At Colney Training Base, Arsenal players were sweating profusely on the field.
A regular internal scrimmage was underway.
However, recently, an uninvited guest had joined them.
Chen Tao's inclusion subtly disrupted the team's balance.
Everyone suddenly realized that no matter which team Chen Tao was on, that team's winning rate would be incredibly high.
"Hey! Pass!"
"Watch out!"
"Jesus!! Chen!!"
Fabregas received the ball and looked up, preparing to organize an attack.
A yellow-vested figure charged in from the side with a fierce slide tackle, startling Fabregas, who jumped up and was brought down by his opponent.
Fortunately, he wasn't injured. Xiao Fa looked closely—who else could it be but Chen Tao?
"Why are you playing so hard in a training match?"
Fabregas complained unhappily.
"Why wouldn't I play hard in a training match?"
Chen Tao got up as if nothing had happened, retrieved the ball from the sideline, and looked down at Fabregas.
"I successfully defended. It's your throw-in."
"Aren't you going to help me up?"
"What a p*ssy…"
"Fuck off!"
Everyone at Arsenal was used to the daily interactions between Chen Tao and Fabregas; they all knew what was going on.
Xiao Fa was originally recognized by the entire Arsenal team as a midfield genius, Wenger's chosen successor for the captaincy, and the team's tactics revolved around him, giving him a transcendent status.
Ever since Chen Tao made a name for himself in the Bundesliga, Fabregas seemed to be secretly competing with him.
When Chen Tao returned to team training, Xiao Fa couldn't help but confront him directly.
Chen Tao, of course, didn't indulge him.
So, everyone was accustomed to their confrontations and conflicts.
Wenger wasn't worried about this. Xiao Fa and Chen Tao weren't truly hostile; it was just healthy competition.
Just look at Jack Wilshere, a young player recently promoted from the youth academy and training with the first team; Xiao Fa couldn't even be bothered to give him a proper look.
On the field, Fabregas quickly regained possession and advanced with the ball.
Chen Tao stood in front of him to defend.
This was also Wenger's specific arrangement.
"Chen, I feel that your broad vision is a bit wasted on the right wing. The original central midfield position suits you better."
"I also feel that playing on the right wing is still very awkward."
At Dortmund, Chen Tao rarely dribbled down the wing to cross.
He would usually choose to cut inside, dribble past opponents, and look for opportunities from the half-space.
"Yes, I've watched your matches at Borussia Dortmund…"
Wenger smiled a bit awkwardly. He really wanted to speak ill of Thomas Doll.
His tactical arrangements were completely arbitrary; if Chen Tao hadn't been so intelligent, he almost ruined him.
"I feel you can enhance your defensive skills. Offensive players participating in defense and high-pressing across the field might be the future trend."
Wenger hoped Chen Tao could develop more comprehensively.
If he were to move to central midfield in the future, he would inevitably become the first defensive chain.
Even when Chen Tao reached his peak, he wouldn't need to be limited to the attacking midfield position; he could appear wherever he was needed.
"Then what should I do?"
During the Christmas devil's schedule, while other Arsenal players were busy competing with Manchester United and Chelsea for the title, Chen Tao was quietly getting stronger.
Wenger's customized training plan strengthened some aspects compared to Borussia Dortmund's:
Strength: muscle gain & basic strength, explosiveness, muscle endurance;
Aerobic & anaerobic, enhancing cardiopulmonary function;
Core stability: strengthening abdominal and spinal core muscle groups, improving confrontation intensity;
And invited veteran midfielder, the Brazilian Gilberto Silva, to provide one-on-one guidance to Chen Tao on how to defend efficiently.
Therefore, in training matches, scenes of Chen Tao single-handedly defending Fabregas often occurred.
"Dribble past him! Cesc!"
"No way! Chen, stop him!"
Seeing the two engaged in a 1v1 duel, teammates from both sides watched on.
Fabregas's stubbornness flared up. He chose not to pass; he was determined to dribble past this annoying guy!
Facing Chen Tao's pressing, Fabregas reached out to brace him, trying to create half a body's distance to shield the ball. He dropped his shoulder to the right, combining it with an outside-of-the-foot push, making a move to break through.
Chen Tao remained unmoved, consistently holding the central line, attempting to use his body to squeeze past Fabregas.
"Shit!"
Xiao Fa almost lost the ball and quickly pulled it back, shielding it with his back.
That physical confrontation with Chen Tao just now—he didn't gain an advantage?
He remembered that a few months ago, Fabregas could easily outmuscle his opponents.
His progress was too fast, wasn't it?
Fabregas secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.
No matter how he changed his movements, he couldn't easily deceive Chen Tao's center of gravity.
Xiao Fa hardened his resolve and suddenly pushed the ball to the right, accelerating to break through!
"Beautiful!!"
Amidst everyone's cheers, Xiao Fa's change of pace and dribble seemed to have already shaken off Chen Tao's defense.
But Chen Tao used the defensive trick taught by Gilberto Silva, maintaining pressure on the opponent's body.
He grabbed Xiao Fa's shoulder and caught up in three strides!
Xiao Fa was quite annoyed at the hidden disadvantage. His left foot attempted a 'Ronaldo chop' change of direction, and it indeed deceived Chen Tao's dropped shoulder!
"Too naive!"
The moment he pulled the ball back, he again pushed it with the outside of his foot for a third change of direction, determined to rush into the penalty area.
But the next moment, as Xiao Fa's guard dropped and he took a slightly heavy touch, Chen Tao stretched out his foot and poked the ball away!
"You're the naive one!"
Simultaneously with the tackle, Chen Tao quickly shook off Xiao Fa to create a breakthrough,
Carrying the ball into the attacking third, he sent a through ball to Eduardo!
The transition from defense to offense was as smooth as flowing water!
The Brazilian-Croatian international didn't waste Chen Tao's assist, easily putting the ball past Lehmann's goal.
"Beautiful!!"
"Well done!"
Rosicky, Diaby, and other teammates stepped forward to high-five, praising Chen Tao's excellent performance.
Van Persie, however, frowned and stepped forward to question Xiao Fa.
"What the hell? What are you doing! There's no need to go easy, is there?"
Fabregas had difficulty speaking.
He had already used all his tricks just now; he really didn't go easy!
Unwilling, Fabregas caught up to Chen Tao:
"How did you do it? It's impossible for your defensive level to improve so quickly in just one week."
"What you're playing with, I've already played with and discarded, so of course I can see through it."
"Damn it!"
Xiao Fa cursed under his breath, "shift."
Indeed, it's impossible to improve physical fitness in just one week.
He would still be helpless against players like Kaka and Robben who rely solely on explosive power to break through.
However, after training with Arsenal for a period, Chen Tao keenly realized that he could try to apply his technical talent to defense!
Just as Gilberto Silva, the midfield "wall" of Arsenal's Invincibles season, who went 45 games without a card, averaged over 2.5 tackles per game, and had an average rating of 7.29, said:
"Chen, what do you think is most important in defense?"
"Physical confrontation, I guess."
"No, physical confrontation is important, but the most important thing is positioning and anticipation."
Gilberto Silva pointed to his head,
"As long as you can anticipate the opponent's moves and act in advance, even if your physical qualities are inferior to theirs, you can still complete a tackle."
Relying on his divine technical talent, Chen Tao was equally sensitive to the technical movements of others!
If an opponent dared to attempt a flashy dribble, Chen Tao's success rate in seeing through and anticipating the interception significantly increased!
…
Fabregas was unwilling to give up!
He was determined to defeat Chen Tao, even if it was just in a training match!
With 5 minutes left in the 45-minute match, the substitute team led the main team 2-1.
Diaby combined with Chen Tao in midfield to complete a tackle,
And quickly advanced into the attacking third!
Right-back Eboue made a high-speed overlap down the wing. Facing Clichy's defense, Eboue crossed the ball to the center.
Diaby cleverly dummied the ball through his legs to Chen Tao!
"Stop him!!"
Fabregas and Flamini simultaneously pressed him!
Chen Tao was blocked in front and pursued from behind, on the verge of losing possession.
The substitute players had already given up. Upfront, Bendtner didn't even run; he stood with his hands on his hips, watching the show.
Wenger, however, frowned, wanting to see how Chen Tao would handle it with his technique.
But Chen Tao showed no panic. First, he took a diagonal step, shielding the ball and feigning a breakthrough to the right.
His movement was wide enough that Fabregas believed it to be true and moved his feet early to intercept.
Almost the instant Xiao Fa moved his feet,
Chen Tao abruptly stopped and turned in the opposite direction.
The cross-pass had just rolled to his left side! He successfully gained possession, facing the goal directly!
"Holy Shit!!!"
All of Arsenal exclaimed!
Chen Tao even used a fake move without the ball to fool Xiao Fa!
Fabregas, in a panic, lunged to intercept, splitting his legs on the spot and howling in pain on the ground.
His teammates couldn't care less.
Flamini had already stepped forward, intending to poke the ball away and clear it while it was still some distance from the opponent.
Who would have thought,
Chen Tao timely pulled the ball back with his right foot, dodging Flamini's first poke,
The moment he pulled it back, he back-heeled the ball through his legs with his left foot, and at the same time, his figure darted past Flamini, completing a nutmeg and run!
Couldn't see it, absolutely couldn't see it!
Flamini's vision blurred, and he was already dribbled past by Chen Tao, unable to stop him!
The ball bounced off his leg and leaped towards the edge of the penalty area.
Chen Tao originally intended to chip the ball to Bendtner when it bounced up.
Suddenly, a coolness swept through his mind, and he entered the "ethereal state" again!
The world-class goal that sealed the win against Bayern last time was in the same state!
He had tried hard to replicate it these past few days but failed.
He initially thought it was based on the number of successful dribbles.
5 successful dribbles in a single match, or even a crazy 10, still couldn't replicate it.
Chen Tao was about to give up, thinking it was just a coincidence.
But this time, Chen Tao finally confirmed the condition for the reappearance of the "ethereal state"!
Seeing the ball bounce slightly on the ground, he decisively swung his leg and struck!
Bang!
For the first time, Chen Tao felt his shooting motion was incredibly coordinated. His right foot precisely struck the bottom of the ball, creating a perfect knuckleball!
The ball drew a beautiful arc,
And then dropped sharply in front of the goal!
Skimming the crossbar and falling into the net!!
That day, 38-year-old goalkeeper Lehmann once again remembered the fear of being lobbed by Ronaldinho in the 2002 World Cup.
Chen Tao's innocent smile was exactly like that of the buck-toothed football wizard on the field back then!
"Oh my god!!!"
"My goodness!!!"
"Beautiful!!!"
All Arsenal players, whether starters or substitutes, cheered for Chen Tao's brilliant performance!
Wenger couldn't help but smile and applaud Chen Tao, truly worthy of being the player he had his eye on.
Chen Tao also smiled back, responding to everyone's encouragement.
However, he was even happier for himself!
Because he finally confirmed that what triggered the "ethereal state" was not the number of dribbles, but the "difficulty coefficient" of the dribbles!
As long as the difficulty coefficient was high enough, a long-range shot from outside the penalty area at this moment would have a 100% shooting accuracy!