When Li Shiguang came out of the locker room and walked into the Emirates Stadium again, the entire stadium was packed.
More than 60,000 spectators packed the stands to the brim, especially the South Stand, where a huge Arsenal cannon tifo had been unfurled and the home fans were singing continuously, gradually pushing the atmosphere in the stadium to a climax!
Meanwhile, in the Sky Sports studio, two commentators were also having a heated discussion.
"Hello everyone! After a two-week hiatus, the Premier League is back in action. Welcome to our channel as we bring you the highlight match of the 14th round of the 2007-2008 Premier League season: Arsenal, currently in first place, hosting Leeds United, currently in second place! I'm your old friend, Lineker!"
Hello everyone! I'm Jon!
As soon as Jon finished speaking, Lineker rubbed his hands excitedly: "We've been waiting for half a month, and finally this match is here. Jon, so, without your favorite team on the field today, from your perspective, who do you think has a better chance of winning?"
"To be honest, without any emotional bias, I think Arsenal have a better chance of winning."
"Oh? Why?"
Jon cleared his throat, pulled up a data table from the computer next to him, and began to express his opinion: "Both teams have achieved an unbeaten record in their last three matches, which shows that both teams are in stable form recently. However, this international break has changed this situation. On Arsenal's side, although most of their key players were called up, I counted that the only one who played the full 180 minutes in two matches for the national team was Lehmann. But he is no longer Arsenal's first-choice goalkeeper. So, at least in terms of physical fitness, Arsenal's players have not been greatly affected by the international break."
“But things are different for Leeds United,” Jon said, pointing to the other set of statistics. “Look, Ibrahimovic, Alves, Xabi Alonso, and Mascherano have all played the full 90 minutes in both of their international matches. Besides, injuries to three key players—Modric, Lahm, and Adriano—will definitely affect Lee’s lineup! Plus, they’re playing away today, so from any perspective, Arsenal definitely has the advantage…”
“That makes sense, but at least Kaka…” Rhinekel, a die-hard fan of Li Shiguang, was about to retort when the director’s voice came through his earpiece and interrupted him.
The next second.
On the computer screen in front of the two players, Arsenal's starting lineup was also displayed.
Interrupted, Lineker saw the broadcast feed showing the players' tunnel on the pitch and had to stop talking to get to the point: "Alright, viewers, both teams have come out of the locker room. Now let's take a look at their starting lineups."
"First up is Arsenal, playing at home! Wenger is using his 5-4-1 formation, which he's been using a lot this season! The starting goalkeeper is Almunia, the three center-backs are Gallas in the middle, Kolo Toure and Sagna on the left and right respectively, the two full-backs, or wing-backs, are Eboue on the right and Clichy on the left! The four midfielders are lined up in a row, from left to right: Rosicky, Fabregas, Flamini and Hleb, with former Leeds United player Adebayor leading the way!"
"Next up is Leeds United's starting lineup, huh...?" Upon seeing Leeds United's starting lineup, Lineker glanced at it briefly and then let out a soft "huh," interrupting his own words.
Seeing this, Jon quickly chimed in.
"Li is using a 4-4-2 formation today for the away game! The starting goalkeeper is still Neuer, and the four defenders, from left to right, are Sun Jihai, Kompany, Cannavaro, and Alves. The four midfielders are Mascherano and Toni Kroos as the two holding midfielders, in front of them are James Rodriguez and young Reus, and the two forwards are Ibrahimovic and Fernando Torres!"
"What's going on?!" Jon had just finished reading Leeds United's starting lineup when Lineker couldn't hold back any longer and immediately asked, "Leeds moved Sun Jihai to the left, Alonso is on the bench, Kroos is starting, and Reus is playing as an attacking midfielder, and Kaká isn't even in the squad?! What kind of move is this?! I don't quite understand it!"
“Hmm… it’s easy to understand why Li moved Sun Jihai to the left.” Jon frowned. “Lahm is injured, and Mills’ individual ability is a bit lacking. He’s okay against weaker teams, but if he starts against Arsenal, Leeds United’s left flank will be torn apart! As for Sun, although his forward ability is slightly weaker, his defensive ability is above average among full-backs in the Premier League. He can compete with both Hleb and Eboue! As for why Kroos started, it’s probably because, as I just said, Alonso played two full international matches and his stamina is still a bit lacking.”
“I understand those two points.” Pointing to Reus in the picture, Lineker still looked puzzled. “But what’s with playing Reus as an attacking midfielder?! I’ve never seen Lee put him in that position before! Isn’t he a winger?! What about Kaka?! Didn’t he go back to Leeds a long time ago?! After so many days of rest, it’s not like he’s lacking in physical reserves!”
Jon didn't answer Lineker's question immediately. Instead, he picked up the paper list handed to him by a staff member and looked at it before saying, "It seems that the news in The Sun yesterday was true. Kaka must be injured. Look at Leeds United's substitutes, Kaka isn't even on the matchday squad!"
"Huh? But wasn't he warming up on the field just now? He didn't look injured at all!" Reinkel's face was full of surprise.
"I wouldn't know then. It's possible this is a smokescreen Lee put up for Wenger..."
····
At this moment, Wenger was sitting on the bench with a frown, watching the two teams who had already taken their positions on the field and were waiting for the referee to blow the opening whistle.
As the Leeds United players emerged from the tunnel, he noticed that Kaká was not in the starting lineup, a decision that surprised him.
After a while.
When he discovered Reus and Rodriguez playing in the attacking midfield position, Wenger's face was filled with disbelief.
Before the match, he and Primorac made many guesses and rehearsals about Li Shiguang's lineup for today, and even Wang Chu was taken into consideration.
But what I didn't expect was that Li Shiguang actually put Kaka on the bench wearing a vest today, and Reus played as the attacking midfielder.
Wenger had only ever seen Reus play as a winger before.
Can he play as an attacking midfielder? Or how would he perform in that position? What are his playing characteristics?
Wenger knew nothing about it.
He turned his head and glanced at Li Shiguang, who was whispering to Simone.
A strange sense of crisis suddenly welled up in the heart of the French coach...
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