Team Spirit

Chapter 258 Europa League Group of Death, Premier League vs. Newcastle
The first leg of the Europa League qualifying play-offs kicked off on August 8th.

Dartford fielded their strongest lineup and easily defeated their opponents 3-0 away from home, given the vast difference in strength between them and the fact that their opponents were just a small team from a minor European league.

August 13th, Community Shield Cup.

Last season's Premier League champions Chelsea will face off against FA Cup winners Liverpool.

Liverpool left-back Riise opened the scoring.

Chelsea's superstar signing from AC Milan, Shevchenko, equalized the score.

But in the final moments of the match, former Green Gunners striker Crouch scored the winning goal, helping Liverpool lift the trophy.

Liverpool fans praise his "green gun" genes.

After all, Liverpool has brought in Green Gunners many times, but Morgan retired due to a serious injury and Scott returned to Dartford on loan and was reluctant to leave.

On August 14, Dartford secured a 2-0 victory at home in the second leg of the Europa League qualifying play-offs, officially qualifying for the Europa League group stage this season.

Soon, the Europa League group stage draw results were released.

The last time Green Gunners participated in the Europa League, the Europa League had not yet been reformed.

In the early stages, it was all decided by playing round after round, with each round being a knockout tournament.

However, this year, the Europa League has been reformed, becoming a group stage followed by a knockout stage format.

However, the Europa League has more participating teams than the Champions League, with five teams in each group. In addition, the Europa League is less attractive than the Champions League, so the number of matches needs to be reduced.

Therefore, a single-round format will be implemented this year.

Of the five teams, each team only needs to play one game against the other four teams.

There are a total of four matches, two fewer than the previous three rounds of six matches plus the six matches in the Champions League group stage.

Successfully reduced the burden.

However, precisely because of the significant changes this year, some problems arose in the grouping approach, resulting in the creation of some zero-traffic groups and dead groups.

Those who suffer from drought will die from drought, and those who suffer from waterlogging will die from waterlogging.

Dartford's group is the "star group" of this year's Europa League, which includes a "top team" like Dartford.

Bayer Leverkusen, a Bundesliga powerhouse. From 1997 to 2002, Leverkusen finished as runners-up in the Bundesliga four times in a row. At that time, they were still considered a powerhouse, not a strong team.

Ajax, a powerhouse in the Dutch Eredivisie. The Dutch Big Three need no introduction; their fame even surpasses that of Bayer Leverkusen.

Parma is one of the "Seven Sisters" of Serie A. Unfortunately, their strength is declining, but their reputation remains. In the past two years, they have even produced new stars such as Adriano, Gilardino, and Mutu.

Besiktas, a powerhouse in the Turkish Super League. The Turkish Super League is now considered a money-making, retirement league, with Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, and Besiktas being the three giants that consistently bring in veteran stars, all of whom are renowned and talented.

Of the five teams, only Parma rarely participates in the Champions League due to the intense competition in Serie A; the rest are all Champions League group stage teams.

It's clear that UEFA put a lot of thought into making them meet in the Europa League group stage.

At least in terms of the attention and viewership of this group, it ranks among the top even in this year's Champions League.

However, this group has actually garnered more attention than UEFA anticipated because the format is too brutal.

In the Champions League group stage, the top two teams advance, and the third-placed team goes to the Europa League. In reality, only one team is eliminated.

However, in the Europa League group stage, only the first-place team out of five teams can advance.

The second-placed team will play a qualifying match against the third-placed team that was eliminated in the Champions League group stage, and only the winner can advance to the Europa League knockout stage.

This level of stimulation has reached a heart-wrenching level.

Based on past standards, these five teams are all at least at the level to reach the Europa League semi-finals or quarter-finals.

Sky Sports: "The best European competition of the year – the Europa League's 'Green Medicine Jamabe' in the group of death!"

BBC: "An unconventional clash of the top five leagues in the Europa League! WinWin invites you to predict whether Dartford can advance!"

Diario Sport: "'World's Number One' in the Europa League? That's laughable! Ronaldinho leads the charge, Barcelona's Champions League ambitions are number one, and the Blaugrana's new crown prince is Messi!"

……

The English Premier League officially kicked off on August 19th.

Dartford's first game of the season will be at Anfield, where they will face the formidable Liverpool.

They just won the Community Shield, and their morale is high.

As a result, Green Guns didn't hold back, not giving the newcomers a chance to play, and used the old lineup from last season to face off.

Liverpool, on the other hand, has made new signings and is still adjusting its lineup.

The two sides ultimately drew 1-1.

During the game, the camera also focused on Curtis Davis in the stands.

The former Green Gunners center-back, the new Ferdinand, joined Juventus last season but has been plagued by injuries, thus missing this summer's World Cup.

He just returned to the Premier League a few days ago, joining Liverpool, and hasn't officially integrated into the team yet.

August 23, the second round of the Premier League.

Dartford will host Newcastle United.

The starting lineups for both teams were displayed on the big screen:

Duff, Dzeko, Ribery
Lu Kai
Pepe, Modric

Filho, Vidic, Bonucci, Ashley Young
Neuer

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Newcastle United also has many familiar faces:
Ameobi, Martins
Nzogobia, Parker, Nicky Butt, Rossi

Barbayaro, Moore, Williams, Carl

哈珀
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Williams, a tall center-back from the former Green Gunners, was once highly sought after by several Premier League teams.

Unfortunately, in recent years Newcastle has fallen from a Premier League powerhouse to a mid-table team, and is even declining towards relegation, with its honors fading away.

This season should be Newcastle's last struggle, as they have brought in a number of well-known players.

With the sound of a whistle, the Green Penguin Stadium erupted in cheers as the game officially began.

In the third minute, Italian golden boy Rossi cut inside from the wing and attempted a long-range shot, but the ball went slightly wide.

In the eighth minute, Dzeko lost possession after receiving a pass from Lu Kai and failed to score.

Parker receives the ball on Newcastle's side and calls for his teammates to make runs to prepare for a counter-attack.

Pepe then charged in with a flying tackle, sending both Pepe and the ball flying.

The referee immediately blew his whistle.

Parker rolled on the ground, while Bart complained incessantly until Lu Kai looked at him.

Manchester United also clashed with Green Gunners in their early days. Butt was a highly decorated player and the only one who managed to attack Lu Kai in recent years.

However, he was also the Manchester United player who suffered the most.

Such memories will never fade, no matter how much time passes.

So Bart quickly left the complaints area.

The referee only gave Pepe a warning and did not issue a card.

Although Pepe's move was dangerous, this flying tackle was beautiful; he completely caught the ball.

The blame lies with Parker for loosening his control of the ball when directing his teammates.

As the "new Lampard" of his time, Parker's career at Chelsea was far from successful.

In the eleventh minute, Lu Kai received a pass from Ashley Young on the right and cut inside with Ribery.

Ribery received a short pass from Lu Kai and attempted a low shot from outside the penalty area.

The ball also went slightly wide.

In the thirteenth minute, Green Gun pressed forward on the attack.

Ashley Young passed the ball back to Modric on the right wing.

boom!
Modric played a first-time through ball, catching Newcastle's midfield and defense off guard.

Duff cut inside without the ball, using his speed to get past Karl, and poked a shot from outside the six-yard box.

The football went into the net.

"GOAL! One to zero!" "Duff has scored his first Premier League goal for Dartford."

“He integrated quickly. Alfred did not forcefully change Duff’s playing style, but Dartford’s dribbling pressure was not all concentrated on Duff.”

At Chelsea, Duff was the main dribbler, and along with Madeira, Robben, and others, he was considered a player who would be used up over time.

As a result, there have been many injuries.

Green Gunners, on the other hand, take the players' physical condition into more consideration.

For example, Motta was rested in this match.

In the 17th minute, Ashley Young switched positions with Ribery on the right wing, and Ribery was fouled while dribbling back.

Modric took a tactical free kick.

Youngster Bonucci rushed into the penalty area and headed the ball into the net at the near post.

Unfortunately, the linesman raised his flag.

Bonucci sprinted ahead of time, but was offside.

Sighs were heard at the scene.

On the sidelines, Zidane glanced at Alfred, who was resting with his eyes closed, and asked Guardiola, "Is the manager so relaxed?"

Guardiola shrugged: "Perhaps it's because we tactically countered our opponents. That way, the head coach's job is done, and the rest can be left to the players."

Zidane was somewhat puzzled: "Restraint?"

Guardiola nodded: "The 4-3-3 style with its inside cut can exploit the flanks of a 4-4-2. Newcastle currently lacks awareness of how to cover this area, and it's only a matter of time before they continue to suffer."

Zidane: "Duff's willingness to cut inside is not strong; when he dribbles, he mostly goes down the byline. Only when Ribery cuts inside does the space on the flanks not fully expose itself."

Guardiola: "Duff prefers to go down the wing when he has the ball, but when he doesn't have the ball, he tends to cut inside. He likes to run towards the left side of the penalty area near the corner."

"Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to get that through ball."

In the context of this period, it was characterized by a strong offensive approach.

In fact, this was also Mourinho's tactical requirement.

Because Chelsea typically only had Drogba as their striker in the middle, they needed more players in the penalty area during counter-attacks, so Duff developed this habit.

Green Gunners' signings also depend on whether the players can fit into their tactics.

In the 21st minute, Newcastle United broke into the Green Guns' penalty area.

Martins crosses from the wing.

Vidic outjumped the 1.91-meter-tall Ameobi to clear the ball with a header.

Rossi attempted a follow-up shot near the penalty area, but Pepe, with his speed and wide coverage, squeezed past Rossi and passed the ball back to Neuer.

Neuer launched a counter-attack with a long pass.

Dzeko squeezed past Williams near midfield and took control of the ball.

Williams's weakness lies in his physical strength.

He can defend against players of Crouch's size, and he's also decent against Mandzukic or Giroud from last season, but Dzeko is stronger and more physically capable than Giroud.

After gaining control of the ball, Dzeko did not pass the ball immediately, but instead advanced a few steps himself. This is because he mainly played in midfield before last season and has a good grasp of the timing of passing.

Williams failed to win possession and immediately dropped back to take position, relinquishing control of Dzeko and giving him space.

Although Duff and Ribery are positioned further forward, they are both on the flanks, so their positions are not particularly advantageous.

Seeing that the counterattack had failed to achieve its intended effect, Lu Kai's voice suddenly rang out behind Dzeko:
"Short, straight pass!"

The next moment, Lu Kai swept past Zheke.

Dzeko played a through ball at high speed, which went straight through Williams.

As Lu Kai sped forward, Williams turned around and accelerated from zero, so how could he keep up?
Lu Kai found himself one-on-one with Harper in the penalty area. Facing the onrushing Harper, he controlled the ball carefully and chipped it over Harper's shoulder.

The football fell into the net.

"GOAL! Two to zero! Lu Kai scores another goal for the team!"

"Dzeko's assist was very good, and he had a good grasp of the timing of the pass. If he had passed to Duff earlier, this attack would have been more likely to be forced to the wing to cross, and it would not have been as sharp as this attack."

"Honestly, with Duff and Ribery, two fast horses, who will have time to worry about Lu Kai when they're counterattacking?"

Newcastle are in a bad situation, and the players are starting to get impatient.

In the 25th minute, Ribery was tackled by Moore while cutting inside, but crucially, Moore hadn't even touched the ball.

The referee immediately showed a yellow card.

Lu Kai's free kick hit the crossbar, missing a chance to score his second goal.

In the 33rd minute, Ribery cut inside past his opponent, forcing the Newcastle defense to move towards him, before passing the ball to Ashley Young who was overlapping.

The king of bird droppings swept his right foot across the doorway.

Lu Kai, who had switched positions with Dzeko early on, took a backheel shot at the near post.

The soccer ball hit Moore's shin and bounced away.

Duff on the left and Dzeko, who was making a run from behind, were both a beat too slow, and Williams cleared the ball with a long kick.

Lu Kai then gave his teammates a thumbs up.

Zidane: "Dzeko adapted very well to switching positions with Lu Kai, both technically and in terms of awareness. His signing was indeed a technical match."

Guardiola: "Dzeko can play both midfield and forward, and he adapted to this role transition last season. His movement during transitions is a perfect match for Lu Kai."

While Dzeko appears to be a center forward, Lu Kai is actually the true striker.

Compared to last season, this greatly reduces Lu Kai's physical challenges on the front line.

Giroud: We're all laborers.

In the 41st minute, Modric switched the ball to the left flank.

This is the weak side of the Green Gunners; they have less time with the ball and a lot of open space.

After Filho made a run to receive the ball, Lu Kai came over to support him and hit a one-two pass to help Filho continue down the wing.

Duff was positioned outside the bull's horn area to receive the pass.

Phil went straight down to the baseline.

Carl, who thought he was going to pass the ball to Duff, lost track of him immediately.

Filippo crossed the ball directly into the middle from the baseline in an inverted triangle pattern.

Lu Kai, who had just rushed up, slipped through.

Dzeko, positioned diagonally behind, met the ball with a cross pass to Lu Kai.

This crossover allowed him to get past Williams.

Lu Kai received the ball outside the penalty area, faced Moore directly, and made two consecutive feints to the left and right.

Moore, Harper, and others were still trying to keep up with Lu Kai's pace, but Lu Kai had already curled a shot with his right foot.

Swish!
The football curved beautifully and nestled into the far corner of the net.

"GOAL! Three to zero!"

"Lu Kai scores a second goal!"

"That was a beautiful, fast bike! His speed was incredible. It felt like Lu Kai's stride frequency was even faster than before, maybe even comparable to Xiao Luo's!"

"Is this the level of the best active player? It felt like he didn't even have a chance to perform, and the Magpies were already down!"

The narrator's interpretation felt correct.

Lu Kai's stride frequency has indeed improved significantly compared to before.

Basically, among players who are 1.78 meters tall or taller, no one has a higher stride frequency than him.

For a moment, Williams, Parker, Martins, Rossi, Butt, Babayaro and other players looked at each other in bewilderment.

They had all faced Lu Kai at various stages.

But now they really can't keep up with Lu Kai.

(End of this chapter)