"Arsenal again. That's the third. Luis Suárez completes his hat-trick, and they've got three by the 60th minute. The foxes have got a mountain to climb with shackles on."
"After draws against Manchester City and Liverpool, home and away, they've taken it out on Leicester City tonight."
Andy Gray's voice came through the headphones, steady but charged enough to carry the moment.
Ouyang Fei sat on his dorm bed, eyes fixed on the match playing on his phone.
A hand tapped his shoulder. He looked up. Gonzalez stood behind him, tilting his head toward the door.
"Fei, we should go."
Ouyang Fei slipped off his headphones. "There's no training today."
"Coach wants everyone in the tactics room."
Ouyang Fei nodded and got up without another word.
They walked out together. Both were recent signings at FC Basel, young and still finding their place. Ouyang Fei, at 19, was already featuring in the Champions League.
Among the squad, they were known as the Twin Stars. Expectations around them were high.
"In a few days, we'll be at the Emirates."
Gonzalez clenched his fist, unable to hide his excitement. Ouyang Fei felt it too.
When the draw paired them with Arsenal, he expected tension, maybe even hesitation.
Instead, the room had erupted in cheers.
It took him a moment to understand why.
For them, it was not just about the result. It was a chance to measure themselves, to stand across from players they had watched for years, and see where they truly stood.
Opportunities like that were rare. No one wanted to waste it.
"I'll probably be marked by Kai," Gonzalez said, glancing over. "Be honest. Any idea how I get past him?"
Ouyang Fei gave a small shrug. "If I had that answer, I wouldn't be sitting on the bench for the national team."
Gonzalez let out a breath. "Coach wants me as the main outlet, attacking down the left. I'm not sure I'm ready for that."
He paused, then added with a wry smile, "Same age, more or less, but he's on another level."
"I watched his Champions League matches from last season. Couldn't find a way through him once."
Even Arjen Robben had been kept quiet for most of a match against him. Gonzalez knew where he stood in that comparison.
"I'll cover you when I can," Ouyang Fei said.
Gonzalez nodded. "Thanks. Still, let's just focus on putting in a proper performance. Nights like this don't come often."
He shook his head. "Still, why did it have to be Arsenal?"
Anyone else might have felt manageable.
This Arsenal side did not.
They made very few mistakes. Their possession was controlled. Their attack was efficient. Numbers across the Champions League backed it up.
There were no obvious weak points.
"As long as we're not pinned back the whole match," Ouyang Fei said with a faint smile.
Gonzalez shot him a look. "Coach wouldn't set us up like that."
"Move, move! Stop dragging your feet. If you walk like this, forget about winning anything. Over here, now!"
At the entrance, a man in Basel training gear waved them in sharply.
The players picked up their pace at once.
"Too slow. Too relaxed. You think these sessions don't matter?" he snapped. "If you don't understand the system, you won't last on this team."
Paulo Sousa, the head coach, had a reputation that spoke for itself. A hard man, direct, and not interested in excuses.
When he first arrived, many doubted him.
Since then, he had taken Basel into the Champions League knockout stage, and opinions had shifted.
Not entirely, but enough.
Ouyang Fei and Gonzalez stepped inside with the rest. Each of them got a firm slap on the back as they passed. No exceptions.
The door shut behind them with a heavy thud.
"Sit down. Pay attention," Sousa said, his voice cutting through the room. "Everything I say matters."
The players straightened immediately.
No one wanted to test his patience.
Ouyang Fei and Gonzalez focused, just like everyone else.
Sousa looked around, satisfied, then began.
"Next match," he said, his tone steady, "we attack."
Everyone showed an 'of course' expression. This man would still attack with a man down.
Sousa had always been committed to attacking football. From domestic matches to European nights, his approach never changed. He trusted offense to break opponents down, and he believed that if his team scored enough, the result would take care of itself.
Against Arsenal, he knew it would not be that simple.
The gap in quality was obvious. Sousa understood it as well as anyone in the room.
Still, he had no intention of retreating.
Sitting deep against Arsenal rarely worked. The teams that tried it often lost control of the match, forced to chase shadows while Arsenal dictated possession with ease.
Sousa had studied those matches closely. The pattern was always the same.
If you sat back, you surrendered the game.
"So we don't wait," Sousa said, his voice steady but firm. "We take it to them."
He stepped forward, tapping the tactics board.
"We compete for everything. Midfield. Attacking areas. Transitions. Every second, every ball."
His gaze moved across the room.
"You disrupt their rhythm. You don't let them settle. That is where your chance comes from."
He paused briefly, then added in a quieter tone, "Yes, it can go wrong. You open up, you take risks, and you might get punished."
A few players exchanged glances, but no one spoke.
Sousa's expression did not change.
"But I would rather lose trying than lose doing nothing."
That line settled in the room.
For these Basel players, it was exactly what they wanted to hear.
Across the seats, shoulders straightened. There was tension, but also anticipation. Facing a stronger side with an attacking plan felt honest, something they could believe in.
Gonzalez leaned slightly toward Ouyang Fei and muttered, "At least we won't spend ninety minutes chasing the ball."
Ouyang Fei gave a small nod. "We'll have our moments."
. . .
At London Colney, the tone was different.
Inside Arsenal's training ground, London Colney, Arsène Wenger stood in front of his players, calm as ever.
"Paulo Sousa's Basel side is aggressive," Wenger said. "They will attack, regardless of the situation. He believes in direct confrontation."
"He will likely keep that approach, even away from home," Wenger continued. "So we stay with our structure."
He gestured lightly toward the board.
"We control the midfield. That remains our priority."
His voice stayed measured.
"Whether we are attacking or defending, everything begins there. Control the tempo, and the match follows."
The players nodded. This was familiar ground.
For Arsenal, control was the foundation. They did not rush into extremes. They read the game, adjusted, and imposed themselves when the moment was right.
It was why they adapted so well, regardless of the opponent.
Near the edge of the group, Kai stood quietly, eyes fixed on the tactics board.
The blue marker labeled 14 caught his attention.
Ouyang Fei.
In just half a season, the young midfielder had stepped onto the European stage and now stood as a direct opponent in the Champions League.
Kai felt a flicker of recognition, even respect.
But it did not change anything.
On the pitch, there were no familiar faces.
Only opposition.
Only the next obstacle.
Kai exhaled slowly, his focus sharpening.
No matter who stood across from him, the objective remained the same.
Win the duel. Control the game. Push forward.
And with Arsenal, build something that would last.
. . .
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