Chapter 829 - 149: Bicycle Kick! Domain Skill: Agile Striker! Winning the Championship the Manchester United Way! Gunners, Where Are Your Tactics?

Yet another comeback!

This was the general consensus among major media outlets in the United Kingdom regarding Arsenal after their match against Newcastle. To stage classic comeback dramas for four consecutive rounds in the Premier League felt like an unbelievable miracle to everyone.

"Even the best screenwriter couldn’t write a script with such coincidences that somehow never repeats itself," a commentator noted.

The trajectories of these four matches were entirely different, right down to how the comebacks were achieved. Against Sunderland, Wang Shuo came off the bench when they were a goal down and provided two assists to turn the game around. Against Tottenham, they conceded two goals early on before ruthlessly firing eight past their opponents.

The match against Liverpool was even more legendary. Conceding a penalty and an own goal, they fell behind twice but scored three goals in quick succession to win. Then came Newcastle. They conceded first but equalized. Wang Shuo was subbed on when the score was tied at 1-1, and he delivered the final, decisive blow in the dying moments of stoppage time.

"How could a screenwriter come up with something like this? It’s more like an incredible, magical journey!"

In its post-match analysis, The Times noted that Arsenal’s consecutive comebacks this season—constantly falling behind and then overtaking their opponents—were driven by a powerful mental fortitude. And that fortitude came from an increasingly united dressing room!

"This season’s Arsenal bears a striking resemblance to the ’99 Manchester United. Both teams have continuously boosted their morale and solidified their foundation through one comeback after another.

"Behind each of these comebacks is an astonishing level of courage and drive!"

The Times argued that the legendary journey of 1999 forged Manchester United’s spirit, giving the Red Demons an aura of invincibility against all other Premier League teams from then on. Even in the most desperate situations, they possessed the unyielding resolve to fight to the bitter end! This drive had persisted to the present day, forming the very essence of Manchester United’s invincible dominance.

And now, Arsenal was undergoing the same repeated forging process.

"Today’s Arsenal is very much like the ’99 Manchester United—equally young, yet both possessing obvious shortcomings."

The ’99 Manchester United, led by their golden quartet of midfielders, played an expansive brand of attacking football. With Giggs’ breakthrough runs on the left and Beckham’s long-range switches and crosses on the right, their attacking setup was incredibly dynamic and multi-dimensional. However, that Manchester United also had glaring weaknesses. This was exactly why their title races on all three fronts dragged on until the final round, and why they ultimately won those championships through comebacks.

Simply put, the team’s ability to break down stubborn defenses wasn’t strong enough.

The Black Wind Double Killers were certainly beloved by countless fans, but in reality, they genuinely struggled against tightly-packed defensive lines. To put it plainly, neither of them was a true center-forward!

In fact, long before that, Ferguson had intended to sign a center-forward like Cruyff, but unfortunately, he didn’t succeed. Later, to sign Van Nistelrooy, Ferguson was even willing to wait an entire year while Van Nistelrooy recovered from a severe injury.

As for the midfield, the golden quartet was undeniably a joy to talk about. But it also had to be acknowledged that among those four players, there wasn’t a single one who could truly hold the ball and dictate the tempo! Giggs and Beckham aside, even Scholes and Roy Keane weren’t that type of player back then. This meant that whenever Manchester United encountered a well-organized defense, their movement and passing struggled to be effective.

Therefore, Ferguson was later willing to spend a fortune to sign the playmaking midfielder Veron from Serie A, entirely to patch up this weakness. Unexpectedly, however, Veron met his Waterloo at Manchester United.

It was precisely this inability to break down entrenched defenses that constantly stalled Manchester United’s attacks whenever they faced defensively robust teams like Juventus and Bayern. And once their attacks stalled, the issues on their defensive end were exposed.

In Manchester United’s 4-4-2 formation, the two fullbacks pushed very high up the pitch, which laid bare the flaws of playing with a single defensive midfielder. Ferguson’s strategy was to have the center-backs step up to press, compensating for the defensive midfield’s shortcomings.

"This line of thinking is exactly the same as when Ferguson later signed Vidic to form the classic center-back pairing of Ferdinand and Vidic, which brought Ferguson his second Champions League title!"

The Times believed that history always repeated itself with striking similarity. The very same issues that plagued Manchester United back then were now reappearing in today’s Arsenal. They championed the same attacking football, suffered from the same shaky defense, utilized the same single defensive midfielder setup, and employed the same strategy of center-backs stepping up.

Compared to the Manchester United of the past, the Gunners’ biggest difference was that they possessed the super forward Ferguson had always dreamed of—Wang Shuo!

"If the ’99 Manchester United had possessed a super forward like Wang Shuo who scored goals for fun, they wouldn’t have needed repeated comebacks; they would have simply crushed everything in their path!"

The Times argued that it was precisely these shortcomings that had forged Manchester United. Time and time again, the comebacks tempered their unique aura.

Now, the Gunners had embarked on that very same path.

The Times also mentioned manager Wenger. For many years, Wenger’s public image was that of a gentle, refined academic professor, posing a stark contrast to Ferguson. In terms of coaching, Wenger’s boldness and determination were perceived as inferior to Ferguson’s.

"But this time, Wenger’s actions have been incredibly surprising. Starting from when he threatened the management with his resignation to demand the signing of Wang Shuo, he has bet his entire career on Wang Shuo.

"Since Wang Shuo joined Arsenal, Wenger appointed him as captain and gave him full authority to manage the dressing room. All of this has allowed Wang Shuo to become the core and soul of this Gunners squad!"