Back then, Arsene Wenger sold the team's number one talent, Anelka, to Real Madrid, and used the transfer fee to build a Kearney training base, which has always been the talk of Arsenal fans. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

Now, in the media centre next to the main gate of the training base, the final press conference before the Carabao Cup final is being held, with almost every media outlet in the UK in attendance.

Arsene Wenger routinely announced the team's 18-man squad at this press conference.

But the sharp-eyed reporters caught a change: Ashley Cole's return.

So, it didn't take long for reporters to ask if Ashley Kerr would be back in the starting line-up.

'Yes, I'm happy that Ashley is recovering well from his injury and he's a vital part of our squad, but at the moment it's not certain if he'll be able to play and it needs to be further coordinated with the doctors. ”

Even for the main central defender Campbell, who has long been injured, Wenger also expressed concern.

Neither Ashley Kerr nor Campbell were involved in the team's training sessions before the press conference, and the pair were alone on the sidelines for some simple recovery workouts that looked like they hadn't recovered.

No one knows whether Wenger's words are true or false, whether they are smoke bombs or the truth.

But that's not where the focus of journalists is.

"Mr. Arsene Wenger, this final was still played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, and we all know that there is a spell in the dressing room of this stadium......

When the reporter asked this, the audience chuckled.

The South Locker Room Spell at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium has been around for a long time.

Since the demolition and rebuilding of Wembley Stadium, English football has scheduled some of the biggest finals at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, but interestingly, the teams in the south dressing room have often lost to those in the north dressing room.

That record held until last season's pre-season Community Shield, when Arsenal met Liverpool in the north.

Traditionally, the southern team used the south dressing room, the northern team used the north dressing room, and the Gunners stayed in the south dressing room, but beat Liverpool 1-0 in the final to win the title.

The same happened in last season's FA Cup final, when Arsenal faced Southampton, who were traditionally supposed to use the South dressing room, but the latter called for the draw and Arsenal ended up drawing the hapless South dressing room.

Surprisingly, the Gunners beat Southampton in the final, also with a score of 1-0.

But in this season's Premier League, Arsenal were a big lead over Manchester United, and were stubbornly reversed by Alex Ferguson's side at the last minute and lost the league title they had won.

Not only that, but in the Community Shield before this season, the Gunners met Manchester United and once again entered the South dressing room, only to lose the title on penalties.

Even the experience has convinced everyone that there is indeed a magic spell in the south locker room of the Millennium Stadium.

In response to the reporter's question, Wenger smiled.

"Yes, I've heard of it, but we don't care about that, we're just going to put all our energy into the game and beat the opponent with strength, not the so-called curse. ”

At this point, Arsene Wenger took a turn for the worse.

"Of course, if our opponents feel that it is not good for them to use the South Dressing Room, then they can apply again and use a draw to solve the problem, and we all know that they are the first to use the Draw to decide the North and South Dressing Rooms. ”

At the end, Wenger laughed, and the whole person seemed very relaxed and calm.

Many reporters at the scene applauded, because Wenger's words were not without allusions.

In the FA Cup final of the 01-02 season, Arsenal faced Chelsea.

Traditionally, both teams are London teams, but Chelsea are in the south and should use the south dressing room, but Chelsea are unhappy with this and have objected, hoping that the draws can be used to decide the dressing room access.

Initially, the FA disagreed, rejecting Chelsea's application, but the Blues were unable to resist repeated applications and eventually accepted the Blues' request and held a draw.

As if there was providence, Chelsea once again drew the South dressing room and lost 2-0 to Arsenal in the final, giving up the FA Cup.

After a two-year absence, the two London sides are once again reunited at the Millennium Stadium, and Wenger's words are undoubtedly a blow to Chelsea's psyche, hoping to gain an advantage in the pre-match psychological warfare.

As for the media, with their temperament of fearing that the world will not be chaotic, where is not adding fuel to the fire?

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With the two pre-match press conferences staggered, reporters headed south from north London to Harrington near Heathrow Airport immediately after the press conference at A.T. Kearney's training base.

Compared to the high-end and high-end A.T. Kearn, Chelsea's Harrington is a sling, too shabby to deserve this luxurious Blues team, but the media reporters are used to it.

What's more, it's not their focus either.

When Gao Han routinely announced the starting 18-man squad, media reporters only noticed that Makelele was still absent from the League Cup final, and it seemed that the French defender had not fully recovered.

Then a reporter threw Wenger's words to Gao Han, and then everyone in the audience quietly waited for Gao Han's rebuttal.

The South Locker Room Curse, which has indeed been around for a long time, has also made many people believe in it.

Professional football is dominated by people, and as long as it is human, there are bound to be varied, bizarre, and even inexplicable phenomena, such as the so-called Premier League Coach of the Month curse.

But for this, Gao Han is scoffing.

Since he came to the Premier League, he has won the Manager of the Month award many times, but he has not necessarily lost.

So, the point is not the spell.

"I'm never going to believe in the so-called curse, just as I said before that I never believed in the Coach of the Month curse, and I don't get affected by the magic of the South Dressing Room at Millennium Stadium. ”

Gao Han smiled faintly and faced all the media reporters.

"As for the so-called draw, it is even more unnecessary because we don't want to give our opponents any excuse to lose. ”

"If there really is a so-called South Dressing Room Curse, then we are happy to accept this challenge and break Arsenal and the so-called Curse in one fell swoop!"

Gao Han has always scoffed at the so-called curse, so he also felt that Chelsea's initiative to draw lots was a very stupid decision in itself, especially when he was sadly drawn to the South dressing room, which was even more unlucky.

Needless to say, in that game, before it even started, Chelsea had already lost half of the game.

By the same token, Arsene Wenger kicked the ball to Chelsea to take a psychological advantage.

If Chelsea is more serious, it will lose psychologically, and if it is not more serious, Arsenal will naturally enter the North dressing room, and it will also end up with a big belly, which will take up the reason.

Therefore, if anyone in the future says that Wenger is a good man, Gao Han will fight with him.

This is not too much of a thief!

Gao Han's thoughts turned around a few times, but the media reporters were still asking.

For example, an independent reporter suggested that Arsenal's leading striker Thierry Henry confidently said that he would definitely score in the final to help Arsenal break through Chelsea's goal and win the title first.

Gao Han sneered twice without hesitation, and only replied, "He said the same thing last time." ”

The audience burst into laughter.

"Go back and tell Henry that you still have to save some strength and keep his top scorer in the league!" Gao Han continued to provoke.

Eto'o has caught up with Thierry Henry in the current Premier League scorer list, which has also made the competition for the Premier League top scorer title this season more and more fierce, especially for Thierry Henry, who was ambitious before the season, and the pressure is doubled.

"Mr. Gao Han, are you going to chill Eto'o in the final?" asked a reporter tentatively.

Gao Han laughed and didn't answer positively, "Guess." ”

The reporters almost fell, who could have guessed that?

Chelsea's squad is very thick, Gao Han's rotation is also used well, the cup and league are different plays, even if Eto'o is really rotated, it is normal.

For the excellent results of the Blues this season, as well as the consistent performances of the past few months, many people have not only attributed the greatest credit to the tuning of head coach Gao Han, but also felt that they relied on Chelsea's strong squad.

There are two strong contenders in almost every position, which makes Chelsea very competitive up and down, and coupled with the good rotation of the alpine team, the overall fighting power of the team is very impressive.

It can be said that the investment of 200 million euros has been spent on the cutting edge.

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Arsenal did not respond positively to Gao Han's provocation at the pre-match press conference.

Even Henry, who bore the brunt of the attack, only said that he would prove it with the game.

But that didn't stop journalists from hyping up the topic.

The League Cup has always been a chicken rib competition in the Premier League, and the attention is not good, and the game time is scheduled for the end of February, which is a critical period for strong teams to fight on multiple fronts, so there have been calls to cancel the League Cup.

But now, Arsenal and Chelsea have reached the Carabao Cup final at the same time, which has greatly stimulated the attention of this cup competition.

There is a good saying, whether there is a champion or not, you can't see it on weekdays, and you can only reflect it when you really go to a major key battle.

The League Cup final is the first game Chelsea has faced since its reorganization, and it is a major event that determines the ownership of a championship trophy.

Not only did the media pay close attention to the event, but even the fans of both teams were very enthusiastic.

Before the game, the fans of both teams drove from London to Cardiff, which made the trains and flights from London to Cardiff crowded, and the fans who chose to drive there were long queues along the way.

Even on the day of the game, two cars representing Arsenal and Chelsea collided on a traffic artery into Cardiff, and the two gangs almost got into a fight, blocking the entire road to the ground, and finally the police were dispatched to avoid it.

It would be a spectacle in English football to have fans of both teams fight openly on the road.

Before the game, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff was packed early.

In the stands, the blue representing Chelsea and the red representing Arsenal are clearly distinguished.

But unlike the excitement and excitement of the Blues, Arsenal fans are more gentlemanly, or rather dull.

It's also in line with the usual character of Arsenal's Highbury Stadium.

It was the famous gentleman's stadium in the Premier League.

But it's a life-and-death battle!