"Coach, I understand why we need a new training facility, but are the words 'Leo Lin Building' really going to be displayed right on top of it?"
"I definitely recognize the name Leo Lin. Over the past few years, it's practically become one of the most recognizable names in European football!"
On January 10, when the designs for Arsenal's new training facility were unveiled, everyone could see the words "Leo Lin Building" displayed prominently above it. Some players might not have recognized the building, but there was no chance they didn't recognize Leo Lin.
Arsenal's young head coach, Mikel Arteta, didn't have much choice. Clubs across Europe were upgrading their training facilities, improving their training conditions, and expanding their training grounds. Arsenal couldn't afford to fall behind.
And the best company in the business happened to be the one endorsed by Leo, so Arsenal could only accept it.
Their upcoming EFL Cup semifinal would see Arsenal face Liverpool.
Since taking charge of Arsenal, Arteta had developed a tactical system that bore some resemblance to Guardiola's Manchester City, but it wasn't exactly the same.
Some people described Arsenal as playing like a smaller version of Manchester City, while others felt Arteta's overall tactical identity still wasn't distinct enough. As a result, many fans weren't even sure whether Arsenal truly intended to commit to possession football.
Still, Arsenal's current squad contained plenty of outstanding players. Martinelli on the left, Saka on the right, Ben White, who could play either center back or fullback, and the young striker Nketiah were all among them.
After arriving at Arsenal, one of Arteta's first priorities had been bringing in young players. Center back Gabriel and goalkeeper Ramsdale were exactly the type of players he wanted: young and willing to follow his tactical instructions.
Arteta hadn't won over every Arsenal supporter in his first season.
Ever since Wenger left, every manager who took charge of Arsenal had inevitably been compared to him.
But this was Wenger they were being compared to.
How many coaches could really measure up to Wenger?
Over the past few days, Arteta had been paying close attention to every piece of news surrounding Leo. He had seen Leo sign another endorsement deal, become the Premier League's most popular player yet again, and continue scoring goal after goal for Liverpool.
Arteta really didn't want to see Leo on the pitch in the EFL Cup semifinal.
Unfortunately, Liverpool were almost certain to play him.
Everything Arteta had worked on over the past few days revolved around one problem: how to use his current squad to stop Leo.
For the past six seasons, that had become a question every team in Europe had been trying to answer.
In the end, Arteta settled on his starting lineup for the semifinal.
Tierney would start at left back, with Gabriel and Ben White in central defense and Cédric Soares at right back.
Ramsdale would be in goal. Martinelli would play on the left, Saka on the right, with Xhaka and Lokonga in midfield. Nketiah and Lacazette would form the front two.
During Arsenal's training sessions, the name heard most often was Leo Lin.
Not simply "Lin," but Leo Lin.
Arteta deliberately kept using his full name whenever he stressed his importance.
"Gabriel, if that had been Leo Lin just now and you were even half a step late closing him down, don't bother stepping out after that. Leo Lin will move into the box and come looking for you himself."
"You won't be able to stop him in the box, because you can't afford to foul him there."
"Tierney, you're quick. If Leo Lin suddenly accelerates, watch his run carefully and stay with him."
"Ben White, remember to keep talking to Xhaka. Let him know whenever Leo Lin is about to make a run."
"Xhaka, you've faced Leo Lin more times than anyone else in this Arsenal squad."
"You started playing against him six seasons ago and you've been facing him ever since. Can you tell the rest of the Arsenal players how you've managed your mentality every time you've come up against him?"
After training, Arteta asked Xhaka to give the rest of the squad some advice about their mindset.
"My advice is simple. Don't think you can stop Leo Lin by yourself. Don't think two players together can stop him either. And don't even tell yourself that maybe he won't score."
"Don't think about the possibility of Leo Lin having a bad game. Once you stop hoping for that, you'll find it much easier to stay composed against him."
"Because then you already know that whatever happens during the match, whatever Leo Lin creates, is something you should have expected."
Xhaka's point was clear. Arsenal could never go into the match hoping Leo would simply have an off day and hand them the chance to beat Liverpool.
If Arsenal wanted to win, they had to find a way to contain Leo even when he was at his best, shut down Liverpool as a whole, and then beat them.
Leo felt as though time had flown by.
Somehow, January 12 had already arrived.
It felt like he had only just finished the endorsement deal for the training facilities, and now it was already time for the EFL Cup semifinal.
For the first time, Gullit realized just how young Arsenal were, from the head coach and his assistants all the way down to the players.
"This is a young team led by a young manager. Mikel Arteta worked alongside Guardiola for a long time, but he had always wanted to become Arsenal's head coach himself."
"Arsenal had several options after Wenger left, but in the end, they chose Arteta."
"For this semifinal, Arsenal will start Ramsdale in goal."
"The back four will be Tierney, Gabriel, Ben White, and Cédric."
"Martinelli and Saka are obvious starters. Xhaka is currently Arsenal's most reliable midfielder. Nketiah has been in good form, Lacazette has been excellent, while Lokonga's performances can be a little inconsistent."
"Liverpool have rested Alisson for this match, with Kelleher starting in goal for the EFL Cup."
"Gvardiol, Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold, and Tsimikas start in defense. The midfield consists of Gravenberch, Ødegaard, and Leo, while Gakpo, Szoboszlai, and Salah make up the front three."
"Liverpool have rotated their lineup more heavily than Arsenal."
Arsenal had prepared thoroughly.
Gabriel kept Arteta's defensive instructions firmly in mind, while Ben White constantly reminded Xhaka of what was happening around him.
The semifinal soon kicked off, and Leo immediately began moving into attacking areas.
But unlike Arteta had expected, Leo seemed to be running all over the place without any fixed pattern.
Tierney kept watching for Leo to move toward his side, but Leo never came anywhere near him.
In the eighth minute, Leo made another run.
Szoboszlai was playing through the middle, but during the attack he drifted toward Tierney's side.
Gabriel immediately moved across to help Tierney defend.
Ben White watched Leo's movement and quickly warned Xhaka to drop deeper so Leo couldn't find an opening.
But Leo kept running toward Cédric instead.
When Cédric Soares saw Leo heading his way, Leo had already spotted an opportunity to isolate him one-on-one on Arsenal's right side.
Ødegaard's pass through the middle allowed Liverpool to quickly shift the attack toward the left. By the time Leo received the ball, Cédric Soares had already rushed out to meet him.
Whatever happened, Cédric needed to hold Leo up until Lokonga could get back.
Leo brought the ball under control, deliberately stopping it close to Cédric.
Cédric refused to commit.
Against Leo, there was no chance he was diving into a challenge.
Even if he thought there was a ninety-nine percent chance he could win the ball, Cédric still wouldn't risk it.
When Leo realized his first move hadn't drawn any reaction, he simply went straight to the second.
He exploded forward with the ball.
Cédric Soares was so focused that the instant Leo accelerated, he instinctively tried to accelerate with him.
Then he saw Leo seemingly getting taller and taller right in front of him.
In reality, Leo wasn't getting taller.
Cédric was getting lower.
Because he had fallen to the ground.
Leo's burst didn't actually beat his man. He had put so much power into the acceleration that by the time he reached the touchline, the ball had already gone out of play.
Just as Leo turned to head back toward midfield, he noticed Cédric still sitting on the ground, clutching his right leg and looking toward Arsenal's medical staff.
Leo walked over and took a closer look.
It was obvious Cédric was injured. He had twisted his right ankle badly, and the extent of it was immediately apparent.
After examining him, Arsenal's medical staff had no choice but to signal for a substitution.
Chambers came on for Cédric.
Only a few minutes had passed, and Arsenal had already been forced to replace their starting right back.
"I thought Leo's burst had come to nothing, but it actually forced Arsenal to substitute their starting right back. That turned out to be one extremely effective run!"
Chambers hadn't been in as good form as Cédric, but Arteta still trusted him.
Once Chambers came on, Liverpool immediately began targeting his side, repeatedly using Gakpo's runs to drain his energy.
It made Arsenal's job more difficult, but at least Liverpool still hadn't managed to create a real opening.
Arteta therefore didn't seem overly concerned. He remained on the bench, continuing to discuss tactics with his assistant coaches.
But only two minutes later, the referee blew his whistle.
This time, the whistle was noticeably longer and sharper than usual.
Normally, when a referee blew like that, somebody was getting booked.
And quite possibly sent off.
Arteta looked up.
Then he saw Xhaka, the heart of his midfield, the one Arsenal midfielder he trusted most, and the player who had been facing Leo for six full seasons, being shown a red card.
Two minutes earlier, Cédric Soares had been forced off and replaced by Chambers.
Now, two minutes later, Xhaka had been sent off as well.
Arteta had no idea what else he was supposed to do.
Leo hadn't even created anything dangerous while carrying the ball through midfield.
But Xhaka had stepped directly onto his foot.
And he had caught him cleanly.
Leo had no idea whether Xhaka had done it intentionally, but once he felt the stamp on his foot, the referee had already seen the entire incident clearly.
The red card came out immediately.
"Arsenal are making another change. Holding comes on for Nketiah, which means Lacazette will now play as the lone striker."
"Xhaka is gone, and Holding will now partner Lokonga in midfield. I'm not interested in criticizing either player individually. I'll only say this: if those two are going to play together in midfield, Liverpool should find plenty of openings through the middle from here on out."
...
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