Chapter 365
"This game is crucial for us, Manchester City. Arsenal is a strong opponent with excellent players in every position."
"We must carefully observe their positions and movements and look for loopholes in their defense."
"Li Lei and De Bruyne look good today. Their cooperation in the midfield will be the key for us to tear open Arsenal's defense."
"We must ensure that they can get enough support, and also beware of counterattacks from Ozil and Ramsey."
"Aguero must be more active today. He needs to constantly create threats in the frontcourt and contain Arsenal's defense."
"If he can attract defense and create space for Sterling and Toure, our offense will be smoother.
"On the defensive end, we must always be vigilant."
"Arsenal's offense is very sharp, especially Giroud's header and Walcott's speed, which are what we need to focus on. "
"Otamendi and Mangala must hold their ground and not give them any chances."
"All in all, this will be a tough game, but I believe my players have the ability to win."
"We have to control the rhythm of the game and lead the direction of the game in our own way."
"As long as everyone goes all out, I believe victory will eventually belong to us!"
Just as Guardiola was thinking, Arsenal's head coach Wenger was also making psychological plans. His eyes were bright and he seemed to be looking for Manchester City's weaknesses and thinking about how to beat this powerful opponent away from home.
Inadvertently, the eyes of the two famous coaches met on the sidelines.
Guardiola realized this, he smiled slightly, nodded politely to Wenger, and seemed to pay tribute to this old opponent.
With a crisp whistle from the referee, the game officially began. Arsenal won the kick-off right of this game with the advantage of home court.
Arsenal's players immediately launched an offensive, and they seemed eager to take the lead at home.
The attack was initiated by Campbell, Ozil, Walcott and Giroud.
As the whistle sounded, Campbell took the ball first, and he saw that Ozil in front of him had run out of the gap.
The two had a tacit understanding, and Campbell sent the ball to Ozil's feet with an accurate through ball.
After receiving the ball, Ozil did not rush to shoot, but used his unique vision to look for better offensive opportunities.
He saw that Walcott on the right had started, so he passed the ball to Walcott with a clever heel.
Walcott got the ball and immediately accelerated to break through.
His speed was amazing, and it was difficult for Manchester City's defensive players to keep up with his rhythm.
Walcott brought the ball to the edge of the penalty area, and he saw that Giroud in the penalty area was ready to respond.
With an accurate cross, the ball seemed to find Giroud's head.
After seeing such an offensive, the Arsenal fans at home cheered even louder.
They seemed to have seen the hope of scoring a goal and were looking forward to Giroud's header.
But at this critical moment, Manchester City's defensive core Otamendi arrived in time.
He jumped high and cleared the ball out of the penalty area with a header before Giroud.
Unfortunately, this attack did not score a goal.
Li Lei got the ball cleared by Otamendi in the backcourt, and he quickly controlled the ball and prepared to launch a counterattack.
When he just controlled the ball and prepared to launch a counterattack, no teammates responded in time.
At this time, Arsenal's players quickly took the ball back, showing the advantage and fighting spirit of playing at home from their active running.
Arsenal's players were very active, and they did a good job in running and defending. They kept exchanging positions on the field, forming an airtight net that tightly trapped Manchester City's players. Li Lei felt like he was trapped in this big net on the field, and no matter how hard he struggled, he could not get out.
Such a situation brought great pressure to Manchester City's players. Arsenal's attack came like a tide, wave after wave, making Manchester City's defense always in a state of high tension.
In the 31st minute of the game, Arsenal's midfielder Ozil launched another attack. He worked closely with two defensive midfielders and wingers to form an offensive that was about to come. Ozil's skills were very delicate. He cleverly used his body's feints to shake off Manchester City's defensive players and dribbled the ball all the way to Manchester City's penalty area.
Seeing that Ozil was about to bring the ball into Manchester City's penalty area, Manchester City's defensive midfielder Fernandinho realized the danger. He had no choice but to foul Arsenal's winger Campbell to stop him.This was a very threatening attack.
Although Fernandinho's foul prevented Ozil from breaking through, he also had to bear a yellow card warning. The referee took out the yellow card without hesitation, and Fernandinho could only accept the result helplessly.
Arsenal got a free kick opportunity in a very good position because of this foul. The position of this free kick is undoubtedly a huge threat to Manchester City's goal.
Li Lei stood in the wall of people, knowing clearly that this free kick is likely to determine the direction of the game.
If Arsenal can take advantage of this opportunity to score first at home, then Manchester City will face huge pressure.
Li Lei, standing in the wall of people, stared at the ball at Ozil's feet.
When Ozil started to run up, Li Lei's heartbeat also accelerated. This free kick was an excellent opportunity for Arsenal.
When the ball flew into the air under Ozil's feet, Li Lei couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "It's over."
Years of football experience allowed him to judge almost immediately that this ball would most likely fly directly into Manchester City's gate.
Li Lei's judgment was soon verified.
The ball drew a perfect arc in the air and went straight to the far corner of Manchester City's gate.
Manchester City's goalkeeper Hart, despite his best efforts, could not stop this tricky and powerful free kick.
The ball went straight to the far corner and hit the net.
At the moment the net trembled, the entire Emirates Stadium was boiling.
The Arsenal fans at home cheered and screamed almost at the same time.
The deafening noise was probably heard throughout London.
The Arsenal players also hugged each other excitedly. They knew that this goal would have a crucial impact on the direction of the entire game.
Leading 1-0 at home will undoubtedly greatly enhance Arsenal's confidence, and will also bring huge pressure to Manchester City.
Li Lei stood there, looking at the cheering Arsenal players, with mixed feelings in his heart.
If he could have more control and organization in the midfield, perhaps Ozil would not have had the opportunity to get this free kick.
But the game is not over yet, he must quickly adjust his state and lead the team to cheer up again.
Although the score of 1-0 is behind, it is not impossible to catch up.
