December 26th.
Fly and Taylor said goodbye at Los Angeles International Airport.
Somehow the news leaked, and a large number of paparazzi appeared at the airport entrance in advance.
Ultimately, if it weren't for the strong performance of their bodyguards, they might have been surrounded by paparazzi reporters who treated traffic like their lives.
Even so, the news of Fly boarding a plane back to London was reported immediately.
The Fleet Street media in London swarmed forward like dogs smelling feces.
As soon as Fly landed in London, he was surrounded by reporters.
"Fly, don't you think it's very unprofessional to go back to the United States during the holidays? Why don't you stay in London for extra training? Is the United States that attractive to you? The last time you were injured, you also took the opportunity to return to the United States. Can you explain?"
"Fly, are you friends with LeBron? What about Kobe? What's your relationship with him?"
"Fly, what do you think of LeBron crowning you? Do you think you are qualified to wear a crown now?"
"Fly, is your father really involved in some high-tech research in private? Can the new technology benefit mankind?"
"Fly, Ibrahimović thinks you are not qualified to be king, and only he and Ronaldo are qualified in today's football world. What do you think?"
"Fly, what do you think of the remarks made by Cristiano's agent Mendes?"
"Fly, Leo's father thinks you and Cristiano are not Leo's opponents. What do you want to say about this?"
"...."
Listening to the buzzing sound in his ears, Fly, who was already slightly tired from the flight, felt his liver fire rising.
"Stop, everyone, Stop!!!"
Fly's shout directly drowned out the questions from the reporters on the scene.
Looking at the reporters who were stunned by him, Fly waved his hand and said a few words casually:
"It's meaningless to say these things now. This season is not over yet. Only after the season ends can we discuss these issues and reach a conclusion."
"Then you can ask whatever you want, and I will answer what I can. Now please make way, I want to go home and rest..."
With the bodyguards leading the way, Fly was the first to get into the car and quickly left the media reporters behind.
After returning to his home in London, Fly called Taylor to report that he was safe, then quickly washed up, climbed into his dog bed, and fell asleep...
And while Fly was sleeping.
News of his return to London quickly spread throughout England.
Wilshere, Fabregas and others all started chatting with him on social media.
However, Fly usually turns off his phone when he sleeps, so he didn't receive them.
Wenger, upon learning that his beloved disciple had returned to London, did not disturb him, but instead planned the club's arrangements for the second half of the season.
Due to the impact of the severe cold snap, the entire team got enough rest time.
Many injured players also recovered from their injuries.
This is undoubtedly a good thing for Wenger's personnel selection in the second half of the season.
However, due to the suspension, the schedule for the second half of the season will be visibly more congested than in previous years.
With Arsenal's current squad depth, a slight mistake could lead to a complete loss.
Therefore, Wenger must make choices regarding the matches in the second half of the season.
First of all, the FA Cup and English League Cup, which have not yet started, will be directly given up, with basically no hesitation.
Wenger's goals this season are the League and the Champions League.
Arsenal is simply unable to compete for the other trophies.
This was also something he and Fly had discussed before, and this true crown prince of Arsenal also agreed to Wenger's arrangements.
But even if the focus is on the League and the Champions League, choices still need to be made in individual matches.
First, the Champions League knockout rounds in the second half of the season have the highest priority.
Every match must be played with full effort.
Then the League needs to make certain choices, as Arsenal's current League lead is still relatively obvious.
It's not a problem to let go of one or two matches.
"Alas, in the end, the squad depth is too thin. Let's see what players can be brought in during the winter transfer window next month!"
Wenger sighed helplessly, clearly not satisfied with Arsenal's current squad.
If you only look at the starting lineup, Arsenal's current squad is indeed very good, with usable players in every position.
But the players on the bench are uneven.
Especially the defensive substitutes, they are truly eye-watering.
Wenger can only pray that there will be no major accidents in the upcoming matches, otherwise Arsenal's path to winning the championship this season will face significant unexpected twists and turns.
........
December 28th.
The nineteenth round of the Premier League began, with Arsenal hosting Chelsea.
The original Premier League eighteenth round match against Stoke City was postponed to February next year due to the severe cold snap.
In this match, Arsenal brought out all their elites.
"Hello, viewers and friends, and welcome to the nineteenth round of the 2010-2011 England Premier League season. The match today is between the home team, the Gunners Arsenal, and the visiting team, the Blues Chelsea."
"I am your old friend james!"
"Hello everyone, I am Larry."
"Okay, larry, this match is the first match since the Premier League restarted after half a month. We can see that the players from both sides in the camera are eager to show their skills."
"That's right, the first match after the restart is the heavyweight clash between Arsenal and Chelsea. In the first round of the League this season, Arsenal defeated Chelsea 3-2 away. Fly scored twice in that match, and Varane scored the winning goal."
james and Larry briefly reviewed the scene of the first encounter between Arsenal and Chelsea this season, and then got to the point, starting to introduce the starting lineups of both teams.
"Okay, now the starting lineups for both teams are out."
"Arsenal is still playing their familiar 4-4-2 formation."
"Goalkeeper: Szczęsny."
"Defenders: Sagna, Varane, Koscielny, Clichy."
"Midfielders: Alexandre Song, Wilshere, Nasri, Fabregas."
"Forwards: Fly, Van Persie."
"Chelsea is playing their most commonly used 4-3-3 formation."
"Goalkeeper: Čech."
"Defenders: Paulo Ferreira, Ivanović, Terry, Ashley Cole."
"Midfielders: Essien, Mikel, Lampard."
"Forwards: Malouda, Drogba, Kalou."
"Lampard, who missed the first encounter due to injury, is back in the starting lineup."
"Okay, the match has started, let's get into the game..."
As soon as the match started, Chelsea and Arsenal very tacitly began to pass the ball around slowly.
After all, both teams haven't played for half a month, and many players are not in good physical condition. They can only gradually regain their feeling through a slow rhythm.
Since this was in line with the players' wishes, no one broke this tacit understanding.
Wenger on the sidelines also had a calm expression when he saw this scene.
He was very clear about the players' thoughts on the field, and he was also happy to let the players gradually find their feeling through the match.
After all, if they rushed to increase the intensity before their bodies were warmed up, they might easily get injured.
This does not meet Wenger's requirements for the team at this stage.
Winning the match while trying not to get injured, that's Wenger's demand.
Ancelotti, who was standing next to him with his arms crossed and a blank look, was silently watching the field.
His mind was not entirely on the field now.
Because his impatient boss behind him had issued him a final ultimatum.
He was required to win at least one major trophy this season, otherwise he would be sacked.
Ancelotti was very helpless about this, because the current situation is that the Premier League is basically out of the question.
Trailing the leader by more than twenty points halfway through the season, how can they catch up?
As for the Champions League...
Even though Ancelotti had won two with AC Milan, he did not have the slightest confidence to win the trophy this season.
Although Chelsea's squad on paper is indeed very good.
But in the end, the Champions League is a cup competition, and cup competitions have their unavoidable randomness.
It's not always the case that the strongest team will win the Champions League.
Ancelotti knew this very well, but he couldn't stand the fact that his Russian boss behind him didn't know it.
Or rather, even if he knew, he would still issue such an unreasonable order.
If nothing unexpected happens, his coaching career at Chelsea should come to an end here...
"Alas, it's really difficult..." Ancelotti sighed helplessly, and then turned his attention to the field.
At this time, the players of Arsenal and Chelsea had already started to play seriously.
In the 15th minute of the match.
Fly received a through ball from Fabregas and shot directly without stopping the ball. The ball flew straight towards the goal like a cannonball.
At the crucial moment, Čech once again showed his "average of three saves per game" style.
He jumped up like a spring, instantly bouncing up and pushing the ball out of the goal.
Arsenal got the first corner kick of the match.
Clichy took the corner kick, and the ball fell to the far post. Alexandre Song jumped high at the far post, but unfortunately, the position where his forehead touched the ball during the header was too low, and the ball was headed wide.
In the 20th minute of the match.
Fly once again received a through ball from Fabregas. This time, because Paulo Ferreira was following very closely, Fly immediately passed the ball to the middle to avoid any delay.
Van Persie met the incoming ball with a signature non-stop shot.
At the crucial moment, the Blues' iron-blooded captain, Terry, stepped forward.
Seeing that it was too late to block Van Persie's shot, Terry directly threw his body out and finally used his head to block Van Persie's shot.
"Hiss—terrifying!"
Even Fly felt that Terry was too brave.
Using his head to block Van Persie's non-stop shot, he is truly a ruthless person!
However, Fly also discovered something through these 20 minutes of the match, which is that the Chelsea players seemed to be lacking in strength, always feeling as if something was missing.
Looking at Ancelotti on the sidelines with a blank look, Fly seemed to sense something, and a wicked smile appeared at the corner of his mouth...