Chapter 85

Although Arsenal's lineup is strong, there is a clear disadvantage. Vieira and Gilberto Silva are both players who are strong in defense but weak in attack, lacking a midfielder like Chelsea's Lampard who can organize and coordinate the attack from both wings and deliver beautiful passes. Therefore, most of their attacks are launched from the wings, utilizing the characteristics of the two strikers to create local numerical superiority and break through the defense.

This is also the reason why Jowan Xian dared to confront Arsenal despite being one man down. If the previous 10 vs 11 match against Porto saw Chelsea mainly attack from the wings, then in this game, he planned to avoid their strength and focus on central penetration! Using a player who has used Source 1, Makelele, to tie up Vieira and Gilberto Silva, and with the double attacking midfielders Kaka and Lampard, he aimed to overwhelm the central defense of Campbell and Kolo Touré!

Especially Kolo Touré, a 23-year-old defender.

On the field, Arsenal teammates Pirès and Vieira tried to combine, but Makelele, like a water buffalo, trampled a few patches of grass and charged forward to intercept the ball before Vieira. This is Makelele's territory; no one would be surprised if he could make a tackle here.

Vieira and Gilberto Silva repeated their tactics, forming a pressing situation again, and Pirès on his side also cut off the possibility of Makelele passing the ball smoothly.

At this moment, a sentence from the coach Jowan Xian echoed in Makelele's mind: "With one man down, you must play with the effect of two to balance the situation. Face two against one, against Vieira and Silva!"

This time, facing their fierce pressing, Makelele did not back down! He took a big step, intending to go through the gap between Vieira and Gilberto Silva!

"Haha, this Frenchman must be as crazy as Jowan Xian, actually thinking of dribbling through Vieira and Gilberto Silva. No player in the world can do it, not even the alien Ronaldo!" Adams laughed heartily, but then he was stunned, completely dumbfounded.

On the field, Makelele had already brought the ball to the center of the pitch, and behind him... two Arsenal players lay on the grass, clearly Vieira and Gilberto Silva!

"Foul, this is definitely a foul!" Adams roared. He had played football before, and according to his understanding, no one in this world could resist the double pressure from Vieira and Silva!

"Through many twists and turns, Makelele finally broke through the gap between Vieira and Gilberto Silva! We don't know what Jowan Xian said to Makelele, but it's undeniable that it worked! Makelele has transformed, a defensive midfielder has outperformed Arsenal's two defensive midfielders!" Zhan Jun was also excited, shouting loudly.

On the sidelines, Jowan Xian clenched his fist in secret, his heart finally at ease. Source 1 theoretically can enhance a person's ability by five times in a short period, but humans are not machines. At different times, the body operates with different mechanisms, cell activity, and physical condition, and also contains various antibiotics. Therefore, the real Source 1 cannot achieve a fivefold effect, 2-3 times is the maximum.

The combined effect of Vieira and Silva is not a simple 1+1=2, it should be much greater than 2! Makelele, relying on his strength, overcame them on the field. At this moment, Jowan Xian breathed a sigh of relief, it seems that this 30-something Makelele is indeed at the peak of his career.

Jowan Xian smiled, but Wenger was stunned, as were the thousands of Arsenal fans in Highbury Stadium, drawing a sharp breath: "Monster, Makelele is a monster!"

Benítez had already informed the Liverpool board of his intention to transfer Makelele to Chelsea, possibly involving Gerrard. The board, of course, disagreed. Gerrard is the team captain and a future pillar, how could he leave easily? But seeing this scene on TV, they were all shocked. Such a player... could maintain peak form for at least five more years!

Makelele's performance stunned not only the opponents but also his teammates. As a result, Joe Cole did not notice that Makelele had already passed the ball to him. A moment of hesitation, and the ball was intercepted by Ashley Cole from behind, who then passed it to Pirès!

At this stage, Arsenal's left wing is absolutely invincible, even surpassing the left-wing attack of Real Madrid with Roberto Carlos! Because Arsenal not only has Ashley Cole and Pirès, but also a prime Thierry Henry! The three together are unstoppable!

However, this time, Henry did not intend to pass the ball. He knew that Chelsea's momentum might be ignited by Jowan Xian's aggressive guidance and Makelele's fierce collision. As the King of the Gunners, his task was to pour cold water on their burning flames and extinguish them!

Pirès' pass was not good. Henry received the ball on the left side of Chelsea's small penalty area, with his back to the goal, which was not his preferred way to handle the situation. Moreover, Chelsea captain Terry was closely marking him, leaving no chance for a turn and shot.

"John Terry's defense is very successful, let's see how Henry handles it... continuous feints, but Terry is not fooled, standing firm! Terry's performance is excellent... Ashley Cole has already joined in, Henry can choose to pass... huh? Where's the ball?"

Seeing Terry defend against Henry, Jowan Xian was very confident. Terry is an outstanding player and has been favored by Source 1, making him a stabilizing force in the defense, unshakable!

However...

Jowan Xian miscalculated. Even a stabilizing force... can be challenged by a monkey king who wreaks havoc in heaven!

"God, the ball's in! The ball actually went in! What happened? How did Henry score?"

The London TV commentator was speechless, breaking out in a cold sweat. After watching the slow-motion replay, he exclaimed: "Wow, a... god-like performance! Henry, Henry lives up to being the King of the Gunners! He was facing away from the goal, relying entirely on a forward's keen goal-scoring instinct to send the ball into the net, yes! It was a backheel shot, Cech made no reaction, and Terry looked stunned. No one expected this to happen!"

The Arsenal fans went wild again. In Highbury Stadium, a sea of red, a few hundred blue figures seemed so isolated. Although they were still cheering loudly for their team, Henry's second goal had completely ignited the passion of Arsenal fans worldwide.

The passion and fire that Jowan Xian's performance brought to Chelsea were, at this moment, suppressed by a huge iceberg!

"Attack... still attack?" The Chelsea players on the field looked at each other, for the first time in history, questioning their coach Jowan Xian.

Although the situation was passive, the team was united, and it was not impossible to hold and prevent further goals. But this young coach actually conveyed a signal of "fierce bombardment," which was clearly not a conventional move! Indeed, within two minutes, Chelsea conceded another goal.

Adams slammed the table, his face beaming with joy: "Done! This game is over! The great Henry, the Frenchman, has sent the proud Chelsea to hell!"

Henry's goal sent Highbury into a frenzy again. Even the Chelsea fans had to admit that it was a world-class shot, showcasing agility, grace, and imagination.

At this moment, the usually stern Professor Wenger finally smiled, turning to chat with his assistant coach, gesturing on the field, as if teaching. The wild celebration of the Arsenal players seemed to have nothing to do with him, and he finally resumed his usual gentle and refined demeanor.

Duan Xuan's voice was unusually heavy: "The situation... does not seem as optimistic as we imagined. The game has only been going for 29 minutes, and Chelsea is already two goals behind. Wenger's team... is not comparable to the weaker teams Chelsea has faced before."

Jowan Xian stood on the sidelines, squinting his eyes, tightly biting his lips. There was no doubt that this was the most difficult game he had ever faced in his life! In previous matches, Chelsea had also been behind, but every time he used Source 1, it had an immediate effect.

But this time, well... it also had an immediate effect, but the direction... seemed to be the opposite!

The camera panned over the dejected faces of the Chelsea fans in the stands, the grim face of Abramovich in the VIP box, and finally settled on the face of Jowan Xian on the Chelsea bench, cold and terrifying!

In fact, before this game, Chelsea had a significant lead over Arsenal in the league table, with a margin of 8 points! Even if Chelsea lost this game, they would still have a 5-point advantage, which would not significantly affect their ranking. But would Jowan Xian be content? He is a coach who disdains to use a defensive counter-attack strategy. Would he be content to accept defeat?

Various thoughts raced through Jowan Xian's mind. From the players' eyes and expressions, he could see that they were wavering, lacking the usual confidence. The two goals from Arsenal had put immense pressure on them!

He was thinking, thinking of a way to boost morale again! The "affection" strategy had already been used, but its surface effect had failed. What other method could he use to restore the players' confidence?

Jowan Xian pressed his forehead...

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