Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 568: Wenger Announces Retirement, and Barcelona Heads Towards Disaster

After the match, Manchester City could hardly accept a draw. With Liverpool winning their match, they had overtaken City on the points table.

This meant that City's Champions League spot was no longer secure.

And Arsenal, their direct rivals for a Champions League position, was standing in their way.

So, in this game, as long as there was a chance, City had to seize it and win at all costs!

Realizing that Arsenal's midfield was focusing on intercepting City's attacking transitions, particularly the player advancing with the ball, Lin Quan took over the responsibility of moving the ball forward.

Seeing Lin Quan ask for the ball, Gündoğan immediately passed it to him.

In fact, Arsenal's defense was not only targeting City's ball carriers but also their playmakers in the midfield and defense.

Gündoğan had clearly become one of Arsenal's prime targets, so every time he touched the ball, it felt like a hot potato—he wanted to pass it off as quickly as possible to lighten his own load.

As Lin Quan received the ball, Granit Xhaka rushed towards him without hesitation.

Noticing Xhaka's quick approach, Lin Quan tapped the ball to the left, evading Xhaka's charge, and then accelerated down the side.

Xhaka couldn't do anything to stop him now, as Lin Quan had already broken free from his defense—now it was up to his teammates to help.

"Brilliant! Lin handled that perfectly—there's open space ahead of him. He can pass now!"

The commentators couldn't help but praise Lin's move as he smoothly shook off Arsenal's attempt to intercept him.

The speed of transitioning from defense to attack was crucial. Many counterattacks fail because they can't break through the opposing team's midfield press.

But if you can pass the ball quickly or carry it forward yourself, the defenders won't have enough time to fall back into position.

When that happens, you're no longer attacking a well-organized backline, which makes it much easier to score.

By now, Lin Quan had pushed the ball to the edge of the penalty box, and Arsenal fans in the stands held their breath in nervous anticipation.

The two Arsenal defenders, who had just retreated into the box, positioned themselves in the center, trying to block Lin Quan's path.

Seeing their setup, Lin Quan wasted no time and passed the ball to his right.

David Silva arrived on the right side and, with a clean strike, sent the ball into the net.

Manchester City had taken the lead once again, with the score now at 3-2. Arsenal was just one step away from falling into the abyss.

There was still time left in the game, and Arsenal had one last chance to equalize.

It was a good thought, but it was not going to happen.

After David Silva's goal, Manchester City made a substitution.

Fernandinho came on to replace striker Sergio Agüero.

Clearly, Guardiola was shoring up the defense, determined not to give Arsenal any more chances.

While it looked like City had weakened their attack by taking off a forward, Fernandinho's presence solidified City's midfield. This freed up Gündoğan to focus entirely on offense.

In the 72nd minute, City launched a fast counterattack. Gündoğan sent a brilliant through ball that sliced open Arsenal's defense, but the Arsenal goalkeeper quickly rushed out to clear the ball before any City players could capitalize on it.

In the 77th minute, Lin Quan used his individual skills to break through near the edge of the penalty area. Mustafi had no choice but to commit a tactical foul, pulling him down and conceding a dangerous free-kick opportunity for City. Mustafi also received a yellow card for his troubles.

As Lin Quan stood over the ball, preparing to take the free kick, Arsenal's players were extremely nervous.

It was a dangerous position—perfect for a free-kick specialist—and Lin Quan was one of the best.

Arsenal's goalkeeper busily instructed his teammates to form a wall, covering the right side of the goal while he positioned himself slightly towards the left.

Normally, you can guess which side the kicker will aim for based on their stance—right-footed players are more likely to aim for one side, while left-footed players aim for the other.

But Lin Quan was ambidextrous, so Arsenal's goalkeeper had no choice but to rely on his positioning to anticipate the shot.

Lin Quan stood to the left of the ball, indicating he would use his right foot to kick towards the left side of the goal.

Seeing this, the goalkeeper felt confident and ready to make the save.

However, Lin Quan did something completely unexpected.

He did use his right foot, but instead of kicking with the inside of his foot, he struck the ball with the outside of his boot!

The goalkeeper didn't anticipate Lin Quan's trick, but he still had his defenders forming a wall on the right side.

The Arsenal players in the wall jumped up high, trying to block the shot, but Lin Quan's strike was perfectly placed. The ball flew just past the outermost player's ear, leaving them helpless.

Arsenal's wall had been completely bypassed!

But surely, if the ball cleared the wall, it would go too high or wide, right?

Yet, as Arsenal fans watched the ball curve through the air, their faces turned pale.

This was bad—it was heading for the goal!

Whoosh!

Almost at the exact moment they had that thought, the ball flew into the net.

The score was now 4-2!

If there was any hope left at 3-2, it was gone now. With the gap widening further, Arsenal fans were devastated.

But Manchester City wasn't done yet. They couldn't stop scoring.

In the 85th minute, City earned a corner kick.

The ball was swung into the box, creating a scramble in front of the goal.

The ball was headed out of the box but fell straight to Kante's feet.

Kante took a shot, and the ball deflected off an Arsenal defender.

The Arsenal goalkeeper was caught off guard but managed to palm the ball away at the last moment.

However, the danger wasn't over yet. The ball ricocheted off another Arsenal defender and fell into the six-yard box.

Before the defender could clear it, a City player poked it into the net.

The score was now 5-2—Arsenal was being completely humiliated at home by Manchester City!

When the referee blew the final whistle, the Arsenal players looked shattered, as if their spirits had been crushed.

Some even collapsed to their knees, hiding their faces in tears.

It wasn't just the players—the fans in the stands were heartbroken too.

This match was too painful for them. At such a crucial stage of the season, in such an important game, Arsenal had crumbled.

With this defeat, they fell three points behind Liverpool.

Could Arsenal fail to finish in the top four this season?

While people often don't share the same feelings, seeing the devastated Arsenal players and the downcast figure of Wenger on the sidelines left Lin Quan feeling a bit melancholic.

If history hadn't changed, Wenger would announce his retirement exactly one year from now.

It's hard to say whether his retirement would be because Arsenal failed to finish in the top four.

After years without a trophy, qualifying for the Champions League had become the minimum requirement to maintain Arsenal's status as a top club.

But now, with even that slipping away, how crushing must this be for a nearly 70-year-old man?

In fact, Wenger was thinking about retirement right at that moment.

There's nothing more painful than a dead heart, and with the team's performance declining year after year, there seemed to be no hope of improvement.

The Premier League landscape was changing, becoming more brutal and intense, and Wenger felt he no longer understood or could keep up with it.

Since that was the case, perhaps it was time to stop being stubborn and leave on his own terms.

Maybe it would be better for both himself and the club, allowing them both to part with dignity.

So, in the post-match press conference, Wenger announced that he would step down as Arsenal's manager at the end of the season.

The journalists were shocked, stunned into silence.

Wenger was a Premier League legend, one of the last true football managers, and his retirement marked the end of an era.

No surprise, the news spread like wildfire across England and all of Europe, quickly becoming one of the hottest topics in the football world.

At the same time, Barcelona's dramatic loss to PSG also became a hot topic.

Lin Quan learned about Wenger's decision on the bus ride back to Manchester and was surprised that Wenger had chosen to retire a year earlier than expected.

It was hard to say whether this decision had been influenced by Lin Quan's presence, like a butterfly effect.

As for Barcelona's defeat and elimination by Paris Saint-Germain, Lin had already heard about it beforehand.

Barcelona had been demolished 4-0 in Paris, but they nearly pulled off a miracle at home.

Luis Suárez scored early, sparking hope in the Barça players.

Then, PSG made a mistake and scored an own goal, bringing the aggregate score to 4-2, with Barça still two goals behind.

In the second half, Barça scored again to close the gap to 4-3.

Just as they were on the brink of completing the comeback, PSG's striker Cavani scored, making it 5-3 on aggregate and giving PSG a crucial away goal.

Barça now needed three more goals to advance, which seemed impossible.

Barça's momentum was crushed, and they struggled to score for the rest of the match.

That is, until the 88th minute, when Iniesta scored to reignite their hopes.

A minute later, Suárez won a dubious penalty, despite having already received a yellow card for diving earlier in the match.

Surprisingly, the referee awarded the penalty and gave PSG's Marquinhos a yellow card.

It was a bizarre decision, as the referee had ignored several clear penalties earlier in the match.

But after Suárez converted the penalty, making it 5-5, Barça was just one goal away from advancing.

The Barça players went all out, and substitute Sergi Roberto scored in stoppage time to give Barça a 6-5 lead on aggregate, sending the Camp Nou into wild celebration.

It seemed like a miracle had truly happened.

But while Barça celebrated, Neymar, watching his former teammates from PSG, became more determined than ever.

In the final moments of stoppage time, Neymar received a pass from Di María, dribbled past his old teammates, and calmly slotted the ball into the net.

The score was now 6-2, tying the aggregate score at 6-6, but PSG advanced on away goals.

Neymar's goal shattered Barça's miraculous comeback, turning what could have been a historic night into one of heartbreak for the Barcelona faithful.

This match had everything—thrills, drama, a reunion with a former teammate, and a stunning conclusion.

It was no surprise that after the game, many fans hailed it as the best Champions League match they had seen all season.

Some even felt sorry for Barcelona, who had come so close to making history.

But in the end, they fell just short.

Had Neymar stayed at Barça instead of leaving for PSG, might their chances of winning have been higher?

The loss had a profound impact on Barcelona. Not only were they knocked out of the Champions League in the Round of 16, but their coach, Luis Enrique, also announced after the match that he would step down at the end of the season.

Rumors swirled that Enrique's departure was tied to Messi.

According to some Catalan tabloids, Messi made a demand for his contract extension: Enrique had to go!

While these rumors were speculative, the tension between Messi and Enrique was well known.

So, when Enrique announced his resignation, some began to criticize Messi's influence.

Some argued that Barça had become too dependent on Messi, and Messi's grip on the club was too tight.

If Enrique was forced out this way, the next coach would likely have to operate under Messi's influence.

Who would want to coach Barça under such circumstances?

Given Messi's stature at the club, Barça had few options but to cater to him.

To keep Messi happy, they would have to offer him a massive pay raise in his new contract, on par with Lin Quan's salary at Manchester City.

That was the only way to recognize Messi's importance within the squad.

But Barça was already facing severe squad aging issues, and they needed to spend money and time to bring in and develop new talent.

A significant pay raise for Messi would limit their salary budget for other key players, damaging the club's financial health.

Barça was clearly operating against market principles.

Once Messi aged or left, the club would likely face a severe crisis.

In the next few seasons, Barça might still compete for domestic titles, but in the Champions League, their competitiveness would decline.

The glory days of the "invincible Barça" were likely over for good.

(End of Chapter)

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