The 3: 2 victory over Chelsea was not enough to excite Arsenal. Even though Arsenal's record in the Champions League had not been good for many years, they were still an experienced team. They knew that the second leg of the game was not over, so there was nothing to celebrate.
Qin Xiong received a post-match massage and muscle relaxation from the team doctor. After a series of physiotherapy such as fatigue recovery, he took a shower, changed his clothes and drove away.
As he drove away from Highbury, Arsenal fans on both sides of the road recognized his car, or saw that it was him sitting in the driver's seat. Many fans gave him a thumbs-up or applauded him on the side of the road.
As BBC Sport said when they reviewed the best player in the game, Qin Xiong's performance.
"It's another night of fantastic performance. Qin Xiong is on his way to becoming a world-class superstar. His role in key games is becoming more and more obvious. He has used his talent to the extreme. All three assists are pleasing to the eye. The heels of his left and right feet, the hand-thrown sideline ball, and the use of his teammates to hit the wall. This is what a genius does. It will shock the audience and make them think: How can this kid play like that?! Yes, he is playing like that, shockingly helping the team to victory. Chelsea has lost three goals in a game for the first time this season in the Champions League. All of them were from Qin Xiong's assists. His creativity has led him to the world's number one midfielder. Even though Chelsea also has Lampard, who aspires to be the world's number one midfielder, the two are players of different styles. In terms of appreciation, Qin Xiong's creativity has always made him a headline figure in the Grassi world. I don't know if there are any fans who are in the same mood as me, who will continue to pay attention to Qin Xiong's games and see what kind of imaginative performances this talented star player from the East will put on! "
Wenger's war of words with Mourinho after the game escalated again.
"Chelsea's tactics are regressive! Especially in the last few minutes of the game, the attitude they showed was despicable. Mourinho attacked Tottenham Hotspur for the bus. Look at what his team is doing now? They will only win in an ugly way! But in front of a team that really pursues beautiful football, Chelsea still lost. Even though they scored two away goals, we will prove at Stamford Bridge that Arsenal is more worthy of advancing to the Champions League semi-finals! "
"I don't know what gives Wenger the confidence to criticize my team tactically. In my opinion, if Arsenal didn't have their number 11, Qin Xiong, they would have lost the match at Highbury. Who can tell me, was it because Wenger had trained Pires to kick a terrible corner kick, and Qin Xiong deliberately strengthened his use of his heel to carry out a second pass? Or had Wenger trained Qin Xiong to use the Scorpion's Tail Wagging Scorpion's Tail as an assist? Or was it that the ball from the sideline was deliberately thrown on a teammate to create an unexpected attack? Was this also something that Wenger had emphasized in his tactical training? Ljungberg's blank expression after he turned around told us the truth! Qin Xiong's performance was wonderful. He has improved a lot since last year. Today, he deserved to be named the best player of the game. I praise his performance, but it does not mean that Arsenal's tactics are more advanced or better than Chelsea's. I am looking forward to facing Arsenal again at Stamford Bridge in a week's time! "
.....
Qin Xiong and a few players in the team who were seriously exhausted were given two days off.
Qin Xiong stayed in the apartment for these two days. Other than eating, he slept and recovered his energy.
Just as he was resting.
Mourinho and Wenger both had to make a difficult choice.
The reason why the Champions League semi-finals were so difficult this season was that there was only a week between the two rounds of the game!
There was not much time left for the team to adjust and buffer.
In the first round of the game, Arsenal and Chelsea had both sent their main players in the previous weekend because of the stalemate in the league.
Both teams couldn't let their guard down. Any loss or draw in the league could ruin a season's worth of hard work.
It could be said that the first round of the Champions League semi-finals was the second game in four days!
In addition, there was the consumption of the previous FIFA match day. The physical consumption of this stage was not something that could be estimated by looking at the club's competition schedule.
Even though Chelsea's consumption was relatively low due to its defensive counterattack, when it came to the sprinting stage at the end of the season, when the targeted opponents were also fighting for points, Chelsea had to be more proactive. Therefore, the consumption in the league could not be underestimated.
Such a cruel choice was in front of them!
Even if the consumption of the FIFA match day was excluded.
After two games in four days, it was the weekend. The third game on the seventh day.
How would the two teams line up in the league?
Anyway, the second round of the Champions League semi-finals in the middle of the next week, which was the fourth game on the 11th day, was impossible for the two teams to send substitutes! They would definitely send their main players, the elite players and the strong players!
The key was if in the third game, which was the 32nd round of the Premier League this weekend, would the two teams give the main players a break?
Wenger and Mourinho were both having headaches.
Fleet Street directly helped the two teams to analyze the current situation.
The Daily Mail listed the pros and cons of the situation faced by the two teams.
Arsenal was two points behind Chelsea in the league. With seven rounds left in the league, according to Chelsea's stability in the league, there was no room for them to lose points. That was one of the reasons. It showed the importance of the league tournament.
Another was that Arsenal had a 3: 2 lead in the first round of the Champions League semi-finals. Even though 3: 2 did not really mean anything considering the away goal factor and the away disadvantage of going to Stamford Bridge in the next round, at least Arsenal was in the lead in the score.
The third was the league opponent. In the 32nd round, Arsenal was a guest at the Riverside Stadium to challenge the owner, Middlesbrough.
It was by no means an easy game.
Middlesbrough had goals and ambitions. Under the leadership of Ferguson's former assistant manager and current Middlesbrough manager, McClaren, Middlesbrough was ranked seventh in the league and had hopes of entering next season's UEFA Europa League. Middlesbrough's strength could indeed be an upset in Arsenal. They had Schwarzer as the goalkeeper, veterans Southgate and Ezio Ogu in the rear defensive line, Zenden, Mendieta, Downing, and Arsenal's old player Parlour in the midfield, and Hazel Bank and Viduka in the front line!
With such a Middlesbrough in the home ground, how could Arsenal have the confidence to send substitutes to defeat the opponent?
Chelsea's situation was the opposite of Arsenal's.
Chelsea was two points ahead in the league tournament.
They had lost the first round of the Champions League. In order to reverse the situation in the second round, Arsenal had to show a stronger fighting power at home!
In this round, Chelsea would be in the home ground at Stamford Bridge to face the weak Birmingham City.
Birmingham City could be said to have no aspirations. They had 37 points and were far from the relegation zone. Even if they lost to Chelsea, no one would doubt that Birmingham City would eventually be able to avoid relegation. After all, there were still six games left. As long as they got a win or two draws, they would basically be locked in to continue surviving in the Premier League next season!
The situation in front of Arsenal and Chelsea could be said to be a stalemate and complicated, but there were some places where it was the opposite.
Chelsea was in the lead in the league tournament.
Arsenal was in the lead in the Champions League.
When the league tournament and the Champions League were competing at the same time, how would they choose?
The choices of the two managers would be revealed when the league tournament kicked off at the same time this weekend!
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