Chapter 375 Set another record, the first defending team after the European Super Cup reform

Chapter 375 Set another record, the first defending team after the European Super Cup reform

Arsenal defeated Chelsea 4:1 at the new Wembley Stadium to win their first championship before the 2017-2018 season and tied Everton's record of four consecutive championships in the predecessor Charity Shield.

This result obviously did not surprise everyone and was completely expected.

Since there is only three days between the European Super Cup and the Community Shield, Arsenal, which won the Community Shield, resumed training the next day and actively prepared for the European Super Cup at the Philip II Stadium in Macedonia.

During this period, big signings and interesting stories broke out in the European transfer market.

Paris directly transferred the transfer fee to Neymar's personal account, directly activating the 2.2 million euros in liquidated damages that he had just signed with Barcelona, ​​and directly doubled the world football transfer fee record set by Pogba last summer. .

It is reported that Neymar will receive a signing fee of 1 million euros, plus an annual salary of million euros after tax, and Neymar's father, who facilitated the transaction, will also receive a commission of million euros...

An interesting fact is that Neymar also asked Barcelona for a fee of 2600 million euros after activating the liquidated damages clause.

Last summer, when Barcelona signed a contract extension with Neymar, they agreed to pay Neymar's father 2600 million euros in hard work, also known as a loyalty bonus.

Because Neymar has already transferred to Paris, Barcelona will naturally not pay the money.

As a result, the two sides faced each other in court.

Barcelona, ​​which received 2.2 million euros, also caused a lot of trouble.

Now the whole world knows that they have a lot of cash in hand. Except for Yangcheng Hengtai, the players they are looking for are not professional enough. Dortmund, who is low in and high in performance, is particularly professional.

Aren't you a big dog investor who just received 2.2 million euros?

Want to buy France's popular left winger Dembele to replace Neymar?

it is good!

Get 1.1 million euros + up to 50% floating terms to buy it!

Under this circumstance, Barcelona's mouthpieces "World Sports News" and "Daily Sports" bombarded Dortmund for shamelessly raising the price. You must know that Dembele joined Dortmund last summer for only 1500 million euros.

In just one season, it increased seven times. Taking into account floating terms, it went straight to eight or even nine times.

With the black club Dortmund as a backdrop, the fastidious Yangcheng Hengtai can bring Paulinho home for only 40 million euros.

Over there, Benfica saw Dortmund's asking price of 1.1 million euros. As a new black club in Europe, how can it lag behind others?

Increase the price, increase the price!

The original 20 million euros were almost negotiated and doubled to 40 million euros.

In the end, after in-depth negotiations and pressure from Semedo, the deal was finally concluded with floating terms of 30 million euros + 5 million euros.

The Premier League summer transfer window also welcomes many blockbuster signings at this time.

Manchester United, which had previously made a secret bid to buy Morata from Real Madrid, was intercepted by Manchester United's return to the Toffees for £75 million and the return of captain Rooney to the Toffees just as Chelsea was negotiating about Lukaku's return.

Lu was intercepted, and Chelsea could only turn to Real Madrid substitute striker Morata.

If you want to buy before the start of the new season, you will naturally have to endure a premium, and it is not generally high.

Emergency medical treatment cost 70 million pounds.

Double-footed striker Morata dominates Stamford Bridge.

He also broke Torres' record for the highest transfer fee for a Spanish player.

Arsenal also made final additions to the lineup. The right back was rotated by veteran Alves, while the left back position left with the transfer of Gibbs, and there was almost no suitable substitute player.

Chambers can certainly play both roles, but his growth rate has not reached Wenger's expectation, and with his background as a central defender, a guest appearance at left back can only be used as an emergency.

Therefore, Wenger's scouting system took a fancy to Ferland Mendy, a 22-year-old left-back who plays for Le Havre in the French second division. He paid 600 million euros to sign this full-back with good potential before Lyon.

……

The Arsenal team took a flight from London to Skopje International Airport the day before the European Super Cup to prepare for the 2017 European Super Cup at the Louis II Stadium the next day.

The opponent is last season's Europa League champion Manchester United.

The European Super Cup has not yet begun, and major media and fans around the world have drawn preliminary conclusions about this contest.

If nothing else, Arsenal will become the third team to successfully defend the European Super Cup after Ajax and AC Milan since its inception.

The tournament was originally intended to be a match between the champions of two of Europe's most influential competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the European Cup Winners' Cup.

However, Ajax's two consecutive European Super Cup wins in 1972 and 1973 were not recognized by UEFA until 1974.

So strictly speaking, if Arsenal can defeat Manchester United in the European Super Cup, it will become the second team in the history of the European Super Cup to successfully defend the title.

AC Milan defeated Barcelona and Sampdoria in 1989 and 1990 respectively.

The recognized European Super Cup was held from 1974 to 1997 in a two-leg home and away format.

It was not until 1998 that the European Super Cup was changed by UEFA to a neutral venue to decide the winner.

The venue was arranged at the Stade Louis II in Monaco.

By 2000, the European Cup Winners' Cup was cancelled, and the European Super Cup was changed to the Champions League and the Europa League.

In addition, after the 2012 UEFA Super Cup, in order to support backward football regions in Europe, UEFA decided the competition venue.

Therefore, as long as Arsenal defeats Manchester United in the UEFA Super Cup final, the media and Arsenal fans who support Arsenal can tell the world that Arsenal is the first team after the UEFA Super Cup changed its opponents and reformed it into a decisive game. Defending team.

A very nice record!

Many Arsenal fans believe that as long as the team can keep Martin, they can win three consecutive UEFA Super Cup titles at this time next year!

There is also the Club World Cup at the end of the year. According to the current situation of the team, another record can be set!

Two consecutive Club World Cup titles!

A unique record!

※※※※※

At the regular press conference before the game, Manchester United head coach Mourinho, who was the first to attend, was interviewed by the media. He said: "Everyone is optimistic about Arsenal winning the European Super Cup. I don't think so. Championships are won through hard work." , I believe in myself and Manchester United, the championship! It will definitely belong to Manchester United!"

Matic, the new player who accompanied the team, is also full of confidence in the UEFA Super Cup tomorrow night: "José is a great coach and Manchester United is a great team. With strong alliances, victory belongs to us."

Mourinho and Matic obviously discussed it in advance and did not give other reporters a chance to refute. Mourinho waited until Matic finished speaking and immediately announced the end of the regular pre-match press conference.

A group of reporters: "..."

About three hours later, Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger attended with Mahrez, the player who must start tomorrow night's game.

In interviews with the media, both of them were confident about the future European Super Cup.

The reporter meaningfully mentioned Mourinho and Matic's interviews with the media. Both Wenger and Mahrez expressed their respect for Manchester United, so the best way is to do their best.

The day passed quickly, but for the hesitant Manchester United fans, it felt like every day was like a year.

Although Arsenal will lay off a lot of employees in the new season, they can introduce many powerful stars.

Ronaldo, Mahrez, Alves...

The overall strength is greatly increased!

The most critical thing is that their captain Martin is in consistent condition and remains in a very good stage.

The ability displayed is simply disappointing.

Compared with Mourinho and Matic who attended the press conference before the game, Manchester United fans did not dare to speak nonsense on social platforms.

The Internet has memory. Even if you delete it, someone will take a screenshot, and you will be slapped in the face by all kinds of things.

So, shutting up before the game has become the default rule in the industry before playing against Arsenal.

Just to not look bad after the game.

On the day of the game, the football atmosphere in the city of Skopje became particularly enthusiastic.

Arsenal fans wearing red and white jerseys and Manchester United fans wearing red jerseys rendered the city in red.

Considering that the two teams also have some historical grievances, the organizer arranged a lot of patrols.

England is rich in football hooligans.

Although many recorded football hooligans are banned from entering the country, football hooliganism is an alternative football culture in England, and there will always be new generations emerging.

Take precautions before they happen.

When the two teams came to the stadium from their respective locker rooms, more than half of the auditorium that could accommodate 33460 fans had already filled in.

The entire stadium is like a red ocean of joy.

But if you look carefully, you can still tell which side is Manchester United fans and which side is Arsenal fans.

With more than an hour left before the start of the game, UEFA officially released the starting lineups for both sides.

According to international practice, the Champions League winner is the home team, while the Europa League runner-up is the visiting team.

The formation given by Arsenal is the usual 4231.

Goalkeeper: Ospina

Defenders: Monreal, De Ligt, Van Dijk, Alves

Midfielder: Xhaka, Kante

Midfielder: Gnabry, Martin, Mahrez

Forward: Welbeck

……

Manchester United has a 4321 formation.

Goalkeeper: De Gea

Defender: Luke Shaw, Smalling, Lindelof, Valencia     Midfielder: Herrera, Matic, Pogba

Midfielder: Mkhitaryan, Lingard

Forward: Lukaku

……

Compared to Manchester United's nearly full starting lineup, Arsenal's starting lineup looks much more casual.

Only Monreal, Van Dijk, Xhaka, Kante, Gnabry and Martin were the main players last season.

De Ligt, Alves and Mahrez are all new arrivals.

Ospina was almost always the third goalkeeper due to injuries last season, and Welbeck was also ranked third.

Manchester United head coach Mourinho raised his eyebrows slightly when he received Arsenal's starting lineup. He was not only wary of Arsenal's strong overall team, but also angry that his old rival Wenger only sent half of the main lineup.

People are very contradictory sometimes.

I’m afraid you’ll use your full strength, but I’m also afraid you’ll let your guard down too obviously…

But when the game started, Lao Mu went numb.

It seems that they have sent out many new players and substitutes, but their combat effectiveness is really no worse than the entire main force last season.

Under Martin's deliberate connection and organization, the originally unsmooth transitions between offense and defense became smooth and entertaining.

Especially the offense on the side of Mahrez and Alves, the main focus is mercury-like crazy offense.

Even though Alves is already 33 years old, it is not easy to do offensive work.

Mahrez has outstanding technical ability at his feet and can effectively attract the attention of the defense. Martin's kick after receiving the ball in the frontcourt is fast and accurate, which is very comfortable for Alves who is advancing at high speed.

then……

Even though Mkhitaryan, Matic and Pogba frequently assisted Luke Shaw on the left, they only lasted twenty minutes before being penetrated.

Arsenal's opening goal came from the right.

In the 21st minute, Alves stepped in from the right wing to attack with efficiency. During his high-speed running, he sent Martin's through ball directly to the front of the penalty area.

Welbeck succeeded in grabbing the shot in front of Lindelof, and De Gea, who reacted quickly, used his unique technique to no avail, watching the football hit the snow-white net.

Compared with the high degree of danger of attacking from the right, the left seems a bit low-key.

As Manchester United's defense gradually tilted towards the left, the scheduling abilities of Martin and Xhaka showed their due effect, and the left attack also showed its due level.

Mourinho made a prompt decision and placed all his defensive forces in the core center and ribs.

The outside line was placed directly.

Football always comes back to the center anyway.

Therefore, Arsenal's two wing attacks were flourishing, but due to Welbeck's lack of dominance in the penalty area, they were never able to expand the score.

In this context, Martin's star role plays a huge role.

In the 37th minute, Gnabry took the ball from his left rib and broke through, then distributed the ball to Martin in the middle.

Martin ran to the top of the penalty area and faced Herrera's defense and swung his left foot exaggeratedly to meet the ball.

He has often used his left foot to score from long range since last season, so much so that Herrera instinctively stretched his legs to expand the defensive area.

Martin's lowered left foot moved the rolling football from the back of his right foot to the right side of his body, passed Herrera, adjusted in small steps on the spot, and connected with the instep of his right foot to swing towards the football for a shot.

Boom!

A crisp muffled sound emerged spontaneously.

Matic, who was on defense, was slow for a moment, and could only watch helplessly as the football shot up from the ground like a cannonball, passing over the penalty area at an unstoppable speed and hitting the upper right corner of the goal.

"Goooooooooooooal——"

Sky TV commentator Andy Gray's iconic drawl suddenly echoed through the entire commentary box.

De Gea, who had reacted very quickly, fell back to the ground. Looking at the football rolling over the net, a strong feeling of powerlessness swept through his body instantly.

This guy is so damn strong!

The first 30 minutes or so were mainly focused on organizing attacks in series.

When the attack is gaining momentum and no points are scored, immediately stand up and destroy the city.

Mourinho, who was standing in the visiting team coach's technical area, pursed his lips and kept shaking his head, not knowing what he was thinking.

From the start of the game until now, his team has almost always been on half-court defense.

It's not that they don't want to attack, but Arsenal's overall dominance is so strong that players like Pogba who like to show off their feet don't dare to dribble the ball too much, let alone other players. Football is more like a hot ball. No one dares to control it too much.

Without smooth ground passes, the offense cannot reach the wings.

There is a lack of effective cross output from the wing and the inability of the center to penetrate into the core area. Lukaku and Pogba, who have height advantages, cannot play a big role at all.

how to say?

Now he misses the great Fengxian Ibrahimovic who is getting more and more demonic as he gets older...

Martin, who scored the goal, was as calm as ever. He stood there, opened his arms, and hugged his teammates who came forward to celebrate the goal.

Arsenal took the lead in making personnel adjustments before changing sides in the second half.

Ronaldo replaces Gnabry.

At the beginning, Ronaldo appeared on the left side of the ribs, serving as a midfielder.

But after playing for a while, Mourinho discovered that the positions of Ronaldo, Martin and Mahrez had become very flexible, and the three of them constantly exchanged positions with each other.

Ronaldo, who appeared in the middle, fully demonstrated his excellent shooting and ability to deliver cannonballs forward.

When Martin goes to the wing, he can highlight his superb dribbling ability, passing both Manchester United's wings as if he is in no one's land.

In the 58th minute of the game, Martin, who switched to the attacking left wing, stopped James Ronaldo's pass in the middle and broke through with lightning speed to follow closely behind Herrera like a wooden stake.

Monreal moved forward decisively. When Martin broke through, he made a movement with his right foot to push his ankle in. As a result, Valencia did not dare to act rashly, thinking that Matic would be the defense anyway.

Unexpectedly, Martin took advantage of Majiac's defense and flicked the ball to the unmarked Ronaldo with the outside instep of his right foot.

Pogba is naturally keen on attacking. He often fails to work on defense and often loses focus.

Therefore, when Matic defended Martin, he did not approach Ronaldo immediately.

Ronaldo, who had been prepared for a long time, adjusted his steps in front of the penalty area on the left, supported his body with his right foot, and hit the middle and upper part of the football rolling close to the ground with the instep of his left foot.

After realizing it, Pogba and Smalling fell to the ground and blocked the ball, but they did not block the football.

Cut to the ground!

De Gea's vision was somewhat disturbed, and it was too late to react until he saw the football rolling close to the ground and quickly toward the lower left corner of the goal.

Under the watchful eyes of all the fans, the football passed the goal line along the inner edge of the left goal post and hit the snow-white net...

3:0

The score displayed on the scoreboard is updated in real time.

Mourinho, who was standing in the visiting team's coach's technical area, closed his eyes helplessly to avoid his painful expression being betrayed by his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze directly found Martin.

What a good player, why did Arsene take advantage of him?

Thinking of this, he felt extremely regretful.

He obviously has Mendes's innate solidity, why didn't he say hello earlier?

So, he is blaming himself...

Arsenal have a three-goal lead and intend to keep it for the rest of the game.

There are still three days left for the 2017-2018 Premier League season to kick off, and preparations must be made for the first round of the league four days later.

2018 is a World Cup year, and games including the Champions League final must be played by the end of May.

You know, in previous years it would be played until early June.

In order to be able to complete all the planned games, the schedule can only become more intensive.

For example, Arsenal last season played all 66 official games throughout the season!

If the new 2017-2018 season can continue the glory of last season, the time from the beginning of the Community Shield to the end of the final Champions League final will be 293 days, which is equivalent to an average of one game every 4.4 days.

In so many competitions, if you want to ensure results, you must arrange players' physical fitness reasonably and avoid unnecessary player injuries as much as possible.

Especially the main players and players who are capable of being the main players.

Control the game and stop when it's good.

Until the end of the game, the score displayed on the scoreboard did not change.

Arsenal became the first team to successfully defend the European Super Cup since its reform (Champions League VS Europa League).

"we are the champion!"

"King of Europe!"

"Arsenal is invincible!"

The Arsenal fans at the Philip II Stadium were particularly crazy. They shouted loudly one after another, ecstatic that the home team had won the championship.

(End of Volume 2)

(End of this chapter)