The same three-defender formation, with De Gea in goal.
Smalling plays as a central defender, flanked by Rojo and Bailly on the left and right.
Damian and Dalot were assigned to the left and right wing positions, respectively.
In the middle are Matic and Herrera.
Ahead are Lingard and Martial, and right in front is Rashford!
Manchester United has not been doing well in recent years, but they were still second in the league last season, only behind their city rivals Manchester City.
So far this season, their results are indeed similar to Arsenal's; Arsenal is currently fifth and they are sixth.
This is a direct clash between rivals vying for a top-four finish. If I can win, it will be a six-point difference between us.
The players from both sides lined up on either side and began today's match.
In the 26th minute, Mustafi scored a goal, bringing Arsenal their first goal of the season.
Just four minutes later, Martial scored to equalize for Manchester United.
Holding was forced off the field due to injury in the 36th minute, and Martial was also forced off the field due to injury in the 63rd minute of the second half, which shows how intense the game was.
In the 65th minute, Lin Hao came on as a substitute. Hey!
As soon as Lin Hao stepped onto the pitch, the Manchester United fans chanted in unison, "Sissy!"
"I've never heard of this before. How did tens of thousands of people coordinate this? Their shouts are so synchronized!"
Rashford couldn't help but laugh, "You're amazing! This is the first time I've ever heard someone curse so uniformly. The name 'sissy' is going to resound throughout the world this time!"
"What does this have to do with you?" Lin Hao can't out-argue tens of thousands of people, but he can certainly out-argue Rashford.
Rashford's response was indeed a bit unexpected for Lin Hao. "Everyone's criticizing, and if I don't, it'll seem like I'm a big loner!"
"I..." Lin Hao was speechless!
It may seem infuriating, but what they said actually makes a lot of sense.
Ultimately, Lin Hao's problem stemmed from his identity, a fact brought up by Fernandinho. Even though most people were dissatisfied with his background, not everyone liked him. While some might not care, others were certainly indifferent, perhaps even trying to ride his coattails in today's terms.
It seems like if you don't criticize Lin Hao a bit, you're not a professional player.
"Fine, I see now. You don't want to scold me? Aren't you looking down on me?"
"You're really something. Let's make a bet, starting right now. If no one scores, fine. Whoever scores more wins. The loser has to stand in the middle of the field after the game and slap themselves three times. Not too hard, okay?"
Whether you use force or not is not important; what matters is losing face.
Rashford fell silent upon hearing Lin Hao's suggestion, which is consistent with everyone's impression of him—sometimes tough, sometimes soft. What does that mean?
From the general public's perspective, it's a matter of his condition. But from Lin Hao's perspective, it's because he's cowardly and his mentality isn't right. He's not just good at one thing; sometimes he's good for a long period of time.
There are two explanations: one is a lack of self-discipline.
One issue is the mindset. If you're good at something, it means you have the ability, so why can't you keep producing results?
Seeing that Rashford didn't reply, Lin Hao didn't intend to argue with him. "If you don't dare, then shut your mouth, okay?"
"Who says I don't dare? Let's bet!" Rashford said defiantly.
Lin Hao nodded. "Okay, it's a deal then!"
Rashford immediately told his teammates, "Stop that kid! I'm going to make him slap himself three times in the face at Old Trafford!"
"Oh ho ho!" The Manchester United players let out a strange shout.
The game resumed, and the score remained 1-1. In the 68th minute, Lacazette scored, giving Arsenal another goal and putting them back in the lead.
But just one minute later, in the 69th minute of the match, Lingard scored a goal, while Rashford was still shrugging his shoulders, clearly taking the bet seriously.
Although Lingard was a bit headstrong, he did have a better chance on that last shot. After quickly equalizing, the fans at Old Trafford went wild, and Manchester United's momentum picked up.
However, Arsenal had just taken the ball and lobbed it to the left wing. Lin Hao made a high-speed run, received the ball, and broke through along the wing until he reached the byline. Lin Hao looked up and realized that the good opportunity had passed, so he could only take a shot into the penalty area.
Just as Lin Hao was about to lift his foot, Dalot bumped into him from behind, sending Lin Hao flying. This wasn't because Lin Hao wasn't good at physical confrontation; anyone running that fast would be sent flying if they were bumped.
Dalot's shot was clearly aimed at Lin Haoren; he wasn't trying to block the ball, so there was no controversy. The referee blew his whistle and called a foul on Dalot.
Arsenal were awarded a free kick, and it's worth noting that Lin Hao was in that area and has scored directly from free kicks before.
After that, back on the training field, the coaching team rigorously tested Lin Hao's free-kick technique. Yes, they didn't even know Lin Hao was good at free kicks before, which shows they really didn't take it seriously.
After testing, it was decided that Lin Hao could be one of the free-kick takers.
Lin Hao's free kick, this time it was still a direct shot into the goal, the ball slid past the other post and went out of bounds.
Rashford was sweating bullets.
It looks so much like it.
Lin Hao also covered his head in regret.
Manchester United organizes attacks. What makes Manchester United better than Arsenal? It's that they know what they're going to do: defend and counter-attack. You can tell just by looking at the players standing on the sidelines.
In this attack, Rashford was clearly a bit anxious, dribbling the ball alone for too long and was eventually stopped by Arsenal players.
Arsenal immediately launched a counterattack, still trying to find Lin Hao, but every time Lin Hao was on the field, Arsenal would frequently look for him, which was obviously known to other teams. Be careful.
However, most people don't quite understand one thing: Lin Hao plays a significant role on the field, yet he is almost always a substitute in every game.
However, professionals understand that this is due to insufficient coordination between Lin Hao and his teammates.
But what everyone is wondering is, if the others cooperate well, what kind of effect will it have?
That's what people are like!
The head coach could never admit that his players were actually unable to execute any effective tactics.
He thought that this way he could tell everyone that the other Arsenal players were like well-oiled machines, and that Lin Hao was the sharpest weapon, ready to charge in at crucial moments.
They felt that this would cover up the fact that they hadn't trained the team members very well.
In the 75th minute, Arsenal dribbled inside down the right flank, but was brought down by defenders on the edge of the penalty area. Smalling then passed the ball to Matic, who turned and broke free, quickly advancing to launch a counter-attack – a golden opportunity!
Find the right moment, pass the ball to Rashford, who takes a step to the side and shoots.