The Premier League is the most popular football league in the world.
Its overseas broadcasting rights are worth as much as ten times those of Germany, and more than three times those of Spain's La Liga.
The reason lies in the characteristics the Premier League possesses.
A famous footballer who had played in all three major leagues, Spain's La Liga, Italy's Serie A, and England's Premier League, once said this.
"I realized how physically rough English football is. The Premier League seems rougher than any other league. Some matches go exactly as you expect, but in others, once things start going wrong, they stay that way until the end. That's the hardest part."
The Premier League carries the stigma of being called the "long-ball EPL" because so many matches feature teams constantly launching the ball forward.
Even so, the reason Premier League matches feel so thrilling is because of the nonstop physical battles and fierce contests for the ball.
The style of play differs depending on the manager's tendencies, but many Premier League teams mainly operate that way.
And it is a characteristic that becomes even more pronounced the stronger the team is, especially if they have both quality and stamina.
There is another reason why the Premier League is the most popular league in the world.
Competition.
The Premier League's competitive structure is one of its defining traits.
The most famous derby in the world is undoubtedly El Clásico, but in truth, the other derbies in La Liga are relatively less famous.
That means the gap in level between the clubs is that severe.
By contrast, the Premier League has several derbies that attract worldwide attention.
Manchester United vs Liverpool, the Roses Derby.
Manchester United vs Manchester City, the Manchester Derby.
Arsenal vs Tottenham, the North London Derby.
Liverpool vs Everton, the Merseyside Derby.
That web of interconnected rivalries makes the league even more entertaining for viewers.
Not only that, there are not many easy matches in the Premier League.
One manager who moved from Italy to England even said this.
"The Premier League is hard because there is no opponent you can relax against."
That was the most striking feature of football in England.
You could not even easily predict who would finish in the top four by the end of the season.
Up until a few years ago, "Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool" had ruled as the Big Four, but that tradition had long since disappeared.
Now with Manchester City and Tottenham joining the mix, it was becoming a true Warring States era.
That was the case this season as well.
<1> Manchester United, 16 wins, 5 draws, 3 losses, 53 points, 43 goals scored, 21 conceded
<2> Chelsea, 16 wins, 2 draws, 6 losses, 50 points, 38 goals scored, 18 conceded
<3> Arsenal, 13 wins, 7 draws, 4 losses, 46 points, 40 goals scored, 27 conceded
<4> Manchester City, 12 wins, 7 draws, 5 losses, 43 points, 36 goals scored, 22 conceded
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.
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<20> West Ham United, 3 wins, 6 draws, 15 losses, 15 points, 20 goals scored, 44 conceded
This season, the gap between the very top and the very bottom was especially wide compared to usual.
The top four in particular were like a jungle.
Manchester United were holding firmly onto first place, but Chelsea's pursuit was not easy to shake off.
On top of that, Manchester City were threatening them as well with a crushing run of three straight wins.
Caught in the middle of that, Arsenal had no choice but to feel the pressure.
In this situation, Arsenal's manager had much on his mind ahead of the match against Manchester City.
The creator of Wengerball, the mastermind who had led Arsenal to the incredible feat of an unbeaten Premier League title and made them one of the best clubs in the world.
One of the Premier League's longest-serving managers alongside Ferguson.
Arsenal's soul, Arsène Wenger.
But since achieving that unbeaten title, he had been walking a road of decline.
Since 2005, he had not lifted a single trophy.
Because of that, he even carried the stigma of being the king without a crown.
To make matters worse, his contract was set to expire at the end of this season, so this season more than any other, he absolutely had to lift a trophy.
'I have to win no matter what.'
Looking at City's recent rise, it would definitely not be easy.
Especially since this would be his first time facing Ho-young, even a veteran like Wenger felt a heavy burden.
So for the last two weeks, he had been thinking and studying without pause.
How to stop Ho-young.
Of course, it might have been meaningless.
One of the staff had even said they should just prepare for the next match instead.
After all, they had already seen Tottenham get dismantled by Ho-young, so it was not hard to understand that line of thought.
Rather than preparing tactics, it might even have been more effective to come up with a plan for how to break his legs.
But Wenger thought a little differently.
'Manchester City are still vulnerable.'
In his eyes, Manchester City were still an unfinished team.
They clearly had many weak points, and if those were targeted properly, there was every chance Arsenal could win.
Ho-young was a phenomenal player who could produce results on his own, but if even he could be shut down, then Manchester City would have nothing left.
That essence had to be exploited.
And after endless thought and study, he had managed to come up with a strategy that looked quite good.
That was why he had called several players into his office separately today.
Wenger spoke in a grave voice.
"The key word for the next match is pressure."
"What?"
"..."
A cold atmosphere filled the office.
The players looked like they could not believe what they had just heard.
Play a strong pressing game against Manchester City with Ho-young in the side?
It was the sort of thing that would make even a passing dog shake its head.
At this, captain Cesc Fàbregas questioned him.
"You cannot possibly be saying that without knowing Ho-young's ability to play through pressure."
"Of course not."
"Then why are you talking about pressing anyway?"
"I never mentioned strong pressing."
Wenger was not an idiot.
Even if his ability had declined, he was still a tactician who had left a mark on football history.
"The pressure I'm talking about is not pressure in our own half, but irregular pressure in the opponent's half. The moment possession turns over to them, four or five of us will move together and try to win the ball."
"But that carries a huge risk."
"Of course it does. But what we're going to show is not simple pressure."
"Then what is it?"
"We're going to turn it into complete chaos. Like a spider's web, we'll make them stick together and lose their heads as much as possible."
"A spider's web…"
Without risk, Ho-young could not be stopped.
Arsène Wenger believed that was the only way to contain him.
On the morning of match day.
Etihad's private jet carrying the Manchester City squad headed for London.
The flight took about an hour.
Arriving early in the morning, the players were welcomed in grand fashion at the airport before heading to the hotel.
Even though London and Manchester were almost at opposite ends geographically, countless City supporters had followed them there to greet the players.
They sang a medley of the players' chants, and among them were new chants for Ronaldinho and David Silva as well.
"Gini, you've got fans already."
"Some of them probably became fans because I support you."
Since their duel that day, Ho-young and Ronaldinho had become much closer.
The two now stuck together like close friends and talked about football nonstop, and even on the way to the hotel, it was no different.
"Wenger is a manager who pursues beautiful football. There's a high chance he'll go with attacking football. He'll probably put Chamakh up front and narrow the gap between the midfield and back line to play an all-out attacking game."
"But in important moments like this, there are times when he values defense more than attack, isn't there?"
"That would be good for us. No matter how much they lock things down, all we need to do is find a way through."
"I envy that confidence of yours."
"Then just remember this. There is no perfect player and no perfect tactic in this world. And watch the ball. Then even a path you can't see will open up."
"Watch the ball?"
"Still a little hard to understand? What year are you in as a pro now?"
"This is my fifth year."
"Then you'll understand soon enough. What my words mean."
He could not understand it, but Ho-young engraved those words deep into his heart.
Just as Kaká's and Zidane's advice had been, Ronaldinho's words too would one day become flesh and bone.
4 p.m.
Manchester City's team bus entered Emirates Stadium in Islington, North London.
Around that time, Arsenal's press conference was underway in the media room.
Since the standings could be reversed depending on the result, attention was more intense than usual.
One reporter stared at Wenger and asked,
"This is a match drawing the attention of countless football fans. If you fail to win today, then in truth Arsenal will effectively be out of the title race."
"So?"
"Well, in that case, Arsenal would be suffering seven straight years without a trophy. Of course, I'm one of Arsenal's fans myself. But I think going seven years without lifting a single trophy is unimaginable for a big club. There is clearly a problem. Even Tottenham lifted the League Cup two years ago, didn't they?"
At the reporter's sharp words, Wenger's expression hardened immediately.
The atmosphere in the room turned hostile in an instant.
The reason Wenger could not hide his anger was because what the reporter said was true.
"Why are you bringing that up here? This is a press conference ahead of the match against Manchester City."
He looked aggrieved as he began taking a confrontational stance toward the press.
He was known as a very generous and kind manager toward his players, but he was never kind to reporters.
"No matter what anyone says, we will win. We have already made our plans, and all that remains now is to watch what happens in the future. Just wait and see."
His footballing philosophy was not about trophies, but about implementing the most perfect and ideal football possible.
But this time, it was different.
The goal was only victory and the title.
He had cast aside his usual football philosophy of valuing the process and prepared tactics solely for the result.
He was that confident.
Captain Fàbregas spoke up as well, backing Wenger's words.
"I'm certain of it. I mean that in today's match, we'll be able to show everything we have. We'll face them with the best strategy and the best teammates, here in our home."
Cesc Fàbregas.
He had joined Arsenal eight years earlier, and once next season began, he was set to leave for Barcelona.
Before that, he wanted to fulfill his long-held desire for a title.
So today, he intended to squeeze out every bit of ability he had and pour it completely into the match.
Emirates Stadium, the second-largest stadium in the Premier League after Old Trafford.
With around sixty thousand spectators filling the stands, the players of both teams walked out side by side.
[Manchester City have come out in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation. Tévez is up front as the lone striker, with Robinho and Shaun Wright-Phillips on the wings. Ho-young has been deployed as the attacking midfielder.]
[Contrary to what the fans expected, David Silva is not starting. It seems he still has not fully recovered physically.]
Meanwhile, Arsenal set up in a 4-1-2-3 and took on an attacking shape by placing Fàbregas and Nasri as attacking midfielders.
The front three were Arshavin, Chamakh, and Walcott.
It was a setup intended to fill the void left by the injured Van Persie.
And then.
Tweet!
The moment the match began, Arsenal's forwards surged toward the front.
A custom tactic aimed directly at Ho-young was about to unfold.
(To be continued.)
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