Chapter 397: A series of strong enemies, invincible

Chapter 397: A series of strong enemies, invincible

"aoaoaooaooooooo——"

The overwhelming cheers resounded throughout the new Wembley Stadium, and the entire stadium became a sea of ​​joy for Arsenal fans.

The Manchester City fans who traveled with the team pursed their lips and allowed the aura of fanaticism to invade their bodies.

After scoring the goal, Martin opened his arms and turned around to hug Aubameyang, who sent the selfless pass. He also called on his teammates who came forward crazily to celebrate the goal that expanded the score.

Guardiola, the coach of the home team directing the technical area, shook his head and sighed. Not far away, Wenger raised his hands high and celebrated the goal to expand the score with his assistants Bould and Gary Williams.

De Bruyne, Jesus, Sane, Sterling on the pitch...

David Silva, Aguero, Bravo on the bench

Foden, Zinchenko, Seat B and other players in the warm-up area...

Every Manchester City player felt particularly confused at this moment, almost desperate for the rest of the game.

The commentator gave all praiseworthy words and sentences to Martin and Aubameyang.

The chemistry between the two in the counterattack shocked fans around the world.

Can you still kick like this on counterattack?

It is simply the ultimate interpretation of quick counterattack.

All the tedious processes were completed by just two people without affecting the speed.

"It seems that Arsenal's future defensive counterattacks will be more difficult to prevent."

PP sports commentator Zhan Jun said with emotion after replaying the wonderful replay.

"That's true. The counterattack can be completed by two people, or it can be completed by several people. You don't know how Arsenal's counterattack is completed at all, which makes it impossible to formulate detailed defensive tactics at all, making it even more difficult to defend against."

Guest commentator Li Yuankui analyzed in a deep voice.

Manchester City fell behind by two goals, and the players no longer had as much confidence in the restart of the game as before.

De Bruyne felt a particularly big blow. He once thought that through hard work he could get a chance to win.

The past seventy-plus minutes of the game all illustrate that in many cases hard work cannot change the outcome.

He asked himself many times, is Martin really invincible?

There are other Manchester City players who have the same doubts.

They have played many games with Martin's Arsenal since joining, and the results...even draws are pitiful.

Guardiola, who was standing in the coach's technical area, quickly entered the game after a short period of thinking and struggle.

As a successful man with rich career and coaching experience, he has experienced too much and knows that it doesn't matter even if he loses the game in the end.

It is important to maintain sufficient confidence in the future.

This game may not have much hope, but...as long as the game is not over, the players should re-enter the game and fight for the possible miracles.

As a result, Guardiola was still passionately standing in the command technical area, constantly bringing new tactical instructions to the players on the field through provocative body movements.

As time goes by, Manchester City players put all their energy back on the court and no longer care so much about winning or losing the game.

The Manchester City fans who had become particularly disappointed returned to hysterical cheering and cheering for the players who did not give up.

In the 81st minute, Manchester City made the final adjustment.

Seat B replaced Gundogan to increase the diversity of the offense.

However, such adjustments have no effect on Arsenal, which has always remained highly focused.

Instead, Arsenal almost took advantage of the opportunity to counterattack and extended the score to three goals.

After this close transition from offense to defense, the mentality of the Manchester City players on the field changed again.

The players in front really want to score to narrow the gap and see if they can equalize the score, but the defensive players now just want to not concede the ball.

That's often the case.

Don’t seek merit, but seek no faults.

Guardiola stood in the coaching technical area and watched the game with no sign of a goal, and couldn't help but sigh.

He couldn't help but look at Arsenal captain Martin.

This guy is really TN strong!

Without Martin, he firmly believes that Arsenal would have no power to fight back.

However, there is no if in this world.

Arsenal can not only score goals on the offensive end, but also prevent the opponent from scoring on the defensive end.

Time passed by second by second, and soon it came to the end of the game.

The scoreboard shows the score is still 0:2

The scoring player shown on the lower edge is - MaDing.

The passionate Arsenal fans fully released their energy and completely mistook the new Wembley Stadium for the Emirates Stadium.

There were still a few seconds left in the 90 minutes of regular time. The on-site director took advantage of the fact that the scene was not intense and showed the camera to the fourth official on the sidelines.

The number displayed on the electronic sign held high is: 4

"There are still four minutes left for Manchester City!"

PP sports commentator Zhan Jun said loudly.

Through the broadcast lens, viewers watching the live game can see the coaches of both teams standing in their respective command areas, using body movements with clear intentions to signal the players on the field to adjust tactics.

Arsenal focuses on stability, and Manchester City fully participates in the attack.

At this point in the game, defensive players who originally didn't want to lose the ball have also devoted themselves to attacking, enriching the team's three-dimensional offense.

Previously, they were afraid of a crushing defeat, but as the game time came to an end, they also realized that they should give it a try.

Unfortunately, the offense organized by Manchester City's offensive system was seriously attacked by the defensive system led by Martin and Kante, and it was impossible to organize an effective threat to Ospina to guard the goal.

Arsenal's defense did not commit any fouls. They went step by step and relied on their comprehensive defense to keep the goal.

"Beep~beep~beep~~"

The four-minute injury time was just over, and the referee Anthony Taylor blew his whistle to signal the end of the 2017-2018 EFL Cup final.

"competition is over!"

"competition is over!!"

PP sports commentator Zhan Jun said loudly: "Congratulations to Martin! Congratulations to Arsenal! They have become the second team to win three consecutive championships since the launch of the English League Cup! Liverpool once won three consecutive championships from the 1980-1981 season to the 1983-1984 season. Winning this event for four consecutive seasons! But Arsenal, who won the EFL Cup, fired the first shot of winning the season!"

As usual, the live director gave Martin a close-up shot.

Martin, who scored two goals in this game, is a well-deserved man of the match!

The winning Arsenal players were in a very good mood and hugged each other to celebrate the victory.

Especially the two guns from Dortmund who joined in the winter window.

Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan, who got a chance to play at the last moment.

Unexpectedly, within a month of joining the team, he would win a championship.

Although the EFL Cup championship trophy does not contain much gold, it is ultimately a championship trophy for one's career.

It doesn't matter whether you want to win or not, as long as you have a championship.

The Manchester City players who lost were particularly depressed, shaking their heads and sighing.

De Bruyne, who had a wide field of vision, caught something in his peripheral vision. He turned around calmly, pretending not to see anything, and then walked towards the area where his teammates gathered.

Unexpectedly, Martin did not follow the rules. He jogged up to De Bruyne and pretended to say hello with a straight face: "Dear Ding Ding, I'm sorry, I won again, eh~"

De Bruyne gave a small look: "Laugh if you want to, don't pretend."

"Hey~"

Martin opened his hands and hugged De Bruyne directly: "Don't be discouraged, keep working hard next time."

De Bruyne: "..."

Although he was not very willing to 'do business', he had to deal with Martin until the other party left with satisfaction.

Looking at Martin's back, De Bruyne naturally clenched his fists and encouraged himself: I will definitely win the match at the league level next month!

If Martin knew what De Bruyne was thinking, he would definitely joke: How many times have you said this?

※※※※※

This night is a sleepless night for Arsenal fans.

Same for Manchester City fans.

It's just that their sleeplessness stems from their three-year winless streak against Arsenal.

Many pessimistic Manchester City fans have gradually realized that Arsenal led by Martin is likely to be the mountain that cannot be climbed.

In other words, as long as Martin is still at Arsenal, they have no hope of winning.

The staff at the new Wembley Stadium were very efficient and quickly set up a simple podium near the center circle of the main stand.

The first process to be carried out is in accordance with international practice. The presenters will award commemorative medals to the referee team, and then all members of the losing Manchester City will come on stage to receive the silver medal symbolizing the runner-up.

Finally, all members of Arsenal, who put on T-shirts printed with the Arabic numeral [5] to commemorate the championship, went to receive the gold-plated gold medal symbolizing the winner.

As the captain and number one star, Martin naturally made his final appearance.

The atmosphere at the new Wembley Stadium was gradually declining as Arsenal fans clearly prepared for the outburst that was to follow.

Every Arsenal member smiled and took the medal from the presenter, and then slowly walked to the championship display area to wait for captain Martin to take the trophy.

When Martin received the championship trophy from the presenter Prince William at the finale, the Arsenal players in the exhibition area gave up their C seats in a tacit understanding.

The atmosphere gradually became frenetic. The world's focus was on Martin, who was locked on the broadcast screen.

He held the silver trophy, walked to the C position vacated by his teammates, and then raised it high.

"Are Arsenal fans ready?"

At the same time, PP sports commentator Zhan Jun said impassionedly: "Arsenal is the champion!!"

"aoaoaoaooaoooooo——"

The entire stadium once again erupted with deafening shouts.

……

After playing in the EFL Cup final, Arsenal had a busy schedule. The whole team went into training the next day to prepare for the first league game in March.

vs Watford at home.

In three days, we will be a guest to challenge Brighton again.

Before the second leg of the Champions League 1/8 finals, there is a second round clash with Manchester City this season.

Fortunately, I have five days to rest before the league match against Manchester City, otherwise it would be really tough.

Of course, since Juventus defeated Juventus 1:8 in the first leg of the Champions League 2/0 finals as a guest at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, as long as they don't take the initiative to kill in the second round at home, it is impossible to be defeated by Juventus.

Closer to home, there were no accidents in the home league match against Watford.

With goals from Cavani, Aubameyang, Martin and Gnabry, they beat their opponents 4-0 at home.

Three days later, in a guest game at the Amex Community Stadium on the South Coast, captain Martin scored a hat-trick, defeating newly promoted Brighton 3:0.

After playing two consecutive league games, Arsenal ushered in a five-day break to prepare for the next two key battles against Manchester City and Juventus at home.

However, since the point difference between the two sides has reached 15 points, even if Manchester City is still ranked second, the media and fans will not describe this contest as "a battle for the top spot".

There are only nine rounds left in the league, and they are 15 points behind each other. Even if Manchester City wins, it will not have any impact on Arsenal, which has won three consecutive league championships.

But Arsenal, who were preparing for the league match against Manchester City, did not take it lightly. The two-goal victory in the first leg of the Champions League 1/8 finals gave them some room for maneuver, so they can focus on the league match against Manchester City first.

In addition, the games against Manchester City and Juventus are both at home, so there is no need to travel and travel, and the interval is four days.

Arsenal and Manchester City both have Champions League tasks in the middle of next week, and the schedule is scheduled for the first game of this round of Premier League matches.

Although this league does not have the gimmick of a first-place battle, there are still a large number of fans looking forward to it.

The night before the game, Martin didn't wait for De Bruyne to take the initiative for a long time, so he took the initiative out of boredom.

"Dear Ding Ding, there is a competition tomorrow at noon, why don't you do something to cheer up?"

As soon as Martin posted on Instagram, De Bruyne received the reminder. He twitched the corner of his mouth slightly and wanted to respond with harsh words, but after thinking about it, he decided to forget it.

The first is the team's strategic issue. It is very likely that when they are 15 points behind, they will not focus too much on away games.

The second thing is...the fear of being slapped in the face.

In fact, most of the time the banter between friends doesn't matter, they are used to it anyway. The key is that many fans who like to take screenshots will always be weird after the game.

Martin, who had been playing with his phone for a while, didn't see De Bruyne's reply, so he replied to @Kevin De Bruyne on the Ins post just now, adding: This is not like your style, by the way... Are you afraid of losing?

De Bruyne was speechless when he saw the message on the prompt bar again.

He thought that since he didn't reply the first time, there would be no need for the second time.

After about five minutes, Martin realized that his friend De Bruyne seemed to be timid, so he playfully added to the fire: timid?

De Bruyne was still hesitant to respond. Those Dragon Country fans who liked to watch the excitement responded directly for De Bruyne.

"Where is the cowardice? It's obviously true."

"The correct answer upstairs is that Ding Ding is strong against everyone, but he is weak against the Polo King."

"Haha~ I can't stand it anymore. I predict that Ding Ding will still not be able to beat Martin in tomorrow's league performance!"

"Same as above."

"Seconded."

"Learn from it."

……

De Bruyne, who casually read some fans' replies, was speechless. In order to keep out of sight, he simply quit Instagram.

Arsenal face Manchester City at home on Saturday at 12:30 noon.

The Emirates Stadium, which can accommodate 60,000 fans, was packed, and hysterical chants came one after another.

Perhaps taking into account the relatively large score gap between the two sides, the visiting team Manchester City's lineup is not the strongest lineup.

The home team Arsenal gave the strongest lineup.

Manchester City, which was not the main force, focused on defense in the beginning of the game, but its core tactics did not change, focusing on passing and controlling.

What is surprising is that the first goal was...Manchester City.

In the 24th minute of the game, Jesus took advantage of the chaos in the penalty area and scored a goal to help Manchester City take the lead.

But the Manchester City fans who traveled with the team were not happy for long. Games where the balance is broken are often prone to goals one after another.

Before the end of the first half, Martin, Aubameyang and Mahrez each scored a goal to directly expand the score.

In the 45 minutes of the second half, the two teams played very well. It seemed that they were playing back and forth, but in fact they did not hit the dangerous area.

The score of 3:1 was maintained until the end of the game.

Arsenal, who scored three points, are far ahead at the top of the list with 18 points. With the last eight rounds of the league left, it basically means that there will be no difference in the league championship.

Four days later, Arsenal welcomed Juventus at home for the second leg of the Champions League 1/8 finals.

Compared with Manchester City, which surrendered early at the league level, Juventus, their opponent at the Champions League level, still maintains a high fighting spirit.

Juventus, who had a kick-off advantage, took the lead in threatening Cech to guard the goal through a fast-paced attack.

However, the Arsenal players at home were very focused and did not underestimate Juventus, who lost two goals at home. As a result, Dybala's offense organized in series did not pose an actual threat.

On the contrary, in the ninth minute, Arsenal took advantage of a quick counterattack to win a direct free kick about 30 meters from the goal.

Center defender Chiellini also received a yellow card for this.

The yellow card received less than ten minutes into the game was a huge hidden danger to Juventus' overall defense.

The on-site director gave Martin a close-up shot.

"This location is just within Martin's shooting range..."

Martin, who has attracted worldwide attention, started to run after hearing the whistle. He supported his body with his left foot and hit the middle and lower part of the football hard with the instep of his right foot like a whip.

Boom~

A crisp muffled sound emerged spontaneously.

The football shot up from the ground like a cannonball, passing through Juventus' four-man wall at a speed visible to the naked eye, and flew towards the upper left corner of the goal at high speed.

Goalkeeper Buffon's awareness and judgment were spot on, but his movement rate was slightly slower by half a beat.

It was precisely this arrangement that prevented him from turning the tide.

"Goooooooooooooal——"

The football crashed into the snow-white net, and the commentators in the commentary box shouted in unison.

Ten minutes into the game, Arsenal scored first and took a three-goal lead.

There was still plenty of time. Juventus, which was three goals behind, did not give up and launched a wave of attacks.

For them, scoring three goals in a row without conceding a goal can completely reverse Arsenal by relying on the advantage of more away goals.

It is a pity that Juventus cannot create absolute chances at all.

In the 28th minute, Juventus, eager to equalize the score, received a blow.

Arsenal captain Martin sent a through ball as precise as a scalpel in the positional battle. Cavani stopped and hit the right rib of the penalty area with a low shot into the far corner, extending the score to two goals.

The total score is four goals ahead.

Only now did the visiting team players realize that there was nothing they could do to save the situation.

To come back and advance, you must score four goals in a row without conceding a goal.

is it possible?

may.

It's just that the probability is very low.

Arsenal have never lost at home, let alone lost by four goals?

Juventus players really wanted to score, but Arsenal, playing at home, didn't give them a chance.

After taking a two-goal lead, they still had the awareness to reasonably consume the game time through passing and control.

The score of 2:0 lasted until the end of the game.

In the end, Arsenal eliminated Serie A champion Juventus with a total score of 4:0 and advanced to the quarterfinals of this season's Champions League!

(End of this chapter)