From Arsenal to the Ball God

”Hello, everyone. On November 30th, on such a cold and snowy day, the English League Cup quarter-finals will commence at the Emirates Stadium.

”You’re now watching the match between Arsenal and Manchester City, brought to you by ESPN Sports... The winner between them will face the winner between Chelsea and Liverpool in the semi-finals.

”Both matches will kick off simultaneously, and today, the opponents in the lower half of the semi-finals will be confirmed.

”I’m the host, Zhan Jun! Today I will be bringing you the commentary, and the much-anticipated Zhang Lu will join us in the semi-finals.”

”Now on the screen is Manchester City’s manager, Mancini, a very elegant and handsome Italian who led Inter Milan to win three consecutive Serie A titles!

”He’s also a coach that Manchester City fans adore, and people are hoping he’ll lead the club to great achievements.

”Let’s take a look at the starting lineup Mancini has arranged today. Officially listed as a 5-3-2 formation, with Pantilimon as the Goalkeeper, the three defenders are Savage, Kolo Toure, and Onuoha.

”Left-back is Kolarov, right-back is Sabaleta, in the three midfield positions, De Jong is in the center, on the left is Hargreaves, and on the right is Nasri.

”At the front are Dzeko and Adam Johnson.

”This isn’t the full-strength lineup, considering the tight schedule, Mancini has rotated most of the players.

”Arsenal is doing the same, with Van Persie, Walcott, Ramsey, Vermaelen, and others resting; the main players may only include Ma’el, Arteta, and Koscielny in the back.”

”...”

”Manchester City...!!”

”Arsenal...! Arsenal...!!”

Emirates Stadium is ablaze, with fans of both sides turning it into a sea of red, white, and blue; a great battle is about to begin.

Off the field, Ma’el walked out of the player tunnel holding a ball boy’s hand; after entering the field, he let go of the ball boy and did a few tuck jumps on the spot.

This time it wasn’t for attention; it was purely because it was too cold at the end of November in the United Kingdom, and the snow today made it unbearable to wear just the thin kit.

After completing the pre-match ceremony, he went to his position, standing there with anticipation while surveying the field to see the look of this team they are facing for the first time.

The English League Cup match he had been longing for was finally here; as long as they get through Manchester City, they will get into the semi-finals!

The semi-final is played over two legs, with the first leg generally in mid-January and the second leg at the end of January.

The final is a single match to determine the winner, usually played in February... But let’s not think that far yet; they need to get past Manchester City first.

”Beep!”

At half-past ten in the morning, this early match commenced, with both teams’ players fighting through wind and snow.

”Apply pressure!”

Ma’el called for his forward teammates to advance past the halfway line. Today, he was partnering with Shamakh and Benayoun, two rotation players.

Wenger’s attitude towards the English League Cup hasn’t changed from before, continuing to use a rotated lineup to see if they can make it into the final four, planning for further then.

Perhaps last season’s English League Cup final was too heartbreaking... Ma’el still remembers that match when Arsenal was dealt a killer blow by Premier League relegation strugglers Birmingham in the 89th minute.

In the end, Birmingham pulled off a surprise win, becoming an upset story, while Arsenal lost the only title they could have won that season, ending six consecutive seasons without a major trophy.

But it’s okay because after he stated that he felt in good physical condition, Wenger agreed to his request to play, giving him the opportunity to compete.

Manchester City was also fielding a depleted lineup today, so there’s still a good chance to win.

Ma’el doesn’t think Arsenal’s depleted lineup is much weaker than Manchester City’s; with him there, it could at least be considered evenly matched.

In such situations, it will depend on the form and the ability to seize opportunities by players of both sides.

...

”In the opening stage, both teams play relatively calmly, probably still in the probing phase.

”However, from some small scenarios, it’s still possible to see the outstanding competitive state and level of both teams... Even if it’s not a full-strength lineup, the established club and the new-rich club can still maintain considerable strength.

Zhan Jun, sitting in the broadcasting booth, watched Ma’el on the screen dribbling and cutting inside, ”Let’s take a look at this attack, Ma’el cuts inside! A dipping shot!

”This was just a little off! Manchester City’s defense line better be careful! Allowing him to find his shooting touch is very dangerous.”

At this point, the camera shifted and captured a man and a woman, two elderly people, smiling and applauding.

Zhan Jun immediately showed his traditional skill, introducing, ”If I’m not mistaken, these are the jeweler Danny Fitzgerald and Mrs. Smith, the former being a major shareholder of Arsenal, and both hold director positions in the team.

”The stock share struggle between Kroenke and Usmanov is still ongoing; the shares in the hands of these two are the main target in their contest.”

”...”

In the 26th minute of the match, Arsenal got a corner opportunity on the right side of their front field.

Since Ramsey wasn’t playing, Ma’el carried the ball to the corner area, signaling to the middle before taking the corner.

The ball hit was first headed by Sabaleta, and the second ball was taken by Chamberlain, who started today.

”Here!”

Ma’el ran back from the corner area, standing in the right winger position, raising his hand to signal for Chamberlain to pass the ball, which he did.

Upon receiving the pass, he was first confronted by the opponent’s midfielder De Jong, this De Jong, none other than the renowned ’South Pepe North De Jong,’ famous for his kick in the 2010 World Cup.