Before Arsenal kicked off, after a brief moment of thought, Li Shiguang quickly made substitutions after Henry scored the penalty, using all three substitutions at once. However, to the surprise of everyone watching the game, none of the three substitutions were for a defender, as everyone had guessed!
Berbatov came on, replacing Mascherano.
Yaya Toure came on, replacing Ribery.
Vardy came on, replacing Milner.
As the newly entered players took their positions, people were surprised to find that Li Shiguang had actually fielded a strange 3-3-1-2 formation.
Chiellini has taken up the right-back position, while in midfield, Deisler has moved back to form a double midfield partnership with Modric, and Yaya Touré has taken up the defensive midfield position. Up front, Berbatov is slightly deeper, with Falcao and Vardy leading the attack.
On the English television broadcasting the match, the commentator's voice came through: "Lee is very bold. It seems that even with one less player, he doesn't want to accept the consequences of a home defeat. But to be honest, I'm not optimistic about his substitutions. Putting aside everything else, just look at the defense, which hasn't been changed at all. Even Maicon, who was substituted, couldn't catch up with Henry. Does he expect Chiellini, who has been running for almost 80 minutes, to catch up?"
Meanwhile, Su Tao and Wang Lu are also discussing replacing Li Shiguang.
Su Tao frowned and looked at Wang Lu beside him: "Wow! Leeds United's substitutions are too bold. I have to say, I admire our compatriot. With one less player and a goal down, he doesn't seem to have considered defending at all. Even Yaya Touré, who is now playing in the defensive midfield position, is a player whose attacking attributes outweigh his defensive attributes. Coach Wang, what do you think of this substitution?"
"Indeed! I think that in this situation, going toe-to-toe with a high-spirited Arsenal is not a good choice. When Leeds United had a full squad, Henry was able to tear a hole in their defense with his individual ability, let alone now. I think Leeds United should be thinking about how to create opportunities while maintaining a solid defense, rather than just pursuing offense like this!"
As soon as Wang Lu finished speaking, the fourth official on the sidelines raised his sign again.
"Okay, we see that Arsenal seems to be making substitutions as well! Van Persie and Kolo Toure are being replaced by Campbell and the young Alex Song. Interestingly, on Leeds United's side, Yaya Toure has just come on, while on Arsenal's side, Kolo Toure has been substituted off. We'll have to wait until the two teams face each other again to see the two brothers play together! With Song's entry, Arsenal's formation has returned to the 4-4-2 formation from the first half. It seems Wenger wants Song and Gilberto Silva to form a double pivot in midfield to contain Leeds United's attack through the middle."
Seeing Song enter the game, Li Shiguang sighed inwardly: Wenger truly deserves to be called a world-class tactical mastermind. He had been holding back all along, fearing Wenger's ability to counter his moves. But a red card disrupted his rhythm, forcing him to make substitutions. Just as he pulled off two wingers and shifted the attacking focus to the center, Wenger immediately responded.
But no matter what, as long as the referee hasn't blown the whistle, the game isn't over, and there's still a possibility of equalizing or even taking the lead and winning!
I just told Modric and Deisler that they absolutely cannot hold onto the ball for the rest of the time. Once Leeds United gain possession, they must pass the ball out with one touch as quickly as possible, and try to use the width of the field to stretch Arsenal's defense so that they can create opportunities!
After Song and Campbell took their positions on the field, the referee blew the whistle to restart the game. As Leeds United kicked off, the fans on the sidelines cheered them on with all their might. The boys' performance in this game was not bad, and even though they were now down by one goal, they deserved the encouragement from the fans on the sidelines.
As instructed by Li Shiguang, in the few attacks they made, Leeds United players increased the speed of their passing, trying to make one-touch passes. With the link-up play between Deisler and Modric, they also tried to pass the ball into Arsenal's penalty area. However, fearing that Arsenal would seize the opportunity to launch a counter-attack, Leeds United did not dare to push forward into the midfield. This resulted in a situation where they were outnumbered in the frontcourt, especially the two midfielders, who faced Arsenal's pressing as soon as they received the ball.
In the 89th minute, the fourth official raised an LED sign indicating that there would be 4 minutes of added time in the match.
Arsenal were organizing a new round of attacks at this time. With an extra player on the field, Leeds United's attacks had been moving towards the center during this period. So only Campbell and Senderos remained in their own half. After the start of the second half, the two full-backs, who rarely crossed the halfway line, once again pushed into the midfield.
Ashley Cole is currently dribbling the ball.
So far in the game, he hasn't scored anything yet. During halftime, Wenger specifically instructed him not to push past the midfield too often. Although he was reluctant, it was Wenger's advice after all, so he did as he was told after the second half started.
But with the team taking the lead and the opponent having a player sent off, he, who had a strong desire to attack, finally forgot what the head coach had said to him in the locker room as the game was about to end.
He had just waved for the ball, and seeing Cole asking for it, Song, who had just come on, didn't think twice and passed the ball to him directly.
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