From Arsenal, Forge the Path to Football God

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August 12th evening, at the entrance of Sheffield United's training base.

A bus emblazoned with the team's logo slowly pulled up, carrying the dejected Sheffield United players and coaching staff, looking like a defeated army.

Surrounding them were over two hundred angry local fans, who immediately swarmed the bus as soon as it arrived.

"You played with the full squad and still performed like this, Kevin, what the hell are you doing?"

"Are we going back to the English Football League (EFL) League One this season, Kevin? Give us an explanation, or get lost!"

"If you can't do the job, step down from that position!"

"Resign! Resign!!"

"..."

They angrily pointed at the team bus, venting their frustrations.

Many even threw water bottles and hot dogs at the bus, creating a cacophony of noise.

Many on the bus quickly pulled down the curtains, either unwilling or ashamed to face the angry fans.

After a slow drive, the bus finally entered the training base's parking lot, with the fans being held back by the police.

The players got off one by one, without any interaction, and drove home in their personal vehicles from the parking lot.

The coaching staff followed, gathering in a circle with some hands on their hips and others with their heads down, trying to discuss something but unable to find the words.

After a long silence, the head coach Kevin finally broke the silence, his face heavy. "I'm over fifty, and I've been in this industry for so long, I'm truly tired.

"Last year was the most ambitious year of my life, but you all saw the result. Despite giving it everything, the outcome was unsatisfactory, and the team was a mess under my leadership."

Pausing, he lowered his head and confessed, "Yes, as you might have guessed, my contract doesn't have any performance requirements. The club would have to pay me a breach of contract fee to fire me.

"Staying in this position isn't about me fighting against the players or trying to save face. It's just about getting that money to live comfortably in my old age.

"But you've seen, the board is still waiting for me to lose face and resign voluntarily."

"I'll go talk to the board," a voice said, and everyone turned to see Gary Speed stepping forward.

At this moment, he shouldn't have been so eager, as everyone had already assumed he would be the successor.

But he spoke up, the first time he had directly addressed Kevin about this matter.

"Give me a week or two, and I'm confident I can convince them."

Gary Speed looked directly at Kevin, at the man he despised so much, "But please agree to two conditions."

"What?"

Kevin's face was expressionless, showing no emotion, "I'm not fighting with you anymore. As long as it's within my power, I'll try to agree."

"Include 4-4-2 formation training in the daily routine."

Gary Speed seriously stated his first condition, clearly indicating that he would change the formation once he took over.

He wasn't worried about Kevin's training standards; a coach from the British professional system would be thoroughly familiar with the traditional 4-4-2 formation.

"Fine, what else?" Kevin's face remained expressionless as he nodded in agreement.

"In the upcoming matches, start Maël and Gilbert."

Gary Speed stated his second condition, drawing looks of surprise from those around him, "The team will definitely need them later. I want them to adapt to the professional league and gain experience in the Championship."

Kevin turned away, considering for a moment, then took a deep breath and said, "I agree to all your conditions, but you must fulfill your promise to me."

"I will."

Gary Speed left with those words, turning and walking away.

The remaining assistant coaches looked at Kevin, their feelings complex, unsure of their own futures.

August 13th, one day before the second round of the Championship League, the away match against Cardiff City.

In the morning, at the training base gym.

Maël arrived early, drank a glass of water, and started his weight training.

Gilbert didn't join him for strength training; he wanted to do some endurance exercises today.

"Maël! Maël!"

Just a few minutes into his workout, Maël heard an urgent voice coming from outside, growing louder with quick footsteps.

Gilbert soon ran in, his face filled with excitement.

"Is it..."

Maël didn't have high hopes, but seeing his expression, he guessed, "We're on the squad list?"

The squad list was to be announced that morning, and the players needed to be ready by noon to depart, with a training session at the away stadium in the evening.

He hadn't paid much attention, mainly because he didn't believe Kevin would suddenly change his mind.

"Squad list?"

Gilbert was extremely excited, his words a bit jumbled, "Starting lineup! What squad list! You're in the starting lineup!"

"Me?"

Maël pointed at himself, then opened his mouth, quickly walking over to Gilbert, his hands clenching subconsciously, his voice trembling, "Really?"

From the look on Gilbert's face, he already knew the answer; such an expression couldn't be faked.

Two minutes later, the two ran to the team's training base locker room and saw the squad list for the day's match at the entrance.

"Starting lineup... center forward Evans, right winger Ward, left winger Maël."

Seeing his name, Maël felt a sense of unreality, as if the list before him was distorting, breaking apart, and then reassembling.

Suddenly, he was directly in the starting lineup?

Skipping the bench, straight to the starting eleven?

"I'm not starting, but I'll get to experience the Championship League on the field for the first time."

Gilbert smiled happily, both for Maël and for himself, "Good luck. If you can score a goal in the Championship League, everything will be different."

"The way this coaching staff operates is truly unpredictable."

Maël spoke calmly, but his face was already beaming with joy, his legs trembling slightly.

He had longed for this day for a long time.

At one in the afternoon, Maël tidied up and boarded the team bus, heading to Cardiff, where Cardiff City was located.

Throughout the journey, he was filled with excitement, not closing his eyes for a moment.

The rapidly passing streets and buildings outside the window seemed to turn into cheering fans, clapping and celebrating for him.

First times are always beautiful.

Around four-thirty, they arrived at their destination, checked into the hotel, and had some food.

At seven in the evening, Maël joined his teammates at Cardiff City Stadium for a warm-up session.

This was his first time stepping onto the pitch of a major stadium, the soft grass under his feet, the air filled with the scent of mist.

The light from dozens of floodlights shone on his face, giving him a sense of being in a different world, but he instinctively straightened his back and lifted his chest.

Finally, he was about to stand on this field!

This was destined to be a sleepless night, with countless thoughts bursting in his mind, making him laugh at times and take deep breaths in moments of nervousness.