Team Spirit

Chapter 207 Oh ho, let Shevchenko go to hell!
Seeing his best friend's expression, Guardiola, as a spectator, had more time to think about Chelsea's goal. He murmured to himself, "Lu's goal was crucial."

Ashley Young hates people who pretend to be experts: "Isn't that obvious? Let's get back on the lead!"

Guardiola shook his head: "I'm saying that Lu's goal forced Mourinho to abandon what could have been the end of the road."

Guardiola has already analyzed some things.

If they continue playing based on that goal, Chelsea will likely be the ones to win in the end.

This Chelsea team actually has two major advantages over the Green Gunners.

The first is the player's stamina.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Green Gunners haven't had many injuries this season; Chelsea have had quite a few.

However, Chelsea's players are definitely better in terms of physical condition and injury resistance.

Therefore, if Green Gunners continue to employ a high-intensity midfield battle, their losses will definitely be higher than Chelsea's.

If more than two players are lost, both the Green Gunners' tactics and player morale will be affected.

This style of play is dirty, but Mourinho will definitely use it once he finds out.

Just like when Green Gunners first met Chelsea, Barton's devilish footwork against Zola.

It begins with tactics, succeeds with villains, and remains loyal to victory.

He lost his integrity, but won the game.

Secondly, compared to Chelsea, the morale of Chelsea players is actually fluctuating.

Especially when faced with injuries.

This is a point that many people overlook.

The players of the Green Guns are willing to give their all for the team's victory, and they will not complain even if it means warming up for 10,000 meters on the bench for a game.

But it's not that they have no complaints; it's that they have higher aspirations.

This pursuit is shared by only a very few people: "I want to stay with Green Gun forever and become a legend with Green Gun."

More often than not, it's about "making a name for myself at Green Gunners and then joining a real powerhouse!"
That's right.

It's cruel, but it's also true.

Fans may find it hard to accept, but Lu Kai and Alfred know better than anyone that almost half of the players in this starting lineup want to leave in the summer.

What's even more unacceptable to fans is that Lu Kai and Alfred also want them to leave the team!
I ask you, is it absolutely true?

Under these circumstances, large-scale battle losses are unacceptable to everyone.

If Chelsea really adopts the attitude of "I'm going to injure three or five of your players," Lu Kai might retaliate by injuring even more Chelsea players, but on the other hand, he will definitely make his own players play more conservatively.

What's the importance of the outcome of this match compared to the hundreds of millions in revenue from the Champions League this summer?

Mourinho has never been a club owner, so he doesn't understand this.

Although Guardiola has never been a boss, he was the captain and a star player at Barcelona, ​​had close communication with the management, and was also highly intelligent and emotionally intelligent... His starting point was different from Mourinho's, so he saw things differently.

"However..." As the whistle blew to end the first half, the players from both sides headed to their respective locker rooms.

Guardiola was somewhat emotional.

However, after this summer, Green Gun will probably really be finished.

With the remaining players in the team, although they have already gained good experience in the Premier League, it will take at least three years for them to truly develop and possess the impact of European competitions.

As for player recruitment...

On the one hand, the Celtics' ability to transform players has been proven, and no team will easily give away their discarded players to the Celtics, allowing the Celtics to make that terrifying profit margin.

In addition, Green Gunners' reputation as a black market club has been established, and other clubs will demand significantly higher prices for Green Gunners' signings. The days when they could buy up all the world's best players for a million or two will never come again.

If you want them, you'll have to pay more!
This is a problem that all suddenly rising legendary teams, and all strong teams, will encounter.

At this stage, you must invest enough money in player recruitment and salaries, and take on enough risks, in order to break through and leap into the ranks of the elite clubs.

But you're making Green Gunners spend a lot of money to bring in reinforcements?

Are you suggesting that Green Gunners offer salaries comparable to Real Madrid, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea in order to keep their players at the club?

Absolutely impossible!
Because if you did that, Green Gun might die even faster!
……

In the second half, the two sides changed sides and started the game again.

Mourinho continued to maintain a relatively conservative tactic. According to Chelsea's tactical habits, even when they are behind, they will not start a large-scale and sharp attack until the 60th or 70th minute.

The first half proved that Chelsea could hold out for more than twenty minutes.

Everything now revolves around consumption.

They only need to commit two or three players to the offense.

When Green's stamina declines, it will be Chelsea's time to shine.

This tactic may seem passive, but it is actually very effective.

Green Gun has also been used before, and in terms of tactical thinking, it has achieved a dimensional reduction attack on the current tactics.

However... Green Gun's tactical thinking was always ahead of its time.

Lu Kai accurately predicted this during halftime, and his goal was for the team to score a goal while Chelsea were playing defensively.

With a two-goal advantage, they can confidently switch roles with Chelsea, stalling for time until the end of the match.

There is one thing that Mourinho overlooked.

That means this is not an ordinary league or Champions League group stage match; it's the second leg of the Champions League semi-final!

The significance of this kind of competition means that players can't stay calm in the final moments.

The closer the gap between the two sides gets to the end of the game, the more it will be magnified.

In the 48th minute, Arshavin easily made a run down the wing and then passed the ball back to Amorim.

Amorim crosses the ball; find the back post.

Lu Kai leaped high and headed the ball across.

Cech beat Crouch to the ball with one hand, sending it flying.

Yaya Toure chested the ball down past the onrushing Lampard, then dribbled into the penalty area and unleashed a long-range shot.

The football was brilliantly saved by Cech in two separate saves.

In the 51st minute, when Carrick passed the ball to the wing, Lampard successfully intercepted it.

The football bounced towards Gallas.

Lu Kai quickly stepped forward to seize it.

Gallas miscontrolled the ball, stopping it directly at Lu Kai, and then rushed over to trip Lu Kai.

The referee showed Gallas a yellow card.

In the 53rd minute, Chelsea gained possession just outside their own penalty area.

Carvalho passed the ball to Lampard, but Maicon surprisingly rushed to the edge of the box and slowly tackled from behind Lampard, poking the ball away first.

Arshavin received the ball inside the penalty area, dribbled past Terry with a series of lateral movements, and then unleashed a powerful shot.

Gallas rushed in from another direction, leaped and touched the ball, which then went over the goal.

Chelsea's defense was noticeably less solid than it had been in the first twenty minutes of the first half.

Mourinho took a closer look.

It was only then that it was discovered that in addition to the midfielders and forwards pushing forward, right-back Maicon and right center-back Cannavaro had also moved up to the winger and defensive midfielder positions respectively.

This almost created an unbalanced lineup of 217.

No wonder it felt like I couldn't defend against it.

In the 56th minute, Chelsea also tried to exploit the Green Gunners' defensive lapses and teach them a lesson.

But Terry and Carvalho simply didn't have the chance to pass the ball out immediately.

Cech passed the ball to Lescott, who then launched a long pass.

Drogba and Gudjohnsen in the attacking third had no chance of receiving the ball, as they were contained by Vidic and the timely recovery of Carrick and Cannavaro, respectively.

They do not have absolute speed.

The most incredible thing is that the pass was actually made directly to Davis.

Lescott's long passes are frighteningly inaccurate.

In the 59th minute, Lescott delivered another long pass.

Drogba tried his best but still couldn't catch up.

Foster could have controlled the ball earlier, but at Lu Kai's suggestion, he chose to let it roll out of bounds.

Taking a goal kick would waste another ten seconds or so.

Time is like a bank account balance; it's always being stolen away by random automatic renewals.

In the 62nd minute, Mourinho started to get restless.

He hoped the team could hold on for another eight minutes.

But the Green Guns were deliberately giving the rogue Bao Zheng an opportunity. After the Green Guns attacked, only Lescott had space to pass the ball.

boom!
Lescott launched another long pass.

Players like Drogba, Gudjohnsen, Cole, and Lampard started early this time.

They are all skilled attackers, so they naturally know how to adjust their tactics to be more threatening.

However, this actually disrupted Mourinho's defensive arrangements.

Unfortunately, Lescott's passes were inaccurate.

The ball didn't go directly to Drogba, who could control possession, but instead flew towards Vidic.

The two were evenly matched, and who would win often depended on who had the better positioning.

Vidic is now in a better position.

Vidic headed the ball back, and it flew towards Amorim.

Amorim met the ball with a half-turn volley.

It was very difficult, so the quality was also very poor.

However, the difference is that the Green Gun team has speed.

Arshavin charged toward the ball, racing against Lescott.

After several long passes, Lescott's stamina started to wane, and he couldn't get going.

Arshavin successfully overtook on the left and dribbled towards the penalty area.

Arshavin deliberately cut inside after reaching the left side of the penalty area, cutting off Carlescott's pursuit route.

Lescott could have simply run Arshavin over.

But from this position, Lu Kai's free kicks are a huge threat. Once he unleashes a free kick, what's the difference between it and a penalty kick?
Lescott was forced to slow down.

Arshavin thus only made slight contact with Lescott behind him, and he successfully withstood the confrontation.

The next moment, Crouch and Lu Kai ran forward simultaneously down the middle and right lanes.

Arshavin played a through ball.

Crouch flicked the ball with his heel, keeping it in place.

Arshavin and Lu Kai formed a 90-degree angle and simultaneously charged towards the ball at the penalty spot.

Cech was upset at that moment.

How can I catch that?
At the critical moment, Lu Kai suddenly slammed on the brakes, blocking Carvalho from behind.

Arshavin unleashed a powerful shot.

Cech was a beat too slow, and the ball went straight into the net.

"GOAL! Three to one! Dartford scores again!"

"Another assist from Crouch, another goal from Arshavin!"

"Of course, Amorin's counter-attack pass was also very timely, and Lu Kai's block on Carvalho was a stroke of genius."

"You can only see goals like this at Green Gun, and only Lu Kai would let other players have a shot that's already in his mouth."

"He has never competed or fought for anything, yet he has maintained the feat of creating a total of eighty balls for several consecutive seasons, which is truly unbelievable."

"We can't help but wonder, if Lu Kai goes all out and doesn't hold back at all, how impressive could his personal statistics be?"

"Can he once again recreate his peak moment as the Golden Boy with 100 goals?"

As is well known, Lu Kai played in semi-professional or even amateur competitions during his 100-goal golden boy era, and many people do not recognize the value of these statistics.

In the following years, although Lu Kai turned professional, his total goal contribution statistics only reached "a mere eighty goals", and he lost a few goals each year.

Since playing in the Premier League this season, Lu Kai's statistics have shrunk even more, and it's uncertain whether his goal and assist total will reach sixty.

Therefore, some media outlets couldn't help but lament that Lu Kai's career peaked right from the start, and his decline seemed endless.

Of course, this data only applies to Lu Kai.

Apart from him, his peak single-season statistics are comparable to those of any player in the top five European leagues.

Mourinho couldn't sit still on the sidelines.

Madeira replaced Gudjohnsen and moved to the right wing.

Robben replaced Joe Cole and moved to the left wing.

The team switched to a 4-3-3 formation, with both wings attacking simultaneously!
But Green Gun's side reacted just as quickly, having been waiting for this moment.

Barton replaced Amorim, and Pepe replaced Yaya Touré.

Let's deploy a three-man midfield.

Lu Kai and Arshavin retreated to the attacking midfield position, setting up a 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree formation.

Mourinho could tell at a glance that Green Gunners were trying to stall for time and were a little unsure about their upcoming attack.

His original plan was for the team to launch a fierce attack from the 70th minute until the end of the game, continuing for the next 20 minutes.

Because the team can only attack for so long. Now they have to attack for thirty minutes.

In the final ten minutes, Chelsea's stamina and defensive vulnerabilities will become apparent, which would be very dangerous.

They were originally the ones who would ultimately decide the outcome.

But now, the outcome of the match will likely depend on how well Green Gun performs in the final ten minutes.

damn it!
In the 65th minute, Chelsea launched an immediate attack.

Before Maicon had fully returned, Robben received the pass, sprinted past the defender, and delivered a cross from the byline.

Drogba's header went just over the bar.

Robben's speed surprised Maicon; it was far superior to players like Gudjohnsen and Lampard he had previously encountered.

In the 69th minute, Madeira dribbled past his opponent on the wing, outmaneuvered Davies, and cut inside, only to be knocked to the ground by Barton.

Patton was dyed yellow.

This is a well-positioned set piece in the attacking third.

Drogba's header caused chaos.

Lampard unleashes a powerful shot amidst the chaos.

The ball struck Pepe and Vidic repeatedly before finally bouncing into the goal.

Foster couldn't have saved that kind of shot.

"GOAL! Mourinho's adjustments have worked."

"Chelsea didn't waste the chance created by Madeira, Lampard unleashed a powerful shot that deflected off the target and scored!"

"Two to three! Chelsea still have a chance!"

Mourinho celebrated on the sidelines and reminded his players to strike while the iron was hot and equalize the score.

If the score can be tied within ten minutes, he can make a reasonable adjustment with his last substitution to make up for the team's disadvantage in the last ten minutes.

But if he fails to tie the score, he'll really have to gamble with his life.

Similarly, Lu Kai also encouraged his teammates on the field to hold on for ten minutes.

As long as Mourinho is forced to make his last substitution, the game is in the bag!

In the 73rd minute, Robben made a run down the left flank and delivered a through ball between the legs.

Lampard received the ball, turned and evaded Pepe, but his long-range shot was caught by Foster.

Foster launched a counterattack with a long kick.

Crouch headed the ball back to Lu Kai from the center circle.

Terry came over and made a flying tackle, Lu Kai flicked the ball forward, and jumped up to get past Terry.

But Carvalho then blocked the position and knocked Lu Kai to the ground.

The referee blew the whistle.

Carvalho was shown a yellow card.

In the 76th minute, Green Gun made a substitution.

Kompany replaced Vidic.

The latter was already exhausted.

Vidic was completely fired up in this match in order to compete against Drogba.

Even so, Drogba still possesses combat power, truly deserving of the title of a monster.

In the 81st minute, Lampard launched a through ball, attempting to get past Kompany.

However, Kompany has already honed his skills in the Premier League for most of the season and is the strongest player in Greens' defensive backup lineup.

Moreover, he is a well-rounded defender with no obvious weaknesses.

Kompany quickly turned around, held off Drogba, and waited for the ball to bounce out of bounds.

The latter continued to attack, eventually knocking Kompany to the ground.

The referee blew the whistle.

Drogba also got a yellow card.

Mourinho let out a long sigh.

They were forced to use their last substitution.

Forward Kezman replaced midfielder Mendes.

424 Ultimate Offensive Formation!

This is Mourinho's desperate tactic.

This means Chelsea essentially doesn't need a midfield.

The defense relies on the four players in the back.

The attack relies on the six players in the midfield and forward line, including Makelele.

The main strategy is to attack down the flanks.

Chelsea's attacking power therefore increased significantly.

In the 84th minute, Robben made a run down the left flank.

Maicon was exhausted at this point and could no longer keep up with the Dutch sprinter.

Robben crossed with his left foot, looking for Kezman at the far post.

But Kompany stayed close to Kezman, not giving him a chance to turn around.

Kezman can only pass the ball out to find Madeira on the right.

Madeira passed the ball across to Makelele, who then played a one-two, giving Lescott a shooting opportunity on the right side of the penalty area.

Lescott unleashed a powerful shot.

The football flew into the stands.

A golden opportunity was missed.

Lescott was very dissatisfied.

Why are my passing and shooting so bad?
This shouldn't be!
He would definitely have scored a world-class goal like that last season.

In the 87th minute, Robben was brought down by Pepe while breaking through on the wing.

Peipei's hair turned yellow.

Chelsea took a tactical free kick, with Robben still dribbling inside and passing the ball to Lampard along the way.

Lampard played a one-two pass to Kezman, who had slipped into the penalty area.

Kezman skillfully dribbled past Kompany and shot from the edge of the six-yard box.

But Cannavaro, despite his age, proved to be a force to be reckoned with, making another crucial tackle to block the shot.

The ball was blocked by Cannavaro and went out of the penalty area.

Crouch headed the ball across to the right.

Lu Kai stopped the ball with his chest and then suddenly flicked it forward, launching a powerful sprint.

Eat Galas raw.

Gallas, who already had a yellow card, attempted a tackle from behind but failed to bring the opponent down.

There wasn't even a chance to commit a foul.

"Lu Kai is so fast!"

"His speed is definitely not among the fastest on the field, but at this moment, having played the entire match, he still maintains his peak speed, which is truly astonishing."

"Currently, apart from Robben and Madeira, no one on the field is faster than Lu Kai, and neither of the former two are defensive players."

Thus, Lu Kai, whose speed was not exceptional, achieved an extraordinary effect with his kick.

【Swift and fast】Dribble quickly.

Carvalho, who was chasing back, tried to force Lu Kai to stop.

But Lu Kai feigned a dunk to go inside, and Carvalho turned to defend.

Lu Kai, however, made a spectacular run down the wing and outmaneuvered Carvalho on the outside.

Carvalho had a moment to turn around, and Lu Kai had already overtaken him on the outside, then cut inside and headed straight for the paint.

This forced Terry to abandon Arshavin and instead cover Lukay.

boom!
Lu Kaiheng passed the torch.

Arshavin faced Cech one-on-one in an open goal.

boom!
Arshavin took a direct shot without stopping the ball, which caught Cech off guard.

This ball could definitely be adjusted a bit more.

But that's Arshavin for you—his shots are incredibly decisive.

The football sneaked into the goal first.

"GOAL! Four to two! Sand and land link up, keep the slaughter going!"

Arshavin completes his hat-trick!

"Green Gunners have found a weakness in Chelsea! Mourinho's gamble failed!"

On the field, green energy surged.

Lu Kai turned around and unleashed the "Farmer's Three Punches," gaining a five-minute buff.

Blue and desolate.

In the 90th minute, the situation changed dramatically.

Robben dribbled continuously on the left side, appearing to hold onto the ball too long.

But after getting past Pepe, he delivered a cross.

Madeira used his speed to rush to the far post and made a diving sliding shot, which actually put the ball into the goal.

Three to four!
The outcome of the match remains uncertain!

Mourinho was almost frantic, and Chelsea fans started chanting the team's anthem continuously.

Both sides have lost their minds.

Fighting purely on instinct.

In the 92nd minute, Madeira's cross was headed away by Kompany.

Carrick headed the ball to Pepe, but was knocked down by Makelele.

The referee indicated that the attack was in the favor.

Pepe received the ball and delivered a powerful, high-quality kick.

But he regretted it after it got out.

At this point in time, how could anyone possibly catch up with their own pass?

Great!
Seeing how poor Lescott's passing skills were, Pepe wanted to show off his passing ability, but as a result, Chelsea were able to quickly organize an attack after losing possession, which caused problems for the team.

I wonder if I'll get criticized by Mr. Alfred later?
"Beautifully passed on!"

Alfred, who had slept through the night, was woken up by his alarm clock and was ready to start celebrating.

In the crowd, Lu Kai, wearing a green and white jersey, emerged from the tug-of-war between Terry and Carvalho.

Terry was in despair.

I can’t stop it. I can’t stop it at all!
Who the hell is playing like this after 90 minutes?
The key point is that he seems to be using it more than he did a few minutes ago?
Did he secretly charge it?
Drogba looked dejected, so how did Lu Kai turn into Drogba?

After breaking through the encirclement, Lu Kai's crucial ball control was still not a major problem.

Cech is on high alert.

This time, he threw himself into the fray for honor.

boom!
Three meters outside the arc, Lu Kai, who was on a sprint, immediately launched a kick.

Cech was dumbfounded.

So wild?
Swish!
The football went straight into the net.

Cech didn't even attempt a save.

“GOAL!!!”

"Five to three!"

"That was Batistuta's goal!"

"Lu Kai's long-range shot was earth-shattering; Cech didn't even have time to react!"

"The best goalkeeper in the Premier League was shot down to amateur level by Lu Kai!"

Lu Kai turned around and raised his arms, stopping running, because he really couldn't run anymore.

The greenery quickly converged on him.

The entire stadium became a sea of ​​green.

Inside the private room, Abu's face was icy cold. After a long pause, he finally uttered, "I want Arshavin... no matter the cost!"

Assistant: "What about Shevchenko?"

Abramovich: "To hell with Shevchenko! Arshavin is the best player this year!"

Looking at Lu Kai, who was raising his hands like a king, Abu added, "One of them."

Assistant: "I heard from Mourinho's assistant that if he had to choose between Shevchenko and Arshavin, he might choose Shevchenko because Arshavin's physical condition is worse."

Abramovich: "As long as he's not mentally challenged, he'd rather have Arshavin now."

(End of this chapter)