Chapter 976 Something really happened!

Every year in early August, the Premier League begins to gear up.

As a precursor, the Community Shield has also become a big stage for everyone to observe the preparations of the defending Premier League champions and the defending FA Cup champions. Therefore, every season, this charity event held at Wembley Stadium is very eye-catching.

This season is clearly even worse.

The reason is simple, the Saints have a new world number one superstar, Leo Messi!

After joining Southampton from Barcelona for a whopping 150 million euros, Messi has never made an appearance for the Saints since then, except for playing for 45 minutes in the match against Tottenham Hotspur in China.

This has also caused the outside world to be full of speculation. What is going on with Messi?

Although Southampton officials and Messi's agent and father have repeatedly clarified that Messi has no problems and just needs rest and recovery, the media simply don't believe it and the fans are full of worries.

When will Messi play for Southampton?

This has also become the focus of attention of football fans all over the world, and even the bookmaker William Hill has offered odds.

Interestingly, the Community Shield has the highest odds!

But when the two teams' player lists were announced, the fans who bet on Messi's appearance in the Community Shield were left speechless.

Messi was not on Ancelotti's roster at all!

As a result, the media hyped the issue again, and there were even reports that Ancelotti was unhappy with Messi and that the two were not getting along.

After all, it was Ancelotti's first official game in the Premier League and coaching Southampton. The outside world also paid considerable attention to it. Everyone wanted to see whether Ancelotti could continue the glory of the Bielsa era.

Southampton officials also attached great importance to it. Not to mention that Yang Huan was present in person, core senior executives such as Ron Gourlay and Nicola Cortes also gathered at Wembley Stadium. Even the former head coach and current Saints football consultant Bielsa appeared in the stands and gave Ancelotti full support.

Both Saints and Arsenal used a similar 4-2-3-1 formation in this game.

Southampton's lineup is goalkeeper Neuer, and the defense is Luke Shaw, Laporte, Varane and Danilo.

David Alaba suffered an injury during the summer training camp. Although he has recovered, Luke Shaw performed well during his recovery, so Ancelotti continued to arrange him for this game.

There are two defensive midfielders, Toni Kroos occupies one of the positions and Fabregas is his partner, but it is not clear how the two will divide the work.

Among the four attackers in the frontcourt, Suarez is the one rushing forward, Hazard and Sanchez are on the wings, and Pogba is in the middle position of the 4-2-3-1-3.

Di Maria extended his vacation due to participating in the America's Cup and returned to the team late, so he has not played yet.

Arsenal's lineup is also a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Cech as the goalkeeper, Monreal, Koscielny, Mertesacker and Bellerin as the defense, and Flamini and Ramsey as the two defensive midfielders.

The three players in the frontcourt are Walcott, Ozil and Chamberlain, and the forward striker is Higuain.

When Yang Huan got the list of the two opposing teams in the stands, he glanced at it and handed it to Bielsa who was sitting next to him. The Argentine madman took one look and immediately shook his head.

"Arsenal has no chance in this game!"

Yang Huan also nodded, "If the gunman can't straighten his back, there's nothing to talk about!"

Ramsey can run, but he is not cut out to play as a defensive midfielder, and Flamini is also unsatisfactory.

"Arsenal's midfield configuration is mainly for controlling the opponent's position. Once they encounter strong pressure and oppression, they will be unable to move and the entire midfield will be in tatters. This is a fatal flaw and there is no cure!"

Bielsa sighed with regret, "I don't understand why Wenger has never thought of changing his waist since it has been paralyzed for so many years? If the defensive midfielder is not strengthened this season, there will be no hope of the top four!"

One of the important reasons why Arsenal failed to make the top four and lost to Manchester United in the league last season was the weakness in the defensive midfielder position, which caused the team to lose points at critical moments.

This is not just a problem of one or two seasons, but a chronic disease of Arsenal.

But Wenger doesn't seem to have thought about adding reinforcements yet.

After the opening, the development of the game situation was not unexpected.

They all used 4-2-3-1 formations, and the tactics were basically the same. After the start of the game, they all adopted the tactics of pressing and dribbling in the frontcourt.

The difference is that the Saints' overall defense is more tightly organized. They start to exert pressure from the front court, restrict the Gunners' offensive organization, and then retreat as a whole, always keeping the tactical formation compact and meticulous.

Toni Kroos is playing in the defensive midfield and is increasingly showing the demeanor of a general.

Although he is not a ferocious beast-type defensive player, he is in command and is like a stabilizing force in the midfield.

In recent years, as he has grown and improved in Southampton, his sense of position, defensive awareness and skills have improved rapidly, and he has a very good understanding with the two central defenders Laporte and Varane behind him.

He knew exactly when to press forward and when to defend.

Fabregas assisted Toni Kroos, and the two were always inseparable, like shadows.

Facing Southampton's tight defense, Arsenal's attack seemed to lack effective threat.

Apart from Walcott's fierce performance on the left, the Gunners' entire positional attack was almost completely paralyzed.

Higuain was alone in the front and was almost isolated and helpless.

Not to mention not being able to get the ball, even if he got the ball, he found that he had no chance to shoot at all.

On the other hand, Southampton seemed very aggressive after the opening and adjusted their condition very well.

From the beginning of the game, the Saints frequently created threats, especially the attacking lineup consisting of four players in the frontcourt, which put great pressure on Arsenal.

When the game reached the 13th minute, Arsenal finally paid the price for their frequent mistakes.

The two defensive midfielders Flamini and Ramsey were attracted by Suarez, Hazard and Sanchez and returned to the penalty area.

Saints left-back Luke Shaw made a forward run and made a cross from the left, trying to pass the ball into the penalty area, but Gunners center back Mertesacker got the first chance and headed the ball out.

But when the ball fell to the front of the penalty area, Pogba, without any defense, volleyed the ball into the Arsenal goal and scored the first goal for Southampton!

The French midfielder scored the first goal of the new season for Southampton!

Afterwards, the Saints' morale was high and they seemed unstoppable.

On the other hand, Arsenal started to get confused after losing the ball.

When Walcott was pressed by Danilo on the left, he passed the ball to Ozil, but Varane suddenly rushed forward and intercepted it.

After the French center back intercepted the ball, he did not pass it to his teammates. Instead, he took two steps forward with the ball and made a long pass to the frontcourt.

After Suarez blocked Koscielny with his body, he passed the ball behind the defense line and turned around to run straight for the goal.

Sanchez shook off Monreal, received the ball and quickly counterattacked into Arsenal's penalty area. Facing Koscielny, he made a clever one-on-one breakthrough, left half a body distance behind, and then made a lob pass to the middle.

Suarez rushed to the front of the small penalty area, facing the incoming ball, and easily volleyed the ball into the goal guarded by Cech, changing the score to 2-0!

At this point in the game, the outcome can almost be said to have been decided.

Especially when the game was nearing the end of the first half, Pogba again received a cross from Hazard at the front of the penalty area and made a long shot, which was saved by Cech over the crossbar, earning a corner kick for the Saints.

Toni Kroos took the corner kick. Inside the penalty area, Varane cooperated flexibly with his teammates, ran into an open space, and with no one guarding him, he easily headed the ball into the goal, making it 3-0!

This has completely sentenced Arsenal to death!

In the first half alone, the Saints were already leading by three goals. This advantage was indeed too big!

In the stands, Saints fans were so excited that they cheered non-stop.

But in the eyes of Yang Huan and others, it was a different feeling.

"If Arsenal continue in their current form, they won't be able to enter the top four of the league!"

To be honest, Yang Huan was a little disappointed with Arsenal's fighting effectiveness.

"Yes, the midfield lacks a stable defensive midfielder and the frontcourt lacks a strong attacking point. It will be difficult for such Gunners to make a difference in the Premier League." Bielsa also agreed with Yang Huan's judgment.

But soon, he said: "I heard that Arsenal recently wants to introduce Lars Bender from Leverkusen. If this player joins, he should be able to improve the depth of the Gunners' midfield."

"As for the attack in the frontcourt, Wenger's favorite Marseille winger Andre Ayew is also quite good."

Yang Huan smiled slightly. Wenger has always been a cautious guy who spends little money to achieve big things and is very stingy.

However, under his management, Arsenal's overall strength has been maintained well.

After a fifteen-minute break at halftime, the second half started again.

After Southampton took a three-goal lead, victory was in their grasp. Ancelotti made a series of substitutions in the second half, replacing Kovacic, Oscar, Di Maria, Martial, Harry Kane and Chambers.

Arsenal made adjustments based on the situation in the first half, hoping that the team's performance would improve.

But in fact, after the substitution, the Gunners' performance improved slightly, but they were unable to reverse the situation.

Ultimately, the team's overall strength is what matters on the field. Wenger cannot solve the problem of the team's weak defensive midfielder, so naturally he cannot reverse the situation.

In the 75th minute of the second half, Oscar received a pass from Kovacic and passed the ball straight behind the Arsenal defense. Martial made a successful offside run and broke into the penalty area. After receiving the ball, he pushed the ball and once again penetrated Cech's goal, locking the score at 4-0.

This was also the last goal of the game!

Not long after the goal was scored, the referee blew the whistle to end the game.

Although the Community Shield is not an official Premier League match, the Gunners lost the game with such a humiliating score just as the league was about to start, which undoubtedly cast a shadow on the league.

Southampton's strength was clearly demonstrated in this game.

When Yang Huan stood up and applauded the team with all the Saints fans after the game, he saw Prince William walking over from the royal box and heading straight towards Yang Huan.

The two people following closely behind him were Terry Matthews, the mayor of Southampton, and Boris Johnson, the weird mayor of London, who was often ridiculed by Yang Huan.

When the three of them came at the same time, Yang Huan immediately realized that something might have happened.

If it were just an ordinary trivial matter, I wouldn't bother these three.

"Haha, Master Huan, congratulations, the Saints have won a great victory!" Boris Johnson said from a distance, laughing in his unique voice.

In fact, it is better to shout than to speak.

This guy also has a loud voice.

"Thank you!" Yang Huan politely shook hands with Boris Johnson.

He also hasn't forgotten that Boris Johnson had given him the message.

However, in the past few years, Yang Huan has also given Boris Johnson many benefits, such as the Northumberland Plan in north London, which is definitely a rare and brilliant political achievement for the mayor of London.

"Master Huan, shall we sit in the VIP lounge?" Prince William invited with a smile.

Yang Huan raised his eyebrows and nodded.

It seems that something really happened!