Even though Ashley Cole signed a new contract in the summer, it was an unspoken fact that he and the club's management were at odds. Arsenal's top management could not forgive Ashley Cole for having a private meeting with Mourinho. Ashley Cole was also bitterly disappointed by the club's top management's cold treatment.
But Wenger knew that the team needed Ashley Cole. The transfer window had been closed for a long time, and Arsenal could not sell the team's main force in the winter. Wenger had a private meeting with Ashley Cole.
Ashley Cole wanted to leave for nothing more than money. If it were not for the "Coleman" incident that broke out in the first half of the year, perhaps Ashley Cole would have put on the Blues uniform by now. Since he did not leave, Wenger asked Ashley Cole to play for Arsenal wholeheartedly this season.
Ashley Cole's fighting spirit was unquestionable, but his luck was so bad that it made people pity him. After bravely fighting to defend the last line of defense for Arsenal, he was injured again!
New injuries and old injuries came together, and this time he had to be away from the game for a long time.
Wenger's headache came again. So far, Arsenal's momentum had not allowed him to sleep well. Instead, his mentality was like walking on thin ice.
He had to face unexpected situations every day. Now, Flamini was given a chance to play again, but it was the left back position that Flamini was unwilling to play.
But Arsenal could only do so.
The game at the Reebok Stadium was coming to an end. Bolton Wanderers, who were unwilling to accept the reversal of their two leads, launched an attack but failed to equalize the score. Instead, they allowed Arsenal to score another goal at the last minute.
Fàbregas's performance tended to be stable. Occasionally, he would have a particularly stunning performance. This was the case in this game. The goal at the last moment belonged to him. Qin Xiong covered for him, allowing him to enter the penalty area unimpeded and unnoticed by the opponent. He then received Ljungberg's assist and scored from a low angle.
Fàbregas and Henry tied for the highest scoring players in the game, followed by Qin Xiong. The best player of the game belonged to Fàbregas. The outside world always liked to promote and praise the stunning performances of young rookies.
After defeating Bolton Wanderers and taking away the victory, Arsenal still led Chelsea by four points.
This was simply inconceivable to the outside world.
"Last season's brutal Premier League competition has continued into this season!"
Arsenal's impressive record of 13 wins and 2 draws was actually only 4 points ahead of Chelsea. If not for that direct confrontation, perhaps Arsenal would only lead Chelsea by 1 point at most.
The final match of the Champions League group stage was approaching. Ajax landed in Amsterdam. This was a routine match for the two teams.
Arsenal had already locked in first place in the group ahead of time. Ajax had also advanced into the knockout stages of the Champions League with a record of 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss at the end of the fifth round with 10 points.
Arsenal's lineup was thin, and Ajax's competitive situation in the Eredivisie was unfavorable. Breinder needed the main players to fight for every point in the league. They would try to avoid European matches as much as possible.
As such, the two teams tacitly sent out their substitutes, and the match in Highbury was intense but not exciting.
The 0: 0 result put an end to Arsenal's five-game winning streak in the Champions League, but created a Champions League record for the team: a clean sheet in the group stage!
On the second night after the end of the Champions League group stage, the results of the draw for the knockout stages of the Champions League were announced.
Arsenal, who had advanced to the top 16 of the Champions League by topping the group, was considered to be first in the group with the worst luck.
This was because they had drawn the Spanish powerhouse, Real Madrid, who had the title of Galactica!
However, the outside world did not know that Arsenal's teammates were watching the Champions League draw results together in the hotel suite that night.
Including Qin Xiong, Henry, and Fàbregas, when they saw that their opponent was Real Madrid, they stood up in tacit agreement to cheer and applaud!
Real Madrid had already shed the color of a super powerhouse. Of course, in terms of commercial value, they were still the top club in the world, but what about their competitive strength?
Real Madrid was not a threat in the eyes of Arsenal's players for two years in a row. Moreover, to be able to play against Real Madrid was a great opportunity, enough to make people tremble with excitement!
When you have the opportunity to challenge the most watched team in the world, you should not be afraid or shrink back, but excited!
In the hotel suite, Senderos looked at his teammates cheering with a stunned expression, but he sat on the sofa in a daze. His teammates noticed that he seemed to be "scared silly" by Real Madrid. Qin Xiong jumped in front of him and opened his arms like a cult leader trying to bewitch people. He shouted, "Philip, why are you not happy? Why aren't you excited? "
"I …"
Senderos swallowed and did not know how to say it.
Motherf * cker!
Did you see the results of the draw clearly?
Real Madrid!
We've f * cking drawn the nine-time champion of the Champions League, Real Madrid!
Didn't we risk our lives to get first in the group just to avoid the strong teams in the other groups in the top 16 draw?
If that's the case, we might as well change our ranking with Ajax and draw Inter Milan!
At least Inter Milan's name is definitely not as shocking as Real Madrid's!
Qin Xiong revealed a smile that was rather devilish.
"Philip, this is not the end of the world, not a disaster. Think about it from another perspective. When you play against Real Madrid, how many people in the world will be watching you? How many TV stations will be scrambling to broadcast this game live? When you face the top group of star players in the past decade on the field, superstars, this is definitely not a disaster! It's a dream! It's your big day, the most wonderful moment of your life. Pull yourself together and imagine the sense of accomplishment that defeating Real Madrid would bring. What would it feel like to trample the Galácticos under your feet and walk over their bloody corpses to move forward? What's the meaning of this? Philip, we should celebrate. The f * cking UEFA is awesome! "
Senderos really spent a short time imagining the scene of being able to play against Zidane, Raúl, Casillas, Beckham, Carlos, Ronaldo, and other star players on the field. This was simply a Hollywood blockbuster!
And he could appear on screen as a part of it.
That's right!
Why am I not excited?
Why am I not excited?
This is a critical moment in my career. When others don't even have a chance to play against the superstars, I have!
I have a chance to overshadow the superstars and hold my head high in front of the superstars!
Why should I lower my head and be afraid before the battle?
NONONO！
Hurry up and come February!
Let the dream match of life come soon!
Munitions Factory and Galactica meet unexpectedly in this season's Champions League 18 final!
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