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

In December, the Premier League schedule is more packed than it was a few months ago.

Unlike other leagues, the 2018 Premier League did not have a winter break.

Logically speaking, with Christmas approaching, the players should be on a long holiday.

Actually, that's not the case; Premier League players are busier than they were a few months ago.

The Premier League already has a lot of matches, and with the schedules of various competitions entering a crucial stage, no one dares to relax.

On the training field, Yan Yuan had just completed a beautiful through pass assist, helping his team's striker score a goal.

During a training break, while his teammates dispersed to drink water and rest, he walked to the sidelines, picked up his water bottle, and took a few sips.

The cool liquid slid down my throat, slightly relieving my fatigue.

He walked to a relatively quiet corner, leaned against the GG sign on the sidelines, closed his eyes, and let his consciousness sink into the system space.

"System, check your points," he muttered to himself.

Current points: 13210

The extra 3000 points are the generous reward brought by the Kopa Award.

The dazzling lights of Paris not only brought back honors but also real "capital".

He brought up his attribute panel, his eyes quickly scanning over the various data points:

[Shot: S+]

Ball Control: S+

[Vision: S+]

【Dribbling: S】

Speed: S

[Strength: A]

Endurance: A+

Defensive awareness: A

[Heading: S+]

[Ball Stop: A-]

……

My attention finally settled on the "Ball Stop: A-" rating.

Yan Yuan has not yet learned ball control skills.

This A-level ball control is the result of his hard work and daily practice, without relying on any points or bonuses from the system.

From repeatedly practicing ball control with his teammates in the Paris Saint-Germain youth academy to handling various tricky passes under pressure from his teammates at Arsenal's training ground today, he has devoted a lot of training time to it.

A-level ball control is considered quite good in top leagues and is sufficient for most situations.

But Yan Yuan's goal was never "not bad".

What he wants is the ultimate, the precision, the ability to tame the most difficult and irregular passes in the blink of an eye and turn them into his own—that kind of effortless mastery.

"System, bring up the list of top-tier ball control skills," Yan Yuan ordered in his mind.

The screen in front of me refreshed instantly, displaying a dazzling array of skill icons and descriptions:

[Perfect Ball Control (A+): Requires 7000 points. Improves the stability and smoothness of ball control when controlling high balls, half-high balls, and ground balls.] ...

【Dance of the Ice Prince (S+): Requires 8100 points. Inherited from Bergkamp's art of ball control. It integrates power absorption, ball control, and transitions, pursuing the ultimate in elegance and practicality.】

The ability to stop any incoming ball in the most logical and deceptive way possible, positioning it precisely where one's next move requires, as if the ball and foot were magnetically connected.

Yan Yuan's gaze was instantly drawn to the last skill.

Bergkamp, ​​an Arsenal legend, and Yan Yuan's senior.

The "Ice Prince" who elevated ball control to an art form, his ball control was not just a technique, but also an aesthetic, an imagination, and a magic that turned the impossible into the possible.

Yan Yuan had seen countless times in videos how Bergkamp would effortlessly deflect a high-speed ball in the most unbelievable way, as if it were not a ball full of kinetic energy, but a light feather.

Yan Yuan wanted to learn the effortless and elegant composure that his predecessor Bergkamp possessed.

8100 points, almost half of his existing points, but Yan Yuan did not hesitate.

Exchange for [Ice Prince's Dance]

"confirm!"

[Redeem successful. 8100 points deducted. Current remaining points: 5110. Skill matching rate: 83%.]

Next came countless subtle insights into ball control, minute adjustments to muscle memory, and methods for anticipating the power, angle, and spin of the incoming ball…

It flooded his mind and body like a sudden awakening.

Yan Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, looked down at his feet, and felt an unprecedented sense of control.

He couldn't wait to try it.

"Hey! Yan! What are you daydreaming about? It's time to get back to work!" Zaka called out loudly from not far away.

"Coming!" Yan Yuan responded, his eyes sparkling with excitement, and quickly ran back to the training ground.

In the following training sessions, Yan Yuan seemed to be possessed, practicing ball control like crazy.

He proactively asked his teammates to pass him all sorts of tricky balls: high balls, half-high balls, ground balls, highly spun curved balls, and powerful smashes...

He no longer tried to keep the ball firmly under his feet, but began to try to feel the ball's rotation and power with the instep, inside of the foot, outside of the foot, and even the outside of the thigh, to guide it, to "unload" it, and to make it "obediently" fall where he wanted it to go.

At first, his teammates were a little confused.

But when they saw Yan Yuan facing a high, floating, and highly spun long pass from the backfield, he didn't stop it steadily with his chest or thigh as he usually did.

Instead, he slightly turned his body and gently tapped and deflected the ball with the outside of his right foot. As if by magic, the ball's spin vanished instantly.

Then, the ball's force was easily neutralized, and it landed gently not far from him.

This level of accuracy certainly can't compare to Bergkamp's right now, but if he keeps practicing, he'll definitely be right.

"My God!" came a low exclamation from the sidelines.

"That first touch...it's got a bit of a Bergkamp feel to it?" the experienced Monreal couldn't help but mutter.

Professor Wenger stood on the sidelines, his hands in his trench coat pockets, watching quietly.

When he saw Yan Yuan handle the ball in such an imaginative and controlled way several times in a row, his wise eyes flashed with amazement.

Wenger seemed to see the shadow of that elegant Dutchman from years ago, left on the Colney training ground.

Yan Yuan was completely immersed in the new feeling.

Each successful stop and connection deepened his understanding of the "Ice Prince's Touch".

The sense of control he felt from instantly taming a high-speed ball and turning it into his own was satisfying.

……

A few days later, the Emirates Stadium was brightly lit.

In the EFL Cup quarter-finals, Arsenal will host Southampton at home.

Although the League Cup is not as high a priority as the league and the Champions League, it is still an important battleground for Wenger, who is aiming to win all the titles.

Moreover, this is also a good opportunity to test the team's rotation lineup and the quality of its young players.

Wenger made significant changes to the squad.

The goalkeeper is Ospina; the defense consists of Monreal, Pepe, Kolasinac, and Cancelo; the midfield pairing is Xhaka and Maddison.

In attack, Ramsey orchestrated the offense from the center, with Lacazette and Saka on the flanks, and the center forward position was given to academy graduate Nketiah.

Yan Yuan, Aubameyang, Odegaard, Rodri and other key players were all on the bench today.

Southampton are no pushovers; they are tough and have a sharp counter-attack.

After the start of the game, they took advantage of Arsenal's lack of cohesion in their rotated squad, and took control of the game for a time, frequently creating threats through crosses from the wings and set pieces.

Ospina made several excellent saves to keep the goal intact.

In the 25th minute, Arsenal gradually stabilized and began to exert their strength.

Saka showcased his excellent dribbling and attacking prowess on the right wing.

After receiving a pass from Ramsey, he used his speed and change of direction to force his way past Southampton right-back Cedric.

After breaking into the penalty area, Saka calmly slotted a left-footed shot into the far corner past the onrushing goalkeeper McCarthy.

"Saka! Break through! Shoot!!!"

"GOALLLLLLLLL!!!! 1-0! Arsenal take the lead! Saka! The young Gunner!"

The Emirates Stadium erupted in cheers as Saka excitedly sprinted to the corner flag and slid on his knees in celebration. The young Gunners proved themselves with their skill.

Just 10 minutes later, Arsenal came back stronger.

This time it was Nketiah. He received a cross from Lacazette in the middle, made a slight adjustment, and unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area.

The ball flew like a cannonball, tracing a tricky arc and heading straight for the top corner of the goal.

"BANG!!! Goal!!! A world-class goal!!! 2-0! Arsenal extend their lead! Nketiah, Arsenal's academy graduate!"

Nketiah's shot was spectacular, and the cheers at the Emirates Stadium reached another climax.

At halftime, Arsenal led 2-0.

The second half began with the teams switching sides.

Wenger began to make substitutions. In the 60th minute, he replaced the outstanding but fatigued Saka with Yan Yuan, and replaced Nketiah with Aubameyang.

Yan Yuan stepped onto the familiar Emirates Stadium pitch, feeling the cheers of tens of thousands of fans.

He took a deep breath, stretched his ankles, and savored the newfound, unparalleled control he had over the ball.

Southampton did not give up; they intensified their pressing in the midfield and attacking third in an attempt to pull one back.

The pace of the game has quickened, and the competition has become more intense.

In the 63rd minute, Arsenal intercepted the ball in their own half, and Monreal launched a long pass, attempting to find Yan Yuan in the attacking third.

The pass was powerful, landed somewhat far back, and had a strong spin, heading straight for Yan Yuan's back.

"That pass was a bit too long..."

"This is difficult to answer..."

The sound of fans talking could be heard from the stands.

Southampton defender Bednarek quickly closed in, trying to disrupt Yan Yuan's control of the ball.

As Yan Yuan retreated at high speed, his eyes were fixed on the incoming ball.

He didn't panic. Just as the ball was about to pass over his head and fall behind him, he leaned back slightly, shifted his weight backward, and at the same time, raised his right foot backward like a serpent.

This kick wasn't stopped with the instep or deflected with the back of the foot.

He used the outside of his right foot.

Facing the powerful, spinning ball as it falls, gently nudge it.

Then uninstall it.

"Snapped!"

A very faint, yet exceptionally clear, sound of the ball being struck.

The seemingly fierce and unruly ball, upon contacting the outside of Yan Yuan's foot, was as if it had struck an invisible layer of water.

The intense rotation was instantly neutralized, and the enormous downward force was gently absorbed.

The ball, like a tamed sprite, obediently changed direction, losing all its momentum, and fell gently, almost vertically.

Moreover, it landed precisely one step in front of Yan Yuan.

It perfectly avoided the interference range of the defender behind it.

"Ohhhhhh!!!" A huge gasp of amazement erupted throughout the Emirates Stadium!

"That ball control was incredible! So elegant!!" the commentator exclaimed.

The defender was completely stunned.

He anticipated all of Yan Yuan's possible ways of stopping the ball, but he never expected that the opponent would control the ball in such an unbelievable and effortless way.

His outstretched foot didn't even have time to make a blocking motion.

In just a fraction of a second of the other person's stunned silence.

Yan Yuan didn't pause at all. He firmly planted his left foot on the ground to support his body, and with the arch of his right foot, he pushed the ball forward as it landed.

"Bang!"

The ball, like an arrow released from a bow, skimmed the grass and darted swiftly and cunningly towards the far corner of the goal.

Southampton goalkeeper McCarthy's view was blocked by a defender, and he reacted a beat too late, only able to watch helplessly as the ball rolled into the net.

"Yan Yuan! Control the ball! Shoot!!! GOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLL!! 3-0! Arsenal have secured the victory! Yan Yuan! He came on as a substitute and immediately made a contribution! That control! That shot! It was all done in one go! So beautiful!" The commentator went completely crazy.

All the Arsenal fans stood up and cheered for the artistic goal.

Yan Yuan paid tribute to his predecessor Bergkamp by covering his mouth in celebration.

The Ice Prince's ball control is truly legendary.

Professor Wenger, watching from the sidelines, had an irrepressible gleam of surprise in his eyes.

He clapped his hands vigorously, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

That first touch, that effortless elegance, that exquisite control over the ball…

The old man felt as if he had traveled through time and saw the Dutch art master wearing the red and white number 10.

[Has Yan been studying Bergkamp these past two days?] This is the question in Wenger's mind.

The teammates on the bench jumped up and cheered, and the teammates even hugged each other excitedly.

The competition is nearing its end.

Southampton pulled one back in the 85th minute through midfield, making the score 1-3.

But this did not affect the overall situation.

In stoppage time, Arsenal launched one last attack.

Yan Yuan received the ball on the right side of midfield. Facing two defenders closing in, he did not force his way through, but instead looked up and observed the front of the field.

He saw Ramsey making a high-speed run down the middle.

Southampton's defense, in its haste to push forward, created a huge gap in front of Ramsey.

Yan Yuan first feinted, then sent a through ball with the outside of his right foot.

"Yan Yuan has delivered a through pass! An opportunity!"

Ramsey arrived quickly, received the ball at the edge of the penalty area, and was one-on-one with McCarthy. Facing the onrushing McCarthy, Ramsey calmly pushed the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal.

"Ramsey! One-on-one! Shot!!!"

"GOALLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!"

"4-1! Arsenal score again! Ramsey! Assist from Yan Yuan!"

Ramsey excitedly rushed towards the corner flag to celebrate after scoring the goal.

Yan Yuan also ran over with a smile to give him a high-five and a hug. The two worked together seamlessly, bringing this great victory to a perfect close.

Arsenal ultimately secured a resounding 4-1 victory over Southampton at home, advancing proudly to the EFL Cup semi-finals.