May 4, Stadio Olimpico, Rome.
When the referee blew the whistle to end the second leg of the Europa League semi-final knockout round, the stadium was suddenly silent. Even the most die-hard Lazio fans could not make any more noise.
Even though they tried their best to cheer for their beloved team throughout the game, Lazio did perform very diligently and hard in this game. Inzaghi even played four forwards and played with all his strength. The offensive 4-2-4 formation, but in the end still failed to bring his team a victory.
0:1, this is the score displayed on the red scoreboard above the Olympic Stadium.
Not only did Lazio not score, but York City took advantage of a counterattack around the 70th minute, with Kvalac Helija cutting in and shooting.
This goal also completely defeated Lazio's fighting spirit and allowed York City to successfully enter the Europa League finals this season!
In fact, the Italian media has a bit to say about this game.
This is mainly because Scaloni put on a defensive counterattack posture in this game, using an Italian way to defeat the Italian team.
"Corriere dello Sport" said in a somewhat mocking tone, "It is said that Pan Yi's York City is good at passing and controlling, and good at attacking, but that's it?"
But there was no need for the people from York City to speak out. The English media, which had always been reluctant to deal with the Italian media, helped to fight back:
"It is said that the Italian league used to be a mini-World Cup, but it was eliminated by one of our second-tier league teams. Is this the mini-World Cup?"
Scaloni said frankly in an interview that after already winning four goals at home, it would be a fool's errand to go to the away game to engage in offensive tactics.
"Boss Pan Yi has always taught me that winning football is a good game. Considering that we still have two finals to play, I just need to ensure that the game is won in the most economical way. As for how to win, , I don’t care.”
Scaloni is right.
After this semi-final, in about ten days, York City will go to Wembley Stadium to face the challenge of Arsenal in this season's English FA Cup final.
Then in four days, it will be the Europa League final, which will be played at the Parc Olympique in Lyon.
So……
Are Arsenal the opponents in both finals?
the answer is negative.
In the other Europa League semi-final matchup, Arsenal lost to Atletico Madrid.
They were first tied 1:1 by their opponents at the Emirates Stadium at home, with Lacazette and Griezmann making contributions respectively.
Then at Atletico Madrid's home court, Griezmann assisted Diego Costa and sealed the deal with one arrow. Atletico Madrid defeated Arsenal 1:0 and finally entered the final!
Therefore, the final of the Europa League will be between York City and Atletico Madrid. This is also the time when Pan Yi's team faces Simeone again.
For this game, the English media also tried their best to exaggerate it.
Part of the reason for this is that in this season’s Champions League, Liverpool, the representative of the Premier League, has been performing well. They also defeated another Roman city team, Roma, in the semi-finals and also entered this season’s Champions League. finals.
Coincidentally, their opponent in the final was also another Madrid team-Real Madrid!
This means that this season's two European finals will be played between Spanish and English teams.
On the current topic of who is the "first league in the world" between the Premier League and La Liga, the media and fans are quarreling, and now these two finals can obviously find reliable arguments for both sides to a certain extent.
Of course, before the start of the final, this kind of debate is temporarily led by England.
After all... there's York City in this year's final!
"Look, even our second-tier league team can enter the Europa League finals. You can imagine how strong our Premier League team is!"
"I don't know if the world's number one league is the Premier League, but the English Championship is at least the top three leagues, right? Now there are only three teams in the finals, haha!"
"Well, if our Premier League and Championship teams hadn't had the most games, the tightest schedule, the most intense competition, and no winter break... I think the results would have been even better!"
"Aren't Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid both known as the Spanish Super League? Let's see if Atletico Madrid can beat our English Championship team!..."
As for the quarrel between the Italian media and the English media, Pan Yi has no interest in participating.
He is the owner of an English club and the head coach of the Italian national team. It is not good to help either side.
As for who is stronger between La Liga and the Premier League, it is an even more boring topic. Doesn’t UEFA have points? Isn’t that enough?
But anyway, as long as it doesn't affect the team's preparations, Pan Yi doesn't care about the hype from the outside media.
Moreover, for York City's business department, the more intense the hype, the better it will be for the team's business development.
Fame means income, in this era where traffic is king!
Although York City is already an internet celebrity team, with such good results this year, it can undoubtedly make it even more popular.
For example, York City won the English Championship this season and was promoted to the Premier League early. With such a bargaining chip in hand, football director Victor Horta is already bargaining with sponsors.
This is of course about the increase in sponsorship fees.
Promotion to the Premier League is one thing, but if York City can win again in the FA Cup and Europa League finals, the team's international reputation will be further enhanced, so the cost will definitely increase.
Not to mention that part of York City's new stadium will be put into use next season!
By then, the surrounding facilities will be more complete, and the value of sponsorship will be greatly enhanced.
Of course, for the team's coaches and players, their focus is still on the game itself.
The last few rounds of the English Championship have become a stage for Scaloni to practice tactics and adjust the status of his players.
On May 8, York City welcomed Aston Villa at home, their last game in the English Championship this season.
Scaloni put on a full rotation, but York City's bench players still showed a strong desire to win.
On the one hand, everyone does not want to lose in front of the home fans in the final game;
On the other hand, York City lost to Aston Villa 1:2 in the first round. Today is a revenge game!
Everyone played very actively. In the end, the team relied on Lin Liangming's long-range shot from the back row in the first half and a corner kick opportunity in the second half. Saliba took the corner kick and scored with a header, defeating Afghanistan 2:0. STON VILLA.
After the last round of league play, this season's English Championship rankings have finally been settled.
York City won the English Championship, with a terrifying 115 points!
In second place is the Wolves. In fact, their performance was already very good in previous years, with 30 wins, 9 draws, and 7 losses, with 99 points. But this year, when they encounter York City, they can only feel wronged and become the second best. .
These two teams also directly promoted to the Premier League next season as they wished.
Ranked third to sixth are Cardiff City, Fulham, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough, who will participate in the Championship play-offs to compete for the last Premier League ticket.
At the bottom of the list, Barnsley, Burton and Sunderland were among the bottom three and were relegated.
Among them, Sunderland even achieved "two consecutive drops", falling directly from the Premier League to the English League One, which is really embarrassing.
This is the story in the documentary "My Heart Will Always Follow Sunderland" that Pan Yi watched in his previous life...
——
The outside world has paid great attention to the FA Cup final that started on May 16. In addition to being another showdown between York City and Arsenal, many English media also regarded this FA Cup final as a match between York City and Arsenal. The cup final was called Wenger's last fig leaf.
Because if they fail to win the FA Cup, Arsenal will face the embarrassment of having nothing to gain this season, and there is a high possibility that Wenger will no longer be able to play for his beloved Gunners.
Wenger was determined to win this game, and he did not hesitate to give the team a winning order before the game. Only in this way could he have a glimmer of hope to stay!
This has also led to Arsenal fans, whether they support Wenger or not, to come to the scene to watch this game.
After all, this is likely to be the last game for Arsenal led by Wenger!
The coaches on both sides also had different tone when being interviewed by reporters.
Scaloni frequently praised Arsenal before the game, believing that this team is the most entertaining team among the Premier League teams and has a strong offensive ability. This game will bring huge benefits to York City's defense. pressure.
"York City is very strong? No, we don't have as many stars as Arsenal. We are just a Championship team. This is only our second time in the FA Cup final. We hope to be there." The fans gave us a wonderful game, that’s all!”
Unlike Scaloni who practiced Tai Chi, Wenger gave a very direct answer when being interviewed by reporters.
Because for him and Arsenal, this is a last-ditch battle, and there is no other possibility except winning!
On the day of the game, the entire Wembley Stadium was full. Arsenal fans, York City fans and some neutral fans in the stadium sat in distinct places to cheer and cheer for their teams.
"We are here just to bring back the FA Cup trophy!"
In the north dressing room of Wembley Stadium, Wenger's powerful words rang out.
"We are a team with a glorious tradition, a team full of pride. Our pride prevents us from losing, but it is a pity. Our several losses this season ultimately cost us our Champions League spot and our opportunity to compete for the Europa League title."
Wenger's words silenced the players in the dressing room.
"But that has passed. Now, in front of us, there is an opportunity to restore our dignity. We need a championship, we need the FA Cup!"
Seeing that the players' emotions were aroused by him, Wenger continued.
"York City is a very strong team. Even though they are a Championship team, they have reached the FA Cup final and the Europa League final this season, which is not easy."
"We must try our best to compete, beat them, and win the FA Cup that belongs to us!"
"Go and grab this trophy, don't leave us empty-handed! Attack from the very beginning and catch them off guard!"
The players all stood up together with Wenger's words.
——
"Dear viewers, this is the 2017-2018 season, the English FA Cup final. The game is about to start, and players from both sides are appearing one after another!"
Lineker quickly introduced the starting lineups of both sides of the game:
"Arsenal's starting lineup for this game is a 4-4-2. The starting goalkeeper is Colombian national goalkeeper Ospina. The defense is Monreal, Koscielny, Mustafi and Bellerin. The four midfielders are Xhaka, Holding, Ramsey and Wilshere, and the two forwards are Lacazette and Welbeck."
"Today Wenger deployed two forwards, probably because he wanted to do something offensive. As for the goalkeeper, Cech is old and is sitting on the bench today."
"Let's take a look at York City's starting lineup. It's still a 4-3-3. The goalkeeper is Onana, and the defense from left to right is Alphonso Davies, Bastoni, and De Ligt. With Militao, the three players in the midfield combination are Rice, De Jong and Tonali, and the three players in the frontcourt are Leo, Armand and Kulusevski! Huh? Baker didn't start today?"
"This start is really surprising." Alan Shearer was also surprised. "According to the news we received, Baker is not injured. You see, he is still sitting on the bench. And Scaloni did not send a team today." Instead of using another center forward Scamacca, he used a speed forward like Aman... What was he thinking?"
Lineker was also surprised: "Amon's speed is indeed very fast, and his breakthrough ability has also been greatly improved in the past two years. However, he is not tall and is still a little behind as the fulcrum of the team. York City uses If he plays in the middle, is he giving up the high ball strategy?"
"Maybe it's because Arsenal is determined to win today and is stronger than York City in terms of overall strength. If they play according to the usual routine, York City's defensive players may be difficult to defend. In such a crucial game, Arsenal Carloni obviously wants to base himself on defense and then use the speed of a forward to rush." Alan Shearer captured Scaloni's thoughts.
"Okay, now the two sides of the game are ready, Arsenal got the right to serve during the coin guess, and the game is about to begin."
Lineker said, and the live broadcast also showed the referee blowing the whistle to start the game.
"Arsenal kicked off, Lacazette passed back to Xhaka behind, who immediately passed to the left. Ramsey received the ball and passed a through ball. Lacazette received the ball and suddenly started, He entered the penalty area and shot!"
"It was less than ten seconds into the game and Arsenal had a very threatening shooting opportunity!"
"Onana reacted very quickly. He blocked Lacazette's single-handed ball with a side dive. This was really dangerous!"
Lineker shouted in shock.
He is now a 100% York City fan. Coupled with his status as a "Tottenham star", of course he hopes that York City beats Arsenal.
However, Arsenal's opening momentum today was indeed a bit fierce, and they almost scored a goal.
"Looking at the slow-motion footage, we can see that York City's central defenders De Ligt and Bastoni were not very focused. Lacazette only reacted after he entered the penalty area. Fortunately, Ona finally reacted. Na has done a great job, otherwise he would have conceded the goal at the very beginning, which would have been a fatal blow to York City!"
Alan Shearer also nodded and said: "These young players in York City have some strength, but sometimes they are really not focused enough because they are too young. When facing a strong team like Arsenal, including Lacazette, When you are forward, you must keep your concentration, otherwise you will really concede the goal!"
——
In the VIP box at Wembley Stadium, Pan Yi was obviously relieved.
He had to admit that his heart almost jumped out of his chest just now, and he still looked frightened for the rest of his life.
"I feel like you were not as nervous as you are now when you were a coach on the sidelines." Although Jason McGill was also shocked, he still said to Pan Yi with a smile.
"Because everything will be under my control at that time, but now, it will be a little farther away from me." Pan Yi also smiled, "At this time, I am just an ordinary fan, and of course I will care about myself. Nervous about the team.”
Jason McGill nodded, understanding.
Then it was his turn to say worriedly: "Our players seemed a little distracted during Arsenal's raid just now. Is that okay?"
"Young players always have to grow up in games like this." Pan Yi looked at the court and said, "Whether it is Bastoni or De Ligt, they will become world-class central defenders in the future. But now, their What is needed is experience, and this experience includes success and failure. York City must enjoy the fruits of their success while also bearing the consequences of his failure..."
Jason McGill curled his lips: "Then I can only pray that they don't learn lessons in such an important final..."
Pan Yi said firmly: "Don't worry, although I'm not on the sidelines, Scaloni is here, and he knows what to do!"
——
Pan Yi is right.
Now, Scaloni is waving to Bastoni frequently from the sidelines, indicating that the team's defense should not give the opponent so much space, and let Rice and Tonali also retreat some, while running more and taking on more responsibility. Take on more tasks of protecting the defense line.
At least judging from the opening fast break and several subsequent attacks, Wenger should have wanted to use the impact of Lacazette and Welbeck to directly attack York City's defense, especially De Ligt. Especially this side.
This is mainly determined by the characteristics of the players on both offense and defense.
De Ligt has strong frontal defensive ability and excellent header ability, but he is too close to his opponent when marking people. He prefers to go all out for physical confrontation and is not very good at leaving space for himself.
Although he is faster, he is also heavier after all, so he will be at a disadvantage when facing speedy forwards and wingers.
In addition, De Ligt sometimes has problems with his decision-making in the penalty area, and his movements are not so clean, which can easily lead to handball fouls and turn into a "volleyball player"...
As for Arsenal's two forwards today, Lacazette, although not tall or fast, has a strong passing ability and can quickly discover the movement of his teammates when the opponent is forcing him, and use himself to Precise footwork delivers key passes;
When running in the frontcourt, Lacazette can take advantage of the opponent's central defender who is marking him and only looks at the ball and not the person for a moment, quickly moving to an unguarded area and then catching the ball and scoring.
This characteristic makes De Ligt actually look worse than Lacazette.
Needless to say, Welbeck is extremely fast and is specifically here to keep an eye on De Ligt.
Of course, guarding these two top forwards cannot be a one-man task.
If De Ligt can guard Arsenal's two forwards by himself, what should others do?
Defense itself is something that the whole team has to do.
Scaloni's purpose in making the defense tighten the space is to hope that either center back Bastoni or right back Militao can help De Ligt.
Needless to say, Bastoni, but Militao can play as a central defender. Defense is stronger than offense, so it is best to let him assist in defense.
As for the left side, Alphonso Davis should let him use his offensive talents to his fullest. He is still a little worse defensively than the other three generals.
The Canadian's offense can also curb Arsenal's right-side attack and prevent Ramsey, Bellerin and others from advancing too comfortably.
Defend on the right and attack on the left. This is Scaloni's strategy today.
As long as the offenses on both sides are controlled, Arsenal will no longer be so scary!
"As long as we hold on, guys, we can win!"
This is what Scaloni said when setting up tactics in the dressing room.
In this game, he will play defensive counterattack, and everyone expected him to play defensive counterattack.
The key question is whether Arsenal can break through York City's defense, and whether York City can counterattack successfully while limiting Arsenal's attack!
(End of chapter)
