Becoming a football god from Arsenal

Chapter 143: The hot Champions League! The Golden Boy Award competition! The famous stoppage of the century!
"The throw-in was sent by Gibbs to Arteta, who rushed back and intercepted the ball!

"Dortmund had a chance to counterattack, they pushed forward all the way and changed their formation to 3-4-3!
".Now it is Gotze who has the ball. The German teenager is only 19 years old this year, but he has already won a Bundesliga championship and a cup championship!
"He is the favorite for this year's Golden Boy Award, and his biggest rival is Maher who just held the ball. The outside world also calls this game a battle for the Golden Boy Award between the two!"

At the Westfalen Stadium, with the cheers of more than 70,000 Hornets fans, the team's offensive core Gotze dribbled the ball forward and faced Arsenal's central defender Koscielny.

His dribbling is extremely good, the football seems to stick to his feet and dance with his body.

"Oh!"

After shaking off Koscielny, he quickly made a straight pass towards the center of the penalty area, which penetrated Arsenal's defense.

Because the force was just right, goalkeeper Szczesny did not dare to attack and could only watch Polish striker Lewandowski carry the ball into the penalty area.

"Crack!"

Fortunately, at the moment before Lewandowski shot, a long leg suddenly appeared in front of the football, blocking his shooting line.

It was Mertesacker, who came over to defend and predicted Lewandowski's shooting route.

Lewandowski was startled and subconsciously moved the ball to the outside of Mertesacker's tackling leg, which made him lose the best opportunity to shoot.

"Oh!"

Koscielny turned around and cleared the ball, thus defusing the attacking opportunity.

"Clap, clap, clap!" Applause broke out from Arsenal's away fan zone. Playing away from home must not be easy. Seeing that the back line is in good shape, they can feel a little more relieved.

There was then a burst of warm applause from the home team's fans, which flooded the entire stadium. They were naturally encouraging the team's brilliant counterattack.

After winning the domestic double last season, their confidence and desire are slowly growing. Hopefully, the team can achieve certain success in the European arena!
In the box on the north stand of the stadium, Isabella and Gilbert pushed open the glass door and stood outside, clapping their hands excitedly.

They must have watched the Champions League games, but this was the first time they watched a Champions League game like today where one of their good friends was playing there.

The feeling is certainly different, you feel strongly connected to this important game, as if you are a part of it.

Even though Gilbert is now a Premier League player, Isabella seems to have no shortage of fame and fortune as she was born into a wealthy family.

But... this is the European Champions League, it is the highest level of competition and represents the collision between the best!

Before this, they had few friends playing football on this field.

“The atmosphere at the stadium was great.”

Gilbert glanced around the Westfalenstadion and said excitedly: "I can't imagine what it would feel like to score a goal here."

Isabella nodded slightly, deeply agreeing, and she said with hope in her eyes: "When Maher scores a goal, I'm sure the two of us will feel a little bit."

"I hope so."

Gilbert looked at the momentum and atmosphere of the home stadium and did not hold out much hope, "But this is his first Champions League game in his life, and he is facing Piszczek, so I don't think his scoring rate will be high.

"As an Arsenal player, I will pray with him that Arsenal can win in the end."

"That's not necessarily the case."

Isabella looked at the figure on the sideline and held up the cheering sign she had prepared long ago. "He always performs well in his debut. I don't believe Piszczek can limit him."

Off the field, the bearded German coach Klopp stood proudly on the sidelines with his head held high, observing the situation on the field calmly.

He took over as coach of the Bundesliga giants Dortmund at the age of 41, and last year led Dortmund to win the Bundesliga and German Cup titles again after 9 years, breaking Bayern's monopoly and achieving the double championship achievement.

As a coach, he certainly has the capital to be proud of. He has served as head coach twice in his coaching career, achieved success twice, and never failed.

As long as he is given some time, he can turn decay into magic and bring the team to where he belongs!

"Oh!"

Arsenal's backcourt suddenly made a long diagonal pass and found Maher in front of Klopp, who took the ball and broke through Piszczek's defense again.

Klopp looked at Maher's back, his eyes full of admiration and desire. There is no coach who would not like such an extremely sharp winger.

Unfortunately, he is still wearing an Arsenal jersey and attacking his team head-on.

However, looking at Piszczek again, Klopp felt much more at ease. This player with rich defensive experience and excellent physical fitness will surely be able to stop Maher.

"Bang bang bang!"

In front of Dortmund's defense line, Maher controlled the ball and ran towards Piszczek. This time he did not have the mentality to test the waters again, but focused on looking for breakthrough opportunities.

"Piszczek! Piszczek!"

"Show the Englishman a taste of your defense! Make him fall on the wing and cry!"

"He is French, let him go back to France to find his mother!"

"He seems to be an orphan. He was raised by his uncle and aunt since he was a child."

"Ah? Sorry."

The cheers of Dortmund fans came from the stands, and they seemed to have overwhelming trust in Piszczek.

Maher didn't pay much attention to it, mainly because he couldn't understand what was being said and could only guess that someone must be slandering him.

He remained focused on the court, staring intently at Piszczek's knees and shoulders, judging the opponent's next move.

In high-level matches, it is impossible for any player to have a contingency plan when attacking, such as doing a bicycle kick to the right, breaking through to the left; dribbling the ball first, and then doing a Marseille turn to change direction.

This is not very realistic. High-level games change rapidly and the situation on the field can be different every second.

If you cannot adjust flexibly and make changes based on the defensive player's changes in center of gravity and various reactions, there will be almost no chance of success in breaking through.

"Bang bang."

Maher continued to advance, and after seeing that Piszczek's steps were steady and there was no change, he looked up towards the middle.

After turning his head again, he looked towards the baseline, wrapped the football with the inside of his right foot and dribbled the ball towards the baseline, with an obvious intention of passing the ball.

"Swish!" Just like last time, Piszczek reacted quickly, turned around and chased back.

There is no way around it. Facing such a fast and strong winger, if you cannot predict his intentions in advance and react first, you will most likely be easily broken through.

“Bang!”

As a result, at this moment, Maher stopped where he was, stretched out his right leg to step on the ball, pulled it back and strode to the middle position.

Fake action!
He took the initiative to take advantage of Piszczek's tendency to predict defense and tricked him!

Then, using his extraordinary coordination, he pulled the football back before it left his body and broke through in the middle!

"Damn it!" Piszczek had already turned around and ran two steps. At this moment, he saw Maher flexibly pull the ball to the middle, and his heart was suddenly shocked. He immediately turned around quickly to defend.

Because his brain was working too fast, he was dragged and turned before his body could react. When he turned, his body shook violently and he almost fell.

Fortunately, he had good coordination and he managed to keep his body steady after slipping and did not fall to the ground.

But he had obviously lost the best opportunity to chase back, giving Mahel the opportunity to drive straight in and put himself in the danger zone!

"Piszczek! Piszpi." The shouts from the stands gradually faded. All Dortmund fans had never expected that their proud full-back would be defeated miserably in the second confrontation.

Klopp, who was not far away, was also obviously stunned. There was a hint of solemnity on his face. He looked at Maher's back nervously.

"Bang!!"

Maher had already reached the middle position at this time. Seeing that Subotic and Hummels did not dare to move out to defend, he drew his bow and shot a violent volley, testing goalkeeper Weidenfeller.

"Snap!" Weidenfeller made a wonderful save, jumped up from the ground and blocked the ball back into the penalty area with one hand.

He definitely wanted to tip the ball out of the goal line, but the shot was so powerful that he could only block it out despite trying his best.

At the second penalty spot, Van Persie's eyes flashed and he quickly followed, and Gross also started charging at the same time as him.

In the end, Gross used his physical advantage to block Van Persie and shovel the ball out of the baseline, thus defusing the threat.

"Oh!!" The cheers and applause of Arsenal fans rang out instantly, filling the entire stadium. They were cheering for the team's attack.

There is no doubt that they saw the team's opportunity to break the opponent's goal and felt that a goal was approaching!
This time, Dortmund fans sat quietly in their original places. Many of them touched their chests to calm their rapid heartbeats, and sighed that they had escaped a disaster.

“Hit! Hit!!”

Klopp finally had a chance to speak. He loudly expressed his dissatisfaction to Hummels and others, pointing at his head and said, "What are you thinking about? Are you afraid that he will pass you? As long as he comes up, head out and block his shot!

"If you give him such an opportunity again, let's see if Weidenfeller will save you. If you have Maher's shooting level, you will know what kind of opportunity you are giving him!"

Although these words may have the meaning of boosting others' morale and undermining his own prestige, Klopp was speaking in German. He just wanted to spur his players on and did not intend to praise Maher in front of him.

However, in his anger he apparently forgot that there were German players in Arsenal's squad.

At this time, Mertesacker ran from the backcourt to Dortmund's penalty area, ready to compete for a header.

After coming to Maher's side, he couldn't help laughing, "That guy just praised you, he probably thought you didn't understand."

"Who?"

Maher asked, and after seeing Mertesacker's gaze, he looked in Klopp's direction and immediately understood, "Haha. Him?"

"Yes, he said your shot was good, and then he complained about Dortmund's defense." Mertesacker turned his head again, and Klopp seemed to notice that he was explaining something to Maher. He blushed and turned away.

"Bang!!"

A corner kick was then taken, but it was cleared by Subotic at the front point and failed to create any threat.

Over the next period of time, both sides gradually adapted to each other's rhythm, and the offense and defense became stable, like a rigid and routine offense and defense.

The Champions League matches should, in theory, be the fastest-paced and most intense games.

However, most of the time, they will not give the fans a very intuitive sense of impact. At most, they will make everyone feel that it is exciting, but they will not make people feel that the pace of the confrontation is fast.

First of all, this is indeed because both sides slowed down the speed of attack and defense rotation for the sake of safety, and chose to play it safe in most situations. When the offensive player finds that there is no chance, he will not hesitate to pass the ball back to organize the attack again.

Although defensive players will quickly counterattack after discovering that the ball has been lost, they will not deploy too much manpower. They will tend to quickly get into position and organize the defense.

Secondly, the players who can step onto this field have very strong personal abilities and they also attach great importance to the Champions League games.

They rarely make low-level mistakes and are extremely careful with every pass. They will not engage in long battles with opponents in a local area when attacking or defending, and usually transfer the ball very quickly.

The pinnacle of skills and tactics!
Refined passing and stealing!

This is the Champions League!
However, underneath all of this lies every player's strongest desire to win and score points. Undercurrents are surging on the court, and everyone is holding their breath, ready to deliver a fatal blow to the opponent.

An unreasonable pass that seems to have little impact at the time may be the fatal fuse that leads to the goal being destroyed!
"Bang bang bang!"

The ball was passed quickly, the formations of the players on both sides kept rotating, and each player moved smoothly in his own system.

Maher also had a lot of opportunities to hold the ball during this period, but most of them were in positional attacks.

Dortmund played relatively conservatively today and did not use Klopp's concept of high-pressure. They only made crazy grabs in some areas and did not press forward on the entire line.

I think they are also worried about Arsenal's counterattack. After all, after Maher joined Arsenal, the team's offensive firepower has increased significantly.

An average record of about 3 goals per game is still very intimidating.

"Now it was Mahel who had the ball, and Dortmund's defence was very tight, with Piszczek in front of him again.

“There is no choice to break through. In this situation, forcing past Piszczek is meaningless and the success rate will not be high.

"He was heading towards the middle, he was protecting the ball very well, his body was blocking Piszczek from getting close to the ball, his footwork was also good, this is the real deal, I protect the ball like Henry!

"A diagonal pass to the ribs! Beautiful! Gervinho started too late, otherwise this would have been a good chance!"

"."

"Maher made a comeback! This time he chose to go straight to the bottom and pass Piszczek! Piszczek followed too late. He didn't have any advantage in the offense and defense today!
"A cross! Ah, the combination of Van Persie and Walcott is really average in heading the ball. The ball landed in a good spot, but was still cleared by Subotic!
"Mael is amazing, he really gives people a sense of difference, as if he can create chances that other players can't.

"There was a player in the middle of the park at Arsenal who could score goals that other players couldn't.

"I hope the two of them can connect today and help Arsenal get a valuable away win!"

"."

Mahel looked at the dense defenders in Dortmund's penalty area and felt a bit of difficulty. He turned around and ran back to his position, waiting for other offensive opportunities.

He must not feel frustrated. With his personal abilities, he will definitely get the chance!

All games in the Champions League are difficult. He must first slowly adapt to the rhythm of the game and then slowly adapt to scoring goals.

After 30 minutes of the game, the change finally came. Dortmund seemed to have suddenly turned on some mechanism and started to press frantically towards Arsenal's half.

"Press, press, press!!"

"charge!"

The tracks of the German tank began to roll, and the Dortmund players in yellow clothes really crossed the half court like a swarm of bumblebees and launched high pressure.

This was Klopp's design. He did not wait passively for counterattack opportunities, but only used high-pressure tactics before the end of the first half.

"Oh!"

"Snapped!"

Arsenal players quickly felt a little uncomfortable and began to lose the ball frequently in the midfield and backcourt, allowing Dortmund players to launch a series of brilliant counterattacks.

The tempo on the field suddenly quickened, and the intensity of the confrontation increased by more than one level!
"Götze is going to make his way to the middle! He wants to break through Mertesacker, but it's a bit difficult to get the angle to shoot!

"Oh no! It was almost there, the ball hit the goal post and flew out, Gotze was very upset!

"Dortmund has been doing well recently. They have returned to the most familiar tactics in the league, which is based on the players' abundant physical reserves. Klopp's team has strict discipline and bloodiness!"

"."

"Götze again, he was brilliant today, he must know what this game means to him!
"After a wall pass with Sven Bender, he passed the ball to Schmelzer on the left! Cross! In the middle!
"It's still Gotze! A shot with the outside of his right foot. His body is very flexible!

"Just a little bit more, the ball will pass Szczesny's fingers and go into the net!
"It can be said that these two young players, Gotze and Maher, were the two best players of the two teams in the first half, one with extraordinary creativity and the other with absolute impact.

“就看他们谁能先取得进球！现在来看，继85、86、87黄金一代后，92、93这代球员也不错！
"The next ten years will definitely be a turbulent era for world football! After that, I can't say for sure."

"."

When Dortmund suddenly launched a crazy attack with all their might, hidden dangers were slowly buried in their defense line.

Of the four forwards that Arsenal played today, only Gervinho retreated to defend, while the other three remained on Dortmund's defense line, maintaining a three-man forward attacking group.

"Bang!!"

"嘡啷!!"

In the 43rd minute of the game, Gotze's shot hit the crossbar of the goal and bounced back into the small penalty area, right into Szczesny's arms.

"Ah!" Dortmund players all stood there with regret, either holding their heads or looking up at the sky with their mouths wide open.

The broadcast cameras were also aimed at them, recording the moments when the top stars on the court expressed their frustration.

"Pa pa pa" Klopp on the sidelines didn't think anything was wrong at the first moment, and clapped his hands to encourage the players on the team's offensive line.

Arsenal used the short pass and goal kick strategy throughout the first half. Not to mention the previous part, in the next ten minutes, this short pass could hardly penetrate Dortmund's midfield and frontcourt defense.

Unable to penetrate, they naturally couldn't find their three forwards and couldn't create any threat.

The long-term comfort has made many Dortmund people forget the pressure in the backcourt.

"Bang!!"

It was not until Szczesny suddenly turned sideways and made a long diagonal pass to the left side of the frontcourt that the Dortmund players woke up and looked back.

The back line was in a mess. The three central defenders who stayed behind had already crossed the center circle in order to avoid being disconnected from the midfielders.

The two gaps between the three central defenders, created by Walcott and Van Persie, created a certain amount of confusion, making it impossible for the three central defenders to allocate defensive responsibilities in the first place.

The only right-back Piszczek who was left behind was not having an easy time either. Maher was in front of him, creating a one-on-one situation.

"Chase back!!"

Fear quickly emerged on Klopp's face. He quickly put down his clapping hands, leaned forward, and swung his arms vigorously: "Chase back! Pull down Van Persie and Walcott!"

The defender defending Van Persie and Walcott was not the last one. If he knocked them to the ground, as long as the circumstances were not particularly serious, the most he would get would be a yellow card.

At this time, it is extremely cost-effective to use a yellow card to block two possible counterattacks.

As for Maher who was in front of the last defensive player, he could only pin his hopes on Piszczek. His header was not strong, and Piszczek might just jump up and clear the ball.

If the ball was cleared, then everything would be fine. If it was not cleared and Mahel had the ball at his feet, then it would definitely be a threatening opportunity.

With Maher's ability to protect the ball, he will most likely block Piszczek and pass the ball to the players coming from behind.

"Oh!" After being silent for more than ten minutes, Arsenal fans began to cheer. They saw a good opportunity emerging on the field.

"Mael!"

"Take it down!"

Gilbert and Isabella in the box also popped their heads out of the railing of the box area, looking excited.

At the critical moment, the football slowly fell and landed in front of Piszczek and Maher!
This was a very accurate quick serve, Szczesny did everything a goalkeeper could do in the attack!
"Pay attention to two things!
"mine!!"

Piszczek lowered his center of gravity, judged the landing point, and shouted to his teammates. He was ready to compete for the header and jump.

Maher sensed his intention and exerted force on his back, pushing it backwards.

As long as Piszczek steps back half a meter, the ball will fall firmly at his feet!
There won't be any chance to jump and head the ball.

Piszczek instantly felt a powerful force coming at him. He gritted his teeth and stuck his shoe studs into the grass, even into the mud, and pushed forward with all his strength.

"Squeak." But this did not change the fact that he kept retreating. Later, he gave up the idea of ​​competing for the header and instead moved forward from the left to interfere with Maher's stop of the ball.

Maher suddenly felt a void behind him, and a force came from the left.

He glanced at the falling football, his eyes moved, and his left foot quickly stepped to the outside, using force to protect the ball area while turning to the other side!
He turned his whole body to the right and stepped his right leg backwards, just in time to catch the first point of the falling football!
"Snapped!"

The moment he turned around, the football landed right on the arch of his right foot, within his control!
He stopped the ball steadily and faced the direction of attack!
However, Piszczek, because he exerted force in the opposite direction, staggered to the opposite position.

This is a continuous stop and go!
"Bang!" Maher turned around and passed the ball along the way. The whole action was completed in one go. When he looked up again, there was no defensive player in front of him. Only Weidenfeller was standing alone in front of the goal.

This is an extremely cool turn!

Alone!
"Oh my God." The Dortmund fans in the stands stood up in horror and looked towards Weidenfeller's position, hoping that he could make an effective save.

"Yeah!!" Arsenal fans began to celebrate in advance. They all stood up and cheered in the stands. A chaotic scene broke out instantly.

"Mael!"

In the box, a bright light appeared in Isabella's eyes. She raised her right hand, waiting for the moment of the final explosion.

"my God!"

Gilbert looked shocked. As a player, he certainly knew the difficulty of such a continuous stop and pass. It required many aspects of qualities, not only stopping the ball, but also physical fitness, coordination and reaction, etc.

It also requires players to maintain extraordinary reaction and calmness when the time comes!

What kind of monster is he?
However, such thoughts only flashed through his mind quickly and he sighed slightly.

Now, looking at the handsome figure in the field and the Dortmund defense who were chasing back with their heads down in panic, Gilbert understood that his good brother was very likely to score his first Champions League goal!
(End of this chapter)