At the pre-match press conference, when Arsène Wenger was interviewed by the Fleet Street reporters, he only made one statement:
"We will win this match!"
That was it...
Arsène Wenger didn't say more than three sentences throughout the entire conference, which lasted less than 30 seconds in total.
Many Fleet Street reporters were stunned...
We're talking about a final here!
Why did it feel like Arsène Wenger wasn't taking it seriously at all?
As for the Birmingham manager, Alex McLeish, he spoke very humbly on the other side:
"We are the challengers in this match. As challengers, we will lower our stance and honestly learn from Arsenal."
"This season's Arsenal is a truly invincible team. I feel that only aliens descending to Earth could possibly defeat them."
"Since we've reached the final, we naturally want to win, even if it's very difficult... but we won't give up. We'll do our best with all our might, and the rest is up to god."
When Fly heard what the old man said at the press conference, he couldn't help but complain:
"Seriously... when did our Arsenal become the villain?"
Fly said that after hearing the old man's speech, he actually had an urge to possess a Birmingham player and teach Arsenal a lesson.
After all, this was the perfect scenario for "Professional Face-Slapping for a Hundred Years"...
"Forget it, let him show off. It's better to be confident than not."
Thinking back to the beginning of the season when the Arsenal players had no expectations for results, and Arsène Wenger was just treating this season as a training ground.
Now, they basically have a bit of a kingly aura about them, which Fly is happy to see.
Being confident isn't a bad thing. It's when you think you can't win before the match even starts that something is truly wrong...
What Fly needs is a group of teammates who are confident in themselves, not cowards who are afraid of everything and always feel like they can't do it.
...
"Hello, viewers in front of your televisions, and welcome to the final of the 2010-2011 English League Cup. The teams facing off in this match are the Premier League giants Arsenal and the Chinese-owned Birmingham."
"I'm your old friend james, and sitting next to me is Larry, larry."
"Hello everyone, I'm Larry!"
After a brief opening, james and Larry quickly got to the point.
"larry, as everyone knows, this is Fly's first final in his professional career. Many people believe that Fly's first championship is imminent... What are your thoughts on this?"
Larry chuckled upon hearing this and said lightly:
"Hehe... Of course, there's no problem with that. Arsenal is playing Birmingham, especially since Arsène Wenger is fielding the full squad for this match. Given Arsenal's strong performance this season, winning this championship should be without suspense."
james nodded and then asked about a topic that had been widely discussed among Asia fans in the past few days.
"larry, many fans online are saying that Fly hasn't participated in a single League Cup match this season, and Arsenal reaching the final was entirely thanks to his teammates. Therefore, many people believe that even if Fly wins the final, it will be a 'lying down' championship. What are your thoughts on this?"
Hearing this, Larry smiled and shook his head.
"How should I put this... First of all, you can't say this statement is wrong."
"After all, Fly did have zero appearances in the League Cup this season, which is an objective fact!"
"But it's important to note that for Premier League giants, the League Cup itself is a bit of a 'chicken rib' competition. These giants basically use substitutes and youth players in the early stages of the League Cup."
"They only field the starting players when the League Cup reaches the final stages."
"From this perspective, you can't say Fly is 'lying down' for the championship."
"Because if Fly is 'lying down' for the championship, then the starting players of the giants who have won the League Cup in the past were basically also 'lying down' for the championship."
"For Premier League giants, only the League, Champions League, and FA Cup are the three competitions that truly require the starting players."
"Some teams even choose to give up on the FA Cup to some extent because the Premier League schedule is too congested."
"This is the case for Arsenal this season... They were eliminated in the first round of the FA Cup, which has resulted in a less congested schedule now... I believe this is Arsène Wenger's strategic arrangement for Arsenal this season."
"Basically, anyone with a discerning eye can see that Arsenal's focus this season is on the League and the Champions League. This can be seen from the number of appearances Fly has made."
Hearing this, james also subconsciously nodded.
Although he wasn't as enthusiastic about Fly as Larry, since he had Chinese ancestry, he definitely had an emotional bias.
"Okay, larry's point is valid... Now let's take a look at the starting lineups for both teams in this match."
"Arsenal is lining up in a 4-4-2 formation."
"Goalkeeper: Szczęsny."
"Defenders: Sagna, Varane, Koscielny, Clichy."
"Midfielders: Alexandre Song, Nasri, Wilshere, Fabregas."
"Forwards: Fly, Van Persie."
"Birmingham is lining up in a 4-5-1 formation."
"Goalkeeper: Ben Foster."
"Defenders: Roger Johnson, Jiranek, Carr, Ridgewell."
"Midfielders: Sebastian Larsson, Craig Gardner, Lee Bowyer, Keith Fahey, Barry Ferguson."
"Forward: Žigić."
"Okay, the captains of both teams are exchanging pennants. Birmingham has chosen the kickoff, and Arsenal has chosen the side."
"The match is about to begin..."
Looking at the half-red, half-white human wave around him, Fly smiled and waved to the Arsenal fans' section.
For Fly now, even the League Cup final is just a small match...
There's really nothing to be nervous about.
It's not that Fly is underestimating them, it's just that Birmingham isn't really worth taking seriously...
With the Main Referee's whistle signaling the start of the match, the League Cup final between Arsenal and Birmingham officially kicked off.
In the 3rd minute of the match.
Fabregas delivered a precise through ball that sliced through Birmingham's defense. Van Persie received the ball and took a shot, but it was saved by Ben Foster.
Arsenal earned the first corner kick of the match.
After Nasri took the corner, Birmingham's 2-meter tall Serbian giant Žigić headed the ball clear.
In the 7th minute of the match.
Fly received the ball on the wing about 35 meters out. Facing the defense of Ridgewell and Larsson, he executed a 'Marseille Roulette' followed by a 'Marseille Turn', completely getting past both of them...
Frustrated, Larsson went in for a tackle from behind on Fly. The Main Referee blew the whistle for a foul on Larsson and showed him a yellow card.
"Damn it... American, don't show off your skills here, it's disgusting!"
Fly patted his backside, with a look of "come on, hit me," and chuckled:
"If you can't play, you resort to hitting people. As expected, you're from the same country as that big mouth, just as shameless..."
Although Fly wasn't sure why Sebastian Larsson, an attacking midfielder, would tackle him.
But he only knew one thing: this guy had fouled him maliciously, and he was going to get revenge, it was that simple.
In the 12th minute of the match.
Wilshere and Fabregas exchanged two consecutive one-two passes, successfully disrupting Birmingham's central defense and midfield.
On his third touch, Wilshere delivered a no-look pass that went straight through Carr's legs and was received by the timely forward-running Fly.
Facing this semi-one-on-one opportunity, Fly chose to trust his shooting ability. He tensed his right instep, adjusted his step, and unleashed a shot towards the near post.
At the crucial moment, Ben Foster made a spectacular save, using the tips of his right hand fingers to deflect the rapidly flying ball, changing its trajectory. The ball eventually hit the outside of the left post and went out for a goal kick.
"Tsk tsk... What a shame, that ball didn't go in."
In the 20th minute of the match.
Alexandre Song completed a steal in the center circle, and Arsenal immediately launched a counter-attack.
The moment he received the ball, Fabregas delivered a direct long pass, the ball flying over the heads of the Birmingham central defenders and midfielders, dropping straight into the left attacking area.
Fly and Ridgewell both accelerated at the same time, but the latter's speed was no match for Fly's.
In just one second, Fly had already gained a significant positional advantage.
Ridgewell tried to pull Fly from the side with his hand, but Fly, in a high-speed sprint, couldn't be stopped with a mere tug.
Almost the very next second after Ridgewell's attempt to pull him, Fly had forcefully broken free and was striding towards the landing spot of the ball.
And Ridgewell, affected by Fly's sprinting momentum, stumbled for two steps before falling to the ground.
Immediately, the white human wave area in the entire Wembley Stadium erupted with deafening boos.
Conversely, the red human wave area where Arsenal was located erupted with jeers and cheers.
After Fly caught up to the ball, he saw the goalkeeper coming out halfway and directly pushed the ball towards the byline.
Then he avoided the goalkeeper's dive, used his speed and positioning to round the goalkeeper, caught up to the ball that was about to go out of bounds, and with a slight flick of his ankle, the ball slowly rolled into the empty net.
Fly scored the first goal, helping Arsenal take a temporary 1-0 lead in the final.
"GOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!"
"Number 13, Fly Adams!!!"
"After just missing a great opportunity, Fly once again used his unparalleled speed to forcefully break past Ridgewell and goalkeeper Ben Foster, completing a goal that is characteristic of Fly."
"This is Fly Adams. He might miss a great opportunity, but he will definitely make up for the missed opportunity in his own way immediately."
"Arsenal is currently leading Birmingham 1-0. Fly is getting closer and closer to his first championship trophy in his professional career..."
"At the same time, this is the closest Arsenal has been to a championship trophy in 6 years!"
"Can they seize the opportunity?"
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