Chapter 226: The Crying Özil, Walcott: It Was All in Vain!
"GOAL!!"
"Walcott, he did it!"
In the 14th minute of the match, Arsenal took the lead.
Ramsey intercepted the ball in the backfield and immediately passed it to Walcott. The little tiger received the ball and dashed along the sideline like the wind!
His speed was indeed very fast, and Manchester City's defenders simply couldn't catch up with him.
In desperation, Joe Hart chose to come out and challenge him, but unsurprisingly, he lost in a one-on-one with Walcott, who even nutmegged him.
0:1!
Arsenal scored first in the away game!
In the Arsenal dugout, Wenger clenched his fists and ran a few steps in excitement after seeing the goal.
It worked! His tactics worked!
As expected, Manchester City's defense wasn't strong, and there was a chance in attacking them head-on!
With this in mind, he decided to continue with this approach, hoping to score another goal! On the field, after scoring this goal, Walcott was also very excited.
He quickly ran towards the sideline, placing his finger to his lips and making a shushing gesture towards the stands.
Obviously, he was responding to the earlier taunts from Manchester City fans:
Didn't you say you didn't know who I, Walcott, am?
Well, do you remember now? In response, Manchester City fans booed loudly!
"You little brat, you're asking for trouble!"
An angry burly man rolled up his sleeves, ready to rush up and give him a slap to teach him a lesson.
However, as soon as he made a move, the on-site security noticed him immediately. Several guards tightly restrained him, preventing him from getting onto the field.
Are you kidding? This match is being broadcast live worldwide.
If a fan rushed onto the field to cause trouble, it would be a disgrace not only to Manchester City but also to the Premier League.
Therefore, the Premier League officials took this match very seriously, deploying a large number of security personnel at the venue, and thousands of police officers were contacted to maintain order outside the stadium.
The more agitated the Manchester City fans became, the more pleased Walcott was.
He thoroughly enjoyed this public slap in the face, but it wasn't enough.
The one who made that comment was Lin Quan, so if he wanted to retaliate, he had to target that guy.
With this in mind, Walcott provocatively glanced at Lin Quan: Kid, just wait, this is only the beginning!
Lin Quan didn't notice Walcott's actions, as he never considered Walcott his opponent from the start.
However, since the opponent scored, he couldn't remain inactive.
So, after the match resumed, Arsenal players noticed that their opponent's number 10 became more active!
Lin Quan could run, dribble, and pass in the frontcourt, and one-on-one defense couldn't stop him at all.
In the 18th minute of the match, the ball came to Lin Quan's feet again.
Özil, facing Lin Quan, had to brace himself and charge forward. However, Lin Quan seemed not to see him, immediately accelerating the moment Özil got close, and the two collided with a bang.
Özil, standing over 1.8 meters tall, looked significantly taller than Lin Quan, who was only 1.73 meters.
So when they collided, Arsenal fans were confident.
An eight-centimeter height difference, and Özil came prepared, the advantage was ours! However, to their surprise, it was not Lin Quan who fell, but Özil.
They only saw Özil's height but didn't know that he only weighed 71 kilograms, a typical thin figure, which was clearly a disadvantage in the physically demanding Premier League.
As for Lin Quan, he could go head-to-head with the Premier League's tough defenders, so how could he be afraid of a guy like Özil, who looked frail and weak?
"Özil is down again; I think he needs to gain weight!"
Seeing Lin Quan easily knock down Özil like a lumberjack chopping down a bamboo pole, Martin Tyler from Sky Sports said seriously.
"Indeed, the Premier League is not La Liga. If he wants to adapt to the Premier League, he mustn't fear physical confrontations, and gaining weight is the best way to improve his physical confrontation ability!"
Having been a professional player, Andy Gray had more authority on such matters. He used his own experience to advise Arsenal's 50 million euro record signing.
If he didn't improve his physical confrontation ability, his performance at Arsenal would not improve and might even become Arsenal's weakness.
In that case, Wenger's 50 million euros would be wasted!
The two commentators had been covering the Premier League for years and had both respect and sympathy for Wenger.
Wenger had painstakingly saved up such a sum to buy a player, and they didn't want this to be a failed transfer.
...
On the field, after passing Özil, Lin Quan quickly dribbled towards Arsenal's penalty area.
Ramsey chose to step up and defend, but Lin Quan didn't get entangled with him and decisively passed the ball to David Silva on the wing.
After receiving the ball, Silva took a few steps forward and, before his national teammate Monreal could close in, passed the ball back to Lin Quan.
At this point, Lin Quan had already shaken off Ramsey's interception. After receiving the ball, he moved horizontally towards the middle and then passed it to the advancing David Silva.
Their several combinations near the wing had disrupted Arsenal's defense, drawing the attention of Wilshere, Flamini, Ramsey, Monreal, and other Arsenal players.
At this moment, Manchester City's forward Agüero had already quietly entered Arsenal's penalty area.
Seeing that Arsenal's two defensive midfielders were attracted to him, Lin Quan chose to pass the ball straight to Agüero, who had found a good position.
Mertesacker quickly stretched out his foot to intercept the ball, managing to block it, but before he could stabilize, the ball was already snatched away from his feet!
Mertesacker turned around in shock and saw that it was Lin Quan, who had just passed the ball, who completed the steal!
Did this guy start moving the moment he passed the ball?
Otherwise, how could he have arrived so quickly?
Arsenal's defense was completely in disarray at this point. After seeing Lin Quan pass the ball to Agüero, they had focused their defense on Agüero.
Who knew that Lin Quan would steal the ball and charge forward himself?
Mertesacker, having lost his position, couldn't keep up, and Koscielny, who was marking Agüero, couldn't cover in time.
With no one marking him, Lin Quan dribbled into the penalty area.
After glancing at Szczęsny's position, Lin Quan decisively shot at the goal.
There was no suspense in this shot; Szczęsny didn't even have time to make a symbolic save before the ball flew into the net.
The score on the field was rewritten to 1:1. Manchester City quickly equalized within five minutes of Arsenal's goal.
And the scorer was none other than Manchester City's star player Lin Quan.
Compared to the excited and somewhat arrogant Walcott after his goal, Lin Quan remained very calm after scoring, simply high-fiving and hugging his teammates who rushed to celebrate with him. He then clapped towards the Manchester City fans in the stands without any intense celebration.
For him, such goals had become as routine as eating and drinking, nothing worth celebrating.
Lin Quan's calm demeanor, however, irritated Walcott.
"Hmph, trying to act superior, aren't you?"
He thought Lin Quan was deliberately trying to appear aloof and superior.
Walcott regarded Lin Quan as his opponent and desperately wanted to defeat him.
He believed Lin Quan also saw him as a rival, responding to his every move.
But in reality, Lin Quan never paid any attention to him, and Walcott's efforts were in vain! Pellegrini, seeing his team quickly equalize, also breathed a sigh of relief.
He wasn't as excited as Wenger, calmly applauding his players.
On the other hand, Wenger habitually frowned after seeing Arsenal's lead quickly erased.
Why does the plot feel different from what I imagined!
Wenger originally planned to score another goal and then pull back to play defensive counterattacks. With the speed and strength of Arsenal's two wingers, Wilshere and Walcott, as long as Manchester City pressed forward, their counterattacks would be very threatening.
But Manchester City's attacking power was even stronger than he imagined. Because of his greed, he didn't choose to change tactics immediately after leading, giving Manchester City the chance to equalize.
He didn't know if Arsenal could score again to take the lead. If Arsenal could lead again, Wenger would definitely change tactics immediately this time.
"Hmph, idiot!"
At Chelsea's base, Mourinho, who hoped Arsenal could stop Manchester City, couldn't help but curse after seeing Wenger's team quickly equalized.
Wenger is really too slow and sanctimonious.
What kind of beautiful football is more important than victory?
If it were him, he would change tactics immediately after taking the lead and never give Manchester City a chance.
However, the "Special One" seemed to forget that his team had twice led at Stamford Bridge and had been twice equalized by the opponent.
...
In the stands of Etihad Stadium, Liverpool's coach Rodgers shook his head.
"Arsenal's hope of winning is slim. Manchester City is in very good form today. If they rely only on attack, they won't defeat the opponent!"
He didn't know if Wenger could see this. If they pull back to play defensive counterattacks now, they might be able to secure a draw.
But a draw is not satisfying for Arsenal. They need 3 points, not 1.
If both teams get 1 point, the gap between Arsenal and Manchester City won't change, and it would benefit other chasers, like third-placed Liverpool.
So Rodgers hoped these two teams would fight each other to exhaustion and end in a draw.
But obviously, Manchester City did not intend to follow his script.
After Lin Quan quickly helped the team equalize, Manchester City's offensive momentum fully emerged.
Lin Quan, Nasri, Aguero, and David Silva, the front four, launched wave after wave of attacks on Arsenal's penalty area.
Before the first half ended, Manchester City had already completed 11 shots.
The main reason Arsenal was so passive was that their midfield was too weak.
In physical confrontations, Ozil was easily defeated by Lin Quan, seemingly reminded of some bad memories.
He started to fear physical confrontations. When encountering the opponent's aggressive moves, he instinctively wanted to protect himself, even wanting to avoid it.
This evasive attitude was immediately noticed by Manchester City's players, who then targeted him relentlessly.
In just a few minutes, Ozil was not only dribbled past by Lin Quan but also repeatedly bullied by other Manchester City players.
Seeing such a weak opponent, Manchester City's defensive midfielder Fernandinho immediately took advantage of it, fiercely tackling and pressing, making Ozil unable to even carry the ball.
Ironically, Ozil was Arsenal's playmaker, the one who should distribute the ball according to the team's tactics.
It was clear that Wenger trusted the German very much. To make room for him, the Spanish international Cazorla was left on the bench by the professor.
It should be noted that Cazorla was Arsenal's absolute core last season, never missing a single one of the 38 Premier League matches, contributing 12 goals and 11 assists! The more ball possession Ozil had, the happier Fernandinho was!
Seeing Arsenal players about to pass the ball, Fernandinho deliberately kept a distance from Ozil, making Arsenal players think Ozil's position was safe, thus tricking them into passing the ball to him.
As soon as Ozil received the ball, the Brazilian rushed up and knocked him aside.
Hehe, give it here! After the interception, Fernandinho quickly passed the ball to Lin Quan and continued to move forward without retreating.
Seeing his teammate's strong desire to attack, Lin Quan cooperated by passing the ball back to him.
The pass was very comfortable, allowing Fernandinho to take a direct shot.
Arsenal's players were clearly confused. Their defensive focus was all on Manchester City's front players, never expecting the opponent's defensive midfielder to join the attack.
Besides, wasn't Fernandinho a defensive midfielder?
Since when could he join the attack?
They didn't know that although Fernandinho was a defensive player, he had an excellent long shot.
During his time at Shakhtar Donetsk, he had often helped the team score with this move.
Receiving Lin Quan's pass, Fernandinho gave his teammate a thumbs-up in his mind.
No wonder these front players liked Lin Quan so much; his passes really felt good.
Without specifically observing the goalkeeper's position, Fernandinho stopped the ball, set up his stance, leaned back slightly, and kicked the ball fiercely!
With a loud bang, the ball turned into a heavy missile, whistling towards Arsenal's goal.
Szczesny reacted immediately, his right hand's fingertips touched the ball.
But the shot was too powerful, the ball brushed past his fingers and flew into the goal.
Seeing the ball roll in his own net, Szczesny shook his right hand and looked at Manchester City's midfielder with fear.
This guy's long shots were terrifying; it felt like his hand was almost broken.
After scoring, Fernandinho was very excited. He put his hand to his ear and ran around the field, asking the fans for applause and cheers.
Manchester City's fans responded generously, standing up and clapping for him.
Even their defensive midfielder scored. Could Arsenal still turn the game around?
Impossible, absolutely impossible! (End of this chapter)
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