Highbury was filled with gunsmoke, and the military songs in the stands were loud.

As the game wore on, Arsene Wenger's brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

Millwall's attacking restriction on Arsenal was very successful!

What is the main basis for studying the work of the opponent?

Formation? Players?

How does a technical and tactical system work?

One thing is the most important.

It's the player's movement off the ball, not what position the player plays.

Just like the outside world can only say that Henry is a striker, but it can't clearly define what type of striker Henry is, his range of activities is too large, his trajectory seems to be irregular, and he has scored and assisted double-doubles every season in the past, with an average of 20+ goals easily, and there is only one season in which the number of assists has not exceeded 20, and that is last season.

Although Nedved is inferior to Henry, Nedved is still indispensable and irreplaceable in the tactical role, because Nedved's "indirect assists" are second only to Xiao Luo in the team.

In the Arsenal team, such a figure is Bergkamp.

What is the biggest difference between today and half a season ago?

Millwall have made a breakthrough when it comes to targeting Bergkamp.

Matured from Alonso.

Regardless of how Arsenal attack, Alonso's main task is to read the trajectory of the opponent's attack and then cut off the link between the Arsenal players and Bergkamp, who instigates the attack and makes the attack clear up front, which is his biggest threat.

It was either Ljungberg on the right, Vieira coming up from the back or Pire on the left. Even Van Bronckhorst assisted. Alonso will have to block the straight line between the Arsenal player and Bergkamp.

Vieira in the middle assists. There's Nedved against the press.

When attacking from the wing, there are full-backs following closely behind.

If Ibrahimovic pulls back, De Rossi will follow him.

In the first half of the season, the opposition broke down the back line, and it was actually Alonso who could not limit the role of Bergkamp.

What happened in just over four months?

What specific changes have taken place between Alonso and Bergkamp?

Alonso is growing, physical, experienced, technical, conscious. It is growing rapidly in all aspects, and the body may be the slowest of them, but it is also the upward period.

And Bergkamp in the same period, even if there is no progress or regression, but it also makes the gap between the two in one-on-one, or cat-and-mouse games, be shortened.

In particular, this is the final game, which is a season of intense competition, where a player's fitness has been prepared before the season and has been played continuously in the middle of the season. At the end of the season, the oil is running out, and the end of the crossbow is at the tipping point.

in this regard. Alonso's advantage is clear, and it is by no means comparable to the 35-year-old Bergkamp.

The pitch is huge, Millwall takes the initiative to attack, and there is a lot of space for the opposition to be given.

Bergkamp doesn't drop back as deep as Zinedine Zidane, as if he has a football grip and wants to play in from the midfield and then plug in himself for further playmaking.

Bergkamp will spot an open space up front and appear in an open position, waiting for a team-mate's pass to arrive as expected, and then he will make the next attacking move.

Alonso's task certainly can't be to run after Bergkamp, that is the stupidest way to defend, the defender to chase the attacking player, to catch up?

If you turn around with one or two sharp stops, you will lose the target of the chase if you have a bad rhythm.

What Alonso has done is to look at Arsenal's attacking direction and keep an eye on Bergkamp's position, even if Bergkamp is in the air, it doesn't matter, Alonso just needs to block the straight line between the ball and Bergkamp.

With his defensive position to intercept Bergkamp from taking the ball, even though Bergkamp did not retreat to the defensive position after the start of the game, Bergkamp still needed a lot of over-the-ball runs to get out of the blockade!

It's a defense, and it's a drain.

Millwall's attacking strategy after 10 minutes has also changed.

Now that the home advantage was partially eroded after the opening kick-off, Millwall had to control the tempo of the game.

When Millwall attacked, they developed a huge possession advantage in midfield.

Ronaldo never stays in the front line, he strikes from the back to the front.

As a result, Ronaldo's attacking starting position is often on the left side just past midfield.

Ronaldo, Nedved, plus Alonso, and two full-backs, their passing in the midfield will tear Arsenal's formation apart at the beginning!

Forcing Ljungberg, Pire, to be involved in the defense at the back, and not to chase the ball back and forth in the midfield, is just being played like a monkey.

Then, Arsenal also need someone in the middle of the midfield to retreat to defend, but they can't both strikers come back to defend, why?

If they all withdraw, what if they steal the ball?

Millwall's huge midfield numerical advantage makes Millwall absolutely faster than them when retreating, and they have no threat, after all, Ibrahimovic and Bergkamp now do not have the ability to break through the two levels of defense of Millwall's waist line and back line with the ball alone.

In such pressure, Bergkamp must drop back to participate in the defence, which will further drain his energy!

In the 19th minute, after Millwall's midfield passed and controlled, he suddenly launched a threatening attack, feinted on the left side and quickly transferred the attack to the right, Ronaldo took the ball and cut inside to complete a high-quality long-range shot on the edge of the penalty area, but it was unfortunately saved by Lehmann.

In the 21st minute, Arsenal counterattacked, Bergkamp did not step forward in the midfield, and directly instigated Pire's counterattack on the left side, but unfortunately after the central fulcrum Ibrahimovic passed the ball back to Pire, they were too speedy, when Pire rushed to the front line, the player who inserted it did not follow up, and he was successfully defended by Schneider and Nesta.

The defence-turned-attacking Millwall immediately set up the attack, with a quick pass to the midfield, where Ronaldo played with Nedved on the left and then straight to Thierry Henry, who was barely up and wide with Campbell in the box.

30 minutes have passed. Millwall has a clear advantage. but couldn't create a great goalscoring chance.

Arsenal have three military lives in this game. In addition, the study of Millwall is not a day or two, the targeted restrictions are extremely in place, and there is also a point of Ronaldo's immaturity, his play at this point has not yet achieved intuitive effect, he has four shots, two of which may have been scored if handed to Henry or Larsson.

Arsene Wenger stood on the sidelines with a sad expression.

He had already seen Millwall's routine.

In positional warfare, use Ronaldo's speed to play depth. The overall formation of Arsenal is extremely compressed in the second half, so that Arsenal's counter-attacking threat is reduced a lot!

After Arsenal managed to play an attack that advanced to the Millwall penalty area, if the attack was terminated and Millwall launched a counter-attack, Millwall would shift the focus of attack to Ronaldinho's side.

Obviously, when it comes to counter-attacking, there is more space, more options, and it is necessary to create a stronger attacking threat. Millwall will play to Ronaldo's strengths when there is no space. The strong and fierce attack was handed over to Ronaldo, which was to use Ronaldo to consume Arsenal, and let Xiao Luo use every part of the body in the most threatening environment.

But just as Millwall targeted Bergkamp, Arsenal were well prepared for Millwall's player trajectory and changes in attacking routines.

Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal's defence will have no problem as long as they don't make mistakes themselves, such as individual stoppage errors, passing errors, or slipping, and suddenly their brains are on the wrong side to give dangerous set-pieces.

The overall defence, with a back four and two midfielders, has also been playing together for at least two years.

Like Henry pulling the side, Rooneche Jr., Nedved and the like, they were beaten in the past and had no power to resist, but today they are engrossed, and the alarm will be sounded at the slightest disturbance, and they can play better if they have the bottom of their hearts!

However, Wenger underestimated Millwall.

Aldridge's Millwall, the third-generation Lions, will play a more magical offensive effect on the offensive end than the second-generation Lions.

In the 36th minute, Ljungberg sought a pass link with Ibrahimovic on the right flank, but Southgate boldly stepped up to intercept it early, and Southgate passed the ball to De Rossi, who calmly watched Bergkamp's movements, and Alonso was in a position that was obviously easier to pull out open spaces to receive the ball, and Bergkamp was not a small distance away from Alonso at this time.

The ball was at Alonso's feet, who looked in front of him and handed it to Nedved.

Nedved dribbled to the left in an attempt to tear up the defensive void between Patrick Vieira and Silva and pave the way for Ronaldo's attack.

Because at this time, Xiao Luo ran from the left to the middle, and the two of them didn't need eye contact, and they knew how to form a match next by knowing the direction of the other party's legs.

Ronaldo, Nedved, transposition!

Nedved took two steps to stop the ball and then ran to the left side of the penalty area!

His movement caught the attention of Patrick Vieira and Campbell, with Patrick Vieira playing in the right-hand position of central midfield, with the focus also on limiting the habitual running of Ronaldo and Nedved on this side.

And this time, Xiao Luo took the ball to the middle, and did not pass straight to Henry, or cut the line directly to Nedved.

He split the ball down the right flank.

It looked like a formulaic pass, and it wasn't a surprise.

However, Ronaldo's next move after passing the ball made all the Arsenal defenders, as well as Arsene Wenger on the sidelines, tingle!

Under Wenger's jaw-dropping gaze, Ronaldo rushed from the left side of Silva to the ribs of the Arsenal defence, that is, Millwall's attacking direction should have been the end of Ronaldo's neche route!

After Xiao Luo passed the ball, he pointed to the front of his running position, and with a cold face, he ordered Ronaldo to pass the ball there immediately.

Cristiano Ronaldo stopped the ball and passed the ball without any delay.

Ronaldo shook off Silva on the impact of the running position, because Silva didn't expect Xiao Luo to run like this!

At the same time, Nedved attracted Vieira and Campbell on the other side, Henry also started at the same time, he knew what he had to do, he also approached Nedved's side, Toure subconsciously followed Henry, unconsciously exposing the rib gap!

Xiao Luo is coming!

received Ronaldo's pass, took a step forward, diagonally towards the goal, and burst out without interference!

The ball grazed the inside of the near post and slammed into the top corner.

Lyman, dumbfounded.

Highbury

The enthusiasm of the Arsenal fans is extinguished by the icy water!

Lions fans are burning like flames! (To be continued......)