Qin Xiong felt very regretful. Sylvia had specially rushed to Beijing from Shanghai just to give him a surprise. He had only stayed in Beijing for less than four hours before he got on the plane back to London.
Sitting on the plane, Qin Xiong still closed his eyes to savor her fragrance and gentleness despite feeling dizzy.
Perhaps the two of them did not have a magnificent story, but the warmth and touching feelings from time to time made Qin Xiong think about it for a long time.
Before they parted, Sylvia said in choppy Chinese, "The next time we meet, my Chinese will be better. Just wait and see!"
Qin Xiong smiled every time he recalled this sentence.
It turned out that she also had a silly and cute side.
The round trip between Asia and Europe took a great toll on Qin Xiong. His head was buzzing when he returned to his London apartment. He did not have a good rest after the game against Kuwait.
Wenger deliberately gave him an extra half day off to adjust his physical condition.
Even so, Wenger still put Qin Xiong on the bench for the ninth round of the Premier League on the weekend.
Arsenal's entire team's form had declined in the home game against Aston Villa, but they still defeated their opponent at home by 3: 1 and got off to a terrifying start to the new Premier League season. They had a nine-game winning streak and a 49-game unbeaten streak that spanned two seasons!
At this point in time, Arsenal not only struck fear into their opponents in the UK, but also attracted intense attention throughout the European continent and even around the world.
Arsenal became the most dazzling team in the Premier League. Their advantage over their opponents in the standings had begun to become particularly obvious.
In the ninth round of the competition, Chelsea was killed by Manchester City's Anelka, breaking their unbeaten record at the start of the Premier League. Chelsea's gap behind Arsenal widened from four points to seven.
Manchester United's start to the new season was terrible. They only won three of the first nine games. Other than one loss, the other five games ended in draws. The gap between the Red Devils and the Arsenal was already a shocking 13 points!
This caused Fleet Street to announce to the world that Manchester United could no longer challenge for the Premier League title this season!
As Arsenal would be a guest at Old Trafford in the tenth round of the league tournament, there was still the third game of the Champions League group stage before that. Furthermore, Arsenal would be a guest in Greece to challenge Panathinaikos. Wenger decided to let the main players rest, especially when Pires was absent due to injury after returning from the FIFA match.
Qin Xiong was not included in the squad list for the Champions League game against Greece. Wenger needed Qin Xiong to conserve his energy and recuperate in London so that he could be in his best condition to welcome his first "big game" since he stepped onto the England field.
The substitute Arsenal was forced to a 2: 2 draw with Panathinaikos in the away game. The result was not bad, and Arsenal still led the group.
When late October arrived, the most anticipated game of the Premier League season would be played at Old Trafford!
Arsenal visit Old Trafford to challenge The Red Devils Manchester United!
Wenger showed strong confidence before the game.
"Before the start of the season, some people questioned Arsenal's achievements. I think we should try not to care about others before we do our job well. Arsenal's nine-game winning streak is not the end, and neither is his 49-game unbeaten streak. We are still getting stronger. Manchester United is not in a good situation now, but because it is Manchester United, we cannot underestimate our opponent. We will hope to win at Old Trafford. Although it will be very difficult, we firmly believe that we can do it!"
In terms of psychological warfare, Ferguson was a veteran. When he humiliated Kevin Keegan and changed Keegan's coaching career to a large extent, Wenger had not yet arrived in London.
In the face of the arrogant Arsenal, Ferguson did not show weakness, but he was not unreasonably confident.
"Manchester United's start to the new season is not ideal, but we have experienced this situation many times. When the outside world thinks we are not going to make it, we pick up the championship trophy at the end of the season. This is Manchester United's tradition and spirit at work. Injuries are the main reason for our results. When all this is over, Manchester United will return to its former glory. Arsenal? When they come to Old Trafford, they will know that the gap in the table is meaningless. Want to win at Old Trafford? Manchester United will show them who the boss is. "
The moment Arsenal's bus drove into Old Trafford, Qin Xiong felt the magnificence of Old Trafford and praised the Theatre of Dreams when he warmed up on the field.
There was no doubt that the narrow Highbury could not compare to the magnificence of Old Trafford.
In the stands, the fans from both sides had already started a war of cheering for each other.
This would make the stadium noisy. Qin Xiong was used to the fanaticism of the fans in the Premier League and had become accustomed to it.
When he walked back to the locker room to prepare, he did not realize how intense the rivalry would be in this game!
He knew the game was important, but he had only been in England for three months and could not really feel the war between Manchester United and Arsenal.
He only heard it as a bystander.
In fact, if it had not been for the rise of Arsenal in the Premier League led by Wenger in the late 1990s, the Red Devils might have dominated the Premier League for the past decade or so.
From 1998 when Wenger led Arsenal to the Double of the Premier League and FA Cup, Arsenal broke the monopoly of Manchester United.
From 1998 to 2004, they won three Premier League titles and three FA Cup titles.
Before Chelsea really got anything, Arsenal was the troublemaker who prevented the Red Devils from ruling England!
Kings were filled with hostility towards all challengers.
Arsenal was Manchester United's biggest competitor.
Therefore, after Arsenal overthrew Manchester United's rule in 1998, for several years, the rivalry between the two teams brewed and developed. When Arsenal almost reached the peak of the English game, a series of intense rivalries and development ushered in the explosive peak of the rivalry between the two teams!
Qin Xiong was full of fighting spirit with his teammates in the players' tunnel waiting for the game to start. He did not look at the Manchester United players. At this moment, all of the Arsenal players had their heads up and chests out.
49 games unbeaten was a record in the Premier League. As for the nine-game winning streak, it was the best record for Arsenal Football Club in the Premier League. The record for consecutive wins in the Premier League was also created by Arsenal in the previous two seasons. Arsenal had created a 14-game winning streak in each of the two seasons, and one of the seasons helped them to win the Premier League title.
Therefore, there was no reason for Arsenal not to face Manchester United with a proud attitude.
They played a style of football that was different from the traditional English style. It was more popular and beautiful football, which made them feel a certain sense of pride in their mentality.
Now that the Red Devils were in decline, it looked like they had already said goodbye to the Premier League title this season. Arsenal had no sympathy for them. On the contrary, they were in a state of disdain for the Red Devils.
When the players from both sides walked into the Old Trafford stadium under the lead of referee Mike Riley, the countdown to the show that was about to unfold in the Theatre of Dreams began.
"The last game of the tenth round of the 2004-2005 English Premier League season, the focal battle of this round will take place at Manchester United's home ground, Old Trafford. The defending champion Arsenal challenges the Red Devils, Manchester United. Arsenal is already 13 points ahead of Manchester United in the standings! This was a gap that was enough to make Manchester United despair, not to mention that they were six points behind Chelsea, who were in second place. Oh, correction, Chelsea had already finished this round of games. Manchester United was one game short, and they were nine points behind Chelsea.
However, Manchester United had a tradition of reversals. They had reversed Newcastle United and Arsenal, even when they were 13 points behind. Therefore, Sir Ferguson's bold words were not without purpose. The Red Devils fans also firmly believed that Manchester United had not fallen behind. Manchester United still had hope to reverse Arsenal, but first they had to solve their own injury problems.
Both teams had key players missing in this game. Let's take a look at their starting lineup.
Manchester United starting lineup: 442.
Goalkeeper: Carroll.
Defenders: Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Silvestre, Heinze.
Midfielders: Ronaldo, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs.
Forwards: Rooney, van Nistelrooy.
Keane's absence is undoubtedly crucial. It's a pity that we can't see the fiery confrontation between Keane and Vieira.
Arsenal starting lineup: 442.
Goalkeeper: Lehmann.
Defenders: Lauren, Toure, Campbell, Ashley Cole.
Midfielders: Ljungberg, Vieira, Qin Xiong, Reyes.
Forwards: Henry, Bergkamp.
Pires appeared on the substitutes' bench. He has recovered from his injury, but Wenger did not let him start for insurance. Can Reyes seize the opportunity to prove Wenger's evaluation of him before the season?
Wenger said that bringing in Reyes was to prepare for this season! "
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