With the Premier League season approaching the halfway point and the battle for title and Champions League qualification and relegation places intensifying, the upcoming Christmas Devils schedule will be difficult for all teams, but for some teams, the real test is the coming January, as the start of the Africa Cup of Nations will cost them a large number of key players.

As always, the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola in January is bound to have a huge impact on the Premier League; There have been some clubs that have suffered heavy losses, such as Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City, while others have remained almost unaffected, such as Manchester United, Liverpool and West Ham United.

In Chelsea and Arsenal, African players make up a significant proportion of the main squad, especially Chelsea, where stars Drogba, Essien, Kalou and Mikel are all in danger of temporary departures, while Arsenal have Eboue and Song likely to leave temporarily.

Arsene Wenger brought in Reyes in January 2004, Adebayor, Diaby and Theo Walcoat in January 2006 and Arshavin in early 2009. So this time, it seems that he is also very likely to continue to recruit reinforcements, especially under the stimulation of the league championship, he has such a reason.

Arsenal still seems to have a certain amount of funds, although the funds from the sale of Adebayo and Toure are basically used to sell Xiao Qing, but at this moment, Arsenal cannot be stingy; Although Arsenal has been relatively bumpy for the new stadium, it is a top giant after all, and although Arsenal's finances are not rich over the years, it is undeniable that they have been making money, so it is normal to spend money at this time.

With four league games played in 10 days between Christmas and New Year, such a "brutal" schedule is only seen in the Premier League. The devil's schedule is physically and mentally exhausting and miserable. Because there are so many games to play during the holidays. And a lot of it was a vicious battle. Physical exhaustion makes players prone to injury. This has made it difficult for some Premier League teams to participate in the domestic league and European competitions in the second half of the year.

With so many games scheduled for the Christmas and New Year period, and all of them are about whether the strong teams and the weak teams can win or stay relegated, they all have to give it their all. Like Arsene Wenger, Alex Ferguson called for a winter break in the Premier League like the Bundesliga at the start of the year, and other Premier League coaches echoed, but the Premier League Commission did not take that advice.

The Premier League Commission and the FA continue to claim that the Premier League's "honorable" tradition of playing on Christmas and New Year must be upheld. They even quoted Jose Mourinho's previous reminiscences of the Premier League's New Year's game: "At this time, the English stadium is full of children. The family atmosphere is strong. ”

Obviously, Premier League officials believe that arranging games on Christmas and New Year entertains and enriches the holiday life of fans, and has even evolved into a way for British people to celebrate Christmas and New Year. While this may be true, there's no denying that the Premier League's holiday games are all about making money in the name of preserving tradition.

After all, fans have a certain amount of spare money and spending power during the holiday season, and attracting them to the stadium at this time can undoubtedly guarantee box office revenue, and at the same time, holiday games can also ensure ratings, so as to obtain a lot of broadcast and advertising sponsorship revenue. But this comes at the expense of the players' rest time and even their health. With no winter break to play, the English league has a massive injury outbreak every March. Young players are bearing the brunt.

After Cristiano Ronaldo went to La Liga, there are not many superstar idols in the real and pure sense of the Premier League today. However, Star Factory Arsenal still made fans who like idols really crazy this time - Fabregas, who is "all-for-all", will always be more and more calm under the more mature temperament to send people a surprise with a stroke of genius, of course, Xiao Qing seems to be the most likely to become the new head of the Premier League.

Cesc Fabregas was only twenty-two years old. At the age of twenty-two, Jr. is not only the captain of the Gunners, but also the soul of the entire tactical system that teaches Arsene Wenger.

Arsene Wenger is naturally excited, and when the teams are tired in the cold for more than half of the season, it is the backbone that needs to stand up and help the team stabilize at the top of the table. The seedlings he trained with all his heart are excellent in technique and tactics, sharp in attack, confident and taking into account the overall situation. It is said that such a player should have grown up a long time ago and could cover the sky with a slap, but he can still keep a low profile and focus on playing football, the only path he recognizes.

And now, although Cesc Fabregas has never taken the initiative to ask for a transfer, but before the transfer period comes, he must be on the cusp, because Barcelona will definitely appear at this time, and the voice for Fabregas to return to Camp Nou has become louder and louder as Fabregas's performance has become better and better in recent seasons, and this time is no exception.

Arsene Wenger has already said that he does not rule out the possibility of winter signings, but many of the targets are currently difficult to acquire. Since he believes that the team is worry-free recently, Wenger will naturally be infinitely optimistic about the rest of the season, in fact, he did say: "After the loss to Chelsea, if I say that Arsenal still have a chance of winning the title, then there must be a lot of people who believe me; I'm more convinced that everybody will say no to us, but now I believe we're going to take advantage of the contenders dropping points and I'm sure Chelsea will drop points for sure. So now we're back at the top of the table and we're league leaders now. We're having some difficulties at the moment, but I'm confident we'll keep winning because we have really good players and because we have the ability to challenge for the league title. ”

On New Year's Day, Arsenal will start the 20th round of the league against Portsmouth, which is also Arsenal's preferred weaker opponent, and they will make Arsenal have a relatively smooth and safe Christmas matchday.

"Everyone knows that Shaw has just won the third place of Shijie Footballer of the Year, and in fact I believe Shaw can do better. Take a look at his performances this season, and trust me, he will be even higher in the judging next time. In my opinion, Shaw can be the most haode player, although the team is facing some difficulties now, but I believe that at this time Shaw can help the team out of difficulties. We will get the victory of Zuihou and we will win the first race of the new year. We need to face the new game with a more haode form and we are ready. Ahead of the upcoming 20th round of fixtures, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is confident that his team will win the next games.

Xiao Qing, who has returned to the team, is very confident, although it is no secret that the intensive schedule in the Premier League, especially the terrifying Christmas Devils schedule makes the players physically and mentally exhausted; But to be honest, this doesn't have much impact on Xiao Qing, Xiao Qing believes that at this time, his physical reserves are definitely the most haode state.

Xiao Qing's own physical fitness is very good, and this Christmas devil schedule is really not a good one for him; Although he participated in some games, he was very depressed because of the red card ban, so Xiao Qing also got time to rest. In addition, although Xiao Qing is the team's first choice this season, his rotation is still good, which also allows Xiao Qing to get more rest time, and now Xiao Qing believes that he is in great shape, and he believes that he can help the team bring victory.

"I'm happy that the team won the halfway and I'm happy that the team won the last round. I don't want to talk about the red cards, that's the answer that everyone has in their minds and I can't make everyone happy. When interviewed by reporters, Xiao Qing smiled and first blocked the words of many media reporters, and then Xiao Qing became serious. Portsmouth are good but I'm sure Arsenal can get the win. For me, it's a difficult time for Arsenal right now. Everybody knows we've got serious injuries and we know our main players need to play in the Africa Cup of Nations. But that's not a reason for us to back down, we need to be better at this time. ”

'We are league leaders, so we need to work harder at this time. I've won the league and although the Bundesliga and the Premier League are two different leagues, I have enough championship experience and I know what needs to be done at this time. For a team that wants to win the championship, it is necessary to work hard at this time; If you want to win the league championship, the first half of the game is more about laying a good foundation, and the second half of the game is a time to sprint with all your might. Xiao Qing talked eloquently, he is one of the few Arsenal teams with a league championship in hand, so he can be regarded as an experienced veteran.

"Our players were outstanding, so we won the halfway. Now that we've won the halfway, we're more confident. Guys, you guys did a great job when I wasn't in the team and now I'm back in the team, so trust me, I'm going to help the team win, I'm going to help the team get off to a good start. Xiao Qing smiled and waved his hand at the camera, this is Xiao Qing's first game in the second half of the season and the first win of the new year that Arsenal need.

Xiao Qing is ready, Arsenal are missing captain Cesc Fabregas, who has suffered a recurrence of an old injury, and Denilson is also injured; So at this time, Arsenal's squad is a little stretched, but fortunately, the Africa Cup of Nations is on January 10, so Song and Eboue can still be kept in the team for another game.

The core of the midfield is missing, but now there is still the core of the striker; Xiao Qing is not worried about winning this game at all, because he believes that he can lead the team to victory, even without Fabregas! (To be continued......)