Seventh update!
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The more insistent a manager was on his own style and persevering, the more likely he was to become a top manager.
Managers like Ferguson, Wenger, and Mourinho had a football philosophy that was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. The former two rarely underwent drastic changes. They could be called Seekers or Skywalkers in the coaching circle. They did not change because of success or failure. They had unwavering beliefs. Who dared to say that it was not this belief that contributed to their glory?
Mourinho was the same.
Although his utilitarian philosophy was not liked by some fans, it did not shake his will and determination.
Chelsea was clearly a platform for him to realize his greater ambitions, and his football philosophy had an obvious sublimation here.
Qin Xiong would never forget the Champions League final half a year ago.
He remembered that Porto was still a 4-4-2 under Mourinho. Although it was also very utilitarian, the formation determined the ability to control the zone. Even if Deco also participated in the defense, Porto's midfield defensive strength was still one and a half defensive forces.
Now Chelsea was in Mourinho's hands. They removed a striker and switched to a 4-3-3.
This liberated Lampard even more, so that Lampard could focus more on the attack and activate the offensive threat that he plugged in from behind.
And because they focused on defense, Lampard still existed in the midfield defense in positional play defense. With Tiago and Makelele, Chelsea's midfield defense was at least two and a half defensive forces, not including the striker's withdrawal.
One could imagine how much pressure Qin Xiong was under!
It had to be said that Chelsea's 4-3-3 combined with defensive counterattack tactics was simply the nemesis of the Premier League's traditional 4-4-2 style of play!
Because in counterattacks, they would have one more player in the middle attack than the opponent!
England's 4-4-2 were two players in the middle of the midfield, so when they were counterattacked, most of the time they would be destroyed by Chelsea's forward burst. Coupled with the powerful winger's individual breakthrough ability, it made Chelsea take points from the middle and lower teams as easy as pie.
It also made the Premier League football pundits sigh: Chelsea played so well that the opponent did not dare to attack!
Of course, there was a precondition for not daring to attack, and that was that Chelsea himself did not take the initiative to attack. They were waiting for the opponent to make the first move, and then attack to gain the upper hand.
Fortunately, Arsenal had already learned to play with two defensive midfielders under Wenger's tutelage. This was exactly the same as the French national team's midfield tactics that started the European football world in 1998. It was not a first, but it was one of the leaders in the wave of the times.
The game was very depressing. Chelsea's stability made Qin Xiong feel a lot of pressure. He could not find a place to shoot the ball forward. Even if his teammates came back to support him, it was still difficult to push forward.
Qin Xiong was not an irresponsible midfield commander. He could constantly make risky passes, but that would definitely lead to a high rate of mistakes. Mistakes would lead to anxiety and chaos!
Chelsea also played steadily. There was no good opportunity to counterattack, so he ended the attack hastily. There was no space for the winger to launch a surprise attack, so he directly threw the ball to Drogba. If Drogba could play the role of a fulcrum, then he might be able to get a good opportunity to attack.
But Arsenal's formation did not press up. No matter how strong Drogba's defensive ability was, it was impossible for him to play in the front and back of the four-man team of Silva, Vieira, Toure and Campbell.
The first one who could not hold back in this oppressive atmosphere was Arsenal's player.
Ashley Cole!
He saw that Chelsea was not able to make a threatening attack, and his team's offense was at an obvious disadvantage in the front field. When Qin Xiong also did not show the ability of a scalpel direct pass, he naturally could not wait to attack along the flank.
He had a proud heart. Why should Arsenal, who was unbeaten in 56 games, be so afraid of Chelsea?
The opponent just made more money than Arsenal. Of course, he did not deny that making more money was enviable. But on the field, why should he be afraid?
His rash advance almost caused a disaster!
When he ran forward, Qin Xiong immediately passed the ball to him. Ashley Cole tried to complete a one-two with Pires when he passed the midfield, but Pires could not receive his pass. Ferreira, who was unusually decisive, intercepted the ball successfully!
Ferreira did not hesitate to pass the ball straight to the front of the flank. Behind Ashley Cole, Duff looked at the football rolling behind him. His expression suddenly changed and his eyes were bright!
Chelsea's chance was here!
He scurried along the flank and dribbled the ball to rush toward Arsenal's penalty area. He dribbled inwards.
Campbell dared not move. He had to attack Drogba with Toure.
Lampard quickly plugged forward. Qin Xiong paid attention to Lampard's running position as he returned to defend. He blocked the outside to cut off the passing route between Duff and Lampard!
Vieira made sure to block Lampard's forward charge.
Lauren took in the inside line to guard against Robben.
Chelsea's counterattack did not involve too many troops, especially since the two full backs basically did not participate in the assists. This was Mourinho's way of ensuring the stability of the defensive line.
But on the basis of enough attacking space, even if a small number of troops were invested in the attack, they could still create a dazzling counterattack storm!
The key factor was speed!
Ashley Cole appeared to be out of his reach in the chase. He watched as the defensive gap in the flank he had left behind was exploited by Chelsea's counterattack from the flank. His heart was about to jump out, especially from his point of view, when he saw Duff dribbling the football toward Arsenal's penalty area at lightning speed. It was simply a ghastly sight!
There was an uproar!
Silva fiercely slid and successfully intercepted Duff outside the penalty area!
Duff lost control of the football and fell to the ground. It was not that he did not want to pass the ball, but Qin Xiong blocked the passing route between him and Lampard. Drogba was pincered by Robben and Toure. His footwork could not ensure that he could accurately send the football to Robben on the other side of the field. In the end, he could only go to the penalty area himself. Silva seized the opportunity to intercept successfully!
"The biggest advantage for Arsenal in this game is that Silva has successfully recovered his competitive state through last weekend's league game and the 65-minute Champions League game in the middle of the week. He is like a different person now compared to the him in the Liverpool game. Look at this textbook sliding tackle interception. Arsenal's defense is equally convincing!"
Campbell breathed a sigh of relief. If Duff dribbled the ball into the penalty area, he would have to give up on Drogba to defend against Duff. No one could guarantee how Drogba would run at that time and whether Duff would seize the fleeting opportunity to pass the ball.
Ashley Cole returned to the defensive line with lingering fear. Perhaps it was only then that he understood why Wenger emphasized defense when preparing for this game.
Qin Xiong kept replaying Chelsea's explosive and threatening counterattack in his mind.
Arsenal used six players to defend against Chelsea's four players to counterattack!
If Ashley Cole was in the defensive position, then four defenders, two defensive midfielders, plus himself, would be a seven-man defense.
Then the defense would definitely not be a problem. As long as they did not give the opponent a space to sprint, the defense would not be too messy.
He looked back at Chelsea's half of the field and an idea came to his mind.
After defending against Chelsea's sideline ball in the front field, Qin Xiong's midfield organization style suddenly changed.
He began to look for the almost non-existent passing route and frequently passed the ball to his teammates.
He threw the ball forward!
For the first time, he directly looked for Ljungberg in the midfield. Although Ljungberg touched the ball first, Gallas's pressing made Ljungberg lose the ball immediately.
Chelsea did not instigate a better counterattack because Arsenal's defensive line looked very stable.
In the 31st minute of the match, after three attempts, Qin Xiong finally succeeded in one attempt.
Pires suddenly cut across the front waistline and let Qin Xiong complete a very tacit passing and running cooperation with him. But when Pires wanted to send a fatal pass to Henry, it was destroyed by Terry.
Mourinho looked calm on the sidelines. He saw Qin Xiong actively throw the ball forward, but in fact, the success rate was not high.
He silently said in his heart: He's starting to panic!
Mourinho could imagine Qin Xiong's mental pressure and change in mentality with the huge defensive pressure and eagerness to play his role.
He was not complacent. He only hated that he underestimated Qin Xiong in the Champions League final half a year ago.
But he would not make the same mistake a second time!
When Qin Xiong dribbled the ball across the half of the field in the 36th minute of the game and tried to send a direct pass to Henry, but was intercepted by Makelele, Chelsea launched a wave of sharp offensive counterattack.
Lampard's starting position was behind Qin Xiong. He received Makelele's pass in the front field and did not give Vieira a chance to get close. He passed the ball to Robben on the wing.
Although Qin Xiong was retreating, his target was always Tiago or Makelele. Chelsea's style determined that it was impossible for both defensive midfielders to rush forward to assist. He only needed to guard against one of them. Whoever moved, whoever crossed the half of the field, he would follow!
Robben tried to pass Lauren, but Lauren's defensive goal was always to tighten up the inside line. Robben could only pass the ball after going down the wing. Campbell cleared the ball out and the football fell at Vieira's feet.
The long-legged Vieira was skilled and bold. When Lampard counterattacked on the spot, he flicked the ball sideways and sent a direct pass after dodging. The football quickly rolled to the midfield. Qin Xiong directly turned and dribbled forward. His speed suddenly increased!
Mourinho found that every time he watched Qin Xiong play in the field, he would find new highlights from Qin Xiong.
But he obviously would not praise Qin Xiong at this time because Qin Xiong was the opponent's player.
And he somewhat exaggeratedly yelled at the players in the front field to defend, especially Robben.
Mourinho was shocked!
He guessed Qin Xiong's intention.
The young and precocious midfield commander had never panicked!
He wanted to hit Chelsea's counterattack!
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