Volume 1 Chapter 33: The Debut Ends
The equalizer in the first half lifted the spirits of the Arsenal players.
After entering the locker room, Wenger clapped his hands and encouraged everyone to cheer up and continue their efforts in the second half.
Wenger did not make any tactical changes. The first half had already made the problem clear. It was Leeds United who needed to change if they still wanted to win.
Lucky didn't say a word, he wanted to have a good rest.
The price of running like crazy in the first half was severe physical exhaustion.
Especially the 300-meter sprint in the final stage consumed a lot of physical energy.
"Hey guy!"
Arshavin handed over the energy drink.
Lekai took it, rinsed his mouth and spit it out, but did not drink it.
Arshavin glanced at Lekai and said, "You really fought hard in the first half!"
Hearing this, the others also nodded slightly.
Strictly speaking, the changing point in the first half came from Lucky's crazy running.
Everywhere in defense and attack.
No one dares to say that Lekai's sprint to the side is useless. The forwards will be very happy if they can devote one more soldier to the attack.
Moreover, Lucky's running position is not only useful, but also involves a certain amount of defensive force.
But the problem still exists: can we hold on in the second half?
In response, Lucky said: "Want to bet? Who will be the first to stop running, you or me?"
Arshavin raised his eyebrows and asked, "What's the bet?"
Lucky slapped his thigh and said, "The loser will post a video of him imitating Madonna's dance on social media. Do you dare?"
Arshavin was stunned.
Asking a grown man to learn to dance like Madonna is too difficult for him.
But at this time, teammates had already started to make a noise.
"Andre, don't be afraid! Bet with him!"
"Bet! Bet! Andre, we believe in you!"
"I bet you can succeed!"
Looking at his teammates who were making a fuss, Arshavin was furious.
He pointed at Lucky and asked, "Does this guy have a social media account? Even if he does, how many fans does he have?"
Lucky puffed out his chest and said, "Don't say so much. I'm just asking if you dare."
To be honest, Arshavin was scared.
But under the urging of his teammates, he had no choice but to nod.
There's no way the atmosphere can get any more serious.
And when Arshavin nodded, the whole audience cheered:
"Le! We must beat him!"
"I want to see Andre dance!"
“Learn to dance like Madonna, hahahaha!”
Arshavin was so angry that he laughed and cursed, "You traitors! Why didn't I win?"
"I still like watching you dance!"
"Andre is going to dance with his hips twitching!"
"Don't worry, I will definitely help you forward it!"
Arshavin yelled, "Thank you! No thanks!"
There was chaos in the locker room.
Wenger folded his arms, leaned against the wall at the door, and watched the scene with a smile.
He didn't know how long it had been since he had experienced such a relaxed atmosphere in the locker room.
Patelez came over and smiled; "They are different now."
Wenger's lips curled slightly and said, "A bunch of kids!"
After that, he turned around and asked, "Who do you want to see dance? Le or Andre?"
Patrese was silent for a moment and then said, "Andre!"
Wenger nodded in agreement, "Me too!"
In the second half, both sides changed sides and started the game again.
Leeds United made some adjustments and put one more person on the forward line.
Mike Mack is slightly slower than Townsend, but his purpose is to help Townsend attract the defensive attention of Lucky.
But if the offense is stronger, the strength of other positions will inevitably be depleted.
Leeds United, with three midfielders, have begun to lose control of the situation in the midfield.
Even when Arteta was in an advantageous position, he no longer gave the opponent the opportunity to play comfortably.
Want to directly cut off the connection between Leeds United's midfield and frontcourt.
And he did it.
With the crazy running and pressing of Luka and Ramsey, and the cooperation of Chamberlain and Coquelin, Leeds United's midfield was constantly forced back and could not send the ball out through penetrating attacks.
As for long passes, Arsenal would use their numerical advantage to directly block the landing point, and Leeds United became extremely passive for a while.
But Leeds United is a team that dares to gamble, and they still launched a very aggressive attack.
If you want to win the game, you have to take risks.
But unfortunately Arsenal did not give them this opportunity.
Lukay and Chamberlain attacked from the front and back and stole the ball directly from McCormack's feet.
Lukay held the ball, and Arteta retreated to ask for the ball.
But he did not pass it immediately, but looked forward past Arteta.
He saw that Arsenal's two forwards were already beginning to stir.
Without saying a word, Lekai stretched his legs like a bowstring and kicked the ball hard with his right foot.
At the same time, Arshavin also started instantly.
The ball drew a graceful curve in the air.
This is a diagonal pass, about 40 meters away.
When Arshavin got into position, the ball was at an angle for a direct cross.
The Leeds United defender had caught up with him and was ready to make a tackle.
Arshavin made a quick decision and passed the ball directly.
Facing the point where the ball is falling, push hard with the arch of your foot.
The ball changed direction and flew towards the penalty area.
Over there, Henry had already advanced into position.
The terrified Leeds United goalkeeper rushed towards Henry, then suddenly dived sideways to block the angle.
But Henry's right foot, which was raised high, bounced slightly in the air.
The ball flew over the goalkeeper's head and went straight into the goal.
In the 67th minute, Henry scored twice!
Gunner Henry ran to the corner area, put his hands next to his ears and faced the fans.
'Where are your cheers?'
Wow!!! ...
Henry!!!!——
"This is Henry! The second goal! He is the king of the Gunners!"
George Adams jumped up, stepped on the chair and vented his anger wildly.
He hasn't been this crazy for a long time, but for this goal, he had to do this to vent.
The same is true for the fans at the scene.
After the goal, the fans cheered and cheered, they were so excited that they almost fainted.
A perfect comeback show!
At this moment, Henry once again showed the glory of the Gunners!
In the stands, there were fans cheering wildly all around.
They were shouting Henry's name, and waves of roars surged towards the stadium like a tide.
Kevin was a little unhappy.
He glanced at his father.
Billy was shouting with excitement.
Henry!
Henry!
Henry!
Kevin curled his lips and whispered, "Obviously, Le's performance was the most brilliant!"
From stealing to launching attacks, these are all thanks to Lucky. Why is no one shouting his name?
Just because he's a midfielder?
Or is it because Lucky is a newcomer?
Kevin is a Gunners fan, but he doesn't have much feeling for Henry.
He did not witness Henry's glory.
To him, Henry was more like a character in a history textbook.
The teachers would say he was a legend, so he thought he was a legend too.
He would give the legend the respect he deserves, but without such strong emotions.
On the contrary, Kevin felt that Lekai was the most crucial person.
He believes that the changes in Arsenal come from Lucky .
Even though he didn't score!
No assists either!
But who can deny his value?
"What a terrible debut!" Kevin complained.
In the coaching booth, Wenger also touched his chin and gave a wry smile.
He shook his head and sighed; "I hope he won't blame me."
He never thought that Lucky's performance in this game would be so amazing.
The data speaks for itself.
So far he has made two steals, two interceptions, and one attack that resulted in a goal.
These statistics rarely appear in a debutant.
But Lukay used his performance to tell Wenger that he has a big heart.
Such performance is enough to make fans remember him and identify with him.
But because of Henry's return to the show, no matter how amazing Lucky's performance is, he is still a supporting role.
The second goal brought down Leeds United's morale.
Neither side was able to score a goal until the end of the game.
The 90-minute game ended and Lucky's debut also ended.
He followed the players to the locker room.
During the game, applause was heard in the stadium.
But Lekai didn't pay too much attention to it, he knew that the applause was not for him.
However, when Lucky was about to walk into the player tunnel, the applause suddenly became intense.
Snap ...
This made Lekai stunned for a moment, and he stopped and looked around.
Henry has already gone in!
But the next second, the applause from both sides became more enthusiastic, accompanied by whistles and praises.
"Hey! Man! You're doing really well!"
"You've got Townsend completely lost!"
“Nice defense!”
"Number Four! I'll come to see you at the next game! Come on!"
"You didn't bring shame to this shirt! If it weren't for Henry, you would have been the man of the match!"
Lucky looked up and saw fans on both sides leaning out, clapping and cheering continuously.
Even though this is Henry's comeback show.
Although this was a debut that was destined to not be remembered.
But there are still fans who saw the excellent performance of Lucky.
"Hey!"
A smile appeared on Lucky's face. He raised his right hand towards the stands, clenched it into a fist, and waved it vigorously.
The applause became more intense.
And Lucky also walked into the jersey channel amid applause.
In the third round of the 2011/2012 FA Cup, Arsenal defeated Leeds United 2-1 and advanced smoothly.
