Chapter 129: Bad Memories
'We played very well, the fighting spirit was very tenacious, our players played very solid in the key moments of the game, they showed maturity. On the pitch we have the initiative at all times, and that's the most important thing. We did well with one man less, we controlled the game and the players showed their quality. 'After a tireless effort, Arsenal temporarily dominated the top of the table and after the game manager Arsene Wenger was delighted with the maturity of his team on the pitch.
Arsene Wenger finally doesn't have to hide it! When the team won 11 out of 10 against West Ham United today, the professor saw the hope of winning the Premier League title, so he is also very high-profile now. 'We've played at a high level this season, we want to win the Premier League and now it's just a matter of playing every game.'
Chelsea are all but gone, and for Arsenal their main rival now seems to be Manchester United; With a lead of more than one game, for Arsenal, they are naturally getting closer and closer to the league title, and for the current Arsenal, winning the league title with all their might is no longer just a joke, because they are about to do it.
Arsenal's recent winning style has been unusual, with a small run of points and six straight wins since being held to a draw away from Chelsea, in much the same way as the previous round. They all took the lead early in the opening game, and only scored again at the end of the game to establish the victory.
Winning streaks and being resilient, Arsenal's maturity is refreshing, and winning titles often depends on grinding results. The team changed course. It seems that he has learned the lesson of pursuing the scene and ignoring the result in the past.
However, although Arsenal did win at home, they continued to lead the standings. However, for Arsenal, the biggest loss of this game was the sending off of Vermaelen, the core of the defence. The controversial decision left Arsene Wenger in his mind, and Arsenal did intend to appeal, but unfortunately Vermaelen was largely out of the 32nd round.
Vermaelen has been a mainstay of Arsenal this season, and some media even said that if it weren't for Xiao Qing, Rooney and Drogba's eye-catching performances, the Belgian would have been the favorite to be Mr. Premier League. He is also the only player in the squad to have played all of their league games before, and this is the first time Arsenal have been red this season, having last received a red card against Tottenham White Hart Lane (Eboue) in February 2009 – exactly 68 games ago.
As for Xiao Qing and Nasri, they were both sent off against Hull City in the 18th round in the first half, but that was because of a conflict on the pitch. He was sent off for defensive action in the game, the first time for Arsenal in more than a year.
Wenger was not angry that the red card was broken, but felt that the "potion" was a bit harsh, "I did discuss it with the referee because I felt it was too harsh. The Premier League sees this many times a week and no one is penalised for it. ”
While Arsenal's prospects of winning six league games in a row are promising, there is also bad news for Arsenal at the same time, with defender Vermaelen receiving a red card for a foul on opposing striker Franco during the team's match against West Ham United. will be banned for one match. As a result, the Belgian will be absent for Arsenal's trip to Birmingham City in the future. Although Arsene Wenger appealed. However, the FA upheld the original decision.
Such a decision was a bit unfair for Arsenal and it was a very soft penalty. The referee was in the center circle at the time, 108,000 miles away from the place of the incident. As can be seen from the slow motion, it was actually the assistant referee waving the flag to signal the penalty awarded. In fact, Vermaelen was watching the ball with his eyes at the time, and there was very little physical contact. But it was such a controversial decision that Arsenal are under a lot more pressure now because they know that every game is important at the moment, and Vermaelen is too important for their already weak backline.
Arsenal's title prospects have become very favourable ahead of this round of Premier League fixtures: the Gunners, who have won five in a row, lead all Premier League teams in points, while the Red Devils will be defeated by rivals Liverpool in this round; Manchester United will next face Chelsea in early April, while Arsenal have completed the semi-final round, with only Manchester City being the only one of the remaining eight opponents. Coupled with the fact that West Ham United have never won away from home this season, Arsene Wenger made a bold statement before the game, calling for the whole team to take all three points.
But although Arsenal did get the victory, it was a pity that the referee almost ruined everything, and the loss of Vermala was too big a blow for Arsenal, and at the critical moment of the league sprint, the current Arsenal really can't drop points because the main defender is banned.
Arsenal's season has continued to struggle with doubt and self-doubt, and now, Arsenal can be proud; Xiao Qing is now more important in the team, because he is one of the few Arsenal who has experience in winning the league "Because people have been suspicious of Arsenal this year, winning the championship to correct the first priority, this year may really belong to us, let us fight to Zuihou." Everyone knows that the team has not won any trophies yet, they are full of desire for the title and at the same time they are calm. ”
'Chelsea are mentally at a disadvantage right now and maybe have a physical advantage in the long-term title race. I know how hard it is to recover from being out of the Champions League, so they dropped two points against Blackburn. What we do know is that there are three teams competing for the championship. It depends on which team has the most consistency. We just have to focus on our game because we know we have to do it perfectly. We need a lot of help from other teams to stop Manchester United, Chelsea, but I know now it's just a matter of keeping our continuity and keeping our momentum going. Xiao Qing is very good at talking now, and he is also very cooperative when he is interviewed; Because the championship is getting closer and closer, Xiao Qing is naturally in a good mood, and now he is not worried about Chelsea and Manchester United, because Arsenal has the absolute initiative.
Now Arsenal are very confident of winning the title, and they are indeed fully ready, but in the 32nd round of the league, Arsenal may not be so easy. Although Arsenal are now unbeaten in 17 games and have won five consecutive league games, they are facing Birmingham City in this round, and Arsenal are playing away from home.
Birmingham's home stadium has not been a blessed place for Arsenal, and it was on this turf that striker Eduardo was tackled by opposition defender Martin Taylor on this turf and became a long-term injury. And it was that game that Arsenal won the championship in the 07-08 season.
The championship process will become a huge "cup" due to a draw and serious injury, because the Gunners have been leading strongly that season, but the ups and downs are not a flat horse, which is popular in all leagues, so the psychological pressure on Arsenal because of the loss of the championship comes more from the endless comparison and hype of outsiders.
But this season, the team has been able to maintain the title status in both trophies, which is a resounding response to all the negative rhetoric at the beginning of the season. In terms of content, trends and the team's successive responses to adversity, the threat posed by the two draws is hardly the same, and the "cup" of the past has no content to carry today. Just to prove that they are different, the Gunners need to make a comeback.
It was another fateful encounter, with Arsenal once again raising hopes of winning the title, but once again they were up against the same team that had given them nightmares. Now Arsenal need to put Birmingham through the test again, although Birmingham have always been the weaker teams in the Premier League, and they do need to think more about relegation now. However, this team with a rough and simple style of play has always been the old enemy of Jishuliu's Arsenal, and it is really difficult for Arsenal to gain much advantage over them.
Although Arsenal once again encountered Birmingham City, who did not want to be Yujian, but God is fair, compared with the other two opponents in the title race, except for Birmingham, Arsenal's remaining six opponents in the league are much easier to deal with: Wolves, Tottenham, Wigan, Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers and Fulham, either relegation or title hopelessness, and only the north London derby at White Hart Lane will bring a little gunpowder. Now is also a good time for Arsenal to sprint for points and they do have a chance to enjoy the glory of the league title ahead of schedule.
Although Xiao Qing thinks that Birmingham is actually a relatively easy opponent to win, Xiao Qing does need to pay attention to one point; Birmingham City are really a controversial team and it is obviously important for Arsenal to win Birmingham as it is a big part of their league title. As for Xiao Qing, what he is more concerned about is the rough style of this team, and at this time, Arsenal really can't suffer any blows; Originally, the team's injury list had this series of names, and more importantly, after this game, Arsenal will face strong rivals Barcelona in the Champions League.
The Gunners' visit to Andrews Park to win Birmingham City is now on the agenda, although Arsenal lost their main defenders, but Xiao Qing and Cesc Fabregas can both play, giving Arsenal a lot of confidence; The current Xiao Qing's state is very good, as long as Xiao Qing can continue to continue his previous highlight performance, then there is obviously a good chance to win Birmingham to break the unpleasant memories in fate.
Xiao Qing is ready, and he will go all out to win the battle with Birmingham; Although Arsenal did not have much to remember at the Gunners' Andrews Stadium, this time Arsenal will not be repeating the mistakes of the past. (To be continued......)