Chapter 199: Human–Machine Combination Is the True Way
In the Wembley dressing room Arsène Wenger delivered his final pre-match team talk with concise words:
"…Children, I won't say much more. Since we've come this far, there is only one goal!"
"I want you to step out of this door and come back with that medal around your neck — make it gold!"
No sooner had Wenger finished than the players burst out with wolf-like shouts of fury:
"Don't worry, Boss! We will bring the FA Cup back to you!"
"The trophy belongs to Arsenal!"
"Glory belongs to Arsenal!"
"Champions!"
"Champions!"
With consecutive title wins, Arsenal was no longer the team that often "fell apart" at the end of a season. The whole squad now had a champion's mindset — something unheard of before Xia Qi joined.
Patlès's face was flushed with excitement; he was even more stirred than the players. He flung his hand toward the players' tunnel and shouted with passion, "Move out!"
In his excitement he hadn't even realized he'd stolen Wenger's line.
Wenger stood solemnly at the door, slapping palms with each player about to step onto the "battlefield."
Xia Qi exited the dressing room and high-fived Wenger, smiling: "Boss, if you smiled, we'd be even more motivated."
Wenger nudged him with a light kick and scolded with a grin, "Getting cheekier — you even tease me now. When you walk out remember not to touch that trophy."
There's some superstition in football: those who touch the trophy before the final often end up runners-up. Yet some players, unbelieving, still touch it as they go out.
Xia Qi had become even more of a crafty veteran. Wenger was genuinely worried he'd break that taboo — the FA Cup meant a lot to him!!!
Having already taken the Premier League title from Sir Alex Ferguson, taking José Mourinho's FA Cup crown next would make Wenger feel his life complete!
…
In the players' tunnel Xia Qi nodded to John Terry, Frank Lampard… and others.
This was already the third meeting between Arsenal and Chelsea this season; both sides were old acquaintances and many players were national teammates. In a World Cup year, the kind of knife-edge, final-level tension was hard to achieve.
The real specialness of this match was the feud between the two managers; to the players it was not as important as the Champions League or Premier League titles.
Xia Qi and John Terry, captains of their teams, stood up front chatting about World Cup rumors: would Lionel Messi recover in time, the hot rivalries of Brazil, Germany, Spain, Italy, and who England might be grouped with…
In short, from the pre-match view this FA Cup final lacked a life-or-death oppressive atmosphere; everything felt bathed in spring.
The players entered the pitch.
The two captains stood shoulder to shoulder and, led by the three referees, stepped onto the field.
In that instant Wembley erupted with the warmest applause and cheers!
Xia Qi looked at the gleaming trophy and suppressed the strong urge to run forward and touch it, reassuring himself: hold on! Ninety minutes, and it will be mine!
Xia Qi decided: ninety minutes later he'd use it to pour beer into it and chug it down!
A champion should be this bold! (No arguments accepted!)
…
Oppressively dull!
Dull to the extreme!
Many people in the stands were yawning — a rare sight at a football match, since football is supposed to be blood-and-thunder, full of passion…
Everyone knew José Mourinho's Chelsea was a 1–0-first team; though his record at Real Madrid was decent, he was still drummed out of the Bernabéu.
But the other side was the attack-minded Arsenal — that was why the media and fans had expected fireworks.
Reality, however, was far from those expectations.
From the kickoff the game was lethargic.
Both sides probed cautiously, prioritizing defensive solidity. Six minutes in there wasn't a single shot on goal.
If you didn't see the kits you might have thought it was a village cup game — no, even a village game would be livelier.
These two sides had met twice already this season; every player knew each other intimately. Was there really a need for more probing?
Many began to grumble about Wenger.
Mourinho is that kind of guy — how could you betray such a big-eyed, broad-faced fellow?
…
On the pitch, facing a resurgent Xia Qi, Mourinho went all-in tactically: he assigned Frank Lampard to mark Xia Qi.
Lampard was the pivot for Chelsea's transition play. Using him as a man-marker was a high-stakes move; Chelsea might not benefit.
Many pundits couldn't read Mourinho's mind; like Wenger they shook their heads at this "clever move" and were skeptical.
Lampard didn't want to finish the season empty-handed; the FA Cup was closest to him.
Before the match he told the media: "We can't always let the opponents have the last laugh — England shouldn't be all red…"
He was a man of action. Once the match began, whenever Xia Qi neared the box Lampard stuck tight.
Meanwhile one of Lampard's teammates would sit deeper to cover, sometimes John Terry, sometimes John Obi Mikel, Nemanja Matić…
In short, limiting Xia Qi — Mourinho was serious, even at the cost of mutual damage!
In AI mode Xia Qi usually, under "optimal choice," tended to pass to teammates when in possession.
But his teammates were playing too conservatively — which explained why in the opening six minutes neither side had a shot.
From a dead-ball opportunity Xia Qi resolutely switched off the "auto-pilot" and entered autonomous mode. If you can't rely on others, rely on yourself — since you show no ambition, sorry, I'll do it myself…
…
A match without shots is hardest on the commentators.
Zhan Jun in the broadcast had no words. He turned his criticism toward Mourinho, despite Mourinho being one of the coaches he admired.
"Chelsea are way too conservative. No wonder FIFA encourages attacking football; otherwise this sport will be ruined by ugly football."
His co-commentator Zhang Lu disagreed:
"This is the high-level tactical duel of top coaches. The result may be dull but the process is not boring.
Mourinho is truly 'The One' — Chelsea may look ugly but Arsenal can't find an attacking solution. That's a victory for Mourinho.
Remember, Arsenal just thrashed Atlético 6–1 — their scoring power is proven. For Chelsea to keep them without a single shot in six minutes is no small feat!"
Hearing Zhang Lu, many online gave Mourinho thumbs-up. Mourinho-beats-Wenger began to look like a law; the dull match to some tacticians became a display of minimalist mastery.
On the pitch Arsenal attacked down the wings.
Theo Walcott burst down the flank, was intercepted, and laid the ball back to Kevin De Bruyne.
John Terry immediately surged out of the box to intercept De Bruyne before he could get a shot.
At the edge of the area Xia Qi did the opposite: he drove into the box with Frank Lampard.
In a flash De Bruyne barely swung his leg yet played the ball ahead before Terry's challenge could reach him.
In the box Xia Qi made a run to the far post to meet the ball and prepare a side-foot finish, but Frank Lampard pushed him subtly from behind.
Having switched off "auto-pilot," Xia Qi's balance wasn't maxed out. Lampard's nudge instantly threw him off balance and he fell aside — the shot lost accuracy and flew up into the stands.
"Penalty!"
Both Zhan Jun in the broadcast and Arsenal fans shouted excitedly.
Xia Qi too expected a penalty and sat on the turf waiting for the whistle.
But the referee ignored them. After the whistle he signaled a Chelsea goal kick.
Half the Wembley crowd booed, half applauded.
Wenger was furious! When he gets angry he always wrestles with his zipper…
Mourinho sat on the bench, head down, scribbling on his notebook…
"That was crucial. Lampard's action wasn't obvious — the referee didn't dare to award it. Chelsea escaped."
"Mourinho is seasoned. He knows live TV will give him close-ups. He pretends not to notice, but his sneaking glance gives him away…"
"From the slow-motion replay it was a dubious call."
Play resumed.
As Chelsea sat deeper, Arsenal stayed alert, wary of a Mourinho counter.
Santi Cazorla and Gustavo in defensive midfield wouldn't both surge at once.
Gustavo stayed more at the back, sweeping everything up.
Upfront, aside from Xia Qi's impatience, other players weren't rushing the ball into Chelsea's box; they circulated slowly on the periphery, seeking an opening.
But after the referee's non-call Arsenal's players united in outrage.
Not only Xia Qi but Kevin De Bruyne, Theo Walcott, Mario Balotelli… their interchanges, lateral moves, wall passes and off-the-ball runs became frequent. Passing sequences increased.
As Arsenal's "pass and receive" counts rose, they peeled back Chelsea's "bus defense" layer by layer.
A familiar feeling — an everlasting memory — flickered in some long-time fans' minds; tears sprang to their eyes.
Xia Qi was Thierry Henry, Walcott was Robert Pires, De Bruyne was Dennis Bergkamp…
An old, dust-covered "Song of the Emperor" floated above Wembley…
Chelsea's backline was stripped bare; their goal was repeatedly in danger. First Xia Qi, under a double-team, delivered a brilliant pass.
Walcott burst in from behind Balotelli, using Mario Balotelli to draw Chelsea's defense. After controlling he adjusted and curled a shot, which Petr Čech cradled.
That shot, if Walcott hadn't adjusted, might have been different — but on the pitch there are no ifs.
Three minutes later Arsenal struck again: the same layered passing, peeling the onion.
Kevin De Bruyne and Mario Balotelli exchanged a wall pass through the middle and set up Xia Qi. Xia Qi controlled and rolled past the clingy Lampard; his low drive was blocked on the line by César Azpilicueta.
Then Santi Cazorla and Kevin De Bruyne swapped runs and from the edge of the box a sudden long-range shot struck the underside of the bar, rebounded on the goal line, and John Terry booted it clear…
Chelsea's goal was under constant threat. Mourinho could no longer sit still; he strode to the touchline and began directing his team's defense.
With Mourinho's guidance Chelsea steadied and began to try counterattacks.
Branislav Ivanović returned a goal kick to David Luiz, who gave it to Ramires. The Brazilian carried and quickly released the ball.
Samuel Eto'o received on the wing, took a feint and shrugged off the overstrong Gustavo, then exploded forward, instantly slicing through Arsenal's defense.
"The African leopard is back!"
"Chelsea on the break!"
Eto'o raced forward, and the defense-shy Chelsea awakened like a beast; the whole team surged forward at speed.
In a flash Arsenal's three lines retreated like a tide back toward their own box…
Luke Shaw saw his teammates retreat and immediately shadowed the still-dangerous Eto'o.
This promising English full-back was rational; he harried Eto'o rather than try to nick the ball.
That kind of defending is exactly what troubled Eto'o the most. In the late stage of his career his pace had dropped; he could no longer physically eat defenders up like before.
Soon Gustavo tracked back; Eto'o had to return the ball.
Nemanja Matić took possession and quickly spread it sideways; Ramires reorganized the attack.
Chelsea's quick break became a slow one (positional play), players moved the ball on the edge of Arsenal's box looking for a chance.
But Arsenal was no pushover: their retreating three lines gave Chelsea no clear opportunity.
Seeing his teammates struggle to break through, Lampard forgot Mourinho's instruction in anxiety and abandoned his job marking Xia Qi to press forward and join the attack.
On the sideline Mourinho furrowed his brow: the counter had turned into a positional battle — his worst fear. He hadn't expected his beloved plan to be worsened by his own man's misstep.
He wanted to rein him in immediately but feared disturbing the rhythm — after all Chelsea were on the attack.
Meanwhile Wenger suddenly brightened, no longer worrying about whether to zip or unzip; he and assistant Patlès both leaned forward, eyes shining with expectation.
On the pitch Xia Qi made a decisive move: he hit the "one-key auto"!
Gamers know — human–machine combination is the real way.
By now Arsenal had recovered defensively; Lampard's advance not only pressed his own side's attack button but seemed to press Arsenal's counter-attack button too.
The moment Lampard joined the attack, Arsenal immediately pressed Chelsea — including the one who pressed the button, Lampard himself.
During the press Arsenal players ignored rigid positions; they interchanged, harried and covered.
What looked chaotic on the surface, on closer inspection remained a disciplined three-line system.
This constant switching of man-marking posed a major problem for Chelsea; their players had to stay hyper-alert to avoid being undone by sudden turnovers.
The first small crescendo of the match saw end-to-end action on the edge of Arsenal's box.
Chelsea's center-backs were anxious too, and captain John Terry advanced to support; he collected the ball and carried it.
Seeing Fernando Torres hovering at the left of the box felt like a good opportunity to play it out — but then he saw Xia Qi's iceberg face suddenly right in front of him.
Terry was startled and immediately flustered; he tried to take a touch, turn and burst away, but where was the ball?
Chelsea lineup:
Goalkeeper: Petr Čech
Defenders: Branislav Ivanović, David Luiz, John Terry, César Azpilicueta
Midfield: Frank Lampard, John Obi Mikel, Ramires, Nemanja Matić
Forwards: Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto'o
(END CHAPTER)
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