Dream Training : The Champions

In the 8th round of the English Premier League, Southampton faced Huddersfield. The promoted club had suffered 6 consecutive defeats and one draw. Southampton will play Huddersfield in an away match.

The match took place with Southampton's dominance so strong. They really dominate Huddersfield in possession and other aspects. However, until the first half ended, Southampton still failed to score because Huddersfield applied a tight defense at home. The goal was created in the second half in the 79th minute, through Simone's header, which made good use of Kazuki's free kick.

This victory made Southampton snatch the first place from Chelsea. The club nicknamed the blues got a draw in this round. Chelsea overall collected 19 points from 8 matches, while Southampton won 21 points from 8 matches.

Then, a week later, Southampton met Arsenal in the Carabao Cup. Southampton did not underestimate Arsenal, even though they knew that Arsenal might not be too focused on this Carabao Cup match.

"Welcome to the Carabao Cup round 3 Southampton will travel to the Emirates Stadium to take on Arsenal.

At the press conference, Arsene Winter expressed his opinion on the Carabao Cup. He criticized the FA for its overcrowded schedule. This is understandable because among the top five European leagues, only England who has two cups in one season.

But on the other hand, I don't think Arsene will field a second tier player, even if he underestimated the importance of the Carabao Cup. After all, the Carabao Cup and FA Cup are competitions where Arsenal has a chance to win. I'm pretty sure Arsene Winter doesn't want to end the season with zero titles.

Alright, let's take a look at the formation of the two teams. First, Arsenal. On this evening, Arsenal fielded a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Goalkeeper: Wojciech Szczęsny

Defenders: Carl Jenkinson, Laurent Koscielny, Vermaelen, Kieran Gibbs;

Defensive midfielders: Mikel Arteta, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain;

Attacking midfielders: Gervinho, Santi Cazorla, Theo Walcott;

Front: Podolski.

Southampton fielded a 4-3-3 formation.

Goalkeepers: Luis Ognevo;

Defenders: Freddy, Jimmy, Okhalo, Ben Carter;

Midfielders: Wright-Phillips, Ryan, Orlando;

Front: Rustan, Kazuki, Osmund.

Alright, let's watch the first half between Arsenal and Southampton."

In this match, Osmund played as a left wing, with his pace it was easy for Osmund, although he rarely played on the left wing. At the beginning of the first half, Arsenal kick-off. Soon after, they had the ball.

Despite Arsene Winter's disparaging remarks about the Carabao Cup, Arsenal was really cares about this tournament. This could be seen clearly from the composition of Arsenal's players, who were almost entirely the main players.

With the composition of the main players, Arsenal would easily dominate the match. In the 8th minute, they pressed Southampton on the left, it was caused by Arsenal's left back, Kieran Gibbs who actively helped Walcott in attacking Southampton. Freddy on the left was helped by Wright-Phillips to guard the Southampton's defense

However, Walcott's individual action destroyed the efforts of Freddy and Wright-Phillips. Walcott passed the two players and then sent the pass to Podolski in the middle of the penalty box. The new Arsenal striker headed the ball into the goalpost, but Ognevo reactively caught the ball. The first attempt, Arsenal ended in failure. However, this is not the end of Arsenal's dominance.

In the 14th minute, Santi Cazorla broke free from Ryan's defense with ease. He then received a pass from Oxlade-chamberlain. He spun around, swerving away from the Southampton's defense, then he unleashed a long-range shot. Luckily, his shot missed the Southampton's net.

In the 23rd minute, Orlando stole the ball from Mikel Arteta's feet. Then, he gave the ball to Ryan. The young player dribbled the ball forward. Then, he provided a through ball to the right. On the right side, Rustan collided with Kieran Gibbs' speed. In the end, Rustan won the duel. Then, he sent a cross into the middle of the penalty box. Kazuki failed to receive the ball because Vermaelen headed the ball off the field.

Southampton gets a corner kick. But the opportunity failed again when Wojciech Szczęsny caught the ball in the air.

In the 29th minute, Arsenal got a good chance. Teamwork between Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla made the Southampton defense confused. At that moment, Cazorla immediately sent a pass to the right side. Gervinho received the pass and gave the ball to Podolski. The German player kicked the ball, but his shot was blocked by Jimmy.

In the 37th minute, Arsenal got a free kick after Cazorla was brought down by Orlando in front of the penalty box. Cazorla executed a free kick well. The ball curled into the corner, but Ognevo guessed and saved Cazorla's shot. The first half ended with Southampton, who was able to hold Arsenal 0-0 even though the Gunners continued to beat them.

At the start of the second half, Arsene Winters brought on Aaron Ramsey to replace Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. While George entered Simone to replace Wright-Phillips. In the second half, Southampton played more attractively than in the first half.

Southampton launched an attack in the 48th minute, Okhalo snatched the ball from Podolski's feet, then he kicked the ball forward. Simone accepted the ball, the Southampton midfielder ran away from Ramsey who was trying to steal the ball, then, he passed the ball to Ben Carter who overlapped. Ben Carter dribbled the ball forward, when Arsenal's players tried to knock him down, Ben Carter gave the ball to Ryan.

Ryan penetrated the penalty box. Then, he gave a back-pass to Osmund. A second later, Osmund poked the ball to the right. Rustan came and kicked the ball hard. However, the Arsenal goalkeeper parried the ball well. A moment later, Koscielny grabbed the rebound ball and threw it off the field.

In the 55th minute, Arsenal got a golden opportunity. Gervinho took advantage of Ben Carter's pass error. He raced and snatched the ball from Carter, then dribbled diagonally into the box. Faced with Okhalo, he immediately provided a cut-back pass to Cazorla. The Spaniard then kicked the ball firmly towards the goalpost.

Ognevo managed to touch the ball, but the ball could not be stopped. Finally, Southampton's net vibrated, Arsenal managed to break the deadlock with Santi Cazorla's goal. The Arsenal players and fans who attended immediately celebrated the goal. The Southampton players could only look down at Arsenal, who celebrated a goal.

In the 67th minute, Southampton tried to score. This time, Simone received a pass from Ryan, then he kicked the ball firmly from outside of the penalty box. The ball hits the top post and bounces in front of the goalpost. Kazuki broke free from the guard of the two Arsenal defenders as Simone passed the ball, so he easily kicked the ball into the net. Arsenal goalkeeper failed to save the goalpost.. Southampton equalized 1-1.