Qin Xiong left the Craven Farm Stadium with a perfect score of one shot and three passes.
It was his Premier League debut.
It immediately caused an extreme change in the tone of the outside world.
Mockery turned into praise.
As Wenger said, Arsenal did not need him to stay on the bench for a year or more. They needed him to integrate into the team this season and make an indelible contribution to the team.
Qin Xiong naturally did not want to be a substitute. It was not that he looked down on the Premier League, but he was always full of confidence in himself. He thought he could show himself on this exciting field.
Wenger had a smile on his face during the interview after the game. When he talked about Arsenal's performance in the game, he said, "Arsenal has always maintained their desire and ambition for the title. Some people said that we would slack off this season after winning the league title last season. The team's performance in the opening stage of the league season has strongly countered this view. Henry recovered from his pre-season injury and Vieira continued to contribute everything to the team. We also have new blood like Qin Xiong joining the team. I have to say that Qin Xiong and Arsenal's beautiful football philosophy are a match made in heaven. He made Arsenal's midfield move quickly and was able to repeatedly and effectively attack the opponent. Once, twice, under continuous strong attacks, we created a lot of pressure on the opponent. Finally, we seized the opponent's flaws in their panic and Arsenal destroyed Fulham. We are the team that scored the most goals in the new season in the English Premier League, and maybe even in Europe. I think we should no longer be criticized by some people for being conservative. Not only did we win, we won beautifully. A five-game winning streak in the new season is not the end.
Wenger was in a good mood, but there was also the suspicion of adding insult to injury. After all, in the same round of the game, Manchester United was forced to a 2: 2 draw with Bolton Wanderers in the away game, which led to Manchester United being nine points behind Arsenal.
Wenger certainly would not miss the opportunity to hit back at Ferguson's remarks that questioned Arsenal's unbeaten record last season.
Other teammates also talked about Qin Xiong in the interview. For example, Henry and Vieira praised Qin Xiong's performance.
Qin Xiong himself kept a low profile when he was interviewed by the reporters in the post-match interview area.
"Victory is the most important thing. I'm very happy to have won the game with my teammates in the first Premier League game. It will be a spiritual encouragement for me. Imagine, if we had tied or lost the game, it would have put me in a bad mood. Naturally, I would have been under more pressure. I'm very happy to play for this team. We don't need to communicate too much. Our playing styles are very similar and it's easier for us to work together in the game. Henry? He is a striker in Fantasy. He will find the most suitable gap in the front field and let you pass to him without getting caught in a dilemma. I am not surprised that he scored two goals in this game. I even think that he may have missed one or two good opportunities. He should have scored a hat-trick. "
As most of his teammates came back from the national team competition, they were a little exhausted after playing the English Premier League game. There was also a Champions League group match in the middle of the week, so no one went to celebrate the victory of the game.
Qin Xiong spoke to Sylvia on the phone during dinner. The other party congratulated him on his performance in the game and kept talking about her feelings of watching the game on television.
Qin Xiong would never have thought that Sylvia was watching the English Premier League game on television in China at night and was already in bed in the school dormitory when she chatted with him.
After a day of rest, Qin Xiong returned to the club to prepare for the Champions League group stage.
Compared to his other teammates who were slightly tired and needed more time to recover, Qin Xiong was in high spirits. He took the initiative to go to the gym after training.
When he began to exercise the muscles in his lower limbs, a teammate appeared beside him. He turned his head and saw Fàbregas. The other party was also looking at him. The two men nodded to each other and began additional training.
Since the beginning of September, the quality and intensity of Qin Xiong's training had also faintly begun to stimulate many young players.
Fàbregas did not chat with Qin Xiong in the gym. The relationship between the two was not close, just like ordinary teammates. However, Fàbregas was strongly stimulated after witnessing Qin Xiong in the game against Fulham.
In terms of physical fitness, Qin Xiong was clearly far better than him. In addition to his natural height and frame, Qin Xiong showed qualities that surpassed his peers in terms of running speed and enthusiasm.
What shocked Fàbregas even more was Qin Xiong's ability to read the game and see the overall situation.
The English Premier League itself left little time for the players to deal with the ball. Basically, it was impossible to control the ball and then think about what to do next. Qin Xiong's grasp of the overall situation seemed to be in his heart. He was never confused on the field and thought about what to do next before he controlled the ball.
This allowed his organizational talent to be displayed incisively and vividly.
In terms of technical ability, Fàbregas admitted that he did not lose to Qin Xiong. He could also pass the ball that Qin Xiong could pass. However, he clearly felt the gap in the grasp of timing, which was the overall situation. This aspect needed to be honed step by step. It was a change in the thinking of playing football. On the other hand, it was the difference in physical fitness.
When he saw Qin Xiong go for additional training, he silently followed Qin Xiong's footsteps into the gym.
.....
On September 15, the 2004-2005 UEFA Champions League season officially kicked off.
Arsenal was placed in Group E.
The opponents in the same group were not too strong. Arsenal had a strength advantage in the competition to qualify.
PSV Eindhoven, Panathinaikos, Rosenberg.
The opponents in the same group were all from second-tier leagues.
The first group game would be played at Highbury. The opponent was PSV Eindhoven, which Qin Xiong was no stranger to.
Even in such a group, Wenger still cheered the players up in the locker room before the game.
"I know that our Champions League group situation will make us a little relaxed. Everyone thinks that we will qualify easily. We are, of course, the strongest team. However, there are six games in the Champions League group stage, three of which are away games. The group stage will not end until December. In this process, the Champions League will have an impact on our domestic league campaign. Therefore, it is lucky for us to be placed in such a group. We have to seize the opportunity to qualify as soon as possible so that we can put more energy into the Premier League. Although Chelsea was forced to a draw with Aston Villa in the fifth round of the Premier League and we became the Premier League leader, we must not let our guard down at this time. We have to establish a greater advantage. Therefore, all of us have to cheer up and show our strength to defeat our opponents. If we can qualify in November, we will be able to better cope with the Premier League's intensive schedule around Christmas. This will have a vital impact on our entire season. "
Wenger's words were very reasonable.
The intensity of the Premier League's competition schedule was high. This was obvious to all. Apart from one more cup competition, there was no winter break. How to adjust the team's state and how to distribute their stamina was the manager's biggest headache.
Since they were placed in a group with an easy qualification situation, they had to take advantage of such an opportunity and not face the game carelessly.
Qin Xiong continued to qualify for the starting lineup. Arsenal's lineup did not change from when they played against Fulham in the league.
Standing in the players' tunnel at Highbury, Qin Xiong deliberately looked at PSV Eindhoven's starting lineup. He saw Park Ji-sung and Lee Rongpyo. When their eyes met, they could not help but nod to each other as a greeting.
In any case, they were opponents on the field, but it did not mean that they would be enemies off the field. He and Park Ji-sung had even exchanged jerseys.
Qin Xiong had become the number one star player in Asia after leading the China team to the top of the AFC Asian Cup in the summer!
The King of Asia!
Therefore, it was not surprising that Park Ji-sung and Lee Rongpyo looked at Qin Xiong in a different light.
Less than a year ago, they played against each other in the Eredivisie. Now, they were still playing for a team in the Eredivisie. Qin Xiong had come to the Premier League, one of the top three teams in the world, and became the main player of a powerhouse team here.
Under the lead of the referee team, the players of the two teams began to enter the field. As they walked into the Highbury stadium, Park Ji-sung could not help but turn his head and look at Qin Xiong, who had his head held high and chest out and was always in high fighting spirit in the eyes of outsiders.
He knew that the situation of the two teams had been reversed.
If PSV Eindhoven were to face Ajax, they would have thought that they had a sixty percent chance of defeating Ajax.
Then, when they came to Highbury, most of them were thinking about avoiding defeat.
Park Ji-sung's expression became extremely serious. He silently said in his heart: Catch up with you, defeat you, surpass you!
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