Chapter 115 The Five Elders of the Defense
Honestly, as I get older, Alain. Smith's goalscoring sensation has dropped a lot, and now he relies more on his height and experience to play the ball for his teammates and act as a beacon on the counter-attack. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ļ½ļ½ļ½Uļ½Eć info Arsenal's real killer is Ian. Wright, the team's all-time average of 0.66 goals per game is by no means blown out, and as long as Wright is on the pitch, Arsenal fans can expect goals.
However, even the best goalscorers need the midfield to create chances for them, and Arsenal's midfield is lacking that creativity right now. Steve. Moreau was called upon in last year's Cup Winners' Cup final and put in a good performance to freeze Parma's midfield, but he was only a sapper-type midfielder, with two wide players Kevin. Campbell and Hutson both came from forward positions and went on to become leading scorers for the Hammers and Toffees, respectively. After being converted into a winger by Graham, he has no loss of speed and impact, and has good shooting skills, but the two are also lacking in creativity.
The only Arsenal midfielder with that kind of imagination is Paul. Merson, at a time when Graham is abandoning a flamboyant and fancy attacking style in favor of goalscoring efficiency. Merson was a shining shadow on the Arsenal offensive line of this era, bringing extraordinary technique and brilliant imagination to the team, often creating spectacular and unexpected spectacles. Merson can play in a number of positions in attack, his favourite role is dropping back up front, feeding shells to his team-mates up front, and he is a worthy attacking heart for Arsenal as well as delivering lethal passes to attacking opponents every time he is able to play the ball and run along the wings.
However, drug and alcohol abuse ruined his body, and after three months in a drug rehab institution, he had just returned to the court and apparently had not yet found the feeling of playing. And Prato's back three erected a thick wall between Arsenal's midfielders and forwards, severing that connection. Thomassi, who was galloping all over the field, followed Paul almost without an inch. Merson, it seems that people see the shadow of the "iron lung of Rome" in history.
Combined with Dunga's back-and-forth sweeping at the back and Effenberg's hand-to-hand pressing up front, Arsenal's midfielders were completely unable to organise a decent attack, and most of the ball was passed up front. So it looks like Alain. Smith and Ian. Wright delivered a lot of shells, but there were very few threatening balls.
Alain, who is 191cm tall, Smith was almost unpopular in front of the 193cm and younger and stronger Materazzi, and was frequently pushed back by Materazzi on the top of his head. And Ian. Wright was also stared at by Ayala and was about to go crazy, he couldn't help but burst into a foul mouth in his heart with his witty and humorous nature, where did this little defender come from, it was even more difficult than those top defenders in the Premier League, he almost tried his best, but he couldn't get rid of this guy. Didn't you say that the opponent was just an Italian second division team? Shouldn't we be able to win easily? Could it be that the defenders of the Italian second division team are of this level?
However, Prato's attack also did not have much to do with Arsenal, although Graham somewhat despised Prato and adopted a press-out attacking play, as if playing into the hands of Prato's defensive counter-attacking tactics. But let's not forget that Arsenal's backline is in the era of the famous 'back five'.
David. Seaman, who was selected for the England national team in 1988, is a well-deserved goalkeeper of the England national team, representing the national team in 75 games, becoming another legendary goalkeeper in English football after Hilton. In last year's Cup Winners' Cup final, Seaman played closed and went on with an injury. Against Parma, who boasted Zola, Brolin and Asprilla, it was he who put in a brilliant performance to help a disadvantaged Arsenal hold on to a rare goal and eventually lift the Cup Winners' Cup back to London.
Dixon, who was once the best choice for the England national team's right-back position, only in the 94 World Cup, England missed the finals, and the new coach Venables reused the newcomer before giving way to Gally Neville of Manchester United.
Winterburn, who later became a worthy choice at left-back when he was selected as Arsenal's best 11 players. You know, Arsenal have been lucky to have a high-level, consistent left-back for decades. Like Ashley Cole, De Busch, Eboue, Gibbs, Bellerin, good full-backs are like cutting leeks, stubble after stubble, so there has been a lot of debate about the best, and then the answer for the vast majority of people is one person: Nigel Winterburn.
Martin. Keown, who is not outstanding in physical fitness and unpretentious style of play, did not allow him to stay in his parent club after being born in the Arsenal Academy, but this big man with a big heart and tenacious nerves, after eight seasons of wandering, accumulated a lot of defensive experience, suddenly became unstoppable, and became the defensive backbone of the England national team. It's like a dusty diamond that, after careful wiping, suddenly bursts into a dazzling light.
Tony. Adams, needless to say, is considered one of the greatest players in Arsenal's history, from the age of 17 to his retirement at the age of 36, he played for only one team in his life, captained the team for 14 years over a period spanning three decades, made 669 appearances for Arsenal, won ten major trophies (including league titles), and was known as 'Mr. Arsenal'. Two of Arsenal's all-time legends, Graham and Arsene Wenger, have held him in high esteem, with Graham calling him a "giant of Arsenal" and Arsene Wenger describing him as a "defensive professor". Technically, as a defender, Adams has few weaknesses, and his timing of tackles, superior ability to read the game and excellent aerial dominance make him a nightmare for all opposition strikers. He is also the defensive commander of Arsenal and the England national team, and the formation and position of the team's backline, and the timing of offsides are all well organized under his skillful management.
The five-man backline was regarded as one of the greatest in the history of English football at the time. In the face of such a backline, Prato's counter-attacks frequently hit a wall. For the first time, Vieri didn't have an overwhelming advantage in physical wrestling, and although Adams was also taken aback by the guy's strength, he quickly used his vast experience and skillful technique to keep Vieri down.
Martin. Keown, on the other hand, followed Inzaghi, no matter how nonsensical his running was, but he never let up for a moment, and his tenacity ensured his strong concentration. Strangling two of Prato's sharpest arrows, Prato's attack up front was only one of Effenberg's occasional long-range shots, but all of them were to no avail under Seaman's excellent positioning.