in dangerous areas, he'll move to other areas due to pressure."

"His goal-scoring efficiency is naturally not high. All he can do is pass the ball... so we need to do a good job of defense on the right flank and focus on Pires."

"He has scored more than 20 goals in his last 40 games, which is underestimated by many people."

If Henry hadn't been injured, Dartford's right flank would have been completely unplayable.

Lu Kai will replace the right winger with a defender.

Because Henry + Pires + Cole is currently the world's best left-wing lineup.

Whoever gets hit will wear it.

There's no way to prevent it.

Unless Dartford fields a full-on Lukay-Lukay-Lukay wing lineup, they might not be able to match it.

Ashley Young: ???
But without Henry, the quality of this defense dropped by more than one level.
In other words, if any one of these three were to be missing, this defensive line would drop two levels from its historically phenomenal level.

“As for Gaspar… our left-wing players, Ribery and Ashley Young, keep an eye on Gaspar cutting inside!” Lu Kai was being a bit inhumane.

Edu Gaspar, the future first sporting director in Arsenal's history.

He brought back key players like Ødegaard and Rice to revitalize the team.

Of course, they also signed an epic flop like Nicolas Pepe.

As a Brazilian player, Gaspar has good footwork and vision, and is 1.84 meters tall, making him an organizing midfielder.

Therefore, when he appears in the defensive midfield position, he is naturally a weak point.

Moreover, he replaced Gilbert Silva.

Vieira and Gilbert Silva are one of the most classic double defensive midfield pairings, with Vieira responsible for vertical attack and defense, and Gilbert Silva sweeping horizontally.

With Gaspar playing in that position, Arsenal's lateral coverage will be insufficient.

Therefore, cutting inside will be a fatal blow to Arsenal.

However, the "wingers cutting inside and the wingers using their weaker foot" tactic has not been the mainstream tactic in recent years, so almost no one can effectively defend Arsenal's defensive position.

Dartford is probably the strongest team in the world at present in terms of the "wingers cutting inside" tactic, bar none.

While some individual players may be better at cutting inside than Dartford's players, their overall tactical coordination makes them somewhat inadequate.

Why were Chelsea able to eliminate Arsenal in the Champions League this season?
One of the key factors is that they have a series of excellent wingers such as Madeira, Duff, Joe Cole, Mutu, and Glenkir.

And among these exceptionally talented wingers, there's always someone who can find a weakness in Arsenal's defense.

Madeira even received professional training on cutting inside at Dartford, where he provided a crucial assist in the team's victory over Arsenal.

Of course, Dartford, with little change in formation, adopted a more restrained style of play:

Valbuena, Drogba, Lee Fowler
Lu Kai, Essien, Yaya Touré

Ashley Young, Lescott, Duff, Williams
Casper

-

In fact, Lee Fowler plays in midfield, and his only task is to mark Pires one-on-one when Arsenal attacks down the left flank.

Meanwhile, the midfield defensive line of Essien, Yaya Touré, and Fowler should be appropriately deployed to the left flank when Lu Kai and Ashley Young make runs forward, so as to maintain the midfield's ability to intercept, tackle, and track back.

They didn't give Arsenal any space to make through passes down the middle.

Furthermore, this is not a 4-4-2 formation, and Ribery is not playing the role of a two-striker formation.

Dartford's attack down the left flank was the same as in previous matches: three players lined up to break through the left flank.

The significance of Lu Kai playing in midfield is that previously, the main combination was winger Lu Kai and full-back Ashley Young, with Barton responsible for midfield interception and defense.

But now, with the front, middle, and rear all working together, the offensive is even more intense.

Only if at least three players consistently attack on the left flank can Arsenal's defense be broken.

Because Dartford has completely abandoned attacking down the right flank and is only attacking down the left, relying on just one wing.

Therefore, this wing must be strong enough.

The moment Wenger saw this formation, he knew what Dartford was up to.

Because... Arsenal has actually played like this on many occasions this season.

An ultimate left-wing attack!
Especially when Ljungberg's point on the right flank is restricted.

So Dartford and Arsenal are actually very similar, with a solo run on the left and a scoring threat on the right. Wasn't that exactly what Valbuena was like when he was on the right?
From this perspective, it's not hard to explain why both teams were able to achieve excellent results.

This is essentially the same gun from the same arsenal, with only slight differences in personalized configurations.

This time, it's a direct confrontation.

The red spear had a different spearhead, but everything else remained the same. Both sides were sharpened, with the left blade being longer.

The right side of the green gun's blade was not opened; only the left side was sharpened.

……

[Ding! You have received:]

[Rocket Pass & Shoot - Gold: Your pass animation has been significantly improved. Your turn-and-pass range has increased, and the speed and accuracy of your passes have been enhanced.]

[Passing pre-pass animation: 69+4]

In the player tunnel, Lu Kai received a new skill.

This is De Bruyne's signature passing skill, which Modric is also very good at.

Often, the player is facing away from or to the side of the goal, turning halfway to shoot and pass the ball, which is extremely deadly.

It can be used in any competition.

However, the player needs to be quite skilled in positioning, shooting, and ball control.

Otherwise, it's easy to become "Stirling-ized".

With the sound of a whistle, the London derby resumed.

Both sides were somewhat wary of each other, and for the first five minutes, they were calmly probing each other without any real intention to kill.

In the sixth minute, Arsenal, with their superior overall strength, fired the first shot.

After Cole completed the advance, he passed the ball to Pires and then made a forward run.

Pires was marked by Fowler, so he split up to continue looking for Cole on the wing, while simultaneously making a forward run and coming into contact with Fowler.

Cole feigned a run down the wing, forcing Williams back before dribbling in the opposite direction to find a path. He then passed the ball to Pires, who was in position, while simultaneously making a quick lateral run to prepare for Pires' one-two pass.

Fowler is very good at intercepting the ball. He knew that Pires would definitely pass the ball to Cole, and then Cole could shoot or play a through ball from the left side of the penalty area.

Therefore, Fowler had to abandon Pires and instead block Cole.

Of course, Duff was still behind Pires, continuing to defend.

However, as soon as Fowler left, Pires turned around and passed the ball directly into the penalty area.

This is a difference between public expectations and reality.

Everyone thought he would pass the ball out of the penalty area, but he passed it into the penalty area instead, catching everyone off guard.

Bergkamp rushes toward the ball.

However, Lescott continued to disrupt Bergkamp, ​​who was unlikely to shoot directly or get past him.

But then Bergkamp backheeled the ball.

Cole's lateral movement drew the attention of Fowler and Essien.

Youngster Aliadière immediately got a great opportunity. With no one marking him behind the penalty spot, he took a shot... and the ball flew into the stands!
"Oh! This... Ariadre has wasted a golden opportunity!"

"They're both from France, and their technique, physique, and even playing habits are similar, but Aliadière, this supposed successor to Henry, is truly far inferior to Henry!"

"If Henry had been in that position, he would have scored!"

Dartford had a close call and quickly communicated with their defense.

Aliadière glanced discreetly at the sidelines... and Wenger's disappointment was evident from his expression.

Such expressions of disappointment are extremely damaging to the psyche of young people.

In the 15th minute, Dartford got the ball.

Ashley Young passed the ball from the back to Lu Kai in the middle, and then started to move forward himself.

Generally speaking, this kind of forward movement means that the offensive is still a while away.

You have to wait until Ashley Young gets ahead before you can start orchestrating the attack.

As a result, Lu Kai turned and shot at the ball – [Rocket-style pass and shot]!
Launch an attack directly.

Arsenal's defense was completely caught off guard.

Valbuena made a run on the left and created a wide opening. He dribbled the ball to the left side of the penalty area and then delivered a left-footed cross.

The ball bypassed Kolo Toure and found Drogba precisely on the right side of the penalty area.

Drogba held off Campbell, but the intense physical challenge prevented him from getting a direct shot off.

Campbell poked the ball away, but Drogba blocked Campbell and turned to pass it to Drogba.

Yaya Toure, who had made a run into the box, unleashed a powerful shot...

His older brother, Kolo Toure, made a diving tackle inside the penalty area to clear the ball.

Yaya Touré could only jump.

As the saying goes, "When it comes to fighting tigers, brothers are the closest; family members are the most ruthless."

Lu Kai shook his head slightly.

This is also a drawback of replacing the right winger with Lee Fowler.

With the defense strengthened, there is one less point of attack on the right side to penetrate into the penalty area.

It's very difficult for Drogba to avoid being completely shut down by the opponent.

Yaya Touré's forward runs from midfield are often a step too slow, preventing him from creating a saturation attack with two players on goal.

If two ghosts had been knocking on the door just now, something would have happened.

In the 17th minute, Ashley Young once again bypassed Lu Kai, dribbled forward, and then passed the ball back to Valbuena.

Valbuena made a decisive cut inside, rendering Gaspar useless as he cut all the way to the top of the arc.

At this point, Ashley Young had already cut into the penalty area, forming a two-man attacking partnership with Drogba.

Lu Kai then moved forward on the left side to the left rib area.

They tied up the vast majority of the defensive forces.

At this point, if an attacking player could make a run down the right flank...

If Valbuena passes to the right wing and then to the far post, the game is practically won.

Unfortunately, there is no way to have both.

However, Valbuena handled the situation well, sending a through ball directly to Ashley Young.

Kolo Toure was forced to clear the ball and also conceded a corner to Dartford.

Valbuena took a corner kick, Vieira headed the ball away, and Ashley Cole prepared to launch a counter-attack.

Fowler knocked him over.

The referee showed Fowler a yellow card.

In the 21st minute, Ljungberg cut inside from the right. Compared to traditional full-backs, Ljungberg has a strong tendency to cut inside, which is unconventional in recent years.

At Lu Kai's recommendation, Valbuena adopted a Ljungberg-style kicking technique on the right side.

boom!
Ljungberg took a long-range shot, which went just wide of the goal.

Wenger was very satisfied.

Compared to Dartford, who can only attack down the left flank, Arsenal's ability to attack from both wings is more effective in stretching the defense.

In the long run, it will inevitably be the one with the advantage.

In the 22nd minute, after Kasper took the goal kick, Aliadière went to press the defender Duff who had the ball, which was the only thing he could do.

Duff passed the ball back to the goalkeeper.

Kasper controlled the ball and surprisingly broke out of the penalty area to the left.

This scene took the Arsenal players by surprise.

The next moment, Aliadire, Bergkamp, ​​and Ljungberg all rushed towards Kaspar.

But just as Aliadire was about to approach Kaspar, Kaspar made a long pass to the right.

Ten Hag's eyes lit up: "The goalkeeper's style of play! When attacking, take the initiative and use your special status to effectively attract the opponent's forwards, thereby causing the entire formation to be stretched and deformed."

In the first few attacks, Dartford's right flank was completely exposed.

Theoretically, it cannot be used.

But this time...

"Huh? What's Drogba doing there?" Wenger broke out in a cold sweat!
Drogba, playing as the center forward, started his acceleration from the far right position.

This is Ashley Cole's defense zone.

This time he failed to break through.

However, considering that Drogba was behind and Dartford had no one in the middle, Cole didn't follow him at all.

If at worst someone passes the ball to Drogba, he can just move over there.

Given Cole's speed, there's no way he couldn't keep up.

Sure enough, after Drogba accelerated, Cole, who was behind, caught up faster and rushed towards the landing point.

However, Drogba's acceleration in the later stages was quite outstanding, and he did not fall behind Cole. The two were close together, engaging in high-intensity physical confrontation while moving.

At present, Ashley Cole is the undisputed best left-back in the Premier League, and many even believe he is the best left-back in the world.

It is fast, has excellent passing and shooting, strong physical strength, and good at interception and tackles, and can fully cover both offense and defense.

If it were Valbuena, he would probably have been hit and sent flying by Cole by now.

Even Ashley Young couldn't beat him.

That's what you call talent!
Sure enough, Cole and Drogba maintained their duel, Cole took the lead, and Cole headed the ball on while running, ready to completely control the ball.

But in that instant, Drogba unleashed his power!
The monster from before was just feigning weakness; it didn't dare to exert any force for fear of alerting the enemy.

After Cole headed the ball, he quietly increased the intensity.

Cole was trying to do two things at once, and was immediately distracted by the immense force. He lost his footing and fell to his knees.

Drogba successfully overtook the ball, caught up with it, and dribbled towards the penalty area.

However, Cole's physical abilities were also extraordinary; after kneeling for a while, he forced himself to stand up and quickly chased after them.

At this point, Drogba had already broken into the right side of the penalty area.

Fortunately, Kolo Toure was young and returned in time to block Drogba in a defensive position.

Drogba stopped abruptly with a backheel flick, knocking aside Embroidery and shaking off Kolo Toure.

He followed up with a powerful shot using his left foot.

However, Kolo Toure, in a disoriented position, turned his back to Drogba and extended his left leg to block the shot.

He actually managed to block it.

The football bounced off Drogba's foot, then off Kolo Toure's back, before finally being stopped by Drogba.

Kolo Touré quickly got up.

Cole had also returned to the penalty area, blocking Valbuena and using his body to shut down all of Valbuena's chances of receiving the ball.

Campbell was tasked with marking Ashley Young as he broke into the penalty area from the left.

Ashley Young had already run ahead before Kasper's long kick, and had no intention of receiving Kasper's pass at all.

Wenger also used this to conclude that this was Dartford's attacking tactic, rather than a player's spur-of-the-moment idea.

boom!
Drogba passed the ball back to the edge of the penalty area before Kolo Toure could get up.

Lu Kai unleashed a powerful shot at the ball!
Gaspar could only helplessly and futilely chase after him from behind.

That kick... came from Rome!
"GOAL!"

"One-nil! Lu Kai scores a stunning long-range goal to open the scoring!"

"This was a classic Batistuta goal! Of course, it can also be called a Lu Kai goal now! Because even Batistuta, as he gets older, can no longer score with such exhilarating and violent aesthetics!"

Dartford's players began to celebrate enthusiastically!
Highbury Stadium fell silent.

Horse riding.

A lame man with a cleavage on his left side beat him to it!

Ashley Young: I get really stressed out by those two words!

Henry, sitting on the bench, shook his head. He had a premonition that he probably couldn't escape this match and would have to play through his injury.

Lu Kai's chances of hitting the ball were slightly worse than Aliadiere's, and his position was also slightly further away.

But Lu Kai got in, while Aliadere flew away.

The team's tactics were executed flawlessly; it was purely a difference between the two players.

28th minute.

Yaya Touré's pass to Valbuena was intercepted by Vieira.

When Vieira is fully committed to defense, he remains the best defensive midfielder.

Lu Kai immediately blocked Vieira's pass to Gaspar, and Vieira did indeed make a forward move.

However, top players can modify their technical movements.

Vieira forced a change from a lateral pass to a long vertical pass, launching it forward into the attacking third.

Pires took the lead, outmaneuvered Williams, controlled the ball perfectly, and charged straight into the penalty area.

He thrust his left foot out and made a curved cross.

They accurately located Ljungberg, who had broken into the penalty area from the right.

The latter received the ball and faked a shot, causing Kasper's vision to be stretched drastically from side to side, leading to a misjudgment and a save.

Ljungberg then scored with a half-volley shot.

One to one!

Arsenal quickly equalized.

In the 39th minute, Ljungberg was in excellent form. After cutting inside from the right and forcing Lu Kai to retreat, he delivered a lobbed pass to the far post of the penalty area.

He has a very rich imagination.

Aliadière broke the offside trap and entered the penalty area, creating another good opportunity.

However, Casper controlled the landing point and had already...

A diving save sent the ball flying out of the penalty area.

Lu Kai received the ball on the right flank, but due to the relationship between the ball and the grass, the ball bounced up, which was a minor mistake.

Arsenal players rushed towards Lu Kai. If Lu Kai waited for the ball to fall completely, he would likely be surrounded and tackled.

Before the ball even falls, it would be a rather difficult volley back pass, because Lu Kai would be facing his own penalty area. You can't exactly volley it behind his defense...

boom!
Lu Kai used his left foot to execute a half-turn volley and pass the ball to the left front.

Arsenal's right-back Lauren went to press Lu Kai and was completely out of position.

Ashley Young supercar launches!

If it's Ashley Cole, it's a Lamborghini.

Ashley Young is the MG Cyberster.

He caught up with the ball and advanced at high speed.

Meanwhile, Valbuena, Drogba, and Yaya Touré were firing almost simultaneously.

Although Arsenal defenders were also tracking back, opportunities on the move are the hardest to shut down.

Ashley Young crossed with his left foot, finding Drogba at the far post.

Yaya Touré is further to the right and also slower.

Drogba took off instantly, outjumping Campbell to head the ball horizontally to the ground.

Kolo Toure was cleverly headed past Drogba, and Valbuena pounced on the loose ball to tap it into the empty net.

The football went into the net.

“GOAL!!!”

"Two to one! Green Guns' offense will be relentless to the death today!"

"No matter whose opportunity it is, if they don't seize it, it will immediately become another team's opportunity! This is simply the highest level of attacking play I've seen this year!"

"So sharp! From Lu Kai's playmaking and Ashley Young's forward run to Drogba's assist and Valbuena's goal, Dartford's attack flowed like mercury!"

"And this is precisely the ultimate attacking combination of Dartford's left flank front, center, and back trio plus the center forward!"

Wenger on the sidelines started putting his hands in his pockets, but his shirt didn't have any pockets.

He never expected that, apart from Arsenal, there were actually other teams capable of executing such an extreme "crippled foot" attack.

“Drogba!” Wenger looked at Dartford’s key player.

That's right.

Drogba was the main reason why the player with the "Heavenly Cripple" foot was able to score.

He could serve "Avalo".

The services of "Avalo" are acceptable in China.

The right side can help pull and create space for "Avalo" and Yaya Touré.

He truly is a brick in the revolution, ready to be moved wherever needed.

This tactical concept only existed in Wenger's mind.

Because he couldn't bear to let Henry's precious energy be wasted in the third, inefficient mode.

Similarly, Bergkamp's stamina and speed do not support him to run around the entire midfield and forward area like Drogba.

Bergkamp can play a role similar to Drogba, but only in the small area around the top of the penalty arc.

Of course, Bergkamp's play in this area was far more refined than Drogba's.

Each has its own merits.

But... what level of player is Bergkamp?

Dartford just randomly picked a tough, dark-skinned player from Ligue 2 and somehow managed to compare him to Bergkamp.

This is simply outrageous!
In addition, aside from the players' characteristics, the status of stars like Bergkamp and Henry also prevented them from "earning money" by running on the field.

This would damage their dignity as star players.

It's not just them; any top player would do this, even if they didn't before, they would after becoming a star.

And the coach had to acknowledge that.

In short, what Drogba did was also what Ariadére was going to do; only they could accomplish it.

In the 41st minute, Vieira played a through ball, and Pires made a beautiful dribble and then accelerated.

Williams was outmaneuvered and could only bring Pires down, subsequently receiving a yellow card.

In the 43rd minute, Cole was pressed by Fowler on the left flank.

Pires dropped back to provide support.

After Cole made a direct pass to Pires, he accelerated past Fowler.

Pires received the ball and dribbled in his own direction without turning, not giving Yaya Touré a chance to get close.

But Fowler, who was chasing Cole, charged at him, with Pires in front and behind.

boom!
A powerful backheel flick, almost like a through ball, found its way to Cole.

An opportunity has arisen!

Cole burst into speed, caught up with the ball, and made several rapid runs before cutting into the penalty area from the left and delivering a left-footed cross.

However, this time Duff made a bold sliding tackle, sending the ball out of bounds.

Aliadire and Bergkamp failed to create any chances to shoot.

The two sides traded blows, and there was little time left in the first half.

The Red Gunners at Highbury were momentarily dazed. Was this really Dartford playing?
Back then, that "unknown little team" that poured money into their home stadium to buy tickets?
If you changed their jerseys and said Arsenal was playing against Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, or Juventus, everyone would believe you.

Even... Real Bayern might not be this difficult to play against, right?

If you were to say what Arsenal's biggest regret this season is, it would be that they didn't face a large number of top teams in the Champions League.

Otherwise, they might actually go even further.

If they played that style of play against those aging powerhouses, they'd probably dominate every game.

Unfortunately, they encountered some strong teams, which, while encouraging them to play cautiously, limited Arsenal's room for maneuver and increased their losses.

In the 45th minute, the first half was about to end.

Arsenal clearly want to catch up.

There were five players pressing in the attacking third.

Kasper sends a long pass to Ashley Young on the left.

Ljungberg immediately grabbed the ball.

But Ashley Young is no pushover either, and he actually dared to fake a move with the ball.

He is known as "Yang Buguo" because his ability to beat opponents one-on-one is indeed a bit lacking.

But players who are said to be "unable to get past opponents" often have another characteristic... they rarely lose possession of the ball.

Grealish: You understand me!
Anthony: Thumbs up!

Moreover, these players' inability to get past their opponents is often not due to technical skill, but rather to their personality.

Trying to dribble past an opponent is adventurous; it's about taking a chance on success after many failures. You have to not take losing the ball too seriously.

Possessing and controlling the ball is a sign of conservatism and perfectionism; the ball cannot be lost to me!

So when Ashley Young regained possession, he was surprised to find that... Ljungberg had been beaten!

Or rather, Ljungberg passed him by.

The effect is the same anyway.

Ashley Young suddenly saw a clearer picture ahead.

The two Arsenal players closest to him immediately covered and pressed him.

But Ashley Young has already seen his Kay!

boom!
Ashley Young found Lu Kai, who had retreated to meet him.

Lu Kai turned around, glanced to the right front, and then dribbled the ball at explosive speed... rushing to the left front.

He's on the left flank; usually, when a player has the ball here, they'll dribble to the right and move into the middle, posing a greater threat.

Vieira also retreated in this direction.

As a result, Lu Kai's eyes darted slightly to the left, creating space for him to perfectly execute the [Great Stride] technique.

Valbuena attacked from a position further to the left and forward.

Lu Kai's speed of advance meant that if Vieira tried to move laterally to defend against him, he would only be left with nothing.

Therefore, Vieira could only run back vertically to his own position, but he couldn't interfere with Lu Kai.

As Lu Kai approached the left side of the penalty area, Arsenal's defense panicked.

Kolo Touré had no choice but to rush out.

He had just moved when...

Lu Kai then made a pass to exploit the gap behind him.

Drogba had been holding back his speed by the offside line and had been waiting for this opportunity.

The monster transformed into a cheetah and leaped away.

Campbell wanted to make up for it.

But Drogba met the falling ball with a volley, just a fraction of a second faster!
Swish!
White waves surged up.

Lehmann suffered his worst game since joining Arsenal.

“GOAL!!!”

"Three to one! A familiar score!"

"If you didn't watch the FA Cup match between Arsenal and Dartford last season, you can't possibly know how tense both sets of fans are right now!"

"Datford were also leading 3-1 in that game, but were tied thanks to Henry's performance. That's what the Green Gunners fans are worried about now!"

"However, in extra time, Lu Kai scored the winning goal, securing the final victory. This is something that Reds fans fear!"

"However, Dartford is clearly stronger in this match compared to that one!"

"Lu Kai, who could only turn the tide single-handedly back then, now has powerful teammates like Drogba, Lescott, and Valbuena by his side!"

Ashley Young: ???
Didi!

The referee blew his whistle, and the first half ended.

Ashley Young and Gilardino exchanged a glance, both seeing the regret in each other's eyes.

Gilardino: "Too bad I didn't bring any champagne!"

Ashley Young: "It's a shame it wasn't 3-0, otherwise we could have popped the champagne."

Gilardino's eyes popped out of his head: "You really brought it?"

Ashley Young gestured for Gilardino to keep his voice down: "I already had the second leg against Roma in my bag, but we didn't win."

"Then the first leg against Valencia, still in the bag, and they lost."

"Now that we have no hope of playing in this match, I wonder if we'll have another chance in the second leg against Valencia."

Just then, a faint voice came from behind Gilardino: "So you still haven't figured out the pattern?"

Ashley Young was startled, because there was clearly no one behind Gilardino!
Until Modric's short figure emerged from behind Gilardino: "You BYD, this champagne is bad luck! Keep carrying it, and your dreams will never come true! You'll never have NIO if you keep going like this!"

Ashley Young wanted to explain.

But Modric wouldn't listen: "Let me finish! Throw it away, throw away the champagne right now! This is a tough battle, underestimating your opponent is going to hurt yourself!"

Ashley Young nodded, ran back to the locker room early to get the champagne, and then walked out of the locker room to find a place to throw it away.

Then, Amorim, who was in the locker room, saw Ashley Young: "Young?"

Ashley Young turned around.

Just then, Alfred, Lu Kai, Ten Hach and his group arrived at the locker room door.

Ashley Young, holding a champagne glass and facing the locker room, is a scene that's hard to explain.

"Yang, why are you doing this again? Didn't the boss say before that we can't open champagne in the locker room anymore?" Ten Hah struck first.

He was afraid Ashley Young would come and challenge him to a drink.

Lu Kai shook his head: "Ashley, I've already said, unless it's 3-0, we can't open the champagne at halftime."

Alfred let out a cold snort.

Knowing he had messed up, Amorin quickly avoided Ashley Young's gaze.

The second half.

Both sides could clearly sense Ashley Young's low spirits in the players' tunnel.

Similarly, Dartford also saw Henry come on.

Arsenal make a midfield substitution.

The King of Highbury plays despite injury!
beep!

With a whistle, the second half of the game begins!
(End of this chapter)