Chapter 453
Words:1815Update:22/06/30 12:13:56
The atmosphere in the stands at the Riverside Stadium was in a state of joy.
The Middlesbrough fans could not see how sharp Arsenal's offense was today. They took it for granted that Arsenal was suffering from the FIFA virus.
But in fact, it was only because of various factors that Arsenal did not have the momentum of last season that they had.
In the away game, they tended to be conservative. Among the four-man attacking group, Hleb and Reyes were not Pires and Ljungberg. The team chemistry was naturally not as efficient as before.
When the first half came to the 37th minute, Fàbregas instigated a forward attack.
He dribbled all the way forward in the middle. Parlor and Boateng had been on guard for Fàbregas to pass the ball to Qin Xiong, while Qin Xiong slowly pulled to the left to create space for Fàbregas to move forward.
Parlor and Boateng looked dignified as they watched Fàbregas dribble closer and closer to the front without any sign of passing the ball. The two men felt that the situation was not good!
They were too focused on marking Qin Xiong. They were a little surprised that Fàbregas did not pass the ball to Qin Xiong.
When Fàbregas dribbled to the front of the penalty area, Boateng had to run to intercept. As soon as he moved, Qin Xiong also immediately accelerated from the left to the middle. At this time, Fàbregas suddenly passed the ball again. Qin Xiong immediately cut diagonally to the middle when he got the ball in the middle. After receiving the ball successfully, he passed Parlor's defensive line and faced the rear defensive line of the penalty area directly!
Boateng immediately contracted the penalty area. Southgate went forward to intercept Qin Xiong. Boateng and Eshiogu focused on blocking Henry's running position to receive the ball. Quyeidro guarded against Reyes cutting inside. Retzger stared at Hleb, who was looking for a gap outside to cut inside.
Middlesbrough's defense was calm and organized. This kind of defense seemed to be seamless before.
At best, it gave Qin Xiong a not-so-good chance for a long shot.
But this time, they had done all the defensive measures, but they ignored one point!
Fàbregas!
Qin Xiong deftly crossed the ball to the right when Southgate came forward to snatch it.
Fàbregas dribbled the ball straight into the penalty area. Boateng saw that the situation was not good and had to move to snatch Fàbregas. But as soon as he moved, the blockade formed by him and Eshiogu suddenly collapsed!
Henry, liberated!
Fàbregas calmly passed the ball in the direction behind Boateng's movement. Henry received the ball diagonally and easily shot at the bottom left corner of the goal.
After Henry scored, he pointed to Fàbregas and then called the other teammates over to celebrate the goal. They gathered around the goal to show Arsenal's unity in times of difficulty!
"Arsenal has equalized the score! Wonderful offensive coordination and a classic demonstration of ground passes and cuts. Middlesbrough's defense had made a major mistake! How could he let Henry play in the penalty area? When Henry has the space to run diagonally, he is unstoppable. No one can stop Henry! "
Middlesbrough seemed to be in a daze after conceding the goal. They felt that their defense was in a mess all of a sudden. Arsenal was also different from before!
In fact, it was a very simple change in offense and defense.
Arsenal changed from a four-man VS six-man offense and a six-man VS four-man defense to a five-man offense and five-man defense.
Although it was only one more person and one more person was weakened in offense and defense.
But the changes derived from the football field were more abundant. The effect of pulling one hair and affecting the whole body had a major impact on the situation!
Qin Xiong and Fàbregas high-fived after the celebration. The two men looked at each other and smiled, then ran to the backfield together.
Arsenal was in a difficult period, but it did not mean that even Middlesbrough could behave atrociously in front of them!
Fàbregas continued to participate in the attack in the front field. A more direct and sharper offensive began to appear in front of Middlesbrough's defensive line.
Middlesbrough had to make defensive adjustments. They began to ignore the attacks on the two flanks and instead invested more troops to contain the threat posed by Qin Xiong and Fàbregas in the middle. They also had to ensure that Henry would not stir up trouble in their penalty area.
This was bound to cause them to make mistakes in marking and expose the gaps in the penalty area or the flanks.
In the 43rd minute of the game, Fàbregas and Qin Xiong carried out a mutual pass in front of the penalty area. Fàbregas assumed a forward plug and Boateng followed him like a shadow. Quiedelu also withdrew into the penalty area to block the path of Fàbregas' forward plug. Qin Xiong passed the ball diagonally to the right flank of the penalty area in front of Parol.
Everyone thought that Qin Xiong's ball was passed to Fàbregas, but they found that the football passed by Qin Xiong rolled behind Fàbregas!
Did the pass go wrong?
No!
The ball that rolled into the penalty area was received by Reyes, who cut inside on the flank, and he rushed past Quiedelu's defense the moment he touched the ball, forming a one-on-one situation!
Southgate and Eshiogu were in the middle of the goal. The two veterans' blockade of Henry was still in place. Reyes' best choice was to shoot himself. He did not hesitate to lift his foot, but the football blasted into the stands!
Wenger showed a disappointed expression on the sidelines!
He had been giving Reyes a chance, but Reyes had never been recognized!
The reason was not complicated.
As a player, if he performed well, he would be recognized. If he did not perform well, then he would naturally be questioned.
Reyes was in this situation. There was no need for too many intricate reasons to analyze it.
He dared not say that he had to shoot for this kind of opportunity. He had to score the ball, but at least it had to be reliable. It was normal that people would not feel too much regret.
But Arsenal still missed such an opportunity.
The two teams walked into the locker room with a score of 1: 1.
Middlesbrough needed to reformulate their defensive strategy.
There were not many places that Arsenal needed to change. Defending against the opponent's high-altitude bombing did not actually rely on the human wave tactic, especially when Middlesbrough did not use the complex style of high-altitude bombing combined with passing, cutting, and infiltration.
There was no need to change the rear defensive line. What needed to be changed was the offense. Fàbregas did not play much of a role in defending in the backfield. Wenger asked him to act according to the situation in the second half. If Middlesbrough still maintained the tactics of the first half, then Fàbregas would be more involved in the offense.
In the second half of the game, Arsenal's offense was brilliant.
In the 53rd minute of the game, Qin Xiong relied on his personal ability to control the ball on the front waistline. He rushed left and right, seemingly aimless, but he disrupted Middlesbrough's defensive system.
The right back, Retzger, rushed up to support Parlour's pressing. It was obvious that the old Parlour was being played in circles in front of Qin Xiong!
After Retzger rushed up, Qin Xiong decisively sent out a diagonal straight ball that was close to the ground.
He easily created a big gap in the right side of Middlesbrough's defensive line's defense.
Hleb cut into the penalty area, and it was another opportunity for a one-on-one!
Hleb was eager to make a contribution and directly raised his foot to shoot at the goal. The Middlesbrough goalkeeper, Schwarzer, bravely pounced and hugged the football!
Wenger was about to break down on the sidelines!
If it had been Pires or Ljungberg, they would have scored at least one of the two chances in the first and second half!
Now, Arsenal was squandering the opportunity!
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