Volume 1 Chapter 17: Massacre and Debut
"A bunch of softies, there isn't a single tough guy under Wenger!"
Lucky grinned.
He did not deny this.
In the 27th minute, just one minute after the last foul, Arsenal launched another quick counterattack. Van Persie made a forward run, received a pass from Walcott and scored a goal.
But just as the fans were about to stand up and cheer, the referee blew the whistle the next second.
The camera shows the linesman holding a flag pointing towards the field, indicating offside.
From the slow-motion replay, they also saw that Walcott passed the ball when Van Persie was in an offside position.
There is nothing wrong with this judgment.
But they were also extremely depressed that they didn't score a goal.
Another minute passed.
Manchester United scored again.
Ashley Young made a long run on the wing and scored a goal after two passes and cuts in the penalty area.
In this goal, Lekai could clearly feel that there was a problem in the coordination between Arsenal's Song and Traore.
Song did not stick to him immediately, causing Traore to face huge defensive pressure.
In the 28th minute, Manchester United led Arsenal 2:0.
This score also made the faces of Arsenal fans gradually look ugly.
Arsenal were clearly showing signs of impetuousness at this time.
In the 42nd minute, with only 3 minutes left in the first half, Ashley Young's breakthrough created an opportunity and assisted Rooney to expand the score again.
The goal caused cheers at Old Trafford, but there was silence on the Arsenal side.
The camera is focused on Wenger.
The wrinkles on the professor's face became deeper, and although he maintained his composure, his eyes revealed a hint of anger.
Lucky could sense that the professor was dissatisfied with the game.
Moreover, Arsenal played too softly.
Especially the midfield and backcourt, they were almost turned into a sieve.
Without Vermaelen, the defense line cannot build enough defensive strength.
Song's confusion led to a breakdown in midfield defense.
All of this led to a chain reaction that resulted in 3 goals being scored.
Fortunately, in the overtime of the first half, Rosicky made a beautiful pass to assist Walcott to score a point, which relieved some of the pressure.
This goal also gave Arsenal fans hope of turning the situation around.
After entering the second half, Arsenal began to take the initiative to attack.
But their offense has yet to bear fruit.
In order to strengthen the attack, Wenger sent Chamberlain into the game.
Through the TV camera, Lekai could see that Chamberlain's face was solemn but also revealed a hint of excitement.
Greasy hair looks ridiculous.
At this time, Lucky not only mourned for him.
Because the real tragedy is about to begin!
64 minutes is a watershed and a critical node.
After this point, Manchester United scored consecutive goals.
In the 64th minute, Rooney scored again.
In the 67th minute, Rooney assisted Nani to score.
In the 70th minute, South Korean star Park Ji-sung, who came on as a substitute, also scored a goal, with the assist still coming from Ashley Young.
In this game, Ashley Young completed an assist hat trick.
The score was 6-1.
Arsenal were massacred!
The entire bar was silent.
Deathly silence.
The fans' faces were filled with confusion; they had never expected that the game would develop in this direction.
This was nothing like the game they had envisioned.
Kelvin Mavis's face was even more gloomy and terrifying.
Lekai could see that veins on that muscular arm were bulging and his fist was clenched tightly, showing that he was already extremely angry.
Billy's expression was also extremely painful.
He lowered his head and stopped looking at the TV. He didn't want to believe what he saw.
And the game goes on.
In the 75th minute, Van Persie scored a goal.
The score was 6-2, and Van Persie's goal saved some things, but it still failed to inspire the fans' fighting spirit.
In the 77th minute, Jenkinson was sent off after receiving two yellow cards.
There is basically no possibility for Arsenal to turn the tables.
In the 87th minute, Rooney scored again and completed a hat trick.
In the 90+2 minute, in injury time, Giggs assisted Ashley Young to score again.
Ashley Young scored a hat trick of assists and two goals.
Best performance of the game!
The game is over.
…
There was no sound in the bar, and many people had their heads down. Lekai couldn't see their expressions, but they were obviously in great pain.
The heavy breathing made the atmosphere even more depressing.
Even Lucky felt extremely uncomfortable at this moment.
Obviously, this massacre-like game was something they had never expected.
"Let's go!"
Billy stood up, said something to Lucky in a low voice, and stood up.
He left without even saying hello to Mavis.
Lucky glanced at the gloomy-faced Mevis and the Arsenal fans who were lowering their heads.
There was a fury brewing in the Oak Bar at this moment.
No!
The powder keg of the entire Arsenal fan base is about to explode!
Of course, compared to all these, Lucky feels more sorry for Chamberlain.
First show!
I was slaughtered on my first stage performance in my life.
This is an absolute nightmare!
As he walked off the court, the camera flashed past Chamberlain.
This guy's neatly groomed hair looked like a bird's nest, his face was full of frustration and despair, and he looked as lost as a child who couldn't find his home.
The other Arsenal players had the same expression.
On the way back, Billy didn't say a word, and Lucky didn't say anything either.
The two of them sat in the back seat, both seeming a little silent.
Lucky turned his gaze to the window. The whole city of London was still dazzling, but in this prosperity, there was a faint atmosphere of anger surging.
That is the anger of Arsenal fans!
…
"Manchester United 8:2 bloodbathed the Gunners!"
"A bad game, the Gunners are lonely!"
"The side effects of Fabregas' departure are starting to show!"
"The most painful defeat in the Wenger era!"
Who is responsible for this failure?
During this period, the entire media was reporting on this incident. Some were angry, some were making fun of it, and some were even trying to take advantage of the situation.
But these are not the most important things.
The anger from the fan base is what gives Arsenal the biggest headache.
For three consecutive days, Arsenal fans ran to the Colney training base and blocked the door. They questioned Arsenal and Wenger in an angry tone.
Their slogan is simple.
Who is responsible for this failure?
But apparently no one responded.
Arsenal Football Club decided to be a coward and did not respond to the defeat at all.
No matter how harshly or fiercely the fans cursed, they did not respond at all.
That's what losing is!
Not to mention a massacre.
It's normal for Arsenal fans to be angry.
Football is a competitive sport, and breathing is wrong when the player is losing!
Of course, there is a kind of failure that is glorious.
But that's clearly not the case at Arsenal.
Throughout the game, the players' performance was infinitely magnified, and the flaws picked out were enough to fill three pages of A4 paper.
A London media outlet even made this comment directly:
[A coward without balls! ]
Well, the insults were harsh enough, and it came from a regular media outlet.
But Arsenal still did not respond.
It is normal to be criticized for losing a game. They will not make any excuses for it, or even argue with the fans!
After all, without the fans, football is nothing!
Of course, Arsenal is not doing nothing.
This failure made the professor extremely furious.
Taking advantage of the last time of the summer window, three retaliatory transfers were carried out again.
British player Campbell, South Korean striker Park Joo-young and Brazilian winger Santos.
These three transfers can be said to have been completed at the closing time of the transfer window.
What's more, the professor paid the money so readily that it was shocking.
But many people think that this is retaliatory consumption.
It has some combat effectiveness, but it also has more of a deterrent effect.
The professor is expressing an attitude.
I've spent money, if you still perform so badly, just sit on the bench!
Wenger was even more angry about the performance of the midfield.
Especially Alexander Song.
As a defensive midfielder, he failed to do his job.
Although Song cannot be blamed entirely for this massacre, he still has to bear a large part of the blame.
To this end, the professor bought a Campbell to shock Song.
But he also felt that Campbell's worth was too low to be controlled.
Therefore, during the training match, Lekai was directly thrown into the main team and Song was sent to the substitute team.
Lucky was a little confused about this decision.
He never expected that one day he would become the mountain that warns the tiger.
At the same time he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
The professor's actions were counterproductive.
If it was at any other time, it would have had a deterrent effect, but now Song has gradually begun to think about leaving. This move failed to calm him down, but instead accelerated his process of leaving Arsenal.
Of course, Lucky is happy to see these changes.
After all, Lucky and Alexander Song's positions overlap.
For this to happen, someone has to go.
Therefore, Song's departure can actually help Lucky.
…
In the training ground, the coaching staff members stood in a row, staring closely at the field.
There was a hint of surprise and joy in their expressions.
That’s right!
It's joy!
After being massacred, this emotion should not have appeared on the coach's face, but it did.
Everything comes from changes on the field.
Arsenal's current lineup is 4-2-3-1!
(4); Koscielny, Mertesacker, Djokovic, Jenkinson.
(2): Ramsey, Lukay.
(3): Arshavin, Arteta, Walcott.
(1): Robin van Persie.
This was a formation that Wenger arranged in anger, but at this moment an incredible chemical reaction broke out.
Leaving aside the defense line, the source of all changes is the position of the defensive midfielder.
When Luka and Ramsey took this position, it was extremely stable.
Both of them have abundant physical strength and constantly provide assistance in various positions while running wildly.
If the offense is not good enough, they will rush forward; if the defense is not good enough, they will turn around and defend.
Moreover, with Luka's stealing and defensive abilities, Ramsey's trouble-making attributes are infinitely magnified, often causing chaos for the opponent.
The most important thing is that if any one of these two people rushes forward, the remaining one can become part of the defense.
Prevent the opponent from suddenly counterattacking.
Of course, this kind of work is often done by Lucky.
Based on his trust in Luka's defense, Ramsey was very decisive in advancing forward.
The only problem is that the defensive midfielder and the back line have not yet formed a connection.
But the professor believes that as long as Vermaelen returns from injury, he will soon be able to cooperate with Lukay.
Next is the frontcourt.
Arteta's changes are huge.
With Luka and Ramsey, Arteta no longer has to worry about defensive problems.
After joining the attack wholeheartedly, Arteta managed to organize the team in an orderly manner and even occasionally delivered highlights.
The coaching staff already had high expectations for him, but now it’s even more of a surprise.
Arteta's activeness gave Van Persie enough ammunition.
In the 2011/2012 season, a well-equipped Van Persie was terrifying.
Not to mention, Arshavin and Walcott opened up ammunition delivery channels on the left and right sides.
Sometimes, even a wonderful long pass would fly over from the defensive midfielder position.
Van Persie's heart, which was originally filled with complaints and dissatisfaction, suddenly felt enlightened !
At this moment, Van Persie felt like a swallow soaring in the sky, extremely relaxed and comfortable.
