Team Spirit

Chapter 286 Wenger's Soviet-Style Mistakes: The Real Reason for the Success of Green Phase II

"The three whistles have sounded, and the game is over."

"Congratulations to Dartford, they have once again become the winners of the EFL Cup."

"This is their seventh time winning this event, and they have dominated it for seven consecutive years."

"If you're a longtime Dartford fan, you'll know the significance of this tournament for Dartford. It truly witnessed Dartford's journey from grassroots to a powerhouse, from the first to the second phase."

"Oh, the trophy has been unveiled. This is a new trophy that the EFL created specifically for this event this year. According to regulations, winning a total of five times or winning three consecutive times will grant you the original trophy permanently, instead of a replica."

“Datford won six consecutive titles and acquired two trophies, each with subtle design adjustments. This year’s trophy features more green elements – that’s right, the base of the trophy is engraved with a penguin pattern.”

Tencent: I admit I paid for it.

Unlike in the past, after the match, fans from both sides did not leave the stadium, but instead applauded together for the champion.

Just like the Arsenal players who suffered a crushing defeat.

This is a sign of respect for the seven consecutive championships.

Everyone dreams of having such a moment.

The podium is still being set up, and players from both sides are being interviewed.

Wenger was genuinely happy for Green: "Our players didn't perform well enough today. We are under pressure from many sides. As a leader, sometimes you have to make choices."

“We are different from teams like Chelsea, who are qualified to chase titles in all competitions.”

The implication is that the boss will pay!

Wenger: "I believe everyone is shocked by Green Gunners' achievements, but I am probably the only one who is not surprised."

"Because both Alfred and I are very good at developing young players, we know just how fast these young people can grow."

"Perhaps in the future, Green Gun will bring us even more surprises."

Guardiola and Zidane, who were standing nearby, were shocked by Wenger's character.

Guardiola: "This is amazing! Compared to them, we beat them 5-0! We're inhuman!"

Zidane: "I can feel the professor's sincerity. He genuinely thinks our Green Gunners are great, this..."

This seems a bit illogical, since people always have their own stance.

Even if Wenger transcends the historical rivalry between the Reds and Greens, during the match, the two sides are still adversaries, and that cannot be changed.

Why is he able to do that?
"Because his focus is no longer on this game," Lu Kai explained to the two bald men. "Looking at this game alone, Wenger really has no reason to speak well of us."

"After all, this isn't a competition where the opponent is first and I'm second. If you're second in the Champions League, people will say you're unlucky, but if you're second in the EFL Cup, you're nothing."

"But if this game proves that a team can rebuild quickly, then Wenger's second phase of plans will have no obstacles."

The initial obstacle for Wenger's second stint was the club's reluctance to fund the acquisition of superstar players. This resulted in an aging squad and a loss of top-tier competitiveness.

At the same time, the players' long stay with the team led to a loss of internal competition and respect, making it more difficult for Wenger to arrange the team's formation, command during matches, and make tactical modifications.

Some superstar players even have terrifying fan bases and huge influence among fans, which in turn further restricts Wenger and the club, thus forcing them to make concessions on issues such as salaries and commercial activities.

This is not a problem unique to Arsenal.

Many powerful families, if they don't break up their peak lineups in time, will become too powerful to manage and eventually their dynasties will collapse.

Ferguson is the most dominant manager in history, but his parting with the Class of '92 was not amicable, let alone the others.

Of course, cases like Green Phase I, which were split up as soon as they emerged, don't count.

In the past, if the first generation of Green had a powerful family background, that lineup would have lasted at least ten years.

Zidane realized what was happening: "You mean, Wenger will use this match to put pressure on both the management and the fans? Is a second Wenger move really coming? Then Henry is going to..."

Lu Kai nodded: "Henry's move to Barcelona is a done deal. With the success of the second phase of the Green Project as a precedent, Arsenal fans won't be too sad; instead, they'll be full of hope for the future."

"In fact, given Arsenal's rich history, they don't even need to experience any slump; they can rise from the ashes and return to their unbeaten peak!"

In fact, even Lu Kai himself had to admit that Wenger played like a royal flush when he had a limited hand.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Arsenal will undergo a complete transformation this summer.

Veterans will either retire or be purged, and all their legacy will be erased.

Young players will be heavily promoted by Wenger, and will have more room to develop and a higher status within the team.

In the transfer market, Arsenal might need to raise a large sum of money to buy some good stars, to support Wenger's second stint and give fans confidence.

This will be the "most successful" rebuild in recent years, characterized by the fastest pace, the fewest disputes, and the least disagreement among veteran players, new players, head coach, club management, and fans.

The reason for the quotation marks is that the operation may be the most successful, but the result may not necessarily be the most successful.

Because Wenger made a fatal mistake in this matter.

Looking at the longing in Guardiola's eyes, Lu Kai knew that Guardiola greatly admired Wenger's actions.

Coaches who are confident in themselves often have this ambition: to establish their absolute leadership by changing the game and proving that players are just passing through while coaches are the core.

Guardiola remarked, "It seems that in two years, the competition for the world's best coach will become fierce again."

Lu Kai shook his head: "No. In fact, from this moment on, Wenger has withdrawn from the race for the world's best coach."

Guardiola: ? ? ?
Lu Kai: "Before this, he was one of the best, but after this, it became difficult for him."

"Because he made a mistake in attribution."

Southgate understands this well: "We positive people have a skill in doing things, which is to attribute the success of something to the reasons we want it to be."

"Then use that reason to get more budget and more votes."

"For example, I had already registered to run for a relatively minor position in the FA, and Lu reminded me to use my identity in my speech."

"If the FA doesn't choose me, then they are discriminating against retired players, believing that players have low levels of education and overall quality, and that they have violated a taboo in the entire sports world."

"At the same time, they also discriminate against the honors that native English players bring to Britain, deny the contribution of the Union Jack to social development, and are a malicious suppression of natives by immigrants."

"Furthermore, because I work for Zhongguo, they are also suspected of discriminating against foreigners working in the UK. It is regional and racial discrimination. If they can boycott me today, they can drive out all immigrants tomorrow!"

Guardiola and Zidane were dumbfounded.

Do you want to listen to what you are saying?
A decision that simultaneously committed both left-leaning and right-leaning errors?
Does it simultaneously discriminate against indigenous people and immigrants?

Southgate was impressed by the two men. Although he was not as good as them in tactics and coaching, he could finally hold his head high: "If nothing unexpected happens, my appointment letter will be issued next month."

Zidane asked, "What position are you running for?"

Southgate proudly stated: "The FA's Digital Task Force in Tactical Planning and Development is responsible for the testing, observation, and promotion of new technologies such as Hawk-Eye, Goal-Line, and VCR in English football."

Guardiola: "Shouldn't it be called VAR? Digital referee system? Do you know anything about this?"

Southgate: "Is it VAR? I misremembered it as avi last time, it doesn't matter... Of course I don't understand its content either, but whether I can take the job has nothing to do with whether I have the professional ability."

Zidane shook his head: "It's a bit absurd. How can someone like this get appointed? What about the public announcement? It's all about the votes. Voters aren't stupid."

Southgate laughed and said, "That's even easier to solve. Once I take office, I will provide hundreds of jobs for the voters!"

Guardiola: "That's impossible, isn't it?" Southgate: "Since I don't understand the professional content, of course I need to hire some temporary workers to do my work, investigate, run around, and write reports."

"Instead of me paying for this myself, it's better for the department to pay for it. It's a win-win situation! Everyone benefits, and no one loses out!"

Zidane and Guardiola remained silent.

Something seems off, but it also seems... absolutely right.

After all, it's the department that suffers the loss, and departments aren't people, so they can't speak up.

The ordinary people who pay taxes are the ones who suffer, and they have no idea what the whole story is.

Zidane: "So what does this have to do with what we've been discussing about Wenger rebuilding the team?"

Southgate shrugged: "It's alright, I just wanted to hear your congratulations."

Zidane took a deep breath, preparing to headbutt Southgate.

Fortunately, Alfred spoke up at this moment: "Southgate means that if the attribution is wrong, the conclusions drawn will naturally be wrong, the solutions made will also be wrong, and then things will not be effective."

"Therefore, his appointment will not promote related initiatives, and the application of these digital systems in the UK and even in the world of football will have to wait at least another ten years!"

"In other words, if Wenger's attribution is wrong, then the result..."

Guardiola felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at Wenger, who was giving an interview with a red glow on his face, after all, he shared the same views as Wenger.

Alfred: "There are three important teams in football that are currently rebuilding: Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea."

"Manchester United have been clearly successful this season, but they were very inconsistent for the previous three or four years."

"Bayern Munich is in a slightly worse situation than Manchester United."

"Green Gun was the most successful, taking only one year."

"Wenger believes this is due to Greenfield's strong ability to develop young players, but do you agree?"

Guardiola: "Our young players are developing very quickly, sometimes I can't understand it, it's like they've been blessed by our team."

Lu Kai nodded, after all, his training aura radiated throughout the team, and one year in the factory was equivalent to three years of training outside.

Zidane: "But in matches, especially key matches and matches that affect the championship race, Lu's contribution to the game is significantly higher than usual and far higher than other players."

These are some analyses recently conducted by two bald men.

Since Green Gunners introduced the injury prediction system, Lu Kai has subsequently developed several team-specific systems such as "contribution value analysis" and "goal prediction".

These systems work perfectly when calculating scores for other players, and the resulting ratings align with everyone's perception of these players.

For example, Duff has a rating of 91 points in the system, making him one of the top ten players in the Premier League this season.

Ribery was a pleasant surprise, scoring 96, second in the Premier League! This exceeded people's expectations of him, who were generally considered to be a player with scores between 85 and 89.

Players like Drogba are also easily underestimated.

But when Guardiola and Zidane suddenly decided to calculate Lu Kai's score, they were surprised to find that Lu Kai's score was as high as 123.

The system is clearly bugged!
The two decided to make the best of a bad situation and simply recorded some crucial matches that were important to the team, calculating a contribution value for those matches.

Ribery, Vidic, and Ashley Young all scored over 110, so Lu Kai's 123 isn't too high.

But when the two looked at Lu Kai's score again, it had become 315!

One person's performance is equivalent to that of three top players!

This explains why the Green Guns have such a high championship win rate.

Because in crucial matches, they'll have at least two more top-tier players. Even with 13 players against 11, and their teammates being a bit weak, they should be able to carry the team, right?

Alfred concluded: "The rapid rise of the Green Generation II is due to the players' inherent talent, your proper training of them, and the support of our tactical arrangements, but these are all secondary factors."

"The only major reason is the boost the land provides to them and their adaptation to the land in the game."

“As long as they can reach a level of 70 or so, Lu can help them perform at a level of around 90 on the court. But essentially, they are still a group of 70-point players.”

"Wenger's attempt to quickly elevate a team of 70-point players to 90-point results is doomed to failure!"

"He made a Su Lian-style mistake!"

"The battle for the title of Gun King... is finally coming to an end!"

"The Premier League is about to enter an era of three-way competition."

The Green Gun teaching assistants all nodded in agreement.

The three strongest teams: Red Devils, Blue Army, and Green Gunners!
Arsenal, OUT!

……

Sky Sports: "The invincible Green Gunners! The seven-time EFL Cup champions are here!"

BBC: "Belgian Romario? Youngster Mertens makes a stunning debut, scoring a goal and providing two assists to be named the League Cup Final Player of the Year!"

The Echo: "Louis, Jermaine East, and Baptista share the EFL Cup Golden Boot with six goals each. Drogba, Defoe, and Aliadire share the Silver Boot with four goals each. Mertens takes home the Bronze Boot with three goals and two assists!"

Dongqiudi: "FIFA Footballer of the Year Lu Kai is crowned the seven-time EFL champion, making Green Gun one of the most dominant teams in the world and currently the team with the most consecutive titles in major European competitions!"

Manchester Evening News: "Wenger posted a picture on social media. Some say it's a phoenix, others say it's a Chinese phoenix, but either way, it signifies rebirth from the ashes! Or does it hint at Arsenal's impending rebuild?"

Two hot topics have drawn attention following the EFL Cup final.

One of them is Wenger.

It is understood that he did not deny the rumors about Arsenal's rebuilding and remained silent.

Within the team, Wenger stated frankly that the future is unpredictable, and he hopes everyone will treat this season as if it were their last together, aiming to win the Champions League and the Premier League titles and begin their sprint!
Arsenal's players were moved by this sincerity and the complex emotions before parting, and they unleashed a powerful fighting spirit.

Another hot topic is Mertens.

He was initially unknown as Ribery's substitute.

But as he started, people found that his statistics and performance were no worse than Ribery's, and his efficiency was even higher.

This made the big clubs that had been preparing to bid high prices for Ribery calm down.

They temporarily abandoned further contact with Ribery, not wanting to spend a high price to acquire an ordinary player.

They plan to continue observing Ribery for another year.

At the same time, we can also observe Mertens to see whether Ribery is stronger or whether the right winger position is stronger (due to the system).

Alternatively, if both Mertens and Ribery are strong, then we can buy the younger, cheaper Mertens.

All the major clubs are aware of this, but not many fans know about it.

The main point of contention among fans is whether Mertens is qualified to surpass Ribery as the Green Gunners' starting lineup.

Therefore, among the fans, this is known as the "Merry vs. Griezmann rivalry".

This situation also means that more players in the second phase of the Green Team have reached a certain level of maturity.

The depth of the roster is undergoing a qualitative change!
(End of this chapter)