Five updates today.
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The excitement of returning to the top of the table would give Arsenal a certain amount of mental stimulation, allowing them to go to Stamford Bridge in a better state of mind and spirit. However, it would not effectively improve the physical exhaustion of their main lineup in the recent continuous games.
On the evening of April 13.
Stamford Bridge was packed. Chelsea fans were in a state of grief as they shouted themselves hoarse in the stands to cheer for Chelsea.
They were afraid of one result: Chelsea's double collapse at the end of the season!
Their performance in the league tournament was so good that they could become the team with the highest points in the history of the Premier League. However, they did not expect Arsenal to not only create the legend of a 62-game unbeaten league game this season, but also to be neck and neck with Chelsea in the standings, pushing Chelsea to second place with their goal difference advantage.
Chelsea had a lot of goal difference, but they did not rely on goals, but on defense. They conceded nearly 20 goals less than Arsenal. However, Arsenal's strong offensive firepower this season made it so that even if they conceded more goals, their goal difference was far ahead of Chelsea and even the major European teams. That was why they had a goal difference advantage of three.
In the Champions League 14 final, Arsenal temporarily led Chelsea with a total score of 3: 2. The Blues fans were worried that if they could not get the expected victory in this game, then Chelsea would probably only have one EFL Cup title as a consolation this season.
After all, they were out of the FA Cup early.
In the players' tunnel, Chelsea's players seemed to contain the momentum of a grieving army, while Arsenal's entire team came to Stamford Bridge with a sharp edge.
Although Wenger claimed before the game that Arsenal was in their best condition to face the game, he knew that Chelsea's physical condition would be better than Arsenal's.
Mourinho appeared on the pitch coldly. The young manager probably did not expect that his first season in the United Kingdom would turn out like this. He had clearly created the best record in Chelsea's history in the league tournament, and possibly the best record in the Premier League excluding Arsenal in the same period. However, Chelsea was now second in the standings, not first.
No matter what, they couldn't afford to lose this match!
Arsenal had paid the price of the main players' fitness in exchange for the result of overtaking Chelsea in the league tournament. If Chelsea did not perform better than Arsenal in the second leg of the Champions League knockout stage, then Mourinho would probably become a laughing stock.
"The exciting second leg of the Champions League 14 finals is about to begin. Arsenal leads Chelsea by a total score of 3: 2. Today's game at Stamford Bridge should be Chelsea's last stand. Only a week has passed, but the situation between Chelsea and Arsenal has changed dramatically. A week ago, the Premier League leader was Chelsea. A week later, the Premier League leader has become Arsenal. This game may be a watershed in the competition between Chelsea and Arsenal!
Unlike the starting lineup in the previous game, Mourinho made two changes in today's starting lineup. The right back was replaced with Glen Johnson, who had a stronger assist ability, and Tiago returned to the starting midfield. Obviously, Chelsea needed to score goals!
Chelsea starting 4-3-3.
Goalkeeper: Čech.
Defenders: Glen Johnson, Terry, Carvalho, Gallas.
Midfielders: Makelele, Tiago, Lampard.
Forwards: Duff, Drogba, Joe Cole.
Arsenal starting 4-3-1.
Goalkeeper: Lehmann.
Defenders: Lauren, Touré, Senderos, Ashley Cole.
Midfielders: Ljungberg, Vieira, Qin Xiong, Silva, Pires.
Striker: Henry.
Well, the game is about to start. Chelsea will kick off first! "
From the beginning of the game, Chelsea looked more proactive than in the previous game. Their midfield was smoother than in the previous game, and their offensive organization was faster.
Because Tiago did not play in the previous game, the offensive and defensive midfielder was Chelsea's main player this season. He was only absent in the previous game because of a minor injury. After returning to the starting lineup today, he liberated Lampard and ensured that Chelsea had stronger control in the midfield.
Arsenal looked more passive. Qin Xiong's position was closer to the back, and he actively participated in the defense.
Through his observation and game feeling, the reason why Chelsea seemed to be able to make the offense move faster and more smoothly was not because Chelsea had a big qualitative change, but because Arsenal's rhythm had slowed down!
Due to the accumulation of fatigue, his physical condition was not as good as the opponent's. In the league four days ago, Arsenal was exhausted, while Chelsea's main force was not exhausted. In addition, today's game was at Stamford Bridge.
In between, Arsenal's overall disadvantage on the field was more obvious.
Wenger could not help but frown on the sidelines. The difference in fitness between the two sides was more serious than he had imagined.
Chelsea obviously got into the game faster than Arsenal.
The side whose physical condition was not good, plus it was an away game, required more time to adapt to the game atmosphere and get into the game.
Obviously, when the teammates were not on the same rhythm, the high-demand team cooperation was more difficult to play.
Qin Xiong tried to control the pace of the game. He could not interact with his teammates in the danger zone. Once he lost the ball, it would be fatal if he was hit with a fast attack.
But in the middle and front field area, Chelsea's players surrounded and suppressed like wolves and tigers, and the impact was huge, which made his organizational work extremely difficult.
In the opening 15 minutes, Arsenal did not even make a decent attack.
Chelsea's physical advantage was vividly reflected.
Their offensive and defensive state was unified and tacit, like a tide. When they attacked, they rushed to the front field and when they defended, they retreated to the half field. The sense of rhythm was very strong.
Lampard's play today was much better than the previous game. He was very efficient in distributing the ball in the middle of the midfield and plugging in from the back.
In the 19th minute of the game, Chelsea, who continued to attack Arsenal's defensive zone with simple routines, once again sent a threatening ball through Joker's 45-degree pass from the left.
The pass flew quickly to the back point in the penalty area.
Senderos's position was seized by Drogba as he retreated. The Warcraft's performance in the second half of the season was more eye-catching than the first half of the season, which represented his improvement. This time, he jumped high to head the ball. It was as if he used his head to smash the ball heavily. The football flew straight to the top right corner of the goal!
Lehmann pounced to the extreme but was powerless to reverse the situation!
"Chelsea takes the lead to break the goal, Joker assists Drogba's header to break the goal! Chelsea shows strong fighting power at home! Campbell's absence has a great impact on Arsenal. If it were Campbell, this ball would not have been so easily headed by Drogba. Senderos has not gotten rid of the nightmare that Drogba brought to him! "
It was undeniable that after the end of the last round, the offensive and defensive showdown where Senderos was crushed by Drogba was deliberately magnified by the media, which had a great impact on the psychological state of the young players!
Touré and Vieira had to encourage Senderos to cheer up to prevent his play from getting worse and worse. If he became another Nishioka for Arsenal, then Senderos would be a ticking time bomb for Arsenal, not only in this game, but also in future games.
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