The Dutch media did not overly criticize Ajax in the comments on the match report released the next day, and even many critics praised Ajax's performance.

At least on the pitch, Ajax and Arsenal are evenly matched, with no one having an absolute advantage, while Ajax's youth cannot be ignored and it is commendable to be able to equalise in a difficult situation from behind.

From this day, the whole Ajax team began to train and run in a new technical and tactical system.

Pienal's removal from the main squad does not mean that he has been abandoned, but that the team is simply unable to put a fifth attacking player up front, of course, Pienal will return to the main squad against weak opponents, and now, he will be a substitute for the attacking players in the front court in addition to Ibrahimovic.

Qin Xiong's position is premised on the fact that he can offload 80% of the defensive tasks, and behind him, with Galasek and De Jong to escort him, this further increases his requirements, because the closer he gets to the forward area, the more difficult it will be for him to organize the attack, because it is very close to the opponent's dense defensive area.

Ajax's huge lead in the league will allow them to adjust their fitness distribution more easily when the crucial Champions League knockout game approaches.

At the weekend's trip to Utrecht, Koeman put most of his squad on the bench to ease the fatigue of the Champions League clash in midweek.

Ajax failed to win against Utrecht and were held to a 1-1 draw by ~ opponents on the road.

This was supposed to give PSV PSV Eindhoven another chance to close the league gap, but unexpectedly, PSV Eindhoven followed up on their defeat in Heerenveen in the previous round. Round 23. Actually lost at home to Roda JC. Suffered two consecutive defeats, 12 points behind Ajax!

Football International published a feature after the 23rd round of the Eredivisie with the headline: Congratulations to Ajax on winning the league this season!

It was a satirical headline for PSV Eindhoven, which slammed Guus Hiddink's side for not taking their chances, and after being able to cut the gap to Ajax to six points in the two league games, it turned out to be 12 points, and with 11 games remaining, PSV Eindhoven took the Eredivisie out of suspense.

There is no way to ask Ajax to be careless and keep dropping points. can only blame PSV Eindhoven for not seizing the opportunity, without the temperament of the defending champion to defend the title to the death, and not giving up until the end.

Ajax's training was on track heading into March, with Koeman presenting a new 433 squad in a league game ahead of the trip to England.

Ajax's opponent was Waalwijk, and although it was a visiting game, Ajax still sealed the victory in the first 60 minutes.

Qin Xiong scored twice in the game, and center forward Ibrahimovic sacrificed himself. Willing to make a wedding dress for him, the purpose is to practice how to play Arsenal.

Ajax came home 4-0 away in triumph. The whole team then got ready to go on a plane to London, England two days later.

On the evening of March 9, Ajax arrived in London!

Walking off the plane with his travel bag on his back, breathing in the humid air of England, Qin Xiong sorted out the baseball cap on his head, which was given to him by Georgia, and felt that it was not bad to wear it, so he also put it on when he traveled.

Ajax made a low-key trip to the city hotel, where the players consciously rested in their rooms.

The day before the race, I went to Highbury to train on the field.

Highbury isn't big, at least the UK's unique shape makes the interior of the stadium look compact, and their fan stands are always close to the sideline.

This will allow the enthusiastic fans to cheer more clearly into the ears of the players, and maximize the home momentum.

Highbury's turf is slightly wider, but not much worse than Ajax's home stadium, Arsenal pays attention to side counterattacks, side and middle combined crossing, the width of the pitch is crucial, sometimes don't look at it is only two or three meters wider than the ordinary pitch, but the effect on the pitch is obviously contrasting.

After the pre-match acclimatisation training, Ajax arrived in England without making any waves.

Even in the pre-match press conference, the coaches of the two teams spoke in a low-key manner and did not create any hot topics.

In calm preparation and anticipation, Arsenal and Ajax met again in Highbury!

Koeman once again emphasised the mentality of the game in the pre-match dressing room.

The score is 1:1.

Ajax is at a disadvantage.

In this context, players are even more required to remain calm and stabilize their mentality.

When Qin Xiong and his teammates lined up to enter the field, he seemed to have walked into a different world.

England's unique fan culture has transformed the stadium into an alternative battlefield.

The loud singing echoed in the stadium, which was shocking and exciting.

Singing loudly, praising the team, cheering for the team, the scenery is unique.

Ajax fans are committed to following the team and supporting the team, but the cultural differences make it difficult to achieve the same spectacular cheering spectacle as the English team.

"The second leg of the Champions League 1/8 finals, Arsenal is sitting at home against Ajax, the current aggregate score is 1:1, Arsenal with an away goal advantage is back at home, the probability of promotion is significantly higher than Ajax, the Daily Mail made a prediction, that the probability of Ajax advancing to the top 8 is no more than 20%, although it is certain that Fleet Street is full of confidence that Arsenal will advance to the quarterfinals, Arsenal a few days ago, and extended the unbeaten league game this season to 27 games, They are definitely a very feared opponent for the European giants, and although Ajax also have the potential to win the Eredivisie, the competitiveness of the Eredivisie and the Premier League is obviously not the same.

Let's take a look at today's two-serve starting lineup.

Arsenal did not change anything from the previous start, still 442.

Goalkeeper: Lehmann.

Defenders: Lauren, Campbell, Toure, Ashley Cole.

Midfielders: Ljungberg, Silva, Vieira, Pire.

Forwards: Bergkamp, Thierry Henry.

Ajax had a starting change from the previous game, but the formation did not change, still 433.

Goalkeeper: Lobonte.

Defenders: Grigra, Heitinga, Escude, Maxwell.

Midfielders: De Jong, Galasek, Qin Xiong.

Forwards: Van der Vaart, Ibrahimovic, Sneijder.

Well, the game starts right away, so let's wait and see which team will reach the last eight of this season's Champions League after 90 minutes or 120 minutes! ”

Arsene Wenger, who was standing on the sidelines, frowned slightly and pondered when he saw Ajax's starting lineup.

Ajax must score in Highbury if they want to advance, they must!

However, compared to the starting XI in the previous game, Ajax today continued to use the line-up adjusted in the second half of the previous game.

It obviously didn't include Pienaar in the starting line-up and looked like a strong attack, but Ajax did.

Wenger was a little confused.

However, he let go of his worries and regained his self-confidence.

He firmly believes that Ajax will take the initiative to attack in order to score, as long as it is attacked, Arsenal's counterattack will have better room to play, and there will be more opportunities to create zào!

From the start, Ajax played extremely conservative and steady.

Qin Xiong mostly played a formulaic and steady pass in midfield, and in away games, the team needed more time to get into the game.

Even if Arsenal is at home, they are not aggressive, they are not like the Premier League teams at times, the Premier League teams are wide open and high, and what Wenger injected into Arsenal is not only a delicate style, but also a rationality to suppress passion.

I don't know if the score of 1:1 made Arsenal think that the victory is in their hands, they did not want to take advantage of the pressure on the opponent who are more familiar with the stadium and the cheering momentum of the fans, as well as the faster entry into the game, and the advantages of waiting for work to launch a blitzkrieg, they are the same conservative as Ajax, focusing on possession of the ball, and never rashly attacking without good opportunities.

It also has to do with Ajax's defensive system for this game.

Henry, Bergkamp, Pire, Ljungberg.

If there are no players in the midfield.

Ajax's four defenders and double backs, coupled with Qin Xiong's division of the opponent's front and back links in front of the double backs when defending, Ajax is cutting the opponent's offensive formation with a seven-man pyramid system, and the defense is very tight. (To be continued......) R1292