Team Spirit

Chapter 196 Five-time League Cup Finalist, this car is really fast.

[Ding! You used the Ronaldinho Moment Card and gained a lot:]

【Shot Pre-swing: 76+2】

Ball Control: 86+1

[Ball control: 78+1]

[Balance and Flexibility: 84+1]

[Passing pre-pass animation: 76+2]

【Burst: 86+1】

[Defensive Full-Back - Silver: When you play as a full-back, your speed, acceleration, defense, and physical strength are improved.]

Steals: 80+1

【Defensive Position: 80+1】

[Headball contests and clearances: 72+2]

!!!

After using the Time Card, the attribute bonuses were surprisingly high, and many of them were high-level and rare attributes.

Ronaldinho is still very kind.

It's a pity he went to Barcelona; his career was destined to end poorly in the later stages.

……

The Real Madrid match was earth-shattering.

The claims that Lu Kai was the "worst Ballon d'Or winner" and "worst player of the year" are also refuted.

Nedved and Irving said they were under a lot of pressure.

The Green Gunners also took this opportunity to educate fans, telling them not to be obsessed with chasing big-name stars.

Real Madrid is good, but our Green Gun is not bad either.

He has Rozifio, I have Lubayanten, so tell me, what's the difference?
A single match is a test, capable of turning ordinary fans into die-hard fans.

Therefore, in the future fan economy, the brand with the most die-hard fans (or rather, the most die-hard fans) is not the best brand, but the brand that loves to fight the most.

The more you tear, the more you purify.

However, while progress has been made in building a strong fan base, the team has suffered as a result.

After the match against Real Madrid, Green Gunners were exhausted both physically and mentally.

In the Premier League, they lost 0-1 to Bolton, who had previously avoided relegation but are currently ranked eighth in the Premier League this season and are a strong team.

On February 14th, in the 27th round of the Premier League, Green Gunners regrouped.

They won 2-0 against Birmingham at home.

Then came two national team matches, the European qualifiers for the World Cup.

After speaking with Lu Kai on the phone, Stanley did not call up Lu Kai for this national team term, giving Lu Kai ample time to rest, and publicly stated that Lu Kai was unwell.

This sparked strong dissatisfaction among Chelsea fans.

London Weekly: "Lu Kai is suspected of manipulating the England team roster, preventing himself from being selected in order to get more rest!"

This news left many fans stunned.

Generally speaking, manipulation would involve something like Juventus, which encourages its own players to join the national team.

Where is there any claim that they deliberately excluded their own players from the national team?
This is completely harmful to others and benefits no one.

It's important to know that being selected for the national team benefits a player's personal reputation, commercial value, historical standing, and so on.

However, looking at the schedule, Chelsea's dissatisfaction is understandable.

A week later, Dartford and Chelsea will face off in a crucial match – the EFL Cup final!

On the Chelsea side, key players like Lampard, Terry, and Joe Cole, as well as important rotation players like Parker and Glen Johnson, have all been called up.

This is absolutely a deliberate attempt to sabotage Chelsea's performance in the final.

But even knowing this, there's nothing Chelsea can do.

Because players cannot resist being called up to the national team.

On the contrary, Chelsea players are very excited about being selected for the England team.

Even Lampard wouldn't dare to fake an injury and miss the game.

After all, if he doesn't go, Gerrard will truly become the team's midfield core.

During the World Cup, wouldn't he only be able to play a supporting role to Gerrard?
The conflict between the two leaders, De and De, is far more complex than it appears to be.

They compete in almost every field, every event, and at every moment.

Not a single day can be relaxed.

Even Jin Yong said – Lampard, North Gerald!

February 26th, both teams' players had been back for a few days.

The 28th round of the Premier League has begun.

Dartford will play away against Arsenal.

This is really going to be a disaster.

Arsenal and Chelsea are playing back-to-back games.

One is the Premier League, the other is the EFL Cup final. What do you think Green Gunners should do?
Green Gunners announced early on that their main team was "unwell" and fielded a reserve lineup, only to be thrashed 5-1 by Arsenal.

Red Spear finally got his revenge.

In the first half of the season, Arsenal's 49th league match ended by Chelsea, which led to them being overtaken by Chelsea in the standings, making matters worse.

Now, by turning the tables on the Green Gun, they've shown people that the London sky can be red, in addition to blue and green!
However, there is one thing that Arsenal fans can't understand: why did Green Gunners announce rotation so early? It's one thing to do it quietly, but making a big fuss about rotation will be punished by the FA.

Wenger did see through Green Gun's ambition.

Lu Kai seems to want to go head-to-head with Chelsea.

They want to achieve an unprecedented five-peat in the EFL Cup!
They deliberately let Arsenal take all three points... Although it was indeed difficult to stop Arsenal from taking those three points, announcing it early was to put pressure on Chelsea.

If Chelsea wants to hold onto their current top spot in the Premier League standings, they can't give Arsenal any chance, not even in the Premier League matches leading up to the League Cup final. Chelsea must win.

Therefore, Chelsea fielded their strongest lineup.

Arjen Robben, the talented winger who had just returned to the game, suffered a muscle injury during the match and missed the EFL Cup final.

Robben in 2005 was indeed fragile, repeatedly suffering from muscle injuries, with an attendance rate of less than 50%, thus beginning his injury-prone career.

In addition, Glen Johnson also felt unwell.

Parker's performance has been consistently poor since returning from the national team.

Overall, the team's strength has been significantly weakened.

March 1st, the day of the EFL Cup final.

Eighty thousand fans attended the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

The number of blue fans and green fans is evenly split.

The Green Gunners have been incredibly successful in recent years, with their fan base expanding rapidly.

But Chelsea has a longer history and has spent heavily in the past two years, so its fan base has also begun to expand.

This match generated a lot of buzz, and some even believe it will determine the landscape of the Premier League for the next three to five years.

The EFL Cup even boasted that the match was a "clash of titans of Europe".

A clash between last season's Champions League manager and the UEFA Cup champion.

The previously unresolved question seems to be finally about to be answered.

Is the Champions League winner stronger, or the UEFA Cup winner?
It's worth noting that Green Gunners had previously defeated Porto to win the European Super Cup.

They defeated Barcelona, ​​the team that had been the key player for Porto last season, twice in the Champions League group stage.

If they can defeat Mourinho again in the EFL Cup final, then the result will be obvious.

And fans of Porto, Deco, and Mourinho will find it increasingly difficult to find an excuse.

They will have to admit that their Champions League title is not as prestigious as Lu Kai's UEFA Cup.

This will further enhance the prestige of Lu Kai's double Mr. title.

At the pre-match press conference, a reporter asked Alfred a pointed question: "Mourinho believes that Chelsea is at least 30 percent weaker than it was two weeks ago, saying that this is a deliberate weakening of the Green Gunners, a despicable off-field operation that disgusts him."

"What do you think?"

Alfred laughed: "If we had that ability, would we still be ranked seventeenth in the Premier League?"

After one win and two losses, Green Guns' ranking slipped further, dropping to seventeenth place.

They almost went into the relegation zone.

For top clubs, their win rate in the league drops by 10% to 30% before and after playing in the Champions League knockout stage.

But for Green Gunners, the Premier League matches before and after the Champions League knockout stage were basically all losses.

Besides the impact of the competition, there were also reasons such as the fatigue of travel and mental exhaustion.

Lu Kai also stated, "Our team's Maicon also suffered a minor injury after returning from the Brazilian national team and will miss this match. Do we blame the Brazilian team?"

"Mourinho's accusations are unreasonable."

"In fact, Mourinho has been in the Premier League for more than half a year, and he curses loudly whenever he loses to someone."

"This led to a famous heated argument between Ferguson and him."

"Besides fear, I can't think of any other reason."

Reporter: "So you mean Chelsea, who are first in the Premier League, are not as good as Dartford, who are seventeenth? Are you saying Mourinho is afraid of you?"

Lu Kai shrugged: "We'll only know who's stronger after we play. We've won before, being first in Serie A and first in La Liga this season."

"But Mourinho's fear of us is certain."

"I can feel it."

On the other side, Mourinho was equally arrogant: "Fear? That word doesn't exist in my dictionary!"

"Anyone who wants to erase my past achievements, go ahead! But that won't stop me from continuing to achieve success!"

"I don't want to discuss whether I should be the Coach of the Year. In my opinion, these award ceremonies are just a show and have no real meaning."

"I don't need outsiders to present me with awards; I can get what I want on my own."

"As for Lu Kai... Lampard is no worse than him, and apart from that, we have an advantage in almost every position."

"We are a top team on the same level as Real Madrid."

"Datford still needs time to gel and grow. This year isn't their year; this year is ours!"

Mourinho's statement is not without merit, as Lampard has had a statistical highlight this year.

With double-digit goals and assists, he's truly an all-around champion.

Lampard himself was thus inspired by this – since Lu Kai, a newcomer to the Premier League, was able to come from behind and win both the Player of the Year and Player of the Year awards, then it wouldn't be too much for a famous Premier League star like himself to win the Ballon d'Or, right?

The Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards, which are incredibly prestigious, gave the football world the illusion that "I could do it too" after Lu Kai won them.

This is a very common observation about human nature: some people, after meeting someone who is very impressive, will think that they can be just as impressive, and thus misjudge themselves.

Prior to this, Lampard did not consider himself a Ballon d'Or caliber player.

Lampard: But it is now!
As the players from both sides stepped onto the pitch, the fans began to cheer.

The commentators also began to introduce the lineups of both sides.

Chelsea has suddenly adopted a 4-3-3 formation more frequently in the last two years, and it's hard to say whether this is a trend started by Chelsea:

Duff, Drogba, Madeira
Lampard, Makelele, Lee Fowler
Gallas, Carvalho, Terry, Ferreira
Cech
-

Robben is out injured in the forward line.

Lee Fowler's starting position was an unexpected surprise. Although Mourinho prefers defensive midfielders, Fowler's physique did not meet Mourinho's requirements—he was both dark and physically imposing.

The reason I started this game was simply because the other players in the same position were affected by national team matches and were in poor form.

He is not a member of the national team.

Hahaha!
This means that the "green content" in Chelsea's starting lineup is quite high.

Although Madeira is a starting player, he is not favored by Mourinho and is able to continue to hold his starting position only because Robben is frequently injured.

The players Mourinho currently likes, apart from the Portuguese league players he spotted during his time coaching Porto, are all physically imposing and tough.

On the wing, however, he is quite the opposite, preferring technically gifted players, especially those who combine speed and skill.

Robben, Duff, and Joe Cole are all examples of this.

He has also recently set his sights on Manchester City's Shane Wright.

Madeira is black, but not tough; fast, but the technique is average.

These were things Madera said to Lu Kai on the phone; he often sought Lu Kai's guidance in this way.

The Green Gunners used a 4-4-2 formation today:

Arshavin, Crouch
Lu Kai, Barton, Toure, Ribery
Ashley Young, Davis, Cannavaro, Cicinho

Foster

-

Compared to 433, 442 is stronger defensively, as it can cover both the flanks and the middle, and has a higher margin for error in high-intensity matches.

This arrangement seems somewhat aimed at countering Chelsea's attacking wing play and sharp flanks. Playing Davies instead of Vidic is not only due to Vidic's poor form in training, but also a consideration of movement speed.

Drogba is fast and strong. Although Davis is not as effective as Vidic in defending him one-on-one, his speed can ensure that he can hold out until his teammates surround him most of the time.

Once an encirclement is formed, it will definitely be more effective than single-target defense.

Soon, the two sides engaged in fierce combat.

Premier League teams come out firing, no holds barred.

In the third minute, Dartford forced a mistake in Chelsea's backfield through pressing.

When Ferreira sent out a long diagonal pass, it was intercepted by Toure, who had made a run into the middle.

Toure caught up with the ball at the edge of the box and fired a shot.

Terry cleared the ball with a sliding tackle from another direction.

Unfortunately, Toure touched the ball first and took the shot.

boom!
Cech's brilliant save thwarted the Green Gunners' celebratory efforts.

“Cech, this is Cech.”

"Most of the players Chelsea signed this season have been very worthwhile."

"Drogba aside, Cech, Carvalho, and Fowler are all good players."

In the eighth minute, Chelsea launched a sharp attack.

Ferreira immediately launched a long pass to Madeira.

As the fastest player, there is currently no player in the Premier League faster than Madeira.

His speed makes passing the ball easy.

However, Madeira did not receive the ball this time.

Because Lu Kai, who was matched up against him, confronted him early on, making it impossible for Madeira to gain speed.

Madeira stumbled repeatedly, but the referee didn't blow the whistle.

The Premier League's intensity is not a problem.

In the eleventh minute, Lampard passed the ball to Madeira.

Lu Kai didn't have time to harass Madeira to receive the ball, but he still rushed over, while signaling Ashley Young to retreat deeper.

Ashley Young's positioning is to defend against drives but not cuts inside.

However, Lu Kai's position can prevent inside cuts.

Under double pressure, Madeira could only slowly descend to the bottom and perform one or two bicycle kicks.

Ashley Young fought and retreated, not caring if Madeira made it into the attack zone.

Chelsea only has one tough opponent in their penalty area: Drogba.

boom!
Madeira wants to send in an inverted triangle.

But Lu Kai is an "interception expert".

The football was successfully destroyed.

The football bounced towards Fowler, who took a long-range shot that nearly shot down a bird over Cardiff.

Lampard spread his hands on his left flank, as if to say, "We're not passing to me."

But let's not even mention that his passing lane was blocked by Barton at the time.

Fowler himself doesn't have that ability either.

Fowler was a pure defensive player, and a relatively short English defensive player at that.

Fierce and rough.

Both passing and shooting were poor.

Mourinho sighed as he stared intently at Toure.

This is the best choice for the team's three midfielders in his mind.

Black, strong, tall, capable of both offense and defense, excellent at passing and shooting, willing to run, and with decent footwork—there was no one who fit his requirements better than Toure.

Mourinho even prefers Toure to Lampard and Makelele.

Buy and buy!
In the thirteenth minute, Green Gun suddenly launched an attack down the right flank.

Lu Kai came to the left flank today with a clear purpose: to coordinate with Ashley Young and Arshavin on the left flank.

But that doesn't mean the right flank is useless.

Cicinho was probably excited because he got a starting opportunity.

Compared to Maicon, Cicinho is more aggressive and attacking.

Ribery possesses exceptional dribbling skills and the potential to be a key player. He delivered two comfortable passes to Cicinho, who then made a precise cross from the wing to Crouch.

The tall guy heads the ball towards the goal.

Cech made another incredible save, it was truly terrifying.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will be this year's Premier League goalkeeper of the year.

He retrieved the ball on the left side of the penalty area and chipped it across with the outside of his right foot.

[Beckenbauer-style pass and shot]!
This kick has a strong forward spin.

Although the football traveled a great distance, it plummeted rapidly after traveling more than halfway.

The purpose of this pass is simple: to place the ball in front of the receiver so that he can volley it directly with the instep in the most comfortable way.

The power, angle, and accuracy of the shot can all be optimized.

The next moment, Arshavin met the ball falling from the sky with a powerful shot from outside the six-yard box.

Cech finally lost.

"GOAL!"

"1-0! Dartford open the scoring."

"Datford's main attack on the left flank failed to break the deadlock, and instead Cicinho found an opportunity on the right flank."

"Then they launched a series of attacks from both the left and right flanks, finally breaking down Chelsea's defense."

"It has to be said that Cech did his best, otherwise Chelsea would probably have conceded a goal before that."

"Chelsea's defense has been very good this season, but they didn't seem to perform well today, giving Chelsea several chances."

Mourinho was also puzzled by this.

He has absolute confidence in his defense.

Why does the green gun look like...?

"High press!" Guardiola's eyes gleamed on the bench. "Mourinho's defensive system is built on positional defense."

"And positioning for defense is actually passive defense."

"This defensive system originated from positional warfare offense. That is, both sides lay out their pieces and play the game in a conventional manner, which can be understood as static."

"But a large part of Green Gun's offense is counter-attack-style rapid attacks, and some positional warfare also maintains dynamics through running."

"Therefore, Mourinho's defensive system is not as effective as it used to be against Green Gunners' attack."

"Furthermore... our strikers are different from those of other teams; we have a pressing role. This further impacts the performance of Chelsea's defenders."

Modric nodded repeatedly.

Ten Hag added: "However, Chelsea is not a defensive team; their attack is also known for its sharpness. They are no worse than us."

The words have not yet fallen.

Chelsea launched a quick attack down the flanks after kickoff.

Lampard played a through ball to Drogba.

After receiving the ball, Dwight Howard held off Davis, turned around, and passed the ball to Duff.

Duff dribbled past Cicinho on the left and broke into the penalty area from the side.

He made a cross, finding Drogba inside the penalty area.

Despite having a chance to shoot, Drogba somehow managed to bump past Cannavaro and flick the ball back with his heel.

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

Foster also fell.

"GOAL! One to one!"

"Chelsea caught up almost in the blink of an eye."

"The replay of Dartford's goal wasn't over yet when Lampard equalized with a powerful shot."

"Drogba's passing is both brutal and skillful. Can you handle that?"

"Lampard truly deserves his reputation as one of the best players in the Premier League this year; his shot is much more powerful than when he's with the national team!"

Both teams' players were in high spirits, and their morale was soaring.

The competition even entered a heated phase.

But this was only the fifteenth minute.

In the 19th minute, Green Gun pressed high up the pitch again.

But Mourinho's €30 million acquisition of Carvalho from Porto proved worthwhile. He launched a long pass to Drogba, who had dropped back into the attacking third.

Davis immediately followed Drogba out, putting pressure on him from behind and preventing Drogba from gaining possession of the ball easily.

This was a high-quality close-quarters combat exercise.

If Vidic were to come in, it wouldn't be possible to defend like that; Vidic's speed doesn't allow him to move away from the defensive line and push forward to defend alone.

Drogba dropped deep, dribbling the ball back to the center circle, at which point Davies stopped his pursuit.

Drogba passed the ball to Ferreira, who had made a run forward.

Ferreira played a through ball.

This time, Madeira didn't give Lu Kai a chance to apply pressure in advance. Instead, they used Lu Kai's strategy and accelerated from the outside of the sideline.

Facing Ashley Young, Madeira didn't need to race the ball at all.

Ashley Young watched helplessly as Madeira surpassed him.

Fortunately, the bottom line has been reached.

boom!
Madeira comes to an abrupt stop.

Ashley Young's defense is no longer as immature as it used to be; he even stopped a step ahead of time, blocking Madeira's path to cut inside.

Madeira could only knock back.

Ferreira delivered a cross at a 45-degree angle to the ball.

After passing the ball, Drogba immediately sprinted into the penalty area.

However, there was another person who had been racing alongside him all the way.

It was Lu Kai!

Drogba is faster than Lu Kai.

Lu Kai thus activated the combat bonus of [Violent Motorcycle].

They decisively engaged Drogba in physical confrontation.

Drogba doesn't have a habit of avoiding confrontations; after all, it's one of his strengths. Unexpectedly, Lu Kai battled him all the way into the penalty area.

Drogba knew he probably wouldn't have a chance to score this time.

He leaped high into the air.

Lu Kai also jumped.

The two players contested for the header just outside the penalty area.

Drogba headed the ball horizontally, intending to pass it to Duff, who was making a run down the left flank.

Once the ball is passed out, Duff can pounce on it and score with no one marking him.

boom!
Lu Kai headed the ball back first.

With the support of Tiangong-1, his jumping ability and heading ability are no less than Drogba's.

Being slightly behind in position actually brought him closer to the ball, which became an advantage.

Davis headed the ball again from the edge of the penalty area, clearing it from midfield.

Davis's defensive effort during this attack was both a highlight and a weakness.

He was noticeably slower to get back into the defensive line; he hadn't anticipated Chelsea's counter-attack coming so quickly.

No one expected Drogba's subsequent acceleration and sprint to be so powerful, even getting into the penalty area before him – can you believe it?

Lu Kai staggered slightly after landing, but Drogba caught him.

Lu Kai nodded, then looked at Mourinho on the sidelines.

Everyone knows that Chelsea park the bus, and when it comes to defense, it's always mentioned.

Little did people know that Mourinho's early season, especially his early form, was incredibly brutal in attack.

Simple, direct, swift, and deadly!
Alfred: Quite like my Green Gun!
Mourinho: ???
(End of this chapter)