Chapter 202 Wenger: Inter Milan's players can be poached
Arsenal's Van Persie was also substituted in at the same time as Figo.
After Van Persie came up, he did not stand in the front, but hid behind Henry, acting as a shadow striker.
After Figo came on for Inter Milan, the pressure on Zanetti was immediately reduced a lot. Not only was he more comfortable in defense, he even had the energy to press forward and assist.
Cambiasso finally no longer has to attack with long passes like Lin Feng did. He can help the team in a safer and more successful way by transitioning from full-back to winger.
As a result, Inter Milan's offensive channels in the frontcourt were finally cleared.
As one side gained strength, the other side lost strength. Inter Milan's attack on the right side gained momentum, and Arsenal's left side was naturally suppressed.
Facing an experienced winger like Figo, Ashley Cole did not dare to be negligent in the slightest and put almost all his energy into defense.
Once Cole was suppressed, Pires on the wing and Henry, who liked to appear on the left wing, became a bit helpless.
Inter Milan's substitution adjustment achieved two goals with one stone.
It not only strengthened the team's offense, but also greatly reduced the team's defensive pressure.
This is exactly in line with the saying: The best defense is offense!
If it weren't for Van Persie, Inter Milan could have greatly turned the situation around with this substitution.
But the emergence of Van Persie meant that Henry no longer had to stay on the wing to seek support from the wing.
Van Persie can also cooperate with him and feed him the ball.
Van Persie is a man who has won the Premier League assist king, although his skills have not yet reached his peak level.
But things like talent and basketball IQ are innate, they are innate!
After Van Persie came on the pitch, he made many knowledgeable people dazzled by just a few passes and touches of the ball.
Especially in the 72nd minute of the second half, facing an outrageous cross from his teammate on the wing, Van Persie used an unconventional, almost martial arts-like move to stop the ball in an incredible way. After stopping the ball, he was able to pass the ball in a fierce physical confrontation with the Inter Milan defender, allowing Henry to complete the shot.
Although the ball did not go in, Van Persie's reception and handling of the ball surprised many scouts in the stands.
"This kid's movement is very clever. I didn't even notice where he ran to!!"
"Don't you think his ball control is outrageous? He was able to catch a cross of this quality and almost turned it into an assist. This is really something!"
"Yes, to achieve this level, one must have accurate judgment of the ball path and strong ability to adjust body posture. To be honest, I feel that he should go forward as a main striker. Being a shadow striker is a bit of a waste of his talent!"
Similar situations occurred several times in subsequent games.
When facing passes from his teammates, even if the passes were not good, Van Persie could always easily get the ball in a fierce confrontation with the opponent, and deal with it immediately, either dribbling past the opponent or passing the ball to a teammate in a better position.
This outstanding awareness and strong physical coordination ability make people feel his strong talent.
No wonder Wenger attaches so much importance to this kid. Even though this kid has a bad record and is even a glass man who is often injured, he still sticks with him.
Many people have a hunch that if Van Persie can stay healthy for a long time and not be affected by injuries, he will definitely have his own place in the football world in the future and even become a well-known figure.
Wenger was very satisfied with Van Persie's performance after he came on the pitch, but satisfaction alone was not enough.
Arsenal need a goal!
They are still lagging behind!
"Shoot when you have the chance, don't hesitate!"
Seeing that Van Persie always subconsciously passed the ball to Henry after getting the ball, Wenger couldn't help but frown and began to shout at him on the sidelines, giving him a certain degree of autonomy.
If your teammate is in a better position, then pass the ball to him, but if you have a higher chance of scoring, then do it yourself.
Van Persie obediently followed Wenger's instructions, and his first shot made Inter Milan fans break out in cold sweats!
"Pires' pass!"
"Ouch, the ball was too far, it missed the front point, the back point..."
"Van Persie!"
"Look at what he's going to do with the ball, there are three Inter defenders around him!"
"Van Persie received the ball, but he didn't choose to stop it, but shot it directly. It was a weird volley!"
“Will the ball go in?”
"The ball is in!"
"Oh my god, this ball actually went in?"
Inside the CCTV studio, the two commentators were petrified and dumbfounded when they saw Van Persie use a very awkward and strange movement to score an unusual volley ball while surrounded by three opponents.
The two looked at each other in bewilderment. Even though they had watched football for many years, they had never seen such a scene.
At this time, the Internet had already exploded.
"Damn, this ball can go in, is it a fluke?"
"It was definitely a fluke. Even if you let Van Persie shoot ten more times, he still couldn't score a goal like this!"
"It was indeed a fluke. Look at his shooting action. His body was hunched over like a shrimp, and he struggled to make space for himself by lifting his legs.
Normally, when a player shoots, their body is stretched outwards. How can he do it like this? "
"Doesn't Van Persie know how to stop the ball? Why is his shooting action so weird?"
Netizens all agreed that Van Persie scored this goal by luck.
The two commentators also had this idea, but they couldn't say it publicly, so they took advantage of the replay opportunity to study the scoring process in detail:
"Let's take a look at the slow-motion replay. How did this goal go in?"
When Pires passed the ball, everyone on the field thought he was looking for Henry in the penalty area.
But the replay showed that Pires glanced in the direction of Van Persie when he passed the ball, which means that the opponent was most likely passing the ball to Van Persie.
However, Inter Milan set an offside trap for Henry. Three defenders ran back at the same time, which not only prevented Henry from receiving the ball, but also locked the space in front of Van Persie.
Normally, under the double-team of three opponent defenders, even if Van Persie could receive the ball, he would have no chance to stop the ball and control it safely, let alone shoot.
But Van Persie had no intention of stopping the ball. When he saw the ball flying towards him, he braked suddenly while sprinting forward, adjusted his body posture in a very short time, accumulated strength, and raised his leg to kick the ball in the air.
Although the movements do not look stretched or beautiful at all, the effects are incomparably good.
……
The Champions League semi-finals have attracted a lot of attention throughout Europe, not to mention that both Inter Milan and Arsenal have many talented young players in their teams.
Especially Lin Feng and Fabregas, which attracted a large number of scouts from top clubs to watch the game. Originally, these scouts went for Lin Feng and Fabregas, but after seeing Van Persie's goal, they were all shocked. Many people began to pay attention to Van Persie's performance and even wrote him into their inspection reports.
It can be predicted that Van Persie's volley will most likely be selected as the best goal of this round of the Champions League.
And he himself is very likely to become famous because of this incredible goal!
But at this time, the Arsenal players on the field didn't think so much, including Van Persie who scored a goal.
After confirming that the goal was valid, Van Persie jumped up excitedly, ran to the sidelines and slid on his knees passionately. After sliding on his knees, he hugged Wenger on the sidelines tightly.
At this moment, he was extremely fortunate and grateful that he had joined Arsenal and met a famous coach like Wenger who was good at identifying and using talents. If he had continued to stay in Feyenoord, given the conflicts between him and the head coach, he might not even have the chance to play in the game, let alone show his talents on a big stage like the Champions League.
At this moment, Van Persie secretly made up his mind to stay with this man to the end and protect the best Arsenal!
Wenger had no idea what was in Van Persie's mind. He hugged Van Persie tightly, patted his back excitedly, and kept praising him.
Thanks to Van Persie's goal, Arsenal equalized the score, and the total score came to 3:2. The situation once again turned in Arsenal's favor!
Wenger has seen the door to the final open to his team, and now they are only one step away from crossing this threshold!
"Whether it was a fluke or not, Van Persie's goal was worth a fortune. It not only allowed Arsenal to overtake in the aggregate score, but also offset Inter Milan's advantage in away goals.
At this point, even if Inter Milan scores another goal, it will be difficult to advance directly to the final relying on the advantage of away goals, but will need to play an overtime match with Arsenal! "
"This is not the worst case scenario. If Arsenal scores another goal in the next game, there will be no chance of extra time in this game."
The atmosphere in the studio was somewhat heavy.
Although both commentators psychologically support Lin Feng's Inter Milan, the current situation is already very serious for Inter Milan.
Not only did the previous slight advantage disappear, but the team once again fell into a passive position.
Even this time, they could no longer count on Lin Feng because the other party had already retreated due to injuries.
Mancini anxiously shouted at the players on the sidelines, asking them to cheer up and intensify their attack.
But Van Persie's goal boosted Arsenal's morale. After the restart, instead of becoming conservative, they planned to make a concerted effort to defeat Inter Milan.
Inter Milan wanted to counterattack, but they couldn't find any chance under the opponent's crazy attack.
Even if the ball is intercepted in the backcourt, the opponent will immediately press hard and take the ball away again.
Under the opponent's fierce attack, Inter Milan's defense was in danger and there were many dangerous situations in front of the goal.
The more Mancini shouted, the more chaotic the situation on the field became.
The players know that they have to attack if they want to win, but the more anxious they are, the more likely they are to make mistakes.
What's more, in the face of the opponent's strong offensive pressure, it is difficult for Inter Milan players to maintain unity of thought.
The players on the back line are suppressed and unable to provide support, and the players in the front line always want to attack forward, which can easily lead to a disjointed formation for the team.
Against a top team like Arsenal, such mistakes are often fatal.
If it weren't for Cesar's heroic performance and several key saves to keep the goal intact, Inter Milan would have been defeated now.
Mancini grabbed his hair hard, trying hard to think of a way out of the deadlock, but he couldn't think of any feasible solution.
A good cook cannot cook without rice. There is no one available on the team's bench, and the players on the field are unable to take on the main responsibility of the offense.
What can he do?
He is also desperate!
At this moment, Mancini began to miss the time when Lin Feng and even Ade were on the court.
With these two speed attackers with outstanding individual combat capabilities on the field, the opponent would never dare to push so close to the front.
In fact, Inter Milan also has a speed attacker on the field, that is Martins.
But compared to Lin Feng and Adriano, Martins' individual combat capability is much weaker, and his scoring ability is completely unable to catch up with these two.
Inter tried to launch fast breaks from his side, but all ended in failure without exception.
After realizing that the threat on this side was limited, Arsenal focused their defense on Figo's side.
This caused Figo's attack to be silenced!
As the game entered its final stages, Inter Milan found it difficult to launch a decent attack and was completely on the defensive.
In the 84th minute, Henry scored another goal with his signature cut-in to the far corner, changing the score to 1:2 and the total score to 4:2.
If you defend for too long, you will lose. Moreover, Inter Milan's defense is not in the most complete condition. Being able to hold out for so long is already an extraordinary performance.
Henry's goal killed the suspense of the game.
The team is two goals behind in the aggregate score and has one less away goal than its opponent.
If Inter wanted to make a comeback, they needed to score three goals in the last few minutes, which was an impossible task, especially for such an incomplete lineup as theirs.
The miracle did not happen. A few minutes later, the referee blew the whistle to end the game.
In the end, at Inter Milan's own home ground, they were reversed by Arsenal 2:1 and were eliminated with a total score of 4:2.
Under Wenger's leadership, Arsenal reached the Champions League final for the first time in history.
Their opponent in the final will be decided from the match between Barcelona and AC Milan one day later.
As for Inter Milan, their Champions League journey this season ends here.
Considering the team's injury situation and fighting on multiple fronts, being able to persist to this extent is actually very good.
But if they want to go further in the Champions League, targeted reinforcements of the team's lineup will be essential.
"Congratulations, Mr. Arsene, you and your team deserve this victory!"
After the game, Mancini calmed down, walked to the visiting team's coaching booth, and shook hands with the opposing head coach to congratulate him.
"Thank you, your performance was also outstanding. I envy you for having such excellent players in your team!"
When Wenger said this, he looked at Inter Milan's bench and his gaze stopped on Lin Feng.
At this time, Lin Feng also looked in his direction, and their eyes met in the air.
Lin Feng nodded slightly to Wenger and wanted to smile, but he was in a bad mood after the team lost and couldn't smile.
Wenger smiled kindly. After noticing that Lin Feng was friendly towards him, he had a bold idea in his mind:
"Why don't we try to dig out some of Inter Milan's players and bring Lin Feng to Arsenal?"
Once this thought appeared, it occupied his mind and could not be shaken off!
Even Wenger couldn't help but start calculating his family property to see how much money he would need to raise to take the other party away!
(End of this chapter)
