February 19th.
After the first round of the Champions League 1/8 knockout rounds, Arsenal returned to the league and ushered in the 27th round of the Premier League.
Arsenal plays Leicester City away from home.
This game was a bit boring, because Arsenal had just ended the knockout match with Real Madrid, and the whole team had not yet recovered from a lot of physical exertion.
Leicester City has also seen a wave of injuries. The main forward Vardy has missed two games and is expected to be absent for more than a week.
As a result, the two teams ended the match goalless and each took one point.
Also on this day,
A small media outlet suddenly broke the news about Arsenal.
It is said that there has been internal strife in his dressing room.
The reason why Real Madrid failed to win at home is because there is a problem with people's hearts.
It is suspected that a certain captain is too strong and cannot tolerate outstanding young players.
As soon as this piece of violent news came out, it caused a stir in the outside world.
At first, Arsenal fans naturally didn't believe it. From the beginning of the season to now, the two captains of their team have performed very well and don't look like chicken-hearted people.
However, as fans of other teams joined the discussion, things became complicated in just a few words.
The so-called rumors are as fierce as tigers,
This unproven rumor quickly spread throughout the city.
Soon, many people began to place bets online on which Arsenal captain was in trouble.
Regarding this, the entire Arsenal team felt that this rumor came out of nowhere, and they felt that those outside were just looking for trouble.
Therefore, everyone regarded this turmoil as a farce.
There was no time to pay attention to the reporters who came after hearing the news.
Because they are all preparing seriously for the EFL Cup final three days later.
Although the EFL Cup is worthless, it can barely satisfy our hunger.
In this regard, the equation feels a bit speechless.
Are he and Xhaka like the kind of captains who love to be evil?
This is a typical person sitting at home and the pot comes from the sky.
But soon, sober-minded fans on the Internet began to analyze who the Arsenal captain had provoked, and actually used such despicable means to discredit their locker room.
I accidentally saw such comments on the Internet.
He also instantly felt something was wrong!
Why do you feel like this tidbit of news seems a bit familiar?
Inexplicably, it's a bit like Barcelona's top executives buying trolls online to smear Messi.
The key is that the club has remained silent and has not taken the initiative to speak out in defense of the players.
However, Fang Fang thought that he and Kroenke had not met several times.
Others are still busy playing rugby and building the Rams Stadium, so they don't have time to smear their own football club's locker room, right?
Could it be that his agent was too aggressive when negotiating a contract extension, forcing Arsenal to resort to outside tactics to make them regress?
The more I think about the equation, the more confused I become.
Anyway, I feel like this turmoil is coming out of nowhere.
He thought for a while and handed the matter to his agent to investigate.
After all, the team is about to play the EFL Cup final, so it's best not to be distracted by this.
.
February 24th.
EFL Cup final, Arsenal vs Aston Villa.
Location: Wembley Stadium.
This is the national football stadium in Dayang, usually used as the final venue for domestic cup competitions.
However, when Tottenham built a new football stadium and met Arsenal in the league, they would spend a high price to rent Wembley Stadium.
Use Wembley Stadium as the big stage for the north London derby.
For ordinary league games, Tottenham naturally cannot afford to rent Wembley Stadium, so they rent some cheap small stadiums.
It can be seen that the specifications of Wembley Stadium are quite good.
Today Saka entered the starting lineup and the equation returned to the midfield position.
However, head coach Wenger specifically told him before the game that he could play further forward and be a shadow forward, that is, a false 9.
Just when I was warming up before the game,
Saka was still thinking about the recent turmoil, and whispered to Fang Fang: "I feel something is wrong. Is there really a problem in our locker room? If not, why is there such a big commotion now?"
Fang Fang thought for a while and asked: "Then who do you think it will be?"
Saka was stunned and couldn't answer.
It wasn't that he didn't dare to say it, but he felt as if no one was suspicious.
Except for one person, and that's Fosse. Because Saka has never communicated with the other party.
However, Saka also paid attention to Foss. He found that the opponent often practiced in private and wrote dense notes in his notebook every time he held a tactical meeting.
Logically speaking, someone who is focused on football like this should not be distracted by making extra moves.
So, Saka was confused and felt like he couldn't find a single suspect.
Fang Fang smiled and said, "Don't think about these little things. It's the EFL Cup final now. Let's win the championship first."
Saka could only nod and didn't mention it again.
Soon, the pre-match warm-up was over and the two sides returned to the locker room.
Just as everyone was getting ready, the big Prince William suddenly came to the dressing room.
In order to understand the sentiments of the people, the prince worked tirelessly and personally went deep into the grassroots practitioners.
He just came out of Aston Villa's dressing room and went straight to Arsenal.
Prince William walked from the door. Every time he passed a professional player, he would shake hands with the other player and say a word.
This is a bowl of water that must be balanced under the accompanying camera.
However, when Prince William came to Foss, while he smiled, a hint of appreciation flashed in his eyes, and then he shook hands with Foss and said a few more words.
Fox's reaction was natural, as if he didn't care about the other party's noble status.
This subtle difference in treatment was instantly noticed by Equation.
To be honest, it was hard not to notice, because all eyes in the dressing room were on Prince William.
Fang Fang couldn't help but think to himself, it seems that this Foos is really either rich or noble.
In the last ten games between Arsenal and Aston Villa, Arsenal has the overall advantage, with eight wins, one draw and one loss.
The last time Aston Villa defeated Arsenal was in the Premier League in 2013, when they won 3:1.
Now 27 rounds of the Premier League have passed.
Aston Villa ranks 16th with only 26 points in the league, only one place away from the relegation zone.
Therefore, the outside world is generally optimistic that Arsenal can win Aston Villa and win this year's English League Cup.
At the beginning of the game, Arsenal, with all its main players attacking, pressed forward instantly.
Aston Villa struggled to pass the football from the back.
Aston Villa does not have a central midfielder, and it is difficult for their midfielder to provide a strong guarantee for the defense.
Although Arsenal felt that their opponents were not strong, they did not take it lightly.
Fang Fang wanted to win this game more in his heart.
If they can score a few more goals early, they will be able to relax.
The ball was quickly snatched away by Arsenal.
When it was Arsenal's turn to attack, they also made two passing errors.
However, Aston Villa's overall strength is naturally not as good as Real Madrid's. Their counterattack efficiency is not high. The football can be intercepted as soon as it passes the center line.
Arsenal counterattacked on the spot, taking advantage of Aston Villa's offensive failure and leaving holes in the opponent's tight defense.
Thomas' long pass found Harland in the frontcourt.
Harland, who was guarded by two people, jumped up high, headed the ball and sent a pass to Equation not far away.
Fang Fang ran in place and when he received the ball, he had already reached the left corner of the penalty area.
At this time, in this position, a defensive hole appeared between Aston Villa's midfielder and defense.
Fang Fang didn't stop the ball, swung his legs in a long stride, and hit the football with the instep of his right foot.
There was a bang, visible to the naked eye, the moment the sneakers touched the football, a ball of water mist exploded at the contact area!
This is because water has been sprinkled on the turf, which inevitably makes some water stains on the surface of the football, resulting in a full visual effect at the moment of shooting!
This shot was powerful, and the football that was pulled out from the instep was fast and hard.
Equation suppressed the height, and saw the football flying to the near corner of the goal like a cannon!
The goalkeeper tried his best to save the ball, but still couldn't save the football.
The net moved!
There was thunder on the ground. In the 15th minute of the game, Fang Fang blasted a world wave to attack the goal!
The score is 1:0!
"goooooall!————"
"The magic square helps the team lead by one goal!!"
"Perfect world wave goal!!"
Equation ran to the sidelines and happily celebrated with a fist pump.
Afterwards, teammates gathered together to celebrate the goal.
On the other side, Wenger couldn't help but applaud the field. This world wave was quite eye-catching.
However, after the celebration, Fang Fang felt that Aston Villa's overall strength was indeed much worse than Real Madrid.
Just like in the previous Champions League knockout rounds, he had to try his best to get a long shot.
Aston Villa actually had no one to defend in this important position. This shows that Aston Villa has a big defensive problem.
The situation is already like this. If Arsenal still cannot win the EFL Cup final, it means that there must be something wrong with itself.
"I smell it, it's my turn to score soon"
When the ball resumed, Haaland put his hands on his hips and his eyes were full of fighting spirit. He originally looked very fierce without eyebrows, but with this fierce look in his eyes, he looked even more fierce!
Haaland wanted to vent his accumulated grievances from the Champions League knockout rounds on Aston Villa.
In fact, Harland is not the only one who thinks this way, other teammates want to win this championship to relieve their anger.
After football resumes,
Aston Villa suffered another crazy attack.
Soon, after a fierce confrontation, the referee whistled for a foul on Arsenal.
In this regard, some people here at Aston Villa feel a little aggrieved. Thinking about the anger you suffered at Real Madrid, it has nothing to do with them. They can just accumulate strength and take revenge in the next round.
Now if you just catch them and beat them up, what kind of hero are you?
Aston Villa felt aggrieved but did not say anything. For the sake of the team's honor, they could only withstand Arsenal's fierce attack and wonder if they could steal a ball back with one-handed counterattack.
In the 23rd minute, Arsenal's attack was hindered because the opponent's counterattack put enough pressure on the ball, making it impossible for the pass to reach the outside edge of the penalty area.
Fang Fang withdrew from the shadow forward position, received a pass from his teammate, and found Foss on the right with a diagonal kick.
The moment Foss caught the ball, he was a little surprised. Unexpectedly, Fang Fang took the initiative to find his side running.
Although in the end, he cut inside and passed the ball to Harland but failed.
But two minutes later, Foss dribbled the ball on the penalty area line and dunked it, deflecting the opponent's attack.
He missed the shot and passed the ball to Equation who was in a better position.
Fang Fang is not polite. Since he wants to pass the ball to him, just accept it!
He kicked a low kick, but the ball was blocked by the opponent's feet in time.
After it was over, Harland waved to Equation in the penalty area, as if saying you can shoot, but don't forget me, buddy.
Fang Yile could see Harland's strong desire to score goals, so he had no choice but to nod and respond.
Arsenal's offense was a bit exciting, but it was a pain for the Aston Villa players.
Soon, Fang Fang made a pass with Martinelli on the left wing.
Then I saw that someone else's ball passed through and went straight into the ribs of the penalty area.
Aston Villa's defense could only be pulled into the penalty area.
In the middle, Arsenal has three contact points, one is Fosse, one is Haaland, and the last one is Saka.
There was a defensive player in front of Fang Fang, but his ball combination was very good, and his passing movement was very concealed. When he swept the football across the middle, it passed through the opponent's crotch!
Foss received the pass in front and pushed forward to break Aston Villa again.
The score is 2:0! !
Arsenal lead by two goals!
The teammates ran to the sidelines to celebrate and have fun.
Harland couldn't help baring his teeth.
This Fox really knows how to steal his lead!
Have you never scored a goal and are you eager to prove yourself?
Haaland has a bit of an itchy tooth;
But he also knows that the most important thing is for the team to score goals. Therefore, Haaland had no choice but to kick away the football that was getting in the way and ran towards his teammates to celebrate together.
After finishing, Harland enthusiastically pulled the equation, pointed at his feet, and whispered something.
Fang Fang listened and nodded.
This scene was naturally captured by the cameras outside the field. Arsenal was already leading the score. Everyone couldn't help but feel happy when they saw this scene.
"What is Haaland saying? Does he really want to score?"
"Hahh, I'm so anxious. I'm anxious when I see my teammates scoring goals."
"Don't worry, there will always be what should be there~"
.
But then, Foss made three consecutive offensive passes, all of which had to find that side of the equation.
It's very similar to the mentality that if you give me an assist, I must give you an assist in return.
Anyway, neither of us owes anyone anything!
This made Haaland, who plays forward, anxious.
He was wondering, what are these two brothers playing?
Did you just ignore him like this?
Did he switch to playing the opponent's central defender?
Not to mention Haaland, even Saka on the right looked a little confused.
"What happened? The relationship between Captain Fang and Fox suddenly became so good?"
Saka was a little unsure. Because he was wondering about this problem, he still didn't make any sound on the field until now.
The first half ended quickly. Aston Villa had several opportunities to counterattack in the last few minutes, but their strikers failed to seize the opportunity, resulting in the score remaining 2:0.
Aston Villa couldn't help but feel a little depressed and walked off the field without saying a word.
On Arsenal's side, Haaland still pulled captain Fang Fang, covered his big mouth, and kept talking.
Fang Fang grimaced and suppressed laughter while listening.
People who didn't know would have thought that the two of them were anxious because they were behind in the score.
During the halftime break, a heated discussion was taking place in the local EFL Cup studio.
"I've said it before, Hans didn't believe me before. There was no problem at all in the Arsenal dressing room, it was just irresponsible speculation."
"If there is a problem, why can Arsenal score goals instead? We can see that even Fang Fang and Foss, who rarely cooperated before, have cooperated several times in a row and scored goals. Balls and assists.”
"So I think this is because coach Wenger has successfully found a way to use them. The reason why we lost to Real Madrid in the last game is because the tactical play has not yet reached perfection!"
In this regard, Hans, the commentator who had previously opposed the opinion, fell into silence. He coughed and then said weakly: "I think it is better to maintain an objective and rigorous attitude and wait and see the second half. There is a problem with the Arsenal captain. It’s not groundless”
.
After the start of the second half, Fangfang was forced by Harland's request. After receiving a pass from Foss, he immediately passed the ball to Harland.
This is to try to let Haaland break his scoring drought as soon as possible.
As a result, who knew that the other party was already tightly guarding Haaland.
As a result, Harland had very little space to shoot in the penalty area. After two consecutive shots missed, Harland himself laughed.
He stood in the middle of the penalty area, tall and tall. His face was still worried, but he suddenly showed an evil smile.
Fang Fang was so happy that he could only give him a thumbs up.
Don't be impatient, the goal will come sooner or later.
But immediately, Aston Villa was unwilling to lose in the final, and they had already adjusted their mentality during the halftime break.
All members of Aston Villa have a unified goal in the second half, which is to try to equalize the score, drag the game to overtime, and then kick off a penalty shootout!
That's the only way they can win the game.
Taking advantage of this goal kick, Aston Villa's midfield and backcourt immediately pressed forward.
The goalkeeper took a big kick and went to find his teammates in the Arsenal half.
They used this method to avoid Arsenal's full attack.
Later, in the hinterland of Arsenal, although Aston Villa's foot skills were not gorgeous, they used active running and some additional actions to control the offensive conduction.
In the second half, their luck also improved. After the cross was pushed out, it could also fall to the feet of their own players and continue to attack Arsenal.
For a time, Arsenal's penalty area was surrounded and beaten for almost three minutes.
Wenger was a little anxious on the sidelines, instructing the players on the court not to retreat too far, but to press out.
Soon, Arsenal's defense slowed down and knew not to pile up pressure in the penalty area. They were very integrated and pressed out together.
Some Aston Villa players were a little confused at their feet and were unable to control the ball.
The situation on the field quickly changed,
Arsenal struck again.
The score of 2:0 is not safe yet, they still need to score again.
However, don’t rush to attack!
Fang Fang knew this very well. When taking a corner kick, he waved to Haaland and asked him to come over and cooperate with him to take a tactical corner kick.
Harland was stunned. Tactical corner kick, what tactic? But they haven’t played it in training?
The equation didn't say much. After Harland came to the front, he kicked the corner kick to Harland.
Then, Equation went around behind Haaland and ran away.
Harland had no time to be surprised by this.
Because after the opponent saw their tactical corner kick, they immediately sent two players to the corner kick area to defend.
Harland immediately had no choice but to rely on the opponent's upper hand. He was so anxious that Harland could only kick the ball with his foot, knocking the football to the opponent and rebounding out of the baseline.
Arsenal get another corner kick.
Haaland scored twice from a corner kick.
"Don't go, let's continue!"
"Again?!"
Equation ran back and took another tactical corner kick.
Haaland leaned on the opponent again to grab the ball.
Then he kicked the football to the opponent again and bounced out.
Corner hat trick!
Then, the equation is back again and the tactical corner kick continues
All the fans in the audience saw that in just two minutes, Arsenal
Haaland took four corner kicks in the corner flag area! !
After this fierce confrontation,
Haaland just feels like a big man all over his body!
Almost speechless
The Arsenal fans at Wembley Stadium burst into laughter and couldn't help but applaud the players on the field.
This tactical corner kick is really bad!
This effectively kills the opponent's desire to attack near the corner flag area.
After Haaland staggered for a while during the confrontation, he opened his mouth and couldn't help but smile.
This captain really knows how to play. He was called to the corner flag area for a tactical corner kick.
Then he hit a four-goal corner kick.
Harland recalled with a helpless smile,
This seems to be the first time in his career.
Of course, Fang Fang just wanted to take a tactical corner kick, and never thought that Haaland could play like this.
It can be seen that Haaland's ability is quite excellent.
However, Fang Fang really wants Haaland to break his scoring drought.
However, Aston Villa has defended the penalty area very tightly.
It is difficult for Arsenal to pass football in again;
You can only use crosses and corner kicks to help Harland.
Equation patiently looks for opportunities,
Before that, Aston Villa's counterattack must be suppressed.
But,
Aston Villa's performance today was still tenacious enough.
They did not give up resistance yet, and successfully counterattacked in the 78th minute.
Taking advantage of a mistake in Arsenal's defense to score a goal.
However, when it reached the 82nd minute,
There was sudden chaos in Aston Villa's penalty area.
The cross was not cleared cleanly.
The football accidentally fell 20 yards to the right, and Fang Fang decisively kicked a long shot.
No, it should be a pass!
He stared at Haaland's position and kicked hard.
Haaland's eyes lit up in the crowd and he took the first step.
Successfully stuck the position,
He stretched out his foot and bounced the pass from Equation into the goal!
The score is 3:1!
It can be said that the game has lost its suspense.
Harland laughed loudly. He originally wanted to run to the left to celebrate, but then he remembered something and ran back instead, pointing to the equation on the right, and went over to celebrate together.
"Isn't this a good goal? Does the senior like to have more fun than a corner kick?"
Everyone went to the sidelines together, and Fang Fang jokingly slapped Haaland on the back.
"Haha, you almost killed me." Harland said with a laugh.
(End of chapter)
