After the eighth round of the Premier League, apart from Arsenal, the other strong teams collectively faltered again.
Arsenal's two biggest rivals, Chelsea and Manchester United, both drew.
Chelsea were held to a goalless 0-0 draw away at Aston Villa.
Manchester United, yet again, were held to a draw at their home ground, Old Trafford, by West Brom.
It can be said that Arsenal's biggest competitors this season are successively dropping points.
Even the Blue Moon, Manchester City, narrowly defeated Blackpool with a score of 3-2.
Yes, that's the same team that Arsenal massacred 9-0 at the beginning of the season.
Fly glanced briefly and suddenly felt that no team in the Premier League this season could challenge them!
The League has now completed eight rounds, and Arsenal sits atop the table with 7 wins, 1 draw, accumulating 22 points.
Manchester City, with 5 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss, has overtaken Chelsea with 17 points, securing the second position.
Chelsea, with 5 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses, has dropped to third with 16 points.
Manchester United had a disastrous start to the season, with 3 wins and 5 draws, accumulating 14 points, trailing Arsenal by a full 8 points, placing them in fourth.
As for Liverpool... it's better not to mention them. In the eighth round, Liverpool, yet again, lost 0-2 to Everton.
In the 8 matches since the season began, they have only secured 1 win!
Liverpool's current points tally makes them bottom of the Premier League, the only team with just 5 points so far!
Yes, you heard that right!
After eight League matches, Liverpool is currently ranked last in the Premier League, at the bottom.
Even the team ranked second to last has one more point than Liverpool.
Seeing this, Fly felt completely bewildered.
There was no way around it; the impression left by the Klopp-built Reds team in his memory from his previous life was just too deep!
This caused him to feel a moment of daze when he saw the current Liverpool's ranking.
"Bah, I said I wouldn't watch Liverpool's matches, and I still looked. What's there to see?"
"I'm truly puzzled. Why did we struggle so much against a team ranked last in the League at the beginning of the season?"
"Even when it was 11 against 10 in under 30 minutes, the outcome wasn't decided until after the 80th minute."
Fly somewhat doubted whether this Arsenal team could have defeated Liverpool without him.
"Whatever, the most important thing is that Arsenal has me in this life."
.....
October 20th.
For the second Champions League group stage match, Arsenal hosted Shakhtar Donetsk, the dominant force in the Ukraine Premier League.
hanger TV Station from the China also broadcast the match live on time.
"hanger TV Station, hanger TV Station, hello everyone, audience friends!"
"Welcome to the 2010-2011 UEFA Champions League Group H group stage match between Arsenal Football Club from the Premier League and Shakhtar Donetsk from the Ukraine Premier League."
"Let's take a look at the starting lineups for both teams."
"Arsenal is lining up in a 4-5-1 formation for this match."
"Goalkeeper: Fabianski."
"Defenders: Sagna, Varane, Koscielny, Clichy."
"Midfielders: Alexandre Song, Nasri, Wilshere, Fabregas, Rosicky."
"Forward: Fly."
"Shakhtar Donetsk is lining up in a 4-3-3 formation for this match."
"Goalkeeper: Piatov."
"Defenders: Rakitskiy, Rat, Kucher, Srna."
"Midfielders: Gai, Mkhitaryan, Hubschman."
"Forwards: Willian, Luiz Adriano, Teixeira."
"This match is Fly's third Champions League match, and he has already scored six goals in the previous two Champions League games."
"Furthermore, in the Premier League, Fly's current goal tally is 15, and he achieved this number in only 7 matches!"
"In other words, since Fly joined the Arsenal first team, he has made a total of 9 appearances in official matches and scored a total of 21 goals!"
"With this efficiency, even Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo would have to admit inferiority."
Dulin began listing Fly's statistics, while Tao Wei nodded in admiration beside him:
"There is no longer any debate; Fly is a superstar in today's football!"
"Even though he officially debuted less than three months ago, his efficiency and goal count are undeniable."
"Even if he hasn't won anything yet, he is still a superstar!"
"The standard for measuring a superstar has never been the number of honors, but rather skill!"
"Even if a player wins many honors, if he is just a very ordinary member of the team, the kind who can be replaced at any time."
"Then he is just a decent player, not even a star."
"Conversely, if a player never wins a single championship in his life, but he can consistently score 30+ goals every season, then he is a superstar!"
"And a superstar's fanbase, attention, commercial value, and standing in the football world are incomparable to a decent player."
"The current Fly is a superstar who has temporarily achieved nothing."
Tao Wei had said these words during the last broadcast, but Dulin was not entirely in agreement at the time.
He felt that Fly had only debuted recently and still needed time to prove himself.
But now, Dulin couldn't disagree.
Since Fly completed a goal and an assist against Chelsea, leading the team to defeat the iron-blooded Blues, the entire European football world has highly praised him.
Because a player who only performs well against weaker teams and struggles in big matches could not have had an excellent performance against Chelsea.
It can be said that the match between Arsenal and Chelsea was Fly's 'proving ground' battle.
If he succeeded in proving himself, he would be completely recognized and accepted by the mainstream media.
If he failed, overwhelming doubts would sweep in.
Until his next 'proving ground' battle, Fly would continue to wear the label of 'struggling in big matches'.
But this time, Fly has successfully proven himself!
Therefore, mainstream media and football professionals have given him recognition.
As a football commentator for the official East Asia TV station, Dulin naturally had to follow the mainstream football view.
Returning to the match.
After the Main Referee blew the whistle to start the game, Arsenal quickly settled into their rhythm.
Because Arsenal adopted a five-man midfield formation this time, their midfield control was unprecedentedly strengthened!
The Shakhtar Donetsk players chased the ball around for a long time but couldn't get a touch.
Fly, meanwhile, was strolling around in the attacking third, watching his teammates pass the ball back and forth in the midfield and defense.
Honestly, watching the game up close like this was quite enjoyable!
In the 19th minute of the match.
Wilshere and Fabregas combined for a one-two in the attacking third, and Fabregas threaded the ball through to Clichy pushing forward on the left.
Clichy dribbled horizontally to attract defenders' attention, then passed the ball to the edge of the penalty area.
At this moment, Alexandre Song, who had suddenly surged forward, appeared in the path of the rolling ball.
Facing Shakhtar Donetsk's goal, which was wide open after Arsenal's repeated left-to-right stretching of their defense.
Alexandre Song unleashed a long-range shot, and the ball, like a cannonball, flew into the net.
Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper Piatov was helpless against it; he could only instinctively make a save attempt, then watch in mid-air as the ball zipped past him and flew into the goal, splashing the white net.
...
More chapters at patreon.com/braainiacc