Chapter 528 Champion

Confidence is gained through one game after another. Manchester United, who reversed Burnley 3:2 and won 21 consecutive Premier League games, had overwhelming confidence among the players.

However, the two consecutive games in a week and the hard battles in a row are also a big challenge for athletes with the consumption level of professional football games.

Although Mourinho has arranged for the players to rest as much as possible, when time goes to the end of 2017, the players still inevitably feel tired.

Although the players' spirits have become very excited because of the continuous victories, the fatigue in their hearts still makes the players' state fluctuate.

On the afternoon of December 30, Manchester United ushered in the last game of 2017. They continued to play at Old Trafford against Southampton.

In this game, Manchester United's frontcourt offense was collectively silent, but unexpectedly, Kante stood up.

This late midfielder, who has always been a full-time defensive player, proved his tactical value with two goals in this game. Gundogan and Bruno each contributed an assist.

Manchester United's victory also received considerable recognition from the British domestic media.

All fans know that no player or team can maintain an excellent state for a long time. There will always be ups and downs, both for players and teams.

But when evaluating a team's core competitiveness, a key point is whether there are other people in the team who can stand up when the core players of the team are in ups and downs.

Manchester City obviously did not, so they were tied 0:0 by Crystal Palace away.

Arsenal also had the same fate. The Gunners also suffered a draw in this round. Arsenal tied 1:1 with West Brom away.

The state of both Manchester City and Arsenal is not too bad. Only Manchester United, all the offensive players in the frontcourt are obviously lacking in state, even Bruno is not excited enough.

But when the frontcourt attack combination was silent, Kante's double goal saved the team.

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After the game, all British media reporters believed that Manchester United was the most likely team to win the Premier League this season.

After 21 rounds of the league, the situation on the Premier League standings has become clearer.

Manchester United, which has won 21 consecutive games since the start of the season, has already formed a leading position with 63 points.

Following closely behind is Manchester City, the Blue Moon currently has 18 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, and has 56 points.

56 points in 21 rounds, averaging 2.667 points per game, such a result is very good in any case.

In fact, in the five major leagues, this result can also be ranked second.

Currently, Barcelona ranks first in La Liga. The universe team has won 14 wins and 3 draws in 17 games, and has a 9-point advantage in the standings with 45 points, but Barcelona's average score per game is only 2.647 points.

The top team in La Liga is Naples, which has emerged this season. Naples has 15 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss after halfway through, and has 48 points, averaging only 2.526 points per game.

The Bundesliga is still dominated by Bayern Munich. The Southern King has achieved 13 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses in 17 league games, and has an 11-point advantage in the standings, but their average score is only 2.412 points.

Paris Saint-Germain has regained the top spot in Ligue 1. They have 16 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss after halfway through the season, and are far ahead in the standings with 50 points, while their average score is 2.632 points.

With Manchester City's performance, they may be the undisputed top team in any other league or even in other seasons.

However, they encountered the unreasonable Manchester United this season. After winning 21 consecutive games, the crazy Red Devils have already left Manchester City 7 points ahead in the standings.

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Compared with Guardiola's first year of blood transfusion last season, Manchester City's performance this season has improved greatly, with a 17-point increase in the same period, and the ranking has also risen from sixth to second.

In the Premier League where three defenders suddenly became popular, Guardiola did not stick to the 433 formation that made him famous. He once changed the formation to 343 and achieved success.

If it were not for the psychological imbalance caused by the over-powerful performance of Manchester United, the rivals in the same city, objectively speaking, Manchester City's performance is very good in the Premier League and even in Europe. The number of goals scored and the number of goals conceded are both ranked second in the Premier League, and the offense and defense are quite balanced.

Manchester City's huge improvement is inseparable from the outstanding performance of their midfield core De Bruyne.

In recent seasons of Manchester City, De Bruyne's position has been constantly retreating, but his strength has been increasing day by day. From an attacking midfielder with excellent passing and shooting to a midfield master who controls the overall situation today, if he maintains such a high-light performance, it is not surprising that De Bruyne will join the final competition for the Golden Globe Award.

Passing, scoring, vision, overall view and even defense, De Bruyne's performance in every game shows that he is such an all-round midfielder.

What is even more commendable is that such a talented player is also a fighter on the field, running repeatedly and intensively throughout the game to fight for every possible ball.

So far, he has not only created the most opportunities for the team, but also the player with the most interceptions. The dual core formed by him and Silva makes it difficult for all opponents to resist. It can be foreseen that an epoch-making midfield master is being born.

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The gap between other teams and the two Manchester City giants is not small.

The third place is Chelsea, the Blues have achieved 13 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses, and have won 42 points.

As Chelsea, which competed with Manchester United for the championship until the last minute last season, it has encountered trouble this season. Last season, Conte's three central defenders almost swept the British Isles, but this season, the three central defenders are not only familiar to all Premier League teams, but also used by other Premier League teams.

Last season, the Blues had no European war tasks and could concentrate on the league. During the Champions League group stage and knockout stage, they gradually widened the gap with other teams, but this year is completely different.

In order to cope with multi-line operations, Conte also introduced players such as Drinkwater and Zappacosta to supplement the depth of the bench, but obviously their performance did not satisfy Conte. One Matic is no longer hard enough to win an advantage for the midfield, which is very obvious in the league and the Champions League. Facing tough mid- and lower-level teams such as Burnley and Crystal Palace, and smooth offensive teams such as Basel, the Blues have shown disadvantages in the midfield.

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Klopp's Liverpool ranked fourth. The Reds won 11 games, drew 7 games and lost 3 games in the first 21 games, and got 40 points.

The Reds' ranking fourth is actually a more objective reflection.

From the current point of view, Klopp's team is still a long way from a real revival. The ability of the slag uncle is beyond doubt, but the manpower available to him is obviously insufficient. Players like Lovren, Klavan and Moreno are difficult to occupy a place in other strong teams in the Premier League, but Klopp has to rely on them. Matip is in good shape, but he is currently recovering from injury. The central defender combination of Lovren and Klavan often finds it difficult to maintain concentration, which gives other teams an opportunity to take advantage. In the midfield, neither Emre Can nor Henderson are traditional sweeping midfielders, and it is even more difficult to ensure the stability of the back line.

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Pochettino's Tottenham ranked fifth, with 11 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses, and got 38 points.

For Pochettino's team, ranking fifth seems unfair. Because his team actually performed very well. Tottenham's high-pressure pressing and rapid advancement are both ornamental and a combination of speed and hardness.

More importantly, in the Premier League teams where stars are rampant, Tottenham's youth training and localization strategies are very successful. After Kyle Walker left, Trippier, who is also an Englishman, took his place and flew on both wings with the original Rose. Ali is in good shape, and Morata, who was introduced after Harry Kane left, is in even better shape. Such performance has even attracted the attention of Real Madrid, which is said to be interested in buying back again. Such a lineup undoubtedly encourages other Premier League teams to focus more on youth training, which is also of long-term benefit to English football.

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Arsenal ranks sixth, and their record is the same as that of their North London rival Tottenham, with 11 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses, and they are only ranked behind by the disadvantage of goal difference.

The Gunners, who have been fighting for the top four every year, finally couldn't hold on to their last breath last season, fell out of the top four, and lost the Champions League qualification. This season is also not optimistic for fans. But fortunately, the performance this season is not too bad, with 38 points tied for fifth place with Tottenham.

The intensity of the League Cup is far less than that of the Champions League, but the team still cannot go further in the league. Injuries may be the biggest reason. You know, Arsenal's original bench depth is not thick. Wenger has been struggling to support it for many years. Once the injury wave hits, the professor is also a good cook without rice.

This is why Arsenal always falls behind in January after a good start every season.

Nowadays, there are only Koscielny, Mertesacker and Mustafi as genuine central defenders. After cleaning Gabriel at the beginning of the season, there was no corresponding supplement. Mustafi was injured frequently, Mertesacker was close to retirement, and the team played a three-back formation, which was almost unsustainable. Ramsey, Coquelin, and Cazorla have been recovering from injuries for a long time, and the midfield position is also stretched.

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In terms of the scorer list, although Bruno has encountered a goal drought in the last two games, he still topped the list with 29 goals, and his advantage is very obvious.

Following closely behind is Bruno's good friend Salah and current teammate Harry Kane, both of whom scored 18 goals.

After joining Liverpool, Salah quickly integrated into the team. Even if he failed to win the Golden Boot in the competition with Bruno and Harry Kane, Salah has fully proved his scoring ability.