Becoming a football god from Arsenal

Chapter 118 He went to the light! Coordination level 4! Arsenal's trip to China!
On the sidelines, all members of the Arsenal coaching staff clearly captured Maher’s performance just now, and they quickly showed expressions of amazement.

"he?"

Philip immediately turned to look at Wenger, wanting to see the reaction on his face, "His strength and speed are stronger than we thought?"

Wenger's brows were knitted together, but there was obvious tremor and surprise on his face, and even the speed of his speech was much faster, "Our eyes will not deceive us, it must be."

Philip turned his head back to look at Maher on the field and sighed, "Speed ​​and strength were not his strong points in the Championship last season. How come he is so strong all of a sudden?

"Is it just extra practice?"

In a trance, he remembered what he said in rebuttal when Wenger first mentioned Mahrez to him for extra training.

Football is about talent. Hard training cannot solve the problem. It is useless to train like this.

Now it seems that everyone has to believe in the effect of extra training, at least they have to believe in the effect of extra training on Maher.

"Who knows?"

Wenger did not dwell on the question, a few gleams appeared on his face, "I only know that the one who returned to the team is an even more remarkable player."

He remembered his idea some time ago to transform Maher into an all-around striker, standing in the middle and attacking forward.

It seems like this isn't the optimal solution for using Mahel?

He has very strong physical confrontation, super fast speed, first-class cross and inside shooting.

The wing with more space and more range of movement seems to be the most suitable stage for him to bring a gorgeous performance?

"Philip."

Wenger has a new idea. There is still a hint of passion in his eyes, and his expression shows his vision for the future. As long as it is related to football and to enhancing Arsenal's strength, he will do so.

"I want to play four-three-three."

He said it very seriously and firmly: “I want him to play in his old position on the wing, but closer to the center, to take advantage of it while playing the role of a forward in the counterattack, killing two birds with one stone.

"He has this ability, he definitely has it, I can confirm it!"

Philip listened to the tone of his voice, felt his surprise and excitement at the moment, and did not answer, but smiled from the heart.

The professor saw hope. He must be very sure at this moment that Maher has the ability to change the team.

All the anxiety and worry in his heart disappeared, and all the sadness from the past also vanished, leaving only anticipation for the future.

“He doesn’t have to come back to defend.”

Wenger was talking excitedly, and finally a smile appeared on his face. He no longer concealed his enthusiasm, "We need to equip him with a defensive midfielder standing behind him to be responsible for sweeping.

“Frimpon is good.

"In addition, we should treat him as the most important explosive point in the team and give him a lot of ball rights and freedom.

"Compared to being afraid of him losing the ball, I am more afraid that his talent will have nowhere to be released. I also believe that before he loses the ball and causes the team to concede a goal, he can knock on the opponent's door first!"

Wenger stuffed the training schedule in his hand into Philip's arms, turned around and left the administration building a little anxiously.

At the end, he only left a somewhat cool sentence: "Philip, you will lead the training today. I will go and write some tactical ideas about him first."

"and many more!"

Philip stopped Wenger, a smirk appeared on his face, and he took out a USB flash drive from his pocket, "Mr. Wenger, do you remember your previous 10-year plan?

"I had a feeling you might need it, so I made a copy before you deleted it."

It might be a bit of an exaggeration to say that he looked like a child waiting for praise at this moment, but it would be more accurate to say that he looked like a middle-aged man waiting for a hug.

"Oh," Wenger turned around but did not walk back, he smiled and said: "Thank you for your kindness, Philip, you have always been a careful person.

"But now, I don't need that 10-year plan. I will make a new 10-year plan."

After saying that, he shrugged and smiled, turned around, walked past the coaching seats with awnings, and walked towards the asphalt road where the sun was shining directly, leaving Philip alone with his hair disheveled in the wind.

Philip: “.”

Why is it different from what he imagined?
"Where is Mr. Wenger doing?" an assistant coach nearby asked when he saw Wenger leaving.

Philip sighed, not feeling too upset about what had just happened. He looked up at Wenger's back.

His back is very tall, but he looks extremely small against the backdrop of the sunlight above his head. But no matter what, when the sunlight kisses his head and when vitality reappears on this elderly man, he gives people a feeling that he is omnipotent.

"He went into the light." Philip answered simply, turning his head and returning his gaze to the court.

But the light is there.

After a few days of recovery training, Arsenal began training various offensive and defensive formations and technical and tactical techniques. Set pieces were also mentioned many times during this stage.

They have officially started making final preparations for the new season, and the fierce four-tier schedule is about to come!

Maher has shown unprecedented seriousness during this period. The technical and tactical play of top teams is often more complicated.

Especially for a team like Arsenal that tends to play short passes and cuts, they have many strict designs in the front, middle and back lines.

In daily training, he can also feel very clearly that Wenger's attention to him is increasing.

Many times, even the arrangement of certain training courses is obviously related to him.

Whenever he performed poorly, Wenger would call him to his office and give him private lessons to explain tactics.

“Teams don’t throw a lot of long balls.”

In the office, Wenger looked at the tactical board intently and explained to Maher the most basic offensive and defensive style of Arsenal, "We will try to use short passes to quickly develop the ball to the front court and pursue rapid advancement in the process.

"The right centre-back Vermaelen has excellent footwork and he usually takes on the task of passing the ball forward from the back. Occasionally, we also need two full-backs to advance.

"Midfielders and forwards need to find gaps between the two lines to receive the ball. In the process, they need to run more, confuse the defensive players, and create more gaps and opportunities.

"When the ball comes to a higher position, Alexander Song will usually take on the task of organizing the game. If we move further forward, we will try to pass the ball to Fab."

He paused here, but his face showed no expression, "In the final step, we will aim at the penalty area and launch a quick assault with a strong desire to attack their dangerous area.

"Football generally goes in the direction of Robin van Persie, he is our top scorer."

"I see." Maher nodded. In his daily training, he had been exposed to many more detailed passing and cutting tactics.

After knowing the team's main ideas and direction, he has been initially integrated into the team.

Next, just leave everything to time. The degree of tacit understanding and running-in can only increase slowly.

As the days passed, Maher could feel that his performance in training was getting better and better, and his cooperation with his teammates was becoming more and more tacit.

On July 7, his coordination ability underwent an upgrade, which was his third level 21 physical ability.

[Skill: Coordination lv4]

[Proficiency: (1/5000)]

[Effect: Your control over your body has reached the limit, and your flexibility and balance have almost reached the highest level. It seems that any difficult moves on the football field cannot stump you! ]

"coordination?"

He didn't expect that the level 4 of this ability was called coordination.

It seems that the proficiency panel has given a very high evaluation to the word "coordination". Come to think of it, it is difficult to find a better adjective than coordination.

Maybe you will have to wait until you upgrade to level 5 before some eye-catching descriptions will appear.

"All three physical skills are level 3!"

Maher finished the day's training and was in a very good mood. He dived into the swimming pool in the mansion and relaxed his muscles by swimming.

After that, he can improve his physical fitness to level 4 with Davis' help, and then find one of these four skills to upgrade to level 4!
He was extremely eager to know what the level of "human limit" mentioned when the panel first appeared was.

On July 7, Mendes came to London to prepare to negotiate Maher's new contract with Arsenal.

Before the negotiations, Maher met him in a cafe to discuss some final issues.

"I estimate it to be £8."

Mendes stated Arsenal's lower limit, and he was very confident: "Believe me, I have learned about Arsenal and Wenger's attitude before, they will not offer a new contract below this price. "In addition, do you have any considerations in terms of liquidated damages and contract terms? I estimate that their proposal is 1 million pounds and a two-year contract extension. "

"What does Mr. Mendes suggest?" Maher chose to ask Mendes first, as the other party obviously had more experience and expertise in this area.

“It depends on the salary.”

Mendes paused for a moment and then continued: "If they can offer a salary of more than 10 pounds, then this is not unacceptable."

"Of course, I'll push you down as much as possible. What do you think?"

Maher nodded slightly, thought for a while and said, "I have no problem with the liquidated damages. As for the contract renewal, I still have the same idea as before, only renewing for one year to avoid the possibility of no renewal."

“I understand.” After Mendes understood Maher’s request, he didn’t sit with Maher for too long, and the two of them walked out of the cafe.

Maher waved goodbye to Mendes and said expectantly, "I hope it's good news."

"must."

Mendes waved at him and said with a smile, "After the negotiation is over, I may have to go back first, and then come back when the contract is confirmed. You should also be having a pre-season friendly match soon.

“Contact me by phone, I will communicate with you if there is anything, and try my best to complete your request first.

"Just play well and leave these things to me. You just need to focus on the court."

"it is good."

Maher said goodbye to him and returned home, feeling increasingly stressed.

The schedule for the new season of the Premier League has been released. On August 8, they will face Newcastle United in the first round of the league.

Before that, he heard that the team was preparing for about two friendly matches for the final run-in.

On July 7, Maher's new contract was basically confirmed and his salary reached 25 pounds.

Compared with before, it increased by another 43k, and the weekly salary after tax reached 5.7 pounds, surpassing the previous pre-tax salary!

With Mendes' efforts, he signed a contract with Arsenal with a buyout clause of 1 million pounds, a one-year contract extension, and a total contract period of four years.

Now, it's up to Mendes to confirm the final details with the club, and once everything is ready, he can complete the signing.

After the training that afternoon, Wenger called all the players together, as if there was something important to discuss.

“The team is about to start its China tour.”

He got straight to the point right away, introducing: "We will play two friendly matches there, the first against Bayern Munich and the second against Boca Juniors.

"We will prepare well and leave the day after tomorrow. These should be the only two friendly matches before the start of the season."

As soon as the words fell, the eyes of the Arsenal players moved, and many of them had strong excitement and desire on their faces, including Maher.

As a person who traveled through time from China in 2024, he hasn't returned to his hometown for a long time.

I am busy with games during the season and busy with training during the off-season. I have no relatives or friends when I go back home, and I don’t know who to turn to. It seems that there is nothing else to do except walking on the streets alone.

It is a good thing to take the opportunity of the team’s trip to China to go back this time.

He has long wanted to play a game in his hometown, feel the enthusiasm of Chinese fans, and listen to the comments of his game from football commentators in his native language!
Not to mention, he might be wearing an Arsenal jersey there, against one of the world's top clubs, Bayern Munich!

In this era, Bayern Munich, with a number of superstars such as Lahm, Robben, Ribery, Schweinsteiger, etc., is definitely a strong contender for the Champions League title every year.

Fight them?
This is a good opportunity for me to test my current abilities and see how I can perform when facing a strong team!
"Mael."

After the training, Wenger called Maher and asked him to go to his office.

Maher followed him in and found Wenger sitting in front of the familiar tactical board again. He smiled and walked closer.

"You'll be the starter."

Wenger said firmly, moving the tactical board, "The match against Bayern Munich cannot be viewed as a friendly match, but as a key match to test our true level. Do you understand?"

"That's what I thought." Maher replied with a smile and secretly clenched his fists. It must be an exciting experience to start in such a game.

"The formation will be four-three-three."

Wenger reached out to adjust the tactical board and pulled out the left winger chess piece. "You will be the team's left winger. You don't have to bear the responsibility of retreating and defending. After everyone retreats, you and Van Persie will stay in the front court.

“You might then have to be more central and occasionally drop back to receive the ball.

"Of course, this depends on the situation on the field. You can also stand on the wing and wait for opportunities. The choice is yours."

Wenger closed the tactical board and added: "This is an experimental style of play to test our true level, but we don't need to focus too much on winning or losing, just play to our strengths."

"I understand." Maher nodded slightly, then stood aside and looked at Wenger, waiting for him to continue.

As a result, Wenger didn't speak for a long time. The two looked at each other awkwardly for a while, and then pretended to be busy, one tidying up the tactical board and the other scratching his hair.

"Nothing else?"

Maher asked proactively, he thought Wenger asked him to come in and had other instructions.

"Gone."

Wenger waved his hand to signal Maher that he could leave, and when Maher reached the door, he stopped him again: "Maher, you must adjust your condition and perform at your highest level.

"You need to let the whole world see your ability and let Arsenal fans understand what level of player the player standing on the left side of the team is in the new season."

Maher smiled back and nodded heavily, "I will."

On the morning of July 7, after more than ten hours of flight, all Arsenal members arrived at the Capital International Airport.

The cabin door slowly opened, and Wenger and his coaching team got out of the car carrying large and small bags, looking sleepy. It was already early morning in London time.

"Click, click!" The media reporters' flashlights flashed rapidly, capturing the freshest first-hand photos. These days, it is not easy to invite two European giants, Arsenal and Bayern, at the same time.

Even though Arsenal does not have as many honors in major competitions as Bayern Munich, its Chinese fan base is very large, not inferior to Bayern.

Dozens of reporters stood on both sides of the plane's stairs, holding microphones and crowding towards Wenger.

"Mr. Wenger, let's talk about the upcoming game. Will new signing Gervinho start?"

"Can you tell us about Fabregas? To what extent did his conflict with the team escalate?"

"The team's 17-year-old youngster Maher has performed well in the Championship. Will he get a chance to play in these two friendly matches?"

Wenger paused for a moment and answered a few simple questions, but avoided some that were obviously difficult to answer.

Behind him, Maher got off the car carrying the suitcase issued by the club. He took a few breaths of fresh air and listened to the standard Chinese around him. A sense of familiarity came over him.

He turned his eyes and looked around, and an uncontrollable urge to speak his native language surged into his heart.

Haven't been back for a long time.
However, he still suppressed the impulse. It was the first time in his life that he came to this land, so it was better not to cause unnecessary trouble.

In the future, I can manage the social media accounts here well, and try to come back when I have time to sit and hang out with the Arsenal fans in China.

Maher followed the team and got on the bus that had been prepared long ago with the Arsenal logo on it, drove out of the airport and onto the highway in the capital.

"We Arsenal are invincible!!"

On both sides of the street, many fans wearing Arsenal jerseys spotted them and immediately rushed up holding their jerseys, singing the widely circulated lyrics.

"Come on Arsenal!"

"Van Persie! I love you!"

"Arshavin, play football well and don't go out drinking every day!"

"Professor! Mr. Wenger! Look at me, look at me, here I am!!"

They were so crazy that some of them even chased the team bus and excitedly greeted the players on the bus.

Most of the Arsenal players fell asleep in their seats, only Maher was full of energy and watched them for a long time.

We must try our best to perform well in our homeland and bring a wonderful game to the Arsenal fans in China!

He didn't want to lose face here, and excitement surged into his heart from this moment on.

(End of this chapter)