I do not care how much he is worth

Chapter 46: I Don’t Care How Much He’s Worth

If the score had remained level, Wenger might never have considered changing the formation.

But now, the team had fortunately managed to score again in the dying moments—a piece of luck, as more than one commentator had called it.

Wenger did not believe it was luck.

Just look at the clash between Li Mo and Vertonghen.

Then consider how much Li Mo’s physical strength had improved during training.

Wenger realized that Li Mo was developing at an astonishing speed.

A month ago, he had not dared to deploy Li Mo as the lone striker.

But now, after witnessing the improvement in Li Mo’s strength, Wenger began seriously considering the possibility of replacing one of his forwards at halftime.

If Li Mo possessed a certain degree of physical strength, then between Li Mo and Giroud, Wenger would naturally choose Giroud.

Because Li Mo’s finishing ability was simply too valuable.

And so, as soon as the second half began, people noticed that Giroud had been substituted.

Coming on was another Arsenal midfielder, Francis Coquelin.

Coquelin partnered Arteta in a double-pivot midfield.

Ramsey was pushed into the attacking-midfield or central-midfield role, with Podolski on the left and Wilshere on the right.

Arsenal’s formation had once again changed—from a 4-4-2, relatively weak through the middle, to a 4-2-3-1.

The substitution was clearly telling everyone one thing:

Arsenal were going to defend.

Tottenham had been waiting for a chance to counterattack, hadn’t they?

Then Arsenal would voluntarily concede space in the attacking third.

How could Tottenham counterattack now?

The team with the right to counterattack was Arsenal.

Boas naturally understood what Wenger was thinking.

He had not expected Wenger to make such a change immediately after halftime, and Tottenham initially looked somewhat at a loss.

But Boas was a renowned young manager of his generation, after all, and a disciple of Mourinho. His ability to adjust during a match was certainly worthy of praise.

He immediately responded with substitutions of his own.

Defoe was taken off.

The Brazilian midfielder Sandro came on.

The Icelandic Sniper, Sigurdsson, was pushed into the attacking-midfield position, with Bale on the left, Lennon on the right, and Adebayor up front.

A perfectly matched 4-2-3-1.

Tottenham intended to seize control of midfield and launch a powerful offensive.

Wenger believed Arsenal should be able to withstand Tottenham’s attack by falling back into a defensive shape. After all, Tottenham’s main attacking weapon earlier had been the counterattack.

Now they were being forced to push forward, while Arsenal were essentially playing in a 4-5-1.

Both Wilshere and Podolski were deeply involved in defending.

Up front, Li Mo was there to harass them.

Under such circumstances, Arsenal’s defense should have been fairly secure.

Who could have expected that, not long after both sides had made their substitutions, Arsenal’s goal would be breached again?

Once again, it was Bale who scored.

He switched positions with Lennon, then cut inside from the right wing.

With a thunderous left-footed strike, he blasted the ball into Arsenal’s net.

Two–two!

Tottenham had leveled the score once again.

Bale was especially fired up after scoring.

He pounded his chest wildly and sprinted toward the touchline. Tottenham’s players chased after him, desperate to celebrate with him, but none of them could catch up.

Not until Bale launched into a long knee slide did the entire White Hart Lane erupt.

“Bale! Gareth Bale has scored twice! He’s dragged Tottenham level once again!”

The commentary box was in an uproar as well.

“That’s it! That’s it!”

Richard Hurst, a die-hard Tottenham supporter, wore a fierce expression.

The Arsenal fans fell silent.

They were devastated that their team had been pegged back.

And Li Mo?

His eyes never left Bale.

Before this, all he had thought about was farming Bale’s gold coins.

But now, he was certain that the man before him possessed an energy impossible to ignore.

Defeating an opponent like that—that was what truly excited him.

Li Mo slowly clenched his fist.

“I heard Real Madrid are willing to pay a hundred million for him,” Wilshere said beside him.

“Is that so? That’s pretty impressive.”

Li Mo grinned.

“I don’t care how much he’s worth. I only want to win! Whether it’s against him or in this match!”

Wilshere saw the determination in Li Mo’s eyes.

He seemed to be infected by it.

Reaching out, he patted Li Mo on the shoulder.

“Let’s give it everything we’ve got!”

Li Mo turned to look at Wilshere.

Arsenal’s crown prince grinned.

“I want to beat him too!”

If Arsenal wanted to take all three points away from White Hart Lane, then continuing to defend was no longer of much use.

They had to attack.

Wenger did not need to remind them.

The Arsenal players were already encouraging one another.

After three straight defeats, they were desperate for a victory.

Moreover, this was the North London Derby. The nature of a derby itself made it impossible for Arsenal’s players to accept a draw—especially when continuing to defend might still lead to them conceding another goal.

However, Giroud had been taken off.

Li Mo was now completely exposed before Tottenham’s defense. As the team’s center forward, he had to battle their back line himself.

Could he withstand them?

That was the question in everyone’s mind.

Wilshere sent a long diagonal pass forward.

Li Mo leaped high into the air and challenged Dawson.

Yet the scene everyone had expected—Li Mo being effortlessly crushed—never occurred.

Dawson did get his head to the ball, but under Li Mo’s physical pressure, he failed to control his strength and merely glanced it out over the touchline.

Arsenal won a corner.

Vertonghen came over and high-fived Dawson.

Both men could now feel the pressure.

Because Li Mo was nothing like the fragile-looking player they had imagined.

He was not merely strong.

He could even be considered powerful.

“He’s very strong, and he has a good leap as well.”

Li Mo possessed the Balotelli Strength and Physicality Module and the Walcott Burst Acceleration Module.

The former gave him impressive strength in physical challenges.

The latter not only increased his speed, but also significantly improved his jumping ability.

Add in his height, and both Dawson and Vertonghen now felt enormous pressure.

Their opponent had strength, speed, and extremely elusive movement.

Defending him was exceptionally difficult.

The slightest lapse in concentration could give Li Mo an opening.

Now that Arsenal had won a corner, Tottenham could not afford to relax their marking on him.

Everyone knew that during corner kicks and attacking set pieces, Li Mo was also a vital part of Arsenal’s attack.

Especially now that Giroud had gone off, Li Mo was virtually Arsenal’s only attacking spearhead.

When Wilshere went over to take the corner, Li Mo was no longer surrounded by merely Dawson and Vertonghen.

The two midfielders, Sigurdsson and Sandro, had dropped back as well.

At least three defenders were now around Li Mo, watching his position at all times.

Wilshere had originally intended to pick out Li Mo.

But judging by the situation, Li Mo was being marked far too tightly.

End of Chapter