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Volume 11, 2004 Chapter 703 The Era of Young People

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    After Christmas, Newcastle is still very popular in the Premier League. As soon as they entered, other opponents in the league thought that Newcastle's team's condition had reached its peak some time ago. After Christmas, their condition will definitely decline slowly.  Yes, who knew that after Christmas, these guys would be in better shape

    The day after Christmas, Newcastle defeated Blackburn Rovers 2-0 in an away game and continued to dominate the standings. What surprised people even more was that two days later, they relied on the team again at home.  Shearer's goal defeated third-place Arsenal 1-0, leading Arsenal by as many as 11 points!

    You must know that in the first nine rounds of the league, Arsenal was extremely prosperous. They dominated the standings with eight wins and one draw, the best start in Premier League history. However, after the twentieth round, they were actually eleven points behind Newcastle. If not  Chelsea is still strong in these two rounds. If they also win two consecutive games, Newcastle may expand their advantage to an outrageous level.

    Newcastle started the season with a good schedule and failed to meet any strong teams in the first twelve rounds. However, their results at that time could only be regarded as outstanding, not as terrible as they are now. When they started to encounter strong teams, everyone  Everyone thought that Newcastle's forward momentum would be blocked, but when they faced the four strong teams of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, Newcastle handed over an astonishing three wins and one draw!

    Coupled with the amazing winning rate against mid-to-lower teams.  It directly caused Newcastle to accumulate 52 points in twenty rounds!

    Chelsea¡¯s score of 48 points in 20 games is quite impressive. In previous years, they would have had no problem winning the winter championship. It is a pity that they encountered such a perverted Newcastle.

    After the Chinese New Year, in the next three rounds of the league, Newcastle's opponents will be mid-table teams again, and there will not be a tough away battle against Arsenal until the 24th round (the Premier League schedule is so abnormal,  The first cycle and the second cycle are completely different). Newcastle can try to grab points in the league before the start of the Champions League knockout rounds, and then attack the Champions League with all its strength after the start of the Champions League knockout rounds.  We are in an extremely favorable position in the league.

    And Mourinho did the same thing. He sent out all the main players in the league to score as many points as possible. For the League Cup and the FA Cup that had already started, Mourinho asked the substitutes to show off their skills.  This will not only prevent the main players from being too tired, but also allow the substitute players to get a chance to exercise, so that they will not become unfamiliar with the court because they have not played games for a long time.

    With the League Cup, FA Cup, League, and the upcoming Champions League, now is the time to make a choice.  Because no team can be sure to win all championships, how to choose important games to go all out and how to allocate players' playing time is a profound knowledge.  This is the difference between an excellent coach and an average coach.

    Especially for wealthy clubs that are eager for glory, it is quite difficult to master how to allow the main players to play a better role in key games without affecting the results in the league.

    It¡¯s okay for mid- and lower-tier teams. The coach only needs to let the players work hard game by game. Sometimes this is the reason why some mid-tier and lower-tier teams cannot continue, and for wealthy clubs.  If you don't get it right, it will be self-defeating. Leverkusen has a very painful experience with this.

    But Mourinho has a good grasp of the "degree". In the two league games on January 1st and January 3rd, he used all his main players to fight in these two league games. Newcastle scored two goals each.  After defeating Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion at home and away, he rested the main players in the following cup week, Newcastle lost to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.  In the third round of the FA Cup, they easily defeated Watford at home to advance to the next round.

    Giving up the League Cup is a decision the team has already made, because the League Cup final happens to be in the middle of the two Champions League quarter-finals.  Neither Pei Wei nor Mourinho wanted the championship they had won to affect the team's participation in the Champions League. They happened to run into an opponent that Chelsea might not be able to solve even with great efforts.  So Mourinho just sent out most of the substitutes and lost the game.

    Newcastle, which has been recuperating for more than a week, did not send all its main players in the twenty-third round of the league.  But they still relied on Shearer's penalty kick and Dawson's header to defeat Southampton 2-0 at home, winning their second seven-game winning streak in the league this season.  However, Chelsea's performance is still very strong. They relied on Lampard's brace to defeat Tottenham Hotspur in the away game, and they are still only four points behind Newcastle.

    And AhNerazzurri's performance was disappointing. They lost 0-1 to Botswana in the away game.

    Already fourteen points behind Newcastle, which makes their match against Newcastle in the twenty-fourth round seem of little practical significance. However, Manchester United performed extremely well after losing to Newcastle, winning nine out of ten league games.  With an amazing record of one win and one draw, they have now climbed to the fourth position, only one point behind Arsenal.

    The chasing after each other in the Premier League is dizzying. No matter who you are, if you slack off for a moment, you may be caught up by other teams. When Arsenal gets the best start in the history of the Premier League, who can think of them?  Halfway through the league, Newcastle were left behind by 14 points. Even Newcastle, which is now enjoying great success in the standings, dare not slack off. As long as they don't play well in two games, they might be caught up by Chelsea.

    Chelsea's hot pursuit behind him also made Mourinho very distressed. Fortunately, there is still a month until the start of the Champions League knockout rounds. If we can hold on at this time, when Chelsea also needs to be distracted from the Champions League,  It doesn't matter if Newcastle makes occasional mistakes in the league. After all, Arsenal and Manchester United are now more than ten points behind Newcastle. The only one that poses the greatest threat is Chelsea.

    ?******************************************

    January 22, London, Highbury Stadium.

    Although Arsenal was already 14 points behind Newcastle before this round of games, Arsenal fans are still filled with great enthusiasm for this game. Arsenal will not be afraid of any team, even this team  Just defeated them a month ago.

    ¡°Because this is Highbury, this is the home of the gunmen.

    A few months ago, they were at the pinnacle of glory, breaking historical records, winning consecutive games, and scoring at least three goals against their opponents in almost every game. All the halo and honors were on them, and all the media paid homage to them.  , believes that Arsenal, with its exquisite play style and excellent offense, has led the trend of world football

    Just a few months later, everything changed. The media began to praise Newcastle's calm demeanor and Chelsea's solid defense and sharp counterattack. Some even cited the example of Greece's European Championship win in 2004 to prove that only solid defense can succeed.  Only under the premise can good results be achieved. To describe Arsenal as flashy, to describe Wenger as Don Quixote, and to say that he stubbornly uses offensive tactics, in this utilitarian world, can only be to wave a spear against windmills.  Crushed by the wheels of history.

    All Arsenal fans hate these media who take advantage of the situation, but they can't refute it - in the last two days of 2004, Newcastle's solid defense and fierce counterattack were what they were proud of.  The mercury-like offense was as if it had encountered a solid rock. It controlled nearly 60% of the ball possession rate but could not score a goal. Newcastle, on the other hand, relied on a set kick to resolve the battle - this game was as standard as a textbook.  The general defensive counterattack classic battle left Arsenal speechless, which also made Arsenal fans have greater hopes for this game.

    After that game, Wenger reluctantly admitted his defeat, but he finally said: "We will meet again after three rounds.

    "It seems that not only Arsenal fans are looking forward to this game, Wenger also hopes to use a home victory to vindicate himself!

    Compared with losses on the field, Wenger is more concerned about whether his football philosophy is outdated - a temporary defeat on the field is only temporary. If he loses twice in a season to Mourinho's defensive counterattack,  This may prove that Wenger's fast attack tactics are outdated. Although everyone in the circle knows that there are no outdated tactics in the world, only players who are not as strong as their opponents, but Wenger must make sure that his tactical style is not outdated no matter what.  !

    However, Wenger still admires Mourinho's solid midfield, full-court interception and quick and flexible counterattack tactics. He can see that this tactic will indeed create a lot of trouble for the offensive tactics he is good at.  trouble, the loss in that game was no accident.

    Thinking back to the 2002 World Cup, when he had a good chat with Mourinho and Benitez, Wenger felt that "time is not forgiving". These two young coaches, who were still a bit raw at the time, are now  They have become their two strongest opponents in the Premier League after Ferguson, and in this season's competition, these two "young people" actually suppressed their old rivals, Ferguson and themselves!

    "Is the age of young people coming soon?" Wenger smiled bitterly, but he quickly clenched his fists: "But now, it is not the time for us to withdraw from the stage!"
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