"Zhang Yang's approach is correct. Millwall has good overall results, but after all, it is just a promoted team. Their goal is only to relegation. When playing against a giant like Arsenal, you still have to give up if you can give up, but that will disappoint the fans who come to the scene..."

The last sentence is a satirical sarcasm to Millwall.

In many people's opinion, the forward Braniff is the main player, and midfielders Joey Healy and Livermore are also pretty good players. They have replaced three main players with Arsenal, which is no different from giving up the game. If they don't show 100% strength, Millwall will not have any chance.

Arsenal's lineup is much more gorgeous: the four major players in the back line, Lauren, Toure, Campbell, Ashley Cole, Gilberto Silva, Fabregas, Lyonberg on the wing, Hleb, Van Persie on the front line cooperated with Henry, and a goalkeeper Lehmann.

Arsenal can be said to have all the main players.

In addition to the weak midfield in the middle, Arsenal's lineup is already impeccable, but considering that after Vieira left, others are already unbearable, the midfield supported by Fabregas is already the limit Arsenal can do.

This also shows Wenger's emphasis on the game.

With Arsenal's strong strength and paying more attention to the game, almost everyone is not optimistic about Millwall.

———

The game begins.

In the first ten minutes, the two teams were in the test stage.

Arsenal did not know Millwall, and Millwall did not know Arsenal. Their mutual understanding only stayed on paper. Both sides continued to launch tentative attacks, and even Arsenal paid great attention to defense, which led to the not very intense scene.

During the opening test stage, the media can continue to discuss the focus of the starting lineup. The core point of their discussion is on the front line. Many media believe that Braniff is better than Darren Bent.

So why did Millwall only send Darren Bent?

Some people think it is a 'normal rotation', and Darren Bent's performance is not much worse. When it is Darren Bent's turn, Darren Bent will let Darren Bent play. However, it is a bit unrealistic to face Arsenal in this way. If you want to break through Arsenal's goal, the better the player's ability, the better. Braniff should be better. If Braniff appears, the more likely he can score a goal.

But they felt that Millwall had no chance.

Then it is easy to understand that Darren Bent is sent to him: Anyway, anyone will lose, so just let Darren Bent come on and Braniff stay until the end of the game to get higher points.

Millwall coaching seat.

Zhang Yang chewed chewing gum in his mouth, fiddling with the poker in his hand, occasionally taking a look at the game.

That look very leisurely.

Many people have become accustomed to it. No matter which opponent Millwall meets, Zhang Yang will act leisurely. He doesn't seem to worry about the situation on the field and always acts casually.

But in fact, Zhang Yang has always been very serious.

He not only used "prediction" to make judgments on the next game in advance, but also kept thinking about some game segments and compared the games on the court to analyze the team's strengths and weaknesses.

This can help to understand the situation of both parties.

Zhang Yang didn't care about how the media analyzed it, but the media made a point that the rotation between Braniff and Darren Bent was one after another, but it would not continue to do so, because in some games, Millwall can play more openly. Even in the 4231 formation, Darren Bent or Braniff can play the full-back. However, this game is indeed a normal rotation. The purpose of the rotation is to "take turns to give two people a chance."

So far, Braniff and Darren Bent have performed well on the front line.

The outside world is talking about Braniff, because Braniff scored more goals and scored twice in one game, but Darren Bent's performance is not bad, and being able to score two goals three times is proof of it.

Why is Braniff more dazzling?

Zhang Yang knows the reason better than anyone else: Braniff is an old player, he is more familiar with the team and is more skilled in cooperating with his teammates. When the two of them appear at the same time, his teammates are more inclined to hand over the ball to him.

This is the real reason!

Darren Bent's strength is not a problem at all. The result of "Shi Yan divination" is a clear proof that when Blanev is replaced with Darren Bent, the strength evaluation can be improved by one point, not one point, but the overall tactic remains unchanged. If a player changes a position, there will be a point gap, which also proves that Darren Bent's strength is stronger than Blanev.

As for midfielder Livermore's failure to play, it was also the result of Zhang Yang's careful consideration.

The two midfielders in this game are Jody Morris and Marvin Elliott, and the central defender is Smitchell. This lineup is also the highest score in the 4231 formation. In other words, the current lineup is the strongest lineup that Millwall has taken.

Different lineups have their own tendencies.

This well-rated lineup prefers midfield confrontation and backcourt defense. It is worse off in offense than the 442 formation. Livermore has good long-range shooting ability, but considering the difference in strength against Arsenal, the team will play passively. It is difficult for Livermore to have a chance in the frontcourt. It is not as good as Smitchell, which increases the flexibility of some teams and may find more opportunities.

Arsenal coaching seat.

Head coach Wenger is also watching the game seriously. This is not the first time Arsenal played against Millwall. Just a year and a half ago, Arsenal met Millwall in the FA Cup. Arsenal also lost the game, giving Millwall the chance to enter the semi-finals of the FA Cup, but that Millwall and the team in front of them are completely two teams.

After two seasons, Millwall's changes have been too big!

However, during that game, Arsenal had to fight for the league championship and the Champions League, and had no intention of dealing with the FA Cup, which led to Millwall having the chance to win.

It's different now.

This game is the league, and Arsenal must also work hard to make a good start to the league in order to reduce the pressure brought by the intensive competitions in the future. It is also an opportunity to play against Millwall. Vieira's departure has a big blow to the team. Arsenal needs to defeat his opponents and bring confidence to the team. Millwall ranks second in the league. Although the league has just begun and almost no one recognizes this second, they are not an absolute weak team. Beating Millwall away will definitely bring some confidence to the team.

Arsenal needs confidence too much!

But Wenger would not carelessly underestimate the opponent. He knew that the game would not be easy to play. There must be a reason why Millwall could start with four wins and one draw. Just as Fulham coach Coleman said, Millwall was "building tactics with the team". After watching several game videos of Millwall, Wenger roughly recognized this.

How much changes will this tactical idea bring to a team?

Wenger didn't know.

This was the first time he saw this tactic and had to observe it carefully.

When Wenger saw Millwall be determined to defend, he felt relieved. He wanted to defend the goal by relying on defense, which is applicable in many games. There are only ninety minutes of the game. If you work hard to defend the goal, you will always have a chance to completely defend it.

But Arsenal is an exception!

Most teams will work hard to strengthen their defense in games with Arsenal, even Chelsea and Manchester United are no exception, but Arsenal can still become one of the "Premier League Final Four", relying on fast pace, practical offensives, and powerful midfield and frontcourt.

Faced with Arsenal's ever-increasing offensive, it is difficult for any opponent to defend completely for 90 minutes.

This is Wenger's confidence.

———

After twenty minutes of the game, the scene became more and more intense, as if confirming Wenger's idea. Arsenal once got a chance in a dangerous position and almost broke through Millwall's goal.

The game can find an opportunity as soon as it enters the intense stage, proving Arsenal's offensive ability.

Wenger was more relieved.

Zhang Yang also began to change his mindset. In the previous few games, he faced his opponents with an "equal mentality". When the situation was at a disadvantage, he would think about the reasons and find ways to change.

Now Zhang Yang knows very well that there is no way for Arsenal to have the advantage.

Arsenal is purely suppressing the lineup. Their lineup must have reached more than eight stars. Even if Millwall plays the strongest lineup, it is still much worse than Arsenal. Considering that Arsenal is good at attacking, it is extremely normal to be suppressed.

Zhang Yang also changed to the mentality of facing the game last season--

The team was suppressed?

Danger?

It doesn't matter!

What does the other party continue?

It doesn't matter!

As long as the opponent does not score, there is no problem. The situation is disadvantageous and the opponent finds a chance to score, Zhang Yang's mentality will not shake, because the game cannot be controlled. If it were other head coaches, they could only watch nervously, hoping that the team will perform well, or that God will stand on his own side.

Zhang Yang can do something. He constantly uses "prediction" to judge the situation of the next game and is ready to remind the team when encountering dangers.

But in fact, the game situation is not as dangerous as imagined.

Zhang Yang is quite satisfied with the team's performance.

Wenger is very confident in Arsenal's offensive ability. As long as he performs normally, he can break through Millwall's goal.

To some extent, this view is correct, but it is very difficult for Arsenal to do it.

Millwall made a lot of preparations for the game. In the previous two league games, Zhang Yang was constantly testing the 4231 formation, and he made sufficient preparations in this defense.

The core point of Millwall's tactical strategy is to allow players in various positions to exert their strength as much as possible.

This is why Millwall performed well.

The defense uses the full-game pressing, and uses fast-paced offense and defense to limit the opponent's performance. The 4231 formation's defensive method is almost equivalent to the pressing of the first half, with two back midfielders paired with four backs, and two wing forwards retreating, the team can also be said to be conducting intensive defense.

While performing intensive defense, each player also continues to increase the defensive area covered by players in each position. When one position is broken, other positions will be quickly filled up. The players who are broken can quickly invest in other defenses.

This may sound a bit complicated.

But in fact, while tactics give players free space to play, Millwall has also completed part of the "position weakening". The meaning of "position weakening" is that the sense of position of each player is getting weaker and weaker. Offensive players must participate in defense, and defensive players, such as full-backs and central defenders, must participate in the offense.

This is a major trend in football development.

'Weakened position' means making the players of the stadium more powerful, and it is also the theoretical principle of all eager to build the team's tactical structure. For example, when the team is defending with all their might, the two forwards are standing in front and waiting for the ball, which is obviously a waste of overall ability. Many people may think that they can create a counterattack when they have the opportunity, but the two forwards have not provided any help to the team's game most of the time. They have been in the frontcourt just for the theoretical "opportunity". They are definitely not as good as defending when they should be defending, and can stand in a favorable position when they should be attacked.

Zhang Yang did not propose the concept of 'position weakening'.

When studying tactics, he didn't even understand this concept at all. But 'players freely exert their strength', to some extent, means 'weakening of positions'. When the frontcourt players realize that they have to defend, they will participate in defense, and when the backcourt players realize that they want to attack, they will participate in offense. Without tactical restrictions on rules and regulations, they can exert more strength and have also completed a certain degree of 'position weakening'.

This greatly increases Millwall's defensive ability.

In the 20th minute, the shooting opportunities Arsenal got in front of the goal made Wenger feel very at ease. He thought the team would get opportunities frequently, but the opportunities Arsenal got were not as many as he imagined.

When the game reached the 40th minute, Arsenal threatened Millwall's goal only twice.

This made Wenger realize that he was strong on defense.

The Frenchman couldn't help but turn his head and glance at Millwall's coaching seat. This glance almost made him angry: the young Chinese sat there with his legs crossed, fiddling with a deck of playing cards in his hand, and kept talking to the substitute player next to him, with a faint smile on his face.

That relaxed expression seemed to indicate that you were not worried about the game at all!

"What the hell is he thinking?" Wenger was a little confused. He looked down at the time, pursed his lips vigorously, and then walked to the sidelines with a serious look on his face. While Loneberg ran by, he raised his big hand and waved it forward.

"It's time to strengthen the offensive!"

Now most of the time, football is controlled by Arsenal, but the continuous offensive brings few opportunities. Arsenal has not yet broken through Mirwall's goal. If it delays until the second half, it may be a bit unfavorable for Arsenal.

Taking advantage of the last time of the first half, it is time to strengthen the offensive and strive to complete the goal.

As long as you can score a complete goal in the first half, the situation will be very beneficial to Arsenal. On the contrary, if you continue, the team will become a little impatient. In the second half, the opponent may adjust his tactics and may have new changes.
Chapter completed!