Team Spirit

Chapter 197 Unparalleled Dominance, Five-Time League Cup Champion!

In the 24th minute, Madeira dribbled past Ashley Young one-on-one and delivered a cross.

Davis headed the ball away at the near post.

Patton stopped and relayed messages from the perimeter, eventually finding Lu Kai.

Lu Kai dribbled the ball and launched a counterattack, facing Fowler directly.

[Stride forward!]
Lu Kai accelerated the ball, slightly adjusted the angle, and directly broke through Fowler.

The two had physical contact, but it was fleeting, and Fowler was beaten before he could get into a high-intensity position.

They are truly no match for him.

Lu Kai advanced along the left flank.

Crouch immediately came out and retreated.

Dartford's center forwards don't really push inside, especially when Lu Kai has the ball.

Lu Kai passes the ball to Crouch.

Crouch hits the wall and passes back.

Lu Kai used this opportunity to move from the left flank to the middle, looking up at Ribery who was quickly cutting in from the right.

boom!
Lu Kai played a through ball at an angle to the left front, looking for Arshavin!

Because of Lu Kai's movement, Chelsea's entire defensive line tucked in, leaving Arshavin in a dangerous position with no defenders around him.

boom!
Arshavin curled a shot at the ball.

Both the strength and the curvature are top-notch.

Terry stretched out his leg to block, but the ball still bypassed him.

Terry's block completely prevented Cech from judging the ball's trajectory.

Cech couldn't see the ball, so he naturally didn't know what to do with his save, and could only use nine-tenths of his strength.

Once the ball came into his view and he confirmed that his save was successful, it was too late to exert any force.

Swish!
The football curled into the far corner.

"GOAL! Two to one!"

"Arshavin again! The Russian Tsar lives up to his name, scoring his second goal so early!"

Similarly, Lu Kai also provided two assists.

"Lu Kai is too much of a threat. Chelsea's attention is all on this Ballon d'Or winner, but in my opinion, Arshavin is no less of a threat to Chelsea than Lu Kai."

"Oh, the camera is on Chelsea owner Abramovich, who is currently experiencing both pain and joy."

“Since the winter transfer window, there have been rumors that he gave the player transfer department a firm order to bring in Arshavin.”

"However, Chelsea manager Mourinho doesn't seem to be interested in the player and hasn't made a strong push for him."

"But given the current situation, it will be very difficult for Mourinho to stop Abramovich from pursuing Arshavin with all his might."

"Arshavin's stats this season have been explosive, and his performance against top teams has been remarkable. This has caused the market value of Russian Premier League players to rise by hundreds of thousands or even close to one million euros."

"I have to say, Dartford Tao, a seemingly unknown but truly skilled player, really has some tricks up his sleeve."

"Arshavin's transfer fee will not be less than 15 million euros!"

You could say that Mourinho is indeed troubled by this matter recently.

Abramovich wants Shevchenko; everyone knows it.

Mourinho's repeated excuses were to no avail, and lo and behold, Arshavin is back again.

If you compare these two players to Mourinho's selection criteria, you'll see that they don't fit his aesthetic in football.

But this summer, he may face the awkward situation of having to choose between two options.

Arshavin or Shevchenko?

If one had to eat a pile of "shit," Arshavin was clearly a better choice than Shevchenko.

Firstly, Arshavin's performance in the Premier League has proven his worth.

While Shevchenko is more formidable, what if he doesn't adapt well to English football?

Secondly, Shevchenko is too good; if he really comes, Mourinho won't be able to keep him on the bench. But Drogba can't be a substitute either, so they'll have to find a tactical solution.

For a head coach, changing his tactics is more humiliating than changing his players.

Chelsea has a lot of injuries to its wingers, with Robben, Duff, and Madeira all suffering multiple injuries this season, so having more reserves is a good idea.

Two wing positions, four or five main wingers, that makes perfect sense!

In the 31st minute, Madeira won a free kick in the attacking third.

Chelsea take a tactical free kick.

Lu Kai followed Madeira closely throughout.

Lampard made a through pass, and he actually created an opportunity.

It's not that Lampard's through balls are so amazing, but that his shots are too easy to make people think he's going to take a long shot. Otherwise, how could a midfielder like him have scored nineteen goals by the end of this season?

Drogba pushed past Cannavaro, backed down Davies, and with a sudden burst of power, received the ball, turned, and dribbled into the penalty area, about to create a one-on-one opportunity.

boom!
Lu Kai came to cover from the side and slid in to clear the ball first.

Foster then confiscated the football.

The scene was quite dangerous.

In the 36th minute, Duff was deeply marked by Cicinho when he cut inside, so he passed the ball back to Lampard.

Lampard was knocked aside by Toure.

Green Gun launched another rapid attack.

Chelsea's defense also retreated quickly, playing a fast-paced game.

Toure passes the ball to Ribery.

In order to buy time for his teammates to retreat, Gallas took the initiative and launched an aggressive defense.

Just like Davis's previous pursuit of Drogba.

Ribery could only dribble back to avoid the ball, but he was much more agile than Drogba.

He retreated and touched the ball two or three times, then combined the ball with the player before suddenly flicking the ball to the right and turning to get around Gallas.

Lampard returned just in time, and together with Gallas, they blocked Ribery from both the front and the back.

It looked more like Ribery was passing the ball to Lampard.

However, Ribery executed a reverse volley, sending the ball first inwards and then outwards towards his right front.

He then accelerated to the right front, shaking off Lampard and Gallas, and dribbled the ball toward Chelsea's penalty area.

Lu Kai, who was moving forward along the left rib, suddenly had a bright idea.

Goodness, this is a cow's tail moving at low speed.

Ribery's ball control is getting more and more amazing.

This knife is almost sharpened!

Ribery accelerated forward.

Gallas was hot on his heels.

There is a Makelele restriction on the left.

Carvalho is blocking the way ahead.

Surrounded by enemies on three sides.

The three key defenders were all extremely skilled, constantly closing the distance and compressing Ribery's dribbling space.

As Ribery approached the penalty area, he was completely marked by three defenders.

Aside from conceding a goal, there's almost nothing else that could happen.

boom!
Just as Ribery was about to collide with Carvalho, he passed the ball diagonally to his left rear with his right foot, and the ball slipped through the half-meter gap between Carvalho and Makelele.

Ribery then rolled to the ground.

This kind of difficult pass can only be completed by disrupting one's own center of gravity.

Doing these kinds of movements frequently can easily lead to injury.

Lu Kai, rushing over from outside the left arc, received the ball.

He flicked the ball to the right, as if preparing to shoot.

Terry had no choice but to block Lu Kai.

Right-back Ferreira also moved to cover for Lu Kai.

boom!
Lu Kai continued to send out through balls slightly to the left, looking for Arshavin.

Ferreira immediately turned to restrain Arshavin.

He stopped Arshavin's piercing rays.

If Arshavin shoots, Ferreira is confident he can stop him.

boom!
Arshavin suddenly flicked the ball down the wing inside the penalty area.

Ferreira was instantly beaten.

Arshavin takes a shot from a tight angle on the left side of the six-yard box.

boom!
He was an excellent archer.

However, Cech lived up to his reputation, blocking the attack with incredible distance.

boom!
Crouch stretched out his foot for a follow-up shot.

Cech truly had no other options.

"Datford!!!"

"Three to one!"

"Datford have scored again, this time by Crouch. But Lukay and Arshavin still played key roles."

"Of course, Ribery also performed well."

"This puts the Green Gunners two goals ahead."

"Chelsea have rarely been in a situation where they are down by two goals in the first half this season."

On the sidelines, Mourinho began to loudly reprimand the players while making minor adjustments to the team's offensive and defensive tactics.

In the 39th minute, Chelsea launched a major attack.

Duff dribbled into the attacking third and then passed the ball back to Lampard.

Lampard received the ball, feinted a few times, and then delivered a cross.

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

The football soared into the sky.

This is the result of Mourinho's adjustments: strengthening the attack.

Unfortunately, Makelele is a pure defensive player. Although the team created opportunities for him using tactics, he couldn't capitalize on them.

Mourinho sighed and looked at Toure again.

If you had either Toure, the “African Elephant,” or Essien, the “African Buffalo,” Chelsea would be unstoppable.

Give him both, and the Champions League title will be won in no time!
Shevchenko and Arshavin need hammers.

Why won't Abu listen?

Mourinho never understood that for someone like Abramovich, football is certainly important, but bringing in players he likes is also important.

You have to have both, not just choose one or the other, otherwise Abu's happiness will disappear.

Rich people spend money precisely to have both.

In the 42nd minute, Lampard delivered a through ball.

Duff quickly chased the ball from the left.

But Cicinho was not slow either.

The two players were battling and moving at high speed, vying for the ball.

Duff, however, gained the upper hand and prepared to take control of the ball.

But he still doesn't quite understand the style of play in South America.

Suddenly, Cicinho, who was halfway behind, exerted his strength and launched a flying tackle while falling to the ground.

The two of them fell to the ground instantly.

The referee immediately blew his whistle!
He came over and showed Cicinho a yellow card.

Cicinho shrugged, unconcerned.

There was no problem with this ruling.

The problem, however, is that Duff is lying on the ground and can't get up.

He tried it, but still felt discomfort in his ankle.

Chelsea's team doctor came on.

Due to numerous injuries within the team, the Blues' medical staff, whose skills had greatly improved, quickly confirmed that Duff had sprained his ankle and could not continue the game.

Chelsea were forced to make a substitution.

Joe Cole replaced Duff.

Mourinho couldn't help but lament the team's bad luck, with another player getting injured.

Robben, you need to get back to play soon, or it will affect the team's Champions League matches.

Chelsea took a tactical free kick, sending the ball into the penalty area.

Both sides scrambled for the item.

The ball was eventually cleared to the right side.

Madeira received the ball, feinted twice, and then cut inside past Ashley Young before delivering a cutback pass.

Drogba went to the near post to receive the ball, controlled it with one foot, and then backed down Davies.

Because it was inside the penalty area, Davis dared not commit a foul easily.

After two full-force collisions, Drogba found an opportunity, turned and fired a shot in one smooth motion.

Shot at a low angle.

This shot was very similar in quality to Arshavin's, and the position was mirrored.

Even if you let Cech dive again, he might not be able to catch it.

Foster, of course, couldn't pounce on it either.

The football slammed into the net, nearly lifting the top of the goal.

"GOAL! Two to three! Drogba's powerful shot finds the net!"

"This is Drogba, one of the biggest contributors to Dartford's miracle last season."

"Gilardino may be more elegant, but in terms of ruthlessness and performance in tough matches, Drogba is a cut above!" "If Drogba can maintain this level of performance, I wouldn't be surprised if he makes the top five or even the top three in this year's Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards!"

The commentator was right.

If Chelsea win the Champions League, then Drogba will definitely be a strong contender for the 2005 Ballon d'Or.

His rivals will include his teammate Lampard.

Mourinho jumped up passionately on the sidelines to celebrate his goal.

This is the kind of player he wants.

This is the goal he wanted.

Abu, you better watch out! When you buy something, you have to buy something black and tough, you know that?

In the end, the two sides combined for five goals in the first half.

The youth army was not cowardly.

Magic Bird didn't park the bus either.

Who can connect Chelsea at this time with the tortoise?

Who dares to say that the "young manager" Mourinho at this time only knew how to defend and not how to attack?

Fifteen minutes later, the two sides switched sides and resumed their fierce battle.

In the 46th minute, Lampard dribbled forward and unleashed a powerful shot.

The football grazed the post and went wide.

Powerful and fierce.

If the shot is accurate, Foster probably won't be able to save it.

In the 52nd minute, Drogba dropped back to receive the ball.

Despite being suppressed by him, Davis was not discouraged. During halftime, Lu Kai had a special talk with him, saying that his defense against Drogba was successful and that his strategy and execution were flawless.

Continue this momentum in the second half.

Don't be fooled by how badly Drogba made things for Davis, even giving him some excellent opportunities.

Little did he know that if he hadn't done that, Chelsea's attack would likely have been even more intense.

The fact that Drogba didn't get many good headers in the entire first half is enough to demonstrate Davies's importance.

Drogba's header was also explosive.

Compared to Crouch's headers, his goal-scoring and playmaking skills are more effective.

Drogba receives the ball with his back to goal.

Davis once again put up a series of challenges.

Because he was outside the penalty area, Davis applied much more force.

Drogba exerted the same intensity as before, but ended up stumbling and tripping.

Barton, who had followed, seized the opportunity to steal the ball.

Conversely, Green Gun plays a fast-paced offense.

After Lu Kai dribbled the ball two steps down the left flank, Ashley Young made a run down the wing.

On the defensive end, he was being rubbed off by Madeira; on the offensive end, he needed to find some presence.
Lu Kai sent a through ball.

Ashley Young cuts inside with the ball.

Arshavin pulled him to the side.

Ashley Young feigned a pass, but actually cut inside, catching Makelele off guard.

It's truly rare to see a mere substitute full-back so determined to launch an attack, refusing to pass the ball to the other senior players on the team.

Given the long suspension of the Champions League and the good performance of Cicinho who filled in, it wouldn't be wrong to call Ashley Young a substitute.

Crouch and Ribery surged into the penalty area, making runs and vying for the ball.

Ashley Young's attacking skills are not bad; he even spotted Toure making a forward run.

A through ball.

Yaya Touré followed the ball and charged into the penalty area.

Unfortunately, Carvalho had already noticed Toure's second wave of attack.

He stepped forward and intercepted the ball first.

Although Toure secretly regretted it, he did not give up and rushed over to try to steal the ball.

Carvalho's interception was clean and decisive, maintaining control of the ball. He immediately pulled the ball away from Toure's challenge and passed it back to Lampard, defusing the crisis.

In the 63rd minute, both teams' substitutes began warming up, intending to make substitutions.

Because the intensity of the competition is very high, physical strength is consumed very quickly.

In the 65th minute, both teams' substitutes were waiting on the sidelines for a dead ball opportunity.

Suddenly, Crouch, Arshavin, Ribery, and Toure launched a coordinated attack on Lampard.

Lampard carelessly received the ball and was considering whether to play a through ball to the left, switch to the right, play a through ball over the top to Drogba, or shoot a long-range shot himself.

This is indeed something that the midfield maestro needs to consider.

However, he is not a midfield maestro who excels at dribbling and breaking free from defense.

Or rather, England lacks a midfield maestro with this technical style.

When surrounded and attacked, they can only concede goals, unable to seize fleeting opportunities to strike decisively amidst the chaos.

Both teams' players rushed towards the ball, and Toure beat Makelele to it and passed it across, completely seizing possession.

However, the force was limited.

Lu Kai and Fowler rushed toward the football.

Lu Kai used a Marseille turn to control the ball, then flicked it in the opposite direction, crossing it with Fowler.

Fowler couldn't brake in time and was outmaneuvered by Lu Kai in a single move.

In the stands, two middle-aged men, not wearing any team jerseys, were quickly jotting something down.

The laptops they were using had the Real Madrid logo on them.

They were Real Madrid scouts, sent by head coach Luxemburgo to watch the match live.

They came with a mission.

Now, it seems there's a result.

"Although Fowler is terrible in other aspects, his defense is not bad, and he can be considered a good defender. But he was beaten by Lu Kai in one move several times in a row."

"Lu Kai is really good at playing against players he is familiar with."

"He knows his teammates' habits perfectly well, when to eat raw food, when to avoid it, and when the opponent will be careless."

"Green Guns launched many offensives today, but they were all initiated by Lu Kai from Fowler's position."

"On the offensive end, he also disrupted Madeira and Drogba several times."

"He's a civil war expert!"

"It seems that Essien really can't play in the second leg of the Champions League match, and it would be best if Duff didn't play either."

"Yes, that's my opinion too."

"Mr. Luxemburgo is indeed very farsighted. With this match as evidence, I believe those in the team who oppose him will have nothing to say."

"Hey, why are you being so polite? It's just Zidane... If you ask me, no matter how good Zidane is, he's still just a player. Why would he steal someone else's job as head coach?"

"Who are you to interfere with troop deployment? We haven't moved his position, so why bother!"

"Top-tier players are bound to be arrogant. Just you wait and see, if he were a coach, he probably wouldn't even be as good as a hair on Luxemburgo's leg!"

As they chatted, they mentally prepared their plans to take credit with Mr. Rosenberg later.

Brazil boasts a wealth of talent, and the rise of the Brazilian contingent at Real Madrid is unstoppable.

In the coming years, the Galácticos, raising the Brazilian flag, will sweep across the world of football.

Even if you say Real Madrid could win the Champions League for several consecutive years, it's still possible!

The Champions League's No. 1!
Just thinking about it is awesome!
This kind of prestige is something that the wealthy and foolish Chelsea and the inexperienced and unfounded Dartford can never achieve!
They're only fit to compete in this tasteless League Cup.

Outside of England, who knows about this match?

boom!
Lu Kai dribbled the ball close to the penalty area and then passed it to the left.

Ashley Young made a run down the wing and delivered a beautiful curved cross to the ball.

Arshavin was lurking near the penalty area early this time, and like a rabbit, he rushed forward to try and score.

He took a diagonal shot with his left foot from the left side of the penalty area.

Cech thought Arshavin was going to shoot near the corner and that he wasn't covering enough for the far corner.

The football grazed Cech's toes as it rolled toward the far corner, struck the post, and bounced into the goal.

“GOAL!!!”

"Four to two!"

"It's Arshavin again! The Russians have gone berserk!"

"Ashley Young's pass was of good quality, but Arshavin's shot was more crucial."

"Congratulations Arshavin, he's completed a hat trick!"

Along the long side, the Green Gun players began to celebrate.

Arshavin is also very capable in crucial moments.

Even Mourinho has started to think that replacing Duff with Arshavin might not be a bad idea.
Or should we grant Abu's wish?

Buy a Russian player?
Shevchenko: You are Russian, your whole family is!

Both sides began making substitutions.

Mourinho's first move was to sign Fowler.

This defender disappointed him greatly.

It's important to know that Mourinho is definitely not a good-tempered person, and he's determined to win this League Cup.

If Fowler loses the championship due to poor defense, it's possible that he might bench Fowler or sell him off.

Mendes replaced Fowler.

With his last substitution in hand, Mourinho hesitated, wanting to wait a little longer.

For Green Gunners, Fran replaced Crouch.

Amorim replacing Ribery is clearly a move to strengthen the defense.

Thanks to his years of playing in the green, Amorim can play in any midfield position and does it quite well.

Although his speed is slightly inferior, his organization, defense, and passing are better than Ribery's.

Lu Kai also had a substitution spot in hand.

In the 68th minute, Joe Cole initiated an attack on the left wing and then passed the ball back to Gallas.

The latter crossed into the penalty area.

But no one expected the point he passed to, as it was not in line with the habits of the forwards, and the ball bounced off the ground and was caught by Foster.

In the 73rd minute, Madeira received a through pass on the right, broke into the penalty area, and shot from a tight angle, hitting the post.

In the 75th minute, Mourinho made a final push.

Striker Kezman replaced right-back Ferreira.

334!

Actually, it's 352.

In the 79th minute, Chelsea won a free kick in a good position in the attacking third.

Lampard's free kick went just over the crossbar.

It's a pity.

In the 81st minute, Dartford substituted Guardiola for Barton.

Lu Kai was removed from the right wing and moved to right winger.

Arshavin dropped back to play as a left winger.

451!

Enhance ball control in the midfield and defense.

They didn't give Chelsea a chance to fight back.

In the 83rd minute, Joe Cole's pass was blocked by Lu Kai.

In the 86th minute, Chelsea finally managed to get an attacking opportunity, and Joe Cole delivered a cross.

However, the height is not suitable.

Kezman jumped up inside the penalty area and launched a double kick, sending the ball directly into the stands.

Kezman, a goal-scoring machine in the Netherlands, has completely lost his way at Chelsea this season, scoring only seven goals in 41 appearances, a very low efficiency.

His tactics were completely incompatible with Chelsea's.

Finally, with Guardiola's back pass, the referee blew the whistle.

Mourinho hurled insults at Guardiola from the sidelines, calling him a coward who only knew how to pass the ball back.

Guardiola smiled without saying a word.

Guardiola knows his former best friend all too well.

Winning would offend the whole world with Mourinho's arrogance.

Even if he loses, Mourinho will still be criticized by the whole world.

With such a coaching style, he will likely face difficulties in his later years.

However, Guardiola was also aware that this match was fraught with danger.

If Chelsea had one or two more midfielders that Mourinho likes, and Robben hadn't been injured, then the Blues might have been the ones to win today.

I could feel Mourinho and Abramovich's undisguised desire for Toure and Arshavin.

Guardiola thought to himself: Lu, what should you do?
Lu Kai: Of course, it's about watching the numbers in my bank account keep ticking away and enjoying it!

Rumble!
The stadium erupted in cheers.

"Congratulations to Dartford for defending their title once again."

"They have created the greatest miracle in the history of the EFL Cup."

"Let's give a warm round of applause to the new five-time EFL Cup champions!"

"No matter how high Dartford flies, or how badly they fall, the EFL Cup will always be their home turf! It will always be their territory!"

“Dart…”

"Fude!"

(End of this chapter)