Chapter 116: You Come and I Come
As for Prato's two wings, they are now in a state of self-care. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info Kevin Campbell and Hartson were originally very impactful, both of them are typical English strikers, fast and strong, although not to break through the defense of Zanetti and Leonardo, but also greatly involved the energy of the two.
Leonardo's left flank is a little better, with Dunga's occasional reinforcements, he can still find some time to insert assists, after all, he is the main left-back of the champions Brazil, and his flowing dribbling breakthrough on the left still poses some threat to Arsenal. However, Zanetti on the right side needed to be pressed down by Paul in the middle as Tomasi was needed. Merson, so Zanetti often needs to face the impact of Arsenal on the left side.
This situation became more and more serious after the five elders of the defense found that the midfield could not open the situation for a long time, so they joined the attack. Winterburn, who is already in his thirties, has the physical strength not inferior to that of a young man, and he sped along the sideline, so that Zanetti had to give up his hand on Kevin. Campbell's defense, pressing it with all his might. Because according to the intelligence collected by Prato, Winterberg's crosses, who have a free kick skills, are super accurate, and Zanetti will never dare to let him go up front easily.
And on the other side, Leonardo and Lee. Dixon is also basically in a state of mutual explosion. Dixon's defense is very stable, otherwise he would not be able to sit in the position of Arsenal's main right-back for 15 consecutive years, but Leonardo is not a vegetarian, in the high-speed dribbling on the side, the heel side knocks out of the classic passing action without pause is frequently staged, Dixon was broken by Leonardo several times to send a threatening ball, only because Vieri and Inzaghi were suppressed by Adams and Keown in the middle, they failed to form the final goal.
However, Dixon also has his own way of dealing with it, and he first played as a winger during his time at Burnley, so his nature always makes a difference for Arsenal when attacking forward. When the cross cleared back at his feet, Dixon had a nice touch on both feet, which allowed him to keep attacking and keep threatening.
In addition, Dixon has a brush - scoring goals. He scored a number of goals as a defender, scoring 28 goals during his time at Highbury, including some beautiful long-range strikes and cool finishes from inside the box. Dixon's goal record is one of the highest in Arsenal's club history compared to most defenders. In this case, Leonardo's insertion of assists had to be cautious.
Seeing this, Spalletti took advantage of a dead-ball opportunity to call Tomasi to the sidelines, gave a few words, and then made a forward gesture.
Receiving the will of the manager, Tomasi gradually let go of the formless Merson in the subsequent game and began to push forward frequently.
In the 22nd minute of the first half, Veron received the ball from Materazzi at the back and hit Effenberg in the forward position with a long pass. Effenberg, who had been bending down and bending down as if he was careless, was like a tiger that suddenly woke up at the moment of receiving the ball, showing a terrifying momentum. He lightly paddled the ball, and it flew in the direction of the side, and he never looked in that direction.
However, when he sent the ball to the empty space in front of the penalty area, Tomasi arrived and fired a furious shot at the ball. Seaman struggled to stretch his arms, but he didn't reach the ball. Graham couldn't help but close his eyes, he could imagine the blame he would face for this goal, and even if he lost this ball, then he would not be far from being out of class.
He really underestimated Prato, a second division team, and didn't expect this team that had never heard the name to have so many players with outstanding strength and characteristics, like Prato's two central defenders, who actually suppressed Allan. Smith and Ian. Wright, as well as the Brazilian left-back, is really good in technique, and the Argentine defender on the right, although not as frequent as Prato's left-back, but in the face of Kevin, Campbell and Winterburn, he still tried to keep the right side open, which made Graham can't help but appreciate it in his heart.
However, the moment Graham closed his eyes, there was a sudden loud bang in the Arsenal goal, and Tomasi's shot actually hit the crossbar, and after rebounding back, it was clung to Seaman, which made Graham feel like he had escaped.
But as the saying goes, "if you don't die in a big disaster, there will be a blessing in the future", and Arsenal, which has not been able to attack for a long time, also ushered in an opportunity.
The problem eventually came down the right flank of Zanetti's defense, but it was none of Zanetti's business, as Winterburn cut through the midfield with a sharp pass that tore through the defence at the Arsenal back, and Alain, who had been pressed by Materazzi. Smith exemplifies the wisdom of a veteran in key moments.
Alan. When Smith was scrambling for this high-altitude ball, he blocked Materazzi in front of him in advance and stuck his position, but Materazzi did not take it to heart, and he fought for the header several times before, and there was no lack of loss of position, after all, the defender has always been passive relative to the forward, but Materazzi won the victory with his extraordinary physical fitness. He resisted Alain. Smith's back, legs slightly bent, ready to jump.
After a while, he sensed Alain. Smith strained his back and jumped into the air. Materazzi immediately exerted his legs and leaped into the air. And the last hair came first, and it was half a head.
But Materazzi soon found out that he and Alain. Smith jumped early. Winterburn's pass was flat and fast, and it was very difficult to judge, and when they jumped to the top of the ball, the ball was still a line away from reaching their heads, and neither of them could fight for the ball.
However Alain. Smith lost this goal, at most he lost a chance, and Materazzi directly "rose to the top". This is an unusually serious mistake for a defender, and it is the equivalent of Alain. Smith leaked the ball straight to Ian behind him. Wright. Ayala did not expect Materazzi to make such a mistake and chose to stand behind Wright when he was in position, and was unable to intercept the ball by this time.
Wright took the ball and went straight into the penalty area, and Materazzi, who was closest to the goal, was still in mid-air and unable to make up for it.
For a shooter like Wright, a gap was enough to deliver the fatal blow, and he half-leaned on Ayala so he couldn't interfere with his own shot, and then slammed the ball. The ball went straight to the bottom right corner of the goal, and because of the speed of the ball, Toldo was powerless even if he was nervous.
1:0, Arsenal took the lead at their home stadium, which immediately caused a cheer at Highbury Stadium.