Fame with a ball

After finishing the fifth round of the FA Cup, the last spot advanced to the quarterfinals.

The fans of Queens Park Rangers were elated and began to look forward to reaching the semi-finals and semi-finals.

From the fifth round of the FA Cup schedule, there is basically only one game a month.In mid-March, eight teams will advance to four, in mid-April they will be semi-finals, and in early or mid-May they will be finals.

Of course, the club's current focus is shifting from the FA Cup to the domestic league.After the end of the 27th round of the league, Queens Park Rangers ranked third in the Premier League standings with 16 wins, 6 draws, 5 losses and 54 points. The top two are still Manchester United and Manchester City, which have performed fiercely this season. After Tottenham and Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool have performed poorly this season and are currently ranked sixth and seventh. If these two Premier League giants do not forge ahead in the rest of the league, one of the teams is likely to fall. They couldn't even qualify for the Europa League this season.

However, due to the upcoming quarter-finals of the Champions League, Arsenal temporarily gave up the domestic league in order to prepare for the Champions League, resulting in a low ranking in the standings, which is understandable.When one-eighth of the Champions League is over, they will refocus on the domestic league.

So when the 27th round of the league came, Arsenal lost the game behind Queens Park Rangers by one goal. This result was expected by everyone, and even Wenger himself was not surprised-because Arsenal It will be against AC Milan in three days. Half of their main players are sitting on the bench in this game, and the Queens Park Rangers also played very casually.

Lin Zhigao and Van Persie each scored a goal in this game. After the game, Van Persie, who was busy recently, rarely found time and invited Lin Zhigao to his house for dinner at night.

Van Persie has purchased real estate in London, in a high-end villa area on the outskirts of the city.Before Lin Zhigao went to visit, he bought several gifts, such as French red wine for Robin himself, a bouquet of flowers for his wife, and some toys for his children.

Van Persie's wife Bao Laqi welcomed and hugged Lin Zhigao very warmly. She is a beauty with black hair and deep outline, and her two children are also very cute.

Because Balaki is a devout Muslim, the dinner is very halal. The staple food is beef and mutton with a lot of spices, which is very different from the diet of ordinary British people.

Lin Zhigao is a carnivorous animal, as long as the food is delicious, he can always whet his appetite.And a few words of praise for the hostess' excellent cooking skills, as well as the clean plates, made Bao Laqi smile.

After dinner, Robin's son, Shaquille, went to play in the yard with a football in his arms. Paulaqi was taking care of his daughter Tina, and Lin Zhigao and Robin were sitting on the sofa together, watching TV and chatting.

Robin's face is not easy, he is worried about the game with AC Milan three days later.In the first round of the quarter-finals, Arsenal lost the game 1:2. Although there was an away goal, it also showed that in the home game three days later, Arsenal had at least more than AC Milan. Only by scoring two goals will it be possible to advance to the top 8.

"Don't bring sorrow home." Lin Zhigao said to Robin van Persie: "Arsenal can participate in the Champions League every year, which is a remarkable achievement."

"But we won't win a Champions League title." Van Persie tried his best to smile, although his expression was still not optimistic: "If we beat AC Milan, I'll buy you a drink."

Lin Zhigao smiled wickedly: "If I win the League Golden Boot at the end of the season, then I will treat you to a drink instead."

Van Persie was stunned for a moment, and immediately scolded with a smile: "You brat! Although I scored four goals less than you, don't forget that there are still 11 rounds of the league - I will surpass you!"

"Then you should keep watching!" Lin Zhigao disagreed.

"However, I still want to congratulate you for being the best of the month!"

This is the second consecutive month that Lin Zhigao has been selected as the best player of the month. In the first half of the season, the best player of the month is generally in the pocket of Van Persie.

"Thank you!" Lin Zhigao thanked him very sincerely this time.

Although Van Persie's gaze was fixed on the TV, his mind was not on it.Lin Zhigao saw that he was absent-minded, so he asked, "Do you have anything to say to me?"

"Uh..." Van Persie hesitated, but still said, "Have you ever thought about where you will be next season?"

Lin Zhigao was taken aback: "Of course I'm still in the club, what do you mean?"

"I just think it is necessary to mention to you that during the winter break, three clubs made offers to you, one of which was 200 million euros and the other 300 million euros. After our boss heard about it, he tried to offer you The club sent an offer of 350 million euros—of course, that was only for the first half of the season, and after the end of this season, your net worth will definitely increase.”

Van Persie didn't dare to look Lin Zhigao in the eyes, "I heard that, uh, the chairman of your club didn't explicitly reject the offers from these clubs—you know, I just want to remind you, in case a few months later, The club suddenly informs you that they are going to sell you, you have to be prepared in advance."

Lin Zhigao was silent.It's not that he hasn't thought about this possibility.

If Warnock is in charge of the club, then he will definitely not sell himself, Lin Zhigao firmly believes this.However, the owner of the club is that money-grubbing Malaysian...

"Will we really be teammates next season?" Lin Zhigao asked Van Persie.

"Well, I don't know. Although the boss wants you to come to Arsenal, it is only based on the reasonable price QPR asks-the boss has always been inclined to develop young players, but if your The price is tens of millions of euros, so Arsenal can't afford it."

Lin Zhigao looked into Van Persie's eyes and said seriously: "Anyway, thank you for reminding me."

"Don't say that, we are friends." Van Persie squeezed his eyes deliberately: "I heard that your opponent in the next game is Tottenham, and we are sworn enemies with him. Please help me teach those people a lesson."

Lin Zhigao also smiled and squeezed his shoulder: "No problem!"

But in his heart, he remembered this matter deeply, and began to think consciously or unconsciously: Will he continue to stay with Queens Park Rangers next season, or go somewhere else?

……

In the 28th round of the Premier League, Queens Park Rangers' opponent was Tottenham Hotspur, known as "White Lily", and because Queens Park Rangers' nickname was "Black Cat", this game was once again Many media called it "the battle between black and white".

Because Tottenham were eliminated as early as the Champions League group stage, there is no such thing as saving strength. In this game, both sides are doing their best.

"Tottenham's football has always been a fast-paced offensive football. In Queens Park Rangers this season, the offense is stronger than the defense. It seems that we can see some wonderful attacks in this game."

The game has just started, and the commentator commented like this.

Some Tottenham fans in the stands couldn't help laughing in their hearts: "Compete with our Tottenham on offense? You are courting death!"

But in the form of the game on the field and the formations of the two sides, Warnock is indeed fully prepared to play against Tottenham.

If most teams will play a defensive counterattack formation when facing Tottenham, then Queens Park Rangers can't do it even if they want to.Because as we all know, Tottenham's offense has always been fast and sharp, and the best players of Queens Park Rangers are also concentrated on the forward line, and the defensive line is... If you want to make use of your weaknesses and avoid your strengths, you must use defensive methods If there is no way to play this game - Queens Park Rangers will undoubtedly die sooner.

All there is no way to do it is to break the jar and see which of the two teams scores faster and has a sharper offense.

In the south stand of White Hart Lane, Tottenham fans sang the team's team song "Glory to Tottenham" under the command of the team leader, talking and laughing with each other.

If Queens Park Rangers' formation in this game is more defensive, then these fans may worry about whether the team will be tied by the opponent because they cannot score a goal, but they can see clearly the opponent's starting formation almost at the beginning of the game. At that time, many fans laughed. In their opinion, this team, which was lucky to be ranked third in the standings, could not compete with Tottenham Hotspur in offensive football.

But only 10 minutes after the opening, the smiles on their faces froze, and the singing stopped suddenly. Only a few fans who were belatedly followed the tune and sang the team song, but they were immediately caught by the crowd. The expressions of the friends around him stopped in shock.

Because someone on the field scored a goal.

But not a Tottenham player.

"GOOOAL!!! GOOOOOAL!!!"

There are only a small number of people in White Hart Lane. There are only more than 3000 Queens Park Rangers standing up and cheering enthusiastically at this moment, and their voices even overwhelmed the [-] Tottenham players.They waved the blue and white crown team flags in their hands—even some fans brought a Chinese flag, which was flying high on the away stands of the stadium at the moment. The red five-star red flag stood out in a blue ocean. conspicuous.

Seeing this scene, several Chinese reporters sitting in the press area immediately stood up excitedly and raised their cameras to take pictures of the away stands. Some of them even thought about the news they would send to the news agency How to write the manuscript: "Five-star red flag flutters at White Hart Lane Stadium, Lin Zhigao conquers England fans!" "With his personal charm, Lin Zhigao made the proud British take the initiative to bring the Chinese national flag to the stadium to cheer for him. This is unprecedented!It is the first time created by Chinese players!It was another first among Lin Zhigao's countless firsts!

It is conceivable that this will greatly satisfy the vanity of domestic fans.

In fact, they don’t need to publish in the newspapers. In China now, countless Chinese fans who saw the scene where the camera was aimed at the table jumped up from the sofa excitedly, clenched their fists and shouted: “It’s really a face for our country!”

"lin—chike" BBC's famous narrator Coburn tried to pronounce Lin Zhigao's name, but failed, and finally chose not to embarrass his tongue to say those awkward Chinese characters, a string of very Smooth Cockney English slipped out of his mouth quickly.

"Tottenham's defenders Kabul and Bale wanted to intercept Lin Zhigao in the midfield, but they forgot that Lin's current offensive level is among the top in the Premier League. Tottenham's defense has not always been so good. , Obviously, the two defenders are not enough. Lin quickly broke into the penalty area, and then directly shot and scored! In fact, Kabul, who had already caught up with him at this time, could steal the ball from Lin's feet—if he chose to foul, It's just that he didn't choose to do it."

"However, judging from the obvious momentary hesitant expression on Kabul's face during the back defense on the big screen, Kabul obviously thought of fouling, and then weighed the pros and cons. If Lin shoots, he will be far away from the goal at that time. There is still 40 meters away, and there is a goalkeeper. The shot may not be successful. But if Kabul fouls, the referee is likely to award Lin Zhigao a direct free kick, or even a penalty. The probability of a successful shot will be greatly increased. Anyway, the goal was scored! In the 10th minute of the first half, Queens Park Rangers led Tottenham Hotspur 1-0!!"

……

Tottenham coach Redknapp stood on the sidelines and hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to make a substitution.

Soon after, young striker Koulibaly was replaced by midfielder Scott Parker last time.

Redknapp was not afraid of Queens Park Rangers' offense, he just wanted to change to a more secure style of play to prevent the team from conceding another goal in the first half.

Since the Champions League group stage, Tottenham were assigned to a group with Real Madrid and Lyon. In the final four group matches, two losses, one draw and one win, let alone the Champions League, the morale of the team is not good, and the performance in the Europa League is not good so so.The team is at a vulnerable time at this time, although Redknapp can also choose to ignore Lin Zhigao's goal and choose to continue to attack the Queen's Park Rangers. If there is a goal, the team's morale will be greatly improved Immediately shocked.

But what if the opponent takes advantage of the victory to pursue and score another goal?The current Tottenham can't stand the danger of conceding two goals at home, which is a huge threat to the morale of the team and the score in the second half.

Therefore, Redknapp made a desperate decision and decided to shrink the striker and increase defensive intensity.

"This is an overly careful substitution." After seeing the sign raised by the fourth official, Coburn said: "Although increasing the defensive strength can prevent the team from conceding the ball again, but weakening the offensive power is also the same. Not good for team morale. If I were Redknapp, I think I would be a little bit crazier - like let the attacking players press all the way and try to get a shot. Instead of choosing to hide immediately, you know Well, Queens Park Rangers are not a great team, you don't need to be a solid wall to beat them, as long as you score more goals than them."

"I suspect that Redknapp has become a little nervous since the Champions League group stage. He is afraid that the team will lose the ball again, so he would rather sacrifice the power of attack." Said.

Redknapp's substitution not only attracted the unanimous bewilderment of the commentators, but also the opposition of the home fans - some fierce fans even booed him when he made the substitution.Because they have always been proud that Tottenham play offensive football, but defense is the main focus?This is not Tottenham's style!

Redknapp, on the other hand, insisted on making his substitutions. Although he also heard the boos from the home fans, he chose to pretend that he didn't hear them, and kept standing on the sidelines with his back to the stands, his face as dark as water.

The score of 1:0 was finally maintained until the end of the game.

Except for the goal scored by Lin Zhigao in the 10th minute of the opening game, no team scored again in the next eight 10 minutes of the game, plus the 3 minutes of stoppage time.

This disappointed most of the fans and reporters who came to White Hart Lane to watch the game. They thought they could see a wonderful offensive football, but they didn't expect Tottenham to keep tightening their defense, like a turtle Easily refused to step out of their own half.

And the QPR players?After they tried to hold on to the offensive football for 10 minutes but failed to score a second goal, they also gave up the attack. Under the matters of the head coach Warnock, the goal should be to maintain the current score until the end of the game.

"Being unanimously optimistic by all the media in advance, the 'black and white battle' that could bring a pleasing game to the public ended with a small score of 1:0 and an extremely boring offensive. The last three 10 minutes of the whole game were completely nothing During rubbish time, whether it is QPR or Tottenham players, they are tightly huddled in their own half, and only occasionally go out for a tour. Their football is uninspiring and extremely boring, and the two teams There was no anger at all, as if what they were playing was not a league game, but a friendly match. Many fans felt that their tickets were not worth buying when they came out."

"The Sunday Telegraph" slammed the two teams, Tottenham and Rangers, in the next day's newspaper, with very sharp words.

Because the team had already won, Warnock smiled and said in an interview with reporters after the game: "I am very satisfied with the result of the game. I can take away a victory and a goal from White Hart Lane. I'm pretty satisfied with the ball."

Warnock's low-key and modest attitude afterwards won unanimous praise from the media.

But Tottenham's head coach Redknapp was not so lucky. After the team lost, he faced the reporters' deliberate difficulties, and finally couldn't help but burst out: "I don't think my There was a mistake in that substitution! It’s normal for games to be won and lost. Could it be that if we didn’t score a goal in a game, we were guilty? You reporters know how to pick and choose every day, and you can find faults in everything. If you think If my coaching level is not good, then why don’t you become the head coach of a team, instead you just play with your pens here all day long?!”

The journalists in England have always been self-proclaimed "uncrowned kings", especially the tabloid reporters all over the streets and alleys. They are not even afraid of the British royal family, let alone a small Premier League head coach?

Soon, the "Sun" first attacked:

"Tottenham coach's post-match press conference slammed the media:'You are looking for trouble for nothing! '" "Redknapp's Substitution In Exchange For The Game Failed, But Shirking Responsibility"

Redknapp: I don't want to be Tottenham manager anymore

……

A series of news and gossip about Tottenham and their head coach appeared in the newspapers in the streets and alleys. It has been portrayed as a middle-aged man with a bad temper, an outspoken, and no moral sentiment.

These news made Lin Zhigao speechless, and once again admired the English journalists' ability to turn black and white and spread their tongues.