Chapter 839 - 150: World-Class Goal! Advancing to the Semifinals! Disruptor Wang Shuo! Fierce Battle at Camp Nou! Classic Goal Frenzy!

"I even think he shouldn’t play as a forward; he should transition into a midfielder."

This was, of course, a joke. Forwards were far more valuable than midfielders.

Far away in the United States, Henry also watched the live broadcast of the match and posted a comment on Twitter immediately afterward.

"Wang Shuo has shown us what a forward of the new era should look like. He is not just a scorer, but a leader! I was his teammate for a while, so I know he likes to let his feet do the talking and inspire the whole team with his actions! He is a brave fighter!"

After finishing the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on the evening of March 28th, the second leg would be played on the evening of April 3rd. Strictly speaking, there was a gap of only five days in between. Factoring in the team’s departure to Barcelona on the afternoon of the 2nd, their actual preparation time was quite scarce.

Moreover, on the 31st—a Saturday afternoon—the team had to play the 31st round of the Premier League. Everyone had fought too hard in the first leg against Bar?a. Although no players would be suspended for accumulating yellow cards in the second leg, the physical toll had been immense. Under these circumstances, Wenger, after consulting with the coaching and medical staff, decided on a heavy rotation.

As a result, during the 31st round away match against the West London team, Queens Park Rangers, Arsenal suffered a 2-1 defeat to the relegation-threatened side, despite managing to equalize at one point. This was quite a gift to their West London neighbors! However, for the Gunners, the most pressing matter was dealing with Bar?a.

Chelsea won 4-2 away against Aston Villa this round. The Blue Army had been caught in a 2-2 deadlock at one point, but ultimately secured the victory by scoring two consecutive goals in the final moments of the match.

Manchester City drew 3-3 at home against Sunderland. It was only by scoring twice within a short span of two minutes during the dying moments of the match that they managed to scrape a draw.

Liverpool continued their sluggish performance, losing 2-0 away to Newcastle. Meanwhile, Manchester United steadily pressed forward, defeating Blackburn 2-0 away.

Thus, after 31 rounds, Arsenal continued to top the league table with 80 points, boasting 26 wins, 2 draws, and 3 losses. Manchester United sat at 73 points, successfully narrowing the gap to seven points.

With seven rounds left in the league and a seven-point deficit, Ferguson remained full of confidence. "In the upcoming period, we will focus all our attention and resources on the Premier League. But Arsenal is different; they have to split their focus with the Champions League!"

Ferguson even jokingly stated that he hoped Arsenal would advance to the semi-finals. Why? Because reaching the semi-finals would distract Arsenal even further.

Although Manchester City gained one point this round, they only had 69 points; their performance was indeed subpar. In the 32nd round of the league, Arsenal would host Manchester City. Then, in the 35th round, Arsenal would host Chelsea. These were the only two matches in the remaining seven rounds that could truly pose a threat to Arsenal.

In contrast, Manchester United’s only remaining heavyweight clash was the Manchester Derby.

Having won the first leg of the Champions League knockout stage 1-0 at home without conceding an away goal, how should they approach the second leg at the opponent’s home ground? Different managers, teams, and opponents would adopt varying strategies.

For Wenger and Arsenal, the most advantageous factor was that they had faced this exact same dilemma just last year. The result? They had chosen the wrong answer.

After winning the first leg 2-1, they visited Camp Nou for the second leg and lost 3-1. Even more brutally, they hadn’t managed a single shooting attempt in the entire game! It was an absolute humiliation.

Learning from that painful experience, how would they choose when faced with the identical dilemma a year later? Before the match, Wenger called a meeting with the coaching staff, gathered the players, and privately pulled Wang Shuo and a few others aside for a chat.

Why did they choose wrongly a year ago? To figure that out, they needed to know where exactly they went wrong. The answer was that Arsenal had dropped their midfielders far too deep. This allowed Bar?a to control possession and dictate the tempo far too easily, making it simpler for them to directly threaten the defensive line.

So why did they drop their midfielders? Because Alexandre Song was sidelined due to injury.

If looked at purely from this angle, wasn’t the answer simple? For this season’s second leg, Arsenal had no players injured or suspended due to yellow card accumulation. They could challenge Bar?a at Camp Nou with their full starting lineup. Wouldn’t it suffice to just replicate their first-leg strategy in the second leg?

It wasn’t that simple!

Why had Bar?a consistently struggled in away games over the past few years, yet remained invincible at home? Because upon returning to the familiar confines of Camp Nou, Bar?a’s players possessed more confidence, and their passing and ball control abilities significantly improved. Whether it was the pitch dimensions, the atmosphere in the stadium, or the players’ morale, everything contributed to Bar?a’s overall possession game far exceeding their away performances.

If a strategy worked in the first leg, would it necessarily work in the second? Furthermore, compared to last season, Bar?a’s current starting lineup was different. Until the match actually kicked off, no one knew what would happen.

Ultimately, on the morning of the match, the starting tactics were announced in a conference room at the team’s hotel in Barcelona. They would continue with the first-leg tactics! However, everyone was required to maintain focus from the very first whistle while putting maximum pressure on Bar?a. They had to strive to score first! Snatch a goal right from the start!

Whether it was Wang Shuo, the rest of the players, or the coaching staff, everyone felt that this approach was perfectly sound.