Dear Gua
Chapter 247 Gunner vs. Red Devil (Daily Transition)
The 2016/17 season wasn't nearly as bad as it used to be.
The conflict mainly focused on the Wenger and Ferguson era of the 'Premier League Two-Man Show,' who were arch-rivals for the championship around the millennium.
Two powerhouses vying for supremacy.
The England Derby.
Numerous stories unfolded between the two teams.
The Flying Boot incident.
The Pizzagate incident.
Arsenal's 49-game unbeaten run was ended by Manchester United...
Wenger and Ferguson had a profound impact on the Premier League, and their achievements deserve to be remembered by the fans.
So, who broke their dominance?
It was Chelsea.
It was Abramovich.
It was Mourinho.
It was "thespecialone."
The story that followed is too long.
Wenger ushered in his nemesis in the Premier League. As of 2016, he had only won once in 16 matches against Mourinho, a dismal record.
Here comes the question.
Now that Arsenal is facing Mourinho's Manchester United, can they break the losing streak?
...
Carrington Training Base.
Pogba drove to the entrance, and several media reporters waved excitedly.
"Paul, how are you going to welcome Li at Old Trafford?"
"What do you think about the comparisons between your goal count and Li's?"
"Where do you think the gap lies between you and Li? Um... besides the price tag."
These obviously inflammatory questions failed to provoke Manchester United's £100 million man.
Pogba dismissed them with disdain, saying:
"Don't expect to dig anything irrational out of my mouth."
"Only those who don't understand football would question my price tag."
"Leaving aside the goal count, my stats and Li's are very close this season."
"Football is a team sport. Arsenal's coaching team and other players are not as good as Manchester United's!"
"Li will have a hard time at Old Trafford."
Pogba adjusted his hairstyle in the rearview mirror and then stepped on the gas, leaving the scene.
He's not stupid, and he's very persistent in his pursuit of the spiritual world.
He calls his favorite wizard every day to discuss the Quran.
...
The fans are very optimistic about Manchester United's prospects.
They firmly believe that Mourinho can lead the club out of the quagmire and back to the top.
The players' beliefs are equally strong as never before.
No one would doubt the magic of "Mourinho's first year."
Only De Gea is the exception.
He believes that Manchester United's defense is indeed much more solid than last season, but to resist Li's Arsenal... it's difficult.
In the end, he silently bears everything himself.
...
At this moment, on the training ground.
Ibrahimovic is "hand-in-hand" guiding Rashford, Lingard, Martial, Luke Shaw and others.
The 35-year-old Swede has scored 4 goals in the first three rounds of the Premier League.
"Don't learn from me, my shooting conversion rate is too low!"
"Manchester United has the most shots in the entire Premier League, and the conversion rate is the lowest!"
"Learn to observe! Even if you are a forward, you have to observe the position of the opponent's defenders and teammates. Don't just focus on shooting yourself. The thinking of our attackers must be unified!"
"Don't think about imitating
-[Big Ibra is awesome, he can still play in the Premier League at 35. I wonder how long he can play for.]
-[Pogba's hairstyle... the style is no different from the young man at the barbershop in our village.]
-[The happiest thing every weekend: watching a group of billionaires perform for us.]
....
Old Trafford Stadium.
The referee team led both teams out of the tunnel.
Tens of thousands of Red Devils fans erupted with an overwhelming momentum!
The distance between the stands and the green field is very close.
Huge banners and posters swayed with the sound waves, like flames churning in a sea of fire.
"United! United!"
"Gloryglorymanunited!"
Li Kang couldn't help but recall the scene when he first came to Old Trafford.
It was as if he was standing at the foot of a red beast, his tiny figure about to be swallowed by the red maw.
The system prompt sounded quietly.
[Ding, mission triggered: Conquer the Theatre of Dreams.]
[Mission introduction: Van Gaal is gone, Mourinho is here, the Red Devils are no longer staggering... Does it seem to be on the right path? Enjoy this game, Old Trafford never stinges on flowers and applause!]
[Mission reward: ???]
....
"Next, we will introduce the starting lineups of both sides."
"Manchester United has lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation."
"Goalkeeper: De Gea!"
"Defenders: Luke Shaw, Bailly, Smalling, Brandt."
"Double defensive midfielders: Herrera, Carrick."
"Central midfielders: Lingard, Pogba, Martial!"
"Forward: Zlatan Ibrahimovic!"
"Arsenal's formation is 4-3-3!"
"Goalkeeper:..."
"There is not much change from the lineup against Hull City in the previous round."
"New signing Mustafi and Maguire form a new central defender partnership."
-[Manchester United bought a central axis in the summer window... Why does it seem that the overall strength has become so much stronger.]
-[Carrick is so old and still has to play as a defensive midfielder? Matic, don't stay at Chelsea, come and save Mourinho!]
-[Why isn't Rooney playing?]
-[Mkhitaryan is also on the bench. Now the use of Pogba has become a big problem. Mourinho let him play as a defensive midfielder in the previous two rounds, and the effect was very poor.]
-[I heard that Lukaku from Everton may join Manchester United in the winter window!]
-[Is Arsenal's new central defender combination reliable? It feels a bit of a pit.]
....
With the referee's whistle.
The game officially begins.
Arsenal has possession.
Giroud passes the ball back to Li Kang on the kickoff.
He did not encounter high-intensity pressing.
The Gunners players are calmly passing the ball on the green field.
"The pace of advancement is a bit slow."
"Manchester United's formation structure forms a triple line of defense, and the sense of depth in the defensive zone is very strong."
"There's a bit of Mourinho's second Chelsea stint there."
Li Kang wanted to try to speed up, but the timing of the pass changed in an instant as the defensive distance between the Manchester United players changed.
Pogba is running and intercepting like he's been injected with chicken blood... something unimaginable in the past.
The French black player also has a very strong ability to read the game, and every time he assists and runs is very reasonable.
Of course, this guy is just a minor factor and does not pose the most major threat to advancement.
Li Kang seems to be experiencing the same predicament he encountered with Chelsea in the Champions League last season.
In God's perspective.
But the overall structure and regional defense details of the Red Devils are very different from the Blues...
It seems a little difficult.
Mourinho is not Hiddink, and the shadow he left made himself suffer during his time at Leverkusen.