From Arsenal to the Ball God

"The key point is that as a technical midfielder turned defensive midfielder, I believe his footwork is adequate; he’s very versatile.

"If Pierce wants to win against France, Sweden, and Ukraine in the group stage, he must seriously consider what I’m saying."

Bobby Charlton raised the photo of Gilbert, displayed it briefly, then waved his hand with a smile, indicating that his explanation was over.

The camera returned to the studio where the beautiful host raised her brows and nodded, seemingly agreeing with this statement.

She then pointed to the screen again, "The first group review is over, let’s take a look at the second group review, this group has a total of 5 teams.

"They are Greece, Russia, Netherlands, Croatia, and France.

"For comments about them, I’ll hand over the camera to the legendary France player, Zidane!"

The camera shifted, showing Zidane’s listless face on screen, and after forcing a few smiles, he said, "Alright, I will also follow the order, but my words might be brief.

"First is Greece, this team, since accomplishing the ’Greek Mythology’ feat, has gained unprecedented confidence and fighting spirit.

"Though they are often overlooked, their strength is definitely not to be underestimated..... when a group of mid to lower league players have strong cohesion and execution, they have the possibility to defeat any strong team."

He scratched his chin and continued with a smile, "Then there’s Russia, also a rather special team, having few players from the top five leagues.

"However, note that the Russian Super League’s competitiveness has grown stronger in recent years, players from this league are tough opponents..... especially when they come from the same club.

"Yes..... clearly, this Russia team is essentially the Zenit Team, centered around former Arsenal player Arshavin, using Zenit players as the basic lineup, then fortifying specific positions.

"Cohesion will be their greatest competitiveness, something other teams don’t have."

He took a sip of water and continued, "Next is the Netherlands, uh..... this is a team somewhat similar to France, ah, I don’t mean in terms of internal conflict.

"Just saying they used to be a championship favorite, but haven’t performed well in recent years.

"An old strong team, a sick tulip, I would describe them like this.

"As for the Croatia Team, it’s obvious they’ve ushered in a golden generation; Mandzukic, Modric, Rakitic, and Perisic all contribute ’奇’ to make them strong in various positions.

"It’s crucial to know these are core players and main players from top European football teams, when they band together and fight for Croatia, their combat power must be amazing."

Zidane sat upright and spoke more seriously when addressing the final France team.

"I must say the France team might be underestimated, not because I’m French..... um, you can guess, I will start with ’Ma’el’

"But my approach might be different, I won’t simply say what fans rave about concerning his enhancement of France’s offensive capabilities.

"For the impact of a star striker on a team’s offense, no one can be sure, it must be validated in the European Cup, discussing it now is largely ineffective.

"I want to talk about his performance last season at Arsenal and why this is significant for the current France team."

With an admiring look, Zidane said slowly, "Everybody knows how Ma’el led Arsenal to success in the past year and how he performed.

"However, people haven’t clearly seen how this impacts the France team."

He extended one hand and began counting, "We notice strong teams like Spain, England, Italy, and Germany rely on one or two domestic clubs as their base, which boosts their combat power to some extent.

"But France, due to league standards being a tier below these countries, can’t form such a club base.

"Players often come from everywhere, not familiar with each other..... this could be why French players are famous and valued highly, yet their achievements fall short."

"I believe Ma’el and Wenger’s Arsenal helped France solve this issue, their performance this season has made Deschamps trust the ’French connection’ within the Arsenal lineup.

"Ma’el, Koscielny, Sagna, these three proven players will gain Deschamps’ trust as mainstays of the France team.

"In addition, Nasri and Klich, who played for Arsenal in the past, might also be Deschamps’ valuable allies."

Zidane extended five fingers and raised his eyebrow, "The combination of 5 current and former Arsenal players gives this team a club-like foundation.

"This will afford them great consistency, especially with Arsenal’s team spirit Ma’el in the squad.

"I believe this team can achieve remarkable results in the current European Cup, providing us with surprises."

Suddenly, the screen cut back to the studio, leaving Zidane occupying just a small section of the big screen.

The beautiful host picked up the microphone and asked with a smile, "But I have a question, according to rumors and social media discussion trends, the relationship between 3 current Arsenal players and 2 former Arsenal players may not be good.

"They seem to be the ’Arsenal Five’, but might actually be counterproductive."