From Arsenal to the Ball God

He stands wherever he is without looking timid and never delivers a disastrous performance.

”Beep!”

Shortly, the second half of the match resumed, and besides a few aggressive attempts from both teams, the game returned to boredom.

Van Persie yawned out of boredom and asked, ”Have you seen this month’s schedule? 3 Premier League games, 2 Champions League matches, 1 League Cup quarter-final.”

”I know.”

Ma’el had seen the schedule. He cared about it because you need to know what path you’re on and what challenges you might face.

”Pursuing an unbeaten run in the Premier League?” Van Persie turned to him, inquiring about the goal. ”This month’s opponents, West Brom, Norwich, Fulham, aren’t that tough.”

Ma’el smiled and made eye contact with him, saying, ”Shouldn’t we aim for a perfect win record this month?”

”Haha.....” Having been in the Premier League for a long time, Van Persie seemed to understand its difficulty better and shook his head, saying, ”That’s tough, but with last month’s successful attempt, I’ll fight alongside you.”

”Alright.”

Ma’el nodded, contemplating the rest of this month’s schedule..... Besides these three Premier League matches, their Champions League opponents were Marseille and Dortmund, and in the League Cup, they were drawn against Manchester City.

In his mind, the League Cup quarter-final match was just as important as the Premier League and Champions League, perhaps even more so.

Because it truly gets them closer to a championship.

As of now, the Premier League title still seemed far away, and the Champions League felt like it was in another world.

But the League Cup was different. If they beat Manchester City and reached the semi-finals, they would be one step away from the final.

Counting it all, they were just three matches away from that League Cup trophy!

Ma’el was eager to give it a go as he only had lower-league trophies; he hadn’t touched a domestic top-tier trophy yet.

”Van Persie!”

In the 62nd minute of the match, Wenger signaled to Van Persie to start warming up, preparing to send him in.

Perhaps because Marseille still hadn’t scored, he seemed eager to pursue victory.

Van Persie entered in the 65th minute, followed by Rosicky who warmed up and came on in the 70th minute.

In the 78th minute, Wenger’s gaze turned toward Ma’el. After hesitating for a moment, he gestured at Ma’el.

”Here we go!”

Ma’el smiled, stood up from the bench, and ran to the sideline to warm up.

”Oh...!” A significant cheer erupted within the Emirates Stadium as many held high expectations for Ma’el.

No matter how Wenger arranged the schedule, those who spent their time and money to be here certainly wanted to see goals, victories, and an exciting match!

The consecutive substitutions during this period undoubtedly filled them with hope for these achievements!

Especially Ma’el, whose form was extremely hot last month. His appearance might change the team’s offensive stance.

On the other side, in front of the Marseille bench, when Deschamps saw Ma’el getting ready to play, a trace of panic flashed in his eyes.

He went to the sideline, called over Azpilicueta, and instructed, ”Be careful with him, learn from the experience of the last game, understood?”

”Yes!”

Azpilicueta nodded firmly; after the last round, Ma’el’s presence haunted him like a nightmare. He had recalled countless scenes from the match and felt somewhat unwilling.

Back then, he should have had better choices, but he didn’t make them in the heat of the moment.

This time, he wanted to redeem himself and rid the nightmare!

....

In the 81st minute of the match, Ma’el took off his substitute bib and went to the sideline, as the fourth official raised the substitution board.

”Aahh.....!” The cheers inside the stadium grew even more intense as many players still on the field cast expectant glances at him.

On the other side, Deschamps and Azpilicueta stared intently at him, pondering something unknown.

”Pop!”

Ma’el quickly completed a high-five with Arshavin, who finally got a chance to play in the Champions League this season but had been performing averagely.

As he stepped onto the soft pitch and looked toward Marseille’s goal, a strong desire to win ignited in his eyes.

Zero to zero, what a great score.

Just one goal would most likely end the suspense and secure the three points!

”Thud, thud, thud....!”

Arsenal rotated the ball at the back. The Marseille team intensified their pressing rhythm at the last moment, also fighting for victory.

In the 84th minute, Vermaelen seized the opportunity for a long, fast, short pass and sent the ball to Rosicky in the attacking midfield.

”Wow.....!” A center-back delivering such a ball was also delightful as it directly tore through the opponent’s midfield defense.

After Rosicky turned, he passed the ball to Ma’el on the left wing.

Ma’el then dribbled toward Azpilicueta, who kept a watchful eye on his feet.

”Pop!”

After just a few steps, Azpilicueta unexpectedly intercepted the ball from Ma’el’s feet, catching him off guard.

Ma’el’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting that move from him, and he turned to chase Azpilicueta.

”Bang!”

He didn’t catch the ball, but he applied significant pressure on Azpilicueta’s dribbling, causing him to pass the ball to an Arsenal defender.

Ma’el waved to apologize to his teammates and returned to his position.

”Clap clap clap.....!” He heard a round of applause from behind, emanating from the Marseille bench.

Turning his head, he just caught sight of Deschamps clapping his hands, encouraging Azpilicueta for the interception.