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Chapter 54: The Professor's Experiment
🕑 Added 2025-05-29 15:25:32 +0000 UTCSeptember 29, 2012
Round Six: Arsenal vs. Chelsea
[Emirates Stadium, North London]
In this match, fans quickly sensed something wasn’t right.
Arsenal’s organization had become disjointed. While the defense held strong, the attack felt flat and erratic, riddled with glaring mistakes.
Supporters were baffled by the sudden shift.
All eyes turned to Kai.
Was he trying to take over the playmaking again?
What was going on?
Confusion swept through the stands—and the commentary box.
"What’s he trying to do?" one of the commentators muttered as Kai suddenly launched a through ball down the middle. The wide players, who had just started to drift inside, weren’t in position to receive it.
The pass came to nothing.
Kai stood with his hands on his hips, visibly frustrated.
"What was that?" said Zhan Jun. "Kai’s been playing brilliantly since his debut—why the sudden drop-off?"
Zhang Lu shook his head. "No idea. If Kai’s trying to take over organizing duties, Arteta should be giving him an earful. But look at him—not a word. It’s hard to figure out what Arsenal are trying to do right now."
Five minutes later, Kai pulled off a lovely sequence, slipping the ball into the right channel.
But Walcott had drifted too central, and the space was left unoccupied—except for Arteta, who simply stood there.
Zhan Jun couldn’t hold back. "Move! Arteta! Run into the space!"
Arteta stayed rooted, and the opportunity fizzled out.
Both Kai and Arteta exchanged helpless glances.
The crowd was stunned.
What was Arsenal doing?
Even Kai and Arteta weren’t sure.
Arsenal had been playing well, but then Wenger called Kai over and told him to co-organize with Arteta.
And this was the result.
Arteta was supposed to be the organizing core. Now with Kai thrown into the mix, it just looked like he was stepping on toes.
But that wasn’t the case. This setup came directly from the boss.
Kai could only shrug.
Just what kind of master plan are we supposed to be executing here?
This is Chelsea we’re up against. League leaders. The Professor got guts, Kai thought.
In fact, Wenger had started to show signs of this unpredictability in his later years—unusual line-ups, puzzling tactical structures.
It was part of why he faced so much criticism toward the end of his reign.
Kai hadn’t expected those traits to show up this early.
Call it stubbornness, call it boldness—either way, it was happening.
Wenger was the manager. The players just had to follow orders.
Kai might complain internally, but he had no choice but to carry on.
Two organizers: one on the left, one on the right.
The rhythm broke down. The formation lost its shape.
Arsenal were left scrambling back to defend.
Kai was absolutely knackered.
Organize the attack. Hustle in defense.
So much running.
All match long, Kai was everywhere.
In the 76th minute, Chelsea’s Mata suddenly made a darting run and threaded a perfect through ball to Torres.
Torres took off, charging toward Arsenal’s goal.
Vermaelen was left to deal with him alone.
Arsenal fans were on the edge of their seats.
Torres may have a reputation for missing, but this was still nerve-wracking.
Vermaelen handled it brilliantly, cutting off the direct line and forcing Torres diagonally.
Torres tried his trademark move: a quick burst to the right after a few stepovers.
But just as he made his move, a figure appeared—Kai.
He shoulder-checked Torres, poked the ball away with his toe, and got the ball under control.
It was a challenge worthy of Maldini's praise.
Torres was left bewildered—so stunned he didn’t even go down to draw a foul.
By the time he recovered, Kai had already taken off with the ball.
"Fantastic interception!"
Ian Darke sighed in admiration, before speaking with a hint of frustration: "At least it shows Kai's defensive ability is still solid, but on the attacking front today..."
After regaining possession, Arsenal’s disjointed offense limped back into motion.
Fans watching were both exasperated and helpless.
Even Kai felt like things were falling apart.
Sure enough, in the 87th minute, Chelsea capitalized on a corner and headed the ball into the net by Fernando Torres.
Arsenal failed to score for the remainder of the game.
They lost at home.
Arsenal players left the pitch with bowed heads and heavy expressions.
It had been a miserable performance.
And now they had to face the doubts and frustrations of their home supporters.
Kai and Arteta were especially dejected.
..
At the post-match press conference, Wenger addressed questions about Arsenal's offensive disarray.
"We’re working on a completely new tactic," Wenger explained. "We need time to make it click. This wasn’t a fruitless game—fans can look forward to a better Arsenal."
With that, Wenger exited the stage.
Thanks to Wenger’s comments, fans began to understand that Kai hadn’t played poorly—it had all been under Wenger’s instructions.
Now the criticism shifted from the players to the manager. Online, Wenger faced a barrage of disapproval.
But in doing so, he shielded Kai and the rest of the team.
By taking responsibility, Wenger kept the pressure off his players.
Even amid mounting criticism, he insisted on pushing forward with the new tactics.
For Kai and the squad, there was no choice—at the club, Wenger’s word was law.
So they trained.
...
Another week went by with barely any improvement.
In the sixth round of the Premier League, away at West Ham, Arsenal led 0-1 before losing control of the match.
The disjointed midfield and lack of tactical clarity worsened the situation.
When the final whistle blew, West Ham had come from behind to win 2-1.
Another painful defeat.
The fans had reached their breaking point.
Even the local London press couldn’t hold back.
<<Arsenal’s performance is infuriating—they don’t seem to know what they’re doing.>>
<<Wenger’s new tactics = defeats>>
<<Turning a ball-winning machine into a samba playmaker? Madness!>>
Arsenal’s form was reflected in the standings:
1. Chelsea: 6-1-0, 19 points
2. Manchester United: 5-0-2, 15 points
3. Manchester City: 4-3-0, 15 points
4. Tottenham: 4-2-1, 14 points
5. Everton: 4-2-1, 14 points
6. West Brom: 4-2-1, 14 points
7. West Ham: 4-2-1, 14 points
8. Arsenal: 3-2-2, 11 points
9. Fulham: 3-1-3, 10 points
10. Newcastle United: 2-3-2, 9 points
11. Swansea: 2-2-3, 8 points
12. Stoke City: 1-5-1, 8 points
Two matches ago, Arsenal were third. Now they had dropped five places in just two games.
They were now out of the Champions League spots.
This slide left fans seriously worried.
The media also piled on the pressure on an already tense situation with their outrageous headlines and takes.
That sentiment enraged Arsenal fans.
They wanted their club back to its former glory, but Wenger, as ever, remained stubborn.
Then came another blow: in the eighth round, Arsenal lost 1-0 away to Norwich.
Yet another defeat.
The reaction was explosive.
That day, every Arsenal player—Wenger included—faced a storm of jeers and curses.
The away end nearly shook with the fury of its supporters.
The collapse prompted schadenfreude across the league.
Tottenham fans, ever eager to dig in, mocked their north London rivals:
The so-called masters of smart business just made the dumbest moves! Gave away two captains!
Arsenal fans hit back:
Ever heard of Sol Campbell? We bought your captain! At least our captain didn’t go to that joke of a club, Tottenham!
And just like that, tensions erupted between the two fan bases.
Online arguments turned into real-life confrontations. North London was a powder keg.
But none of that fixed anything.
Arsenal’s form was disastrous.
After this game, they had slipped to 11th in the table, six spots above the relegation zone.
It was easily one of their worst stretch in recent memory.
...
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