The game was a big success.

Two days after winning a big victory over Liverpool, Li Shiguang led the entire Leeds United team to the Riverside Stadium, where they were going to challenge Middlesbrough away.

However, in order to cope with the next few big games, Li Shiguang still rotated several important positions when facing Middlesbrough, a not-so-strong opponent. In the end, the two sides fought for 90 minutes, and Leeds United defeated the opponent with a long shot by Camoranesi before the end of the first half, and took away 3 points as they wished.

What made Li Shiguang even happier was that Chelsea did not beat the visiting Arsenal in the game that kicked off at the same time, and the two sides tied 1:1 with goals from Essien and Flamini.

This result has allowed Leeds United, which has 36 points after winning today, to further narrow the gap with Chelsea. The gap between the two teams is now only 3 points!

In addition, the two teams will have a direct dialogue in half a month. If Leeds United can win this game half a month later, they will surpass Chelsea in the standings with the advantage of goal difference!

Of course, this premise is that Leeds United cannot lose the two games in this half month, including the make-up match with Arsenal the day after tomorrow!

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It has to be said that the reason why Leeds United's schedule in December is so difficult is largely because of the make-up match with Arsenal in the middle. Because of the conflict with the time of the Champions League group stage, the second round of the league between the two teams was arranged by the English Football Association to this month.

This adjustment itself is understandable. It is common in European football for the league to give way to the Champions League.

However, the compact schedule of Leeds United in December and the opponents they have to face really give Li Shiguang a headache.

Including Liverpool, they will play against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United respectively, and there are also two games against Middlesbrough and Sheffield United in between, which makes Leeds United's already tight rest time even less!

After only one day of rest, Leeds United players welcomed Arsenal led by Wenger at Elland Road.

Li Shiguang was helpless, and in order to limit the strong organizational ability of Arsenal's midfield, he finally made some adjustments to the lineup for this game. He arranged a 3-5-2 formation that he had not used for a long time.

On the defensive line, Lahm and Mills, who have been almost present recently, were pressed on the bench by Li Shiguang, and Kompany, Pique and Silva formed a three-center-back system.

In the midfield position, the two starting midfielders became Toure and Mascherano, and Bale and Camoranesi, who were more physically fit, appeared in the two full-back positions. Li Shiguang put forward very high tactical requirements for the two full-backs in the locker room today, asking them to increase their running range and be able to attack and defend! Then in the front midfielder position, young player De Bruyne got the chance to start.

The two forwards are composed of Ibrahimovic and Torres, who are in relatively good physical condition.

On the other hand, although Arsenal also encountered the same problem as Leeds United in the schedule, in general, they only have two tough games this month, Chelsea and Leeds United.

So Wenger did not think much today and directly sent out all the starters, bound to win 3 points away!

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It was indeed as Li Shiguang expected before the game. After the game started, Arsenal relied on their strong organizational ability to launch a fierce attack on Leeds United from the middle. Henry and Adebayor, the two forwards, each completed 2 shots in the first ten minutes after the game started, but they were resolved by Schmeichel, who was very focused.

During this period of time, relying on Fabregas's ability to pass the ball, the two wingers Rosicky and Hleb have been looking for gaps in the ribs of Leeds United's defense.

Once Fabregas's pass behind the back attracts the attention of Leeds United's defense, they will not hesitate to pass the ball to Henry or Adebayor hiding in the penalty area line, and then the two forwards will complete the shot!

As the game continued, Li Shiguang noticed this, so he took the opportunity when Gilberto fouled De Bruyne in the center circle and the referee stopped the game, and called Toure to the sidelines to say a few words.

After Leeds United restarted, Arsenal's three-man midfielder began to feel a little uncomfortable, and Li Shiguang's adjustments in the midfield today gradually showed

His power was revealed.

The first to bear the brunt was Fabregas, the core of Arsenal's organization.

Although he was also the focus of Leeds United's defense in the first 20 minutes, Toure and Mascherano usually came up to defend after he got the ball, which gave him many opportunities to pass the ball with one foot. However, recently, the two Leeds United midfielders took turns to defend him closely, and did not give him the opportunity to receive the ball normally.

Once Fabregas was restricted, Henry and Adebayor lost their source of shells.

After seeing Fabregas being restricted, Wenger also asked Gilberto to try to pass the ball to the two wingers to try to break through.

But Bell and Camoranesi were not vegetarians, and the midfielder who was freed by Leeds United to support both sides at any time made Arsenal's wing advancement frequently blocked, and Leeds United seized the opportunity to counterattack twice.

In this situation, the game time came to the 43rd minute. Including the extra time, there were only 4 minutes left in the first half.

Arsenal was organizing an attack. After receiving Lehmann's pass, Gilberto was slowly approaching the center circle with the ball, while he was also observing the position of his teammates.

After a brief look, Gilberto was a little disappointed, because Leeds United had already taken their positions, and there was a figure wearing a white jersey next to his three midfield teammates, which made Gilberto a little entangled for a while, and he didn't know where to pass the ball.

Wenger, who was standing on the sidelines, also noticed this situation. He subconsciously shouted to Hleb, who was closest to him: "Alexander! Go back and catch the ball!"

But what he didn't expect was that this subconscious shouting just harmed Arsenal, who still had a slight advantage at this time...

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