Chapter 1039 - 251: Champions League Knockout Stage, Here We Come (10,000-Word - )_5
Lu Yang: "You could say that Mr. Suotu’s arrangements for this match are very practical."
Reporter: "What’s your opinion on Rubeus’ yellow card?"
Lu Yang: "I can understand the frustration of an attacking player when their plays aren’t coming together. There’s no conflict between Rubeus and Kaint, he’s just overwhelmed by emotions. Neither we nor Kaint will blame him, this situation is quite common in football."
Kaint is French and aims to join the France National Team.
It’s very unwise to set Rubeus as an enemy for Kaint.
Besides, Lu Yang understands Kaint’s personality; he truly won’t take it to heart.
Reporter: "You’ve scored eight goals in the group stage. If you hadn’t missed the first match, you could’ve been the top scorer at this stage. Do you feel regret?"
This season’s Champions League has seen a surge of top players.
With eight goals, Lu Yang is tied for third place on the leaderboard.
He’s tied with Sporting Lisbon’s Averro.
Below them, there’s Manchester United’s Mike Loring with seven goals.
Six goals scored by Bayern’s Robben and Florence’s Carrel.
Above them, Chelsea’s divine striker Gutierrez has scored nine goals, showing robust recovery this Champions League season.
Moreover, Barça’s Mateo has also scored nine goals in the Champions League.
He’s enjoying far more resources than Moreira, having completely dominated Barça.
But none of this is the most impressive.
Real Madrid’s recovered Lima tops the list with ten goals, currently the Champions League’s top scorer.
Yet, the support of Izalelt and Zidane doesn’t let Lima exclusively shine.
Paris Saint-Germain’s German central forward Stiepelman also scored ten goals, strongly announcing Paris Saint-Germain’s global rise.
Behind these magnificent stats, Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain have made substantial investments.
Barça and Bayern have Golden Ball level superstars.
Manchester United and Purple Lily are both in peak form, positioning as strong contenders.
Getting onto the scorers’ list under such conditions is not easy for Lu Yang and Averro.
After all, both teams have limited potential, belonging to ordinary clubs.
Sporting Lisbon has had experiences entering elimination rounds.
San Remo, meanwhile, is purely a new team.
After the post-match interview, Lu Yang actively sought out Mr. Winter for a brief conversation.
Mr. Winter doesn’t need consolation.
But Arsenal’s issues, he now needs a solution.
If Arsenal ends up fourth in the league this season, he’s uncertain about his public image among fans.
There’s already some dissatisfaction expressed towards him.
It’s been too long since Arsenal tasted the sweetness of victory.
If this continues, calling Arsenal a top club in a few years will have a mocking tone.
"Lu." Mr. Winter greeted Lu Yang upon seeing him approach.
Lu Yang noticed Mr. Winter holding a chart with names of Arsenal’s players.
It’s a positioning chart.
Though not in Arsenal’s usual 442 formation, it showed a 3232 lineup.
"Is this... about changing the play style?" Lu Yang asked.
Mr. Winter nodded: "Although Olic is always the first to sacrifice during matches, that’s due to his professionalism. He doesn’t really like playing in midfield; he prefers playing as a proper right winger."
"Rubeus wants to play as a left winger more in the club, having given way to Robben in the national team."
These are difficult conflicts to reconcile.
If not handled well, Arsenal might struggle to even compete for the top four in the second half of the season.
Once internal conflicts arise, no achievements will be possible.
Arsenal currently has too many superstars; demanding their self-sacrifice without results is unrealistic.
It’s always the case that only when a team’s performance is strong, their stars are willing to sacrifice.
Because such sacrifices yield visible returns.
Unrewarded sacrifice is unlikely unless there’s deep emotional bonds.
"Have you thought about being even more aggressive?" Lu Yang asked.
Mr. Winter looked at Lu Yang.
With a look that said "What’s wrong with you?"
Lu Yang said: "Uncle, Lola might not have told you, but we’ve previously gathered a lot of data on Arsenal. Arsenal’s team efficiency is lower than other elite clubs but higher than ordinary teams."
"Arsenal’s current performance hinges on star players’ individual skills, which sufficiently proves that the four offensive superstars in your team are indeed top-notch. Only a top club with a chemical reaction in its offensive lineup can surpass them in individual efficiency."
"Since these players are so impressive, why not simply let them play freely? Right now, by suppressing their attacking desires, every player feels uncomfortable."
"For a top offensive lineup, taking five shots vs eight in a game might not look like much difference, but the former can leave them unsatisfied and uncomfortable. The latter, however, brings them a sense of satisfaction."
"Emotions affect performance and cooperation. If they don’t feel fulfilled themselves, how can they happily share the ball with others in their turn?"
In short, it’s not that Arsenal’s stars aren’t willing to cooperate; it’s just that they’re... lacking resources!
If their households were stable, they would have more time to help others.
Only when everyone knows that more opportunities are available will they be more generous in their cooperation.
Ultimately, it’s human nature.