"Judging from the nearly half-an-hour opening of the game, Arsenal's offense seems to be trying to attack the center, but in fact it still relies heavily on the assists of Monreal and Bellerin on the wing."
In the commentary box, Lineker analyzed the situation of the 30-minute game.
"It's just that York City's defense against Arsenal's two wing attacks was also very good, especially Arsenal's left wing. It was difficult for Ramsey and Monreal to get opportunities, especially when the forwards faced the goal directly. Chance."
"Looking at York City, although they were beaten by Arsenal in the first half hour, their defense seemed more and more solid. Of course, their most widely praised offense has not been able to play for so long. York City Cheng only had one shot, and it was a long shot from outside the penalty area by Amon."
Alan Shearer also has his own views on this:
"This is also to be expected. After all, Arsenal is not Southampton, they are still very strong. Scaloni is sometimes as cautious as Pan Yi, especially when facing strong teams. But the same, don't Seeing that they are now based on defense, I believe that as Arsenal's offense suffers a setback, York City's offense will gradually pick up!"
As if to confirm what Alan Shearer said, a scene of York City's counterattack soon appeared on the scene.
This time, Tonali beautifully intercepted Monreal's dribble, and then passed it to Leo who ran from the wing to the center to meet him. Leo began to dribble the ball and break through quickly!
"Leo dribbled the ball very fast, and he crossed the midfield all of a sudden. He faced Xhaka's defense, and Leo passed him with a beautiful pass!"
"It's so beautiful. Leo is a player with very good physical condition. He often relies on this simple change of speed and the most basic skills to pass people. In fact, this way of passing people is often the easiest to succeed. Lineker exclaimed.
"Especially when facing players like Xhaka who are relatively slow and have a relatively slow frequency of movements." Alan Shearer also added.
"Facing Koscielny's defense, Leo cleverly pushed the ball behind him. Amon suddenly accelerated and pushed the ball into the near corner before Mustafi! The ball... Oops, it didn't go in!"
The York City fans in the stands first cheered and then sighed.
Lineker almost stood up to celebrate the goal, but found that the ball had hit the side netting.
"Didn't this goal go in?" Lineker was a little confused. "From the perspective we just looked at, it really seems like it did..."
Alan Shearer laughed and said: "Scaloni looked very angry on the sidelines. His team was suppressed by Arsenal for half an hour. He finally managed to use a counterattack to get a shot, but unexpectedly it didn't go in! "
Lineker shook his head: "Thomas Amon is a player who is fast, strong, active in running, and very optimistic on the court. He has always maintained a good attitude towards the game. The only shortcoming is that his shooting aim is a bit off."
Alan Shearer said: "But judging from this counterattack, York City played very resolutely, using speed to destroy Arsenal's slow defense. So Scaloni even gave up Baker and Scamacca. Instead of a strong center forward, we will use Thomas Amon, who is faster and has stronger forward ability."
"That's true." Lineker nodded. "If it had been Baker or Scamacca, this shot might not have happened because they couldn't catch up with the extremely fast ball behind them."
"Yes, today's fast forward combination composed of Leo, Amon and Kulusevski, I believe this will be a big test for the central defender composed of Mustafi and Koscielny!" Alan ·Shearer said, "Mustafi has a great advantage in fighting for the top in the air, but chasing the ball behind him has always been difficult. It depends on how Arsenal's defense can make up for this flaw."
Lineker said: "This is also a warning to Wenger. York City's counterattack is too sharp and so fast. He should make changes as soon as possible and find ways to contain York City's counterattack!"
On the field, the game restarts.
Ospina passed the ball short to Bellerin on the right, obviously hoping that the team's right wing could also play, but Wilshere was obviously in poor condition today, and he received Bellerin's pass. As soon as the ball passed the midfield, Rice fiercely shoveled the ball out of bounds and he fell to the ground.
The referee clearly did not call Rice a foul. This was a beautiful defense.
Wilshere lay on the ground for a while, then stood up again.
This young man from England has been regarded by Arsenal as the future leader of the Gunners for a long time.
As early as 2001, Wilshere, who was only 9 years old, joined Arsenal's youth training camp. Then in the summer of 2008, Wilshere signed with Arsenal to become a professional player.
In September 2008, Wilshere, who was only 16 years and 256 days old, became the youngest player in Arsenal's history.
But soon, injuries caught up with this genius.
According to statistics from the "Daily Mail", he has been out of action due to injuries for 119 weeks in more than five years!
Since his first injury in 2009, Wilshere has become an out-and-out glass man. It can be said that Wilshere did not meet Wenger's expectations, and injuries were the biggest hurdle in his career.
In 2022, this former genius who was only 30 years old announced his retirement, which is really sad.
Now, he has just recovered from an ankle injury, and he is still a little bit mentally depressed.
Therefore, he was always a little timid when facing Rice's fierce defense, which also affected his performance.
Seeing this scene, Wenger on the sidelines was still very calm and just shouted the name of his beloved disciple loudly to encourage him.
On the other side, Scaloni frequently gave the team the latest instructions. Among them, what he requested most was undoubtedly to be more efficient and smarter during counterattacks.
Because as Arsenal's offense was contained, York City also gained more counterattack opportunities.
However, except for Amang's "side net goal" just now, York City's several counterattacks failed to result in a real goal.
Especially Kulusevski's close shot was saved by Ospina like a god.
Now the situation between the two sides is very clear. York City will defend steadily and Arsenal will attack steadily. Then it depends on who can score the opponent's goal earlier.
Everyone knows that the first team to score will take the initiative on the field!
After all, this is a final. Whether it is Arsenal or York City, the price of conceding the ball first is to be led by the opponent.
But as time passed by, the situation on the field still did not change.
York City's defense is becoming more and more stable, and Arsenal's offense is becoming more and more patient. Both sides seem to have adopted prudent tactics in the hope of defeating the other side in a safer way.
York City's two central defenders, De Ligt and Bastoni, were indeed a little out of shape at the beginning, but they recovered after adjustments.
They restricted Lacazette's performance very well, so that the latter almost didn't get any decent opportunities in the first half and was forced to frequently retreat to get the ball.
Under the joint coverage of Tonali, Militao and others, Arsenal's left offensive failed to make a sound.
Ramsey crossed to the wing several times to pass the ball, but Bastoni pushed the ball out very steadily, ensuring the safety of the goal, and Welbeck did not get the slightest chance under his defense.
Seeing that there were only the last 3 minutes of injury time left in the first half.
Wenger was obviously unwilling to end the first half in a draw, so he took advantage of a dead ball opportunity and made a gesture toward the court.
This is a gesture to suddenly speed up, and the Arsenal players certainly know it.
In the next attack, Lacazette retreated to the left to get the ball, and then took it diagonally to the arc area of the penalty area.
At this time, Welbeck also leaned to the right to respond. York City did not dare to neglect, and Tonali immediately followed Lacazette.
Lacazette had suffered several losses from Tonali, but this time he did not dare to force a breakthrough. Instead, he used his body to lean on him and protect the ball. When Welbeck started to move, he skillfully knocked the ball to the right. road.
Wilshere, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly started to catch the ball before Alphonso Davies and sent a low ball into the penalty area.
Wilshere's pass was clever, right between the centre-back and goalkeeper, making neither side dare to react easily.
The veteran Welbeck suddenly stepped in. Under Bastoni's close guard, he made a gesture to shoot, but he missed it deliberately.
Ramsey on the left didn't know when he had hit the horse and hit the ball with a kick!
This is Arsenal under Wenger. Sometimes the offense is very smooth, like mercury leaking out of the ground!
In everyone's eyes, this was a shot that was inevitable.
In particular, Onana had been deceived by Welbeck's fake shot and lost his center of gravity. His whole body was far away from the other side of the goal, and it was no longer possible to block Ramsey's shot.
But just when everyone thought Arsenal was going to score, a figure suddenly slipped out, fell to the ground and used his legs to block Ramsey's shot from the bottom line, once again trying to keep the goal!
"It's Militao! Oh my god, York City once again prevented Arsenal from winning a goal! At the most critical moment, Militao blocked the opponent's inevitable shot!"
Lineker exclaimed again.
"This also illustrates York City's tenacious defensive will." Alan Shearer also said, "And a backcourt versatile player like Militao is very useful at critical moments. Now when his own goal is about to be breached, he Also stood up!”
"Yes... they are a very tenacious team..." Lineker wanted to compliment him, but interrupted himself, "Look at this ball!"
On the field, Arsenal got a corner kick opportunity as Militao blocked the ball from the baseline.
Ramsey took a corner kick and passed it to the front post, but De Ligt cleared the ball before an Arsenal player.
Kulusevski, who retreated from the right, received the ball and immediately drove the ball up the right.
Arsenal's defense immediately retreated, but York City's strikers Amon and Leo also rushed forward.
Especially Aman, he immediately leaned to the right, played a beautiful one-two with Kulusevski and then passed Monreal. Then there was a large open space in front of Kulusevski. Got it!
"Oh my god, York City used Arsenal's corner kick attack to launch a counterattack! Now Kulusevski has entered Arsenal's half alone and reached the penalty area!"
"Koscielny was forced to press towards Kulusevski, but the latter quickly passed the ball to Leo, and Leo quickly passed it to Amon, who then passed the ball diagonally into the penalty area!"
"These few quick passes immediately stunned Arsenal's two central defenders. Koscielny was unable to defend in time, and Kulusevski received the ball and formed a one-man attack!"
"Beautiful, the ball went in!!!" Lineker shouted loudly, "This time it really went in!!!!"
The referee's goal whistle sounded immediately, and York City fans could really raise their arms and cheer this time.
"Kulusevski, in the stoppage time of the first half, after some clever cooperation with his teammates, destroyed Arsenal's entire defense, then he faced the goalkeeper and calmly scored the ball ! 1:0, York City took the lead before the end of the first half!”
"This goal is so beautiful. Leo, Amon and Kulusevski performed brilliant frontcourt coordination. In front of them, Mustafi and Koscielny were like wooden pillars. Just the same, there was no way to intercept the ball, I could only watch helplessly as they sent the ball into the penalty area and into the goal!"
Alan Shearer also seemed very excited: "This is a typical York City-style coordinated goal. The three people in the frontcourt cooperated very well, especially in a small area with one continuous touch of the ball. It can be said that Even more Arsenal than Arsenal! At this moment, the shortcomings of Arsenal’s defense are fully exposed, they simply can’t catch up with York City’s speed!”
"This is the offensive efficiency that Pan Yi has always emphasized in the team, and Scaloni and his disciples executed it very well. Even if York City was at a disadvantage in the first half, even if they were suppressed by Arsenal, they were able to Take advantage of the few opportunities and score goals!"
After Kulusevski scored, head coach Scaloni raised his arms and ran along the sidelines. He seemed so excited.
Although this action caused strong dissatisfaction among Arsenal fans in the stands, it allowed York City fans to express their ecstasy after their team took the lead.
Yeah, York City are ahead of Arsenal and now they're one goal ahead in the FA Cup final!
The moment York City scored, Wenger clearly felt that his heart had been hit by a hammer, which made him feel a little weak.
He originally thought that even if there was no goal in the first half, the score should at least be maintained at 0:0.
Even when Lacazette and the others launched an attack, Wenger thought he could take the lead, but who would have thought that he would concede the goal in an instant!
That's what football is like, if you don't score, the opponent will score, and then the situation will turn around in an instant.
At this time, everyone in York City was celebrating the team's goal unscrupulously from a distance, but Wenger's heart was as cold as ice.
He knew very well that under the current circumstances, York City would definitely counterattack more thoroughly in the second half.
The cost of falling behind means that Arsenal can only press out in the second half, and the loopholes in the defense will be infinitely magnified, which will make York City's counterattack more effective.
Take a look at these players on York City's field now...
Well, several of them were "temperature difference signings" that I originally wanted to sign into the team!
If they can play for Arsenal... well, forget it. I don’t know if I will still be Arsenal’s coach after this game.
Wenger quickly sobered up.
The game is not over yet, the team is only one goal behind!
He had to accept the team's falling behind in the first half and then start thinking about how to counterattack in the second half.
The moment the referee blew the whistle to end the first half, Wenger had already walked quickly into the tunnel, while the York City coaching bench on the other side was also empty.
Scaloni obviously also understood Wenger's power, so he returned to the locker room early. He had already thought up the tactics to deal with Arsenal in the second half that he would transmit to the players during the halftime break!
——
"We've really gotten stronger."
In the VIP box, McGill sighed sincerely.
As a team in the English Championship, York City won the English Championship and also reached the FA Cup final and the Europa League final. How many powerful enemies did they have to overcome and win? Tough game.
If York City can win the FA Cup and Europa League, they will be the first team in the history of English football and even world football to win the Triple Crown from a second-tier league team!
Although this can only be regarded as a "little treble", which is still a bit behind winning the top league championship and the Champions League, considering York City's status as a British Championship team, this is even more difficult to achieve than the real treble. !
Let’s talk about the Triple Crown in the usual sense, Celtic in 1967, Ajax in 1972, PSV in 1988, Manchester United in 1999, Barcelona in 2009, Inter Milan in 2010, Bayern Munich in 2013, plus Milan, Hamburg, Chelsea after Pan Yi took over... In fact, there are quite a few.
But if York City can win this "little triple crown", it is likely to be the only one in history, and it may even be unprecedented!
As the former chairman of York City, McGill has experienced the team from struggling in the English League Two to today's great achievement of hoping to achieve the Triple Crown. The ups and downs of this life are really exciting!
He also knew that his simple statement of "getting stronger" was something that many club owners and fans could not expect for years.
Everything that York City can achieve today is due to the boss standing next to him - Pan Yi.
"It's only one goal ahead, don't rush to open the champagne at halftime." Pan Yi said with a smile, "Arsenal's strength should not be underestimated, and Wenger is also very capable. Not to mention other things, just the stars in their team , all have the ability to change the game in a flash, so we still have to be careful. Of course, I believe Scaloni can do it."
The 1:0 halftime lead was indeed not safe.
Well, even a 3:0 halftime lead is not safe!
Especially when facing a strong team like Arsenal, they may suddenly show up at any time and kill them with one blow.
Moreover, York City is still very young, and most of the players lack experience in dealing with big scenes, so it depends on how Scaloni can cover up this shortcoming of his own team, and then win the game steadily!
