Chapter 54: What? Multiple people? Taking turns??

"Li nods it down to Giroud! Brilliant! Two to one! Arsenal has turned the score around!"

"Arsenal has executed a magnificent midfield combination! Arteta plays the vertical pass, Giroud chips it over, Li Mo nods it down, and Giroud applies the finish!"

"Schalke 04 is in trouble. After taking the lead, they have conceded two unanswered goals and been turned over by Arsenal. If Arsenal scores another, Schalke 04 will likely be eliminated due to an inferior head-to-head record!"

"Arsenal's hopes of claiming top spot in the group have increased significantly!"

While the commentators in the broadcast booth shouted themselves hoarse, the Veltins-Arena momentarily fell into silence.

Tens of thousands of Schalke 04 fans frowned as they stared at the pitch.

This conceded goal meant more than just falling behind; given Arsenal's momentum, the possibility of them scoring yet another goal before the final whistle... was very real.

And the probability was high!

On the pitch, a jubilant Giroud charged straight toward Li Mo after scoring.

"Thank you! Thank you!!"

He was thanking Li Mo not only for the pass, but specifically for that perfectly weighted header, which allowed him to regain the upper hand in the battle for a starting spot!

"Your heading technique is truly remarkable!" Giroud praised.

Li Mo grinned.

What Giroud did not know was that a huge part of that heading proficiency was actually connected to Giroud himself.

Over on the touchline, Professor Arsène Wenger was embracing his assistants.

The earlier tactical switch to a 4-4-2 had briefly given Arsenal a glimpse of a highly competitive starting framework.

Yet, with Diaby's injury, everything seemed to have returned to square one.

Subsequent to that, Arsenal had weathered a period of turbulence.

And now...

The role Giroud played in the central attacking band allowed Wenger to see anew the possibility of continuing to deploy the 4-4-2. Since a dedicated holding midfielder was lacking, the other midfielders would simply have to shoulder a bit more defensive workload, allowing Giroud to drop deeper and shoulder some of the link-up duties in the attacking third.

In this way, Li Mo would be liberated.

He could focus entirely on a single objective: how to score goals!

After all, the ultimate purpose of putting Li Mo on the pitch was to unleash his scoring prowess to the fullest!

"We've found a new solution!" Wenger excitedly announced to his assistants.

In stark contrast to the ecstatic Wenger, Schalke 04's head coach, Huub Stevens, was plunged into the depths of gloom.

He had foreseen his team's predicament and had already prepared to make tactical adjustments.

Yet, before he could even send his substitutes onto the pitch, Arsenal had scored again.

"Are we still making the substitution?" his assistant asked.

"Make it! Of course we're making it!" Stevens said through gritted teeth.

"Tell the players! Defend! Defend!!!"

Schalke 04 had won 2-0 away against Arsenal.

Now the score of this match stood at 1-2.

If the match ended with this scoreline, Arsenal and Schalke 04 would both be tied on 9 points.

However, Schalke 04 held a 3-2 aggregate advantage from their head-to-head meetings, placing them ahead.

Even so, should Arsenal score once more...

Then the aggregate score would become 3-3, and Arsenal would surpass Schalke 04 on the away goals rule in the event of a tie on points!

That would spell major trouble for Schalke 04.

Stevens actually had few choices left before him.

Option one: defend and hold onto this single—no, half-goal advantage.

Option two: attack and widen the score gap once more.

Without hesitation, with only about twenty minutes remaining in the match, Stevens chose not to take risks.

Instead, he opted for a conservative strategy.

"No midfield change! Swap the striker! Take off Farfán!" Stevens shouted loudly.

As Kyriakos Papadopoulos came on to replace right winger Jefferson Farfán, Schalke 04's intention to protect their slender remaining advantage became glaringly obvious.

Singing rang out once again in the stands of the Veltins-Arena.

The Schalke 04 fans hoped that these heaven-sent anthems would instill drive into their players.

The supporters would always fight alongside their team!

If Stevens were asked to make his substitution choice again after the match, he would regret it a hundred times over.

Because with Farfán's departure, Schalke 04 adopted an entirely passive defensive posture.

This served as a tremendous encouragement to the Arsenal players.

They too knew that only a single path lay before them now: Attack! Attack!

Score just one more, and the destiny of claiming top spot in the group would rest firmly in their own hands!!

Consequently, Arsenal launched a frantic wave of attacks in the closing moments of the match!

Ultimately, in the eighty-seventh minute, a virtually exhausted Li Mo received a pass on the flank of the penalty area and swept the ball across the six-yard box.

Substitute striker Lukas Podolski arrived at the near post to smash it home!!

1:3!

Arsenal extended the aggregate score to three to one!!

They edged ahead of Schalke 04 in the head-to-head standings.

Podolski wanted to find Li Mo to celebrate after scoring, only to discover that Li Mo had collapsed onto the turf after delivering the pass and remained flat on his back.

He hurried over to check on him.

Li Mo grimaced, baring his teeth: "Damn it, I've got cramps!"

"Arsenal has seized destiny back into their own hands once again!!"

The following day, the *London Evening Standard* ran this exact headline as its front-page banner.

In truth, this was merely an ordinary UEFA Champions League group stage match.

The victory merely brought Arsenal level on points with Schalke 04, putting them top of the group solely by virtue of their superior head-to-head record.

The outcomes of the final two group matches remained entirely unpredictable.

Arsenal had to ensure victories in their remaining two group fixtures to guarantee first place.

Yet, for the Arsenal supporters, capturing the top spot carried immense significance.

"We are going to go further in the Champions League!" some Arsenal fans cheered enthusiastically during post-match media interviews.

The media and fans were ecstatic over this comeback victory.

Inside the Arsenal camp, however, the atmosphere remained relatively calm.

Since another fixture loomed at the weekend, Wenger granted the squad only a half-day off.

When the team reassembled, he looked at his players and said: "Forget yesterday's victory, let us begin anew."

Perhaps the media and fans would imbue a single win with all sorts of grand significance.

For the players and coaching staff, though, it was simply an ordinary match.

Winning was cause for joy, but there was no need to overdo it.

Because for the players, once a match had concluded, victory and defeat alike were things of the past.

The most important thing, always, was the next match.

Li Mo felt the exact same way.

Thus, he did not halt his pursuit of self-improvement.

Li Mo was well aware that he was no "superman."

The moment he slowed his pace, his current peak form might well come to an abrupt end—form was a mystical concept, and no player could claim the ability to summon their absolute best at any given moment.

On that day, after training had concluded, Li Mo prepared for his usual extra session.

To his surprise, he found that several other players were lingering behind just like him.

Needless to mention Giroud, who, having tasted the sweet fruits of success, was eager to build an even greater understanding with Li Mo.

Theo Walcott had stayed behind as well.

He too was fighting to reclaim a starting spot.

Even the young prospect Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain appeared quite ambitious.

To Li Mo's genuine astonishment, the three midfielders—Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey, and Jack Wilshere—had also chosen to stay.

He scratched his head and looked at the group: "Are you all... staying behind for extra training?"

Everyone exchanged glances.

Walcott looked slightly awkward.

He had not anticipated that so many others shared his exact train of thought.

It seemed everyone had figured it out...

Whoever could deliver pinpoint passes to Li Mo stood the greatest chance of starting!

Still, with so many people suddenly pitching in, could this really be called solitary extra training anymore?

"It seems everyone wants to build a telepathic connection with Li," Cazorla chuckled.

"How about this—one person per day for extra training sessions with Li, and we take turns," Cazorla proposed.

Cazorla's suggestion won the unanimous approval of the group.

Consequently, Jack Wilshere conscientiously drew up a rotation schedule.

From that day onward, Li Mo's daily extra training sessions were never lonely again.