Chapter 26: Where Is That Fierce Collision of Yours?

Chapter 26: Where Is Your Fierce Collision?

Li Mo was warming up.

For the coaching staff, introducing Li Mo to break the deadlock when the game was stuck was a pre-planned tactic. The only question was: who to replace?

Ordinarily, Li Mo did not possess much ball-carrying ability in the final third; his strengths lay in his movement and interweaving runs. He was an opportunist striker. Therefore, it was best to arrange for Giroud to act as a screen for him. Under these circumstances, replacing one of the wingers—either Podolski on the left or Walcott on the right—was a standard choice. It had worked well in the previous match.

However, Wenger had other ideas.

"Bring on Diaby!"

"Are you sure? If we take off Diaby, we won't have a defensive midfielder in the center."

"I am sure," Wenger said. "The opponent's strength is not as formidable as we imagined."

Before the match, Wenger had been quite wary of Montpellier. After all, they were the defending champions of Ligue 1. But after today’s contact, Wenger realized that the opponent was not particularly strong, especially in attack—this team’s defensive capabilities far outweighed their offensive ones.

Since that was the case, Wenger made a risky decision: leave both wingers on and substitute the defensive midfielder instead.

"Perhaps we can consider a two-striker system more often in the future," Wenger mused.

If Li Mo continued to demonstrate his strength and form in training and matches, putting him in the starting lineup was only a matter of time. In such a case, Arsenal playing with two strikers would be a logical evolution—in fact, Wenger was no stranger to the 4-4-2 two-striker formation. The "Invincibles" era of Arsenal was built on a 4-4-2, with Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp leading the line, while Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva provided a rock-solid defensive shield in the middle. Such a core combination had created Arsenal’s golden age. Therefore, shifting to a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield posed no psychological barrier for Wenger. He was already seriously considering the possibility.

Arsenal’s biggest problem currently was a thin squad. And beyond being thin, the core players were fragile. Take Santi Cazorla, for instance; he had been prone to injuries last season. Wenger dared not rely on Cazorla to play every single match of the season. If Cazorla were injured, there was Jack Wilshere, but the "Prince of Arsenal" was quite fragile himself—perhaps even more so than Cazorla.

In Arsenal's current setup, Diaby was vital; he was almost the only dedicated defensive midfielder in the squad. A healthy Diaby was world-class, but the problem was keeping him healthy. Consequently, Wenger was cautious with his player usage, rotating as much as possible to ensure his core players could get enough game time.

"Li Mo is standing on the sidelines, ready to come on. Arsenal is preparing to replace... Diaby?!" Sky Sports commentator Andy Gray gasped. "Wenger has made a very bold, very risky substitution! Striker Li Mo is replacing defensive midfielder Diaby!"

"This change is truly unexpected. Li Mo is surely coming on to play alongside Giroud as part of a two-striker partnership. Now, Arsenal only has Cazorla and Arteta in the center of the midfield. Plus, with Podolski and Walcott still on the pitch, Arsenal could even form a four-striker attack when necessary!"

"Arsenal is launching an all-out assault in the final stages!"

The commentators were both confused and excited by this substitution—confused by the risk, yet excited by the change in the game's tempo. Arsenal adopted an aggressive stance. The ensuing match promised to be much more entertaining.

And so it proved. Once Arsenal committed to an all-out attack, Montpellier considered tightening their defense to play on the counter. But their withdrawal only made Arsenal’s offensive pressure more ferocious. From the moment Li Mo entered the pitch, Arsenal dominated the proceedings. Constant attacks and repeated attempts on goal left Montpellier’s defense in a state of panic.

However, as the defending champions of Ligue 1, Montpellier clearly understood that the situation was turning against them. To disrupt Arsenal’s rhythm, the Montpellier players increased the intensity of their physical challenges. The referee’s whistle began to blow frequently as a result.

"A pull! Yanga-Mbiwa drags Li Mo to the ground!"

"Oh! Another foul! Yanga-Mbiwa has slammed into Li Mo!"

"Li Mo is down again. He has become the primary target for the Montpellier defense during this period!"

"The Montpellier players are definitely picking on Li Mo’s lack of experience," said pundit and English football legend Gary Lineker in the Sky Sports studio, shaking his head. "I think he should try to stay in the penalty area as much as possible."

Li Mo, of course, could not hear Lineker’s advice. Even if he could, he wouldn't have followed it, because his game relied on constant movement, drifting, and lateral runs to find gaps for his teammates to exploit.

"Hey, buddy, I suggest you stay out of my zone, or the next time won't be such a light collision," Yanga-Mbiwa said as he pulled Li Mo up, looking friendly enough, but his words were laced with trash talk.

Li Mo glanced at him as Yanga-Mbiwa retreated to his defensive position. He gave a cold snort. *This guy thinks he can bully me because I'm young, huh? You bastard, wait until I show you what's coming.*

"What did you say to him?" Yanga-Mbiwa’s center-back partner, Hilton, asked.

"Just giving the little rookie a taste of what's to come," Yanga-Mbiwa shrugged.

Soon, another opportunity for Yanga-Mbiwa arrived. Li Mo drifted to the edge of the penalty area. Cazorla played a through ball, intending to play a one-two with him. While the ball was still rolling, Yanga-Mbiwa flew in with a sliding tackle.

Feeling the impact from his side and rear, Li Mo jumped slightly, his studs scraping against Yanga-Mbiwa’s shin guard, causing him to lose his balance. Yanga-Mbiwa was just about to get up and add some more trash talk to rattle Li Mo, but Li Mo immediately flipped back up. Before Yanga-Mbiwa could react, Li Mo trapped the ball and—pushed it with the inside of his foot!

The ball rolled into the half-space of the penalty area. Cazorla had been planning to stop, but seeing Li Mo get up so quickly, he immediately realized: *Li Mo is taking a quick restart!* He accelerated instantly!

The referee had his whistle to his lips, but seeing Li Mo quickly play the ball, he immediately extended both arms to signal an advantage. The Montpellier players, caught off guard by the quick restart, froze. Before they could react, Cazorla had surged into the box. Yanga-Mbiwa was stunned, and by the time he realized what was happening, Li Mo was already sprinting toward the far post!

Cazorla caught up to the ball, glanced at the goal, and swept a powerful pass across the face of the goal with his left foot! The ball bypassed the entire Montpellier defensive line.

"LI MO!!!"

Amidst the commentator’s roar, Li Mo, having surged into the box, slid to meet the ball and poked it into the net!

At the same time, he quickly flipped up, looked at the rushing Yanga-Mbiwa, spread his hands, and shrugged. "Hey, buddy, where was your collision? Where was that 'fiercer' collision you mentioned?"

Feeling his intelligence insulted, Yanga-Mbiwa flew into a rage, reached out, and shoved Li Mo to the ground.