From Arsenal to the Ball God-Chapter 71 - 9: The Clément Family’s Surprise Plan! Ma’el’s Change!

Chapter 71: Chapter 9: The Clément Family’s Surprise Plan! Ma’el’s Change!

"Fewer selfies, more match photos and posters, more videos of you playing."

"Why is it always your face?"

"Any training videos? I want to see how Sheffield United trains, what the team atmosphere is like."

"Edit a highlight reel of goals."

"Ma’el, look at other players, none of them post selfies all the time like you do. It’s a bad habit, you should change it."

"....." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Ma’el opened the comment section and got a harsh wake-up call, feeling frustrated, he clicked away and put his phone down.

"This is what the comment section looks like for a footballer with many male fans."

He sighed and slowly shifted his focus to the upcoming match, leaving other thoughts behind.

......

"Ward! Just finished his suspension, he’s back on the field, facing Russell’s defense, he goes for the baseline!!

"A sweeping pass in front of the goal! Evans shoots! Hits the goalkeeper Rudy, there’s a rebound!!

"Beautiful!! Ma’el scores on the rebound! He seems to have an incredible sense in front of goal, rushing in ready for the rebound the moment Evans took his shot!

"Sheffield United leads one to zero!"

"..."

"Luton fouled Jackson in the box! Gave Norwich a penalty, a perfect scoring opportunity!

"Sheffield United’s defense is being too aggressive, this isn’t the first time, they have to avoid this as much as possible.

"Hulahan stands on the penalty spot! A right-footed push shot, an amazingly high-quality penalty! He chose the top right corner of the goal, a risky shooting angle, but he did it!

"No goalkeeper can save this kind of penalty unless he anticipates the path in advance!"

"....."

"A corner kick opportunity! Jackson sends out the ball, middle position! A volley!! Dovie.....!!

"It’s a goal again! Norwich’s control is too strong, they’ve been besieging Sheffield United for five or six minutes! After a series of three corner kicks, they score again!

"Two to one! The first half is about to end, and Norwich returns to the dressing room with the lead!"

"....."

"Hulahan fell in the box, Quinn isn’t calm! Earlier Luton had already given the opponent a penalty, and he still recklessly tripped Hulahan!

"Will the referee blow the whistle? He has! No mercy for Sheffield United! Norwich gets their second penalty in this match!

"Hulahan stands back on the penalty spot, different from last time, this penalty was caused by himself..... a shot!!

"No suspense, Hulahan scores twice, Norwich leads three to one!!"

"....."

"The fourth! It’s still Hulahan, breaking through Carl Wei with a sharp angled shot, the ball rolls through Robert’s legs and into the net!!

"A hat trick, Hulahan completes his first hat trick of the season! Four to one! Sheffield United has no chance to come back!"

"....."

"Bolodanovich! Header slams in!! It’s a goal! Sheffield United pulls one back, two to four!

"Assisted by Ward! Coming back from suspension, he’s in excellent form, seems like he’s been holding back for a long time! But, this is just a consolation goal, there’s no time left!"

At Kanor Road Stadium, after injury time ran out, the referee blew the whistle to end the match.

Norwich, overall stronger, secured a crucial home victory.

"Oh.....!"

"Haha!"

Their players gathered in small groups, hugging and high-fiving, celebrating taking 3 points from a top-six team, which is crucial for maintaining their position in the promotion zone.

Sheffield United suffered its first defeat of December, a rather comprehensive loss, with no regrets, no controversies, only a gap in skill.

After shaking hands with the opposing manager, Garrispeed stood with his hands on his hips, gazing at the gloomy sky, not looking too pleased.

It’s not that he can’t accept the loss, he’s experienced it dozens of times in his playing career.

However, at such a crucial time, he fears this defeat may shake the confidence of the team’s core players.

Especially Ma’el..... that’s where his worry lies, he’s afraid he’ll lose hope of promotion, and leave the team.

After encouraging the players in the dressing room, he called Ma’el to the post-match press conference area, actually wanting to say something on the way.

"Norwich is very strong."

Garrispeed started, he smirked, "They probably have the capability of a Premier League relegation team, even if there’s a gap, it’s minimal."

"I understand."

Ma’el nodded calmly, knowing wins and losses are common, besides feeling disappointed, he had no other thoughts.

He scored a goal today, which definitely counts as a decent performance.

On the other hand, after feeling the pressure from Norwich players through their overall strength, his sense of complacency disappeared.

Before..... he inevitably felt somewhat superior to Championship rivals, it’s unavoidable, with the lavish statistics in front of him.

He always thought all honors were within reach, just needing him to slightly make a move to easily seize them.

This idea vanished today.

There are tough teams in the Championship, with Norwich being so strong, it’s imaginable how challenging the top-ranked Queens Park Rangers are.

And other strong teams, ones with tactical styles that restrain them.

To achieve significant team honors and maintain personal performance is a long road ahead.

However, it’s not a bad thing.

People need challenges, need motivation, in comfortable situations, growth is never fast.

Ma’el is always good at seeing the positive side of things, he must be an optimistic person.

"Strengthen the defense in the winter transfer, and we still have a good chance."

Garrispeed observed Ma’el’s expression, feeling a bit cautious, "They have the second-best defense in the league, conceding very few goals, but we still scored 2 goals.

"This means our attack line is still fine, has top-four standard."

Ma’el nodded in agreement, he vaguely guessed what Garrispeed wanted to say, and proactively said: "Mr. Speed might be a bit sensitive, I don’t mind the outcome of a single match.

"Of course, this doesn’t mean I won’t give my all during matches, as long as I’m on the field, I’ll fight to win.

He smiled, "I just thought it through, my career is still long, I can’t see each match as an isolated series, but should focus more on the entire season.

"Players rely on the team’s entirety, the team’s victory is much more than a single match win, the same goes for losses.

"This is just a small bump in the season, we may encounter many more times, what I hope for is that we can achieve ultimate success."

Garrispeed’s walking body suddenly quivered, he glanced at Ma’el, a surge of indescribable thrill rose within him.

...

ps: There will be another update today (after the match), and another one after 500 monthly tickets! Hope everyone continues to support us!