The first three rounds of the 2014 to 2015 Premier League season were complete. Clubs had begun to settle into a rhythm.
Chelsea and Arsenal carried over last season's momentum. Both sides opened with three straight wins.
Manchester City started well with two victories. Then they stumbled. Stoke City came to the Etihad in the third round and punished City in the air. City looked uncomfortable. They lost at home.
Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur each posted two wins and one loss. Liverpool's defeat came away at Manchester City. That result raised a few concerns.
Manchester United's problems dragged on. They lost 1 to 2 at home to Swansea. They drew 1 to 1 away at Sunderland. They followed that with a scoreless draw against Burnley.
Two draw. One loss. No wins. A brutal opening.
United supporters believed the David Moyes era was behind them. They expected a fresh start and a strong rebound.
Instead, the early results drained confidence. The mood around Old Trafford turned heavy.
Louis van Gaal arrived with enormous expectations. After three matches, doubts had already surfaced.
Managing a top club was never simple. Managing Manchester United was even harder. Sir Alex Ferguson's shadow still loomed.
For Arsenal, the opening three rounds served as an adjustment. That phase was now over. The real test was about to begin.
Round four brought a trip to the Etihad.
Arsenal away to Manchester City.
The headline fixture of the round.
Manchester City had fallen short last season. They missed the title fight and lost their Champions League place. The club wanted a reset.
Heavy spending the previous year forced restraint this summer. No headline transfers arrived.
The exception was Frank Lampard. A Chelsea legend. Signed from New York City in the Major League Soccer from the USA.
Lampard had just announced his move to the United States. Weeks later, he was back in the Premier League.
City viewed him as a cover for the injured Yaya Touré. Age aside, they trusted his experience and game sense.
The squad stayed largely intact. The chemistry looked better than last season.
Even so, Arsenal remained cautious.
City's form swung sharply. On some days, they overwhelmed opponents. On others, they collapsed without warning.
Unpredictable. Dangerous.
After this match, Arsenal would shift straight into the Champions League.
Group D awaited. Borussia Dortmund again.
The first game was away in Germany.
Two huge fixtures. No margin for error.
. . .
Thwack
The ball hit the net.
Navas turned and scooped it out, frustration clear on his face. His eyes followed Kai as he jogged back.
Kai was in outstanding form.
His long shots carried real threat. His final passes cut lines cleanly.
At times, he surged forward alone, driving straight through defenders. Once Kai built momentum, his size and power overwhelmed resistance.
Inside his shooting range, defenders faced a dilemma. Step out, and he slipped a pass. Sit back, and he unleashed a strike.
Navas felt the pressure throughout the session.
Kai's intensity lifted everyone around him. The tempo rose. The training sharpened.
On the touchline, Arsène Wenger nodded quietly. He watched Kai retreat, then scanned the rest of the squad.
"We need to win the next game, even if it's away to City," he said.
Pat Rice agreed. "Manchester City is the real test. We need to see how Di Maria and Sanchez handle pressure. We need to know if they are fully integrated. We watch for tactical gaps."
"You keep the notes," Wenger said.
"Understood," Pat replied.
Wenger clapped her hands. "Training ends here. Everyone to the tactics room."
Inside, Wenger faced the squad.
"We play 4 2 3 1 next match."
A brief pause followed.
The shape leaned toward attack. It prioritized midfield control.
Three attacking midfielders operated behind the striker. Two holding midfielders anchored the center.
The attacking midfielders rotated constantly. Movement and combinations aimed to penetrate dangerous zones.
The double pivot defended first. They also stepped forward to support attacks when space opened.
Control of the midfield was the objective.
Last season, Arsenal leaned on counterattacks, especially against elite sides.
This season, Wenger wanted initiative.
He wanted the ball. He wanted dominance.
Pat glanced at the board and added quietly, "We push higher. We decide the rhythm."
From the back of the room, N'Golo Kanté raised a hand.
"Coach, I run. I cover. I take ball. Simple," he said.
This drew laughs from the squad and a smile from Wenger.
"Good. That is all I need."
It must be said that Arsenal now truly has this level of capability.
This setup places heavy responsibility on the two defensive midfielders.
Kai, as the core, carries even more weight. His performance directly shapes how the team functions.
Against Manchester City, Arsenal can only control the midfield tempo if Kai wins that battle.
Arsène Wenger understood this clearly. He placed his trust in him.
Kai's expression hardened. He knew his task.
A year or two earlier, he might have hesitated. Now he did not.
Two full seasons in the Premier League. Experience in the Champions League. A World Cup behind him.
That confidence showed.
David Silva. Lampard.
Big names. Big reputations.
But Kai was twenty-one.
Young. Strong. Fearless.
What was there to worry about?
"Professor," Kai said, looking up, "how many goals do you want us to score?"
The tone was light, almost teasing.
The room relaxed immediately.
Cazorla laughed. "That's the spirit."
Sanchez shouted. "Goals!!"
"I want a hat trick," someone called out.
"Then I want four," another replied.
Laughter filled the room. The tension dissolved.
Even Wenger smiled. "Alright. Enough joking. Manchester City will not give us anything for free."
He turned serious and began laying out the tactical plan.
The structure was clear. Arsenal would build patiently. Control space. Move the ball with purpose.
Kai's role stood out.
He had to act as the rhythm setter. Slow the game when needed. Then suddenly raise the tempo and punch forward.
Cazorla shared that responsibility. Both could dictate play.
That balance made Arsenal harder to predict.
Two launch points. Two brains.
If Cazorla was precision and finesse.
Kai was force.
Direct. Explosive. Decisive.
The meeting ended. Players filed out.
Wenger stopped Wilshere with a gesture.
The two walked toward the office together.
Wenger led the way. Wilshere followed a step behind.
He stared at his back, memories surfacing.
The day he left the academy. The day Wenger brought him into the first team.
Now, everything felt different.
He wore the number ten.
A number full of expectation.
One he never truly fulfilled.
The club had grown impatient. So had he.
More than once, he wished he had never asked for that shirt.
What once filled him with pride now pushed him toward the exit.
Click.
The office door shut.
Wenger sat on the sofa and looked at him kindly. "Sit down."
Wilshere nodded. His face stayed stiff. He could not force a smile.
They sat in silence.
Minutes passed.
Ten of them.
Finally, Wenger sighed. "It must have been 2007. Or maybe I am wrong."
"It was 2008," Wilshere said softly.
Wenger sighed. "Six years already. Time moves fast."
. . .
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