Özil’s Embarrassment

Across the board for all my 3 novels, the WW1 fanfiction was voted the most so that's what I'm doing right now. The title is called "WW1: Tycoon", only 3 chapters will be released as I am testing the grounds to see the reception, please let me know how it is.

That being said enjoy:

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"The Brazilian should thank Lin for that assist. Lin's pass was perfectly placed, allowing him to shoot comfortably."

"Wenger's Arsenal is in trouble now. The first half isn't even over, and they've already been overtaken by Manchester City!"

In the Sky Sports commentary box, the commentators expressed their doubts about Arsenal's chances after Fernandinho's goal.

Once you fall behind at Manchester City's home ground, it's extremely difficult to stage a comeback.

Wenger clearly understood this, so when he saw Fernandinho's goal, he held his head in his hands, realizing things were not looking good.

"Should we bring on Cazorla?"

Arsenal's assistant coach suggested, as it was obvious that Özil was being overwhelmed.

Özil had always been somewhat reluctant to engage in physical battles, and now that Manchester City had noticed and exploited this weakness, they were relentlessly targeting him.

If Arsenal didn't address this issue quickly, more goals like the one they just conceded would likely follow.

"Let's wait a bit longer."

Wenger's habit of hesitation took over again. He still held out hope that Özil might adjust and find his form.

In the 42nd minute of the first half, after Manchester City's attack came to nothing, Arsenal began a counterattack.

Ramsey received the ball but hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should pass it to Özil.

Özil had made several mistakes on the pitch, becoming a weak point for Arsenal, causing frustration for his teammates.

Ramsey had had enough of covering for Özil's mistakes, so this time, he passed the ball to Wilshere instead.

However, before Wilshere could even take control of the ball, he was double-teamed by Lin and David Silva, leaving Özil unmarked nearby.

With no other options, Wilshere passed the ball to Özil.

Özil knew his performance had been poor, so he was determined to make amends. As he received the pass from Wilshere, he took advantage of the lack of pressure to look up and assess his options.

Arsenal's forward Giroud hadn't yet found space, and his passing lane was blocked by City's defenders, making it impossible for Özil to pass to him.

Wilshere was being double-teamed, so passing back to him would likely result in a turnover.

So, Özil decided to pass the ball to Walcott on the right.

Özil's technical skill was still solid, and this pass was of high quality.

Walcott received the ball and sprinted down the wing, but City was prepared for him. Nasri and Yaya Touré quickly blocked his path, forming an impenetrable wall.

Walcott had a decent success rate in one-on-one situations, but facing two defenders was a different story.

After all, not everyone has the exceptional dribbling ability of Messi or Lin!

So Walcott chose to pass the ball to Giroud. With his back to the goal and Kompany pressing him, Giroud couldn't turn and shoot.

Giroud passed the ball back to Özil, then quickly turned and positioned himself for a potential through ball.

What a great opportunity!

From the sidelines, Wenger's eyes lit up.

If Özil could just get the ball to Giroud, the striker would have a clear chance to score.

However, before Özil could even receive the ball, a Manchester City player slid in with a tackle.

"Lin? What's he doing there?"

"Lin tracked back deep into his own half to defend!"

"That was a risky tackle. Lin isn't a defensive specialist, so his tackles could easily injure the opponent or get himself booked!"

Seeing that it was Lin making the tackle, Wenger was shocked, and the commentators were surprised and concerned.

Özil noticed someone coming at him from the side and instinctively glanced over, only to see Lin sliding in for the tackle.

Startled, Özil didn't even attempt to receive the ball and instinctively jumped to avoid the tackle.

Lin's movement was anything but standard. If Özil got caught, he could be seriously injured.

At his young age, with his career just entering its prime, Özil wasn't about to risk a serious injury that could derail his future.

On the pitch, this kind of decision wasn't necessarily wrong. After all, not everyone is willing to risk everything.

But this was the Premier League!

Seeing Özil shy away from contact and abandon the ball, Manchester City's fans erupted in laughter.

"Haha, Özil chickened out!"

"What a coward! Go back to your mama and drink some milk!"

"This soft little sissy—how did Wenger think he was worth €50 million?"

Premier League fans love intense physical battles and brave, fearless players.

They despise players like Özil, who appear soft, lack courage, and avoid physical confrontations.

It wasn't just City's fans mocking Özil—even some Arsenal fans were shaking their heads in disappointment.

"Can this guy really be the leader of our team?"

"Who knows? But I'm sure he'll never be a leader like Vieira was!"

"Sigh, I really don't understand what Wenger saw in him to spend so much money."

Before Özil arrived, Arsenal's most expensive signing was only €16 million. Özil's transfer fee was triple that.

Given that Özil was Real Madrid's number 10 and had proven his worth in La Liga and the Champions League, the price wasn't entirely unreasonable, though Arsenal clearly overpaid.

When the transfer was announced, Arsenal fans were initially concerned about the cost but convinced themselves that you get what you pay for. They placed high expectations on the club's new record signing.

But now, Özil's performance didn't justify his hefty price tag or his high salary.

Many Arsenal fans were starting to view this as a failed transfer. Wenger, known for being frugal, might have misjudged this time.

Wenger's usual approach was to sign young players with great potential—players who were inexpensive and could be developed over time.

Just like City's number 10, who fit Wenger's criteria perfectly.

Very young, with immense potential, and already highly effective.

The best part was, he wouldn't have cost any transfer fee—he would've been perfect for Arsenal!

If only they had signed him instead of Özil, how different things could have been!

On the pitch, Lin saw that Özil had hesitated and failed to control the ball, so he quickly took possession.

Özil noticed that Lin had pulled back on his tackle, not fully committing to it, and realized that Lin had only intended to scare him. After all, Lin was City's star player—why would he do the dirty work of tackling?

This realization made Özil feel both embarrassed and angry.

As he watched Lin dribble away, Özil clenched his fists, a flash of anger crossing his mind.

Lin, unaware of Özil's thoughts, took advantage of Arsenal's transition from attack to defense and quickly passed the ball to a teammate, hoping to catch Arsenal off guard.

Arsenal's players immediately retreated to defend after losing the ball, but human speed simply couldn't match that of the ball.

Lin's pass found David Silva, who wasted no time in passing to their forward, Agüero.

Agüero, with his sharp positioning, timed his run perfectly, avoiding the offside trap and getting the ball.

It was a one-on-one situation.

Szczęsny rushed out to confront him, but Agüero calmly slotted the ball into the far corner.

In their duel, the Argentine came out on top.

The ball rolled past the far post and into the net!

3:1!

Manchester City extended their lead!

"Damn it!"

"I've had enough of this stupid guy!"

"Haha, are we playing with a man down? It feels like they have 12 players!"

"What is Wenger doing? Why hasn't he subbed that guy off?"

Arsenal fans finally reached their breaking point after seeing City's third goal.

Their patience with Özil had been completely exhausted. His reluctance to engage in physical play had cost them two goals.

If not for those two goals, the score would still be 1:1!

Even if they couldn't win, at least they could have secured a draw.

But now, winning seemed impossible, and even a draw was out of reach!

If Arsenal lost this match, they would miss out on being the halfway champions and fall nine points behind City.

A gap that big would be tough to close in the second half of the season, especially since Arsenal had a history of collapsing in the latter stages.

"Coach, it's time to make a change!"

Assistant coach Steve Bould couldn't take it anymore. He was ready to sub himself in for Özil.

"The first half is almost over. Let's wait until halftime to make the change."

Wenger was also deeply disappointed in Özil. He didn't expect him to be a leader like Vieira, but this was just too much.

However, with the first half almost finished, subbing Özil out now would deal a significant blow to his confidence and morale.

So Wenger decided to give him a little more dignity, waiting until the halftime break to make the switch.

But Wenger's hesitation led to disaster.

In the final minute of the first half, as Lin prepared to dribble past, Özil suddenly lunged in with a slide tackle from the side.

It was clearly an act of revenge.

He was retaliating for the earlier tackle that had left him humiliated.

With a loud thud, the two players collided and both fell to the ground.

Lin's earlier slide tackle had been done right in front of Özil, giving him time to react.

But Özil's tackle was purely to foul, and Lin didn't see it coming, so he had no time to avoid it.

When Özil took Lin down,

 the crowd erupted.

Manchester City fans stood up in unison, straining their necks to see what had happened.

Özil's tackle was forceful, and Lin had no chance to evade it.

So he might be injured—and possibly seriously!

The referee quickly blew his whistle, running over to the scene.

He had a clear view and saw that Özil hadn't even touched the ball—he had only gone for the man.

This was clearly a foul, and a serious one at that.

Without hesitation, the referee showed Özil a red card, sending him off immediately.

Özil, clutching his leg in pain, was rolling on the ground, too hurt to even react to the red card.

When he made contact with Lin's ankle, it felt like hitting a steel plate—Lin's ankle was incredibly solid.

He had no idea if Lin was injured, but he was sure that he was.

So even without the red card, Özil wouldn't have been able to continue.

Seeing Özil rolling on the ground, the referee initially thought he was faking it to gain sympathy.

So he signaled to Manchester City's medical team to come treat Lin while keeping a close eye on Özil.

Seeing their teammate's poor acting, Arsenal's players felt embarrassed and didn't even bother helping him up.

On the other hand, City's players rushed over to Lin as soon as they saw him injured and on the ground.

"Lin, are you okay?"

"If Lin's hurt, I swear I'll take out a few Arsenal players later!"

"Forget that! Get the medic over here, quick!"

The City players were all talking at once, their concern evident.

If not for the referee standing right beside Özil, they might have dragged him up and given him a beating to avenge Lin.

The referee watched Özil for a moment, noting the sweat pouring down his face, and realized Özil wasn't faking—he was genuinely injured.

So he signaled to Arsenal's medical team as well, telling them to come onto the field.

City fans alternated between cursing Özil and anxiously watching Lin, who was still down on the pitch.

If Özil was hurt this badly, Lin's injury must be even worse, right?

That's what City's medical team thought too. They came running onto the field with all their equipment, looking serious.

But before they could reach him, Lin was already on his feet.

"Lin, don't move! You might make it worse!"

The medic was startled and quickly urged Lin to lie back down.

"Uh, I'm fine, really!"

Lin insisted he was okay, but the medic didn't believe him.

Fine? How could that be? Özil was injured—how could Lin be okay?

But after a thorough examination, the City medic was puzzled.

He really wasn't hurt?

How was that possible?

He began to wonder if he had made a mistake, doubting his own skills.

So he glanced over at Arsenal's medic, who was treating Özil.

"Um, hey, could you do me a favor…"

Fans in the stadium and watching on TV were puzzled, not sure what was going on.

"What's up with Lin? Why did he lie back down after getting up?"

"Why is Arsenal's medic checking on Lin?"

"City's medic doesn't seem to know what he's doing—he had to ask Arsenal's guy for help!"

"Uh, Lin's standing again. Does that mean he's not hurt?"

"If he's okay, that's great. If he was really hurt, he might've been out for months!"

"Come to think of it, Lin has an amazingly strong physique. He gets targeted and fouled every game, but he never seems to get injured!"

"Now that you mention it, Lin hasn't missed a game this season. He hasn't been injured once!"

"Well, not quite. He didn't play in the League Cup fourth round, but that wasn't due to injury!"

"Still, that's impressive. He's been available for every Premier League and Champions League game—that's incredible!"

"I remember he missed some games due to injury in the Bundesliga, but in the Premier League, he hasn't had that problem. It's strange!"

"Maybe it's because he's physically stronger and has more experience, so he knows how to protect himself better!"

"Fewer injuries are a good thing—this is a talent many players can only dream of!"

"Reus just liked this post!"

"Messi, Robben, Kaká, and Ronaldo are all envious!"

"Ugh, as a Messi fan, I just wish he could stay healthy this season—his stats wouldn't be this low if he weren't injured so much!"

…

On the field, after Arsenal's medic checked Lin, he too began to question everything.

He's really not injured?

How could that be?

The medic glanced over at Özil, who was being carried off on a stretcher, and couldn't shake the feeling that something was off—like it was Özil who had been fouled, not Lin.

Otherwise, why was Özil the one being stretchered off while Lin was still up and about?