Chapter 62: They Are Fundamentally Vulnerable
The referee's whistle blew loudly, but he didn't stop after the timeout, but trotted to the place where the Arsenal players were going to celebrate, and pulled out the yellow card in Nasri's pocket.
Nasri's actions are suspected of provoking opposing fans, and this yellow card is not unjust.
However, the referee had no intention of stopping there, and he approached the fourth official and Chelsea staff and asked them to immediately dissuade the fans, otherwise he would announce the complete termination of the game and wait for the Football Association's decision.
Stopping a match and stopping a match are definitely not the same thing, with the former basically meaning Chelsea will be sentenced to lose 3-0, while the latter means there is room for redemption.
Chelsea's officials were no longer arrogant, and they immediately turned around and walked up to the stands to find the troublesome fans, who were comforted one by one, and some of the still radical fans were forced off the pitch by the police.
After about a dozen minutes of tossing and turning, the Chelsea fans finally fell silent in the stands and the referee saw that the situation was under control and walked back to the pitch to blow the whistle to continue the game.
Both teams back on the pitch temporarily lost their attacking interest, with Arsenal playing a little absent-mindedly because they were haunted by Nasri's yellow card and fearing that they would really anger the fans and lead to a large-scale clashes, while Chelsea, who were also greatly affected by the score and the ejection of the fans, lost the sharpness of the opening game.
No one noticed that in the space of a few minutes, the face of Chelsea's owner, Abu Abu, had turned from red to white, from white to blue, from blue to purple and from purple to red, and his gaze swayed back and forth between Scolari and the players on the pitch, looking like a lion about to go berserk.
The game went into half-time in such a careless back-and-forth between the two sides, and when they returned to the dressing room, the expressions of the two teams were diametrically opposed, which was quite interesting.
The Arsenal players first scolded the referee for the "unfairness" in the dressing room, and then began to cheer for Nasri, especially after seeing the coin on his head, everyone couldn't help but go up and touch it, and then blow the cold air and talk about it, it seems, they seem to be very relaxed, completely free from the twilight after two consecutive defeats.
On the Chelsea side, everyone was calm and reluctant to speak, and Terry and Drogba, who usually do battle mobilization in the dressing room, did not speak at this time, because they really didn't know what to say, they didn't work hard in the first half, but they played unfamiliar tactics, everyone felt that they had nowhere to go, very awkward, and the shadow of the fans' troubles was shrouded in their hearts, in case they were really punished......
When Scolari walked into the dressing room, he was keenly aware of the solemn atmosphere.
Big Phil is also a coach who is good at boosting morale in the dressing room, and when he was in Brazil and Portugal, he was always able to refresh the team through midfield remonstrance, so he did not hesitate to speak: "Don't be discouraged, guys, we have 45 minutes left, we haven't lost the game yet!" โ
After seeing the Chelsea players focus their attention, Scolari clapped his hands and pointed to the air window in the dressing room and said: "Listen, those voices outside, it's our fans cheering us on, now we are just one goal behind, the game is not over yet, we can't give up." โ
"We know." As captain, John Terry couldn't help but stand up and say: "We don't want to give up, but Mr Felipe, we need to make changes in the second half, we won possession in the first half but we didn't create enough threat, and we want you to guide us how to play in the second half." โ
How to kick? Scolari certainly knows that going back to his predecessor's set, relying on tight formations and tight defence to wear down Arsenal's sharpness, and then seizing opportunities to counter-attack, is what Chelsea's players are best at, and what they are most familiar with, if they play like this, if they can't beat the scoreline, but at least they can guarantee that they won't lose big.
But what Scolari wants is not a guarantee that he will not be defeated, he wants an attack, a "beautiful football", which is what he promised when he was in charge of Chelsea like his boss Abu, if Chelsea is still going the same way, then why did Abu spend 5 million pounds to pry him from Portugal?
There is only one way in front of Scolรกr, and that is to completely overthrow Mourinho's conservative tactics and 1:0 doctrine, so that these Chelsea players can learn to control the game and learn to move in the opponent's half, otherwise what attacking football is there to talk about, what is beautiful football to talk about?
It's a rough road, but Scolari is confident that he can make it to the finish, so he was quick to answer Terry's question: "We don't need to change, I know, you're not used to this kind of possession tactics, but every tactic has a process of adaptation, you played really well in the first 14 rounds, and the data has shown that we can play in this way as well, so you don't have to doubt, you don't have to deny yourself, we just have to stick to our own path. And we have to keep beating strong opponents on this road to prove ourselves and meet the expectations of the fans. Listen, those fans who still don't take a break when we're resting, they're always cheering us on, and off the pitch, there are millions of fans cheering us on, guys, are you scared, are you holding back, are you willing to let these fans down? โ
"Of course not." Another big player, Didier Drogba, stood up and said impassionedly: "We just lack a little bit of confidence, but guys, if you look at the standings, look at where Arsenal are now, they are not vulnerable at all, we don't need to be afraid of them, this game, we will win!" โ
"Yes, we will not accept defeat!" Lamp Lampard also stood up, his eyes full of determination.
Then the eyes of the Chelsea players regained their brightness, a team's worst fear is to lose self-confidence, doubts about their own tactics, Scolari is undoubtedly a master of psychological adjustment, although his tactics may not be suitable for Chelsea players, but he can make these players firmly trust him, do not hesitate to implement the "wrong" tactics, which is very rare.
At the start of the second half, Chelsea's players launched a more aggressive attack, and although the front court could not be as cohesive as Arsenal, they also had their own set of tricks, which was wide open and close and unreasonable breakthroughs.
Joe. Cole, Malouda, these two are good at breaking through, plus Drogba's strong cover in front, the two of them began to frequently try to cut inside the goal, although the routine is relatively simple, but regardless of the white cat or black cat, as long as the mouse is caught, it is a good cat, Chelsea's unreasonable tactics have received good results in the game.
In the 58th minute, less than 13 minutes into the second half, Chelsea made a long pass from the backfield, Drogba fought for a header, and the point was given to Joe Bush, who was inserted behind him. Cole, Joe. Cole slid past the onrushing Denilson with a touch of instep, and then he volleyed in from almost five yards out of the box and the ball struck the Arsenal door like a rainbow in a beautiful arc across the sky.
The goal ignited the excitement of the Chelsea fans in the stadium, who began to shout wildly again, and some of them jumped on their seats and desperately poked their fingers on their heads to insult Nasri and other Arsenal players.
The Arsenal players, on the other hand, looked a little lost in their eyes as they didn't seem to have achieved anything in the process.
Strictly speaking, the biggest problem with this goal is still in Arsenal's backline, there are few players in the Premier League who can compete with Drogba to win with a header, but even so, Arsenal still has an unshirkable responsibility for letting the Ivorians head back in front of their own backline so easily; On the other hand, Denilson's choice was an even bigger mistake, as he didn't control the second drop when Drogba was fighting for the top. Kerr took the ball and then pounced too hard, resulting in an easy loss to Joe. Cole passed, exposing a large area in front of the backline, allowing Joe to get the ball out of the way. Cole was able to take his feet in stride.
Although some of Galla's words are straight and ugly, he is indeed right, Arsenal's defense is the biggest hole in the whole team, and if they don't find a way to strengthen in the winter transfer window, they will not be able to go to the end of the Premier League.
The goal was also a wake-up call for Arsene Wenger, as Chelsea continued to attack Arsenal's heart through full-backs, showing that Denilson could not protect the area at the edge of the box well, and he needed to make a change on the spot, otherwise the next goal would not be far away.
This time Arsene Wenger showed rare decisiveness and waved Alexander. Song, replaced Rosicky.
The reason why Rosicky was replaced instead of Denilson, who made mistakes, was because Arsenal was forced to play a defensive counterattack in this game, and Rosicky's role in the front court was not so prominent, on the other hand, it was also because Wenger wanted to protect the player's self-confidence, if the player was replaced as soon as he made a mistake, it would cause them to be timid when playing, and eventually the more they played, the less confident they became, and the worse they played.
There are some commentators in China who think they know a lot about football, pointing fingers in the game for a long time, saying "oops, this player is performing very poorly, he should be replaced", and then saying "oops, that player made a mistake, the head coach should not keep him on the field", they always think that they are "seeing through the emperor", and they can see the loopholes that the team coach can't see at a glance, but they often don't understand that the football game is an extension of the whole team outside the stadium, and the factors it needs to consider are much more complex than simple tactics. If anyone who performs badly will be replaced, it is no different from the clumsy medical skills of quack doctors.
We can often hear celebrities say loudly at press conferences: "Whoever is in good form will be on whom, I don't look at fame." But we never hear a manager say at a press conference: "Whoever doesn't perform well will be replaced, I don't look at fame!" โ
On the contrary, if a player does not perform well, the managers will defend him even more and not even allow reporters to say anything about it, because they are not only thinking about tactical issues, but also problems within the team, problems with the players.
Under Chelsea's pressure, Denilson did make some mistakes, but if he was replaced like that, could he be expected to play hard, big battles in the future? Every player who makes a mistake is replaced, so who can Arsenal use in the future, and who will never make a mistake?
Replace Alexander. After Song, Arsenal's waist immediately stood up, and there was one more person in front of the penalty area, and the effect was completely different.
However, if you want to win the game, you need to score more goals up front.
That's when the strikers step up.
Descartes has scored 11 league goals so far this season, and a goalless losing streak in the previous two games has left him in a brief goal drought, but even so, he is still two goals ahead of Didier Drogba in the scorers charts and has become Arsene Wenger's most relied upon weapon.
At moments like these, Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal players naturally set their eyes on him.
Descartes also knows that after becoming the team's second captain, he has a heavier responsibility, the right to speak in the dressing room does not come out of thin air, and in order to speak in the team, he must perform better, the previous two consecutive defeats have made him very angry, and the media before the game against Chelsea has made him breathe a sigh of relief, and now, it is his turn to perform.
Descartes then stopped being polite and quickly took over the burden of the front court left by the team after Rosicky's departure, and began to attack Chelsea's position again and again.
Descartes and Rosicky and Fabregas and others are completely different, as Xiaofa said, his position is usually between the opponent's last line of defense, Fabregas and others pass the ball ten times, sometimes it may not be as threatening as Descartes's one pass, so when he exerts his strength, not everyone can detect it, but by the time you perceive it, it is likely to be blocked by his sword.
That's what Chelsea tasted.
Descartes strengthened his ties with the two wings after Chelsea's equaliser, with Nasri being lively in the first half, but Walcourt was replaced by the more experienced and familiar Ashley. Kerr struggled to defend himself, and that counterattack was also because of Ashley. Kerr pressed for an assist and couldn't get back into place, only to be seized by him when Ashley. As soon as Cole learned his lesson and stopped pressing blindly, he immediately turned off the fire.
But Descartes shifted his position to the side and got stuck in Ashley. In the middle of Kerr and Terry, this makes Ashley a little taboo, should he close a little in the middle to see Descartes, or go a little to the front to look at Walcott?
Unlike Arsenal's double back, since Scolari took office, Chelsea has always insisted on playing in a single back, Mourinho's big player Essien has gradually fallen out of favor, and Ballack, who is more valuable and more famous, has begun to appear more and more in this position, but fame does not mean that it is better, Ballack is of course a good player, no one dares to doubt this, but his characteristics are very similar to Lampard, they are good at mid-to-long distance scheduling and sharp back insertion, for the protection of the front of the penalty area, There is a specialization in the art industry, and he is indeed not as good as Essien.
So whenever Chelsea's flanks are impacted, the only ones who can save themselves are the full-backs themselves, and they can't expect the 34-year-old Ballack to rush over to save them, let alone Joe in front of them. Kerr or Malouda retreats to defend.
The Blues have only conceded four goals in the league so far, which is an incredible thing.
Descartes is now targeting this weakness of the Blues, and he is flanking Walcott with Ashley. Cole immediately shouted "Too strong, I can't stand it!" โ
Descartes then tore Ashley apart. Cole's defence, after a one-two with Walcott on the wing, dribbled along Ashley. Kerr and John Terry cut in the middle of the box.
Ashley. Kerr was stabbed, Terry naturally had to come up to fill the position, in the face of Descartes who is getting stronger and stronger, Terry also seemed cautious, he watched the game between Arsenal and Manchester United, his old national team partner Ferdinand and the Premier League best central defender of the year Vidic were beaten by Descartes to the north, he is now facing this little guy is also a little weak, Terry has been working in the position of central defender for more than ten years, and there are very few players who can make him nervous as soon as they meet, and Descartes is definitely one of them.
He couldn't figure out what this guy was going to do next, which was definitely a huge insult to his experience and experience.
Sure enough, Descartes' action after bursting into the box surprised Terry, because he, he, actually shot at goal.
Under the block of Terry, under the full vigilance of Cech, and at a 45-degree angle, Descartes suddenly swung his calf and shot straight at the goal, which looked like a random wave of shots after those second-rate strikers were forced into a corner.
But Terry knew very well that the guy in front of him was definitely a little fox, and he couldn't shoot so easily, and even if he did, there was definitely a conspiracy.
He looked back in a hurry, and then found that his suspicion was correct, because Descartes' shot was extremely tricky, just a foot to the ground, so close that Cech could not fall to the ground and hold it with his hands, so he blocked the ball with his feet.
Then Terry's eyes flickered and he saw a slender bamboo pole rush into the penalty area, grab it before Alex, stretch out his long, white and slippery **, and poke the ball blocked by Cech back into the net.
"It's really white." Terry's first reaction when he saw this leg was to think of the flesh and skin at the drinking party, and then he immediately reacted, Nima was scored again?
It wasn't until Bendtner's big No.26 back faded away in his eyes that Terry was really sure that Nima had been scored again!
Terry shook his head helplessly, this kind of ball, you really have nothing to say.
Of course, it was impossible for Descartes to predict that Bendtner would be able to grab this point when he shot the goal, but he was going to gamble, and countless goals were generated in such a "gamble" mentality, anyway, if the goal was not scored, there was always a next chance.
The goal was a huge surprise, and Descartes certainly had a reason to rush into the celebratory procession, leaving only Terry with a shadow behind him, and Alex, who was also numb in his eyes.
"They're not vulnerable at all!" Descartes clenched his fists, jumped on Bendtner's back and rushed to the sidelines, surrounded by the arriving Arsenal players. (To be continued.) )