The TV was replaying Bale's goal, but after highlighting several of Bale's brilliant moves past Almunia, the director also showed the entire sequence of the goal, starting from when Alonso first received Mascherano's pass...
“Hmm…” Jon observed carefully, “Did you guys notice that although Bale’s individual performance was brilliant, I think Alonso was the biggest contributor to Leeds United’s attack this time!”
"Alonso's pass was indeed very accurate," Lineker nodded with a smile.
Jon was speechless. Pointing at the screen, he retorted, "Was I talking about your passing accuracy? Didn't you notice that Alonso looked up and observed the attacking third before his first back pass? At that moment, he saw that Bale was the only teammate with his back to him, quietly moving towards Arsenal's half!"
"Um?"
Rheinkel was startled, and before he could speak, Martin Keown spoke first.
“I’ve noticed that too. Alonso may not be as good as Modric at getting past opponents, but when it comes to passing vision, especially long-range distribution vision, he should be ranked first in this Leeds United team!”
Keown is indeed an Arsenal fan, but he is also a professional player. When facing excellent opponents on the field, Keown will also sincerely praise them.
“Gary, didn’t you notice? The main reason why Leeds United’s attack seemed so disorganized in the first half hour was that Alonso was being swarmed and marked by Arsenal players! Wenger knows better than any of us that when Modric is off the pitch, Leeds United’s attacking engine becomes this usually unassuming Spanish defensive midfielder!”
The three commentators were discussing this.
Fans watching the game online also praised Alonso's performance.
[I noticed that when Alonso made his first back pass, he subtly waved his raised arm towards Arsenal's half! Now that I think about it, he was giving Bale a command!]
[This type of defensive midfielder is truly rare; he's physically strong, positions himself perfectly, covers a large defensive area, and possesses excellent playmaking ability in attack. I suggest Leeds United extend his contract for another five years!]
[Not necessarily. Lee has too many options. Kroos, sitting on the bench, might not be worse than Alonso after some more training! Didn't the media report a lot about Alonso during the winter transfer window? He and Modric have always had no shortage of suitors!]
····
After the Leeds United players continued celebrating and returned to their own half,
Boileau blew a whistle.
The game has restarted.
While the Leeds United players were celebrating, Wenger was not idle. He promptly calmed the Arsenal players down, so Arsenal remained relatively composed after the score was equalized and did not play in a hurry because of conceding a goal.
However, the situation on the field has somewhat reversed.
Bale's goal greatly boosted the confidence of the Leeds United players.
Facing a high-spirited Leeds United, Arsenal retreated in an orderly manner, building a solid defensive line in their own half and beginning to look for opportunities to launch counter-attacks against Leeds United.
In the 37th minute, Fabregas took a quick free kick, and Adebayor successfully broke the offside trap, dribbled into the penalty area, and immediately unleashed a powerful shot.
Fortunately, Neuer remained highly focused and rushed out early to block Adebayor's shooting angle, effectively shutting down Adebayor's shot.
It has to be said.
Arsenal's unexpected attack gave both the fans in the stands and the Leeds United players on the field a real scare.
Even Li Shiguang, who was originally sitting on the bench, couldn't hold back his emotions and ran to the sidelines to give the defense a good scolding.
This is Elland Road, after all. The current score is still acceptable, but if they concede another goal, this match will be too disadvantageous for Leeds United.
certainly.
Leeds United had several chances.
But Almunia didn't seem affected by the goal he conceded earlier. He remained very steady in front of the goal, blocking two very dangerous shots from Adriano and Torres.
that's all.
After four minutes of added time, Boileau blew the whistle to end the first half, with the score tied at 1-1 as the two teams went into a 15-minute halftime break.
····
In the home team's locker room.
Li Shiguang stood in the middle, arranging tactics for the second half.
“Javier, mark Fabregas closely. You can ignore his lateral and back passes, but when he passes forward, you must tackle him. If you can intercept, do so. If you can't, at least make it difficult for him to pass.”
"Didiko, your left foot is way better than your right. Stop switching positions with Fernando all the time, go find Gareth!"
"Gares! You can drop back to the central midfield position when necessary. You and Kaka are both fast, so you can create enough space for sprints and help Didico and Fernando create space when you have the ball and make a run!"
“Thiago...Vincent..…”
Based on Simeone's live statistics from the first half, Li Shiguang gave each player one-on-one reminders, letting them know what they should do on the field in the second half and how to improve.
After speaking to Ram, who was last in line, Li Shiguang clapped his hands vigorously, seeing that everyone's attention had returned to him.
Li Shiguang spoke seriously.
"Alright, guys, go all out in the second half! There are still 45 minutes left, and I don't want the game to go into extra time or even a penalty shootout! Since we're playing on our home turf, let's teach those Londoners a lesson! I don't want a draw in this game!"
····
at the same time.
In the visiting team's locker room next door.
Wenger is also planning his tactical strategy for the second half.
Just now.
Wenger has already made a strategic adjustment to contraction.
He instructed Arsenal players not to press forward so recklessly in the second half as they had in the first half.
In Wenger's view, given Lee Shiguang's personality, he would definitely not be able to accept returning to his home ground and drawing with Arsenal, so there is a high probability that Leeds United will strengthen their attack in the second half.
This isn't the Emirates Stadium, after all.
Faced with Leeds United's formidable attacking line, after discussing with Primorac, Wenger decided to learn from Mourinho and have his players stabilize the defense first before looking for opportunities to counter-attack.
The second half lasted forty-five minutes.
If Arsenal can seize just one chance and score a goal on the counter-attack.
For Leeds United, who are playing at home...
It was practically a game-winning shot!
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