Chapter 620: Chapter 619 Outrageously Strong Command of the Sage
On the sidelines, Wenger furrowed his brow.
He sensed something was off.
If initially Arsenal and Manchester City’s flanks were at a ratio of forty-sixty, favoring Arsenal,
Now Arsenal had dwindled to forty.
Why did this number feel so familiar???
Manchester City was getting faster.
No.
It was Arsenal who had slowed down.
Wu Xudong, the fastest on the field, wasn’t much quicker than Sun Jihai in that last defense.
Van Bronckhorst’s pace was totally outclassed by Lahm.
Stamina!
"Defense! Vieira! Make everyone hold their positions! Don’t attack rashly!" Wenger commanded from the sidelines.
His will resonated throughout the team through Vieira.
The seventieth minute.
A fierce midfield battle erupted between Yaya Toure and Vieira.
Toure didn’t lose the ball but consequently passed a risky one to Deng Kai.
Deng Kai’s backheel pass was meant for Ashley Young, but because of the risky pass, it wasn’t perfectly handled and lacked strength.
Ashley Young again failed to click with Deng Kai.
However, Wu Xudong, having a certain understanding with Deng Kai, preemptively sprinted and made a beautiful interception.
Bang!
Wu Xudong booted the ball, driving it forward.
Wenger had just ordered them to hold their positions, but now he immediately cheered for Wu Xudong, urging him to run even faster.
Eventually, after crossing the halfway line, Wu Xudong made a through pass.
Henry had already reached position.
Controlling the ball and bursting past Chiellini, he went through on goal.
Bang!
Henry’s breakaway was almost a sure thing.
But this time, it was again parried by Lehmann!
Henry knelt on the turf and covered his face right there.
Scoring didn’t matter all that much, since they were already in the lead.
But the fact that Lehmann parried it again made it seem almost mystical.
Lehmann, who saved the breakaway, celebrated with a clenched fist.
He was performing exceptionally today.
Effacing the shame of having conceded six goals to Arsenal at the start of the season!
Arsenal’s fans were shocked by Lehmann’s performance as well.
If there was any position on Arsenal’s team that wasn’t perfect, it had to be the goalkeeper.
Despite being England’s national goalkeeper, Seaman was too old.
Forty-year-old Seaman was evidently ready to retire.
Even if he didn’t retire, he should go for a lucrative deal rather than playing as the first-choice for a top team like Arsenal.
Wenger had been seeking a capable goalkeeper all season.
He had been very interested in Cech, but Manchester City beat him to it.
And now Wenger felt lucky he hadn’t competed with Manchester City for Cech.
Cech had potential for the future, but his performance this season was terrible.
Arsenal couldn’t afford to wait for Cech to mature.
Their squad was reaching its peak, or even starting to decline.
The next three years were crucial and precious.
Bang!
At the goal line, Hierro controlled the football, not even conceding a corner to Arsenal.
Hierro instinctively looked for Deng Kai, only to realize Deng Kai hadn’t dropped back to defense.
Instead, he was at the forward position, gesturing to Hierro.
Hierro’s sharp instinct told him this was an opportunity!
Bang!
Hierro launched a long kick, sending the football toward Arsenal’s half.
The Arsenal players who had just run back for a counterattack were mostly out of position now.
However, Hierro’s kick, meant to create a timing mismatch, lacked precision and power, and was still some distance from Deng Kai.
"Here! Ashley Young!" Deng Kai shouted to Ashley Young.
Ashley Young, closer to the ball, leaped high, outmuscling Kolo Toure who, having just tracked back, failed to leap in time.
Bang!
The header flicked on.
Ashley Young’s bald head even helped accelerate the football.
It made the ball land faster.
This caused Himan to panic as he rushed out of the small penalty area.
If the flick on from the header had been slower, he could have cleared the ball before Deng Kai reached it.
After all, he could use his hands.
But now, with the ball landing earlier, Deng Kai dealt with it ahead of time.
And Deng Kai would choose...
Himan was already in despair.
Bang!
As expected!
Deng Kai flicked the ball onwards smoothly.
The ball sailed over the desperately lunging Himan’s head, gliding towards the Arsenal goal like a rainbow.
Another lobbed shot!
Last time it was a mid-field lob!
This time, it was a direct lobbed shot from outside the large penalty area as the ball bounced up without settling it first.
It targeted Himan’s positioning mistake!
"Wu Xudong, Wu Xudong has rushed back!"
"Wu Xudong leaps for a bicycle kick... he hasn’t hit the ball... there’s not enough time!"
"If only Wu Xudong had taken one more step, he could have cleared the ball, but by that time the ball had already flown well within the goal’s range!"
"It’s a goal!"
"Three to three! Deng Kai scores his second to help Manchester City tie the game!"
"Manchester City is so resilient!"
"Two goals in four minutes! Manchester City has unleashed an overwhelming attack! Arsenal has been instantly crushed!"
"This is the magical effect of substitutions! Maxa’s on-the-spot command is insanely powerful! No wonder Guardiola and Deschamps chose to learn from him; there’s indeed a lot to be learned."
Deschamps: ...
Guardiola: Can’t you all see that the substitutions for Manchester City were all arranged by me and Kai? Does Maxa have the capacity to remember at what times which players should be brought on?
After conceding two goals, Arsenal finally snapped out of it and started fighting bravely.
The 77th minute.
Deng Kai made a brilliant through-ball to the wing.
Ribery, with exquisite timing, jumped to let the ball pass underneath.
Sun Jihai, coming up the wing, sent in the cross without controlling the ball.
Yaya Toure’s header on the advance was blocked by Himan.
To say that Himan’s performance in this game wasn’t bad is an understatement; he saved two highly threatening headers.
But Lehmann made two incredible one-on-one saves that were undoubtedly more breathtaking.
The ball ricocheted inside the penalty area.
Ashley Young slide-tackled to win the ball but ended up hitting Campbell, receiving an attacking foul from the referee and a yellow card.
In the 81st minute, Arsenal prepared to make a substitution.
Wiltord was standing by the sideline.
However, Deng Kai successfully intercepted Pires’s attempted pass.
Deng Kai back-heeled the ball to Baggio in the middle.
It was a long pass.
It directly split Vieira and Gilberto Silva, the two top defensive midfielders.
For Vieira, this was a massive mistake.
Baggio, receiving the ball, didn’t delay and sent a through-ball after just one touch.
Ribery received the ball just outside the penalty area.
Campbell launched at him from the side, diving in to block with a slide tackle.
He anticipated Ribery would shoot without controlling the ball first.
Apart from Ashley Young, Manchester City’s players usually kept it simple with the ball, especially closer to the goal.
Yet, Ribery executed an incredible control of the ball, stopping both himself and the ball dead for a second on the spot.
After Campbell’s sliding tackle came to a halt, he then flicked the ball around Campbell and burst into the penalty area.
That stop, wait, and flick showcased Ribery’s exceptional ball skills to the full extent.
Himan lunged at Ribery.
Ribery shaped to shoot with his right foot.
Himan went to ground for the save.
Ribery released his right foot and followed through with a left-footed shot.
