As Highbury descended into a frenzied atmosphere of celebrating the goal, one could only imagine the psychological blow that Everton's players suffered.
Some of the players' expressions had become very unnatural, especially those who had experienced the crushing defeat at Highbury in the closing stages of the previous season. They seemed to have seen the reenactment of their nightmare, where the team was easily riddled with holes by the crazy Arsenal's full firepower.
They had lost their dignity in this stadium.
They could not leave with their heads held high. It was as if they were kneeling and weeping blood.
Arteta seemed to feel that the world in front of him had become dim. Patches of bright light and shadow suddenly turned dark. In the end, he was the only one left in the whole world. He stood in a space without any sense of security, feeling the wind and the rain, lonely and sorrowful.
This was not the first time he had felt this way.
The last time such deep negative emotions swept through his whole body, it was when he was abandoned by Barcelona!
Once upon a time, in La Masia, he had played for Barcelona's B team at the same time as Reina, Valdés, Iniesta, and Xavi.
At that time, it was not just him. There were many, many children from La Masia.
That world was actually similar to the orphanage where Qin Xiong was.
Whether it was victory or defeat, when he felt bored or tired during training, there would always be the voice of the children around him ringing in his ears: "Let's go play outside!"
When Qin Xiong was in the orphanage, he did not go. He was not interested in the outside world.
At La Masia, Xavi did not go, Iniesta did not go, Reina and Valdés did not go either!
But Arteta went!
He was originally a good seedling with more talent and strength than most of the children around him.
But when the coaches at La Masia found that his attention was not completely focused on football, he was severely criticized. He felt that he had been treated unfairly. At that time, his thinking was still immature.
As a result, he did not maintain his focus, nor did he burst forth with a stronger drive. It was not until one day, when he was abandoned by Barcelona, that he suddenly came to his senses.
Reina was abandoned by Louis Van Gaal in the competition with Valdés due to technical reasons. The reason for Arteta's abandonment was very simple. His strength was not enough to establish a foothold in Barcelona. Originally, he had the potential to reach the level of wearing the Barcelona jersey, but in the end, it was he himself who did not reach that level. Iniesta, Xavi, and Valdés were already war generals who fought for Barcelona. Reina had also joined the English Premier League powerhouse, Liverpool!
Arteta could not let go of the past when he was abandoned by Barcelona. He worked hard step by step, and every day he was confident that he would regain the glory that once belonged to La Masia.
But today, the confidence that he had painstakingly accumulated collapsed!
Because he saw Qin Xiong.
There was no way to defend!
Attack, his skills were not as good as others!
When Qin Xiong seemed to leisurely send out a pleasing straight pass to assist Henry to break the goal, Arteta was shocked and had a myriad of thoughts.
Was this retribution?
Was this karma?
Countless times, he wanted to turn back time. When the children who disappeared in La Masia said, "Let's go out and play," he could refuse. He could endure the loneliness and walk on the road of success alone. He firmly believed that today, he must be qualified to fight against Qin Xiong!
They would compare their strengths and weaknesses and compete to see who was better!
But time could not be turned back.
The lifespan of professional football players was even shorter. Every inch of time was worth an inch of gold. The time in the past was squandered and wasted by entertainment that now seemed boring.
Who could he blame?
Who could he blame but himself?!
The football field was the battlefield of life!
Some people would lose because of their innate conditions.
Some people would lose because of their hard work.
And some people would lose because of the materialistic social environment!
Arteta was already in a trance. He envied Qin Xiong and also admired Qin Xiong. Fleet Street had reported countless times about Qin Xiong's professionalism and his focus on football. These were the necessary conditions for his success!
At the end of the first half, Moyes specifically waited for his players on the sidelines. He saw that Arteta's mental state had problems. He might not be able to fully understand Arteta's feelings, but he could more or less understand some of it.
Because after the massacre here at the end of last season, the atmosphere in Everton's locker room was like a memorial service!
As the manager, he had to stand up and inspire the team and enlighten the team.
Arteta did not experience the fiasco of last season, but today he was beaten by Arsenal's strongest midfielder, who was even qualified to challenge for the best midfielder in Europe!
For an offensive playmaker like him who played technical football on the field, his confidence would definitely suffer a huge blow.
Moyes could imagine a part of it, so he had to immediately work on Arteta's thoughts.
In fact, what was most difficult for Arteta to accept was that Qin Xiong did not seem to put him in his eyes from beginning to end. It was not a lack of respect, but he could feel that he did not make things difficult for Qin Xiong and made it extremely difficult for Qin Xiong to play. Perhaps it was not his personal problem, but Everton's overall defensive system. But he, who had been competing with Qin Xiong for a long time on the field, always had to spend more time one-on-one and face-to-face with him.
This feeling was too humiliating. It was a difference in level. It was an invisible mark of class in a feudal society. Qin Xiong was high above, and he could only look up to his opponent. It was not certain whether Qin Xiong would look down on him!
Arsenal had already taken a 2: 0 lead. Wenger asked the team during the halftime interval to reduce their consumption in the second half and to control the situation on the field as much as possible. The main executors of such a job were naturally Qin Xiong and Fàbregas. The veteran Pires and Reyes, who had already submitted to reality and was willing to be a supporting role, naturally did not have any conflicts in their hearts.
In the second half, Arsenal showed an unprecedented stable state, giving Everton almost no chance to play a good counterattack.
Fàbregas increasingly felt that playing football with Qin Xiong was a pleasure. The two men ran in the midfield like lively and cheerful elves, controlling the ball in a tacit rhythm and then waiting for Everton to react.
If the opponent did not counterattack, they would patiently create a good opportunity to attack again. If they rushed forward impatiently to press for the ball, then the probability of Arsenal's quick attacks succeeding would be higher.
After the 75th minute of the game, Moyes saw that the score had not changed. He took a risk and ordered the team to press forward, but three minutes later, he was hit by a thunderbolt.
Qin Xiong and Fàbregas worked together to pass and cut in the middle to advance. After the two played a tacit two-on-one combination, Qin Xiong unexpectedly picked the empty space on the right side of the penalty area.
Reyes cut into the penalty area without anyone marking him and shot directly, scoring his first goal of the season in the league!
Arsenal sealed the victory with a 3: 0 score.
Six consecutive wins at the start of the league tournament!
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