Today will continue to explode!
The first time is even more.
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Qin Xiong decided to attend the AFC Annual Awards Ceremony. He explained the matter to Wenger when he went to Liverpool with the team on Sunday. In any case, during the competition period, the movements of the players had to be made clear to the club. It was considered a leave of absence.
Wenger did not stop him. It was conceivable that the Asian Footballer of the Year award was the most high-profile award at the AFC Annual Awards Ceremony. If the winner did not show up because the club did not want to let him go, it would be unreasonable.
He reminded Qin Xiong to pay attention to the reasonable arrangement of time.
The game between Liverpool and Arsenal was scheduled for the last game of the 15th round of the Premier League, as a focal battle to conclude the current round of the competition.
Chelsea, who played the game a day earlier, massacred Charlton Athletic with 4: 0 in the away game, so that Chelsea tied with Arsenal in the first game, but fell behind to Arsenal because of the goal difference.
There was no doubt that the pressure was on Arsenal. If they could not score points at Anfield, the advantage they established at the beginning of the season would be gone.
Liverpool and Manchester were not far away, but they were two very different cities. Manchester was slightly conservative, Liverpool was much more open. The two cities competed fiercely in all aspects, tit-for-tat. Cultural, religious, development, and so on. The rivalry that seeped into football was not just because Liverpool and Manchester United were the two most successful teams in England for a long time.
Qin Xiong came to Anfield, which made him stop and look. Anfield was not as spectacular as Old Trafford in terms of scale, but the bright red color seemed to have a unique charm.
The powerhouses of English football always had a heritage and history that other teams envied and could not get.
Arsenal's Chapman made the first technical and tactical change in European football, laying the superior foundation of English football in ancient times.
Old Trafford had the tenacity and rebirth of the Munich air disaster, the dream of the Busby boys came true, and Ferguson's legacy and the hot-blooded spirit of the modern Red Devils.
What did Liverpool have? What did Anfield have?
Of course there was!
Here, there was the legend of Shankly building the Red Army dynasty. The legend of General Shankly had influenced every generation of the Red Army. Here, there was the epic of Paisley inheriting the legacy of the past and dominating Europe. Here, there was also the undying pain and injustice of the Hillsborough Massacre and the Heysel Massacre. There was also the story of the people of Liverpool who resisted injustice and rejected The Sun …
Qin Xiong walked into Anfield with mixed feelings. There was a solemn reverence, but there was also the fire of fighting spirit that was growing stronger and stronger in his heart.
A team and a stadium were not glorious and great because of their size. They were only proud because of the monuments that existed or had existed here.
Standing in the Anfield players' tunnel in high spirits, Qin Xiong saw the famous slogan in the stadium: This is Anfield!
It was as if it was announcing the majestic will of the Red Army built by Xiang Shuai, and also as if it was a warning to every challenger who came here!
Looking at the new Red Army Liverpool in the new season, Qin Xiong was even more eager to fight.
The players from both sides lined up and entered the stadium.
Singing echoed in Anfield Stadium. The Liverpool fans raised their scarves and sang "You will never walk alone" in unison. The scene was spectacular.
Liverpool not only returned to the Champions League this season, but also had a new manager in charge.
The Spanish manager, Benítez.
Managers' coaching styles were generally divided into two categories.
One focused on the overall structure and continuity of style, creating a team that was almost stable and unchanging. For example, Ferguson's Manchester United. Under Ferguson's command, Manchester United must have had some minor adjustments in the past 20 years, but there was no drastic change. It was similar to the British 4-4-2 style, which focused on the flight of both wings. Thinking of the Red Devils and Manchester United, their basic tactical style could come to mind.
The other type focused on the confrontation on the spot. There were many changes in the team's technical and tactical play. It was difficult to determine what the team's style was, but there would always be unexpected highlights in some games. This type of manager focused on the details of the game and the confrontation on the spot. For example, Benítez was like this.
In his brilliant history of leading Valencia to two La Liga titles in three years, and also a Copa del Rey and a UEFA Europa League, Valencia was not static in his hands. They could sink Galactica with calm and calm defensive counterattacks, and they could also make Super Laco bow down to them with enthusiastic attacks. They could also make Barcelona surrender in hand-to-hand combat. Valencia relied on the targeted playing style to reach the peak in troubled times.
This type of manager would be known as a Cup Master. Even if some managers won the Cup Championship, it could not hide the brilliance of this "Cup Master."
They were different from the first type of manager, who focused more on the overall situation. The latter emphasized more on the details. They were more inclined to "no one technique or tactic can absolutely sweep the world." Therefore, their lineups were full of targeted tactics, and the implementation of techniques and tactics were also full of their different ideas.
There was no right or wrong in this. The overall situation and details were, of course, important. But in terms of who was more important and who was less important, who was the master and who was the secondary, they had different views and relied on. It could be said that the two types of managers took completely different paths.
Therefore, managers like Ferguson and Wenger could endure hardships and persist in building the dream team in their hearts. Even if they knew that the chances of winning were not high at the bottom, they were not willing to change the team's style and always insisted on themselves! Benítez, on the other hand, would use the resources in his hands to pursue the most practical interests at the moment.
(Digression: Benítez set a crazy record of using different starting lineups for 99 consecutive games when he was manager of Liverpool.)
Today, what kind of tactics would Benítez prepare for Arsenal?
"The focal point of the 15th round of the Premier League will be played at Anfield! The Red Army, Liverpool, will take on Arsenal at home! In the league, Arsenal's form in the league was naturally better. In addition to the change in manager, Liverpool had several new players joining in the new season. The run-in in the first half of the season cost them a lot. In the league, not to mention competing with Arsenal and Chelsea for the title, they were even ranked lower than their arch-rivals, Everton. But this could be attributed to the magical Moyes, who actually led Everton to play so well this season, even after losing Wayne Rooney.
Let's see what kind of formation Benítez will deploy today.
Liverpool's starting lineup: 451.
Goalkeeper: Dudek.
Defenders: Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise.
Midfielders: Luis Garcia, Gerard, Harman, Xavi Alonso, Kewell.
Striker: Baros.
Wenger did not need to say anything about this game. Naturally, he sent out all his elite players.
Arsenal's starting lineup: 451.
Goalkeeper: Jens Lehmann.
Defenders: Lauren, Touré, Campbell, Ashley Cole.
Midfielders: Ljungberg, Vieira, Silva, Qin Xiong, Pires.
Striker: Henry.
Arsenal, who have achieved a 54-game unbeaten record in the Premier League, are only four games away from AC Milan's 58-game unbeaten record. Now, all of Europe is focused on Arsenal to see if they can break AC Milan's unbeaten record. Today will be a challenge from Arsenal. Liverpool, of course, have the fighting spirit to end Arsenal's unbeaten record and declare their renaissance! "
This game was so crucial that Silva was listed in the starting lineup after his return from injury. Wenger was really worried about the other candidates. Perhaps he regretted letting go of the veteran Parlour in the summer.
Arsenal and Liverpool did not play a very aggressive offensive after the start of the game. Both sides were in the stage of probing.
Qin Xiong would pass more to Silva so that he could adapt to the rhythm of the game and speed up the speed of getting back into the game.
After 10 minutes of the game, Liverpool began to take the initiative to attack. Their midfield organization was carried out by the Spanish player Alonso. Gerard's forward role was a surprise attack. The two wingers had good individual dribbling ability to launch surprise attacks. Kewell and Garcia were the wingers with relatively superior skills in the Premier League.
Arsenal also returned the courtesy by trying to threaten the offense through Ljungberg and Pires on the flanks.
However, neither team created any good chances. Liverpool lacked a top striker who could establish himself in the Premier League, while Arsenal had to face Liverpool's very sturdy and stable defensive line.
In the past two seasons, Henkerz's form had not been ideal after he recovered from his injury due to his age. After Benítez took over at Anfield, he fixed Carragher in the center back position. Liverpool's former 3H defensive iron triangle of Harman, Henkerz, and Hyypia had become Harman, Hyypia, and Carragher. The defensive quality was convincing, and this center back combination had the strength to be ranked in the top five in Europe! It was even better than Manchester United's Ferdinand Silvestre.
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