From Arsenal to the Ball God

”Arsenal...Arsenal....!!”

Inside the Emirates Stadium, as the match approached the 80-minute mark, the cheers from Arsenal’s fans gradually intensified, though a hint of tension was inevitable.

Playing at home, if they allowed Fulham, ranked among the lower half of the league table, to hand them their first defeat of the season, it would surely affect the players’ mentality.

They were not afraid of failure... to many seasoned fans, they had long adopted a calm acceptance towards the result of single matches.

But they feared that the team, which had been advancing triumphantly this season, might be struck, making it difficult to find the momentum for consecutive victories again.

This is what truly matters!

The league championship, an honor that has haunted Arsenal fans for so many years, finally showed a glimmer of hope this season.

Who can contain their expectations?

Who can suppress their worries?

Over the years, from the glory of returning to the top stage to falling back into struggles, the mindset of the Gunners fans has become somewhat fragile.

Usually, if asked, most would wave dismissively, joking that the team lacked the funds and strength to challenge for major titles.

But when they truly see the spark of hope, who can bear to let it extinguish?

Any slight disturbance would make them feel a bit anxious, even if sometimes the situation wasn’t that serious yet.

”Remember... the last time the team won the title? Over seven years ago.”

In the Arsenal die-hard fan section, people clapped and cheered while chatting nostalgically with those beside them.

”Of course I remember, I still recall the specific record, 26 wins, 12 draws across 38 rounds, undefeated champions with 90 points.”

A fan laughed, this was their cherished memory deep in their hearts, ”Didn’t Henry score 30 goals in the Premier League that season? I think there were some assists too.”

”Are you trying to say that the team’s starting record this season also makes you see the hope of an undefeated title?” Another fan joined their casual chat with a smile.

”Haha... I know such opportunities are rare and hard to come by, but indeed, a strong start makes one fantasize.”

”You’re right, this season our start is even better than that season, and we have another person to rely on, right?”

”You mean Ma’el?”

More and more people joined their conversation, seemingly using this way to divert their attention from the tense and oppressive atmosphere inside the stadium.

”Isn’t it? He’s already scored 15 goals in the league, who would say he might not reach 30 goals?”

”If that’s the case, I’m going to place some bets on him for the Golden Boot Award, it looks quite probable... 30 goals, usually that’s a sure Golden Boot achievement.”

”Now the odds don’t seem to be high, when he just arrived here the odds were quite shocking, if you placed a bet at that time, you’d be living with expectations every day now, huh.”

Someone glanced at the scoreboard during the chat, finding the time close to 85 minutes.

For a moment, several people started to ease their hearts, already preparing themselves to accept this loss.

...

”Boom!”

On the pitch, Ma’el, after holding the ball at the sideline, sent a cross towards the middle, the ball was blocked by a defensive player and fell back to his feet.

Having rested well, even after pushing forward he didn’t feel overly tired, but mentally exhausted, he truly was.

Fulham’s ultimate 6-3-1 iron wall formation sealed off their area from the box to the top of the arc, leaving very little room for receiving passes.

Seven players were stationed inside the box, with two more around the box protecting the second ball near the arc, and one at the front as a counter-attack point, preventing Arsenal from fully pressing forward.

”Boom boom boom...!”

As soon as Ma’el took the ball, two defensive players charged at him from front and back, while one immediately trailed him, with two to three others positioned slightly towards the center providing protection.

When more than five people guard you rigorously, unless one or two of them make mistakes, you can’t break through them to create a chain reaction on the rest.

The two legs of a defensive player are like two whips, two moving are easy to dodge, four hitting from all angles become a bit tricky.

Not to mention six, eight, or ten.

Many solo goal runs past five or six defenders are actually about stringing five to six one-on-one or two to three one-on-two breakthroughs during counter-attacks.

With Ma’el’s current abilities, there’s definitely a chance for such a goal.

In that match between France and Belgium, his first two goals were of a similar nature... the Belgian defense was relatively loose at the time.

Once his rhythm reaches Level 4, the likelihood of scoring similar goals should be higher, and the increased anaerobic running capacity from Level 4 physical ability would also boost success rates considerably.

Then, as long as there’s a counter-attack, he may often replicate those peak Emperor Henry solo classic goals against Liverpool and Real Madrid.

But against ultra-dense defense formations in set plays... neither his current self nor peak Emperor Henry had much chance to dribble past everyone decisively.

Maybe when his dribbling and additional skills both reach Level 5, or either reaches Level 5, he’ll have enough confidence.

Or else by increasing success rate indirectly, elevating fancy dribbling to Level 4, perhaps it could occasionally create a surprising effect!

Already top tier, yet there’s a long road ahead!

Compared to the skills required for his ultimate goal, he’s still far from enough... bearing the name of a top forward, scoring 30+ goals annually is not his pursuit limit.