Chapter 16 New Environment

After the tactical meeting, the players dragged their tired bodies home and planned to have a good sleep.

Lekai did not continue to practice, but took a bath at home, and then fell asleep after a massage from the therapist.

When Lekai woke up, it was already the next day.

The preparation process for the entire season was carried out in an orderly manner. After a few days of high-intensity physical training, it entered the recovery period.

The training intensity during this period was very low, mainly focusing on recovery.

After all, the game was about to start, and they couldn't drag their tired bodies to the game.

Unknowingly, the game came to August 11.

The Premier League opened, and the first game was between Manchester United and Leicester City.

Manchester United is still very big this season.

It cost more than 50 million pounds to introduce Brazilian midfielder Fred, Dalot (19 million pounds), etc.

Solskjaer is still constantly strengthening Manchester United's lineup.

But the fans still don't buy it. If Solskjaer didn't have Manchester United blood, he would have been kicked out long ago.

Today's Manchester United fans still can't accept the fact that they have fallen.

On the other hand, Leicester City's situation is not particularly good.

In the few seasons after winning the Premier League, the club was almost hollowed out.

Many good players left the team one after another, resulting in a decline in the overall record and performance.

Now only Vardy is struggling to support the former champions.

The opening game brought by these two teams was also somewhat boring.

Throughout the 90-minute game, both sides made a lot of mistakes.

But the key is that in the face of the opponent's mistakes, both sides failed to seize the opportunity to convert them into goals.

This game, which seemed like a chicken pecking at each other, finally ended with a score of 2:1.

Manchester United won the opening game, with Pogba and full-back Luke Shaw contributing two goals.

Leicester City's Vardy, who came on as a substitute in the 65th minute, scored a goal in injury time.

But the interesting thing is that although Manchester United won the game.

But Manchester United fans still don't buy it.

They felt that the team played too loosely. There were many mistakes throughout the game, and there were many opportunities, but they failed to seize them.

Fortunately, they faced Leicester City. If it was any team like Manchester City, Liverpool or Arsenal, they would have been beaten into a sieve with this state.

Solskjaer also said after the game that they still need some time to adjust and run-in.

The new players will become a new force in Manchester United's midfield.

These words also made Fred's pressure rise suddenly.

For such a huge pressure on a new player, the media turned their spearheads and began to attack Solskjaer, saying that he was diverting the contradictions, making Fred the focus, and then letting the other party take the blame.

Of course, these remarks from the media cannot directly hurt the club, but they still planted a thorn in their hearts.

There are a total of six games on August 11.

Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur are all scheduled on this day.

The three teams got off to a good start as they wished, but the overall intensity of the game did not bring much traffic and topics on the first day of the event.

The Premier League broadcasting department also felt a little helpless about this.

But fortunately, the next day was about to usher in the highlight.

On August 12, after the World Cup, the league opened, and fans could once again throw themselves into the arms of the event.

For this reason, they also seemed extremely excited.

Especially the first game, which is often very popular.

The tickets for the Emirates Stadium were snapped up the moment they were released.

Many fans who did not buy tickets were upset about this.

But they can still watch the game in the bars around the stadium. Although they are not watching directly on the spot, the atmosphere is still good.

In the morning, the entire Manchester City team arrived in London.

Guardiola led Manchester City to London and became the focus of the day.

At the time of the Arsenal and Manchester City game, the eyes of the day were almost focused on the two teams.

Guardiola still looked the same, bald, bearded, and declined the media's interview request. The whole process gave people a feeling of spring breeze.

And the Manchester City team also traveled with all the main players.

Aguero, Sterling, Mahrez, De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, etc.

Guardiola showed with his actions that they came to the Emirates Stadium to take three points.

On the other side, Arsenal is also preparing intensively.

Because it is a home game, the pressure is relatively small.

But as the first game of the season, and a home game, they want to bring a good start to the fans, they want to win the game, which requires them to maintain enough fighting spirit.

At about 1 pm, the player bus stopped at the door of the locker room.

Mourinho announced the list of the game.

In addition to the main players, Xhaka, Odegaard, Saka, Lukaku, etc. are all on the list.

Especially Odegaard and Saka, after the Community Shield, they were selected again.

It can be said that they have entered Mourinho's attention range and have the opportunity to play at any time.

For any young player and substitute, this is a very pleasant surprise.

Once the players had packed up, they boarded the player bus to the Emirates Stadium.

It has been more than two months since the last home game.

Although the World Cup was also held during this period, they still had different feelings after coming to the familiar home stadium.

The Emirates Stadium was full of Arsenal flags, and a large number of Arsenal fans came to watch the first show of the season.

The fans held high the Arsenal jerseys for the new season.

In this season, Arsenal's jersey sponsor changed from Puma to Nike.

In the new Arsenal jersey, the designer played retro.

The whole jersey is closer to the old jersey, with more red parts, and the overall look is more passionate.

The jersey material also chose a breathable, quick-drying porous fabric. Although it is a slim fit, it does not feel oppressive when worn.

Anyway, Lucky is very satisfied with this jersey.

At least it is much better than the jersey that always pinches the buttocks when kicking last season.

When I came to the Emirates Stadium, a familiar voice came.

Arsenal fans were cheering.

The big screen at the entrance was also playing Arsenal's goal moments in the Community Shield.

This further enhanced the atmosphere on the scene.

When the Arsenal players entered the stadium, the fans dispersed.

Those who should enter the stadium entered, and those who should go to the bar went to the bar to watch the game.

At this time, the Arsenal players had already arrived at the locker room.

"Wow! Is this a renovation?"

Everyone walked in and looked at the brand new Arsenal locker room and couldn't help but be surprised.

The previous Arsenal locker room was a bit old.

Both the lockers and some equipment had many problems.

For example, the board on the locker of Lucky had fallen off more than once, and Lucky had borrowed a hammer several times and nailed it back on himself.

Perhaps the club also felt that it needed renovation, or perhaps it wanted a new look.

The renovated locker room is more suitable for Arsenal.

The lockers are made of walnut-colored wood boards, which are spotless. Although they still have some smell, they are tolerable.

The jerseys are quietly hung on them, giving a sense of neatness and uniformity.

There is also a small card slot above each locker, in which the names of the players are printed in black English, indicating that this is a locker dedicated to a certain player.

The benches have also been changed from the previous rough wooden benches to white sofa chairs, which are neither hard nor soft to sit on, but they are a little sticky to the buttocks after sweating.

The overall color of the locker room is mainly red and white.

This complements the jerseys.

The wall in the center, that is, the wall above the locker of Lucky, is printed with photo frames of many legendary Arsenal stars.

On the wall on the left, Lucky's photo frame also appears there.

Seeing this scene, Lucky is a little helpless.

He has not yet been active, and it has been put on the wall.

But the overall feeling is still very good.

Perhaps because it was a brand new locker room, the players were relatively careful in maintaining it. They did not step on the bench with their shoes on or spit anywhere like before.