That was the final score when the final whistle blew. Thanks to The Great Henry's winning goal, Arsenal defeated Leeds United and successfully advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Full-scale combat begins!
From this day on, Arsenal will officially begin fighting on four fronts, which is a huge test for the depth of their bench.
"Can Arsenal handle it?"
At the post-match press conference, a reporter asked Wenger, "We all know that other teams with a lot of investment also find it difficult to start a four-front campaign, and Arsenal's investment..."
He curled his lip, his meaning self-evident. He was clearly asking the question with an answer in mind.
Faced with such a question, Wenger didn't think for too long. After holding the microphone to his mouth, he said, "Fighting and competing for the championship are two different concepts. Are you asking whether the team can compete for the championship on four fronts? The answer is of course no. No Premier League team dares to say that they can compete for the championship on four fronts, and even three fronts are difficult."
He honestly admitted the team's disadvantage in this regard, "The team must make trade-offs. We are currently performing well in the Premier League and the EFL Cup, which may become the focus in the near future."
"What about the Champions League and the FA Cup?" a reporter asked. Arsenal just entered the fourth round of the FA Cup today, and Wenger shouldn't choose to give up at this time, right?
"We will try to go further, but we are not sure how far we can go."
Wenger looked at the reporter and smiled, "If you want everything, you will have nothing. The top priority is to stabilize the momentum in the Premier League. I hope the team will not slow down."
"The first leg of the EFL Cup is in four days. What are your expectations for the team this month, with three different competitions?" another reporter asked.
"I hope to win everything and advance in everything." Wenger said this without hesitation, and then laughed a few times.
Someone listened to his laughter and guessed, "But that's difficult, isn't it?"
"Yes, nothing ever goes according to your ideas. There will be countless accidents."
Wenger spread his hands and smiled helplessly, "Before this, who would have thought that the team that hasn't lost in the league this season would almost crash twice against Fulham? After equalizing against Fulham in the first half, the team was united in avenging them with a big win in the second half, but still failed to do so due to an accident. Many goals cannot be achieved as desired. That's football."
A reporter laughed, and after laughing, asked, "Maël didn't play today. Is he injured? Or is he fatigued? Does the team have any injuries now?"
"No."
Wenger shook his head and said, "Maël's failure to play was a rotation consideration. The tough battles are coming soon. After entering December, the team is very fatigued, especially in the center-back position. I have to keep using rotation players."
"Now it seems that Maël already has some superstar qualities. If he continues to develop like this, what problem do you most want him to solve for the team?"
"Oh... his help to the team's performance is obvious to all, so I'll say something special. I hope he can help the team improve its financial situation, no matter how he improves or influences it, haha... Bye-bye."
He ended the press conference, packed his things, and left. The schedule is tight this month, and there are still many things to deal with.
January 11th, unconsciously, almost half of January has passed, and the second half of the season is about to enter a white-hot journey. All competitions have reached the critical period for winning the championship.
But during this period, the hottest topic in world football is not the Champions League, La Liga, or the Premier League.
People don't seem to care about the standings at all, don't care about the upcoming schedule, and have no interest in who will win the championship.
All eyes are focused on one place - the Ballon d'Or awards ceremony!
This year's awards ceremony will be held on January 14th in Zurich, Switzerland. At that time, the top players, top coaches, and agents in the entire world football will attend.
This is a grand event! Here, the best male and female football players, the best coach, the best goal, and other awards of the past year will be decided!
The discussion also intensified as the time approached. Everyone was talking about topics related to this year's awards ceremony.
"I think the Ballon d'Or must be Messi's. Barcelona has won the Champions League, La Liga, the UEFA Super Cup, the Spanish Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup in the past year, almost replicating the six crowns of 2009."
"There should be no suspense about this. Messi has scored 54 goals and provided 28 assists in the past year, winning the Champions League Golden Boot, La Liga Golden Boot, and several best player awards."
"Did you count the national team's goals and assists? I don't see that many in other competitions."
"Yes, but no matter what, he has already won all the awards he should have won. The player's state is getting hotter and hotter. A three-peat for the Ballon d'Or is a certainty. Let's see if he can get a four-peat at the end of this year!"
"I heard that the Women's Ballon d'Or may be given to a Japanese player, and the best women's coach may also be."
"After all, they won the World Cup, which is considered a historical breakthrough and well-deserved."
"Guardiola will win the best coach again without any suspense. The Dream Three Dynasty was created by him and will continue to dominate Europe with overwhelming force!"
"..."
While the discussion about the Ballon d'Or and the best coach was hot, FIFA Official suddenly announced the list of 3 candidates for this year's Puskas Award.
This news sparked a heated discussion as soon as it was released. People clicked on the videos to view these 3 wonderful goals.
"Why only 3? Wasn't it supposed to be 10? Or 5?"
"Those were the media's speculated candidates, these are the real ones, only 3, a 3-in-1 choice!"
"Let me see the first goal, 'Rooney's stunning bicycle kick, Ferguson shouts fuck', huh? Who wrote this blurb?"
"The second goal, 'Neymar shines for Santos, dribbles past five and pokes it in with the outside of his foot', this one's much more normal, that goal was indeed awesome, though he did play a one-two with a teammate in the middle."
"The third goal, 'Maël's seventy-meter solo run, breaking through Sheffield United's defense for an incredible goal', whoa! This one's fierce!"
"..."
"I think Neymar's is better, a flash of genius, a genius goal."
"If you're talking about genius, are Rooney and Maël any weaker? The former played in the Premier League at 16, the latter is the Premier League's top scorer at 18."
"Maël's is better! This goal has a different kind of appeal than Neymar's, one is exquisite finesse, the other is a big muscle man's abuse of the defense!"
"Rooney's bicycle kick has no chance?"
"His bicycle kick is the most spectacular I've ever seen, but I always feel that a solo run is more visually appealing, let's see how the organizers judge it!"
"Whoever wins, it will be well-deserved, it's hard to please everyone, at least no one can say which of the 3 goals has an absolute advantage or disadvantage, it's just personal preference."
"..."
Discussions never stopped, and many even turned into arguments, with many fans even fighting over such squabbles, sometimes even leading to murder.
That's a bit too outrageous, but most people will definitely be rational and just watch for fun.
January 12th, outside the mansion.
Harry and Safina walked in, both looking refreshed, carrying various bags, it seems they had a good holiday.
"Not bad."
Safina came straight to Maël and smiled, "I saw that you've been nominated for the Puskas Award, are you going to win another major award?"
"Who knows." Maël shrugged, unsure, "The other two goals are very good, the pressure is still high compared to them."
"If you win the Golden Boy Award and then a Puskas, and then a Premier League title at the end of the season..."
Safina felt great just thinking about it, "Then this 18th year will be too profound, accomplishing achievements that many people never achieve in their lifetime, and this is still your debut in the top league."
Harry hung his coat on the rack, turned around and said, "And if he wins the championship, then the gold content is much higher than those little demons winning the championship, he is the core leading the team to win."
"Yeah." Safina's beautiful eyes sparkled, and she sighed, "It was okay when we were always together, but after being separated for a while this time, seeing your various achievements and auras from another perspective has a different flavor.
"I was a little nervous when I thought about your status before entering the door, haha, funny, right?"
Maël smiled obligingly, sat down and ate some nutritional meals he had baked, and drank milk.
Safina looked over with some concern and frowned, "Why did you burn all of these? Have you been eating these all these days?"
"I haven't cooked for a long time." Maël explained a little awkwardly, he didn't cook much in his previous life either, "I burned the fried eggs on the first day."
"Tsk tsk."
Safina glanced at Maël, picked up the plate and went to the kitchen, "I'll redo some, wait a moment."
Harry sat down after putting away his clothes, looking at Maël with a sigh, "Looking back now, it was really the right decision to follow you, back then Safina and I only made 3,500 pounds a week combined.
"Now, everyone can get 3,000 pounds, and as you win so many honors along the way, we also have face.
"This time when we went home, people heard that Safina and I were working for you, living in your mansion, they were so envious.
"Some people wanted to use my connections to come and have a look at you, but we sternly refused."
Maël nodded with a smile, indicating that they did a good job, privately, he didn't like being disturbed by others.
Not long after, Safina came out with a plate of well-presented nutritional meals and placed it in front of Maël.
Maël thanked her and started eating, what Safina made was indeed different from what he made himself.
Just after finishing the meal, the doorbell rang, Safina opened the door and José and Davis walked in quickly with smiles.
"Ding ding ding ding...!"
They also laughed loudly, looking in good spirits, Davis closed the door and said with a wry smile, "My plane ticket arrived two hours early, but José kept making me wait for him, so I arrived with him."
"Long time no see!"
"I missed you guys a little."
"Let me put my things down first."
They greeted each other, and José and Davis went inside to put their things away.
Maël's mood improved seeing everyone back. He still preferred the feeling of having people at home. "Let me see, January 13th is the first leg of the EFL Cup against Liverpool, and the awards ceremony is on January 14th.
"The time is a bit tight, but it's enough. Let's all go together then, and I'll take you around Zurich."
"Yeah!" Safina jumped up happily. She was always the most excited, and it wasn't hard to see why. No girl could resist the dazzling lights of an awards ceremony.
"What?" José came out from inside, surprised. "Are you really taking us with you? I thought you were joking before."
"We probably won't be able to get inside," Harry said with a smile. "But it's nice to be able to see it from the outside. I imagine the treatment will be better than for the fans."
"Of course."
Safina went to Maël's side and gave him a high-five. "Our boss has a lot of energy."
"Haha...!"
Everyone laughed together, making Maël a little embarrassed. He waved his hand and said, "Okay, stop praising me, you'll jinx me."
That afternoon, at the Colney Training Base, in Wenger's office.
"Real Madrid's offer has arrived, reaching an astonishing £48 million. Old Buddha even expressed his desire to speak with you."
Philip walked over with some fax documents. This seemed to be the norm during the transfer window; they had two short periods like this every year.
And after Maël gradually emerged, they received offers for Maël during each period. The only difference was the price, which was quite stable, always increasing and never decreasing.
"£48 million."
Seeing Wenger take the fax, Philip was both worried and couldn't help but laugh. "Florentino is preparing seriously. I wonder how he'll feel when he finds out he's been played by Mendes."
Wenger looked at the fax from Real Madrid and frowned. "With his shrewdness and experience, he should know what Mendes is up to.
"But his relationship with Mendes is in its honeymoon period, so he probably won't blame him for this... Moreover, knowing that Real Madrid's offer will become Mendes' bargaining chip, he still made the offer. This is to show determination.
"Is he trying to show us his strength? Is he indicating that the player's future is definitely with Real Madrid?"
At this moment, he saw the last sentence of the fax, which was extremely touching: 'If Arsenal's expectations are not met, please do not close negotiations. Madrid still has room.' This also made it clear that this was not the upper limit of their offer, and if they had any intention of listing the player for sale, they could still talk.
Wenger put down the offer. Even though he had long known that Maël's current performance would attract many buyers, and even though he had long known that Maël would not leave for the time being.
But seeing this still gave him an uncomfortable feeling... or rather, a feeling of trepidation was more accurate.
More and more teams wanted to buy him, and they were getting better and better. The offers made far exceeded the club's historical transfer record.
"Here it comes!"
At this moment, another assistant coach walked in with an awkward expression. "Paris Saint-Germain, the team that was acquired by the Qatar Consortium last year, has expressed interest in Maël.
"After attracting a group of strong players, they hope to buy a superstar to drive the club's various values.
"They contacted Kroenke directly through a French investment banker, bypassing us and directly starting negotiations with the club's major shareholder. I heard they want to offer a nine-figure euro price."
Nine figures, in euros.
Wenger smiled bitterly. These two words were so far away from the current Arsenal.
He felt a sense of powerlessness, and even the thought of expressing anger to Paris Saint-Germain and Kroenke faded a lot.
"The only thing that's certain is that Maël has no intention of leaving for the time being. This is our only bargaining chip."
He walked to a table and sat down. "Give him what we can give him. Doesn't he have a newspaper? Fully cooperate with his program column.
"He has brought Arsenal the hope of a championship. If we want to rely on him to win a championship, then we must let him get more.
"Don't talk about being a guest once or twice, or doing a show. Even if he does it ten times or makes three shows, I will agree to it.
"Discuss other matters with Mendes. Tell the player our intentions, and let him contact Kyle Walker after the game against Liverpool."
After saying this, he walked around a few steps, suddenly stopped and changed the topic. "Who is that French investment banker?"
"I heard he's from the Rothschild Family, something like... Emmanuel, and he looks quite similar to Maël."
January 13th, Liverpool.
In the evening, a bus slowly drove out of a hotel in the city center, heading towards the famous Anfield stadium.
On this day, the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final was about to kick off, with Arsenal playing against Dalglish's Liverpool team on the road.
They had previously met in the Premier League, but that time it was at Arsenal's home ground.
Playing against teams like Liverpool and Manchester United, home and away games feel completely different, with different levels of difficulty.
Anfield and Old Trafford come with their own buffs, slowing down the away team and boosting the home team's morale.
Maël sat on the bus, constantly opening the window. He was very curious and eager about this place where the Anfield miracle was born. It is one of the most famous devil stadiums in England.
Since the game was at night, he saw the stadium from a distance.
From afar, Anfield stadium was lit up by brilliant fireworks, the lights even radiating out from the stadium, forming a dazzling glow.
Dense crowds surrounded him, and there were many banners of players side by side outside the stadium.
"You'll Never Walk Alone! You'll Never Walk Alone!"
Closer, he could faintly hear the singing from inside the stadium, the content of the song being the world-famous 'You'll Never Walk Alone'.
This is Liverpool's totem. They have completed countless miracles and won countless honors under this song. This song represents their spirit.
"A tough battle."
Listening to these songs and looking at the aggressive Liverpool fans on the side of the street, Maël already had a basic guess about this game.
This feeling became even stronger after he actually entered Anfield stadium.
Since the stadium lights couldn't reach some of the fans in the upper tiers, they were a dark mass, with only their eyes and heads moving, giving a strong sense of oppression.
Various banners had already been put up in front of the stands. Today, they were looking forward to a revenge battle, and also looking forward to the team entering the EFL Cup final and winning the championship! "Beep!"
The game officially kicked off at 7:30 in the evening. Liverpool lined up with a very targeted lineup today.
The goalkeeper was Reina, the defense line was Glen Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, and Martin Kelly in order, and the midfield was a double defensive midfielder formation, with Spearing partnering with Henderson behind.
Further up were the returning Gerrard and Charlie Adam. On the front line, defensive center forward Bellamy partnered with target man Andy Carroll.
Except for a few exceptions, they almost maximized the defensive attributes of each position, and their intention for a defensive counterattack was very obvious.
Their desire for victory was extreme, but they chose to base themselves on defense, using fierce interceptions and sweeps to ensure that the team did not concede a goal! "Charge!"
"Pay attention to protection!"
"I'll come...!"
As soon as the game started, the Arsenal players felt the opponent's attitude and intensity, and a sense of being entangled instantly surged into their hearts.
"You'll Never Walk Alone!"
Under the long-lasting singing of the whole stadium, every Liverpool player was like they had been injected with chicken blood, fighting hard and battling on the field.
"Attention!"
Captain Gerrard had an extremely focused and excited expression throughout the game, constantly reminding his teammates of their defensive positions, "Seal the line, seal the line! Intercept him, good!"
"Puff!"
"Bang!"
Liverpool's players kept going to ground, causing Arsenal's players to fall frequently as well, and the referee's whistle sounded one after another.
"Beep!"
"Beep beep!"
In just over twenty minutes, Liverpool players received 2 yellow cards, and Alexandre Song also had one.
Maël also encountered trouble in this game. It was difficult for him to receive passes from his teammates. Even if he retreated to receive the ball, the opponent's midfielder could often come over to cover him.
Everyone cared about him very much, and there were often three people appearing next to him to defend, even when he was off the ball.
This also stemmed from the stability of their defense in other positions, which allowed them to create a situation of more defenders than attackers in the right-wing area.
There was no way around it. Of the starting 11, 8 had good defensive attributes. It seemed that they had long been prepared to fight to the end.
Compared to before, Maël wasn't flustered. His stamina was excellent now. He felt it very clearly in the previous match. He could run normally, and he wouldn't feel exhausted even after running the entire game.
Even if he increased his total running distance to around 13,000 meters for 90 minutes, his body could handle it.
He could constantly wear down the players marking him by running and switching positions. Anyway, when he started running, he could often drag two or three people along with him.
This was very taxing on the defending players. He didn't believe that Liverpool could bring on defensive players with the same intensity as Martin Kelly and Henderson in the second half.
First, grind down their health bars, and then unleash a big move to try for a one-hit kill. In this kind of two-legged match, scoring an away goal is very important.
"Ah!"
In the 41st minute of the match, a scream broke the silence on the field. Vermaelen, who started today, fell in the defensive position.
Because Mertesacker was too tired, he wasn't included in the matchday squad today. Once Vermaelen was out, Arsenal could only replace him with Djourou, who had become a liability multiple times, to partner with Koscielny.
Wenger frowned and stood on the sidelines. After watching for a while, he saw the team doctor wave at him, indicating that Vermaelen couldn't continue.
"Djourou!" His voice was filled with helplessness, as if he was already exhausted.
The team's configuration in the center-back position was actually good. Mertesacker, Koscielny, and Vermaelen were all top-tier center-backs, each with their own advantages.
But... their injury frequency seemed to be quite high, and someone often dropped the ball.
Injuries not only occurred during congested schedules but also sometimes during training or national team training camps.
"The Gunner got shot again!"
In the commentary box, Zhan Jun talked about the Arsenal meme, "Wenger's team encounters an injury crisis every season. It's very strange, considering he rotates quite a bit and pays attention to the players' diet and rest."
"It can only be said that it's fate!" I believe many Gunner fans are feeling a pang of anxiety again. The familiar part is here again! I just hope they can get through this period. In the league, they still have the unbeaten record hanging over their heads, and no one wants to lose the crown of invincibility! "Perhaps, the Gunner fans can only expect two people now, one is Henry the Great sitting on the bench, and the other is Maël, the new king of the Emirates Stadium!"
In the 43rd minute of the match, Djourou ran onto the field, his eyes filled with nervousness.
Wenger behind him was even more nervous and quickly felt a dry mouth, returning to the coaching bench to rehydrate.
"How's Mertesacker?"
Next to Wenger, Henry pinched his chin and turned his head, "This isn't a solution. I've played against Djourou in training, and his concentration is too poor. He gets distracted even in training."
"The team doctor said he needs to rest for another week or two."
Wenger answered him, shaking his head bitterly, "January won't be easy. I don't want to think about anything else this month. It'll be good enough if we can get through it."
"Ouch!"
Suddenly, another scream came from the field, attracting attention.
This time, it wasn't an injury. Instead, Andy Carroll, who was using his back to defend against Koscielny, fell to the ground while turning around and spread his hands towards the referee.
"Beep!" The referee didn't hesitate, pointing to the penalty spot and ruling that Koscielny had committed a pulling foul.
"Me?!" Koscielny spread his hands, his face full of disbelief, and rushed towards the referee at lightning speed.
"Yeah!" A shout came from inside Anfield, and Liverpool fans waved their hands excitedly. A penalty kick was no different from a goal.
They were playing a counter-attacking game today, aiming to score one or two goals without conceding, achieving a narrow victory!
As long as they tested the feasibility of this tactic, they could move it to the Emirates Stadium in the second leg, taking the lead to play a counter-attacking game that favored this tactic.
They believed that they would steadily advance to the final and win the EFL Cup in February!
"Bang!"
Gerrard then pushed a shot towards the right side of the goal. The ball deceived Szczęsny and steadily hit the lower right corner of the goal.
"Aahh!" An even more intense cheer rang out, and many banners and posters about Gerrard quickly appeared in the stands. The fans had long prepared for their captain.
"Come on!" Gerrard excitedly rushed to the sidelines and waved his right fist towards the sky, then hugged Andy Carroll behind him.
The first half of the match then ended, and the Liverpool players walked into the locker room with laughter.
Only Martin Kelly and Henderson walked very slowly. Both of them looked serious, either with their hands on their hips or with pale faces.
"How is it?" Martin Kelly looked at the defensive midfielder of the same age as him and asked, "Can you hold on?"
Henderson wanted to wave his hand and complain, but he gritted his teeth and stopped the hand he was about to wave from side to side in the air, "I can still handle two more games."
Andy Carroll looked at Henderson, whose lips were almost white, and didn't believe it, but as a Liverpool youth player, he couldn't lose face for the team, "Me too."
Henderson nodded and glanced up, noticing Andy Carroll's face was turning green.
They wouldn't be like this in a normal half, mainly because Maël had been making them run anaerobically the whole time.
"It's okay!"
Maël was running with them, so he was also consuming stamina. They were even in that regard. As long as this threatening point was subbed off, they could also request to be subbed off and let the substitutes take over.
"Bang!"
In the 51st minute of the second half, Gerrard suddenly unleashed a shot from outside the penalty area, catching Szczęsny off guard. The ball bounced towards the far corner of the goal.
These bouncing shots are extremely difficult to save, easily disrupting the goalkeeper's judgment.
"Swish!" The ball once again made contact with Arsenal's net, sending the Liverpool fans into a frenzy.
"Yeah!" Gerrard came to the edge of the field and roared with his mouth wide open. All the spotlights in the stadium shone in his direction. After the team focused on defense, he took control of the stadium.
"Beautiful! Captain Gerrard!"
"Haha!"
"We're going to the final!"
"Come on, Liverpool!"
"You'll never walk alone!"
The Liverpool players followed, their faces filled with joy. This was a genuine revenge match. They lost to Arsenal away but won at home.
Next, they would go to Arsenal's home stadium for the second leg, and they would strive to secure the final victory and complete their revenge! It would be best if they could also defeat them in the Premier League, completing a single-season triple kill against Arsenal!
On the other side of the field, Maël felt the atmosphere at Anfield at this moment and could clearly sense that victory was slipping away from Arsenal.
He was being restricted uncomfortably today, a situation that Ronaldo and Messi often encountered as well.
But it wasn't a big problem. He observed Martin Kelly and Henderson's backs and noticed that their shoulders were drooping. They should be reaching their limit soon, and his time to shine was coming.
He couldn't guarantee that he would definitely breach Liverpool's goal, but with his current ability, he would definitely have a chance to do something.
At least, he had been pursuing goals, seeking to tear apart the opponent's defense with his individual ability and create scoring opportunities when the team's form was average!
The EFL Cup, this was a cup competition that he had persisted in playing until now. He couldn't give up now, or all the team's efforts along the way would be in vain.
He had trained hard for so long, and he had so many abilities. Even if his form fluctuated sometimes, he believed that he couldn't stop, not even slow down! "Bang!"
After the restart, Arteta, realizing that it was difficult to control the ball in the midfield and backfield, launched a long pass towards Maël.
Maël's eyes flickered, and he used his body to lean against Martin Kelly behind him to stop the ball.
The moment he stopped the ball, Henderson had already swept his foot out. Spearing and Agger, not far away, were also eyeing him, waiting to cover for Henderson and intercept the ball.
This was the defensive intensity he was facing in this match. As long as he chose to break through towards the inside line, Henderson would immediately take the opportunity to tackle the ball away from him the moment he lost control of it.
It was a pity that Skrtel and Gerrard in the center were also doing a good job of restricting Van Persie.
In the past, as long as the opponent invested too many troops on his side, Van Persie's side would blossom.
In a flash of lightning, Maël made a decision that no one expected. He stepped on the ball, suddenly dodged and stopped leaning against Martin Kelly behind him, and instead leaned sideways towards Henderson.
Martin Kelly felt the pressure on his body ease and guessed Maël's intention, so he quickly stepped forward to intercept.
"Bang!"
A collision sounded on the sideline in Liverpool's backfield. Maël stepped on the ball on the outside of his body and collided heavily with Henderson, who was rushing up.
Henderson, due to severe exhaustion, was immediately staggered by the impact. Just before he retreated, he stretched out his foot to hook the ball under Maël's feet, but he not only missed but also tripped himself to the ground.
"Pa"
Maël resisted his pressing and instead used the sole of his foot to flick the ball towards the sideline, creating a distance of about half a meter, which just dodged Martin Kelly's tackle. "Bang!"
He then burst forward along the sideline, finally ushering in an opportunity to sprint with the ball after suppressing himself for so long.
Martin Kelly gritted his teeth and turned around to chase, but after running only two steps, he felt his thigh aching terribly. He still wanted to desperately stride forward, but he lost his balance and was thrown off by Maël after staggering.
The situation changed instantly! "Oh!" A faint shout rang out from the Arsenal stands. The fans looked at Maël, who was sprinting, and a few glimmers of hope rose in their hearts.
"Individual ability!"
Inside the broadcast booth, Zhan Jun couldn't help but exclaim, "Maël effortlessly toys with Henderson and Martin Kelly, driving the ball towards Liverpool's backfield!
"Everyone knows that the player seems to possess enhanced Dribbling skills recently. He often refrains from simply relying on Speed and Strength to bulldoze through, opting instead for finesse combined with physicality.
"What else does he lack? Could it be a header, like Henry the Great?"
"…"
"Bang, bang, bang!"
On the field, with each touch of the ball by Maël's instep, the ball travels four or five meters. He doesn't consistently drive towards the baseline, but rather angles each touch slightly inward, towards the center.
The defensive line Liverpool constructed on that side immediately becomes chaotic. With coordinated defensive teamwork, they can neutralize Maël's threat through clever positioning.
But when the opponent breaks through two players and truly surges forward, so many people are pretty much just decorations.
Can't outrun him, can't catch up to him... The only thing they can be is the backdrop desperately chasing after Maël as he runs.
Gerrard, tracking back, quickly approaches Maël ahead of other Liverpool players. It's not that he's faster, but mainly because of his strong willpower and good choice of tracking route.
Plus, with the excitement from the recent goal still lingering, it's common for potential to erupt.
Gerrard quickly cuts a shorter route, catching up to Maël.
"Bang, bang!"
Maël intends to guide the ball into Gerrard's tracking path, blocking him, forcing him to either commit a foul or slow down.
But Liverpool's defenders have excellent awareness. Skrtel quickly positions himself on Gerrard's tracking path, retreating to prevent Maël from dribbling past Gerrard and initiating a one-on-one.
Maël glances at him, his eyes slightly red from the high-intensity sprint. He doesn't dwell on it, continuing to dribble towards the penalty area, allowing Gerrard to stay by his side.
Reaching the edge of the penalty area, he suddenly stops abruptly, bringing the ball under control.
Gerrard flashes past him, wanting to extend his foot to hook the ball from under his feet, but refrains at the last moment, possibly fearing he might bring him down and concede a penalty.
"Bang, bang...!"
Maël reacts swiftly, shaking off Gerrard with the sudden stop and then driving the ball towards the center. He chooses to Cut Inside.
In the eyes of others, he seems to move with a balanced and rhythmic dribbling pace.
But in the eyes of Skrtel, who's marking him, it's completely different. Maël times his acceleration perfectly with each of Skrtel's pauses, forcing him to constantly stop and then track back, stop and then track back, until his legs go weak.
"Bang!"
Maël takes a large touch to the right. At this moment, he seems possessed by Robben, completing a perfect Cut Inside dribble.
"Hey!!" A shout rings out. Glen Johnson, the defender from the other side of Liverpool, comes over to cover, wanting to block his shot.
Maël makes a feigned shot, easily deceiving the attacking full-back, who slides out directly.
But their captain, Gerrard, doesn't seem to give up. After being shaken off earlier, he comes alongside him again.
"Bang!" Maël repeats the trick, again making a feigned shot, and then abruptly flicks the ball forward, past Gerrard's side.
There's a change! No more Cutting Inside! He's going to dribble past the man and into the penalty area!
This is Gerrard's first time encountering Maël. He never expected the player to have such dribbling decision-making and footwork continuity in a small area. His prediction was that Maël would continue to drive the ball to the same side, trying to shake him off.
So, when Maël drives the ball behind him, he freezes in place, as if his feet are glued to the ground, and then leans backward uncontrollably.
"OneTwoThreeFour!! Oh!! Gerrard falls too!"
In the commentary box, Lineker, as a guest wearing a headset, watches this scene and can't help but roar, even predicting the outcome in advance, "Five!! This is a wonderful Goal!!"
He really can't understand why a player wouldn't score after making such a series of moves!
Not far from him, Wenger looks expectantly at the penalty area, with Henry, who is also craning his neck to look there, beside him.
"Bang!!"
Inside the penalty area, Maël's right foot violently strikes the bottom of the ball, and the ball immediately flies towards the goal like a cannonball.
He's not messing around with any extra frills. He needs a goal now, an away goal to keep the team's hopes of advancing alive!
"Swish!" Without any suspense, the ball hits the net, causing it to bulge violently backward, the vibration lingering for a long time.
"Yeah!!" Arsenal fans all stand up from their seats. They have once again, once again, witnessed Maël's incredible performance.
As long as he's given the chance, this young player, only 18 this year, can stab your heart fiercely with a sharp knife.
One to two!
There's still a chance!
"Oh, F*ck!" The old Gunner, Henry, held his head in his hands, frowning with disbelief at what he had just witnessed.
Solving the problem single-handedly?
"Did you see that?"
He turned to look at Wenger beside him and said, "That's me! That was me!"
"Haha..." Wenger clenched his upper and lower teeth, smiling. He really wanted to say that imagining Maël as you is a bit of a stretch, but looking at him from the back, it's barely passable.
"No." Henry quickly shook his head. He wasn't young anymore and didn't feel like joking with the old manager at this moment, only genuine thoughts. "He's not like me; he's destined to be better than me."
"Moreover, he looks more like a superstar than I ever did. It's as if he was born with so much and got everything at 18! What a wonderful goal! Professor! Come on, let's celebrate together!"
With that, he jumped up excitedly and leaped onto Wenger's back.
"Aahh!" On the field, Maël waved his right arm and ran towards the sideline, sliding on his knees in celebration. He roared excitedly, releasing all the frustration of this match.
If you don't play football, you won't know how difficult the opponents are on this top-level stage. You might not understand why players seem to be releasing emotions after every goal, often looking frustrated and biē qū [repressed/suffocated].
Football is indeed a sport that intensifies people's emotions. Sometimes, the appearance of many things requires a long wait.
This wait may be half a game, several games, or even half a year, a year, or even seven years! Sometimes you work hard for a long time and still don't get the desired result. Sometimes, you feel full of energy, with no place to use your skills.
Countless tactical masters have created precise formations and strategies, and countless top players have formed encirclements to block you, making you very uncomfortable.
But it's okay; football also has a simple side, which is that a wonderful goal can release all emotions.
"Boom!!"
Maël slid out along the sideline, roaring excitedly. All the Arsenal players sprinted towards him.
In his backdrop, there were Martin Kelly and Henderson spreading their hands in complaint, Glen Johnson lying on the ground pounding the turf, and Gerrard looking over with a bitter face.
Anfield had his mark on it. In a period of team slump, he secured the hope of reaching the final for the team!
Maël didn't celebrate for too long. He quickly got up and urged his teammates to take the ball from the goal and launch an attack on the opponent's goal again.
ps: Sorry for the late update, my parents went back to work, so I saw them off.
Today's update is 22,000 characters, and the monthly update is 295,000 characters, with a goal of 54 + 7 * 7k (monthly ticket leader bonus).
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