The excited roars of the commentators hovered over the stadium, and the only people who responded to them were the small group of Arsenal fans behind the Villarreal goal. The yellow submarine fans in yellow uniforms fell into a dead silence.
Riquelme, who had just chased back to the top of the arc, held his knees and gasped for air, sweat dripping from his eyelashes. He looked up at Henry who was kneeling at the corner and the Arsenal players who were flying away. He wrinkled his nose. Eyebrows, eyes full of fatigue.
He is a player who lacks physical fitness, or to be more precise, he is a player whose physical fitness level is below the average level of professional players.
Knowing this, he usually tries to reduce unnecessary fast movements during the game.
But maybe it was out of the competitive spirit that he didn't want to lose to Chen Mo.
Maybe it's because he knows that if he doesn't step up, no one on this team will.
Perhaps he was grateful to this bright yellow city and was willing to extend an olive branch called trust when he was kicked out by Barcelona like a bereaved dog.
Therefore, in the first forty minutes, he wildly expanded his range of activities, and even went to the extent of engaging in extremely resistant physical confrontations with Vieira Essien, Chen Mo and others, just to fight for a glimmer of light in the slit!
but
"It's over."
Breathing hard, he glanced sideways at the scoreboard above the stands. The red score was two to zero. Riquelme felt a deep sense of powerlessness in his heart, and the struggle in his eyes gradually turned into fatigue.
But at this moment, I don’t know who started it first, and the patter of applause sounded from every corner of the Love Song Stadium. And not long after, the drizzle turned into a violent storm and poured down, hitting the eaves with crackling sounds. ring!
"Guys, great!"
“Excellent performance!”
"Alvarez! Very cool pursuit!"
"Riquelme, you escaped beautifully!"
Countless fans in yellow uniforms stood up and applauded, cheering with joy, and everyone had a happy smile on their face!
They are just a small city of 50,000 people. Before this game started, even the most die-hard fans did not think that Huang Potential, who had just made his fortune this year, could defeat Arsenal, which is now in full swing. Their expectation was just to play. A game that can announce to the world [Champions League, our yellow submarine is coming! 】high-quality competition.
And just now.
From Pires' corner kick, Barbosa picked off the quick goal kick, to Riquelme's ghostly movement to deceive Essien into getting the first goal, and then stopped the ball with almost textbook skills and turned around to get rid of it, leading the way. The ball advances at medium speed.
Then at thirty yards, the cruise missile unfortunately hit the post. Chen Mo looked back at the moon with a very high bounce, and headed the ball past Essien to send a long pass. Finally, Henry used a very ornamental backheel to pass the ball. The final calmness Push shot to score.
In just a few minutes, players from both sides played very exciting offense and defense.
They are already satisfied to see such a game at the small stadium called Love Song Stadium, and to see their players perform like this.
A tsunami of applause roared in his ears. Riquelme was stunned for a moment. He raised his head blankly and looked at the happy smiles on the faces of the fans wearing yellow players on the sidelines. In a trance, this player came to Europe to make a career in Europe. The Argentinian, who has not found his second home for several years, seems to feel that his shoulders are much heavier, but his legs are beginning to gain strength! .
"Oh, listen to the cheers! Huang Qian fans are so united!"
"Indeed, but... although I really don't want to upset these lovely fans, the current situation seems to have begun to develop out of control for their team. Arsenal led by two goals, and it was near the end of the first half. The second goal scored. I don’t know how Manuel’s midfielder will make adjustments in this situation.”
"I think at this time, rather than making tactical adjustments, perhaps awakening the morale of the players as soon as possible is Manuel's priority. You must know that this new team is almost entirely composed of players who have not participated in the Champions League. , the mentality may collapse directly after suffering several blows. Just like people can easily walk in a straight line on the road, but if it is an equally wide road with abyss on both sides, people will stagger.
Mentality will affect the brain, and nervousness in the brain will directly feed back to the body, causing movement deformation and loss of foot feel. Many top players in the league perform poorly after going to international stages such as the Champions League or the World Cup. The reason is It's because their mentality cannot be corrected, and now their Villarreal's strength is already lagging behind Arsenal. If it happens again... Well, now I can only say that I hope this game will not affect their performance in the group stage. "
The words of the commentary seemed to have sentenced Villarreal to death.
On the sidelines, Wenger also felt the same way. He had been standing on the sidelines watching the game and walked into the bench, sipping water and feeling a little relaxed. But soon, before the bench was warm, the situation on the field changed!
As the referee blew the whistle, Villarreal served the ball in the center circle. Forlan swept the ball back to Riquelme. Chen Mo hit the top immediately, but Riquelme, who always likes to stick to the ball and dribble, this Instead of dribbling, he touched the ball and passed the ball directly back to Hosiko. At the same time, he moved quickly to find Arsenal's left midfielder Essien!
"He wants to take advantage of the yellow card!"
In an instant, Chen Mo understood Riquelme's intention and immediately ran to catch up. At the same time, he waved to Vieira to change positions. The latter nodded and immediately started to move towards the midfielder, while Essien on the left moved sideways to the right. .
Under the gaze of 30,000 spectators, the triangular midfield consisting of Chen Mo, Vieira Essien and three people was like a flowing stream of water, changing positions one after another. But at this moment, Rick, who was halfway up, Ermei suddenly stopped and returned to the center circle again!
Stop!
Riquelme's sudden retracement halted the rotation of the three of them. They had no choice but to lose their position, and the three of them had no choice but to return to their positions as if they were going back in time!
"What does he want to do?"
Looking at Riquelme who kept running without the ball next to him, Chen Mo frowned. This kind of stoppage is indeed very useful.
Or to be precise, it is very useful to deal with the current situation.
Essien has a yellow card on his back. It is impossible for him to restrain himself and defend Riquelme, who is already very capable of one-on-one. Therefore, as long as Riquelme keeps running, Arsenal's formation also needs to make corresponding adjustments. Changes, but the team is like a precise instrument. Once the frequency is too fast, there will always be gaps in the formation!
A very effective tactic, but inch-stop is very harmful to the body!
If you want to open a gap in Arsenal's formation, you can't trot slowly and leisurely, you must keep turning back and forth at high speed. However, Arsenal's three midfielders are famous for their physical fitness and interception. How could Riquelme, who is not physically strong, run? Pass?
Chen Mo looked at him with some confusion. Riquelme, who was sweating like rain, did not pay attention to Chen Mo this time. Instead, he devoted his whole body to the game, constantly running at full speed and constantly making emergency stops and retreats. Like a mad wolf, biting Arsenal's defense like crazy!
"Oh my God, is this still the slow Riquelme we know?"
"If he keeps running like this, with the physical fitness he has shown in the past, he will be exhausted within sixty or seventy minutes of the second half at most. It seems that he has already given it all!"
The commentator was muttering, and Riquelme, who had just completed a return run, could hear nothing but his own heavy breathing, and in the next second, he moved his long legs to run quickly again!
"this"
On the sidelines, Manuel was silent. He had never seen Riquelme running at such full speed. For a moment, regretful and gratifying emotions came to his heart. Not only him, but also other Villarreal players. See it all in your eyes.
Emotions are contagious.
Soon, amid Riquelme's sprints, sudden stops, and reverse runs, the momentum of the Villarreal players gradually increased, not high, but solemn!
Under Chen Mo's frowning gaze, the entire Villarreal team started to move. The two central midfielders Solin and Senna, who had been struggling for the first 40 minutes to dare to go forward, began to advance more frequently. , even the two fullbacks who had been responsible for defense began to run more frequently!
Gradually, with the team's hard work and Riquelme's guidance, Villarreal used ground penetration for the first time to pass the ball across the center line and began to control the ball in the Arsenal half!
"What's going on?! Libyan Real is on the rise?! It's such a cohesive team. It's two goals behind at halftime and it can quickly adjust its mentality!"
"Essien's yellow card is too fatal. Riquelme is the kind of player who is not fast or strong, but is extremely delicate with his feet and has a great sense of rhythm. A tough guy like Essien is not physical, and it is difficult to get out of his feet. Steal the ball, but once you get involved, you are likely to get another yellow card!
This means that Chen Mo, who is in the attacking midfielder position, must help defend, and in this way, Villarreal's midfielder Hosico can easily get the ball! You must know that now it is not the backcourt trick like before, but high-pressure ball control in the frontcourt! At this distance, even if Hosico is not good at passing, he can still send threatening passes! "
"Indeed, after getting closer to the Arsenal goal, whether it is Hosico, Solin or Senna, the threat begins to increase, but this is also a double-edged sword. The whole team is too high, and as long as Arsenal is It's easy to lose the ball when you steal the ball and fight back, and Henry's solo shot a few minutes ago is a good example."
"Well, now it depends on which team can hold on. As long as Villarreal can score a goal, the game will still have a chance. But if Arsenal succeeds in counterattack, it will be completely over."
The commentary was rambling, and on the sidelines, Wenger frowned tightly.
Do you want to replace Essien?
The team's current problem is that Essien is carrying a yellow card. As long as he is replaced, all problems will be solved, but there is no defensive midfielder in the team that can be effective against Riquelme!
When Essien is replaced, Chen Mo has to play as a defensive midfielder, while Vieira is responsible for helping to defend forward Forlan on the other side. The La Liga Golden Boot winner last season has not performed well so far because of Vieira's delay. Assist defense!
If Essien is replaced, Chen Mo and Vieira will have to stay in the backcourt. Who will be responsible for connecting the midfielder and forward line? !
Or
"The focus will be on the defensive end next?"
The thought flashed through his mind, Wenger crossed his arms and shook his head slightly.
Leading two goals and then starting to defend, this is not his style, nor is it Arsenal's style!
But the next second he shook his head slightly, the situation on the field suddenly changed!
"return?"
In the second minute of stoppage time in the first half, Solin got the ball on the right and faced Lauren pressing him. He stepped on the ball and held the opponent with his back. Lauren's defensive ability was pretty good, which put a lot of pressure on him. Unable to turn around at all, he had no choice but to prepare to pass the ball back.
At this moment, out of the corner of his left eye, he suddenly caught Riquelme pulling his chin and winking behind him. At the same time, he left the center to look for Essien. Chen Mo, who was guarding Riquelme, followed him immediately. Go up, and the moment Chen Mo left the middle, a black shadow quickly came up, occupying the space left by Chen Mo, and at the same time beckoned for the ball!
"Hosico!"
In the blink of an eye, Solin didn't hesitate at all. He swung his right foot and swept the ball to the center. There, Hosiko, who was behind forty minutes behind, hit the top for the first time!
"You can't get the ball!"
The moment the ball rolled, Henry, whose jersey was soaked, had already rushed behind Huosike, stretching out his long brown legs to try to intercept the ball. But in the next moment, Huosike did not stop the ball on the spot, but grabbed it. The moment before Henry took out his foot to destroy the ball, he stretched out his right foot to face the diagonally rolling ball, pushed hard with the instep, then caught up with him at high speed, and continued to move forward with the ball!
"Oh my God! Hosico penetrated!"
"Sudden rise!!!"
"Xiao Mo! Defend!"
No one expected that Hosico, who was not very capable of forward penetration and had been dragging behind for 40 minutes, would suddenly advance forward. Vieira's roar roared in his ears, and the second before he roared, he had been paying attention to the middle. Chen Mo immediately gave up on defending Riquelme and turned around to pounce on Hosico who was dribbling the ball at high speed!
"It's so fast!"
"But what I want is for you to come out!"
The ball "dong dong dong" in front of him, and the corner of his right eye caught Chen Mo running towards him. In the flash of lightning, Huosike, who was advancing with the ball, swung his left foot, and the ball rubbed Chen Mo's outstretched right foot. The toes rolled to the right, towards the feet of Riquelme!
"Here it comes! The ball is for Riquelme!"
"He's one-on-one with Essien!"
"Dammit! Hand over the ball!"
"Big stupid cow!"
Without a trace of hesitation, Riquelme immediately blocked Essien's path with his back and stretched out his right foot to meet the ball. Behind him, Essien, who was carrying a yellow card, squeezed Riquelme's back hard. , murmured in his mouth, and at the same time glanced at the referee's position from the corner of his eye!
"Damn, what are you doing standing so close?!"
The referee was three meters away with a whistle in his mouth and a pair of sharp eyes like an eagle staring at his hands and feet!
"No petty tricks!"
Essien was speechless and could only hold Riquelme's back tightly, preventing him from turning around. But in the next second, he suddenly felt the power in Riquelme's back leak out again, and he gradually widened his eyes. In his eyes, Riquelme, who was stepping on the ball with his right foot, used the football as the axis and instantly made a 180-degree spin!
Little compass!
Riquelme completely turned around, but at the same time the ball was completely exposed to Essien's feet!
"Chance!"
Without a trace of hesitation, Essien immediately stretched out his legs to steal, and at this moment, time suddenly slowed down. Riquelme, who stepped on the ball with his right foot, pulled his thigh back with force, pulling the ball in an arc, and the ball bypassed Essien's outstretched hand. The big black leg is pulled from the front of the right foot to the heel of the left foot, and then pushed diagonally and forcefully!
"HOOOOOO! Nice pull!!!"
"Artistic performance! Riquelme passed Essien again!!! Oh no! Campbell came out!"
The commentator roared, and all Villarreal fans jumped from their seats instantly. Under the gaze of 30,000 spectators, Riquelme made a beautiful ball in Arsenal's left midfield near the penalty area. Avoiding Essien's interception, he pushed the ball gently to the top of the arc. In the next second, he kicked off the ground to catch up with the ball. At this moment, central defender Campbell went directly to the top!
"You can't make it!"
The breeze blew through his hair. Looking at the 1.88-meter-tall Campbell in front of him, Riquelme, who was dribbling the ball at a medium speed, did not slow down, and even the frequency of dribbling did not change. He rushed straight towards the opponent!
Close!
The two sides were getting closer and closer. At this moment, Riquelme suddenly swayed to the left and stretched out his right foot as if to move the ball directly to the top of the arc.
"He's very slow and can't cut in!"
The shaking wasn't too big, and Campbell didn't stumble. He lowered his center of gravity like a big black mountain. But in the next second, Riquelme's ankle suddenly changed. Instead of playing the ball with the instep, he rubbed the ball with the arch of his foot!
"Crotchless?!"
Campbell was startled and immediately tried to close his legs, but the moment he adjusted his posture, the ball had passed under his crotch!
Big arc!
Super arc!
Under the gaze of 30,000 spectators, the high-speed right-handed ball passed through Campbell's crotch, and drew a perfect arc in the Arsenal penalty area against the turf, passing Toure and Vieira. The intercepted long leg was sent directly to the back post!
The next second, the running Fran rushed over and shot the ball directly over the shoulder of Arsenal goalkeeper Seaman, and flew into the goal under his desperate gaze!
"Goa!! Goa!! Gaot!!! The ball has been scored! At the end of first half stoppage time, Villarreal recovered a goal!!! The goal was made by No. 9 - Diego·FFFFFFFForRRRRlan!!! Oh my God, this shot is amazing!!!"
"Perfect behind-the-back ball! Oh my god! Look at this perfect arc! This ball not only went through Campbell's crotch, but also passed two people in the penalty area! And his previous pass, my god , it’s all so crazy!”
"Goa!!! Riquelme has proven himself!!! At this moment, he has completely put the hat of Barcelona's abandonment behind him. At this moment, he has proved to everyone that he has the world's top ability. At this moment, he He is the ultimate hero of Villarreal!!!
"Oh! Listen! Listen! Listen to the cheers of the fans! I can feel the ground shaking even here!!! Oh! Wait! What's going on! Riquelme is holding his thigh Fell to the ground!!!”
"HOOOOOOO!"
The roar of the commentator and the celebrations of the fans in the audience came to an abrupt end. Countless fans took off their sunglasses, widened their eyes, covered their mouths, and looked at Riquelme who fell in the center of the stadium. Forlan, who was celebrating crazily, also immediately Stopped celebrating and ran towards Riquelme with his teammates.
"Cram. Or strain?"
Thorin ran past him like the wind, and his right arm akimbo was hit and swayed, but Chen Mo didn't care. He just pushed back the sweaty black hair from his forehead and looked at Li who fell to the ground not far away. Kerme, there was a hint of appreciation and a hint of regret in his eyes.
In his eyes, Riquelme is a very powerful midfielder. In addition to speed and physical fitness, he is almost top-notch in other aspects. In his opinion, Riquelme's delicate touch is the best among those he has come into contact with. The top player among all players!
You must know that Riquelme is not fast and his physical strength is not high, but even in this situation, he can still control the ball firmly under his feet. No matter how hard he squeezes, he can't break the ball.
"Unfortunately, there are too few perfect people."
Chen Mo put his hands on his hips and shook his head slightly. A breeze blew through the hair hanging down in front of his forehead. In a daze, he felt that he and Riquelme were actually quite similar. Riquelme had a top sense of the ball and a top view of the overall situation, but did not have a pair of He has a strong body, and if he doesn't have that thing in his head to make up for strength, speed and ball feel, all he has is top-notch physical fitness and a top-notch golf brain.
Thoughts were running through his mind. After a while, Villarreal's team doctor quickly ran onto the court, squatted next to Riquelme and gently pressed his thigh, and then waved to the court.
"It's about to be put on a stretcher! It looks like it's a strain at the very least!"
"Probably, but Riquelme is still talking to the team doctor. Judging from his expression, he still wants to play. The injury shouldn't be too serious."
"I hope so, otherwise it would be too much for the yellow submarine to sink just after it set sail."
The commentary was rambling. Under Chen Mo's gaze, Riquelme got on a stretcher and came off the field. The audience burst into strong applause. The moment the two passed by, Chen Mo saw from Riquelme's raised eyes. A jumping flame.
"I'll be back."
"."
The conversation, which was like a Pokémon, made Chen Mo a little jumpy. He didn't respond. He just shrugged and turned to leave. A strong wind hit him, and the wet red and white No. 24 jersey kept floating in Riquelme's eyes.
(End of chapter)
