From Arsenal to the Ball God

Chapter 278: Chapter 87: September Ends! Recap Time! Ma’el’s Goals! Pressure on Aguero and Rooney!

On September 29, the second round of the Champions League group stage kicked off at the Emirates Stadium.

In this round, Arsenal faced the Greek super club Olympiacos, a second-tier team from a third-tier European league, known for their intimidating home stadium.

However, in away matches, they appear somewhat weaker, with more losses than wins.

”Let’s fight! Come on!”

”End this month perfectly!”

”Defeat them, and remain unbeaten for two months since the start!”

”9 wins and 2 draws across all competitions!”

Arsenal players encouraged each other in the players’ tunnel, as they were close to summarizing their start-of-season performance.

Ma’el stood in the players’ tunnel holding hands with a young mascot, adjusting his breath to prepare for the match. He could feel the intense atmosphere inside the Emirates Stadium.

His life’s second Champions League match was upon him. In the last match at the Westfalen Stadium, they defeated a top-seeded team in the group, Dortmund... In this match, they aimed to soundly defeat the fourth-seeded team, Olympiacos, at home.

No slacking off!

Give it everything, and fight fiercely for the sixth point in the Champions League group stage!

If they succeeded, the qualification situation would be extremely favorable for them.

”Arsenal...! Arsenal....!”

Soon, Ma’el walked onto the field amid the chants of the crowd to participate in the pre-match ceremony.

He quickly saw Wenger casting a smile in his direction, to which he responded with a smile of his own... This month, Wenger had the chance to win the Coach of the Month award.

This is an award internally selected by the Premier League, though officially under the Premier League’s name, its evaluation spans all competitions.

Last month, Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United claimed the honor... He led Manchester United to win the Community Shield Cup, with an unbeaten record of 2 wins and 1 draw in the Premier League.

Arsenal’s record in the Premier League was the same as theirs, plus victories in two additional matches.

Unfortunately, without the boost of a championship, they regretfully lost the competition.

After regaining form in September, Wenger ambitiously pursued this honor again, fueled by the performances of Arsenal’s players, edging him toward the monthly best, contingent on a victory in this match.

”If we win this match, I wonder if I could contend for Player of the Month?”

Standing in his position, Ma’el considered this point. In theory, his stats of 5 goals and 2 assists in the Premier League last month should have easily secured the award.

Yet Rooney’s performance was too outstanding, claiming the Player of the Month honor with 5 premier league goals, 3 assists, 1 title, and a goal in the final.

This month, Rooney’s performance slightly declined, but Manchester City’s new recruit Aguero emerged... After an adaptation period in August, he scored 4 goals and 2 assists this month.

This was a statistical performance surpassing Ma’el’s this month, marking Aguero’s first burst period in the Premier League.

”It’s a tough competition.”

Ma’el felt the advantage wasn’t his, gradually realizing the intensity of top-league competition.

It’s not just the league points battle, cup advancement battle, or individual match victories; the players also compete across various rankings, such as the goalscorer ranking, assist ranking, monthly best, and more.

Though his stats were efficient and stable, they hadn’t topped any rankings, making it hard to claim a monthly best in the two months since the start of the season.

”Gotta keep pushing forward.”

Ma’el encouraged himself internally, lifted his head, and signaled himself to look ahead.

Secure a steady win against Olympiacos in this match, end September perfectly, and step into the new journey in October!

By then, as his abilities gradually grew and he adapted more to this league, he believed he could achieve more explosive stats, outshining the top players in their burst phases, and compete for the monthly best!

This is just a small goal; gradually, he would also target the Premier League’s top scorer and assist rankings!

”Play Barça... Play Barça...! Play Bayern Munich...!”

”Our team has crumbled...!”

At seven-thirty in the evening, Ma’el completed the opening ceremony amidst a somewhat ominous song, and the match soon commenced.

...

”Arsenal’s control, they chose a very aggressive formation in this round, 3-5-2!

”One of the defenders is the attacking wing-back Andre Santos... The intention is clear, they want to finish the battle in the midfield and forward areas, preventing Olympiacos players from even seeing the goalkeeper’s face.

”Opportunity! Ma’el cuts inside and shoots... Costanzo makes a brilliant save, it’s a corner.”

After kick-off, Arsenal pressed Olympiacos relentlessly, with their ball recovery immediately after losing possession excelling, giving the opponents almost no chance for a counterattack.

Most of the time, the ball stayed in Olympiacos’s danger zone, soon yielding results.

”Boom.”

In the 7th minute of the match, Ma’el received the ball on the left flank, playing as the left midfielder today. However, given the freedom Wenger allowed him, he could be considered a free man on the left side of the front.

”Take them on!”

”Here!”

”Ma’el!”

He dribbled towards the center, as the teammates on the edge of the box quickly chose to cut inside diagonally, drawing away the defensive players while waiting for opportunities.

Due to the numerous attackers, Olympiacos’s defenders quickly felt dizzy and distracted.

The previously tight defensive line was instantly torn open with a small gap... In their anxieties to fill the positions, several defenders left even more gaps, throwing the defense into chaos.

”Boom!” Ma’el’s right foot received the ball with the instep, a through ball shot towards the right side into the space on the flank, where Chamberlain, who performed well in the previous match, rushed forward at high speed.