On January 31, in the 24th round of the Premier League, Arsenal drew 2-2 with Liverpool;
On February 2, in the 25th round of the Premier League, Arsenal defeated Stoke City 1-0.
Arsenal has 12 wins, 8 draws and 5 losses this season, accumulating 44 points and continues to rank Arsenal in the Premier League.
On February 3, the team had a holiday, but Wenger arrived at the Kearney training base early in the morning and saw Alexander training alone on the training ground from a distance.
The old man didn't say anything, just stood there and observed silently.
The kid seemed to be practicing his right foot and long-range shots, which he was not good at. Although his movements were awkward and a bit funny, he looked very involved.
No one dislikes such a player, even a pig.
If you want to be the most outstanding, you have to work harder than others. This is true everywhere.
Wenger nodded with pleasure, silently recited the British version of "A boy can be taught" and then quietly left, went to his office, and continued to study the upcoming schedule.
With just over three months left in the season, Arsenal is still fighting on three fronts.
In addition to the league, the FA Cup has reached the fifth round and the Champions League has also reached the quarter-finals.
There is no hope of winning the league title. Even if they win the remaining 13 games this season, it will be difficult to snatch the first place from Manchester United. As long as they can guarantee a place in the Champions League next season;
The FA Cup depends a bit on luck, but you can also try hard;
The Champions League is the top priority…
"Bayern Munich…"
Last season's Bundesliga runner-up and Champions League runner-up, this season's Champions League champion, and Arsenal's opponent in the Champions League quarter-finals, is likely to be the team that sends them home this season.
Wenger tapped his fingers lightly on the table, "I have to play with something big…"
On February 9, the league challenged Sunderland away;
February 16th, FA Cup home game against Blackburn Rovers;
On February 20, they faced Bayern at home in the Champions League.
Wenger's original plan was for Alexander to come on as a substitute in the game on the 9th and make his debut.
Starting on the 16th in the FA Cup, let's take a closer look at his quality.
As for the Champions League, naturally there is no need for a little kid to cause trouble. Let him feel the atmosphere on the bench. If the team is lucky, he can be allowed to play at the last moment to gain experience in the competition.
This is the most common and safest rookie debut package, and it is also the approach most coaches will take.
But Wenger is not most managers.
The day before yesterday, I almost threw Alexander, who had just finished his report, into the match against Liverpool. At that time, he finally resisted, but now he Is ready to use him as a secret weapon against Bayern.
The secret weapon, of course, should be hidden tightly and ready to be fired before hitting Heynckes on the head.
Of course, it was impossible to have such an outrageous idea at first, but whether it was the various exaggerated descriptions of the youth training team coach or Alexander's performance just now, he couldn't help but think, "This kid is worth my gamble."
"Ten goals, how many people can score ten goals in a game against their peers…"
Wenger reluctantly found a reason for his audacity, and put Alexander into the tentative roster against Bayern.
All that's left is to see if this kid can conquer himself through these days of training matches.
The next day, the first team finally gathered at the Colney training base again.
Alexander pinched himself, making sure that he was neither the first nor the last to walk into the locker room.
Some of the teammates have stripped naked and are putting on their training clothes, some are bobbing their heads while listening to the music and doing strange dances, and some are probably overdrafting too much last night and are relying on their wardrobes with their eyes closed to recover their blood.
Some people greeted him warmly, some nodded to him flatly, and some just ignored him.
Alexander responded equally one by one.
Captain Vermaelen stepped forward, touched him with his fist, then pulled him to his side, clapped his hands, motioned for everyone to look over, and then said loudly: "Guys, the newcomers are here, welcome us. Young man."
There was sparse applause, and the atmosphere in the locker room became more lively.
"Hello everyone, my name is Alexander. You can call me Alex. I play as a forward and wear No. 11."
With this opportunity, Alexander's integration into the group has been accelerated a lot. At least he won't be like many newcomers who have to pretend to be invisible in the corner by themselves when they first come to the locker room
On the training ground, Wenger and Bould looked at Alexander who was chatting and laughing with his teammates, and felt a little surprised in their hearts.
I didn't expect that this kid had some talent as a social butterfly, and someone would protect him so quickly.
It's a pity that Giroud, the flower protector, is not doing well at Arsenal. Alexander ultimately has to rely on himself if he wants to gain a foothold here.
The intrasquad scrimmage Bould had talked about was finally overdue.
Arsenal's first team currently has a total of 32 people including Alexander, which is more than enough to form two teams.
Team A is 4-3-3, and the lineup structure is almost all the main players of the team.
Goalkeeper: Szczesny;
Defenders: Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs;
Midfielder: Arteta, Diaby, Wilshere;
Forwards: Walcott, Giroud, Arshavin.
Team B is 4-2-3-1. Everyone knows the professor's purpose at a glance.
Alexander played alone as a forward, and then deployed three midfielders behind him. Naturally, he wanted to test this kid's pie-eating skills.
Goalkeeper: Fabianski;
Defenders: Jenkinson, Koscielny, Djurou, Monreal;
Midfielder: Cazorla, Rosicky;
Midfielder: Ramsey, Gervinho, Chamberlain;
Forward: Alexander.
Boulder served as referee and directly let Team B kick off first.
When the whistle sounded, Alexander quickly passed the ball back and then moved forward into the hinterland of Team A.
The football was passed to the back line. Monreal, who was also newly joined, naively thought that this game was arranged for him. Not only did he take it seriously, but he also had a strong desire to express himself. After receiving the pass, he immediately ran with the ball from the wing. .
The little threat rushed up immediately and greeted him with a clean slide tackle.
The football was intercepted near the penalty area, and Team B was immediately in a panic.
Giroud rushed to the goal, Walcott also crossed into the penalty area, and Arshavin stepped forward to meet Wilshere.
Wilshere did not hesitate and immediately handed the ball to the Russian Tsar with a short pass.
Arshavin is about to turn 32, and his sharp and agile breakthroughs in the past are disappearing from him, but his veteran experience still makes him full of threats. He deceived Cazorla with a light fake move and hit the ball with a low pass. In front of the door.
Giroud followed up with a volley, and Koscielny quickly stretched his foot from the side to intercept the ball.
The football flew high on Koscielny's feet, and Djurou quickly headed the ball out of the penalty area.
Rosicky stopped the ball and kicked the ball to Chamberlain on the wing.
The young man with the same name as the basketball emperor confidently passed Gibbs, and then sent the ball into the A team's penalty area with a sensible pass.
Many people looked at Alexander almost unanimously.
The moment Chamberlain passed the ball, Alexander immediately rushed out like a luxury supercar.
Before rushing out, it seemed that his accelerator and brake had been pressed to the bottom at the same time, and the moment he rushed out was when the brakes were released, giving people the feeling that he was about to fly in the next second.
Arteta, who had been defending closely, fell behind almost the first second he started. He reached forward without hesitation and quickly grabbed Alexander's shoulder. Unfortunately, before he had time to pull him back, a wave of The huge force pushed him forward, almost knocking him to the ground.
"Oh?"
"pretty!"
"So fierce?!"
With several exclamations, Alexander quickly caught up with the football and drove the ball straight to the goal.
Mertesacker and Vermaelen came towards him, flanking him from the front left and right respectively.
Alexander showed no fear on his face as he suddenly swung the ball and tried to rush between them.
Mertesacker and Vermaelen didn't expect this kid to be so wild, were slow for a moment, but they still leaned on each other very quickly and closed the door!
The football had passed between them, so this action was naturally aimed at Alexander.
I thought I could knock this kid away directly, but I didn't expect him to be so fast. When the two closed the door, Alexander had already come between them. This move sandwiched Alexander between the two doors. Between.
Some people grinned in gloating, as if they had seen Alexander being squeezed into a meat pie. Unexpectedly, Mertesacker and Vermaelen suddenly bounced to both sides as if they had been electrocuted.
To be precise, he was knocked away by Alexander.
The impact seemed to have substance, causing people to have toothaches.
However, Vermaelen and Mertesacker are naturally not comparable to the young players in Arsenal's youth team. Although Alexander managed to escape from their attack, he himself felt uncomfortable and was directly hit by the huge force from both sides. Staggering around, he bent forward and fell down.
When everyone thought that this round of attack was going to end in a lose-lose situation, Alexander, who was about to throw himself to the ground, suddenly raised his hands and miraculously stood up again.
And this was not enough. While standing up, he had already swept the football with his left foot covertly, and before Szczesny had any reaction, he swept the football into the lower left corner of the goal.
One thing to say, Alexander stumbled throughout the whole process. Not only was there no sense of beauty at all, but he was also a bit embarrassed. However, in the eyes of Arsenal's players and coaching staff, his shot was better than a shot from 30 meters away. The world wave shocked them even more.