Arsenal's January schedule concluded with a hard-fought record of 4 wins and 3 draws out of 7 games.
Across three fronts, in the Premier League, they extended their unbeaten streak with 1 win and 2 draws, maintaining their top spot on the table and widening the gap to second place by 4 points.
In the FA Cup, they advanced through the third and fourth rounds with victories, reaching the round of 16.
As for the EFL Cup, they secured a spot in the final after a draw and a win in the two-legged tie, tenaciously defeating Liverpool! All fronts moving forward!
Although their performance this month wasn't enough for Mr. Wenger to win his second Manager of the Month award of the season, or for Maël and Van Persie to clinch the Player of the Month, it was still close to perfect.
Despite the difficult circumstances, they didn't fall behind on any front, gritting their teeth and persevering!
The next day, the entire Arsenal fan community in North London was buzzing about the team's performance this month and Maël, who had become their star striker.
"Doo-doo-doo!"
On the streets, in pubs, and in shopping malls, Arsenal fans could be seen everywhere, one hand on their crotch, the other forming a gun shape on their head, swaying from side to side in a mesmerizing fashion.
This was Maël's celebration after scoring the winning goal, incredibly amusing and infectious, perfectly capturing the optimism and confidence of Arsenal fans at the moment.
"25 goals and 12 assists in the Premier League, 5 goals and 4 assists in the Champions League, Maël has already scored 30 goals this season!"
"A top striker! It's safe to say that, apart from Messi and Ronaldo, no other forward has a significantly better statistical record than him!"
"Breaking 30 goals in the Premier League is no problem at all, and there's a chance he could break Alan Shearer and Andy Cole's goal-scoring record... I don't know if Wenger will continue to push in the Champions League, but if he does, breaking 8 goals shouldn't be a problem!"
"Let's not push it. It's only the round of 16, and every step from here to the final involves two legs, home and away, which is exhausting. If a larger-scale injury crisis affects our Premier League title chances, we could end up with nothing."
"Let's calculate. Arsenal has 16 Premier League games and 1 EFL Cup game left this season, a total of 17 crucial matches, averaging about 5 games a month."
"With only three and a half months left, opening up a new battlefield would make the schedule too heavy. I hope they'll voluntarily give up some competitions and focus all their efforts on winning the Premier League and EFL Cup!"
"Let's see what the club chooses. Wenger should be able to make a better decision; he knows the team better than we do."
"Quick, record a video for me! I want to learn Maël's celebration and post it on Twitter!"
Arsenal fans were chatting everywhere, discussing the club's situation on all fronts, as if everyone had become the club's manager.
Of course, many people were simply imitating Maël's jumping dance, adding cheerful laughter to their videos, and sharing them on various social media platforms.
Soon, this infectious dance, along with Maël's name, went viral, gaining popularity beyond just the football community.
The news of the player's winning goal helping Arsenal defeat their biggest title rival, Manchester United, his running stats breaking two records, and his goal contributions in the Premier League approaching 40+ had already made him a headline fixture, but most outsiders couldn't relate.
They weren't particularly clear on what these achievements meant, and even if they were, they wouldn't know how to join in the fun.
But the celebration dance was different! A simple and infectious dance move is easy to follow!
Society has gradually become a society of influence, and celebrities have a strong guiding influence on the public, especially those with outstanding achievements and many prominent virtues in a particular field.
People will wear the same brands of clothes and shoes as them, and even imitate their habits, taking them as role models and goals to learn from.
It's not surprising that a large number of people are following Maël's celebration dance.
He went viral at lightning speed this season, and even people who don't follow football have probably seen videos and reports about him, making him a familiar face.
With more media outlets seizing the opportunity to introduce and report on him, they quickly learned what kind of player he was and remembered the key words.
Handsome looks and superb skills, an increasingly elegant playing style, a representative of young talent, a diligent and hardworking personality, and a young millionaire!
Such a person, from any perspective, is almost perfect and worthy of admiration!
"Doo-doo-doo!"
For a time, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms were filled with handsome men, beautiful women, and middle-aged couples, one hand on their crotch, the other forming a gun shape on their head, jumping from side to side.
Some were doing this move after scoring in basketball, volleyball, and other games at school, while others were simply imitating it at home. Judging from their attire and home furnishings, most of them were not football fans.
Many people also added infectious and highly compatible music to it, turning it into a remix through various editing techniques, which made the move even more popular.
"Hahaha, if I can win Wimbledon for the seventh time this year, I'll use this move to celebrate on the court." - Tennis star Federer shared a viral video.
"I also think it's great; it goes well with a racing suit." - F1 driver Hamilton posted a video of himself wearing a racing suit and jumping around. In the video, he was wearing a helmet, looking like a cartoon character, shifting his weight from side to side in a top-heavy manner.
Even in a snooker German Masters match that ended that night, the Joker Mark Selby stopped and laughed loudly after potting the decisive frame-winning black ball, putting one hand on his crotch and jumping up with his cue in the other.
He was wearing a white shirt and black vest, with suit pants, which made his legs look very long.
"Haha...!"
Such long legs flailing around was quite comical, not to mention appearing in the snooker arena, a sport that prides itself on being a gentleman's game.
This would make it even harder for Blackburn to shake off the nickname 'Joker', becoming another classic moment in the snooker player's career.
And all of this was driving Maël's name out of the circle at an unimaginable speed.
More people were getting to know him because of this celebration, understanding his achievements at Arsenal, and even indirectly developing a strong interest in the sport of football.
Just like Pelé, Di Stéfano, Puskas, Müller, Beckenbauer, Cruyff, Maradona, Ronaldo, Zidane, Cristiano, Messi – names that have shone in the history of football.
Lionel Maël was also gradually becoming a representative of the younger generation, and like these superstars who shine with starlight and attract generations of fans, he would carry the banner of football in the future.
Many people fall in love with football because of a star, because of a coach, or even because of a game, a goal.
It is because countless outstanding people carry the flag for this sport, creating countless wonderful goals, wonderful moments, wonderful stories, and so on.
This charming sport can endure and bring joy and inspiration to generations, and continue to sit firmly as the world's number one sport.
They, together with this great sport, leave a brilliant mark in the long river of human history, becoming immortal.
What Lionel Maël had to do first was to catch up with these people, and through long-term outstanding performances and continuous accumulation of various honors, truly reach their level of influence and attention.
Then, he would embark on his own new path and reach a new level.
Fans like to use titles such as star, saint, and The Football God to rate historical players. When he reaches that level, he hopes people will shout out a brand new title - The Football God.
...
Time entered February. Due to Arsenal's entry into the FA Cup fifth round and the EFL Cup final, their schedule for this month had undergone some minor changes and updates.
On the morning of February 1st, Lionel Maël saw the new schedule in the team's group chat.
He printed a copy on the printer, pasted it in the middle of the photo wall, and then looked at it.
Even though this year was a leap year, and February had 29 days, those one or two fewer days still made their schedule for this month extremely tight.
On February 3rd, they would challenge Bolton Wanderers away in the 23rd round of the Premier League, followed by Blackburn Rovers at home in the 24th round of the Premier League on February 6th.
Then on February 10th, the 25th round of the Premier League against Tottenham, on February 15th, the 26th round of the Premier League away against Sunderland, and on February 19th, the fifth round of the FA Cup against Sunderland.
On February 24th, the Champions League away game against Serie A powerhouse Milan in the round of 16, and on February 28th, the EFL Cup final against Cardiff City.
In total, there were 4 rounds of the Premier League, 1 Champions League knockout match, 1 round of the FA Cup, and 1 EFL Cup final, with a rest interval of about 3 days between each game.
"Arsenal can't handle four lines."
Davis stood behind Lionel Maël, looking at the schedule and said, "After being with you for so long, I know this team quite well. There are 2 rotation players with decent strength in the front line, 2 in the midfield, and 2 in the back line.
"This configuration is barely enough to play in the Premier League, let alone adding the Champions League, the FA Cup, and the EFL Cup.
"I don't know how you guys survived this season. The main reason is that you, Van Persie, Song, Arteta, and others weren't injured, and you were in good shape and had a high attendance rate, using one person as one and a half."
Davis used to work in a Portuguese Super League club and knew the clubs well. "It's really unlikely that all of these will come together. It may also be destined that you have a chance to revive this season.
"But if you don't hurry up and subtract, and add to a team that almost collapsed in January playing three lines, you will definitely extinguish the flame of revival step by step."
Lionel Maël looked thoughtfully at the schedule. He knew that fighting on four fronts was unlikely, but he didn't know if three fronts could be sustained.
It seemed that winning the Premier League title this season was a must, and there was no room for loss! Only by winning the championship can the team's value rise, and various broadcast dividends and sponsorship endorsement fees will also increase.
Moreover, the value of the members of the championship team will usher in a collective increase. At that time, selling some substitute players will also bring a lot of money back to the club.
In this way, even if Kroenke and Usmanov are still deadlocked, Arsenal's financial situation will improve next season, and there will be funds to introduce stronger players and have a deeper bench.
At that time, starting the journey of the Premier League and the Champions League at the same time, and bringing the FA Cup or the EFL Cup, may still be relatively easy to play.
As a member of the team, and as the person most expected by the old Professor, Lionel Maël sometimes has to consider the problem from the perspective of the team, and help the team become better to the greatest extent within his ability.
He will also get a lot in this process, and have a higher value together with the team.
"Three lines won't work either."
Davis seemed to have coincidentally thought of the same thing as Lionel Maël. He said his opinion, "The Champions League and the FA Cup are both in the round of 16, too far away from the championship.
"The former will definitely have 2 tug-of-war matches in each round of the knockout stage, and the latter is very likely to draw and replay, adding unexpected extra burdens.
"Moreover, the club must have felt the difficulty in January. At this time, joining any new championship line will increase the difficulty of advancing on each line exponentially.
"At that time, not only will the new battle line be difficult to fight, but even the Premier League and the EFL Cup will become difficult, and it is easy to end up with nothing."
Lionel Maël nodded slowly after listening to him, and also felt that there was some truth to it.
If they weren't in peak condition to challenge for the Champions League and FA Cup titles, it wouldn't matter how far they got in those two competitions.
The FA Cup prize money is better than nothing, and the Champions League prize money depends on the Champions League points. The bulk of it is already earned upon entering the Champions League and qualifying from the group stage. The prize money for later stages isn't that significant.
From this perspective, he's even more inclined to focus his energy on winning the league and EFL Cup in his first top-flight season!
Pursuing a double crown! As for the Champions League and FA Cup, he'll wait until he's adapted to his first season and starts his second year before fully committing to them.
As long as they can succeed on these two fronts this season, and he personally delivers a super-phenomenal performance, Arsenal will undoubtedly gain confidence and prepare for their dream of winning their first-ever Champions League title next year.
By then, the team will surely be strong and well-prepared! "That's right."
Maël agreed with Davis's statement, but finally added, "However, if the club still wants to see how far we can go in those two competitions, I will still do my best to push forward."
"After all, my goal is the Grand Slam. The more I adapt to and understand these competitions, the greater the chance of winning them in the future."
Davis smiled, shifting his gaze from the schedule to the photo wall around them.
He saw celebration after celebration, smiling faces from different periods, and photos of roaring and fist-pumping on different fields.
Who would believe that Maël, who always keeps his word, couldn't fulfill this bold claim? If he really could lead Arsenal to a double crown in his first season as the absolute core player, he would immediately become a superstar, the most dazzling debut player ever.
At the European Cup in June, he would also stand alongside a host of famous players, becoming one of the most anticipated stars.
That afternoon, just as Maël's popularity was at its peak, the first episode of his Arsenal column officially aired.
In his column, Mr. Wenger, in a suit, appeared as the opening guest.
The scene was dimly lit, with only a few streaks of natural light on the left, illuminating Wenger's back outline, allowing people to notice his movements.
He walked to a high stool without a backrest, sat down, and faced the camera, smiling.
"Shall we begin?"
His voice sounded, and then the scene changed, high-energy music played, and the super-agent Mendes strode into the studio, interspersed with several interview shots of Wenger from different angles.
When the opening music ended, the scene finally settled on Maël on the training ground.
It was a very smooth start. Next was a monologue from Maël about his training and life, serving as a brief introduction to the column.
Then, scenes of his training were constantly cut with scenes of Wenger and Mendes talking, using parallel montage to drive the narrative forward.
"He is the best."
Mendes smiled confidently when he said this, spreading his hands and saying, "You can't find a better 18-year-old player than him. Maybe Pelé won the World Cup at 17, but the Brazilian football god didn't have his intensity when he first emerged."
"What about Cristiano?" A female voice sounded off-screen, it was Emilia's voice.
The smile on Mendes's face couldn't help but freeze a little. He looked at Emilia, hesitating to answer.
"Just kidding." Emilia knew her limits and quickly laughed it off.
"Haha..."
Mendes laughed loudly, and the camera turned again, focusing on Maël running on the field, practicing his Dribbling.
This allowed many people to feel his extra training intensity for the first time, gaining a clearer understanding of his diligence.
They loved watching these things because it brought them closer to Maël, as if they were training with him.
"Like I just said, he will bring championships to Arsenal."
Wenger soon appeared on the screen again, sitting on the stool with a calm expression, "I'm not one to make definitive statements, but I think it's very likely this season."
The camera then mixed in highlights from Maël's matches in January, occasionally interspersing scenes of Wenger watching the projection intently.
"Fulham, Swansea, Manchester United, without him, it would have been difficult for us to get points in these three Premier League games."
"Especially the last one, that victory was too crucial. The team regained its soul. Next, we must go all out to win the Premier League and EFL Cup titles. The season is coming to an end."
"What about the FA Cup and Champions League?"
"I should have answered similar questions before. The hope for championships that Maël brings is hard-won. After experiencing multiple seasons without a title, I won't have too many ambitions for now."
"If these two distant fronts affect the two fronts that are already in the title race, I will focus on the title race."
"..."
"What are your expectations for Maël this month? Or rather, what achievements do you hope he will achieve?"
"I hope he gets his second Premier League Player of the Month award, and wins the EFL Cup at the end of the month, haha."
Due to its high-quality production and the heavyweight figures involved in the first episode, the program received a lot of praise shortly after its premiere.
Many Maël fans who were still on the fence chose to subscribe, and the program's subscriber count quickly soared from 12,000 to 19,000, and then to 26,000 by the evening of the same day.
On the other side, Arsenal's column was launched with Maël and Kyle Walker, who had just joined the team, in the first episode.
Originally, Maël had planned to launch it alone, but after recording a few times and finding that the effect was not good, he invited Walker, who had just joined the team, to attract attention.
This column edited in some previously unreleased training footage, as well as dressing room speeches and excerpts from meetings, which was quite interesting and enough to attract the interest of many fans.
Coupled with the recent popularity of Maël and Kyle Walker, who was in the eye of the storm, the program received a lot of attention as soon as it was broadcast.
"Did you see his intensity in the full-back position? Fack!"
In the camera, Kyle Walker looked at the data from Maël's game against Manchester United, shaking his head in stunned amazement: "Holy sh*t! He will surprise all full-backs, I guarantee! Anyway, I surrender. I told an assistant coach a few days ago, don't have too high expectations of me just because I'm Arsenal's record signing in recent seasons."
"Even if I'm a pure full-back, I may not have the defensive intensity of Maël in that game, he's just too terrifying!"
"Haha...!"
This 'inadvertently' leaked behind-the-scenes clip quickly drove Arsenal fans' interest in subscribing to the column, and also sparked the anger of Tottenham fans.
Soon after, the number of subscribers to the column soared, surpassing 'Maël's Column' to break through 30,000 that night, a latecomer's success.
Early the next morning, Maël drove to the newspaper office. When he went upstairs, he met several employees who greeted him with happy smiles, seemingly in a good mood.
"Good morning, boss."
Emilia was waiting for him at the front desk, holding a cup of hot coffee in her hand. There was also a look of joy on her face. Before Maël could ask, she couldn't help but smile and said, "The total number of subscribers to the two columns is almost 80,000."
"Not views, people. A quarter of them chose to subscribe to both columns."
Maël took the coffee and walked with her towards Peter's office.
After Emilia became popular on social media, her dress became more and more exquisite. Today, she was wearing a dark red professional suit, with a hip-hugging skirt and thick flesh-colored stockings, sweet and spicy.
"You're here."
Peter saw Maël come in, quickly adjusted the background data, and then gave up his seat.
Maël sat in his seat and saw some detailed data, such as clicks and conversions, as well as the current total sales.
"£1,284,200."
He happily slapped the table. This was just the sales revenue from the first day of the broadcast, with 80,000 subscribers.
It was conceivable how terrifying this number would be if the momentum was maintained and there were 500,000+ subscribers by the end of the season.
"Do you want to see the detailed accounts?"
Peter observed Maël's expression and also smiled, "Some people pre-ordered for £9.9, some bought one for £14.9, and some bought two programs for £24.9."
"Their unit prices are different, so there will be a relatively clear statistical table."
Maël nodded, waited for Peter to bring it up and glanced at it, then gave up his seat and went to sit on the other side, "Do it well. If this program is done well in the future, it may bring us £10 million a year."
"Yes." Peter couldn't help clenching his fist and said with a smile, "And this is just on the surface. The soft improvement and implicit income it brings to the newspaper are huge."
Emilia stood aside with her hands behind her back, counted on her fingers, and then gasped.
If she could earn £10 million a year, wouldn't her base salary + bonus + hosting fee exceed £300,000?
She suppressed the excitement on her face, thinking about when she must invite Maël to dinner alone to express her gratitude.
On February 3rd, the 23rd round of the Premier League arrived, with Arsenal playing away against Bolton Wanderers.
The new month's journey had finally begun, and this game would show whether the team could show a new look.
Due to the intense effort in the last game, the muscle soreness was severe, so Maël temporarily sat on the bench in this game, with Henry starting in his place.
"Have you found a personal doctor?"
Philip sat next to him and asked curiously, recommending, "I know some people. If you haven't found one yet, I can introduce you to a few."
"I've already found one." Maël replied with a smile. Mendes had actually contacted an authoritative sports medicine expert for him, and they would be meeting in the next few days to discuss the contract.
"It's good that you found one." Philip nodded and asked, "Is it convenient to tell me his name?"
"Lewis."
"Is that him?" Philip's expression brightened. "A very famous sports rehabilitation and injury doctor in London. He was one of the people I was going to recommend to you. Isn't he expensive?"
"Yes."
Maël, not expecting Philip to know him, looked pained and said, "Much more expensive than a personal trainer and physical therapist. He's asking for a weekly salary of 7,000 pounds just for part-time work. I'm considering paying him a consultation fee per session.
"My physical condition is usually very good. Playing against Manchester United to the point of exhaustion was just an isolated case, not the norm."
"Indeed." Philip nodded, but still advised, "But have you considered that just consulting goes against your initial intention of finding a personal doctor?
"In the beginning, you probably felt that your body would suffer wear and tear in high-intensity top-level matches, and you needed to have regular check-ups and rehabilitation training to reduce fatigue and the risk of injury.
"That's actually right. If every athlete took such precautions, there would be far fewer injuries.
"You can't just feel fine after playing for most of the season and think about slowing down the frequency of check-ups. Many hidden problems you can't feel, but they can find them, which is why they dare to ask for that price."
After listening to him, Maël felt that it was indeed the case. He analyzed his own heart, wanting to see if the long period of good health had made him lower his guard.
In the end, he found that it definitely had. He gradually didn't value these things as much as he initially did.
Oh well!
What's done is done. For the sake of his healthy career, it's definitely worth spending money to hire a part-time personal doctor to do regular check-ups as a precaution! "Bang!"
At this moment, Walcott on the field broke into the penalty area and sent in a cross. Van Persie in the middle let it through, and Henry at the far post followed up with a shot that pushed the ball into the far corner of the net.
"Oh!" Maël, like the Arsenal away fans, stood up and raised his hands to celebrate, and even high-fived Philip next to him.
First goal!
There shouldn't be too much of a problem. The team will definitely get back on track.
On the sidelines, Henry, already with a beard, came to the sidelines with his hands open, pursed his lips, and roared, "Boom!!"
Van Persie and Walcott quickly jumped on his back and knocked him to the ground. Unexpectedly, the veteran could score a goal as soon as he came on.
After this goal, Bolton Wanderers tried to strengthen their attack, but instead gave Arsenal an easier attacking environment. This is the benefit of a strong team taking the lead against a weak team. They will play more calmly.
In the 43rd minute of the match, Ramsey, who started today, found Van Persie on the edge of the penalty area with a through ball. The latter dribbled the ball with his left foot for a few steps, and before the defenders could react, he blasted a curved shot.
"Bang!"
The ball grazed the body of Bolton Wanderers defender Knight and flew towards the goal, bypassing goalkeeper Bogdan's hand and flying into the net.
Two to zero! Curved Shot into the net!
It can almost be said that the victory has been locked in advance. It is undoubtedly hellish difficulty for Bolton Wanderers to overturn Arsenal by 2 goals.
"Yeah!" Van Persie came to the sidelines and chose to celebrate with a sliding knee. Not knowing if Henry was retaliating, he rushed over and knocked him to the ground as well.
In the 47th minute of the match, before the end of the first half's stoppage time, it was Ramsey again, who broke through and sent a through ball to the ribs.
Henry quickly cut in, opened up the angle and made a gesture of pushing a shot to the far corner, but at the last moment, he used the outside of his foot to push the ball towards the middle.
"Bang!"
Van Persie in the middle followed up to eat the cake, completing a brace and scoring his 22nd Premier League goal of the season.
Three to zero! "Come on!" Van Persie ran to the sidelines again, this time choosing to celebrate with a fist pump.
"Clap clap.!"
On the sidelines, Maël and Philip and others applauded them together. Once this goal goes in, it's completely stable, and there won't be any more accidents.
"You and Van Persie are now first and second in the scorer rankings."
Philip put his head close to Maël's ear and smiled, "Will the Golden Boot competition this season slowly evolve into an internal war between the two of you?"
"Possibly." Maël nodded. He is now only 3 ahead of Van Persie, but 7 ahead of Agüero, who is third in the scorer rankings.
It seems that as they play, this season will really be a battle between him and the Dutch striker for the Golden Boot.
"But don't worry." He glanced at Van Persie, "We won't sabotage each other. We'll definitely pass to each other if we have the ball. As long as we can win and win the championship, it doesn't matter who gets the Golden Boot in the end."
"I'm very happy that you can think like that."
Philip sat down again and patted Maël on the back, "I believe that you two will put the team first, but saying such a thing proactively definitely means you have absolute confidence in the Golden Boot."
"Haha."
Maël laughed along with him; the comment was spot on.
The first half of the match then ended, and the players from both sides rested for 15 minutes before resuming the second half.
The pace slowed down again. Bolton Wanderers, knowing there was no hope of a comeback, began to retreat to avoid being crushed by Arsenal.
In the 70th minute of the match, Wenger called for Maël, wanting him to go on and find his form, warm up his touch, and prepare for the next round.
Maël got up to warm up and stood on the sidelines in the 74th minute.
"Not bad, right?" Henry, coming off, patted the team badge on his chest and showed off his performance today. "You have to work harder, or be careful, or I might take your starting spot."
Maël laughed a few times, shaking his head and saying to him, "I really hope to have some competitive pressure."
Henry patted his head, walked off the field, grabbed a towel, put on his jacket, and returned to the bench.
After Maël came on, he started running on the left wing, but he didn't play too hard. His body was still a bit tired, so he just needed to adapt to the rhythm. Anyway, they were already leading by a large margin.
*"Bang!"*
In the 89th minute of the match, he sent a precise cross to Van Persie, a ball that could have helped the latter complete a hat-trick.
As a result, Van Persie slipped and suddenly collapsed to the ground just before shooting, missing a golden opportunity.
"Ah!" Van Persie lay on the ground, covering his face with his arms, full of regret.
Maël ran to his side, smiling as he extended a hand to him. "Get up quickly. Do you think we're jinxed? How come we often waste the good opportunities the other sends?"
"I don't know."
Van Persie shook his head, took Maël's hand, and got up. "There's no time in this game. I'll try to pass you a few in the next game."
"Okay." Maël looked expectant and walked back with Van Persie.
The referee then blew the whistle to end the match. Arsenal won three-nil against Bolton Wanderers away from home without much effort, steadily taking 3 points! In the post-match press conference, Wenger faced a group of reporters and ended with a short sentence, "We will continue to move forward!"
...
February 6th, Emirates Stadium.
"Victory! Victory! Champions...!"
The Premier League Round 24 match between Arsenal and Blackburn Rovers kicked off amidst cheers.
Maël got a starting opportunity in this game, and he was very eager for a third consecutive Premier League victory.
"After Bolton Wanderers suffered a complete defeat of zero to three against Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers is fielding a 4-4-2 formation today. It seems they understand that simply defending cannot resist a team with such strong attacking power.
"Only by gaining an advantage in attack and showing their momentum can they overwhelm the opponent and achieve victory! "But by doing so, their defense will face greater pressure. Maël, who has rested for a few days, is in top form today, and he will pose a great threat! "Let's take a look at Arsenal's opening attack. They should have some opening tactics... Blackburn's midfield defense is vulnerable. Now Maël has the ball!"
"..."
On the left side of the attacking third, Maël dribbled the ball towards his opponent, Dann. They had clashed in the first half of the season. He was a full-back with relatively mediocre strength in all aspects.
After reaching Dann, he slowed down, eventually stopping completely.
Dann observed for a while, slowly approached, and then suddenly lunged forward, poking at Maël's feet.
"Chack!"
Maël was waiting for this moment. Before his foot poked the ball, he flicked the ball forward with his toe, just over his calf.
Flick over!
This is considered a relatively basic move in fancy dribbling. It's not difficult to do, but the difficulty lies in pushing past the opponent to receive the ball after the flick.
*"Boom, boom...!"*
Of course, this difficulty is not a difficulty for Maël.
He took a step and almost knocked Dann to the ground, then stopped the ball towards the baseline and subsequently charged into the penalty area.
The opponent's center-back, Gyvi, came out to cover. He was a meritorious player of that Monaco team that reached the Champions League final in 2004. He was also French and had played for the French national team.
*"Bang!"*
Maël didn't give him a chance to intercept. Seeing Walcott arrive at the far post, he swept a low, fast ball across the small penalty area towards the far post.
Walcott didn't expect Maël's pass to be so fast. His start was a bit late, and his last step was slightly off.
But thanks to his desire to score, he threw his body out directly, sliding on his knees and crashing into the ball.
"Bang!" The ball hit his knee, barely making a sound, and the ball speed was very slow, but fortunately, it still rolled into the far corner of the goal.
One to zero!
Opening goal! Leading first for three consecutive games!
"Aahhhh!"
Amidst the cheers at the Emirates Stadium, Little Tiger Walcott, with a furrowed brow and wide-open mouth, roared and rushed to the sidelines to celebrate. He hadn't scored in the Premier League for several consecutive games, and he finally broke his goal drought.
Maël ran after him, completing an assist as soon as he came on. He felt that his passing touch today was very hot.
13th assist in the league! Nearly 40+ goal contributions!
In this regard, Van Persie is much weaker than him. The Dutch striker has only 8 assists so far this season, and the total number of goals created is 30.
If he can complete 40+ in this game, he will be 10 goals ahead of Van Persie.
Not to mention the Premier League Season Best, it should be no problem to win the challenging Arsenal Team Season Best, right? Maël smiled. He values all kinds of honors very much. There's no way around it; he goes to sleep every day with the dream of a Grand Slam.
"Good ball!"
After arriving next to Walcott, he put aside all his thoughts and immersed himself in the joy of taking the lead.
Focus on the game, first help the team to a 3-game winning streak, and help myself to 40+! "Bang!!"
In the 28th minute of the game, Chamberlain, the young player who started today in place of Ramsey, used his hard foot to fire a low shot from outside the penalty area.
The angle of this ball was not tricky, but the power was amazing. The Blackburn Rangers goalkeeper got to the ball, but still couldn't stop it from entering the net.
Two to zero!!
"Oh!"
The cheers in the stadium rang out again. Chamberlain closed his eyes and spread his arms in place, waiting for the Arsenal players to embrace him.
Van Persie was closest to him, and after rushing up, he jumped too hard and knocked him down again. He always seems unable to control his emotions.
"Whoa...!"
Maël and others also came over. This game was even easier than the last game against Bolton Wanderers. It seems that a three-game winning streak is imminent.
9 points from 3 games, which will speed up their approach to the Premier League trophy! "Blackburn Rangers' attempt was undoubtedly a failure. Their attack failed to create any threat, but instead directly exposed the gaps in the team's midfield and back defense!" What to do now? They are already behind zero to two, so they can only go all the way to the end. Since they have chosen to be aggressive, the coach cannot choose to retreat across the board at this time to prevent a massacre.
"That would put him under great public pressure, no less than being beaten in a massacre!" Blackburn kicked off from the center circle and organized in the backcourt. The Arsenal players quickly pressed up. Today, they not only want to win, but also want to achieve a beautiful victory at the Emirates Stadium!
"Givet's passing error! Ah, he doesn't have the composure he had back then. He was obviously a little flustered when Maël rushed over!
"Maël dribbles towards the penalty area! Givet will be the first to defend him!"
"..."
At the corner of the penalty area, Maël intercepted Givet's pass to Dann and dribbled the ball straight to face Givet.
"Bang, bang... bang!"
Since the opponent's penalty area was very empty at this time, he didn't choose any complicated dribbling moves, nor did he cut inside towards the crowded arc of the penalty area. After making a feint, he directly dribbled the ball to the baseline.
Givet obviously couldn't keep up with him and reached out to grab his clothes, but when he thought that this was in the penalty area, he retracted his hand.
"Bang!"
Maël glanced at Van Persie, who was being marked to death in the center, but passed the ball to the triangular position, which was a feint to the east and attack to the west.
The Blackburn defenders who were running towards the goal were stunned, turned around and wanted to rush out to defend again, but it was too late.
"Bang!!"
Chamberlain, who followed up, even had time to stop the ball with one foot, and then slammed the ball towards the far corner of the goal.
The ball hit the Blackburn Rangers' net again, making a crisp sound, "Swish!!"
Three to zero!
Chamberlain scored a brace!
Maël assisted with a brace!
"Wow!!"
The Arsenal fans at the Emirates Stadium vented their emotions with cheers, while also encouraging the team's players. They hadn't expected to see a goal fest at home today.
Several difficult matches in a row had inevitably left them feeling a bit panicked, afraid that the team would drop the ball again somewhere.
Now it seems, they won't! "Maël!"
Chamberlain, who scored a goal that was practically handed to him, was much better at handling things than Walcott. He ran directly towards Maël near the goal, jumping up as he approached, "Thanks for the pass, the vision was amazing!"
Maël caught him, put him down, and then shouted excitedly towards the fan section.
14th assist in the league! 39 goals created! Just one short! It seems that not only is his passing feeling hot today, but his teammates' shooting is also on fire.
He often has the experience of making four or five consecutive threatening passes, only to see them wasted by his teammates. Today, he didn't put in much effort, with only three threatening passes, but he got two assists.
This gave him confidence in Arsenal's new generation of players. If they all stay with the team in the future, they will surely become his capable assistants.
"Van Persie!"
After celebrating, Maël shouted to Van Persie with a smile, "Where's my assist? You promised me in the last game, you were going to give me a few passes, but I didn't see a single one?"
Van Persie looked at Maël, knowing that the other was showing off his two consecutive assists, and couldn't help but twitch his lips.
He held out a palm towards Maël, signaling to wait a moment, and let him do his thing.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
In the 51st minute of the second half, Arsenal controlled the ball in the attacking third. Their passes were very bold, giving the impression that Blackburn Rovers could intercept the ball at any moment.
"Chya!"
"Shila!"
The Blackburn Rovers players thought so too, so after trying several times without stealing the ball, they began to frequently slide tackle to intercept Arsenal's ball control.
But what they gained in exchange for losing their defensive positions was still a bit of unwillingness.
Arsenal's passing still flowed smoothly, but their defense was the first to fall into disarray.
In the center, Van Persie received the ball and took a step to the left, then turned to the right, followed by an Elastico to shake off the opposing center-back who came out to challenge.
"Deng deng deng!!"
Near the side rib, Maël diagonally cut behind another center-back. He knew that the connection opportunity that Van Persie and he had been waiting for had arrived.
"Bang!"
Van Persie then really sent a pass, aiming at the edge of the six-yard box, which was the most comfortable shooting angle.
Whether the goalkeeper came out or not, Maël would surely be able to easily send the ball into the net.
"Ai!"
Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper Robinson still came out, lowering his center of gravity and rushing out, but he didn't go to ground immediately.
When he felt that Maël had relaxed his vigilance, he suddenly hooked towards his feet.
Playing mind games? "Chya!"
Then Maël was definitely not afraid. The moment he stopped the ball, he scooped it up with the outside of his foot, scooping it up to a height of about half a meter.
Robinson had made a desperate lunge, so he had no strength left for a second reaction in the air. At this time, after seeing the ball being lifted up by Maël, all he could do was watch.
He watched the ball rise from the ground, reach the height of his head, and then pass over him and fall behind him.
It's over! Robinson also wanted to look back, raising his head back, and as a result, he met Maël's eyes, who was looking over subconsciously.
Maël: "..."
Robinson: "..."
One was above and one was below, one was in front and one was behind, staring at each other with a strange angle, and neither of them understood why the other would look over at this time.
However, this did not affect Maël's next connection at all.
He went around the goalkeeper sideways, and before the ball landed, he shot the ball into the unguarded goal with one kick.
"Wow!!"
The shouts erupted as Maël glanced back at Robinson one last time before sprinting towards the sideline, his heart soaring, his emotions threatening to spill over.
His 26th league goal! 40+ goal contributions! A new milestone! Maël had been pondering what kind of celebration he would use to commemorate this achievement, but his fiery emotions made him run too fast, and he hadn't decided by the time he leaped up at the sideline.
He was already in the air, and he didn't want to do an awkward, Wu Lei-esque flailing of arms. His brain raced, and he remembered French Supercar Mbappé's signature celebration.
"Boom!!"
Upon landing, he tucked his hands under his armpits and shouted, managing a smooth, non-embarrassing landing after his stylish goal.
"Oh!" This new celebration immediately drew cheers from the Arsenal fans, who had noticed that he seemed to have a knack for creative celebrations.
He not only imitated past celebrations but also created some that had never been seen before.
Steal them!
Just steal them! He was going to steal all the classic celebrations from the future and make them his own.
After putting his hands down, he still felt a surge of excitement, but it was hard to transition into another celebration, so he went with Mbappé's classic clenched-fist, ferocious roar, "Yeah!"
However, when he did this, it definitely didn't feel the same as when Mbappé did it; his looks were still on point even in this state.
To carry the tribute to the classics through to the end, he glanced back at his teammates coming up behind him, then turned back, raised his fists again, and shouted at the camera with his mouth wide open, "Aahh!!"
Another triple celebration! "Lionel Maël! I must reintroduce this player to you; he has already completed one goal and two assists in this match!"
Inside the live broadcast booth, Sky Sports' legendary commentator Martin Tyler, wearing his headset, stood next to his partner and exclaimed, "As of now, the player has scored 26 goals and completed 14 Premier League assists!"
"His goal contributions have surpassed 40+, a figure that equals Henry's record of goal contributions from the 02-03 season, when he achieved the incredible feat of 20 goals and 20 assists!
"But now, an even more amazing player has undoubtedly appeared on this stage, appearing in this Arsenal team with an efficiency of over 1.5 goals created per game.
"At this moment, Henry is sitting on the Arsenal bench by the side of the field. I wonder what the Arsenal legend is feeling, seeing his record being tied by the team's genius player! A beautiful goal! Maël dances in the small penalty area, flicking the ball past the goalkeeper and blasting it into the net! He seems to decompose the football into factors, then reassemble it behind the goalkeeper, finally scoring with a powerful shot! I don't know what adjectives to use to describe it; any more praise for Maël would be repetitive!"
...
By the side of the field, in front of the Arsenal coaching staff, Mr. Wenger, after celebrating with Philip and the others, made a point of going to Henry, whose expression was very interesting.
"You said before that his stats don't represent everything about him, what about now?"
Mr. Wenger looked at this once-outstanding disciple, then at the current outstanding disciple on the field, and couldn't help but feel a sense of happiness. "Do you regret it? Want to take back that sentence?"
He didn't mean that Henry's words were wrong; everyone agreed that the current data didn't show all of Maël's potential.
What he wanted to express was more of a sense of reunion with an old friend after time had passed, showing off the current superior conditions and wealthy life of his own team.
This allowed him to use the glory he had created with his old friend in the past to raise even higher expectations for the future.
Even though he had done this countless times, he still couldn't suppress his emotions and always wanted to express it to Henry.
"Yes." Henry looked at Maël, listened to Mr. Wenger's words in his ear, and recalled the 02-03 season, and couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. "If he keeps playing like this, people will forget how outstanding I was back then.
"Haha... I'm serious, people will forget my dominance on this field back then."
Mr. Wenger also smiled, looking at the wildly celebrating Maël, and felt an urge to rush towards him and celebrate.
Unfortunately, now was not the time; perhaps when the championship battle came, at the last moment, he could rush towards his disciple.
The game continued, and Blackburn's last bit of spirit disappeared with the loss of this goal. They couldn't even muster up anger and just mechanically carried out their offense and defense.
"Bang!"
"Slap!"
In the 59th minute, Walcott on the right wing cut inside and unleashed a shot, which goalkeeper Robinson punched away to the side with both fists.
Sagna, who had followed up on the attack, received the ball again and sent a cross into the penalty area.
Van Persie started moving, watching the ball's landing point, and Maël also charged into the penalty area.
But no one expected that Arteta would rush in first, ahead of Van Persie, and smash in a header, something he wasn't particularly good at.
"Bang, Swoosh!"
The ball slammed into the ground, bounced up, and smashed into the upper corner of the net.
Five to zero! Arsenal didn't even celebrate wildly this time, just shaking hands and hugging a few times before returning to the center circle.
Fourteen minutes later, Van Persie sent a backheel pass to Walcott on the right wing. The Little Tiger dribbled the ball into the penalty area and scored again, putting the ball through the goalkeeper's legs.
Six to zero! A massacre!
The Blackburn manager squatted on the sidelines, unable to bear to look at his own team any longer.
In the 89th minute of the match, Maël once again dribbled the ball towards the opponent's backfield, he had never completed an assist hat-trick before, so he had to try this time.
"Peng, peng, peng!"
He dribbled the ball towards Blackburn's defense, but before he could break through, the opponent's defense already showed a scattered and loose feeling.
Then I'm sorry.
"Peng!"
His right instep rubbed the bottom of the football, sending a curved through ball towards the back of the opponent's defense.
Van Persie rushed up, directly passing the opponent's unmotivated center-back Givet, and then dribbled past the goalkeeper in one step.
"Yeah!"
Maël raised his hands in advance, knowing that Van Persie would not fail his pass in this situation, the Dutch striker was always trustworthy.
"Peng!"
As Van Persie pushed the ball into the net, scoring his 23rd goal of the season, all the fans in the Emirates Stadium started jumping shoulder to shoulder facing away from the pitch again, "OhOhOh!!"
Seven to zero! Another seven-goal victory! Arsenal is back! "Nice pass!"
Van Persie turned around and ran over, smiling as he extended his hands to Maël, "Just a little bit worse than my passes."
"Tch." Maël naturally didn't agree, but still smiled, "Considering that I completed an assist hat-trick, I won't argue with you."
An assist hat-trick is definitely a more difficult achievement than a goal hat-trick.
Fortunately, he was in good form in this game, and his teammates also had a good shooting touch, allowing him to complete this important achievement in his first season in the top league!
"Beep! Beep! Beep—!"
The referee then blew the whistle to end the game directly without waiting for the injury time board to be raised, freeing the Blackburn players.
The Arsenal players formed a circle in the center of the field and danced, celebrating the team's three-game winning streak since winning against Manchester United! "The match ball!"
Maël pestered the referee, asking him for the match ball for the hat-trick, "Wait a minute, the ball hasn't been given to me yet."
"Do you get a match ball for an assist hat-trick?" The referee turned his head, searching his memory, but thinking of a player who completed an assist hat-trick seemed a bit too difficult.
"Whatever."
Maël grabbed the football from his arms, in fact, he could just pick one up, but receiving it from the referee would definitely be more ceremonial, "Sign your names, all three of you."
He held the ball in his arms, signaling them to leave their names, this was the old routine.
The three referees looked at each other, and finally smiled and took out their pens, leaving their names on it.
Maël turned around holding the ball, feeling refreshed, this season he had a goal hat-trick and an assist hat-trick.
All that's left is the championship!
The end of the month, fight for the championship!
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