After defeating Millwall, York City also consolidated its lead in the standings while winning three consecutive games.
This is mainly because the Scunthorpe team, which has been chasing York City, has fallen behind.
They have lost "strong dialogue" with Bolton and Sheffield United in recent rounds, and their position in the standings has even dropped to fourth place!
York City currently ranks first with 16 wins, 8 draws and 1 loss with 56 points, while Sheffield United ranks second with 16 wins, 5 draws and 4 losses with 53 points, followed by Bolton with 50 points and Scunthorpe with 49 points. point.
That's how League One is, you'll fall if you're not careful!
And Pan Yi also saw the downward trend of York City, and introduced Alonso in time, which not only strengthened the strength but also stabilized the morale of the army, and finally was not really killed.
Fortunately, it happened to be January, the winter window also opened, and Pan Yi took action in advance, so he was able to get Alonso so quickly.
In this way, Pan Yi has more ideas about the next FA Cup third round match against Arsenal...
After the team started heading to London, Pan Yi also stopped by Chelsea Club to visit Arteta and chat with him.
A few days ago, Chelsea just lost 0:2 to Tottenham Hotspur, finally ending their 13-game winning streak.
But even so, Chelsea continues to lead the Premier League standings, and is still 5 points higher than second-placed Liverpool.
So Pan Yi didn't talk too much about tactics to Arteta. He just chatted with good friends and reminisced about old times.
Since he can lead the team to 13 consecutive victories, it means that he now has his own methodology for facing all kinds of enemies;
The current defeat to Tottenham is the setback he has encountered in the practice of this methodology-sometimes the reason is simple, it is that Pochettino targeted him, and Arteta did not notice or respond in time.
You must continue to improve amidst setbacks in order to make further progress!
Pan Yi believes that Arteta has the ability to study and solve such setbacks. Only in this way can he break through his own bottleneck and reach a new level!
Pan Yi then returned to York City's temporary training ground in London and watched the players train with Scaloni.
For York City now, there is almost no suspense in the lineup when playing against a strong team like Arsenal.
The strongest eleven are already in the formation!
The only variable is the formation, whether it is 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, or 4-4-2.
There's nothing you can do about it. After all, York City is not a big club and doesn't have a strong lineup. When you want to compete with your opponents, you can only use all the main players.
"Do you really want to kill Arsenal and continue to advance in the FA Cup?" Scaloni suddenly asked Pan Yi.
Pan Yi laughed: "You don't want to?"
Scaloni laughed too.
Yeah, who wouldn’t want to.
This is a good thing that kills multiple birds with one stone.
No matter how well you play in English League One, the attention you receive will be limited.
This is like Porter leading a Swedish team. No matter how good the team is, no one will notice it, but as long as he defeats Arsenal once in the Europa League, he will immediately become known.
So is York City now.
If we can defeat Arsenal in the FA Cup, it will further enhance the team's reputation.
Before others had heard of York City, it was only because their boss was Pan Yi;
And if this team can still beat Arsenal, then everyone will look at them differently: "So they are really such a strong team!"
This will also attract more players' attention, and it will be less difficult for Pan Yi to find people in the future.
At the same time, the commercial value of York City will continue to rise, and Director Horta will be able to use his commercial talents in the market.
——This is also a bit like "Deadpool" later coming to Wrexham. Everyone paid attention to it just because of the boss. Only when Wrexham truly shows its strength will everyone pay more attention to its strength itself.
For Scaloni, this is also the best moment to prove his ability!
Defeating the world-famous coach Wenger is really an excellent proof of strength!
"Actually, it's not impossible." Pan Yi said, "Arsenal's current situation in the Premier League is not very good. Although Wenger attaches great importance to the FA Cup, he should have some reservations. After all, we are only a League One team. Team!"
Scaloni nodded.
In the current Premier League standings, BIG6 are entangled, while Arsenal is ranked fifth.
Although there is only one point behind Manchester City and Tottenham in front of them, it is obvious that it has now reached a critical moment for the fourth place.
Especially after the FA Cup, Arsenal will have another London derby and challenge Chelsea at the top of the list away from home!
Under this circumstance, under the guidance of Wenger's "guaranteing four first" thinking, there will inevitably be a certain degree of rotation in the FA Cup.
In this way, York City has a chance.
After all, although Arsenal is strong, the bench can only be said to be average.
"I still recommend playing 4-4-2, focusing on defense and waiting for opportunities to counterattack." Pan Yi said, "A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Even if Wenger comes on the bench, he will be stronger than us."
"I think so too." Scaloni nodded, "I will convene a small meeting with the players later to talk about relevant points of attention. Do you want to do a pre-game mobilization or something?"
"Haha, that's necessary." Pan Yi laughed, "I want them to know that their boss is not prepared to give up this game, so no one is allowed to give up this game!"
Scaloni listened and immediately laughed too.
——
In the hotel conference room, all the players were silent. They were all looking at their boss.
Scaloni has just said all the tactics that need to be said, and now it is Pan Yi's turn to speak.
"In the past few days, everyone I met from Yorkshire to London told me that if we meet Arsenal in the FA Cup, we don't need to play anymore and we can just give up."
Pan Yi was very direct as soon as he opened his mouth: "I think about it, how can we, a English League One team, beat Arsenal? Anyway, there is no shame in losing, so just lose."
With that said, Pan Yi stopped and looked at the players.
These young guys said nothing, but there was a hint of anger in their eyes.
"No, we can't admit defeat in any game!" At this time, vice-captain Westman stood up, "If admitting defeat becomes a habit, we will never be able to become a truly strong team in the future!"
Pan Yi nodded with satisfaction.
It seems that it is still important to install a "drag" among the players.
"Well, actually everyone who knows me knows that the word 'admit defeat' has never been in my dictionary, even when facing Arsenal."
"People all over the world think we will lose, so we have to play a good game to show them!"
"In the FA Cup, anything can happen. In the 2012-2013 season, Luton, which was still in the fifth tier league at the time, defeated the Premier League team Norwich 1:0. Luton also became the first team in the Premier League era to Amateur teams knocking out Premier League teams.”
"In the 2003-04 season, Shrewsbury, who were in the fourth tier, defeated Everton 2:1, causing the biggest upset in the FA Cup."
"In the third round of the FA Cup in the 1990-91 season, Woking, who was in the fifth tier at the time, eliminated West Brom in the top league with a score of 4:2..."
"There are many teams like this even further up. So, as a team ranked first in the third level, can we really not beat Arsenal?"
With that said, Pan Yi spread his hands and asked all the players in front of him.
Everyone raised their heads and stared at Pan Yi with red eyes.
"No, we can win!" De Ligt was the first to stand up and yell.
"Yes, we can definitely win!" Alphonso Davis shouted.
"Win! Win! Win!" Thomas Amang also echoed.
Finally, all the players in the entire conference room stood up, shouting: "Win!" "Win!" "Win!"
"Well, since you are confident, I am even more confident. Tomorrow, we will play well at the Emirates Stadium and tell everyone that we are York City and we are not afraid of any opponent! Even the super teams from the Premier League , we can all beat them down, because we York City are fearless!"
As Pan Yi's speech ended, everyone's blood boiled.
Everyone is looking forward to tomorrow's game! ——
January 7, Emirates Stadium.
Players from Arsenal and York City stood in the aisles, with the roaring fans in the stands above their heads, and their ears listening to the tsunami of cheers coming from the stands.
Arsenal's captain today is Giroud, who stands at the front of the queue with York City's captain Westerman.
The two of them were not familiar with each other, so they just shook hands and looked forward.
Alonso, who was standing in the middle of the York City team, was obviously the player the Arsenal generals were most familiar with, and everyone exchanged greetings with Brother Long.
When the referee and the assistant referee took the lead out of the tunnel, there was a burst of more enthusiastic applause and cheers, but also mixed with boos.
Obviously, part of this is for the home team Arsenal, and the other part is a "gift" to the visiting team York City.
For this game, a total of nearly 3,000 York City fans came from Yorkshire to support the team.
Although they thought the match was a long shot and the distance was long - a four-hour train ride from York to London - they came anyway.
"The players are out! Audience friends, what we are seeing now is one of the third rounds of the FA Cup in England in the 2016-2017 season, Arsenal vs. York City at home!"
Sky Sports also paid great attention to this game and specially arranged for Lineker to provide on-site commentary.
"Let's take a look at Arsenal's starting lineup first. This is still Wenger's usual 4-2-3-1. Compared with the Premier League last week, Arsenal's starting lineup made larger changes in this game. In the rotation, Ospina started at the goalkeeper position. In the defense, teenager Niles served as the right back. Gabriel replaced the injured Koscielny, while the other two defenders were still Mustafi. and Monreal.”
"In the midfield, Ramsey and Xhaka formed a double midfielder, Sanchez took a rest, and Chamberlain replaced Sanchez as the left winger. Iwobi continued to serve as the attacking midfielder, and the right winger was Lucas Perez, and the single arrow Giroud Serve as the captain on the field. It is worth mentioning that Welbeck, who has been injured for 8 months, returned from injury and joined the bench in this game."
"Such a rotation may affect Arsenal's performance on both offense and defense to a certain extent, but Wenger is obviously very confident in his lineup."
"After all, their opponent today is only a team from League One. Although York City has just introduced Spanish star Xabi Alonso not long ago, the total value of their team is still not as good as Arsenal's Sanchez is alone.”
Speaking of this, Lineker said with a smile: "Of course, we all know that the most important reason why Alonso is willing to play from the Bundesliga to the English League is that the owner of York City is Pan Yi."
"It can also be said that the reason why the York City team is what it is today is because their boss is Pan Yi. Because of Pan Yi's existence, York City has attracted countless players and coaches to vote, and also attracted many An infusion of capital.”
"We also know that Pan Yi defeated Arsenal when he was coaching. So, when he becomes the boss, how will his team perform against Arsenal?"
"As I just said, the values of the two teams are not at the same level at all. It must be extremely difficult for Pan Yi to take advantage of Wenger this time..."
On the court at this time, the referee had already put his whistle to his mouth, and soon blew the whistle to start the game.
From the first minute of the game, York City's players engaged in a desperate fight, including the forwards who retreated to the midfield.
Today York City uses a 4-4-2 formation that focuses on counterattacks, but whether it is Armand or Baker, they are closer to their own midfielder, between the midfielders of Alonso and Rice. The distance is kept relatively close.
This can also minimize the space to limit the conduction of Arsenal's midfield.
Everyone knows that Wenger's team is best at using the space on the court and allowing the team to play smoothly!
In the current Arsenal formation, Swiss star Xhaka, who just joined the team in the summer window of this season, is now the absolute main force of the team.
With outstanding physical fitness, fierce fighting and strong aggression, he is like a bulldozer on the court, making up for Arsenal's deficiencies in midfield defense.
Under his active fighting, York City was unable to control the ball.
Compared with him, Rice Jr.'s physical fitness is as thin as a piece of paper, and it flies away in one move.
And what about Xavi Alonso? He is a veteran who is about to retire, so how can he withstand such a bulldozer? Not to mention that Xhaka is assisted by "Death" Ramsey.
Arsenal quickly took control of the midfield.
Five minutes after the opening, Xhaka successfully intercepted the ball in a scramble and then passed it diagonally to Chamberlain on the left.
Chamberlain was very fast and tried to make a fake move in front of Fuyasu Jianyang. After shaking his opponent away, he went directly to the bottom and passed a low ball.
Westerman cleared the ball before Giroud grabbed the point, and it was a foul ball!
"Fu'an, don't rush too far ahead, pay attention to your position!" Westerman reminded Fu'an Jianyang from behind.
Fu'an Jianyang turned around and nodded in agreement, but he stared at Chamberlain nervously.
This guy is extremely fast and has excellent physical fitness, so his impact is also very strong. As long as he relaxes a little, he will not be able to catch up even if he is trying to catch up after being passed by.
When he was in League One, Fuan Jianyang had never encountered such a tough opponent!
"Don't worry, Fuan, we are still here!" Winger Kulusevski also retreated to help Fuan Jianyang defend.
Compared with Fiyasu Jianyang, although he is also young, Kulusevski has seen the world, and his mentality will be more stable.
At this time, Arsenal threw a foul ball, and Ramsey immediately transferred the ball to Lucas Perez on the right.
The 28-year-old Spanish midfielder also just joined Arsenal this season and cost Wenger nearly 20 million euros.
However, it is still difficult for him to play his own value in the team, so he is mainly used as a rotation player.
Now after he got the ball, he saw the opponent's left back Alphonso Davis coming forward, so Lucas Perez wanted to use his speed to eat Alphonso Davis alone.
Unexpectedly, after just two steps of speeding up, Alphonso Davis had already quickly caught up and used a fierce tackle to shovel him out of the sideline with the ball.
In terms of speed, Alphonso Davis really has never been afraid of anyone!
This is a wonderful defense!
"As soon as the game started, the scene seemed very heated. Arsenal player Lucas Perez got up from the ground, stared at the opponent's left back with an indignant look, and seemed to be mumbling something to the referee. He was probably complaining that the opponent’s movements were too big, but the referee just signaled for the game to continue!”
The fans at the Emirates Stadium immediately responded with dissatisfied boos to the referee's decision!
"Well done, Alfonso!" Scaloni stood in front of the coaching bench and shouted encouragement towards Alphonso Davis.
In this game, York City is clearly at a disadvantage in terms of absolute strength, so they have to play energetically to have a better chance.
And a tackle like Alphonso Davis obviously boosts morale!
Pan Yi, who was in the stands at this time, also applauded gently.
He could see that these young players in the team were a little uncomfortable facing a strong team from the Premier League for the first time.
Just have the energy of a newborn calf who is not afraid of tigers like Alphonso Davis!
With this tackle, the game entered a fast-paced attack, defense and fight almost from the beginning, and the scene even became very heated.
Although York City's overall strength is much lower than that of Arsenal, in the first ten minutes of the game, they relied on their tenacious fighting spirit and fierce fighting to compete with Arsenal, but the situation was still firmly controlled by Arsenal. hand.
But there is a gap in every hundred secrets.
In the 20th minute of the game, Arsenal's backcourt Mustafi made a long pass and directly found Giroud. The latter headed the ball a little. After receiving the ball, Iwobi directly made a through ball, and Chamberlain immediately made a diagonal pass. Insert into the restricted area.
Westerman's shortcomings of slow turning were infinitely magnified at this moment. He didn't even have time to pull Chamberlain, and could only watch the fast England star send the ball into York City's goal goal.
1:0, Arsenal ushered in their first goal today!
At this moment, "Zhang Wuji" transformed into "Zhang Jinchu", and he scored a goal!
Amid the cheers of the Arsenal fans, Scaloni immediately called the players on the sidelines: "It's okay, guys! We did a good job, remember, continue to play according to our plan ,do you know?"
The players agreed in unison.
Facing a strong opponent like Arsenal, conceding the goal first was something that the York City coaching staff could have expected before the game.
After losing the ball, you must stabilize your mentality and defend better to avoid being taken advantage of by your opponent to score goals again.
Assistant coach De Zerbi also kept shouting on the sidelines, asking the players to quickly organize their defensive formation.
However, after Arsenal scored the first goal, their morale suddenly became stronger.
The situation on the field became even more one-sided. York City was almost trapped in half-court and could only make clearances and steals.
In order to cope with Arsenal's indiscriminate bombardment, Scaloni even pulled forward Baker back to the backcourt, and the four midfielders' defense also retreated to the front of their own penalty area, leaving the fastest Thomas A. Mang roamed around the midfield, making York City's field formation look like 9-1-0.
Seeing York City's posture, Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger also made some tactical fine-tuning, which was to strengthen long-range shots to break York City's iron barrel formation and try to kill the game early.
Facts have proved that such adjustments are effective.
In the 35th minute of the first half, Giroud picked up the ball with his back, and before Westerman and De Ligt tried to pinch him on both sides of him, he gently pushed the ball in front of him. Xhaka in the midfield rushed up and fired a clean volley!
York City goalkeeper Isaacson's sight was blocked, and by the time he saw where the ball was coming from, it was already too late to make a save.
The ball went in, 2:0!
This is almost a goal that can sentence York City to death early.
Because if you want to regain the disadvantage of two goals at the Emirates Stadium, I am afraid it will be difficult for Chelsea and Manchester City to do it, let alone York City.
The Arsenal fans in the stands suddenly cheered again, shouting the names of Giroud and Xhaka.
After this goal, Arsenal also deliberately slowed down the pace.
After all, they will face a crucial battle with Chelsea in three days. As long as they can win this FA Cup game, there is no need to play hard.
In this way, the 2:0 score remained until the end of the first half.
During the halftime break, when Scaloni and De Zerbi led the players back to the locker room, Pan Yi was still sitting in the stands, thoughtful.
It seems that with the current strength of York City, it is really difficult to compete head-on with Arsenal.
"But they still have weaknesses." Pan Yi stood up, "As long as we can seize this weakness, it is not impossible to get the score back..."
