After participating in the team's initial two days of training, Huang Hao still focused on tactical analysis.
His most important task now was to find Arsenal's weaknesses and allow Cambridge United to create a small surprise against all odds.
Thus, the dusty single bed in the tactical analysis room was put to use once again.
If Lin Kexin didn't know Huang Hao was a complete workaholic, she would have suspected there was a problem with their relationship.
From knowing almost nothing about football to now being a qualified fan, Lin Kexin naturally understood the pressure Huang Hao was currently facing.
Especially after hearing the radical fans boo Huang Hao at Selhurst Park, Lin Kexin empathized with that pressure.
Originally, the biggest good news for Huang Hao was that Arsenal's main center-forward, Adebayor, was injured.
However, it wasn't until the day before the match, after receiving Wenger's announced 18-man squad list for Arsenal, that Huang Hao realized he might have underestimated the situation.
Not only was the injured Adebayor not on the list, but most of Arsenal's main players were absent from this match!
In goal, Almunia was still the starter.
The defensive quartet was Sagna, Vermaelen, Sol Campbell, and Clichy.
The midfield consisted of Diaby, Denilson, and Song.
And the forward line was Nasri, Bendtner, and Arshavin.
Although they had lost 1-3 away to Manchester United in the previous round, Wenger still decided to use a reserve lineup for this match. After all, they would face strong rivals Liverpool at home three days later.
After seeing Arsenal's 18-man squad list, Huang Hao even felt that Wenger was intentionally giving him an easy way out.
However, even so, Huang Hao did not dare to be careless. Not to mention that the combat effectiveness of Arsenal's reserve lineup was not to be underestimated, Professor Wenger, whether in terms of player recruitment or tactical arrangements, was even more of a role model for Huang Hao.
As a loyal believer in the "possession game," Wenger advocated building a team with absolute dominance in ball control.
From the data provided by the tactical scout, Arsenal was also the team most adept at positional play among all Premier League teams.
Unlike other teams, Arsenal's positional attacks did not begin only when they advanced to the front third, but rather from the moment they gained possession, they already entered this attacking mode.
Arsenal's match footage also served as good evidence of this point.
Most of the time, Arsenal's attacks began from the moment they gained possession in their own defense.
If the opponent adopted a high-pressing defensive strategy, they would often seek to pass the ball directly into the space behind the opponent's defenders, forcing the opponent's wide midfielders to run tirelessly.
If the full-backs had enough space, they would quickly spread wide or advance to the winger's position, initiating an immediate attack with the support of central orchestrator Rosicky.
Arsenal's attacking players could flexibly switch their positions during the game and had a certain degree of freedom in the final third, constantly using passing combinations to steadily advance their lines and tear open the opponent's defense.
Regardless of whether players had possession or not, they had a unified goal: to create space for the ball-carrier and provide more diverse passing options.
On the defensive end, Arsenal thoroughly implemented a high-pressing philosophy, initiating counter-pressing in the final third.
At the same time, Arsenal would compress the space between the defenders and midfielders as much as possible to prevent the opponent from launching quick deep attacks.
When defending, Arsenal would also switch to formations similar to 3-2-3-2 or 3-5-2, forcing the opponent's attack wide through changes in formation.
And when the opponent moved to the wide areas as expected, Arsenal's wingers would join the full-backs in pressing the opposing attacking player, maximizing the defensive area.
As Huang Hao stayed up all night frantically researching Wenger's and Arsenal's tactics, he increasingly felt that the current Arsenal seemed to be the future direction for Cambridge United.
When a scruffy Huang Hao walked out of the tactical analysis room again, his eyes gleamed with a look of profound understanding.
At this moment, Huang Hao was like a martial arts master who had successfully completed his secluded training in a wuxia world, achieving a great sublimation in both team-building philosophy and tactical deployment.
If wisps of smoke were rising from his head at this moment, it would be even more perfect.
Zhang Lei looked at the empty ticket office, feeling a bit lost.
The crooked sign that read "Tickets Sold Out" looked very unofficial.
But that didn't change the fact that Zhang Lei couldn't buy a ticket.
Zhang Lei, who had studied in England for two years, had a great love for football. And London had no shortage of football clubs, so Zhang Lei often spent his weekends at football stadiums.
His favorite team was Barcelona, but that didn't stop him from visiting other teams' home grounds to watch matches.
Although he was Chinese, Zhang Lei didn't know much about Cambridge United. More often, his attention was focused on giants like Arsenal, Tottenham, and Chelsea.
Because Arsenal's ticket prices were relatively affordable, Zhang Lei spent far more weekends at the Emirates Stadium than at Stamford Bridge and Tottenham's stadium.
This round, Arsenal was playing away against the North London newcomer Cambridge United, which made Zhang Lei pay attention to this small team.
The ticket price of only 20 pounds and the fact that the Head Coach was also Chinese made Zhang Lei, who had never watched a Cambridge United match, feel as if he had met an old friend too late.
However, when he excitedly arrived at Selhurst Park, he discovered that Cambridge United, who had only moved their home ground here this season, had extremely high popularity.
Feeling a bit deflated for a moment, Zhang Lei could only wander aimlessly around the stadium. Just then, a mysterious middle-aged man approached him proactively.
"Tickets?"
The man opened his jacket directly, revealing several tickets inside.
"How much?"
Zhang Lei couldn't resist the temptation and responded to the man.
"100 pounds."
Hearing this price, Zhang Lei almost swore! Over 800 RMB! For that price, he could watch a match at the Emirates and still have money left for snacks!
This was simply robbery!
"Brother, this is a North London Derby!"
Seeing Zhang Lei hesitate, Martin immediately added.
"Too expensive, and Cambridge United isn't even in London..."
Zhang Lei shook his head.
Martin did not give up. Instead, he sized up Zhang Lei. This Chinese man looked a bit different from the one at Wembley. But out of caution, Martin still asked:
"Uh, you can't get in for free, can you?"
Zhang Lei felt this Englishman was a bit inexplicable and replied somewhat irritably:
"If I could get in for free, would I be asking you?"
Hearing Zhang Lei's answer, Martin finally felt completely relieved.
"80 pounds, that's the lowest price. Otherwise, you'll just have to go home and watch on TV." After some internal debate, Zhang Lei finally gritted his teeth and handed Martin 80 pounds, receiving a ticket with a less-than-ideal seat.
However, that was no longer important. Zhang Lei only hoped for an exciting match today, making his hundreds of yuan worthwhile.
And Martin, clutching the 80 pounds in his hand, finally breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, he had been secretly observing Zhang Lei for a long time. Ever since he was tricked by Huang Hao at Wembley last time, every time he saw a Chinese person, he would be extra cautious.
He didn't know why, but every time he sold a ticket, Martin's heart would ache. He would always involuntarily recall the FA Cup ticket that Huang Hao had conned him out of.
Meanwhile, Huang Hao, currently in the home team's changing room, carefully compared the Arsenal starting lineup he had received today, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming there were no discrepancies.
It seemed this was not a pre-match mind game from Wenger.
The biggest change for Cambridge United today was that Sun Jihai was absent from the starting lineup.
Considering Sun Jihai's physical condition, Huang Hao used Pasc to replace him today. Originally, if Sun Jihai didn't play, Bola or Suxi should have started, but the continuous winless streak also made Huang Hao want to change a person and change his luck.
In midfield, left midfielder Mahrez also did not start, replaced by Grenier.
Today's starting players in the center were Adam May and Kante, with the organizing task still given to Ayu, who was also more defensively oriented.
The right wing remained Tadić, with Smith on standby as a substitute.
Cambridge United's forward line still consisted of Vardy and captain Lewandowski.
"Adam, do you remember your task today?"
Hearing the Head Coach call his name, Adam May immediately stood up and nodded.
"Boss, I remember, freeze Denilson."
Huang Hao nodded, then extended his clenched fist and added, "Remember to let him feel Cambridge United's toughness!"
May gave a thumbs-up, signaling that he had it covered.
"Tadić?"
Tadić immediately stated:
"Don't be fooled by Nasri's footwork, maintain your distance and your own rhythm, and if necessary, you can kick him."
Huang Hao was quite satisfied with Tadić's answer.
"I know everyone has worked very hard this week. If you can give me a little surprise in this match, perhaps the training difficulty next week will be significantly reduced."
"Yeah! Boss!!!"
Hearing Huang Hao's reward, Smith immediately shouted out!
Embarrassingly, no one responded to Smith. Frightened, Smith quickly stuck out his tongue and shrank back.
Lewandowski gave him a somewhat disdainful look, then powerfully shouted, "Cambridge United!!!"
"Victory!!!"
Huang Hao tightly pursed his lips, suppressing his laughter, until all the players had left the locker room, then he and Darren burst into laughter, bending over!
It seemed that his squad not only had a promising star with great potential but also a master at lightening the mood!
Players from both teams gradually emerged from the changing rooms, waiting in the player tunnel for the referee's signal to enter the field.
Vermaelen still wore the captain's armband today. At only 187cm tall, he wasn't conspicuous in the crowd, but he exuded an aura of confidence.
Although most of his teammates today were substitutes, Vermaelen firmly believed that he would still lead the team to take three points from here today.
Soon, referee Mason led the three officials onto the pitch, and the players from both teams followed closely out of the player tunnel.
Selhurst Park then gave a thunderous applause to the players of both teams.
At this moment, from the north stand, the "The U's Army" led by Mikel, suddenly unfurled a giant TIFO!
As the image slowly unfolded, a portrait of Huang Hao raising his arms in triumph gradually appeared at Selhurst Park, with the prominent English words below: Cambridge United, ONLY ONE KING!
Clearly, Mikel had also heard the fans booing Huang Hao in the last match, so for this game, he meticulously prepared this giant TIFO to show support for Huang Hao!
Looking at the giant portrait in the distance and that domineering slogan, Huang Hao felt all the hairs on his body stand on end!
From their initial hostile encounter to now becoming his strongest backing, Mikel and his "The U's Army" had witnessed every important moment for Cambridge United.
And the creator of all this was Huang Hao. Therefore, these purest and most loyal fans of Cambridge United stepped forward at a crucial moment to resolutely defend Huang Hao's status.
The Cambridge United players on the field also saw this TIFO, and each of them clenched their fists, their blood boiling.
They knew that the key figures who could restore their Boss's prestige were themselves.
Recalling the various special training sessions this week, the Cambridge United players suddenly felt filled with power!
Beep~~~
A loud, long whistle signaled the official start of this King's Defense Battle!
