Chapter 765 - 139: Wonder Goal! Golden Ball Award Rankings! The Value of a Superstar! Wang Shuo: Golden Ball Award? I Don’t Care About It Anymore!

The implication was clear: Roy Keane was all talk. Didn’t he have a clue about his own managerial record?

However, the simultaneous elimination of the two Manchester clubs was undoubtedly a massive blow to the Premier League.

The Daily Telegraph stated, "Ferguson, who is about to celebrate his 70th birthday, originally wanted to use a Champions League trophy to celebrate his 25th anniversary of coaching Manchester United. Instead, all he got was the UEFA Europa League!"

The Liverpool Echo was even more direct in firing back at Manchester United fans, pointing out how they had mercilessly mocked the Red Army when Liverpool was playing in the UEFA Europa League.

And now?

Even after drawing what seemed like a guaranteed pass, Manchester United still ended up dropping into the UEFA Europa League.

The Guardian Newspaper directly pointed out the underlying issues facing both Manchester United and Manchester City.

Manchester United’s problem was a lack of overall strength and their ongoing squad transition. After seeing off veterans like Van der Sar, Scholes, and Gary Neville, their young players failed to step up and fill the void. Players like Smalling, in particular, performed disastrously during the crucial moments against Basel.

Manchester City’s issue stemmed from bad luck in the draw, landing them in the Group of Death. Furthermore, Tevez’s lingering influence had destabilized the team’s morale, forcing last-minute adjustments to their attacking combinations.

Among the four Premier League teams competing in the Champions League, Arsenal actually performed the best. In the first four rounds, Wang Shuo scored eight goals and provided one assist, helping Arsenal secure four consecutive victories and clinch the top spot in their group early on.

"This is the value of a superstar!

"The higher the intensity of the match, the more they tend to demonstrate their worth.

"In contrast, whether it’s Manchester United, Manchester City, or even Chelsea, they all lack a superstar like Wang Shuo who can step up at critical moments and turn the tide."

The Guardian Newspaper believed that Arsenal signing Wang Shuo and rebuilding the squad was undoubtedly another shrewd decision by Wenger. More importantly, the current Gunners squad was very young, meaning their future was limitless.

"The Gunners’ current shortcomings still lie in their defensive line and set-piece defending.

"If they can resolve these two major issues, we believe the Gunners have a great chance of achieving a breakthrough in their results."

For the past few years, the Gunners had constantly fought for a top-four finish in the league and reached the last 16 of the Champions League, drawing heavy criticism for their stagnation. But now, looking at Manchester United and Manchester City, it proved that simply making it into the last 16 of the Champions League was truly no easy feat.

***

After finishing their match against Lille, the team returned to the Premier League to usher in the 15th round, hosting Everton at home.

Before the match, Arsenal held a commemorative ceremony for the 125th anniversary of the club’s founding. Legendary stars, including Henry, Ian Wright, and Pires, were all in attendance.

Unexpectedly, FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke and Chief Operating Officer Harold Mayne-Nichols also attended "by invitation," giving Arsenal plenty of face.

Why was it unexpected?

Because Wang Shuo and the others hadn’t heard a single word about anyone from FIFA being invited. After all, they hadn’t even invited anyone from UEFA, so why would they invite FIFA?

Furthermore, it was a last-minute decision. Wang Shuo and his teammates only found out right before the match.

"They’re probably here just for you!" Subotic reminded Wang Shuo.

Wang Shuo nodded. "Just ignore them."

Moyes’ Everton, on the other hand, had clearly come to play the spoiler. They adopted a 4-2-3-1 formation and set their defensive line very high.

In the first fifteen minutes, Arsenal fell into Everton’s offside trap four times. Wang Shuo was caught once, Walcott twice, and Hazard once.

But right at the fifteen-minute mark, Arsenal orchestrated another opportunity. De Bruyne sent a through ball, and Wang Shuo suddenly surged forward, successfully beating the offside trap.

Under the relentless pulling and dragging of Jagielka and Heitinga, Wang Shuo couldn’t fully control the ball but still managed to lay it off to Hazard. The latter fired it home in one smooth motion, opening the scoring for the Gunners.

1-0!

Later, with his back to the attacking direction in the front court, Wang Shuo held off the double-teaming of Jagielka and Leighton Baines. Through sheer strength, he stopped the ball, turned, and passed it to Walcott.

The Little Tiger drove deep into the opposition’s half and crossed the ball into the middle. Hazard suddenly stopped the ball, turned to shake off his marker, and unleashed a volley into the back of the net.

A brace!

2-0!

The young player from Belgium was performing better and better recently.

But the most spectacular goal occurred in the 57th minute of the second half. Following a diagonal pass from De Bruyne on the right flank, Wang Shuo, positioned between Jagielka and Leighton Baines, executed a beautiful backheel flick. The ball looped high into the air, sailing over his own head and the heads of the two defenders, before dropping into the right side of the penalty area.

He then burst past the two defenders at top speed, chasing the ball into the right side of the box. Without waiting for it to touch the ground, he planted his left foot firmly and unleashed a ferocious volley with his right.

Carrying the force of a thunderbolt, the ball flew at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye, plunging into Everton’s net before the United States goalkeeper, Howard, could even react.

In that instant, all the Gunners fans in the Emirates Stadium couldn’t help but leap from their seats in sheer excitement, cheering wildly.

"A world-class goal!!"

"Wang Shuo!"