From Arsenal to the Ball God

”Beep! Beep! Beep——!”

Once Arsenal players finished celebrating and Swansea restarted with a center circle kick, the match concluded.

In the end, with each of the starting forwards scoring a goal, they ended in a draw against Swansea away, securing a precious point, a valuable draw!

Still unbeaten!

Arsenal players didn’t celebrate too much after the match, nor did Swansea players look too disappointed post-game.

This result was acceptable to both sides, one maintained their unbeaten status, and the other gained points from the league leaders.

”Hang in there.”

As they left the field, Van Persie walked beside Ma’el, looking at the grass beneath his feet and said, ”Every season this happens, injuries can have an enormous impact on Premier League teams.

”Let’s hope we’re lucky enough in the forward and midfield positions to stay injury-free.

”Especially between you and me, if either of us is out for more than two weeks, the team won’t be able to hold onto the top of the table.”

Ma’el nodded, feeling a sense of difficulty, just like Wenger said, the Premier League schedule is incredibly tough.

This difficulty sometimes has nothing to do with the opponent’s strength or surprising performances but relates to the team’s own issues.

A team can be incredibly strong and resilient, yet also extremely fragile... The injury of one or two key players can cause their performance to plummet, and there are far too many examples of this.

Fortunately, his chances of getting injured are small, and with proper precautions, unexpected events are nearly impossible.

”Phew.....”

As Ma’el reached the sidelines, he saw Wenger let out a long breath and gave him a smile, ”Well done, Ma’el, maybe one day, scoring headers will become your norm.”

”It will certainly happen.” He nodded to the manager, noticing a strong sense of relief and expectation in his eyes.

This is normal, as everyone thinks he now has the same intensity as Henry, with similar weaknesses except for headers.

If he gradually masters headers, it would prove that he would definitely become a more versatile and efficient striker than Henry!

This will contribute more to a team, bolstering the power of their frontline!

By then, whether it’s Walcott or Gervinho on the right, they could freely cross, with Van Persie in the center and him at the back post, always ready for a high-altitude bombing to threaten the goal.

”Let me look at your head shape.”

Henry, overhearing their conversation, smiled and came over to have a look at Ma’el’s forehead, ”Someone once wrote a paper proving my head shape isn’t quite suitable for headers.

”But yours should be fine, very normal, very handsome, a bit like the French movie star Alain Delon back in the day.

”Hahaha..... It’s no joke, someone really wrote a paper analyzing my heading ability.”

Ma’el laughed along with him, finding it amusing. Following Henry’s words, he said, ”If the head shape suits, then great. Just wait, one day I’ll score 10 goals with headers in a single season.”

”You rascal.” Henry laughed and pointed at him across the air with his index finger, as if thinking his ambition was too grand.

Scoring 10 goals in a single season with headers would be at the level of Klose and Ronaldo.

”Ma’el.” A voice came from his side, Swansea midfielder Joe Allen approached, ”Can I swap shirts with you?”

”No problem.”

Wearing a white tight-fit shirt, not afraid of the cold, Ma’el agreed and took off his jersey right away.

He still remembered this player’s performance in the last moments; after being tackled by him, Joe Allen didn’t waste time and got up to join the battle again..... showing professionalism, though he might regret it after the match.

”I’m 3 years older than you.” Joe Allen was surprised at Ma’el’s straightforward agreement, saying cheerfully, ”But I can’t get near any awards, and seeing you enter the Ballon d’Or top ten just recently, I truly admire you.

”You’re one of the best players in the Premier League now, alongside Van Persie, Rooney, Aguero, and Suarez.”

Ma’el nodded in thanks and handed him his jersey, noticing Graham on the other side approaching, seemingly wanting to swap shirts as well.

Seeing that he had already swapped jerseys with someone else, Graham awkwardly turned and walked away.

He knew this player from the Championship, although they’d never spoken; their competition for the top scorer title lasted for a long time.

He had also heard that after Ma’el overtook him, Graham, out of anger, punched his own teammate and was disciplined by the club.

It truly was an amusing story, one that he couldn’t imagine.

Shortly after entering the player tunnel, a reporter chased after him, smilingly asking, ”Is this your job?”

Ma’el stopped, realizing the reporter referred to the equalizer, and smiled, ”Yes, earning points for the team through equalizers and last-minute goals, maintaining an unbeaten run, this is my job.

”I’m very good at this job, and I always perform well... However, I hope the team can secure points more easily.”

He patted the reporter’s shoulder, exchanged smiles, and then entered the locker room.

This match was thrilling yet without danger.

Hopefully, they can hold on, grit their teeth, and get through this tough period!

After that, surely everyone will gain a strong sense of feedback and achievement, moving forward with even more confidence!

By then, a spacious and smooth road awaits them.

”Arsenal faces an injury crisis, the team draws twice in the Premier League! But fortunately, star forwards Ma’el and Van Persie remain stable, leading the team onward!” —Sky Sports Premier League Column