From Arsenal to the Ball God

In the following period, Dalglish began to frequently make in-game adjustments, often swapping the positions of the two wingers to repeatedly assault the less stable defender, Jenkinson.

”Switch! That’s right!”

”Over here! Keep an eye out!”

He often directed the players to transfer the ball to the right side, with a very clear intent to strike at a specific point.

This fine-tuning was very effective, and Jenkinson quickly showed signs of fatigue, with Liverpool’s attacks on his side becoming more and more relentless.

”Boom!”

In the 19th minute of the match, Charlie Adam received a through ball here and broke into the penalty area, sweeping the ball towards the center with one kick.

Thankfully, Vermaelen reacted quickly, using his body to hold off Andy Carroll, managing to intercept it and clear the ball over the baseline first.

The ensuing corner kick was again headed away by him, but the ball was quickly controlled by Liverpool, targeted again at Jenkinson’s defensive area.

”Dun dun dun.....!”

Ma’el was nearby, charging towards Jenkinson’s front, trying to ease the pressure on his teammate.

But his defense wasn’t great; he could only slow things down, with a minimal chance of intercepting.

The opponent’s midfielders, Charlie Adam and Lucas, easily played a one-two wall pass and breezed past him, attacking Jenkinson again.

”Bang!”

He could only start to chase back, the opponent perceived this, making a cross before he could catch up, creating chaos in the penalty area once more.

After several defensive efforts, Ma’el began to feel the pressure on Arsenal’s backline, realizing that Liverpool was gradually gaining momentum.

A suffocating feeling emerged..... After the goal, Arsenal couldn’t maintain control of the game, while Liverpool launched several threatening attacks.

This might be a true clash of the titans, with both sides possessing the strength to suppress their opponents offensively!

It’s all about who performs better at that stage and whether they can capitalize on this momentum to score!

”Whew.....”

Ma’el took a deep breath, excitement surged within him, with a stronger desire to contribute to the team.

Facing such a formidable foe, it’s highly challenging and can stimulate all his potential, giving him immense fighting spirit!

He reached his peak condition, with high concentration and relentless running, fighting for every ball.

The game continued to progress, and Arsenal gradually found some counterattack opportunities, causing some trouble for Liverpool’s defense.

However, Liverpool’s offensive momentum didn’t wane, and after Arsenal attacked, the quality of their offensive opportunities improved, posing a greater threat to the goal.

In the 39th minute of the match, this time it switched to the left flank where Tang Ning and Henderson executed intertwined passes, breaching Sagna’s defensive zone.

”Bang!!”

Tang Ning delivered a half-high cross from this side, with the ball whistling towards Arsenal’s six-yard box.

At the near post, the retreating Ramsey awkwardly stuck a foot out towards the ball, knowing Kuyt was lurking just behind him ready to shoot.

”Bang.” The ball hit Ramsey’s toe, failing to be effectively cleared, instead swirling towards the near corner of the goal net.

Szczeny couldn’t react in time, allowing the ball to slip through his armpit and into the net.

Own goal!

”Yeah...!!” Over four thousand Liverpool fans exploded into a frenzy, having awaited their team’s equalizing moment for so long.

Ma’el, having just chased back a few steps from the midfield line, saw his team’s net ripple, stopping in his tracks and standing still, waiting to restart the game.

He didn’t feel disappointed, only eager to resume play and seize attacking opportunities.

”It’s okay Ramsey!”

”It’s not your fault!”

”Let’s go again!”

Arsenal players clapped their hands to encourage Ramsey, who waved at everyone with a frustrated look and walked towards the center circle with his head down.

”Oh ho!”

Behind him, Liverpool forward Kuyt and others dashed toward the corner flag, kneeling in celebration with Tang Ning, who caused the own goal, in front of the Liverpool fan section rejoicing this hard-earned goal.

This was Arsenal’s first conceded goal of the season, and against strong teams, their defense still showed unstable vulnerabilities.

......

Soon after, the referee blew the whistle signaling the end of the first half, and the players from both teams returned to the locker rooms.

Wenger stood before the tactical board in the locker room, his expression stern, waiting for all the players to return before speaking: ”In midfield line defense, retreat as deeply as possible, we’re short in numbers in various defensive scenarios.

”Frimpong....Ramsey....Song, you need to maintain discipline and stay in position, understood?”

He moved some pieces on the tactical board, representing the three midfielders near their penalty area, indicating they should retreat there.

”Gervinho.”

Then, he turned his gaze to Gervinho and Ma’el, preparing to discuss the forward defense.

Ma’el straightened his back, listening intently, with a strong desire to win..... he also knew he had to stay in sync with the team to unleash more powerful combat strength for both the team and himself.

”Compared to Ma’el, you have a heavier defensive task; Ma’el mostly serves as the counterattack focal point up front, at least when facing strong teams.

Wenger moved the piece representing Gervinho back to the rear flank, clearly indicating: ”When the opponent masses forces to attack the right side, you’re the first line of defense on the rear flank.”

”Sagna needs to move with the defensive line to protect behind you.

”Lastly, let’s talk about Ma’el.