Qin Xiong did not think that it was the best time to discuss a contract extension with the club. After all, the season was still in progress. Arsenal was in a tense and intense competition in both the Champions League and the league. But he understood Freddy's approach very well.
Even if the media would describe Freddy as a greedy agent, they would also satirize Qin Xiong as "conceited and insatiable."
He had just arrived at the club and signed a new contract last summer. Now that he had made a name for himself, he could not wait to ask for a high salary.
But this was normal.
Because of Inter Milan's purchase request, Freddy took the opportunity to put pressure on Arsenal to seek greater benefits for Qin Xiong.
Freddy did not expect Arsenal to meet his demands in the first negotiation. If he really succeeded, then Arsenal's management system would have a big problem. It was too inexperienced!
Wouldn't that mean that all the other players would immediately start negotiations with Arsenal for contract extensions and pay increases when they performed well or when other teams showed interest?
This was a foreshadowing to accumulate bargaining chips when they really sat down to discuss the contract extension in the future. Otherwise, if they did not ask for an exorbitant price now, Arsenal would not be mentally prepared if they suddenly asked for a high salary when they really started the negotiations. The outside world would also think that Qin Xiong's request was very rude.
Wenger would not talk to Qin Xiong about this. At the very least, Qin Xiong and Arsenal had not reached the final stage of the contract.
December 30th.
Qin Xiong first said goodbye to George at the airport, and then reluctantly sent Sylvia to China's plane. They agreed to meet in Beijing in mid-March. At that time, Qin Xiong would return to China to participate in the World Cup qualifiers in the top eight of the Asian region.
The third game of the New Year's devil's schedule was played on January 1st, 2005.
Arsenal's momentum was high as they challenged Charlton at The Hawthorns.
The consecutive big games and the pressure of having to win put Arsenal under great physical and mental stress.
Even though they won the away game with a 4: 1 score, the team as a whole would expose the problem of the three lines being disjointed at some point.
This kind of problem erupted in the fourth and final match of the Devil's Tournament.
On January 4, Arsenal welcomed the 22nd round of the Premier League at Highbury. Manchester City were the guests at their doorstep.
Arsenal's disconnect was exposed in Manchester City's brave and tenacious resistance.
Even though Qin Xiong was trying his best to maintain the team's rhythm, due to the different physical conditions of each of his teammates, it was difficult for everyone to operate in the same rhythm. The overall smoothness of the team was greatly reduced.
In the end, it turned into a rather chaotic battle.
Until the 88th minute, the score was still 1: 1.
In a moment of desperation, Qin Xiong threw the organization's mission to the back of his mind and rushed to the front line.
Organization?
There was no organization.
Attacking from the flanks, then passing the ball to the center. It was a simple and crude style of play.
Arsenal began to play unconventionally, but Manchester City was caught off guard.
In the 90th minute of the game, under the anxious anticipation of the Arsenal fans, Pires passed the ball to Ashley Cole, who plugged in from the left flank.
The England full back sent a curving pass to the center. Henry was tightly guarded at the front. Manchester City just did not expect to block Henry, but revealed a big flaw at the back.
Qin Xiong jumped and headed the ball into Manchester City's goal!
The heavy atmosphere in Highbury that had been suppressed and worried for a long time was finally released!
Vieira ran and roared at the back with his arms swinging!
Arsenal won all four matches of the Devil's Tournament in the New Year!
But just as everyone hugged and celebrated, the stadium suddenly fell silent again.
The Gunners fans' faces were full of worry.
Qin Xiong did not celebrate after he headed the ball. He walked out of the end line and stood in front of the advertising board. He reached out and touched the back of his right thigh.
At the moment when he kicked off, he felt a cramp and a tearing pain in his muscles.
With experience, he knew that he had strained his leg!
The accumulation of fatigue from the Devil's Tournament schedule, coupled with the cold and damp weather in England, made his body sound the alarm in the second half of the game. But he was eager to win and did not care too much. He just did not expect that he would not be able to hold on until the end!
"Qin Xiong saved Arsenal once again! He contributed to the team's finishing blow! Arsenal is about to get three points. But Qin Xiong held the back of his thigh after the header landed on the ground. He obviously felt that he was injured. He did not celebrate with joy or excitement. He walked along the sidelines with a calm expression to Arsenal's substitutes' bench. Arsenal's teammates accompanied him. Henry seemed to say something comforting in his ear. Qin Xiong nodded calmly. Vieira ran over and patted him on the head, like a kind of encouragement. Applause rang out in Highbury. It got louder and louder and did not stop for a long time! Every Arsenal fan knows what Qin Xiong has done for the team in recent months. His importance is almost on par with Henry and Vieira. Qin Xiong's role cannot be ignored in the team's progress in attacking the city! "
The team doctor ran over to help Qin Xiong. When he saw that Qin Xiong could still walk normally, he was slightly relieved. It should not be a serious strain. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to even walk because it could be a torn tendon or a complete rupture!
The group of teammates on the substitutes' bench extended their hands to Qin Xiong as a form of consolation. Qin Xiong lightly high-fived them and sat down. Two team doctors squatted in front of him and inquired about his injury. Then, they stroked his injured area and quickly took action.
They took out an ice pack and pressed it on the injury. Then, they wrapped the ice pack around his thigh with an elastic bandage and let Qin Xiong raise his thigh. After a while, they could take off the ice pack.
Qin Xiong sat on the substitutes' bench and watched the game. After a few minutes, the game ended and Arsenal won smoothly.
But Wenger swore in a low voice after hearing the information from his assistant.
Chelsea sent Middlesbrough away with a 2: 0 at Stamford Bridge.
This meant that even if Arsenal achieved a four-game winning streak in the devil's schedule, Chelsea also had a four-game winning streak. Arsenal was still only one point ahead of Chelsea!
It was a small lead that made people on tenterhooks.
Moreover, Arsenal's performance in this game was not convincing. Less than a week ago, Wenger announced to the public that Arsenal's performance showed no signs of decline. But in fact, the devil's schedule was too much of a burden on the team. Even if there was no league tournament for more than a week, it was still unknown whether the team could recover. Coupled with Qin Xiong's injury, Wenger did not know how long Arsenal would be out. All signs indicated that Arsenal's momentum was going in a bad direction.
After the game, Qin Xiong dealt with his injury under the care of the team doctors. Then, he left Highbury with the help of his private team.
When he returned home, he began a new round of meticulous care and recuperation.
He would rest at home for three days. Three days later, he would train with his injury.
The doctors could not guarantee the specific recovery date. Fortunately, it was a minor injury. If it was fast, he could return to the team to participate in formal training in half a month.
26 December, 28 January, 1 January, 4 January.
In less than 10 days, he played four Premier League games. Coupled with the cold and damp weather in England, Qin Xiong felt the difficulty of playing in England. However, he optimistically thought that he had accumulated experience and could better cope with the devil's schedule of the Premier League next season.
22 out of 38 rounds of the Premier League had been played. There were 16 rounds left.
Fleet Street's fight for the Premier League title came up with such a headline.
"The most brutal Premier League title fight in history!"
There were a total of 66 points in 22 rounds of the league tournament.
Arsenal not only had a 62 game unbeaten streak that spanned two seasons, but also scored 56 points in 22 rounds of the season!
Chelsea, on the other hand, had only one point less than Arsenal. They had 55 points!
There were 16 rounds left, which meant that there were 48 points.
According to the usual Premier League championship points, generally, as long as a team scored 85 points or more, it was basically a lock for the league title.
However, Arsenal and Chelsea could theoretically score more than 100 points this season!
And if this trend continued, even if they scored 90 points, they might not be able to win the league title.
Therefore, Fleet Street predicted that this season's Premier League title fight would be the most brutal and intense season since the establishment of the Premier League!
Neither Wenger nor Mourinho expected this season's Premier League to be in such a situation.
Arsenal's situation was slightly more difficult than Chelsea's because their unbeaten record had not been broken. All the teams in the Premier League were racking their brains to snipe Arsenal when they met Arsenal!
This winter, Arsenal faced a grim situation in their glory.
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