From Arsenal to the Ball God

Chapter 309: Chapter 96: Deschamps at a Crossroads in Life! Ma’el Launches a Blitzkrieg! A Massacre Is Uncorking! (3)

As soon as Eva heard there was food, she immediately stopped crying. While wiping her tears, she saw Azpilicueta across from her watching her again. She pointed at him with her little finger and said, ”He’s a bad guy. He won’t let me find my brother.”

”What should we do then?” Ma’el cast an apologetic look at the future captain of Stanford Bridge and turned back to comfort Eva.

The little girl might have been scared by suddenly meeting strangers, plus her parents weren’t around, which was quite normal.

”My brother will smash him on the field!” Eva said with a fierce little cuteness, pointing at Azpilicueta.

The Marseille players pursed their lips, holding back laughter, turning themselves into a meme.

Azpilicueta: ”???”

He really was the defender lined up against Ma’el... The key point is he hadn’t done anything, who could he tell?

”Okay, okay.” Ma’el patted Eva and waved at Azpilicueta again.

They then boarded the Marseille home stadium together. After the Champions League anthem finished playing, Eva got down from Ma’el’s arms and ran toward the player tunnel.

After running a few steps, she turned back, clenched her fist towards Ma’el, and said, ”Smash him.”

Ma’el chuckled twice, winked at her indicating no problem, then calmed his expression, ready to take the match seriously.

When he arrived at his left lane, he turned his head and saw Deschamps on the opposite team’s half-court line looking at him, smiling and greeting him.

Ma’el nodded slightly at him and then looked towards Azpilicueta, who was matched against him not far away... Today, he would really try to smash their entire left flank.

...

”Beep!”

The main referee blew the whistle starting the match at precisely five o’clock. Arsenal commenced with the center circle ball, pressing over the half-line.

”The match begins! Friends and viewers, this is CCTV, and you are now watching the 11-12 season UEFA Champions League match between Marseille and Arsenal!

”Let’s first take a look at the starting line-ups. The home team Marseille is playing in a 4-4-2 formation.

”The goalkeeper is Mandanda, the defense line from left to right consists of Nkulu, Jeremy Morel, Diawara, and Azpilicueta.

”The midfield is lined parallelly, with Diarra and Valbuena in the center, Lucho Gonzalez and Benoit Cheyrou on the wings, and on the front line are Remi partnering Andre Ayew.

”But as we enter the game, we see that except for Remi staying at the front, others have retreated to the mid and backfield, organizing a deep defense.

”Marseille is a team adept at defense, their confrontational style is very tough, coming from their coach Deschamps’s philosophy.

”As for Arsenal...”

On the field, Ma’el rushed past the opponent’s midfield line and came next to Azpilicueta, a somewhat short-bodied fullback but with very strong defensive capabilities.

His reaction speed and burst are both excellent; aside from being at a disadvantage in confrontations, he has virtually no weakness.

In fact, he’s skilled at using his short stature to evade offensive players’ challenges, nimbly poking the ball away from their feet.

This is by no means an easy opponent; he must be careful and use full strength.

”Benoit!”

Deschamps signaled with his hand for the nearby midfielder to approach, blocking Ma’el’s receiving space.

Benoit came running over, nodded at Azpilicueta after meeting his eyes, and the two prepared for coordinated defense at the right back position.

One person marking and one assisting, this was the basic setup all teams used recently when defending against Ma’el.

”Bang!”

Just after the match began, Arsenal midfielder Arteta delivered a long cross pass over, giving Azpilicueta and Benoit a chance to confront Ma’el.

”Hey!” Benoit jumped high trying to contend for the header, but the ball brushed past his hair, falling behind him.

He didn’t get discouraged after landing, charging back towards Ma’él’s position, hoping to intercept the ball through front and back pinching.

Ma’el turned sideways against Azpilicueta, initially intending to shield the ball first and then consider further action.

But seeing Benoit’s running route, he realized this increased the chance of interception.

In a flash of inspiration, he suddenly changed strategy, forcefully nudging Azpilicueta behind, then turning around, taking a step back, and with an outstep, touched the falling ball.

”Pop!”

The ball contacted his outstep, changed direction, bounced onto the ground, and headed towards the middle.

Just as Azpilicueta was pushed aside and ready to burst back, Benoit chased back, preparing to close the gap.

But with a deft single touch, the ball slipped right through the gap between them before they could close in!

Benoit froze awkwardly behind, Azpilicueta reacted swiftly, attempting to turn and follow.

”Thump thump thump!”

But Ma’el had already pushed off towards the center, crossing through the gap between the two first.

”Wow.....!” Exclamations erupted from all directions. Whether player, fan, or either coach on the sidelines, all had shell-shocked expressions.

Ma’el perfectly escaped the pincer attack, bolting towards the center!

Having completed a successful attempt, seeing the two flashing past him at high speed, yet helpless... Ma’el’s confidence surged, dribbling quickly inside, ready to attempt a stunning strike.

Many times, you feel like this, when you complete a brilliant breakthrough, an excellent escape.

Your adrenaline rushes in a short time, making you feel invincible, urging you to accomplish more!