Chapter 223: Double Kill

Words : 2234 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

March crept in with the kind of damp chill only an English spring could manage, and with it came the final stretch of the Premier League season — the last 10 rounds, where every point mattered and nerves frayed like overworked shoelaces. The league table was starting to take its final shape, and the picture was... well, brutally clear. Leeds United, under the mischievously smug guidance of Arthur, had just won their latest match at the weekend. So had Manchester United. The result? Both clubs now sat at the summit with 70 points apiece, locked in a tense staring contest over the top spot. It was the kind of rivalry where you could almost hear the managers muttering insults about each other into their tea. By this stage of the season, the English press had made up their collective mind: the 2006–2007 Premier League title was a two-horse race. Leeds versus United. Arthur versus Ferguson. Yorkshire grit versus Manchester steel. There would be no romantic underdog rising from mid-table this year, no miraculous Spurs surge or Arsenal comeback. Speaking of Arsenal — the race for the top four, usually one of the juiciest subplots in the spring, had turned oddly flat. The only flicker of excitement was Liverpool, who had been clawing their way up the table with decent form. They were breathing down Arsenal's neck for fourth place, close enough to smell the aftershave. But just as the Reds were about to pounce, they ran into Manchester United, who were in no mood for generosity. United didn't just beat them; they smacked them back into place. A 5-point gap opened up again between Arsenal and Liverpool, and the "top four drama" banner could be quietly rolled up and put back into storage. With the domestic picture momentarily calm, the media barely lingered on the weekend's league results before swinging their floodlights toward the midweek spectacle — the second leg of the Champions League round of 16. For English clubs, this was crunch time. Leeds United and Chelsea were the first two Premier League sides to play their second legs, with Arsenal and United following later in the week. And while Arthur's men had shocked the continent with a 2–1 win at Camp Nou in the first leg, plenty of pundits still fancied Barcelona's chances of turning the tie around. On paper, the Catalans had the weapons. "At the very least," the talking heads insisted, "they can drag Leeds into extra time, maybe even penalties." You could almost hear them willing it to happen, as if the idea of Arthur and Leeds knocking out the reigning champions was simply too outrageous for football reality to allow. But football reality doesn't care much for pundits. And Arthur — back on home turf, with the Elland Road crowd behind him — wasn't in the mood to grant Rijkaard any lifeline. From the opening whistle, Leeds' plan was clear enough to be scribbled on the back of a napkin: protect the lead, choke out Barcelona's rhythm, and wait for the counterattack. Arthur had tasted success with his defensive midfield wall in Spain, so this time he doubled down on it. Javier Mascherano and Yaya Touré took up positions as twin sentries in front of the back line, and their mission was simple — make life miserable for Barcelona's midfield. It worked like a charm. Every time Xavi or Deco tried to thread a pass or carry the ball forward, there was a crunch of boots and a blur of yellow shirts swarming them. Touré's long legs were seemingly everywhere at once, while Mascherano darted around like an angry wasp. Even when the ball reached Barcelona's front line, the service was rushed, messy, and easy for the Leeds defenders to snuff out. Rijkaard's men kept probing, but the minutes ticked by with no breakthrough. Leeds were happy to let them have the ball, as long as it stayed in the "safe" zones. And the longer Barcelona failed to score, the more the pressure shifted onto them. By the second half, the tension was tangible. The Catalans were starting to get impatient — you could see it in the way their passes became sharper, their movements riskier. Rijkaard himself was pacing the touchline, glancing at the scoreboard as if he could will the numbers to change. Finally, he decided it was time to throw caution into the nearest bin. "Forward, forward!" he kept shouting, gesturing wildly toward the Leeds goal. His players responded, pushing higher up the pitch, committing more bodies to the attack. It was a gamble — and Arthur, standing just a few yards away, could see exactly where the cracks would appear. And in the 81st minute, the crack became a canyon. Barcelona won a corner, and the Elland Road faithful held their breath. The delivery swung in, bodies collided, and the ball was cleared — not far, but far enough. A scramble, a desperate attempt from Barcelona to recycle the play... and then, in a flash, the ball was at Manuel Neuer's feet. The Leeds keeper didn't hesitate. With the precision of a quarterback spotting an open receiver, he launched a booming pass high into the night sky, straight toward the halfway line. Waiting there was Zlatan Ibrahimović — tall, languid, and perfectly positioned. And between him and the goal? Only Carles Puyol. Poor Puyol never stood a chance. Zlatan cushioned the ball with the calm of a man ordering coffee, then took a long stride forward, shrugging off Puyol's attempt to get close. In two more steps, he was clear, charging toward Víctor Valdés like a knight bearing down on an unarmed squire. One deft push of the ball, one smooth finish, and Elland Road exploded. Zlatan didn't even bother with an elaborate celebration — a simple arm raise toward the roaring stands was enough. Everyone knew what that goal meant. Barcelona's fight was over. The away goal advantage, the aggregate lead, the psychological edge — all of it was now firmly with Leeds. The final whistle was little more than a formality. After two minutes of token stoppage time, the referee called it. Leeds United had just eliminated the reigning European champions, completing a stunning double over Barcelona. The shockwaves rippled across Europe. No one — not even Arthur's most loyal supporters — had truly expected it to happen like this. Leeds hadn't just survived Barcelona; they'd beaten them twice, home and away. It was a night of pure jubilation for English fans. And if Leeds' triumph wasn't enough, the evening's good news was doubled when reports came in from Stamford Bridge: Chelsea had beaten Porto 2–1 and booked their own place in the quarterfinals. Elland Road sang into the night, and Arthur, smiling like a man who'd just stolen the crown jewels and gotten away with it, knew his team had just written another page in their improbable story. ***** After Leeds United's second-leg battle with Barcelona, the fixture list handed them a strange little gap before their next match — March 17th. That should have been a blessing, except for one annoying fact: wedged right in the middle of this break was the dreaded international match day. For a club manager, those words were basically code for half your squad disappears on long flights, plays for other people, and returns either exhausted or mysteriously limping. Arthur had to watch as several of his best players were whisked away to represent their countries. For those who didn't receive national team call-ups, he was generous enough to give them two days off. Partly because he believed in rest. Partly because, if he didn't, the grumbling in the dressing room would reach a decibel level detectable from space. Normally, two days off would be the perfect time for Arthur to get into some... let's call it "personal extracurricular activities." But since Shakira — yes, that Shakira — had been jetting around the globe for concerts recently, his social calendar was about as empty as Arsenal's trophy cabinet in recent years. So he took the revolutionary step of simply staying at home, lying back on his sofa, and doing absolutely nothing productive for forty-eight hours. By Friday, the mini-vacation was over. Leeds United were back to work. The training pitch was buzzing again — boots thumping against the turf, the snap of passes cutting through the chilly air, and the occasional yell from a player claiming they'd been fouled in a non-contact drill. Arthur had barely stepped onto the grass when Diego Simeone — his right-hand man and walking embodiment of chaos — came striding toward him with a grin. "Boss," Simeone said, clearly itching to spill some news. "Wenger's been getting absolutely hammered these past few days." Arthur raised an eyebrow. "By who exactly? Don't tell me the FA's started throwing punches now." Simeone's grin widened. "No, no — by everyone. Media, fans... probably his own goldfish at this point." This week had been the second match day of the Champions League Round of 16. Manchester United had done their job with boring efficiency, beating Lille without breaking a sweat and booking their ticket to the quarterfinals. Arsenal, on the other hand... Let's just say Arsenal had done what Arsenal sometimes did best — find a creative way to implode. At home, in front of their own fans, they'd only managed a 1-1 draw against PSV Eindhoven. That meant they lost 2-1 on aggregate and crashed out of the Champions League earlier than a teenager sneaking home after curfew. The real kicker? A month ago, Arsène Wenger had already sacrificed the FA Cup to "focus" on the league and Champions League. Now, with the league title slipping further away each week and Europe gone, the only silverware Arsenal could still dream about was the League Cup. A competition Wenger had historically treated with the same enthusiasm most people reserved for dentist appointments. Naturally, as soon as the final whistle blew, Arsenal's official website was flooded with furious Gunners supporters. Message boards caught fire. Social media drowned in posts accusing Wenger and the Arsenal board of everything from tactical incompetence to crimes against football. The press piled on, gleefully fanning the flames. By now, Wenger was probably wishing for an invisibility cloak. Arthur usually wasn't one for gossip — he preferred to focus on his own circus, not someone else's — so this was the first time he'd actually heard about Arsenal's meltdown. He gave Simeone a casual nod. "In competitive sports," Arthur said, "being bad is the original sin. You lose, you get criticised. That's how it works." Simeone, however, wasn't done. He leaned in like a kid about to tell a scandalous playground secret. "And I heard something else. Allen told me yesterday. Want to hear it, boss?" Arthur narrowed his eyes. He knew this look. Simeone was like a human tabloid — always ready to drop a headline, but never quickly. "If you've got something to say, say it," Arthur said, rolling his eyes. "Or do you not need to train today?" Simeone laughed and skipped backward as Arthur made a mock kick at him. Then he delivered his little grenade. "Boss, you know Wenger's policy about players over thirty — only offering them one-year contracts?" "Yeah..." Arthur said slowly. "Well, Allen told me Henry's contract talks with Arsenal have stalled because of it." Arthur stopped. His mind did a quick flip through the dusty filing cabinet of football history. Something about Thierry Henry... A transfer... To Barcelona... His memory started piecing it together like a detective in the final act of a crime drama. Wait a second. This was that year. "Call Allen," Arthur said sharply. "Tell him to come here. Now." About ten minutes later, Allen appeared at the training ground. He spotted Arthur out on the pitch, overseeing drills, and stayed by the sideline, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Boss! You wanted to see me?" Arthur passed the session over to Simeone with a quick wave, then walked toward Allen. They found a spot on the bench, away from the thumping of footballs and the occasional yell of "Ref! That's a foul!" from players pretending to be in a real match. "Allen," Arthur began, "Diego says Henry hasn't agreed to Arsenal's renewal terms?" Allen nodded. "Yeah. Raiola told me. They've got this little circle, you know? His agent, Dani, is part of it." Arthur raised an eyebrow. "And she just... told you?" Allen shrugged. "She brought it up herself. Henry's only got a year left on his deal. If she can't get an agreement with Arsenal, she's going to have to find him a new home. And I also heard Laporta's already contacted her in private." Arthur leaned back slightly, rubbing his chin. "Now that's interesting..." Allen studied his boss for a moment. He knew Arthur's brain was a bit like a football manager's tactics board — quiet on the outside, but constantly arranging pieces behind the scenes. "Boss," Allen said carefully, "you're not thinking of buying Henry... are you?"

Chapter 223: Double Kill

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