From the man behind the football king to the football king.

Chapter 528 Champion Phase

Confidence is gained by playing one game after another. Manchester United, which reversed Burnley 3:2 and won consecutive Premier League victories, has the confidence of its players.

However, double matches in a row and hard battles in a row, with the level of consumption of professional football matches, are also a big challenge for athletes.

Although Mourinho has arranged for players to rest as much as possible, as the time approaches the end of 2017, the players will inevitably feel tired.

Although the players' spirits became very high due to the continuous victories, the exhaustion of their hearts still caused the players' state to fluctuate.

On the afternoon of December 12, Manchester United ushered in the last game of 30. They continue to sit at Old Trafford to face the Saints Southampton.

In this game, Manchester United's frontcourt offense was collectively misfired, but what was unexpected was that Kanter stood up.

This deep-lying midfielder, who has always been a full-time defensive player, scored twice in this game to prove his tactical value. Gundogan and Bruno each contributed an assist.

Manchester United's victory also received considerable recognition from the British domestic media.

All fans know that no player or team can maintain a good state for a long time. There will always be ups and downs. This is true for the players and the same is true for the team.

But when evaluating a team's core competitiveness, a key point is whether anyone else on the team can step up when the status of the team's core players fluctuates.

Manchester City obviously didn't, so they were tied 0:0 by Crystal Palace in the away game.

Arsenal also suffered the same fate. The Gunners also suffered a draw in this round. Arsenal drew 1:1 with West Brom away from home.

Both Manchester City and Arsenal are not in too bad shape. Only Manchester United, all the offensive players in the frontcourt are obviously lacking in status. Even Bruno is not excited enough.

But when the frontcourt attack combination was all misfired, Kanter's two goals saved the team.

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After the game, all British media reporters believed that Manchester United is the most champion team in the Premier League this season.

After 21 league rounds, the situation in the Premier League standings has become relatively clear.

Manchester United, which has won 21 consecutive games at the beginning of the season, has formed an unparalleled momentum with 63 points.

Followed by Manchester City, Blue Moon currently has 18 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, and scored 56 points.

Scored 21 points in 56 rounds, averaging 2.667 points per game. Such results are very good anyway.

In fact, in the five major leagues, this result can also be ranked second.

西甲目前排在榜首的是巴塞罗那，宇宙队在17场比赛里拿到了14胜3平，以45个积分在积分榜上取得了9分的优势，但是巴塞罗那的场均得分也只有2.647分。

西甲榜首球队是本赛季异军突起的那不勒斯。那不勒斯在半程过后15胜3平1负拿到了48分，场均只有2.526分。

德甲依然是拜仁慕尼黑的天下，南大王在17场联赛里取得了13胜2平2负战绩，在积分榜上已经有11分的优势，但他们的场均得分只有2.412分。

Paris Saint-Germain has regained the top spot in Ligue 16. They have 2 wins, 1 draws and 50 loss after the half-way period, leading the standings with 2.632 points, and their average points per game is points.

With Manchester City's results, in any other league, or even in other seasons, they might be the unquestionable top team.

However, they encountered Manchester United, who have been unreasonable this season. After winning 21 consecutive games, the crazy Red Devils have already left Manchester City 7 points behind in the standings.

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Compared with the replacement period in Guardiola's first year last season, Manchester City's performance this season has been greatly improved. The score during the same period increased by 17 points, and the ranking also improved from sixth to second.

In the Premier League where 3-backs suddenly became popular, Guardiola did not stick to the 433 formation for which he was famous. He once changed the formation to 343 and achieved success.

If it were not for the psychological imbalance caused by the overly strong performance of city rivals Manchester United, objectively speaking, Manchester City's results would be very good in the Premier League and even in Europe. Both the number of goals scored and the number of goals conceded rank second in the Premier League, and the offense and defense are quite balanced. Manchester City's huge improvement is inseparable from the outstanding performance of their midfield core De Bruyne.

In recent seasons at Manchester City, De Bruyne's position has continued to retreat, but his strength has increased day by day. From an attacking midfielder with excellent passing and shooting to a midfield master who now controls the overall situation, if he maintains such a brilliant performance, it will not be surprising for De Bruyne to join the final competition for the Ballon d'Or.

Passing, scoring, vision, overall view and even defense, De Bruyne shows that he is such a versatile midfielder in every performance.

What's even more valuable is that such a talented player is also a fighter on the court. He repeatedly runs with high intensity throughout the game to fight for every possible ball.

Not only has he created the most chances for the team so far, he is also the player with the most interceptions on the team. The dual core formed by him and Silva makes it difficult for all opponents to resist. It is foreseeable that an epoch-making midfield master is being born.

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The gap between other teams and the Manchester City duo is not small.

The third place is Chelsea. The Blues currently have 13 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses, and scored 42 points.

Chelsea, which competed with Manchester United for the title last season until the last moment, is in trouble this season. Last season, Conte's three central defenders almost swept the British Peninsula, but this season, the three central defenders are not only familiar to various Premier League teams, but also used by other Premier League teams.

Last season, the Blues had no European war commitments and could focus on the league, gradually widening the points gap with other teams during the Champions League group stages and knockout rounds, but this year is completely different.

In order to cope with multi-line operations, Conte also introduced players like Drinkwater and Zampacosta to supplement the thickness of the bench, but obviously their performance did not satisfy Conte. Matic no longer has enough hardness to gain advantages in the midfield. This is very obvious in the league and the Champions League. Facing tough mid-lower teams such as Burnley and Crystal Palace, as well as Basel's attack A fluid team, the Blues showed weakness in midfield.

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克洛普的利物浦排在第四，红军在前21轮取得11胜7平3负，拿到了40个积分。

The Red Army's fourth ranking is actually a more objective reflection.

Judging from the current situation, Klopp's team is still some way away from a real revival. There is no doubt about Uncle Zha's ability, but the manpower available to him is obviously insufficient. Players like Lovren, Klavan and Moreno find it difficult to find a place in other strong teams in the Premier League, but Klopp has to rely on them. Matip is in good form, but is currently recuperating from an injury. The central defender combination of Lovren and Klavan often has difficulty maintaining concentration, which allows other teams to take advantage of it. In the midfield, neither Emre Can nor Henderson are traditional sweeping midfielders, and it is even more difficult to ensure the stability of the defense.

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Pochettino's Tottenham are ranked fifth, with 11 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses, and 38 points.

For Pochettino's team, fifth place seems unfair. Because his team actually performed really well. The high press and rapid advancement that Tottenham insists on ensure victory while also being entertaining. It is a combination of speed and hardness.

More importantly, in a Premier League team that is generally flooded with stars, Tottenham's youth training and localization strategies are very successful. After Kyle Walker left, fellow Englishman Trippier took his place, flying on both wings with the original Rose. Ali is in good form, and Morata, the replacement introduced after Harry Kane left, is in even hotter form. This performance even attracted the attention of Real Madrid, who is said to be interested in buying back again. Such a lineup will undoubtedly encourage other Premier League teams to focus more on youth training, which will also have long-term benefits for English football.

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Arsenal is ranked sixth. They have the same record as their North London rival Tottenham, both with 11 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses. They are only ranked behind with a goal difference disadvantage.

The Gunners, who compete for the top four every year, finally failed to hold on to their last breath last season, falling out of the top four and losing their qualification for the Champions League. This season also makes fans not optimistic. But fortunately, his performance this season is not too bad, with 38 points and tied for fifth place with Tottenham.

The intensity of the UEFA Cup is far less than that of the Champions League, but the team still cannot advance further in the league. Injuries may be the biggest reason. You know, Arsenal's original bench depth is not very deep. Wenger has been supporting it for many years. Once the wave of injuries strikes, the professor is also a clever woman who cannot make a living without rice.

This is why every season Arsenal always starts well but suddenly falls behind in January.

Nowadays, the only real central defenders are Koscielny, Mertesacker and Mustafi. After cleaning Gabriel at the beginning of the season, no corresponding supplements were made. Mustafi suffered frequent injuries and Mertesacker was close to After retirement, the team focused on a three-back formation, which was almost unsustainable. Ramsey, Coquelin, and Cazorla are recovering from long-term injuries, and the midfield position is also stretched.

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In terms of the scorer list, although Bruno has suffered a goal drought in the last two games, he still tops the list with 29 goals, and his advantage is very obvious.

Followed closely by Bruno's good friend Salah and current teammate Harry Kane, both of whom scored 18 goals.

After joining Liverpool, Salah quickly integrated into the team. Even if he failed to win the Golden Boot in the competition with Bruno and Harry Kane, Salah has fully proved his scoring ability.

(End of this chapter)