Becoming a football god from Arsenal

Chapter 188: The idea of ​​​​Puma co-branded sneakers! Wenger urgently held a press conference! Manchester United is coming, fighting over the mountains!

On January 1, there are only two days left before the home game against Manchester United.

During the two days of training with the team, Maher could clearly feel that everyone was under increasing pressure, tension was spreading throughout the entire team, and there was much less laughter and joy in training.

This is normal. They have remained unbeaten for 21 rounds and only have 17 rounds left to complete the feat of an unbeaten season!

In this situation, everyone was worried that after working hard for most of the way, they would fall to this old rival.

After all, Arsenal's 49-game unbeaten streak in the league was finally ended by Manchester United.

However, their concerns cannot be said to be entirely due to fear of Manchester United's strength. The team has played well this season and tied Manchester United 4-4 at Old Trafford.

From this perspective, they do not feel that they are weaker than Manchester United, but the team's recent state and personnel injuries are indeed not optimistic.

It seems that only Vermaelen and Mertesacker cannot play, but the chain reaction brought about by their departure is that Alexander Song, Sagna and Koscielny have more work to do.

These three backcourt defenders have taken on more defensive responsibilities and made more runs during this period.

After experiencing a series of battles, their bodies were tired and not in the best condition.

The only good news is that Mertesacker is about to recover and he is expected to play in the game against Manchester United.

After finishing training that day, Maher came to the office of Football Record to prepare for the shooting of his first column.

"Your column program has 12k subscribers, while Arsenal only has around 4.9k."

Peter sat in front of the computer, called up the background data, and explained: “Don’t worry, this is because we have released your interview, and the fans are confident that we will broadcast your program as scheduled.

"But the Arsenal show is different, they are afraid that we won't be able to get the copyright and invite Arsenal players, so the bookings are in vain, so there are very few.

"As long as the two columns are broadcast normally for a few episodes, the number of subscribers will increase. There are about 1000 million people in the UK who have the habit of subscribing to such columns, and most of them are Sky Sports users.

“We are in a vertical field, and without further ado, grabbing 20 to 30 subscribers is a achievable goal.

"This can be considered as club and star peripherals. You have to believe in the spending power of Arsenal fans and your fans. Many people are happy to see this kind of star daily life and interview program.

"They want to know more about the club, about you and the players in the team."

He said a lot of things in a row, probably because he was a little worried that Mahel would give up confidence in the show and not take it seriously after hearing the number of subscribers.

After listening to this, Maher nodded slightly and asked curiously: "I remember the discount price for advance booking is 9.9 pounds. What is the subsequent official subscription price you plan to set?

"Should I subscribe for a year or a month?"

"This must be based on the year." Peter turned his stool, facing Maher and smiled, "In total, our two programs may only be broadcast about ten times a year, so it would be too expensive to broadcast them on a monthly basis.

"The official subscription price is set to be £14.9 per year, and if you subscribe to both programs at the same time, you can get a discounted price of £24.9."

Maher nodded and calculated in his mind that as long as the program was well done and there were 10 stable users, the sales could conservatively reach 149 million pounds a year.

Excluding personnel costs, filming costs and publicity costs, the revenue can be at least around 100 million pounds.

If there are 20 users, 30 users, or even slowly develop to 50 users, the various benefits will be very considerable.

The program could also include some soft advertising, such as letting the stars reveal their various data values ​​in football games and make some comments.

Not only is it an endorsement for a football game, but it is also a very interesting star event.

Seeing that Maher didn't say anything, Peter guessed that he was calculating, and said with a happy face: "It's very profitable, right? We hardly take any risks, and the reservation fee alone has already broken even.

"Next, it depends on how good the show is and how much money we can make."

He stood up and walked to the water dispenser to pour water for Maher, while continuing: "This is all thanks to you. No one dared to do this kind of program before, mainly because the various image rights of the club were too expensive.

“If we spend a large sum of money to ‘buy’ a partnership with them, the initial investment will be too huge and no one can guarantee that the program will make money.

"What's more, Arsenal owns the image rights of all the stars, so if we invite them over, we will have to pay each of them a huge advertising fee.

"If all these have to be paid for by the producers, then the possibility of making a profit in the end is very small."

He made a cup of tea for Maher, then returned to his seat and said happily: "But we didn't spend any money. Wenger gave you his personal appearance fee and various rights and interests with Arsenal as the signing fee.

“You have a good relationship with the club’s stars. You bring a lot to them, so they will naturally give you face and participate in your show as a favor.

“Everyone believes that if they help you this time, they will definitely get more in the future.

"It's the appeal that Messi has at Barcelona, ​​that Cristiano has at Real Madrid and that Seedorf has at Milan."

"Haha." Maher laughed twice. This was indeed equivalent to cashing in all kinds of value in himself.

But continuing like this is not a solution. Many Arsenal players have a certain international influence, and they can't keep participating in his show for nothing.

It's okay if it happens once or twice, but if it keeps happening, they will probably get bored slowly, and he'll seem a bit shameless.

"How about this."

Maher thought for a while and suggested to Peter: "The money from Arsenal's column program should not be earned by us alone. If we want to run it for a long time, we must share the profits with the club players and Wenger.

"Let's split 6% and 4% respectively. As the producers, we take % and the remaining % goes to them.

"Even if it's not much, it's a token of my appreciation. They participate in one or two shows a year and get a few tens of thousands of pounds, so it's not in vain."

After listening to this, Peter nodded and approved of the proposal, "That's good, I had this idea before, but it was difficult to bring it up with you.

"They can also get some profit, so it won't be a complete waste of your face."

The two confirmed this and then talked about the schedule for the first episode of the show. According to the plan, filming should start tomorrow and the first episode should be released on February 2st.

"I've recorded a lot of training material, so just take some time to record some of my vocals later. You'll have to spend more time on editing."

Maher has indeed been recording during this period, and he also remembers that the newspaper had promised the fans that Wenger and Mendes would be guests in the first issue to open his column.

He has already discussed it with the two men. It just so happens that Mendes is in London, so there is no need to invite him specifically. "Wenger and Mendes will come at different times, one tomorrow and the other the day after tomorrow.

"There shouldn't be any problem with the time, right? As for the club's column, I'll open the first issue alone, and Van Persie will open the second."

"it is good!"

Peter nodded heavily, his eyes full of expectations for the future. These two programs not only brought money to the newspaper, but also a significant increase in influence.

He was even more convinced that as long as the newspaper followed Maher and Arsenal, it would be able to develop better!
"One more thing." Peter remembered something and said, "Amelia's social media followers have exceeded 300,000. We are going to market her personal influence more vigorously and let her officially take the position of editor-in-chief.

“I may not be involved in any decision-making, but I am the only spokesperson for our newspaper in front of the public and the face we put out.”

"She's fine, that's how it should be." Maher nodded with a smile. A beautiful female reporter is still very useful to the football column.

Ma Fanshu from CCTV-5 is a good example. She was one of the motivations for many Chinese fans to turn on their TVs and watch Channel 5 in those years.

On January 1, the recording of the two programs began, and Wenger went to the newspaper office after finishing training that morning.

Maher wanted to accompany him, but was called to Puma's headquarters by Mendes. It was said that Orto, the head of the UK region, wanted to meet him.

"Mr. Mendez."

On the way to the headquarters, Maher looked at Mendes, who had been radiant recently, and couldn't help wanting to tease him, "Puma's ladder bonus clause is an additional bonus of 300 pounds for every 100 million pounds below 30 million pounds.

"If I can get another bonus of around £80 this season, and the total bonus is around £180 million, will they give me an additional bonus of £30?"

Mendes nodded with confusion in his eyes. He didn't understand why Maher did this. It was only 100 million pounds and he had an extra bonus of 30.

"In that case, my total prize money comes to £210 million."

Maher smiled and joked, "Now that I have another million pounds, do they have to give me an extra bonus?"

Mendes was stunned. He turned his head and saw Mahel's clear eyes. He was speechless for a moment and didn't know what to say.

It was not until he saw the smile on the other person's face that he realized that the other person was just teasing him. He laughed ridiculously twice, "Haha. Weird genius."

The two chatted and laughed, and came to Orto's office and pushed the door open and walked in.

"Welcome my friend."

Just like last time, Orto had been sitting in the office waiting for them. He watched the two men come in, stand up, open their arms, and perform the greeting etiquette.

Maher hugged him and looked at the London view through the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office. He always felt that the daily life of this business elite was filled with the smell of money.

"I'm sorry, the bonus contract does not include the clauses for the top ten Ballon d'Or and the Puskas Award."

Orto was very down-to-earth. He got straight to the point right away. “But we know very well how Puma’s brand value will be enhanced when the players receive these two honors as Puma ambassadors.”

This is actually well known. He confessed this just to express that Puma will not play dumb at this time and fail to give the players the benefits they deserve.

If it was just an ordinary player, it would be fine. Who would rush up to give money?

But the key is that Maher is young and has unlimited potential. They signed Maher, who had not yet accumulated any personal honors, and gave him a generous contract and bonus incentive clauses because they valued this point.

It is necessary to build good relationships with players like this, otherwise the players are very likely to change jobs after the contract expires.

It is obvious that Puma's competitors are Adidas and Nike.

The layout of these two companies in the football world is very successful. Not only do they have many first-line stars, they also have a star player each, Messi and Ronaldo, who are their face.

Compared with them, Puma does not have a real star player that can be proud of.

World football has now clearly entered an era of two great players competing for supremacy. The third-ranked player in the world has a considerable gap with these two.

If they want to grab the market share of football fans from Adidas and Nike who own them, they must find someone among the young people who can compete with them in the future and turn the football world into a battle of three great heroes.

It seems now that their original prediction was correct, and Maher is very likely the person!
In the top ten of the Ballon d'Or at the age of 18, this is an achievement that no one has ever achieved!

Although Orto has not been in public for some time, he has actually held countless meetings in the company regarding Mahel's issue, and has been extremely anxious and worried about it countless times.

They were thinking about how to give players some extra benefits in a way that was respectable to both parties.

Not only does it allow the players to accept it with peace of mind, but it also brings the two sides closer together, making them feel like a family.

Orto rejected countless proposals from his subordinates, but he himself could not think of any good solutions.

Until two days ago, he talked to Mendes about Maher's desire for co-branded sneakers when he signed the contract last time. It seems that this piece of equipment has always had special meaning to the player.

If Puma develops co-branded sneakers for players and gives them dividends, wouldn't they no longer be a company?
"We have already decided."

Orto roughly told Maher his original intention and reasons, of course, these were all modified words that the players liked to hear.

After saying this, he smiled and said, “I hope you don’t mind some of my mistakes in expression when we met last time. I never thought you were not worthy of co-branded sneakers.

"Obviously, a top scorer who has been at the top of the Premier League scorer charts for three months now deserves his own co-branded boot collection.

“Whether it’s FG and TF, or MG and AG, for each of these four different studs, we will design two basic sneakers, a special edition, and a collector’s edition.

“The design concept is based on the ‘shooter’ aspect, and the appearance is as sharp as possible, making it as suitable for shooting as possible.

"Of course, after the trial version comes out, you can also make some modifications according to your own requirements. This is a pair of sneakers that belongs to you and is made for you."

As Mahel listened to Orto's words, his face gradually brightened. He was very interested in this, and it had always been like this.

He attaches great importance to sneakers. People always attach great importance to things that they did not have at the beginning, just like Casemiro liked to drink boxes of Yakult, which he could not afford when he was a child, after he became famous.

"My pleasure."

He nodded to Orto to express his interest, and it was obvious that the other party was serious about this and was not simply trying to fool him.

In terms of quantity, they are planning to design a total of 8 basic models, 4 special models, and 4 collector's models.

What is circulating on the market are most likely 8 basic sneakers in different colors.

Special editions may be limited editions or given away as part of an event.

As for the collector's edition, its value will be even higher. Puma will most likely ask him to sign it, and then number it and sell it in limited quantities, or even auction it.

This is very common in the world of co-branded sneakers.

In general, the basic model is for sales, and the last two models are to enhance the overall value and influence of the co-branded sneakers. This is a complete system, and Puma has taken all issues into consideration.

"We have two proposals."

Orto took out a contract and handed it to Mendes, "One is that you get 45% of the profit after the cost of selling the co-branded sneakers, which includes the design of the co-branded sneakers, the construction of the production line, and publicity.

"One is that you get 12% of the total sales, and you don't have to worry about anything else. You can immediately get 12% of the dividends based on how many pairs you sell."

Mendes looked at the contract, turned his head and glanced at Mahel, wanting to hint to him to choose the second one, but he didn't want to make a face in front of Orto.

Just when he was about to come down to discuss it, Maher unexpectedly answered very straightforwardly, "I choose the second one. Thank you very much, Mr. Orto, for giving me the opportunity to choose."

Mendes secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued to look through the contract. Taking the total sales amount would definitely be a more reassuring option.

Even though 45% is included after factoring in the cost, the actual amount may only be around 12% of the sales. If any level in the middle of Puma wants to skimp on the profits and simply make up a non-existent cost, the company may not even get 12%.

At this time, they are not demanding an audit.

"Pleasant to work with."

Orto felt that he had accomplished something important. His face became much better. He stood up and held out his hand, saying, "In about two months, the trial version of the sneakers should be ready. We will debug it together then."

"Okay." Maher let out a long breath, feeling very happy, and said with a smile: "It's a pleasure to work with you."

He has been thinking about co-branding sneakers for a long time, but he didn't expect Puma to take the initiative to propose it today. It can be regarded as a wish come true!
He is very much looking forward to the final appearance and wearing feel of these sneakers. If possible, he will always wear his own sneakers on the court in the future.

Walking out of the office, it was time for him and Mendes to part again.

"I'm going to record your show tomorrow, remember to pay me 1 pound for my appearance."

Mendes hugged Maher, his eyes full of love and admiration for his player, as well as a bit of reluctance to leave, "I will leave after the show, and we may not meet again until the end of next month.

"I looked at your schedule for next month, it's still very tight. I'll take advantage of February to negotiate all the advertising endorsements, and then try to concentrate on completing the filming."

Maher nodded, remembering Mendes' usual words, and said with a smile: "Wait until the end of the League Cup at the end of February to determine the price. If we win one more championship, the endorsement fee may increase by 2 pounds."

They do this every time, waiting for the Golden Boy Award, waiting for the Golden Globe Awards ceremony, and this time they are waiting for the championship.

“Haha.” Mendes laughed, realizing that Maher was teasing him, and he spread his hands and said, “You and I are always like this, because you rarely fail, and I also believe that you can do everything.

"Okay, see you next time. The end of February should be the day when your Hall of Fame opens. I hope there will be one more League Cup trophy."

Maher waved goodbye to him and watched Mendes get on the car in the distance before turning and walking away.

These busy days were fulfilling and interesting. Sometimes he would suddenly feel a strong sense of satisfaction in his heart. He always felt that his life was worth living, as if everything was moving forward steadily.

He enjoys this kind of life and hopes that he can live a more exciting life.

"The second half of the top battle between Arsenal and Manchester United is about to begin. There are still 19 hours before the game starts. The BBC analysis program will be broadcast at 9 pm!" - BBC column
"Kyle Walker to Arsenal? The possibility of this deal is only 30%. The temptation of the championship may not exceed the moral pressure of the player." - British "442"

"Tottenham fans: Kyle Walker is a child they have watched grow up. Wenger's team will not be attractive to him. When the game with Manchester United is over, Arsenal will lose the championship." - London Evening News

"Is Kyle Walker waiting for the match between Arsenal and Manchester United? This is doubtful, but it cannot be denied that if Arsenal beat Manchester United, the player may join the team on time." - Transfermarkt official

As time draws closer to the kick-off point of the top battle, discussions about this game intensify.

At the same time, whether Tottenham's most valued defensive star will join Arsenal has also aroused heated discussion.

After all, the winter transfer window will be over after this top battle.

Arsenal has not made any moves in this transfer window. Apart from renewing the contracts of key players, they are also trying to win over Kyle Walker. Whether the team can successfully complete the transfer goal is a concern for all fans.

At 29 pm on the th, Tottenham coach Redknapp posted a message on social media.

"This is a relatively stable transfer window. The team has not made any major moves, and its competitiveness will not be weakened. We will continue to impact the Champions League spot."

This seems to suggest that Kyle Walker will not leave the team, at least he thinks so.

As soon as this news was released, it once again triggered a war of words between Tottenham fans and Arsenal fans. Tottenham fans were naturally relieved and began to mock Arsenal for their failed attempt to subvert the team.

Arsenal fans were forced to fight back. Although they were disappointed, they would not swallow their anger in front of the fans of their mortal rivals. They all stood up to fight back against the remarks of Tottenham fans.

This is also one of the great pleasures of the fans, to quarrel, to add fuel to the fire, to pave the way for the future battle between the two teams, and to raise their own threshold for watching future derby games.

After Redknapp, many Tottenham players came out to post messages to stabilize the morale of the team.

"The storm is gradually subsiding." - Van der Vaart social media

"The best defensive partner." - Ledley Kim posted a photo with Walker
"Work together to achieve the goal of the Champions League!" - Modric's social media

However, when the time came to 8:30 in the evening, Redknapp quietly deleted the social media.

This attracted the attention of many people, and many media outlets exaggerated his move, speculating whether the situation had changed again.

At nine o'clock in the evening, the war of words between Tottenham fans and Arsenal fans had reached the social media of Tottenham players, which became the new main battlefield.

Arsenal fans finally had the upper hand this time and kept talking about Redknapp deleting his social media posts, while Tottenham fans could only tire of refuting.

Of course, reasoning is not the main theme of conversations between mortal enemies. At most, they would say a few words of reason to each other, and then it would escalate into pure cursing.

It can be felt that the Tottenham players who posted the messages are starting to have trouble. Not only did the posts they just sent out fail to stabilize the morale of the players, they also became a hot potato.

Without knowing how management makes the decision, they don't know whether they should delete the post.

If it is deleted, the morale of the team will become even more unstable, and public opinion will completely turn to Arsenal. This will sometimes affect the players' decisions. What if Walker feels that he has to transfer?
Don’t delete it. What if Walker has already reached an agreement with Arsenal and then he will be laughed at?
Just when people were speculating, Wenger suddenly held an emergency press conference at 10 o'clock in the evening, saying that there was a major event to announce.

Media and newspaper offices around London rushed out immediately, and when they arrived at the Emirates Stadium, they found that Emilia, the beautiful reporter from "Football Record", and the photographer had already occupied the best position and adjusted the camera.

Wenger did not wait long, and after seeing several authoritative media arriving at the scene, he began the press conference, “It will take about 10 minutes to announce something exciting.

"There will be a small ceremony to be held on site later. It's getting late, so I'll get straight to the point."

He stood up and took out a jersey that had been prepared long ago from under the table, and waved to one side, "We are very lucky to have Kyle Walker join us, and the player will wear the No. 2 jersey in the second half of the season.

"It's a signing ceremony that is relevant to him and I believe the player can succeed at Arsenal!"

Kyle Walker is here!

"Ah!" There was a burst of exclamations at the scene. No one's face could remain calm and the photographers began to take pictures frantically.

Big news!
Tottenham star Kyle Walker joined the arch-rival team at the height of his popularity as the transfer window was about to end and Arsenal was about to face Manchester United!

"Click, click, click!" The flash lights kept flashing, illuminating Wenger's face and the sponsor billboard behind him.

At the door directly in front of Wenger's sight, a very strong player walked in in casual clothes with a smile on his face. It was Kyle Walker.

It seemed like he came in a hurry. He didn't have time to change his clothes. He wore a slightly fancy jacket and jeans, which made him look quite informal.

The cameras flashed even more frantically, they didn't want to miss any moment.

Kyle Walker came all the way to Wenger, pulled up the team's No. 2 jersey with Wenger, and left a picture with a smile.

"We hope this is a great transfer and that in a few years, when we look back, both parties will feel that this was a lucky decision."

Wenger said as he motioned for Kyle Walker to sit down, with two contracts on the table.

Kyle Walker sat next to Wenger, smiled and took the pen to sign the contract.

"Click!" Emilia looked at the photo taken by the photographer at the time of signing the contract, and quickly asked the staff to take out the computer and transfer the photo back to the office.

One minute later, two reports with accompanying pictures appeared on the Internet ahead of all other media.

"Kyle Walker joins Arsenal! It is reported that the player's transfer fee reached 3350 million euros. This is Arsenal's most expensive signing in recent years!" - "Football Record"

"Wenger's Arsenal ended the winter transfer window perfectly, and many core players completed contract renewals! The team will be highly competitive in the second half of the season!" - "Football Record"

Once these two reports were released, they instantly ignited the entire European football world. When public opinion was already at its highest point, they attracted the attention of all fans.

"Really joined?!"

"Yes!"

“An important piece of the championship puzzle!”

"Fuck! There's a picture!"

"Kyle Walker, you traitor, ungrateful bastard! We will hate you forever!"

"I curse you to never win the Premier League or the Champions League in your life! Wherever you go, you will bring bad luck to that team! Fuck y*****!"

"Chubby!"

"."

The number of comments increased by hundreds with each refresh, and the popularity gradually increased from light red "hot" to red "explosive", and finally to the orange-red "explosive" symbolizing extreme expansion!
Tottenham players quickly deleted the posts, and the battlefield of the war of words between Arsenal fans and Tottenham fans also shifted to these two reports.

The press conference site.

"Yes, many people in the team have completed the contract renewal, and almost all the core players whose contracts are about to expire have completed it." Wenger sat in the main seat, smiled happily and nodded, "This is a perfect winter transfer window. We have achieved the two goals we wanted to achieve very well."

"Ding Dong! Ding Dong!" At the scene, some reporters' cell phones vibrated rapidly. Many of them took the time to take them out and took a look, and found that they were accusatory text messages from their superiors, scolding them for being so slow.

They looked confused. Didn’t the press conference just begin?

Many people took photos of the press conference while it was still going on and said that they had already thought about how to write the report in the evening.

"Ding Dong! Ding Dong!" Their cell phones vibrated wildly again. When they picked them up, they found that their boss was cursing even more foully, and this time with two pictures attached.

Posted at 10:12:05 — "Kyle Walker joins."

Posted at 10:12:09——"Several core players have renewed their contracts."

Many people suddenly felt that the world was in chaos. They looked at the time. It was now 10:14. Didn’t Wenger just say that the contract renewal was completed perfectly?

"Swish!" More than a dozen reporters turned their eyes to Emilia, looking at her with confusion, as if everyone was in two timelines.

"Arsenal are a successful club, they have had some problems recently and I think I am here to solve those problems."

Kyle Walker leaned over to the microphone and smiled: "Of course, I have to admit that my former teammate Maher played a role in the transfer process. He called me twice to invite me to join and described the grand blueprint for the team's future.

“I was impressed, you know, for someone who had been successful with Maher, I couldn’t say no to that.

"I have been looking forward to creating another glory with him, and now this opportunity has come.

"Joining Arsenal was my childhood dream and I have always been looking forward to playing for this team."

"."

"Did he also say that when he joined Tottenham? I don't remember, maybe it was edited by the fans. You know, many people like to put some words on celebrities, even if the celebrity never said it."

On this day, Tottenham fans' mood could probably be summed up in three words.

"**** Kyle Walker!"

"**** Arsenal!"

"********Mael!"

The mood of Arsenal fans can probably be summed up in three sentences, just replace the '****' in the above three sentences with 'I love you'.

On this day, neutral fans also silently chose to join the Tottenham camp or the Arsenal camp to discuss the transfer and start a war of words.

In this kind of matter, no one can be truly objective. Everyone will have a very biased opinion based on their own standpoint.

On January 1th, the top battle at home against Manchester United arrived, and the haze in the sky of North London also reflected the atmosphere here that day.

"revenge!"

"Take down Arsenal!"

"Manchester UnitedManchester United! RooneyRooney!!"

The singing of Manchester United fans started two hours before the game. The Red Devils' traveling fans stood together in a square formation and came to the vicinity of the Emirates Stadium, and then set off smoke bombs and neon bombs.

"Chucky!"

Colorful smoke rose into the sky, filling the area outside the stadium with smoke. They were very fierce and the young guys all had fierce looks on their faces.

At the pre-match press conference, Sir Alex Ferguson and Gibbs sat in the media room and answered questions from reporters.

"The starting lineup has been announced. We see that Manchester United is playing with a five-defender formation, which is rare in Manchester United's previous games. Are there any arrangements?" a reporter asked.

"I won't answer tactical questions before the game." Ferguson looked serious. He knew the importance of this game very well. "If you want to ask, please wait until we win. Then I will tell you."

"Giggs also appeared in the starting lineup. The veteran is already 38 years old this year. Can his body withstand the high-intensity confrontation of the top battle?"

After hearing the question, Ferguson looked at Giggs and motioned for him to speak.

"Haha." Giggs laughed twice, leaned on the table and shook his head: "I may not be able to make breakthroughs like I did in the past, but I can still contribute to Manchester United like I did in the past.

"Sir Alex Ferguson isn't worried about it, so why should you be?"

After a lot of twists and turns, a reporter finally asked a question about Arsenal, "Arsenal has remained unbeaten in the past 21 rounds. Do you have the confidence to end their defeat?"

"We are here for this." Ferguson's expression remained serious, "Just like when we ended them in the 0405- season."

The tension gradually increased, and the fierce confrontation between Ferguson and Wenger was naturally one of the biggest highlights of the Premier League in this era.

On the other side, in the media room, Wenger and Maher sat on the bench.

"Mertesacker hasn't played a game for nearly a month. The player faces Manchester United in his first game after returning to the team. Can his body withstand it?" a reporter asked.

"Yes, he is trustworthy." Wenger didn't want to waste too much time on such a boring question and simply brushed it off.

"Mael scored 2 goals and assisted 2 in his last away game against Manchester United. What do you think about facing them at home this time?"

“One more time.” Maher also answered the question simply with a smile, showing his confidence.

"All neutral fans believe that Manchester United will beat Arsenal in this game and break the team's unbeaten streak. What does Arsenal think of this?"

Wenger curled his lips and walked to the microphone with a displeased tone, "All neutral fans? Is that what you think?

"Pre-match predictions are boring. The most attractive part of football is its unpredictability. Please all the so-called neutral fans take a good look at this game, including you."

The reporter had a blank expression on his face and looked at Maher again, "What do you think?"

"Same as above."

"Beep!!"

"Well, the fierce battle of the King Mountain has begun at the Emirates Stadium! Coach Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu will bring you live reports!"

In the ESPN broadcast room, Zhan Jun's signature voice rang out, "Manchester United unexpectedly chose a five-back formation today, with goalkeeper De Gea, left back Evra, and right back Valencia.

"In the centre of the back three was Chris Smalling, with Jonny Evans and Phil Jones to his left and right.

"In the midfield, Giggs and Carrick will have a lot of defensive tasks and pressure today.

"On the front line, Welbeck plays on the left, Rooney is at the front, and Nani is still on his most familiar right side.

"Zhang Zhi, please analyze this lineup and see what the tactical intention is.
"Especially at right back, Valencia is an attacking defender, why send him against Maher?"

Zhang Lu started the speech as usual, and then explained with great devotion, "Let's look at Manchester United's 5-2-3 formation. They may spread out and become 3-4-3 during the attack.

“And his 343 is more like a net, a circle.

"Everyone must know the circle in football training. Ferguson used these five defenders and three forwards to form a circle around the field today, surrounding all the Arsenal players.

"Giggs and Carrick are like free men in their circle, they can receive the ball anywhere and help Manchester United to complete the thread.

"When attacking, the eight players on the outside of Manchester United will rotate and attack Arsenal's defense in turn, and Giggs and Carrick inside the circle will help them rotate the ball.

"When defending, Giggs and Carrick would first help Manchester United to clear the ball, waiting for Manchester United's circle to tighten step by step, compressing the space to complete the steal.

"So it was clear that United wanted to use possession to suppress Arsenal, give Mahel as few opportunities as possible to receive the ball, and at the same time put pressure on him through Valencia, forcing him to keep returning to defense and consume his energy."

"."

The game has started at the Emirates Stadium, and Manchester United took the lead in sending a ball from the center circle in the first half.

Maher ran into the opponent's half and found that the opponent had stretched their formation very wide and played very confidently, not afraid that Arsenal would suddenly steal the ball and be counterattacked.

"Boom!"

He wandered down the left side of the court, actively fighting for the ball and relieving the pressure on the left-back position.

It may take about two weeks for Kyle Walker to integrate into the team. In this game, Gibbs still played on the left.

It is obviously unrealistic to let him face the combined attack of Nani and Valencia alone. If he does not help with defense, Manchester United can at least create three excellent opportunities through this side.

It will all depend on luck then. If Rooney and Welbeck are in good form, it is possible that they can directly score 3 goals by flanking the middle.

He couldn't let this happen, he knew that in this game he had to focus on defense first, stabilize the situation and then look for opportunities to attack.

"Snapped!"

In the second minute of the game, he helped Gibbs complete an interception by chasing back, and he tackled Valencia's pass to Nani from the side and back.

"Pa pa pa!" Applause broke out at the Emirates Stadium. The team's top scorer was involved in defense and helped the team do the dirty work, which is worthy of encouragement.

After Maher stood up, his body became excited. In fact, he has always attached great importance to defensive contribution, which is a reflection of the comprehensive value of the players.

If a player can score 40 goals in a season and help the team relieve the pressure in the backcourt, his value will sooner or later break the historical record and reach a new height.

This is what he has always been pursuing, but he originally did not have the physical strength to support it.

Now, there is no doubt,

"Bang bang bang!"

Manchester United quickly sent the ball out of bounds and passed it to the right side of their frontcourt.

Giggs and Carrick came over, and so did Arteta and Alexander Song, creating a four-on-four situation in the area.

As a left winger, Maher is also the first line of defense and he is often responsible for defending Valencia.

Gradually, he could feel some pressure in defense. These four Manchester United players were all very good on their feet, and it was very difficult to defend them one-on-one as they kept running across the court.

"Oh!"

In the 6th minute of the game, Valencia sent a cross ball through his defense, and Welbeck at the back post completed a header and almost broke Arsenal's goal.

Maher's heart skipped a beat, and he only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the football rolling out of the baseline.

He turned around and returned to his position, and glanced at Ferguson as he passed by. It seemed that he wanted to fight back against Arsenal on this side.

It depends on whose blade is sharper and whose blade is tougher.

"Oh!"

In the 8th minute of the game, Arteta won a half-ball fight in the middle and passed the ball to Mahel on the wing.

After getting the ball, Maher looked around and saw that Valencia was still some distance away, but veteran Giggs came up.

He still admires this veteran very much. At the age of 38, he can still play the role of a free midfielder. His physical fitness is really well maintained.

"Bang bang bang!"

Maher was not afraid of Giggs, the opponent's physique was no match for him. He forced his way inside and attacked towards the middle right in front of Giggs.

Giggs followed for a few steps and found that he could not catch up, then he saw Maher approaching the middle position.

"Crack!"

He stretched out a foot to hook Mahel's feet, and kicked him to the ground from the side.

"suffer!"

As Maher fell to the ground, he complained to the referee and hugged the ball at the moment he fell. If the ball was not called, Manchester United would not be able to counterattack.

"Beep!" The referee blew the whistle and penalized Giggs for a foul.

Maher breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the football, and looked at the location of the free kick.

It's a bit far from the players, but he can still hit a long shot. He believes in his footwork, so he can give it a try.

"Ha ha!"

In the broadcast room, Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu watched the replay and laughed out loud.

Zhang Lu was the first to laugh this time and said, "Mael, is he the player with the most fouls in the Premier League this season?

"It's no wonder he got fouled. He was always in front of the defenders, sticking to them and moving around. His body was strong and the defenders couldn't stop him, so no one could calm him down."

The originally normal commentary became unserious after the words "No one can suppress anger".

The live broadcast was replayed again, and this time Zhan Jun also laughed and agreed, and the two joked, "You see, he is always wiping in front of others, so why don't you stretch your legs!
"If I don't stretch it, it's quite humiliating. If I stretch it, it's a foul. His butt is so sexy."

"Hehehe!" Zhang Lu's devilish laughter rang out, making the broadcast atmosphere more relaxed.

When Zhan Jun watched the replay again, he couldn't help but lower his voice and said seriously and frivolously: "This is the temptation of Leon Maher!"

"Heheha!" Zhang Lu's laughter became more devilish, even with a hint of madness.

"."

"Oh!"

From 30 meters away from the goal, Maher fired a powerful shot towards the near corner of the goal.

"Puff!" Unfortunately, the ball was pressed too low and hit Phil Jones' chin directly, knocking the diligent Manchester United defender to the ground.

Maher took a deep breath with regret, walked up to Phil Jones, patted him on the shoulder, and turned and ran away.

Phil Jones took more than a minute to recover. After he stood up, he was still coughing in pain. It was almost the same as being hit by Carlos.

Life is so hard.

As the game time passed 15 minutes, the trial period of both sides ended and the real fight was about to begin.

Manchester United players' feet gradually became hotter. They took turns passing the ball, constantly transferring it through Gibbs and Carrick.

"Snapped!"

"Crack!"

Once the ball is lost, Gibbs and Carrick will rush forward desperately, and the two of them quickly contributed 2 interceptions and 1 direct steal together.

Arsenal had problems passing the ball from the backcourt and were gradually suppressed by Manchester United.

"Thump, thump, thump!" Maher continued to run back to the wing to assist Gibbs in defense. It was unlikely that he would not go back.

In other words, in the next one or two years, modern football may gradually form a trend in which wingers take on 30% of the defensive responsibilities on the wing, and even center forwards will have to take on defensive responsibilities.

Football is always a battle between sword and shield. No one can use only sword without shield.

Of course, this statement is not absolute. When an offensive player is really good at swordsmanship, in order to maximize the effect, he can use only a sword instead of a shield.

But the price is that his teammates have to help him get one more, and they have to hold it firmly.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid and Messi of Barcelona are like this, and Maher is also like this to Arsenal when they are not playing against strong teams.

But it’s different when playing against a strong team, he must pick up his own shield to relieve the pressure on his teammates!

First withstand the opponent's slashes and thrusts, then put down the shield and draw the sword!

He is still some distance away from his theoretical strongest combat power. His various offensive skills are at level 5, and his physical fitness is also at level 5. He can develop level 4 tackling and other defense-related abilities.

By then, he will not only have the sharpest sword, but also the strongest shield, and with his super physical condition, he can master both of them at the same time!
That would be a new level of player, one that has never been seen in world football.

"Bang bang bang!"

In the 24th minute of the game, Manchester United organized an attack from the right wing position again. They kept passing the ball to tear apart Arsenal's local defense line.

Maher was standing in front of Gibbs, and when he saw Carrick pass the ball to Giggs, Valencia behind him started to move secretly. He pretended not to see it, strolled back and lowered his center of gravity to prepare for a sprint.

"Oh!"

Giggs touched the ball and hit it behind Gibbs, and Valencia stepped forward at high speed.

Maher started moving instantly, stepped over Valencia and Gibbs in two steps, and kicked the ball back to his feet.

+1 for interception!

"Ah!" Manchester United fans behind the Arsenal goal burst into a cry of regret. This was a great opportunity.

This sound of regret also encouraged Maher. He turned all his urge to shout into physical power and rushed towards Manchester United's backcourt while dribbling the ball.

Gibbs and Carrick quickly came over and tried to stop him with a tactical foul.

"Oh!"

Maher was not stupid either. He passed the ball to Ramsey in the middle, and then launched an attack on the opponent's frontcourt without holding the ball.

"Zizzizi!" The sound of the thread breaking was heard, and a pulling force came from behind.

It’s veteran Giggs again. Even if he doesn’t have the ball, the opponent doesn’t want to let him pass and wants to pull him down!
He finally understood that Manchester United's strategy in defending him today was to commit a tactical foul and use countless yellow cards to offset his offensive threat.

"Boom!"

Maher used all his strength to push off the ground, treating Giggs as a large elastic band during training, and dragged him forward.

"Plop!" Giggs quickly fell to the ground, but he did not let go and still held Maher's clothes tightly.

"Sizzle!" With a teeth-grinding sound, the left side of Maher's jersey was torn under the armpit, exposing his strong upper body.

Giggs finally let go, he felt it was time for the referee to whistle.

The referee did put the whistle to his mouth and put his right hand in his chest pocket, preparing to give Giggs a yellow card.

But what was unexpected was that Maher did not give up. He still rushed towards Manchester United's backcourt quickly, as if he was determined to complete this wave of attack.

During the quick sprint, his clothes were blown up by the wind, and the fans on the side could see his well-defined pectoral and abdominal muscles.

"Ahhh!" Many female fans screamed. Just like Wenger said, the girls in London are very fanatical. They are not shy at all. They raise their hands high and open their eyes wide to feast their eyes.

"Oh!"

Arteta's pass then came and he fired a shot into Mahel's running lane.

After receiving the ball, Maher rushed to the opponent's center. Van Persie immediately cut in to the left rib to take away a defensive player for him. Walcott also moved to the side to take away the opponent's Evra.

"Crack!"

When Phil Jones saw that Smalling was the only one left behind him, he quickly went down to make a flying tackle.

Maher was running when he suddenly felt his body flying into the air and then falling heavily to the ground.

This was a heavy blow. The powerful impact after landing made his neck tremble uncontrollably, and his face hit the ground uncontrollably, filling his mouth with grass and dirt.

"Beep!!" The referee's whistle was very harsh, and he quickly took out a yellow card and rushed towards Phil Jones.

"Bang bang bang!"

Maher was a little unwilling and angry. He pounded the ground a few times in anger before he stood up and spat out the mud and grass.

Fouls again and again provoked his anger, and this was a top battle against Manchester United, a crucial battle to achieve an unbeaten season, so he could not control his emotions.

His fighting spirit became higher and his desire to score goals increased a lot.

"Phil Jones, yellow card!"

After the referee showed Phil Jones a yellow card, he turned and ran towards Gibbs, "Giggs, yellow card!"

A yellow card was given!
Maher's breakthrough resulted in two yellow cards for Manchester United!
"Yeah!" Cheers rang out at the scene. The fans at the Emirates Stadium all knew what the two yellow cards meant. Manchester United's defensive intensity was going to decline.

On the sidelines, Ferguson's face darkened. He really couldn't understand why Maher's desire to attack was so strong!

Even though the jersey is torn, we still have to complete the attack first?

"Jersey! Jersey!"

On the other side, Wenger pointed anxiously at the player tunnel, signaling people to go back and get new jerseys.

Philip ran over quickly and ran back about a minute later.

Maher also came to the sidelines at this time, took off his tattered clothes, and put on a new set of clothes.

"Aahh!" This scene made many female Arsenal fans at the scene scream, and countless people took out their mobile phones to capture the way he stretched his body while getting dressed.

Wenger couldn't help but hold back his laughter. Although he is old, there are still many French fashion events that invite him to take men's portraits, and some even invite him to walk the runway.

I wonder if someone will invite him and Maher to team up together after the season ends, a handsome old man and a handsome young man.

After changing his jersey, Maher ran back to the field. He had just been knocked down at the top of the penalty area. This was a free kick opportunity in a good position!
ps: I had an allergic reaction again last night and had to have an IV drip. I got up late today. There will be no less updates, just a little later.

(End of this chapter)