Chapter 92: A Better Arsenal
Arsenal defeated Bolton Wanderers 2-0, Xiao Qing once again helped the team win with a pass and a shot; At this time, no one even cares about Arsenal winning, because the fans and the media are already familiar with this scene, although Arsenal is still at the top of the table, although Arsenal is still on a winning streak, but this scene is really not strange and attractive, because it is too common, for this team, now the fans and the media already know that they are strong contenders for the league title, and the victory is as it should be.
In this round of competition, the main contenders for the three major league titles have all won, with Manchester United beating Burnley 3-0 at home to continue to chase Arsenal in the table; And Chelsea's crazy 7-2 sweep of Sunderland in this round of the game created the craziest game of the season, Chelsea also proved to everyone that they lack the main striker Drogba, but they are still quite attacking Chelsea, they are still the favorites for the league title!
Winning over Bolton Wanderers in the relegation zone, Arsenal continued their excellent record of winning all three points against teams struggling at the bottom this season; Bolton has just changed the manager and is in a transition period, wanting to add ground and wing attacking methods to the traditional rush; Arsenal won in the heart of the midfield, but everyone felt that Arsenal would be perfect with one more man.
The biggest difference for Arsenal is the return of Cesc Fabregas, which is the finishing touch, although the effect cannot be said to be earth-shattering. From this performance, it can also be seen why Barcelona covets Xiaofa. Compared with last season, Xiaofa has improved substantially this season, which is related to new tactics and new formations. Second, his own ability has soared. It's very admirable. In the past, Xiaofa was good at passing and assisting. He's the team's number one assist, and he's kept that this season and is currently the top of the Premier League's assists charts, but he's also started to attack more individually in the middle of it, and it's really good.
Compared with the previous two games without Xiaofa, the creativity and passing speed of Arsenal's midfield have been completely different, and Xiaofa's midfield tandem and goal-scoring have made great contributions, and individual breakthroughs have also improved. Cesc Fabregas' return is important for Arsenal. With the midfield commander in place, Arsenal's midfield has become much smoother.
Arsenal have brought in Campbell to provide back-ups for Gallas and Vermalen, and if they can bring in one more, it should be in the centre-forward position, bringing in a strong and tall centre-forward that would complete the Gunners' squad. If there is a high school striker, Xiao Qing can be completely liberated, then the front court is Xiao Qing's territory, and he can display his vitality; And Arshavin and Rosicky can also rotate to rest. At least they still have to make occasional cameo appearances as shadow strikers to help Xiao Qing share the pressure. Especially when breaking down a dense defence at home, Arsenal need a high point up front. Considering that it is still unknown when Bendtner will recover from injury, and although Xiao Qing has liliang and explosives, his lack of height makes it difficult for Xiao Qing to form a thorough strong point in the frontcourt.
Compared with other title contenders, it is undeniable that Arsenal still has obvious shortcomings, and they still have some areas to improve in the game.
Arsenal continue to win as they continue to lead the table; But it doesn't seem to be a very happy time for Arsenal as every win they win seems to come at the cost of injury. They won the game but two midfielders, Nasri and Welsh youngster Aaron Ramsey, will be sidelined for three weeks due to injury.
The gunner, who had just gradually welcomed back the wounded, had no choice but to lose two more generals. Fortunately, judging from Wenger's attitude, the injuries of the two are not serious. It is reported that Nasri will be out for at least three weeks due to tendons, and Ramsey has a similar injury, which is the cause of some muscle strains in his thigh.
For Arsenal, a three-week break is really not a particularly serious injury, and it is even an acceptable result in their opinion. Van Persie has been out for the season this season, and Bendtner has been playing the season for almost five months without playing a single game; Denilson, on the other hand, is also taking turns with the injury list, and for Arsenal, they are probably most familiar with the long list of familiar names on the injury list, and they may have accepted the constant need to put on a new squad before a new game.
Arsenal officials have also announced that left-back Kieran Gibbs will undergo foot surgery and is expected to recover in five months, which also means that Gibbs has been fully reimbursed for the rest of the season. Gibbs was injured in a Champions League match against Belgian Standard Liege last November when he fractured a bone in his left foot. An alternative to surgery is conservative treatment, allowing the broken bones to join on their own, but this will have to wait six weeks for a follow-up visit to determine if it is effective.
Gibbs and the team did not want to carry the risk to next season and opted for surgery, which will take place soon; The 20-year-old has made three league starts for Arsenal this season and has played seven games in all competitions, and is a first-choice left-back for England Under-21s.
Gibbs is a very good player, but Arsenal have become accustomed to the rhythm of continuing to play without him, and Arsenal are now slowly adapting to this line of back, although constantly criticized, but still barely able to reassure the team. They are now league leaders and Arsenal are constantly drawing wins, so they don't need to risk their players at this time; Most of Arsenal's players are young and they still have a lot of potential. So at this time, for the sake of the health of the players, Arsenal can temporarily give up the game in front of them; Of course, it can't be said that you have given up the current game, because Arsenal are still winning.
Xiao Qing is looking forward to it, although the current Arsenal is the league leader, but he also knows that this is not Arsenal's best state at all, and he knows that in fact, the current Arsenal still has a lot of room for improvement. Even many people are talking about how terrible and powerful Arsenal will be if Arsenal is healthy, if the current Arsenal young players can grow up!
Although the injury of the main player is a depressing thing, but for Arsenal this is not an unacceptable thing, for them now as long as the two core Xiao Qing and Cesc Fabregas remain healthy is the most important thing, as long as these two cores are present, then Arsenal can maintain a very strong competitiveness.
For Arsenal, they are already basically on the verge of a shortage of major players with the Gunners on the verge of surviving the toughest period of the lack of major generals, and the professor will lead the young Gunners to make a Zuihou sprint towards the Premier League trophy before spring begins.
In the past, as soon as Arsenal complained, the media would be quick to point out that Arsenal's child soldiers should 'grow up and be men'. 'Now, the baby soldiers have grown up!'
Indeed, Arsenal have been tougher this season. They are unbeaten against rougher teams such as Bolton, Blackburn, Everton, Hull City and Stoke, and no more points dropped against mid-table teams. Although it was only a draw against Manchester United and a home defeat by Chelsea, the losses were basically recovered from the weak teams.
Perhaps, Arsenal are still a little bit away from bench depth this season. But there's no doubt that they've grown up and are rarely afraid of any kind of play. The gun is "hard", it is not a mistake. Being able to play against the wind is already a big step forward; Arsenal have suffered a number of reversals in the game this season, and they have been more consistent and explosive in the stalemate moments of the game many times. This is also an improvement for Arsenal, with the young Gunners now on their way to the top.
Xiao Qing is not a savage existence on the court, but many people will admit that Xiao Qing is not easy to mess with, and his style of play is very tough; In the past, those experts would throw guns and daggers from various columns, teaching the arsenal that 'football is an adult sport, bumps and bumps are inevitable, don't always be like a child who doesn't grow up, throw toys and moan without illness when you don't ...... want'. But now, Arsenal are not a tough player, but they are definitely not easy to mess with, they are showing more and more on the pitch with the toughness of a champion team, and they are gradually becoming more and more adaptable and strong in the fierce physical competition of the Premier League. And Arsenal's own advantages have not given up, Arsenal is very good at finding a balance between artistic football and physical confrontation, and now Arsenal is gradually becoming more and more difficult to beat.
Despite continuing to win in the league, Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup on 24 January; The fourth round of the FA Cup was contested at the Britannia Stadium, with Arsenal losing 3-1 at Stoke City, with Flar netting twice and Whitehead netting a net. Denilson equalised at one point, but Arsenal eventually lost the game and they are now out of both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
Although it is not a happy thing to sit on the bench and watch the team go out, Xiao Qing really doesn't care much about the FA Cup; Arsenal are in a good position in the league right now, and soon the Champions League knockout rounds are about to begin, so the FA Cup and League Cup are out.
Xiao Qing is indeed eager to win more championships, but he is not just looking at the championship, he is also self-aware; Arsenal have suffered too many injuries this season and they are simply not good enough to play on multiple fronts right now. Every team that wants to go to greatness needs to recognize their own strength, and Arsenal knows how to make trade-offs; The league and the Champions League are what Arsenal need to work on now, and the FA Cup and League Cup, Arsenal will have a chance, but not now. (To be continued......)