Chelsea's mainstream core tactics were defensive, but there were differences in their stance.
In the Premier League, they had won many 1: 0 matches and seemed to follow the 1: 0 principle.
But in the Champions League, they would firmly defend against the counter as long as there was a chance. On the basis of reducing risk, they would still take some risks and pressure to obtain greater benefits.
For example, they had a record of four wins and one draw in the first five rounds of the Champions League group stage. In the last round, they had secured first place in the group. Mourinho was said to have given back to his old club, Porto, the three points that Porto desperately needed to qualify, which led to their defeat.
And in the Champions League knockout stage, aside from the controversy caused by the Catalan media attacking Mourinho, the controversy was actually unclear. Barcelona's manager, Rijkaard, walked into the referee's lounge and was exposed by Mourinho after the game. He suspected Barcelona of "bribing" the referee, which caused Barcelona to become the target of public criticism and was on the cusp of the media.
In the end, Chelsea had a soul-stirring 5: 4 comeback against Barcelona in the two rounds of the game to advance.
Chelsea's counterattack was replicated from the English battlefield to the European arena and began to become famous. The wingers' flow was feared by many teams.
But in essence, Chelsea was still playing defensive and counterattacking. The core tactics had not changed.
After half a season of running-in and cohesion, Chelsea was stronger than before. Just like Arsenal's improvement, in a sense, Chelsea's improvement was greater. This was because their team went from unfamiliar to familiar, and then to forming a tacit understanding. This required time to running-in, build confidence in victory after victory, and steadily improve under Mourinho's protection. Moreover, many of their players' individual improvements were more obvious.
Drogba adapted to the English arena and began to show the dominance of a magical beast.
Duff, Robben, and Joe Cole showed stronger strength in the winger position. Their individual skills went from gorgeous to practical. This kind of improvement was a qualitative improvement.
Lampard was moving towards the position of the best midfielder in Europe under Mourinho's command.
Terry was faintly becoming the real mainstay, and even the defensive backbone that the Three Lions could rely on.
After defeating Bayern Munich in two rounds, Wenger was even more determined to not be too weak in the European competition. He seemed to want the team to charge to the top with a bang!
Mourinho's Chelsea displayed a very obvious stance in this game: defensive counterattack.
Their defensive line was almost all strong in defense and weak in offense.
When the game started, Arsenal launched a strong attack without probing.
In the second minute of the match, Qin Xiong kicked the ball horizontally 35 yards away from the goal to get past Lampard and directly shot a long shot!
The football slid out of the goal and Chelsea broke out in a cold sweat.
Two minutes later, Chelsea's counterattack from the flank revealed a murderous intent. Joe Cole, a genius who had been criticized for not making any progress in the past two years at West Ham United, had made significant progress this season, which was credited to Mourinho's training.
After he decisively got rid of Lauren on the flank, he immediately passed the ball to Drogba, who ran over to receive him. The Warcraft confidently charged at Senderos's defensive line, but Senderos successfully intercepted the ball.
If Drogba had gone over, Arsenal might not have been able to protect the city gate.
Qin Xiong strolled leisurely in the midfield, doing the passing and organizing work.
This made Lampard feel very surprised.
He had played against Qin Xiong last year. In addition, they had played against each other in the Premier League in the second half of last year. Every time he played against Qin Xiong, he could feel Qin Xiong's improvement.
Now, unless he closely marked Qin Xiong and did not leave him, he could not form a disturbance to Qin Xiong's organizing work. Qin Xiong's clear passing target and accurate passing made Lampard feel admiration and excitement.
Similarly, he had also become stronger!
In the seventh minute of the game, Chelsea's counterattack from the flank made a comeback. After Duff sprinted from the right flank, he suddenly cut inside to shake off Ashley Cole and passed the ball to Gudjohnsen, who plugged in. The Icelander passed the ball straight to Drogba. When Arsenal's defensive line contracted, Drogba did not fight alone. He knocked the ball back.
Even though Qin Xiong had consciously tried to follow Lampard, Lampard's sudden outburst during the crucial pass made Qin Xiong very passive in terms of rhythm. Perhaps if Qin Xiong was given one more second, he would be able to stop Lampard. But in a football match where one second could determine the outcome, one second was an extravagant hope that was out of reach!
Lampard plugged in from the back and also unleashed a long shot from outside the penalty area!
The football went straight to the bottom left corner of the goal. Fortunately, Lehmann was well prepared and blocked the ball out of the end line with a horizontal save.
In the tenth minute of the game, Qin Xiong moved to the left flank and began to cut inside horizontally from the flank to the middle after cooperating with Pires. In front of Makelele, who was like a viper waiting for an opportunity to move, Qin Xiong suddenly kicked the ball back. Chelsea's rear defensive line seemed to have foreseen it and immediately strengthened their marking of Qin Xiong. But they did not expect Qin Xiong to use his left foot to block the ball diagonally. Pires, who cut inside the penalty area from the side, got a chance to shoot. He shot the ball towards the goal with a powerful shot. Čech bravely saved the ball. Outside the penalty area, Vieira did not adjust to receive the ball and followed up with a follow-up shot!
Gallas blocked the ball with his body. It was a thrilling sight. If he did not block, the football would have flown into the empty goal!
The blocked football fell at Lampard's feet. The England midfielder accurately rolled the ball to the side and sent the football to Joe Cole's feet on the flank.
Joe Cole quickly dribbled the ball forward along the left flank. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Chelsea. Vieira was not in position!
It could be said that they had made the best counterattack.
Joe Cole did not entangle with Lauren. After stepping into the danger zone, he passed the ball diagonally to Drogba, who retreated to the front to receive.
Drogba used his body to block Pires behind him. When Silva retreated to reduce his space of movement, he knocked the ball back. Gudjohnsen followed up from the back and suddenly stuffed the ball straight.
The football rolled between Senderos and Ashley Cole. At the same time, the sharp knife, Duff, also rushed past!
Under the eyes of the crowd, Duff used his left foot to kick the ball in the direction of the far goal post.
Lehmann did not expect the opponent to shoot without adjusting. His slow save could not turn the situation around. When he turned his head to look back, he saw the football hit the inside of the far goal post and bounced into the goal!
The fiery Highbury stands seemed to have been doused with cold water in an instant!
Arsenal lost the ball first!
"Duff scored! Chelsea is the first to break the goal in the away game! Mourinho's team has exemplified what defensive counterattack is. It is a textbook classic. Chelsea has used this method to destroy the magnificent Barcelona. Now, it is Arsenal's turn to bear their counterattack storm! Will this be the direction of tactical change in the European football world? Utilitarian football will be popular. No matter how picturesque the beautiful football is, it will not be able to compete with the destructive power of utilitarian football! "
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