In addition to understanding the English football style after coming to the United Kingdom, Qin Xiong's main focus was, of course, to have a deeper understanding of Arsenal's technical and tactical system so that he could integrate into the new team.
He was a typical team player. His team awareness was reflected in his initiative to integrate into a new team, rather than letting the team cater to his playing characteristics.
Arsenal's overall style abandoned the traditional English long balls. Under Wenger's years of careful building, the team played in the continental European style of ground passes and cuts.
The formation of a three-line center back line mainly attacked from the left flank. Ashley Cole became one of the best full backs in European football after his stunning flank attacks. In contrast, Lauren on the right flank was inconspicuous because he spent most of his time firmly in the backfield and conscientiously defended. In this way, to ensure that Arsenal's defense was stable, the change of direction made Ashley Cole more outstanding. After all, Ashley Cole did not need to pay attention to Lauren's position and worry about whether he could rush to the front field.
Arsenal's dual defensive midfielders configuration was an important guarantee for the stability of the defense.
In the past, there was Parlour + Vieira, and now it was Silva + Vieira.
In terms of the distribution of duties, Silva focused on defense, while Vieira was more of an all-rounder, able to attack and defend. After all, not every opponent needed Arsenal's dual defensive midfielders to defend. When playing against opponents with obvious disparities in strength, Vieira's forward assists would be very large. Silva alone could complete the defensive task of the back line very well. If they were playing against a strong team, Vieira's main task was of course to defend.
On the midfield line, Pires on the left flank was Wenger's proudest work in building the team. It could not be looked at Pires alone. It had to be combined with the combination of him and Ashley Cole on the flank, one in front and one behind.
Pires was an offensive midfielder who played on the flank, similar to Ajax's Snede and Van Der Vaart last season. Because he was not a pure flank player, his space of activity was not limited to the flank. He could cut horizontally to the middle, which gave the full backs space to plug in on the flank and at the same time make a good cover.
Ljungberg on the right flank was more like a typical winger. He had good breakthroughs and was fast, but he lacked the support of a full back. Therefore, Bergkamp was the one who used to play an important role in activating Ljungberg.
Bergkamp's connection in the front field ensured that Arsenal's coordination in the front field could be extended to the whole field.
At the same time, the striker, Henry, was not a traditional center forward. The fans could often see Henry receiving passes from his teammates from the left and right wings of the midfield. This had something to do with his characteristics. He was not like van Nistelrooy, who snatched the points in the penalty area. He had perfect speed and explosive power, especially when he dribbled. His breakthroughs were simple and efficient, so he needed space on one hand. On the other hand, he was not on the front line. The opponent's defenders could not defend against him immediately. They could only wait for his impact. When Henry cooperated with his teammates to charge forward, the defenders often could not keep up with his rhythm.
Qin Xiong was now replacing Bergkamp. In addition to being more effective in defense, he was more outstanding in offense than Bergkamp in two aspects. The first was his acceleration. His speed and dribbling force were more obvious.
The second was the display of organizational talent.
Whether it was Bergkamp or Vieira, they were not top-notch organizers. The former retired as he grew older and provided ammunition to his teammates through experience. The latter was talented in organizing, but he was not top-notch. This could be seen when the French team was in disarray when they lacked Zidane.
In addition to connecting the whole team and constantly choosing the best offensive direction, Qin Xiong paid more attention to activating Vieira behind him and Ljungberg on the right flank when he ran in the front field.
Obviously, when Vieira moved forward to assist, Qin Xiong would appear to be congested if he did not move. The utilization of space in the field was very low. Therefore, he would take the initiative to cover for Vieira. This was not a sacrifice. It was what an offensive organizer should do.
Secondly, Arsenal's offense had always leaned to the left!
Ashley Cole, Pires, and Henry, the three players' offensive cooperation on the left flank shocked the British. Even though Henry's range of activity was wide, the proportion of his activity on the left flank was greater. This was why he was criticized in the French team for their ability to cancel each other out when he cooperated with Zidane. Because Zidane's offensive habits also leaned to the left, Henry also leaned to the left. The two often had invisible collisions in the same area, making the offensive power not as strong as it looked on paper.
Therefore, in order to avoid colliding with Henry and Pires on the left flank, Qin Xiong would take the initiative to move to the right flank to cooperate with Ljungberg. In this way, Arsenal's offense could be more balanced than before, achieving the effect of flying on both sides. It was no longer the left flank that shocked the world and the right flank that was just so-so.
Wenger watched on the sidelines in a daze. As the first half of the game was coming to an end, he was still thinking about Qin Xiong's positioning and technical play on the field.
Qin Xiong made Arsenal's offense on both sides play with high efficiency. At certain times, Ljungberg would be more outstanding than Pires!
Arsenal's offense was extremely smooth and made use of the space on the field. The players plugged in from the back to assist were more threatening.
In the 43rd minute of the game, Qin Xiong and Vieira ran to the right flank after a one-two pass in the midfield. After Vieira's pass reached his feet, Qin Xiong passed the ball straight to Ljungberg in front.
The Swede dribbled the ball to the end line and did not pass. He passed the ball back to Qin Xiong, who was still on the flank.
Qin Xiong stopped the ball and sent out a beautiful pass without anyone's interference.
Henry's run from the middle of the goal forward attracted the attention of Fulham's defenders, but the football bypassed the front of the goal and the middle and fell to the back of the small penalty area.
Pires rushed to the front of the football's landing point and did not stop the ball. He directly shot with his foot in the air!
Edwin van der Sar was about to collapse!
He was also a junior from Ajax, but today he made a fool of himself!
There was no way to save this kind of ball!
The football went into the net!
Pires gave a thumbs up to the right flank after the goal. Wenger laughed heartily on the sidelines and clapped non-stop.
"He completed a hat-trick of assists in the first half! Qin Xiong proved his strength as the MVP of the Champions League final! Arsenal is still the unbeatable king of the English team, and also the most pleasing team in the English game! "
When he walked into the players' tunnel during the halftime interval, Arsenal's teammates came up to pat Qin Xiong on the head or bumped him on the shoulder with a smile. It was a kind of recognition and encouragement.
Fulham, who were three goals behind, did not give up. They launched an even wilder attack in the second half.
The game became a tug of war. The pace of the back and forth was very fast.
Qin Xiong's coordination during the transition between offense and defense shone brightly. He repeatedly urged Arsenal to attack quickly.
In the 57th minute of the game, he, Vieira, and Henry carried out a series of man-wall combinations in the middle. The team's forward offensive had a whirlwind effect. At the front waistline, he passed the ball to Pires, and then he ran forward to the right. Pires passed the ball and the football returned to Qin Xiong's feet.
At this time, he was facing the goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar. But the angle was not good, so he swayed past Edwin van der Sar's center of gravity to the end line position and passed the ball behind him.
Ljungberg thought Qin Xiong would shoot himself. In the face of this ball, he was unprepared. He was clearly facing an empty goal, but he stopped the ball and did not stop it well. The Fulham defender chasing back broke the ball out of the end line.
After missing the opportunity, Ljungberg touched his head and looked at Qin Xiong in disbelief.
Qin Xiong spread his hands helplessly at him.
Ljungberg did not open his mouth to question Qin Xiong. How can you be so selfless?
In the 68th minute of the game, Qin Xiong dribbled the ball horizontally in the front field, shook off Davis's interception, and sent a hidden straight ball behind Pires. Ashley Cole cut inside from the outside and passed the ball horizontally in the penalty area. Henry almost used his thigh to knock the ball into the goal.
4:0
Fulham collapsed.
In the 79th minute of the game, Vieira rushed up to receive Qin Xiong's cross pass and sent a straight ball to Pires. Pires shot directly but was blocked by Edwin van der Sar. The rebounded football fell at Qin Xiong's feet.
Qin Xiong kicked the ball and sent it directly into the empty goal.
Probably because the goal was the icing on the cake, Qin Xiong did not celebrate excitedly. He was surrounded by his teammates and high-fived everyone in celebration. Then he walked to the backfield with a smile.
On the way back, Vieira put a hand on Henry's shoulder and stared at Qin Xiong's trotting back. He said, "Now, he's a gunner! (Now, he's a gunner!) "
Henry smiled and nodded.
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