After Paris Saint-Germain was removed from the list, I led England to victory!

The entire Arsenal team has arrived at the home ground of League One side Blackpool.

Bloomfield Road Stadium was packed with people today.

Today is a new round of EFL Cup match day.

Premier League leaders Arsenal will travel to face League One side Blackpool.

This was supposed to be a one-sided, meaningless match with key players resting.

However, when Arsenal's starting lineup was announced via broadcast and on screen...

The fans erupted in disbelief and discussion!

"Arsenal's 4-3-3 starting lineup: Goalkeeper Martinez; Defenders: Cancelo, Kolasinac, Monreal, ... Midfielder: Yan Yuan..."

"What?! Yan Yuan is starting?! And in midfield??? Am I seeing things??"

"Did I hear that right? We need to play so strictly against a team like Blackpool?"

"Wait! Position...position is...midfield?! He's partnering with Rodri?!"

"My God! Professor Wenger kicked the defensive midfielder?! What is he trying to do?!"

The commentator's voice was also filled with astonishment.

"An unbelievable starting lineup! Arsenal's key player Yan Yuan not only started in this cup match, but what's even more shocking is that he appeared in the defensive midfield position!"

He partnered with Rodri in the double pivot! Saka replaced Yan Yuan on the right wing! Professor Wenger's tactical change was truly unexpected! Was it to test a new tactic? Or... was Yan Yuan really developing a new positional attribute?

On the sidelines, Professor Wenger stood with his hands in his trench coat pockets, his expression calm, but his gaze behind his glasses was as sharp as an eagle's.

He certainly heard the gasps from the stands and the commentator's questions.

This seemingly insignificant cup match was, in fact, an excellent testing ground for him.

He wanted to see for himself how well Yan Yuan could realize the midfield talent he had shown in training, especially when partnering with Rodri, in the defensive midfield position.

At the same time, this can also add a brand new and more flexible midfield combination scheme to the team's future tactical arsenal.

The Blackpool players looked at the young figure opposite them, wearing the number 7 jersey but standing behind the center circle, their eyes filled with confusion and a hint of unease.

Yan Yuan?

Isn't he the super winger who can dribble past people like a sieve on the flanks?

Why did he end up in the defensive midfield position?

Are you looking down on us?

"Beep—!" The referee blew his whistle.

The match had been going on for less than two minutes.

Arsenal's first effective attack was orchestrated by Yan Yuan!

Blackpool attempted to organize an attack after kicking off, but their pass was intercepted by Rodri in midfield!

Rodri didn't hold onto the ball; he immediately passed it to Yan Yuan, who was positioned slightly to the right.

Yan Yuan received the ball in the defensive midfield position.

Instead of stabilizing the rhythm like a traditional defensive midfielder, he immediately looked up to observe.

His top-notch vision, which covers the entire field, keenly detected that Saka on the right wing had used his speed to shake off the opposing left-back and was making a diagonal run into the space in the flank.

Blackpool's central defenders were positioned too far forward, leaving a huge open space behind them.

Without hesitation, Yan Yuan adjusted his stance, firmly planted his supporting foot, and stretched the arch of his right foot, delivering a powerful and precise long diagonal pass over the top.

The ball, spinning sharply, swept past Blackpool's entire defense and landed precisely in front of Saka's sprinting run.

"Yan Yuan sends a long pass! Find Saka! An opportunity!"

Saka understood immediately and sped up.

The moment the ball bounced off the ground, he gently slid the outside of his receiving foot to bring the ball to a comfortable stop in front of him.

At this moment, all that remained in front of him was the goalkeeper who had rushed out in haste!

"Saka! He's got a one-on-one chance! Unbelievable!!! The game has only been going on for 1 minute and 16 seconds!!!" the commentator exclaimed.

Saka calmly dribbled the ball into the penalty area, faced the goalkeeper, and gently pushed it with the instep of his right foot.

The ball rolled into the bottom left corner of the goal.

"GOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLL! Just 1 minute and 30 seconds into the game! Arsenal take a 1-0 lead! The goal was scored by Saka! But the one who created the dangerous opportunity was Yan Yuan, positioned in the defensive midfield position! That vision! That long pass! Terrifyingly accurate!" the commentator exclaimed.

"Yan Yuan's first threatening pass from the defensive midfield position turned into an assist! Is this Wenger's intention in changing the formation?!"

The entire Bloomfield Road stadium was in an uproar.

The Blackpool players looked at each other in disbelief.

What the heck?

They conceded a goal in just one and a half minutes?

The accompanying fans erupted in deafening cheers.

Shouts of "Strict! Strict! Strict!" echoed throughout the stadium!

This lightning-fast goal completely disrupted Blackpool's plans and marked the official start of Yan Yuan's stunning debut in the defensive midfield position.

Blackpool attempted to intensify their midfield pressing to put pressure on Yan Yuan.

However, Yan Yuan displayed a toughness and anticipation that was completely different from his time as a winger.

During a Blackpool midfielder's attempt to break through head-on, Yan Yuan made a precise positioning move, using his strong physique and a well-placed tackle to cleanly and decisively dispossess the ball.

On another occasion, when Blackpool's winger attempted a strong dribble, Yan Yuan seized the opportunity and made a clean sliding tackle to clear the ball out of bounds.

His defensive moves were decisive and accurate, and his positioning was excellent, forming a perfect complement and coverage to Rodri.

Blackpool's midfielders looked clumsy and powerless against him, unable to stop his pressing and interceptions.

"Yan Yuan's defense! Very tough! His positional awareness is also very good! He doesn't seem like a winger playing as a defensive midfielder at all! I think he is a professional midfielder, but I can tell you responsibly that I have checked all of Yan Yuan's match data, and today is indeed the first time Yan Yuan has played as a defensive midfielder!!" the commentator exclaimed.

The defensive midfield position is responsible not only for defense, but also, more importantly, for organizing and orchestrating the attack.

After Yan Yuan's latest interception, he immediately became the team's primary initiator for transitioning from defense to offense!

Yan Yuan's passing choices were very reasonable, and the passing routes were clear.

Sometimes he would use precise short passes to quickly combine with Rodri and Ramsey, tearing apart the opponent's midfield defense;

At times, he can use his wide field of vision to deliver long passes across the halfway line, accurately finding Ashraf or Cancelo making runs down the flanks!

He is like an invisible chain, tightly and efficiently connecting Arsenal's front and back lines.

Under his orchestration, the team's offense did indeed become smoother and more layered.

In the 38th minute, Arsenal intercepted the ball in their own half.

Rodri passed the ball to Yan Yuan, who had dropped back to receive it.

Yan Yuan received the ball near the center circle, facing a double-team from two opposing players.

He calmly used a fake fax button-making motion to create an angle, then looked up to observe.

Aubameyang has already quietly started his run, making a diagonal run into the huge gap between Blackpool's right center-back and right-back.

Yan Yuan seized this fleeting opportunity.

He delivered a perfectly powerful through ball with a strong spin using the instep of his left foot.

The ball precisely pierced Blackpool's defense and rolled towards Aubameyang's sprinting path.

"Successful through pass! Yan Yuan has found Aubameyang!" the commentator exclaimed.

Aubameyang created a one-on-one opportunity with his top speed.

Facing the onrushing goalkeeper, he calmly slotted the ball into the far corner.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!! Arsenal 2-0 up! Yan Yuan provides his second assist! Two assists in the first half alone! I can hardly believe this is his first time playing as a defensive midfielder. His partnership with Rodri is like they've been working together for years!" The commentator was completely impressed.

Ramsey also scored a goal before the end of the first half.

He, Yan Yuan, and Rodri played together in midfield.

The score was changed to 3-0.

In the second half, Blackpool completely collapsed.

Arsenal's attack was more fluid and controlled.

Yan Yuan's pivotal role in the defensive midfield position is becoming increasingly apparent.

Arsenal controlled possession in their own half.

Martinez passed the ball to center-back Monreal.

Instead of blindly launching a long ball, Monreal passed it to Yan Yuan, who was in a better position.

Yan Yuan received the ball near the top of the center circle.

He looked up and saw that Blackpool's defense was leaning to the right, trying to block Lacazette's left flank.

Saka on the right wing, however, was in a relatively relaxed position.

Yan Yuan adjusted his footwork and delivered a powerful and well-arced diagonal long pass with the instep of his right foot.

The ball soared high into the sky and found Saka once again.

Saka easily controlled the long pass and cut inside with the ball.

On the right edge of the penalty area, facing a defender covering him, he made a subtle change of direction to create space and curled a shot into the far corner with his left foot.

The ball went into the net with a thud!

4-0!

Yan Yuan completed a hat trick of assists.

"Saka scores twice, Yan Yuan provides a hat-trick and assists! Yan Yuan's talent in the defensive midfield position is already obvious to the naked eye. His performance in the defensive midfield position is definitely no less than his performance in the middle!" The commentator was speechless.

Six and a half minutes later, Yan Yuan once again demonstrated his offensive desire and all-around ability.

Arsenal pressed high up the pitch and won the ball back, with Ramsey passing it back to Yan Yuan in the middle.

This time, Yan Yuan did not choose to split the ball to the side or pass it back.

Instead, they astutely identified the huge gaps exposed in the Blackpool defenses due to their forward pressure.

He suddenly started his run with the ball, making a long drive straight into the middle.

Like a wild horse, he dribbled past two Blackpool midfielders who rushed in to intercept him.

He dribbled the ball to the edge of the penalty area.

He deserves to score a goal; after all, he's a striker, and it feels a bit awkward if he doesn't score in a game.

"Yan Yuan! He's dribbling the ball forward! An opportunity!" the commentator shouted.

Faced with the last defender's blockade, Yan Yuan did not force a breakthrough, but instead gently flicked the ball with the outside of his right foot, opening up the angle laterally.

She twirled past him with a beautiful phoenix tail.

He then swung his left leg and unleashed a powerful shot!

The ball flew like a cannonball, heading straight for the top left corner of the goal.

The goalkeeper couldn't react in time.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOALLLL!! Yan Yuan scored! 1 goal and 3 assists! A world-class goal from the defensive midfield position! A perfect individual performance!"

Gunners on the expedition went absolutely crazy.

They chanted Yan Yuan's name and waved their number 7 jerseys and team scarves.

Yan Yuan spread his arms wide, a joyful smile on his face, and ran towards the corner flag area to celebrate.

This goal perfectly showcased his attacking attributes as a defensive midfielder.

In the following minutes, Rodri assisted Aubameyang to score a goal, bringing the score to 5-0.

The outcome of the match is already decided.

In the 67th minute, Professor Wenger made a substitution.

The fourth official raised a sign.

James Madison replaced Yan Yuan.

Yan Yuan jogged off the field, his face still showing lingering excitement.

He walked to the sidelines and gave Madison a high-five and a hug.

Professor Wenger came to greet him.

"Coach, I haven't had my fill of playing yet," Yan Yuan complained with a smile, his tone slightly coquettish. "If you put me on the bench a little later, I feel like I could score another one."

Professor Wenger smiled, patted Yan Yuan on the back, put his arm around Yan Yuan's shoulder, and said with a look of approval and a hint of slyness in his eyes.

"Alright, kid! You've played well enough! If you keep going like this, I'm afraid our newly developed 'secret weapon' will be figured out by our old rivals! Wouldn't it be better to keep some mystery and give our league and Champions League opponents a little 'surprise'?"

Immediately, the master and apprentice looked at each other and burst into laughter.

The cameras on the sidelines captured this heartwarming and amusing moment.

Yan Yuan's departure does not mean Arsenal's attack has weakened.

In the 75th minute, Cancelo received a pass from Maddison on the left wing, cut inside, and scored with a beautiful curling shot, making the score 6-0.

The victory is now completely secured.

Arsenal ultimately thrashed Blackpool 6-0 away from home, easily advancing to the next round of the EFL Cup.

But the focus of this match has long surpassed the score itself.

As the final whistle blew and Yan Yuan and his teammates high-fived in celebration, the commentator's voice, broadcast over Bloomfield Road Stadium's loudspeaker, carried a summarizing sigh.

"6-0! A victory without any suspense! But the biggest highlight of this match was undoubtedly Yan Yuan's debut in the defensive midfield position! 1 goal, 3 assists! A dominant midfield performance! Passing, vision, defense, forward runs... he could do it all!"

He showed us what a true all-around player is! Wenger's bold tactical change has yielded an invaluable gem! Arsenal's midfield and attacking future has limitless possibilities thanks to Yan Yuan's positional experiment!

Yan Yuan stood on the sidelines, listening to the fans in the stands chanting his name and feeling the force of his teammates patting his shoulders.

He looked up in the direction of London and smiled.

Yan Yuan's debut as a defensive midfielder came to a perfect end.

Professor Wenger opened a new tactical door for his protégé.