Chapter 115: The Chance to Find Face

The UEFA Cup semi-final, Sporting Lisbon vs. Derby County, should have been the focus of attention, but in England, where Chelsea is currently fighting for the Champions League and Liverpool, and the league championship is in a tense period, this game is really difficult to attract the media. interest of.

Perhaps this is also related to the influence of the UEFA Cup.

The eyes of the world on the European arena are mostly focused on the European Champions Cup. Because of this, the game did not attract many foreign media, not even the English media who followed Derby County to Portugal.

Perhaps the only people who really care about the game are Derby County's own media, as well as a small number of media from various countries who care about their players' performance.

For example, several reporters from China came to interview, and they paid attention to the outcome not because they supported Derby County, but because Derby County was a team led by Wan Sheng.

Belgium and France also have media interviews. They are concerned about the state and performance of Leto Ziegler and Frank Ribery, so that they can "persuasion" the national team to recruit players with outstanding form.

In short, there is not much concern about Derby County's UEFA Cup victory or defeat. Perhaps the UEFA Cup is attractive, and it can only be possible until the final.

In this news environment, the Derby County team silently went to Portugal, and then silently took away the victory.

Derby County put on a splendid attack at the Jose Alvalade Stadium, scoring a total of three goals in the first and second half and leaving Portugal with a score of 1-3.

With this victory, Derby County is equal to one foot into the UEFA Cup final.

Although it was a big win, the English media only reported the game a little after the game, congratulations to Lower Derby County for their optimistic situation in entering the final. Then they began to care about the Premier League title race. The current top four teams in the league are Derby County, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United. Derby County has 4 points more than Chelsea, Chelsea 9 points more than Arsenal, Manchester United It is 4 points less than Arsenal.

With only three rounds left in the league, it is not easy to change this ranking.

It can only be said that Chelsea still has a chance to win the championship, and Manchester United still has a chance to surpass Arsenal for third place in the league.

In this situation, Derby County's home game against Arsenal is crucial.

Arsenal's current problem is Henry.

Arsenal took the win at White Hart Lane in the last round. Henry was injured in the game. The young Dutch teenager Van Persie scored the only goal of the game. The result of the game was favorable for Arsenal. They were still 4 points ahead of Manchester United, but Henry's injury was definitely a blow to Arsenal. , they had to face Derby County without Henry.

The good news is that Henry only needs two weeks to return, which means that he is still in time for that game at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, where the Gunners and the Red Devils will have the fiercest battle for the FA Cup title.

With Chelsea and Derby County on the rise this season, both Arsenal and Manchester United seem to have disappeared. Coupled with the elimination of the Champions League, the League Cup was taken away by Derby County, and the two teams need to face the embarrassment of nothing for the whole season. Simply the two teams performed well in the FA Cup, and they both reached the final, so this match at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff became crucial.

The winner will use this only championship trophy to restore the bleak performance of the whole season, and the loser will suffer the embarrassment of nothing.

Arsenal's "top scorer" Henry is expected to catch up with this "life and death battle", which is good news for Arsenal, but they must first face this situation without Henry. The match against Derby County is related to Arsenal's ranking in the league. After all, they are only four points ahead of Manchester United. If they lose the game, Manchester United is still very likely to surpass them.

But the situation facing Arsenal is not good - they lost Henry, and they are also playing away. Although many media used the word 'revenge' to boost morale before the game, they lost a big score to Derby at Highbury in the first leg. County scene. Still lingering in the hearts of Arsenal players, and now without Henry, how many chances do they have at the Pride Stadium?

No one can answer this question.

Neither can Wenger.

In the interview before the game, Wenger did not talk much about the game, and he was even more noncommittal about what the media called the "offensive war".

This attitude somewhat disappointed the media.

But actually. There is no way for the French, and Arsenal's overall strength is pretty good. It's hard to say who wins and who loses in a head-to-head game with Derby County, but it's completely different after losing Henry. Van Persie is not Henry after all, and Reyes, another Spanish boy who's been in the doldrums, is also very difficult to carry. This kind of situation It is very difficult to win against Derby County, which has a complete lineup and stars like Van der Vaart and Ribery.

Wenger knows this, so he doesn't talk much before the game.

At the same time, Derby County is also preparing for the game with peace of mind. During the interview, Wan Sheng didn't talk much about the game. At this time, he doesn't need to provoke his opponent with words. The most important thing is to win silently. Arsenal have to start a life-and-death battle with Derby County, which is not good for the team.

Before the game, the media was still more optimistic about Derby County, because Derby County had a complete lineup and was playing at home, while Arsenal lost Henry and it was difficult to compete with Derby County head-on.

This is the view of many people.

In fact, what they said is right. After losing Henry, Arsenal's offensive efficiency has become a key issue. If it is a frontal attack, the offensive efficiency can almost directly determine the outcome. Arsenal without Henry is obviously in a weak position. So Wenger had to adjust his tactics.

Arsenal did not choose to play against Derby County.

At the beginning of the game, everyone saw the impact that Henry had on Arsenal. They didn't even dare to face Derby County. They just kept defending, defending, and constantly strengthening their defense. It was as if Arsenal had completely changed. A defensive player.

It's not the first time Arsenal have done it this season, but the media and fans are still disappointed to see them do it again.

Obviously Arsenal are looking to keep the goal, and if Derby make a mistake, they don't mind taking advantage of quick counter-attacks to find opportunities to score.

Overall, Arsenal is still defensive.

Seeing Arsenal's style of play, Wan Sheng also had to express his admiration to Wenger. Arsenal was dubbed 'the best attacking team in England', but the French could see that without Henry, and Derby County It is unwise to play against the offense, so he chose to defend. It is very difficult to make this choice, because if he fails, he will definitely be criticized by the outside world, but for Arsenal's league situation, Wenger still did it.

Because they don't, they are likely to lose the game by a big margin.

Derby County still played very well in the whole game. They pressed and attacked, and they continued to pass the ball forward from the middle and two flanks, which brought great pressure to Arsenal's defense, although Arsenal's defense was very tight. , but Baimi always has a loss. In the 73rd minute of the game, Derby County still scored.

This is Van der Vaart's goal!

After finishing the cooperation with Morris, Van der Vaart ran to the position and followed up with a direct shot. This precise shot hit Campbell's side. Arsenal goalkeeper Lehmann had no time to save and could only watch the football fly goal.

"Goooooooooal!"

"1:0! Van der Vaart!"

"Vandervaart helped Derby County break the deadlock! This powerful shot showed the calmness of the Dutch striker in front of the goal. Arsenal goalkeeper Lehmann hardly reacted. Derby County led Arsenal 1-0!"

"..."

With the excited shouts of the commentator, the Pride Stadium also fell into a frenzy.

It was also the only goal of the game.

In the end, the game ended with the disappointed eyes of Arsenal players. Amid the noise, Wan Sheng and Wenger came to the center to smile and shake hands.

"You guys are playing very well. I hope that in the next game, you can win the championship at Old Trafford!" Wenger said with a smile.

It seemed like he didn't care about losing at all.

Hearing Wenger's words, Wan Sheng was taken aback for a moment, and then he smiled and said, "I promise, I will."

Wenger had a schadenfreude smile on his face, and immediately turned around and left the stadium. He only hoped that Wansheng could do what he said, then Arsenal would lose if they lost, and it didn't matter at all.

......

Overall, it was a disappointing game.

However, for Derby County, victory is the best result, because victory means they are closer to the league title. After the game, Derby County players and fans celebrated wildly.

Wansheng also hugged with the players on the court, but he was still very calm. After all, it is still a little too early to celebrate the league championship.

There are two rounds left in the league, and they have to win at least the next round.

Like Wenger said, Wansheng hopes to win the next round, because the next round is the game against Manchester United, which is the game at Old Trafford, if you can take the team there Brilliant stadium to take the championship trophy, which is really heartwarming.

Now, three years later, Wan Sheng still remembers the loneliness when he left Manchester United.

He's just a junior team coach, no one cares at all, even if he leaves, the Manchester United club doesn't care at all, and there is only one McGuinness gloating about it, and others may not remember his name at all.

Now, three years later, he has a chance to regain his face.

He's going to lead his team, beat Manchester United at Old Trafford...and take the league title! ! ! (To be continued ~^~)