[Yes, the second half has begun.]
[Manchester City have made a change. Vieira has come on in place of Gareth Barry. You can see Mancini's intention to break open this frustrating match through physicality.]
[For now, the top priority will be getting the ball to Ho-young. Only then can they build proper attacks.]
Leaving the frustrating first half behind him, Ho-young stepped onto the pitch and lifted his head to take in the entire stadium.
'What I missed.'
The pitch was still large, and there were still the same twenty-two players running on it as always.
Nothing had changed.
His field of vision was still wide, and he had not missed anything.
Except.
'I just failed to keep up.'
The position of the ball.
In other words, the reason for defeat had been his failure to keep up with the flow.
One way or another, football is ultimately a sport where you need the ball in order to play.
That was the essence of it.
'I was too focused on what was right in front of me.'
That was right.
He had been so thrown off by a style of play he had never experienced before that he had been unable to read the match at all.
That did not mean he had made any major mistakes or done anything wrong.
Ho-young had defended well and fought well throughout the first 45 minutes.
His work rate in the first half alone had reached 6.8 kilometers, and he had recorded more than five interceptions and ball recoveries.
It was just that his teammates had failed to overcome the opposition's irregular movement and could not make proper use of the chances.
If this had been Real Madrid, they might have won comfortably no matter what tactics the opposition had used.
That was why the burden on Ho-young's shoulders was even heavier now.
'I just have to start building it from here.'
It was only 1-0.
There were still 45 minutes left.
That was when Ho-young's movement began to change.
First, he fell into thought for a moment.
'If I just move on instinct and blindly chase the ball, I'll get nowhere.'
Then he changed his thinking.
He opened his eyes and cleared his view.
Every Arsenal pass was beginning at Fàbregas's feet.
'If I were him…'
People are not robots.
No matter how much someone tries to create irregular movement, there will always be patterns within it.
Ho-young focused on that and began predicting the flow of the ball.
It might have been an area close to impossible.
But Ronaldinho had told him this.
Use the weapons you already have well, because he had the talent for it.
That was where Ho-young's change began.
Outstanding vision and the ability to command the field.
Knife-like anticipation and judgment.
Creativity that could produce change.
Using those as his base, he began searching for where he should position himself.
Twitch.
The corners of his mouth rose on their own.
As he became more immersed in the match, he started seeing things he had not been able to see before.
The flow Fàbregas was creating.
The irregular movement of Arshavin and Walcott that came from it.
Even the spacing between Nasri and Chamakh.
Little by little, all of it began to come into view.
For a while, Ho-young took up a defensive stance and focused only on that.
'I need to tear apart the web Wenger has spun if I want to strike at the weak point.'
Once he reached that point, astonishing changes followed one after another.
[Sharp Insight (S+)]
A talent that suddenly manifested.
Insight.
It was the ability to see through the essence of things with sharp vision and anticipation.
He did not have a talent for ball perception like Ronaldinho, but Ho-young was able to analyze the movements of the opposition and draw out new information from them.
Where the ball was, where it would flow, it all began to unfold faintly in his mind as if he were deciphering a code.
It was a truly astonishing experience.
And hardship makes people mature.
Footballers learn football and grow through matches.
There was no end to that, and today was no different.
[Forward-Looking Anticipation (SS-)↑]
[Accurate Judgment (SS-)↑]
Inner growth.
There was no huge change he could feel instantly, but Ho-young could sense it gradually.
At the very least, he had realized what was important.
But football is not a sport played with the mind alone.
To turn theory into reality, action was ultimately required.
"Patrick."
Ho-young dropped into the back line and spoke to Patrick Vieira.
"Spread out from Touré. And deal with Walcott and Arshavin physically. Push them hard enough that it feels excessive."
"You want us to split wide? We're defensive midfielders."
"But before that, you're a veteran with the best experience and ability. And you used to play for Arsenal, so you know their instincts better than anyone. Please tell Kolarov and Richards to push up as well and press Alex Song and Nasri aggressively."
"Answer their pressing with pressing?"
"Yes."
"But our midfield might get torn apart in the process."
"Kompany and I will cover it."
Even after a great realization, he could not completely turn the match on his own.
But.
'At least I've found a way to try.'
What mattered was that he had found at least one way to solve the problem.
It was the moment Manchester City began to change drastically.
[The match is becoming even stranger. The players are abandoning their positions and going man-to-man. A match that was already a mess has become even more chaotic.]
[Honestly, I still can't understand what Manchester City are trying to do. I really can't predict it at all.]
It was exactly as the commentator said.
Manchester City began to drive Arsenal back with completely unexpected movement.
Yaya Touré and Vieira handled Walcott and Arshavin roughly until they were booked.
From that point on, the flow Fàbregas had been building started to unravel.
'Damn it.'
At this point, there were not many spaces left where he could pass.
And that was not the end of it.
Robinho and Shaun Wright-Phillips were moving high up the pitch and pressing from all angles.
With things like this, Fàbregas's passing options were bound to become limited.
The previously irregular passes were reduced to a more predictable range, and thanks to that, Ho-young was able to read the ball's flow much more easily.
Near the center circle, a battle of minds unfolded between the two.
'Stay calm and play out of the pressure first. For now, I need to take one step back.'
In the end, Fàbregas passed the ball back to the goalkeeper.
At that moment, Carlos Tévez, who had been stationed up front, launched an intense press.
[Tévez closes down goalkeeper Fabiański! He has to deal with it quickly!]
[Fabiański plays it quickly out to the right. They escape the danger.]
[Sagna receives it. And now Robinho closes him down.]
Manchester City's players high up the pitch were producing unconventional movement and applying terrifying pressure.
Bacary Sagna looked forward, trying to escape Robinho's press.
But up ahead stood Vieira, solidly blocking Arshavin and marking him tightly.
'Damn.'
The sides were no better.
Nasri, who had dropped deep, as well as Alex Song, were both tightly marked.
Behind him, Carlos Tévez was lurking between the goalkeeper and the centre-backs.
That left only one place.
Fàbregas in the middle.
Growing desperate, Sagna took a quick look around and sent a pass into the central area.
Manchester City's half was full of holes anyway.
If it worked, it might even turn into a perfect counter-attacking chance.
And it was at that moment.
Tap.
[Fàbregas receives the ball.]
[Ah, right behind him! He needs to watch his back!!]
"…?!"
No, why is he here?
By the time that thought entered Fàbregas's head, the opponent was already right in front of him.
Ho-young.
Hovering lower down with Kompany, he suddenly changed direction as if he had been waiting for this exact moment, then burst forward with explosive pace and stuck in a foot.
It made no sense.
He had forced the opponent into creating the flow he wanted, then used it against them to strike where they least expected it?
It felt as if he were making them dance like puppets.
No, it was not a feeling.
It was the truth.
Everything had happened according to Ho-young's plan.
Because he already knew very well that one of Fàbregas's weaknesses was playing out under pressure.
Whoosh!
[A duel for the ball between the two!]
[Neither gives an inch!]
Even then, Fàbregas refused to give up.
He grabbed onto Ho-young's shirt and held his own in the physical battle.
But it did not even last a full second.
Bang!
"Urgh."
A solid build of 180 cm and 75 kg.
But compared to Ho-young's muscles, it was insignificant.
Ho-young shrugged Fàbregas off with vibrant energy, then burst forward.
It happened literally in an instant.
"Stop him!"
"Cover! Cover!"
Tap!
Alex Song and Bacary Sagna both threw themselves in at the same time, but the ball had already been moved out to Robinho on the left.
The attack happened in the blink of an eye.
Robinho slipped a through ball to Kolarov arriving from behind.
Then Ho-young shot forward like a rocket into the penalty box, and right on time, Kolarov's trademark left-footed cross came in.
The ball floated into the center of the box and met Ho-young's left foot.
It was an acrobatic volley.
Boom!
The moment that crisp sensation took over his foot, Ho-young knew.
It was definitely in.
And indeed, there was nothing more to see.
Fabiański could not even twitch a finger because the shot was too fast and powerful.
Thud!
It was a goal driven in so cleanly it looked as if it might tear the net apart.
[Gooooooooooooal!]
[Manchester City equalize in the 66th minute of the second half! As expected, Ho-young! He delivers again today!]
"Hooo!"
Ho-young shouted at the top of his lungs as he ran out with the ball.
His hair stood on end, and a thrilling sensation spread through his entire body.
It was not because of the cold.
A goal was still a goal no matter how it went in, but this one meant something different.
It was a goal that meant many things.
It was only the equalizer, yet he had already achieved so much.
Understanding the match.
And controlling it.
[Artistic Creativity (S)↑]
[Astonishing Tactical Understanding (SS-)↑]
Ho-young was growing.
And Wenger was stunned.
Watching a tactic he had spent days and nights devising get broken down in just 45 minutes made it feel as though his blood pressure were exploding.
'Damn it…'
1-1.
It was level, but Arsenal were the ones at a disadvantage.
The weapon they had brought out had already been exposed, and was now even being used against them.
There were only twenty minutes left in the match.
The only thing they could do now was keep the ball and respond defensively.
But manager Mancini was not going to stay still either.
Just before play resumed, he made a change for Manchester City and laid the foundation for a comeback.
[OUT 8. Shaun Wright-Phillips]
[IN 30. Ronaldinho]
67th minute of the second half.
A star from the old days.
Ronaldinho, now a 30-year-old veteran, bounced his body lightly as he stepped onto the pitch.
[This is a historic moment. Ronaldinho finally steps onto a Premier League pitch!]
[I'm very excited to see what kind of chemistry he'll show with the players, especially with Ho-young.]
[This is going to give Wenger a real headache. Manchester City already have the flow of the match now, don't they?]
Ronaldinho's presence filled Arsenal with tremendous fear.
No matter how much he was considered past his prime, he still had more than enough ability to do the job for twenty minutes in the second half.
With his dazzling play, he drew the attention of the opposition defenders and gave Ho-young more room to play freely.
The more that happened, the more Arsenal's play shrank and turned passive, and possession gradually tilted toward Manchester City.
They were using Arsenal's own tactics to suffocate Arsenal.
And then in the 82nd minute.
The match was now completely in Manchester City's hands.
Every attack began at Ho-young's feet.
Tap!
[Ho-young plays it to Ronaldinho.]
[Ronaldinho drives down the right flank. Gaël Clichy chases him.]
Arsenal's left-back Gaël Clichy stepped in to mark him, but he could not take the ball from Ronaldinho.
On the other hand, Ronaldinho also could not beat Clichy easily, but he could at least buy time.
Until Tévez found the right position.
Tap!
[Tévez makes a run into the empty space!]
[A lofted pass! Ronaldinho lifts it with the tip of his foot!]
Tévez controlled the lofted pass with his chest, then shaped to shoot before letting the ball run through with his heel.
Behind him, Ho-young was already in shooting position.
And then.
Swoosh!
The shot exploded out in an instant and ripped through the goal.
Ho-young's second goal.
Manchester City's dramatic winner.
Tweet.
[The match is over. Manchester City complete a thrilling comeback victory and climb to third place in the league!]
[What a match it was. Suffocating battles of the mind, fierce physical duels, and brilliant tactical management from both managers. It was incredible. Every player fought well. It was the kind of match people will keep talking about for years.]
[That's right. The man of the match will obviously be Ho-young.]
It was also a deeply meaningful match for Ho-young in many ways.
He gained many talents as well.
[Innately Gifted Black Muscles (S-)]
[Fantastic Cross (A+3)]
[Green Onion Root's Through Ball (U)]
[Green Onion Root's Through Ball (U) and El Pulmón's Ground-Splitting Long Pass (U) have successfully fused.]
[Field-Splitting Through Long Pass (W)]
It was the reward for achieving Patrick Vieira's hidden condition, 'Win 2 matches while playing together,' and Kolarov's condition, 'Receive an assist.'
And it was not only meaningful for him.
It was an enormously meaningful match for the other players as well.
Beating a big club like Arsenal away from home was moving enough on its own, so imagine how much more it meant when it also lifted them to third in the league.
The greatest thing they gained today was hope.
Hope that they could challenge for the league title.
It was no longer just a dream.
It was a miracle happening right here, at Manchester City.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)