Chapter 204: Plans Change! Prepare to Win the Title Early! Drogba's Admiration! A Smile Resolves the Manchester Derby!
After this round of matches, Arsenal's schedule for the season is nearing its end.
In this month, they have only 2 more Premier League home games left, with the remaining 2 rounds to be completed before mid-next month.
Their title rivals, Manchester City and Manchester United, still have 5 games each, with their schedules always lagging by a day.
Assuming Arsenal keeps winning, these two teams will inevitably face immense pressure in each round.
They must understand that as long as they drop points in one game, their hopes of winning the title will go from slim to virtually nonexistent.
On April 18th, both Manchester teams welcomed their respective Premier League Round 34 matches.
Manchester United's game against Wigan Athletic kicked off at 12:30 local time, an early match specifically arranged by The FA to cater to the Asian audience.
However, as everyone knows, a team's form is always unstable when playing a high-intensity, fast-paced game shortly after waking up.
When this instability coincides with the critical period of the title race, the players' mental and physical pressure is imaginable.
"Glory glory Man united! As the reds go marching on on on!!"
At Old Trafford Stadium, tens of thousands of Red Devils fans sang "Glory glory Man united", hoping to inspire the team in this way.
In these difficult times, they must do something for the team.
"Giggs' through ball! Rooney gets a One-on-One opportunity, Beausejour chases from behind! Rooney!! The ball is intercepted! His movements seem a bit sluggish, which gives Beausejour a chance to intercept the ball! A crucial tackle!"
"Sir Ferguson's expression contains helplessness and anger. This was the only good scoring opportunity in the first half. Wigan Athletic's defense is very strong today, not giving them many chances!"
"..."
"It's halftime. Wigan is getting better and better! Evra is facing a lot of pressure on his side!"
"Hopefully, the two coaches can make better adjustments in the locker room. They both need this victory!"
"..."
After the second half started, Ferguson stood on the sidelines, directing the team's attack and defense.
Therefore, in the 50th minute of the match, he saw the opponent's full-back, Beausejour, dribbling the ball past him all the way, staggering towards Manchester United's back line.
"Boom!"
He then sent in a Cross. The Football wasn't high, but it was extremely fast, bypassing Evans, who was defending at the near post.
In the center, the opponent's attacking midfielder, Maloney, moved forward into the penalty area, lunging towards the Football and making contact with his foot.
"Swish!" The Football rolled into the net from under De Gea's arm before he could get down.
"Aha!" At the junction of the east and west stands, more than two thousand Wigan fans cheered and shouted, waving their arms randomly and rhythmically.
After getting up, Maloney put one hand to his ear and pointed to Beausejour on the wing with the other.
One to zero!
They took the lead! "Oh oh...! Manchester United is in trouble after conceding a goal to Wigan Athletic at this point! They seemed to be gaining momentum to suppress their opponents in the second half, but unexpectedly, Wigan delivered a counter-attacking blow!"
"This team has been playing too beautifully recently. They led Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and are now leading Manchester United at Old Trafford! Ferguson visibly became anxious. If they can't beat Wigan in this round, the gap between them and Arsenal will be 9 points!" "With 4 rounds left in the league, being 9 points behind basically means giving up hope of winning the title!" "Arsenal can't lose 3 out of 4 games, even if they rotate their squad!"
On the sidelines, Ferguson took out his chewing gum box, poured out a few pieces, stuffed them into his mouth, and then crushed them forcefully.
His whole body was red, as if burned by flames, and an unbearable itching sensation appeared all over him, causing him to pace back and forth, clenching his teeth.
When the discomfort subsided, Ferguson turned to look at the bench, "Welbeck, Nani, warm up! Quickly!"
His breathing was rapid, and he took a deep breath after every short sentence.
After seeing a young man who had just been promoted from the U18, he hesitated for a moment, then pointed at the person and said, "Pogba, you go warm up too! If you help us win, we will do everything we can to keep you."
The three quickly got up and went to the sidelines under the guidance of the assistant coach.
Pogba, with a naive look on his face, glanced at the field, his eyes wandering, not knowing what he was thinking.
Five minutes later, the three came on together, with Evra, Rooney, and Hernández being replaced and sitting on the bench.
Evra spread his hands and complained with a bitter face, "We had good opportunities, we should have seized them."
Hernández lowered his head, while Rooney turned to confront him, "Are you saying I played badly? I made the team fall behind? Come on, Evra, if you have any dissatisfaction, tell me directly like a man!"
Evra curled his lip and turned his head away, not wanting to argue with Rooney at this moment.
"Come on!"
"Enough!"
Seeing Rooney trying to stir up internal strife, Ferguson turned around and walked over, pointing at him and saying, "Shut up! All of you shut the hell up! If you think you can do whatever you want, get out of my team!
"Don't think your contributions are great, you're nothing! Remember how Roy Keane left!"
Rooney shut his mouth, crossed his arms, and stared at the field with an unhappy expression.
Manchester United suddenly intensified their attack, but the final shot was always a bit off, unable to threaten the opponent's goalkeeper.
As the game clock passed 70 minutes, Sir Ferguson didn't stop moving, roaring at the field while pacing back and forth.
Ten minutes later, Manchester United's assistant coaches couldn't sit still either, getting up to assist Ferguson with his on-the-spot command.
In the 85th minute, the entire Manchester United team on the bench couldn't stay quiet, they all stood up, anxiously waiting.
The fourth official came over to negotiate with them several times, but he got nothing but Ferguson's roar.
"Second half stoppage time, 2 minutes!" In the 90th minute, the on-site DJ announced the bad news to the desperate Manchester United fans.
Ferguson suddenly stopped, his face slowly turning calm, like in the 98-99 Champions League final against Bayern, he finally tried to point to his watch.
Now, apart from a full-scale attack, there were no other tactical arrangements for 'Ferguson Time'.
He just wanted to try to summon the spirit, to summon the energetic self of that time, to summon Solskjaer who scored two goals in the last two minutes to win against Bayern.
Or rather, to summon that Manchester United team from that time.
"Beep! Beep! Beep—!"
But it was useless, everything was just wishful thinking, all Manchester United players finished the last two minutes in despair.
The score was fixed at zero to one, they lost to the relegation team Wigan Athletic at home!
"Come on!!"
"Yeah!!"
Wigan Athletic's players on the field knelt and raised their arms, their substitutes and assistant coaches also ran onto the field, as happy as if they had won a championship trophy.
Compared to them, tens of thousands of Manchester United fans were so silent, and more than twenty Manchester United players worth tens of millions were so self-reproachful and depressed.
Alex Ferguson, the great coach who had won the championship 12 times on this field, stared blankly at the field, the muscles on his face twitching unnaturally.
It's over! They don't have to struggle anymore, after playing the next Manchester Derby, it's time for them to focus on next season.
"What's the board thinking?" Ferguson turned to look at the assistant coach beside him and asked, "Have they loosened up recently?"
"What?" The assistant coach didn't realize what he was referring to.
"Packaged transfer." Ferguson replied briefly, this had always been his wish, to buy back Ronaldo and bring in Bale from Tottenham, to pair them with Rooney on both wings.
"I don't know." The assistant coach shook his head, thought for a moment, and still reminded him, "Sir, in the last 3 days, you've asked me 4 times. They said they'll wait until the end of the season to consider it."
"Ah."
Ferguson nodded to him apologetically, shaking his head with a wry smile, "Getting old, can't remember."
...
In a photography studio in downtown London, intense filming activities were underway.
"Last one, Maël, look here first, then there's a turning motion at the end, watch camera position 3 at that time."
The advertising director held a megaphone and communicated with Maël, "Your eyes should be as deep as possible, you understand that feeling, our audience is female, show your charm generously.
"Okay, let's go!"
Maël held the small Olay bottle in his hand, struck the pose they wanted, then turned his head and raised his head, showing his entire face in front of the camera.
"Click! OK, very good!"
The director walked to Maël's side and extended his hand to him, "The first stage of filming has come to a successful conclusion, thank you very much for taking the time to come over at such a crucial time."
"It's nothing." Maël said politely, after this one is finished, the filming of his four endorsements will be completed.
This will allow him to relax a little, withdraw from off-field activities, and concentrate all his energy on the field.
Sitting aside to rest, he opened his phone and glanced at Manchester United's result, surprised to see them lose 0-1 to Wigan Athletic, followed by a sense of relief.
It wasn't like he was overjoyed; Manchester United was far behind them anyway, and their chances of winning the championship were slim.
But if that team had been close behind, they would definitely have paid attention to them to some extent.
With this loss, they no longer had to worry about that team, and could focus their attention solely on their only rival, Manchester City! The championship situation had been simplified!
"Buzz, buzz!"
Leaving the filming location, Maël stepped on the accelerator a few times, clearly in a good mood.
"So," José, who had been accompanying him in the passenger seat, smiled and asked, "is your goal of becoming the King of London about to be achieved?"
"Haha..."
Maël laughed a few times and shook his head, "It's not up to me to say; it's up to the fans to evaluate spontaneously."
"Why not have Emilia promote this title?" José suggested with a smile, feeling that such a title needed to be proposed by the media.
"No, no, no." Maël shook his head again, still principled, "That would also be self-proclaimed; I want the residents of London to acknowledge it spontaneously.
"What I want isn't the title, but a feeling."
"The feeling of conquering London?" José added with a smile.
"Yes!"
"Haha...!" The two laughed together; sometimes they were like this, half-joking and half-serious, saying whatever came to mind.
After returning home to complete some technical training, Maël drove to the team's meeting room; they were going to watch Manchester City's game together, their direct rivals for the championship.
Arriving at the club's Administration Building, he suddenly saw a familiar figure pacing back and forth at the entrance, seemingly glaring at him.
"Hans!"
Maël called out, walking over with a smile, "I heard you went to take the coaching certificate; how did it go?"
Hans had been beaming at first, but now he put on a sad face, "I failed; I'm going to be laid off; I came to say goodbye today."
"Don't joke around." Maël didn't believe it at all, patting him on the shoulder before embracing him, "I'm asking you with the answer; Wenger has already told us that you're joining the coaching staff."
"Hehe."
Hans' smile returned, his right hand heavily patting Maël up and down, "You've gotten stronger again; are we going to see an even stronger Maël next season?"
"You'll see it in the next game." Maël said with a smile, walking with him towards the meeting room.
"Hopefully."
Hans was radiant, old friends always having endless things to talk about, he told Maël about his recent situation, "I thought I would be joining the coaching staff next season, but I didn't expect to complete the registration yesterday.
"This is really great; not only can I work with you in advance, but I also have the opportunity to win a top league championship trophy.
"Say, if we really win the championship, wouldn't other colleagues be furious when they see that my resume already has one championship?"
"It's certainly possible." Maël nodded with a smile, "Why are you still saying 'if' now? You should say directly that there won't be any problems with the championship.
"It just depends on when we can lift that trophy."
"You're right."
The two chatted with their arms around each other's shoulders, and when they reached the meeting room, they found that many people were already seated.
Maël saw that there were seats next to Sagna and Arteta, walked over to sit down, and chatted with the players about gossip.
"I heard that the club is going to investigate the players' opinions, and there will be a vote soon."
Sagna leaned close to Maël and told him the news he had heard, "It's about Usmanov and Kroenke; the board of directors wants to see who we want to take over Arsenal."
"Really?" Maël frowned, "Why is the team doing this kind of survey? Are the two still deadlocked?"
Sagna nodded, "I guess so; they want to use the players' opinions to increase their persuasiveness."
"So," Maël had a clear idea in his mind, "this seemingly trivial vote may actually affect the outcome of their game?
"But the problem is that Kroenke never shows his face and is always behind the scenes; Usmanov often comes to the training base, but he wanders around like a ghost, and his mind isn't on us.
"Most of the players don't understand them; how can they make a decision?"
He had a basic impression of the two, but the other Arsenal players obviously didn't. This vote seemed like child's play from the inside out.
Arteta, who was listening to their conversation, couldn't help but say, "I reckon we'll get to know them soon enough. They'll be reaching out to us.
"Even if they don't contact everyone, they'll definitely contact the key players who can influence the team's decisions.
"Maël, you and Van Persie should prepare to meet with them, and help us choose wisely. We'll listen to both of your opinions."
Maël turned to look at him, thinking that it was indeed possible.
If Kroenke and Usmanov both understood that they had to decide the outcome after this season's godsend opportunity arrived, and still couldn't reach an agreement, this was the only way they could do it.
Like Russian roulette, they would put themselves on the gambling table, deciding their fate in a way that seemed almost like a game.
Of course, it only seemed like a game to them; it wasn't for the club.
Maël didn't think too much about it. Judging from this, it was only a matter of time before he came into contact with the two. He just needed to make the most appropriate choice based on the situation.
"Ahem." Wenger walked into the meeting room and reminded the players on the stage, "The match is about to start. Calm down and pay attention to their tactical style, pressing methods, and so on.
"I've said it before, we don't need to care about the result, we only need to care about the match at the end of the month."
"Alright!" The players agreed, and the match kicked off immediately.
"Beep!"
West Midlands, Molineux Stadium, the referee blew the whistle to start the match.
"Whoosh!" A few minutes later, heavy rain poured down, soaking the pitch and plastering Mancini's long hair to his scalp.
April was England's last relatively rainy month. The sudden downpour didn't affect the fierce confrontation between the two teams, as they battled in midfield.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
In the 26th minute, former Arsenal player Clichy dribbled the ball down the wing, advancing into the attacking third and playing a one-two with David Silva, beating the Wolves' fullback.
After reaching the byline, Clichy sent in a low cross. He had quite a few assists this season and was very confident in his crossing technique.
"Bang!!"
Agüero appeared at the near post, shooting the ball towards the far corner before the defender could get a foot in.
The football slipped through the gap between Ward's legs and past De Vries' fingertips, into the net. "Swish!!"
"Yeah!" Manchester City's traveling fans immediately cheered wildly. Agüero, the goal scorer, slid on his knees for nearly 10 meters thanks to the wet pitch.
Mancini clenched his fist on the sidelines, still wearing a blue and white Manchester City scarf today.
Under his passionate 'endorsement', the scarf was almost sold out, but the club still hadn't paid him any advertising fees.
If it weren't for the rain, fearing the water would run down his hair and into his body, he would have taken it off long ago.
In the 44th minute of the first half, another former Arsenal player, Nasri, received a pass from Tévez on the right side of the penalty area, charged into the area, and shot into the net.
Two-nil! Extending the lead!
"Come on!" Nasri jumped on the spot, then roared passionately towards the home team's stands.
This action angered the Wolves fans, and then the Wolves players.
"Beep! Beep—!"
Soon, the first half ended, and the Manchester City players walked towards the locker room.
It was also at this time that the heavy rain slowly turned into a drizzle, showing signs of clearing up.
After Mancini finished talking about the problems in the first half in the locker room, he asked a staff member to borrow a hair dryer and dried his hair before preparing to come out in a rambling manner.
As a result, he was a few minutes late to appear on his team's bench.
Looking at the time, he roughly estimated that if Wolves didn't score by the 65th minute, they would most likely win the match.
"Phew."
He took a deep breath, occasionally looking at his watch, relaxing a bit.
"Bang!"
In the 64th minute, Wolves launched a quick attack. Knightly suddenly nutmegged past two defenders under pressure, passing the ball to Karl Henry on the weak side.
The latter, facing Zabaleta's defense, seized upon the mistake of the opponent's rashly extended foot, overtook him from the outside, and fired a shot towards the far corner.
"Swish!" A fast, low shot hit Manchester City's side netting, changing the score.
One to two!
Wolves pulled one back! "Wow!"
Mancini, standing by the sideline, listened to the home fans' roars, his face liver-colored, and hesitantly raised his left hand.
The second hand ticked, driving the hour hand to move slowly, gradually reaching 4:48, exactly the 65th minute of the match.
Noticing the Wolves players' fighting spirit, he then withdrew David Silva and Tévez, replacing them with Nigel de Jong and Adam Johnson, seeking stability.
He glanced at his watch again, and looking back at the field, he estimated that if the opponent didn't score before the 85th minute, the possibility of them scoring again would be slim.
"Flying out across the country!!"
Amidst the high-pitched cheers of the fans, the match time quickly reached the 84th minute.
Mancini stared nervously at the field, and after seeing De Jong disrupt the opponent's attack in the middle, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He looked down at his watch and found that the time had passed 5:08, 85 minutes had passed! He wasn't careless, still standing on the sidelines, observing the team's and the opponent's fight, observing the state of each player.
In the 90th minute of the match, the fourth official raised the injury time board on the sidelines, indicating 1 minute of added time in the second half!
"Beep beep!"
Mancini quickly brought Kolo Touré onto the field, using the substitution to delay time.
Watching Nasri slowly walk off the field, he looked up and found that the rain still hadn't stopped, but at this moment, the small raindrops became lovely, falling on people's faces so comfortably.
"Beep!"
"Bang!"
The match restarted, and Wolves played a long pass from the backcourt, making a final offensive attempt.
Inside the Manchester City penalty area, Kompany jumped up and headed the ball out of the area, then waved to signal the defense to push forward.
"Bang!!"
In front of the arc of the penalty area, a booming sound rang out, and Wolves midfielder Karl Henry unleashed a super powerful outside-of-the-foot volley.
He certainly wasn't confident about this kind of shot, he just tried his best to kick it, hoping for some good luck.
Under the gaze of the entire stadium, the football flew towards the far corner of the goal with a violent, outward-to-in arc.
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart had already had enough of wonder goals, and when he saw the opponent kick, he pounced towards the predicted landing spot.
"Swish!" But the football preceded his hand, grazed the post, and rolled into the net.
Here we go again! Joe Hart's face was ashen, he knew what conceding a goal at this time meant.
"Beep!!" The referee's whistle sounded first, and he pointed to the center circle, indicating that the goal was valid.
Goal! Two to two! Equalizer!! "Aaaahhhh!!" Molineux Stadium exploded like a detonated bomb, the Wolves fans all opened their mouths wide, as if they wanted to eat the Manchester City players.
Karl Henry tore off his shirt and ran impatiently to the sidelines, kicking the corner flag and breaking it.
A precious point! The Manchester City players were stunned, this was definitely Wolves' last attack... but it was this last time that made them fall from heaven to hell, making the result unacceptable.
Many people looked down at the ground, letting the rain from the hair on their foreheads slide down their faces, at this moment, God seemed to be crying for them.
On the sidelines, Mancini's expression changed several times, and finally the corners of his eyes squeezed together, and he looked at the Wolves' celebration team with a meaningful expression.
The rainy day at Molineux didn't see 'Forza', only a sad Italian, bidding farewell to this sad 'West Midlands' trip with melancholy eyes.
"League Table 1: Arsenal, 34 matches, 28 wins, 6 draws, 90 points. League Table 2: Manchester City, 34 matches, 26 wins, 5 draws, 3 losses, 83 points. League Table 3: Manchester United, 34 matches, 25 wins, 6 draws, 3 losses, 81 points." - Premier League standings "Yeah!!"
London, inside the meeting room of the Colney Training Base, a burst of intense cheers erupted.
The Arsenal players stood up and hugged each other, high-fiving, some dancing in place, some running back and forth, everyone was caught in a frenzy of surprise.
The competitor dropped points again!
"Henry!"
Sagna twisted his hips and shoulders comically, looking at the celebrating Karl Henry and said, "Let's lend him The Great's title for a day, I know he summoned another peak Henry by inviting the spirit!"
"Haha!" A burst of laughter erupted in the meeting room. It was quite a coincidence that the Wolves player who scored a brace shared a name with the club legend, Henry.
"Henry is still exerting his power," Van Persie joked, raising his hands cheerfully and shouting, "A 7-point gap! We will definitely win the title in advance!"
"Ooh-hoo!"
"Arsenal Arsenal!"
"Champions! Champions!"
Everyone celebrated together. The joy didn't come entirely from their rivals dropping points, but also from their impressive unbeaten run against relegation-threatened teams in the second half of the season.
"Looking at it that way, Wigan Athletic and Wolves are really tough to play against. One stopped Manchester United, and the other stopped Manchester City!"
"We didn't win easily!"
Someone sighed, and they immediately recalled those two matches. One was a comeback victory with a Maël Brace, and the other was when he caused a red card and provided an assist to help the team take the lead.
Most people turned their gaze towards Maël, smiling.
"So!"
"Clang clang clang clang!"
"I have a friend who drives a Bugatti on the sidelines, he dances on the defensive line! Clang clang clang clang!"
The familiar song rang out, and Maël was surrounded by joy. He stood up, clapping and keeping the beat, dancing with Sagna beside him.
Amidst the celebration, he saw Wenger walking to the front of the meeting room, seemingly wanting to say something to everyone.
The singing gradually stopped, and people remembered what Wenger had said before the match. They hadn't really paid attention to Manchester City's tactics, especially after Wolves scored.
However, Wenger must be happy now, right? After this match, they were truly only one step away from the title!
As long as they steadily beat Chelsea at home and then win the game against Manchester City at the end of the month, they could even hold the award ceremony directly at the Emirates Stadium and lift the trophy early! "Pat pat pat..."
Wenger walked to the stage step by step, biting his upper and lower teeth, pretending to be serious, as if he didn't care about Manchester City's loss.
"I..."
But after opening his mouth, a sense of triumph surged uncontrollably, instantly erasing the seriousness he had carefully constructed on his face.
This heartfelt joy made him unable to close his mouth, breaking into a smile. He tried to adjust several times but failed.
"Hahaha!" Laughter erupted from every player, and assistant coaches like Philip and Hans also lowered their heads, trying to suppress their laughter.
Wenger couldn't help but laugh along with everyone. In the end, he could only raise his arms and shout, "Damn the championship trophy, let it return to our embrace at the end of the month!"
"Alright!"
April 21st, Arsenal welcomed the second-to-last match of the month, hosting Chelsea at home in a London Derby.
Chelsea had experienced some turmoil mid-season. Portuguese coach Boas came with much praise but failed to meet expectations and ended his tenure amidst criticism.
Assistant coach Di Matteo took over the reins and has been coaching ever since.
After realizing early on that they had no hope of competing for the league title, they focused on the Champions League and FA Cup competitions.
On April 16th, they first thrashed Tottenham 5-1 in the FA Cup semi-final, advancing to the FA Cup final!
Then, on April 19th, they pulled off a stunning upset in the Champions League semi-final, defeating Guardiola's Barcelona 1-0 and advancing to the Champions League final!
Di Matteo, the previously unknown assistant coach, had thus stepped into the center of European football.
He was very likely to fulfill Abramovich's and the team's long-standing dream, while also creating his own coaching legend!
"Keep telling us we're boring - we'll just keep on scoring now!"
In the Emirates Stadium, the Arsenal fans' singing was powerful and energetic, like a raging wave, and it also burst out with a vitality different from the past.
The players smiled as they saw this scene when they came out, knowing where this vigor came from.
The fans were always in sync with them, maintaining the same frequency.
"The big match of the 35th round of the Premier League is about to begin. The importance of this match for Arsenal is self-evident! I believe many Arsenal fans have come to watch the game with a strong sense of excitement."
In the broadcast room, Zhan Jun's voice was also full of vitality. "As long as they beat Chelsea in this match, they are expected to win the title in advance in the next round!"
As a commentator, he always had to mentally split himself and empathize with the fans of different teams. This was his job.
"Let's take a look at the starting lineups for both sides. For Arsenal, the goalkeeper is Szczęsny, the left-back is Kyle Walker, the center-backs are Mertesacker and Koscielny, and the right-back is Sagna.
"The three midfielders are Alexandre Song in the center, with Arteta and Ramsey on either side.
"Leading the attack is Van Persie, with Maël on the left wing and Walcott on the right wing.
"This lineup is basically their strongest. Will it become a classic championship-winning squad?
"However, if we were to rank the championship lineup, the recently recovered Vermaelen and Gibbs, as well as Rosický in midfield and Gervinho on the right wing, should also have a place.
"They have all made many contributions to this team and are among the creators of the championship!
"Of course, they haven't won the championship yet, so we can't say that too early, haha...!"
"."
"Now let's look at Chelsea's lineup. Since this is their third game in six days, they can only field a semi-main, semi-rotated four-two-four formation.
"Čech is in goal, Terry partners Cahill in central defense, Ferreira is at left-back, and Bosingwa is at right-back.
"In midfield, Essien partners Romeu, and ahead of them, Torres and Malouda lead the attack in the center, with Kalou and Sturridge on either side.
"It will be difficult for this lineup to compete with Arsenal at full strength.
"Di Matteo's intention is clear: either qualify directly for next season's Champions League by winning the Champions League, or qualify directly for next season's Europa League by winning the FA Cup! If they win both, that would be amazing. The game has already started, let's focus our attention on the field!"
"."
At the Emirates Stadium, Van Persie kicked off from the center circle amidst a chorus of songs, and Chelsea's four forwards pressed forward to start the attack.
"Bang!"
Kyle Walker, the full-back who had just received the ball on the wing, was not in a hurry. He deliberately waited for the opposing forward to come close before passing the ball back to Szczęsny.
"Up, up, up!" Chelsea's two midfielders also pressed past the halfway line, blocking Szczęsny's passes to the Arsenal midfield.
"Bang!" But Szczęsny quickly found Ramsey on the side and passed the ball to him.
Chelsea's group of six pressing players would definitely find it difficult to block all the passing options against Arsenal's seven players in the backfield.
Wenger had emphasized this numerical advantage before the game, allowing the team to maintain deep Ball Control, attract the opponent's midfield forward, and then pass the ball as simply as possible to the feet of the forwards, allowing them to face the defenders directly.
"Bang, bang... bang!"
After receiving the ball, Ramsey turned and passed the ball to Van Persie, who had come back to receive it, without taking more than two steps.
The latter turned halfway and passed the ball to Maël on the left wing, who had the opportunity to hold the ball, and Chelsea's mid-to-front defensive line had already been broken down.
"Pa, pa...!"
Maël dribbled the ball towards the opposing defender Bosingwa, a full-back who was good at tackling and heading, and would definitely not be easy to get past in positional warfare.
However, Bosingwa was definitely full of loopholes in this kind of advancing attack.
After using a feint to trick the opponent into making a move, he dribbled the ball towards the center, heading straight for the opponent's goal.
After arriving at the edge of the arc, he faced a total of three choices: one was to pass to Van Persie, who was cutting in diagonally, and the other was to pass to Walcott on the right wing.
"Bang!!"
He chose the third option, trying a Curved Shot directly. He believed that the probability of Van Persie scoring after getting past the opponent's defender was not as high as his direct shot.
"Pa!"
"Ooh, ooh, ooh!"
To the astonishment of the Arsenal fans, Čech made a wonderful save, single-handedly punching the Football that was flying towards the corner of the goal.
He was a good goalkeeper, especially before his brain was seriously injured.
Maël was not discouraged, and waved his hand towards Van Persie and Walcott with a slightly apologetic expression, and stepped into the penalty area to prepare to compete for a corner kick.
After a season, he had long understood that the probability of success on the first try was very small, and he had long been accustomed to warming up his feet first before seeking to score.
"Good form?"
Van Persie didn't blame him, but instead asked with a smile, "So, are you going to help us win again with a goal?"
"Haha..." Maël nodded optimistically, and said as he clapped hands with him, "Although my attempt failed, the team's tactical attempt was successful, so I am confident that I will get more opportunities."
Van Persie didn't say anything more, standing at the front post ready to contest the corner.
Maël came to the center, he glanced at the Arsenal fans behind the goal, full of expectation and confidence, and a very certain feeling suddenly rose in his heart.
They would not lose this crucial battle, they would definitely win it, and then lift the championship trophy at the end of the month! "Opportunity!! Still Čech! In the past 30 minutes, Arsenal has fired 6-7 shots, and the offensive efficiency is very high!
"Chelsea also has some successful attempts, Sturridge and Torres are on the strong side, they can often play some wonderful attacks and complete shots!
"In general, Arsenal has the advantage, but whether they can score first depends on the state of the shooters!"
"."
"In this case, the first half of the game is over, Arsenal fans may have to temporarily put away their expectations and wait for the second half of the game! "They should still believe in the team. Over a season, they have achieved 28 victories in 34 games and scored 90 points! "If someone from the future told them that Chelsea blocked Arsenal's path to the championship at the Emirates Stadium, preventing them from lifting the trophy this month, they would definitely not believe it! "They also have Maël, and Van Persie! These are all players who can change the game! "The Kings of Dual Guns! The two have almost scored 70 Premier League goals together, which is much higher than the single-season goals of some mid-to-lower teams!
"."
"Arsenal players walked out of the player tunnel laughing and talking, looking relaxed, they didn't go into battle with pressure like before!
"Okay! The second half of the game begins! Let's take a look at Chelsea's backcourt organization!"
"."
"Ramsey's corner kick is sent out! Maël is at the front post, he heads the ball back to the back post! "Koscielny is in a bad position, and heads the ball back into the penalty area again! The football has been hanging in the Chelsea penalty area, unable to come down, and Čech doesn't dare to come out! This is a chaotic battle! "Arteta and Essien head the ball! Neither of them headed it, and they fell down, they are complaining to the referee! "Arteta is about to come up and take a shot! Čech!! Mertesacker has a follow-up shot! This time the ball finally went in!! "The 67th minute of the game! Mertesacker took a 1-0 lead for Arsenal! The 29th victory is imminent! If this achievement is achieved, they will be tied with Chelsea as the team with the most wins in a single Premier League season!
"And, with 3 rounds left, they have a high probability of breaking this record and completing 30 wins in a single season!"
"."
In the corner flag area of the Emirates Stadium, Mertesacker pretended to be touching the steering wheel with both hands, happily running towards the corner flag area, turning left and right all the way, and hugging the fans in the nearby stands.
"Beautiful!"
"Mertesacker!"
"King of Picking Up Leaks!"
"Nonsense, two times in a row, the iron tree blooms, both are key goals, how good of a leak is this!"
"Haha...!"
The other Arsenal players ran up and hugged Mertesacker and the Arsenal fans near the corner flag area.
Maël supported Mertesacker's broad shoulders and jumped up, jumping to a very high position, looking straight at many Arsenal fans who were smiling at him.
Feeling their expectations for him, he also wanted to end the game with a goal.
He believed in his ability. Bosingwa had been broken by him in this game and had no temper. He was just a little short of scoring luck.
As long as he continues to try like this, he will definitely be able to score and lock in the victory!
"Beep!"
After the restart, Chelsea no longer pressed, but carried out a mid-range defense, as if they also understood that Arsenal could not keep playing behind them.
There are still more than 20 minutes left in the game. If they defend well and then seize the counterattack, it is not impossible to take away a draw.
"Let's take a look at this shot! Torres didn't grasp it! Arsenal's defense finally had a little loophole, but he failed to complete the goal!
"Szczęsny held the ball very tightly and threw it to Sagna on the wing! "Chelsea players have all pressed up, they want to stop Arsenal's fast counterattack! "At this time, there is no need to try to steal, try to have a chance for a tactical foul! "Arsenal's small-scale cooperation, two consecutive one-touch passes! Arteta received the ball on the other side! Beautiful counter-high position pressure!
"Ramsey was kicked down, but this is an advantageous attack! Arteta has already passed halftime, Maël wants the ball on the wing!"
"."
"Boom!" Arteta in the center circle had a very clear goal. After taking a few steps, he passed the ball to Maël on the wing with one kick.
Bosingwa, who was defending Maël, knew that he would definitely not be able to defend one-on-one, so he rushed out of position in advance, wanting to intercept the ball midway.
Unfortunately, Arteta's route selection was very clever, and the ball speed was also very fast, and his tackle failed.
"Pa!"
Maël had been behind him all the time. Facing the football that crossed Bosingwa's defense zone, he took a super explosive touch forward, covering a distance of more than ten meters.
"Deng deng deng!" He turned two steps into one, and his two long legs moved alternately, chasing after the football.
Feeling the spring breeze pouring into his collar and brushing his cheeks, his adrenaline soared and his excitement reached its peak.
He knew that the opportunity he had been waiting for had arrived, and locking in the victory was now!
"Fall back! Fall back!"
Terry, in his center-back position, directed Cahill on the other side to retreat with him.
But their retreating speed was far from matching Maël's advancing speed.
About 10 meters from the edge of the penalty arc, they had to stop and lower their center of gravity to defend against the charging Maël.
This was definitely disadvantageous for them; the larger the gap behind them, the more room Maël had to exploit his speed.
If they defended at the edge of the penalty arc, Maël probably wouldn't try to burst past them, because if he did, Čech would come out to cover, either clearing the ball or catching it.
But in this position, the opponent certainly wouldn't be afraid, and he would have more options.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Maël sensed Terry and Cahill's tension and deliberately made several feints of bursting past them, scaring them into turning back to chase him several times.
Only when they instinctively relaxed their vigilance did he truly push the football forward, heading towards the opponent's empty backfield! Offense should always be as simple as possible; if there's space, use the simplest and most direct way to exploit it!
Terry and Cahill were extremely desperate. As they chased back, they even felt like they were chasing each other, with Maël having nothing to do with it.
That was because his speed was too fast; not only fast, but he also tricked them into shifting their weight, starting a few steps earlier! After a few steps, Cahill gave up, feeling like it was all in vain.
Terry didn't give up, but he still couldn't stop Maël from entering the penalty area and facing Čech.
"Thwack, boom!!"
Near the penalty spot, Maël pushed the ball towards the far corner, then pointed his supporting foot's toe towards the near corner as he shot.
Everyone knew that he was a player who was good at aiming far and shooting near; it was his signature move.
Čech understood as well. As a top goalkeeper, he had certainly investigated the opponent's forwards before the match.
He placed his center of gravity on the near corner, and lunged towards it the moment Maël kicked the ball.
But the football rolled towards his left hand; the shot went to the far corner!
Astonishment appeared in Čech's eyes; the opponent had calculated one step further than him, anticipating one step ahead! "Swish!!" He watched the football hit the net, then watched Maël spread his arms and run towards the corner flag area of the stadium.
"Aaahhhh!!" The Emirates Stadium went wild again. Watching their star striker score a goal to seal the victory, everyone had a fervent look of love on their faces, standing up and clapping to celebrate.
"Two-nil!! A beautiful goal! Maël fooled Čech! And shot the ball into the far corner! "This is the player's 38th goal of the season! He has taken the record one step further! "Right now, I really want to ask, can he break this record himself next season?!" "Gunners fans! Celebrate to your heart's content! After overcoming Chelsea, the team is very likely to directly defeat their title rivals Manchester City in the 36th round of the Premier League on the 28th, and lift the Premier League trophy again after 7 years!" "Even, if Manchester City fails to defeat Manchester United in the 35th round tomorrow! Arsenal may directly win the title early after this game!" "A Double Crown! Is within reach!!!"
...
On the sidelines, Wenger, Philip, Hans, and others immediately stood up and came to the edge of the field to celebrate.
"Come on!!"
The already elderly Wenger couldn't come up with any creative celebrations; he almost always clenched his fists and raised his arms, but it was clear that the emotions he poured into it were different each time.
Seven years, it sounded like it had passed in a flash, but that was compared to the total length of his coaching career at Arsenal.
How many seven years does one have in a lifetime? Enduring over two thousand days of frustration and hardship was not something ordinary people could withstand, especially for someone who had once been successful; he had to digest and accept the added sense of loss! Fortunately, everything was coming to an end. After defeating Chelsea 2-0, it looked like they would be able to lift the Premier League trophy in their next game!
"Clap clap clap!"
Rookie coach Hans followed behind Wenger, clapping with a flushed face, his eyes full of pride.
He was still a little unaccustomed to being in this position, but when the goal happened, he couldn't sit still; his legs seemed to have automatic cruise control, bringing him to this position to celebrate with everyone.
Beside them, on the Chelsea bench, Drogba was sitting here in a vest, looking at Maël's figure with admiration.
"Ah," he sighed softly. In the past in the Premier League, only he, Henry, and a few others could score such breathtaking goals.
He never expected that before he left the mainstream stage, he would still be able to see an 18-year-old young forward emerge out of nowhere, maturely controlling this stage.
Maël must be the better one among them. If possible, he still wanted to stay on this stage and compete with such talented young players.
Unfortunately, he was going from this Blues to another Blues; the Shenhua Team was waiting for his arrival in the distant East.
"Don't want to leave?" Lampard was sitting next to him. These two players who had achieved success together could perhaps understand each other.
"No."
Drogba shook his head, looking at Maël and saying with emotion, "I just feel that it's worth it to be able to see such a player appear before leaving.
"Thanks to me staying for another year, otherwise, I would only be able to turn on the TV and see him in the early hours of the morning in that unfamiliar region."
Lampard smiled slightly, "Can I take that as a high compliment?"
Drogba nodded, his eyes never leaving Maël.
"Aha!!"
In the corner flag area, Maël, not yet having decided on a celebration to end the game, simply lay down on his back, looking at the sky, happily smiling and waving his fists in the air.
Lying down defenselessly in front of thousands of people is definitely not a safe move.
If even one Arsenal fan wanted to throw something to tease him, they would definitely succeed.
But he believed that at this moment, Arsenal fans would not harm him; they would only look admiringly at their absolute hero in this moment before the championship was about to arrive! As he expected, the corner flag area, which would normally be very chaotic, became unusually calm because he was lying there.
Apart from waving and roaring at him, the fans didn't throw down even a scarf or hat, not even small items like bottle caps; everyone was afraid of hurting him.
This made him even more comfortable lying there, enjoying the happiness of the impending championship.
After getting up, Maël jumped over the advertising boards into the fan zone, shaking his hands and shouting the short phrase he loved to shout with the fans, "Vamos!"
The other Arsenal players then joined in, becoming one with the fans.
29 wins, here we come!
"Arsenal beat Chelsea two-nil! Total points reach 93! With one more game played, they are already 10 points ahead of Mancini's Manchester City!" - British Football Record
"The suspense of the championship is broken! Arsenal is about to lift the 4th league title of the Wenger era!" - BBC column
"Maël scores his 38th league goal! Continuing to move towards 40 goals!" - French L'Équipe
April 22nd, the Manchester Derby welcomed the fiery clash between the two Manchester teams.
The game kicked off at 3:30 in the afternoon, with Manchester City fans at the Etihad and their cross-town rivals singing in unison, discussing what color the sky over Manchester really was.
In the first half of regular time, both sides were calm, with neither team getting any good chances.
Until the 1st minute of stoppage time, David Silva's corner kick flew to the far post.
"Boom!"
Belgium national team captain Kompany jumped up near the back post, overpowering Phil Jones to complete a header.
One-nil!
Manchester City took the lead! This was the only goal of the first half, and also the only goal of the entire match! "Beep! Beep! Beep—!"
When the referee finally blew three long whistles, Manchester City defeated Manchester United by a score of one-nil, winning the Derby and continuing the suspense of the championship to the next game.
"F*****!!"
"B****!!"
Amidst the 'friendly' greetings from both sets of fans, the two team's coaches came to the sidelines to shake hands for post-match etiquette.
The two, who were originally at odds with each other, actually had a bit of mutual appreciation at this moment.
"Well done, now you can go to the Emirates Stadium to challenge Arsenal."
Ferguson said with a faint smile, joking with Mancini, "Originally, you wouldn't have had to watch Wenger win the championship in front of you, but you won this Derby."
"We will also win against Arsenal."
Mancini seemed very serious, only smiling when he said the second sentence, "They have one last away and one home game. If we win, they can only lift the trophy after the season ends.
"We want to make Wenger uncomfortable, to make this respectable 'Chief' lonely for another half month."
"Haha...!" The two men's hands clasped together, laughing heartily in relief.
They also admitted at this moment that Arsenal was the super team that dominated this league this season! And what they had to do had also changed from competing for the championship to whether they could tease their old rival Wenger.
Have to admire... Looking back now, Arsenal has indeed had an amazing season!
"League Table One: Arsenal 35 games, 29 wins, 6 draws, 93 points. League Table Two: Manchester City 35 games, 27 wins, 5 draws, 3 losses, 86 points. League Table Three: Manchester United 35 games, 25 wins, 6 draws, 4 losses, 81 points." - Premier League standings
-----------
This high quality machine translation is powered by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
To read the full translation, as well as more than 444+ fanfic and original translations or request new translations, check out: https:// randomtranslator.com/
You can also join the RandomTranslator community on Discord to connect with other readers: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------