From Arsenal to the Ball God

When talking about them, Deschamps always felt they were fortunate... At that time, the France team had Zidane, Henry, Treasure, Tulam, and other outstanding players.

It seemed that as long as the coach’s capability was above mediocre, and as long as they were good at handling the locker room, they could certainly lead the team to success.

In contrast, when he took over the team, it wasn’t as lucky; besides Ma’el, it was difficult to find another player as excellent as those people.

Deschamps originally thought that after taking charge, he would have to move forward step by step, first completing a transition, stabilizing the team’s performance in various major arenas, and then, after the golden generation slowly emerged, truly sounding the trumpet for the championship.

But now it seems that after completing the transition, they don’t need to wait for the golden generation to slowly emerge; the team is moving faster than he imagined!

Ma’el’s toughness is beyond imagination, you could say he alone could lead a golden generation, equaling the level of the Henry + Treasure duo!

Deschamps smiled gratefully, realizing that he too was fortunate now.

At this moment, tasting such sweetness in the European Cup arena, he finally understood Lemerre, understood Wenger.

”Fola....!”

He cheered himself up, feeling that this tournament was full of hope... He once again looked towards the VIP stand, raised his right arm to salute an elder there.

He hoped he could achieve the same success with Ma’el’s sudden rise!

While saluting, Deschamps suddenly saw the words Poland National Stadium through his diagonally raised right arm, felt something was off, and remembered his identity.

His face changed suddenly, he hurriedly understood Ma’el, quickly squeezed his right fist to signal, and finally laughed innocently.

...

”Beep!”

Once the ball resumed, it was already 81 minutes past; England’s players began frequently launching long balls into the France team’s penalty area.

Ma’el and Nasri on the other side couldn’t wait for the ball to counterattack, instead retreating to the full-back position to assist teammates with defense.

In the last 10 minutes, pursuing another goal is definitely less reasonable than securing a victory.

This is a cup competition; if you miss the chance to take 3 points, there’s no remedy!

If missing these contested 3 points leads to the lost opportunity of advancing, it truly becomes a mistake lasting a lifetime!

”Thud thud...!”

In the 85th minute of the match, after the France team cleared the ball from the penalty area, the football was obtained by England’s right midfielder Walcott, who then gave the ball to Gerrard.

Looking anxious, Gerrard glanced at the penalty area, then prepared for a crossing... He knew if they couldn’t chase back the score, he would certainly become England’s sinner.

Fans can be ruthless with their cursing, as evidenced by the past with Beckham.

”Thud... Crack!”

After kicking, he immediately felt his right foot hit a leg; turning his head, he saw Ma’el had chased up from behind.

Upon closer look, the football had also been blocked by the opponent, spinning oddly towards the corner flag’s boundary.

”Tsk...!” Gerrard grimaced, stepping towards the football, finding that wherever he was, this man was constantly haunting him.

Jogging a few steps, he realized even if he started first, he couldn’t match Ma’el’s speed, so he slowed down to lower his center of gravity, preparing to intercept after Ma’el received the ball.

Their right winger Walcott quickly came to support him, both chasing after Ma’el.

”Snap.”

At the corner flag, Ma’el trapped the ball underfoot, preventing it from going out of bounds, then hefted his buttocks and pushed a hand backward, blocking the approaching Walcott, while shifting and pulling the ball, preventing Gerrard from engaging.

Great Emperor ball shielding! Again!

Gerrard tried left and right twice, finding it impossible, an unnameable anger rose within, losing control over his temper, pushing heavily.

”Bang!”

Ma’el toppled to the ground, spreading his arms toward the referee; he had anticipated this moment.

”Beep!” This time the referee wasn’t blind, calling a foul and giving Gerrard a yellow card.

Gerrard looked desperate, ran back with a grim face after spreading his hands, seemingly aware of what was about to happen.

”Clap clap clap...!” Applause thundered throughout the stadium; this wave of ball shielding was a minute, and by delaying during the free-kick, it became two minutes.

After the ball reached the front, scrapping would last indefinable.

”Ma’el! Multitasking indeed! Truly adept at both attack and defense! Just now, it not only resolved a crisis but consumed some time!

”During the Premier League mid-season, he often gave the impression of two people moving in the front area, able to sprint, pass, and execute exquisite shooting, always posing various threats.

”By the season’s end, he even felt like three people covering the entire left side! Maintaining these aspects while contributing to movement coverage and defense!

”What kind of player doesn’t evoke love?! Having him truly is fortunate!

”The summer transfer window is about to begin, Transfermarkt will update valuations soon... I’m very much looking forward to seeing if he can jump to a new level this time!”

”.....”

On the sidelines, Pierce paced quickly like an ant on a hot pan, often raising his hand to say something, but it was all muttering to himself.

He knew the team’s performance today was nothing remarkable, so loud praise for the players or loud complaints weren’t possible.