Becoming a football god from Arsenal
Chapter 179: The Battle of the Zhang Family! The Battle at the Halfway Point! Arshavin’s Farewell Ba
Chapter 179 The battle to go home! The battle to end the halfway point! Arshavin’s farewell battle! A perfect ending!
"On this freezing cold day, Maher returned to Bramall Lane wearing warm gloves!
"More than 30,000 Sheffield United fans stood up and applauded, using this way to remember the man who had brought them so much joy! They expressed the highest respect for the players!
"In just one year, Maher's loan has completely transformed the club, winning the championship in a record-breaking manner and returning to the Premier League! It has also made the football market here hot!
"Today, the players are back wearing the jerseys of the top club Arsenal!"
Zhan Jun's voice paused for a long time, and then he raised his voice again, "Can you imagine?! In just half a year, he has reached his peak form in Arsenal and become a top star!
"Gary Speed will be proud of him, McCabe will applaud him, and Sheffield United fans will be proud too!"
Under his roar, players from both teams walked out of the player tunnel and onto the playing field, ready to end their journey in the first half of the 11-12 Premier League season.
This will be a battle of summary!
Maher held the caddy's hand and walked step by step along this familiar road that he had walked more than 20 times, and came to the center of the familiar golf course and stood there.
"Clap clap clap!"
He could clearly see every Sheffield United fan standing up and applauding him, and could see many people holding up banners of varying lengths.
——“Welcome home!”
——"Mr. Golden Boy, please don't forget Sheffield United!"
——"You are our eternal glory! We will remember you forever!"
The West Stand even pulled out a banner with his back wearing the No. 31 Sheffield United jersey, which was passed from top to bottom among the fans.
Maher looked at them with a smile and raised his hands and clapped them a few times as a signal to all the fans.
It seems that in the one and a half years since he came into this world, he has done one thing really well and has gained the love and support of countless fans in this industry that he loves.
"come on!"
“Hopefully it’ll be a great game!”
Before he could come to his senses, Sheffield United's starting players had already lined up to applaud.
He saw many unfamiliar faces in the opposing lineup, but fortunately Evans and Januhans were still there, and they both quickly came to his side.
"Mael."
Evans walked up to the young man who had passed the ball to him countless times, and looked at the Arsenal jersey he was wearing. He couldn't help but sigh, "You've changed so much. Your value has increased several times. I really envy you."
He stretched out his hand and shook hands with Mahel, then walked away quickly because there were people queuing behind him.
"You little brat." Januhans followed and hugged Maher with a bright smile. They used to be the best duo in the forward position. "You never thought that I would have five assists in the Premier League."
"Really amazing."
Maher hugged him, and after they separated he saw envy and longing in Januhans' eyes, as well as some happiness and a hint of inferiority. In short, it was very complicated.
"You've forgotten me." Lowton came up next, pointing at Maher with a look of resentment on his face, "Remember the training match when I first came to Sheffield United? I tackled you the moment we met."
"Ha ha."
Of course, Maher didn't forget him. He clapped his hands and said to the other party: "Don't try to knock me away today. My strength is not at the same level as before."
"I know."
After Lotton finished his prepared opening remarks, he lowered his head in embarrassment. Looking at Mahel now, it was easy for them to feel ashamed, like a firefly seeing the bright moon.
Logically speaking, they shouldn't have this feeling. They had spent a happy time together and had only been apart for more than half a year.
Not long ago, they were all fireflies, shining in the same cage, except that Maher's light was brighter.
But it was precisely because of this that they had a stronger sense of self-ashamed. Mael's expansion speed was too fast, and after not seeing him for a while, he had reached a point that was out of their reach.
The opponent's highlights and skills in the past impression have vanished into thin air. He is now wearing a new jersey, with a brand new level and countless new highlights.
“Things have really changed.”
He gave Maher one last push on the shoulder and walked aside to shake hands with the others.
Maher could feel their thoughts, which made his mind complicated and he didn't know what to say.
"Xu Xu~!" At this moment, a whistle came from the side of the court.
He turned his head and saw Gilbert, who was in casual clothes, standing at the entrance of the player tunnel, whistling at him with his hands in his mouth.
There is an avoidance clause in the opponent's loan terms, so he cannot play for Sheffield United against Arsenal today, but he should have applied to watch the game in the stadium, wanting to witness his performance on the spot.
Maher smiled and waved at him. He saw Wenger, who was standing next to the Arsenal coaching bench, quickly walk towards Gilbert, who immediately shrank his neck.
"Haha." He laughed and looked away, where the applause was particularly harsh.
"Pa, pa, pa!" It was Mr. Gary Speed, Jolson and a few other former teammates wearing substitute vests. They all stood there with smiles on their faces and applauded him.
Everything was so familiar, as if overlapping with the scenes in my memory. Just looking down, I saw that the team logo on the chest of his jersey had been changed to Arsenal.
Kick well!
He cannot embarrass himself in front of the old coaching staff and the McCabe family. He must perform at his best and show his former teammates and fans how he has changed this season.
"Beep!"
Not long after, with the referee's whistle, the 19th round of the Premier League match officially started at Bramall Lane Stadium.
"Bang!" Evans sent the ball from the center circle. They lined up a 5-4-1 defensive formation today and made all preparations for a defensive counterattack.
Maher crossed the center line and rushed to the opponent's backcourt to grab the ball amid the cheers of fans from both sides.
The battle of summary is coming!
At the edge of the field, Wenger put his arm around Gilbert's neck. The latter was not wearing a jersey today, so the action did not seem abrupt.
"In the second half of the first half, there were fewer goals and assists, but more steals. Do you intend to develop in this direction?"
He chuckled as he looked at this outstanding representative of Arsenal's youth training, the little star who walked out of the Colney base with Maher. Even though they were moving up at different speeds, they were both Arsenal's hope.
"some."
Gilbert was a little shy in front of Wenger and nodded: "When I was in the youth team, I was famous for my footwork, but after coming to the Premier League, my advantage in this aspect was not obvious.
"If I want to return to play for Arsenal, I have to make some changes. If I can become a midfielder with both skills and defensive toughness, my competitiveness will be greatly improved."
He did not hide his ambition and generously expressed his ideas to the coach of his parent team.
Sometimes these things must be expressed, only in this way can there be a higher probability of impressing the team coach.
After saying this, he lowered his head and smiled, "And as Maher becomes more and more threatening, he may be fouled more and more fiercely, and I can protect him from behind.
"I am determined to play with him. Since I don't have much offensive talent, I will try to be a sapper behind him."
"Haha." Wenger laughed twice, stroked the back of his head, then sat back in his seat and focused on the game.
On the other side, in front of the Sheffield United coaching bench, Gary Speed was also chatting with Jolson about topics related to Maher.
"It's obvious when he runs that he's gotten stronger."
Jolson looked at the young player he had discovered and saw how far he had come. His face was filled with pride. "That's great. He has become a top striker in the Premier League.
"Do you think it's possible for him to break the Championship goal record last year and break the Premier League record this year?"
“It’s hard to say.” Gary Speed shook his head and said with a smile, “If he scores a goal later and you show any sign of celebrating in front of me, I will ask the referee for a red card and send you to the stands.”
Jolson laughed and spread his hands, puzzled: "Why would the referee listen to you?"
"why?"
Gary Speed turned to look at him, holding back his laughter and jokingly said, "I can tell him that you scolded him next to me, but no, that would make me look like a psychopath. I will imitate your voice and scold the fourth official."
The two of them smiled foolishly together. In this kind of game with a huge gap in strength, they were still relatively relaxed. They just hoped that they would not concede too many goals.
On the field, Arsenal pressed Sheffield United's backcourt and played positional offense and defense. They didn't feel any pressure playing against the newly promoted team.
Maher was waiting on the left side. Sheffield United's defensive line was almost entirely composed of newcomers. The only one he knew was Lowton, and there were two defenders from other teams whom he had met in the Championship.
In the 11th minute of the game, he finally received a through ball from his teammate amidst various blockades and had a good opportunity to break through.
“Bang, bang!”
He dribbled towards the opponent's full-back and assisting central defender, fighting one against two alone.
"Mael's breakthrough. Now in the Premier League, it is normal for him to be marked by two people! The key is that even if there are two people, they may not be able to defend him. Three people are not particularly safe!
"He changed direction and accelerated! He stopped suddenly, turned around, and dunked into the penalty area! It went over!
"A beautiful one-on-two breakthrough. I wonder how Sheffield United fans felt when they saw this. The players appeared at the old stadium again in this manner!"
"."
"Oh!" Amidst a burst of exclamations, Maher broke through two players in succession and came to the center of the penalty area with the ball.
"Oh!"
After taking a look at the opponent's goalkeeper who was ready to take action and the almost blocked shooting angle, he swept the ball towards the goal, but Van Persie, who was trying to score in the middle, missed the ball.
The winger Walcott on the other side quickly received the ball at the back post. He was blocked the moment he got the ball and could not turn around, so he could only kick it back.
"Bang!!" Ramsey followed up and pushed the ball to the lower right corner of the goal.
Three Sheffield United players fell to the ground in the penalty area to block the pass. They threw their bodies out to try to create obstacles in the way of the football, but the ball still slipped past them.
"Swish!" As the football quickly touched the net, Arsenal easily took a one-to-zero lead.
"Yeah!" The players ran to the sidelines in groups of three or five, laughing and celebrating together. Ramsey was so excited that he was breathing heavily and clenching his fists in the cold weather.
Maher walked up to them and high-fived them, but didn't do anything to celebrate. He had to be careful when returning home.
He looked at Walcott and said with a smile: "It's hard to understand if this goal wasn't assisted by me. I've paid off what I owed you. We're even!"
"Haha." Walcott laughed with his head back. He had long forgotten the depression of having his data stolen before, but he understood that Maher was joking and bullying him, so he patted Maher on the shoulder.
"Oh!"
In the 41st minute of the first half, Van Persie received a through pass from Ramsey in the penalty area, stopped the ball and volleyed with his right foot.
The football flew past the blocking defender's head and finally hit the net.
Two to zero!
Easily expand your lead!
The half-time undefeated streak is really coming!
"Oh!"
Van Persie roared to the sidelines and did his favorite slide celebration to signal to that part of the Arsenal fans.
Maher ran behind him. Although he had not yet achieved any data, he was in a very good mood.
Arsenal will have a perfect end to the first half of the season, which will surely give the team a strong motivation to win the championship and achieve a virtuous cycle of morale.
"Bang!!"
It wasn't over after this goal. In the second minute of stoppage time in the first half, Arteta fired a long shot from outside the penalty area, making the score three to zero.
Three to zero at halftime!
"Arsenal's players played like crazy today! Sheffield United deployed a five-defender formation, but they still collapsed quickly!
"Gary Speed's team used to play well against strong teams, but why did they become weak against Arsenal? Are they unwilling to take on the team that was their hero last season?
"I don't know if Maher will show some mercy. It's rare that the whole team scored three goals but he still hasn't scored."
"."
"Beep--!"
The referee blew the whistle to end the first half shortly afterwards. The Arsenal players easily returned to the locker room to rest, while the Sheffield United players lowered their heads with a look of shame and worry on their faces.
"too strong."
Januhans looked at the backs of the Arsenal players as they left the field and sighed: "They are indeed the team at the top of the standings. It's such a pity that we have to face these crazy players at this point."
Evans walked beside him, staring at Maher the whole time. "He is also very strong now. He is threatening as soon as he gets the ball. He passed the opponent at least 8-9 times in the first half."
Januhans nodded, looked around to see if there was anyone around, and said, "Do you think he will score a goal today? Will he let us score?"
"I don't know." Evans shook his head. When he walked into the player tunnel, he heard the staff next to him also talking about this topic. It seemed that everyone regarded Maher as the focus of the game.
Behind them, Wenger walked down the steps, met Gary Speed, and shook hands with him with a smile.
Thanks to Mahel and Gilbert, although he and Gary Speed had only met a few times, they must have had a good impression of each other.
"Stop it." Gary Speed made a joke, then pulled Jolson up and introduced him, "For the sake of him discovering Maher and Gilbert, and for the sake of us helping you train your troops."
Wenger smiled and shook his head, raised his eyebrows and said: "Going all out is a sign of respect for your opponent."
At the beginning of the second half, Wenger replaced Arshavin and played him on the left side.
Thinking that this was his beloved disciple Mahel's homecoming match, he did not withdraw Mahel, but let him play in the middle position, just like in the last game.
"come on."
Maher didn't feel uncomfortable and gave an encouragement when he saw the Tsar come on the court.
This game is not only of great significance to him, but also to Arshavin. This is very likely to be his farewell game.
"Wait for my pass." Arshavin was very optimistic today. He blinked his right eye at Maher and ran actively on the court.
Arsenal fans also knew that this might be Arshavin's farewell game and held up banners in the stands.
——"Arshavin, thank you for your 28 goals and 35 assists! Thank you for your contribution to Arsenal over the years!"
"Arshavin! Arshavin!" Shouts rang out as fans paid tribute to him, as he was once their favorite player.
He has been forgotten a lot this season, mainly because Maher's statistics were too good, which diverted people's attention. Now I think we owe him a lot.
When Arshavin heard the voice behind him, a smile appeared on his lips, but he did not greet the fans. He just quickened his pace and ran more actively.
In the 68th minute of the game, he intercepted the ball from the opponent's full-back and turned around to attack the Sheffield United's defense line.
“Bang, bang!”
But the defense on the opponent's side was very dense, as if they had not yet come out of the shadow brought to them by Mahel, and mistook him for Mahel.
Arshavin had no choice but to dribble the ball towards the middle, where he was subjected to two rough tackles in the process.
He gritted his teeth and persisted, not wanting to fall down here. Arsenal's set-piece attack was not strong, so it would be better for him to create a threat in this case.
Soon, he found himself in a slightly awkward situation. Because he was so focused on dribbling the ball, he didn't notice that the opponent's midfield had surrounded him.
Arshavin looked forward, looking for an opportunity to pass the ball, but he only saw Mahel who was closely guarded by the defender.
"Bang!" He said sorry and it's up to you in Russian and kicked the ball to Mahel in front of him. This was definitely not a good time to pass the ball, but if he continued to dribble the ball, he would lose the ball.
We can only let Mahel try!
Sheffield United's defense line suddenly became alert, and center back Paul stuck closely behind Maher to prevent him from turning around and breaking into the penalty area.
Lowton also came in front of Maher to prevent Maher from shooting directly after touching the ball.
"Snapped!"
In such a situation, Maher ran towards the football and suddenly hooked the ball with his heel, hooking it in the opposite direction of everyone's running direction.
He had planned this in advance. After hooking the ball, he quickly made a gorgeous turn, passed in front of Loughton's face and came in front of the football.
"Fa" Lorton didn't have time to sigh before he reached out to grab Maher's jersey.
This order was placed too quickly!
This was an extremely perfect touch of the ball followed by an explosive turn. If nothing unexpected happened, the opponent would have shot directly following the ball.
"Bang!!"
He guessed right. After Mahel passed by him, he used his right foot to kick a powerful shot directly into the far corner.
The moment he turned around and got rid of the opponent, his brain had reached the highest level of excitement. At this time, if he didn't make a farewell shot and strive for a goal, he would be somewhat sorry for himself!
"Shh!"
The football drew a beautiful arc in the air and, under the horrified gaze of all Sheffield people, passed through the goalkeeper's hand and hit the net!
“Stunning skills!”
In the broadcasting room, Zhan Jun immediately shouted, "Four to zero! Maher used a gorgeous turn and a gorgeous shot to give a big gift to the old fans and coaches!
"Haha. We guessed wrong. He has no intention of showing mercy! He is attacking with all his strength!
"The 21st goal in the Premier League. With Van Persie also scoring 18 goals, it can be said that the two of them scored 39 goals for Arsenal in the first half! What amazing two strikers!"
"."
"Yeah!" In the Arsenal fan zone, thousands of arms waved together and everyone was immersed in the carnival.
Wenger clapped his hands and smiled with satisfaction. He also felt satisfied when he saw his beloved disciple score goals as he wished in the homecoming match and the summary match of the first half.
“Amazing goal!”
Ramsey followed behind him and said with bright eyes: "And Arshavin also made an assist! It's perfect!"
Ramsey has always had a good relationship with Arshavin. When he saw his old teammate was about to leave, he was actually reluctant to let him go. Fortunately, the championship hope brought by Maher can offset some of the reluctance.
So when he saw Maher score a goal from Arshavin's pass which was not a threatening pass, he felt a very fulfilled feeling in his heart.
In the last game, the two of them once again worked together to score a goal, so there was no regret!
On the sideline, Maher ran towards the corner flag area, smiled, suppressed his excitement, and raised his hands to look apologetic.
The sound of the Bramall Lane net again would bring back many memories for him, making him want to slide down the grass and kneel down.
But he couldn't do that, as that would hurt the Sheffield United fans, who had complicated expressions on their faces.
Tens of thousands of Sheffield United fans in the stands hesitated for a moment, but still clapped their hands to pay tribute to the goal, "Pa pa pa!"
Many people came today specifically to see Maher, but they could no longer cheer for his goal and could only express their appreciation in an indirect way.
One fan took out a plastic Ballon d'Or trophy, held it in his hands and raised a banner: "I hope you can win the Ballon d'Or in the future and become the first player who has played for Sheffield United and won the highest honor!"
Mahel waved at him and took a few deep breaths to dissipate some of the heat in his chest.
"Yeah!"
A shout was heard, and Arshavin, who had assisted him, rushed over excitedly, opened his mouth wide and pulled his clothes, as if he wanted to complete the celebration for him.
Maher looked at him with a smile. The other party lifted up his jersey, revealing two lines of words that had been prepared long ago - "Goodbye Arsenal, I will always love you!"
He was very worried that the two lines of words would not have a chance to show up. After the second half, Arsenal slowed down the offensive tempo. Fortunately, Maher's magical world wave created an opportunity for him!
"Thank you!" Arshavin blew a kiss to Maher to express his gratitude while running, then walked to the billboard and displayed the characters in front of him in front of the camera.
Maher couldn't help but be moved as he looked at him. This veteran will soon end his Arsenal journey and retire from the mainstream stage to enjoy his retirement.
A perfect ending, right?
Then let’s join hands together, capture the beauty of this moment before the end of the halfway point, and then end it successfully!
ps: My parents are coming from far away today, and they may have lunch together in the afternoon, so I may only be able to update 2 chapters of 6k-7k words, but the monthly word count will not be less.
(End of this chapter)
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