January 9, 2010, the clash between the Gunners and the Red Devils was about to begin.
There was still one hour until the match started.
Emirates Stadium, the magnificent arena that had drained Arsenal's coffers, was now packed to capacity.
Countless fans waved scarves and flags emblazoned with the Arsenal crest, as the classic "Good Old Arsenal" echoed throughout the stadium.
During the era of Ferguson and Wenger, the Gunners vs. Devils Battle was undoubtedly the most noteworthy focus of the entire Premier League. The record of 14 wins, 11 draws, and 14 losses in 39 encounters over nearly 15 years between the two veterans further proved this.
This frenzy also swept across the ocean to Japan, thousands of miles away.
However, today's Japnese Arsenal fans were not singing "We are Arsenal, we are invincible." Instead, they were staring wide-eyed and nervous, waiting for the team's squad list to be released.
Finally, the live broadcast switched.
The squad lists submitted by both teams finally came into the viewers' sight.
Walcott, Rosicky, Fàbregas, Ramsey, Alex Song...
"Found him!" Suddenly, a fan roared loudly.
Following the direction of his finger, everyone in the pub looked toward the end of the list.
47—Haruto Sato
"J SPORTS!"
"Broadcasting live for you here is the 21st round of the 2009/2010 England Premier League, featuring the Gunners, Arsenal, hosting the Red Devils, Manchester United. This is also the focal match of this round of the Premier League!"
Two and a half years have passed since the Champion Youth Cup, and we finally see Haruto Sato's name in Arsenal's 18-man squad!
Finally, once again, a Japnese face has stepped onto the Premier League stage!!
...
Inside the home team's dressing room.
Wenger spoke eloquently, the tactical board on the wall constantly changing under his hands as he made one subtle positional adjustment after another.
Haruto Sato sat in an unnoticed corner, listening carefully to every word Wenger said.
The Gunners vs. Devils Battle, an outbreak of injuries, making the squad for the first time...
With factor after factor piling up, Haruto Sato had a premonition that perhaps this was the opportunity he had been waiting for for two and a half years.
He wanted to... validate his football!
In the Champion Youth Cup (U19) two and a half years ago, he and Wilshere, two youngsters under 15, led the team to defeat star players much older than themselves, jumping across four age groups to lift the trophy.
On their first day back with the team, both were exceptionally promoted to the U18 youth team, which was also the first-team reserve squad.
However, two and a half years had passed. Wilshere, whose performance in the Champion Youth Cup was far less brilliant than his, had already made eight appearances for the first team. In contrast, Haruto Sato had never even made the squad list once.
Haruto Sato knew the reason for this.
It was simply because his footwork wasn't refined enough. He pursued a more concise and efficient offense, which didn't fit the "beautiful football" Wenger wanted.
Their styles didn't match... that was no one's fault, but Haruto Sato had submitted transfer and even loan requests time and time again, only to be rejected by Wenger every time, keeping him, who had already become famous before the age of 15, suppressed in the youth team for a full two and a half years!
As for the reason, Haruto Sato had a good idea.
Wenger was unwilling to give up a Champion Youth Cup Golden Boot winner like him, but he also didn't want to change the "beautiful football" he had played for a lifetime.
He was using this method to force Haruto Sato to bow his head!
"But I know better than you what the football of the future looks like..." Haruto Sato whispered.
Two and a half years ago, when he transmigrated into this youth player with the same name, Haruto Sato was already certain about what kind of football he wanted to play.
After the Champion Youth Cup, he had activated the Football King System.
Facing an initial template selection interface that included legendary stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Zidane, and Ronaldo, Haruto Sato decisively chose...
The Haaland template!
...
Before long, the match began.
The game indeed replayed according to Haruto Sato's memories from his previous life. Facing an Arsenal side missing several key players due to injury, Manchester United showed absolute dominance.
Although possession remained almost equal at 50-50, Manchester United's wing attacks were like two sharp blades, repeatedly piercing Arsenal's ribs and threatening the goal more than once.
If not for Nani's few outrageous shots, the score might have been changed long ago.
On the other hand, although Arsenal made several eye-catching ground passes in small areas, they could never break through the midfield barrier formed by Carrick, Fletcher, and Scholes.
Walcott's boasted speed was also neutralized by Park Ji-Sung's "mad dog" close-marking defense, losing possession six times in less than twenty minutes.
Such an ugly scene naturally couldn't satisfy the fans in the stands who were used to seeing "beautiful football."
Boos and curses rang out through the stadium for a time, and Wenger's face on the sidelines had already turned ashen.
Attacking football, or "beautiful football," was his trademark. It had brought him nearly twenty years of fame at Arsenal, but it had also become a burden he couldn't shake off.
Losing with a good-looking performance would lead to criticism, and winning with an ugly performance would also lead to criticism. One had to both win and play beautifully to be worthy of this self-proclaimed noble powerhouse club.
Otherwise, even if he was Wenger, he wouldn't escape the fans' verbal attacks after the match.
On the side, Ferguson also looked displeased. Although the advantage on the field was gratifying, it wasn't what he wanted.
He wanted goals—the kind of thing that could truly decide the outcome of a match!
The voices of tens of thousands of fans in the Emirates Stadium couldn't block Ferguson's profound power; from a distance of dozens of meters, he directly activated his legendary "Hairdryer."
This old Scottish man from a working-class family naturally didn't use very clean language. Curse after curse flew out, making Wenger's brow furrow tightly.
"Vulgar!" Wenger muttered under his breath.
However, Ferguson's verbal abuse yielded results.
Nani, who had been chewed out, finally realized he was wearing the number 17 shirt, not the number 7. Although both were Portuguese, he wasn't that peerless talent who had already left for the Bernabéu.
Moreover, even if that man were on the pitch, he would have to bow his head and admit his mistakes under Ferguson's "Hairdryer."
In the 33rd minute, after breaking through on the wing once again, Nani didn't choose to shoot. Instead, after a brief observation of the situation in the middle, he sent a low cross.
"Nani-Doesn't-Pass," as the name suggests, doesn't pass the ball.
Since he didn't pass, his passing skills were naturally not very good.
The ball didn't find Rooney charging into the middle as Nani had intended, but by a stroke of luck, it ended up at Vermaelen's feet.
Clearly, this scene was also beyond Vermaelen's expectations. He didn't have time to stretch out his foot to clear the ball and could only passively watch as the ball hit his shin, and then...
Deflected toward the goal!
Arsenal goalkeeper Almunia could only stare wide-eyed, completely unable to react.
1-0!!
"An own goal?" Wilshere exclaimed with wide eyes.
He never dreamed that Arsenal's first conceded goal would happen this way...
Haruto Sato glanced at Vermaelen, who was kneeling on the ground pounding it in frustration: "Don't blame Vermaelen. Nani was playing too comfortably on the wing. Even if he hadn't stuck his foot out, Rooney would have been there to tap it in!"
"That's true, but Nani's luck is really good!" Wilshere nodded.
Haruto Sato shook his head: "Ultimately, it's because our offense isn't working. Manchester United's midfield and defense are playing too comfortably, so the forwards naturally get more possession!"
One goal conceded wasn't enough to make Wenger lose his composure. The Professor, who had seen many storms, only frowned slightly, clearly somewhat dissatisfied with the players' performance on the field.
But hearing the conversation between Haruto Sato and Wilshere on the bench behind him, his ears twitched imperceptibly.
In the end, the officiating team made their decision.
Own goal!
Nani squatted down with his head in his hands, his face filled with disbelief. A second later, he stood up in a rage, wanting to argue with the referee.
Fortunately, Rooney, who was nearby, was quick to pull him back, preventing the Portuguese man from making a grave mistake.
"Don't be reckless, don't be reckless!"
"The Boss has a rule: an own goal counts as a goal, and the bonus will still be paid!"
...
Falling behind!
The entire Arsenal team was visibly growing impatient, unaware that this was the biggest taboo on a football pitch.
Their increasingly reckless attacks not only failed to produce results but also led to frequent losses of possession. Within minutes, their goal was under siege again, as if the scoreboard above the stadium was about to change from 0-1 to 0-2 at any moment.
Haruto Sato nodded silently to himself.
It seemed his presence in the matchday squad hadn't changed the course of the game; an injury-plagued Arsenal was being pinned down by Manchester United, just like in his previous life.
Looking at it this way, the final score would likely still end up at 1-3.
That's fine too.
With several forwards like Van Persie, Arshavin, and Bennett either injured or suspended, Haruto Sato was now the only forward left in Arsenal's eighteen-man squad besides the starting Walcott.
Once the team fell into a disadvantage and Walcott's strengths could no longer be utilized...
At that thought, Haruto Sato couldn't help but clench his fists.
Heaven knows how long he had been waiting for this day!
Haruto Sato's gaze swept across the pitch, and he happened to lock eyes with Walcott, who had come to the touchline to pick up the ball.
It seemed the excitement in Haruto Sato's eyes ignited the pride in the young prodigy's heart, causing the shame from Walcott's abysmal performance over the past thirty-plus minutes to finally boil over.
"Just a youth player, a substitute who hasn't even played a single Premier League game—what's he acting so smug for!" Walcott spat, cursing under his breath.
At the same time, he vowed to himself that he would use his performance to completely win over Wenger and the Arsenal fans, keeping Haruto Sato firmly pinned to the bench!
Vermaelen's throw-in found Walcott precisely. The Little Tiger, his fighting spirit suddenly surging, took the ball in stride. With a move that caught everyone off guard, he bypassed Park Ji-Sung and charged toward Manchester United's half.
His talent was on full display at this moment. His unparalleled speed left Park Ji-Sung with nothing to do but sigh in frustration, even while chasing without the ball.
Wenger's eyes lit up: "Could it be..."
On the pitch.
Carrick let out a roar, trying to interfere while stepping sideways to the wing to block Walcott's path.
Facing this old rival he had encountered more than once, Walcott was naturally aware of the man's lack of speed. Without a second thought, he changed direction and accelerated toward the inside, intending to blow past Carrick with pure pace.
However, something unexpected happened!
Just as Walcott bent his left leg to lead the ball inward, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his ankle. He instantly lost control of his left leg and tumbled violently to the ground!!
Haruto Sato was stunned.
Although Walcott was a textbook glass man who often needed a month or two of recovery after playing a couple of good games, in his memory... Walcott was supposed to have played the full match in this game!
How... how did a non-contact injury happen before the first half was even over?
Walcott's collapse immediately caused a commotion. Everyone knew that non-contact injuries were often the most dangerous, especially for a glass man with a history like Walcott's. Without needing a word, the medical team rushed onto the field with a stretcher.
"O vast Heaven, why are you so unkind to me!"
Wenger's tall, thin frame looked particularly frail in the biting British wind. Looking at his back, Haruto Sato was reminded of that classic line for no reason.
*Whoosh—*
Haruto Sato stood up directly from his seat, took a few steps to the touchline, and began warming up on his own.
His movements weren't large, but they caught the attention of the Arsenal coaching staff and the players on the bench.
Wenger's eyes flickered, but he didn't say anything for the moment.
Regardless of the severity of Walcott's injury, he likely wouldn't be able to continue. Wenger had originally planned to bring on a midfielder to emphasize ball control, but...
Turning around, Wenger's gaze swept across the bench, only to see a row of dejected faces filled with dismay:
"A bunch of idiots who only know how to lose heart!"
Out of options, Wenger could only turn his gaze toward the unconventional forward who had taken the initiative to warm up.
...
"I have two pieces of news for the audience: one is good news, and the other is also good news."
Tetsuo Nakanishi teased the audience with a bit of mystery, then, as if unable to contain his own excitement, he blurted out:
"Walcott's injury isn't serious—a sprained ankle. He's only expected to be out for a week!"
"Furthermore... Haruto Sato is about to come on as a substitute!"
In fact, the commentator didn't even need to say it; some sharp-eyed viewers had already noticed Haruto Sato, wearing the number 47 jersey, beginning his warm-up under the guidance of the assistant coach.
Finally, the match resumed.
Haruto Sato finally welcomed his Premier League debut.
The scene was somewhat quiet; only the fourth official held up the substitution board, but there was no handover with a player on the pitch. To prevent Walcott from aggravating his injury by walking, the medical team had already carried him off on a stretcher...
"After you go on, you..." Wenger started to say something, but looking at Haruto Sato, he eventually chose to give up.
Because he suddenly realized that the eyes of this young man, whom he had followed for a long time but rarely met, were filled with a soaring fighting spirit.
With a sigh, Wenger simply didn't make any specific tactical arrangements. After all, Haruto Sato had rarely trained with the first team; expecting him to integrate into the system in such a short time was a pipe dream.
Instead, it was better to let him play freely on the pitch. Perhaps he could use his unique characteristics to catch Manchester United off guard...
Haruto Sato took a deep breath, his entire body trembling slightly with excitement.
"Finally... I'm finally going on!"
This wasn't the first time he had stepped onto the grass of the Emirates Stadium, but it was the first time he stood here as a first-team player, and the first time he experienced the so-called charm of professional football.
The sixty thousand seats were packed, with countless eyes all focused on the touchline, looking at him.
Because of the Champion Youth Cup, Haruto Sato's popularity among Arsenal fans wasn't low. Most of the local fans who came to watch the match were aware that the team had such a talented player.
However, they didn't know why Haruto Sato had never been given a chance to play.
As the fourth official's substitution board was lowered, Haruto Sato jogged onto the pitch, and the Arsenal fans in the stands gave the homegrown talent a round of applause.
It couldn't be called thunderous applause; after all, the team was currently trailing, and Walcott had just been carried off on a stretcher.
But this scattered applause further ignited the passion in Haruto Sato's chest once again.
His body, which had been trembling with excitement, gradually calmed down, and a smile tugged at the corners of Haruto Sato's mouth.
The wind and snow have weighed on me for years; I smile as the wind turns light and the snow soft as cotton!