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Chapter 79: One More Year
🕑 Added 2025-06-30 15:22:39 +0000 UTCOn January 2nd, Arsenal traveled to face Southampton in the 21st round of the Premier League.
Throughout the match, Kai’s performance was once again impressive.
His quick interceptions and relentless pressing were vital in Arsenal’s defensive efforts. But despite his contributions, Arsenal struggled to generate momentum on the counterattack.
The reason was simple — Southampton's aggressive high press kept Kai pinned deeper than usual.
He tried to launch direct counters after winning possession, and while his teammates made intelligent runs, Southampton’s tightly knit defensive setup made clean breakthroughs hard to come by.
Kai couldn’t initiate the attack early, and without top-tier ball distribution from deeper positions, Arsenal's build-up stalled.
At the 44th minute, Southampton capitalized. Exploiting space down the left, they beat Kai on the overlap and broke through to open the scoring.
ESPN commentator Ian Darke remarked, "Southampton did their homework on Arsenal’s patterns. In the end, it’s tough for an 18-year-old to carry the tactical burden of an entire side."
That goal put Arsenal in a difficult position.
The forwards pushed urgently for an equalizer, and the touchline turned chaotic.
At halftime, Arsène Wenger made a tactical tweak.
He moved Kai centrally in midfield and shifted Ramsey out wide to the left defensive role.
This adjustment gave Kai a breather from constant pressure.
And with a bit more space and support, Kai began to show his passing range again.
In the 70th minute, Kai launched a pinpoint long ball to Podolski, who controlled well before laying it off to Chamberlain.
Chamberlain slid it through to Walcott, who made the extra pass in the box, and Suarez smashed it home.
Arsenal equalized just one minute later.
The match ended 1-1.
Kai’s performance remained a bright spot. While the first half exposed some challenges, Wenger’s second-half reshuffle brought composure.
Given Arsenal’s recent form and the difficulties of away fixtures, the draw was a valuable result.
At the Emirates, they had just beaten Newcastle. But away from home? Wins were harder to come by.
Wenger had one guiding principle for the rest of the season:
"Win every game you’re supposed to win."
Translation? Against title contenders, play smart. Against mid-table or bottom-half teams, take all the points.
From the professor’s perspective: take 80 points at home, add 10–20 more on the road, and don’t drop points unnecessarily.
Following the Southampton fixture, Arsenal faced a formidable challenge at home.
Manchester City was coming to town.
And for Kai, this was going to be a battle.
He was up against one of the most relentless forwards in the league — Argentina’s own, Carlos Tevez.
Kai never feared fancy dribblers. His positioning and reading of the game usually neutralized them. But powerful, explosive strikers like Tevez?
Those were a different story.
Tevez, in his prime, was a nightmare: quick, aggressive, and relentless in the press. The scar running from his ear to his throat only added to his fearsome presence.
These were the types of matchups that drained Kai.
He lacked the physical edge to dominate in direct collisions.
Each challenge with Tevez pushed him off balance. Though he always scrambled back to re-engage, it wasn’t enough to shut the Argentine down.
Even so, Kai managed to record three successful tackles out of six duels.
But compared to his usual efficiency, it was a noticeable drop.
And Arsenal felt it.
Their defensive structure depended heavily on Kai’s ability to intercept and disrupt.
Without that stabilizing force, cracks started to show.
Eventually, Manchester City broke through. In the 78th minute, Milner whipped in an assist for Dzeko, who buried the only goal of the game.
Arsenal fell 0-1 at home.
It was a tough loss, especially for Kai.
That night, he quietly returned to his extra training regime.
He understood something clearly: as a defensive anchor, if he couldn’t hold up physically against top-tier strikers, it was a failure on his part.
It was time to push harder.
Because at this level, there are no excuses — only results.
But Pat stopped him before he could get too deep into another round of weight training.
“Enough. That’s your limit for today,” Pat said firmly. “You’re only 18. You’re still growing, and your muscle development isn’t complete. Overtraining now will only burn through your growth hormones early.”
It was a blunt warning, but a necessary one.
Most men don’t reach full physical maturity until around 24, and those years are crucial for natural strength development.
Kai, still eager but clearly worn down, tightened his lips. “But I need to get stronger. Right now, I can’t even match Tevez one-on-one.”
Pat raised an eyebrow. “And who told you that you have to go toe-to-toe with players like him?”
Kai looked confused. “Isn’t that how you stop someone like Tevez? Match him physically?”
Pat gave a small chuckle. “That was a myth Mourinho started back in the day — crowd the box and throw bodies at the striker. He was just baiting teams into focusing only on Drogba. That kind of brute-force tactic rarely works the way people think it does.”
“So what does work?” Kai asked, still processing.
Pat leaned forward, his voice low but clear. “How did you defend Walcott back when you only weighed 73 kilos?”
Kai blinked, thought for a second. “I usually got someone else to press him.”
Pat smirked. “I meant one-on-one.”
Kai paused again. And then, slowly, the realization crept in.
“I went for sharp reads... timing my tackles. Cut the lane. Took the ball, not the man.”
“Exactly,” Pat said, nodding. “You used to rely on anticipation and smart challenges. But now that you’ve bulked up a bit, you’re leaning too much on strength. There’s nothing wrong with that — it’s just not always the answer.”
“When you’re up against players like Tevez or Drogba, they’ll bulldoze through you if you meet them head-on. That’s where timing, quick feet, and surprise steals matter most.”
“Remember: the man can go — but the ball stays.”
Pat fixed Kai with a serious look. “Sharp. Clean. Unexpected. Like you used to do.”
Then he added, “And from now on, stay out of the weight room unless it’s essential work. You’ve got the drive, I get that. But you need balance.”
Pat knew he had to limit Kai’s access to the equipment room. Otherwise, the lad might as well move in.
Later, Pat walked over to join Wenger on the touchline.
“How’d it go?” Wenger asked without turning.
Pat shrugged. “He’s sharp. Picked it up right away.”
Wenger smiled. “Let’s just hope he doesn’t overthink it.”
“He’s not like the others,” Pat said, more softly now. “Most kids hit a wall and sulk. He starts thinking of how to break through it. Sure, some of his ideas are reckless — but he’s always looking for answers.”
There was a pause, and then Pat added, “He wants to be better. All the time. Setbacks won’t stop him.”
Wenger gave a quiet nod. “Good. Because things won’t get easier.”
Arsenal were entering a brutal stretch.
Round 23: away to Chelsea.
Round 24: home against Liverpool.
Wenger’s voice turned grim. “We can’t afford to slip up now.”
These weren’t just big matches — they were must-win scenarios.
If Arsenal stumbled here, their season could fall apart.
The Gunners had already dropped to fifth, two points behind Spurs.
Wenger knew the math. If they didn’t take something from these next two games, they might even fall out of the Champions League race.
And that weighed on him heavily.
Another season chasing fourth. Another year clinging to qualification.
When would Arsenal return to their best? When would they fight for titles again?
Wenger exhaled, eyes drifting toward Kai, now deep in conversation with a teammate on the pitch.
“One more year,” he said quietly.
Then again, this time, his voice had more steel.
“One year. That’s all I ask.”
