"Manchester United."
On November 29th, the day before the match against Manchester United, before the final restorative training session, Wenger spoke in the locker room, "They are our opponents for the next game, and I have a few words to say about them."
He didn't bring a tactical board or anything else. The current Arsenal is unprecedentedly strong, and doing their best is always more important than studying the opponent.
What the team needs is a stable mindset, maintained confidence, and then to win the game! "Last season, Arsenal faced many challenges, and Manchester United was one of the biggest. Therefore, many people have concerns, even some fear, about this team."
Wenger smiled faintly and shook his head, "I hope everyone can abandon this idea and treat Manchester United as the same as any other strong Premier League team.
"Since the failure to compete for the title in the second half of last season, Manchester United has been gradually declining. This season, their decline is even more obvious and rapid, and they have basically become a team fighting for fourth place."
As soon as these words fell, many players in the locker room showed meaningful and teasing smiles.
In previous years, Arsenal was a team fighting for fourth place, while Manchester United and Chelsea were the undisputed title contenders at the time.
Unexpectedly, times have changed. Now Arsenal has become the overlord, while Manchester United and other teams have gradually become teams fighting for fourth place. This is truly a case of thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river.
"This team is currently facing many problems. Here are a few key examples."
Wenger took an example approach to deepen everyone's confidence, "First, the signings at the beginning of the season were not strong. This season's Manchester United looks much the same as last season, but football is a sport where you either advance or retreat. If you stay the same, you will inevitably fall behind.
"Many of Manchester United's core players are a year older, and coupled with the loss of confidence caused by us and Manchester City last season, their form has declined. Their combat effectiveness is not what it used to be."
After saying this, a few complex expressions appeared on Wenger's face, "Secondly, conflicts have gradually broken out between coach Ferguson and the Glazer family. The tense relationship between the two families will greatly affect this team and cause panic.
"I think Manchester United is about to enter an era of power change. This will be an era of frequent chaos. Maybe their team is already in a mess."
Maël's head lifted slightly. If he remembered correctly, Ferguson should be leaving Manchester United next year, in a less than dignified manner.
There was no championship last season, and hopes are slim this season. Perhaps his departure will be accelerated, and at least he will not remain in office after this season.
It's a pity, a famous coach who made Manchester United world-class in terms of both performance and commercialization, but ultimately ended up in such a situation.
Thinking of this, he looked at Wenger again. If he hadn't come here in this life, and history had developed as it originally did, the ultimate fate of this French coach would have been similar to Ferguson's, perhaps even more tragic, because he had never fulfilled his dream.
"." Wenger then talked about a few more points, and then asked the assistant coaches to take the players out to warm up. After the warm-up, everyone simply moved the ball and prepared to go home to prepare for the game.
"Hiss!" But at this moment, Arteta suddenly gasped after a turn, clutching his calf and lying on the ground.
Everyone immediately became anxious and surrounded him to ask about the situation, and left only after the team doctor came over.
"You may have a chance."
Maël looked at Arteta being helped away and disappearing from sight, a trace of sadness in his eyes. Injuries are always something every player doesn't want to encounter. However, he still started talking to Gilbert next to him.
Gilbert didn't say anything, but a raging fire ignited in his eyes. He had long been eager for a starting position.
"Pa!"
Maël knew that Gilbert might not be able to express anything at this time, so he said, "Grasp it well. You must perform well against Manchester United. This is the biggest obstacle on our road to 58 unbeaten games.
"I've looked at the schedule. After this round, until the 21st round of the league, our opponents are Swansea, West Brom, Reading, Wigan Athletic, West Ham United, Newcastle United, and Southampton in that order.
"They are not difficult to deal with. As long as we take down Manchester United, we are very likely to reach 59 unbeaten games."
Gilbert nodded, took off his shin guards, said goodbye to Maël, and walked quickly towards the parking lot, as if he wanted to go home quickly to study Manchester United's tapes and see the technical and tactical characteristics of this team.
Maël couldn't help but glance at him a few more times; they were finally going to fight side by side again.
Moreover, this time fighting side by side might last a long time. He didn't feel any schadenfreude about Arteta's injury, just some anticipation for partnering with his good brother.
...
On November 30th, Old Trafford Stadium was packed, with red dominating the entire venue. Fans from both teams were holding their breath, eager to stab the other side fiercely.
During the era of Wenger and Ferguson, matches between Manchester United and Arsenal could always be considered a Derby Battle.
Historically, the two teams didn't actually have many deep-seated grudges.
But just like in any multi-heroic competition or platform, there would always be a two-strong rivalry. The matches between Manchester United and Arsenal could be considered the Premier League's two-strong rivalry!
Even though the 'two-strong' situation had changed somewhat in recent years, fans didn't seem to look forward to the Arsenal versus Manchester United clash as much as before.
But after Maël's arrival, after Arsenal returned to a strong position, and as the Ferguson dynasty's sunset glowed, people once again looked forward to these two teams meeting in different circumstances! "Playing away against Manchester United is definitely a challenge for Arsenal. Everyone knows that at Old Trafford, in the Theatre of Dreams! The Manchester United players will be in a different state; they will fight desperately against any invading enemy.
"Manchester United has never experienced a three-game losing streak at the Theatre of Dreams, and it won't happen now, nor will it ever!
"I believe this will be a good game; both Arsenal and Manchester United will give everything on this field.
"And before this game starts, I want to introduce that due to Arteta's thigh muscle strain, which requires at least 4 weeks of recovery, Gilbert is in Arsenal's starting lineup.
"This may be a hidden danger for Arsenal, a point that Manchester United can exploit. However, Arsenal fans don't need to worry too much about the young player's condition. Being able to stand here, I believe he will defend the Gunners' glory!"
"..."
The director's camera suddenly flashed, focusing on a certain spot in the stands, where Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore and a group of dignitaries were sitting together.
"Ah, this is Richard Scudamore, the CEO of the Premier League. Under his leadership, the Premier League has completed a magnificent leap, becoming a league that can rival La Liga in one fell swoop!
"And, if they maintain this development trend, becoming the most commercially successful league in the future is almost a certainty.
"Undoubtedly, he is an excellent CEO; he has changed the Premier League! He deserves the respect of all fans.
"Of course, superstars like Maël are also silently contributing to this league behind the scenes, which is also why the Premier League can get better and better! Richard Scudamore also acknowledges this point; he has praised Maël on social media many times."
"..."
"Alright, the players from both sides have entered the field, and this great battle is about to begin at the Theatre of Dreams. This may be the biggest challenge Arsenal has faced since completing their 49-game unbeaten run!
"Overcoming Manchester United, they may move towards a brighter future!"
...
On the sidelines, Wenger and Ferguson, two old coaches who had fought for half their lives, met. They were about to perform the pre-match rituals.
Different from the previous indifference or gunpowder smell, both of them smiled this time, held each other's hands, and chatted while supporting each other's arms.
"How have you been lately?" Ferguson looked at Wenger, making small talk.
Wenger raised an eyebrow and replied, "Not bad, how about you?"
The smile on Ferguson's face carried a few hints of complexity and bitterness, but this emotion was quickly hidden by him. He didn't answer directly, "It took experiencing a long period of low ebb to understand how you felt back then."
"Haha..." Wenger laughed, but the laughter faded from his eyes.
This was strange; he originally thought he would be very happy to hear these words from Ferguson's mouth.
"Manchester United has lost its Premier League dominance for quite some time, but it hasn't been this uncomfortable before."
Ferguson seemed to cherish the encounter with Wenger on the field, unable to resist saying more, "I didn't know why before, until I saw you break your previous record that I understood why I was uncomfortable, or rather, I understood your previous situation better.
"Because what you have to endure is not only the desolation of your own decline, but also watching your old rival, with whom you fought to the death, soar all the way up, return to the position of overlord, and look down on you from above.
"This back and forth makes the gap and sorrow in your heart indescribable."
Wenger's expression flickered. Ferguson was willing to say these things to him, perhaps because he already knew his own ending.
"Pa pa." Ferguson finally reached out and patted Wenger on the shoulder, saying as he turned to leave, "A few years ago, Manchester United ended Arsenal's 49-game unbeaten streak. I hope we can end your 51-game unbeaten streak today.
"I know you're still brooding over the controversial penalty at that time. Today, I hope to make you fall convincingly."
"Then bring it on." Wenger smiled and turned to his position.
"Bip!!"
At this moment, the whistle for the official start of the match blew on the field. Manchester United kicked off from the center circle, and the players from both sides engaged.
No matter how the attitude between Wenger and Ferguson changes, the attitude of the players on both sides will not change. For these 90 minutes, they are just enemies.
"Come on Arsenal!! Come on Arsenal!!"
"Glory Glory Man United Glory Glory!!"
Compared to the mutual appreciation between Wenger and Ferguson, what affects them more is the hysterical shouts of the fans on both sides at this moment, the gunpowder and fierce confrontation on the field! "Bang!!"
"Cha!"
"Fuck off!"
As soon as the game started, the sound of feet colliding often echoed throughout the field, and tackles and angry curses between players were extremely frequent. When anxious, players would even roar at the referee.
Maël rushed up and faced Manchester United defender Rafael. He used his body to hold the opponent, seeking a chance to receive the ball with his back to the goal and turn to break through.
Rafael is not well-known in European football, and his highest transfer value at Manchester United has not exceeded 20 million euros, but his defensive ability is indeed good, and he is also the best choice Manchester United can pull out to compete with him now.
In the 8th minute of the match, he had some ideas to undermine Rafael's confidence after receiving the ball once.
He skillfully used the Rainbow Flick, pulling the ball with the instep of his right foot to the back of his left leg, rolling it up along his calf, and finally kicking it backward with both legs and feet.
"Shua!" The football flew behind Rafael. Rafael quickly turned and stepped forward, while using his arm to hold him in the back, trying to prevent him from rushing forward.
Rafael did well, but obviously, the gap between him and Maël in terms of physical talent was still relatively large.
"Deng deng deng!" Maël only took two steps to bump past him and enter the penalty area.
Although the subsequent cross ultimately failed to threaten the goal, it still caused some changes in Rafael's expression.
"The game continues! Manchester United is preparing to launch a wave of counterattacks! Judging from the attitude they have shown since coming up today, they still want to seek opportunities from the attack and strive for victory! Ferguson should have also made a lot of targeted deployments against Arsenal, forming restraint against Arsenal at multiple points. He definitely has this ability.
"By doing these things, they have a chance to score, but whether doing these things can lead to victory, only God knows.
"This time it's Rooney holding the ball in the middle! Passing the ball to Carrick! They want to attack Gilbert's side in the middle! Two-on-one!
"Gilbert can't hold on, Vermaelen wants to come over to help him! Beautiful tackle! Gilbert disrupted the football a bit! But after getting up, he seems to have been tripped by Rooney and fell to the ground again! He very dissatisfiedly spread his hands towards the referee to signal, but Rooney also rushed forward muttering something! A shot! A high shot! This attack and defense may have left both sides dissatisfied!"
"."
"Hey! Hey!"
On the sidelines, Wenger roared at the referee, "What if this ball goes in? Would you regret not calling Rooney for tripping someone!"
On the field, Gilbert threw up his hands and stood up, but his young face clearly lacked persuasiveness and presence among the Manchester United and Arsenal superstars.
Rooney saw his appearance and deliberately walked past him, saying, "If you can't handle this kind of confrontation, you should go play in another league sooner rather than later."
"Stay humble, kid. You're not Maël, and you're certainly not me. Being a Premier League substitute at 19 isn't something to be proud of."
Gilbert and Rooney had briefly been together in the England national team. He looked at Rooney in disbelief, not understanding why this older brother was so aggressive today.
"Get lost." His anger was also provoked, and he waved his hand at Rooney, complaining, "Being fourth in the league standings isn't something to be proud of either. If you have the guts, go for first place."
"What did you say?"
Rooney turned around after hearing this, wanting to get in Gilbert's face and escalate the conflict. "Say that again? You won't win half as many Premier League titles as I have in your lifetime!"
"Who knows?" Gilbert sneered and stepped forward. He knew that the more cowardly he was, the more he would be bullied by these superstars. The two then began to push each other, and the atmosphere of the match became more intense.
Ashley Young, Carrick, and others quickly arrived. At Old Trafford, they would not accept their captain being at a disadvantage in a conflict.
Gilbert quickly found himself at a disadvantage, being pushed around by several people. It wasn't until several of his team's defenders came over that things got a little better.
"What are you doing?!"
Maël arrived from the frontcourt at this time and pushed Rooney, the instigator of the conflict, hard. "What's the big deal about bullying him? Come at me if you have the guts."
"Who did you learn that from?" Rooney also sneered mockingly. "What are you pretending to be, you little brat?"
"All you can do is talk about age. Your peak season stats are only about 15 league rounds for me this year." Maël poked at his sore spot while stepping forward to confront Rooney.
Rooney is very strong. It may not look like it, but he is definitely one of the most physically gifted players in the Premier League.
However, when he met Maël, he had no advantage and could only retreat steadily.
"Beep beep beep!!"
The referee immediately came up to stop the conflict, but surprisingly, he directly showed yellow cards to Rooney and Gilbert, and then turned around and showed one to Maël, who had just made a bigger move.
"What?!"
Maël held his head. He could understand if he was the only one given a yellow card for this conflict, or if Gilbert was given one, but he couldn't accept both of them getting one.
He laughed absurdly, glanced at Wenger on the sidelines, and then looked at the referee.
He knew that this game might not be so simple.
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