Chapter 692: Reason to go all out
When a legend meets a legend, Arsenal also easily won the game; After the victory over Aston Villa, the media was thrilled that the two generations of gun kings competed on the pitch together, and also excited about the perfect performance of the two generations of gun kings in the game. Obviously, there are so many reasons why this game is worth paying attention to, and because they are extremely satisfied with this game, just because the names Xiao Qing and Thierry Henry mean so much to Arsenal.
And Arsenal continue to win in the league, and now they are getting closer to the title; At this time, this victory also looks even more noteworthy, because it is of great significance to Arsenal, and the achievement of the league treble is really tempting for Arsenal right now, and it is also Arsenal's biggest pursuit in the league.
Of course, Xiao Qing is very happy to win in this game, this game is also extremely morale-boosting for the Arsenal players, and the current Gunners are also full of confidence at this time, they are naturally confident at this time to continue to win in the next game, and they are also very confident.
Now Arsenal not only need to win in the league and fight for the title, they also need to work hard at this time, and in the Champions League, Arsenal also need to maintain a strong enough performance, they need to fight for the title at this time. However, the current Champions League has only reached the quarterfinals, and Arsenal still has a strong opponent like Barcelona in front of them.
Compared to the good momentum achieved in the league, the Champions League may still be more challenging for Arsenal; Because the opponents they are facing now are very strong, and because they are definitely going to be good opponents in the future, they can't be careless at this time, because it is really not easy to win in the Champions League, especially when the opponents are strong. Arsenal have also become the target of public criticism.
Now Arsenal have little time to rest, and they need to be in the Champions League as soon as they finish the league; Fortunately, although Arsenal has a dense schedule, Arsenal has also carried out a certain rotation, and Arsenal can ensure that they maintain enough excellent form at this time.
The surprise score of 0-0 in the first leg of the match between the two sides is indeed something that no one expected; After all, Arsenal and Barcelona are both recognized powerhouses in the technical stream, and they have two of the most powerful goal machines in the game, but the expected goal shootout in the first leg did not come, or even a depressed draw at the Emirates Stadium, so the final winner of the two teams will need to be revealed at the Camp Nou.
After the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, the situation of the three matchups is already relatively clear. Real Madrid basically secured a place in the semi-finals after beating Atletico Greece by three goals away. The magical road of the dark horse of Cyprus is also coming to an end; Bayern won Marseille by two goals away, which also made the promotion lose suspense; Chelsea were lucky enough to win but a 1-0 win on the road brought them close to the last four.
Of the four quarter-finals, only the most watched match-ups - Barcelona and Arsenal - are still full of suspense. In the first leg, both teams played very well at the Emirates Stadium. I just didn't grasp the kick in the door. In the second leg, Arsenal, who are playing away, only need to score one goal. Even a draw would knock Barcelona out of the tournament. But to win or score at home at Barcelona. It's a huge test for any away team.
Barcelona, who drew with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, will be aiming to win at home with all their might. For Barcelona, they can't afford to lose at home this time, they can't afford to lose to Arsenal again, especially since this is the home stadium, and they can't be beaten by Arsenal again. They have lost twice to Arsenal in the last two seasons. If he becomes Arsenal's subordinate in the Champions League for three consecutive seasons, then it will be the most fatal blow to Barcelona, known as the Cosmos team, and it is even likely to cause some changes in Barcelona's lineup and tactics.
You must know that those fathers of Barcelona have the habit of pointing fingers at the team, and the team's tactics, coaches' arrangements and even often suffer from some pressure from the management; Being a manager at Barcelona is definitely not an easy task. Because there will be a lot of pressure and constraints on such a big team, Guardiola will definitely not be easy at this time, if the team loses to Arsenal for three consecutive seasons, this is absolutely unacceptable to all Barça.
Barcelona and Milan, who ended 0-0 in the first leg, will move to Camp Nou for the second leg. Although Arsenal are now playing away from home, it seems that the momentum may be better for Barcelona, but because they did not achieve anything in the first leg, this time they need to be careful of Arsenal's attack, once Arsenal scores, Barcelona will be in huge trouble.
'It's been a long time since we've done this well and now we're back to the best of our game, which helps us play the most important game of the year.' Barcelona had just beaten Athletic Bilbao in the league, which also brought a smile on the faces of Pep Guardiola, and the most important game of the year was the second leg of the Champions League knockout against Arsenal.
At present, it seems that in addition to Abidal's ironclad absence due to major surgery, Barcelona's squad is also quite neat. In the 2-0 bloodless win over Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona hid several key players, and it is clear that Barcelona is now preparing for this crucial knockout game with Arsenal, and now they will not continue to lose. Now Barcelona only has the Champions League, the last honor that can be fought for, and it is also because they can't continue to lose to Arsenal now, for Barcelona, who is arrogant and in a very good state, the only opponent they have not defeated now is Arsenal.
If you want to be the best team, you need to beat every opponent, especially those teams that have brought blows to the team, which are even more opponents that need to be defeated; If they can't get past Arsenal, it will be the biggest regret for Barcelona, because they will be considered to have never been a really top team, because they still have opponents who cannot be beaten, and they are still a little short of becoming a great team.
Barcelona are now fully prepared, now they are going all out to win the game, and now they are full of fighting spirit; Guardiola's words are not untargeted, if they can't win at home to Arsenal, it will be an absolutely catastrophic blow for Barcelona, for Barcelona now there is only one last way to go, which is to beat Arsenal, and they have no other choice.
Arsenal's players are also determined to win the decisive battle at Camp Nou, and the honor of achieving the treble is really hard to come by, especially in the Champions League three times in a row, which is even more golden; Especially in the history of modern football, three consecutive championships are an almost impossible task. Arsenal have only defended their Champions League title more than 20 years after the restructuring, and it is not an easy thing to see a third in a row, it is a near-miracle.
Ajax won the Champions League three times in 70 to 73 and Bayern won the Champions League three times in 73 to 76; Now, Arsenal are close to making history again in Champions League history after almost four decades, and they have a chance to become the new treble winners. The current Arsenal can be said to be in very good shape, Xiao Qing and Van Persie's forward partnership can be described as a man blocking and killing Buddha, in the face of Arsenal in such an excellent state now, it is difficult for any team to guarantee to stop Arsenal from moving forward.
The team that won the three consecutive championships can be said to be able to keep the real trophy of the Champions League champion permanently, you must know that the general Champions League champion can only temporarily keep the Champions League trophy after getting the Big Ears Cup, UEFA stipulates that the winning team must return the trophy before the final of next season, but they can keep a replica, but the replica trophy cannot exceed four-fifths of the size of the original.
UEFA rules stipulate that teams that have won five titles or three times in a row can keep their original trophies forever. Real Madrid, who won the title for the sixth time in 1966, retained their original trophy forever; With Ajax and Bayern Munich both winning three titles in a row and AC Milan winning the title for the fifth time, they each have a trophy in their collection, and the trophy is now the fifth.
It is a rare honor to be able to leave the real Champions League trophy forever, and it is a must for Arsenal to ensure the current results; Especially in modern football, the competitiveness is becoming more and more intense, especially in the Champions League, and it can be said that it is very difficult to win the championship. Defending the title has become an almost impossible thing, and three consecutive titles, which can really only be described as a miracle.
Arsenal's players are now hell-bent on becoming one of the best teams in history, and if they win three in a row, it will be their greatest success. The Gunners are full of fighting spirit right now, and they may face a lot of challenges along the way, but the desire to make history has become their biggest motivation.
The second leg is just around the corner and it's time for Arsenal to work hard; This is obviously the case for Barça, and there is no reason why they should not give it their all. (To be continued......)