The seventh round of the Premier League came to an end. Arsenal had ended Manchester City's perfect winning streak and maintained their position in the league standings.
However, this did not mean the danger had passed.
On the contrary, the most difficult part of the schedule was only beginning.
The next three matches would determine whether Arsenal had truly recovered.
Two Premier League matches.
One Champions League match.
In the league, Arsenal would face Chelsea and Leicester City in succession.
Chelsea's performance this season had been disappointing, but nobody dared to underestimate the Blues. They were still a team filled with experienced players and championship-winning quality.
Especially with the match being away from home, the pressure would only increase.
After Chelsea came Leicester City.
Following the seventh round, Leicester City sat second in the Premier League table with a record of four wins, three draws, and no defeats, collecting 15 points.
They were only three points behind Manchester City.
For a team that had only recently established itself in the Premier League, this was an unbelievable achievement.
Some people believed Leicester City was no longer a temporary surprise. The Foxes had shown enough quality to prove they belonged among England's top teams.
However, Le Kai understood the threat they represented.
Unlike the "dark horse" teams that appeared for one season before disappearing, this Leicester City had the foundation to create something extraordinary.
Of course, this Leicester City was missing one important player.
Kante.
Without him, Le Kai could not be certain whether they could maintain the same level of performance.
But regardless, this was still a dangerous opponent.
Le Kai had no doubts about that.
As for the Champions League, Arsenal, as the defending champions, had been drawn into Group C.
The four teams were:
Arsenal, Premier League.
Atlético Madrid, La Liga.
Galatasaray, Turkish Super League.
Astana, Kazakhstan Premier League.
On paper, there was a clear difference in strength between the teams.
Arsenal, as the defending Champions League winners, were like a mountain standing above the other clubs in the group. Although their current form was inconsistent, everyone understood one thing.
A wounded champion was still a champion.
No team would underestimate Arsenal before stepping onto the pitch.
Atletico Madrid was another interesting opponent.
Under Simeone, this young and disciplined Spanish team had become one of the most difficult sides to face in Europe.
Every season, they exceeded expectations in the Champions League and constantly challenged the established giants.
However, they always encountered two natural obstacles in Spain.
Barcelona.
Real Madrid.
These two teams had repeatedly stopped Atletico Madrid from reaching the highest level.
But outside of Spain, when Atletico faced teams from other leagues, they often displayed an incredible level of competitiveness.
Therefore, the upcoming battle between Atletico Madrid and Arsenal had already attracted huge attention.
For neutral fans, there was nothing more exciting than watching a Champions League winner face a serious challenge.
As long as it was not their own team suffering, they were happy to watch the drama unfold.
. . .
Inside the Colney Training Centre.
"Everyone is waiting for us to embarrass ourselves."
Wilshere sat down with an annoyed expression.
Le Kai glanced at him and smiled slightly.
"Ignore what they say. The only thing that matters is what happens on the pitch."
Recently, Arsenal had become one of the biggest topics in football discussions.
Their inconsistent performances, unstable form, and tactical problems had attracted endless criticism.
Some people believed Arsenal only performed well against strong opponents but struggled against weaker teams.
Experienced managers like Klopp and Guardiola had repeatedly fallen into Patrice's traps.
Because of this, the media had even given him a nickname.
"Pat Rice: The Giant Slayer of the Premier League"
Of course, it was still too early to judge Pat Rice's overall coaching ability.
But one thing was clear.
The current Arsenal team needed changes.
Their problems were no longer limited to one area.
Multiple issues had appeared at the same time, causing Arsenal's performances to fluctuate heavily.
Some voices in the media suggested that Arsenal should immediately find a more established manager to replace Pat Rice.
Perhaps a famous coach could solve their current problems.
But who was available?
There were very few top managers sitting idle.
And even if Arsenal managed to bring one in, would that coach truly be able to control this dressing room?
The Arsenal squad was filled with strong personalities.
If replacing Pat Rice caused conflicts inside the dressing room, the situation could become even worse.
For Le Kai, that possibility was unacceptable.
If the club decided to remove Pat Rice, he would likely be one of the first people to oppose it.
Because of this, Arsenal officially released a statement.
The club expressed full confidence in Pat Rice, a coach who had spent many years working within Arsenal and understood the team's culture, players, and future direction.
At the same time, everyone was also waiting for Wenger's return.
But when would Wenger be ready to return? And more importantly, could he actually return?
That remained uncertain.
Ever since Wenger was hospitalized again after a brief appearance for the Liverpool game, his condition had deteriorated. Even his attending physician had advised him that if he wanted to recover properly, he needed to stop taking on excessive work and avoid putting too much pressure on his body.
Under these circumstances, Wenger's return date had become impossible to predict.
The current Arsenal was going through a period of confusion.
What were they fighting for?
What was their objective?
And how were they supposed to achieve it?
They had no clear answers.
Arsenal felt like a ship drifting without a captain, moving forward without knowing its destination.
"Kai! Pat Rice wants to see you!"
Hearing the call, Le Kai stopped his training session, walked off the pitch, and headed toward the coaching staff meeting room.
Inside, all the coaches were already waiting.
When Le Kai entered, Pat Rice pointed toward the chair opposite him.
"Sit down."
Le Kai nodded, wiped the sweat from his face, and asked, "What's going on?"
The coaches exchanged glances before lowering their heads slightly.
Pat Rice was silent for a moment before finally speaking.
"We hope that in some of the upcoming matches, you can share some of your organizational responsibilities."
Before Le Kai could respond, Lehmann quickly added, "Of course, we're not asking you to give up your role as the core of the team. It's just that when opponents focus heavily on restricting you, we need other players to take over parts of the organization."
He paused briefly.
"After all..."
Lehmann did not continue, but Le Kai understood what he meant.
"I can't always break through their restrictions."
The coaches immediately smiled and nodded.
That was exactly the problem.
Pat Rice looked serious.
"We need to stabilize our position in the league. From the matches so far, your ability to participate in the attack has been excellent, but as the sole organizer of the entire team, there are still some limitations."
"In some games, we want to give you more freedom to improve in that area. But at the same time, for the sake of the team's results, you need to temporarily share some of that responsibility."
The coaches spoke carefully.
They were worried about how Kai would react.
After all, asking the team's core player to surrender even part of his control was never an easy conversation.
But Kai simply nodded.
"I'm fine with it. But at least tell me what your plan is."
The coaches immediately relaxed.
Pat Rice smiled.
"I told you, he wouldn't get upset about something like this."
Le Kai laughed.
"Of course not. As long as we can win games, I don't care who organizes the attack."
Hearing this, the pressure in Lehmann's heart eased.
He walked over to Kai and explained.
"We're planning to let Jack and Aubameyang take on some of the organizing duties."
"In other words, when the opponent completely restricts you, you won't force yourself to control everything. You can hand over some of the responsibility to them while focusing on distributing the ball and controlling the overall rhythm."
Le Kai nodded slowly.
"I understand. Similar to how Mikel Arteta and I worked together before."
"Not the same."
Pat Rice shook his head.
"Back then, you didn't have any real organizational authority. Arteta was the one controlling that area."
"Now, you are still the main conductor. But when you encounter restrictions, you can choose to release some of that control and let others take over."
"And when the situation requires it, you can take command back."
Le Kai blinked.
"So basically, I can give up control when necessary, but I can also take it back whenever I feel the team needs me?"
Pat Rice nodded.
"Exactly."
Le Kai looked at him with a strange expression.
"Are you not worried this will become chaotic?"
He and Arteta had already experienced the difficulty of sharing midfield responsibilities.
Now it was not just Wilshere and Aubameyang.
It was the three of them sharing control.
That sounded almost impossible.
Pat Rice smiled calmly.
"That is why you need to teach Wilshere and Aubameyang how to coordinate with each other, just like you and Arteta did."
"When you believe the team needs you to take over, you can step forward. The details are something you three need to figure out together."
Kai stared at Pat Rice.
This old man was really ambitious.
If this system worked, Arsenal's attacking options would become far more diverse.
But if it failed, the problem would not simply be poor coordination.
The entire midfield command structure could collapse.
However, seeing the expectation in Pat Rice's eyes, Le Kai could only take a deep breath.
"I'll give it a try."
. . .
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