From Arsenal to the Ball God

”Clap, clap...”

At the Arsenal coaching bench, Wenger was all smiles, applauding as he admired Ma’el’s celebratory figure, his eyes full of affection.

His beloved player, who frequently brought surprises to the team, who would have thought Arsenal would take the lead so swiftly right after coming on!

For a moment, he was in a daze, as if he could see this team soaring upwards from this battle line, rushing towards the finals.

They made it to the Champions League final in the 05-06 season. That season, the team had been pulled apart by more than ten points by the top three in the league early on, making the title race on the main line hopeless, so they shifted focus to the Champions League.

Thanks to a few remaining glimmers from their peak period and the emergence of young players like Fabregas.

They overcame barriers one after another, close to winning the club’s first Champions League trophy.

Unfortunately, they faced the Dream Two Barça at their peak in the finals, and the goalkeeper Leman was sent off early due to a mistake, resulting in a narrow 1-2 defeat.

It was a painful experience, as the team ended empty-handed with Henry and Pires leaving right afterwards, accelerating the team’s decline.

”Philip.”

Wenger looked to the side, wanting to ask Philip something, but upon seeing Henry, he couldn’t help but ask his former beloved player first, ”Henry, if this team continues on this path, where do you think they’ll end up?”

Henry looked at the Arsenal team on the pitch, pondered for a moment, then said, ”It’s hard to say; the Champions League is too unpredictable.”

”Just like that year, we did so much preparation, thinking we could definitely defeat Barça and realize our dream, but that red card in the 18th minute was a huge blow to us.

”Cup tournaments have too many uncertain factors, a tiny misjudgment can lead to a team being knocked out and all efforts going in vain.

”However, if it’s just speculation, I think with the team’s current displayed strength and stability, reaching the quarter-finals or semi-finals is quite hopeful.”

Saying this, he shrugged with a smile, ”But... if that’s the case, I’m not sure about the English League Cup, and the league will definitely take a hit.

”If we hit a slump like January again, the title race will suddenly become tense as our lead is just a few points.”

Wenger nodded slightly, indeed a few points advantage isn’t big; there have been many cases of being overtaken after leading by more than ten points.

It’s just that they’ve been on a good run recently, having a five-game winning streak, making things a bit easier, but challenges in this title race line are surely still plenty.

”Moreover...”

Henry looked at the distant stand of the Arsenal expedition army, recalling the past, and smiled, ”Mr. Wenger, do you remember what you told us at the end of the 0304 season?

”At that time, the team’s defense line, like now, often lost focus, allowing opponents to score one or two goals early; the unbeaten record seemed to teeter often, ready to break any moment.”

”I remember.”

Wenger quickly nodded, he knew exactly what Henry was referring to; he smiled and repeated, ”If you want to relax now, then accept being an ordinary person who occasionally achieves something.

”Or, if you want to do something special, become immortal.”

Henry’s smile grew more radiant, reminiscing those cheerful times, ”We wanted to become immortal, so we persevered.

”The undefeated title and 49-game unbeaten record will always be revered as miracles... and our names will be alongside it.”

He turned back to the pitch, looking at Ma’el wearing the number 7 jersey, his eyes showing a hint of nostalgia for the past, as if he saw his younger self, ”This team now has a new backbone, an even better backbone.

”They have hopes to accomplish it all, to replicate our achievements.

”Then let them go ahead and try; losing the title alone is disappointing, winning it but losing the unbeaten streak at the last moment is equally disheartening.

”By then, the joy of the title might barely offset the regret of not being immortal.”

”Also...” he looked at the AC Milan jerseys on the field, recalling his own past regrets, ”Mr. Wenger, if this team can win unbeaten this season, perhaps they’ll complete what we couldn’t.”

Wenger turned in the direction of Henry’s gaze and saw a group of Milan players.

Milan... He’s reminded of something too, after the unbeaten season ended half way through 04-05, they extended their unbeaten run, raising the English Football record to 49 matches.

But that wasn’t the best; the world’s best in this record is AC Milan’s record of 58 unbeaten league matches achieved between 91-93.

Originally, they actually had a chance to catch up; given Arsenal’s mentality at that stage, getting 9 more matches wasn’t unrealistic.

But that ancient injustice against Manchester United left them filled with regret and rage, and halted their march.

Looking back now, that was also a turning point from prosperity to decline for the team.

”You’re right.” Wenger nodded, if this team can win the title unbeaten this season, perhaps they have a chance to challenge AC Milan’s record.

This time, they have more outstanding, more efficient top attackers!

So why wouldn’t they have a chance?

”So, we must be firm.” Henry talked this long, essentially fearing Wenger would rise to the thought of the Champions League again, he shrugged and said, ”Fans have been longing for the league title after so many years without it.

”For them, the league is definitely the priority; it symbolizes local community pride.

”If we win the title, and it’s unbeaten, then these seven years... it’ll be worth the wait.”

”””