Alexander is only the team's third forward. According to Reading youth team coach Mr. Cox's consistent formation and employment habits, he will not have a chance to play in this game until at least 60 minutes later.
Wenger only planned to watch here for ten minutes.
So if there is an if, then many things will become different later.
But it turns out that fate not only favors those who are prepared, but also favors a handsome and systematic person: the second forward was suspended for kicking the goalkeeper in the last game, and Alexander will appear in the starting lineup of Reading U19 today.
So who knows about such things as fate?
Just as "World Football" lamented many years later: Everything is the best arrangement…
The Arsenal youth team coach certainly knew what Wenger wanted to see, so he almost threw out all the center forwards in his account very considerately.
Reading played a 4-4-2.
People on the sidelines can clearly understand what position each player plays from the numbers on their jerseys.
Number 1 is naturally the goalkeeper, number 2, 3, 4, and 5 are all defenders, number 6, 7, 8, and 10 are all midfielders, number 9 is the center forward, and number 11 is usually the fastest forward in the team.
Most of the British youth teams follow this convention. Players can be changed, but the jersey numbers in each game must correspond to the correct position. This is to facilitate the coach's tactical testing and courtside scouts' inspections.
Although Alexander is not the fastest in the team, he is also not a regular center, so he can only wear No. 11 in this game.
When the game started, the boys all had youthful faces and quickly got into it, as if they had endless collagen.
Arsenal kicked off first, and the young guns quickly fired the first bullet under the watchful eyes of the professor.
A quick pass, a cross from the wing, and finally their black and hard No. 9 pushed the ball over the crossbar.
A black girl on the sideline screamed dramatically, as if the ball had been scored.
For Reading's goal kick, Alexander walked slowly to the edge of the penalty area without attracting much attention.
The Reading goalkeeper did not pass the ball directly to the midfield, but passed the ball to the left with a short pass to his own No. 3.
The No. 3 left back is the shortest among the boys, and also the hardest working and most desperate one in the team. This is probably because of his family education: every time he falls, his family members always shout.
As soon as he got the ball, Arsenal's No. 11 immediately pressed forward.
No. 3 steadily controlled the ball and wanted to do some tricks, but No. 11 did not tolerate him. He went up and made a brutal collision and knocked the person to the ground.
England's football culture is like this. Players are very angry. They dare to collide and commit fouls, and their actions are very big. However, when conflicts arise, they mainly involve pushing and shoving. The referee doesn't care much about it, as long as it doesn't involve severing a leg or a leg. In real-life PK, it's usually just a free kick.
No. 6 came over and pulled up No. 3, then placed the ball and waved for his teammates to press on.
He wears the captain's armband and is the most talkative person on the court. He always calls his teammates by their nicknames and directs them to move. He also encourages the team loudly when they fall behind. His voice is hoarse after a game.
There seems to be no such thing as "methodical" in Reading's football philosophy, but rather the essence of total offense and total defense. After the captain spoke, the midfielders and backfield players immediately obediently pressed forward collectively, and No. 6 sent the ball to himself. One person sits in the rear.
Only those who have really watched the lower leagues in England can understand why these descendants of pirates always like to kick the ball into the air – because the winter here is rainy and the stadium is always filled with water, and only the sky can allow football to be played without hindrance.
There was no water on the field today, but it did not prevent the boys from carrying out aerial football to the end.
The football was hoisted into the penalty area, pushed out by the defenders, hoisted in again, and blocked out again. After repeating this three times in a row, even the Reading family and friends on the sidelines sighed.
These children are hopeless.
The Arsenal coach was quite dissatisfied. He stood up and yelled, asking the defenders to clear the ball more cleanly.
Arsenal's No. 4, who had the ball, was facing pressure from Reading's No. 9. He was frightened and quickly knocked the ball across to No. 6.
There is no one around No. 6, and there is enough time and space to kick the ball out.
He looked at the football rolling toward him, supported it with his left foot, and stepped back with his right foot, assuming a big-foot clearance posture.
But what he was waiting for was the opponent's No. 11 who always made people want to kick the ball in his face.
Alexander accurately predicted the intention of No. 4, suddenly started the ball the moment he passed the ball, and rushed to the passing route between No. 6 and No. 4 before anyone could react.
Without any hesitation, his left calf swung quickly, and he pushed the football straight to the far corner.
The football crossed the goal line and there was no reaction from anyone in the field.
Alexander all turned around and ran to the sidelines, and everyone just woke up from a dream.
How did the ball go in?
Alexander came to the sidelines and found his mother. Mother and son raised their right hands and gave them a light hit.
"how?"
"pretty!"
His teammates then ran up and hugged him to celebrate together.
The Arsenal players were quite helpless.
A ball of luck.
Everyone thinks so.
Except for Wenger, of course.
While everyone else was staring at the football, he was observing the entire penalty area and even the entire field.
So only he and Isabella, who was always keeping an eye on his precious son, could clearly see the entire process of Alexander's attack.
Calm observation, decisive initiation, and finally…
"Smart shot."
Wenger whispered to himself.
In the situation just now, 98 of the 100 forwards will choose to shoot with a burst, 1 of them will choose to pass the goalkeeper and hit the empty goal, and the remaining 1 will hit the far corner.
But in fact, the angle Alexander hit the goal after getting the ball just now was not good because the goalkeeper was right in front of him.
If you volley in a hurry after plugging in, there is a high probability that the ball will fly away or hit the goalkeeper.
But Alexander chose the more difficult but most reasonable shot to the far corner.
"Calm, smart, confident, fun kid."
Even so, Wenger still didn't take this child seriously.
If you only look at the highlights, every player is the king of the ball.
In the same way, everyone on the court has their moments of glory and their moments of stupidity. What's more, Alexander's goal was really ordinary, and he was still eight blocks away from being amazing.
Those who are good at fighting have no outstanding achievements, and most of the natural shooters who score goals on the court are like this.
There are only a few mediocre points, supplementary shots that my grandma can score even if she goes up to them, and empty shots after flexible movement are the norm.
Only Alexander knew how much terrifying energy was hidden in his body.
A very strange feeling: as if those people just now were moving in slow motion in his eyes.
The No. 6 who passed the ball, the No. 4 who received the ball, the stupid goalkeeper in front of the goal, and the equally stupid teammates in the distance, everyone seemed to be playing football in the swamp, slowly.
This not only refers to slowness in body speed, but also slowness in reaction nerves, as well as slowness in thinking and consciousness.
Even the goal seemed a bit bigger than what he had seen before.
"It turns out that this is the world of genius…"
Alexander suppressed his excitement, feeling like he was operating a full-level account to the novice village.