Chapter 834 - 149: Bicycle Kick! Domain Skills: Swift Striker! Winning the Championship the Manchester United Way! Gunners, Where Are Your Tactics?

Wang Shuo even walked to the front of the line and exchanged a few words with Puyol when they crossed paths.

Bar?a’s starting lineup for this match was rather interesting. Originally, Bar?a had three left-backs: Abidal, Adriano, and Maxwell. However, during the winter break, Maxwell transferred to PSG in Ligue 1. Funded by a consortium from Qatar, the Parisian club now boasted immense financial power—reportedly rivaling that of Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi United Group—and had been recruiting extensively. Unfortunately, Abidal’s liver issues flared up again in March, and Adriano suffered an injury just a week ago. This left Bar?a with no available left-backs, forcing them to deploy Puyol in that position.

Goalkeeper: Valdes;

Defenders: Puyol, Pique, Mascherano, and Alves;

Midfielders: Busquets as the holding Midfielder, with Fabregas partnering Harvey ahead of him;

Forwards: Iniesta, Messi, and Sanchez.

This marked Fabregas’s first return to the Emirates Stadium since transferring to Bar?a. Wang Shuo had also greeted him earlier. Although Arsenal fans were furious with Fabregas—relentlessly booing him during the pre-match warm-ups—there was little animosity between the players themselves. However, while speaking with Fabregas, Wang Shuo could tell from his words that the Spanish Midfielder wasn’t genuinely happy since returning to Bar?a. Or rather, many things simply hadn’t turned out as wonderfully as he had imagined.

An unattainable ideal is unforgettable precisely because it remains out of reach. Once attained, ground down by the mundane realities and trivialities of daily life, the enchanting illusion inevitably fades into a drab reality. Meanwhile, Arsenal had surged powerfully this season. They currently held a ten-point lead in the Premier League and were the overwhelming favorites to win the title. Wasn’t this exactly what Fabregas had always wanted?

Arsenal, on the other hand, had prepared meticulously. Wenger had made tactical adjustments that balanced his signature style with targeted strategies.

Goalkeeper: Szczeny;

Defenders: Vermaelen, Verthongen, Subotic, and Lichsteiner;

Midfielders: Alexander Song as the holding Midfielder, positioned behind the duo of Matuidi and Arteta;

Forwards: Hazard, Wang Shuo, and Walcott.

Clearly, Arsenal’s tactic was still aimed at stifling the opposition with their Midfielders. The decision to start Matuidi and Arteta over De Bruyne was largely based on their superior work rates and interception abilities. De Bruyne was capable of defending, but he was still young. Coincidentally, many didn’t know that Arteta was also a product of Bar?a’s youth academy. Furthermore, Matuidi had once caught Guardiola’s eye and came very close to joining Bar?a.

The lineup made it evident that Wenger was striving to suppress Bar?a’s dominance on the pitch while maintaining the Gunners’ signature passing and movement. The true effectiveness of this approach, however, would only be revealed in the heat of battle.

The match officially kicked off to the sound of Eriksen’s whistle, accompanied by the roaring cheers of sixty thousand Gunners fans at the Emirates Stadium.

Bar?a took the kickoff. The moment the match began, Wang Shuo immediately charged toward Busquets. Hazard and Walcott also surged forward rapidly along the half-spaces, while the Midfielders and defensive line pushed up in unison. This was the Gunners’ match strategy.

Bar?a had always shared a common trait with almost all possession-based teams: they were notoriously slow starters. Possession football required every player to be perfectly in sync, meaning they needed time to find their rhythm after the opening whistle. After all, every opponent was different, presenting varying intensities and methods of pressing. Wenger had defeated Bar?a last season, so his opening strategy was straightforward: instead of lunging into tackles to win the ball, they would apply relentless high pressure to trap Bar?a’s possession in their own defensive half.

As Wang Shuo swiftly closed down Mascherano, the Argentine hurriedly distributed the ball out to Alves on the right wing. However, Hazard was already bearing down on him. When Wang Shuo abruptly changed direction toward Alves, the Brazilian passed it back to Mascherano. Wang Shuo had anticipated this; without a second thought, he immediately spun around and sprinted back toward the Argentine. Panicking, Mascherano quickly threaded a direct pass to Busquets’s feet.

The moment Busquets received the ball, Wang Shuo was already lunging at him. True to his reputation for supreme confidence in his abilities, the Bar?a defensive Midfielder was completely unfazed by Wang Shuo’s rapid approach. He expertly controlled the ball with his body angled, preparing to drive forward. To his surprise, Wang Shuo darted out from a blind angle, nearly stealing the ball. Startled, Busquets hurriedly spun in a circle, shielding the ball with his body as he dribbled backward.

Seeing Wang Shuo still hot on his heels, Busquets immediately passed it back to Pique. Wang Shuo instantly charged at Pique, forcing the center-back to play it out to the left flank to Puyol. But Walcott had already arrived. After trapping the ball, Puyol attempted a forward pass to find Iniesta, but as the ball crossed the halfway line, Lichsteiner intercepted it right in front of the Spanish forward.

Bar?a initiated an immediate counter-press, applying pressure inside Arsenal’s half. After a series of quick passes by the Gunners, Verthongen, under relentless pressure from Messi, was forced to launch a long ball up the pitch. Possession fell back to Bar?a, and Wang Shuo resumed his tireless sprinting and pressing in the attacking third.

With Bar?a currently dominating possession, Arsenal’s possession rate was undoubtedly below 50%. As a result, the Domain Skills: Agile Predator was constantly taking effect. While relentlessly pressing, Wang Shuo was simultaneously familiarizing himself with the Domain Skills. It wasn’t until one minute and thirteen seconds into the match that he truly realized the full extent of its effects.