Chapter 366: Tony Teacher

Arsenal and Juventus have no grudge.

The head‑to‑head record of the two teams goes back to 1979, 2002 and 2006, which has no reference value for the current 2017.

The Champions League semi‑final is imminent.

Premier League and Serie A media have launched a smoke‑free war.

The Sun loves to mock Juventus.

The front‑page headline is a cartoon: tall, stalwart red‑white warriors holding muskets, igniting cannons, blasting the wall bearing the Juventus flag into ruins!

The Turin Sports Report's counter‑attack is gentler:

The front‑page headline is likewise a cartoon: the two‑year‑old mascot zebra "J" is angrily chasing a black‑haired little boy in tears, wearing an Arsenal No. 10 shirt.

The animal soaring high in the Juventus crest is not a zebra but a bull, one of Turin's cultural backgrounds.

However, in September 2015 the club officially released a mascot‑zebra "J".

Interestingly, various parties are also speculating about the outcome of the two teams' first leg.

Kroos inserted a five‑minute mini‑egg in the show "Hand‑in‑Hand Teaching You to Become a Ceremonial Midfielder":

"First the conclusion: I think this match will end in a draw."

"We can carefully review Morata's activity heat map throughout the season at Arsenal."

"He tends to attack more often from the left; Arsenal lacks the midfield strength of the Spanish national team, so they must field Giroud to threaten Juventus' goal in the build‑up phase and thus launch a completed attack."

"But if they field Giroud, Arsenal will lose their midfield numerical edge, and Li will easily have his passing speed disrupted by the opponent's local numerical advantage—yes, disruption."

"Looking at Juventus, they have a fatal flaw: compared to Arsenal, their overall speed is too slow and the efficiency of their transition attacks is low."

"If they field Cuadrado, who has slightly more explosive speed, Juventus' first‑attack will hardly threaten Arsenal's low defensive line."

"Spear and shield, their natural flaws will produce a draw."

Comment section.

-【Tony Teacher doesn't understand football, verdict's in, he doesn't get Serie A's chain‑defense… I bought Juventus' first‑leg outright win with my betrothal money!】

-【Brother, what era is this? Allegri really doesn't like playing chain‑defense; the Juventus he coaches is very attacking.】

-【Serie A's tactics are evolving fast, defenders' roles are getting richer, but individual combat strength feels weaker than the previous generation.】

-【Has Buffon ever won a Champions League?】

-【What to do? I went all‑in on Arsenal winning the first leg!】

-【Silly, I went all‑in on Arsenal advancing.】

-【Kroos is just predicting; football is round, anything can happen.】

-【But he predicted last season's PSG 1‑1 Chelsea…】

Arsenal's legendary former players also chimed in with their views.

Henry thinks: Even if Arsenal undergoes massive rotation, they should still guard against player injuries and not lose the Premier League and FA Cup titles because of the Champions League.

Bergkamp says: Arsenal will win the treble,

On the other side.

Juventus' former players, however, seem indifferent to the outcome.

Platini said in an interview: "If Li can defeat the Zebra Army, he's likely to become, like me, a midfielder who wins the season's Champions League top scorer."

"The club must do a good job of stadium security… the Heysel disaster is a nightmare I've never been able to escape."

Piero's view is somewhat vague: "Juventus is always lacking something to win the Champions League; if they can find this era's Zebra Prince… they will return to the summit of Europe."

The days until the Champions League semi‑final are still fairly ample.

North London, fine drizzle.

Outside Emirates Stadium, a Puma display was set up, and the players' jerseys swayed in the wind and rain.

After Li Kang, Xhaka and Morata joined, Arsenal's jersey sales worldwide rose to fourth place!

The top spot isn't Barcelona or Real Madrid, but Manchester United, the most commercially mature.

In this era, Manchester United boasts a huge global fan base; those who witnessed the Red Devils' glory as kids have grown up and become the main consumer group.

There's still a while before the signing session officially begins.

Morata is being interviewed by reporters.

"Juventus fans have been great to me; even when I fell into a long goal drought, they kept encouraging me, unlike the Bernabéu."

"Llorente drives me to the training base every day; my fiancée and I also met in Turin, an online romance."

"Yes, after I arrived at Arsenal I met all the coaches who had ever trained me—Mourinho, Ancelotti, Allegri."

"When Juventus bought Higuaín, my style didn't really fit Allegri's rebuilding plan, but sporting director Paratici wanted to keep me; it was too chaotic, so I chose Li… Arsenal is the team I dreamed of joining as a kid."

Half an hour later.

The signing event is getting ready to start.

Li Kang's handwriting has improved a bit; he's been working diligently, after all Puma and Arsenal give him a very high share of jersey‑sale revenue.

When encountering pretty female fans or crossover stars, the little assistant will come over and promptly remind: pose for a symbolic photo.

The on‑site fans come from all over the world, but there are no strange customs.

Li Kang easily enjoyed a pleasant afternoon.

As the event drew to a close.

He saw a familiar Asian girl's face.

Yujeong.

The Asian girl who hardly ever misses an Arsenal home match or event.

She is 18 years old now.

Like a peach gradually losing its tartness and becoming ever more rosy and ripe.

The Arsenal badge on his chest protruded prominently.

His jet-black hair was drenched with dew.

Li Kang politely smiled; whenever he saw the other person, he would recall Van Gaal, Pellegrini, and Miss Scaloni from his trip to Korea years ago...

Sensing the faint fragrance, he signed his name in due order.

Yu Zhen said nothing; she happily waved the signed jersey, and when leaving she slipped a note to Arsenal's number 10.

Still, it wasn't a phone number.

Rather, it was some cheering words for the Champions League.

As she grew older and her thoughts matured, her "fan-chasing" mentality was no longer as frenzied as before, and she gradually came to like this Arsenal club.

The expectation of Arsenal fans worldwide is unanimous: they hope Arsenal will make history, win the Champions League, and hope that Wenger and Li Kang will together ascend to the pinnacle of Europe and lift the big-eared cup.

Wenger's smile was bitter.

It's not entirely about worrying how to deal with Juventus.

The professor's opening setup cannot counter coaches of the Conte, Guardiola, Mourinho school, but he still has an advantage against Allegri, who adheres to the "counter-attacking" philosophy.

He worriedly said: "Li is about to take an exam."

Boerde twitched the corner of his mouth and muttered softly: "Does the two-hundred-million-dollar man still need to go to school?"