Chapter 485: This is just the beginning

When the news of Arsenal's draw with Manchester United at home came, the fans of Leiden Oriental were ecstatic, and even happier than they had already achieved the longest six-game winning streak in the league this season. After all, Arsenal's four-point advantage over Leiden Oriental has been pressing firmly on Leiden Oriental like a mountain. The longest nine-game winning streak in all Premier League teams this season made Leiden Oriental fans a little desperate - they won't keep winning, right?

So although this game was just a draw, it gave fans of Leiden East a hope!

Being four points behind to two points behind is a completely different concept.

In the case of direct matchup, two points means that you can lead the opponent if you win, and four points. After winning, you have to rely on the opponent to have problems in the next game. Not to mention whether Leiden Oriental can win Arsenal away. At least, the gap between two points makes Leiden Oriental's players stronger in fighting spirit and desire to win.

All the fans of Leiden Oriental are looking forward to Arsenal capsizing in the next round again. It would be better to lose the game, so Leiden Oriental will be able to take the lead. However, three days later, Arsenal, whose winning streak was terminated, withstood the huge pressure. In Portsmouth, although they were scored by Portsmouth's Yakub in the first half, Arsenal rose in adversity in the second half. Reyes equalized the score five minutes after the start of the second half. Then before the end of the game, Henry's goal made Arsenal difficult to take three points away from the away game!

The powerful Leiden Oriental swept Blackburn four-zero at home. Van Nicht scored twice in the first half, and Ronaldo also scored a goal. In the second half, Ronaldo added icing on the cake and continued to chase Arsenal from behind with a two-point advantage, waiting for the 32nd round of away match against Arsenal.

Of course, before this game, there is a FA Cup semi-final, which will also be a preview of the Battle of Tianwang Mountain on the way to win the championship!

All Premier League fans are focused on this game. Everyone knows that winning the FA Cup semi-finals is basically equivalent to winning the FA Cup championship ahead of schedule. With Leiden Oriental and Arsenal's current state and winning streak, neither Millwall nor Sunderland will stop them from moving forward, let alone these two teams are still struggling to qualify for the Premier League.

On April 4th, a day that seems not very good for the Chinese, Highbury welcomes Leiden East.

At this time, neither Xiao Ming nor Wenger will show any weakness in the game. Arsenal still has the chance to win the triple crown, including the Champions League. Of course, Wenger will not give up in the FA Cup, and Xiao Ming is even more so. Although this game only determines the power to compete for the FA Cup final, it is a preview of the next league championship. If you can win this game, you can take the initiative in the next league.

Ronaldo and Figo, who took turns to play in the first two games, were sent by Xiao Ming in this game. Leiden East's main players were all on the court, but Wenger unexpectedly placed Henry on the bench, and veteran Borgkamp and Reyes, who performed well recently, partnered with the forward line.

"What is Wenger's idea?" After getting Arsenal's roster, McDonald said in confusion.

"No matter what idea he is making, no matter whether he has other ideas or is confused, let's work hard to kill them... Reyes? This young man is good, but he still needs to adapt well in the Premier League." Xiao Ming simply swept the list and replied simply.

Wenger did this with just two meanings. The first is that Henry started every game recently and played for 90 minutes in every game. He was not in the best physical condition. He was not as good as giving away physical fitness and was in good condition recently. Reyes and Borgkamp, ​​who were in good condition recently, used their skills to deal with the strength of Leiden's Eastern defense. The second is probably to keep their strength in playing the league, abandoning the FA Cup and the Champions League - but no matter what Wenger wants to do, Xiao Ming will do his best to win the game and then welcome the next league in the best condition.

In previous games, Xiao Ming paid great attention to letting the main players take turns to rest and perform, just to make the main players have the best efforts to perform well in every game when April arrives, laying the foundation for the performance of the whole season. Whether Wenger intends to use the FA Cup to drag down Leiden East's physical fitness, he also needs to use a series of victories to make Leiden East's momentum reach the highest point!

However, looking at the players who played in other positions in Arsenal, Xiao Ming also knew that Wenger might have to do it - goalkeepers Lehman, defenders Lauren, Carlazer, Toure and Van Bronhorst, midfielders Vieira, Gilbert, Pire, and Lungberg. This lineup is Arsenal's extremely stable main lineup this season. In the previous important games, they almost all started every game. No matter where they are on the bench, Arsenal's overall strength may decline a lot. The stability of the main lineup has the benefits of stability, but there are also huge physical disadvantages. Leiden Oriental's previous fierce pursuit behind him forced Arsenal to do his best in every game. If Wenger did not take risks, perhaps after fighting Leiden Oriental in the FA Cup, Arsenal would have no energy to deal with Leiden Oriental when he returned to the league!

Although Henry was not on the court, Arsenal still launched a fierce attack from the beginning.

Leiden East took the lead and Figo was knocked down by Gilbert after breaking through the middle, but Leiden East's next free kick did not pose a threat. Arsenal launched a counterattack. After a series of cooperation between the midfield, Vieira passed the ball to Borgkamp in the corner of the penalty area. Daniel rushed forward, but the Dutch turned around and dodged Daniel with a wonderful pull ball, and then shot a powerful shot in the penalty area!

Yasquelenen flew to block the ball, but the ball returned to Borgkamp's feet. Borgkamp immediately took off his feet and shot again. Campbell, who returned to the goal, headed the ball out of the baseline and corner kick.

Pire was preparing to take the corner kick. Arsenal's two central defenders and two midfielders close to 1.9 meters tall Vieira and Gilberto Silva also rushed into the penalty area. Pire's corner kick reached the front point. Gilbert blocked his national teammate Lucio and headed behind the goal. The ball hit the crossbar heavily and bounced back to the penalty area. Toure immediately followed and shot. The ball hit the crossbar again heavily. Jascrien quickly kicked the ball away with a big foot.

"Two consecutive crossbars! Arsenal, who is at home, has shown amazing momentum! However, Arsenal has also physically suppressed Leiden East during this period, which is rare in Leiden East's past games. Although Henry is not on the court, Arsenal's performance is still outstanding..."

"Force them to death! Don't let them organize the offense easily!" Xiao Ming yelled on the sidelines, but although Arsenal suppressed at the beginning, the players of Leiden East were not panicked. After Lauren threw out the outbound ball, Ronaldo and Ashley Cole immediately went up to press at the same time. One of the midfielders was one and all pressed.

After getting the ball, Vieira had to directly hang the ball into the penalty area. Lucio headed the ball in front of Borgkamp, ​​Gerald took the ball in the middle and prepared to launch a counterattack. Arsenal immediately pressed in the midfield.

Seeing that he could not break through the middle, Gerald immediately passed the ball to Ronaldo on the left. Ronaldo forced himself to drive the ball forward under Lauren's defense. After dodging a pass gap, he immediately threw the ball to Ronaldo who pulled out of the penalty area. Ronaldo received the ball and turned around. Toure decisively fouled, giving Leiden Dongfang a direct free kick 30 meters away.

Gerald pushed the ball to the side, and Daniel, who followed, made a strong long shot. The ball flew towards the goal like a shell. Lehman gritted his teeth and punched the ball out.

The competition between the two sides in the midfield became more and more intense. Arsenal gained the upper hand in power. Vieira and Gilbert two monster-level midfielders had a relatively large running range, while Leiden East relied on Gerald to shift the ball to two sides while confronting the opponent in the midfield. Ronaldo's performance was the most active. He kept torturing Lauren with his speed and skills, forcing Lungberg to participate more in the defense.

After entanglement with each other for nearly thirty minutes, Leyton East began to gradually gain the upper hand on the field. Leyton East played better than Arsenal on the two sides, and Gerrard's outstanding performance in the middle made Arsenal's advantage not able to be played. If Leyman hadn't reacted in time, Ronaldo would have scored once in the 27th minute and broke into the penalty area.

Seeing that Leiden East gradually gained the advantage on the court, Arsenal players also became a little impetuous. Piret tackled from behind after being intercepted by Daniel. If it weren't for the referee's mercy, this action would have been enough to get a red card. Although he didn't get a red card, he got the first yellow card from both players in this game.

The players on the Leiden Oriental field keenly noticed this. Figo, who had been a little quiet in the previous game, suddenly exploded. After receiving the ball from the right, he drifted past Pire and Van Buronhorst in succession, and then dribbled into the penalty area before the two returned to defense. Arsenal's defenders were attracted by Ronaldo and Van Nicht who were running in the penalty area. Figo cleverly passed the ball over the top, and Ronaldo removed his pass from the back point. Just when the Arsenal defenders were desperately trying to defend him, Ronaldo calmly knocked the ball back to the front of the penalty area!

Arsenal's entire defense line has been compressed to the extreme. Gerald, who was inserted in the middle, was not defending him at the front of the penalty area!

He stopped the ball with his right foot, calmly took the ball forward for half a step, and dodged Gilbert who flew over to block it. Gerald immediately raised his right foot and drew the ball hard!

Passing through the numerous figures in the penalty area, the ball flew into the dead corner of the goal like an arrow from the string. Lehman, whose vision was blocked, was already one step late when he responded!

The Highbury Stadium immediately became quiet, but thousands of fans of Leiden Oriental who played away were thundering loudly!

Gerald waved his fist hard, and then his teammates who ran from all directions surrounded him in the middle, celebrating this goal full of teamwork spirit!

Figo initiated, Van Nie and Ronaldo attracted enough attention, and Ronaldo's last calm pass created this goal, and Arsenal's solid defensive system was completely torn to pieces!

Wenger held his chin with one hand, thinking about something. Xiao Ming, who had finished celebrating, glanced at Wenger with a squint eyes, and then sat back to his coaching seat.

After conceding the ball, Arsenal's counterattack came so rapidly and suddenly.

After continuous cooperation in the middle, Lyonberg, who was transferred to the middle, received a straight pass from Vieira, and immediately raised his foot and shot from a long shot 25 meters away from the goal. Faced with this very high-quality long shot, Jasquelenen made a wonderful save, flew to the side and pushed the ball out of the baseline.

Then, Arsenal won five corner kicks in a row. Each time Leiden East did not allow Arsenal to reach the first place, but under Arsenal's pressure, he could only push the ball to the bottom line to clear the ball. For the fifth time, Vieira finally grabbed the first place in the penalty area, but his header was almost blocked by Jasqueline, and Lucio flew into the air to clear the ball.

Withstand the opponent's crazy attack at the last moment of the first half, Leiden East was more defensive in the second half. Daniel beautifully cut off Vieira's pass to Borgkamp, ​​and Campbell also made a beautiful steal in the penalty area. At the same time, Leiden East's counterattack continued to affect the nerves of Arsenal's defense, constantly impacting, counter-grabbing, and intercepting the ball...

Seeing that more than ten minutes had passed in the second half, Arsenal had a certain advantage in offense but could not create a decisive opportunity. Wenger replaced two players in a row. Reyes, who was far inferior to Borgkamp's performance under Leiden Oriental defense, was replaced by Henry. At the same time, the young forward Alia Diere replaced Pire with a yellow card. Wenger's intention to strengthen the offense was obvious.

Xiao Ming did not choose to substitute, but chose to wait and see. Leiden East gradually retreated to a range of 30 meters to retreat. Xiao Ming's meaning is very simple. This is not the only game in the confrontation with Arsenal. He does not need a big victory, but just a just-right victory is enough.

Seeing the lack of impact in the penalty area, Vieira had almost rushed to Leiden East's penalty area to play center, but with Leiden East's air defense ability on the back line, once the defense is shrinking, it is quite difficult to break their defense, even Arsenal is no exception - Henry's breakthrough after several balls will always face a dense crowd. Although Figo and Ronaldo and others' defensive abilities are average, they are still constantly retreating to defend and contributing their strength. Although they have replaced two forwards, Arsenal's offense has not improved much.

Leiden East also fought back a lot, but Arsenal's defense riskedly adopted offside tactics, which made it easier for them to disrupt Leiden East's attack in a relatively easy way. Ronaldo simply retreated and broke through after three consecutive offsides, but was knocked to the ground by Toure with a foul. This foul caused a conflict between the two sides on the court. Wenger looked at Xiao Ming yelling on the sidelines, but was secretly smiling in his heart - Xiao Ming is really using any means to win now... His shouting is obviously adding chaos to the field, and time consumes more in chaos...

The conflict between the two sides on the court also made the fans in the stands even more excited. Arsenal fans began to throw miscellaneous items into the field, but unfortunately they missed the sub-car - Arsenal team doctor Gary Levine, who was standing next to Wenger, was hit on the back of the head by the coin dropped by his fans from the stands. The unlucky team doctor began to receive treatment from his colleagues...

Colin Levin looked at his boss, and Xiao Ming shrugged: "Colin, I feel very sorry for your uncle's misfortune... I have also been the victim of this kind of thing..."

Colin Levine had also heard of his boss' embarrassing things, so he curled his lips and said nothing.

The referee finally separated the players on both sides of the dispute. The two French compatriots who participated in the most intense conflict received a yellow card. Xiao Ming looked at the watch and it was only fifteen minutes before the end of the game. He immediately replaced Figo with Deselli, allowing him to play the back midfield to increase the thickness and defensive ability, and then replaced Fanny with Ronaldo to increase the speed of counterattack in the frontcourt.

Facing the unreachable Leighton East, although Wenger replaced Gilbert with substitute forward Canuo and strengthened the attack, he was still submerged in the penalty area of ​​Leighton East. Leighton East's current offense is to grab the ball and hand it over to the three Ronaldos in the frontcourt, relying on their outstanding personal skills to kill time...

The impatient Lyman also received a yellow card in the 85th minute. At that time, Ronaldo took the ball in the offside position and refused to leave. Lyman pushed Ronaldo in a hurry. Ronaldo immediately covered his face and fell to the ground. Time was spent a while the angrily scolded Arsenal fans in the stands.

When the final whistle sounded, the score was frozen one-to-zero. Relying on Gerald's goal in the first half, Leiden East eliminated Arsenal and entered the FA Cup final first!

"This is just the beginning, Xiao." After losing the game, Wenger seemed to be not angry. Instead, he took the initiative to shake hands with Xiao Ming.

"That's right, the game three days later is the climax of this drama... Whoever is the protagonist and who is the supporting role will be able to see the final answer at that time." Xiao Ming said with a slight smile.

Wenger looked at Xiao Ming deeply, then turned around and left, and Xiao Ming shouted behind him: "By the way, professor, it seems that the quarterfinals of the Champions League are about to begin? Chelsea is not easy to deal with... That guy Ranieri is probably holding back his energy and trying to do something bad..."
Chapter completed!