Chapter 692: Winning the Championship Plan
On October 25, in the round of 16 knockout round of the English League Cup, Tottenham Hotspur faced Chelsea at White Hart Lane.
Neither team has made full use of the main team, although Chelsea have two first-team players in Malouda and Anelka, but more are still including substitutes and youngsters such as Romelu Lukaku, Kalou and Romeu, and Villas-Boas's side have just been upset 0-1 away to Queens Park Rangers in the ninth round of the Premier League, leaving Arsenal to play at the weekend.
Tottenham Hotspur also did not play with the main team, and also played as a substitute, but with Lucas at their home turf? Goals from Mora and David Beckham beat Chelsea 2-0.
In the second half of this game, Belgium's 16-year-old Januzaj, and England's homegrown youngster Will ? Hughes and Luke? Shaw made his first appearance for the team, but all three players came off the bench in the second half and were average.
At the weekend, the Premier League ushered in the tenth round of matches, Tottenham Hotspur sat on their home turf, with Messi's brace and midfielder Ramsey's goal, defeated Queens Park Rangers 3-1, once again extended the unbeaten record to 60 games, and in the process of the game, Tottenham Hotspur dominated the game.
By the way, Neymar, another winger who rotated in the starting lineup for this game, had two assists and was also very impressive.
During the period when Ribery was out due to injury, Neymar and Hazzard took turns to play, and the two young players were holding back their strength to prove their strength, so they played quite well every time they played, which is also what Ye Qiu is very satisfied with, after all, he hopes that the team will always maintain such healthy competition.
It was also a key match in the tenth round, but Chelsea were humiliated by Arsenal 3-5 at Stamford Bridge.
If you look at the results of the game, it should have been a good game, eight goals, but in reality, it was not a good game, it looked more like two teams with bad performances competing to see who was worse and who made more stupid mistakes.
Chelsea are currently sixth in the Premier League under Villas-Boas, a bad brother to Arsenal and seventh with the Gunners, but that's not a problem, the crux of the matter is that Chelsea have lost both Carlo Ancelotti's sharp attacking attack this season, as well as the defensive and powerful midfielders that Chelsea have been proud of in the past.
Arsenal's problem is also in defense, but relatively speaking, Arsenal's frontcourt attack performance was better in this game, so they were able to equalize continuously after conceding the goal, and finally achieved a comeback and a big reversal.
In the English media, the well-meaning Boas saved the good guy Arsene Wenger.
Because, this season, Wenger faced Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, especially Tottenham Hotspur, the game results were quite bad, but this game beat Chelsea 5:3, Wenger can finally raise his eyebrows and say that he can also play bloody and win when facing strong teams.
Heading into November, Tottenham Hotspur beat Belgium Genke 5-0 away in the fourth leg of the Champions League group stage in midweek, which was also the sixteenth goal scored by Tottenham Hotspur in the last four Champions League group games, and even more terrifyingly, Tottenham Hotspur have not conceded a goal in four Champions League group games.
With an average of four goals per game, the attacking efficiency that shocked everyone has shocked the entire European football world, but if you add to that the big wins in the Premier League against the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur's astonishing lethality in the new season will strike fear into the hearts of all opponents.
After the team's 5-0 away win over Genke, a 68-year-old Tottenham Hotspur fan who followed the team to the away stadium expressed his confidence in the team very excitedly in an interview with media reporters.
"I swear, Tottenham Hotspur this season is the best Tottenham Hotspur I've ever seen, they're the best team in the world, you see, Messi scored another hat-trick, Edinson Cavani is as good as ever, and our midfield, who says we sell Cesc Fabregas, David? Silva and Yaya? After Toure, we can't play in the midfield? ”
'It's a very good team, they're the best, and if they don't win the Premier League this season then I'm going to die!' The old fan's sworn remarks appeared on the pages of major British newspapers the next day, and even became the focus of debate among all fans on the Internet.
Some people believe that Tottenham Hotspur's performance is indeed eye-catching, whether it is in the Champions League or the Premier League this season, they still maintain the offensive efficiency of the past, and they still maintain an unbeaten record, and the championship should be nine out of ten.
However, there are also those who believe that it is too early for Tottenham Hotspur to win the title, because from the current situation in the Premier League, Manchester City in second place and Liverpool in third place are likely to challenge Tottenham Hotspur's chances, while fourth-placed Manchester United may also turn around in the second half.
There are many cases where the Red Devils have turned things around in the second half, and there have been many cases where they have performed well in the first half but collapsed in the second half.
"Looking at the past ten rounds of the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur's most eye-catching performance is undoubtedly the big win over Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool, although they also beat Arsenal later, but the Gunners are no longer as strong as Tottenham Hotspur, coupled with the perfect double last season, all give the north London team an overwhelming psychological advantage."
"And through careful analysis, we can see that Tottenham Hotspur's performance has declined in recent rounds, playing Newcastle, Blackburn, and even Queens Park Rangers, Tottenham Hotspur did not show that kind of hearty offensive football, but a little steadily relying on the strength advantage to score points."
"So in my judgment, Tottenham Hotspur are going to the bottom of their form!"
Tottenham Hotspur supporters immediately refuted the opposition's remarks, explaining why Tottenham Hotspur are the favourites to win the tournament.
"I agree with the fact that Tottenham Hotspur's form has declined, and I think this is a conscious move by manager Ye Qiu."
"In fact, judging from the experience of the Premier League in the past so many years, Ye Qiu is the kind of coach who takes the initiative to adjust the team's state according to the schedule, so we can see that the devil's schedule for the same two seasons, but Tottenham Hotspur was slow last season, and this season is very fast and directly into the state, two completely different rhythms, and the reason is the schedule!"
"No team can stay at the top for long, there are definitely ups and downs, and it has to be noted that Ribery's injury has also affected Tottenham Hotspur, although Hazzard and Neymar have performed well, but they don't have the quality of Ribery and the tacit understanding with Messi and Cavani."
"Ye Qiu brought the team into a slump and pursued a steady scoring strategy, which is the strategy that a team aiming to win the championship should formulate, and if Tottenham Hotspur still pursues the strategy of chasing and playing hard when they are in good form, then they will definitely lose points."
"From the point of view of the schedule, Tottenham Hotspur is not in good shape, but the next opponents are basically difficult to have an impact on Tottenham Hotspur, and the Champions League has also been promoted early, for Tottenham Hotspur, before meeting Chelsea in December, they have no challenge, the chance of losing points is not great, but the possibility of winning all is very high!"
The two groups of fans formed a gang on the Internet and fought a war of words, and many fans took the initiative to stand in line, some for support and some against.
But everyone knows very well that after Tottenham Hotspur survived the devil's schedule, the next opponents are much inferior to Tottenham Hotspur in terms of strength, as long as Ye Qiu and his team play every game steadily, the possibility of losing points is very low.
Even some bookmakers have offered odds for all bettors to bet on how many games they like Tottenham Hotspur will be able to hold on to their winning streak, which is exactly 60 so far.
According to the odds offered by the bookmakers, more than half of the bettors believe that Tottenham Hotspur can extend the winning streak to at least 65 games, while of the remaining half, half think it will exceed 70 games, and the other half think it may exceed 75 games, and the number of bettors who think it will be terminated within 65 games is very small.
This is almost no longer just a topic of concern for Tottenham Hotspur fans, but with the spread of modern media, it has gradually spread to the whole world, and how long Tottenham Hotspur's unbeaten streak can last has become a topic of concern for fans all over the world, and even non-fans.
In this case, Tottenham Hotspur began to consciously isolate the news to avoid the huge pressure on the team from the outside media, and Theobald basically did not allow reporters to enter except for the usual press conference, especially the first-team training area, which was closed to the outside world.
However, Tottenham's performance on the pitch did not slow down the pace at all.
On 7 November, Tottenham Hotspur travelled to west London to take on Fulham, with Lionel Messi and Edinson Cavani both passing and shooting, and centre-back Vincent Kompany scoring to help the team beat Fulham 3-1.
After two weeks of international breaks, Tottenham Hotspur hosted Aston Villa on 22 November.
Although Messi failed to score in the game, his two assists helped Edinson Cavani score twice as Tottenham Hotspur beat Aston Villa 2-0 at home to extend their unbeaten run.
In midweek, in the fifth leg of the Champions League group stage, Tottenham Hotspur arranged a full substitute lineup when they had already qualified from the group in advance, but with goals from Raul and Pogba, they defeated Bayer Leverkusen 2:1 away, and French midfielder Pogba was elected the best player of the game, and his performance was very good.
Back in the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur challenged West Bromwich Albion away on the afternoon of the 26th.
It was a tough game, with West Bromwich Albion opening the game to take advantage of a misplaced pass in midfielder Andrea Pirlo and score a goal on a quick counter-attack, but Pirlo soon made up for it when Edinson Cavani scored and equalised.
In the second half, the two sides changed sides again, and Tottenham Hotspur reversed West Bromwich Albion 3-1 with goals from Hazzard and Messi.
The outside world did not rate Tottenham Hotspur's performance in this game, and even Martin? Samuel said Tottenham's performance had dropped significantly since the two-week international break in November, but he believes it has nothing to do with the quality of the team, but the main thing is the fitness and form of the players.
But what is more important is Ye Qiu's large rotation.
You must know that with the deepening of the schedule, especially after entering October, Ye Qiu's rotation even includes Messi, Pirlo, and Thiago? Key players such as Silva and Alves, Thibaut Courtois also frequently appeared in front of goal in place of Cech, while Sandro, Phil? Jones, Eriksen, Coutinho, Raphael Varane, Nastasic, Kyle? Walker and other players have appeared in the team's rotation and starting lineup.
With such a wide range of rotations, it is indeed not easy for the team to maintain the current form and momentum.
In the midweek League Cup quarterfinals, Ye Qiu once again sent an all-youth team lineup to play, but this time lost 0:2 away to Liverpool. Mora, Nick? Powell, Pogba and other players have high praise and encouragement.
Liverpool is now trying their best to compete for the League Cup, Benitez's pragmatism told him that he must first win a cup to ensure his position, so Liverpool, who had encountered a weak team in the previous draw, easily reached the quarterfinals, and this time Benitez is also determined to qualify, so he will play the main team.
Relatively speaking, Tottenham Hotspur's youth team, which can even be said to be a three-team team, is inferior in away skills, losing two goals, which is understandable, if it can beat Liverpool away, it will be the real upset.
For Tottenham Hotspur to lose away to Liverpool and be eliminated from the League Cup, the outside media did not fall into the ground.
Just kidding, if you are unbeaten in 63 games in the league, win all five games in the Champions League, score 18 goals and concede one goal, such a result, if you have to be criticized for losing a chicken-ribbed league cup, that is the number one strange thing in the sky!
The media went against the norm this time, especially the British media, and instead of falling for Tottenham Hotspur, they took the initiative to help Tottenham Hotspur explain that many of them thought that leaving the League Cup was not a bad thing, because it would allow Tottenham to focus more on the Premier League.
As a result, the refreshed Tottenham Hotspur beat Bolton Wanderers 5-0 at their home stadium, Messi scored another hat-trick, Edinson Cavani scored twice, and Tottenham's entire attack in front of the field was amazing.
Unbeaten in 64 games, Tottenham Hotspur almost used a perfect victory to declare their domineering, and at the same time, almost the entire British media chanted that the era of Tottenham Hotspur has come!
In the current Premier League standings, Tottenham Hotspur is unbeaten with 14 games, 12 wins and 2 draws, and Manchester City's results this season are also very ideal, so far 14 games, 11 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, one of which was a 0:5 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
Liverpool are currently two points clear of Manchester City and third in the table, followed by Manchester United, Newcastle, West Ham, Chelsea and Arsenal, while Ye Qiu's half-owned promoted Southampton are currently ninth in the Premier League, even ahead of David Moyes' Everton, Adrianse's side have become the dark horses of promotion this season.
In all media analysis, Tottenham Hotspur's ability to beat their opponents in a strong dialogue is a big reason why they are able to lead the current table by three points in the table, and without the victory over Manchester City, there would be no current three-point advantage.
But judging from Manchester City's performance, the depth of the bench of this team is really outstanding, and even if they only send out a substitute lineup, they are enough to challenge all teams in the Premier League except Tottenham Hotspur, which shows how strong the blue moon is and how scary the bench thickness is.
However, the famous Premier League analyst and former Liverpool legend Lineker expressed his appreciation and optimism for Ye Qiu's team in his daily TV show, and he believes that Ye Qiu has hardly made even one decision-making mistake so far this season.
"Planning is very important for a team that wants to win the championship!"
"I can even be sure that even now, Ye Qiu is basically still following the plan he drew up at the beginning of the season, at least from the overall situation, because you can see that in the strong dialogue at the beginning of the season, he is just to win, so he adjusts the best state of the team."
"After the devil's schedule of strong conversations, everything Tottenham Hotspur does is to get points, so he doesn't need to be in a lot of good form in the team, as long as he can get points consistently, but at the same time, he should still be preparing for the second half of the league, especially the Champions League in late January and then the Champions League, so he needs an effective and reasonable rotation system."
"Many people say that Tottenham Hotspur's main lineup is excellent and the youngsters have improved a lot, but I want to say that Ye Qiu has hardly made any mistakes in his decision-making this season, and if Tottenham Hotspur can win the championship in the end this season, the biggest contributor must be Ye Qiu, because he drew up a textbook plan to win the championship, which is very perfect to help the team win the league championship!"
"I would also like to remind all potential contenders for Tottenham Hotspur that the most important thing for them now is how to interrupt this rhythm of Tottenham Hotspur, disrupt Ye Qiu's plan, and make this team deviate from the original track, which is the key issue to prevent Tottenham Hotspur from winning the championship!"
Interestingly, Lineker shares the same sentiment as Alex Ferguson this time, who also said that the most important thing for all the teams competing for the title is to bite Tottenham Hotspur and sustain this team until the end of this team's unbeaten streak.
"Whoever can survive until Tottenham Hotspur loses will have a chance to win the championship!" It has to be the case in the big picture, because you can see that in the early days of the season, he was trying to win, so he adjusted the best form for the team. ”
"After the devil's schedule of strong conversations, everything Tottenham Hotspur does is to get points, so he doesn't need to be in a lot of good form in the team, as long as he can get points consistently, but at the same time, he should still be preparing for the second half of the league, especially the Champions League in late January and then the Champions League, so he needs an effective and reasonable rotation system."
"Many people say that Tottenham Hotspur's main lineup is excellent and the youngsters have improved a lot, but I want to say that Ye Qiu has hardly made any mistakes in his decision-making this season, and if Tottenham Hotspur can win the championship in the end this season, the biggest contributor must be Ye Qiu, because he drew up a textbook plan to win the championship, which is very perfect to help the team win the league championship!"
"I would also like to remind all potential contenders for Tottenham Hotspur that the most important thing for them now is how to interrupt this rhythm of Tottenham Hotspur, disrupt Ye Qiu's plan, and make this team deviate from the original track, which is the key issue to prevent Tottenham Hotspur from winning the championship!"
Interestingly, Lineker shares the same sentiment as Alex Ferguson this time, who also said that the most important thing for all the teams competing for the title is to bite Tottenham Hotspur and sustain this team until the end of this team's unbeaten streak.
"Whoever can survive until Tottenham Hotspur loses will have a chance to win the championship!"