From Arsenal to the Ball God

After this round of matches, Arsenal’s schedule for this season is nearing its end.

This month, they have 2 home games left in the league, and the remaining 2 rounds will be completed by mid-next month.

Their title rivals, Manchester City and Manchester United, however, have 5 matches left, with their schedule always one day behind.

As long as Arsenal keeps winning, these two teams will inevitably be under tremendous pressure every round they play.

They surely understand that if they drop points in even one match, their hopes for the title would go from slim to extremely slim.

On April 18th, both of Manchester’s Twin Heroes had their own 34th round Premier League matches.

The match between Manchester United and Wigan Athletic kicked off at 12:30 local time, considered an early game, specifically scheduled by The English FA to accommodate Asian audiences.

However, it is well-known that engaging in high-intensity, fast-paced matches shortly after waking up makes the team’s state inevitably unstable.

When this instability meets the crucial period of the title race, the mental and physical pressure on the players is imaginable.

”Glory glory Man united.....! As the reds go marching on on on.....!!”

At Old Trafford, tens of thousands of Red Devils fans sang ”Glory Glory Man United,” hoping to inspire the team in this way.

In such tough times, they had to do something for the team.

”Giggs’ through ball! Rooney has a one-on-one opportunity, Bosserruer is chasing from behind!

”Rooney!! The ball is intercepted! His movement appears a bit sluggish, giving Bosaju the chance to intercept! A crucial steal!

”Sir Alex Ferguson’s expression contains helplessness and anger; this was the only scoring opportunity in the first half. Wigan Athletic’s defense today is very tough, not giving them many chances!”

”.....”

”It’s halftime, and Wigan seems to be getting better and better! Evra is facing immense pressure on this side!

”Hopefully, both coaches can make better adjustments in the dressing room. They both need this victory!”

”.....”

After the second half started, Ferguson stood on the sidelines, directing the team’s attack and defense.

Because of this, in the 50th minute of the match, he saw the opposing wing-back Bosaju dribble right past him, stumbling towards the base line of Manchester United’s backfield.

”Boom!”

He immediately sent in a cross, the ball not very high, but at extreme speed, bypassing Evans defending at the near post.

In the middle, the opponent’s attacking midfielder Maloney pushed forward into the box, slid towards the direction of the ball, and connected with the ball with the underside of his foot.

”Swish!” The ball rolled into the net under De Gea’s arm before he could dive.

”Aha...!” At the junction of the east and west stands, over two thousand Wigan fans jumped and shouted, with over four thousand arms flailing wildly without rhythm.

Maloney rose, placing one hand to his ear and pointing to Bosaju on the flank with the other.

One to zero!

They took the lead!

”Oh oh.....! At this moment, Wigan Athletic scored 1 goal, Manchester United is in trouble! They seemed to have a tendency to suppress the opponent in the second half, but unexpectedly, Wigan’s counterattack sealed the deal!

”This team has been playing beautifully recently, having led Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, and now leading Manchester United at Old Trafford!

”Ferguson is visibly anxious; if they can’t take down Wigan in this round, their gap with Arsenal will widen to 9 points!

”With 4 rounds left in the league, being 9 points behind almost declares the title race over!

”Arsenal is unlikely to lose 3 out of 4 matches, even with a rotated lineup!

On the sidelines, Ferguson pulled out a pack of gum, poured a few pieces into his mouth, and crushed them forcefully.

His whole body turned red, as if burned by fire, an unbearable itch appeared all over, causing him to pace back and forth, clenching his teeth tightly.

When the discomfort subsided, Ferguson turned to the bench, ”Welbeck, Nani, warm up! Quick!”

His breathing was rapid, taking a deep breath after each short sentence.

Upon seeing a young lad just promoted from U18, he hesitated, pointed at the young lad and said, ”Pogba, you warm up too! If you help us win, we’ll do everything we can to keep you.”

The three quickly stood up and headed to the sidelines under the guidance of the assistant coach.

The youthful face of Pogba glanced at the field, his eyes wandering, lost in thought.

minutes later, the three went on the field together, with Evra, Rooney, and Hernandez being substituted and sitting on the bench.

Evra spread his hands, complaining, ”We had good chances, should have seized them.”

Hernandez lowered his head, while Rooney turned and confronted him, ”Are you saying I didn’t play well? That I made the team fall behind?

”Come on, Evra, if you have any complaints, just say it, tell me directly like a man!”

Evra pursed his lips, turned his head aside, not wanting to argue with Rooney at this moment.

”Come on!”

”Enough!”

Seeing Rooney trying to create internal chaos, Ferguson turned and walked over, pointing at him, ”Shut up! All of you shut your mouths! If you think you can act as you please, then get out of my team!

”Don’t think you’ve contributed a lot, you’re nothing! Remember how Roy Keane left!”

Rooney shut his mouth, arms crossed, staring at the field with discontent.

Manchester United suddenly intensified their offense, but their final shot always fell just short, unable to threaten the opponent’s goalkeeper.