roccoschili Chapter 346 Entering the finals
Chapter 346 Entering the finals
Chapter 346 Entering the finals
The 2:0 victory over Monaco is a very happy thing, because this score almost allowed Arsenal to enter the semi-finals of the Champions League.
But soon Arsenal couldn't be happy, because Chelsea narrowed the point difference to 6 points. In the third round of No. 30 in the league, Chelsea defeated Manchester United, which has been in good form recently, 1-0 at the Stamford Bridge Stadium.
Before this game, Manchester United's points had reached 61 points, only two points away from the previous Manchester City. With 6 rounds left in the league, it is entirely possible for Manchester United to surpass Manchester City.
The gap between No.4 and No.3 in the Premier League is still not small. This is not just a matter of league bonuses. In the Champions League, No.4 can directly participate in the main match, while No.[-] needs to play in the qualifying round. Only by winning the qualifying round can they enter the main match.
Although the opponents in the qualifiers will not be very strong, the football world is not simply judged by paper strength, and things like capsized in the gutter should not be too frequent.
Manchester United's recent good form has given Arsenal hope. Even if they can't really beat Chelsea, even a draw is a good thing, but Van Gaal's team is not strong at critical moments.
Manchester United's defeat not only allowed Chelsea to temporarily narrow the gap with Arsenal, but also greatly reduced the chance of surpassing their rivals in the same city, because Manchester City defeated their opponents, and the difference between the two sides widened to 5 points.
Arsenal's unbeaten end?In fact, no, the reason why Arsenal was narrowed by Chelsea is because Arsenal has not yet played in this round of the league.
When other teams played the No.30 three rounds of the league, Arsenal was preparing for the semi-finals of the FA Cup, so the No.30 three rounds of the league will be delayed.
This postponement is not a good thing for Arsenal, because Arsenal will directly collide with Chelsea in the No.30 fourth round. With only 6 points left, that game will become very important.
If Chelsea wins, the point difference between the two sides will be reduced to 3 points. What is the concept of 3 points? The outcome of a game can be evened out.
And this game is also mixed with the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Chelsea has no Champions League missions, nor FA Cup missions, only the league.
Don't look at Arsenal's third-line battle, and the situation is very good. Once Arsenal can't handle it well and lose one or two games, the situation may change drastically.
The next few games are very important for Arsenal. If they play well, it is likely to create Arsenal's glory. If they do not play well, they will fall short.
The FA Cup semi-final was the first game. Although Wenger didn't pay much attention to the FA Cup, since he entered the semi-final, he had to fight. After thinking twice, Wenger finally let Li Shou start this game.
This is also Li Shou's first start in a domestic cup match. Except for Li Shou, Arsene Wenger has placed substitute players in other positions. After the FA Cup, Arsenal still have to play the second round with Monaco and then face Chelsea. The main players must take turns.
I have to say that Arsenal have a good tone in the FA Cup this season, and they have drawn Reading from the English Championship, so it is enough for Wenger to send a substitute lineup for this game.
Reading's football is known for its rough play. Once upon a time, Reading achieved good results in the Premier League with its rough play, but Reading's way of playing is obviously not in line with the development of the Premier League, especially after that famous incident.
Cech, Cech, who was not injured, had a high chance of becoming the world's number one goalkeeper at the time, but after facing the serious injury in Reading, Cech was still a top goalkeeper, but he never had a chance to become the world's number one goalkeeper.
It is also because of Reading's rough style of play that Wenger has been hesitant to let Li Shou start before the game. Although Cech's incident has passed for a long time, Wenger still dare not take it lightly.
And Li Shou is too important to Arsenal now. If Arsenal loses Li Shou at this critical moment, it will definitely be a tragedy this season.
In the end, Wenger couldn't resist the temptation of the Triple Crown, so Li Shou started this game, but Li Shou's starting is definitely not a good thing for Reading.
Now that it has reached the semi-finals, Reading must also want to go further, and even stand up to the final championship, because as long as they win the FA Cup, they can qualify for the UEFA Cup.
The UEFA Cup is definitely not comparable to the UEFA Champions League, so it is not attractive to the giants who only have the UEFA Champions League in their eyes, but for a team like Reading, the UEFA Cup is no less attractive than the UEFA Champions League.
However, it is unlikely that Reading will enter the final. After Wenger sent Li Shou as the starting goalkeeper, almost the whole world is not optimistic about Reading, because no one thinks that Reading can break Arsenal's goal with its strength.
Unless Reading dares to do what he did to Cech again, can Reading dare?Besides, Li Shou is not Cech.
So in this game, Reading is destined to be unable to do anything, although they launched a strong attack after the game started, trying to catch Arsenal by surprise.
But unfortunately, Reading's tactics were not successful. Li Shou's save made Reading's two opening shots come back in vain, and then Arsenal began to take the initiative under their own feet.
In the 7th minute, Arsenal ushered in the first shot of the game. After receiving a pass from Chamberlain, Welbeck made a one-two with Walcott, then rushed into the penalty area and kicked the shot wide.
In 2 minutes, Arsenal made a comeback. It was Welbeck who cooperated with Walcott, but it was a pity that Walcott's shot did not hit the goal frame.
No. 15 minutes, Arsenal played a quick counterattack. Li Shou completed a clearance from Reading player Jordan's header. The ball came to Rosicky's feet. The Arsenal veteran immediately made a long pass to Walcott.
Counterattack is Arsenal's specialty this season, and Walcott's speed is even more of a counterattack weapon. Rosicky sends the ball directly behind the defenders. Walcott catches up with the ball with his own speed and explosive power, and then rushes into the penalty area with the ball.
1:0, facing the attacking Reading goalkeeper, Walcott didn't give any chance at all, and immediately took a shot, and the ball went straight to Reading's goal.
1:0 is not a safe score, even if Arsenal started this game with Li Shou, so Arsenal quickly expanded the score with the momentum of scoring the first goal.
This time it was Welbeck's goal, or a long pass, but this time it was not a counterattack. The ball came to the feet of Chamberlain, who sent the ball into the penalty area with a cross. Welbeck flew to the top to help Arsenal expand their advantage.
The score of 2:0 almost declared Reading's death sentence, and also exposed Reading's true nature, but when the game restarted, Reading players began to foul crazily, and the rough actions directly caused two Arsenal players to leave the field for treatment.
Naturally, the referee could not remain indifferent in this situation, but Atkinson's yellow card did not scare the Reading players until Atkinson drew out the first red card of the game to stop Reading, and this red card also foretells the final result of the game.
(End of this chapter)