Chapter 711: It's Closer
In the 35th round of the league, the Gunners Arsenal sat at home to face the Blues Chelsea; This game is hugely important for both teams as they both need to be in a better position in the league now, and also because they will be looking to win against their opponents in order to build a more psychological advantage in the more important knockout stages of the Champions League.
Arsenal are the main force in this game, for Arsenal they have no way back, they have to win at home, they need to beat Chelsea to lay a solid foundation for winning the league title. So even if the second leg of the Champions League knockout match is about to begin, Arsenal will not relax in any way, they will still go all out.
goalkeeper Szczesny; On the back line, from right to left, are Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen and Alaba; In midfield there is Alexander. Song, Ramsey, Walket and Arteta; On the front line, of course, Xiao Qing and Van Persie are there.
As for Chelsea, they have maintained their consistent performance after the change of manager, with ten wins, two draws and one defeat in the last 13 games; In particular, the Blues have beaten the mighty Arsenal and swept Tottenham 5-1 in the FA Cup in the last two games. Chelsea have found their form recently and it doesn't look too late because they are a strong team with a lot of quality.
At the Emirates Stadium, when Chelsea's starting line-up came out, it also caught the attention of Arsenal's players; Perhaps Arsenal have a greater initiative to win this game, but I believe that Arsenal may need to work harder in the Champions League semi-finals. Looking at Chelsea's squad, although they now need to get points in the league to secure a place in the Champions League qualification, Chelsea are also in the dark. They opted for a Champions League match. They believe they can beat Arsenal to reach the Champions League final and win the title in one fell swoop!
goalkeeper Petr Cech; On the back line are Bosingwa, Cahill, John Terry and Bertrand; midfielders Essien, Romeu, Malouda and Sturridge; Up front, Torres and Kalou are on top. Chelsea were somewhat surprisingly retaining most of their main players in this game. Although their current squad still looks very good, everyone knows that this is not a reflection of Chelsea's true quality.
Xiao Qing and his teammates still felt a little happy, this is definitely the truth; Arsenal, who are playing on two fronts, need to make sure that there are no mistakes on any front, and they need to constantly adjust. For example, in the current league, they need to give it their all, they need to play every game in a down-to-earth manner.
Chelsea have now opted to retain their main squad in the league, not to make the Arsenal players feel underestimated; The Arsenal players are now happy because it will ensure that Arsenal will reduce the difficulty of this game, which will also ensure that Arsenal can defend their title in the league as much as possible. As for Chelsea, we are focused on preparing for the Champions League semi-finals. This is not a problem for Arsenal either, as the Gunners are confident that they will be in the best form for the second leg to secure the victory, and Chelsea's choice now may be in a better position for Arsenal.
The atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium is still very lively, and although Arsenal have suffered two defeats in a row, the otherwise bright future looks a little uncertain, but the Arsenal fans still have enough confidence in the team. Arsenal's success in these two seasons has given Gunners fans enough reason to believe that Arsenal will break out completely, and although Arsenal are in some trouble now, when Arsenal find their form, they are still the most terrifying and powerful team. A top-tier presence that builds a dynasty.
Arsenal at home are full of morale, and the Gunners are now looking forward to this game; Arsenal had just lost to Chelsea in the previous Champions League semi-finals. It's definitely an extremely bad memory; So now the Gunners need to save face at home and they need to be the winners in this game by beating Chelsea at home.
Xiao Qing is also ready, he has no achievements in the first leg of the game, and Xiao Qing, who has a name like the active No. 1 player and the most powerful striker, cannot allow himself to fall into a slump one after another; He will not be a soft-footed shrimp against Chelsea, he may have a temporary slump against Chelsea, but the final winner will definitely belong to Arsenal, because Xiao Qing can help the team achieve the final victory.
Arsenal, who have too many reasons to win the game, is of course unreserved in this game, and the Gunners' fighting spirit is also very strong; They need a win in the game, they need a championship! So there is no doubt that Arsenal will win this game in the end.
Arsenal, who played at home, played very aggressively, especially Xiao Qing, who naturally worked harder in the game; In this game, Chelsea did not put out their strongest iron bucket formation, which also gave Xiao Qing room to play. Xiao Qing doesn't let Chelsea's defenders think that they are really that good at limiting.
Arsenal played very well in the midfield, without those airtight kraft candy and bus tactics, Arsenal is naturally able to play more fluently, which can also ensure that Xiao Qing gets more passes in the frontcourt. Perhaps Di Matteo at this time can also understand that it is really a little powerless to attack against Arsenal, and what suits Chelsea may be the bus tactics and those iron bucket formations.
In the fifth minute of the game, Xiao Qing received a pass from Arteta; A clean volley after a few steps forward with the ball, although the shot was too straight for Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech to get the ball, but watching such a powerful and fast shot, Chelsea need to be careful, because Arsenal have found their form, because Xiao Qing now has more desire to score.
Although Chelsea were quick to return to colour at this time, Kalou's run into the box was unable to form a goal due to Sagna's interference. In the 10th minute, Kalou broke down the left and crossed to the middle, but Torres couldn't hit the target. Chelsea did play a lot of good attacks at this time, but this kind of attacking game is more beneficial for Arsenal, and the Gunners are absolutely sure of winning the game.
In the thirteenth minute of the game, Xiao Qing was brought down outside the penalty area, which was a free kick that was slightly off; Walcott drove the ball directly in front of the goal, although Xiao Qing at this time was interfered with by Terry, the core of Chelsea's defense, but in front of the crowded goal, Xiao Qing jumped up hard and rubbed the ball slightly; Van Persie flanked in at the back post and Cech watched helplessly as the ball bounced off the post and into the net.
1-0, Arsenal scored, Arsenal are now leading Chelsea at home, they now look to have weathered the current difficulties, in the league Arsenal are now in a very good position, a relatively relaxed environment that can make Arsenal's players breathe a sigh of relief, an environment that can allow Arsenal to get closer to the league title.
Arsenal's players are still celebrating wildly, Arsenal is very depressed during this time, they need to use this goal at this time to announce that they are completely out of the trough, Arsenal will also use this goal to prove to everyone that they are still the strongest, whether in the league or in the Champions League, they are deservedly the best.
Although Chelsea started to fight back more after conceding the goal, Bosingwa set up the pitch and fired low into the far corner after receiving Essien's cross and firing low into the far corner, but the ball was met by Szczesny. In the 23rd minute, Chelsea broke the ball at the back and quickly counterattacked, Sturridge's personal dribbling was almost broken, he could only share the ball Kalou, Kalou went straight to Malouda, and Malouda's cross in the box was cleared by Koscielny first.
Arsenal played well at this time, and the Gunners were very focused defensively, and they didn't give Chelsea any chances; Arsenal's defensive players can be said to be shameful and courageous, the previous key games were lost because of the mistakes of the defenders, and now they will not continue to make such mistakes, they will protect the door of their own team, they need to provide more guarantees for the team's victory.
Although Chelsea's counterattack at this time is still relatively fierce, the current two teams also seem to be playing against each other; In such a situation, it is undoubtedly more beneficial for Arsenal, Xiao Qing and his teammates are also fighting for the opportunity to completely kill the suspense of the game, Xiao Qing is also fighting for goals, because he knows that he can do better.
Another chance for a free kick, Xiao Qing drove straight with the ball at the end of the first half; During this time, the two teams played very lively, and Arsenal's counterattack after breaking the ball was also very sharp, Xiao Qing's breakthrough can create more opportunities, this time it was Xiao Qing who made a free kick after breaking through, and it was a free kick in a very good position.
Van Persie stood directly at the penalty spot and his free-kick flew straight in front of goal; Xiao Qing stepped forward quickly, shook off the defender and jumped high, smashing his header on the ball with almost no one to defend it.
The Emirates Stadium completely broke out, Xiao Qing's goal helped Arsenal take a 2-0 lead in the game, and now Arsenal is 2-0 ahead, this game must be a victory for Arsenal, and it is also a performance that Arsenal is closer to the league championship! (To be continued......)