Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 284: Facing Arsenal

Like Guidolin, Arsenal's coach Arsène Wenger also expressed confidence in winning the match: "I have great respect for Mr. Guidolin. He has led Udinese to great success over the past few seasons. However, just like four years ago, we will be the final victors of this match."

As one of the most experienced coaches in modern football, Wenger is approaching his 20th anniversary with Arsenal. During his tenure, Arsenal has consistently been a strong contender for the Premier League title, winning 3 Premier League titles and 6 FA Cups. Additionally, Wenger has led Arsenal to the Champions League for 18 consecutive years, matching Sir Alex Ferguson's record, and is likely to set a new record this season.

Currently, Arsenal has 51 points after 26 rounds in the Premier League, just 2 points behind the leaders Leicester City, making them one of the favorites for the title. They are also 10 points ahead of fifth-placed Manchester United, almost securing a top-four finish.

However, the Champions League has been a source of frustration for Wenger: despite 17 consecutive appearances, Arsenal's best result has only been runners-up. This inability to win the top European honor has prevented Wenger from being compared to his lifelong rival, Sir Alex Ferguson.

Both coaches were interviewed before the match, and so were the players. Compared to Wenger, Arsenal's captain Per Mertesacker was more composed: "Udinese is a strong team, and we must give our all. The result? I won't predict that. I just know that if we give our best effort, the result will not be bad." Despite his calm demeanor, the German defender was confident about defeating Udinese.

On the Udinese side, captain Antonio Di Natale and midfield core Bruno Fernandes gave interviews. Bruno said, "Arsenal is an excellent team, so I'm looking forward to this match since we found out our opponent was Arsenal." Di Natale added, "Don't worry about us, ladies and gentlemen. I guarantee tomorrow will be an exciting match!"

The journalists, especially those from Arsenal's local media, showed surprise and doubt at their words. Their expressions suggested thoughts like: "Are they joking?", "Are they speaking nonsense because of too much pressure?", "This must be a smokescreen!", and "They are too overconfident!"

These speculations were confirmed in the next day's newspapers. Arsenal's local media mocked Di Natale and Bruno's statements. One newspaper wrote, "I don't know where Udinese's two captains get their confidence from. Have they forgotten that four years ago, Arsenal defeated Udinese at the Emirates?"

Di Natale threw the newspaper aside and told Bruno, "I knew they would bring up that match. Just wait until today is over; we'll show them where our confidence comes from!"

"Ignore those idiotic analysis articles!" Di Natale told his teammates in the locker room at the Emirates Stadium. It was less than half an hour before the crucial match started. The players had just finished their warm-up, and coach Guidolin had yet to give his final pre-match talk. As captain, Di Natale took center stage in the locker room.

"Statistics only represent the past, not the present! If we all want to win, we have a chance! But if even one person doesn't want to win, the result will surely be disappointing!" Di Natale emphasized the need for unity.

"We have no other options, guys! If we can't get past Arsenal, our Champions League journey ends here this season. Let's focus on this match first!" After his speech, Di Natale stepped back, and Guidolin took over. "I agree with Antonio," the coach said.

Di Natale puffed out his chest proudly.

"We don't need to fear them, even though they are strong. But we are not weak. Who would have thought a few seasons ago that we would become Serie A and Champions League champions? Football is like this: as long as you are on the pitch, both sides have the right to pursue victory. We are on equal footing with them now, guys. If we perform to our potential, I don't see why we can't win."

"We've trained for this match against Arsenal for over a week, and I'm confident each of you knows what to do."

Guidolin looked at his players—this was a team he had spent years building, achieving great success in recent seasons. They had no fear of any opponent, including giants like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Juventus. Arsenal was no different.

Although the team lost several key players last summer, they still displayed formidable strength with Bruno staying. They had been leading the Serie A standings for a long time and advanced to the Champions League knockout stage as group winners.

Guidolin had bigger goals for the Champions League and didn't believe Arsenal could stop Udinese's progress. However, he also didn't underestimate Arsenal. With stars like Özil, Sanchez, Giroud, and Cech, Arsenal was stronger than Udinese on paper and had a better head-to-head record. Four years ago, in the Champions League playoffs, Arsenal beat Udinese 1-0 at home and 2-1 away, preventing Udinese from advancing to the group stage.

Guidolin learned from those matches and prepared a new counter-attacking strategy for this game.

Guidolin's tactics for this match were flexible. The formation looked like a 4-5-1 but was essentially a 4-4-2. Immobile, capable of playing as an attacking midfielder or a second striker, was a key player. If Bruno's primary task was to contain Özil, Immobile would take on the playmaking duties. If Bruno could organize the attack, Immobile would act as a second striker, lurking behind the center forward, ready to strike.

Therefore, Immobile and Bruno's performance was crucial—they needed to be adaptable. Bruno preferred to contribute more offensively, but he knew the team's victory was more important than personal goals. He never complained about the coach's decisions.

Guidolin reiterated everyone's roles for the match. After confirming that everyone understood, he felt reassured. His work was done; now it was up to the players on the field.

"My job is done, gentlemen," Guidolin said, looking around the locker room. "Now it's your turn."

Bruno and Di Natale stood in the players' tunnel at the Emirates Stadium, waiting to go out. After they lined up, Arsenal's players began to come out behind them, looking relaxed, while most of Udinese's players appeared a bit tense.

Di Natale noticed his teammates' reactions and shrugged at Bruno, feeling a bit helpless. Bruno didn't respond. This scene felt familiar—he had a flashback to the 2014 UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid, where the opponents and teammates had the same demeanor.

The most effective way to boost morale was not with a long, emotional speech in the locker room but with actions on the field that showed they had a chance to win.

Guidolin's tactics for this match were not static. He wanted Udinese to launch a fierce attack on Arsenal's defense right from the start, hoping to catch them off guard and score early. Once they had a lead, they could tighten their defense and play on the counterattack.

In the coin toss before the match, Arsenal won the right to kick off, so Udinese had to wait for possession. Usually, both teams take some time to adjust, find their rhythm, and probe each other after kickoff. However, Arsenal immediately launched a fierce attack on Udinese's defense, evident from their direct and risky forward passes instead of lateral passes.

Özil received the ball and quickly passed it to Alexis Sanchez, who started the match. The 27-year-old Chilean winger had become Arsenal's attacking star since joining in the summer of 2014. In the 2014-15 season, Sanchez played 36 Premier League matches, scoring 16 goals and providing 8 assists, earning the Man of the Match award 8 times. In all competitions, he scored 25 goals and provided 12 assists in 52 appearances, helping Arsenal win the FA Cup.

This season, Sanchez's performance wasn't as explosive but still very impressive. Known for his speed, strength, dribbling, shooting, and passing, Sanchez had no obvious weaknesses.

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