Chapter 189 Oops, we are substitutes!

After the 30th round of the league, the teams ranked third to fifth in the Premier League standings are Sheffield United, Arsenal and Tottenham.

After almost half a season of chasing, Arsenal finally returned to their familiar position. This scene brought tears to the eyes of many Arsenal fans!

At the beginning of the season, they were beaten by strong teams one after another, so what if they were beaten 8-2 by Manchester United? Arsenal still came back!

And now Sheffield United, Arsenal, and Tottenham have 56, 55, and 54 points respectively.

How about it? Is it surprising? Is it exciting?

Although Arsenal is at risk of being overtaken by Tottenham at any time, Sheffield United is also at risk of being overtaken by Arsenal at any time after two consecutive league defeats.

Who would have thought of this before two rounds of competition!

Sheffield United's position is suddenly unstable, and judging from the current state of the three teams, Sheffield United is likely to be squeezed out of the top four by Tottenham, let alone the top four.

After all, no matter how bad Tottenham's form is, it will only be two consecutive draws, while Sheffield United has lost two consecutive games, which is completely on the verge of collapse.

Not to mention the noisy outside media, the pressure within Sheffield United has suddenly increased a lot.

Speed ​​is starting to regret it a little now. He should have been tougher in the beginning and should not have been soft-hearted and allowed these unlucky kids to play in the FA Cup match against Chelsea.

An FA Cup match made Sheffield United instantly passive in the league. After losing to Chelsea, Newcastle, and Wolves, they had no choice but to lose next. If they lose another game, public opinion from the outside world will explode.

Already.

Although judging from the top six goals in the middle of the season, Sheffield United has overachieved and is now six points ahead of Newcastle in sixth place. But the key is that it is not only the outside media, fans, but also Sheffield United's internal

I think we can’t just pursue the top six.

By winning the League Cup, Sheffield United has already secured a spot in the European competition, so why not pursue something higher and directly play in the Champions League next season?

The Champions League, once the idea appears in the minds of Sheffield United players, it will never be forgotten. This is the highest level competition in football today. Who among the ambitious players doesn’t want to play in the Champions League?

And for the club, it is definitely a better choice to play in the Champions League. Not to mention the income, just participating in the Champions League can increase Sheffield United's popularity in the world by several levels. If it can perform again in the Champions League

A good performance, even if it only makes it to the knockout rounds, will be very beneficial to the club's publicity!

So whether it is passive or active, the current Sheffield United team has set its sights on the Champions League next season.

The top four is the minimum requirement, and it is best to sit firmly in the top three. With this idea in mind, after experiencing two consecutive defeats, the Sheffield United players are naturally under great pressure.

Speed ​​and the coaching team felt the slightly depressed atmosphere in the team, but they made a bold decision. This time, his attitude was very tough and required all players to obey!

"Will the main players continue to rest in the next game?"

After Li Mo heard what Speed ​​told him, he almost thought he had heard wrong.

At such a critical juncture, Speed ​​decided to sacrifice the next league game to allow the main players to get sufficient rest time and completely adjust their condition.

"Don't make a fuss. Look at their condition for yourself. They will play Fulham in four days. Can they recover? And Wolves have already lost, so what if they lose to Fulham again?"

After making the decision, Speed ​​seemed to relax a little. While motioning for Li Mo to sit down, Speed ​​took out a stack of reports given by the team doctor.

"The team doctor has been urging me for almost a week, saying that if I don't take a good rest, at least three or four of the main players will be injured. You said, if we play against Fulham, how many players will be injured, let alone three or four, even two will be injured.

We have Tottenham, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal behind us. How many games do you think we can win?"

Speed's words made Li Mo also fall into deep thought. Indeed, in Sheffield United's main lineup, it is really not possible to injure two players at the same time. Injury Speed ​​can adjust the formation and maybe mend the problem.

If a strong team fights hard and two players are injured, Sheffield United's midfield and backfield defense will basically be greatly compromised.

Not to mention the declining Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal, and Manchester City are all strong offensive teams. Sheffield United, which lacks two or three main players, may really not be able to withstand the impact of its opponents.

"Let them rest peacefully. It's time to train and adjust the state as soon as possible for me. But there is one thing. No one is allowed to go to nightclubs for me during this period. I will tell them carefully. Then I will

If you see anyone’s tidbits in The Sun, don’t blame me for being rude.”

Speed ​​gave Li Mo an explanation, and then waved his hand to drive them away.

Li Mo looked at Speed ​​and said, "Boss, my physical fitness is fine. I can play for Fulham when the time comes."

"Get a stick! Give me a rest! Focus all your energy on the strong team behind you, get out of here, get out of here."

Speed ​​laughed and cursed and kicked Li Mo out of the office.

Li Mo had no choice but to convene a player meeting with his teammates before the recovery training the next day.

The main players of Sheffield United looked at each other. Although they were determined to play, Speed ​​seemed to have made up his mind this time. No one dared to question the coach's decision and could only accept it honestly.

But that's fine. If the next game is rested, then Sheffield United's main players can get almost two weeks to rest.

Such a period of recovery time is obviously very precious, and Speed ​​will definitely be under tremendous pressure when making the decision.

After all, with Speed's temperament, the players don't have to think about it. When the time comes, he will definitely force the media and take all the responsibility for the rotation on himself.

This made the players feel ashamed. If they could win one more game in the previous game, the coaching staff would not have to bear so much pressure now.

Several fun-loving players seriously told Li Mo that they would never go out and fool around during the break.

Li Mo also did the sprint mobilization in the final stage of the league.

"From the 32nd round of the league, we only have the last seven games left, four of which are against strong teams, including our direct opponents for the fourth place, Arsenal and Tottenham. Everyone knows this

I know what it means. No one wants to lose the chain at the last moment, but the result of the game will not be known until the game is played. No matter how beautiful the words are, you have to rely on your strength to speak for itself. In the past ten days, the boss has been under pressure and squeezed.

After coming out, I have only one request: take a good rest, train seriously, and play Everton in the 32nd round to make a beautiful comeback!"

Li Mo's words were recognized by all his teammates. In the subsequent recovery training, all the players were very involved. After the training, everyone went home to rest. The coaching staff was also very pleased to see it.

And when it came to the thirty-round match day of the league, Speed ​​was questioned by the media as expected after he released the squad before the game.

"My main players need to rest. It's as simple as that. I'm not only responsible for the team's record, I'm also responsible for the health of the players. My boys are still young. This is only their first Premier League season.

I think they have done a good enough job, and if we cannot make the top four this season, it will be my responsibility!"

When Speed ​​said these words at the pre-match press conference, the reporters at the scene all stopped talking.

But this is only temporary. After all, Speed ​​has taken the responsibility on his own initiative. If Sheffield United reaches the top four this season, reporters will praise him and praise him for his courage, but if Sheffield United cannot reach the top four

Fourth, reporters will also use what he said today as a basis to criticize him.

At this time, the famous players in English football also spoke out to support Speed.

Alan Shearer, Speed's old friend and number one Li Chuan, was the first to be interviewed and speak out:

"Gary has no problem at all! The health of the players should always come first. The boys at Sheffield United have done well enough this season, but if they have to sacrifice their own health to get a place that may be in the top four

Qualification, then I think their health should be the priority. God, it is a miracle that such a lineup has survived until now. Can you ask these young guys to do more?"

Other celebrities also expressed the same view.

In the world of football, a player's biggest enemy is always injuries. This young team of Sheffield United has brought great surprises to the Premier League. Among them are many outstanding young players from England, such as Drinkin.

Watt, Maguire, Trippier, Bertrand, Vardy.

They are all likely to be selected for the next British team. Drinkwater has even received multiple inspections from Capello's team before. Unfortunately, Capello resigned in February this year.

At present, the new national team coach for England has not yet been determined, so Drinkwater has unfortunately missed the opportunity to enter the national team in the near future.

But as long as the new national team coach is not blind, with his performance at Sheffield United this season, Drinkwater's entry into the national team is a sure thing, and the famous players who have led England will naturally have to stand at Sheffield United.

Talk here.

After all, when Sheffield United injures several young players, it will not only damage the strength of the Sheffield United team, but also the future of the British team.

Amid the commotion, Speed ​​went to an away game with a full substitute squad to challenge Fulham, which was ranked 13th in the league.

However, unlike what most people guessed, Sheffield United did not lose at Fulham's home court in the end. Instead, they tenaciously withstood Fulham's offensive and successfully scored a point at Craven Cottage!

0-0, Sheffield United's substitute lineup struggled to draw with Fulham and stopped the losing streak. This surprised the media who were looking down on the game.

With this precious point, although Sheffield United was surpassed by Arsenal, who had won another game, they relied on their goal difference advantage to suppress Tottenham, who had the same point, and still ranked in the top four!

Sheffield United's main players also spoke on social media after watching the game, praising the Sheffield United substitute players who played today and praising the team's efforts.

Li Mo also breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he is still in the top four, the next step is to defend. Anyway, he just needs to be ahead of Tottenham, which is fifth, and then work hard to see if he can get into the top three.

Eh? There seems to be something wrong with this description.

Li Mo suddenly slapped his forehead and shouted, "No!"

"We have become Arsenal's substitutes!"
Chapter completed!