Super Wingstorm

After their home game against Arsenal, Ajax faced the twenty-third round of the Eredivisie that weekend.

Ajax played away against Utrecht.

Utrecht is just south of Amsterdam, a short distance away. However, this time, several players who had featured in the Midweek Champions League match, including Yang Yang and Ibrahimovic, were left out of the squad.

Everyone knew Ajax was conserving energy for the UEFA Champions League. After all, their lead in the Eredivisie had stretched to seven points. They already had a firm grasp on the title race and were more than capable of managing a campaign on two fronts.

But to everyone’s surprise, Eindhoven failed to capitalize on the opportunity to close the points gap. Hiddink’s team suffered an unexpected 2-1 loss at home to Roda JC, conceding two goals in under twenty minutes in the first half. Heise Linke later scored a consolation goal for Eindhoven.

The 2-1 home defeat was a major blow to Eindhoven’s morale.

In another match played at roughly the same time, Ajax lost 1-0 away to Utrecht. Vermaelen started the game and delivered a solid, if unspectacular, performance in defense, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the team’s loss.

The problem for Ajax was once again their attack. Without star players like Ibrahimovic and Van der Vaart, or their super-sub Yang Yang, Ajax’s toothless offense was on full display.

Despite the loss, at the end of the round, Ajax still held a seven-point lead over second-place Eindhoven and a fourteen-point lead over third-place Alkmaar and fourth-place Feyenoord. They remained firmly in control of the title race.

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「One week later, in the twenty-fourth round of the Eredivisie.」

Ajax traveled to face Vaalwijk.

Ronald Koeman once again fielded a rotated squad. Anastasios started in place of Ibrahimovic, forming a trident with Scola and Mitja, but the attacking trio failed to find the back of Vaalwijk’s net.

In the end, Ajax managed to walk away with a 1-0 victory thanks to an own goal from the opposition in the thirty-ninth minute.

Meanwhile, Eindhoven, who had been heavily criticized for their poor performance in the previous round, came roaring back.

Hiddink’s team scored twice in the final two minutes of the first half, with goals from Bouma and Van Bommel. In the last four minutes of the second half, Park Ji-sung and Kezman added two more, leading to an eventual 4-0 away victory over Utrecht.

However, since Ajax also managed a narrow win, the gap between the two teams remained at seven points.

Feyenoord, on the other hand, drew 2-2 at home against Heerenveen and began to lose ground to third-place Alkmaar.

By fielding a rotated squad for two league matches in a row, Ronald Koeman’s intentions—and Ajax’s primary target—were plain to see.

The 3-2 home victory over Arsenal was a pyrrhic one. They had conceded two away goals, which meant Ajax had to go all out for at least a draw at Highbury Stadium; otherwise, advancing would be nearly impossible.

After all, scoring two away goals at Highbury was a monumental task.

Thus, defense became Ajax’s absolute top priority for their trip to Highbury.

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To better prepare for the second leg of the Champions League round of 16, Ajax flew directly from Amsterdam to London the day before the match, right after their training session. The team had dinner together after checking into their hotel.

After a night’s rest, they had a light training session in the hotel gym the next morning.

In the afternoon, head coach Ronald Koeman gathered everyone in the conference room for the pre-match tactical briefing.

In the time between the two legs, Arsenal had also played two matches. The first was in the twenty-seventh round of the Premier League, where Arsenal defeated Charlton 2-1 at Highbury Stadium. They scored twice in the opening four minutes, with goals from Pires and Henry.

Last weekend, Arsenal faced Portsmouth away in the FA Cup quarterfinals. Henry, Lars Engberri, and Kolo Toure all scored in the first half. Henry and Lars Engberri found the net again in the second, leading to a resounding 5-1 away demolition of Portsmouth.

”Looking at those two matches, I don’t need to elaborate on Arsenal’s powerful offense; you all know what they’re capable of. But I want to draw your attention to the timing of their goals.”

As Ronald Koeman spoke, the timings of Arsenal’s goals from those two matches flashed prominently on the screen behind him.

”There are two very clear patterns. First, the opening twenty minutes are absolutely critical. This season, especially at Highbury, several Premier League teams—Charlton, Manchester City, and Middlesbrough included—have been beaten within that opening twenty-minute window. Once Arsenal gets a lead, they focus on slowing down and controlling the game.”

”Second, after scoring a goal, Arsenal tends to press their advantage immediately and build momentum. Against Charlton, they scored in the second and fourth minutes. Against Portsmouth, their first goal came in the twenty-sixth minute, but then they scored again in quick succession—in the forty-fourth and forty-fifth minutes, and then again in the fiftieth and fifty-seventh minutes.”

By the time Ronald Koeman finished, everyone in the room understood perfectly.

This was a terrifying opponent. Their attack was like a shark that had smelled blood; once they found a weakness, they would hunt relentlessly until their opposition was crippled and completely broken.

”So, I have to make this crystal clear: our defending in the first twenty minutes will be absolutely crucial. The Gunners are a team that excels at killing off a game in that opening period. We have to withstand those twenty minutes, and the key will be defending the flanks and the area just outside our box.”

As he finished, Luther Carroll switched to the next slide, which displayed the coaching staff’s predicted starting lineup for Arsenal.

Goalkeeper: Lehman. The back line: Ashley Cole, Campbell, Kolo Toure, and Lauren. Midfield, from left to right: Pires, Edu, Vieira, and Lars Engberri. The two strikers up front: Henry and Bergkamp.

There were two notable changes from the first leg. First, the veteran Bergkamp was back in the starting lineup. Reyes, who had a poor showing in the first leg, would likely be a substitute, especially since Bergkamp was more familiar with and had a better understanding of Ajax.

The other change was the return of left-back Ashley Cole from injury. Kerri had performed well in his absence, but Ashley Cole was a world-class left-back, and his return would provide a massive boost to Arsenal’s attack down the left wing.

Gilberto Silva was also fit again, but with Edu in excellent form and Wenger likely preferring a more cautious approach, it was unlikely the Brazilian defensive midfielder would be thrown straight back into the starting eleven.

Of course, you could never rule out Wenger making a bold move.

”Their left flank is lethal. We need a fast player to contain Henry, but we also have to watch out for Pires and the overlapping runs of Ashley Cole. On the right, the understanding between Lars Engberri and Bergkamp is telepathic, so that’s another area we absolutely must be wary of.”

”But most importantly, we have to control the space at the top of our box. That’s where we conceded the first goal in the first leg. If Edu starts again, you can be sure Wenger will try to exploit that area.”

Yang Yang sat listening to the coach’s analysis, nodding silently to himself.

For some time, Ajax had been drilling a 4-2-3-1 formation. It had worked well in the first leg; the double pivot of two defensive midfielders provided excellent cover for the back line and the space in front of the penalty area. If needed, the two wingers could even drop back to help defend.

Barring any surprises, Ajax would likely start the second leg with the same 4-2-3-1 formation.

’My defensive ability is average at best,’ Yang Yang thought. ’I have the stamina to run, but the coach definitely won’t want to waste it on defending.’

’Ajax has plenty of defensively-minded players, but very few who can attack from the right wing.’

The back line would likely remain unchanged. Talabesi had done a decent job marking Henry in the first leg, and Maxwell would also keep his starting spot. Ajax’s full-backs were one of their strengths. The center-back pairing would remain Heitinga and Escude.

With the team using a double pivot, it would surely be Galasek and De Jong. Up front, Ibrahimovic was the guaranteed starter at center-forward; he was the Ajax Team’s biggest threat to Arsenal’s defense.

But as for the left and right wingers and the attacking midfielder behind the striker, Yang Yang couldn’t be sure.

He could only guess that he would once again be coming off the bench.

Sure enough, after explaining the match strategy and contingency plans, Ronald Koeman quickly announced the starting lineup.

It was almost exactly as Yang Yang had predicted. On the left wing, the coaching staff had selected Wesley Sonck. The Belgium striker’s pace posed a considerable threat, especially on the counter-attack.

On the right wing, they went with Scola. The only real surprise for Yang Yang was at attacking midfielder, where the coaches had picked Sneijder.

This meant that the team’s captain, Van der Vaart, would be on the bench alongside Yang Yang.

After the starting lineup was announced, many players glanced over at Van der Vaart. However, they saw no trace of anger or dissatisfaction on his face. This seemed to bore a gloating Ibrahimovic and struck Yang Yang as odd.

’Did he already know?’

’That’s the only reasonable explanation. Otherwise, how could he not be angry?’

”Finally, I want to tell all of you, regardless of the outcome of tomorrow night’s match, I am proud of you. I have always believed that you are an exceptional group of players. Every single one of you is outstanding.”

”The fact that our team has made it this far, that we are here in London today, proves how extraordinary you are. I sincerely hope that in tomorrow night’s decisive match, every single one of you gives it your absolute all—for yourselves, and for this team.”

”Right now, everyone out there is writing us off. But I have believed from the very beginning that we can walk away from Highbury with our heads held high.”

Ronald Koeman’s rousing speech was met with a round of fervent applause from everyone in the room.