Chapter 15: The Rival
Chapter 15: The Rival
“Your rival isn’t Giroud, it’s Walcott. From Arsenal’s tactical setup, Giroud is the pivot, but Walcott is the one who takes the final shot.”
When Li Mo saw Walcott, he immediately recalled the analysis his elder uncle Inzaghi had given him.
“He’s incredibly fast, possesses great stamina, and has powerful back-and-forth sprints. That’s your weakness when facing Walcott. But you have strengths too—strong finishing, excellent chance conversion, and more agile positioning!”
“In short, to defeat your rival, you must showcase your strengths as much as possible!”
Defeat Walcott?
As Li Mo greeted the “new additions” to the first team, he pondered this question deeply.
Competition—this is a challenge every professional player must face.
Fear of competition?
That’s an absolute barrier to becoming an outstanding player.
“I will never fear competition!” Li Mo resolved silently.
During the subsequent training sessions, the first-team players could clearly sense the competitive tension between Walcott and Li Mo.
Both were fiercely determined, training with utmost seriousness.
Especially during the practice matches.
Walcott would charge forward with the ball, seemingly eager to display his sprinting speed to the entire world.
Li Mo, however, remained calm.
He knew Wenger didn’t need just speed.
What Wenger needed was goals!
No matter how fast you run with the ball, if you can’t put it in the net, it’s meaningless.
So Li Mo didn’t rush to show off.
Instead, he patiently waited for his chance, roaming near the edge of the penalty area.
The result?
By the end of one training match, Walcott was panting, exhausted, as was the defender marking him.
Yet, Walcott hadn’t scored.
Li Mo, on the other hand, scored a goal and provided an assist—after moving into position and drawing the goalkeeper out, he calmly passed the ball to Wilshere in space, who scored into an empty net.
Wilshere, clearly delighted to score during training, jumped onto Li Mo’s back.
“Thanks, Li! Your pass was perfect!”
“Obviously, it was an open goal!” Gibbs laughed from behind.
While the rivalry between Li Mo and Walcott might mean they weren’t close privately, it didn’t affect the rest of the team.
They had all seen such competition before.
Fighting for one’s position is something every player experiences.
Wenger observed all this carefully.
He was quite pleased with Walcott’s enthusiasm during training, but his only concern was Walcott’s eagerness to show off.
Walcott needed to leverage his speed advantage at crucial moments—not waste his energy recklessly. Dribbling forward at full sprint looks impressive, but most of the time it results in weak, ineffective shots.
In contrast, the young Li Mo showed remarkable maturity.
In light of this,
for the next match,
facing Manchester City, Wenger’s mind was filled with thoughts.
But he quickly dismissed them.
“Starting Li Mo would be a bit too crazy,” he thought.
Still,
while Li Mo wasn’t in the starting lineup,
he was absolutely qualified to be on the matchday squad.
So after training that day,
Wenger announced the squad for the September 15th away match against Manchester City.
Li Mo’s name was prominently listed!
When Li Mo heard he’d made the squad, he clenched his fist slightly.
“Congratulations, Li,” said the Italian, Mannone, patting him on the shoulder.
“Thank you!” Li Mo smiled.
He knew his chances of starting were slim.
But making the matchday squad in his first game after joining Arsenal was a huge step forward!
The stage of top-tier professional football was now within reach!
He caught sight of Walcott clenching his fists in return.
Clearly, the Little Tiger was also gritting his teeth, ready to fight with all his might to defend his place.
“Ding! [Football Bond System] activated. You have received a new module. Please check the Fusion Training Plan!”
The system’s voice rang out.
Li Mo opened it up.
Competition Bond: What? Walcott senses your threat?
Module acquired: Walcott’s Explosive Acceleration Module activated!
Fusion Difficulty: S
Fusion Progress: 50% (After all, you’ve always been fast)
Estimated Completion Time: 30–60 days
Fusion Training Plan Phase One:
The Little Tiger is a good guy! Li Mo thought with admiration.
His explosive acceleration might be among the best in football.
Li Mo had always been quick, but he wouldn’t claim to be faster than Walcott—the guy could probably compete at the Olympics if he trained in athletics.
Making the matchday squad, plus acquiring a top-tier player module,
lifted Li Mo’s spirits even higher.
He believed his opportunity
was not far away!
On matchday,
Li Mo woke early as usual.
But today was different.
Instead of the little girl Serena, who always woke early to greet him,
it was all the neighbors around him.
“Good luck, Li!”
“Such a pity the game isn’t at home!”
“Keep it up! I’ll cheer for you at the next home match!”
“Beat City!”
Amid the neighbors’ cheers,
Li Mo smiled and jogged toward the Colney Training Centre.
News of Li Mo’s inclusion in the squad hadn’t caused much stir in England.
After all, it was just the squad list.
As usual, some Arsenal fan channels’ critics blasted the selection.
DT even mocked Li Mo again.
“He actually made the squad? Don’t we have any other forwards? We sold Van Persie and brought in Li Mo. No offense, but Li Mo isn’t even fit to shine Van Persie’s shoes! We need a striker who can really score for the team!”
On Sky Sports’ Premier League Preview,
Martin Keown teased Gary Neville about Li Mo’s inclusion.
“Making the squad in the first game, looks like he’s close to starting. Gary, does your bet still stand?”
Gary Neville snorted dismissively, but this time he wasn’t so certain.
Because besides Li Mo, Arsenal’s only substitute forward was Arshavin.
Arshavin was aging.
Maybe this match would give Li Mo a chance to appear.
If he could secure consistent substitute minutes,
starting in some competitions wouldn’t be too surprising.
Discussion in England about Li Mo’s squad inclusion remained at this level.
But in Longguo,
the news was earth-shattering.
“Overseas player Li Mo named in Arsenal’s matchday squad!”
Just that headline drew attention.
Of course,
many fans in Longguo still didn’t know if Li Mo even had Longguo citizenship—though it didn’t matter, his father was unquestionably Longguo, with nationality and household registration.
So, before he officially chose a national team,
he remained eligible for Longguo’s national squad.
That said, this was wishful thinking held by a small number of hopeful Longguo fans.
Most Longguo supporters didn’t believe Li Mo would turn down Italy’s national team, with its chances to win world tournaments, to return to Longguo’s football mire.
(End of chapter)