Chapter 101: Chelsea's Defence
Arsenal away from Chelsea will definitely be a pretty good game; Arsenal, the representative of offensive football, and Chelsea, the model of defensive football, one is the banner of Jishuliu, and the other side is the physical pressure of more typical English football, plus it is the battle for the top of the table, such a game is naturally more interesting.
Xiao Qing is a little impatient to start this game, and he hopes that the team can withstand the pressure and win the game at this time to continue to lead the standings. As long as Arsenal can win at this time, then the rest of the league can be said to be much smoother for Arsenal, as long as they can get through the most difficult schedule, then Arsenal is more sure of winning the league title. This period of time is undoubtedly difficult for Arsenal, but after this period of play, the strength of Arsenal's remaining opponents is relatively weak, and Arsenal will naturally be able to be relatively relaxed at that time.
Xiao Qing didn't have to wait long, and the game that could have caused a trend in the Premier League this season was played at Stamford Bridge on 8 February 2010. This game has also attracted crazy attention, and despite the fact that John Terry is now mired in scandal, this game is very competitive and has a clear impact on the battle for the Premier League title. Therefore, there is no shortage of attention in this game, and if Arsenal wins this game, then their chances of winning the championship will be greatly increased; And once Arsenal is beaten away by Chelsea, then the Premier League title race will continue to be anxious, and the three teams will continue to be fiercely entangled.
This is a chance for Arsenal to win this one. Then Arsenal will be able to shake off the annoying pursuers behind them for a while. They will be able to gain the initiative without knowing it because of the victory of the strong dialogue. You have to know that Manchester United and Chelsea have one more game. It will be another chance for Arsenal at that time.
This game is an extremely important game for Arsenal, and their confidence in winning this game will undoubtedly skyrocket to win the league title, and Arsenal's prospects in the league will also be much brighter in an instant. As for the defeat in this game, although it will not make Arsenal's prospects bleak, it will undoubtedly make it difficult for Arsenal in the league. Now Arsenal are keen to open up a whole new situation in the league, so they need to work harder in this game and they need to win this game. It's not just a win or revenge, it's even more important that it will be the key to Arsenal's league title.
Chelsea have won their last three away games against Arsenal. However, the most recent home defeat against Arsenal was the only win in their last seven visits to Stamford Bridge. In the previous 35 meetings between the two sides in the Premier League, Arsenal had the upper hand with 16 wins, 11 draws and 8 losses, including 6 wins, 6 draws and 5 defeats away.
Once upon a time, Arsenal played Chelsea in the same way, never losing to Chelsea in 18 games in more than five years, from the first meeting of the century in May 2000 to the 2-1 defeat in the Community Shield in August 2005. However, the fact now is that as long as the Blue Bridge people see the Arsenal people, they will be beaten more severely than once in the previous game. When Drogba took the aesthetics of violence to the extreme, the Wenger Scouts didn't even have the strength to raise their hands to wipe their tears.
Consecutive blowouts by Chelsea. There are many reasons for this, but in terms of the game situation, in the final analysis, the problem is still in the style of play; Arsenal can't play hard enough, but the consequence of being too obsessed with subtle passing and repeatedly blocked is that Chelsea's signature fast attack can hit Arsenal directly as long as the ball is broken, and because the Arsenal backfield players are already poor in individual combat ability and the defensive level of set-pieces has always been difficult to compliment, it is inevitable that Drogba has an amazing play.
It's London's longest-running top-flight derby, and this game is all the more appealing because of the battle for the top spot; Arsenal and Chelsea represent the highest level of London teams, and Arsenal have lost the ability to compete for the title in previous seasons, and this game will undoubtedly be the highest level and most meaningful London derby in recent seasons!
Stamford Bridge was bustling with activity, and although Chelsea are second in the table for the time being, Blues fans are confident of a home win over Arsenal to the top. Arsenal may have a stronger heritage, but Chelsea's rapid rise since Abramour took charge of Stamford Bridge has made it clear that Chelsea have been more competitive than Arsenal in recent seasons.
Chelsea fans will be looking forward to a win over Arsenal to lead the table, and they are confident they can beat Arsenal. Chelsea football is not flashy, not fancy, even a little dull; But Chelsea are tough enough and they are tenacious. They can't play good football, but they can have football that brings championships.
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech playing at home; Defenders: Ivanovic, Carvalho, Terry, Ashley Cole; Midfielders Mikel, Ballack, Lampard, Malouda; The two-striker duo is Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka.
For the Gunners, goalkeeper Almunia; On the back line are naturally Clichy, Vermaelen, Gala, Sagna; Midfielders Diaby, Song, Cesc Fabregas, Arshavin, Walcott; Single striker Xiao Qing.
It's a big game for both teams, so they're both fielding their strongest squads at this stage and they're all looking to win the game. Both teams are ready to go all out at Stamford Bridge and both will be hoping to use this win to open up a whole new situation in the league ahead.
At the beginning of the first half, the two teams went straight to attack without temptation. In the second minute, Diaby's shot from outside the box bounced off teammate Arshavin. Two minutes later, Nasri hit Ivanovic's calf with a right-footed shot from the left side of the ball from the small French ball, but the referee misjudged that Cech would open the goal.
Arsenal seem to have more say in attack, and the Gunners do look more dynamic in attack; Arsenal are on the rise. Although Arsenal's most dangerous point has not been played enough for the time being. But Xiao Qing's containment still makes Chelsea a little passive. Terry and the others' defensive attention is now more focused on Xiao Qing. This has also caused Arsenal's midfielders to be very active in the game.
Chelsea are Chelsea after all, and they are still very confident against Arsenal; Although the current Arsenal seemed to have a greater advantage at the beginning of the game, Chelsea also began to slowly exert their strength, and the fighting power they showed in the game was still a little embarrassing for Arsenal; In particular, the terrifying monster Drogba began to exert his power, and once again he began to ravage Arsenal's backline, while the Gunners looked a little helpless.
In the seventh minute, Drogba received the ball in the penalty area and shot directly to get a corner kick, Malouda took the corner kick on the left, and Terry jumped up in the left corner of the small penalty area to head the ball. Drogba squeezes past a defender in front of the right post and shoots with his right foot from close range; If it weren't for Vermala's lucky outstretched foot, and if it weren't for Arsenal goalkeeper Almunia who reacted quickly enough, then perhaps Arsenal would have fallen behind.
In the ninth minute, Arshavin's diagonal shot from the right side of the box was ridiculously wide. Three minutes later, Arsenal suddenly attacked with a long pass, Nasri drew Cech out and was ready to cross, the Czech goalkeeper was good at blocking the ball off the line, Xiao Qing quickly signaled his teammates to pass the ball more, he believed he was capable of creating more threat.
In the seventeenth minute, Xiao Fa Miao passed the ball over the top. After unloading the ball, Xiao Qing smashed the ball and dodged the air, and hit the goal from a small angle. Two minutes later, Xiao Qing's shot from the left edge of the box was blocked by Ivanovic. Arsenal's fourth corner lacked enough threat.
According to statistics, from the 15th to the 20th minute, the disparity between the two sides reached 70 per cent to 30 per cent, and Arsenal firmly controlled possession, but the effect was far less than that of the Blues. This is also a bit embarrassing for Arsenal now, many teams now don't care about more possession, they don't need meaningless possession, they need more dangerous passes in the game.
Xiao Qing is also a little anxious, although the current Arsenal looks very good, but Xiao Qing also understands the team's current shortcomings; Arsenal have five players in midfield, so they look a little bit confident in controlling the midfield. However, this is far from enough, because Chelsea's defensive ability is good enough, so this also causes Arsenal's midfield to often have meaningless crosses or backwards.
Chelsea are definitely a tough nut to crack, and instead of using the strong pressing of the midfield to create chances as they have done against Arsenal in the past, they have been smart enough to stick to the counter-attacking tactics against the opposition's weaknesses and abandon possession in pursuit of efficiency.
Defending is not only the duty of goalkeepers and defenders, but also the duty of midfielders. Hiddink's personnel arrangement has built an iron wall in the midfield. Chelsea are not afraid of ugly spectacles. Football connoisseurs have always emphasised a reasonable distance between the three lines on the pitch, but Chelsea have provided counter-evidence. By flattening the formation, Arsenal had to face the crowd of defenders every time they advanced to the 30-metre area, and the passing line was seriously blocked. Terry and Carvalho stayed near the penalty area almost all the time, limiting Xiao Qing's play to a great extent; Arsenal's attack was hampered by a number of tough midfielders, who simply had no more chances to penetrate Chelsea's midfield.
There is no need to use defense as a pejorative term. At the highest level of competition, winning is fundamental. Since the Jose Mourinho era, Chelsea's personnel and the style of most managers have meant that their success has been built on defence.
As for tactics, for a few years now, successful Chelsea have been the same: tough in style, amazing in physicality, defensive in all hands and simple on the ball. In recent years, Chelsea have had one of the best defensive teams in the Premier League. Petr Cech has been worthy of the title of Shijie goalkeeper for most of the game, and the combination of John Terry and Carvalho is solid, and although the two gates have changed one stubble after another, they will not hold the team back too much overall.
It has been nearly two years since Mourinho left the team, and despite the three coaches of Grant, Scolari and Hiddink, this Chelsea team is still branded with Muhammad, especially Mourinho's defensive philosophy and defensive legacy, which still has a profound impact on this Chelsea; And as long as they maintain their current form, it will be really difficult for Arsenal to be easy in the game. (To be continued......)