Remember Fabregas, Rossiki and Hleb in the 07-08 season? At that time, they were young and excited;
Remember the 07-08 season of the little monster Adebayo, Robin Van Persie? At that time, they were loyal;
Remember that Arsenal in 07-08? At that time, they were flourishing...
The Arsenal in the 07-08 season was like a young man in his early 20s, he had the best years, he had the most enviable youth. It's just a pity that this youth is a rainbow on the edge of the sky, although it is soft and abnormal, but it is fleeting:
【Beginning of the season】
Henry's departure put the Gunners in the spotlight before the start of the 0708 season, not only because of Henry's efficient goal scoring rate, but also because he was the king of Arsenal and the spiritual pillar of Arsenal. The departure of King Highbury has left the gunners looking for a gun; last season, Van Persie was injured for most of the season like Henry, and Adebayo is a new generation of "wave shooters", but fortunately, the Togolese striker has found a sense of scoring at the end of last season. But on the positive side, Henry is older and it is difficult to find the shadow of his youth on the field. Moreover, Henry as captain and Henry as king, his presence is bound to put pressure on the young but highly talented Arsenal players.
Secondly, there is the Swedish flying wing Ljungberg. Ljungberg's move to West Ham United, where there are few people left in the unbeaten season, it can be said that his departure is a symbol of Arsenal's complete withdrawal from the historical stage in the unbeaten season of 0304, and at the same time, it is also a sign that the Gunners have opened a new era.
In terms of reinforcements, Arsenal brought in several players who are still important today: Sarnia joined the Gunners that summer, and in the long run, Sarnia's important position in Arsenal's squad is self-evident. The Professor developed the potential of "center-back" daisa is now the "black pearl" in Wenger's hands. In the short term, Sarnia's arrival is undoubtedly a reinforcement of the Gunners' side defense, in addition to Ebue's liberation, the Gunners have another general in the winger position.
In the current squad, Polish goalkeeper Fabianski came to the Emirates Stadium with Sarnia, and at that time, it was also seen as a long-term investment for the club. And, of course, there's Eduardo, the guy who gets gun fans wherever he goes, the guy who broke his leg for Arsenal in 0708, and I'm sure he won't regret being a Gunner this season if he does it again.
【Lineup】
Main squads: Almunia; Krish, Gallas, Toure, Sarnia; Rosicki, Flamini, Fabregas, Hleb; Eduardo, Adebayo.
Throughout the 0708 season, Van Persie's injury undoubtedly gave Eduardo a chance to get on the horse quickly, while Ebue on the right would also be in view. The forward and winger positions also included Bentner, who were in good shape at the time, and Walcott, the young tiger, Deniersen and Gilberto Silva, and the Swiss Sendros as a reserve force in the center-back position... Wait, it can be said that Arsenal's lineup, even without Henry, is still a team worth looking forward to.
What really makes people shine is the gunners' amazing performance after the start of the season:
【Tactical Analysis】
The reason why Arsenal's 0708 season will leave such a deep impression on people, and even really can be remembered with "that team", is because their tactics on the pitch are very ornamental, and at the same time, they are very consistent with this Arsenal team at that time, it can be said that Wenger's tactical arrangement and transformation of this Arsenal team in that season are very great. And this young Janissary also conquered the audience in the case of four-front combat.
1. Fly both wings in unison
(1) A gunner who is proficient in the inverted triangle
At the start of the 0708 season, Arsenal challenged Fulham in the league.
After conceding a goal first due to Lehmann's mistake, the Gunners began a ferocious counterattack, which was arsenal's combination on the flanks tore through Fulham's defence. Sarnia took the ball, Ebue stepped forward, while Van Persie in the middle of the box ran towards the back post, while Hleb behind him went to the line of the big penalty area.
Eboue then dribbled the ball down to the bottom and knocked it back to Hleb in the big penalty area. When Arsenal play this routine, the wingers usually bring the ball closer to the bottom line, and together with the forward forward, the opponent's defense line is pressed to the lowest, as shown in the picture, Fulham's defense line is pressed very close to their goalkeepers by Ebue and Van Persie, while losing the layering of defense, giving Hleb behind Van Persie an extremely comfortable space, so that Arsenal will play the simplest "inverted triangle". Unfortunately, in the end, Hleb did not take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.
The same routine was constantly played out by the Gunners during the 0708 season. The Champions League match with Sparta Prague was also an inverted triangle return pass from the bottom of the wing, but this time the assist was replaced by Walcott, who was still young at the time.
Receiving a pass from his teammate, the little tiger brought the ball to the bottom line at high speed, squeezing the opponent's defense with Eduardo, at which point Rosicky inserted himself into the penalty area at high speed from the left, received Walcott's pass, and stepped on it without being guarded.
nutshell:
This "inverted triangle" tactic was a major feature of Arsenal's two wings flying together in 0708. Taking attacks from the right as an example (most of these goals were made from the Right side of the 0708 season), a striker will work with the wingers to squeeze the opponent's defense line in the direction of their goalkeeper, so that the opposing line has to become narrow and flat in order to see these two people, and there is no defensive level to speak of. At the same time, midfielders such as the front waist or the left wing player will use the back plug to enter the box, and because it is a back plug, sudden and fast, it will not attract the attention of the opposing defender, which is why the opponent's back often does not appear in its own defensive area. As a result, Arsenal's "inverted triangle" tactic has been tried and tested during that time. Of course, being a speed winger is very important, and that's what Arsenal has retained to this day.
2. Be good at using the gap between the center-back and the full-back
It was Arsenal's North London derby away to Tottenham Hotspur that season. The Gunners were given a chance to strike back quickly, with the midfielder quickly passing the ball through the half without delay, while Adebayor, as a bridgehead, moved closer to his midfield, on the one hand, receiving Rosicki's dribble, making the counterattack fast and continuous; on the other hand, Adebayo's retraction received the ball, bringing out Tottenham's center-back who was watching him, creating space for the wing to insert the player's incision.
After completing a "wall collision" with Adebayor, Rossiki accurately clipped the ball from the gap between the centre-back and the full-back to his teammates on the wing, at which point Arsenal had a great chance to face the goalkeeper as the opposing centre-back was no longer in position.
2. Midfield attacking trio
The reason why Arsenal played well in the 0708 season and the combination of sides and center is inseparable from Fabregas, Rossiki and Hleb in midfield. Wenger remained a devout 4-4-2 believer that season, but what about actually playing? Both Kleb and Rosicky have the ability to pick up the ball on the wing, especially the then-Time Kleb, the Belarusian international, who has a fairly strong ability to control and dribble the ball, and will also pose a great threat to the opponent's defense in terms of breakthrough.
At the same time, they will also be very close to the middle, with Fabregas seeking to cooperate and pass in the middle, and their two sides are usually left to the full-backs who are inserted in front. The backcourt, or defensive end, is handed over to two centre-backs and a full-time defensive defender, Flamini. So, in a real game, it's hard to define the Gunners in a 4-4-2 formation, and it's not impossible to say 3-5-2 or 4-2-3-1 (a striker retracement).
From midfield to formation, at the time, 4-2-3-1 was not as popular as it is today, and the professor's style of play was second to none at the time.
4-2-3-1 is used by many teams today because he has many of the "triangles" he most want to see on the pitch. We take the offensive end as an example, as shown in the figure, so many triangles will make it easy for the team to play the ball in the attack, which is very helpful for possession and transmission, which was also explained in the previous position report, we used Bayern's match against Manchester United in the Champions League this season to illustrate the "multi-triangle formation" of 4-2-3-1:
Guardiola's team has always been an admirer of this style of play, whether it was Barca back then and Bayern today. We can see that after Ribery leans towards the middle, Bayern's midfield forms a triangular network centered on the former waist Cross, which is also the overall position that Bayern or Barca relied on most in the pass, the triangle position is the most desired by any team in the process of passing, and at this time, due to the addition of Ribery, bayern's frontcourt players are organically connected by the triangle network.
Looking at Arsenal in the 0708 season, we also use the offensive end as an example:
The two full-backs pressed assists, coupled with the gunners' good tandem with Haleb, made the combination of the full-backs and the full-backs closely established. Arsenal's "triangle" up front is innumerable, and I think that's a big part of why the Gunners were able to have a fluid attack and mercury-like attack in the 0708 season. The following year, when Guardiola took over as Barca, when he started another dynasty for Barca, he borrowed more or less from Arsene Wenger's transformation of Arsenal's attacking end this season. This may be another reason why Guardiola respects the professor so much.
Classic Campaign Review – 15 September 2007 Tottenham Hotspur 1-3 Arsenal
The North London Derby is the most interesting game every year, and the 0708 season is no exception. At that time, Spurs also had a lot of good players in the squad, such as Robbie Keane, Berbatov and the now popular Bale. Such a strong dialogue took place on a sunny afternoon in London at Tottenham's home stadium, White Hart Lane.
The first to attack was home team Tottenham Hotspur. St. Bell, who was still wearing Tottenham's No. 16 shirt, took a free kick on the right side of the Arsenal penalty area, and the ball made a wonderful arc in the air and drilled into the bottom right corner of the goal. Spurs lead the Gunners 1-0.
The goal turned London into a melting pot this afternoon, Arsenal were clearly not willing to leave White Hart Lane like this, the spectators did not have a lazy look, and the whole stadium fell into the atmosphere of derby.
Shortly after Bale scored, Arsenal had a great chance: Van Persie ignored Sarnia's request for a serve and threw the ball straight into the box
Adebayor, who was lurking behind Thettenham defender, used his excellent sense of smell to accurately find the landing point of the ball, and without waiting for the ball to land, he directly turned around and volleyed, if it were not for the good position chosen by Tottenham goalkeeper Robinson, the ball would most likely turn into a goal. However, the goal also reflects that the backward Arsenal mentality is a bit impatient, while the leading side of Tottenham Hotspur, the back line exposed the problem of not staring at people tightly.
Subsequently, Arsenal made a comeback, this time creating the killer, replaced by Belarusian international Hleb.
Hleb cut inside from the flank, broke through the defence of two Tottenham hotspur players, faked a real pass at the top of the arc of the penalty area, and gave the ball to his teammates on the wing, but unfortunately the goalpost refused this exquisite combination. This time, we also saw the problem of Tottenham's defensive line, first of all, the back is not defended in time, leaving Too much space for Helleb to make moves; secondly, there is a problem with the movement of Tottenham's overall defense line and defensive formation, there are leaky mistakes in too dense cases, coupled with the lack of timely defense of the wing players, resulting in Arsenal's attacking players having such a large open space.
Easy to fight again, Spurs also launched a number of effective counterattacks. The counter-attack was extremely threatening: the Spurs players seized on the Gunners' mistakes in the field and quickly hit the ball to the front, due to the speed from conceding the ball to being counter-attacked, Arsenal did not have time to return to the defense, Berbatov passed Armunia, got a "one-on-one with Toure" opportunity, and Toure showed his excellent composure, calmly blocking the ball with his body, leaving the Gunners with hope of taking points from White Hart Lane.
After a serious misstep, the Gunners' lads were clearly more involved in the game. The effort paid off, and in the same position as Bale's goal, the Gunners were given a free kick. The free-kick fired by The Little Law accurately found Adebayor, who cut through Robinson's ten-finger mark with a powerful header. The score became 1-1.
After that, the game really entered a white-hot stage, and in the face of Tottenham's crazy counterattack, the Gunners seized another opportunity to counterattack, and Fabregas, the core of the midfield, scored a wonderful long-range shot.
Receiving Rossiki's pass, Xiaofa did not take more, but decisively chose to play farther away from the goal, and we can see that Xiaofa's goal was also not interfered with by the Back of Tottenham. And Xiaofa's goal also reflects his biggest breakthrough this season: in the 0708 season, Fabregas's goal account, the number is very impressive, and a large part of this is the long-range shot that he was not good at before.
After the 2-1 counter-score, Arsenal deservedly played a counter-attack, and in the counter-attack, it repeatedly used the gap between the center-back and the full-back we mentioned above, and this tactic was particularly effective in the counter-attack.
Next, it's time for Adebayor's performances. He turned his back to the goal at the edge of the penalty area to receive shells delivered by his teammates, and with a defender behind him, he made amazing moves. In the face of the incoming ball, the right foot stopped, so that the ball bounced to the left side of the body, and he turned around and volleyed, hitting it with one blow! In the 0708 season, Henry's departure completely aroused the "bestiality" of togolese people. The goal he scored in this game brought the ben London derby to a perfect end. And this game, because of Adebayo's four-seat performance and Arsenal's beautiful Jedi counterattack in White Hart Lane, has become a classic in the memory of gun fans.
【Twist】
Such a wonderful season, but failed to win the title, Arsenal fans' inner pain can only be understood by themselves. Putting aside the refereeing factor, injuries once again dragged the young Gunners into the mire.
Van Persie's early injury suspension made Arsenal's prospects for the 0708 season uncertain, but just when people were full of gloom, Eduardo's strong outburst made fans more and more confident in the Gunners. However, it is such a savior who has been mercilessly attacked by God. In the away match against Birmingham, Martin Taylor's fierce tackle shot Eduardo's calf mercilessly, and the white bone that pierced deeply touched the hearts of arsenal players. In this way, Martin Taylor not only shoveled and broke Eduardo's calf, but also shoveled the morale of the Arsenal team.
In addition, before this game, a season was smooth, but at Old Trafford 0:4 defeat to the title rival Manchester United, and ac Milan in the Champions League Touré left the game with injury. Arsenal's players suffered a series of serious blows in their hearts during that time. After Eduardo's tragedy, the Gunners lost their fighting spirit and said goodbye to the champions in the league with a record of three draws and one loss (1-1 Aston Villa at home, Wigan Athletic 0-0 away, 1-1 Middlesbrough at home, 1-2 Chelsea away).
【Conclusion】
Arsenal in the 0708 season, although not as strong as the unbeaten season, but it is proud and tragic enough. This season contains all the elements of football: joy, passion, injury, pain, etc., and the memories left for Arsenal fans are also full enough: the outbreak of Xiaofa and Adebayor, the tandem of Hleb, the rhythm of Rosicky, the beauty of the combination of the whole team, too much, but unfortunately, in these beautiful memories, there is less of that shining championship trophy. Yes, it can only be blamed on the fact that the gunners are not good enough, and the young people are not mature enough in their own inner problems. Watching the champion slip from your fingertips, it's not that you don't play well enough, it just needs to be brave, a little braver...
The Arsenal in the 07-08 season was like a young man in his early 20s, he had the best years, he had the most enviable youth. It's just a pity that this youth is a rainbow on the edge of the sky, although it is feminine and abnormal, but it is fleeting...
If you want to see the previous issues of that year's team, please poke here~