Chapter 634: Worse

With the strong rise of Tottenham Hotspur, the North London Derby has become the most concerned event for London fans. As the two teams with the most gorgeous styles in the Premier League in the past few seasons, the games between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur never disappoint people. Just like in the first round, who could have thought that Tottenham Hotspur would actually beat Arsenal with nine goals?

Wenger's team quickly recovered after that humiliating defeat and is still working hard for the top four in the league. When welcoming the second round of the North London Derby, Wenger said before the game that the first Premier League match between the two sides did not leave a shadow on Arsenal.

"We learned a lot from that game!" Wenger told everyone with a strong confidence that the defeat was a thing of the past and Arsenal would not let the same tragedy happen again, even if this time they were visiting White Hart Lane to challenge Tottenham Hotspur.

Not only that, Wenger also criticized Ye Qiu before the game, thinking that Tottenham Hotspur's sale of Yaya Toure would be Ye Qiu's biggest mistake. Even if the player took the initiative to apply for a transfer, Ye Qiu could have kept it until the summer.

"I can understand Tottenham Hotspur and Ye Qiu's approach. Selling players during the winter break and waiting until the summer to sell them may be two completely different prices, but I want to say that Tottenham Hotspur with Yaya Toure has the ability to compete for all championships including the Premier League and the Champions League, and Tottenham Hotspur without Yaya Toure is not scary at all!"

Wenger has his own opinion on Phil Jones and Pogba, the young players who have attracted a lot of attention from the English media in the past period of time and have received mixed reviews. "These two players are both very outstanding young rookies, but you have to know that they are only 17 or 18 years old. It is impossible for them to replace Yaya Toure's role in a short period of time. !"

"Phil Jones has a rare temperament of English players and is always full of passion, but he is still too far away from being a first-team player, especially for a team aiming to win the league title and the Champions League. The same is true for Pogba. The Frenchman's physical fitness and skills are impressive, but they are all too young. "

"If you ask me how to beat Tottenham, then I tell you now that before the winter break, this team had almost no weaknesses, but after the winter break, the defensive midfielder position is their weakness. Whoever makes good use of this will be able to beat this team!" Wenger showed signs of giving advice to his Premier League counterparts.

Perhaps it should be said that he would do anything that could cause trouble for Ye Qiu and Tottenham.

Wenger didn't just say that. In this North London derby, he proved his point with actual actions. His team launched a round of attacks after the opening. In the fourth minute, Arteta pulled Phil Jones away. Nasri cut inside from the left and passed the ball behind the defense. Walcott drove straight in and scored a single goal, 1:0!

The first goal was scored in just four minutes after the opening. This efficiency seemed to be a great idea of ​​slaughtering Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane and avenging the previous shame. Wenger was also gentle and elegant. He stood in the command area in front of the visiting team's coaching seat and directed the game, looking very confident of winning.

But soon, Tottenham Hotspur changed color.

As early as the game against Roma, many people felt that Tottenham Hotspur's defense was problematic. Even Phil Jones, who looked very good, was average on the defensive end, especially as the main defensive midfielder. Ye Qiu himself also criticized it when he was interviewed by the media after the game.

But it doesn't matter if the defense is not good. Tottenham Hotspur is excellent in offense. Using offense to suppress the opponent is also a tactic.

In this game, Ye Qiu did not arrange Fabregas to retreat, but decided to adopt an attack-to-attack game strategy, advancing the ball to the two wings, through Alves and Alba, who replaced Marcelo in the starting lineup, through the midfield, and then handed over to Messi, Fabregas and Ribery to complete the frontcourt attack.

Therefore, after losing the ball four minutes after the start, Tottenham Hotspur was not panicked at all. When Arsenal just celebrated the goal and the game resumed, even the live broadcast of Sky TV was still repeatedly replaying the whole process of the goal. When Andy Gray was even severely criticizing Phil Jones who lost his position, Tottenham Hotspur equalized the score.

Alba made a long pass from the left to the right, and Alves quickly dribbled the ball to the right foot of Arsenal's penalty area, pushed the ball behind Clichy, Messi shook off Koscielny and got the ball in the penalty area, dribbled past Koscielny who was chasing him, and pushed the ball into the goal, equalizing the score for Tottenham Hotspur, 1:1!

"A beautiful goal! A crucial goal!" Andy Gray spoke highly of Tottenham's goal. "The team's morale was affected after they conceded a goal, but they soon equalized the score with an attack. Tottenham has now transferred all the pressure to Arsenal."

"Haha, Tottenham's intention is very clear now. Come on, attack. If you score a goal against me, I will definitely return a goal to you. Let's see who is better at attacking!"

"You know, Tottenham's offensive ability is second to none in the entire European football world. So far this season, except for Liverpool, no team has dared to fight against Tottenham without suffering a loss!"

This is undoubtedly the biggest bargaining chip for Ye Qiu and Tottenham!

Wenger seemed to really want to go head-to-head with Tottenham. The two sides started a fast-paced offensive battle with rapid ball possession changes, but it only lasted for more than ten minutes. In the 22nd minute, Nasri got the ball on the left again, dribbled past Phil Jones who was too aggressive, and shot with his left foot, scoring again, 2:1!

After taking the lead again this time, Arsenal began to consciously invest more manpower in defense, and Wenger also made timely adjustments. In response to Tottenham's two-wing advance, he made sufficient preparations for wing defense.

Ye Qiu was not in a hurry this time. After losing the ball, he walked to the sidelines to signal the team to stabilize first, take it slow, and not rush.

Both Ye Qiu and Tottenham fans are very confident about their team's offense. After all, in the past few seasons, Tottenham has been the most powerful team in the Premier League, and with attacking players such as Messi, Ribery, Cavani, David Silva and Fabregas, Tottenham's offensive power is unquestionable.

So Ye Qiu's strategy is to stabilize the situation first, especially the team's defense.

Many people say that offense is the best defense, but there is a premise for this, that is, your defense should not be too bad.

If the offensive player scores one goal in front and you lose one in the back when you turn around, it will be a huge blow to morale, and no matter how good and sharp the offense is, you can't squander and waste it like this.

Both times the ball was lost in the arc top area, either by passing directly into the penalty area or by shooting directly, Phil Jones was not unrelated, so Ye Qiu also shouted at Phil Jones directly on the sidelines. He felt that this kid was too easily deceived by Arsenal's offensive players and gave up the key position at the top of the penalty area too easily.

Ye Qiu also understood Phil Jones's character. At least he didn't think that his shouting would make him lose his fighting spirit or lack of confidence, because this kid was a typical example of overflowing self-confidence, even excessive. There was no need to worry about his self-confidence at all, and any blow would not affect him.

Ye Qiu's shouting on the sidelines and the suppression of the full-backs' participation in the offense stabilized Tottenham Hotspur's defense. After all, if the two full-backs stayed, the back line could withdraw manpower when necessary to help Phil Jones in the midfield to protect the front of the penalty area.

But while stabilizing the defense, the team's offense was also curbed, and the scene began to change from the original offensive battle to a stalemate.

"According to the character of Ye Qiu and Tottenham, they will definitely not give up. There is still enough time in the first half. They are only one goal behind and are fully capable of equalizing the score!" Andy Gray felt that Ye Qiu was waiting for the opportunity.

Wenger himself knew that Ye Qiu was brewing an offensive, so he kept adjusting the team on the sidelines.

But from the 35th minute, Tottenham seized the opportunity to steal the ball in the front court and began to launch fierce attacks on Arsenal's defense again and again, especially the back line directly pressed forward, suppressing Arsenal in the half, setting off a wave of crazy attacks.

Wenger may have seized Tottenham's weakness, but isn't his Arsenal also riddled with holes?

With his tofu-like back line, can he really stop Tottenham's attack if he really attacks head-on?

Facts have proved that it is not possible, and it is simply impossible!

After entering the 40th minute, in just less than three minutes, Tottenham Hotspur scored two goals in a row with Cavani and Fabregas, and before the halftime break, they completed a reversal against Arsenal and rewritten the score to 3:2!

"Crazy, my God, whether it is Tottenham Hotspur or Arsenal, the loopholes and weaknesses in defense are completely exposed. It is difficult for them to stop the opponent's attack!"

Andy Gray even speculated whether the second half would adopt a similar offensive game of "you score a goal and I return a goal"? Or, will both sides adjust their tactics appropriately?

As it turned out, Ye Qiu sneaked into Arsenal at the beginning of the second half, using Messi to break into the penalty area, passing Djokovic and then passing to the back post. Cavani followed up with a header and headed the ball into the goal, further expanding the score to 4:2!

After gaining enough advantages, Ye Qiu began to play defensive counterattacks and consciously strengthened his team's defense. For example, Ye Qiu replaced David Silva with Beckham from the 60th minute, and let Beckham and Phil Jones form a double defensive midfielder and take root in front of the defense line.

During the game, Beckham kept directing Phil Jones on how to run, how to assist defense, when to rush, and when to stabilize, and taught him hand in hand, while he himself was protecting the front of the team's penalty area.

Veterans are veterans. Even if Beckham does not have any convincing top strength in the defensive midfielder position, he is an experienced veteran after all, and he is knowledgeable, so he is also familiar with guiding newcomers.

Not only that, Beckham's role is also reflected in many aspects. For example, he often helps Kyle Walker and other interested players to practice long passes, crosses and free kicks after the training session. Kyle Walker's cross ball has improved a lot. After all, this technique is acquired through hard practice.

After Wenger saw Beckham play, he also realized Ye Qiu's thoughts and calculations. He also knew very well that his defensive line was terrible and weak and could not stop Tottenham Hotspur's attack. If he continued Going all out to attack, Tottenham Hotspur's counterattack will only continue to cause Arsenal to concede goals.

And if you don't try your best, how can you score Tottenham Hotspur's goal?

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This North London derby ended with Tottenham Hotspur reversing Arsenal 4:2 at their home court.

For this game, the evaluation given by the outside media was not high, or even very low. Whether it was Arsenal or Tottenham Hotspur, the evaluation was very low, and the best player in the game was Messi. .

When commenting, many English media believed that Tottenham Hotspur's offense was indeed more powerful, and the reason why Tottenham Hotspur won was to rely on their own powerful offense and use of tactics to assess the situation. Successfully defeated arch-rival Arsenal at their home court.

As Martin Samuel said in his column, this is a game of who has the worse defense. The defenses of both sides are not strong, and Arsenal’s defense is obviously worse. Tottenham’s The offense was even better, so in the end Tottenham won the game.

But Martin Samuel also warned Tottenham Hotspur in his column, believing that with the current Tottenham Hotspur defense, once they encounter a strong team, especially in the Champions League, , when encountering a team with a more balanced offense and defense, it may be difficult for them to use their offensive power to win.

In the final analysis, the outside world's discussion about Tottenham Hotspur is mainly focused on the midfielder position.

The defense line is still the same as before, except that Yaya Toure has been replaced by Phil Jones in the defensive midfielder position, but the effect on the defense and the team is completely different, so some voices began to appear, doubting Ye Qiu. Is it a wise choice to let Yaya Toure go at the last minute during the winter break?

Just when the outside world was questioning Ye Qiu, Tottenham Hotspur CEO Peter Kenyon and Chief Operating Officer Ron Gurley took the initiative to defend Ye Qiu in interviews with the media. .

"The reason why we chose to let Yaya Toure leave was not because of the transfer fee. We never consider the transfer fee when deciding to transfer players. The level of the transfer fee is to decide whether to send him to the transfer market. We will think about it later. Before that, we are more thinking about whether we can or should keep this player.”

"Obviously, our answer to this question is no, because the salary and sincerity offered by the other party are beyond our ability to give. They can arrange their troops around Yaya Toure, but we have Messi. , there is Ribery, Cavani, and a lot of outstanding players such as Cesc Fabregas, David Silva, Thiago Silva, Alves and so on.”

"We don't have a way to organize the team around one player, and we don't have a way to pay him an outrageous salary, which we wouldn't be able to do, because if we gave Yaya Toure With such a high salary, what about the other players? What about the others?

"In the end, after comprehensive consideration, we decided to let him go because the player had told us that he wanted to leave and we had no way to force him to stay. The only regret is that this decision was made on the last day of the transfer period, when we were facing There are two options, to bring in a player in a hurry or to promote the young players in the team.”

"You know, the risk is too great to decide to introduce a player in one day. Our recruitment will never be so easy and hasty. We will carefully examine every player, and we have always promoted The priority was given to the young players in the team, so we ultimately chose the most difficult path.”

"Perhaps, in the short term, the team's performance will be subject to some twists and turns, but in the long term, all of us believe that Phil Jones can become a key member of the team's midfield position, and he is indeed With such potential, it’s worth doing this for him!”

Peter Kenyon also made it clear in the interview that the team will consider introducing a defensive midfielder during the summer transfer, but refused to disclose the specific target, but said that he would not rule out a first-class star.

"I believe everyone is well aware that the entire transfer market is too chaotic now. Players are worth very much and their salary requirements are also very high. This is really not a good choice for us, so the players we have introduced in the past None of the players are famous stars. We prefer to introduce young players who have proven their strength and potential but are not worth a very high price, because we believe that this type of player has more desire to compete. "

"But nothing is absolute, and our current lineup is too young."

Peter Kenyon's clarification did give Tottenham Hotspur fans some insight into the team's situation. In fact, Yaya Toure's agent announced his transfer on the last day of the transfer period. , if the player really wants to leave, it is understandable to take this opportunity to sell him at a good price.

Therefore, after learning the truth of the matter, Tottenham Hotspur fans were considerate and expressed that they would cooperate with the team to provide the best space for the growth and progress of young players instead of pressure.

After the 28th round of the Premier League ended early, Tottenham Hotspur reversed Birmingham 2:1 at Wembley Stadium with goals from Neymar and Hazard.

Not long after the start of this game, center forward Zigic beat Varane and Nastasic with a header to break Tottenham Hotspur's goal, but Tottenham Hotspur eventually reversed the opponent and won the League Cup, greatly easing the pressure the team is currently facing.

Three consecutive games were all reversed. Although Tottenham Hotspur performed well and won all the games, compared with the past, many people are still worried, after all, their strength has indeed declined.

Ye Qiu has long been clear about the concerns of the outside world, but the issues he considers are more complicated than those of everyone outside, and at the same time, he is more bold, and even many decisions require great courage.

Just like when Ferguson decided to sell Cristiano Ronaldo, he could not make such a decision without extraordinary courage, and in hindsight, his decision was right.

But before making a decision, who can say that they will not be wrong?