Holding and Lokonga were now playing together in midfield, but their styles simply didn't complement each other well enough to function effectively as a partnership. Still, Arsenal's squad lacked depth, so Arteta had no choice but to rely on them for the time being.
Less than ten minutes into the EFL Cup semifinal, Arsenal had already been forced to replace two starters, and their midfield was beginning to look vulnerable.
Leo continued carrying the ball toward Holding, while Gravenberch also began looking for openings on Lokonga's side.
In the 21st minute!
"Gravenberch turns in midfield and bursts forward! He's pushed the ball a long way ahead of himself, but he catches up to it, and Liverpool can attack!"
Watching Gravenberch handle the ball, Klopp suddenly realized that the midfielder was exceptionally good at turning defense into attack.
His turns were also very different from Busquets'.
When Gravenberch turned, he would push the ball farther ahead of himself, creating more distance between the ball and his body, then use his explosive acceleration to catch up to it.
That allowed the entire team to transition from defense to attack much faster.
Busquets used control when turning to launch attacks.
Gravenberch used speed to accelerate them.
Gravenberch turned with the ball and drove toward Lokonga before looking to pass to Leo.
Leo was in position to receive it, but Holding, who had come on as a substitute, grabbed him. Martinelli then charged toward him, and somehow Tierney had also moved into midfield. All three seemed to have come with the intention of committing a foul, crashing into Leo one after another.
Three consecutive collisions finally knocked Leo off balance.
Then Martinelli moved in, planted a hand on Leo's shoulder, and tried to keep him from getting back up.
By the time Gravenberch released the pass, Leo had already been knocked to the ground.
The referee almost seemed unsure whether he should hand out three yellow cards at once. In the end, only Martinelli was booked.
Feeling the pressure on his shoulder, Leo simply stood up, forcing his way through Martinelli's hand and shoving him aside in the process.
Tension immediately flared between them.
Martinelli was trying to provoke Leo. The young winger hoped that getting under his skin might affect his performance.
Instead, once Leo was back on his feet, he gave Martinelli a couple of heavy pats on the shoulder.
"Young man, you were still a kid when I won the EFL Cup."
"You were still a kid when I won the World Cup too."
"You should show a little respect for accomplished veterans. Didn't Arteta ever teach you that?"
Arteta was standing nearby and heard every word clearly, but he said nothing.
Martinelli had no idea how to respond.
Leo's pats might have looked friendly, but there had been plenty of force behind them. Martinelli even felt as though his shoulders were no longer level after Leo finished patting him.
"These young Arsenal players are trying to stop Leo from playing at such a high level, but they simply can't do it."
"Leo has been performing like this for season after season. He plays well in almost every single match."
"That's because nobody can get inside his head. You can't throw him off mentally because he already has everything."
"The only way to provoke someone is to bring up something they don't have. But what exactly is Leo missing? He's won every major honor there is."
"Arteta needs to come up with something quickly. These young Arsenal players are already giving everything they have, but Liverpool are gradually taking control of the match."
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (60 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.