This was not a game that Wenger liked.
But it was a game that he had to witness and order the team to play.
Chelsea was strong in defense, and Arsenal did not take the initiative to tear apart the opponent's defense.
He had to wait, wait for Chelsea to take the initiative to weaken the defense and take the initiative to expose his flaws, as long as Chelsea dared to take the risk!
The first half ended in a dull 0: 0.
Chelsea's players quickly walked into the players' tunnel, hoping that Mourinho could think of a good way to break Arsenal's intensive defense.
Would Mourinho run out of tricks?
No!
He had a way!
But all the ways were based on the fact that the gap in the number of offensive and defensive players was not big, even if it was not a match!
Arsenal was determined to have at least eight players take the initiative to defend. Bergkamp was energetic. He participated in both defense and offense in the midfield. Only Henry acted as the arrowhead in the front and did not participate in defense.
Chelsea wanted to destroy Arsenal's defense with just four offensive players. Was it whimsical?
Only more offensive players could give birth to more variations in the offense, but in the same way, more offensive players meant that the number of defenders would drop.
If six players attacked, then there were only four players in the backfield who counterattacked.
If seven players attacked, there were only three players left in the backfield!
In the case where both teams were adept at defending and counterattacking, this kind of arithmetic problem was very simple.
In terms of the success rate of offense and defense, whether Chelsea intended to use six or seven players, or more to shake Arsenal, they would be at a disadvantage because of the space limitations of the field and the head-on collision of offense. Arsenal's counterattack would certainly have more space. Whether it was two or three players, they would be more efficient and more threatening than Chelsea's offense!
Mourinho knew that the essence of this gamble was to exchange a higher defensive price for a lower offensive success rate, which was an unreasonable gamble.
But his Chelsea, in fact, this season, and his Porto, in the past two seasons, had used this kind of thinking to play dazzling results!
They forced the opponent to weaken the offense and invest in the offense, and then Chelsea gained a higher success rate in the counterattack. He became the winner, and Chelsea became a new and terrifying force in Europe.
If their positions were swapped, would Chelsea dare to take the gamble?
Mourinho returned to the field with an ugly look on his face. He did not make any changes and emphasized for the team to defend well.
If the neutral fans heard this, they would find it ridiculous!
In the first half, Chelsea did not threaten Arsenal's goal, and Arsenal did not threaten Chelsea's goal either.
Strengthen the defense?
In what aspect?
Mourinho was actually afraid that if the players could not hold back and attacked, they would suffer a painful blow from Arsenal's quick counterattack!
He thought of the next five matches.
Chelsea had a tough battle ahead of them. They were going to visit Old Trafford. Other than that, they would not encounter any strong challenges.
But Arsenal was different.
Not only did Arsenal have to play a London derby against their arch-rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, but there was also the possibility that the two Merseyside giants, Liverpool and Everton, would snipe Arsenal!
It could be said that Arsenal's closing match schedule was much more difficult than Chelsea's!
It was not worthwhile for Chelsea to gamble with his life against Arsenal now!
Mourinho thought so.
Wenger, on the other hand, felt dispirited and sighed in his heart. What an ugly game!
The two London giants, who each scored five goals in the two legs of the Champions League, had high hopes for the championship battle between them. Everyone hoped that the two teams could stage a fierce battle and then fight until the sky fell and the earth cracked.
Unfortunately, the trend of the game was completely shocking. The fans in the stands felt drowsy. The momentum of the cheering before the game was so loud that it shook the sky. In the last 20 minutes of the game, Stamford Bridge almost fell into an incredible silence.
Of course, the fans had been shouting for more than an hour and their voices were almost f * * king hoarse!
As a result, Arsenal and Chelsea had been shrinking in their own half of the field. The occasional attack was like scratching an itch through a boot. Who could continue to watch? Who would be able to maintain their enthusiasm?
When the whistle at the end of the game ended, Wenger and Mourinho did not look at each other and left the field directly.
"Chelsea missed the opportunity to reverse Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho's team will defend to the end and will not take risks to attack without a chance to counterattack. Arsenal today is a bit like giving them a taste of their own medicine. They are more like Chelsea than Chelsea. At the end of the dull 90-minute game, Chelsea and Arsenal each took one point and tied. Arsenal led Chelsea with a goal difference of three. Both teams have 82 points. It seems that the fight for the Premier League title will depend on the performance of the two teams in the last five rounds."
Qin Xiong stood up and applauded Arsenal's performance after the game.
In terms of performance, Arsenal and Chelsea did not deserve the applause.
Chelsea did not show enough courage, while Arsenal abandoned their pursuit.
However, after Arsenal was eliminated from the Champions League, their ideals and pursuits seemed too far away. The reality was that they needed to withdraw from Stamford Bridge to maintain their advantage in the league title race.
Arsenal did it.
That was enough.
He and Sylvia left Stamford Bridge and had dinner together in bustling West London.
Sylvia took a month's leave and Qin Xiong did not want to affect her studies too much. To be able to get a few days of companionship and spiritual comfort was already a luxury for him.
Arsenal still had a game in the middle of the week.
The FA Cup semi-final!
Wenger sent half of the main force and half of the substitutes for this game.
Qin Xiong was still a spectator. He was able to play in the game, but his physical condition was still a little dangerous. The fatigue accumulated from a season of fighting was not something that could be recovered simply by resting for a few days.
Fàbregas and Flamini formed the double defensive midfielders, Bergkamp played as the second striker, and Henry continued to play. Van Persie and Reyes got the chance to play on the big stage.
The FA Cup semi-final was played at Villa Park in the middle of the field.
Fàbregas had become quieter since being eliminated from the Champions League. He worked harder than usual and seemed to have matured a lot.
In the FA Cup semi-final, he showed an all-around level in the midfield, performing well in both defense and offense.
Henry's appearance in the game today was a little subdued, which was requested by Wenger.
He only needed Henry to act as a target to attract firepower and then create opportunities for his other teammates.
It could be said that Henry in the front line and Fàbregas in the middle of the backfield created opportunities for the three players in between the two.
Blackburn Rovers' strategic deployment made a major mistake. They paid too much attention to Henry's marking, which led to a problem in the defensive center of gravity.
Reyes, Bergkamp, and Van Persie each scored a goal to destroy Blackburn Rovers. Arsenal's road to the FA Cup this season was very easy.
The results of the other semi-final were revealed. After the Premier League's BIG4 monopolized the EFL Cup and the Premier League this season, the FA Cup did not escape the clutches of this powerful group.
Arsenal will meet Manchester United in the FA Cup final!
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