Chapter 172: Arsenal More Like Guardiola's Team
Thursday night, matchday.
Under the night sky, the magnificent Allianz Arena stood like a giant steel beast, proudly towering over the land.
Its massive body exuded an incomparable aura of royalty, as if proudly telling opponents: even if you come here as a dragon, you must lie down before me.
Along the intersecting streets, wave after wave of fans wearing Bayern kits, with the club crest painted on their cheeks, waved flags, sang the anthem and headed toward the Allianz.
Mounted police patrolled the streets, sometimes intentionally separating red-clad Bayern fans from yellow-clad Arsenal supporters.
Not far from the mixed fan zone, officers kept watch with peripheral glances; if any disturbance occurred they would immediately rush in to separate the red and yellow fans, and those causing serious trouble would be taken away.
After last season's defeat, when Bayern fans faced Arsenal fans again they no longer displayed the old "Kings of London" grace.
They no longer held the arrogance of a superior side; they treated Arsenal as equals like Real Madrid or Barcelona, and would taunt and sometimes use off-pitch tricks…
The "hatred" between the two teams was no longer one-sided.
Outside the Allianz, reporters did spot interviews.
A Bayern fan: "Pep has improved the team; tonight we will reclaim the honor we lost. Arsenal still remain those Euro 16 guys!!!"
An Arsenal fan: "Last season we beat Bayern twice and stood atop Europe; tonight we start again. Arsenal onward! Our Arsenal is invincible."
Inside the Allianz, every seat was filled; the roar was deafening!
Tens of thousands of Bayern fans in home red turned the stadium into a red ocean.
They sang rousing anthems and waved flags, their passion like fire, as if trying to ignite the entire stadium.
In the north stand, only about three thousand Arsenal fans sat together, all wearing the yellow away kit, almost everyone with a vintage tape recorder on their shoulder.
The recorder played the Arsenal anthem.
A worthy sight!
Knowing they were outnumbered and that their cheers would be hard to drown out, they used tools — if stadium rules didn't forbid bringing speakers, they might have set up two big speakers on either side of their stand!
Bayern fans on both sides of the north stand saw the opponent's lack of sporting conduct and clenched their teeth in fury but could do nothing.
They could only shout louder, hoarsely calling players' names to cheer on their beloved team.
Every cheer swept the stadium like a tidal wave—
this was the hellish fortress that is the Allianz Arena!
…
…
"Penguin Sports!"
"Penguin Sports!"
"Dear viewers, welcome to Penguin's live stream for the 2013–2014 UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg.
I'm your old friend Zhang Lu,
and I'm Zhan Jun.
Tonight the Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich host Premier League leaders Arsenal.
This is not only a clash of league leaders but also a game of revenge for Bayern.
Doesn't it feel like the wheel has turned?
A couple seasons ago Bayern were Arsenal's nemesis, but after being beaten twice by Arsenal last season,
tonight it's their turn to cry revenge.
This is Pep Guardiola's first season in charge at Bayern. As well known, Guardiola was highly successful at Barcelona.
Many doubted he was only a coach who could flourish inside a system and that leaving Barça would make success difficult. In fact, Guardiola's Bayern have been storming the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal…"
"To put it bluntly, the Bundesliga is Bayern's backyard; however well a coach performs, it's often seen as their due. Tonight is a big test for Pep…"
"Yes, Pep has overturned the classic 4-2-3-1 used by the previous coach and is trying to implant a possession-passing style into Bayern's tactics, which has caused heated controversy. So far results have covered criticisms, but if they fail in the Champions League his reform could face setbacks…"
"The match is about to start. Zhang, please introduce tonight's lineups to our viewers."
"All right."
"The home team Bayern Munich line up in a 4-4-2:
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer
Right-back: Philipp Lahm
Center-backs: Jérôme Boateng, Dante
Left-back: David Alaba
Holding midfielder: Javi Martínez
Midfielders/forwards: Thiago Alcântara, Mario Götze, Thomas Müller
Right winger: Arjen Robben
Left winger: Franck Ribéry
In such an important game Pep still starts without a traditional striker; rumors that Mario Mandžukić and Pep don't see eye-to-eye might be true.
Actually, at Barcelona Pep wasn't keen on using a classic center-forward, while a big striker is something Bayern traditionally favor…
That said, having a striker provides a focal point; with that the attack can be more varied…"
"Arsenal line up in a 4-5-1:
Goalkeeper: Martínez
Left-back: Luke Shaw
Center-back pairing: Per Mertesacker and Samuel Umtiti
Right-back: Serge Aurier
Gustavo, whether rested or restricted by a transfer clause, is sitting in the stands.
Double pivot: Mikel Arteta and Santi Cazorla.
Xia Qi plays as the left forward, Kevin De Bruyne as the attacking midfielder, Serge Gnabry on the right."
The camera cut to a close-up of a middle-aged couple in the south stand.
Then a close-up of Gnabry.
A ripple of applause rose through the Allianz.
Zhang Lu explained: "Viewers, that couple in the Bayern stand are the parents of Arsenal youngster Serge Gnabry. They are Bayern supporters, wearing Robben and Müller shirts, hence the cheers."
On the live stream you could hear Bayern fans shouting: "Serge, come back!"
Gnabry reddened on the spot like a monkey's behind; seeing his teammates' odd looks, he felt embarrassed.
Gnabry actually has no real ties to Bayern; he was born in Stuttgart, but in Germany every youngster's dream is to join Bayern.
This explains why Bayern's recruitment of German talent is usually spot on.
As we see from Gnabry's parents, a Stuttgart native being a Bayern fan is unimaginable elsewhere.
Penguin's Zhang Lu continued the commentary:
"…Balotelli as the lone striker…"
On the pitch,
after the teams completed the lineup photo,
Arsenal captain Xia Qi took the armband flag and approached the match referee.
Tonight's referee came from Russia.
He produced a coin for the toss…
"Captain's pick!"
Zhang Lu sighed suddenly in the broadcast.
"What's the matter? Xia Qi has captained several games already."
Zhang Lu raised an eyebrow: "Captain of Arsenal, huh!"
Those in the know understood.
Sighs echoed in front of TV screens…
…
…
"…The match started locked in a stalemate. Bayern's possession game wasn't settled; they couldn't control possession like Barça does.
They couldn't get past Arsenal's midfield and couldn't build effective attacks."
"Now you see why so many German media are questioning Pep; his reform has a long way to go…"
Bayern started poorly but were the first to score.
Robben made a long run down the flank; Müller flicked a header at the near post, but under Umtiti's interference the contact skewed.
Yet the deflection found Arsenal keeper Martínez off-guard; he could only parry the ball with one hand,
and the follow-up by Götze at the back post tapped it home.
1–0!
Hosts Bayern broke the deadlock!
The Allianz erupted instantly!
A red tide swept the stadium!
Pep Guardiola clasped his head and made that signature astonished expression.
There was an element of luck to the goal.
Play continued.
Bayern surged with momentum after scoring. In Arsenal's defensive third, Thiago poked the ball off Arteta to win possession.
The ball rolled to Robben; Cazorla pressed to counter-press.
As Robben reached him, he pushed the ball behind Cazorla and deftly brushed past him.
"Breakthrough!"
But Robben did not power on to the end; he passed the ball to Götze.
Götze seemed a bit absent-minded and didn't notice Luke Shaw.
As Götze took the touch, Luke Shaw dashed in and poked the ball away.
Cheers rang out from the north stand.
"Timely interception, Arsenal counterattack!"
Shaw glanced up to see Robben chasing him and nudged the ball forward, then launched a long pass.
The ball flew toward Xia Qi's head.
Xia Qi sprinted and quickly caught up to the ball, chest-trapped it,
the ball sat ahead of his run.
He took big strides forward but was quickly blocked by Javi Martínez.
It was thanks to him that Gustavo had gone abroad; this showed Javi Martínez's defensive ability.
As Xia Qi was halted, the Allianz rose in loud cheers. Some extreme Bayern fans shouted: "Break his legs!"
Xia Qi's six goals last season made him one of the most unpopular figures at the Allianz.
On the pitch,
Xia Qi shifted the ball left and then quickly dragged it back.
A tricky feint!
But it didn't unsettle Javi Martínez's balance.
However, Xia Qi then spotted another "route."
He suddenly noticed that Javi Martínez's stance left a gap between his legs; in an instant the thought of nutmegging the opponent grew wildly in his mind.
Xia Qi's feet danced over the ball, doing stepovers faster and faster until Martínez's eyes looked slightly hazy.
Xia Qi judged the moment ripe; as his right foot crossed the ball surface his ankle twisted and he flicked the ball toward the gap.
He planned to send the ball through Martínez's legs in a flash.
But unexpectedly, Javi Martínez's gaze was deceptive.
He had anticipated Xia Qi's next move as soon as he saw the stepover.
He stuck out a foot first; the ball tapped his boot and went out for a throw-in.
Xia Qi failed to nutmeg Javi Martínez on the first try.
"Xia Qi tried to nutmeg Javi Martínez but failed."
On the pitch, a slightly regretful Xia Qi wore a disappointed expression.
Watching Al dribble like it's nothing, and realizing his own scheming looked obvious, he had been seen through.
Xia Qi thought: I should have nutmegged off the first step after the feint—riding the bike that many times practically telegraphed it. No wonder Martínez was ready.
Xia Qi shook his head in regret.
Play resumed.
Gnabry went to take the throw-in.
He threw the ball to Kevin De Bruyne, who lofted a long cross into the box.
There Balotelli flicked a header, Xia Qi chest-trapped, and suddenly Javi Martínez sprinted in and wedged himself between Xia Qi and the ball.
The ball was lost;
in the second chapter of Xia Qi vs. Javi Martínez, Xia Qi lost again.
Bayern's counter didn't arise.
In Pep's first year, Bayern's possession game was somewhat half-baked—good enough to dominate the Bundesliga but awkward. But on the Champions League stage, pressed all over by Arsenal, cracks showed: Götze even passed the ball to Arteta.
Arteta didn't wait for the ball to settle; he immediately launched a long ball—accurately finding Xia Qi across half the pitch.
Xia Qi controlled the long pass with his foot and saw Javi Martínez sprinting at him. He glanced at Balotelli, faked a pass to Balotelli as Martínez came to challenge.
A gentle touch.
The ball slipped through Javi Martínez's legs.
Xia Qi slid past Javi Martínez, leaving a bright smile on his face.
You should nutmeg early—don't hesitate!
"Danger!"
He chased the ball and tapped it to Kevin De Bruyne making a run through the middle.
De Bruyne didn't take a touch but played a forward through ball.
Balotelli didn't receive it but let it run past him, then turned and sprinted after the ball.
Facing Boateng's challenge, Balotelli did a few dribbles, feigned a forced breakthrough and at the moment of shooting suddenly slid the ball to the flank.
On the right flank, Gnabry sped forward and swept the ball toward the far post.
On the other side, in Bayern's box at the far post,
Xia Qi somehow had already been waiting for that "arrow."
He bent his bow and shot; the ball flew toward goal.
Though Neuer is world-class, Arsenal's attack that sequence was dazzling—Balotelli and Gnabry looked like killers.
Facing Xia Qi's driven strike, Neuer was off his game and made no reaction.
He watched the ball rocket into the net like a meteor.
1–1!
"Arsenal scored through a six-pass move with a distinctly Barça flavor; in this moment they look more like Pep Guardiola's disciples."
"Tonight, in passing and connection, Arsenal have indeed outplayed Bayern."
"Bayern must make a decision: either continue the previous coach's dual-wing approach or steadfastly execute Pep's tiki-taka; otherwise, even if they eliminate Arsenal, they still can't get past Real Madrid and Barça."
On the pitch, Xia Qi grabbed Gnabry's shirt; the assistant who provided the assist, Gnabry, wanted to run over to the south stand.
Xia Qi believed Gnabry's parents would certainly be keen to share their son's joy,
but in the south stand they'd probably get middle fingers and thrown trash more than anything else…
"Haha, I forgot!"
"You harbor a Bayern inside."
"No, I'm loyal to Arsenal…"
"Fàbregas, Van Persie said the same."
"But I'm not the captain!"
Xia Qi clutched his chest and slowly collapsed to the ground…
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Bankai10