Although the penalty by Rio Ferdinand distracted from a certain amount of attention, the big battle between Notts County and Arsenal still came as scheduled. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

'In terms of the form of both teams, Notts County are undoubtedly better off with a well-rested side, but Arsenal have more experience to deal with a difficult schedule and it's really hard to say who will win when the two teams are roughly the same quality!'

In a highly-rated football talk show, the guests talked eloquently in front of the host, and the topic was naturally about the battle for the top spot in the Premier League.

'Arsenal's biggest advantage is playing at home, which is probably a big factor in the outcome of the game, but for the two teams who have not tasted defeat so far, it doesn't really seem to have much of an impact on home and away.

"The focus of the game is on the battle for midfield, whoever can control the midfield will be able to take the initiative, and the main theme of the battle between Vieira and Keane has now changed to a-for-tat between the midfield led by Vieira and the Notts County midfield."

"For Arsenal, the bad news is the team's defensive midfield, Brazilian star Gilberto Silva missed this game due to a bad injury, and the Gunners' midfield defensive intensity has dropped by more than one notch, and they are naturally at a disadvantage in the confrontation, so they are still very optimistic that Notts County can seize the initiative!"

"The giants can never be taken lightly, and Notts County can sit on the top spot in the Premier League is not by luck, so this battle is bound to be fierce and passionate, as for who will win, it is difficult to predict, but it is very likely that the two sides will draw, which is also a result that both sides can barely accept!"

Although there is not much theoretical support for the guest's opinion, I don't know why, many fans also have the same opinion, that is, the two sides may tie.

In the pre-match press conference, Loew and Arsene Wenger didn't want to go head-to-head and let the reporters in the audience see the jokes, so they also avoided the important when speaking, as if a draw was really what they both wanted to see.

But when it comes to the game, it's completely different!

Arsenal, who sit at home, do not pay attention to modesty and courtesy, and in the face of such a villain as Notts County, the Gunners directly grabbed their weapons and began to charge, and from the first minute, they showed the momentum of a life-and-death showdown.

And Notts County will not be afraid, and they also fight against Arsenal's attack, as if they have to crush their opponents in a head-on battle, which is the real victory.

Arsenal's line-up did not surprise everyone, because there were not many talents available on the Arsenal bench, and the only thing that made everyone feel incredible was that Arsene Wenger actually let the 17-year-old Cesc Fabregas replace Bergkamp as the team's starting midfielder.

The young Spaniard was brought back from Barcelona's academy at the start of the season by Arsene Wenger, who has opted to join the Gunners after frustration at La Masia, with Arsene Wenger promising to develop him as much as possible.

Maybe now everyone is just surprised by his talent, but they don't think about how much he will achieve in the future, only David knows how far this talented talent will grow.

Well, David has to admit that he is greedy again, but when he thinks of those little demons in the academy, he doesn't have too many regrets.

With Gilberto Silva sidelined, Arsene Wenger had to replace Edu in his place as a defensive midfielder for Patrick Vieira, while Ljungberg was replaced by Arsene Wenger's Frenchman Wiltord.

On the Notts County side, today is a 433 lineup, which is obviously going to fight hard with Arsenal in midfield.

As soon as the game opened, the two sides did not make any tentative moves, and they fought directly into a real battle, and in the battle for the midfield, it was extremely fierce.

As the No. 1 defender in the Premier League and even the world's No. 1 midfielder, Vieira's strength naturally goes without saying, and he can play an extremely important role in both attack and defense.

But the problem is that today his partner has become Edu, a team-mate who is obviously less strong, and the intensity of the protection of the midfield has dropped a lot, and the two of them have to fight against the three Notts County midfielders, obviously a little weak, even if Bregas often drops back to help them, but it is also difficult to really fight against the Notts County midfield.

In his opinion, the 17-year-old is obviously the weak link in Arsenal's field, as long as he is restricted, the Gunners do not have a stable point of play in the front, and even if the attack can only be spent most of the time in the middle and back, it cannot threaten the Notts County goal.

Sure enough, Vieira didn't dare to go too far forward most of the time because he had to take care of his own defense, and could only rely on Cesc Fabregas to pass the ball on the two wings and feed Henry.

When it was Notts County's turn to attack, Deco and Alonso's two major midfielders were well organized in the midfield, and the passing arrangements were at ease, without Gilberto Silva's sweeping interceptions, they could easily hit the ball through the half but threatened the Arsenal goal.

Despite the fact that the two teams had similar possession, the actual attacking threat was clearly that Notts County were superior, but Arsenal's defence was also very tight and did not give Villa too many chances to shoot.

This situation is expected by Loew, after all, Arsenal's overall strength is there, and it is definitely the strongest opponent that Notts County has encountered at present, even if the squad is slightly crippled, it is not easy to beat, so Notts County also needs to be more patient.

Ten minutes into the first half, Notts County's attack gradually intensified, but in fact, it was Arsenal's poor control of the midfield that gave Notts County a more direct chance to face the goal.

Arsene Wenger did not expect the situation to be so embarrassing, and Fabregas, who had high hopes for him, struggled to hold the ball without support, and his lack of experience was exposed, which directly led to Arsenal's offensive malaise.

However, at this time, it is impossible for him to take Cesc Fabregas directly, so the blow to the young player will be too great, and he does not want to see a talented young player die in his own hands.

In order to change the unfavorable situation, Wenger can only let the midfield line retreat more than ten meters, so that he can more closely combine with the back line to protect the penalty area, as for the midfield battle, he knows that Notts County have won. (To be continued.) )