Super Wingstorm

Ibrahimovic was playing like a man possessed!

That was the unanimous conclusion of everyone at Ajax after seeing the Swedish striker's incredible effort in training.

A complete departure from his usual nonchalant self, Ibrahimovic was giving his all in every single drill. The familiar smile was gone from his face, replaced by a gravity so thick it was palpable.

What on earth was wrong with him?

Everyone on the team was talking, speculating in private. Some suspected he'd broken up with his girlfriend, while others thought he was feeling the pressure from his recent poor performances. There were even those who guessed he'd found a new team and wanted to put on a good show before leaving.

Only Yang Yang, Maxwell, and Vermaelen knew the truth: he wanted to destroy Arsenal.

The energy a person can unleash when they're single-mindedly chasing a clear, imminent goal is astonishing.

And that was Ibrahimovic right now.

But it was precisely because he was so different from his usual self that many people found it unsettling. Even head coach Ronald Koeman pulled Yang Yang aside privately to ask what was going on, afraid something was wrong with the Swedish striker.

"He's fine. He's just dying to score," Yang Yang said with a smile.

The grudge between Ibrahimovic and Wenger was a personal matter. He had only told Yang Yang because they were friends, but that didn't mean he wanted everyone else to know. So, Yang Yang was happy to keep his secret.

"Wanting to score is a good thing, but with a huge match just around the corner, tell him not to get himself injured." Ronald Koeman was finally relieved.

"And," the head coach added after a pause, "you're his friend. Try to help him relax. Sometimes, the more you force it, the harder it is to score. It's best to relax and maintain a level head."

"Okay, I'll talk to him," Yang Yang nodded.

Koeman was, after all, a successful professional player himself. On this point, his opinion was well worth considering.

"You should skip school for the next couple of days, too. Focus on training and getting yourself in the right condition. The home game is crucial."

Since joining the first team, Yang Yang had been squeezing in school time whenever he could, sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon. A few days ago, during a stretch of away games, he hadn't attended a single class for a whole week. The school was helpless about it, but as a regular member of the 18-man squad, Yang Yang truly had no time.

The club also took Yang Yang's education very seriously. It had been the most important condition his uncle, Shen Ming, had demanded when he signed. So, whenever there was time, the club would arrange for a teacher to give Yang Yang one-on-one tutoring to help him catch up with his schoolwork.

Fortunately, Yang Yang had a photographic memory and was a very quick learner. Not only had his grades not dropped, but he had also remained at the top of his class. This surprised both the school and the club, and they began to turn a blind eye to his frequent absences.

Yang Yang understood in his heart that Ajax was an established club. Facing the mighty Arsenal, although their chances of winning were slim, it didn't mean the club would simply roll over and accept defeat. They would definitely fight for a win at home and then try to secure a draw in the away leg.

"I know," Yang Yang nodded.

"The good news is, Ashley Cole is definitely out for this match, so you won't get your showdown with the world-class left-back. The bad news is, the eighteen-year-old French kid who's replacing him, Kerri, had an outstanding performance in yesterday's London derby away at Chelsea."

Yang Yang was full of surprise. "He started for Arsenal at eighteen? In such an important match?"

"Yeah. With the new stadium costs, Wenger doesn't have much money to spend on transfers, so he has to be bold with his youth players. Kerri isn't even the youngest. The youngest player at Arsenal right now is probably Fàbregas from Spain. He won't even be seventeen until May, younger than you, but he's been consistently playing with the first team."

Yang Yang gave a wry smile. He thought he was young, but there was always someone better, always a new horizon.

Starting in a Premier League London derby at eighteen, representing Arsenal in the league at sixteen... faced with young geniuses like Kerri and Fàbregas, Yang Yang felt not only admiration but also a budding sense of rivalry.

He wanted to know just how big the gap was between himself and these players of a similar age.

"Later, I'll have Luther put together a file and some video footage for you. Go get it from him and study it carefully."

Ever since Ronald Koeman found out that Yang Yang liked to gather intelligence on his opponents before a match, he had placed great importance on it. He noticed that every time Yang Yang came on as a substitute, his play was very targeted, a clear sign that he had done his homework.

Because of this, before every match, he would have Luther Carroll prepare a special file just for Yang Yang.

* * *

* * *

After meeting with Yang Yang, Ronald Koeman walked back to the first-team coaches' office.

Not only was the entire Ajax first-team coaching staff present, but Technical Director Van Gaal was also sitting in. Everyone wore a grave expression, because they were about to face an Arsenal team that was currently invincible in the Premier League.

The pitch is like a battlefield, and intelligence is always the key to victory.

Ever since drawing Arsenal in December, Ajax's scouts had been working around the clock, focusing on gathering all kinds of intelligence on them, then compiling and analyzing it for the upcoming knockout match.

"According to our intel, we can basically confirm that Arsenal has a number of injuries. Ashley Cole won't start, and it's highly unlikely Bergkamp will start either. He might not even make the squad list," Luther Carroll analyzed.

"Why?" Koeman asked.

He and Bergkamp were former teammates, so he was very familiar with the Netherlands player's ability. Even though he was about to turn thirty-five, Bergkamp's performance was still outstanding, making him an important part of Arsenal's attack this season.

"During the winter break, Arsenal spent ten million euros to sign Jose Antonio Reyes from La Liga's Sevilla. Wenger is relying heavily on the young player right now. He's incredibly fast, and more importantly, he's a complete unknown to everyone. His striker partnership with Henry gives them two forwards with lightning speed, making them incredibly lethal."

With their undefeated season, Arsenal's starting lineup and tactics had come under the microscope of every team. Not just in the Premier League, but even in the Champions League, the Gunners were in everyone's crosshairs.

Under these circumstances, the stimulus brought by fresh blood not only affected the team internally but also posed a hidden threat to opponents who were familiar with, or had deeply studied, Arsenal.

"Barring any surprises, we predict their starting lineup will be Goalkeeper Seaman. The back line, from left to right, will be Kerri, Campbell, Kolo Toure, and Lauren. There are no questions about the two wide midfielders either: Pires on the left and Lars Engberri on the right. In the center, besides captain Vieira, it depends on whether Gilberto Silva can return from injury. If not, it should be the Brazilian midfielder Edu. Up front, it will be a combination of Henry and Reyes."

This deep into the season, there were few surprises in either team's tactics or starting lineups. But Arsenal's advantage was that even their substitutes were strong enough to completely dominate Ajax.

"In attack, Lars Engberri hasn't been in good form recently. He had the best chemistry with Bergkamp, but now the starter is the newcomer, Reyes, and the two of them haven't really clicked yet. Still, we can't let our guard down."

Luther Carroll's reminder made everyone nod in agreement.

A star of Lars Engberri's caliber could create a deadly opportunity at any moment.

"We have to pay close attention to Pires on the left wing. Manchester United's one-nil victory over Arsenal in the FA Cup a few days ago is worth studying. Ferguson used Keane to mark Pires. We have De Jong or Galasek. If we can cut the connection between Pires and Henry, we can significantly curb Arsenal's attacking threat."

The Gunners' most potent attacking firepower currently came from the left flank. The combination of Ashley Cole, Pires, and Henry struck fear into the hearts of every team in European football. But with Ashley Cole injured, cutting the link between Pires and Henry would greatly diminish Arsenal's attack.

"Kerri played very well in the away game against Chelsea and was named to the Premier League Team of the Week. But if we study him closely, it's not hard to see that he offered almost nothing offensively. And on defense, he's very fond of slide tackles, which isn't a good habit."

"Both of Arsenal's full-backs, Lauren and Kerri, have issues with their positional awareness. In the match against Chelsea, Gudjohnsen repeatedly cut inside from the left into the penalty area, causing Lauren to overlap with center-back Toure. This not only left the flank exposed but also opened up space on the left side, just outside the arc of the box."

"The problem with Kerri on the left is his covering. Campbell is tall and strong with outstanding one-on-one defending, but being slow to turn is a long-standing issue. Once he's drawn out of position, Kerri consistently fails to cover the space behind him in time. That's why both Chelsea and Manchester United targeted Kerri's side."

"In the last Premier League match against Chelsea, the goal they conceded at the start originated from the left flank that Kerri was defending. His good performance for the rest of the game masked that early mistake, but the fact that every team is targeting that spot makes the answer obvious."

After listening to Luther Carroll's analysis, everyone began to understand. Behind Arsenal's seemingly invincible facade, there were indeed weak links, and the impact of their injuries was just as significant as any other team's.

If the world-class left-back Ashley Cole were playing, this problem on the left flank might have been covered up. But now, the young Kerri was destined to be the weakest link in Arsenal's lineup.

The key question was, how could Ajax best exploit it?

Manchester United had won in the FA Cup, but Chelsea had been defeated 2-1 in a comeback by Arsenal in the Premier League, despite scoring first at home. Both matches provided Ajax with plenty of material and lessons to draw from.

How were they going to play this match?

As one, everyone turned to look at Ronald Koeman.

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