From Arsenal to the Ball God

Chapter 324: Chapter 100: Bulldozer-Style Forceful Break-In! Heart-to-Heart Between Ah Bu and Mendes! Acrobatic Goal!!

”Focus on the left flank in the second half.”

In the locker room, Wenger stood in front of the tactics board, moving all the pieces to the left... Clearly, he was trying to find a way to help Ma’el.

”In positional play, everyone should initially shift towards the left to ensure compactness of the formation.”

”Then Ramsey, you need to frequently switch positions with Ma’el to create a three-on-two confusion in that area for the opponent.”

”You can move to the left wing, and Ma’el can always drop back to the left midfield position to receive the ball. With his positioning and awareness, I am confident this will increase his ball possession.”

Ma’el looked at the tactics board, nodding slightly. Retreating to receive the ball from a densely defended area is a timeless method to increase possession.

He had used similar tactics multiple times this season, but this was his first time switching positions with a midfield teammate to receive the ball.

His freedom increased a bit, allowing him greater space to showcase his various abilities... and without worrying about reducing the threat when retreating, he could decide himself whether to switch and receive the ball.

When counter-attacking, he would push forward. Once entering the stalemate of positional play, he would retreat to gain possession first before seeking an opportunity.

Ramsey would act as a support to coordinate with him. As long as he retreated, the opponent would vacate the space and rush towards his left wing.

”Arteta.”

Wenger continued with the arrangements, wanting to ensure the stability of the formation, ”When Ma’el retreats, you must stay close to him, and Alexander Song should also be at the back to provide protection against loss of possession.”

”On the other side, Walcott will have to drop back to Arteta’s position, essentially rotating the entire formation half a circle towards the left flank, making the left side more flexible, understand?”

This was a rather conventional arrangement, but it also showed Wenger’s intentions... He wanted to heavily focus on the left flank, even at the risk of sacrificing Walcott’s threat.

There’s nothing else to do; creating threats requires taking some higher-risk attempts.

Even at this moment, no matter how strong Ma’el’s ability is, he may lose possession more frequently.

Losing possession in the midfield is much more dangerous than losing it on the left wing.

To allow Ma’el to showcase his offensive talents fearlessly, Wenger chose to slightly adjust the entire 4-3-3 formation, enabling all midfielders to provide protection for him.

Tactical core!

Even the attacking core!

Many people’s expressions changed as they looked at Ma’el; this was the first time Wenger made such a significant change.

”Now, the entire left half is your stage.”

Before coming on for the second half, Ramsey put an arm around Ma’el’s shoulders, smiling and saying, ”Feel like you’ve stepped up a level?”

”A bit.”

Ma’el raised an eyebrow, jokingly saying, ”But I haven’t reached the top yet. When the entire front line is my stage, then I’ll truly have made it.”

”Haha...” Ramsey laughed, shaking his head, ”Why not aspire for the entire pitch to be your stage?”

Ma’el glanced at him, smiling, ”Good suggestion, I think it’s achievable.”

....

In the owner’s box, Abramovich opened another bottle of wine and called in his female assistant to drink with him.

”I said it wouldn’t be a draw.”

He had confidence in his team, smiling, ”Boas promised me that he’s studied Arsenal’s defense and is confident of scoring more than three goals.”

”There’s still a half to go.” Mendes reminded him not to be too optimistic, having drunk quite a bit himself, somewhat tipsy, ”Ma’el is still holding back and hasn’t unleashed his potential yet, have faith in him.”

Abramovich laughed twice, saying, ”What do you think of him as a player?”

Mendes furrowed his brow, thinking seriously, ”Hmm... an extraordinary player? Haha, that seems a bit vague. Actually, I haven’t thought about this question for a long time.

”His growth rate and this season’s performance leave no time for people to react, and his entire career has been like that.

”Sometimes you’re still wondering what he’ll be like, and he’s already moving forward, and moving fast.”

Abramovich pursed his lips, smiling, then asked, ”Compared to Cristiano?”

”Hard to say.” Mendes was troubled, taking a sip of whiskey, ”If you asked me now who I would choose, I would unhesitatingly choose Cristiano.

”But if it were an 18-year-old Ma’el and an 18-year-old Cristiano, I would choose Ma’el’s.

”I haven’t told him this yet; I believe the current him is certainly stronger than the 18-year-old Cristiano... The difference between them is enough to erase my past affection for Cristiano.”

At this point, he also asked back, ”What about you? Can you tell me about the groundbreaking contract you originally prepared for him?”

The two slightly tipsy middle-aged men temporarily put aside their positions and spoke candidly about the player they both admired.

”You know it.”

Ah Bu picked up his wine glass, clinking it with Mendes as he held his glass, ”Everyone understands my pursuit of him; I was the first to offer prices of 20 million, 30 million, and 40 million Euros.

”No one else was so generous... making three consecutive offers that broke the then Transfermarkt values.

”If you ask me now, I’d be willing to offer a 60 million Euro bid to buy him; as long as there’s a chance, I definitely will.”

He took a sip of whiskey to moisten his throat and continued, ”You know Tevez? Manchester City acquired him last year and offered him the highest salary in Premier League history.”

”320,000 pounds.” Mendes smiled, of course, he understood, ”The first Premier League player to have a monthly income of over a million pounds.”